The Secret of Sheldon Clopper.

Chapters

The Perks Of Being A Mindbender
The Origin Of The Mindbenders
New Home, New Life
The Concept Of Love
Video Games and other Fantasies
Special Someponies
A Playdate and an Unexpected Surprise
Flower Petals and Magazines
Rumble's Punishment
Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers
Heartbreak Filly
A Date and a Surprise Visit
Family Appreciation Day
Mindbreaking Up
Foalsitting
Hearts and Hooves Day
A Dance to Remember
A Bittersweet Celebration
Word Spreads Out
Celestia's Judgement
New Recruits
Sweet Memories, Harsh Realities
The Birth Of A Mindbender
A Field Trip and a Rock Farm

The Perks Of Being A Mindbender

Now my parents didn't really let themselves get too concerned over my apparent speaking problem until I was about five. At that age, I should've been chatting away with my parents, but unfortunately every time I try to form a word, my mouth would only let out a void of silence.

At that point they decided that the best thing to do would be to take me to a therapist--who's been a friend to my family for quite a long time. His name was Dr. Egghead, he was a gray earth pony who had white hair, a white moustache, big glasses, a green vest, and a Cutie Mark that resembles an egg with glasses on it. As soon as the both of them had sat themselves down, Dr. Egghead wasted no time in telling them, "Jack, Diane, after going through numerous tests I've come to the conclusion that your son is a born mute."

My parents couldn't believe what they just heard: their son, Sheldon Clopper, was born mute! My mom tried her best to hold back her tears as she said, "You mean to tell us that Sheldon can never speak?!"

"He can't speak, whistle, yawn, scream, or make any type of sound whatsoever." Dr. Egghead told her bluntly.

While my mom was falling into despair, my dad couldn't accept the fact that his son is voiceless. "This can't be right, Egghead; I know that Sheldon never cried that much when he was still a baby, but he couldn't possibly have been born this way!"

"I know Jack, I didn't want to believe it either; that is until I received this from the hospital." Dr. Egghead placed a folder on his desk and as soon as my dad had opened it and took out what was inside, he was just as stunned as my mom was as he was gazing at an X-ray of my damaged vocal chords. "I'm sorry Jack, but I'm afraid that Sheldon was brought into this world without a voice."

After allowing this fact to sink in, my mom finally said, "What's to be done with Sheldon? how is he going to be able to communicate with us, or anypony for that matter?"

"Not to worry, Diane," Dr. Egghead assured her. "I have something that can help him. Bring your son in."

The second I was brought in, my mom was the first to tell me, "Sheldon, sweetie, Dr. Egghead's told us why you can't say anything. It's because you were born mute." As if to rest her case, she even showed me the X-ray just so I wouldn't be able to doubt it.

But I immediately lost focus from it when Dr. Egghead said, "Come here Sheldon, I got a little present for you." Being the excited little colt that I am, I dashed towards him to receive this "present." As I stood before him, hopping with anticipation, he placed a little chalkboard around my neck, gave me a piece of chalk, and said, "I heard that you can already write; so I figured this board and chalk can prove useful for you. Whenever you feel like telling anypony anything, you just write what you want to say on that board. Do you have something you want to say?"

Seeing as how this might be a big moment for myself, I took the chalk in my mouth and had written down my first word. "Thanks."

...

Anyway, a couple of years later, I'm now eight and I'm getting myself ready for another day at this snooty private school that my parents got me enrolled in--you know, since everypony in my family has attended private schools when they were my age. After I had finished my breakfast, I figured that I deserve to have a cookie. But my mom quickly snatched it from my hooves and said, "No Sheldon, cookies aren't for breakfast."

As she went to get my school uniform out of the dryer--that's right, it's that type of school--I just sat at the table and watch my dad reading the newspaper. As I was focusing on this, I could hear my dad say, "Huh, who would've thought that Suri Polomare was just a copycat?" but then I immediately turned my focus towards the cookie jar. Since that night at the hospital, I've been practicing these skills of mine from time to time. From bouncing a ball, turning a page on a book, and making a paper airplane fly as long as I want it, these skills of mine keep getting stronger and stronger. Anyway, as my focus was being completely intent on that jar, the lid had lifted itself and a cookie was floating towards me.

When I heard my mom saying, "I still can't believe they're still making us pay extra for this." I quickly chowed down on the cookie and placed the lid back on the jar. My mom then came in and gave me the typical before school lecture while she was dressing me in my uniform, "Now remember Sheldon, don't get into any fights and never talk back to your teacher."

I took my chalk and written, "How can I talk back if I can't talk?"

When my dad saw what I've written, he said, "Son, nopony likes a smart aleck."

"Isn't that the point of me going to school though?"

My mom gave my dad a smirking look and said, "I wonder who he gets it from?" she then kissed me on the forehead and said to me, "You be good now." And with that said I ran out the door and went straight to school.

Now it's important for anyone who's reading this to know more about the school that I'm having to attend; I mentioned that this is a rich private school that my parents have to pay for and that its the kind of school that has a dress code, but what I forgot to mention was that it's an all colt school (meaning that there's not a single filly or mare in the school).

And not only is it a colt only school, it is a school where the majority of ponies who attend it are all unicorns. I mean, there might be a few pegasi who also attend this school, but when it comes to earth ponies, I'm literally the only one they have. That of course has made me a target for these snooty, stuck-up, rich colts. But the one who really enjoys taunting me is the tanned fur, yellow haired unicorn, simply known as Highbrow Canterster.

The second I'd walked in the classroom, Highbrow said to his cronies, "Well look fellas, if it ain't old Blankius Flankicus." Yeah, another thing they like to tease me about is the fact that I still haven't gotten my Cutie Mark yet. Because of this, most of my classmates like to call me "Blankius Flankicus"--or "Blank Flank" in layponies' terms.

Anyway, he then decides to get his flank off of his throne of a desk so he could say to my face, "You're ready to fail yet another test, Flopper?"

Yeah, another thing he likes to do is take the "C" out of my last name and replace it with an "F". I took my chalk and I'd written down, "I don't know, are you ready to stop talking like a girl?"

To this he says, "Well at least I can talk!"

And to this I've written, "It's still better than having a girly voice."

"You can't even make a sound!" cried Highbrow, "you have to talk through a chalkboard for Celestia's sake!"

"Your point being...?"

"My point is that I'm always better than you. I mean, just think about it: I get my Cutie Mark before you, I always get the highest grade in this class, and I'm Professor Bucksworth's favorite student. And what have you accomplished?" he paused for awhile and said, "Exactly, nothing. You'll never accomplish anything, Flopper."

Out of blind rage I've written, "Wanna bet?"

This caused Highbrow to literally raise up one of his brows and say, "A bet you say?"

"I bet that I can get a higher grade than you on this test."

This caused Highbrow to laugh and say to the others, "Did you hear that, everypony? Blankius Flankicus here thinks he can get a higher grade than I!" and this resulted in everyone raising their heads up and letting out their uptight laughter. Highbrow then turned back to me and said, "Don't be ridiculous, Flopper. The day you get a higher grade than I will be the day I eat my school uniform."

"That's because it will be."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that whoever makes the lowest grade has to eat his school uniform."

"Is that so?"

"Yep, now do we have a bet or not?"

"You bet," after we shook hooves--making the bet official--he says, "of all the times you've lost to me at a bet, this'll be the most hilarious."

Yeah if you haven't seem to get the picture at this point, this isn't the first time I've made a bet with Highbrow. I've made tons of bets with him before, and I've always end up losing. He even kept track of how many times he's beaten me--I think it's 99-0. So yeah, chances are this'll be the hundredth time he's beaten me.

But anyway, our teacher, Professor Bucksworth, had finally came into the classroom with every copy of the test being lifted with his magic. And is he just as much of a snob as my classmates? Do pegasus ponies have wings?

Anyway, as he passes out each copy of the test, he said, "OK pupils, today you'll be taking your algebraic/philosophy test. And pray that you've studied well; for this one will go straight in your permanent record." Yeah, we basically have to learn about things they don't teach in regular schools. And as you can imagine, I'm not exactly the best when it comes to subjects like this--which probably explains why Highbrow likes to refer to me as "Flopper".

OK, after I moved Professor Bucksworth's chair away and watched as he fail flat on his flank (the upside of being mute is that no one can hear me laugh), I looked straight at the piece of paper and I immediately lost any hope of getting a high grade. I never got any high grades in this class before, so how will I possibly get any high grades now?

So as I was just letting my mind wander off, I'd suddenly stumbled upon something that I've never discovered before. I looked at Professor Bucksworth and I could hear him saying the answers in his head. As quick as you can say sonic rainboom, I took my pencil and I quickly copied down the answers on my paper. After my pencil had burst into flames, I placed my paper on the desk, and Professor Bucksworth was like, "Well, Mr. Clopper, usually you're the last one to turn your test in."

As I sat back on my desk, I could hear Highbrow saying, "What do you know, he's so eager to lose this bet he's finishing the test early."

...

A few minutes later, it was now lunch time; and at this point, this is what we would consider our break period before we go back and get the test results. Feeling so confident that I was going to ace this test, I sat my flank on my usual spot and I ate my lunch with pride that I've never felt before.

As I was eating, Highbrow and his cronies just happened to walk by, and he decided to do some more mud slinging at me, "Well, somepony seems to be having himself a good lunch. I hope you can save room for your uniform, Flopper."

I took my chalk and written down, "I hope you like the taste of fabric, because that's what you're gonna be tasting for the rest of your life."

Highbrow lifted his head up in that snobbish manner and said, "Come along fellas, let's leave Blankius Flankicus to his last meal in peace." And while they were walking in that uptight fashion, they didn't notice it when I moved the wet floor sign away and watched as they each slipped and let themselves get covered in their lunch. Highbrow then cried out, "Who did that?! Whoever did this will hear about this from my father!" what a baby.

...

After lunch, I came trotting into the classroom and just sat on my desk with a prideful smirk on my face. Highbrow saw this and said, "I'd wipe that smirk off your face if I were you."

To this I've written, "If you were me you wouldn't sound like a girl."

As he was about to retort, Professor Bucksworth had came in with a very astonished look on his face. He sat down, cleared his throat, and said, "Well pupils, I must admit I'm pretty surprised at the results. Usually the highest grade this class ever gets is 91, but today the highest grade has now been raised up to 100." Highbrow started to form a cocky little smile, but that however went away the second Professor Bucksworth said, "But the most extraordinary thing about all of this is the fact that this feat has been accomplished by none other than Mr. Clopper." And while everypony was gasping in shock, I was just basking in my glory (I especially loved the look on Highbrow's face when he realized that his record is now 99-1).

Anyway, I took my chalk and I've written a little something for Highbrow, "Looks like I've just broken your streak." As he started to mutter some gibberish, I erased the statement and written, "Now how would you like your uniform? With or without mustard?"

As he was trying to think of a comeback, he just sighed and said, "Well, a Canterster always pays his debts." And then he took the hat part of his uniform and as he took the first bite, he was like, "Mmm, not bad."

As I was gazing at the sight of his defeat, some kind of light flashes from out of nowhere and then somepony cried, "Hey everypony, Sheldon's got his Cutie Mark!" I looked at my flank and saw that I did in fact have my Cutie Mark!

It was a brain with a lighting bolt over it--maybe my special talent is being a genius. Professor Bucksworth gazed at it with his glasses and says, "Well I do say, Mr. Clopper, you seem to be on a roll today."

I then turned to Highbrow and I've written to him, "Looks like Blankius Flankicus is now extinct." And I swear that he almost choked on the fabric of his hat after I showed him the statement.

...

After school, I came trotting back home with the kind of excitement that I haven't felt since the day my parents enrolled me to that school. I told my parents everything that had happened today, and they were more than proud when they saw my Cutie Mark. They were so excited over this that they decided to take me to Dr. Egghead so I could tell him about it.

While I was in the room where he and I usually discuss in, he came in and said, "Well Sheldon, your parents have told me that you seem to have had a very good day today."

I took my chalk and I started to go over the details, "Yep, first I get a good grade on my test, then I finally beat Highbrow at a bet, and to top it all off, I got my Cutie Mark!"

"Really," said Dr. Egghead, "can I see it?" when I did show it to him, the look on his face slowly went from happy to dread. I took my chalk and written, "What's wrong?" and he says, "Oh, uh...nothing, Sheldon. You just wait in here while I go talk to your parents."

When he walked back into his office, my dad said to him, "Well Egghead, did I say my son's going to accomplish anything or did I not?"

"Yes," said Dr. Egghead, "he's definitely made a huge accomplishment."

"So what about his Cutie Mark, Doctor," said mom, "what does it mean?"

"I know what it means, but I'm a little afraid to be honest."

"Why do you say that?" asked dad.

Dr. Egghead took a deep breath and said, "I'm afraid that your son...might be a Mindbender."

The Origin Of The Mindbenders

"A what?" my mother exclaimed.

"A Mindbender." Said Dr. Egghead.

My mom felt a bit nervous, but my dad however just brushed the thought away, "Don't be ridiculous, Egghead. There's no such thing as Mindbenders."

"So they say in the universities," said Dr. Egghead, "but everything they've told you was a lie."

"What do you mean?" said mom.

"What I mean is that those stories about the Mindbenders are true."

My dad still wouldn't believe this, "And just what proof do you have that our son is in fact a Mindbender?"

"After I perform some very simple tests on Sheldon, we shall see whether these suspicions of mine are true or not." When he finally came back to the room, he placed a piece of paper on the little table and said, "Sorry for keeping you waiting, Sheldon, your parents and I were just having a long discussion. But now that I'm here, see if you can answer these questions for me."

The paper he'd handed to me was filled with questions that only somepony as smart as Albert Holstein could answer. But luckily for me I was able to get the answers out of Egghead's head and finish it in less than a minute. As he was just staring at the piece of paper, I took my chalk and I've written, "Anything else?"

He soon snapped out of his surprised state and said, "No, that'll be all, Sheldon. Just play with some of the toys while I go talk to your parents."

When he walked out of the room, my parents were standing there, waiting for his answer. "So, what's the result?"

Dr. Egghead took a deep breath and said, "He's a Mindbender."

My mom was shocked to have heard this, but my dad still wasn't convinced. He took the paper from Dr. Egghead and said, "What do any of these questions of have to do with him being a Mindbender?"

"Because a normal pony would take hours to answer those questions," said Dr. Egghead, "your son answered them in less than a minute."

"But how does that make him a Mindbender?" asked dad.

Dr. Egghead took off his glasses and said, "Because he read the answers through my mind."

My mom--again--was shocked to hear this, but my dad said, "Is that all the proof you have?"

"You want more proof," said Dr. Egghead, "then take a gander at what your son is doing." My mother and father then looked through the window and were both surprised to see me making all the toys float around.

After they had witnessed my playtime, my dad was now completely convinced. "So, you're saying that my son is something that only existed in myths?"

Dr. Egghead was taking out a big book from his shelf as he said, "Yes, it's true that nowadays Mindbenders are considered to just be myths. But that's only because everypony chose to believe that it was only legend and not history."

When he placed the book on his desk, my mom saw the symbol on the cover and said, "That looks like Sheldon's Cutie Mark."

"That's because it's the mark of all Mindbenders." Said Dr. Egghead. He then opened the book and he began to tell my parents the "history" of Mindbenders. "You see, Jack and Diane, we don't see or hear that much about Mindbenders because they only existed in a time before we were ever born. The Mindbenders were a secret society that mostly consisted of earth ponies and pegasi who were born with special Mind Powers. Most of them lived in the Mind-Temple far off into the outskirts of Equestria, while some--believe it or not--lived in Canterlot. Those who were living in Canterlot were once the trusted servants of Princess Celestia. This was during the years when the Changelings were constantly trying to invade Equestria; but with the help of the Mindbenders, Celestia was always one step ahead of them."

My father then decided to share his opinion, "OK, so this secret society of Mindbending ponies had kept the Changelings from devouring the love in Equestria. But then how come the Mindbenders are no more, exactly?"

Dr. Egghead was a bit reluctant to tell my parents this, but he knew that he had to. "Well, you see, the reason why there aren't anymore Mindbenders is because they were all killed."

"Killed!" cried mom, "b-by the Changelings?"

"No," said Dr. Egghead, "by Celestia."

My parents were in a complete state of shock after they'd heard those words. "But why would Celestia do such a thing?!" said dad, "after all they've done to protect her kingdom, this is how she repays them?!"

"This of course is the main reason why everypony wanted to not believe in all this," said Dr. Egghead, "but alas, it did happen; there was a time when Celestia was cruel and bloodthirsty."

