The New Generation

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8

Chapter 1

The New Generation
Chapter 1

Three days... Three days until their freedom would be taken from them, and all manner of fun would be forgotten; school was coming.

For Bright Eyes and Starlight, it was a chance for them to learn how to adapt, but for the rest, it was just sitting in a classroom while one pony stand at the front of the room and talks. Right now, seven ponies gather at the bar of a particular ice cream shop.

The pink pony working the counter was Starlight. She had on a green T-shirt, jeans, white tennis shoes, and a white apron. Her yellow hair was adorn with a white hat that was made to be worn with her uniform. She was considered the leader of this group because of her influence on the others.

Melody had the same fur color as Starlight, but her hair was blue. She too wore jeans, but had on a black tank top, and white tennis shoes. On her wrist was a bracelet that had the name of her favorite singer, Chain Link. She doesn't always think before she acts, but she usually learns from her recklessness.

Patch had orange fur and pink hair. She wore a black sweatshirt with the Wonderbolt logo sewn on, blue shorts, and athletic tennis shoes. Formerly an orphan, she is the one girl among her group to have wings and has a tomboyish attitude.

Bright Eyes, an aquamarine pony with orange hair, was the smartest among her friends. The frames of her glasses matches her hair and she wears a white t-shirt and khaki pants. In her hair behind her ear is a pencil. She jumps at every overt unity to learn something new.

Bon Bon was the only pony in her group to have the same name as her mother, but that wasn’t the only thing she shared with her mother; she also shared her mom’s love of baking. She was yellow with violet hair and wore a white sweatshirt with blue jeans and black tennis shoes.

If anyone were to be thought of an angel on earth, it was Sweetheart. Like Fluttershy, the only member of the mane six who remained in Ponyville, she was gentle, and saw the good in everyone, even the school bully, Teddy. She was white with pink hair, and wore a red T-shirt, black skirt, and tennis shoes.

Last, but not least, was Clover. Despite her clumsiness, she was the luckiest pony around, not to mention a rising ballerina. She wore a black T-shirt, jeans, and high-tops.

"So... what should we do now," Melody asked.

"Well, my parents said that we could sleep over at my house tomorrow night," Sweetheart answered, "If you want to come, we'd be happy to have you."

"Sounds fun," Bright Eyes replied, "Hopefully I can make it after my studies with Ms. Zecora."

"I wonder how you be able to continue your studies with her when school starts," Clover said.

"We plan to do it after school. I mean, I'm only going to be there for an hour."

"Oh, makes sense," Clover replied, taking a sip of her soda.

“Well, at least you’ll make it to our weekly meetings,” Starlight said.

“You know I won’t miss them.” Just then, Bright Eye’s watch went off. “Time for me to go.”

“Okay, see you later,” Sweetheart said.

“You too.” With that, Bright Eyes turned to leave the ice cream shop, but almost ran into a certain pony on the way out. Bright Eyes blushed when she realized who it was, Lancer. He was blue with red hair and wore a red collared shirt, khaki pants, and tennis shoes. Lancer belonged to a rich family, but he never let the money go to his head. In fact, he was kind and most of the time pretty shy, but he often played peacemaker with the girls, most of the time though he did that when the boys clashed with the girls. “Oh, h-hi Lancer.”

“Uh, hey Bright Eyes, h-how are you,” Lancer asked.

“Um...Good.”

“Good…”

An awkward silence came between them for a few moments, until, “Hey Bright Eyes? Shouldn’t you be getting to Ms. Zecora’s,” Patch pointed out.

Bright Eyes’ eyes widened, “Oh my gosh! I have to go!” She ran out of the ice cream shop, nearly knocking down Ace and Teddy.

“What’s eating her,” Teddy asked. Teddy was a light blue pony adorned with an orange mohawk. He was wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, blue jeans, a jean jacket, and tennis shoes. Mounted on his forehead are a pair of black sunglasses. He was the last pony anyone would want to be around because of his reputation as a bully, though Sweetheart seems unphased by him. The reason why he acts so tough is still uncertain.

Ace was a tan pony with blonde hair. He was wearing a blue and white jersey with matching shorts and tennis shoes. Ace was the star player on the school’s soccer team. Not once did he miss a game and not once did he miss a goal. He is also the dream pony of every girl at school, except Melody that is.

The boys joined the girls at the bar. "Hey guys, what’s happening?" Melody asked.

“Well, we just finished a quick game of soccer,” Ace said, “Gotta be ready for the first game of the year.”

Patch just had to ask, “You do know that soccer practice is Thursday, right?”

“Yeah, but don’t you remember those ponies from Trottingham High? We almost lost to them.”

“I know, you said that about a hundred times. I’ve been practicing myself, but still...”

“Anyway, I think we have a shot,” Lancer said.

Ace merely glared at Lancer.

“I was just saying.”

Ace then turned to Melody. “So Melody, are you going to be cheering me on in the games?”

“Depends. I have band practice on certain days,” Melody answered, “Practice makes perfect.”

Starlight felt a little uneasy. Melody was one of Starlight’s friend, but Starlight has a crush on Ace. The only problem with that is he has a crush on Melody while Melody could care less about him. It was confusing, but the reality was pretty obvious.

Teddy meanwhile looked over at Sweetheart. All those girls annoyed him, but Sweetheart was the least annoying. “So… Three more days before we go to back to the jail.”

"You...mean school," Sweetheart asked.

“Yeah, that. So are ya doing anything tomorrow?”

“I’m actually going to have a sleepover with my friends.”

Teddy faked a yawn, "Sounds lame."

“Maybe because you aren’t a girl.”

“Oh hardy har har...”

"Thank goodness," Ace muttered, “but then Lancer always sides with them…”

“Not true,” Lancer said.

"Oh really," Ace sneered, "Name once."

“That one time when… Um… What about… Uh… I got nothin’.”

"It's ok," Starlight grinned, "WE appreciate it."

Lancer blushed. “Um… Thanks, I guess.”

"You're welcome," Starlight sneered.

*****
Bright Eyes eventually came to the door to Zecora’s tree cottage, and she knocked on the door. Soon, the zebra answered the door, “Ah, greetings, young one. Come, we have much to get done."

"Okay, sorry I'm kinda late, I just-"

“No need to apologize; your presence is enough, Bright Eyes.”

“Thank you. So what will we be covering today?”

"I've decided we shall go over potions of romance, if you'd like the chance."

“Romance? Wouldn’t it be blank love if a love potion is used?”

“Yes if certain potions are used, but there are ways to use potions in your love life without the abuse.”

"I see..." that made Bright Eyes think for a moment, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. I mean, maybe some of them might pay off.”

Zecora raised an eyebrow.

“I meant in the future. I’m not dating right now.”

“I see, but maybe someone comes to mind? It’s hard to hide your feelings about the one you find.”

Bright Eyes began to blush. “Well, there is this one… but I’d rather tell you about it later when I’m ready to start.”

“I understand, but remember this: only by the condition of his heart should you be his.”

“I know, and I feel that he is a good match, I just don’t think now’s the right time.”

There was an awkward silence.

“So, shall we start on the lesson?”

“Yes, it is an interesting subject, for it will only be real love potions that will be the object.”

Bright Eyes took out her notepad and grabbed the pencil from behind her ear. “Let’s do this.”

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lancer walked up to the library and knocked at the door. “Come in,” a male voice said. Lancer opened the door and walked in. Unlike most libraries, this one looked and felt very...homey. A tall, green dragon was making his way down one of the ladders. “Oh hey there, Lancer.”

“Hi Spike,” Lancer replied, “How’s it going?”

“Good,” Spike replied. He wore a green T-shirt and jeans, but no shoes. “How ‘bout you?”

“Good. Hey, could I ask you something?”

“Sure, whatcha need?”

“Do you think it’s weird that I side with the girls all the time?”

“Uh...I don’t find it weird, but I grew up with several girls.”

Lancer merely chuckled, “Yeah, that’s true. But I just can’t find one time where I defended the boys. Even when I helped Teddy and Ace in a lemonade war against the girls, I still ended up joining their side. And you know why the girls set up the lemonade stand in the first place?”

“To buy a new tea set?”

“Yes! They needed a new tea set to replace the one that they broke. By the way, I still have yet to learn how that happened.”

“Oh, well…erm… How far did the war go?”

“We were sabotaging each other. Ace even stole the recipe for the lemonade from Bon Bon.”

“Ouch. Yeah… I see why you took their side.”

“Yeah… And it happens all the time.”

"Well, did you ever feel weird around any of the girls?"

“Well... No… Okay, I do feel weird around one in particular…”

Spike raised an eyebrow, "Yeah..."

“I guess you can say weird in a good way, but…”

“But…”

“I don’t know. I mean, we both have common interests and… well… I think I like her.”

“Does this girl happen to be incredibly smart?”

“Yes.”

“Loves school?”

“Yes.”

“And her name’s Bright Eyes.”

“Yes. HEY!”

"Sorry, but, c'mon, she IS the smartest girl you know, and come on, it’s obvious how you feel about her.”

"It is?"

"Yeah, but I only know cuz I was like that for a couple girls."

“Wait, a couple?”

“Yeah, the first one had quite a long story, and the other ended up being my wife.”

Lancer raised an eyebrow. "So...it took you two girls to find your wife?"

“Yeah, not every pony had the experience of love at first sight.”

That discouraged Lancer a bit. True, he hadn't developed those feelings until after he had talked with her, but still. “So what did you do?”

"Um...Its kinda personal..." Spike's cheeks turned red.

Just then, Applebloom, a yellow pony with red braided hair, walked in. She was wearing a pink T-shirt, jean shorts, and flip-flops. “Howdy Lancer.”

“Hey Mrs. Applebloom.”

“Lancer, I told you several times before to just call me Applebloom.”

“Sorry, I just didn’t want to be rude.”

“Trust me, no harm would be done. How are your parents?”

“Good. Their in a business meeting in Manehattan right now, but they’ll be back before school starts.”

“That’s good. Business must be good for them.”

“Yeah, but I still wish they were home more often.”

"I know ya do. But it could be worse," Applebloom said.

“Yeah… Wolves could attack the city, and my parents would be forced to go into hiding.”

“Okay… A little extreme, but still.”

"I just wish sometimes they'd come to one of my school things, or when I’m playing soccer, or even just to take me on a small picnic. I don’t really care, just as long as they’re home.”

“I know, but I'm pretty sure one of the reasons they work so hard is cuz they love you, and they want to make sure you live the best life possible.”

"I guess, it's just...hard." A tear started to form in Lancer's eye. "I should probably go."

“Is there anything you need before you go?”

