Feather Bangs goes on some dates with the girls from Crystal Prep.
Feather Bangs feels lucky for getting the chance to go on some dates with girls from Crystal Prep Academy. He will find out that they are much more than they appear.
Feather Bangs ran as fast as he could on the long sidewalk as he was in such a hurry. He checked his watch to see that he only had a few minutes before he will be late. Feather zig-zagged through some people who were in the way and he was able to jump over a dog so he wouldn't trip over it. When Feather turned to one last corner, he felt relieved as he had arrived to his destination. In front of Feather Bangs was the Canterlot Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in town. It is where locals shop for certain stuff. Feather walked towards a large water fountain that was located at the front of the mall's entrance. Standing in front of the fountain was a girl with light purple and pink short hair with a pointy flower hairpin on it. Her outfit was a light blue, short sleeved blouse, a short purple skirt, purple heels, and a dark purple purse. The girl was currently texting something on her smartphone as if she didn't care what was in front of her. Feather could easily recognize the girl as Sunny Flare and he was relieved to see that she was still waiting for him.
"Sorry for almost being late!" Feather said as he made his way towards her. He couldn't help but breath heavily as he had to run extremely fast. Sunny finished texting on her phone and put it in her purse.
"Well, I would've gone in since you were about to be late." Sunny said rudely. But she smiled, "But then again, I decided to wait a little longer just to give you more time. Let's go!" Sunny said as she walked towards the mall with Feather following in pursuit. Sunny turned to see Feather. "Just to confirm, you are able to get discounts, is that correct?" Sunny asked.
"Yeah," Feather answered. "As long as I make the purchases, I get a very large discount at any store at the Canterlot Mall."
"Oh, then this will be a very fun date, Feather." Sunny said as she turned her head and walked further.
Feather felt extremely blessed to go on a date with one of Crystal Prep's most popular girls, Sunny Flare. She was always the center of attention whenever she appeared. Most of the guys at Crystal Prep would give a limb to go on at least one date with her. Feather was able to score a date with Sunny when he won a lottery at the Canterlot Mall. For the prize, Feather could get a huge discount at any store in the mall. He thought that Sunny would definitely go on a shopping date with him if he could get great deals from her favorite stores. Feather tried to convince Sunny to on a date with him, but she kept declining. That wasn't until Feather mentioned his prize then Sunny finally said yes. Now Feather got to follow Sunny as if he was very important to him, which he was. They entered the mall to first see the inside view. The sun was shining through the clear glass ceilings and the mall's interior showed that it had so many floors with various stores. There were even some long paths of escalators and elevators to help guests go up to certain floors. Feather could never get tired of seeing how amazing the Canterlot Mall looked. Feather's mind refocused as he noticed that Sunny was already on one of the escalators to go up, forcing Feather to catch up to her.
"Before we get this date started, I want to inform you of some ground rules that should be followed while we're on this date. Is that clear?" Sunny asked.
"Okay," Feather nodded.
"First off, no hand-holding between us. If I catch you attempting to grasp my hand or touch me anywhere else, your face will be slapped." Sunny warned.
"Okay," Feather said with a gulp.
"Second, you do everything I say. If I say to carry something, you carry it. If I say get something, you get it. If I say to remove your shirt so I could wipe my face, you take off your shirt and give it to me." Sunny said.
"No problem," Feather said.
"Third, you will only address me as Ms. Flare and nothing else." Sunny said.
"Yes, Sun-I mean Ms. Flare." Feather said nervously.
"Good," Sunny said with a smile. Sunny and Feather got off the escalator and made their way towards their first stop. It was a women's boutique that sold top quality clothes. Sunny started to explore the clothing racks that carried all sorts of clothing for women. Her eyes glistened as she saw how beautiful the clothes looked. Feather said nothing as he only took the clothing that Sunny had picked out. As Sunny continued to search through the racks, Feather started to hold up a large clump of clothing that Sunny chose to buy. Sunny shopped for thirty minutes and she was completely done.
"Alright, you can go purchase my clothes now." Sunny said as she led Feather to the cashier. Feather did his best to not trip over while holding on to the large amount of clothes Sunny chose. When the cashier ringed up the price, Feather mentioned his name and the price went down in an extremely low rate. Feather made the purchase and followed Sunny out of the store while he held several paper bags that contained her clothing. "That was such a blast!" Sunny smiled. "Let's check out some more places!" Sunny then led Feather to another store.
The day went on with Sunny leading Feather to some more clothing stores and he the purchases. The next store Sunny and Feather went to was a makeup place. Sunny was busy trying out some perfume. She sprayed some on her wrist and gave it a sniff.
"Hmm, this perfume smells strange. What do you think, Feather?" Sunny asked. Feather sprayed the bottle on his wrist and took a whiff, this caused him to choke up as it smelled very vile to him. Feather noticed that Sunny was staring at him and he quickly calmed down.
"This smells...alright," Feather responded. Sunny turned and put back the bottle. She then picked up another one.
"Perhaps this one will do." Sunny said as she sprayed the bottle on to her wrist and sniffed it. When Sunny and Feather exited the store, Feather was carrying some boxes that contained the perfumes that he bought for Sunny. "Let's head to the food court and get some drinks. I'm feeling parched from all of this shopping."
"Sounds like a great idea, Ms. Flare." Feather said as he struggled to balance himself while holding Sunny's bags. They walked towards the food court that was made up of a variety of restaurants. Sunny led Feather to an empty table and she sat down on one of the seats. Feather carefully placed Sunny's shopping bags on the table and collapsed on to a chair.
"I'm in the mood for some boba drinks. Could you get me one, Feather? I prefer a strawberry milk tea with extra boba." Sunny requested.
"Coming right up," Feather said as he slowly made his way to the milk tea shop. He approached the cashier to order one strawberry milk tea with extra boba for Sunny and one thai milk tea for himself.
"Here you go," The cashier said as she gave both drinks to Feather.
"Thank you," Feather said as he took the cups. All of a sudden, Feather got startled as horns blew and confetti shot out from all around him.
"Congratulation, sir!" The cashier called out. "You're our one hundredth customer!" The cashier and some of the nearby customers clapped for Feather.
"Wow, what do I win?" Feather asked.
"A chance for you and your date to enter our lovers' contest!" The cashier responded.
"Say what?" Feather asked in confusion.
The outside of the milk tea shop was rearranged so there would be three tables with two people on each table. Feather and Sunny occupied one of these tables. Apparently, Feather and Sunny won a chance to enter a contest where couples would feed each other an incredibly large parfait. The winning couple that finishes their parfait will go on an all expense paid island vacation. When Feather told Sunny about the contest, she immediately joined Feather as she wanted to go on an island vacation.
"Hello Canterlot Mall!" A host said through a microphone. "We will start with the couples' parfait eating contest! The couples must feed each other parfaits until they are done! The first couple to completely eat their parfait wins!" The crowd cheered as they were excited. Feather gulped as he saw that their parfait was as large as a fruit basket. He wasn't sure if he could be able to finish all of that.
"Remember," Sunny whispered to Feather. "If we somehow win, I'm willing to take you with me on this island vacation. Try to use that as motivation or something." That made Feather less hesitant as he could score a chance to go on a trip with Sunny.
"On your mark....get set...go!" The host said and the couples began to feed each other the parfait. Sunny used her spoon to scope up a large amount of parfait.
"Say 'ahh', Feather." Sunny said sweetly as she shoved her spoon into Feather's mouth, making him swallow it whole. Luckily, Feather was able to swallow it despite how cold it felt in his throat. Feather took his spoon and carefully move it towards Sunny's mouth.
"Here you go, Ms. Flare." Sunny quickly eaten from Feather's spoon and scooped her spoon into the parfait. The minutes went by with Sunny and Feather feeding each other as fast as possible. Feather was starting to have a hard time as Sunny kept feeding him large amounts of parfait that caused him to get brain freezes. Sunny wished that Feather scooped more from his spoon, but then she didn't want to get brain freezes as well. She couldn't help but giggle a few times from how silly Feather looked when he gets a brain freeze. They were about a few scoops away before they were completely done with their parfait. Feather started to get full from all of the parfait he had eaten.
"Come on, Feather, just a few more to go." Sunny said as she scooped up another spoon of parfait. Feather tried to take a bite but was interrupted when the host spoke.
"We have a winner!" The host said as he pointed at one of the couples as they lifted their empty bowl and spoons. "Congratulations! You won an all-expense-paid vacation at an island paradise!" Confetti shot out and the crowd cheered for the winning couple. Feather collapsed on the table as not only he was really full but also because he felt bad for not winning for Sunny.
The sun was setting as Feather followed Sunny out of the mall. Feather and Sunny didn't say anything while they walked towards Sunny's car.
'I can't blame Sunny for giving me the silent treatment.' Feather thought. 'If only I had eaten that parfait much faster.' When they arrived to Sunny's car, Feather put all of her bags in the trunk.
"Ms. Flare," Feather said to get Sunny's attention. "I just wanted to say that I'm incredibly sorry for not being able to get you that vacation prize. If you just want to go and forget about me, I'll respect that."
"It's quite alright," Sunny said with a smile. Sunny's words took Feather by surprise. "In fact, I had some fun during this date."
"Really?" Feather said in confusion.