"But why though?" asked mom.

"Well according to this book," explained Dr. Egghead, "it was because she found out that the Mindbenders who were serving her were actually plotting to overthrow her. When she had discovered this, her trust for the Mindbenders was completely shattered. And because of this, she ordered her guards to kill the Mindbenders who were living with her. And when they were dead, she had her guards go and destroy the Mindbenders who were at the Mind-Temple." As he was saying this, my parents were becoming even more scared than they were before. Dr. Egghead then concluded this by saying, "So as you can see, your son is the first Mindbender to have ever been born ever since that dreadful massacre that happened so long ago; and he might very well be the last."

My father took a big gulp and said, "So what must we do?"

"Simple," said Dr. Egghead, "get your son as far away from Canterlot as possible."

"You mean move to another place?" asked mom.

"Exactly, the further away he is from Celestia the better. This place is too filled with ponies who remember this history, and if they were ever to find out about Sheldon's secret, then they might tell Celestia herself. Because if word ever got out that there's another Mindbender in Equestria, it'll be the biggest controversy since the day those three humans had fell from the sky."

"But all of this had happened thousands of years ago," said dad, "surely Celestia still isn't resentful by this dying race."

"True, it has been a long time ago, but you forget that Celestia is as old as time itself. Which means that she'll still remember anything that has happened in Equestria; even if it was over a thousand years ago and nopony else can remember."

My mom then said, "OK, so as long as he's far away from Celestia, he'll always be safe?"

"Not quite, even if you're leagues away from Celestia, there's still other ponies that you'll have to worry about."

"What do you mean?" asked dad.

"Well, what if an innocent bypony was just walking by and he just happens to see Sheldon moving something with his mind? He might ignore this and never bring it up again, or he might tell this to a guard and in turn the guard will tell this to Celestia. So it'll be up to you two to make sure that your son learns to control these powers."

"And what sort of powers are we talking about, exactly?" asked dad.

"Well the book doesn't really explains these powers, but what I could gather from it is that Mindbending is mostly consisted of four abilities. The first ability is called Mindhacking: Mindbenders mostly use this when they're trying to get information out of ponies. For example, let's say that you were hiding a birthday present from Sheldon, and he was trying to find its hiding spot. All he would have to do is read your mind and he'll get the secret right out of you. The second ability is called Mindpushing: this is basically the Mindbenders' way for moving objects--kind of like what you saw Sheldon doing a few minutes ago."

"Oh, you mean like how unicorns move objects with their magic?" asked mom.

"No, unicorns don't move objects with their minds, they just use their magic. And magic has nothing to do with Mindbending. Now the third ability--which you won't need to worry about--is called Mindversing: it's just Mindbenders talking to each other through their minds--and Sheldon's the only one in Equestria. Now the fourth ability that you will need to worry about is called Mindbreaking: this one is usually just used as a defense mechanism."

"What does it do, exactly?" asked dad.

"Well this sort of ability is only triggered when a Mindbender feels threatened or angered; what happens is that a Mindbender will use all the power within his mind to take full control of another pony. Whenever a Mindbender is doing this, what happens first is that the pony he's trying to control will hear a long beeping noise, then he'll feel an agonizing headache through the nerves of his brain. When the Mindbender has complete control over him, he can make that pony hurt himself or others. But if the Mindbender were to ever apply too much pressure to the pony's brain, then it might result in it exploding. Not only that, but it can also prove fatal for Sheldon. Because if he were to ever use this ability, he'll start to feel fatigue; and if he doesn't take a break...well, he might accidentally kill himself."

My parents were both in stunned silence for awhile, then my dad was able to say, "OK, so we have to keep Sheldon away from Celestia, not do anything that'll make other ponies suspicious, and help Sheldon control these possibly dangerous powers of his. But what I still want to know is where we should move to?"

"My suggestion would be to go to Ponyville; it's a small-town where very seldom things tend to happen, and you might be able to live a nice, normal life there. Now as for schooling, you'll have to let Sheldon attend a public school. I know that your family has always attended private schools, but you can't risk it with Sheldon being a Mindbender and all. It's very important that everypony still thinks that the Mindbenders are extinct."

"OK, we now know exactly where we need to go to." Said mom. "But what do we tell Sheldon?"

"Don't bother coming up with an excuse, he'll just get the truth right out of you. And if by any chance he resents to this or refuses to go away, just remember that it's for his own safety."

As my mom went in to get me, my dad said to Dr. Egghead, "You've been helping my family for so long, Egghead, that I don't even know where to begin to thank you."

"There's no need," said Dr. Egghead, "I'm just always glad to help out a good friend."

...

When we got back home, my parents were each giving me these worried glances. I took my chalk and wrote down, "What's wrong?"

My dad took a deep breath and said, "Sheldon there's...there's something that you need to know. Dr. Egghead told us what your Cutie Mark meant; it means that you're a Mindbender."

"What's that?"

My mom decided to explain it for me. "It's a type of pony who can move things and read other ponies thoughts, just through the power of their mind."

"You mean you know about these strange things I do?"

"Yes son, we now know everything." My dad said, "We also know that your life is in danger."

"Why's that?"

"Because Princess Celestia doesn't like Mindbenders," my mom explained, "and if she ever found out that you're one of them, then she might take you away from us."

"Which is why we're going to have to move."

"Where to?"

"We discussed this with Dr. Egghead," my dad explained, "and he suggested Ponyville. If we do move, then you'll have to start attending public school, and you'll also gotta learn to keep this talent of yours a secret. Do you understand, son?"

When he mentioned public school, I couldn't imagine myself to be any happier. Because if you were having to go to that private school with all those snobs, you'd want to go to public school too. So with my chalk, I wrote down, "When do we leave?"

As they each looked at each other in surprise, my dad then said, "As soon as we get everything packed." So without wasting any more time, my family and I went straight to packing.

...

I was able to get things done quicker with my newfound skills, but I was gonna have to learn to not depend on it too much when we go away. We had to make a quick stop to my grandparents house to say goodbye; they were happy to see me with a Cutie Mark, but were even more surprised when they were told they'd be staying at our old house. Then after my parents explained everything, we immediately got aboard the first train to Ponyville.

New Home, New Life

We had arrived to Ponyville that very night, after we got off the train. We've settled in this simple, little house that everyday ponies would probably live in--normally we would live in a more expensive place, but we were trying to keep a low profile. As we were setting our stuff in our new house, we were having to go over our new daily routine. We can no longer spend our money on anything that's expensive, both my parents will have to get regular jobs (the kind that don't require degrees or diplomas), and I would have to attend public school. My parents might've been a bit upset over this new change, but I was actually looking forward to all of this. Finally, after all those years of having to be around those snobs at that private school, I'm finally going to be with regular ponies for the first time. And as I went to bed that night, I could barely wait for the first day of my new life.

...

The next day, I was probably the only one who was able to wake up with a smile. While I was starting the new day in an upbeat manner, my parents had entered the kitchen in a very groggy state. As I was eating my breakfast, my parents were just sipping coffee. My mom looked at me and said, "Somepony sure is happy today."

I made my chalk and board float as I write, "If you were going to a school that didn't have a dress-code, wouldn't you be happy?"

My dad then muttered, "Well at least you're not having to go work at a rock farm."

My mom then said to him, "Now Jack, we both agreed that the best way to remain inconspicuous was to get minimum waged jobs."

I could hear my dad's inner voice say, "I don't believe this, I went to Bale for Celestia's sake, and now I'm having to do the one thing universities were suppose to prevent me from doing."

My mom then turned to me and said, "Now Sheldon, you remember why we had to move here in the first place, right? So from now on, don't ever be using your Mind Powers out in public."

"Don't worry, Mom, I won't do anything that's suspicious." I then hugged my mother and father goodbye and then I went off to the school.

As I was entering the classroom, I saw a whole bunch of foals just talking amongst their friends. Usually at the private school, everyone would be in an orderly manner, but here everyone was just scattering around the room. While I was roaming through this classroom, I didn't look where I was going and I had bumped into and saw--for the first time--a filly. This filly was pink and had white and purple hair, and she wore a fake, plastic tiara on her head. The filly standing next to her was gray, had pigtails, and wore glasses.

The pink filly turned to me and said, "Hey, watch where you're going..." she read my little greet message that said, "Hi, my name is Sheldon." And added, "Sheldon!"

Her gray friend then said, "Say, I don't like remember seeing you here before."

I then took my chalk and I've written down, "That's probably because me and my family just moved here."

"Really," said the pink filly, "when did you settle here?"

"Last night."

"Last night?" said the gray filly, "like where were you living before?"

"Canterlot."

The pink filly's cold-hearted scowl then suddenly turned into a warm-hearted grin as she shook my hoof and said, "Welcome to Ponyville; I'm Diamond Tiara, and this is my friend, Silver Spoon!"

After she released her bear grip on my hoof, I took my chalk and written, "What's with the sudden welcome?"

The pink filly known as Diamond Tiara then said, "Well if you had mentioned that you were from Canterlot in the first place, then I wouldn't have been so rude to you earlier."

"What does it matter where I live?"

"Because only the richest and more special ponies--like me and Silver Spoon--come from Canterlot. It's always nice to meet a fellow rich pony, unlike the Blank Flanks we usually have to deal with." Great, my first day away from those Canterlot snobs and I immediately get to meet two already. Anyway, she paused for awhile and added, "You do have your Cutie Mark, right?"

When I showed them my Cutie Mark, the gray filly known as Silver Spoon squealed and was like, "Goodie, you like do have your Cutie Mark! At least now you'll get to hang with us instead of those Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"Cutie Mark what now?"

Diamond Tiara then said, "Oh, they're just a bunch of noponies who don't even know their place in life. In fact here comes three of them right now."

The first to come out of the door was an orange pegasus filly with pink hair. She let out a big grunt as she said, "I can't believe we didn't get our Cutie Marks for bomb defusing."

Then a white unicorn filly with hair that looks like the mixture of purple and pink came in. "I can't believe we were able to defuse it."

Then this yellow earth pony with red hair and a pink bow comes in and says in a strong country accent, "I can't believe we were dumb enough ta even try it." And I don't know what it was about her, whether it be the fact that she has the same coat as my mom or her nice accent, but for some reason my heart started to beat very fast as I was gazing at her. I don't quite know how to explain this, but for some reason the sight of her was making me lose control of every part of my body. But luckily I was able to get out of that paralyzed state of mine when the teacher came in and told us to get to our seats.

I just grabbed the first seat that I could come by, and it just so happens that it's between Diamond Tiara and the yellow filly with the bow. The teacher--who was a reddish/purplish earth pony with pink hair--said to everypony, "Good morning class!"

Then everypony said, "Good morning Ms. Cheerilee!"

The teacher known as Ms. Cheerilee then said, "First things first everypony, we have a new student with us today." Gee, didn't think she was just going to flat out announce my arrival; I was expecting her to just let all the foals take their time to know that I'm not from around here. I mean, does this teacher always just put ponies on the spot like that? Anyway, the teacher beckons me to come forward, and since I'm unable to say anything about it, I just went with it. As I was just standing in front of all the foals, Ms. Cheerilee says, "Everypony, this is Sheldon; he's just moved here from Canterlot. Would you like to share something about yourself?" yeah, apparently my parents forgot to tell her that I can't speak; this of course results in a long, awkward silence. Ms. Cheerilee leans in and whispered to my ear, "Uh, sweetie, don't you want to say something?"

I took my chalk and I've written down, "Would I be carrying this chalkboard around if I could say anything?"

I could hear her inner voice say, "Great, just what I need, another smart aleck." And then she says to me, "Fine, just take your seat." And I did just that.

...

Ms. Cheerilee--for the remainder of the time--started to go over today's lesson. But seeing that I can easily get the answers for any test right out of her head, I didn't even bother paying attention to what she had to say. While she was rambling on about things that I don't need to worry myself about, I took the opportunity to just listen to what these foals were saying in their heads.

I decided to start with that yellow filly with the nice accent (to see if she was thinking of me). But all I got out of her was, "I wonder what we'll be crusadin' fer next time?" yeah, clearly I didn't leave much of an impact on her.

I then tried her friends: first the orange pegasus, "I wonder what Rainbow Dash is doing?" and then the white unicorn, "I wonder if Rarity will let me borrow her sewing machine for when we try getting our Cutie Marks for disassembling and reassembling?" these three sure are intent on getting their Cutie Marks, aren't they? Don't get me wrong, I was just as determined to get my Cutie Mark, but even I didn't constantly think about it all the time.

Anyway, I then decided to go into the minds of the two snobs. This is what I got from Diamond Tiara, "It's a good thing that I got to him first before those Blank Flanks did." Wow, there is absolutely no word that can describe just how unlikeable she is. I don't know if she's Highbrow's cousin, or a filly version of him (well, more of a filly than he'll ever be), but she definitely seems to share his mannerisms.

Now Silver Spoon's inner voice was--for lack of a better word--peculiar. This is what she had to say, "The new kid has like gotta cute flank." OK, apparently she has some kind of obsession over flanks...and I don't really know what to say to that. But I didn't really put too much thought into it; in fact, I just let my mind go around freely and just listened to a bunch of random inner voices.

"I'd sure go for a big bowl of pudding right about now."

"Why do I feel like doing whatever Snails is thinking about doing?"

"Should I put on some cologne before I go see Minuette?"

"Come on, start recess already."

"OK Button, you can do this. You've gotten Hayman this far, and now this is where it ends."

All of that soon came to an end the second the bell started to ring and everypony was rushing out of the school.

While everypony was just running around the playground, playing with one another, me and the snobs were just sitting back at some tree, watching everypony play with each other. I wasn't quite getting why we were doing this, so I took my chalk and I've written down, "Why exactly are we just standing around here?"

Diamond Tiara then said, "Because only losers would just go around and play with each other."

Then Silver Spoon added, "Yeah, it's like much cooler to just watch losers be losers."

OK, I'm convinced now, these two are not the popular kids. They're that group of kids that're so unpopular, that they have to pretend that they're popular just so they can ignore the fact that they're unpopular. I mean, who would honestly think that watching ponies do stuff is way better than just actually doing stuff?

Apparently these two seem to think that; and it would seem that they're trying to drag me along with them. But luckily for me, that won't be happening. Because while they were off looking for a new spot to watch ponies do more stuff, a red ball was bouncing towards me. I turned my attention away from the ball to notice that a bunch of colts were just staring at me.

One of them, a gray pegasus with black hair, walks up to me and says, "Well, well, if it ain't the new rich kid. What's wrong, afraid to have your expensive haircut ruined?"

To this I've written, "What're you saying?"

And the gray pegasus said, "I'm saying that a Canterlot snob like you is too chicken to play kickball."

"I'm not a snob, and I'm most certainly not a chicken."

"Oh yeah," said the gray pegasus, "then why don't you get off your flank and play with a couple of poor kids?"

OK, being insulted by snooty rich kids is one thing, but having to be insulted by normal kids is a bit too far. If there's one thing that I wasn't going to do in this new life of mine, it's going back to being the one that everypony picks on. So without saying anything, though I technically can't say anything in the first place, I went to where the other colts were and I joined their little game.

"New kid's got guts, I'll give him that." Said the inner voice of the gray pegasus.

While the gray pegasus was getting back to his position, this yellow earth pony with shaggy black hair walks up to me and said, "Ever played kickball before?" I shook my head and he started to go over the basics. "Well fer starters I take this ball here, and then I toss it over ta Button over there," he points to a brown earth pony with spiky orange hair, with a little propeller hat on his head, and was staring at some little gizmo he was holding. "Then he tries ta kick the ball. And if he does kick the ball, then he has ta run across all these bases. If he's able ta run all four of 'em, then his team scores a point. But what you need ta do is catch the ball and tag him before he sets hoof on a base. At least try ta put up an effort, unlike those two over there." He then points to two idiot unicorns who were just standing around, acting like idiots.

When I finally set my hooves upon the first base, I watched as the yellow colt tossed the red ball at the brown colt known as Button. I then watched as the ball smacked Button across the face and he began to whine a bit. But when his little gizmo started to make a loud beeping noise, he started to panic. I mean he was literally grabbing the gizmo and was acting like his pet goldfish just died.

The gray pegasus then said, "Dang it, Button, stop fretting over that gizmo of yours and focus on the game."

Button then turned to him and said, "How can you possibly think about sports at a time like this?!"

"Because I like to play sports, and I like to do things that're actually important."

"How can bucking some ball around be more important than saving the Electrots from Mr. Dartmoor?!"