“No, I think I’m good.” Lancer walked out of the library depressed.

******

Sweetheart walked onto Sweet Apple Acres. She followed the tree-lined path toward the barn which was connected to the house. She came to the door and knocked, awaiting a response.

Eventually, the door opened revealing a young, brown unicorn, wearing a grey t-shirt, tan shorts, socks, and had on glasses. “Hello, Sweetheart,” He greeted.

“Hi Fission,” Sweetheart smiled, “Is your mom home?”

“She’s in the back,” He replied.

“Okay, thank you.” Sweetheart entered and made her way to the back door. She opened that door and saw Fluttershy playing fetch with Winona. She was a yellow pony with a salmon-colored mane and wore a pink turtleneck, jeans, and tennis shoes. "Hi Mrs. Fluttershy. How are you today?"

Fluttershy turned to face Sweetheart. “Oh. I am well, Sweetheart,” she answered.

"Good. I thought I'd come by and discuss our schedule for when school starts."

“Oh yes, that would be a good idea. You’ve only got… two days left, is that correct?”

“Three, but you were really, truly close.”

“Thank you.”

Sweetheart nodded. “Anyway, what do you think would be best?”

"Um...well, I don’t want you here any earlier than four but no later than six, that way you’ll be able to get here and get some work done here before you have to go home and get some homework done. But then you also babysit for your sisters...And I'm sure you'll need a little time to yourself to take it easy."

“I guess we could talk with my parents to get it worked out?”

"Maybe, but they have a lot going on, I don’t want to impose.”

“It’s not a bother. In fact, we’re going to be hosting a slumber party for my friends tomorrow night. If you want to discuss it with them then, I’m sure they won’t mind.”

“Well…” She thought it over for a minute. "I'll ask Macky what he thinks, if that's alright."

“That’ll really, truly work just fine.”

"Good," Fluttershy grinned.

“Is there anything you need me to do while I’m here?"

"Um...well, I can't really think of anything. We do have a shipment of hay coming in tomorrow.”

"Ok, when should I come over?"

“Well, it’ll come in the afternoon; we could use the help then.”

“Okay then, see ya then.” She started to walk away, but she turned back. “If you see Mr. Big Macintosh, tell him I said ‘Hi’.”

"Ok, see you tomorrow."

Sweetheart walked through the house and made her way off of the property. Almost as if on cue, Big Macintosh walked up to Fluttershy. He was a red pony with orange hair wearing jeans and work boots. "D'ya get everything squared away," He asked.

Fluttershy turned to him. "For the most part. I’m going to talk with her parents tomorrow night.”

"Ok, after the hay delivery, right?"

“Oh yes, she’ll make it then. Her friends are actually having a sleepover tomorrow night, which is why she asked me to come then.”

"Alright."

"Do you need to do anything tomorrow night?"

"Nope."

“Okay. Maybe we should do something when I get back. If you don’t mind I mean.”

"What do you mean?"

“Fission will be going to school soon. I was thinking we should have one last hoorah before he goes back.”

"Oh, I guess so."

“I don’t have any ideas right now, but we can think about it.”

“Eeyup.”

"Well, I should probably work on supper, I'd imagine you're pretty hungry."

“Eeyup.”

Fluttershy walked into the house with Big Macintosh following close behind.

******

Clover walked into her house. She began to make her way into the living room. Unknown to her, another presence began to steadily creep up on her. The figure stretched out both of her hands and covered Clover's eyes. This caused Colver to jolt in alarm. "What the-?"

"Guess who..."

"Daring Do?"

“No…”

“I’m just kidding. Meadowlark?”

"Bingo!" Her hands were removed from Clover's eyes and she pulled her into a hug. Clover quickly hugged back.

Meadowlark, a light lavender pony with yellow braided hair, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, was Clover’s older sister. Like Clover, she is a talented ballerina, but she also works with a travelling ballet company. "So how's my little sister," Meadowlark asked.

“A little nervous,” Colver answered, “School starts back in three days.”

"Oh, we'll I'm sure you'll do okay." The older girl smiled.

“I hope so. How are you?”

“A little nervous, but at the same time very excited.”

“I bet. I’d probably be that way too if I were about to marry someone.”

Meadowlark had fallen in love with one of her fellow performers, Cheval. He proposed to her almost six months ago. The wedding was scheduled for the next Saturday.

"Maybe one day you will..."

"Meh, I doubt it, especially considering I'm kind of a-" Suddenly, Clover bumped into a wall. “Ah! Did not see that.”

"Are you okay," Meadowlark asked in a concerned tone.

“I’m okay. I just had one of my moments.”

“Okay.”

Meadowlark helped Clover up. "Thanks, sis."

“No problem.” The two then walked into the living room. Three ponies had already started a conversation.

Clover's father, a Pegasus named Cirrus, was a light shade of purple with a light blue mane. He worked as a sculptor, and he has yet to have one of his creations turned down. Clover has been a fan of his work.he is currently wearing a black shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes.

Clover's mother, an earth pony named Spotlight, was a darker shade of purple, but had pink hair identical to that of Clover's. She used to be a stage actress, and used to be a model as well, until Meadowlark was born. Since then, she became a stay-at-home mom. She wore a purple t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes.

Cheval was a yellow earth pony with red hair. He was Meadowlark’s fiance and fellow performer. They had known each other for a while, and Cheval was the first one in their group to help her out. One distinguishing feature is his French accent. He wore a grey sweatshirt with their group’s logo imprinted on the center, khaki pants, and brown shoes.

Meadowlark crept towards the back of Cheval’s chair, and suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a large hug.

Cheval jumped, but when he realized it was his fiancee, he slumped back in his chair, grinning.

“Doing okay, sweetie,” Meadowlark whispered.

“I suppose,” Cheval whispered back in his French accent, “But your parents are putting me through the ringer.”

“We heard that,” Cirrus announced.

Meadowlark rolled her eyes, “Need help?”

Cheval gave her a look that melted Meadowlark’s heart.

“Fine, but you’ll have to make room,” she said.

“As you wish.” Cheval scooted over allowing Meadowlark a spot to sit.

“Thank you.” Meadowlark sat next to him.

"We're glad you're here, sweetie, we do want to talk to you," Spotlight explained.

“Oh, okay. What’s up?”

"Well, we're just wanting to make sure that you're ready for marriage now."

“Mom, I’ve asked myself that question multiple times. Looking back on my life, I know I am.”

"But...you know, marriage is a permanent commitment."

“I know, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“Alright…”

"Well, I guess I'm fine with it," Cirrus confessed before turning his attention to Cheval. “But if you hurt my daughter, they’ll never find your body.”

Cheval took a nervous gulp before looking at Meadowlark, then at Clover. “So Clover, are you looking forward to school,” he asked hoping to change the subject.

“Well, not really,” Clover answered, "I'm more excited about maybe having a niece or nephew."

Meadowlark simply giggled at the comment. “Trust me, it’ll be a while before that happens.”

"Better be," Cirrus noted.

“By the way, Sweetheart’s hosting a sleepover tomorrow night,” Clover added.

"Oh, that's nice, are you wanting to go," Spotlight asked.

“I am.”

"Will her parents be there?"

“They will be as far as I know.”

They both gave it some thought. "We'll want to see that they are, but as long as they are, you can go."

“Okay. Thank you Mom.”

"Sure, sweetie."

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bright Eyes wiped the sweat off her forehead as she poured the contents in the bowl. She was at a critical point where one mistake could cause something to go horribly wrong. She had to do this correctly, even if her arms fall off. She stopped when the appropriate amount was in, and placed the half-empty container back on the table. She stirred the concoction gently. “You are doing well, Bright Eyes, but remember to not let the heat rise.”

Bright Eyes noded as she kept an eye on the fire underneath the bowl. It seemed to be normal, but just to be safe. She put the spoon down and took a handful of flower petals. She let the petals soak in before blowing it a kiss. The potion changed from green, to pink from the kiss. It was ready for use. “It’s ready Ms. Zecora.”

“Thank you, young one, I believe our lesson today is done.”

“And this one allows us both to share a dream?”

Zecora nodded.

“It makes the other potions sound unnecessary, but they’re nice to have.”

“Mmm…”

Bright Eyes put her pencil back in her ear and slipped the notebook in her bag. “I had better get going, my dad might be getting worried.”

“I understand, thank you for lending a hand.”

Bright Eyes smiled and waved before leaving the tree cottage. She began her trek through the Everfree Forest. She had to admit, the forest was rather creepy; it was as if she were in the middle of a horror movie. She tried to keep her eyes on the worn path, but the constant noises from both sides weren’t helping. When she heard the howl of a timberwolf, she darted out of the forest with her eyes sealed shut. Only after the next time she opened her eyes did she learn that she was out of the Everfree Forest. She gave a sigh of relief and smiled before she made her way home.

******

Lancer, walked into the mansion. He looked in the living room, hoping to see the familiar faces of his parents. He glanced over and, no surprise, he stared at an empty couch. He sighed, plopped down on the empty couch, and groaned. He inhaled, the scent of the couch filled his nostrils. 'Maybe I'll play a game...' He walked up to his room and stared at his small library of video games. He mostly preferred reading, but he thought that it would be good to explore a different territory.

He finally pulled out his game of choice, Speed Hunter: Flaming Pursuit. He opened the case and took the disc out before inserting it into the computer. He put on his headset and inserted the jack. The game opened before he logged in as NovaPrime321. He was immediately taken to a screen which displayed a CGI version of his Corvette Stingray. It wasn’t as beautiful as his actual car, but what what could you do for a video game?

He selected the option for a one-on-one match. He laid back and waited for another player. His mind began to wander off. Sure, he was the richest among his friends, but it didn’t make him feel any better, not with his parents constantly away. Yes, the need to be able to provide for him, but still, if they could only attend one of his events, with the exception of his birthday since they already make time for that.

Lancer snapped out of his thoughts when a noise notified him that a player was ready to challenge him. He looked at the gamer tag that read "KillerPrincess95." He clicked “Accept” before his screen changed to a menu showing the different tracks where the race could take place. He picked a track that started out with long straights and wide turns, but halfway through, it changed to narrow, sharp corners, almost making it feel like another track.

Lancer smirked. ‘Okay KillerPrincess95, let’s see what you can do.’

Next came the option to choose his car, he eventually came upon his blue Corvette and selected it. When he noticed on the next screen that KillerPrincess95 had chosen an old, stock, black BMW M3, he snickered, ‘Seriously? Out of all the cars? That thing?’

He pressed the ‘A’ button to show he was ready, and his opponent did likewise.

The game then pulled up a loading screen, which previewed the track and gave some hints on how to play the game and some random car trivia.