"Yeah," Sunny responded. "I was able to shop at my favorite stores, had such a nice gentleman like you carry all of my things, and I even shared some tasty parfait with you."
"Wow, I feel flattered." Feather said while blushing.
"Let's do this again sometime, Feather." Sunny said.
"S-sure! That would be great, Ms. Flare." Feather said before he noticed Sunny placing a hand on his cheek.
"Please, call me Sunny from now on." Sunny then gave Feather a peck on his cheek, causing him to blush bright red. "I call you later." Sunny winked before she got into her car and drove off. Feather formed a goofy grin on his face as he received a kiss from Sunny, a girl who still wants to date him.
Feather Bangs walked towards the entrance to a fancy restaurant. He came here as his guy friends invited him to a mixer with some of the girls from Crystal Prep. Feather immediately accepted his friends' invitation as there was no way he was going to turn down dates with some cute girls. He opened the door to see how luxurious the restaurant's interior looked. Feather thought this restaurant was really popular as he saw all of the tables were filled with adults and teens.
"Hello there," The restaurant's host said from behind a tall podium. "How can I help you?"
"My name is Feather Bangs and I believe I'm a part of a reservation with some of my friends." Feather replied. The host looked at a list.
"Here it is, Mr. Bangs. Allow me to escort you to your party's table." The host said as he lead Feather passed some of the occupied tables. The host then moved aside to show that they have arrived to Feather's table. All of Feather's guy friends have already taken their seats across the girls Feather had recognized from Crystal Prep. Feather felt thrilled to see that the girls look really pretty and he couldn't wait to get to know them all.
"Hey, Feather! You finally made it!" One of Feather's guy friends said as he waved.
"Sorry, it took so long." Feather said sheepishly. "It's better to be fashionably late than extremely late." Feather joked.
"It's all good, man. Just have a seat and we can get started!" Feather's other guy friend said as he pointed at an empty chair. Feather took his seat and he noticed the girl sitting across from him. Her hair was pink and it was tied into a long pony tail. There was a single mint-green streak on her hair and small pink freckles were on her cheeks. The girl's outfit was light green evening dress. Another thing Feather noticed was that the girl had her armed crossed while looking away as if she had no interest in anything at all. When the girl's eyes spotted Feather, the girl formed an angry glare on her face.
"What are you looking at?" The girl asked rudely.
"Um, nothing," Feather said nervously.
"Good, if you want to continue to stare at nothing, look somewhere else." The girl warned. Feather gulped.
"Yes, ma'am." Feather said as he turned away from the girl in front of him.
'Oh why did I have to sit with Sour Sweet?' Feather complained in his thoughts. He obviously knew who Sour Sweet was as she is considered the meanest girl at Crystal Prep. When someone meets Sour Sweet for the first time, she would start off acting all nice and cheery before she reveals herself as a monster of a girl. Most of the guys from Crystal Prep do their best to stay away from Sour Sweet as they don't want to get beaten to a pulp by her. Feather turned to his friends who were too occupied with interacting with the other girls from Crystal Prep.
'Looks like I won't get to talk to any cute girls.' Feather thought as he felt a bit sad. The waiter arrived to get the orders from Feather and his group. The night went on with Feather awkwardly eating his dinner while his guy friends continued to talk with the girls. Feather looked up to see Sour Sweet eating a plate of salad. She too noticed that Feather was looking at her. Feather formed a small smile on his face.
'Maybe she isn't so mean after all.' Feather thought. His thoughts were interrupted when Sour Sweet growled at Feather as if she was a vicious predator.
'I take it back,' Feather thought as he gulped. He went to the restroom to take a break from his date. Feather splashed some water on his face while looking at himself through the mirror.
"Come on, Feather!" Feather said to his reflection. "This is suppose to the best night of your life! Don't let your guy friends take all of the fun! Force yourself to talk to the other girls and see if any of them could be your best match!" Feather felt more confident in himself and he exited the restroom. When Feather returned to his table, he noticed that all of his guy friends and the girls were all gone. He then noticed that Sour Sweet also came back to the table to find that it was empty. She then spotted their waiter cleaning up the table.
"Excuse me, where were the other people who were sitting on this table?" Sour Sweet asked.
"They paid the bill and left the restaurant." The waiter replied.
"What?!" Sour Sweet said in shock. She gritted her teeth to show that she was really angry. Feather felt really disappointed that he didn't get the chance to speak to the other girls.
'Looks like it will be another lonely night for me.' Feather thought as he was about to turn and leave the restaurant. He was then stopped by Sour Sweet who grabbed hold of his jacket's sleeve. Feather noticed that she had her face turned away so he didn't see her act embarrassed.
"C-could you drive me?" Sour Sweet asked under her breath.
"What?" Feather said in confusion.
"I got here with my friends. Since they just took off without me, I don't have a ride home." Sour Sweet explained. "As much as it makes me puke to ask a scrawny twig like you to drive me home, I'm willing to swallow some pride just this once. Could you please drive me back to my house." Feather took a moment to think about his decision. He really didn't want to drive Sour Sweet because she is really rude. But a part of Feather didn't want to leave a girl in distress.
"Alright, I can drive you home." Feather nodded. Sour Sweet then approached Feather so their faces were really close to each other.
"Here are some warnings," Sour Sweet said strictly. "you will drive me straight home and nowhere else. If you take me somewhere different or try anything funny, I won't be afraid to beat to you a pulp, throw you out of your car, and drive myself home. Is that clear?" Feather gulped before he replied.
"Very clear," Feather said.
"Good," Sour Sweet said with a smile. "now lead the way."
'What have I got myself into?' Feather thought as he lead Sour Sweet to his car. The nightly drive was quiet as Feather and Sour Sweet didn't say a single word since they got in. Feather did his best to follow the directions Sour Sweet gave him towards her house. Sour Sweet just looked through her window while looking completely bored from the car ride. Feather thought that it couldn't hurt to have a small talk with Sour Sweet while he drives.
"It's a lovely night, isn't it?" Feather said.
"It is a lovely night," Sour Sweet said sweetly. "for me to get ditched by my friends and get stuck riding shotgun with you." Sour Sweet turned back to watch her window. Feather remained silent as he continued to drive. He thought that Sour Sweet's first remark shouldn't stop him from continuing.
"So, why did you come to tonight's mixer?" Feather asked. Sour Sweet turned back to Feather and she formed an offended look on her face.
"What is this? A game of questions?" Sour Sweet said rudely. "If you must know, I was invited by my friends as they needed one more girl for their date. I didn't accept it because I was desperate for love, I just wanted to eat a free dinner. That's all."
"Well, I was also invited by my friends to join them on this mixer." Feather resounded. "I thought it would be nice to join them and see if I meet a nice girl there."
"Yeah, and look how that turned out." Sour Sweet remarked and turned away. Feather sighed as he thought that there was no hope in connecting with Sour Sweet. Feather then heard some loud bangs coming from the front of his car and smoke started to flow out. The next thing Feather knew, his car was slowing down. Feather quickly turned to the side of the road right before his car completely stopped moving.
"Well, that's just great." Sour Sweet said with sarcasm. Feather got out of his car so he could check out what was wrong under the hood. He opened the hood to only cough as a large amount of smoke came out of it. Feather wasn't a car expect so he wasn't sure what went wrong. He pulled out his phone to contact a towing service to get a tow truck to pick his car up.
"Yes, thank you very much." Feather said as he hung up his phone and went back inside his car.
"Good news," Feather said to Sour Sweet. "a towing truck will come to pick us up. It should take a while." Sour Sweet turned to Feather.
"How is that good news?" Sour Sweet questioned. "I have to wait here for who knows how long until that towing truck shows up." Feather couldn't think of a response and just stayed silent as he and Sour Sweet waited. The night went on with Feather hearing the sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting. He looked at Sour Sweet who was occupied with looking at her smartphone. Sour Sweet breathed heavily and started to exit the car.
"Where are you going?" Feather asked.
"I'm going to walk around for a bit so my butt doesn't get too numb." Sour Sweet replied as she began to walk towards the forrest area.
"Are you sure you want to do that? It looks really scary out there." Feather said as he saw the darkness from the woods.
"This isn't some horror flick," Sour Sweet said. "there is nothing out there but bugs and little furry pests."
"But still, I don't think you should go out there when it's dark." Feather said.
"I bet you just want to use this opportunity to cuddle with me and we make out in the heat of the moment." Sour Sweet said harshly.
"I wasn't planning on that." Feather claimed in a serious tone.
"Sure you wouldn't," Sour Sweet said with sarcasm. "See ya!" Sour Sweet then walked inside of the dark forrest. Feather first thought he should go after her as he didn't want a girl to get lost in the woods, but he then resented that idea.
'If she doesn't like my company, she can just stay out there.' Feather thought as he continued to sit in his car. Later that night, the tow truck finally arrived and the driver started to hook up Feather's car.
"Alright, your car is all towed up." The driver said.
"Thanks, I appreciate that." Feather said.
"Are you okay? You look kinda sad." The driver said.
"I just had a rough night." Feather replied. "My friends ditched me from a mixer and I was driving a mean girl to her house. When my car broke down, she just got up and went into those woods."
"That girl must have some guts walking into those woods." The driver said. "Do you want to go now?" Feather looked back at the woods and he just couldn't bear to just leave Sour Sweet there.
