Love with a Twistby flawlessvictory20ChaptersChapter 01Chapter 02Chapter 03Chapter 04Chapter 01 “So you're moving to Manehatten?” asked Snails. “Yeah, my dad got a new job and had to relocate there,” said Twist. “Oh...” “But I'll be sure to write you every day. Okay?” she added, trying to cheer up her friend. “Yeah, okay...” “We'll always be friends, right?” “Of course we will, eh,” he answered with a smile. He then wrapped his forehooves around her neck to give a tight hug. “I'll see ya around...” he whispered sadly. After releasing herself from his embrace, Twist turned to leave. “Bye, Snails....” As she was walking away, his felt his heart sink. All he wanted to do was shout the four words that he had kept from her. The words that he'd been longing to say: “I love you, Twist.” But his mouth wouldn't let him. As he waved bye to his dear friend one last time, Twist disappeared from his sight. As the sun began to rise, her rays crept into the room of one sleeping colt. After a few seconds, the unwanted light shone brightly on his face. With his thoughts of remaining sleep now gone, Snails made his way out of bed. As his hind legs hit the ground, he rubbed his face with his forehooves. “Ugh, it's a new school year...” It had been four years since that fateful day, and Snails has never found anypony that came close to her. Over the years, he had grown much taller, only a head shorter the Big Macintosh, though he is tall, his physical build is that of your average teenager. The golden coated colt headed for the bathroom, moving his long legs with a pure memory of the path. As he looked into the mirror, he lets out a deep sigh. “I wonder how she's doing?” After giving himself the once-over, he used his magic to grab the comb from off the counter. “It's a new school. Time to get a new look,” he said examining his mane. While his seafoam green mane hadn't gotten much longer, but the bangs over his brow were another story. They remained the same matted mess they'd always been. But not this school year. After several minutes of grooming, his mane was now slicked back. The new hairstyle gave him a debonaire type of attitude. Admiring his work, he gave himself a quick wink. “Looking good, eh...” he said with a suave smirk. But this feeling didn't last long, as his mane work poofed back into its original shape. “Oh for the love of Celestia!” The one thing that had followed him throughout foalhood was his mane's uncanny ability to never want to change. As he was prepared to grab the comb for one more attempt, he heard a gentle knock at the door. “Snails, you alright in there?” asked his worried mother. “Yeah, ma. Just trying to fix my mane,” answered Snails. “Oh, okay. Well, hurry up, eh. Your breakfast is getting cold.” “Okay... I'll be right down,” said Snails. After hearing his mother's departure, he tried one more time to tame his mane. “Alright mane...round two, eh,” he said levitating the comb. That same morning, in a house just on the outskirts of Manehatten, a particular light amber filly arose to greet the day. “It's morning already?” Twist yawned. She then reached for her glasses, rounder, and frame-less, on the nightstand next to the bed. Many things had changed for this young filly. Since leaving Ponyville, she had developed both mentally and physically. She no longer speaks with her common lisp, but rather with a soft and melodious voice. Though her form is slender and more maidenly, she was slightly taller than the average mares. Her scarlet mane was now stylish, with her curly bang now drape to the right side of her face. She then sat up on the bed and put on her glasses. As her hind legs hit the floor, she noticed the picture sitting on the nightstand. It was taken during the party to celebrate the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally discovering their talents. In the photo were the CMC, Snips, and Snails and herself. It showed Applebloom dancing awkwardly while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were laughing hysterically. In the background, Snips was drinking punch and Twist, and Snails were cheering on Applebloom. She then picked up the photo. “I really miss you guys,” she sighed. She looked at Snails in the photo. Seeing his trademark goofy grin, she lets out a little chuckle. “Especially you...Snails,” she said, setting the picture back on the nightstand. Ever since that day four years ago, she had always thought about her dear friend. She wrote whenever should could, but eventually stopped when she had studied for her entrance exams. Placing her hooves on the ground, she made her way to the bathroom. I wonder what he's up to? she thought aloud. Upon reaching the bathroom, she turned on the shower. Placing her glasses on the counter, she entered in. While she washed her body, her mind began to think back on all the times her and Snails spent together. As the water trickled down her mane, she reflected on how much he really meant to her. When Applebloom formed the CMC, she rarely hung out with Twist as she used to, leaving with few friends she saw regularly. It wasn't until Snails came along that she started having fun again. Remembering the times they enjoyed together, she lets out a small chuckle. “...Twist, are you alright in there?” asked her mother. Suddenly snapped out of her trip down memory lane, she realized she had been in the shower for a few minutes. “Yes, I'm fine mother,” replied Twist. “Okay, well hurry up, or you're going to miss the train for school.” “I'll be right out, mother.” Turning the shower off, she reached for the towel that was draped over the railing. After drying off, she headed for the mirror. She grabbed a comb from off the counter to brush her mane, and after a few moments, it was acceptable in her eyes. She put on her glasses, and she headed to her room. “Oh, I give up. You win this round mane.” After five failed attempts to reign in his mane, he eventually conceded in defeat. As he walked out of his bedroom, and down to the kitchen, he was greeted by his family, who were patiently waiting at the table. “Glad you could join use son,” his father, Red Sprint, a stocky unicorn with a crimson red coat and a long spiky raspberry red mane, spoke up first. “Geez, bro. You always take forever to get ready,” Snails' younger earth pony sister pouted. She was a small earth pony with a dark orange coat and a short, spiky bright yellow mane. “Eat up, dear. You don't want to start the new school year with an empty stomach, eh,” Snails' mother, Caramel Sweetie. She was a slender earth mare with a light brown coat and a long navy blue mane that cascaded down her shoulders. He then sat down silently and took inventory of all that was in front of him. Today meal was rather extravagant than it usually is. A stack delicious blueberry pancakes, his mother's infamous honey-n-oat toast, a plate of hash browns, full bottles of honey and syrup, four glasses in front of each dish, and a pitcher of milk. “Sorry about that, eh. My mane didn't wanna listen to me,” chuckled Snails, as he levitated food to his plate. “What else is new?” Sugarheart said, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, let's enjoy our breakfast okay,” Caramel Sweetie said as she poured a glass of milk, trying to keep the morning free of sarcasm. The family then began to eat their breakfast. After a brief moment of silence, Red Sprint spoke. “So, Snails? Did you ever hear from your friend? What was her name...Twine...Twit?” “It was Twist, dad. And no I haven't gotten any new mail from her in about two months,” answered Snails. “Well, maybe she was studying so she could get into Manehatten High,” offered Caramel Sweetie. “Maybe...” Snails said, as his ears fell flat. “Still can't believe youof all ponies got into Canterlot High. It must have dumb luck. With the emphasis on the dumb,” said Sugarheart, trying to get a rise out of her brother. Snails turned to his sister. “What's that supposed to mean, eh?” asked Snails, slightly annoyed. “Well, you're not the smartest pony around. Besides, with the way you always act it's hard to believe you're smart,” she said, sticking her tongue at him. “Well, it's not like I'm doing it on purpose, eh. I'm just natural silly. Besides, you're one to talk. You act more ditzy than Derpy,” Snails retorted. “I do not!” “What about that one time when she had to help you out of the well?” said Snails. “That only happened once!” she huffed, as she slammed her forehoof on the table. “And then there was that time you tried bake cupcakes, but they all burned,” Snails chuckled. “Sh-Shut up...” Sugarheart said, lightly blushing. “I still remember saying 'I just don't know what went wrong.' It was hilarious, eh,” Snail laughed, holding his sides. “Mom!” “Now Snails, it's not nice to tease your sister,” Caramel said in a parental tone. “I'm sorry, eh. I was just fooling," he apologized. He then walked over his sister and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "She knows I love her,” he said, ruffling her mane. As he ruffled her mane, she lets out a series of giggles. “Okay...Snails. I get...it...I love...you too,” she says giggling. Before letting her go Snails gave her a kiss on the forehead, causing her to blush lightly. As Snails returned to his seat, he heard a knock at the front door. Who could that be this early?, Snails thought. Opening the door, he saw his running buddy Snips. Over the years, Snips has thin out a little but not enough to see much of a change. His face is still as rounded as I was when they were foals. He's taller than he used to be, but even a head below Snails. His mane was scruffy-looking but had grown longer (at least shoulder length). “Morning, Snips,” Snails said, smiling. “Morning Snails,” Snips answered back. “We're having breakfast right now. Do you wanna come in and have some?” “Not this time, Snails. I just came to get you.” “Huh? Get me for what?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. Snips face-hoofed. “You do know what time it is, right?” asked Snips, with an arched eyebrow. Snails turned to look at the clock on the wall. “It's 7:45 am. Why?” replied Snails. After a few seconds of complete, Snips statement finally registered with him. “Oh, pony feathers! We're gonna miss the train!” shouted Snails. “Yeah, I know!” As if he was on fire, Snails bolted upstairs to pack his saddlebag. After double-checking that he had everything, he ran downstairs, almost falling down them in the process. “I'll see you, later, eh!” he shouted, rushing out the door. “Bye, dear. Have a good day!” Caramel said with a smile. “Work hard, son,” muttered Red Sprint, engrossed with the morning paper. “Have an awesome day, bro!” Sugarheart chirped. With that, Snips and Snails raced for the train. Twist made her way through the crowded train station, she was accompanied by her mother Winter Star, a tall, slim mare with a light yellow coat, and curly bright red mane. As they arrived at the Canterlot terminal, the two found a spot to sit. Curious she asked, “Are you sure about this, Twist?” “I'm sure.” “But why Canterlot High?” “I just wanted a change of scenery. Besides it's only a 15 minutes train ride,” Twist explained. “I know. I just worry about you riding the train alone,” Winter said, in a worried tone. “Mom, I'm not a little filly anymore. I can handle myself,” Twist huffed. “I know...I know,” Winter Star chuckled, as she nuzzled her daughter. “But there's must be another reason for choosing that school...” “Well, there is a reason...” Twist started a hint of red appearing on her cheeks. “My, my Twist. Is there something you're not telling me?” asked Winter Star, raising an eyebrow. “The thing is-” said Twist. Their conversation was cut short as the train whistle sounded. The conductor called out. “All aboard!” They rose to their hooves and headed for the train doors. Twist gave her mother gave her a tight hug. “You be careful out there okay,” Winter Star said, with a motherly smile. “I will mother,” Twist replied. Stepping on the train, Twist waved bye to her mother. The door closed, the train began to pull off. As the image of her mother vanished in the distance, Twist headed for her seat. Placing her saddlebags down she then stared out the window. She looked at the passing scenery, and she let out a small chuckle. “I wonder if he will be surprised,” she giggled to herself. Author's Note If you made this far I thank you for the read. In any case, I would like to know what you think. So please let me know what you like and/or didn't like (constructive criticism please). Thanks again for the read. Chapter 02As if their tails were on fire, Snips and Snails ran to the train station. “Pick up the pace, Snails,” huffed Snips. “I'm right behind ya,” he panted, as he followed behind. As they sped through Ponyville, they