When it finally came to the racing screen, the two cars were driving (courtesy of the computer) down a big highway. “Nice car,” A female voice said into the headset.

Lancer nearly jolted out of his seat. “Uh...thanks?”

“First time using a headset?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Yeah, I used to instant message, but I figured that talking would be easier, so I got the headset.”
“Yeah, ‘specially on Haylo, hard to kick Bond butt while typing.”

“Haylo?”

“Yeah, shooter, aliens, pretty sights. You’ve never heard of it?”

“No, I prefer to read.”

“Still, heck, they even make Haylo books. I don’t read ‘em much, though, I’d rather play it.”

“Okay…” The countdown for the two to start the race appears. Lancer slammed his finger on the accelerator. 3...

“You ready, Mister?”

2..

“Oh yeah.”

“See ya at the end.”

GO!

Both vehicles speed through the starting line. Lancer began to edge out over the BMW, thinking ‘People find this stuff hard?’. He continued to charge ahead, dodging car after car thinking that he would have an easy win when a he almost gets hit by a beam of light. “What the-?!” Lancer swerved to avoid it, but hit a black and white Lamborghini’s door.

“Dude! Seriously?!”

Suddenly, the car’s roof began flashing red and blue.

“What just happened?!”

“Cops!”

The Lamborghini charged alongside Lancer’s Corvette and slammed into it.

“Hey! Watch the paint!”

“Ah, you’re one of those.”

“One of those… what?”

“One of those guys who cares about digital paint jobs.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, so what should I do to avoid those cops?”

“You’ll just have to dodge the EMP blasts and the cars themselves.”

“Wait, they generate electromagnetic pulses?”

“And fire them right at you.”

Lancer looked at the road ahead. ‘I think this might be very interesting.’

The BMW continued to lag behind Lancer's Corvette...

******

Bright Eyes, finally makes it to her apartment. She had to admit, it wasn’t the best apartment in Ponyville, but it was still pretty decent. She reached into her bag and pulled out her key before inserting it into the lock. She turned it before turning the knob and pushing on the door. She closed the door behind her and slipped her shoes off. “Dad, I’m home,” she announced.

"I'm in the kitchen!"

She made her way to the kitchen. The smell of food got stronger as she got closer to the kitchen. "How was your day?"

“It was good. I’m very excited right now.”

"Oh, how come?"

“Don’t you remember? School starts back in a few days.”

"Oh that's right, how could I forget?”

“Forget? Come on, you know how I enjoy learning.” She made it to the kitchen and saw her father pulling something out of the oven.

Circuit’s fur was the same color as Bright Eyes’s, but his hair was yellow. He is currently wearing a black shorts, a white T-shirt, and a blue apron with a newspaper, his cutie mark, printed on it. Even during his elementary school years, Circuit knew that his future was editing for the paper. He even turned the pages of his scrapbooks into articles. His only tragedy was his wife’s loss to cancer when Bright Eyes was sixteen years old, leaving Circuit to raise Bright Eyes on his own. As of right now, he isn’t interested in a relationship. "I remember. Have you decided what school you want to go to when you graduate?"

“I have a few that I want to look at.”

“Such as?”

“Well..there was Marevard. It looks nice, but I later learned of an incident with the police, so that’s out. There’s also Bale, University of Horseton, and Foalkner. Oh! And there’s Princesston and Ponyvania and-”

“Wow, that’s a lot of choices.” Circuit noted.

“I know. A lot of them are pretty good.”

“Well, don’t rush to a decision, it’s pretty important.”

“I know. I mean, what if I choose the wrong school? That would be pretty bad. What if I find myself in a school with bad cops. That’s even worse. What if-”

“Bright Eyes, calm down.”

“But-”

“Bright Eyes, you’re an incredibly intelligent and wonderful girl, I know you’ll make the right choice.”

“Thanks.” Bright Eyes blushed.

“Hey, you’re my little girl. If I can’t help you out, who will?”

“Yeah, thanks, Dad.”

“Now, are you hungry?”

“A bit, I guess, what are we having?”

Circuit grinned, “Your favorite.”

Her eyes lit up. “Peas and Carrots?”

“Bingo,” Circuit grinned.

“Thank you.” Bright Eyes smiled.

“You’re welcome, sweetie.”

******

Lancer was on his final lap. He was a few only a few feet ahead of KillerPrincess95, but she was gaining on him. Lancer had managed to dodge the police and their rays, but he still lost some ground. The finish line was within view. Victory was at his fingertips, but suddenly, a car out of nowhere clipped the left front, and it sent the car into the wall. "Noo!!!"

The black BMW roared past the wrecked form of Lancer's car. Lancer tried to get back on the track, but it was already too late. his opponent’s car crossed the finish line. "I win,” KillerPrincess announced through the headset.

"Took you a while," Lancer shot back.

"That's my strategy: wait for the rookies to slip up, then strike."

“And if the player isn’t a rookie?”

"It works on pros too, especially when they're cocky boys."

“HEY!”

"Well, you're not too bad for a boy, or a rookie."

“Thank you.”

"You're welcome. I need to go, though, my little brother wants the TV, and Mom's nagging me to clean my room, see ya Nova Prime."

“See ya Killer Princess.”

Both players logged off. Lancer turned off his computer and laid down on his bed. ‘That was just what I needed.’

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Stargazer, a dark blue alicorn with a black mane, walked into her messy room. She obviously did not have her mother's obsession with neatness, but she does share her mother’s eyes. She was wearing a black hoodie, jean shorts, and white socks which looked odd with her dark clothes and body. She sighed and started to pick up the clothes that were on the floor and put them in a basket. She was ordered by her mother to start cleaning her room after she logged off of a certain racing video game.

About a half an hour later, Stargazer was about to start on her dresser when…

“Stargazer,” Twilight Sparkle, Stargazer’s mother, said as she entered Stargazer’s room. She was wearing a white button up shirt, a purple skirt, and white socks that almost reached her knees. “We’re getting ready to go meet with Rainbow Dash and Rarity’s families to get something to eat.”

“Oh, will Lionheart be there?”

“I don’t know. It’s possible…”

“Mom…”

“What? You know you like him.”

“Well, yeah, he is a good friend and all…”

“Stargazer…” Twilight sighed.

“What?”

“I think we both know it’s...deeper than that.”

“Whadda ya mean, ‘deeper’?”

“Well… You have that look in your eyes every time you see him…”

Stargazer started to blush a bit, “Um...well...maybe I like him a...little differently…”

“See? You’re blushing now.” Twilight was trying to hold a laugh.

“Mom…” Stargazer stuffed her hands in her hoodies’ pockets.

“I can’t believe my little Star has a crush.”

“I do not.”

“Uh-huh...What would you call it?”

“An admiration for a friend.”

“I see...You know...I had a similar admiration for a friend.”

“And who was that?” Stargazer smirked.

“Your father.”

“Thought so… but it’s not the same thing.”

“Well...Okay.” Twilight was about to leave, before, “Oh, Stargazer?”

“Yes Mom?”

“Lionheart’s standing right behind you.”

“What?!” She turned around, only to see a poster of a green Gumpert Apollo. “Mom…”

“Gotcha.”

******

Teddy walked into his room and straight toward his bed. He reached under his pillow and pulled out a teddy bear. He sighed, he might’ve been too old for teddy bears, but he didn’t care; it was the most valuable thing he owned. Truth was that it was a gift from his sister the week before she was abducted. He bit his lip, it still hurts to think about her, but the teddy bear helped for some reason. He never knew why, but it did help. To add to all of that, Sweetheart, the one pony who could really, truly see good in him, reminded him of her.

He reached under his pillow again and pulled out a photo. It was the last picture of his family all together. His father was red with an orange mane, his mom was blue with a yellow mane, and his sister was red with a yellow mane. He sighed, “I miss ya, sis.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Teddy stuffed the items back under the pillow, “Who is it?”

“Uh...It’s Sweetheart, can I come in?”

“Um… sure. I’ll be right there.”

He opened the door and saw Sweetheart standing before him. “Hi, Teddy.”

“Um...Hi Sweetheart.”

Sweetheart could tell there was something wrong, “Teddy? Are you doing okay?”

“Who, me? Never better.”

“Well, you really truly don’t seem fine.”

“Trust me, I am.”

“Okay...if you say so…”

There was a moment of awkward silence.

“Um...I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go to a movie…” Sweetheart finally admitted.

“Y-You do?”

“Um...Yeah, if you really, truly want to…”

“Okay… What do you want to see?”

“Um...Maybe Daring Do and the Diamond Skull?”

“Sure. I heard it was a hoot.”

“Okay then. So when would you like to go?”

“We could go right now. Just let me grab something.”

"Okay. I'll wait."

Teddy rushed back into his room and grabbed his wallet. He walked back to the front door where Sweetheart was patiently waiting. “Alright, I’m ready.”

“Okay then, let’s go.”

*****

A griffon in a black and navy blue suit was standing in the middle of a cloud. He watched as a figure walked down the dirt road below him. The figure was a griffon that wore a blue T-shirt, jeans, and sandals. The eagerness was seen in his eyes as he spread his wings. He jumped off the cloud and flew toward a bush. The ninja picked up a pebble and threw it at a wall. The griffon on the road looked at the wall before looking in the direction he originally was, only to see the ninja dead in his face!

The ninja exclaimed, “Surprise!”

"I knew you were on that cloud," the stranger sneered in his Japanese accent.

“What?! How? Who gave it away?”

“You did. Your tail was still exposed.”

"Well...yeah, but it's really uncomfy in the suit."

“The suit isn’t for comfort, it is to help you mask your presence. Now go change before you attract attention.”

"Gee, I love you too, Dad."

The ninja walked into an alley. A few minutes later, he walked back wearing a white T-shirt, black jacket, jeans, tennis shoes, and a necklace with the Kanji for “Ookami” (or wolf). "You ready to go?"

The other griffon nodded before the two walked on. “Are you hungry by chance?”

“A little.”

“Good, because we’re going to meet your mother for dinner.”

"Sounds good, where?"

“At Marelanos."

"Oh, okay. Sounds good."

“We’ll also need to be on the lookout for certain ponies.”

“Certain ponies?”

“Yes.” He hands the teen a photo of two male ponies. “These ponies are slave traders. They don’t do the actual abductions, but they do specialize in sales and distribution. Somewhere in Equestria is their market, accessible to everyone who knows of it.”

“So… if we find them, we find the market?”

“Yes, they know where it is, but it will be difficult to get the to confess. Luckily, your mother can be very convincing.”

"Don't I know it."

"Well, let's be on our way before we're her next victims."