"Hang on," Feather said. "I'll be right back."
"Alright," The driver said as he went inside his tow truck. Feather entered the forest and went down a clear path to see if he could find Sour Sweet. Feather thought that Sour Sweet was so stubborn that she ignored most of the spooky parts of the forest.
"Sour, are you here?" Feather called out while walking down the path. "The tow truck came." Feather was then startled when an owl hooted and flew passed him.
"Keep it together, Feather." Feather told himself. "There is nothing scary in these woods." A girl's scream echoed through the woods, startling Feather. This made Feather run as he had no idea what made the scream. He just ran as if his life depended on it. Feather was so worked up that he wasn't even sure if he was running away from the scream or towards its' source. Feather passed a few more trees before he immediately stopped in his tracks. In front of him was an extremely large trench that was really deep if anything fell down there. Feather felt lucky for stopping right in front of the trench. Otherwise, he would've fallen to his death. He was about to turn and walk back into the woods until he heard a girl's voice.
"Help!" The voice called out. Feather immediately turned to see Sour Sweet holding on to a branch and dangling at the edge of the trench.
"Sour?!" Feather yelled as he ran towards Sour Sweet. "How did you get there?!"
"Well, I was thought it would be fun to grab on to this tree branch and see how long it will take for me to fall." Sour Sweet said with sarcasm. "What do you think!? I tripped and fell down here!" Feather felt a bit ticked from Sour's rude behavior.
"Hang on!" Feather yelled. "I'm going to look for something that you could use to climb out of there!"
"Go on, I'm in no rush!" Sour said with more sarcasm. Feather looked around the woods for anything that could rescue Sour Sweet. Luckily, Feather found some long vines that could be used as rope. He ran back to Sour Sweet with the vine rope in his hands.
"Alright, I got the rope!" Feather said as he started tying one end to his waist. "I'm dropping one end of the vine to you. Grab it and hold on tight!" Feather dropped the other end of the vine down the trench in hopes that Sour Sweet will reach it. Sour Sweet immediately grabbed on to the rope and held on for dear life. Feather felt Sour Sweet pulling him towards the trench as he was not used to pulling people with ropes. He was still able to stand his ground so he wouldn't fall in. "Come on, Feather. You can do this!" Feather said to himself as he pulled the vines while attempting to walk backwards. Although Feather was pulling at a slow pace, he was able to get Sour closer to the surface. It took a while before Sour Sweet made it up from the trench and crawled out of it. Both Feather and Sour Sweet panted heavily as they were exhausted from the heart-racing event that just happened. A few minutes passed before Feather got up and walked towards Sour Sweet. "I was glad that I was able to pull you out of there before vine broke." Feather said until he noticed that Sour Sweet was crying. "Sour, are you alright?"
"I-I thought that I was going to die during that moment." Sour Sweet said as she was wiping away her tears. "I never felt so scared in my life." Sour Sweet said as she continued to cry. Feather's only response was to give Sour Sweet a hug as a way to comfort her. Sour Sweet didn't resist as she wrapped her arms around Feather as well. When Sour Sweet's crying was over, she and Feather made their way back to Feather's car. Sour Sweet wore Feather's jacket he offered it to her as she must be cold from being in the woods for so long. Sour Sweet immediately accepted it without any remarks. The two of them came back to see that the tow truck didn't leave yet and the driver was waiting for them.
"Whoa, what happened to you two?" The driver asked as he noticed how messy Feather and Sour Sweet looked.
"We...just tripped on some mud and sticks. That's all." Feather said while looking at Sour Sweet.
"Y-yeah, that what happened." Sour Sweet said in agreement.
"If you say so," The driver said as he got in the towing truck. "Hop in and I'll take you two home."
"I appreciate it," Feather said. He was stopped by Sour Sweet who tugged his sleeve.
"Feather, can I say something?" Sour Sweet whispered.
"Sure," Feather said before Sour Sweet gave him a small kiss on his lips. When the kiss was over, she smiled at Feather.
"Thank you so much for saving me." Sour Sweet said with a small smile. She then grabbed Feather's shirt collar and pulled him closer to his face. "If you ever tell anybody what happened tonight, I will beat you like a punching bag." Feather gulped.
"I understand," Feather said as he watched Sour Sweet enter the tow truck. Feather thought that this night was sort of good despite Sour Sweet's sour attitude, but he was glad that she was happy and safe.
"Hey Bangs, are you coming or do you want us to just leave you here?" Sour Sweet called out from the tow truck.
"Coming!" Feather said as he entered the tow truck.
At a large stadium, a huge crowd of people waited in line to get through the entrance. Among these people was Feather Bangs and next to him was a teenage girl with long, light green hair. Her outfit was a dark pink jacket that covered her blank tank-top that read: Mad Dogs. The shirt's words were written in red and there was an image of a scary-looking bulldog. She also wore a pair of long, blue jeans and black boots. There was also a pair of pink headphones hanging around the girl's neck. Feather knew this girl as Lemon Zest. When Feather is at Crystal Prep, he would often see Lemon banging her head while listening to loud music through her pink headphones. Feather couldn't help but think that Lemon was interesting and he wanted to ask her out. Unfortunately, Feather never exactly had the courage to ask Lemon out as he never asked a girl out before and Lemon was too occupied with her music. It wasn't until a few days ago when Feather finally asked Lemon out.
After school, Feather visited an old, vinyl record store to find Lemon listening to some old records through headphones. Feather couldn't help but think that Lemon looked lovely despite wearing just her Crystal Prep uniform. Feather approached Lemon and tapped her shoulder.
"Yo, Feather, what's up?" Lemon Zest asked as she removed her headphones.
"Hey Lemon," Feather replied with confidence in his tone. "Say, is one of your favorite bands called the Mad Dogs?"
"Heck yeah!" Lemon replied enthusiastically. "They rock so hard!"
"Well, it just so happens-" Feather said before he pulled out two tickets from his pocket and showed it to Lemon. "that I bought tickets for their upcoming show. I was wondering if you would like to join me." Lemon's jaw dropped before she started to shake in excitement.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Lemon said as she gave Feather a strong hug. "Thanks Feather, you're the man!"
"Yeah, heh heh." Feather said as he blushed from getting hugged by a girl.
Now Feather walked next to an excited Lemon as they entered the stadium.
"This is so awesome!" Lemon commented. "I finally get to see a live Mad Dogs concert. You can almost hear the band ready to explode with their songs. Do you think so?" Lemon asked Feather.
"No, I'm fine." Feather assured. "I'm just not used to this kind of event." Before the concert, Feather did some research on the Mad Dogs band. When Feather tried to listen to their songs, he almost had his ears blown off from how loud the music played. Feather preferred pop-songs he usually hears from radio channels instead of loud, head-banging rock.
"Whoa, check out the merch booth!" Lemon said as she ran towards a long row of stalls that sold all sorts of things with the Mad Dogs on it. Feather sighed as he had to endure all of this so he could get on Lemon's good side. When Lemon was done with the booths, the both of them made their way to their seats. The whole stadium was jam-packed with fans who waited in anticipation for the concert. "Come on, our seats are this way!" Lemon hollered as she grabbed Feather's arm and pulled him down some stairs. Feather and Lemon passed several rows before they made it to the row that was the closest to the stage. "Oh my gosh," Lemon said as she took one seat. "these are the best seats in the house!"
"I'm glad you like them," Feather said with pride in his tone. "I was able to make some calls to get these seats." Feather then noticed that Lemon was distracted as she started to chant out 'Mad Dogs' more than once. This also caused the rest of the crowd to join in with Lemon. Feather sighed and took his seat next to Lemon. Several minutes passed before the lights dimmed, causing the crowd to roar in excitement as they knew that it was time for the show. Feather quickly dug in his pockets to pull out what looked like some noise canceling ear buds.
'It's a good thing I came prepared for this concert.' Feather thought as he quickly put on his earbuds before the crowd became louder. Smokescreen started to cover the stage and a large bulldog head slowly descended from the top of the stage.
"Ah yeah!" Lemon screamed from the top of her lungs, but it was drowned out by the crowd who also hollered loudly. When the bulldog head hit the stage floor, its' mouth opened up and the band members started to walk out of it. Each band member grabbed their instruments as the main singer made his way to the front microphone.
"Hello, everyone! We're the Mad Dogs! Are you ready to rock!?" The crowd cheered loudly in response. "Sorry, I can't hear you! I said are you all ready to rock!?" The crowd then cried out louder than the previous time.
'Seriously, how could he had not hear that the first time?!' Feather thought as he covered his ears. Even though he wore ear buds, they weren't strong enough against the loud crowd.
"Alright, let's get this started!" The main singer said as the band started to play their first song. The band played their song and Feather thought that it was as loud as several cannons firing at the same time. Feather saw that Lemon was banging her head along with the music to show that she really enjoyed it. Lemon and the rest of the crowd were also able to sing along to the Mad Dogs' song despite the music being extremely loud. Feather gritted his teeth as it felt painful for him to hear such ear-piercing music.
'Note to self, bring noice-canceling headphones next time I go on some concert date!' Feather said in his thoughts. The first song continued for a few more minutes before the Mad Dogs finished with a huge explosion effect, causing the crowd to cheer for the band's performance. Feather felt relieved that the Mad Dogs stopped, only for Feather's relief to vanish as the Mad Dogs started playing their second song that was just as loud as the first one.