"Fine, just go over to the side and play around with your little gizmo buddies." As the gray pegasus was getting into position, I could hear his inner voice say, "Why do I always have to be on the same team as him?" and then I watched as he bucked that ball high in the sky!

Now there was no way that I could be able to just catch that ball without leaving the base; but luckily for me, I happen to have been born with Mind Powers. I know that I promised my parents that I wouldn't do anything suspicious, which is why I took extra caution while using these powers. I put all my concentration on that ball just to make it look like it was simply falling into my hooves. Then when I had the ball in my grasp, I didn't see it coming when the gray pegasus had smacked his own face right into it.

As everypony was looking at him lying on the ground, the bell had then rung again, and I quickly made a run back to the school. When I was heading back to the school, the yellow colt said to the gray pegasus, "You're out."

The Concept Of Love

After more minutes of Ms. Cheerilee rambling on about things that I'll just get out of her head whenever I want to, the bell had finally rung and the floors were beginning to shake from the trotting of all the school kids. But before I could even set hoof out of my desk, I had to endure some last minute torture from the two snobs. They literally both wrap their hooves around me as Diamond Tiara said, "Oh goodie, school's over! So what should we do when we get to my place?"

Silver Spoon then suggested, "Ooh, like how about we just lie around by your pool and watch the poor ponies watching us lie around your pool?"

"Or we could have a fancy tea party."

"Or we could like think up more insults for the Blank Flanks."

"Or we could compare how rich our dads are."

They were so preoccupied with discussing about what they were planning on doing, that they didn't even notice me slipping right by them and sneaking out the classroom. When I had finally got out of the school, I heard somepony shouting, "Hey new kid!" I looked ahead and saw that it was the yellow colt (with the gray pegasus and brown colt standing by his side). When he got my attention he said, "Listen, uh..." he just paused for awhile as he was trying to remember my name. I decided to just save him the trouble by just writing my name on the board. "Anyway, Sheldon, we were wonderin' if you would like ta come hang with us."

I took my chalk and I've written, "What do you mean?"

Then the gray pegasus said, "We're asking you if you want to be our friend."

"Really?"

"Well yeah," said the gray pegasus, "anypony who could get me out on kickball ought to be my friend."

"Our friend." Corrected the yellow colt.

"Whatever."

This was all just happening so fast; I mean, eight years of being ganged up on by everypony and now I'm finally being accepted into a group. As they were waiting for my answer, although the brown colt known as Button was more focused on his little gizmo, I've written on my board, "I might have to think about it."

"Oh Sheldon!"

When I heard the two snobs calling for me, I was then like, "OK, count me in!"

Then as we were getting as far away as possible, the two snobs were just looking around, trying to find me. "Where did our new friend go?" said Diamond Tiara.

Silver Spoon then said, "Do you think that maybe he doesn't like us?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Silver. Everypony in this school wants to be our friend; who wouldn't?"

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo..."

"Besides the Blank Flanks."

"Spike, Apple Bloom's sister, her brother, her cousin, Sweetie Belle's sister, those three humans..."

"OK, OK, so not everypony wants to be our friend. But at least we still have each other." They then did this secret hoof shake--though it was more of a flank shake--and then they went off to probably watch other ponies do stuff.

...

I had followed the three of them to some kind of apple farm--I know this may not be such a fun place to go to after school, but as long as I'm not anywhere near those two snobs I don't mind. I've then entered into--I'm guessing--the yellow colt's house, where we all just sat at a table and drank some apple juice. After a brief moment of awkward silence, that yellow colt decided to start a conversation, "So...are ya enjoyin' yer stay in Ponyville?"

I took my mouth out of the straw so that I could pick up my chalk and write down, "So far it's OK."

The second I placed my lips back on the straw, the yellow colt then said, "I'm Pecan, the self-absorbed pegasus is Rumble," he was saying this because Rumble was drinking his apple juice on top of a muscle that he was flexing, "and the one with the propeller cap is Button Mash." After mentioning his name, I then noticed that Button had been drinking his apple juice so fast that he almost sucked up the whole carton!

In fact, he would've choked to death if Rumble hadn't gave him a big slap on the back. But the weird part of all this is that after he had spat the carton out, he just went back to staring at his little gizmo.

Rumble leaned towards me and whispered, "Trust me, nothing can take his mind off when he's playing with that thing."

We then started to hear the floor creak as we turned and saw an old earth pony, with green fur and white hair come in and say, "Howdy Pecan, how was school today?"

"It was good," said Pecan. "How's Tex?"

"He and Applejack just finished today's chores," said the old pony. "They're upstairs, restin'." The old pony had then turned her attention towards me and said, "And who's ya new friend here?"

"That's Sheldon," said Pecan, "he just moved here from Canterlot."

The old pony then started to give me this very uncomfortable inspection as she said, "Well I'll be, we don't get much of you fancy types here in..." she then stopped right when she saw my Cutie Mark. She just stood there, staring at it with wide, bulging eyes. Then without saying anything she just turns around and walks out of the house.

After that somewhat awkward moment, I took my chalk and wrote down, "Who was that?"

"That was just Granny Smith." Said Pecan.

"Is she your grandma?"

"Oh no, me and my brother aren't related ta the Apple family," said Pecan. "In fact, me and my brother aren't even from here; we used ta live in a town called San Haytonio. Before I came here I was havin' ta go through a lot of stressful days at my old school--what with me bein' a Blank Flank and all. And then one day I received a letter from Tex, who at that time had moved ta Ponyville, and he was basically invitin' me ta come live there with him. It took a little convincin' from my parents, but in the end I found myself gettin' on a train and headin' straight ta Ponyville."

"So this is your place?"

"Oh no, no, no, no, we have a place of our own. My brother just works here ta earn a few bits now and then, and I come here mostly when I'm doin' somethin' with the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"What exactly do you do in that club?"

"Well we're basically a group of Blank Flanks that're tryin' ta get our Cutie Marks."

Rumble then added, "We'd ask you to join, but you already have your Cutie Mark, so that technically makes you ineligible."

We then started to hear loud banging noises coming from the ceiling above us. And along with the banging came this mixture of moaning and grunts. I took my chalk and wrote down, "What's that noise?"

Pecan said, "That's just my brother and his girlfriend, Applejack. They usually do this right after they finish their chores; this is what my brother calls 'foalplay'."

After a couple more minutes of moaning and grunting, we each started to have grossed out expressions on our faces--except for Button--as Rumble then suggested, "Maybe we should go outside." As we got out of our seats and started to walk out the door, Rumble noticed that Button was still sitting down, staring at his little gizmo. He then cried, "Button, get over here!" and to my surprise he was able to take his attention off of the gizmo for awhile and followed us out of the house.

When we were out of the house, Rumble had muttered to himself, "I still can't believe that's how we've been brought into this world."

Button however seemed to disagree, "I don't get why you guys are making such a big deal about this; I hear these noises all the time from my parents' room, and sometimes from my brother's basement, and it never grosses me out."

Rumble gave him a confused look as he said, "How could you not be grossed out by...that?"

As Button was about to respond, he quickly glanced at his gizmo and shouted, "Oh, loading's done!" and he basically went back to doing what he's been doing since school started.

I then took the time to write a little something for Rumble, "What do you mean by 'that's how we've been brought into this world'?"

He then told me, "Because that's literally how we were born."

"And you know this, because...?"

"My brother, Thunderlane, had told me all there is to know about 'foalplay'; that, and he's gotta stash of magazines that he keeps under his bed--which I sometimes peek at when he's not around." He said that last part in a manner in which he was expecting us to feel impressed by it.

Pecan was then like, "Ya mean yer brother has...'foalplay' magazines?"

"Uh, yeah," said Rumble, "doesn't your bro have any?"

"No!" cried Pecan, "Tex has way too much dignity ta do somethin' as degradin' as lookin' at pictures of mares bein'...and doin'...ya know what I mean!"

Rumble chuckled to himself as he turned to me and said, "What about you, Sheldon, does your bro do any of that stuff?"

I took my chalk and wrote down, "I don't have a brother."

Each of them--except Button--looked at me with surprised expressions on their faces as Pecan said, "Ya mean you're an only child?"

I then wrote down, "Yeah, it's kind of a family tradition."

"What do ya mean?" asked Rumble.

"Well when I was about six, I started to notice that I didn't have any uncles or aunts or cousins." I erased that sentence and started to write down the other half, "When I'd pointed this out to my dad, he told me it was because he, my grandfather, and any other member of my family, was an only child." And then I erased that sentence and decided to add a little tidbit, "So in other words, anypony named Clopper doesn't have a brother or a sister."

Rumble let out a long whistle as he said, "Gee Sheldon, I can't even begin to tell you just how sorry I am for you. I mean, having a brother is probably the second greatest thing to have in life; sure they tend to tease and pick on you now and then, but that's just what brothers do."

Pecan then responded, "Maybe that's how Thunderlane treats you, but Tex never picks on me in anyway."

"Sure he doesn't." Replied Rumble, "And I bet that Button's bro never gives him noogies or wet fillies." He waited for Button to respond, but instead got complete silence. "Right...?"

Without taking his eyes off of the gizmo, Button said, "I don't know, Gibson's usually too busy practicing with his band to even bother spending any time with me."

I then decided to change the subject, "If having a brother's the second greatest thing in life, then what's the first?"

Rumble turns my head in a slightly different direction as he told me, "That, my friend, is what you're about to see." As I looked closer, I then started to see two of the three fillies from before running towards us.

The orange pegasus had wrapped her hooves around Rumble's neck as she pressed her lips upon his. "So what've you boys been doing?"

To this Rumble replied, "Oh just hangin' with the new kid."

The orange pegasus then turned her attention towards me; she extended her hoof as she said, "Hey, I'm Scootaloo. And you're...?"

I figured that the quickest way to introduce myself would be to just rewrite the "Hi, my name is Sheldon" message, and just leave it there until all three of them had introduced themselves.

After the pegasus known as Scootaloo had read the message, I then turned to the white unicorn--who was standing beside Button. After she gave him a kiss on the cheek, she rubbed her face against his as she said, "How's my Button doing today?"

Without taking his eyes off the gizmo, he said in a very nonchalant tone, "Can't talk, gotta defeat Mr. Dartmoor in a three part battle and save the Electrots."

The look on the unicorn's face had slowly turned from cheerful glee to that of a wistful glum. OK, am I the only one who thinks that Button is kind of being a bit of a jerk right now? Because clearly the unicorn wants his attention, so you'd think that it wouldn't kill him just to show a little bit of acknowledgement towards her. She looked like she was about to let some tears start flowing, that is until she noticed me and said, "Oh hi, you must be the new kid; I'm Sweetie Belle." I then grabbed her hoof and shook it.

I figured that the nice thing would be to say something to her--and by say I of course mean write down on my chalkboard. But before I could even begin to write a sentence, I heard somepony cry, "Howdy y'all!" I turned around only to find myself being once again entranced by that bow wearing earth pony with the nice accent. Like before, my heart was beating uncontrollably and I lost control of my body. Only this time, my cheeks started to feel warm and I just couldn't take my eyes off of her. "Oh hi there," said the bewitching filly, "Uh, Sheldon, is it?" I couldn't hear a word she or anypony else was saying; I was just too hypnotized by her presence to even make a response.

While I was in my little comatose, everypony--except Button--was just staring at me as they tried to figure out why it is that I'm in some kind of stupor. Sweetie Belle was like, "Is he all right?"

Then the earth pony--whose name escapes me--started to tap me on the forehead as she said, "Hello, anypony home?"

After a few seconds of head tapping, Rumble chuckled to himself as he placed his hoof on that of the bow wearing siren and said, "Apple Bloom, toots, let a professional handle this. Pecan, help me move him."

As they took hold of my hind hooves, Scootaloo said, "Uh, Rumble, what do ya think you're doing?"

He turned to her and said, "Don't worry about it, babe; I've done this before. You and your friends just go hang out at the clubhouse, while me and the boys here take care of Sheldon." He then gave her a kiss on the forehead as he and Pecan started to drag me away from Sweet Apple Acres. When he noticed that Button was still standing there, he cried, "That includes you, Button!" and with that said, Button started to follow them as he kept his eyes bent on that little gizmo of his.

...

While I was still trapped in my trance, I was finding myself being dragged towards some fountain. When I was finally brought to this fountain, Rumble said to Pecan, "All right Pecan, help me hoist him up." Then next thing you know, they were both lifting me to the top of the fountain.

As I was just standing close to the edge, Pecan said to Rumble, "Uh, Rumble, do ya really think that we ought ta do this?"

"Trust me, Pecan," said Rumble, "this is the number one cure for ponies who're in love-struck comas." Then for absolutely no reason at all, he just shoves me and then I suddenly find myself being completely soaked! The second I touched the water, I've finally regained my consciousness, but now I was desperately trying to get out of the water (thanks for never teaching me how to swim mom and dad)! While I was trying to keep myself from drowning, Pecan was just staring at me with a big, gaping mouth, and eyes about as wide as an owl's. But Rumble just shrugged it off as he said, "Don't worry, if anypony asks, we'll say that Button did it."

That must've snapped Pecan out of whatever trance he was in, because next thing you know he immediately rushes in and yanks me right out of the fountain! While I was coughing out bits of water, Pecan turned to Rumble and was like, "What the hay, dude?! Ya could've drowned him!"

To this, Rumble said, "How was I suppose to know that he couldn't swim? It's not like I'm psychic, ya know; I don't just see these sort of things coming!"

Then out of nowhere, Button muttered, "You mean like how you didn't see it coming when that ball hit you in the face?"

"Oh shut up, Button!" cried Rumble. "At least I didn't scream like a little girl when it did hit me!"

At that point, I had finally got all the water out of my lungs and I was able to write down on my chalkboard, "What just happened?"

Pecan then turned to me and said, "You had us worried back there; ya just stood there like some statue. So we had ta wake you up somehow."

"And what exactly caused me to go in that state?"

"You tell me," cried Pecan, "one minute, you were just meetin' Rumble's and Button's girlfriends, then the second ya met Apple Bloom ya just froze!"

"Is she the one with the bow and the accent?"

"Yeah," said Pecan, "that was Applejack's sister. So you mind fillin' me in on why you went inta some daze when she spoked ta ya?"

Rumble had then let out a soft chuckle as he placed his hoof on Pecan's shoulder and told him, "Oh Pecan, isn't it obvious? Our voiceless friend here is in love."

"What're you saying?"

He then placed his hoof on my shoulder and said, "What I'm saying, my friend, is that you have gone head over hooves for a bow wearing filly with orange eyes."

At this point, I think I was beginning to understand why it is that I was losing control of my body whenever I laid eyes on the filly known as Apple Bloom. But does that necessarily make it OK? Well there was only one way for me to find out; so I took my chalk and wrote down, "And that's normal?"

"Of course it's normal," said Rumble. "My brother told me himself that it's OK for colts to be thinking about fillies that way. I mean didn't you have any fillies over at your fancy school?"

"The school I went to was for colts only."

The second they'd laid eyes on my little statement, each of their eyes had started to bulge out as Pecan said, "Ya mean you've never had a single filly at yer school?!"

"Oh yeah, even most of the teachers were stallions."

I could hear the inner voice of Rumble saying, "Gee, no wonder he wanted to move here." And then he said through his mouth, "Well Sheldon, I definitely can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because if there's one thing that my bro had taught me, it's that everypony should have a special somepony."

"So what am I suppose to do, exactly?"

"Do I have to spell it on your little chalkboard? You need to get a girlfriend."

"OK, but how?"

A smirk then started to slowly form onto Rumble's face as he said, "Well I don't like to brag, but I happen to be a real pro when it comes to impressing the fillies."

I could see Pecan rolling his eyes as his inner voice said, "Sweet Celestia, he's makin' Rainbow Dash look modest."

I then turned my attention back to Rumble as I took my chalk and wrote down, "Really? You're that good when it comes to fillies?"

"It's true!" cried Rumble. "In fact, would you believe it if I said that I used to date Diamond Tiara?"

Now I was completely shocked when I heard him say that; so of course, I'd written down a natural response, "You mean you actually wanted to be near that snob?!"

Rumble was then like, "Now I didn't say that I liked being with her; in fact now that I think of it, I was mostly just doing it to improve my popularity. I remember when me and my bro had first moved here, I was mostly worried that the foals at this school would make fun of me for being a Blank Flank. So when I saw Diamond Tiara, I figured that the best way for me to avoid anymore bullying would be to date her."

"And she actually allowed you to be her boyfriend?!"

"Believe me, I was just as surprised as you are. I saw her and her lackey picking on other Blank Flanks, but after I'd used the same moves that my bro uses, she just couldn't resist me. I mean of course the downside was that she was going to be a complete pain in my flank, but at least I was able to not be called a Blank Flank for awhile."