ran through the marketplace. Narrowly avoiding the early bird shoppers, the two colts weaved in and out of the crowd. Snips looked over to his comrade, huffing in the process. “You better hope we make it on time, Snails!” shouted Snips. “Snips, look out!” warned Snails. Snips turned to see he was on a collision course with the local cabbage merchant's cart. With no way to avoid it, Snips plowed right into it. The impacted caused all the cabbages to fly in all directions. Luckily the owner of the cart wasn't around at the time, or things could've been worst. Running to his friend, Snails showed a look of concern. “Snips, you alright, eh?” asked a concerned Snails. “Yeah, I'll be fine,” winced Snips. At that moment, Snails remembered what he learned from the class on healing magic that Twilight had taught awhile back. His horn then began to emit a bright goldenrod glow. “Snails, what're you-” Snips asked, slightly confused. His sentence was cut short as he found his body engulfed in the same bright goldenrod aura. After a few seconds, Snips minor injuries were healed. “Thanks, pal!” said Snips. “Anytime, eh,” smiled Snails. Just then, the bell of the clock tower chimed. It was 8 am. “Pony feathers! We gotta hurry!” shouted Snips. As he helped his friend to his feet, Snails then made a dash for the train station. Snips then followed suit. As they disappeared, the owner of the cart came out of his home. He's an old earth stallion with a yellow coat and a dark green mane with a cabbage Cutie Mark. As he saw his cart in ruin, he fell to hind knees. With his forehooves on the sides of his face, he screamed, “MY CABBAGES!!” With very little time to spare, Snails was the first to make it to the station, with Snips right on his heels. Somehow they manage to get to the station just as they were boarding the train. “Whew...we...made...it,” Snails panted. “You're lucky...to have such an...awesome friend...like me. You would've missed the train if it hadn't been for me!” panted Snips, while holding his chest. “Snipsy!” shouted a voice in the distance. They both turned to see a juvenile filly running to greet them. It was Golden Belle, Snips' marefriend. She slightly corpulent mare, with a swirly cinnamon mane to compliment her cream coat and a golden bell wrapped with the red ribbon Cutie Mark. Snips eyes lit up as he saw her familiar sky-blue eyes. “Goldie!” Snips answered, with the biggest smile on his face. The fatigue of their earlier run seemed to have vanished instantly, as he ran off to greet her. As they met halfway, the two shared in an affectionate nuzzle. “I missed you so much, Snipsy!” she exclaimed. “I missed you too, Goldie. How was your trip to Fillydelphia?” inquired Snips, breaking away from the nuzzle. “It was fun! I got to see my grandmother and...” she said, bouncing with energy. Before she finished her statement, she caught a glimpse of Snails. Seeing that Snails was standing in the distance, she made her way over to him. Snips soon followed right behind her. Upon reaching him, she delivered a small punch to his shoulder. “Why are you over here alone, mister?” she asked, as she tapped her forehoof. “Sorry, Goldie. I just wanted to give you two some privacy, eh,” responded Snails. “That's sweet, but you have to do that,” she grinned. “I wouldn't want to be a third wheel,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “Don't be a silly head. You know we'd never think of you like that. Right, Snipsy?” she asked, as she turned her head slightly. “Of course, Goldie!” he answered, with a small smile. The two shared another affectionate nuzzle, which caused Snails to feel sad. The truth was that he was feeling regret for not telling Twist how he felt all those years ago. It was then his mind began to wander. 'Maybe if I had told her she wouldn't have left. Maybe she would have been my special somepony. Maybe we could've spent the rest of our lives together. Maybe...' He then heard a faint voice calling him. “....ello. Hello, Equestria to Snails! You in there...” As he snapped back to reality, he saw Golden Belle was waving her hoof in front of his face. Upon seeing him blink, she stopped waving her hoof. “Sorry, I just spaced out for a second there,” apologized Snails. “Geez, you silly. I was asking you about Twist,” she said, as she rolled her eyes. Just hearing her name was like a dagger in his heart. “What about her?” he said. “Do you know what school she is going to?” asked Golden Belle. “No. I haven't gotten a letter from her in two months. I'm assuming she is going to Manehattan High,” he sighed. “Really?” she responded, as her ears fell flat. “Yeah...” he nodded. “Well, at least you still have us right?” she added, with a smile. “I guess so...” As Snails was about to respond, Snips chimed in. “Come on, we need to get on the train before it leaves us.” “Right, let's get going,” said Snails. The three then headed for the train. As they were boarding the train, Snips noticed Spike sending off his marefriend Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle had developed into a beautiful young mare. She's a head shorter than her sister but had inherited her sense of beauty. Spike, on the other hand, had a significant growth spurt (being just four inches taller than Big Mac). His frame was slightly more muscular than had been in the past. Her swirly mane, which now shoulder-length, lightly swayed as she was saying goodbye to her dear dragon. “Have a good day, Sweetie Belle. I'll be here waiting for ya when you get back,” Spike said with a cheerful grin. “Aw, thanks, Spike. You're the best,” she replied, with a kiss on the cheek. That display of affection caused a light blush to sprawl across his face. “I just wish you could stay with me all day though,” stated Spike, a little saddened. “I know, but I'll be back before you know it,” Sweetie Belle smiled brightly. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he replied, as he was reaching into his bag. Sweetie tilted her head in confusion, wondering what her dragon had up his sleeve. After a brief moment, he revealed a bouquet of blue roses. The instant she saw them, tears began to stream down her face. “You remembered...” she sniffled. “Yep, I sure did. Happy Anniversary Sweetie Bel-” Before he could finish his sentence, Sweetie Belle pressed her lips against his. The two shared a passionate kiss, leaving bystanders watching in admiration. Once they came to the realization of their public display of affection, they ceased the embrace. Her face now flushed with a healthy tint of red, Sweetie Belle made her way to the train swiftly. Seeing their friend heading for the train, Scootaloo and Applebloom chase after her. With the passengers now boarded, it was off to Canterlot High. After some time, Snails finally spotted a place to sit. He could've gone and sat with the others, but he decided against it. Even though they told him otherwise, he still wanted to avoid the chance of being the third wheel. As he sat and gazed out of the window, he felt his eyes slowly begin to close. Within moments, he slipped off into a peaceful sleep. On a different train also headed for Canterlot High, Twist was lost in deep thought. 'I wonder if Snails is going to be surprised to see me? It's been four years, I wonder if he'll recognize me?' As these thoughts swirled in her head, she reached into her bag. After a few seconds of searching, she found the item she sought after. It was a picture of her and Snails by the tree in the schoolyard, they were smiling while reading a book together. It was then the memories of their time spent together began to flow. She recalled the day when they had started their friendship. It was a typical school day, and the foals were playing in the schoolyard. Twist was sitting under a tree reading a book she got from the Ponyville Library. While she was reading, she was approached by the CMC. “Hey, Twist,” greeted Applebloom. Taking a brief second to stop reading, she greets her friend. “Oh, hey Applebloom,” smiled Twist. “Whatcha readin' there?” she asked. “The latest chapter of the Nightmane the Lunar Avenger series.” “Ooh, is it any good?” asked Sweetie Belle. Twist a giant smile snaked across her face. “It's amazing! It the tale of a daring earth pony battles many foes as she searches for the one killed her parents. It already has fifteen volumes.” “Wow, that sounds pretty cool,” said Scootaloo. “That it is Scootaloo. That it is,” said Twist. “Anyways, ah was wonderin' if y'all want to come crusading with us?” asked Applebloom. “What are you guys doing today?” she asked, tilting her head. “We're going hang gliding, zip lining, shark surfing, and a bunch of other stuff,” exclaimed Scootaloo, bouncing with excitement. After hearing what they're going to be doing, especially hearing shark surfing, she decided against it. “Maybe next time girls,” said Twist. “Aww...” the three groaned, with their heads hung. Applebloom then looked up and gave her trademark smile. “Alright then. We'll catch some other time then. Come on girls! We got crusading to do!” said Applebloom. “Yeah!” chimed in Sweetie and Scoots. The three then trotted off toward the playground. Breathing a sigh of relief, Twist returned to her book. While lost in the adventure she reading, somepony unexpectedly crashed into her causing her glasses to fall to the ground. Unable to see, Twist began to feel around for them. She felt a tap on her shoulder, which made her turn and see a blurred pony standing before her. “You okay, Twist. I ran into you pretty hard, eh,” inquired the figure, with concern in their voice. At that moment, she recognized the voice. It was none other the Snails. “I'm fine, but that kinda hurt,” she stated, rubbing her head. “Should I take you to the nurse?” he questioned, in a worried tone. “No, I'm alright, Snails. Just help me find my glasses,” Twist answered. “Sure thing,” said Snails. After a few seconds, Twist felt her glasses being levitated onto her face. “There ya go, Twist,” Snails said. Finally able to see again, she saw Snails crouched down apologetically. “I'm really sorry, Twist. The other colts and I were playing catch and Snips overshot me. I was so focused on the ball I didn't see you,” explained Snails. Seeing that his apology was sincere, she relieved his guilt with a warm smile. “No problem, Snails. It was an accident,” she responded, with her eyes closed. “Okay well, I'll see ya-” Wondering why he stopped mid-sentence, Twist opened her eyes to find Snails staring at the book on the ground. “No way, the new Nightmane is out!” She didn't think that anypony else at the school read Nightmane, let alone Snails. “Y-You read Nightmane ?” she asked in amazement. “Yeah, but I can never get Snips to read it with me though. Is the new chapter any good?” “Yeah. Nightmane has just found a clue that will finally lead her to parents' murderer.” His eyes grew to the size of saucers. “Awesome! Say was there another copy at the library?” “Nope, this was the last one.” His ears drooped downward. “Oh, I see. Well, let me know how it turns out, eh.” He turns to head back to Snips. Seeing him so downtrodden, Twist comes up with a compromise. “Say if you want, we can read together. If ya don't mind,' she said, with a cheerful smile. Suddenly his ears perked up, a grin spreading across his face. “Really? I wouldn't want to be a bother...” “It wouldn't be a bother at all.” Suddenly they hear yelling in the distance, sounding like Snips. “Hey, Snails! What's the holdup?” yelled the portly colt. “Oh, sorry about that, eh,” he said levitating the ball. He then tosses the ball back to Snips. “You guys go ahead and play. I'm gonna hang with Twist for a bit.” Snips looked at his friend with one eyebrow arched. “Why?” “Because I want to.” “Okay, then. Whatever you say. See ya Snails.” With that, Snips runs back to the group. Now that his friend is gone, Snails then takes a seat to the left of Twist. A light blush flashes across her face he scoots closer to see. As he noticed her blushing he asked, “Are you okay, Twist?” “Yes I'm fine...” she answered. “NEXT STOP CANTERLOT... NEXT STOP CANTERLOT...” the voice from the intercom announced formally. Gathering her belongings, she a small smile dances across her face. “We'll be reunited soon, Snails,” whispered to herself. Back at the other train, Snails was lost in a deep sleep. The fellow passengers laughed at the sleeping colt's random mutterings. “I know, put my earmuffs on the cookie...” Chapter 03As the train made its way into the station, the eager curly mane mare was ready to set off for the campus. As she exited the train, Twist blindsided by an energetic mare who wasn't paying attention. The impacted sent both fillies crashing onto the station platform. Rubbing her head Twist looks to see who plowed into her. It was petite, slender unicorn. Her light brown coat made her a sight to behold, as it was complemented by her long, flowing honey blonde mane and her Cutie Mark which was a sun with a smiley face. Almost instantly the energetic mare bounced to her hooves and looked around to see what she plowed into. She soon turned to see Twist lying on the floor, she lets out a huge gasp. “OHMYGOSH! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?” she asked, with an apologetic face. She then extended a hoof to help the curly-maned mare up. Accepting her offer, Twist rose to her feet. Once on her hooves, the honey blonde mare began to apologize. “I'm sosososososososo sorry for running into you,” said the young mare. “It's okay,” Twist said, waving off the whole ordeal. “You're not hurt are you?” she asked in a worried tone. “No, I'm fine,” she emphasized by moving her limbs. “See...nothing's broken,” “Good...” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “What got you so excited?” inquired Twist. Apparently, that question opened the floodgates of her excitement. “It's my first time in Canterlot. I'msoexcitedtobehereandwhenIsawthetrainstopped...” the mare stated without taking a breath. As she continued on, she began to bounce in front of the curly mane mare. Still speaking at hyper speed and now bouncing with such energy made it impossible for Twist to keep up. How one could possibly speak that fast without taking a breath was beyond her comprehension. 'She certainly is an energetic mare,' she thought, trying to figure out how to get this mare's attention. But how could she? She didn't even know her name. It was then that Twist lifted her hoof to cover the hyper mare's mouth. This seemed to have stopped the bouncing mare. Seeing that she had gotten the attention of the energetic mare, Twist removed her hoof from the mare's mouth. It was then a small tint a red sprawled across the hyper mare's face. “I started talking fast, didn't I?” she asked with a sheepish smile. “Yes. Sorry for doing that, but it seemed the only way to get your attention,” answered the curly-maned mare. “Sorry about that. I have a bad habit of talking super fast whenever a get excited about something,” replied the honey-blonde mare. “It's not a problem at all.” The two shared a small laugh together. “I'm Twist. What's your name?” asked Twist, as she extended her hoof. “Oh, my name is Cheerie Days! But you can call me Cheerie,” she responded, shaking her hoof in return. “Please to meet you, Cheerie. So what brings you to Canterlot?” “I'm gonna be going to school here.” “You're enrolled at Canterlot High too?” “Why yes, I am!” Cheerie replied, with a puffed up chest. “I'm enrolled there as well. Maybe we can be friends,” Twist smiled. That statement activated a reservoir untapped energy. As if she was a rocket, Cheerie shot into the air. And after a few seconds, she exploded (figuratively, not literal) in an array of colorful fireworks. After the display, she gently floated down and rested next to a very confused Twist. “Is that a 'yes'?” inquired the curly-maned mare. She was then greeted with the toothy grin of the honey-blonde mare. “Of course it's a 'yes'! We're gonna be the best of friends,” she exclaimed as she enveloped Twist big hug. As she was in her new friend's unexpectedly strong hug, Twist saw that some of her belongings had fallen out of her bag. “Oh dear...” “What's wrong, Twist?” “Some of my stuff fell on the ground.” Cheerie then turned to see various school items that lay on the floor. Remembering that she was the one that crashed into Twist, a sheepish smile flashed across Cheerie face. “Oh sorry about that,” she said, placing her bespectacled friend on the ground. Before Twist could walk over to pick up her things, she saw they were engulfed in a harvest gold aura. As they were lifted off the ground, the items were then carefully placed into bespectacled mare's bag. Twist then turned to her energetic friend. “Thanks, Cheerie,” she said, with a small smile. “Don't mention it! What friends for, right?” she responded with a toothy grin. “Shall we get going?” asked the curly mane mare. “You bet. So, let's...” Cheerie said taking a weird stance. By the way, she was positioning herself you would swear Cheerie was racing pony. Before she could question her friend's awkward stance, she was startled by the booming voice. “...GO!” As if she had a rocket strapped to her back, Cheerie bolted for the station's main gate. Befuddled at what she just witnessed, Twist soon realized that Cheerie was almost out of sight. “Cheerie...wait for me!” called out the bespectacled mare. As she ran to catch up with her new, overly energetic, friend Twist let out a small chuckle. 'It's sure gonna be an interesting school year,' she thought, with a small smile on her face. A few moments later, the train from Ponyville had just pulled into the station. As the passengers were exiting, Snips and Golden Belle were looking for their seafoam maned friend. “Where did he get off too?” inquired Golden Belle, as she walked down the aisle of seats. “There he is!” Snips responded, point to the back row of seats. “Aw, he fell asleep...” cooed Golden Belle. As they trotted to the sleeping colt, Golden Belle's mind began to wonder. 'Why did that silly colt sit way over here instead of with us?' she thought. Upon reaching Snails, Golden Belle began to gently shake him. “Wake up, sleepy head!” whispered the cinnamon mane mare. “Gooaway....needmoresleep....” slurred the sleepy colt. She giggled slightly at how cute he sounded. “Snails, come on. It's time to get off the train,” she spoke softly. “I don't wanna...” He then rolled over so that his back was facing her. Slightly annoyed she began to shake him again, with a little more force. “Wake up!” she said, this time a little louder. “I will when we reach Canterlot...” “We are in Canterlot,” she added, slightly irritated. “Then gimme five more minutes, eh...” he groaned. With her patience at its limit, she leaned in next to his ear. “WAKE UP!!” That last vocal jolt was enough to make the sleepy colt jump out the seat and fall to the floor. Rubbing his ears the drowsy colt rose to a somewhat vertical base. “What's with the yelling, eh?” asked a half-asleep colt. “Sorry for yelling in your ear, but you wouldn't have gotten up otherwise,” she huffed. Snails looked around the cabin to see that everypony was gone. “Where'd everypony go?” asked a confused Snails. “We're at Canterlot, Snails. Everypony's already gotten off except you,” said a mildly annoyed Snips. A faint blush grazed across in simple-looking colt's snout. “Oh, sorry about that, eh. I guess I must be more tired than I thought.” “Yeah...yeah. Come on, we don't wanna miss the opening ceremony,” Snips said, walking toward the door. “Sure thing.” Snails then grabbed his belongings and followed the two off the train. Once off the train, the three are greeted by the founding member of the CMC. Applebloom grew into a fine young mare, with the same physical build as her sister. Her large bow is now replaced with a smaller bow tied off to the back of the head. Her long crimson mane draping slightly over her shoulder. With her trademark grin, Applebloom waved to the group. “Hey, y'all!” she smiled. “Hey, 'Bloom,” answered Golden Belle. “What took you so long?” huffed Scootaloo. The group then turned to an agitated Scootaloo. Wanting to be like her mentor/big sister, Scootaloo grew out her magenta mane to match that of her beloved idol (but still maintaining its original spikiness). Her form was slightly slender and sleek (as one would expect for a racing pony). Her wings (which are now twice in size) began to fluttered slightly as the mare let out a deep sigh of annoyance. “Sorry, Scoots. Mr. Sleepyhead here fell asleep on the train, so we went to get him,” Goldie Belle spoke. “Well c'mon. We're wasting time when the ceremony is about to start in a few minutes,” Scootaloo responded, trotting to the station entrance. “She's just as impatient as Rainbow Dash,” chimed Sweetie Belle. “Uh-huh,” replied the rest. With that, they all follow after Scootaloo and headed for the school. “Hey, Twist! Hey, Hey! Over Here!” Cheerie called out. Twist then looked over to see Cheerie Days jumping in the large, packed auditorium. It wasn't hard to see or hear her over the chattering crowd, considering she had somehow acquired a rather large megaphone. Twist merely shook her head at her friend's antics. It was still somewhat new to find such energy in a pony to her. 'But what can you do? You can't change your friend's personalities,' Twist thought, as she made her way to her friend. But you can, however, change your friends. This wasn't a policy that Twist would ever adopt. However, she was soon to find out that not everypony had her mentality. Twist was approached by a unicorn mare and her two earth stallion companions. Her name was Honey Bee, a junior at the school. She was honey yellow and black accents around her hooves, a brown mane, and a Cutie Mark with nectar drooping from a honeycomb and three of honey bees beneath it. “Hey there, filly. My name is Honey Bee,” spoke the mare. “Why don't you come sit with us?” She then looked over to see Cheerie Days waving. “Instead of hanging out with weirdos like her,” she said with a sassy smirk. “No thanks,” Twist replied calmly. “You're rejecting an offer to sit one of the most popular mares in the school and two hot stallions, just so you can hang out with that weirdo?” Honey Bee sneered, with genuine disgust. “Yes, now if you'll excuse me,” Twist said, without looking phased. “Do you realize what you are passing up? You could be a popular pony that has the teachers in their hooves? I'll give you another chance. Come join us,” Honey Bee seemed to say the last few words with complete sincerity and glow. “Look, I don't know what makes you think I’ll change my mind. But I think I'll be going now,” Twist said, walking to her friend. As she sat beside her friend, Twist felt that she was going to be a problem in the future. She thought that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were bad enough when she was a foal, now she has to deal with Honey Bee. 'So much for a pleasant school life,' Twist sighed. As the seafoam green-maned stallion made his way through the crowd, he found himself staring at the crowd of freshmares and freshstallions. Every once in a while he caught a glimpse of a mare with a red mane, but it was never Twist. As he looked around he saw his friend gathered in one spot toward the center of the auditorium. Snips then motioned over to him. “Hey, Snail. Over here! Hurry up,” he called out. “Calm down, I'm coming, eh,” he called back, as he walked over. “Come on, bro. I know you're groggy and tired, but that's no reason to move at snail's pace,” Snips joked, the chubby stallion smiling. Snails groaned as the group chuckled at the silly comment. Their fun was interrupted however by the appearance of a certain a pink mare with purple and with a swirly mane, the was draped over her left shoulder. She wore a condescending smirk on her face as she spoke. “Well, well, well. Look who we have here. The mentally slow, physically slow, and talentless mares all gathered in one place. No wonder I felt like skipping the opening ceremony.” “Not like that will help them out much DT,” came a familiar voice her following comment. “We'd probably still see them in class.” From behind the pink mare stood a tall grey mare with two-toned gray mane braided into a ponytail that draped over her right shoulder and light blue glasses on her snout. They knew all too well the ponies that stood before them. It was none other than the infamous twosome, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. It had been two years since their families moved to Fillydelphia, and they figured that they would never see those two again. Ironically it was after the two of them had left Ponyville, that the CMC got their Cutie Marks. As she saw her old nemesis before her, Applebloom's eye slightly twitched. Adjusting the bandana around her neck, Applebloom quickly jumped in to defend her friends. “So, I reckon we're looking at daddy' little filly and her pretty lackey,” said Applebloom. Following her lead, Scootaloo chimed in. “Nice to know you two are still around. So, how'd you to get Canterlot High? It sure could have been because of your grades? Was it daddy's money, or that big mouth of yours actually being put to work?” Scootaloo asked. This obviously made Diamond Tiara livid. The surrounding a crowd started to circle the fight. Various ponies yelled “Ooh...burn!” while other simply laughed. Not wasting a second, Diamond Tiara scoffed, “This coming from the closet fillyfooler?” “Hold it right there. It'd be best if y'all just walk right away now