'This is gonna take forever!' Feather thought as he got up and tried to make his way towards the restroom. It was difficult journey for Feather as he had to get pass the audience as they were all stood on the stairway to get a better view of the concert.
"Sorry," Feather said to the people he kept bumping into. Feather felt relieved as he arrived to the restroom where the Mad Dogs' music wasn't so loud. Feather entered a stall and leaned his back on to the door.
"What was I thinking?!" Feather said to himself. "This isn't romantic at all! Lemon and I aren't even bonding! She is too busy screaming and head-banging to those loud musicians!" Feather then remained silent as he tried to recompose himself before he gets too stressed out. "It's alright, Feather. At least Lemon is happy. Maybe if I showed some more passion towards the Mad Dogs, she might warm up to me more than them." Feather then felt a new wave of hope inside. He exited his bathroom stall and washed his hands before he went back to his seat. Feather saw that Lemon was still banging her head along to the Mad Dogs' loud music. As Feather arrived, Lemon noticed him.
"Hey Feather! Where did you go, bro?" Lemon asked loudly due to the loud music.
"I had to use the restroom!" Feather replied.
"Luckily for you, the Mad Dogs haven't played their best songs yet! I can do this all night!" Lemon said before she resumed banging her head to the music.
"Yeah, I can do that too!" Feather lied while he made a thumbs up. He continued to listen along to the Mad Dogs' performance. Feather thought that most of the Mad Dogs' songs were the same as the lyrics were mainly about just about rocking out or breaking things just for the fun of it.
'I could write better lyrics than these loud people.' Feather commented in his thoughts.
An hour passed and the Mad Dogs were still performing on stage. During that time, Feather continued to pretend to enjoy the Mad Dogs' music. When the Mad Dogs finished their latest song, the crowd cheered to show how great the band was. A spotlight shined to just show the lead singer.
"Thank you all for coming tonight!" The lead singer said through his microphone. "I know me and the other Mad Dogs want to keep this rock train going, but most of us are getting a bit tired. How about we take things slow while the rest of my band members recharge?" The crowd cried out their answers but it was hard to understand them. The lead singer picks up a guitar. "Alright then, this song is dedicated to the lovely couples who came here tonight." The lead singer cleared his throat and started playing.
'Finally, a break from those loud songs.' Feather thought as he removed his ear buds. The lead singer began singing some sappy love song that Feather thought was actually good. As Feather swayed to the music, he noticed that the couples around him and Lemon were holding each other and kissing. Feather turned to Lemon who looked completely moved from the lead singer's singing.
'Perhaps this could be a good opportunity for me to make a move?' Feather thought as he imagined himself holding Lemon's hand and they end up kissing each other on the lips. Feather began to move a bit closer to Lemon after each passing minute. Lemon didn't notice this as she was so distracted by the music. When Feather finally got close enough to Lemon, he began to move his hand towards Lemon's. Feather's heart raced as he was about to be much closer to Lemon. Before Feather grabbed Lemon's hand, she reached into her pocket to pull out her phone. Lemon then turned on her phone's flashlight and raised it up like a lighter. The next thing Feather knew, the whole crowd started to light up their phones and swayed along to the slow music. To make matters worse, Lemon held her phone with both of her hands, prevent Feather from holding any one of them. Feather sighed in defeat and he decided to sit down on his seat while the lead singer continued to perform.
People began to pour out of the stadium as the concert was over. Most of them were lined up at the merchandise stands for some last minute purchases. Feather remained silent as he and Lemon exited through the front doors.
"OMG! That concert was so awesome!" Lemon said as she jumped for joy. Feather stayed silent. "I loved it when the Mad Dogs performed Bite Me! That song really spoke to me, you know what I mean?"
"Yeah," Feather replied in a dull tone.
"Woo! Mad Dogs rocked!" said a guy nearby.
"Heck yeah they did!" Lemon responded. She noticed that Feather was looking down while they walked.
"Well, I guess this is where we go our separate ways." Feather said when they reached the parking lot.
"Hang on, Feather dude." Lemon said. "There's something I want to show you before you head out."
"What's that?" Feather said before he received a kiss on the cheek from Lemon. This made Feather frozen from shock.
"Consider that kiss as payment for taking me to this great concert." Lemon said with a wink. She then made her way home while leaving an extremely happy Feather standing from where he was.
The hallways of Crystal Prep Academy were filled with students who were walking from and toward classes. Among these students was a girl with bluish white hair tied into two long pigtails. Her eyes were covered with a small pair of orange glasses that made her look more sophisticated than other people. Everyone at the school know this girl as Sugarcoat and she has a reputation of being completely blunt when she talks. As Sugarcoat was talking to one of her friends, Sugarcoat heard her name being called out.
"Hey, Sugarcoat!" said a male voice. Sugarcoat turned and groaned from seeing who the voice came from. Walking towards Sugarcoat was Feather Bangs and he was the last person Sugarcoat wanted to see.
Sugarcoat took a deep breath before she responded. "What do you want, Feather Bangs." Sugarcoat said in a displeasing tone.
"Oh come on," Feather replied. "Is that how you talk to your fellow World History classmate?"
"No Feather, I only respond like that towards you as you are just a nuisance to me." Sugarcoat said harshly.
"Whoa, that's cold." Feather said. "But I'll let it slide because there's something I wanted to ask you."
"What would that be?" Sugarcoat asked.
"Do you want to hang out with me this weekend?" Feather said with a pleading smile.
"I'll pass, thank you very much." Sugarcoat said as she and her friend started to walk away from Feather. He followed behind Sugarcoat which made her more irritated.
"But why not?" Feather asked innocently.
"When you said 'hang out', you actually mean date and you would try to flirt with me like you would usually do to the other girls you see."
"I only go out with the girls who I find interesting." Feather said.
"Then why don't you go out with those girls?" Sugarcoat suggested. "I'm pretty sure they would love to spend every second with you."
"Yeah, but they don't interest me as much as you." Feather said. "You're different than most girls."
"Well, how about you go find some other girl who will interest you as I'll always deny your answer." Sugarcoat said before she and her friend continued to walk while Feather stood from where he was.
"Maybe you should give him a chance?" Sugarcoat's friend suggested.
"Have you seen him?" Sugarcoat responded. "He's just another guy desperate for girls' attention."
Days later, Sugarcoat and her World History class were on a class field trip to an art museum to learn more about art created during certain eras. The students were at the main entrance while listening to their teacher.
"Alright class, we're about to enter Canterlot's Historical Art Museum." The teacher began. "Before we begin, each of you will be partnered up with a classmate. The reason is that each pair will work on an assignment where they look at certain artwork and write down what do they feel when they see these works. I have already picked out each pairs at random." The teacher started saying the students' names and who they will be with. "Sugarcoat, your partner will be Feather Bangs." Sugarcoat raised a brow.
"Pardon me?" Sugarcoat responded as she approached the teacher.
"You will be with Feather Bangs for this trip. Is there a problem?"
"Yes, actually," Sugarcoat said. "It is just that I don't think I should be with Feather Bangs as he is completely annoying."
"I can assure you that Feather Bangs is a well-behaved, young man." The teacher looked at Feather Bangs. "If you are uncomfortable with this, I'll see if any of the other students are willing to switch with you." The teacher began to ask the other students.
"Looks like we'll be partners, Sugarcoat." Feather said as he moved a bit closer towards Sugarcoat.
"Don't count on it yet, Feather." Sugarcoat said. "I requested the teacher to switch partners and she is asking the other students." The teacher made her way back to Sugarcoat.
"I'm sorry, Sugarcoat. But none of the other students wanted to switch partners. You will have to do the assignment with Feather." Sugarcoat growled in response to her teacher's bad news.
The field trip began and all of the students started to look around the art exhibits. There were all sorts of paintings, sculptures, and other pieces of art displayed for visitors to see. Sugarcoat grumbled while walking alongside Feather through the art displays.
"So where should we start?" Feather asked as he looked at the museum's pamphlet. "There's the old art exhibits, the modern art exhibits, and a lot more other kinds of exhibits."
"Can I have some peace and quiet as I now have to tolerate you for the whole field trip?" Sugarcoat said coldly.
"Alright," Feather said as he turned away so he avoids Sugarcoat's cold glare. Feather and Sugarcoat ended up walking towards the modern arts gallery where it displayed newly-made artworks. They stopped in front an abstract sculpture to take a good look at it. Sugarcoat showed an impressed look on her face from how great the sculpture looked. On the other hand, Feather was confused as he had no idea what he was looking at.
"It looks like the stuff you see in lava lamps." Feather commented. This made Sugarcoat mad as she turned and glared at Feather.
"It's more than that, Feather." Sugarcoat said. "This structure is suppose to represent the twists and turns of how people go through life." Feather looked back at the sculpture while tilting his head a bit.
"I still say that its' lava lamp liquid." Feather said. Sugarcoat groaned in frustration as she has to deal with Feather's ignorance for the rest of the field trip. The next exhibit Sugarcoat and Feather visited was another sculpture that was made entirely out of factory gears. This time, Feather was amazed to see that the gears were still turning. "So, does this thing represent some kind of creative meaning as well?" Feather asked.