"Then how did you end up with Scootaloo?"

"Ah, now that's another story. What happened was that they were having tryouts to see who would get to carry the Ponyville flag at the Equestria Games. Diamond Tiara's and Silver Spoon's routine was weak at best, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders' routine was just beyond awesome; it was clear that they were going to win. If there was one thing that Diamond Tiara hated more than a Blank Flank, it's losing to one. So being the conniving little menace that she is, she and Silver Spoon decided to stoop to the lowest low that anypony could ever stoop to."

"What did they do?"

After an uncomfortable silence, Rumble finally told me, "You see, Scootaloo kinda has this problem with her wings. I don't really know much about it myself, but for some reason she tends to have a tough time trying to fly. Diamond Tiara saw this as an opportunity, and she and Silver Spoon tried their best to make Scootaloo feel ashamed for it. And they probably would've end up winning if Scootaloo hadn't been able to put her little flight problem aside and just compete. That was when I decided that Diamond Tiara had finally crossed the line; so after she and Silver Spoon lost, I just went up to her and told her it was over."

"How did she take it?"

"Surprisingly very well; and after I was finished with her, I started hanging out with Scootaloo. At first we were just friends, then it slowly turned into love. And the one thing that I love about her, is that she doesn't really act like a girl. She mostly does the same cool stuff that we boys like to do; and there's definitely something about a girl who acts like a boy."

Being a little confused on his last statement, I wrote down, "Did you say that you like boys?"

After reading my question, Rumble started to panic a little as he said, "What, no! I never said that!"

"Well it kind of sounded like you did."

"I have a girlfriend, so clearly I'm not attracted to colts!"

Pecan started to chuckle a bit as he told him, "Now Rumble, I like ya as a friend and all, but just not as a boyfriend."

Rumble really started to get angry. "I like girls, OK! I just happen to like the ones who act more like boys!"

"So you do like boys?"

"Don't make me bash your head with that board!"

Pecan then laughed a bit as he then said, "Well guys I'd best be goin' along; I have me a date."

Then as he left, I quickly wrote on my board, "He's got a girlfriend too?"

Rumble took a look at it and said, "No, he just thinks that he's got one."

"Then who is he seeing?"

"I'll show ya." So without saying anything else, he then led me and Button Mash to Pecan's "date".

We all followed Pecan to what appeared to be a dental office. We each looked through a window and saw Pecan walking up to this blue unicorn with blue and white hair. "Hello Pecan, how's my favorite colt today?"

"Fine, while I was walkin' I picked this beautiful flower and I thought ya might want it."

He hoofed her the flower, and she in turn gave him a kiss on the cheek. As he got on the dental chair, the unicorn then said, "So, have you been brushing your teeth daily like you're suppose to?"

"You bet Minuette, I even flossed twice right before I came here."

I then wrote something on my board and showed it to Rumble. "Who's that?"

"That's Minuette, she's the dentist in Ponyville."

"And Pecan's in love with her?"

"Oh yeah, it happened around the same time he first came here. He just took one look at her, and he automatically thinks that they're going to be married."

"And this is normal?"

"Well Spike has a crush on Rarity, and nopony seems to be in anyway disturbed by that."

"Who's Spike?"

"He's a dragon."

"Did you just say dragon?"

"Oh yeah, he helps Princess Twilight. In fact, we can probably go see him."

I then found myself being dragged to this very amazing looking castle. As we entered, we had to climb a long set of stairs. When we finally reached the top, we were soon greeted by this purple dragon--who was exactly the same height as us. "Hey Rumble, how's your day going?"

"Good," replied Rumble, "I'm just showing the new kid around town."

The dragon then shook my hoof as he said, "Hi, I'm Spike. What's your name?" I wrote the "Hi, my name is Sheldon" message back on the board. "What's with the chalkboard?"

I erased the message and wrote down, "I can't talk."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Spike said. "Well...how're you liking Ponyville so far?"

"It's definitely a lot better than Canterlot."

"You lived in Canterlot?! Me and Twilight also used to live there! That is until Twilight would end up being the Element of Magic, and then the Princess of Friendship."

I then took this chance to ask Spike a personal question, "Is it true that you have a crush on somepony older than you?"

He suddenly started to blush as he said, "Who told you that?!" I then drew an arrow and pointed it towards Rumble. "Rumble, why did you tell him?!"

"I was just trying to move the conversation along," defended Rumble. "It's not my fault that you and Pecan both have crushes on girls who are older than you."

"Well how would you like it if I ever told somepony an embarrassing secret about you?" retorted Spike.

"You mean like how Rumble likes boys more than girls?"

Spike was bursting in laughter, while Rumble said to me angrily, "We've been over this, Sheldon. I just happen to like girls who act like boys."

Spike calmed down a little and said, "Now hold on Rumble, maybe it's not like that. Maybe you just like boys and girls at the same time. I think there's a word for that, but what was it?" he then walked towards some balcony and called out, "Hey Jeffrie, what do you call somepony who likes boys and girls?"

I looked down from the balcony, and to my complete surprise, I saw these strange mutated monkeys! the one that I assume is Jeffrie shouted back to Spike, "They're called bisexuals."

Then the buff looking monkey-thing said, "Kinda like Jonathan."

Then the one that I assume is Jonathan blurts out, "Oh fuck you, Andrew!"

And as they left, nopony addresses this. Spike and Rumble don't explain what those things were or how they came here, but they seem to make it clear that they're a daily occurrence. Anyway, Spike then said to Rumble, "That's it Rumble, you're just a bisexual."

"Well I'm not!" cried Rumble, "I like fillies, and only fillies! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go home and look at some of my brother's magazines. That have pictures of girls by the way!"

Then right when he'd left, Button suddenly shouts, "Yes, I did it! I saved the Electrots! Take that Dr. Dartmoor!" he then looks at me and says, "Oh hey, what's your name?"

I wrote on my board, "Seriously?"

"Well how do ya do, Seriously, I'm Button Mash." And then I gave myself a hoofpalm to the face.

Video Games and other Fantasies

The two snobs that are better known as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were having a tea party, while discussing about all that had happened today. Silver Spoon took a sip of tea as she said, "So, like what do you think of Sheldon?"

"He seems OK for somepony who can't talk," said Diamond Tiara. "Why, do you fancy him?"

Silver Spoon's cheeks started to turn pink as she responded, "Well, he like does look more handsome than any of the other colts in school--and he definitely has a cute flank."

"Then you should totally make him your special somepony! You two would make a perfect couple!"

"I don't know, Diamond; he might not even like me back."

"Well you should definitely do something before Apple Bloom takes him away."

"Like why would she?"

"You mean you never noticed? he was taking glances at her all throughout the entire class. Those Blank Flanks are clearly starting to corrupt him."

"Don't be ridiculous, Diamond. There's like no way that somepony like Sheldon would ever want to hang around with those losers."

"Oh really, then what do you call that?"

She then turned her head towards the window and she saw me walking beside Button Mash and Spike. Silver Spoon started to twitch a little, "H-how can this like be possible?"

"Don't you see, Silver," said Diamond Tiara, "they're corrupting him; if he's still around them for any longer, then he might not want to be with us again."

"Like what should I do?"

"When we go to school tomorrow, the first thing you do is lay your claim on Sheldon. Let everypony--especially Apple Bloom--know that he's your boyfriend. And when you do, you make sure that he's right by our side. Then those Blanks Flanks will never be near him again, and you'll have your special somepony all to yourself."

"OK, but like what if he doesn't approve of it?"

"Silver, he can't even say anything. So that automatically means that his opinion doesn't matter."

"Oh, well when you like put it that way, I guess he wouldn't mind."

"Of course he wouldn't mind." They ended the conversation with their little flank shake and went back to sipping tea.

Meanwhile, Button Mash was taking me and Spike over to his place. (The reason why Spike came along is simply because he claimed that this Princess Twilight Sparkle doesn't have anything for him to do at the moment.) As we entered his house, he shouted, "Mom, I brought some friends over!"

"That's good, sweetie," I then saw this mare with long, light brown hair and beige colored fur come in from the kitchen (I assumed that she was his mom). When I saw Button's Mom for the first time, I was a bit enamored towards her. I was literally having the same feelings that I was having towards Apple Bloom as I was looking at her. But after what Rumble told me about Pecan and Spike, I had to quickly wipe those thoughts away. Come on, Sheldon, don't you start being attracted towards older girls too. Just forget her, and think about Apple Bloom. I closed my eyes, and I could see Apple Bloom standing right in front of me. She was standing in front of a glittery background as she was waving her hair around, and batting her eyes at me. She then came closer, and as she was about to kiss my muzzle, I was suddenly awoken by Button's Mom.

"Are you OK, sweetie?" she asked. "You weren't moving, and we started to get worried." I took the time to rewrite the "Hi, my name is Sheldon" greeting, and when she read it, her reaction was like this. "Why do you have a chalkboard around your neck?"

Then Button explained, "He can't talk, Mom; this is how he communicates."

"Oh dear, well I'm sorry about that, Sheldon." She then gave me a comforting hug, and my cheeks started to feel warm by her touch. Dang it, why does his mom have to be so beautiful?! She then let go and told us, "Well you boys go have fun, and I'll make you all some sandwiches."

Then when she went back to the kitchen, Button said to us, "Come on, guys, I got some cool games you might want to play!"

We followed him up the stairs, and that's when we saw his room. My parents would probably describe his room as a complete mess; there's literally tons of junk just lying all over the place, in absolutely no order. As he was rummaging through some of the piles of junk, he said, "Any games you guys feel like playing?"

Spike looked through some of the piles and said, "Ooh, how about this one?"

He then pulled out this little rectangle that had a picture of him dressed as some kind of spy, and in big, red letters was entitled: CRYSTAL GEAR SOLID. Button Mash had an annoyed look on his face as he said, "Spike, we all know that you only want to play that game because you just happen to be in it."

"This game is about how I saved the Crystal Empire," Spike pointed out. "So it's a lot more important than it looks."

I took the time to write on my board, "I'm sorry, but what is that exactly?"

Button gave me a surprised look, "It's a video game. Don't you have video games back at Canterlot?" I figured that I could easily just shake my head, rather than just writing "No" on my board. Button then let out a gasp, "You've never played video games before?! Then it's a good thing I brought you over!"

"And it's a good thing that I picked out the first game for him to try out." Added Spike.

Button let out a sigh as he took some kind of circle out of the rectangle, placed it in some kind of box, gave me some kind of controlling device, and made this even bigger box have some pictures appear. After some instructions from Button, I was beginning to get the hang of this so called "video game".

The one that I was playing was about Spike (who in the game is known as Solid Drake) sneaking into the Crystal Empire, and trying to take the Crystal Heart away from King Sombra. It mostly required a lot of stealth; I had to keep out of sight from most of the enemies, and I could even hide inside a box. Though I was kinda a bit annoyed by this. I mean, even I doubt that you can sneak past anypony by just hiding in a box.

After I was through playing, Spike asked me, "So, did you like it?"

I put the controller down and picked up my chalk and board, "It was fun, but is there one that doesn't involve hiding in boxes?"

"Well why don't you pick out the next game?" Button suggested. "Just look through the pile and pick one out."

Seeing as how there wasn't any better options, I decided to just go with it. I looked through the pile of rectangles until I found one that caught my eye. This one had a pony wearing a white cloak and was entitled: ASSASSIN'S STEED.

The second that I started playing it, I was in for a real treat that would later leave a big impact on my life. In the game, you play as this elite assassin called Altamare who has to redeem himself by killing certain ponies. But in the end, he realizes that something much more sinister was transpiring. And in the end, he had to kill the stallion that had mentored him from the very beginning. It's definitely much better than the last game I played; at least in this one I'm getting to actually fight enemies rather than just hide from them. But the controls can be a bit frustrating and Altamare's voice didn't really sound right. You'd think for an elite assassin, he would've been given a very cool voice; but no, he instead had to speak in a bland monotone. But it wasn't really the gameplay that I cared about, it was just the story. I don't know how to explain it, but I kinda wish to be like Altamare one of these days.

After that, Button's Mom came in with a tray of snacks. "Here you go, boys. Some hay sandwiches and apple juice."

As I looked at her, everything started to turn pink all of a sudden. Only when she had finally left the room did Button say, "Oh sweet Celestia, please tell me you're not in love with my mom?"

My vision suddenly came back to normal as I wrote down, "What makes you say that?"

"Hello, your eyes turned into pink hearts when you saw her!"

Spike patted me on the shoulder as he said, "It's OK, I had the same reaction when I saw Rarity for the first time."

Button then added, "Besides, I thought you love Apple Bloom."

Spike then asked him, "What's this about Apple Bloom?"

"Let's just say that our mute friend here has his heart set on a certain country filly."

Spike then asked me, "Have you told her?"

"No," explained Button, "but Rumble's already planning on helping him impress her."

"Do you even know if she is interested in you?"

I took my chalk and wrote down, "I'm pretty sure that I haven't left much of an impression on her."

"Well you know what I do when I don't know if a girl's into me?" Spike advised. "I take a flower and pull off the petals."

"How does that help?"

"Because when you pull the first petal, you say 'she loves me', then when you pull the second petal, you say 'she loves me not'. And you keep pulling them until the last one is either 'loves' or 'not'."

"And that's worked before?"

"I've done it with Rarity a couple of times; she's not completely interested in me yet, but I know that we'll be together."

...

After that, I went back to my house so I can haver dinner with my family. (I wanted to leave Button's house because I know my parents will worry about me, and the further that I stay away from Button's angelic mother, the better.) That night, as we were having our dinner, my mom asked me, "So how was school today, hon?"

Seeing as how the blinds to our windows were closed, I figured that it was now safe to use my Mindbending Powers. So while I was eating, I used my mind to lift my chalk and board, and I wrote down, "It was great."

My dad then said, "You didn't use your powers in public, did you?"

"Of course not, Dad."

"Did you make any new friends?" asked mom.

"Four."

"Really, do you remember their names?"

"Pecan, Rumble, Button Mash, and Spike."

"They sound nice."

My dad then asked me, "See any cute girls, Sheldon?"

I blushed a little as I wrote down, "Maybe."

"Does she have a name?"

"Apple Bloom."

"Sounds like a beauty."

I then decided to ask them questions. "So how was work?"

My dad was the first, "Well the rock farm wasn't exactly thrilling; especially when your boss is about as dull as one."

"What's your boss like?"

"Well she's definitely a wiz when it comes to rocks, but other than that, she's kinda boring."

"What about you, Mom?"

My mom then said, "Well, I just got a job over at Sugarcube Corner. And one of the employee's was thinking about throwing us a welcome party."

"Well that's awfully nice of her."

"What do you think, Sheldon?"

"A party sounds nice."

After dinner, I got into bed, and the second I turned the switch off with my mind, I immediately went to sleep. It was a sunny morning; the flowers were in bloom, birds were singing, and on the top of a big hill, stood the filly of my dreams. As I walked up the hill, I got a full glimpse of my beloved in a red dress as she turned and said, "Hi Sheldon."

"Hello darling," I told her. "You enjoying the picnic?"

"Yes, but not as much as I enjoy you."

As our lips were about to collide, everything suddenly became dark, and I watched as my love was being taken away from me!

"Sheldon!"

"Apple Bloom!"

I then started to hear a maniacal laugh; I turned, and to my complete horror, I saw a darker side of Princess Celestia. I didn't get it, most ponies say that she's beautiful and kind. But this one looks terrifying! She then said to me, "Oh Sheldon, Sheldon, Sheldon, you picked the wrong day to be a Mindbender."

Her horn started to illuminate in a horrible glow! As she was about to blast me away, I saw a bolt of magic blast her away instead. Then came this blue Alicorn who kinda looked like a smaller version of Celestia herself. "Fear not Sheldon Clopper, nothing can harm you."

"Who are you?"

"I am Princess Luna, and what you're experiencing is not real."

"Of course it's real; I was about to kiss my special somepony, and then Princess Celestia almost kills me."

"I know this isn't real because I'm the Princess of the Night; and as such, it is my duty to enter ponies dreams."

"And how do you know this is just a dream?"

"Because you're talking."

When she mentioned that, I then realized that my chalkboard was nowhere around my neck. Which would mean that all of this is just a dream. "So I'm still mute?"

"I'm afraid so my little pony, and you're also still a Mindbender. And as you're probably aware, my sister doesn't take too kindly to them."

"Celestia's your sister?! You're not gonna tell her where I am, are you?!"