The teen winced at the thought. His father might not have a short-fuse anger, but his mother does! How those two got together he'd never know.

They turned into the restaurant to see a huge crowd of people. “Well, so much for a table here,” the teen said.

“Don’t be so sure, Garuda,” a voice said.

Both griffons turned to see a female griffon sitting in a bench seat by a table. She was wearing a black jacket, white shirt, black skirt, and boots. They immediately walked to the table and took their seats. “Good evening, Gilda,” the older griffon said.

“Good evening, Katsumi,” Gilda replied, “What took ya?”

“Garuda was trying to scare me.”

“And failed, all because of this,” Garuda said before holding up his tail.

Gilda gave him a look. “Don’t hold your tail at the table.”

“Alright.” Garuda let his tail loose. “So have you seen ‘them’ yet?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Darn.”

“Just be patient,” Katsumi said, “They’ll show up.”

Garuda merely nodded and looked at the menu while keeping an eye out for his targets.

The waitress walked up to the family. “Hi, my name is Sparkleworks; I’ll be a waitress for tonight. Is there anything I can get for you guys?”

Garuda looked to the waitress, “Um...do you have hamburgers?”

The waitress gave Garuda a funny look, while his mom tapped him on the shoulder, “They don’t have meat at pony restaurants.”

“What…?”

“We would all like salad.” Katsumi smiled.

“We would?” Garuda asked.

Gilda nudged him.

"Oh. We would."

“Okay, I’ll bring that right out.”

“So...why are we at a salad bar?”

“They only sell food with vegetables in Equestria; ponies are vegetarians.”

Garuda sighed, “Poor things.”

"And stop being such a dweeb. That attitude will get you nowhere. Trust me, I know."

“Yeah...I’ve heard that story…”

"Then learn from it."

"Behind you."

"Yes, I put it behind me, but you-"

"No, look behind you."

Gilda looked in that direction. Sitting at the bar was two particular ponies, both wearing worn-down clothes. The perpetrators. She turned back to her family, “You wanna take em or me?”

Katsumi wasn’t there anymore.

“Dang it! I wanted to get ‘em,” Garuda sulked.

“Well, let dad do this one...besides,” Gilda watched as her husband moved toward the two, “he’s so cute when he goes after bad guys.”

“Okay, now you made it sound gross.”

“Well excuuuse me for marrying him.”

“Well...just keep that thought to yourself, okay?”

******

“Okay, let’s go over this again,” the orange pony said to his partner, “We talk the customer about the girl, sell her for 400 bits, give the girl to the guy, and make off.”

“Sounds good to me,” the green pony replied, “and if we get caught?”

“That’s what GUNS are for.”

“Guns don’t always work,” Katsumi said.

“Definitely, with those-” the green pony stopped when he saw who it was. He pointed his gun at Katsumi, but Katsumi strikes it out of his hand. The gun went flying through the air, and Katsumi caught it with his tail, hit the other pony’s hand with his tail, sending it flying, Katsumi then finished the move by throwing the gun his tail was holding in the air and catching both, then pointed them both at both ponies.

“Now, let’s talk about where your market is.”

The ponies looked at each other, than bolted toward the door. Katsumi followed close behind.

"And there he goes," Gilda said turning to- "Garuda?!" She looked around, Garuda was, like her husband, gone with the wind. She facepalmed, 'Not again...'

Garuda had gone after the ponies as well, making sure he would be unseen. When he had exited the restaurant he spread his wings out and took to the sky. He soared over them without their knowing and tried to find a good opportunity to land. When he landed, he darted towards a secluded area and changed into his ninja outfit. He then proceeded to follow the ponies as they ran toward the park.

******

“Okay, so the movie wasn’t as good as the first, but it was still pretty good,” Teddy said.

“Yeah it really, truly was,” Sweetheart replied, “But they honestly could have let Trailbreaker live…”

“Yeah… Or did he really die? Afterall, it was just a cave-in.”

“That is true…”

"Yeah...hey, are you hungry?"

“Starving.”

"Do you wanna eat up at this place?"

“Sure, I mean, what could go wro- OOF!”

Sweetheart was bumped on a pony on the run. The stranger looked at Sweetheart. “Hey Clyde, look what we got here!” He began to grab Sweetheart, but Teddy suckerpunches him, knocking him to the ground.

“Stay away from her!”

The stranger tried to get away, but Garuda grabs him. “End of the line!” The stranger is now cuffed. “Sorry about that, but don’t worry, he won’t be causing any more trouble.”

“O-Okay…” Sweetheart said.

Garuda walked away with the stranger, but something fell out of the cuffed pony’s pocket.

Sweetheart picked it up and started, “Hey, you dr-” but Teddy snatched it from her after catching a glimpse of it. “Teddy, why did you-”

“No… No, no, no, no, no. This can’t be her.” Teddy studied the photo closely. He didn’t want to believe it, but that pony matched the one that was in the photos earlier; that photo was of Teddy’s sister!

******

Katsumi, meanwhile, was in pursuit of the other pony. The pony was still a good distance away from Katsumi, but Katsumi was not ready to give up.

Suddenly, a few shurikens stopped the perpetrator in his tracks! “Goin’ somewhere, Dweeb?”

Katsumi looked. There were only two griffons he knew that say that: Gilda and… “Garuda?!”

Garuda throws the other pony at his partner. “Hope you had a ball, but now it’s time to take you in.” Garuda takes out some cuffs and handcuffs the other pony. “Seriously, you made this much too easy…”

The pony grunted. “Guess we all can’t be ninjas.”

“True, have to be born awesome like me,” Garuda snickered.

But his mom had different feelings, “What did I tell you about that attitude?”

“What? It’s my trademark.”

“Yeah, used to be mine, too, till I ended up on the street…”

“Well at least the ponies I’m calling lame are those that are like these two!”

“True…” Gilda punched both ponies in one hit, “Wow that felt good.”

“Glad you got that out of your system,” Katsumi said, “Now let’s go before something happens.”

“Yeah, better meet up with Princess Cadence to question these two.”

“Alright, when does the next train leave,” Garuda asked, “Don’t want to be late.”

“One hour,” Gilda answered.

All three griffons suddenly felt a sense of urgency as they picked up the pair and started making a mad dash for the hotel.

******

Teddy walked into his room still shaken up about what he had seen. He and Sweetheart never did go to that restaurant because that thought vanished from his mind once he saw that photo… Not to mention Sweetheart was scared half to death by that pony grabbing her, so they both felt they should just go home.

Teddy looked at the photo again before reaching under his pillow. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath… preparing for what he was about to see… He quickly grabbed the family photo. Yep… The pony in the recent photo was now around his age, but the two photos pointed at the same pony. His sister, Flare. Mind you, she was thinner, and had a few bruises. There was no mistaking what happened to her. The very thought of it disturbed him; his little sister… violated in so many ways, it was unthinkable. At this point, there was nothing for him to do but to curl up into a ball… and cry.

After several minutes, Teddy heard a knock at the door. “Teddy? Can I come in?”

It was his mom.

“C-come in…”

His mom opened the door. “Teddy? Are you al-” She saw Teddy crying, “Teddy? What’s wrong?”

“Well, Sweetheart and I just finished watching this movie, and some creep tried to grab her.”

“Oh...goodness! Is she okay?”

“Yeah, I sucker-punched him before some ninja took him in. But… the creep dropped something as he was being taken away.”

“What is it?”

“Well…” He hands the family photo to his mother. “Do you remember Flare?”

“Yes, of course I do. I wish she were here right now.”

“Well, the good news is that she’s alive… Bad news…” He handed the new photo to his mother.

She immediately gasped when she saw the state her daughter was in. “HE... dropped THIS?”

“Yes…”

“So does he have her?!”

“I don’t know. It’s likely.”

His mom’s lip quivered and she began to shake, “H-have you told your father?”

“No, I haven’t seen him yet.”

“Oh...he’s in the family room, I think you’d better tell him.”

“Okay…” Teddy got off of the bed and walked into the family room. His father was sitting on the couch, reading a book.

“Honey,” the mother said, “We need to talk.”

He looked at her and noticed the worried expression on her face. He looked over at Teddy and saw that the same was true with his son. He set the book down on the coffee table and said, “What’s wrong?”

“Well… There was an incident…”

“Oh?”

“Sweetheart was grabbed by the same person who dropped a photo of OUR daughter.”

His dad’s eyes widened, and he took a hard swallow, “Can I see the photo?”

The mother nodded and hand the photo to him. He sat back down overcome by shock… “They did this to her?”

“Yes,” Teddy said.

His dad took another hard look, processing all of the injuries that his own flesh and blood had gone through. “Why?” Was all he could say.

It was only one word, but it translated into so many questions: “Why was she taken,” “Why did she have to go through this,” “Why were the police unable to find her sooner,” and so on and so forth.

“If it helps, I punched him in the face when he grabbed Sweetheart, and a ninja arrested him,” Teddy commented.

Both his parents gave him a funny look.

“What? It was the only way I could get him off of her.”

His mother said, “No, we mean, ‘Ninja’?”

Teddy sighed before saying, “Next time, I’ll have my camera on.”

“Well… We DO have this picture… Now we need to hand it over to the police.”

“Are you sure they can do anything?” Teddy asked.

“We can only hope…”

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The following morning, Bright Eyes woke up bright and early. She got out of bed and slipped into her bathrobe. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

Meanwhile, Circuit was walking toward the kitchen. He grabbed a large bowl and the ingredients needed to prepare a mix for waffles. He poured said ingredients into a bowl and began stirring.

A flush was heard, followed by sink water running before Bright Eyes emerged from the bathroom. She walked toward the kitchen, and was surprised to see Circuit. “Oh, good morning, Dad.”

"Good morning, sweetie, sleep well?"

"Yeah... Did you?"

"Like a baby."

"Good... So what are you making?"

“Waffles.”

"Good, need any help?"

“I think I’ve got it. Why don’t you turn on the television and see what’s on the news.”

“You got it.” Bright Eyes turned on the television. It was already set to P.T.V. (Ponyville Television). Bright Eyes stood back and watched.

"...it is expected that the man held accountable will get a life sentence. As for the family, they’re just hope that their son can rest in peace,” Dazzle broadcasted. “In other news a family is having to go through a painful memory for the first time in more than ten years. We should warn you that what you are about to see may be disturbing.”

'Not sure I want to-' Bright Eyes was about to change the channel when she started seeing clips of Teddy’s house. ‘What in the world…?”