"That is correct," Sugarcoat answered. "The movements from the gears represent the steady flow of certain situations. If one gear stopped, so will the others. This will end up causing all sorts of delays for anything relying on the gears."
"Sounds interesting," Feather said as he and Sugarcoat moved on to the next artwork. Sugarcoat and Feather stopped in front of a large painting that was splattered with different assortments of paint. Feather was once again confused by how random it looked. "Did an artist let his or her kid do this? I would usually see these kinds of art from kindergartners." Sugarcoat rolled her eyes.
"A child didn't make this," Sugarcoat answered. "This kind of art is called impressionism. The artist used different colors of paint to express certain emotions." Feather turned back to the painting for another view. "I guess most of the yellow on this painting means the artist liked bright colors."
"Actually," Sugarcoat added. "The color yellow can be interpreted as happiness and hope. It could explain why the color yellow appears on the sun to actually brighten everyone's day."
"Wow, that makes a lot more sense." Feather said with a smile. Sugarcoat gave an awkward look as Feather didn't act so flirty now. She would usually hear Feather make some flirty compliments to any girl he meets. But Sugarcoat shook it off as she still saw Feather as just another flirty guy.
The day went on with Sugarcoat showing Feather more artworks and telling him about certain art facts. Feather would usually respond with amazement or some simple comments that most people would say. The two of them were able to cover almost all of the exhibits and they were looking at the last artwork.
"Man Sugarcoat, you're really informative when it comes to art." Feather said. At that moment, Sugarcoat suddenly felt her face blushing from what Feather said.
"Yeah, sure." Sugarcoat said as she quickly turned away from him.
"Are you okay?" Feather asked.
"I'm fine," Sugarcoat said as she began to walk away. "I'm just tired from all of the walking. I'll go find a place to sit down." Sugarcoat began to hurry away before Feather could follow her. Luckily, Sugarcoat found one exhibit room that was completely empty. She sighed as she took a seat on a long bench.
'Why did I suddenly became nervous when Feather asked me if I was alright?' Sugarcoat thought. 'I usually avoid Feather whenever he asked me questions, but this felt different.' Sugarcoat recalled that her sudden feelings appeared when Feather complimented her. Although Sugarcoat was quite intelligent and keen, she wasn't so popular as she was too honest with her words and most people would stay away from her. Feather was different as he didn't get offended or confused whenever Sugarcoat spoke to him. Sugarcoat was also used to Feather flirting with his with sweet words, but Sugarcoat didn't detect that from Feather's recent compliment. 'Could Feather be actually a good guy?' Sugarcoat thought. The more Sugarcoat thought about that possibility, the more stressed she got as thinking positive about Feather was the last thing she wanted. Sugarcoat even started rubbing her temples as she ended up forming a huge headache.
"There you are!" Feather called out as he entered the exhibit room. Sugarcoat tensed up as the guy she was thinking about just entered the room.
"What do you want?" Sugarcoat asked as she turned away from Feather.
"I was worried that you weren't feeling well, so I tried searching for you just in case." Feather answered.
"Well, I'm fine." Sugarcoat stated. "You can go now."
"I can't leave here without you, Sugarcoat." Feather said as he sat down next to her. "You're my museum partner."
"And that's it, nothing more." Sugarcoat confirmed. Feather was getting confused from Sugarcoat's words.
"I don't understand." Feather said. "We were having a good time. Did I say something wrong?" Feather said as he placed a hand on Sugarcoat's shoulder. In response, Sugarcoat quickly swatted Feather's hand off and got up from where she sat.
"Just stay away from me!" Sugarcoat shouted, stunning Feather. "The only problem I have is you! You keep making all sorts of advances towards me! Even though I keep declining each one, you just keep on flirting with me just because you know it irritates me! When we were assigned as partners, you were probably thinking of all sorts of ways to make me fall for you! Was acting all respectable towards me one of your schemes!?" Sugarcoat panted from all of her yelling. The only thing Sugarcoat could do was watch Feather as he formed a hurt look on his face. He quickly closed his eyes and got up from his seat.
"Alright, I'll go. I just thought you needed some company. Guess I was completely wrong." Feather said coldly. He turned and exited the exhibit room, leaving Sugarcoat completely silent as she had no idea what she had done.
It was lunchtime at Crystal Prep and Feather spent his lunchtime outside of the cafeteria. He ate his lunch on a picnic table as he didn't feel like socializing right now.
"Hey Feather," A familiar female voice said. Feather turned to see Sugarcoat with a guilty look on her face.
"What do you want?" Feather said as he turned back and continued to eat.
"I'm here to say something." Sugarcoat said.
"If you're going to apologize to me, forget it." Feather responded. "No amount of apologizes will fix what you made me feel."
"I'm not going to apologize to you. It's something different." Sugarcoat said before she took a deep breath. "I was terrible towards you. I acted like a complete jerk and you were just trying to reach out to me. I was only used to pushing people away and that was why I keep turning down your flirts. I also thought that you were nothing but some guy who just likes to flirt with pretty girls. But yet, you keep trying to talk to me despite how much I despised you. During the museum trip, you started to compliment me for my intelligence instead of my looks. I wasn't sure how to respond as I actually felt flattered you thought of me like that. But my confusion got the better of me and I ended up lashing at you. When you left, I felt so much regret as you didn't do anything wrong. I consider that mistake one of my worst. If you don't want to talk to me again, I will respect that." When Sugarcoat was done talking, Feather was dumbfounded from what she said to him. He actually felt more happy to get some attention from Sugarcoat.
"Whoa, that was unexpected." Feather said as he rubbed his neck. "Now I'm starting to feel bad as well for leaving you like that. It's rude to leave a girl without a proper goodbye, you know?"
"So, are we cool?" Sugarcoat asked awkwardly. Feather tapped his chin while thinking.
"It could happen, on one condition." Feather said. "We start over...as friends." Feather said as he offered a handshake to Sugarcoat.
"I would like that." Sugarcoat said as she took Feather's hand and shook it as a sign of a newly formed friendship.
It was P.E. at Crystal Prep and some of the students were running on the track field. Feather Bangs, Thunderlane, and Caramel were sitting on the grass while watching the running students.
"This is my favorite part of P.E." Thunderlane said as he gawked at the girls who were running on the tracks.
"You said it." Caramel agreed. "Do you have your eyes on a particular chick, Feather?" Caramel asked his second friend.
"I sure do," Feather said as he had his eyes on the girl who was in the lead of the running group. She had long hair that was in different shades of blue and it was held up by a pair of orange goggles. Her face showed a lot of determination as she ran much faster than the other runners from the group.
Feather sighed. "Indigo Zap is the one for me." Feather said to his friends. Thunderlane and Caramel looked at Feather with surprise.
"Seriously?" Thunderlane responded. "Indigo Zap is super athletic and only cares about winning. Wouldn't you settle for the other pretty girls as they're easier to flirt with?"
"Hey, I can't help it." Feather said with a shrug. "I prefer a strong girl who goes after what she wants." Feather then got up from where he sat. "Guys, I have decided to win Indigo's heart!" Feather claimed as he pointed a finger in the air. Both Thunderlane and Caramel rolled their eyes in disbelief.
"Good luck with that," Caramel said. "As Thunder mentioned, Indigo only cares about winning. Your normal flirting will make Indigo think you're a nuisance." Feather tapped his chin as he brainstormed the perfect plan.
When school was over, the students either go home, hang out around town, or attend an after-school club meeting. Indigo Zap made her way to the locker rooms to change into her exercise clothes. She then walked towards the track field as she and the rest of her track team had to meet up there. She spotted the track team members along with some other students who wanted to try out for track team.
'Aw great, another day dealing with track star wannabes.' Indigo thought. 'The team and I don't need anymore members to win this year.' Indigo arrived right before Spitfire blew her whistle.
"Alright, newbies," Spitfire said to the new recruits. "You're here because you think you can handle being on the track team. I'm here to show you that we only pick the best of the best. To start things off, I want each of you to line up on the track. When I blow my whistle, all of you will run as fast as you can until you reach the finish line at the other side of the field. The first five runners who make it past the finish line will be on the team, the rest of you will leave." The crowd murmured to each other until Spitfire blew her whistle again. "If all of you are done gossiping, line up already!" Spitfire ordered, rushing the students to run up at the starting line.
Feather took a deep breath as he prepared himself for the run of his life. 'You can do this, Feather. Just at least be the fifth person to make it.'
Indigo looked at Feather with a smug look on her face. 'That guy is so going to lose this race.' Indigo thought mockingly.
"On your mark...get set..." Spitfire blew her whistle to signal everyone to run. The runners began to run as fast as they could on the track field. Feather hurried with his running as he was already lagging behind. He picked up his pace just enough to keep up with the four leading runners. Feather ran passed a few yards before he started to lose his breath from the long running. Just as Feather slowed down, one runner ran passed him, having Feather be on sixth place. He turned to Indigo who showed a look of major disappointment towards the other runners.
'I got to get to fifth place!' Feather thought as he started running faster. Feather's body ached everywhere, but he didn't want to lose the chance to be close to Indigo. Soon, Feather ran past the fifth runner just enough until he made it to the finish line. The first four runners slowed down and panted when they stopped running. Feather, however, collapsed the moment he reached the other runners.
