"Youse guys tink of anything yet?"

Babs Seed's exasperated sigh brings me out of my revelry in the past. The sound of a bottle she is playing with, fills the air as she spins it around on the floor with her hoof, and blows that one errant lock of her mane out of her face. The only "Tink" we had was the sound of the glass against her hoof and the wood, as she spun it back and fourth.

"I got nothing." Diamond Tiara admitted as she tipped a bottle of the bubble solution she found, into her father's pipe and started to puff on it again.

"You know Diamond.. you COULD have shared the bubbles with us." I said matterafactly and adjusted my glasses. "At least it would have been something."

Diamond gave me a glare, as if I had just accused her of eating the last morsel of food on a small dingy out in the middle of the sea. Her cold blue eyes again gave me chills.

But I didn't shrink back from her this time. I gave her a wry smirk that says "you know I'm right."

"Yeah maybe.." she responded, tossing the empty plastic bottle over her shoulder, tapping her chin with the mouth piece of the pipe in mock contemplation and smirked wickedly in response. "You want a little puff on Daddy's pipe, Silvy? Be my guest." she sneered gleefully and tossed the pipe to me.

I caught the pipe in my hooves. By some miracle, not allot of the sticky bubble formula spilled onto my coat. "Eee-ew like, no thanks, DT." I hoofed it gently back to her. She knew I hated the smell of cigarettes and tobacco In general.

I inturn knew full well, how much Diamond Tiara Rich The Third, loved the smell of her father's pipe. It harkened her back to simpler times when she was a younger foal and her father was home more often. It soothed her when she was lonely and not getting along with her mother; Ruby Tiara Rich The Second.

"You know I cant stand that stuff." I groused at her. "Yeah I do." she chuckled. She loved to tease me, as much as she loved to berate the other foals in her class. But with me, it was different. She meant no malice toward me. It was just one of the many subtle ways she shows her love for me. I wondered if Babs understood that when she teased her earlier?

I could tell Diamond Tiara liked Babs Seed as much as I did. I was sure we would be lifelong friends. Sudenly I had an idea worth mentioning. "You know, the Cutie Mark Crusaders have a name for their group. We should like tottally name ours!" I spoke up with a clopping of my forehooves and an excited (squee).

Diamond Mulled this over a bit as she puffed on her pipe. "That's like the best idea I've heard all night!" her praise was music to my ears and I fought hard not to squeal in gratitude. I had pleased my mistress.

"Not bad Spoony.." Babs Seed gave me a soft noogee with her hoof "EEE my MANE!" I giggled and meekly protested.

"So what should we call ourselves?" Babs asked, blowing that one tuft of mane out of her face.

"How bout Diamond and Her Rubies

"I.. think you mean Rubes." I grimaced at Diamond's derogatory proposal and adjusted my glasses nervously.

"Who youse callin ah RUBE?!" Babs barked again and glared at DT.

"Fine.. you come up with something, geniuses!" Diamond spat back.

"Well Rubes oh Rubies, it still makes us sound like sum kina trashy rock band." Babs stuck out her toungue in disgust

"Well maybe you're just like too stupid to appreciate my brillaint proposal!"

"Ixnay on the oopidstay." I drew my forehoof across my throat in a slashing motion toward DT, my teeth clenched in apprehension.

"Who youse callin OOPIDSTAY!?"

Now Babs Seed was up in my face, and this time I did back down in submission as she growled at me.

"HEY OOPIDSTAY!"

Diamond bellowed "You leave Silver Spoon alone!" she declared in no uncertain terms.

There was a long pause as Diamond and Babs glared daggers and growled at eachother. "Sorry Spoony." she finally relented to me, allowing Diamond to have her little victory. I only nodded meekly in acceptance, offering a sheepish smile. "No harm done."

Once again the club house was silent. I caught sight of the slight smirk from Diamond, out of the corner of my eye, in celebration of her victory.

"It idnt dhat I don't like rock music, but dhat idnt us." Babs clarified.

"Well.." I chuckled slightly "Diamonds and rubies are rocks." I smiled coyly.

"Silver Spoon.. you are like, such a nerd." Diamond scoffed and rolled her eyes in mock intolerance.

"I know." I blushed and smiled more sheepishly, hanging my head slightly. She never meant anything by it. Just another way she says "I love you.". Diamond always did have trouble giving her feelings a voice. Especially in the presence of other ponies. I alone have seen her sweet side. And it is sweet in deed.

"Dhat was baaad Spoony.." Babs chastised me for my horrendous pun. "You really are ah goobah." she chuckled.

Diamond raised an eyebrow in concern but relaxed when I just laughed along with Babs. "Anyway.. what I mean is.. we aint no band.. we're moh like ah GANG." Babs smirked evilly.

"YEAH!" Diamond replied and tossed her fathers pipe over her shoulder, to join the empty bottle on the floor. The left over bubble formula spilled out on the unvarnished planks, soaking into the wood. I never said Applbloom's construction was perfect. Far from it. Only impressive for a filly her age. She still had much to learn.

"A Gang.. I like IT!" she clopped her hooves together.

As DT's clopping died down there was once again silence "A gang?" I thought to myself. The word stung worse then any barb Diamond could throw my way. Was I really just a common thug, now? And who is our leader? Are Diamond and I just Babs's cronies or do the two of us serve Diamond Tiara? A gang needs leadership and I know no better pony for the job, besides Diamond. But Babs had something she didn't. Brute force. "But if she is the muscle, and I the brains, then what does that leave Diamond? Is she the heart of our group? Or was I the heart and Diamond the brains?" I pondered to myself.

Yes I was academically smarter. My grades were better, my studies deeper, but Diamond had a gift for knowing ponies and knowing how to make them do her bidding. Her ideas were always a work in progress and it was up to me to fill in the blanks. Makes me wonder why she never hired me as an executive assistant for the Foal Free Press.

"How about The Sugar Lump Gang?"

I proposed, or rather just blurted out awkwardly. It tasted right, coming off my tongue and an after thought indicated it was the perfect moniker. Something we all had in common after our first three way hoof shake. Something impartial and unspecific to either of the three of us. It wouldn't strike terror into the hearts of our enemies like the "Hell's Pegasi" or the "Shadowbolts" but I didn't really want to be feared more then I already was.

I know Diamond felt the same way. She didn't need to threaten with violence to get ponies to respect her, even if they despised her. Babs was different. I could tell as she wrinkled her nose at my impromptu presentation.

"That's really CUTE.. Good idea, Silver!" Diamond gave me a hard congratulatory smack on the back with her hoof, "OOF!" that nearly nocked my glasses off. A bold move, more physical then was typical. Apparently Babs Seed was wearing off on her or maybe she was just demonstrating her ability to be physical with the non violent gesture. I can't rightly fault her for feeling a little threatened by our new friend.

"Yeah.. shoh.. why not?" Babs shrugged, though I could tell she was less then thrilled.

Diamond jumped down and initiated our signature hoof shake in celebration of our new name.

"Bump, bump, sugar lump, RUMP!"

We all three pressed our behinds together and sat back on the floor laughing and smiling and then that awkward silence returned to haunt our good mood and good times.

"Well what do you girls wanna do now?" Diamond huffed in exasperation "It's getting late and this place is BORING."

"Same ting we do every noit, Pinky." Babs Smirked "Try tah take ovah da woild!"

I chuckled at that. Diamond however was completely lost.

Author's Note

Sorry. I did say the sexiness would happen in this one, but I just had to end it on that last line. (nervous squee)

Next time I promise we'll get to the good stuff in "soul".