Denial

Daylight

  "YOU'RE GONNA WHAT!?" Vinyl exclaimed, leaning over the cafeteria table the next day, staring DeNile down.

  DeNile sighed, resting on his hooves with his eyes closed. "I'm going to go to the Crystal Mountains. Fall Break is next week, and I think it'd be good to go on a little vacation. Is that so much to ask, Vinyl?"

  Octavia raised an eyebrow. "DeNile, I'd hate to disagree, but Vinyl's right. A vacation is more like visiting the Crystal Empire, not going on a dangerous trek to mountains that nopony's been to in centuries. Do you honestly think that this is a good idea?"

  "Yeah. You mares know I like trying new things, and I'd like to be the first to go there in a thousand years. And I think It'd be romantic for Carrot and I to go there. It's alone, secluded, and crystals are everywhere! It'll be beautiful in the night time..." DeNile smiled dreamily, thinking of how much fun they'd have. Lyra, on the other hands, wasn't so amused.

  "WHAT!? CARROT TOP'S GOING, TOO!?" She quickly turned to Carrot, who was slowly becoming uncomfortable.

  "...Yeah... River told me about it, and I think it'll be fun. Also, I was thinking that maybe... You mares could come along?" Carrot Top asked nervously.

  Vinyl shook her head. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Sorry, C. I've got to schedule some stuff with some dudes. I've been thinking about doing a collab with Octy soon, so sorry."

  Bon Bon shrugged. "If I leave for a whole two weeks, who'll run my shop?...Well, I suppose Candy Crush can..." She said, referring to one of the ponies who worked at her shop.

  Lyra also shook her head. "Nah, I've got lyre lessons to teach. One of the colts broke his, and I had to get a new one... And waste all of my bits..."

  DeNile sighed. ""Kay. It'll still be great with just C-Top and I. Plus, you'd have to bring your own sleeping bags and other shit, and I wouldn't want you to waste your money. It's fine."

  ...

  "Oh, by the way, De. What'd the Princess say about your book? She loved it, right?" Vinyl asked, nudging the white unicorn beside her.

  DeNile suddenly remembered the events of yesterday instead of the guards. "Oh, Celestia? She said she loved it, and yeah, she's gonna allow it to be published," he held back a sheepish smile, attempting not to be too full of himself.

  "Oh DeNile, that's wonderful! When's it being published?" Octavia asked, eager to learn more as usual.

  "Hm?" The stallion realized that he had never discussed that topic with Equestria's ruler. "Oh... Well, we never really got on that subject. I'm sure she'll contact me about it soon, though."

What am I saying? She's the friggin' princess. She doesn't have time for dumb stuff like talking about some random dude's book... Even though she did it yesterday... Hm.

  "Nice. You know, if you want, I can-" Bonny was interrupted by the ringing of the bell, which annoyed the crap out of her. "...Damn it all." The six friends got up and headed there separate ways to their next class... Well, most of them.

  Carrot Top and DeNile had a history test next, but they had to stand outside of the classroom for half an hour, since there was some sort of school tour for pony's who had gotten into the school and were starting next year, so the room was occupied. The pair decided to not waste time and began to quiz each other for last minute studying.

  "Alright, my turn. Who was the founder of The Crystal Empire?" DeNile could not answer, for he had been panicking for the entire time.

  "Umm... I-I dunno!" He pounded his head with his hooves, frustrated with his stupidity. He had never been the smartest pony, but he knew enough. History, however, was his worst subject. It was what almost prevented him from getting into the school! His old history teacher hated him because he did terrible in every test. Every project he did was mostly done by his best friend at the time, White Nova. His BEST subject was history, which DeNile pondered at how such a complex subject could be understood by such a simple pony...

  Carrot Top looked him in the eyes. "Listen, DeNile. It's the last test of the semester, after this we're done! What's got you so worried?"

  DeNile steadied his breathing and counted to ten like he usually did to calm himself down when he was ohaving panic attacks, which happened frequently. "...It's just SO stressful. You know I just shut down during tests... It's like everyone else breezes through it while I'm just stuck there, wondering about the simplest questions... It's just so frustrating..."

  Carrot Top wondered for a moment, then came up with an idea. She batted her eyes and put on a seductive smile. "Oh, well then. How about I get rid of some of that 'built up stress'?"

  DeNile choked on air, taken by surprised at his marefriend's sudden sexual attitude. "Ummm... What?"

  Carrot Top turned beet red, knowing that she made a mistake. She took her head into her hooves and began to squirm around. "Oooh! I'm sorry! Did I do that wrong? You know I'm not good at talking like that! It was just an idea an I-" DeNile pulled her into a kiss, shutting her up. When he pulled away, she had calmed down a bit. "You're so cute when you're frustrated."

  "Sh-shut up..."

  "Now, about getting rid of my stress..." The two ponies then exited the room, leaving the rest completely confused... Well, most of the stallions were winking and nudging eachother, giggling. While most of the mares were talking about how DeNile was a perv and that Carrot Top shouldn't throw herself at him and such...

  The two didn't care what they thought.

                                                     ~

  "OHHHHH!!! I SO FAILED THE TEST. YUP. ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT FAILED. I FAILED THE SEMESTER. SORRY, C, BUT I HAVE TO LEAVE THE SCHOOL," DeNile wailed, flailing around in his bed while Carrot Top brushed her mane, which lost it's natural volume.