Diamon' Tiara. Or y'all might not be able to, ya hear,” Applebloom growled. As the two mares continued, Snails merely sighed at the spectacle before him. He was at a loss trying to figure out how to handle the situation. It was no secret that the CMC and the Troublesome Twosome were bitter enemies. He knew that he'd have to be the one to break up the fight. As he glanced at the clock, he noticed they had maybe five minutes before the opening ceremony started. He then tried to get their attention. “Maybe you guys should...” Snails started to speak. “Congrats, Applebloom. You can speak Equuish. I thought you were only able to speak in Appleloosan like the rest of your inbred family,” Diamond Tiara commented, with a superior smirk. It was obvious what she was doing, she's trying to get his friends in riled up. The bad thing about it though, it was actually working. As he saw the rage in Applebloom's eyes, he knew that the verbal fight was soon to become a physical one. With a quick glance to Snips, the two knew that they needed to step in before things got out of hoof. Before she could pounce her prey, Snails jumped in between Diamond Tiara and the now fuming Applebloom. He tried the best that he could, but Snips barely managed to hold back Applebloom due to the famed Apple Family strength. Diamond Tiara just grinned at her work of getting under the farm mare skin. With momentum on her side, she decided to change her target. “So, Tweedledee and Tweedledum are finally useful for something. Good to see you aren't a brain-dead mistake Snails. Too bad you're still probably too dumb to figure out what I'm saying.” The farm mare wasn't gonna take it. Even if her Granny Smith and her siblings scolded her later, she was gonna make Diamond Tiara pay for insulting her friends and especially the Apple family name. “Let me at 'er Snips! Lemme go! Lemme go!” Applebloom shouted as she was thrashing about. Snails turned to face Diamond Tiara. His actions made her believe that she had struck a nerve. But instead, she saw the stoic glance that appeared on the young colt. “You haven't changed at all, Diamond,” Snails spoke in a calm tone. She was completely caught off guard by this. She expected him to be like the enraged mare behind him. But instead, his face showed no signs of anger or rage, but rather an impassive stare. It was as if he was silently scolding her for her actions. This was something that Diamond Tiara didn't like because it made her feel like a lowly mare before a king. "Come on, Silver. We're leaving." Diamond Tiara said as they left in a huff. With the fight now over, the crowd began to dissipate with low murmurs and odd glances at the group. "Um... Snails... How did you...? THAT WAS SO COOL!” Scootaloo said as she tried to form a proper sentence. She couldn't believe what just happen. The only other stallion she ever saw do that was Big Macintosh. "Y'all should've just let me buck 'er right in 'er ugly mug,” pouted Applebloom. “That wouldn't be good to get in trouble on the first day, would it?” Snails stated. Applebloom just huffed at his statement. “There you guys are,” said a voice approaching the group. Applebloom's eyes lit up as she saw her coltfriend Featherweight and his buddy Pipsqueak trotting toward them. Snails sighed as the near-crisis that was just adverted. Unknown to him, a certain light brown filly saw the whole thing. Wow, he's so cool, thought Cheerie Days. As Cheerie made her way to the back to her new friend, she was still in awe of what happened. Never before had she seen a fight end like that. As she sat down, Twist noticed her shocked expression. “Something the matter, Cheerie?” she asked. “No, I'm fine. But you won't believe what I just saw,” she answered. “What happened?” Twist asked, with an arched eyebrow. Cheerie then began to explain the fight that had taken place. After a few minutes, she came to the conclusion of the fight. “And get this, there was a single stallion that was able to end it before it got violent. He got both of those meanies away with a look that said, 'I'm above this by now, you should be, too'. It was awesome,” she concluded. “Really?” Twist said, in a state of disbelief. “And now that I think about it, he was actually he was kinda cute in that 'deep' sense y'know,” Cheerie said, with a smile. After Twist hearing, most of it, figure that the mares that started it were probably Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. 'As if Honey Bee wasn't enough to deal with, now I'm gonna have those two as well,' thought Twist. As for the other mares, she knew that it had to be her friend Applebloom and Scootaloo. But the stallion she mentioned, that caught her attention. “So, this stallion? What did he look like?” Twist asked. “Lemme think,” said Cheerie, as she tapped her chin with her hoof. “Well, he was tall and had a golden coat. He had a seafoam green mane and a Cutie Mark of a pink snail with purple shell,” Cheerie explained. She then heard a gasp escape from Twist lips. She turned to her friend and saw that Twist had a massive grin spread across her face. “You okay, Twist?” “That was Snails,” Twist said with glee. “Snails?” “Yes, he's a very close friend of my mine,” Twist explained. “Where did you see him at?” As she stood up, Cheerie pointed towards a bundle of several ponies toward the center of the auditorium. Twist saw Scootaloo, Pipsqueak, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Featherweight sitting with each other. To the left of them, she saw Snips, Golden Belle, and the colt she's been longing to see Snails. It's really him. He still looks as handsome as ever, she thought. “Did you see'em?” asked Cheerie. “Yes,” she smiled. Before she could get up from her seat, Princess Celestia entered the auditorium. Upon her entry, Twist knew the opening ceremony was about to start. As she reached the podium, she greeted the student body. “Good Morning Students, I am Princess Celestia, the founder of this school...” began the regal alicorn. As she continued her speech, Twist's mind was raced at the thought the moment when she could be reunited with her dear friend. Soon Snails, I promise. Author's Note Many thanks to The Notebook for co-writing this chapter Chapter 04“Hmm, where could it be?” Snails thought to himself. After the opening ceremony had concluded, the students were free to explore the school before the first period. Snails took the opportunity to seek out the library. After years of reading with Twist, he found self as a bookworm of sorts. After splitting away from the group he trudged the halls until he finally reached his destination. “Ah ha, found you, eh,” he cheered. He then walked into the trove of knowledge with an eager grin. Unknown to him, Twist had the same idea. A few moments later, she reached the library as well. “Whew, it was quite a walk to get her,” she chuckled a bit. She then heads inside. When she looked at all the selections, her eyes sparkle with anticipation. “Oh wow, I’ve never seen so many books in all my life,” she beamed. She then headed to the service desk. There she met an earth pony mare with violet coat and a dirty blonde mane tied up in a bun and frameless glasses in the same style as hers. “Excuse me, miss,” she greeted. The mare then looked up from her paperwork and spoke with a welcoming smile. “Hello there. Welcome to Canterlot High Library. I’m Lilac Quill the librarian. How can I help you?” she smiled. “Hi, my name is Twist,” she responded. “I wanted to get a library card.” This got an enthusiastic grin for her. “Of course, just fill these out and I’ll get your card,” she happily said, as she gave Twist the card form. Twist read over the rules and filled out the paperwork rather quickly. Lilac then handed her the library card. “Enjoy your voyage into knowledge~” she spoke with glee. “I will…” Twist smiled. She then left Lilac to the venture into the library. As she surveyed the aisle, she came across a copy of the latest book of Nightmane the Luna Avenger. “What luck! I didn’t think the new book would’ve been out yet,” she exclaimed. As she was about to reach for it, the book floated away to the other side of the shelf. “Hey!” she shouted. “Sorry, eh. But I’ve been dying to read this one,” spoke the voice from behind the shelf. Her ears immediately perked up. She that voice all too well. It was him. “So…you like Nightmane?” she asked. “Oh yeah. I’ve loved it since I was a colt back in grade school,” the voice replied. “Is that so? So, what’s your favorite book?” she asked. She could hear him tap his chin. “Hmm, well…I’d have to say Nightmane and the Door of Truth,” he answered. She remembered that was the first book they read together as friends. “That’s a good book. Why that particular one?” she queried. “Well, it had a great story with plenty of surprising twists throughout,” he cheerfully replied. This caused her to giggle. She always loved the way got energetic when he talked about Nightmane. “Plus, that one holds a special place in my heart,” he confessed. That statement caught her interest. “Oh really? Why’s that?” “Well, it was because of that book I was able to make a very close friend. One I wouldn’t trade for anything.” His words made her blush. “She sounds important to you,” she spoke. “Yeah, she wa- Hey wait a second…” he spoke, as she heard him come around the corner. “How’d you know it was a mare? I didn’t-” As soon as he turned the corner, his voice left him. All he could do is gaze at the beautiful mare now before him. He felt his heart skipped a beat as he gazed upon her. Her beautiful eyes hidden behind her frameless glass, her curly mane that was styled stunningly, her tall yet slender frame was a sight to behold. As he looked at her, he couldn’t help but think he knew that this mare seems familiar to him. As he looked her over, he soon noticed her Cutie Mark. He knew that Cutie Mark from anywhere. “T-Twist?” he uttered. “Hey, Snails…it’s been awhile…” she smiled. As the book fell from his magical grasp, Snails ran to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Though the initial contact caught her off guard, she soon found herself snuggling into his embrace. “Twist! I’m so glad to see you!” he smiled. “I am too, Snails,” she hugged. “How ya been, eh? You stopped writing.” “Sorry, I had to study to get into this school. I’m sorry.” He then released her and gave her a warm smile. “It’s okay, I’m just happy we’ll be going to the same school,” he spoke elatedly. Twist couldn’t help but giggle to herself. ‘Good to see he’s still his cheerful self’ “OH! You gotta go meet up with everyone! They’re gonna freak!” “Shh!” glared Lilac. Snails quickly covered his mouth. “Oops, sorry,” he sheepishly grinned. Lilac nodded and went back to her paperwork. The two friends then shared a brief laugh. After he checked out the book, the two head back to find out their class schedules. ‘How awesome is this’ cheered Snails, while the teacher went over the rules of the class. To his delight, he and Twist almost similar classes, with only two separate classes. And to make it even better they sat next to each other. Currently, they were in Equestrian History. The teacher, a light gray earth pony stallion with a silver mane, went over the class expectations and rules. Snails, however, didn’t pay much attention and found he gaze on the outside world. ‘I’m so bored! he internally groaned. As he rested his head in his hooves, his gaze fell upon his dear friend Twist. It still amazed just how beautiful she had become. Her slender frame, her beautiful eyes, and cute glasses made her a sight to behold. As he found himself gazing at her, the world around him seemed to fade away. The way she attentively listened to what the teacher was saying made him chuckle. ‘Even after all this time, you’re still a good student,’ he thought to himself. This was soon interrupted by something hard hitting him square in the forehead. As he shot upward he looked around to see what hit him. He looked to the floor to see a piece of chalk. When he looked up, he was met with the scowl of the teacher. “Please refrain from daydreaming in my class, Mr. Snails,” warned the teacher. “Yes, sir,” Snails replied, as he rubbed his head. As he took his seat the classroom filled with muffled giggles. The teacher then continued with the introduction. Snails then saw a piece of paper thrown on his desk. He looked around to see who’d thrown it and saw Twist waving to him. He quickly opened the note to read it. “You really shouldn’t daydream in class. You wouldn’t want to fall behind would you~” - Twist P.S. I’m glad we’re in the same class n_n He looked back to her, who gave him a sideways wink before she turned her attention back to the teacher. Snails too turned to the face the front with a Cheshire grin. ‘This is gonna be an awesome school year!’ he internally cheered.