As the broadcast cycled through the clips, another voice narrated. “It was supposed to be a simple date for two young ponies, but a random pony has groped his female companion.” The camera cut to the reporter, Cynthia Howles, a white wolf wearing a black jacket, white collared shirt, a black dress skirt, and heels. She continued, “The male knocked him out before the creeper was allegedly taken in by an ninja, but the photo he found didn’t make the incident any less shocking.”
The camera immediately cut to an interview. The face was blurred out, but she could make out the figure just as plainly. ‘TEDDY?!?!’

"Something wrong Bright Eyes?" Circuit asked from the kitchen.

“Well, someone I know is on the news.”

“Oh?”

“We’re not revealing his or the victim’s identity but the groping incident was only the beginning after he found a photo of his sister who had been missing for more than ten years.” The report said.

"Teddy has a sister?"

“Apparently,” Bright Eyes said.

The report showed a photo of the family together cropped to show only Flare. “This is what she looked like when she was living with her family before her abduction at around six years old.” The report cut to her current photo. Both hands went over Bright Eyes’ mouth after seeing the photo. “This is what she now looks like ten years later. Underfed, beaten, bruised, and possibly violated in every manner possible. This is the image no parent or sibling would want to see.”

'Or anypony for that matter.’

“Poor girl,” Circuit muttered.

Bright Eyes took the remote and turned the TV off, "I'm gonna take a little walk..."

“Um…” Circuit pointed to the bathrobe Bright Eyes was still wearing.

"Oh...after I get changed..."

“Right…”

******

Bright Eyes walked outside the door wearing jeans, a red T-shirt, and tennis shoes. She cautiously looked around before beginning her walk. Thoughts raced through her head. ‘Why didn’t Teddy tell us about his sister? For that matter, what torture could she have gone through to disfigure her this badly?’

“Hey Bright Eyes!”
Bright Eyes turned to whoever greeted her, and saw Sweetheart. “Hey, Sweetheart, what are you doing here?”

“I was going over to see Teddy, I felt really, truly bad after last night and wanted to help him.

“Yeah… about that… Have you seen the news?”

“No…”

“Teddy was with some girl and she was grabbed by someone, but Teddy got him away, but he found a picture of some girl.”

“Yeah… that girl was me…”

Bright Eyes’ mouth dropped, “YOU WENT OUT WITH TEDDY!?!?”

“Well… Kinda. I really, truly thought he needed a little cheering up, so I took him to see a movie. We were going to eat afterward and that’s when… Yeah…”

“Wow… So you know the girl in the photo is his sister?”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, Teddy found a picture and it was of his sister!”

“Oh my… How was she?”

“The very sight of her would make you want to cry. She’s been beaten up that bad.”

“Oh… goodness… no wonder Teddy crie-...um, didn’t want to eat.”

“Plus you were assaulted.”

“Well...I hadn’t thought about that much, I kind of forgot after Teddy was so upset.”

“Well, at least he stopped the guy from grabbing you.”

“Yeah… Guess that’s the advantage of having a friend like Teddy.”

“Yeah… I wonder if Lancer would do something like that.”

“Grab girls like that?”

“Heck no. I meant knock a guy like that to next week.”

“Oh...I don’t know…he isn’t exactly the strongest boy in school…”

“I guess...but he’s really sweet…”

“Yeah…”

******

Clover was wondering what she should do. She was absolutely bored out of her mind and had no idea what to do. She was awaiting the sleepover at Sweetheart’s house...in twelve hours… But since that was, well, twelve hours, she didn’t have anything to do. Bright Eyes was going to study with Zecora, Sweetheart is going to be working with the Apples, Bon Bon had company, Melody was rehearsing with her band, Patch had her driving test, and Starlight had inventory.

“Clover?”

Clover looked to see Meadowlark standing in the doorway. “Oh. Hi Meadowlark.”

“Hey...doin’ okay?”

“I guess...just bored…”

“Oh. Well what about your friends?”

“They’re all busy.”

“Oh… Video game?”

“Not a fan of those.”

“Homework?”

“School hasn’t started yet.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. Um… Hm…” Meadowlark thought for a few moments, then snapped her fingers, “Hey! Wanna go somewhere with me?”

“Sure. Where?”

“I dunno, you decide.”

“Oh. Um… I don’t kno- wait, I think I do.”

“Alright, where do you want?”

“Do you remember that school we went to when you first introduced me to ballet?”

“Yeah…?”

“I want to visit that place.”

“Oh? Are you thinking about going there?”

“I am.”

“I see, how long have you been thinking about it?”

“Since last month.”

“Oh...do you think that’s what you want to do as a career?”

“I know it is.”

“Okay. Have you told mom or dad?”

“I have.”

“What did they say?”

“They’re a little skeptical about it, but they’re just happy I decided on something. I mean, I am good at dancing, right?”

“True, but it’s really hard work, and you have to really work at it.”

“But it will all pay off.”

“Yeah...that’s true…” Meadowlark sighed, “So are you ready to go?”

“I am.”

“Okay, let me just get my keys and we can go.”

“Okay.”

******

Lancer stood in the Ponyville Airport, impatiently awaiting the return of his parents. He looked at his watch before looking back at the gate. They’re plane had arrived, but they still needed to make their way out. He sighed, “Soon now… Soon…” Suddenly, Lancer felt something touch his shoulder. He felt the need to slap that arm off, but he decided to take a look first. When he turned to look, he was happy he did not go with his first thought.

“Hi, Lancer,” his mom greeted.

“Hey Mom,” Lancer greeted as he hugged her.

“I missed you, sweetie.”

“I missed you too.”

Heartbeat, his mom, took a step back and looked Lancer over, “You’ve gotten so big!”

“Doesn’t that happen naturally,” Lancer chuckled.

“Yeah...but you were such a small thing a few years ago, and now look at you.”

“I know… So where’s dad?”

“He’s getting the rest of our bags.”

“Okay. Anyway, do you have any idea what you would like to do now that you’re back home?”

“Oh...just rest and be with you.”

“Okay.”

“Hey guys,” Hard Drive said carrying the luggage.

“Hi Dad,” Lancer gave Hard Drive a big hug. “How was the flight?”

“Too long. It gave me a big wedgie.”

Lancer and Heartbeat giggled.

“But nevermind that.”

“...Yeah…”
“So how are ya, Lancer?”

“Good.”

“Good,” Hard Drive grinned, “Wow, you’ve gotten so big!”

“That’s what Mom said.”

“Well...it’s true.”

“So I hear,” Lancer grinned. Suddenly, Lancer’s phone rang. He answered it. “Hello?”

Bright Eyes answered, “Hey, Lancer how’s it going?”

“Good actually, and you?”

“Me? Nothing really, but… have you seen the news?”

“Um… No, not really. Why?”

“You might want to sit down.”

“Okay…” Lancer sat down on a nearby chair.

“Okay...first: did you know Teddy has a sister?”

“No, I didn’t. Never even saw her.”

“Me either, but apparently he does...but she was...um… She… was abducted.”

“Wh- What?”

“Yeah, and he apparently found this picture...it was of her...she looked so...violated…”

“Oh my gosh… Okay, I’m at the airport right now with my parents. I’ll see what I can do. If you see him before I do, give him my regards.”

“Okay…I will… Oh, and did you know Sweetheart was attacked?”

“WHAT?!?!”

“Well, someone attempted to, but Teddy saved her.”

Lancer gave a sigh of relief. “What happened to the attacker?”

“Teddy punched him, according to Sweetheart.”

Lancer winced. “Not a big surprise there.”

“Yeah...kinda got me to thinking…”

“That he’s very protective?”

“Well that, but also if his sister’s absence could have something to do with Teddy’s behaviour.”

“Hm… That is an interesting question…”

"Yeah...and...oh, never mind."

“What?”

"I was just wondering if...you would protect me like that..."

“You mean knock someone out if someone touched you like that? Pretty much.”

"Yeah..."

“Anyway, I gotta go, but I’ll see you later.”

“Okay, Bye.”

"Bye." Lancer hung up.

"Who was that," Heartbeat asked.

“Oh, that was Bright Eyes.”

"Oh..."

“Yeah, I’m a little scared for my friends right now because I just heard that one of them was assaulted.”

"Oh my goodness! Do you need to go?"

“Yes, but I can drop you off somewhere first. Besides, I actually need to see two of my friends because… Well… I’ll explain later.”

“Okay.”

*****

Teddy looked at a copy of Flare’s new photo, mainly because the original was taken in for evidence. He didn’t know why he was looking at that photo to begin with; every second he looks at it only intensifies the sadness he feels knowing that his sister was still out there being tortured by evil people for the fun of it. He looked at the photo of the Flare he used to see. She was so young, bright, innocent, eccentric, and safe. In that other photo, all of those virtues were tarnished. She was beaten, bruised, bleeding, hurt, violated, and scared.

Teddy grabbed the teddy bear and looked at it. Those two ponies were the same one who gave him this bear. Tears were practically gushing out of his eyes. “Why?”

His mother didn’t even bother to knock, mainly because the door was still open. She sat next to Teddy. She gave him a big hug and asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

“I just want to be alone.”

“Okay...I’m sorry to bug you,” His mom got off the bed and was about to head out the door, before she said, “Teddy, I love you.”

“I love you too…” Teddy mumbled.

There was a knock at the door. ‘Who is it now,” Teddy angrily thought.

“Teddy? Are you okay?” It was Sweetheart.

“Yes, just a minute.” He put away the photos and the teddy bear. He went to the door and opened it, revealing Sweetheart and Bright Eyes. “Oh...hey, Bright Eyes...didn’t know you were here…”

“Yeah, I saw the news. I was able to tell it was you because, that pixelation couldn’t hide you completely.”

“Oh...well, hopefully you’re the only one who noticed.”

“Well… I kinda told Lancer.”

“Oh...boy… you didn’t tell anyone else, did you?”

“No, that’s it.”

“Well...guess that’s not too bad…”

“Is there anything I can do for you, Teddy,” Sweetheart asked.

“Not really… Has your dad found anything?”

“No, he hasn’t. It’s only been a few hours.”

“Well, it’s felt like a whole lot longer…”

“I know…”

“Teddy are you sure you’re fine,” Bright Eyes asked.

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?”

Bright Eyes motioned to her cheeks prompting Teddy to check his. His fur was still wet from the tears. “Teddy, you’re not alright, you’ve been crying.”

“Gee! Can’t I cry a little? I mean I find out my sister’s been abused for Celestia’s sake! Shouldn’t I be upset?!”

“Yes, you have every right to be, but you’ve been hiding it from us.”

“So?! It’s none of your business.”

“Teddy, we’re worried about you.”

“Well...don’t, I’m fine! I don’t need anyone, I just want to be alone!”