"Congratulations," Spitfire said as she approached the five winning runners. "You all passed the tryouts of the track team. Some of you passed with flying colors while some of you..." Spitfire sees Feather still lying on the ground and panting. "just passed out of dumb luck." The members of the track team couldn't help but snicker from seeing how pathetic Feather looked. Indigo just glared at Feather. Spitfire continued, "Just because you made it on the team doesn't mean you will stay on that high horse permanently. Things will get more serious once track season starts. I want all of you to be back here on Monday after school. Dismiss!" Spitfire said as she and the rest of the track team exited the track field. The other runners also left, leaving Feather still panting on the ground. Feather noticed that a shadow fell on top of him, causing his eyes to open. He saw Indigo Zap crossing her arms and glaring daggers at him.
"Oh....hey....Indigo." Feather said while panting.
"What do you think you're doing here, Feather?" Indigo asked in a serious tone.
"I was just trying out for the track team." Feather said as he got up. "I'm still surprised that I was able to make it." Indigo Zap lowered herself so she could be face to face with Feather.
"Do yourself a favor and drop out of the team." Indigo demanded. "I don't want our track team's winning streak to crumble because of your lack of potential."
"I'll pass on the offer." Feather replied. "Even though I'm weak, I was still able to make it on to the team. So I deserve some credit."
Indigo groaned in frustration while pinching between her eyes. "Since you won't quit, you will have to train a lot more to keep up with the track team. Luckily for you, I'm willing to offer my precious training time to train you into track team material." Feather's face gleamed with delight.
"You're really going to help me?" Feather said with some cheer in his voice.
"Don't push it." Indigo said with a deadpan face. "Meet me at the Canterlot Health and Fitness Center tomorrow to get you started on your training."
"It's a date." Feather responded.
Indigo glared at Feather again. "Training," Indigo said. "I'm going to put you through the most hardcore workouts that you will beg Spitfire to kick you out of the track team." Indigo huffed and marched her way out of the track field, leaving Feather motionless and still sitting on the ground.
The next day came and Feather arrived at the Canterlot Health and Fitness Center. It is where people gather to do a variety of athletic activities such as workouts, swimming, etc. Feather had on a dark green tracksuit as he entered the center. He looked around until he spotted Indigo waiting by the workout equipment. Feather couldn't help but gawk at Indigo as she wore nothing but a dark blue sports bra and a pair of dark blue athletic shorts that showed off her strong legs.
"Hey," Indigo said while snapping her fingers. "My eyes are up here, buddy."
"Sorry, I couldn't help but admire your physique." Feather said as he scratched his neck.
"Let's cut the flirting and start the training." Indigo said as she blew on a whistle. Indigo had Feather start with some push-ups as part of his warm-up. As Indigo expected, Feather only made a few push-ups before he started to get tired. Indigo moved closer to Feather's face.
"Come on you weakling!" Indigo said sternly. "You do push-ups like a slug!" Indigo blew her whistle, making Feather do a few more push-ups before he collapsed from exhaustion. "Well, I guess we got to start somewhere." Indigo said out loud. Indigo and Feather were at the fitness center's jog track where people did their running. Feather was now jogging while Indigo was right behind him. Whenever Feather was falling behind, Indigo blew her whistle as a signal for Feather to pick up the pace. "Keep running! You will be eating our competitor's dust along with our own team's dust if you keep running like this!" Indigo blew her whistle again to make Feather run faster.
Feather and Indigo were at the weights area where people would lift, pull, or push certain kinds of weights to build muscles. Feather was in the middle of bench-pressing some dumbbells upwards while Indigo was spotting him.
"Come on, Feather!" Indigo said while blowing her whistle. "You're lifting the smallest weights this gym has!" Indigo said as she pointed at one of the weights Feather was lifting which was only five pounds. Feather struggled as he attempted to lift his weights as high as he could.
Indigo decided to let Feather take a break as she knew training him too hard would lower his chances for improvement. Feather sat near the smoothie booth where protein shakes and other workout drinks were served. Indigo came back to sigh from seeing Feather at such a pathetic state.
"Here," Indigo said as she placed a smoothie on the table. "This should replenish your energy." Feather slowly picked up his drink and drank from the straw. Feather's eyes popped open and he started coughing.
"What's in this?" Feather asked as he examined his smoothie.
"It's made out of special kelp that can recharge you from a workout." Indigo said as she slurped from her drink. "Mmm, I feel like running ten more laps from drinking this."
"If you say it could refresh me, I guess I'll endure it." Feather said as he attempted to drink from his smoothie again.
Indigo rolled her eyes. "Dude, could you just cut the tough guy gimmick?"
"What?" Feather said.
"I know that you're just doing all this just to win me over or whatever." Indigo said coldly.
"Is it working?" Feather asked while smiling.
"Let me tell you this, it's pathetic." Indigo responded. This made Feather's smile fade a little.
"If you think you can just enter the track team and try to impress me, you're not. The track team competes so we can bring victory to our school, not to impress girls."
"Come on, just give me a chance to show you that I can be as determined as you and the track team." Feather begged. Indigo rolled her eyes as she didn't feel a thing towards Feather's begging. It wasn't until an idea struck her. Indigo got up and turned to Feather.
"Alright, Feather, let's see how determined you really are to impress me." Indigo said with a wicked grin on her face.
Indigo and Feather went back to the jog track with Feather at the starting line.
"Now that you trained enough and you're refreshed from the smoothie, let's see how much progress you have made." Indigo said. "When I say go, you start running one lap around the track for one minute. If you fail to make it before one minute, you must quit the track team and never bother me again."
"What happens if I do make it before one minute?" Feather asked. Indigo tapped her chin while thinking.
"How about this? If you somehow make one lap before one minute, I'll give you a five minute back massage." Indigo said with a sly smile. Feather responded by getting into his starting position.
"Oh brother," Indigo said as she prepared her stopwatch. "On your mark...get set...go!" Indigo yelled. Feather immediately ran down the jog track with all of his current speed. As Feather ran, he noticed that he wasn't as tired as he was when he tried out for track team.
'I guess those workouts are starting to pay off.' Feather thought as he continued to run on the track. Indigo also has noticed Feather's improved running.
'Looks like that shrimp is making some progress.' Indigo thought as while looking at her stopwatch. 'Let's see if he will finish in time.' Feather continued to run all around the track until he started to get tired when he was halfway to the finish line.
'I can do this!' Feather thought to himself as he picked up the pace with his running. Soon, Feather ran as fast as he could towards the finish line.
"Time!" Indigo yelled as Feather ran passed the finish line. He slowed down before he collapsed to the ground once again. "Huh, I have to say this, Feather." Indigo said as she approached Feather. "You were really close to being out of the track team." Indigo said as she showed her stopwatch which showed that Feather passed the finish line by 59.9 seconds.
"Congratulations, you won't be quitting the track team." Indigo said with defeat in her voice. "Looks like I'll also have to reward you for your efforts." Indigo said as she moved closer to Feather. "I'll just turn you over and we can get started." Indigo turned Feather over so his back as facing Indigo. She gently placed both of her hands on Feather's back and began massaging it.
"Whoa," Feather said quietly as he felt the sweet sensation of Indigo massaging his back. He could already feel his muscles getting less tense thanks to Indigo's hands. Feather wanted to savor every minute of Indigo touching his back.
'Indigo would make a killing if she worked at the spa.' Feather thought as he felt Indigo's hands rubbing up and down his back.
"Feather," Indigo said to get Feather's attention. "Let's make a deal. If you try to keep improving yourself for the track team, I'll give you all of the massages you want."
"Deal," Feather said while moaning from another back rub from Indigo.
"Good, also," Indigo moved closer to Feather's ear. "If you tell anyone about this, I will personally break your bones into sawdust." Feather gulped as he acknowledged that he needed to keep quiet about the massages.
On Monday during the track team meeting, Spitfire had the new recruits run some laps for training. Much to Spitfire and the other track team members' surprise, Feather was running way ahead of the new recruits. Indigo stood at the sidelines while looking proud towards Feather for his improvement. Feather was able to make another lap on the track before the rest of the new recruits.
"Wow, I'm impressed by Feather." Spitfire said while looking at her stopwatch. "How did you pull that off, Indigo?"
"Let's just say that Feather needed a different kind of motivation to win." Indigo said as she kept watching Feather taking the lead on the track field.
The Daring Do convention was an annual event where fans of the Daring Do book series gather together to buy merchandise, meet special guests, cosplay, take pictures, hold panels, and just hang out with other fans. Feather Bangs was surprised to see how large the convention was. He sort of felt out of place as he was one of the very few who didn't wear any kind of Daring Do cosplay or merchandise clothing at the convention. Feather only heard of the Daring Do series and never exactly read the books. The only reason Feather was here was because of the girl he was following. She had long, dark blue, purple, and pink hair that was tied into a single ponytail. The girl's purple eyes were covered with black rimmed glasses to make her look intelligent. The girl's attire was similar to a safari explorer with a tan button shirt, tan shorts, dark brown hiking boots, and a pith helmet on her head. She even wore a safari satchel to complete the outfit.
"I can't believe we're actually at the Daring Do convention! This is so exciting!" The girl said as she turned to Feather.
"Yeah, it's pretty amazing, Twilight." Feather said with a fake smile. Feather knew this girl as Twilight Sparkle and she was one of the most intelligent girls at Crystal Prep. Whenever Feather sees Twilight, she normally had an opened book in front of her face. Most guys don't usually find nerdy girls like Twilight attractive, but Feather was an exception. He thought that Twilight was cute and he wanted to spend time with her.