Chapter 01 “So you're moving to Manehatten?” asked Snails. “Yeah, my dad got a new job and had to relocate there,” said Twist. “Oh...” “But I'll be sure to write you every day. Okay?” she added, trying to cheer up her friend. “Yeah, okay...” “We'll always be friends, right?” “Of course we will, eh,” he answered with a smile. He then wrapped his forehooves around her neck to give a tight hug. “I'll see ya around...” he whispered sadly. After releasing herself from his embrace, Twist turned to leave. “Bye, Snails....” As she was walking away, his felt his heart sink. All he wanted to do was shout the four words that he had kept from her. The words that he'd been longing to say: “I love you, Twist.” But his mouth wouldn't let him. As he waved bye to his dear friend one last time, Twist disappeared from his sight. As the sun began to rise, her rays crept into the room of one sleeping colt. After a few seconds, the unwanted light shone brightly on his face. With his thoughts of remaining sleep now gone, Snails made his way out of bed. As his hind legs hit the ground, he rubbed his face with his forehooves. “Ugh, it's a new school year...” It had been four years since that fateful day, and Snails has never found anypony that came close to her. Over the years, he had grown much taller, only a head shorter the Big Macintosh, though he is tall, his physical build is that of your average teenager. The golden coated colt headed for the bathroom, moving his long legs with a pure memory of the path. As he looked into the mirror, he lets out a deep sigh. “I wonder how she's doing?” After giving himself the once-over, he used his magic to grab the comb from off the counter. “It's a new school. Time to get a new look,” he said examining his mane. While his seafoam green mane hadn't gotten much longer, but the bangs over his brow were another story. They remained the same matted mess they'd always been. But not this school year. After several minutes of grooming, his mane was now slicked back. The new hairstyle gave him a debonaire type of attitude. Admiring his work, he gave himself a quick wink. “Looking good, eh...” he said with a suave smirk. But this feeling didn't last long, as his mane work poofed back into its original shape. “Oh for the love of Celestia!” The one thing that had followed him throughout foalhood was his mane's uncanny ability to never want to change. As he was prepared to grab the comb for one more attempt, he heard a gentle knock at the door. “Snails, you alright in there?” asked his worried mother. “Yeah, ma. Just trying to fix my mane,” answered Snails. “Oh, okay. Well, hurry up, eh. Your breakfast is getting cold.” “Okay... I'll be right down,” said Snails. After hearing his mother's departure, he tried one more time to tame his mane. “Alright mane...round two, eh,” he said levitating the comb. That same morning, in a house just on the outskirts of Manehatten, a particular light amber filly arose to greet the day. “It's morning already?” Twist yawned. She then reached for her glasses, rounder, and frame-less, on the nightstand next to the bed. Many things had changed for this young filly. Since leaving Ponyville, she had developed both mentally and physically. She no longer speaks with her common lisp, but rather with a soft and melodious voice. Though her form is slender and more maidenly, she was slightly taller than the average mares. Her scarlet mane was now stylish, with her curly bang now drape to the right side of her face. She then sat up on the bed and put on her glasses. As her hind legs hit the floor, she noticed the picture sitting on the nightstand. It was taken during the party to celebrate the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally discovering their talents. In the photo were the CMC, Snips, and Snails and herself. It showed Applebloom dancing awkwardly while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were laughing hysterically. In the background, Snips was drinking punch and Twist, and Snails were cheering on Applebloom. She then picked up the photo. “I really miss you guys,” she sighed. She looked at Snails in the photo. Seeing his trademark goofy grin, she lets out a little chuckle. “Especially you...Snails,” she said, setting the picture back on the nightstand. Ever since that day four years ago, she had always thought about her dear friend. She wrote whenever should could, but eventually stopped when she had studied for her entrance exams. Placing her hooves on the ground, she made her way to the bathroom. I wonder what he's up to? she thought aloud. Upon reaching the bathroom, she turned on the shower. Placing her glasses on the counter, she entered in. While she washed her body, her mind began to think back on all the times her and Snails spent together. As the water trickled down her mane, she reflected on how much he really meant to her. When Applebloom formed the CMC, she rarely hung out with Twist as she used to, leaving with few friends she saw regularly. It wasn't until Snails came along that she started having fun again. Remembering the times they enjoyed together, she lets out a small chuckle. “...Twist, are you alright in there?” asked her mother. Suddenly snapped out of her trip down memory lane, she realized she had been in the shower for a few minutes. “Yes, I'm fine mother,” replied Twist. “Okay, well hurry up, or you're going to miss the train for school.” “I'll be right out, mother.” Turning the shower off, she reached for the towel that was draped over the railing. After drying off, she headed for the mirror. She grabbed a comb from off the counter to brush her mane, and after a few moments, it was acceptable in her eyes. She put on her glasses, and she headed to her room. “Oh, I give up. You win this round mane.” After five failed attempts to reign in his mane, he eventually conceded in defeat. As he walked out of his bedroom, and down to the kitchen, he was greeted by his family, who were patiently waiting at the table. “Glad you could join use son,” his father, Red Sprint, a stocky unicorn with a crimson red coat and a long spiky raspberry red mane, spoke up first. “Geez, bro. You always take forever to get ready,” Snails' younger earth pony sister pouted. She was a small earth pony with a dark orange coat and a short, spiky bright yellow mane. “Eat up, dear. You don't want to start the new school year with an empty stomach, eh,” Snails' mother, Caramel Sweetie. She was a slender earth mare with a light brown coat and a long navy blue mane that cascaded down her shoulders. He then sat down silently and took inventory of all that was in front of him. Today meal was rather extravagant than it usually is. A stack delicious blueberry pancakes, his mother's infamous honey-n-oat toast, a plate of hash browns, full bottles of honey and syrup, four glasses in front of each dish, and a pitcher of milk. “Sorry about that, eh. My mane didn't wanna listen to me,” chuckled Snails, as he levitated food to his plate. “What else is new?” Sugarheart said, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, let's enjoy our breakfast okay,” Caramel Sweetie said as she poured a glass of milk, trying to keep the morning free of sarcasm. The family then began to eat their breakfast. After a brief moment of silence, Red Sprint spoke. “So, Snails? Did you ever hear from your friend? What was her name...Twine...Twit?” “It was Twist, dad. And no I haven't gotten any new mail from her in about two months,” answered Snails. “Well, maybe she was studying so she could get into Manehatten High,” offered Caramel Sweetie. “Maybe...” Snails said, as his ears fell flat. “Still can't believe youof all ponies got into Canterlot High. It must have dumb luck. With the emphasis on the dumb,” said Sugarheart, trying to get a rise out of her brother. Snails turned to his sister. “What's that supposed to mean, eh?” asked Snails, slightly annoyed. “Well, you're not the smartest pony around. Besides, with the way you always act it's hard to believe you're smart,” she said, sticking her tongue at him. “Well, it's not like I'm doing it on purpose, eh. I'm just natural silly. Besides, you're one to talk. You act more ditzy than Derpy,” Snails retorted. “I do not!” “What about that one time when she had to help you out of the well?” said Snails. “That only happened once!” she huffed, as she slammed her forehoof on the table. “And then there was that time you tried bake cupcakes, but they all burned,” Snails chuckled. “Sh-Shut up...” Sugarheart said, lightly blushing. “I still remember saying 'I just don't know what went wrong.' It was hilarious, eh,” Snail laughed, holding his sides. “Mom!” “Now Snails, it's not nice to tease your sister,” Caramel said in a parental tone. “I'm sorry, eh. I was just fooling," he apologized. He then walked over his sister and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "She knows I love her,” he said, ruffling her mane. As he ruffled her mane, she lets out a series of giggles. “Okay...Snails. I get...it...I love...you too,” she says giggling. Before letting her go Snails gave her a kiss on the forehead, causing her to blush lightly. As Snails returned to his seat, he heard a knock at the front door. Who could that be this early?, Snails thought. Opening the door, he saw his running buddy Snips. Over the years, Snips has thin out a little but not enough to see much of a change. His face is still as rounded as I was when they were foals. He's taller than he used to be, but even a head below Snails. His mane was scruffy-looking but had grown longer (at least shoulder length). “Morning, Snips,” Snails said, smiling. “Morning Snails,” Snips answered back. “We're having breakfast right now. Do you wanna come in and have some?” “Not this time, Snails. I just came to get you.” “Huh? Get me for what?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. Snips face-hoofed. “You do know what time it is, right?” asked Snips, with an arched eyebrow. Snails turned to look at the clock on the wall. “It's 7:45 am. Why?” replied Snails. After a few seconds of complete, Snips statement finally registered with him. “Oh, pony feathers! We're gonna miss the train!” shouted Snails. “Yeah, I know!” As if he was on fire, Snails bolted upstairs to pack his saddlebag. After double-checking that he had everything, he ran downstairs, almost falling down them in the process. “I'll see you, later, eh!” he shouted, rushing out the door. “Bye, dear. Have a good day!” Caramel said with a smile. “Work hard, son,” muttered Red Sprint, engrossed with the morning paper. “Have an awesome day, bro!” Sugarheart chirped. With that, Snips and Snails raced for the train. Twist made her way through the crowded train station, she was accompanied by her mother Winter Star, a tall, slim mare with a light yellow coat, and curly bright red mane. As they arrived at the Canterlot terminal, the two found a spot to sit. Curious she asked, “Are you sure about this, Twist?” “I'm sure.” “But why Canterlot High?” “I just wanted a change of scenery. Besides it's only a 15 minutes train ride,” Twist explained. “I know. I just worry about you riding the train alone,” Winter said, in a worried tone. “Mom, I'm not a little filly anymore. I can handle myself,” Twist huffed. “I know...I know,” Winter Star chuckled, as she nuzzled her daughter. “But there's must be another reason for choosing that school...” “Well, there is a reason...” Twist started a hint of red appearing on her cheeks. “My, my Twist. Is there something you're not telling me?” asked Winter Star, raising an eyebrow. “The thing is-” said Twist. Their conversation was cut short as the train whistle sounded. The conductor called out. “All aboard!” They rose to their hooves and headed for the train doors. Twist gave her mother gave her a tight hug. “You be careful out there okay,” Winter Star said, with a motherly smile. “I will mother,” Twist replied. Stepping on the train, Twist waved bye to her mother. The door closed, the train began to pull off. As the image of her mother vanished in the distance, Twist headed for her seat. Placing her saddlebags down she then stared out the window. She looked at the passing scenery, and she let out a small chuckle. “I wonder if he will be surprised,” she giggled to herself. Author's Note If you made this far I thank you for the read. In any case, I would like to know what you think. So please let me know what you like and/or didn't like (constructive criticism please). Thanks again for the read.