"Don't be afraid, I would never do such a thing. Even during my banishment, I could still remember those horrible moments when my sister had called for the blood of all Mindbenders. And I don't wish to see those moments to be repeated; and especially to such a little foal as yourself." After she gave me a comforting pat on the head, she then flew up into the sky. It only happened in the blink of an eye, but I could of sworn that I saw the princess' eyes flash green; but I couldn't address this slight alteration any further once she said, "Fare thee well Sheldon, and pray that my sister never discovers your secret."

I soon found myself back in my bed. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. For I was no longer dreaming.

Special Someponies

The next morning, I got up, ate my breakfast, said goodbye to my parents, and right when I left the house, I heard somepony say, "Hey Sheldon!" I turned, and to my complete surprise, I saw Pecan coming from the house next door.

With my mouth, I took my chalk and wrote down, "I didn't know you lived next to me."

"Yeah, who would've thought that we'd be neighbors?"

"Hey guys!" me and Pecan turned and saw both Rumble and Button Mash coming from the houses across from us. "Well what do ya know," said Rumble, "looks like we're all neighbors."

And for some strange reason, Button said as he was staring into his gizmo, "Yeah, yeah, we-we're as thick as butter toast."

With a quizzical look, I wrote on my board, "What' up with him?"

Rumble gave a shrug as he told me, "Staying up all night playing video games no doubt. But come on guys, we better get to school, fast."

As we were all heading up to the school, Rumble was giving me some last-minute advice. "Now the most important thing to remember when talking to a girl is to sound suave. Although you technically can't make any sound, so in that case just compliment her. When you walk up to her, say that she looks pretty, or she looks good in a bow, or that her eyes are the most beautiful things that you've ever gazed upon. Bottom line, just make sure that she's happy around you." When we entered the classroom, I saw her talking with her two friends. "OK, I told you everything that my brother told me, all you have to do is follow it. And don't freeze like you did yesterday."

I took a big gulp as I slowly advanced towards the filly of my dreams. But I was suddenly stopped by Silver Spoon, who came out of nowhere and started to give me a crushing hug. "There you are," Silver Spoon said in a cooing manner, "I thought I'd like never find you!"

"See Silver," Diamond Tiara said out loud, "I told you that your boyfriend was waiting for you in the school!"

That got the attention of everypony in the classroom. I could hear Rumble's inner voice saying, "Oh boy, looks like Sheldon's got himself in a forced relationship."

I had no recollection of me and Silver Spoon ever talking about this, but I definitely wanted answers. But before I could even write anything on my board, Silver Spoon stopped me and said, "No, no, Sheldy, you don't have to say anything." I can't say anything! "I can like already tell that you love me, just by looking in your eyes." And I can tell through your mind that you have a sick obsession with flanks! Before I could even get to the bottom of this, Ms. Cheerilee had came in and everypony immediately sat in their desks.

...

When lunch had finally came, you know that I would try my best to get as far away from those two snobs as possible. But to my dismay, I was forced to sit with them, with the eyes of everypony staring right at us. While I was being squeezed in the middle by Diamond and Silver, I could hear some inner voices saying things like:

"Wow, only here for two days, and he already has a girlfriend."

"Luckily he's only dating Silver Spoon and not Diamond Tiara."

"For a pony who can't talk, he sure does know his way around the ladies."

"I can't even begin to describe how sorry I am for this guy."

Yeah, it's about as embarrassing as it can get. The only thing worse than this is the fact that Apple Bloom will probably believe that me and Silver really are in a relationship. So not only does the whole school think that I'm in love with a snob, but the most beautiful filly in Equestria isn't going to be interested in me.

...

After lunch, we all went back inside the classroom to hear Ms. Cheerilee discuss about things that'll be in an upcoming test. But since I can just get those answers out of her head, I can just focus on the clock. As the clock was just slowly ticking away, I was already anticipating what those two snobs will want to do with me after school. And when that bell started to ring, I bolted on out of there, before the two of them could even lay their hooves upon me.

When I was out of there, I scanned through the crowd of foals, hoping I could spot Pecan, Rumble, and Button Mash, before the two she-devils could torture me any further. When the three of them did come out, they of course beckoned me to join them. But I soon found myself being dragged away by They-Who-Should-Never-Be-Named.

"There you are, Sheldy," said Silver. "We'd thought we like lost you for a second there."

"Now come on, it's about time for you to see my place." Said Diamond.

And while I was being taken away, Pecan said, "Aw, poor Sheldon."

And Button responded, "Yeah, yeah, he-he's got porcupines on his flank."

Rumble just hoofpalmed himself as he said, "Button, just don't say anything."

At this point, the three of them had went to the Cutie Mark Crusader's club house at Sweet Apple Acres. Rumble and Scootaloo were hoof wrestling, Sweetie Belle was nuzzling next to Button as he continued to stare into his gizmo, Pecan was combing his hair and flossing his teeth while ogling over a picture of Minuette, and Apple Bloom was just messing with her bow.

Scootaloo slammed Rumble's hoof against the table and shouted, "Oh yeah, beat ya again!"

"Only because I let you." Defended Rumble.

"Sure ya did," Scootaloo took this chance to discuss another subject. "Rumble, what's this I hear about you being attracted to colts?"

Rumble started to tense up a little, "I uh...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well after his little dentist appointment, Pecan came to the club house and he told me some very questionable things about you."

"It's a lie, all right! I only like fillies, and nothing but fillies!"

"That's what you'd probably say if you were hiding something about yourself."

"Well I'm not, and I can prove it!" he then gave her a quick smooch to the lips. "There, ya see? I told you I'm only into girls."

A smirk came upon Scootaloo's face as she said, "I don't know, you were probably pretending that I was a colt."

"I was not!"

Scootaloo started to chuckle a little as she said, "Oh Rumble, I love it when you act like a spaz."

And after receiving a kiss on the cheek, Rumble turned his attention to Apple Bloom. "So Apple Bloom, what do ya think about Sheldon?"

"What about him?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Don't you think he looks handsome?"

Scootaloo then uttered, "Trying to confess something, Rumble?"

And--once again--he acts like a complete spaz, "Will you drop it already?!"

Ignoring that outburst, Apple Bloom said, "Are you suggestin' that I have a crush on the new kid?"

"Well do you?" asked Rumble.

"He already has a girlfriend," Apple Bloom pointed out, "so why would I be interested in him ta begin with?"

"Just because Silver Spoon declared herself to be his girlfriend, doesn't make it true. I should know, because Sheldon was clearly just as interested in her as Button is in Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie Belle then shouted, "Hey, leave my Button out of this! He loves me a lot more than you give him credit for. Right Button?"

Button only had this to say, "Yeah, I-I like cereal too."

Ignoring that random comment, Sweetie said to Apple Bloom, "Anyway, do you like him?"

"Well he does seem ta be nice, I guess. But how are any of y'all sure that he's interested in me?"

Rumble then said, "You mean the fact that he froze when you spoke to him wasn't proof enough?"

"Oh yeah," said Sweetie Belle, "I did notice that; that was the same look that I saw in Button when he first met me."

"And what kind of look was that?" asked Apple Bloom.

And then Sweetie Belle explained, "It's the kind of look you get when you've finally found your special somepony. I'll always remember that day..."

...

It was the first day of school, and I was a bit paranoid just like everypony else. I was so full of anxiety that I didn't bother to watch where I was going, and had bumped into somepony. And that little accident would be a turning point for both of us. At the time I wasn't really that interested in colts, but the way he just stared and blushed definitely proved that he was interested in me.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you," I looked down at the ground and saw that little gizmo he would always carry around. "Here's your thing, I hope I didn't break it." And he just kept on staring at me. "I'm uh...Sweetie Belle."

And while he was still giving me that look, he was able to utter, "I'm Button Mash."

When it started to feel awkward, I decided to just end it. "Well, it's nice meeting you, see you in class." And little did I know that I would be seeing a lot more of him after that.

Throughout the first week of school, I would notice that he was still staring at me. In the classroom, during recess, and during lunch, I would notice him just gazing at me. I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, so when school had ended, I walked up to him and said, "Look, why do you keep staring at me?! I already apologized for bumping into you, so what more do you want?!"

He stammered a little before telling me, "We-well, I was uh...w-wondering if you would...li-like to go to Sugarcube Corner with me?"

I might've only had met him a couple of weeks ago, but I did suppose that getting to know him better wouldn't be too bad.

As we were waiting for our milkshakes, I tried to kill time by talking with him. "Me and my friends were once at Fluttershy's cottage for this little slumber party, and we were thinking of many ways of earning our Cutie Marks. Then at some point, one of her chickens got loose, so me and my friends went into the Everfree Forest to get it back. But as we were looking for it, we ended up bumping into..." I was noticing that he was just staring at his little gizmo while I was telling him the story.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah, something about a chicken having a slumber party."

I then took his little gizmo away and told him, "Look, I didn't have to come here ya know. So you could at least try to pay attention."

At that point we had finally gotten our milkshakes, and then Button had sporadically said, "Milkshake race, one, two, three, go!"

He slurped it very fast and would soon fall to the floor and scream. I tried to just ignore it, but then I notice a couple of ponies at our school were snickering at us. I could hear some of them say horrible things like:

"Look at Sweetie Belle with that crybaby."

"Those two weirdoes deserve each other."

"What can you expect from a couple of Blank Flanks?"

Feeling that I've been humiliated enough, I just got up and left him there. As I was walking back home, I could hear Button calling for me. So I turned and told him, "Go away already! It's bad enough that everypony laughs at me for not having a Cutie Mark, I don't need you to make it any worse!"

"What did I do?"

"You embarrassed me in front of everypony! I mean a milkshake race?! What were you thinking?! Were you just trying to purposely humiliate me?!"

"No, I was just trying to impress you."

"Impress me?! You call embarrassing me as trying to impress me?! Just go, I wish I'd never bumped into you!"

But before I could leave him, he blocks my path and says, "I'm sorry all right! I was just trying to be myself! Please Sweetie Belle, just give me another chance! Let me take you to Sugarcube Corner again, and I promise that I won't embarrass you again."

A bit of me was still mad at him, and let another part of me thought that he looked kinda cute begging me for another date. So I calmed down a little and said, "OK, I'll give you another chance."

He then bounced up as he said, "Thanks Sweetie, I promise that I won't fail you next time." Then out of nowhere, he clumsily gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and went back home. I just stood there touching the spot on my cheek, and at that moment a bit of me was actually starting to like him.

When I came back home, I saw Rarity designing some more clothes for an important client. I walked up to her and asked, "Rarity, can I ask you something?"

"If it involves helping me, then you can forget it."

"Is it OK to let somepony be himself?"

She then stopped working and actually looked at me. "Why would you ask that, darling?"

"Well, I was at Sugarcube Corner with this colt that I go to school with, and he was kinda embarrassing. He's taking me back there tomorrow, and I was wondering if I should let him be himself?"

"Well that depends, darling. Do you like this colt?"

"Well, after I accepted his offer, he might've kissed me a little on the cheek. He might be a bit embarrassing to be around, but he's also kinda sweet."

"Well darling, when I was your age, I've had my share of admirers as well. But none of them could be my special somepony because most of them wouldn't be themselves. Nerds would try to act like jocks, dumb guys would try to act like they're smart, nice boys would try to act like jerks; I just couldn't stand that. So if I were you darling, I'd let this colt be himself. It's better to be with somepony who's real, rather than one who isn't."

"OK Rarity, I think I understand."

The next day, I was at Sugarcube Corner waiting for Button Mash. When I saw him come in, I noticed that he wasn't wearing his propeller hat and he had on a fake mustache. "What's with the mustache?"

"It's my dad's, I'd thought I make myself look mature."

I also noticed that he didn't seem to have his little gizmo with him as well. "Where's that thing you sometimes stare at?"

"My JoyBoy? I left it at home; I didn't want something to distract me from your conversations again. In fact, I'm thinking about selling all my games."

"Why?"

"Can I be honest? It's because I love you." My heart must've stopped beating when he said this. "You see Sweetie, before I met you, the only thing I ever loved was video games. They were the only things that could make me feel like less of a loser; until I met you. When I first saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful pony that I've ever seen in my entire life. And I knew then that the one thing I want the most is for you to love me back; and if getting rid of what I used to love is the only way, then..."

"No Button, I can't let you do this!"

"What do ya mean?"

"I mean I can't let you not be real." He was confused at what I said, so I tried to explain it to him. "I do like you Button, but you shouldn't stop doing what you love just to impress somepony. I know that I might've said some things yesterday, but I take them all back now. I don't care if you embarrass me in anyway, all that matters is that you're being yourself."

"You mean, you'd still love me if I were playing with my JoyBoy?"

"Of course." We stared at each other for awhile and we both began to blush. "Button, do you remember when you kissed me?"

"Oh that, I just wanted to know how it felt."

"Well, you sort of missed."

"What do you mean I missed?"

I leaned closer, took off his fake mustache, and said, "I mean, you missed." And that was when we had our first true kiss.

...

"...Then after that, I was able to talk him into joining the Cutie Mark Crusaders and we've been special someponies ever since."

After hearing that strange love story, Apple Bloom said, "I still don't get what ya see in him."

"Yeah," said Scootaloo, "he's kind of a...what's the word I'm looking for?"

"A pathetic dork?" suggested Rumble.

"Yeah, what he said."

Sweetie Belle just dismissed all that as she gave Button a hug. "He may be a pathetic dork, but he's my pathetic dork."

Pecan then suddenly shouted, "Oh look at the time everypony, we better get over ta Sheldon's place."

"Why do we need ta go there?" asked Apple Bloom.

And Pecan told her, "Because our silent friend is about ta have the surprise of a lifetime."

A Playdate and an Unexpected Surprise

Meanwhile, I found myself being dragged into the home of Diamond Tiara. As soon as we've entered, we were greeted by this stallion with brown fur and black hair. "Hello sweetie, did my precious little Diamond have a good day at school?"

"I sure did, Daddy." Said Diamond.

"And who's this strapping young colt?"

"This is Sheldon," explained Diamond, "he's Silver Spoon's boyfriend."

"Really," her dad then turned his attention towards me, "you definitely seem to be a real charmer around fillies."

"Indeed," that's when I took notice of the pink furred, dark purple maned, middle-aged mare whom I could only assume to be Diamond Tiara's mother. "It's only a shame that he couldn't be my daughter's boyfriend."

"I am more than capable of getting a boyfriend of my own, Mother." She replied with a hint of annoyance.

Her father turned his attention to me and ask, "So where did you come from, Sheldon?"

Before I could think of a made-up place, Silver Spoon went and told him my actual home. "He like came from Canterlot."

"Canterlot, you say?" skeptical about my provenance, Diamond's mom began to mess about with some of the strands of my brown mane as if putting me through some kind of inspection. "You certainly have the mane style of one from Canterlot, though I've never encountered somepony who has to communicate through a slate. Are you some kind of special needs pony?"

"He's just mute, Mother, it's nothing to make a bid deal over."

"I know some talented surgeons from Canterlot who could fix your speaking predicament," said Diamond's dad. "I happen to have a lot of business partners there, as well. Perhaps I know your father; what's his name?"

Luckily, I never talked about my parents in front of these two, for it'll give me a great chance to make-up a name for my dad. So after quick thinking, I took my chalk and wrote down, "Colt Vandelay."

Diamond's dad looked at my board and said, "Don't think I recall meeting him, but I'm sure he must be a swell pony."

"He mustn't be too much of an important pony if neither of us has ever made his acquittance." Diamond's mom dismissed my dad with the pomposity of any typical snob.

"You'll have to excuse my wife, Sheldon; she can be quite opinionated from time to time. It's been a pleasure meeting you, young colt; give my regards to your parents, and remember, my offer of free surgery still stands."

The second they both left, Silver Spoon said, "He really can like afford that surgery, ya know."

"Yeah," said Diamond, "they don't call him Filthy Rich for nothing." Wow, his parents must've really hated him if they had to put the word "Filthy" in his name.

After that brief encounter, I was then brought into Diamond Tiara's room. It was pink--like most girls room--and had a lot of stuffed animals. But the one thing that surprised me the most was the fact that there's a nightlight in her room. Really, she still sleeps with a nightlight? I mean, if anypony ever found out about this, then she'd probably be embarrassed until high school.

Anyway, I was having to sit with them on some little table that had a miniature tea set. Diamond Tiara was just rambling, while Silver Spoon was nuzzling next to my side. I was focusing my mind at Diamond Tiara--as she kept on rambling. Then next thing you know, I began to see what appeared to be a memory.

...