"I appreciate you inviting me to the convention, Feather. How did you know I love the Daring Do series?"
"Oh, I have my ways." Feather said as he remembered seeing one of the Daring Do books in Twilight's hands. That gave Feather the idea of getting tickets to the convention. Feather's thoughts were interrupted when Twilight wrapped her arm around Feather's.
"Come on!" Twilight said as she pulled Feather further into the convention. Their first stop was at a large replica of an ancient tomb. The ground had tiles that displayed different kinds of animals. Feather thought the place was fine while Twilight was getting excited. "Wow, I can't believe they made an exact replica of the tomb from Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone!" Twilight placed her foot on one of the tiles. The tile pressed down and air shot out of some small tubes attached to the walls. "Oh! They even put the tiles on the right order! How cool is this!?"
"The best kind!" said a male voice. Feather and Twilight turned to see an adult man with grey and black hair and blue eyes. He too was wearing a safari explorer's get up like Twilight. "Now this is something only a true fan can appreciate!"
"I know, right?" Twilight said. "I like your cosplay."
"Thanks, I like your's too." The man replied. "I'm Quibble Pants,"
"I'm Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said as she removed her hat. "The outfit was the easy part, the real challenge was putting the right number of arrow holes on my pith helmet."
"I know!" Quibble Pants said as he removed his hat. "And as all fans know that the right number of arrow holes on Daring Do's hat should be about-"
"Twenty!" Twilight and Quibble Pants said at the same time. Both of them couldn't help but laugh as they shared a great liking for Daring Do. Feather was confused until he tried to chime in.
"Yeah, arrow holes, that's great." Feather said while giving some thumbs up. Quibble Pants looked at Feather with confusion.
"And you are?" Quibble Pants asked.
"This is Feather Bangs," Twilight answered. "He's a classmate of mine from Crystal Prep. He actually invited me to come to this convention!"
"I see," Quibble Pants said before he turned back to Twilight. "I better get going and see the rest of the convention. You two take care." Quibble Pants said as he was about to leave.
"Take care!" Twilight said with a wave.
"Oh, and before I forget," Quibble Pants said. "You guys got to attend the Q&A panel near the end of the convention! I heard that A.K. Yearling will be attending it!" Twilight stood silent after hearing what Quibble Pants said. Feather also noticed this and waved to Twilight.
"Twilight?" Feather said before Twilight turned to him and she formed an excited grin.
"Oh my gosh! A.K. Yearling is here! We got to go to that panel!" Twilight said while happy.
"Sure, but how about we explore the other parts of the convention first?" Feather suggested. "The panel isn't until the end of the day after all."
"You're right!" Twilight said as she pulled out a notebook and pen. "We got to explore the rest of the convention while coming up with the perfect question to ask A.K. Yearling!" Twilight then pulled an uncertain Feather towards further into the convention. Their next stop was an area full of life-size replicas of artifacts and characters from the Daring Do book series. Some fans took photos of the displays. Twilight took out her camera from her satchel and gave it to Feather.
"Is it alright that you take some pictures of me with the Ahuizotl statue?" Twilight asked.
"Sure, no problem." Feather said as he adjusted the camera while Twilight went to the statue that looked like Ahuizotl and stood in front of it.
"Ready!" Twilight said as she posed for the statue.
"Alright, smile!" Feather said as he took the picture. Twilight and Feather spent the next few minutes taking photos with the displays. They soon came across a display of a light blue, glass harp with small mermaids on the frame. The harp was also concealed inside of the square, glass case to prevent visitors from touching it.
"Whoa! It's the Sirens' Harp!" Twilight said as she moved closer to the harp.
"What's that?" Feather asked.
"It's from A.K. Yearling's most recent book: Daring Do and the Sea of the Sirens! According to the book, whoever plays the harp will make anyone who hears it under his or her control! Daring Do was able to snatch it from Caballeron before he could use it to uncover the lost undersea kingdom of Atlantrots!" Twilight said before she sighed in disappointment. "Too bad this is just a replica." Feather felt sort of bad for Twilight's disappointment, so he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"On the plus side, it's a very convincing replica. Only a true fan would be able to make such a detailed copy."
"Yeah, you do have a point." Twilight said as she perked up. "Let's keep exploring the convention!" Twilight and Feather made their way down a path made up of booths where people sold different kinds of Daring Do merchandise. Feather saw bobble heads, small figurines, posters, clothes, and plushies of Daring Do. Feather kept looking around until he noticed one of the booths. It displayed lots of body-sized pillows with the full-image of Daring Do on it. Feather was looking particularly at one pillow with Daring Do being tied up with rope. Feather turned to Twilight who blushed while also looking at the same body-pillow. She turned to Feather to give him a nervous laugh.
"I guess some fans have particular tastes when it comes to Daring Do." Twilight said before she cleared her throat. "Let's move on!" Twilight started to push Feather to continue walking. The next place Feather and Twilight visited was a jungle-themed small obstacle course where people were crawling, climbing, and swinging.
"Care to enter the Daring Do obstacle course?" said one of the staff members. "This is a chance for you to experience what it's like to live the adventures of Daring Do!"
Twilight squealed. "We have to participate!" Twilight said as she pulled Feather into the course. They started with crawling inside some long tubes while on their hands and knees.
'This reminded me of those play areas at burger restaurants.' Feather thought. When Feather reached the other side, he saw Twilight swinging from some rope before she fell into a pit full of plastic rocks.
"Woo hoo!" Twilight hollered when she popped out from the pit. "That was fun! Come on in, Feather! It's great!" Feather gulped from how high the fall was. He took a deep breath before he jumped to grab the rope and swing his way into the rock pit. Feather rose out of the rock pit as if he was coming up for air. "See! Isn't it great!?"
"Yeah, great," Feather said as he tried to get out of the ball pit.
It was almost time for A.K. Yearling's Q&A panel and a majority of the attendees have already made their way to the large room where the panel was taking place.
"Ah! This is taking forever!" Twilight whined as she and Feather waited in line to enter the panel room.
"It's fine, Twilight," Feather assured. "There should still be some seats left for us in the panel." Feather said as he spotted a pair of seats. "There," Feather said as he pointed at the seats. "How about you go save those for us while I head to the restroom?" Feather suggested.
"Okay, but come back very quickly! The panel is about to start!" Twilight said as Feather left.
After Feather finished using the restroom, he washed his hands and then splashed water on his face. Feather looked at himself in the mirror to see that he didn't look like he was having a fun time.
"You can do this, Feather." Feather said to his reflection. "Just try to stay here a little longer for Twilight. It's just some fans asking questions to some author. It doesn't sound too bad." Feather cleaned himself up before he exited the restroom. As Feather made his way to the panel room, he couldn't help but notice that almost that the convention halls were almost completely empty.
'I guess everyone is at the Q&A' Feather thought as he continued to walk. He spotted something very particular. Some tough looking guys were hurrying loading up some of the replica artifacts' display cases on some dollies and pushing them towards the outside.
"Hurry up you fools!" Said a guys who wasn't loading the replicas. He had black and gray hair that was combed back. His face was covered with a rugged 5'o clock shadow. The man's neck was covered with a red and white, polka dot scarf while the rest of his attire made him look like a safari explorer.
'Must be one of the workers here,' Feather thought as he was about to resume walking. He got startled when Twilight appeared before him.
"There you are!" Twilight said with surprise. "Where have you been?!"
"I was about to make my way towards the panel when I noticed these guys moving the displays." Feather explained. Twilight turned to see the men continuing to move the display cases. Feather noticed that Twilight was looking particularly at the man who was barking orders.
"Wow, that guy is wearing a very convincing Caballeron cosplay." Twilight commented.
"Caba-who?" Feather asked in confusion.
"Caballeron," Twilight replied. "One of Daring Do's worst enemies, he's a notorious treasure hunter who steals ancient artifacts and sells them to the highest bidders."
"It's a good thing that guy isn't Caballeron, let's just go back to the panel." Feather said as he lead Twilight. They stopped when a tall, muscular man stood in front of the couple. He had a long, brown mustache and he was completely bald. The man also showed a mean-looking glare towards Feather and Twilight.
"Oh, um...hello there," Feather said with discomfort in his voice. "Can we help you?"
"What are you brats doing here?" The tough man demanded.
Feather gulped as he was getting nervous. "We were just about to head back to the panel. We'll be out out of your hair while you guys move your stuff." Out of nowhere, Feather's sight went black when a brown sack covered his face and he was getting tied up by what felt like rope.
"Hey!" Feather cried out as he felt getting picked up by someone very strong.
"Let us go!" Twilight cried out as Feather could hear her struggle. Feather felt getting put down on a chair and his sack was removed. It was revealed that Feather was inside a storage room with the ceiling lights being the only light source. He also saw the tall, bald guy along with the other men surrounding Feather. All of the men glared and crossed their arms at Feather, making him completely scared.
"Untie us now!" Twilight said from behind Feather as she struggled with her tied ropes.
"I suggest you don't struggle too hard, missy." Said a devious voice. Walking into the light was the man who was dressed as Caballeron. "My men have quite a skill in tying up people."