Chapter 02As if their tails were on fire, Snips and Snails ran to the train station. “Pick up the pace, Snails,” huffed Snips. “I'm right behind ya,” he panted, as he followed behind. As they sped through Ponyville, they ran through the marketplace. Narrowly avoiding the early bird shoppers, the two colts weaved in and out of the crowd. Snips looked over to his comrade, huffing in the process. “You better hope we make it on time, Snails!” shouted Snips. “Snips, look out!” warned Snails. Snips turned to see he was on a collision course with the local cabbage merchant's cart. With no way to avoid it, Snips plowed right into it. The impacted caused all the cabbages to fly in all directions. Luckily the owner of the cart wasn't around at the time, or things could've been worst. Running to his friend, Snails showed a look of concern. “Snips, you alright, eh?” asked a concerned Snails. “Yeah, I'll be fine,” winced Snips. At that moment, Snails remembered what he learned from the class on healing magic that Twilight had taught awhile back. His horn then began to emit a bright goldenrod glow. “Snails, what're you-” Snips asked, slightly confused. His sentence was cut short as he found his body engulfed in the same bright goldenrod aura. After a few seconds, Snips minor injuries were healed. “Thanks, pal!” said Snips. “Anytime, eh,” smiled Snails. Just then, the bell of the clock tower chimed. It was 8 am. “Pony feathers! We gotta hurry!” shouted Snips. As he helped his friend to his feet, Snails then made a dash for the train station. Snips then followed suit. As they disappeared, the owner of the cart came out of his home. He's an old earth stallion with a yellow coat and a dark green mane with a cabbage Cutie Mark. As he saw his cart in ruin, he fell to hind knees. With his forehooves on the sides of his face, he screamed, “MY CABBAGES!!” With very little time to spare, Snails was the first to make it to the station, with Snips right on his heels. Somehow they manage to get to the station just as they were boarding the train. “Whew...we...made...it,” Snails panted. “You're lucky...to have such an...awesome friend...like me. You would've missed the train if it hadn't been for me!” panted Snips, while holding his chest. “Snipsy!” shouted a voice in the distance. They both turned to see a juvenile filly running to greet them. It was Golden Belle, Snips' marefriend. She slightly corpulent mare, with a swirly cinnamon mane to compliment her cream coat and a golden bell wrapped with the red ribbon Cutie Mark. Snips eyes lit up as he saw her familiar sky-blue eyes. “Goldie!” Snips answered, with the biggest smile on his face. The fatigue of their earlier run seemed to have vanished instantly, as he ran off to greet her. As they met halfway, the two shared in an affectionate nuzzle. “I missed you so much, Snipsy!” she exclaimed. “I missed you too, Goldie. How was your trip to Fillydelphia?” inquired Snips, breaking away from the nuzzle. “It was fun! I got to see my grandmother and...” she said, bouncing with energy. Before she finished her statement, she caught a glimpse of Snails. Seeing that Snails was standing in the distance, she made her way over to him. Snips soon followed right behind her. Upon reaching him, she delivered a small punch to his shoulder. “Why are you over here alone, mister?” she asked, as she tapped her forehoof. “Sorry, Goldie. I just wanted to give you two some privacy, eh,” responded Snails. “That's sweet, but you have to do that,” she grinned. “I wouldn't want to be a third wheel,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “Don't be a silly head. You know we'd never think of you like that. Right, Snipsy?” she asked, as she turned her head slightly. “Of course, Goldie!” he answered, with a small smile. The two shared another affectionate nuzzle, which caused Snails to feel sad. The truth was that he was feeling regret for not telling Twist how he felt all those years ago. It was then his mind began to wander. 'Maybe if I had told her she wouldn't have left. Maybe she would have been my special somepony. Maybe we could've spent the rest of our lives together. Maybe...' He then heard a faint voice calling him. “....ello. Hello, Equestria to Snails! You in there...” As he snapped back to reality, he saw Golden Belle was waving her hoof in front of his face. Upon seeing him blink, she stopped waving her hoof. “Sorry, I just spaced out for a second there,” apologized Snails. “Geez, you silly. I was asking you about Twist,” she said, as she rolled her eyes. Just hearing her name was like a dagger in his heart. “What about her?” he said. “Do you know what school she is going to?” asked Golden Belle. “No. I haven't gotten a letter from her in two months. I'm assuming she is going to Manehattan High,” he sighed. “Really?” she responded, as her ears fell flat. “Yeah...” he nodded. “Well, at least you still have us right?” she added, with a smile. “I guess so...” As Snails was about to respond, Snips chimed in. “Come on, we need to get on the train before it leaves us.” “Right, let's get going,” said Snails. The three then headed for the train. As they were boarding the train, Snips noticed Spike sending off his marefriend Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle had developed into a beautiful young mare. She's a head shorter than her sister but had inherited her sense of beauty. Spike, on the other hand, had a significant growth spurt (being just four inches taller than Big Mac). His frame was slightly more muscular than had been in the past. Her swirly mane, which now shoulder-length, lightly swayed as she was saying goodbye to her dear dragon. “Have a good day, Sweetie Belle. I'll be here waiting for ya when you get back,” Spike said with a cheerful grin. “Aw, thanks, Spike. You're the best,” she replied, with a kiss on the cheek. That display of affection caused a light blush to sprawl across his face. “I just wish you could stay with me all day though,” stated Spike, a little saddened. “I know, but I'll be back before you know it,” Sweetie Belle smiled brightly. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he replied, as he was reaching into his bag. Sweetie tilted her head in confusion, wondering what her dragon had up his sleeve. After a brief moment, he revealed a bouquet of blue roses. The instant she saw them, tears began to stream down her face. “You remembered...” she sniffled. “Yep, I sure did. Happy Anniversary Sweetie Bel-” Before he could finish his sentence, Sweetie Belle pressed her lips against his. The two shared a passionate kiss, leaving bystanders watching in admiration. Once they came to the realization of their public display of affection, they ceased the embrace. Her face now flushed with a healthy tint of red, Sweetie Belle made her way to the train swiftly. Seeing their friend heading for the train, Scootaloo and Applebloom chase after her. With the passengers now boarded, it was off to Canterlot High. After some time, Snails finally spotted a place to sit. He could've gone and sat with the others, but he decided against it. Even though they told him otherwise, he still wanted to avoid the chance of being the third wheel. As he sat and gazed out of the window, he felt his eyes slowly begin to close. Within moments, he slipped off into a peaceful sleep. On a different train also headed for Canterlot High, Twist was lost in deep thought. 'I wonder if Snails is going to be surprised to see me? It's been four years, I wonder if he'll recognize me?' As these thoughts swirled in her head, she reached into her bag. After a few seconds of searching, she found the item she sought after. It was a picture of her and Snails by the tree in the schoolyard, they were smiling while reading a book together. It was then the memories of their time spent together began to flow. She recalled the day when they had started their friendship. It was a typical school day, and the foals were playing in the schoolyard. Twist was sitting under a tree reading a book she got from the Ponyville Library. While she was reading, she was approached by the CMC. “Hey, Twist,” greeted Applebloom. Taking a brief second to stop reading, she greets her friend. “Oh, hey Applebloom,” smiled Twist. “Whatcha readin' there?” she asked. “The latest chapter of the Nightmane the Lunar Avenger series.” “Ooh, is it any good?” asked Sweetie Belle. Twist a giant smile snaked across her face. “It's amazing! It the tale of a daring earth pony battles many foes as she searches for the one killed her parents. It already has fifteen volumes.” “Wow, that sounds pretty cool,” said Scootaloo. “That it is Scootaloo. That it is,” said Twist. “Anyways, ah was wonderin' if y'all want to come crusading with us?” asked Applebloom. “What are you guys doing today?” she asked, tilting her head. “We're going hang gliding, zip lining, shark surfing, and a bunch of other stuff,” exclaimed Scootaloo, bouncing with excitement. After hearing what they're going to be doing, especially hearing shark surfing, she decided against it. “Maybe next time girls,” said Twist. “Aww...” the three groaned, with their heads hung. Applebloom then looked up and gave her trademark smile. “Alright then. We'll catch some other time then. Come on girls! We got crusading to do!” said Applebloom. “Yeah!” chimed in Sweetie and Scoots. The three then trotted off toward the playground. Breathing a sigh of relief, Twist returned to her book. While lost in the adventure she reading, somepony unexpectedly crashed into her causing her glasses to fall to the ground. Unable to see, Twist began to feel around for them. She felt a tap on her shoulder, which made her turn and see a blurred pony standing before her. “You okay, Twist. I ran into you pretty hard, eh,” inquired the figure, with concern in their voice. At that moment, she recognized the voice. It was none other the Snails. “I'm fine, but that kinda hurt,” she stated, rubbing her head. “Should I take you to the nurse?” he questioned, in a worried tone. “No, I'm alright, Snails. Just help me find my glasses,” Twist answered. “Sure thing,” said Snails. After a few seconds, Twist felt her glasses being levitated onto her face. “There ya go, Twist,” Snails said. Finally able to see again, she saw Snails crouched down apologetically. “I'm really sorry, Twist. The other colts and I were playing catch and Snips overshot me. I was so focused on the ball I didn't see you,” explained Snails. Seeing that his apology was sincere, she relieved his guilt with a warm smile. “No problem, Snails. It was an accident,” she responded, with her eyes closed. “Okay well, I'll see ya-” Wondering why he stopped mid-sentence, Twist opened her eyes to find Snails staring at the book on the ground. “No way, the new Nightmane is out!” She didn't think that anypony else at the school read Nightmane, let alone Snails. “Y-You read Nightmane ?” she asked in amazement. “Yeah, but I can never get Snips to read it with me though. Is the new chapter any good?” “Yeah. Nightmane has just found a clue that will finally lead her to parents' murderer.” His eyes grew to the size of saucers. “Awesome! Say was there another copy at the library?” “Nope, this was the last one.” His ears drooped downward. “Oh, I see. Well, let me know how it turns out, eh.” He turns to head back to Snips. Seeing him so downtrodden, Twist comes up with a compromise. “Say if you want, we can read together. If ya don't mind,' she said, with a cheerful smile. Suddenly his ears perked up, a grin spreading across his face. “Really? I wouldn't want to be a bother...” “It wouldn't be a bother at all.” Suddenly they hear yelling in the distance, sounding like Snips. “Hey, Snails! What's the holdup?” yelled the portly colt. “Oh, sorry about that, eh,” he said levitating the ball. He then tosses the ball back to Snips. “You guys go ahead and play. I'm gonna hang with Twist for a bit.” Snips looked at his friend with one eyebrow arched. “Why?” “Because I want to.” “Okay, then. Whatever you say. See ya Snails.” With that, Snips runs back to the group. Now that his friend is gone, Snails then takes a seat to the left of Twist. A light blush flashes across her face he scoots closer to see. As he noticed her blushing he asked, “Are you okay, Twist?” “Yes I'm fine...” she answered. “NEXT STOP CANTERLOT... NEXT STOP CANTERLOT...” the voice from the intercom announced formally. Gathering her belongings, she a small smile dances across her face. “We'll be reunited soon, Snails,” whispered to herself. Back at the other train, Snails was lost in a deep sleep. The fellow passengers laughed at the sleeping colt's random mutterings. “I know, put my earmuffs on the cookie...”