I saw her and Silver Spoon standing out in the sidelines of some stadium, and they both seemed to be completely bummed out. "It's just not fair!" Diamond Tiara whined.

"Yeah, even when we like cheat we can't beat those Blank Flanks." Said Silver Spoon.

I then saw Rumble walking towards them. "Oh Rumby, I knew you wouldn't forget me." Diamond Tiara was about to kiss him, but he stopped her.

"Diamond, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"I found out what you and Silver said to Scootaloo, and I don't like it one bit."

"What're you saying?"

"I'm saying we're done; you and me, we're never going to be together again."

And as he was walking away, Diamond cried out, "Fine, see if I care! You're nothing without me!"

I must've been fast forwarded to a couple minutes later, because I then saw Diamond in her room, crying her head off, while eating a tub of ice cream and looking at a picture of Rumble. "Why Rumble, why?! I could've been anything you wanted! Silver, I'm out of ice cream, get me more!"

She then tosses the tub over at Silver. She quickly ducked her head and said with a groan, "OK Diamond, I'll get you some more."

...

Wow, I guess she didn't take it as easy as Rumble thought she would. After witnessing those memories, I decided to turn my focus back to Silver Spoon--who was still staring dreamily at me. As she was just gazing into my eyes, I could hear her inner voice say, "Mrs. Vandelay, one day Silver, one day." I can't imagine what's worse: being her boyfriend, or being her husband.

Diamond then got up and was setting something up over at her drawer. As this was happening, Silver closed her eyes and was about to kiss me. Seeing as how her eyes were closed, and that Diamond had her back turned, I quickly used my Mind Powers to have a stuffed animal come in front me, made Silver kissed it, and then set it back.

When Diamond Tiara sat down, I could hear Silver's inner voice say, "His lips are soft...I wonder if that's the only part of him that's soft?" I then suddenly felt her hoof grasping my flank! At that point I took my chalk and wrote down, "Well it was nice hanging with you two, but I gotta go home." And with that said, I ran as fast as I could.

The second I left, Silver said to Diamond, "So...did you like get it?"

"You bet I did." She then went to her drawer and picked up a camera that she had set. She then took a picture out and gave it to Silver.

"Oh thank you Diamond, this'll look like great in my scrapbook!"

When I was finally out of that dungeon, I immediately went straight to my house. As I stood upon the doorstep, I took awhile to catch my breath from all the running. But all that breath was soon taken out of me the second I opened the door and was greeted with, "Surprise!"

As I was having a panic attack, I was soon greeted by this hyper pink pony. "Hi there, you don't know me, but I work with your mom over at Sugarcube Corner! when she first started work, she mentioned that you all just came a few days ago! and I was like," she then let out a loud gasp, "because normally I'm more prepared when it comes to welcoming new ponies! so I then suggested to your mom that I throw you a 'welcome to Ponyville' party! and were you totally surprised?!" not being able to write on my chalkboard for the moment, I just simply nodded. "That's great! well you go ahead and enjoy yourself, I've got some sweets to chow on!"

As soon as the pink pony had left, my mom came to check on me. "So, what do you think? can Pinkie Pie throw a great party or what?"

At that point, I finally regained the ability to write on my board. "Is she always this hyper?"

"Yeah, I imagine that it comes from having to be around sugary filled treats on a daily basis." My mom then tried to make me interact with other ponies. "Say Sheldon, aren't those your little friends at school? go talk to them."

Seeing as how my mom probably had a lot to do today, I figured that I better just go by her wishes. I soon found myself sitting at a table with Pecan, Rumble, and Button. Button was still staring into that little gizmo of his, that is until his mom had snatched it away from him. "Mom, I was still playing that!"

"No Button," his mom told him, "you can play this when we're at home, but until then, talk with your friends."

As soon as she left, Button made a pouty face as his inner voice said, "You'd think that having a girlfriend would be enough for her, but no!"

I felt a tapping on my shoulder. I turned and I saw this tanned fur stallion with a black mane in the shape of a bowl cut. "Hey there neighbor, I'm Pecan's older brother."

"Tex?"

"Oh, so he did tell you a little about me. He also told me that ya got yerself a little crush on Applejack's sister."

"How did you make Applejack your girlfriend?"

"With somepony as straightforward as Applejack, I only hadta talk ta her." I started to feel a bit discouraged after that--what with me not being able to talk and all. But then Tex told me, "Hey, I don't mean that ya literally have ta talk. You can just write down how ya feel on that little blackboard. Now if you'll excuse me, my mare is waitin' fer me." I then saw him walk up to an orange pony with a cowboy hat and started to kiss her.

I was soon greeted by this black pegasus with spiky blue hair. "Hey there little dude, I'm Rumble's big brother, Thunderlane. So, did ya get your girlfriend yet?"

"Not exactly."

"Well hang in there little dude, it may take a while at first, but you'll get her."

Then as soon as he left, I then saw the arrival of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Then for no reason at all, everyone--except me and Apple Bloom--just left the table. We just stared at each other for awhile, and even that's all the time I need to see how beautiful she is. Seeing as how this may be the only chance I'll ever get, I decided to write something down on my board.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

She looked at the board and said, "Yeah, Pinkie's parties are always fun."

Remembering what Rumble told me, I decided to compliment her. "That's a nice bow you have on."

She was flustered a bit, but then said, "Uh, thanks. I gotta dozen of 'em back at my room."

"Are they all the same color?"

"Yeah, I've always felt that pink was my color." After a brief silence, I could hear her inner voice say, "There's no way that he's inta me; if he is, then he wouldn't be datin' Silver Spoon."

Seeing as how I'm beginning to lose her, I quickly wrote down, "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Well, I guess I am a little thirsty." As soon as I got off the chair and went into the kitchen, I could of sworn that I heard someone shout, "Oh come on!"

When I was inside the kitchen, I noticed that Spike was at the punch table. When I walked up to him, he said, "Hey Sheldon, come to get something to drink?"

I nodded my head, and as he gave me a cup, I wrote on my board, "Thank you."

And that must've meant something to Spike, because he then said, "Wow, you don't know how often it is that I'm ever thanked for my services."

"You mean nopony thanks you?"

"Yeah," said Spike, "even Twilight barely thanks me once in awhile. It's almost as if everypony only sees me as a tool."

"I don't think that."

"Well it's a good thing that I have a friend like you."

"Spike, are you almost done? we need to get back to the castle as soon as possible." I then saw with my very eyes, a real alicorn! this one was purple, and had a dark purple mane with a pink stroke in it. When she saw me, she said, "Hi there, you must be Sheldon. Spike's told me a lot about you."

"Are you Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, I'm the princess around here. Although I wasn't always a princess; before all this, I was just a student to Celestia." As soon as she mentioned that name, I dropped my cup and I started to tremble a little. "What's wrong?"

Even though my whole body was shaking, I was still able to write down, "You know Princess Celestia?"

"Yes, sometimes I even send her reports on what happens in Ponyville."

I was slowly backing away from her at this point. When she tried to get close to me, I immediately bolted out and went straight to my room.

...

When the party was finally over, my dad came in to see if I was all right. "Son, what happened back there? why were you running like that?"

I took my chalkboard and gave him my reasons, "I met Twilight Sparkle."

"You did? well aren't you a lucky foal."

"She works for Celestia! She'll tell her where I am, and then she'll take me away!"

"Now son, you shouldn't feel that way towards Twilight Sparkle. Did you use your Mind Powers in front of her." I shook my head. "Then she'll have no reason to tell Celestia. Besides, your mother and I would never let anypony take you away from us. The reason why we moved here in the first place was to protect you. So don't worry about anything; you'll always be safe while we're around."

As soon as he left my room, I looked out my window and I saw a flower outside. Making sure that nopony was around to see this, I opened the window and with my Mind Powers, I made the flower float towards me. And as I kept it floating in the air, I pulled off some of the petals one by one with my mind as well. She loves me...she loves me not...

Flower Petals and Magazines

The sun was blazing in a great radiance that pretty much lets everypony know that the weekend has begun. On this bright Saturday morning, I was lying on my bed as I was levitating the petal that pretty much holds the fate of my potential love life with Apple Bloom. But it soon landed on my face when my concentration was broken by the sound of my mom calling me.

"Sheldon, one of your friends is here!"

After grabbing my chalk and board, I trotted down the stairs and found Pecan standing by the door. "Hey Sheldon, I was about ta head over ta Button's place. You wanna come?" after receiving permission from my mom, I didn't waste any time at all as I went and spent my first weekend with my new friends.

It didn't really took us that long to get to his house (we were all neighbors, so it basically only takes us a couple of seconds just to hang out). The second Pecan knocked on the door, we were of course greeted by Button's bewitching mother. "Hello boys."

"Hi Mrs. Mash," said Pecan. "Is Button home?"

"He's upstairs playing his video games."

"Can we join him?"

"Of course you can, sweetie." While Pecan just rushed onward, I was slowly walking past Button's Mom as I tried my best not to make any eye contact. "Are you all right, Sheldon?" I couldn't help myself; I just had to look at her when she referred to me by name, and of course my face was about as red as an apple. She then placed her hoof on my forehead as she said, "Oh, your face feels warm. I hope you're not catching a fever." If you keep touching me with those graceful hooves of yours, I might. Luckily Pecan came back and dragged me away before her beauty could take full effect on me.

After that brief encounter, we both found ourselves in Button's room (who of course was playing another one of his video games). Something wrong must've happened while he was playing, because next thing you know he throws his controller away and starts throwing a hissy fit.

Pecan went up to him and said, "What's wrong Button? Creepers killed ya again?"

"Yes," Button groaned. "As much as I love this game, they're the one thing I hate about it."

I looked at the screen and noticed that the game he was playing seemed to consist of nothing but weird, mutated blocks. I took my chalk with my mouth and wrote, "What kind of game is this?"

Button was able to forget his little tantrum from before as he eagerly explained to me. "This is Manecraft; and it's possibly the best video game ever made."

"What do you do, exactly?"

"Well you mostly just roam around the world, collecting and mining materials in order to survive. But never mine at night, because that's when the creepers like to come out of nowhere and kill you."

"If this game is mostly about mining, then why don't they call it Minecraft?"

"Because then it wouldn't sound like a pony-related pun."

While we were having this discussion, Rumble came sliding into the room with a prideful grin on his face. "Hello fellas, enjoying yourselves?"

"Yep," said Pecan, "but what took ya so long?"

"Let's just say that I had to get something that'll make this weekend even better." He then placed his backpack on the floor, and out of it he took some kind of magazine. It had a picture of some mare dressed like a bunny, and over her were big letters that spelled out: PLAY PONY.

Pecan's eyes started to wide up as he looked upon the magazine. "Is that...?"

"Oh yeah," Rumble gloated, "I went into my brother's room and I just snatched the first one I could come across. I figured since I get to look at pictures of hot mares, it only seemed fair that I share them with my buds." And without wasting anymore time, Rumble flipped some of the pages and started to show some of the pictures to me and Pecan--while Button went back to playing his game. As we were gazing upon picture after picture, Rumble was just going over the basics. "Yes fellas, this magazine has just about every beautiful mare you can think of: from Ms. Ponyville, Ms. Cloudsdale, Ms. Winter Wrap Up, including...Button's Mom?!"

He wasn't lying, there really was a picture of Button's Mom in there. It showed her stretching herself upon a bed while wearing a very risqué outfit and a lot of makeup. We were all just as shocked; except unlike Pecan and Rumble, the sight of that picture had caused blood to spurt out my nose!

While I was trying my best to block the bleeding, Button just let out a sarcastic laugh as he said, "Very funny guys; like I haven't heard any of those jokes before."

"He's not lyin', Button," said Pecan, "it really is yer mom!"

Button then paused the game as he turned and said, "Look guys, I may not be a momma's boy, but I don't appreciate it when any of you are saying..." the second he laid eyes on that picture, he just froze in place as one of his eyes started to twitch. "What am I looking at?!"

"You're looking at a picture of your very attractive MILB." Said Rumble.

Even though blood was still oozing from my nostrils, I was still able to write down, "What's a MILB?"

"You know, a Mother I Like to Buck." Rumble explained. "And judging by this picture, I'd say she fits that description rather well."

"Shut up, Rumble!" Button cried.

"Button, keep it down! It's hard for my band to practice when you're yelling!" I then saw what looked like an older version of Button--only without the propeller hat. When he came in and saw all of us, I could hear his inner voice saying, "Great, as if one annoying colt isn't aggravating enough." But the second he saw the magazine that Rumble was holding, he immediately swiped it from his hooves.

"Hey, give that back!" cried Rumble.

"What good will it do for you?" asked the older Button. "Aren't you too young to be looking at dirty magazines?"

"I don't know, aren't you too much of a dork to be starting a band?" Rumble retorted.

"Oh go hug a cactus you little runt! At least I do other things besides hanging in my brothers room, looking at pictures of...mom?!"

Ah, so this must be Button's brother. Before I could get into much deeper thought of this new discovery, we all heard somepony shout, "RUMBLE!" and that's when Thunderlane came in. "Rumble, have you been going through my stash again?!"

Rumble shrugged that statement off as he tried to look innocent. "No, of course not, bro. I would never invade my awesome brother's privacy."

"Is that so," that's when Thunderlane snatched the magazine from Button's brother. "Then why is this issue not in the pile with my other magazines?!"

Feeling that he's been caught red-hoofed, he quickly resorted to blaming. "Gibson was the one holding it; so it could've been him."

"Oh don't you dare try to drop this on me," said Gibson (AKA, Button's brother). "I saw you holding it."

Thunderlane took the time to scold Rumble some more. "Rumble, what did I say about taking things that don't belong to you?"

"What are you so mad about?" asked Rumble. "You have Cloudchaser; so in all fairness, you don't even need those magazines."

"That's not the point, Rumble." Thunderlane said through clenched teeth. "I promised mom and dad that I would take care of you while they're working at Cloudsdale; and the last thing they need to know, is that my little brother has been looking at pictures of..." and that was when he saw the picture of Button's Mom. Without taking his eyes off of the picture, he said to Gibson, "Dude, is that your mom?"

To that, Gibson said, "I'm just as shocked as you are."

And as if things couldn't get awkward enough, we were soon blessed with the presence of the mare in the picture herself. "Hi Thunderlane, have you come to check on Rumb..." what followed next was a long, uncomfortable silence.

"Mom, why is there a picture of you in that magazine?" asked Button.

With an embarrassed expression on her face, she said, "Button, Gibson, could I talk with you two, privately?"

The second they left, Thunderlane grabbed Rumble by the ear as he dragged him out as well. And that only left me and Pecan. I took my chalk and wrote down, "I'm guessing that playtime is over?"

"Pretty much," said Pecan. "Well, see ya later Sheldon." And with that said, we both left the house as we went our separate ways.

After the awkward occurrence from before, I was trying to head back home, but the amounts of blood that I've been losing was starting to make me lose focus--so I was pretty much just wandering around. And while this was happening, I was soon approached by a certain purple dragon.

"Hey there Sheldon, how's your...?" the second he laid eyes upon my bloody nose, his pupils seemed to have shrunken. "Sweet Celestia, what happened to you?!" I tried to lift my chalk, but the loss of blood was beginning to make me lose my grip as well. "Come with me, Sheldon, I got some stuff that could help you." Seeing as how I had little options, I decided to let him take me back to that castle.

...

After a couple of minutes of Spike blocking my nostrils with some balls of cotton, I was lying on his bed with my head raised up. "So what caused this?" Spike wondered.

Seeing as how the bleeding was finally stopping, I was able to write on my board again. "You know about the magazines Rumble brags about?"

"Who doesn't?"

"Well let's just say that I saw a very striking image."

"Yeah, that does tend to happen when you're looking at a beautiful mare. Speaking of beautiful mares, did you tell Apple Bloom how ya feel about her?"

"Not exactly, but you remember what you said about flower petals?"

"What about 'em?"

"Well last night, I got a flower and I pulled some of the petals off."

"And what did it say?!"

Seeing as how eager he was, I figured that it was best not to keep him waiting. "Believe it or not, it said she loved me."

He then leaped up and hugged me as he said, "That's great man, that means there's a chance for you! This calls for a celebration; I hope you like cookies, because I've just made a batch just now and they're perfect for this sort of occasion."

And with that said, he went out the door to retrieve the said cookies.

As I was waiting for him, I heard a feminine voice say, "Spike, are you in here?" and to my horror, I saw Princess Twilight enter the room. When she saw me, she put a smile on her face as she said, "Oh hi there, I didn't know Spike invited one of his friends. Oh dear, what happened to your nose?" the second she got a few inches closer to me, I immediately got out of the bed and tried to bolt out of here!