Bright Eyes looked at Sweetheart. “Alright, but… I have to ask. What was your sister like?”

Teddy stayed silent for a long time, not looking at Sweetheart or Bright Eyes. There was another knock at the door. “Teddy?” It was Lancer.

“Come in...might as well have some more guys over for the party…”

Lancer walked in. “Hey, I was at the airport when Bright Eyes called.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, I had to drop my parents off at home before I could get here. Anyway, how are you?”

“Wonderful…” Teddy’s voice reeked of sarcasm.

“Okay…”

“So… back to your sister,” Bright Eyes said.

Teddy sighed, “She was a lot like Sweetheart, guess that’s why I like being with her so much…”

“And having Sweetheart assaulted like that must have set you off because it seemed as if your sister was being attacked all over again.”

“Maybe, but at least this time I could’ve stopped it.”

“But the whole thing did scare me,” Sweetheart said.

“It scared me, too, and I didn’t even know he’s a… Well… I think he’s a...”

“What?”

“A slave trader,” Bright Eyes asked.

Teddy nodded.

Sweetheart collapsed onto her knees shaking. “Then if he succeeded, I really, truly could have been in her position.”

“Well...I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen, Sweetheart.”

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

“Pinkie Promise?”

“...Huh?”

“She was referencing to Pinkie Pie,” Lancer chuckled, “You know, the Element of Laughter.”

“Where would she learn that?”

“Yeah… Fluttershy said that whenever it came to promises.”

“Oh...wasn’t she an Element?”

“Yes, it was kindness.”

“Oh…”

“So… you work for a celebrity,” Teddy asked.

“Well… I guess you can say that.”

“Hey, Sweetheart? Um...I hate to ask...but you’ve never seen Princess Twilight Sparkle while you’ve worked there, have you,” Bright Eyes asked.

“No, I haven’t. Why?”

“No reason…”

“I did meet Lord Qrong and Lady Applejack, though…”

“And there’s the Element of Honesty.”

“Yup...wonder where the others went, they all used to live here.”

“Well, according to my research, Rainbow Dash is in Chariolette, Rarity is in Manehattan, Lady Applejack is married to a Changeypt ambassador, and Pinkie Pie is in Canterlot with Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Huh, wonder why they left Ponyville, from what I’ve heard they were really close.”

“I don’t know...never found anything, do you think Mrs. Fluttershy would know?”

“Maybe…”

“Mr. Macintosh might know…” Sweetheart noted.

“Meh, if I had the chance I’d rather ask Mrs. Fluttershy, they were friends after all.”

“That is true.”

“Or I could ask Twilight,” Lancer suggested.

“Do you know her,” Bright Eyes asked.

“Actually, yes.”

Sweetheart’s and Bright Eye’s eyes widened. “Since when,” Bright Eyes asked in a shocked tone.

“Since I was ten years old...” He knew what was about to come out of Bright Eyes’s mouth.

“WHY HAVEN’T YOU TOLD ME?!?!”

“You never asked. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since I last spoke with her.”

“But you knew she’s my hero!”

“I know, but I didn’t want that to be the only reason why you like me.”

“Still...you could have told me…”

“I’m sorry...just never really thought about it…”

“So, what’s she like?”

“She’s real nice, almost as if she could be my aunt.”

“Wow, she’s that nice?”

“Oh yes.”

“Wow.” Suddenly, Bright Eyes’s watch went off. She looked at it. Her eyes were even wider once she realized what time it was. “I’m going to be late!”

Sweetheart looked at the watch. “So am I!”

Both girls bolted out of Teddy’s room, leaving the two boys alone.

“So… You’re friends with royalty, right,” Teddy asked.

“Yeah… pretty much.”

“Huh. Wow.”

“Well...my parents have known her parents for a while...so that kind of has something to do with it.”

“Oh.”

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Clover looked out the window of Meadowlark’s car as she rode in the passenger’s seat. She saw this school before but there was something about this particular visit that felt a little… different. It felt more exciting, but at the same time, she was a little nervous. This could be the thing she wanted to do for the rest of her life, and she didn’t want to mess it up.

“You okay, Sis,” Meadowlark asked.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah.”

“Okay...it’s just you don’t seem real excited.

“Oh I am. It’s just… Nevermind.”

“What?”

Clover didn’t answer.

“Okay… When you’re ready to tell me, let me know.”

“Okay…”

“Do you want me to go in with you?”

“I think that would be good.”

“Okay...cuz we’re almost there…”

“Really?”

Meadowlark turned the car into the parking lot, and located a parking spot, “Yup.”

“Oh…”

“Do you want to wait a bit?”

“Yeah…”

“Okay. Is anything wrong?”

“No...I’m just a little nervous.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Well… I guess it’s just that I’m… well…”

“What?”

“What if they expect a lot from me just because you’re my sister?”

“Oh, I don’t think you should be nervous about that, you’re a wonderful dancer.”

“But...I’m not THAT good.”

“Yes you are, you just need more confidence.”

“I guess…”

“And besides, you’re just scheduling a try out, you aren’t going to be trying out today.”

“Well, I guess you’re right…”

“Yeah...so you ready?”

“I am,” Clover grinned.

“Okay then.” Meadowlark turned the car off and followed her sister into the school.

******

Sweetheart was out of breath as she made it to Sweet Apple Acres. She knocked on the door and nearly collapsed doing it. Fluttershy opened the door. “Oh, hello, Sweetheart. Are you alright?”

“Uh...yeah,” Sweetheart panted, “Sorry I’m late, I was talking about-” It just occurred to her it would be weird if she told Fluttershy she was talking about her.

“Talking about what?”

“Just...history.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“Yeah… So what do you need help with?”

“We’re still waiting for the truck to come.”

“Oh… I guess I’ll hang around here for a bit, if that’s okay…”

“Okay.” She let Sweetheart inside the house.

“Thank you.”

“Oh you’re quite welcome.”

Sweetheart sat down on the couch in the living room and exhaled hard.

“Would you like something to drink, Sweetheart?”

“Could I have some water? If it’s not too much trouble?”

“Sure, I’ll be right back,” Fluttershy went into the kitchen and after a few moments came back with a glass of cold water. “Here you are,” She gave the glass to Sweetheart.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sweetheart took a few sips of the water. She set the glass down and started to relax. “I really, truly needed that…”

"You're welcome, Sweetheart."

“Hey there, Sweetheart," Fission said as he walked in.

“Hey Fission.”

"So how are you?"

“I am well. How are you?”

"Good... Just Working on an experiment...."

“Oh?”

"Yeah, I'm trying to see if I can transport an egg using a paper airplane."

“How’s it going?”

“I’m on attempt number twenty-four…”

"Oh...well I'm sure you'll get it."

"Maybe..."

“Ace said that you don’t normally score a goal on the first try.”

“I know, it’s basically trial and error from here. Maybe I need to change the material…”

"And you'll need to pick up more eggs at the store," Fluttershy said.

“I know, I already plan to get some tomorrow."

"Okay...just remember it'll be out of your money..."

“Figured.” Fission shrugged.

There was a knock at the door. Big Mac walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Spike and Applebloom.

“Long time no see, Big Mac,” Applebloom said.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, “Come on in.”

The couple did so and sat down next to each other on the loveseat. "We came over to help with the delivery,” Spike said.

"Oh, thank you, but you didn't have to," Fluttershy explained.

“We did. After all, you are family,” Applebloom replied.

"Well, thank you, anyway."

"No problem, library's been slow anyways," Spike explained.

Sweetheart giggled.

"But it'll probably pick up during school, what with kids havin’ to do research n’ all."

“I know that’s for sure,” Fission said.

"Yeah," Sweetheart nodded, “Oh and Mrs. Fluttershy?”

"Yes?"

“Can you tell me what it was like before you and your friends separated?”

"Um...I'll tell you some other time, when it's not as hectic."

“Oh, okay.”

*******

The three griffons walked out of the train. Katsumi and Garuda are holding two bags while Gilda was rolling a suitcase. "So we're meeting Princess Cadence where again," Garuda asked.

“Yes,” Gilda replied, “and she said that she has something very interesting to tell us.”

“Oh really…”

“Yeah… something about a ninja on the news.”

Garuda swallowed hard. "Must've been some kid..."

“Yeah… Think you know him?”

"Maybe..."

“Especially since you were gone when he appeared. and was wearing YOUR suit.”

"Ugh! That little thief!"

“And then you magically put on the suit when you came to me.”

“FINE! It was me, but that creep was groping that girl. What else could I do?”

"I never said you did anything wrong… Just be a little more careful."

"Fine..."

“But let’s see what Cadence has to say when we see her."

“Alright.”

******

Bright Eyes burst into Zecora’s hut. Zecora nearly jumped out of her skin. “Have you gone mad?! You know you could have knocked just a tad."

Bright Eyes was breathing heavily. “Sorry about that, and sorry I’m late. Had a little issue with a friend that I needed to work out and I lost track of time.”

“No need to apologise, your schedule will change soon, Bright Eyes.”

“I know. Anyway, what will we be learning today, once I catch my breath.”

“Today, I have to take this question from the shelf, have you ever wanted to talk to yourself?”

“Um… Is that a trick question?”

“I assure you it is not, for it is from another dimension that another you can be sought.”

“Okay then… This will be interesting…”

Zecora grabbed a few items off a shelf and placed them in the mixing bowl. She then put on some gloves and added poison joke leaves to the mixture.

"Um... Miss Zecora? Doesn't poison joke deform you in some way?"

"Yes, but once it is boiled down, the result will not be a frown."

"Okay... If you say so."

Zecora mixed the ingredients together and placed the bowl over a fire. Bright Eyes took note of the ingredients that went into the bowl. ‘Poison joke, Heart’s Desire, Clone Cologne, Universe blender...’

Bright Eyes swallowed at the last one, “This won’t hurt anything or anyone, will it?”

Zecora didn’t reply, she was continuing to stir the ingredients. This made Bright Eyes all the more nervous. ‘Maybe she’s just thinking of a rhyme to reply with,’ Bright Eyes hoped.

“May I have the bee’s knees, please,” Zecora asked.

“Uh...okay.” Bright Eyes went looking for the “bee’s knees.” She eventually found them and gave them to Zecora.

“Thank you.” Zecora took a pinch of the bees knees and put them in the mixture. A violet puff of smoke followed. “I now require a mint leaf, it should be with the Liquid Beef."

“Liquid beef?”

"It is used in transformation a potion, but is also good griffon lotion."

“Okay…” She grabs the mint leaves and hands them to Zecora. “Have you ever had a griffon visit you?”

"Plenty of times, they bring over the best limes."