Chapter 03As the train made its way into the station, the eager curly mane mare was ready to set off for the campus. As she exited the train, Twist blindsided by an energetic mare who wasn't paying attention. The impacted sent both fillies crashing onto the station platform. Rubbing her head Twist looks to see who plowed into her. It was petite, slender unicorn. Her light brown coat made her a sight to behold, as it was complemented by her long, flowing honey blonde mane and her Cutie Mark which was a sun with a smiley face. Almost instantly the energetic mare bounced to her hooves and looked around to see what she plowed into. She soon turned to see Twist lying on the floor, she lets out a huge gasp. “OHMYGOSH! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?” she asked, with an apologetic face. She then extended a hoof to help the curly-maned mare up. Accepting her offer, Twist rose to her feet. Once on her hooves, the honey blonde mare began to apologize. “I'm sosososososososo sorry for running into you,” said the young mare. “It's okay,” Twist said, waving off the whole ordeal. “You're not hurt are you?” she asked in a worried tone. “No, I'm fine,” she emphasized by moving her limbs. “See...nothing's broken,” “Good...” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “What got you so excited?” inquired Twist. Apparently, that question opened the floodgates of her excitement. “It's my first time in Canterlot. I'msoexcitedtobehereandwhenIsawthetrainstopped...” the mare stated without taking a breath. As she continued on, she began to bounce in front of the curly mane mare. Still speaking at hyper speed and now bouncing with such energy made it impossible for Twist to keep up. How one could possibly speak that fast without taking a breath was beyond her comprehension. 'She certainly is an energetic mare,' she thought, trying to figure out how to get this mare's attention. But how could she? She didn't even know her name. It was then that Twist lifted her hoof to cover the hyper mare's mouth. This seemed to have stopped the bouncing mare. Seeing that she had gotten the attention of the energetic mare, Twist removed her hoof from the mare's mouth. It was then a small tint a red sprawled across the hyper mare's face. “I started talking fast, didn't I?” she asked with a sheepish smile. “Yes. Sorry for doing that, but it seemed the only way to get your attention,” answered the curly-maned mare. “Sorry about that. I have a bad habit of talking super fast whenever a get excited about something,” replied the honey-blonde mare. “It's not a problem at all.” The two shared a small laugh together. “I'm Twist. What's your name?” asked Twist, as she extended her hoof. “Oh, my name is Cheerie Days! But you can call me Cheerie,” she responded, shaking her hoof in return. “Please to meet you, Cheerie. So what brings you to Canterlot?” “I'm gonna be going to school here.” “You're enrolled at Canterlot High too?” “Why yes, I am!” Cheerie replied, with a puffed up chest. “I'm enrolled there as well. Maybe we can be friends,” Twist smiled. That statement activated a reservoir untapped energy. As if she was a rocket, Cheerie shot into the air. And after a few seconds, she exploded (figuratively, not literal) in an array of colorful fireworks. After the display, she gently floated down and rested next to a very confused Twist. “Is that a 'yes'?” inquired the curly-maned mare. She was then greeted with the toothy grin of the honey-blonde mare. “Of course it's a 'yes'! We're gonna be the best of friends,” she exclaimed as she enveloped Twist big hug. As she was in her new friend's unexpectedly strong hug, Twist saw that some of her belongings had fallen out of her bag. “Oh dear...” “What's wrong, Twist?” “Some of my stuff fell on the ground.” Cheerie then turned to see various school items that lay on the floor. Remembering that she was the one that crashed into Twist, a sheepish smile flashed across Cheerie face. “Oh sorry about that,” she said, placing her bespectacled friend on the ground. Before Twist could walk over to pick up her things, she saw they were engulfed in a harvest gold aura. As they were lifted off the ground, the items were then carefully placed into bespectacled mare's bag. Twist then turned to her energetic friend. “Thanks, Cheerie,” she said, with a small smile. “Don't mention it! What friends for, right?” she responded with a toothy grin. “Shall we get going?” asked the curly mane mare. “You bet. So, let's...” Cheerie said taking a weird stance. By the way, she was positioning herself you would swear Cheerie was racing pony. Before she could question her friend's awkward stance, she was startled by the booming voice. “...GO!” As if she had a rocket strapped to her back, Cheerie bolted for the station's main gate. Befuddled at what she just witnessed, Twist soon realized that Cheerie was almost out of sight. “Cheerie...wait for me!” called out the bespectacled mare. As she ran to catch up with her new, overly energetic, friend Twist let out a small chuckle. 'It's sure gonna be an interesting school year,' she thought, with a small smile on her face. A few moments later, the train from Ponyville had just pulled into the station. As the passengers were exiting, Snips and Golden Belle were looking for their seafoam maned friend. “Where did he get off too?” inquired Golden Belle, as she walked down the aisle of seats. “There he is!” Snips responded, point to the back row of seats. “Aw, he fell asleep...” cooed Golden Belle. As they trotted to the sleeping colt, Golden Belle's mind began to wonder. 'Why did that silly colt sit way over here instead of with us?' she thought. Upon reaching Snails, Golden Belle began to gently shake him. “Wake up, sleepy head!” whispered the cinnamon mane mare. “Gooaway....needmoresleep....” slurred the sleepy colt. She giggled slightly at how cute he sounded. “Snails, come on. It's time to get off the train,” she spoke softly. “I don't wanna...” He then rolled over so that his back was facing her. Slightly annoyed she began to shake him again, with a little more force. “Wake up!” she said, this time a little louder. “I will when we reach Canterlot...” “We are in Canterlot,” she added, slightly irritated. “Then gimme five more minutes, eh...” he groaned. With her patience at its limit, she leaned in next to his ear. “WAKE UP!!” That last vocal jolt was enough to make the sleepy colt jump out the seat and fall to the floor. Rubbing his ears the drowsy colt rose to a somewhat vertical base. “What's with the yelling, eh?” asked a half-asleep colt. “Sorry for yelling in your ear, but you wouldn't have gotten up otherwise,” she huffed. Snails looked around the cabin to see that everypony was gone. “Where'd everypony go?” asked a confused Snails. “We're at Canterlot, Snails. Everypony's already gotten off except you,” said a mildly annoyed Snips. A faint blush grazed across in simple-looking colt's snout. “Oh, sorry about that, eh. I guess I must be more tired than I thought.” “Yeah...yeah. Come on, we don't wanna miss the opening ceremony,” Snips said, walking toward the door. “Sure thing.” Snails then grabbed his belongings and followed the two off the train. Once off the train, the three are greeted by the founding member of the CMC. Applebloom grew into a fine young mare, with the same physical build as her sister. Her large bow is now replaced with a smaller bow tied off to the back of the head. Her long crimson mane draping slightly over her shoulder. With her trademark grin, Applebloom waved to the group. “Hey, y'all!” she smiled. “Hey, 'Bloom,” answered Golden Belle. “What took you so long?” huffed Scootaloo. The group then turned to an agitated Scootaloo. Wanting to be like her mentor/big sister, Scootaloo grew out her magenta mane to match that of her beloved idol (but still maintaining its original spikiness). Her form was slightly slender and sleek (as one would expect for a racing pony). Her wings (which are now twice in size) began to fluttered slightly as the mare let out a deep sigh of annoyance. “Sorry, Scoots. Mr. Sleepyhead here fell asleep on the train, so we went to get him,” Goldie Belle spoke. “Well c'mon. We're wasting time when the ceremony is about to start in a few minutes,” Scootaloo responded, trotting to the station entrance. “She's just as impatient as Rainbow Dash,” chimed Sweetie Belle. “Uh-huh,” replied the rest. With that, they all follow after Scootaloo and headed for the school. “Hey, Twist! Hey, Hey! Over Here!” Cheerie called out. Twist then looked over to see Cheerie Days jumping in the large, packed auditorium. It wasn't hard to see or hear her over the chattering crowd, considering she had somehow acquired a rather large megaphone. Twist merely shook her head at her friend's antics. It was still somewhat new to find such energy in a pony to her. 'But what can you do? You can't change your friend's personalities,' Twist thought, as she made her way to her friend. But you can, however, change your friends. This wasn't a policy that Twist would ever adopt. However, she was soon to find out that not everypony had her mentality. Twist was approached by a unicorn mare and her two earth stallion companions. Her name was Honey Bee, a junior at the school. She was honey yellow and black accents around her hooves, a brown mane, and a Cutie Mark with nectar drooping from a honeycomb and three of honey bees beneath it. “Hey there, filly. My name is Honey Bee,” spoke the mare. “Why don't you come sit with us?” She then looked over to see Cheerie Days waving. “Instead of hanging out with weirdos like her,” she said with a sassy smirk. “No thanks,” Twist replied calmly. “You're rejecting an offer to sit one of the most popular mares in the school and two hot stallions, just so you can hang out with that weirdo?” Honey Bee sneered, with genuine disgust. “Yes, now if you'll excuse me,” Twist said, without looking phased. “Do you realize what you are passing up? You could be a popular pony that has the teachers in their hooves? I'll give you another chance. Come join us,” Honey Bee seemed to say the last few words with complete sincerity and glow. “Look, I don't know what makes you think I’ll change my mind. But I think I'll be going now,” Twist said, walking to her friend. As she sat beside her friend, Twist felt that she was going to be a problem in the future. She thought that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were bad enough when she was a foal, now she has to deal with Honey Bee. 'So much for a pleasant school life,' Twist sighed. As the seafoam green-maned stallion made his way through the crowd, he found himself staring at the crowd of freshmares and freshstallions. Every once in a while he caught a glimpse of a mare with a red mane, but it was never Twist. As he looked around he saw his friend gathered in one spot toward the center of the auditorium. Snips then motioned over to him. “Hey, Snail. Over here! Hurry up,” he called out. “Calm down, I'm coming, eh,” he called back, as he walked over. “Come on, bro. I know you're groggy and tired, but that's no reason to move at snail's pace,” Snips joked, the chubby stallion smiling. Snails groaned as the group chuckled at the silly comment. Their fun was interrupted however by the appearance of a certain a pink mare with purple and with a swirly mane, the was draped over her left shoulder. She wore a condescending smirk on her face as she spoke. “Well, well, well. Look who we have here. The mentally slow, physically slow, and talentless mares all gathered in one place. No wonder I felt like skipping the opening ceremony.” “Not like that will help them out much DT,” came a familiar voice her following comment. “We'd probably still see them in class.” From behind the pink mare stood a tall grey mare with two-toned gray mane braided into a ponytail that draped over her right shoulder and light blue glasses on her snout. They knew all too well the ponies that stood before them. It was none other than the infamous twosome, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. It had been two years since their families moved to Fillydelphia, and they figured that they would never see those two again. Ironically it was after the two of them had left Ponyville, that the CMC got their Cutie Marks. As she saw her old nemesis before her, Applebloom's eye slightly twitched. Adjusting the bandana around her neck, Applebloom quickly jumped in to defend her friends. “So, I reckon we're looking at daddy' little filly and her pretty lackey,” said Applebloom. Following her lead, Scootaloo chimed in. “Nice to know you two are still around. So, how'd you to get Canterlot High? It sure could have been because of your grades? Was it daddy's money, or that big mouth of yours actually being put to work?” Scootaloo asked. This obviously made Diamond Tiara livid. The surrounding a crowd started to circle the fight. Various ponies yelled “Ooh...burn!” while other simply laughed. Not wasting a second, Diamond Tiara scoffed, “This coming from the closet fillyfooler?” “Hold it right there. It'd be best if y'all just walk right away now Diamon' Tiara. Or y'all might not be able