"Um, hi there...sir." Feather said in confusion. "I'm not sure if this is some kind of convention stunt, but I would like to stop participating in it."
"This is no stunt, little boy. My men and I will be taking those artifacts and use them to become even more rich!"
"Why are you stealing the artifacts from the convention!?" Twilight demanded. "Those are just replicas!" Twilight's words made the Caballeron man chuckle which made Feather more scared than usual.
"Oh no, sweetie, those items are actually real." It was dead silent as Feather and Twilight were still confused.
"Huh?" Feather said suddenly.
"What?!" Twilight said in shock.
"Oh yes, everything from those kiddy books are actually real and I'm the real Dr. Caballeron!" Caballeron explained. "That pest, Daring Do, must've made an agreement with A.K. Yearling to publish those stories so both of them could gain fame and wealth. Not only that, but the artifacts Daring Do stole from me were hidden at the convention. Especially this!" Caballeron then pulled out the Sirens' Harp from his coat. Twilight gasped from seeing the harp in the villain's hands. "With this in my possession, not only will I be able to steal more ancient artifacts, I will also be able to destroy that Daring Do once and for all!" Caballeron burst out with a maniacal laugh that echoed across the room. "Alright, time for me to get going."
"You will never get away with this!" Twilight said in anger.
"I believe I already have. And just to cover my tracks," Caballeron said before he whistled. Feather heard some growling from the distance. Walking out of the shadow were a lot of feline predators surrounding Feather and Twilight. "I borrowed these kitties from a certain friend of mine. Enjoy being their meal or living scratching posts." Caballeron said as he and his men exited the storage room. Feather panted in panic as this could be his last moment before death.
"D-don't worry, Twilight." Feather said. "I'll try to protect you from these beasts." The tiger roared loudly, making Feather squeal in fear.
"Um, thanks?" Twilight said in confusion. Before the large cats were about to pounce on the couple, a long whip lashed out in front of the beasts, making them back away. Feather and Twilight look up to see that the whip came from a woman with black and gray hair standing on one of the storage shelves. Her attire was also like a safari explorer with light brown pith helmet, green button-up shirt, a pair of white pants, and brown boots. Feather looked confused when he saw the newcomer.
"Daring Do?!" Twilight said as she smiled in excitement.
"In the flesh," Daring Do said as she jumped down to land in front of Feather and Twilight.
"I suggest you two hold your breath." Daring Do warned Feather and Twilight. Daring Do pulled out a small sack from her pocket. She threw the sack in the middle of the predator cats and some green dust exploded. Feather and Twilight did their best to hold their breath like Daring Do said. When the green dust cleared, all of the large cats passed out on the ground. Daring Do hurried to untie Feather and Twilight from their restraints.
"What was in that bag?" Feather asked.
"It was a special sleeping powder I sometimes use if I had to face Ahuizotl and his little cat friends." Daring Do responded.
"Ahuizotl is also real?!" Twilight said as she pulled out a notebook. "Ms. Daring Do, it is such an honor to meet you! I have so many questions to ask you!"
"As much as I like to answer fan questions, I got to go and stop Caballeron from stealing more priceless artifacts." Daring Do said as she used her whip to latch it out of the window. "You two should try to stay safe instead of getting into trouble." Daring Do then swung her way out of the storage room. Twilight quickly ran to the exit door while Feather followed.
"Where are you going?" Feather asked.
"I'm going to help Daring Do." Twilight said with determination.
"What?!" Feather said in shock. "But Daring Do said to stay out of trouble."
"Daring Do might need help, especially since Caballeron has the Sirens' Harp." Twilight said. "Plus, I will not miss an opportunity of helping one of my favorite book characters!" As much as Feather really didn't want to face danger, he couldn't let Twilight face it on her own.
"Even if you want to help, we don't know where Caballeron would be." Feather explained.
"If I were a crazed archaeologist with an item that could manipulate others, I would probably go to the Canterlot Museum of Ancient History." Twilight explained. "That place holds all sorts of priceless artworks and treasures." Twilight and Feather took a taxi towards the museum.
"We got to figure out how to avoid getting brainwashed by the Sirens' Harp." Twilight said to Feather. "It's impossible to fight against the harp's manipulative melody."
"We could use these," Feather said as he pulled out some earplugs. "These could block out any sound.
"Earplugs, of course!" Twilight said as she grabbed a pair. "With these, we can avoid getting mind controlled by the Sirens' Harp." Twilight paused for a moment. "Why do you have earplugs?"
"You know, for occasions," Feather said nervously. He and Twilight got out of the taxi when it stopped in front of the museum. As they ran inside, they sneaked around to avoid getting spotted by Caballeron and his goons. "Looks like Caballeron has a major head start on his plans." Feather said as he noticed a majority of the museum's displays were shattered and the artifacts were missing.
"He is so going to pay for such violations of property." Twilight whispered angrily. She stopped Feather and pointed at the distant. Feather saw some of the museum staff were carrying the artifacts towards one direction while Caballeron was standing by.
"That's it, you worthless puppets. Keep carrying those precious artifacts to my truck." Caballeron ordered.
"Not so fast, Caballeron!" Daring Do said as she entered the room.
"Ah, Daring Do," Caballeron said. "I'm glad you're here. I didn't even have to hunt you down so I could destroy you!"
"Quick, put the earplugs on!" Twilight ordered as she and Feather put the earplugs in their ears. Caballeron played the harp and he noticed that Daring Do wasn't mind-controlled.
"What?!" Caballeron said in surprise. "How are you not under my control?!"
"I have my ways." Daring Do said as she readied herself for a fight. Caballeron growled and played the harp once more to make the museum staff stop what they were doing.
"Capture Daring Do!" Caballeron ordered. The museum staff charged towards Daring Do. She quickly dodged the staff members' tackles and tried to make her way towards Caballeron. Unfortunately, she was grabbed and had both of her arms held by two of Caballeon's henchmen. As Daring Do struggled, she noticed that the henchmen were also under the control of the Sirens' Harp.
"You mind-controlled your own men, Caballeron?" Daring Do questioned her enemy.
"Hey, it never hurts to have complete influence over my men." Caballeron said as he approached Daring Do. "Now, how about I finish you once and for all." Before Caballeron was about to do anything, he was hit by a small eraser. "Ow! Who threw that!?" Caballeron said as he looked around. He spotted Feather waving at him.
"Hey bro! The books were right! You are pretty weak if you get hurt easily by a thrown eraser!" Feather said as he blew raspberries at him. Caballeon's face became red with anger.
"Get him!" Caballeron said as he played the harp. He and the museum staff started to run after Feather. When Feather turned towards a certain corridor, Twilight pulled a long piece of rope below the doorway to make the staff members and Caballeron trip over. This made Caballeron drop the Sirens' Harp, shattering on to the floor.
"No!" Caballeron yelled. The museum staff started to regain consciousness and became confused on why they were on the floor. "You fools, you ruined my plans of wealth! You two will pay for-" Caballeron was interrupted when his goons fell right on top of him, knocking him unconscious. Feather and Twilight looked to see Daring Do dusting off her hands.
"Thanks for the workout, Caballeron. I needed it." Daring Do said. The police arrived to arrest Caballeron and his goons. Daring Do, Twilight, and Feather regrouped at an alleyway. "Now that was quite an adventure. You two did great." Daring Do said as she patted the couple on their shoulders.
"No problem," Feather said. "Sorry about breaking that harp."
"It's no big deal," Daring Do responded. "It was probably for the best to have it destroyed and no longer fall into the wrong hands." Daring Do turned away from Feather and Twilight. "Well, it was fun but I got to get going now."
"Wait! Before you leave, I have something to ask you." Twilight said. "How were you immune to the Sirens' Harp?"
"Oh that's easy," Daring Do said as she pulled something out of her pocket. "I used these," Daring Do held out a pair of earplugs.
"Earplugs, brilliant," Feather said in surprise.
"Although I couldn't hear Caballeron, I was still able to read his lips if he spoke." Daring Do started walking away. "See ya! Try not to get into any more trouble!" Daring Do said as she continued down the streets to never be seen again.
"Wow, I can't believe I have met the real Daring Do!" Twilight said in excitement.
"I honestly thought that she was just some fictional character, but here we are." Feather said before he realized something. "Oh no! The panel!" Feather and Twilight quickly hurried back to the convention. They arrived see everyone already exiting from the panel room. Feather noticed that almost all of the fans had looks of disappointment on their faces.
"Huh, I wonder what happened." Feather said.
"Hey guys," Quibble Pants said sadly as he approached Feather and Twilight.
"What happened at the panel, Quibble?" Twilight asked.
"Just before the panel started, it was announced that A.K. Yearling had to take care of an important matter and the whole thing was canceled. Everyone, including myself, were disappointed and furious about that." Quibble said as he left Feather and Twilight alone.
"I am so sorry we missed the panel, Twilight." Feather said with sadness in his voice.
"Why? I had a great time!" Twilight said with a smile.
"Really?" Feather said with surprise.
"Yeah! Not only I got to go to the convention, I also got to go on an adventure with the real Daring Do! That is way better than some Q&A panel. In fact," Twilight moved closer to Feather to give him a kiss on his lips, making him daze from how good it felt. "Consider that a token of my appreciation."
'This is the best treasure I have ever received!' Feather thought.