"Sheldon, wait!" she tried to grab me, but I was able to dodge her and make it out the door. But as I was running through the hallway, I saw Twilight teleport herself in front of me, and I immediately turned back. That's when I felt something pulling me back; I looked behind and saw a pink glow pulling my legs.

I was then lifted into the air and was in direct eye contact with Twilight. "Sheldon, what's wrong with you? I'm just trying to make sure that you're OK." As hard as I tried to struggle, I couldn't get loose out of the pink glow that Twilight was casting upon me. I was so terrified at this point that I stopped hearing what Twilight was thinking and instead heard this loud, abrupt beeping noise as my inner voice was crying, "Put me down!" then suddenly the pink glow had disappeared, and I found myself being slammed face first to the floor. I felt a bit exhausted after that loud beeping, but I couldn't really say the same for Twilight. She was lying on the floor while making some kind of painful moan. As much as I wanted to get away from her, I couldn't just leave her in pain. So summing up as much strength as I had left, I lifted Twilight with my Mind Powers and carried her back to Spike's room.

As soon as she started to recover, she found herself on Spike's bed, and noticed that I was right beside her--recovering my strength. "Sheldon," she said while moaning, "what happened? I remember chasing you, and then I started to have this headache."

"You did," I wrote on my board. "You collapsed, so I brought you in here."

"Thanks Sheldon, but that doesn't excuse you running away from me. That was the second time you ran away from me; what is it about me that you fear?"

"It's not you I'm afraid of." I erased that sentence and wrote down, "It's Celestia."

"What does she have to do with you running from me?"

"Because you might tell her where I am and she'll take me away."

Starting to notice the glint of fear in my eyes, Twilight gave me an assuring pat on my head as she said, "Sheldon, you shouldn't feel that way towards Celestia. There were times when I thought she might give me an unspeakable punishment; but I soon learned that she's more merciful than I'd expected." If she's so merciful, then why did she kill an entire society of ponies? "In fact Sheldon, if she ever comes by for some celebration, I can let you meet her yourself."

After mentioning that, I frantically wrote on my board, "Please don't do that!"

"What reason do you have to fear her?"

"I just am, OK! So please don't tell her about me!"

She then tried to comfort me some more, "Sheldon, princesses don't want you to be afraid of them; they want you to love and respect them. I'm a princess, and I don't see any reason for you to be afraid. If you're scared of Celestia so much, that's fine. But don't be scared of me; I would never do anything to hurt you." After that she then gave me a hug that in a way that made me feel safe. And when I looked at her again, I didn't seem to be afraid of her anymore. So after giving her a hug in return, I got up and went back home.

After I left, Spike came back with the cookies and was surprised to find Twilight in my place. "Twilight, what are you doing here?"

"Well first off, I live here Spike. And second, I had a headache. Are you gonna share those cookies?"

As Spike was delivering the cookies to her, he asked as he was munching, "Where did Sheldon go?"

"He was here with me," Twilight said as she took a bite, "and I think that I was able to reach him."

Rumble's Punishment

Later that night, I was sitting at the dinner table, telling my parents all that had happened--excluding the whole picture of Button's Mom incident. (In fact, when my mom asked me about my nose, I simply told her that I was slammed by a door). But enough with that bloody business, let's get on to the rest of the conversation.

"You see Sheldon, I told you there was no reason for you to be afraid of Princess Twilight." My dad said.

"What was she like?" my mom asked.

While I was eating my peas, I made my chalk and board float around and wrote down, "She seems nice."

"She must be if she's the princess of friendship." My mom declared.

My dad then added, "Yes, but remember Sheldon. As long as you don't use your powers in public, then she'll have no reason to report to Celestia." And that's when the door began to knock. "Sheldon, put your board and chalk down." After I'd placed them back on the table, my dad went to open the door and saw that it was Pecan and Button Mash. "Hello boys, what's with the sleeping bags?"

"Rumble's havin' a sleepover." Said Pecan.

"Can Sheldon come?" asked Button.

After comprehending this small request, my dad had then passed down his judgement. "Well...I suppose he could." And with that said, I took a sleeping bag and head on to Rumble's place with Pecan and Button.

A couple of seconds later, we were standing upon the doorstep of Rumble's house. As Pecan knocked on the door, I turned to Button and noticed that he didn't have his little gizmo with him. "Where's your gizmo?"

"My JoyBoy?" said Button. "I didn't feel like bringing it tonight."

When my nose had finally healed, my mom had helped removed the balls of cotton from my nostrils. But the second I took a quick whiff, I seemed to have sensed a strange odor coming from Button. "Are you wearing cologne?"

"Oh yeah, this is my dad's; I always wear it for these special occasions."

"And how is a sleepover worthy of cologne, exactly?"

Before he could give me his reasons, the door had finally opened and there stood Thunderlane. "Hey there little dudes, here for the sleepover?"

"You betcha." Said Pecan.

"Hey Rumble, your friends are here!"

As soon as we entered, we saw Rumble sitting upon a couch with a moody expression. When we all sat beside him, he said very glumly, "Hey guys."

"Hey Rumble," said Pecan. "I take it that yer brother didn't go easy on ya?"

"Nope, he wanted to make sure that I'd never go sneaking into his room again."

"And this sleepover's your punishment?"

"Oh no, I've actually been looking forward to this; it's just that Thunderlane decided to ruin it."

That's when we heard the door knocking. "Right on time." I heard Thunderlane's inner voice say. As he went to the door, I wrote on my board, "So what's your punishment?"

And Rumble said, "It should begin right about..." that's when he was swept in the air by two pegasus mares. One had spiky light blue hair, while the other had long light greenish hair with a pink bow on top. But something told me that they must be twins (seeing as how they each seem to share the same coat of pale blue fur).

Anyway, while Rumble was lifted into the air, the spiky haired one said in a cutesy tone while nuzzling her face next to his, "Here's our little Rumby!"

And the one with the bow said in the same tone while she squeezed his cheeks, "And how's our favorite wittle colt been today?!"

"Nopony's been messing with your cute spiky mane, have they?!"

"I just hope that nopony's been smacking their lips on these chubby wittle cheeks!" as they were both giving Rumble playful kisses on his cheeks, I could hear his inner voice say, "It's gonna be a long night." But the one with the bow turned her attention towards us when she heard us snickering--even though I technically couldn't make a sound. "Ooh, Cloud Chaser, it's Rumby's wittle friends!"

The one with the spiky hair--who I assume is Cloud Chaser--swooped Pecan up and started to rub noses. "Oh, aren't you just the most precious wittle colt!"

The one with the bow lifted up Button Mash and said, "Ooh, this one smells like strawberries. And I bet you're just as sweet as one; oh I just wanna eat you up." As she was playfully nibbling the side of his face, Button's inner voice was saying, "You can nibble me all you like." It then occurred to me that he might have some kind of crush towards her; I mean the cologne, and the fact he didn't bring his gizmo, he clearly was trying to impress this pegasus. No wonder he considered this to be a special occasion.

But my train of thought was soon broken when I found myself being lifted by the pegasi twins. "And who's this wittle cutie?" the one with the bow asked.

"That's Sheldon," Thunderlane explained. "He and his folks just moved here."

"Really?" the one called Cloud Chaser asked. "If I had known that, then I would've given him my special welcome hug." As she was hugging me tightly, that's when she had took my board from around my neck. "Oh look at this Flitter, he's got a wittle chalk board."

"Isn't that adorable," said the one called Flitter. "He must like playing tic-tac-toe."

"Actually Flitter, he uses that for more important matters." Thunderlane explained.

"Like what?" that's when I took my chalk board back, and as I was grasping the chalk within my mouth, I wrote down, "I'm mute."

The one called Cloud Chaser then said, "Oh we're sorry sweetie, we didn't know you couldn't talk. Can you forgive us?" that's when she moved my lips around and had me say, "Of course I forgive ya; I could never hate somepony as pretty as you." She then let go of my lips. "Well aren't you a sweetheart." And then she planted a kiss right on my forehead.

Before Thunderlane left, he said to the twins. "Now remember, make sure Rumble get's in bed on time and make sure he stays out of my room."

"Relax Thunder," said Flitter, "we can handle Rumble; we've been foalsitting him since he was a baby."

"You just go have fun with some of your Wonderbolt friends while we look after our little Rumby." Said Cloud Chaser. After giving her a big kiss to the lips, Thunderlane turned and walked out the door.

As soon as the door was closed, Rumble's stomach started to growl. This caused Flitter to say, "Did ya hear that, Cloud Chaser?"

"I sure did," said Cloud Chaser, "it sounds like our little Rumby's having a rumbly in his tumbly."

"Then I guess we better go make our big, strong colt something to eat."

While they were in the kitchen, I took my chalk and written something for Rumble. "Who are those two?"

"That's Cloud Chaser and Flitter," said Rumble. "They're my foalsitters."

"Ah yes," said Pecan, "nothin' says 'stay away from my magazines' like havin' yer foalsitters smother ya with affection."

"Are they always like that?"

"Only when they're around foals," explained Rumble. "Especially if they've known one since he was a baby--and let me tell you, they're like those older sisters who force their little brothers to play dress up. I wouldn't mind it that much, except for the fact that my brother is dating one of them." I guess that explains why he kissed her. "And as we all know, dating leads to marriage. And if that day ever comes, I'm gonna end up dealing with all this sappy, cutesy affection until I die."

"I don't know, Rumble," said Button, "I'd say that you're one lucky colt."

"You're only saying that because you have the hots for Flitter."

"Wait, I thought you and Sweetie Belle are together."

"We are," explained Button, "but I just find Flitter so tempting! I mean, there's just something so enchanting about her..." he started to trail away at that moment as he turned and watched Flitter from the couch. As he was gazing upon her, he started to slowly blush and was beginning to fall under some kind of trance. He was soon knocked out of said trance when Rumble bumped him on the head and it caused him to blurt out, "Sweetie Belle! You love Sweetie Belle!"

"That's right Button, wouldn't want your girlfriend to find out that you got feelings for another." Said Rumble.

"So what if she finds out that he has a crush on Flitter?"

"Well Sheldon, Sweetie may seem like an angel," Button explained, "but let's just say that you don't want to see her when she's angry."

"Dinner's ready!" seeing as how we were getting hungry, we decided to put our conversation on hold and prepare ourselves for dinner.

The second we'd entered the kitchen, we saw Rumble being swooped up and placed on a chair by his foalsitters. While Cloud Chaser tied a bib with a picture of a pink heart on it, Flitter scooped up a spoonful of soup and said, "Here comes the Wonderbolt!" and then she commenced to shoving the spoon in his mouth.

This caused Rumble to make a hissy fit, "You don't have to feed me; I'm not a baby anymore!"

"Oh, but you'll always be our sweet little Rumby to us." Cloud Chaser said in that cutesy tone from before.

"Now open wide," while Flitter was continuing to feed Rumble, me, Pecan, and Button, were each trying our best to contain our laughter (although the way I laugh would most likely appear as me hanging my mouth open). Flitter must've noticed our snickering, because she suddenly told us, "Well aren't you boys gonna eat, or do I have to feed you all as well?" not wanting to suffer the same fate as Rumble, we stopped our snickering and quickly ate our meals.

After we finished our meals, we all decided to just hang around in Rumble's room--seeing as how that's the only place for him to be safe from his foalsitters' tenderness. As we were just lying around, Pecan said to Rumble, "So what should we do now?"

"What're you asking me for?" Rumble replied. "It's not like I have more pictures of Button's Mom."

"Can it, Rumble!" cried Button.

This in turn gave reason for Pecan to ask, "Say Button, did ya ever did find out why yer mom was in that magazine?"

A frown was slowly forming on Button's face as he said, "Yeah, when she asked me and Gibson to talk to her privately, she told me everything." We then made ourselves comfortable as he told us this story. "It turns out that my family wasn't too good when it came to money; we were able to afford a house, but we were lucky enough to even pay the rent on time. I was just a baby when my family was like this. My dad was trying his best to earn a raise, my brother had to drop out of school so he could work at some factory, but it was my mom who was having to do most of the work. She had to go in between jobs and looking after me--seeing as how she couldn't afford to hire a foalsitter at the time. One day, my first birthday was coming up, and my mom wanted to make sure that it was the best I ever had. My family was able to afford a cake and a clown, but they didn't really have enough to buy me cartloads of gifts. You'd think that I would end up getting something cheap like a toy train for my birthday, but my mom was determined to get me the best birthday gift anypony could wish for. Which is why she reluctantly went up to this Hugh Hoofner fellow and asked him to appear in one of his magazines; and after she did that, she was able to get me the best birthday gift ever."

"What did she get you?"

A tear slowly slid down his face as he told us, "My JoyBoy."

"You mean the reason you carry that gizmo around is because it was the first gift your mom gave you?"

"No. In fact, I never knew that was the reason why I'd like to play on that thing until my mom said so herself. And after she did told me, I realized at that point how lucky I am to have somepony like her for a mom." He started to quietly cry to himself after that.

"What a momma's boy." Rumble's inner voice said. When Pecan went to some closet to look for some tissues to give to Button, Rumble suddenly cried out, "Wait, don't open that!" and when Pecan did open it, that's when we all gazed at the pictures of Ms. Cheerilee!

"What the hay!" cried Pecan. "Is that Ms. Cheerilee?!"

Button's tears started to dry up as he said, "Why would you have pictures of her in your closet?"

"I'll tell ya why," said Pecan, "it's because our dear Rumby is in love with her!" we then saw him holding a piece of paper. "He better not read that!" Rumble's inner voice was shouting. But to his dismay, Pecan started to read his love poem out loud:

My sweet Cheerilee, my love for you I shall decree.

Although I maybe too young for you, a kiss from you is all I need.

From your lovely voice that sends my heart a flutter, to your warm smile that fills me with glee.

For these feelings that I have for you, is much stronger than that of a dragon's greed.

Everyday you give me the privilege to learn, and everyday I have the honor of having you for a teacher.

And although I may lie about Diamond Dogs eating my homework, the words I say to you are pure and true.

No matter how older you and I shall get, I will always be your admirer and you will always remain a beautiful creature.

Now that I've told you I hope you won't give me an "F", for all I want is for you to love me too.

If you thought he was embarrassed when his foalsitters were treating him like a baby, then it's nothing compared to the giant, red blush that was upon his face at the end of that poem. After the poem had been recited, I took my chalk and wrote for Rumble, "Never thought you'd be the poetic type."

Pecan then said to him, "So let me get this straight: it's wrong fer me, Sheldon, and Button ta have feelings fer mares, but it's completely OK fer you?"

"I just think she's hot, OK!" so just a reminder: Pecan's in love with a dentist, I have a guilty pleasure towards Button's Mom, Button is having temptations towards one of Rumble's foalsitters, and Rumble has the hots for our school teacher. Do every colt in Equestria just prefer older ponies? But before I could actually ask that question, Pecan said, "Wait 'til Scootaloo hears about this."

This caused Rumble to grovel before him and say, "Please don't tell her! She'd kill me if she found out about my feelings for Ms. Cheerilee!"

"She can't be as worse as Sweetie Belle." Button commented.

"Oh yes she is!"

"Oh Rumby!" cried the foalsitter twins.

Before they came in, Rumble quickly snatched the love poem, stuffed it back in the closet, and went back to his bed. When they did come in, Cloud Chaser said, "Time for bed, boys."

Everypony--except me--let out a groan at that announcement. Rumble said, "Can't we stay up just a little longer?"

"Uh-uh Rumby," said Cloud Chaser, "you'll need all the sleep you can get if you want to be a big, strong Wonderbolt like your brother." After tucking him in his bed, she gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Rumby."

As me, Pecan, and Button were getting ourselves settled in our sleeping bags, Flitter asked us, "Anypony need a goodnight kiss?"

Me and Pecan remained silent, while Button took off his propeller cap and said, "I could use one." Then after receiving that goodnight kiss upon his forehead, they both left the room as we all went to sleep.

...

"Wake up, Sheldon." I slowly lifted my eyelids as I found myself in somepony's room. I was lying upon a big, comfy bed, and I could feel somepony's hoof wrapped around me. When I turned to see who it was, I was in for a real surprise.

"Mrs. Mash!" you heard right, I was in bed with Button's Mom--who just happens to be wearing the same outfit from the magazine.

"Now Sheldon, is that anyway to speak to your wife?" when she mentioned that bit of information, I looked around the room and I noticed a picture of the both of us getting married (she was wearing a typical wedding dress, while I had on a typical tuxedo and a fake mustache for some reason).