Bright Eyes was not about to ask about the limes. “So how are the mint leaves connected to the potion?”

“The mint leaves soak in the potion to give it flavor. Otherwise, the potion would not be easy to savor.”

Bright Eyes was silent for a moment before she said, “Oh.”

"Now, I believe this is done, but be careful it does not run."

Bright Eyes took the potion and took a sip. She waited a moment. “Hm… Now what?”

A small whimper was heard. Bright Eyes looked to see a wolf, but it looked very much like her. She had that same aquamarine fur with an orange mane, but the tail was the same color as the rest of her body. She even had a notepad and pen illustrated on her flank.

“Is that me,” Bright Eyes asked.

Zecora nodded.

“Wow… Now I can play fetch with myself.”

The wolf looked at Bright Eyes. She was not amused.

“Sorry. No offence intended.”

The wolf sighed.

“So when does it wear off, or do I have to do something?”

“The potion’s effects will wear off in half an hour, but it is no reason to be sour.”

“And I have a feeling she’s not housebroken…”

A growl was heard.

Bright Eyes looked at the wolf. “What?”

The wolf moved over to the door and lightly scratched at it.

“So what do we do with her?”

"Let her out, she's beginning to pout."

“Okay.” She looked to the wolf. “Don’t go too far.”

The wolf's tail began to wag. She ran out the door once Bright Eyes opened it enough for her to slip through.

After the she-wolf left, Bright Eyes asked, "Should I go with her?"

“It would be a good idea to go with her, we wouldn’t want her to return to her dimension with a harmed strand of fur.”

"Yeah..." she said to Zecora, then thought, 'Her Lancer might not appreciate it.' She immediately walked out and followed the wolf.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Clover finished talking with one of the instructors and was scheduled a chance to audition. She breathed a sigh of relief after exiting the building now that that part was over. "So where do you want to go now," Meadowlark asked.

“I… I don’t know.”

"Would you like to find an outfit for your tryout?"

“Um… Sure.”

"Okay, there's a place at the mall that has some. Shall we?"

“We shall," Clover grinned.

******

Garuda, Gilda, and Katsumi entered the large Crystal Castle. They were holding the bags that contained the two ponies they were after. They weren’t struggling any more after a few well placed kicks from Gilda, something Garuda wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of. "So... Cadence said she'd meet us here, right?" Garuda asked.

“Yes,” Gilda said.

"So...where is she?"

“She’ll be here soon. Just wait…”

Garuda rolled his eyes.

“Don’t start.”

"Your mother's right. Good things come to those who wait,” a voice said.

The trio looked in the direction of that voice to see Cadence and Shining Armor. Shining was wearing a collared shirt, khaki pants, and tennis shoes. Cadence was wearing a yellow t shirt, jeans, and heels. Her hair was done up in a pony tail.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Cadence apologized. "I was held up with an ambassador.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Gilda said, “Both of my parents were ambassadors.”

"Well...these were the Canis ambassadors, and they are not easy to deal with."

“Hey, try my parents. They’d crush Canis like a bug.”

"Aunt Celestia told me stories about her dealings with them. She didn't learn till my dealings with you that they were married."

"I understand. I had a hard time accepting it myself for a long time."

“I know. Good thing Garuda came into the picture, right?”

“Yeah, because it wasn’t just my being on the street with him that was on my mind; it was them. I didn’t want him to go through the same thing I did.”

"I'm right here you know." Garuda pointed out.

“I know. And so are your targets, Princess Cadence.” She unzipped both bags to reveal the slave traders.

Shining looked at both bodies. "Was that necessary?"

“They were kickin’ a while ago…”

"I meant the bags."

“Oh. Yes, we had to conceal them.”

"Or you could just request a police transport."

Gilda facepalmed. “Oh well, at least they got a taste of their own medicine…” She changed her focus to Cadence. “So, you wanted to talk about something?”

“Yes, a news report came up that the sibling of one of the victims has seen Garuda in ninja form and saw a photo that one of the slave traders dropped.”

Garuda suddenly said, "Really? THAT again?"

“It happened,” Cadence said. “Anyway, we need you to go back to Ponyville as a student.”

“You mean I have to give up homeschooling?!?!”

“Only for a while.”

"Terrific..." Garuda muttered.

“It’s the only way you can get close to this person.”

Garuda sighed. “You better not expect me to do well.”

“Your father and I will,” Gilda said.

“Oh boy… I really need to be more careful with sneaking around.”

Katsumi gave Garuda a look.

“What?”

“Your mother and I expect you to behave.”

“Well...it’s just kind of a big transition. And school doesn’t take me eight hours.”

“That’s because they need time to walk to the different classrooms. Besides, I went to schools like that when I was your age.” Gilda explained.

“But...then I can’t hang out with you guys…” Garuda tried to give his parents his best puppy dog eyes.

It didn’t work. “Trust me, you’ll make new friends.”

“I doubt it…”

“Not with that attitude.”

“Again with that?”

“Well...if you TRY to make friends, then you will.”

“Alright, but I won’t like it.”

Shining Armor sighed. “I’ll leave this to you, Caddie. It’s your thing.”

Cadence looked at Shining. “Again, you need to work on your nicknames,” she said.

“Well what can I call the ‘Princess of love’?”

“I don’t know, what do you call the Princess of Love?”

Garuda gagged.

Gilda glared at him.

“What?”

******

Night had finally fallen on Ponyville, and all was quiet… Except for Sweetheart’s house. Her “End of Summer/Beginning of School” Slumber Party was starting to liven up. All seven ponies were playing a wild game of charades, and it’s Clover’s turn.

She held out three fingers.

“Three words,” Patch guessed.

Clover nodded and stamped her foot three times.

“Angry?”

She shook her head.

“Mad,” Bright Eyes guessed.

“Patch already guess that,” Clover said.

“Clover, you’re not supposed to talk,” Bon Bon pointed out.

“Sorry, I forgot.” She stamped her foot again.

“The number three,” Sweetheart guessed.

Clover smiled and nodded. Then showed two fingers.

“Second word,” Bright Eyes noted.

Clover nodded, then curled up in a small ball.

“Rolling,” Melody guessed.

Clover shook her head and held her hand a short distance from the floor.

“Short,” Bon Bon guessed.

She shook her head.

“Little,” Bright Eyes guessed.

Clover nodded.

“Three Little pigs!” Melody exclaimed.

Clover’s shoulders slumped. “How did you know?”

Melody smirked. “The twins LOVE that story.”

“Oh yeah.”

Sweetheart’s mother walked in. “So how are you girls doing?”

“We’re really, truly doing well, Mom,” Sweetheart said.

“That’s good to hear. So...would you girls like some popcorn?"

“Oh that would be really, truly nice.”

"Okay. I'll go get you some." Sweetheart's mom went into the kitchen and started making popcorn.

As Clover sat down, Patch asked. "So what do you wanna do now?"

“Well, I’m sure everyone has something interesting to spill,” Melody said, grinning deviously.

Bright Eyes frowned. "I'd rather not gossip, Mrs. Applebloom told me a story about when she wrote gossip in her school newspaper...didn't go well."

Melody looked at Bright Eyes flatly. “That’s not what I meant.”

"Then what did you mean?"

“Just talk about something. I mean, you seem pretty close to Lancer.”

Bright Eyes' cheeks turned red. "W-we're just friends..."

“Right,” Patch said, “And I’m in love with Chain Link.”

“Really, we are just friends.”

“So would Ms. Zecora say the same thing.”

“Why are you dragging her into this debate?”

"Why not?"

“You are her apprentice,” Starlight added.

Bright Eyes blushed even more, "She probably knows we're just friends."

“Probably doesn’t say that you are.”

"Girls," Sweetheart interjected, "If Bright Eyes doesn't want to say anything, then we really, truly shouldn't pressure her."

“Fine,” Melody groaned.

“Besides, I really, truly don’t try to do the same thing to you.”

“Yeah… You’re right.”

“But she does teach me some interesting things,” Bright Eyes said.

"Like?"

“Well, there is one potion that calls a different version of you from another dimension,” she answered, “I drank it and summoned a wolf version of me.”

Melody looked at Bright Eyes. "A wolf version of you?"

“Yeah, she had my fur color, cutie mark, everything. The only difference is that she was on all fours and couldn’t talk.”

"Hmm...I wonder what other kinds of 'us' there are," Bon Bon pondered.

“No clue, but the potion lasts for thirty minutes. After that, he or she is brought back into his own dimension.”

“Okay…”

“You know, it would be pretty hard to be you,” Melody said.

“Want to test that theory?”

“Is that a challenge?” Patch asked with a smirk on her face.

“Yup.” Melody smirked.

“Okay then,” Bright Eyes said, “Give me your best impression.”

Patch cleared her throat, and in her best Bright Eyes imitation, said. “Hello, I’m Bright Eyes, and I think Lancer’s super cute.”

“I don’t talk like that!” Bright Eyes blushed.

“Well, she sounded right, at least.” Melody noted.

“And she did get one thing right,” Starlight added.

Bright Eyes’s blood was boiling, but she tried to calm herself down.

Sweetheart’s mother came in with a large bowl of popcorn. “Here you are, girls. One big bowl of popcorn.” She handed the bowl to Sweetheart.

“Thank you,” Sweetheart said.

“My pleasure. As soon as you are done in here, it’s time to hit the showers.”

“Okay.” Sweetheart took a piece of popcorn before placing the bowl on the floor by the rest of the girls.

As the girls munched on the popcorn, Starlight asked. “So, what should we do after our showers?”

“Maybe we should tell ghost stories,” Patch suggested.

Melody gave Patch a strange look. “I don’t think we’re camping, Patch.”

“Does it make it any less fun?”

Melody paused, “I guess not…”

“Good. So we’ll do it after our showers.”
“Okay...then what?” Bon Bon asked.

“We turn in I guess,” Clover said.

“No… You’re not supposed to sleep at slumber parties.” Melody pointed out.

“Yeah, and I brought over three seasons of RNIS,” Bright Eyes said.

Everyone looked at her. “I don’t think we’d be able to watch that many,” Bon Bon said.

“Well...we could try to watch some of them…”

“Okay,” Sweetheart said.

“Wait,” Melody interrupted, “It isn’t RNIS: Los Pegasus, is it?”

“No,” Bright Eyes said, “it is the main series. By the way, it’s a spin-off. What did you expect?”

“Apparently, too much…” Melody sighed.

“I like RNIS: LA…” Patch confessed.

Bright Eyes raised her hand signaling for a high-five. Patch acknowledged her request and high-fived her.

Melody rolled her eyes, “Does anyone ELSE like RNIS:LA?”