  "No you didn't. You were one of the first to turn it in. Even if you did fail, all the extra credit you do would pretty much make up for it. Don't fret over nothing," she smirked, admiring her boyfriend's craziness . That was another one of his flaws: He always doubted himself. He never thought that anything he did was good enough, and his OCD just made it worst. Their dorm was undoubtedly the neatest in the whole building, and there were some pretty damn fancy ponies living here. For Carrot, however, that flaw was more of a perk. She loved consoling her other half, for she felt that it strengthened their bond, and their relationship.

  She crawled into bed and closed her eyes as DeNile used his magic to turn off the lamp, leaving the two in complete darkness.

  "Goodnight, babe."

  "Goodnight, sweetie."

  "...I love you."

  Those three words caused Carrot Top's eyes to snap open, leaving her flustered with butterflies in her stomach. In their entire year of being together, he had never said those words. Neither had she. It was completely unheard of in their own little world...

  She pulled him into a passionate kiss, hugging him tightly. In that split second, she loved him more than she ever had before. "...I love you, too."

                                                                                       ~

  "The simple fact that's we don't have any classes today is awesome. Tomorrow's the last day of the semester, so that's justs a good thing," Vinyl Scratch said, walking side by side her friends through the streets of Ponyville.

  Octavia, being her normal self, decided to correct Vinyl on her words. "Actually, Vinyl, that just takes away time that we could be using to study, something that you don't do."

  "Hey, I study!...Well, for music class, but I still study!" This semi-contradictory statement made Lyra giggle, in which she had a bad habit of doing. "What's so funny?"

  Lyra shook her head, not answering. Bon Bon rolled her eyes, leaning towards Octavia. "I think that we're the only sane ponies here..."

  "Touche..."

  DeNile rolled his eyes and began to walk slower. "Ugggghhhh... Where are we going anyways? You ponies never told me anything at all. You just woke me up and dragged me out of bed. Assholes."

  Bonny sighed, looking to one of the two white unicorns next to her. "We did explain it. While you were staring at the girls track team when we were leaving," Octavia punched Vinyl in her shoulder, producing an "ow". "We're heading over to Pinkie Pie's house to pick up DeNile's sister. She's coming with us to the Crystal Mountains."

  Vinyl made a big smile. "She lives in Sugarcube Corner... Well, I'm getting some-" Vinyl stopped herself. "...I just remembered... None of the dudes I want to work with want to work with me, so... I guess Octy and I are going."

  DeNile smirked as Bon Bon then spoke. "Yeah... You know that employee I was talking about? She said she could handle the shop and that I should go on my vacation... And about Lyra-"

  "The little brats fucking canceled on me."

  "Language! Geez, we're going to see my little sister. You 5 better cut down on the swearing.. Well, Vinyl and Lyra. Octy, Bonny, C, you three are good. Anyways, so we're all going! That's great! We leave tomorrow, so pack today. Water, some food, and entertainment are good to bring."

  Carrot Top walked closer to DeNile, snuggling up against him. "Who needs entertainment when I have you?"

  Vinyl hunched over, immitating puking."...Geez, cut down on the all the happy lovey-dovey stuff, will ya?"

  DeNile was about to retaliate, until he was pounced on by a certain pink pony... "DeDe! You're here! I haven't seen you in like, a month! Were you studying? You were studying, weren't you? Oh my Celestia, DeDe! Loosen up, have some fun! You're always so uptight! Ooh! I know what you need! Cake, and lots of it!"

  The stallion struggled up, giving the pink pony a hug. "Hey there, Pinkie Pie. Nice to see ya. How ya been?"

  "Oh! I've been super! Just great! I had six parties last week, and Rarity drank ALL the cider. She's such a drinker, you know? I'm surprised she's sober enough to run a successful business!"

  DeNile snickered, remembering how he used to be friends with the fashionista. Actually, he used to friends with all of the elements. He only managed to uphold one with Pinkie Pie, however. That fact was surprising, since the two used to date. When they broke up, Pinkie was devastated, but  sister cheered her up. The town hated him for a while, since he destroyed the town joy-bringer, but they just forgot when she returned.

  "That's nice. So, where's Screwball? You got the message I sent, right?" DeNile asked, looking through the door.

  Pinkie nodded rapidly, assured. "Yup! She's been sooo fun! I even taught her how to make cupcakes! She's a REALLY good cook. And she's so fun to play with! I'll go get her," Pinkie Pie turned around and took a deep breath, before yelling: "SCREWBAAAALL!!!"

  Not ten seconds later, a violet pegasus with a propeller hat on bounced down the staircase. Her mane and tail were a mixture of white and violet, and her eyes consisted of swirls, like she had been hypnotized. "Hi, Big Brother! We're leaving now, right?" She asked. She was certainly prepared, a donning a saddlebag that looked quite heavy.

  "Yup. Oh, by the way, Screw. Meet my best friends. These are Octavia, Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon, and Vinyl Scratch. And you already know Carrot Top.

  "Hey, Screwball. Did ya miss me?" Carrot Top asked, grinning.

  The violet filly bounced up, a large smile on her face. "Yeah! Last time I saw you, you were sick. Did you get better?" Carrot Top giggled at the fillies obliviousness, which added to her adorableness factor.

  DeNile thanked Pinkie for looking after Screwball while walking away with his friends. Screwball told the six stories from when she was staying with Pinkie, most of which were entertaining. "Yay! I can't wait to get there! I wonder what kind of animals will live there... Aaah, I can't wait!"

  Octavia giggled, amused at DeNile's little sister. "Well, nopony's sure what kind of creatures live in the mountains yet, buf I guess find out soon, won't we?"

  Screwball smiled, laughing. "Yup!"

  DeNile let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't Hearth's Warming's Eve, but he still felt that warm feeling of togetherness.