to, ya hear,” Applebloom growled. As the two mares continued, Snails merely sighed at the spectacle before him. He was at a loss trying to figure out how to handle the situation. It was no secret that the CMC and the Troublesome Twosome were bitter enemies. He knew that he'd have to be the one to break up the fight. As he glanced at the clock, he noticed they had maybe five minutes before the opening ceremony started. He then tried to get their attention. “Maybe you guys should...” Snails started to speak. “Congrats, Applebloom. You can speak Equuish. I thought you were only able to speak in Appleloosan like the rest of your inbred family,” Diamond Tiara commented, with a superior smirk. It was obvious what she was doing, she's trying to get his friends in riled up. The bad thing about it though, it was actually working. As he saw the rage in Applebloom's eyes, he knew that the verbal fight was soon to become a physical one. With a quick glance to Snips, the two knew that they needed to step in before things got out of hoof. Before she could pounce her prey, Snails jumped in between Diamond Tiara and the now fuming Applebloom. He tried the best that he could, but Snips barely managed to hold back Applebloom due to the famed Apple Family strength. Diamond Tiara just grinned at her work of getting under the farm mare skin. With momentum on her side, she decided to change her target. “So, Tweedledee and Tweedledum are finally useful for something. Good to see you aren't a brain-dead mistake Snails. Too bad you're still probably too dumb to figure out what I'm saying.” The farm mare wasn't gonna take it. Even if her Granny Smith and her siblings scolded her later, she was gonna make Diamond Tiara pay for insulting her friends and especially the Apple family name. “Let me at 'er Snips! Lemme go! Lemme go!” Applebloom shouted as she was thrashing about. Snails turned to face Diamond Tiara. His actions made her believe that she had struck a nerve. But instead, she saw the stoic glance that appeared on the young colt. “You haven't changed at all, Diamond,” Snails spoke in a calm tone. She was completely caught off guard by this. She expected him to be like the enraged mare behind him. But instead, his face showed no signs of anger or rage, but rather an impassive stare. It was as if he was silently scolding her for her actions. This was something that Diamond Tiara didn't like because it made her feel like a lowly mare before a king. "Come on, Silver. We're leaving." Diamond Tiara said as they left in a huff. With the fight now over, the crowd began to dissipate with low murmurs and odd glances at the group. "Um... Snails... How did you...? THAT WAS SO COOL!” Scootaloo said as she tried to form a proper sentence. She couldn't believe what just happen. The only other stallion she ever saw do that was Big Macintosh. "Y'all should've just let me buck 'er right in 'er ugly mug,” pouted Applebloom. “That wouldn't be good to get in trouble on the first day, would it?” Snails stated. Applebloom just huffed at his statement. “There you guys are,” said a voice approaching the group. Applebloom's eyes lit up as she saw her coltfriend Featherweight and his buddy Pipsqueak trotting toward them. Snails sighed as the near-crisis that was just adverted. Unknown to him, a certain light brown filly saw the whole thing. Wow, he's so cool, thought Cheerie Days. As Cheerie made her way to the back to her new friend, she was still in awe of what happened. Never before had she seen a fight end like that. As she sat down, Twist noticed her shocked expression. “Something the matter, Cheerie?” she asked. “No, I'm fine. But you won't believe what I just saw,” she answered. “What happened?” Twist asked, with an arched eyebrow. Cheerie then began to explain the fight that had taken place. After a few minutes, she came to the conclusion of the fight. “And get this, there was a single stallion that was able to end it before it got violent. He got both of those meanies away with a look that said, 'I'm above this by now, you should be, too'. It was awesome,” she concluded. “Really?” Twist said, in a state of disbelief. “And now that I think about it, he was actually he was kinda cute in that 'deep' sense y'know,” Cheerie said, with a smile. After Twist hearing, most of it, figure that the mares that started it were probably Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. 'As if Honey Bee wasn't enough to deal with, now I'm gonna have those two as well,' thought Twist. As for the other mares, she knew that it had to be her friend Applebloom and Scootaloo. But the stallion she mentioned, that caught her attention. “So, this stallion? What did he look like?” Twist asked. “Lemme think,” said Cheerie, as she tapped her chin with her hoof. “Well, he was tall and had a golden coat. He had a seafoam green mane and a Cutie Mark of a pink snail with purple shell,” Cheerie explained. She then heard a gasp escape from Twist lips. She turned to her friend and saw that Twist had a massive grin spread across her face. “You okay, Twist?” “That was Snails,” Twist said with glee. “Snails?” “Yes, he's a very close friend of my mine,” Twist explained. “Where did you see him at?” As she stood up, Cheerie pointed towards a bundle of several ponies toward the center of the auditorium. Twist saw Scootaloo, Pipsqueak, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Featherweight sitting with each other. To the left of them, she saw Snips, Golden Belle, and the colt she's been longing to see Snails. It's really him. He still looks as handsome as ever, she thought. “Did you see'em?” asked Cheerie. “Yes,” she smiled. Before she could get up from her seat, Princess Celestia entered the auditorium. Upon her entry, Twist knew the opening ceremony was about to start. As she reached the podium, she greeted the student body. “Good Morning Students, I am Princess Celestia, the founder of this school...” began the regal alicorn. As she continued her speech, Twist's mind was raced at the thought the moment when she could be reunited with her dear friend. Soon Snails, I promise. Author's Note Many thanks to The Notebook for co-writing this chapter
Chapter 04“Hmm, where could it be?” Snails thought to himself. After the opening ceremony had concluded, the students were free to explore the school before the first period. Snails took the opportunity to seek out the library. After years of reading with Twist, he found self as a bookworm of sorts. After splitting away from the group he trudged the halls until he finally reached his destination. “Ah ha, found you, eh,” he cheered. He then walked into the trove of knowledge with an eager grin. Unknown to him, Twist had the same idea. A few moments later, she reached the library as well. “Whew, it was quite a walk to get her,” she chuckled a bit. She then heads inside. When she looked at all the selections, her eyes sparkle with anticipation. “Oh wow, I’ve never seen so many books in all my life,” she beamed. She then headed to the service desk. There she met an earth pony mare with violet coat and a dirty blonde mane tied up in a bun and frameless glasses in the same style as hers. “Excuse me, miss,” she greeted. The mare then looked up from her paperwork and spoke with a welcoming smile. “Hello there. Welcome to Canterlot High Library. I’m Lilac Quill the librarian. How can I help you?” she smiled. “Hi, my name is Twist,” she responded. “I wanted to get a library card.” This got an enthusiastic grin for her. “Of course, just fill these out and I’ll get your card,” she happily said, as she gave Twist the card form. Twist read over the rules and filled out the paperwork rather quickly. Lilac then handed her the library card. “Enjoy your voyage into knowledge~” she spoke with glee. “I will…” Twist smiled. She then left Lilac to the venture into the library. As she surveyed the aisle, she came across a copy of the latest book of Nightmane the Luna Avenger. “What luck! I didn’t think the new book would’ve been out yet,” she exclaimed. As she was about to reach for it, the book floated away to the other side of the shelf. “Hey!” she shouted. “Sorry, eh. But I’ve been dying to read this one,” spoke the voice from behind the shelf. Her ears immediately perked up. She that voice all too well. It was him. “So…you like Nightmane?” she asked. “Oh yeah. I’ve loved it since I was a colt back in grade school,” the voice replied. “Is that so? So, what’s your favorite book?” she asked. She could hear him tap his chin. “Hmm, well…I’d have to say Nightmane and the Door of Truth,” he answered. She remembered that was the first book they read together as friends. “That’s a good book. Why that particular one?” she queried. “Well, it had a great story with plenty of surprising twists throughout,” he cheerfully replied. This caused her to giggle. She always loved the way got energetic when he talked about Nightmane. “Plus, that one holds a special place in my heart,” he confessed. That statement caught her interest. “Oh really? Why’s that?” “Well, it was because of that book I was able to make a very close friend. One I wouldn’t trade for anything.” His words made her blush. “She sounds important to you,” she spoke. “Yeah, she wa- Hey wait a second…” he spoke, as she heard him come around the corner. “How’d you know it was a mare? I didn’t-” As soon as he turned the corner, his voice left him. All he could do is gaze at the beautiful mare now before him. He felt his heart skipped a beat as he gazed upon her. Her beautiful eyes hidden behind her frameless glass, her curly mane that was styled stunningly, her tall yet slender frame was a sight to behold. As he looked at her, he couldn’t help but think he knew that this mare seems familiar to him. As he looked her over, he soon noticed her Cutie Mark. He knew that Cutie Mark from anywhere. “T-Twist?” he uttered. “Hey, Snails…it’s been awhile…” she smiled. As the book fell from his magical grasp, Snails ran to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Though the initial contact caught her off guard, she soon found herself snuggling into his embrace. “Twist! I’m so glad to see you!” he smiled. “I am too, Snails,” she hugged. “How ya been, eh? You stopped writing.” “Sorry, I had to study to get into this school. I’m sorry.” He then released her and gave her a warm smile. “It’s okay, I’m just happy we’ll be going to the same school,” he spoke elatedly. Twist couldn’t help but giggle to herself. ‘Good to see he’s still his cheerful self’ “OH! You gotta go meet up with everyone! They’re gonna freak!” “Shh!” glared Lilac. Snails quickly covered his mouth. “Oops, sorry,” he sheepishly grinned. Lilac nodded and went back to her paperwork. The two friends then shared a brief laugh. After he checked out the book, the two head back to find out their class schedules. ‘How awesome is this’ cheered Snails, while the teacher went over the rules of the class. To his delight, he and Twist almost similar classes, with only two separate classes. And to make it even better they sat next to each other. Currently, they were in Equestrian History. The teacher, a light gray earth pony stallion with a silver mane, went over the class expectations and rules. Snails, however, didn’t pay much attention and found he gaze on the outside world. ‘I’m so bored! he internally groaned. As he rested his head in his hooves, his gaze fell upon his dear friend Twist. It still amazed just how beautiful she had become. Her slender frame, her beautiful eyes, and cute glasses made her a sight to behold. As he found himself gazing at her, the world around him seemed to fade away. The way she attentively listened to what the teacher was saying made him chuckle. ‘Even after all this time, you’re still a good student,’ he thought to himself. This was soon interrupted by something hard hitting him square in the forehead. As he shot upward he looked around to see what hit him. He looked to the floor to see a piece of chalk. When he looked up, he was met with the scowl of the teacher. “Please refrain from daydreaming in my class, Mr. Snails,” warned the teacher. “Yes, sir,” Snails replied, as he rubbed his head. As he took his seat the classroom filled with muffled giggles. The teacher then continued with the introduction. Snails then saw a piece of paper thrown on his desk. He looked around to see who’d thrown it and saw Twist waving to him. He quickly opened the note to read it. “You really shouldn’t daydream in class. You wouldn’t want to fall behind would you~” - Twist P.S. I’m glad we’re in the same class n_n He looked back to her, who gave him a sideways wink before she turned her attention back to the teacher. Snails too turned to the face the front with a Cheshire grin. ‘This is gonna be an awesome school year!’ he internally cheered.