Sweetheart and Starlight raised their hands.

Melody sighed, “There is no hope for our generation.”

Everyone laughed.

******

Bright Eyes had her hand in a sock puppet that was supposed to look like their new teacher, Miss Hackney. “Alright class,” Bright Eyes said through her puppet, “Nopony will be able to hear the ghost story until everypony has finished their homework.”

“But Miss Hackney,” Bon Bon’s sock puppet groaned, “Our homework isn’t due till next Friday.”

“No excuse.” Bright Eyes walked over to Sweetheart. “I see you haven’t finished your homework. Naughty, naughty, naughty…”
“But Miss Hackney,” Sweetheart’s sock begged, “You only gave me five minutes, and I really, truly couldn’t write about the history of Equestria in that amount of time.”

“Hey Miss Hackney,” Patch said before hurling her pillow at Bright Eyes.

Bright Eyes shrieked before the pillow made contact with her. “Shame on you! No RNIS for you tonight.”

"It was so worth it." Patch said through fits of giggles.

“We shall see,” Bright Eyes smiled deviously.

Just then, Starlight walked into the room. “Hey.”

Bright Eyes stuffed the sock in a pocket beneath her flank. “Hey Starlight.”

"Hey...so what are you guys doing?" Starlight sat down on the couch.

“Having fun with sock pockets.”

"Ah... Sounds fun."

“It really, truly is,” Sweetheart said.

"Well...unfortunately only socks I bought are dirty. So I guess I'll have to just watch."

“Or we can start the stories,” Patch said.

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay. I think Patch should start, since she suggested it." Clover nominated.

"Uh...well, okay..." Patch started to think, then. "Anyone here heard of Squire?"

“Squire?” Bon Bon asked.

“Yeah, he was Celestia’s first ever student.”

“Wow,” Bright Eyes said, “What happened to him.”

“Well, one day, a dragon names Basil was causing trouble for Equestria.”

"He was probably bigger than Mr. Spike," Melody assumed.

“You got that right; he was the size of Canterlot Castle!”

"Wait," Bright Eyes interjected. "The current Canterlot castle or the old one?"

“The old one.”

“Okay, I just needed to get that image in my head. Continue.”

"Okay, well, Squire was so annoyed with this dragon that he snuck out of the castle and headed for the dragon's cave, which was smack dab in the middle of the Everfree forest."

“I’m going to guess that it was a mistake,” Clover said.

"Yup. There were snakes, timber wolves, fruit bats, and cockatrices."

“But he made it,” Bright Eyes guessed.

“Yes. In fact, it was his clever thinking that allowed him to get to the cave. What he immediately saw was the bones of the ponies who tried to tried to beat the dragon and failed.”

This made Sweetheart shiver.

"Did he get to the dragon?" Melody asked.

“No. He fought Basil bravely, but he was consumed by the flames.”

"Uh-huh...where's the 'ghost' part?" Bright Eyes asked.

“His ghost continued to live on looking for Basil.”

"Oh…”

“Anyway, who’s up for an RNIS marathon?” Bright Eyes asked.

Every girl shot her hand up.

“Perfect.” Bright Eyes took one of the DVDs and inserted it into the DVD player. She took the remote and began the episodes.

Author's Note

Hey, I just wanted to know if there were something NotRamjet97 and I are doing right. If you can just leave a comment, that would be great.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The girls were just starting on the second episode of RNIS when Starlight peeked over and happened to see Bright Eye’s notebook. ‘What are you writing about?’ Starlight thought. She carefully crept over to the notebook and opened it. She looked through the potions and saw the heading “Potions of Romance.”

This intrigued Starlight...especially considering how she felt around a certain orange earth pony... She had had a crush on Ace since middle school, but she could never build up the courage to do so. Especially since Ace liked Melody. Maybe… Just maybe… No, she couldn’t. If she did that, it would be a betrayal of her friend’s trust. But what if she did? And it worked? It was just a potion after all...

Starlight finally decided grab her cell phone and take photos of the pages. Hopefully Bright Eyes wouldn't be back for a while... This still felt wrong, it was almost like taking pictures of someone's diary.

When she heard Bright Eyes coming, she quickly put the notebook up and put her phone away. "Starlight?!" Bright Eyes whispered loudly.

Starlight swallowed hard.

“What are you doing?”

"I...thought it was my notebook..."

"Then why were you taking pictures?"

"I...was gonna put the art from my notebook on Hoofspace."

“Uh huh…”

“Yeah… I’ll just delete them right now.”

“Yeah, please do that.”

Starlight brought her phone back out and glanced at the photos...this could be her only shot at Ace… But if she keeps the photos… she might lose her friend. Defeated, Starlight deleted the photos. Starlight sighed. 'Well, that went well,' She thought. Starlight continued to watch the episode with the other girls.

As the episode continued, Starlight started to wonder if she might end up like one of the victims on the show… Well, probably not...though if looks could kill…

She eventually decided to turn in early, mainly because she was already getting drowsy. She got out her sleeping bag and lay it down on the floor. She crawled inside her sleeping bag and dozed off…

******

Garuda was packing his bags. He had just got home and he already needs to go back Ponyville. He still felt uneasy about this whole school thing, but if he had to, then he had to.

And besides, maybe there were some cute girls at the school… Hmm...might not be so bad after all...

“Are you ready?” Gilda asked as she walked in.

“Not yet. Still gotta get the thing I need to work on.”

“And what thing is that?”

“The new weapons that I am working on. These will be able to compact into little sticks just a little larger than the smoke bombs."

“Uh huh...and what does it do?”

"Pretty much what I just said. They're like my normal weapons, just easy to store."

"Okay… Do you need any help?”

“No, I almost got it. Thanks for offering, though.”

“Okay. But remember we’ll be leaving soon.”

"Okay." Garuda grabbed a box and put the weapons that he was working on in there. He had to make sure he has all of the tools that he needs because there would be no returning to get them. He went over his mental checklist:

Five Shurikens: Check.

Ten Smoke Bombs: Check.

Two Ninja Suits: Check.

Rope: Check.

Two Knives: Check.

Everything was present and accounted for, except his pocket knife, a gift from his mother (cuz his step-father didn’t want him to have a gun) and a ninjato, a gift from his father after he had completed his training.

Those two thing were what he didn't want to replace because the pocket knife was already easy to store and the sword was considered a sacred symbol for a ninja. Plus the knife had belonged to his mother’s grandfather, and the sword had been in his step-father’s family for centuries, so it meant a lot to him. Surprisingly, though, it does a really good job. It might not have been a gun, but it was just as effective if not more.

Once he had those items packed, he took he's bags and walked toward the front door. "Now I'm ready," he said.

"Good," Gilda replied, "Got everything?"

“Yep, got everything.”

"Weapons?"

"Yup."

"Clothes?"

"Yup."

"Phone?"

This made Garuda pause, "Um..." He patted his pockets; no phone. "I'll go get it." He raced back to his room and grabbed the cell phone and the charger. “Got it!”

“Good. Do you have your car keys?”

“Right here.” Garuda patted his pocket, a small jingle could be heard.

“Good. Well, I guess we’ll see you at our new house, okay?”

“Okay, I will see you then.” Garuda was about to get to his car, but before he could, his mom planted a kiss on Garuda’s cheek.

“Love you.”
Garuda frowned as his cheeks turned red from embarrassment, “I love you too…”

He made his way to his Mitsubishi Eclipse and unlocked the door. Then he threw his backpack in the back seat and got in. He started the engine after buckling up. ‘Well, here goes...’

*****

Teddy jolted awake. He sighed before stepping out of bed. He had been having bad dreams ever since he found out that his sister was alive. But this one was...different. His past dreams had been about Flare, scared, hurt, crying...but this one wasn’t about Flare.

It was about Sweetheart.

It could possibly have to do with how much Sweetheart reminded Teddy of Flare, or how she was nearly taken by that creep the other day. Either way, there was something about those experiences that set Teddy off. He wished he could call her, but it was probably too late. He rubbed his eyes and picked up his cell phone, dialing Sweetheart’s number.

After a few rings, Sweetheart answered. "Hello?"

“Hey Sweetheart,” Teddy said.

"Teddy...why are you calling so late?"

“Can’t sleep.”

"Oh...do you wanna talk?"

“I guess.”

"Ok. So...are you still trying to recover from Flare?"

Teddy sighed. “Yes.”

"I'm sorry... Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just tell me you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Teddy. We all are really, truly fine.”

“We?”

"I'm having a sleepover, remember?"

“Oh yeah… I forgot…” It was a good thing Sweetheart can’t see him blushing.

“We’re currently watching RNIS.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. The episode we’re watching we’ll be the last one before we go to sleep.”

"Oh, okay. I should probably let you go. But...can I offer to take you to take you somewhere tomorrow?"

“Maybe you could take me to Sweet Apple Acres?”

"Uh...okay...but I was thinking maybe somewhere to eat, or something. I can take you there, though..."

“Oh. Okay. Well maybe before I have to go there.”

"Okay...anywhere you wanna go?"

“I don’t know…”

"Well...you can sleep on it, okay?"

“Okay… Good night.”

“Good night.”

Teddy hung up the phone. He laid back in his bed and tried to get back to sleep.

******

Sweetheart hung up after a short conversation with Teddy.

"Who was that, Sweetheart?" Melody asked.

"Teddy." Sweetheart replied.

"Why'd he call?" Bon Bon asked.

“I’d rather not say right now.”

“Why not?”

“It’s personal.”

“For you, or for him,” Patch asked.

"Both... And I really, truly don't mean to offend you. But it's none of your business.

“It is every bit as much our business,” Melody said, “You know how much of a bully he is.”

"He may be a bit of a bully, but he still has a heart, and he has feelings."

Bright Eyes had to agree with Sweetheart on that point. "He may be mean to us, but he can change, he's not an animal."

“Bright Eyes, whose side are you on?” Patch asked.

"I'm not on anyone's 'side'; I'm just saying Teddy's still a person..."

"But what if he hurts Sweetheart?" Melody asked.

"Sweetheart's a smart girl. I have faith she knows she's doing what she thinks is right."

“Fine…”

"Thank you, Bright Eyes," Sweetheart said.

“It was nothing. Anyway, I need to turn in.” A yawn immediately followed Bright Eyes’s sentence.

"Good night, Bright Eyes." Bon Bon said.

“Good night,” Bright Eyes replied as she got into her sleeping bag.

"I think we all better get to bed, it’s getting late,” Clover said.

"Yeah...good night everyone." Sweetheart said, before turning in, as well.

Soon, the rest of the girls got into their sleeping bags and they all eventually fell asleep.