"When did you and I get married?"

"Why don't you remember, sweetie? my last husband was killed by a dragon; and my poor Button was in need of a father. And then you came and fixed everything. You're what kept this whole family from falling apart...in fact, why don't we make a little brother for Button?"

As she was positioning herself on top of me, I started to stutter in a frantic pace. "M-M-Mrs. Mash, I d-d-don't think..."

"Shh...Sheldon, we're married now; you can call me Elaina." As both our lips were about to be locked together, that's when the door slammed open and there stood Apple Bloom.

"Get yer hooves off of my boyfriend, ya old hag!"

"Oh go play with your dolls, you little twerp!"

"He's mine and you know it!"

"Oh please, you just want him for his body!"

"And you just want him fer his age!"

"Tramp!"

"Grandma!" they then started to fight each other over me; and that's when I finally woke up.

...

Most ponies who just sporadically wake up would cause the others around him to wake up as well; but I couldn't make so much as a squeak, so everypony was still dreaming. Since I was awake, I thought I tried using my Mind Powers on some of my friends. First, I started with Pecan; as I was focusing all my powers upon him, instead of witnessing some memory, I instead got to see his dream!

...

Minuette was performing a root canal on somepony, and that's when Pecan came in--wearing a fancy sailor outfit. Minuette immediately stopped what she was doing and watched as he walked towards her. After giving her a kiss, he then lifted her away as all the ponies were cheering for them while some kind of techno music was being played in the background.

Somepony must've been watching too many romances with his mom.

...

I then went to Rumble's dream. He was sitting upon some couch--wearing nothing but a tunic--while Scootaloo--also wearing nothing but a tunic--was sitting beside him, feeding him grapes.

"Oh Rumble, you're the most powerful emperor in all of Equestria." Scootaloo fawned.

"I know, my sweet Scootaloo," said Rumble, "and together, we shall rule Equestria as king and queen."

As they were passionately kissing one another, Cheerilee--who of course was wearing nothing but a tunic--came to him and said, "Your Highness, I've finished your homework for you."

"All right, another 'A+'!" cried Rumble. He then let out a yawn. "I grow tired, what say you two carry me to my chambers so we can have some real fun?" they both giggled as they carried him away, and I wasn't about to stay and find out what they have planned.

...

OK, so all that's left is Button's dream. His wouldn't be as weird as the last two, right? Wrong. His was actually much weirder than the others--and after the things I had to witness, that's saying a lot. It begins with him and Flitter dancing on some cloud while salsa music was playing in the background. Flitter was wearing a long, red dress, while holding a fan to her face, and Button had on a fake mustache and was wearing that puffy, pirate shirt from Seinfriesian.

As they were dancing, Flitter said to Button, "Oh Senor Stache, you dance with so much grace!"

"That is because The Stache is the greatest dancer in all of Equestria." They were soon interrupted by a loud shriek that echoed everywhere. "Princess Sweetie Belle's in trouble!" he then took off his fake mustache and somehow switched into a green medieval, adventurer outfit. He then ripped off the dress Flitter had on--which revealed a saddle on her back. And as he got on her back, he pulls out a sword and cries, "Onward, Flitter!" and then she flew off as some epic, adventure music started to play.

When they finally came to where the shrieking was happening, they saw Sweetie Belle--who was wearing a fancy pink dress--being held prisoner by a two-headed monster that had the faces of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Hey, this must be their true form. "Button, help me!" cried Sweetie Belle.

One of the monster's heads shouted, "BLANK!" while the other shouted, "FLANK!"

As Button gazed upon the two-headed she-beast, he said to Flitter, "Come on Flitter, I got a princess to save!" and what followed next was an epic fight. While Flitter flew around the monster, it tried it's best to kill her. It tried slashing her with its claws, swiping her with its two tails, and even trying to eat her. And as this was going on, Button would try to hinder the beast with his sword--but to no avail. As it was about to seem that nothing could stop this beast, both its heads had gotten themselves tangled when Flitter had performed a loop-de-loop. And this gave Button an idea; as the beast tried to untangle its heads, Button had Flitter charge forward and with his sword, he slashed both of their long, snake-like necks!

After that, Button released Sweetie from her cage. "Oh Button, you saved me!" and after she awarded him with a victory kiss, Button said, "Come my princess, let us return to Hayrule." And so they both got on Flitter's back and headed off to their little kingdom.

...

After I was done watching their dreams, I thought to myself, they've got some messed up fantasies. And so I decided to just stick with my own dreams from now on.

Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers

When morning had finally arrived, I said goodbye to my friends and returned home. And while that was going on, Pecan, Rumble, and Button Mash were heading straight to the Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse. As they all entered, they saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle slouching near some table with bored expressions on their faces.

"Hey girls," Pecan greeted them, "how're y'all feelin'?"

"Bored!" they both exclaimed in unison.

"Where's Apple Bloom?" asked Rumble.

"She's doing chores with Applejack," said Scootaloo. "How was your slumber party?"

"Oh, well...it was all right, I guess."

"Come on, Rumby, don't lie to me."

"Don't call me that!"

"Oh, so it's OK when your foalsitters call you that, but it's not OK when your own girlfriend does?"

"It's not OK when anypony calls me that; besides, you wouldn't like it if I ever called you Scooty, would ya?"

"Of course I wouldn't like it--and you better not start to, either."

At this point, Sweetie Belle had decided to change the subject, "Where's Sheldon?"

"He went home after the slumber party." Said Button.

"How come you guys didn't bring him along?"

Rumble quickly answered that question. "Well he's not a Blank Flank, so there's really no point for him to come here."

"You're not even in that big of a rush of getting your Cutie Mark, but we let you join us anyway." Scootaloo pointed out.

"Besides, just because he doesn't need help earning his Cutie Mark doesn't mean we can't help him and Apple Bloom get together." Sweetie Belle stated.

"Oh that's right, he has a crush on her." Button remembered.

"Yeah, and I still can't believe he'd just walk away from her back at that party." Said Scootaloo.

"I know, right?" Sweetie agreed. "We practically gift-wrapped that alone time for him, and he didn't bother to take advantage of it?"

"Well, he could've been shy," said Button, "I know I was when I first met you."

"Yes Button, but you at least told me how you felt."

"Well it's not his fault he can't tell Apple Bloom how he feels."

"And Apple Bloom's clearly not gonna willingly show any interest tawards him." Pecan pointed out.

"Exactly," said Sweetie, "which is why it's up to us to help get them together."

"All right Ms. Matchmaker," said Rumble, "and how do ya suppose we do that?"

After a brief thinking, Sweetie Belle shouted, "I know, how about we make them drink a love potion?"

"Oh no, Sweetie," Scootaloo objected, "you remember what happened last time we made somepony drink a love potion."

"Oh, right."

After a little more thinking, Pecan suggested, "How 'bout we setup a picnic fer them?"

"Tried it," said Scootaloo, "even without a love potion it still wouldn't work."

And after some more intense thinking, Button shouted, "I got it! We find some mistletoe and hang it over their heads!"

"That's actually a good idea, Button," said Rumble. "Except there's one little problem...Hearth's Warming Eve isn't until ten months! so how are we suppose to get any mistletoe?!"

"And I suppose you can think of something better?" Button challenged him.

"Well it's not like we can build a kissing booth for those two."

The second he made that statement, he found himself being glomped by Sweetie Belle. "Rumble, you're a genius!" she noticed that Button was having a jealous look on his face; so she quickly released Rumble and embraced him instead.

As Rumble's ribs were slowly recovering, he said, "I take it you have a plan?"

To that, Sweetie said, "You bet I do; and it's gonna work!"

"So what's the plan?" Scootaloo asked.

Then Sweetie started to go over the details. "Simple, we build a kissing booth. First we gather the supplies, and when it's been built, we go get Sheldon and Apple Bloom."

"I can understand Sheldon bein' lenient tawards this," said Pecan. "But how're we gonna talk Apple Bloom inta this?"

"She's always eager to try anything to earn her Cutie Mark," Sweetie Belle stated, "so we just tell her that it's a new crusading activity."

After a moment of silence, Scootaloo finally said, "You know Sweetie...it just might work."

She then let out a beaming smile as she said, "So it's settled; our next activity shall be to make Sheldon and Apple Bloom boyfriend and girlfriend!" then they both bumped each other's hooves as they shouted, "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MATCHMAKERS!"

...

As the hours were going by, it was nearly sunset when they had finished building that kissing booth. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had to buy lumber, Pecan had to find a hammer, Rumble had to go to his house and find a box of nails, and Button had to go home and get some paint--only to get distracted by his gizmo. But when the booth was finally built, Scootaloo said, "OK, me and Sweetie will go get Apple Bloom; you boys go get Sheldon." And with that said, they each went their separate ways.

While this was happening, Apple Bloom was just about finished with her chores as she saw Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo running towards her. "Well howdy girls."

"Say Apple Bloom, you think you might be up for a little crusading?" asked Scootaloo.

"Sure, I still have a couple more minutes 'til dinner." As they were both leading her to the booth, Apple Bloom said, "So what are we crusadin' fer this time?"

"It's a surprise." Said Sweetie Belle.

When they finally did reach the booth, Apple Bloom was even more curious, "Are we sellin' lemonade?"

"Uh-uh."

When she saw me, Pecan, Rumble, and Button Mash coming, she started to get suspicious. "What brings y'all here?"

Rumble answered her question, "We heard you ladies were running a kissing booth."

Kissing booth! Me and Apple Bloom seemed to have the same reaction (although the booth did have a sign that said "KISSING BOOTH" in big red letters, so I really should've seen this coming). Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie and Scootaloo and said, "Y'all wouldn't be plannin' on gettin' me and him together again, are ya?"

"Of course not," said Scootaloo, "we just had a feeling that kissing could be our special talent." To make her suspicions go away, Scootaloo decided to go first. She had Rumble pay her a bit and then the two kissed each other. When their flanks were still blank, she said, "Oh well, looks like kissing isn't our calling."

"My turn!" Sweetie Belle was extremely eager for Button to kiss her--if only he wasn't focusing so much on that gizmo. But after a smack to the head, Button quickly gave Sweetie a bit and kissed her. And when their flanks remained blank, Sweetie said in a non-subtle manner, "Oh dear, looks like that only leaves you Apple Bloom."

"They can't be serious." Her inner voice was saying. But seeing as how they won't let her go until she does this, she let out an annoyed sigh and said, "Fine." And as she was waiting for me to pay her, things only started to get more awkward. "Well aren't ya gonna pay up?"

Seeing that she was starting to get agitated, I took my chalk and wrote on my board, "I don't have any money."

Everypony was silent when they read this; as they were all staring at me, Apple Bloom finally said, "You literally came all this way ta a kissing booth, and ya didn't bother ta bring any money?"

"They never told me to bring any."

Apple Bloom then said to Sweetie and Scootaloo, "Well thank y'all fer wastin' my time; it's not like I have other things I could be doin'!" as she stormed away, I could hear her inner voice say, "Who wants kissing ta be their special talent anyway?"

The second she was gone, Scootaloo was the first to say, "Dang it Sheldon, why didn't you bring any money?!"

"How was I suppose to know I'd be needing it?"

"Didn't Button and the others tell you as you got here?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"We assumed it was going to be a surprise," said Button, "so we figured that telling him to bring money would give it away."

Sweetie hoofpalmed herself as she said, "Button, I love you, but sometimes you can be very stupid."

"That's an understatement." Said Scootaloo's inner voice. She then said out loud, "Sheldon, do you even want Apple Bloom to be your girlfriend?" I nodded my head. "Then you need to start seizing these opportunities; first you stood her up at your welcome party, and now you forget to bring money to a kissing booth! Are you even trying?!"

"I tried getting her a drink during that party."

"Yeah, and she never got it; and now she thinks you're an insensitive jerk. And unless you want to spend the rest of your life with Silver Spoon, you better get your head in the game."

At that point, Tex was walking by and said, "Come on Pecan, ya got school tomorrow."

When that was pointed out, Pecan said, "That's right, we got a big test tomorrow. Well, see ya guys." And then we each said our goodbyes--excluding me--and went back to our homes.

Heartbreak Filly

That morning at the school, everypony was waiting anxiously to hear the results of the test (I however already know what my results will be, so there's really no point for me to be worrying). But meanwhile, the two snobs were busy plotting to even think about their grades.

"I don't know Diamond," said Silver Spoon, "I still think that Sheldon is like more interested in Apple Bloom."

"If forcing him to be your boyfriend isn't enough," Diamond analyzed, "then maybe we need to have Apple Bloom break his heart."

"And how are we like suppose to do that?"

"Why do you think those Blank Flanks hate us to begin with?"

"Because we're like better than them at everything."

"Exactly. So if we were to convince Apple Bloom that he's better than her, then she'll end up hating him, and he'll have no choice but to stick with you."

"That sounds very foolproof, Diamond; but what is it that Sheldon can do that Apple Bloom can't? It's not like he can get a perfect score on the test."

As soon as she said that, Ms. Cheerilee had finally came in to announce the results. "OK everypony, I know that some of you can do better, and I won't point out who, but it seems we got ourselves a prodigy."

"Ms. Cheerilee," Sweetie Belle raised her hoof, "what's a prodigy?"

"It's a term for genius, Sweetie."

"And who is it?" Diamond eagerly asked.

"Well as much as I don't like putting ponies on the spot, but it would seem that Sheldon had answered every question correctly."

If you don't like putting ponies on the spot, then why did you do it? anyway, while everypony seemed to be impressed by this small accomplishment, Diamond Tiara had a devilish grin on her face as she said to Silver, "You were saying?"

...

When school was finally over for today, Ms. Cheerilee was making some brief announcements while everypony was rushing on out. "Now remember everypony, tomorrow is Family Appreciation Day; so don't forget to bring one of your family members to school." As I was about to walk out as well, she stopped me and said, "And Sheldon, I almost forgot. Seeing as how you're the new top student, it's only fair that you receive this." And for no reason at all, she places some star sticker on my board...yeah, that's pretty much the reward you get for passing a test.

Anyway, when I had left the school, I came to my friends--who just happen to be talking to the Cutie Mark Crusaders--and when they saw my star sticker, they of course were amazed. "All right Sheldon," said Rumble, "you got yourself a gold star!"

Scootaloo noticed that I had an expression on my face that suggested that I didn't seem to care. "Gee, you act as if you've never had a gold star before."

"Exactly," I've written on my board. "Back at my old school, the only reward the teacher would give us is not calling us an idiot."

"Oh Sheldy!" that was when I was glomped by the silver menace herself. "Like how's my handsome genius?!"

And then she was joined by the pink she-devil. "Check it out Silver, your boyfriend's got a gold star!"

"That's like because nopony's as smart as him!"

"Especially you, Apple Bloom!"

"And what's that suppose ta mean?!" Apple Bloom asked in offense.

"It like means that Sheldy is much better than you at anything!" Silver Spoon claimed.

"Just because he made a few lucky guesses on one test, doesn't make him better than me."

"Lucky guesses" is a bit of an understatement. As I was thinking this, Diamond Tiara told her, "Wanna put a wager on that, Blank Flank?"

"I don't know, what do ya have in mind?"

"Why don't you and Sheldon compete in some challenges and prove just who the better pony is?"

"All right, I'll accept yer challenge. But on one condition: my friends get ta be the ones who chooses the challenges."

"Fine by us," said Silver. "Because anything you can do, Sheldy can like do better!"

"We'll see about that."

The first round was hay pushing: and seeing as how Rumble was the one who came up with this challenge, it was he who went over the rules. "OK this one should be simple: the first pony to push their bale of hay over the finish line wins."

As we were preparing ourselves, Diamond Tiara was giving me a pep talk. "OK Sheldon, now remember why it is you're doing this..."

Before she could tell me more, I just had to write this down. "Is this really necessary?"

"Of course it is," said Diamond. "You're trying to show that Blank Flank who's the better pony."

"But is it really worth it?"

"It will be afterwards; because when this is over, I'm treating you and Silver Spoon to a romantic dinner all to yourselves."

Yeah, a star sticker is starting to sound like a better reward at this point. Anyway, as me and Apple Bloom were standing in front of the giant bales of hay, I gave her a look that suggested a bit of sportsmanship; all she gave me was the look that you'd expect from an overly competitive type of pony. But when we did finally start, it was clear that pushing a bale of hay is harder than it looks. Apple Bloom might've been struggling while pushing hers, but I could barely move mine an inch. Seeing as how I just want to get this over with, I decided to keep pushing it while I was applying some pressure with my Mind Powers. And you can probably imagine the looks on everypony's face when they saw me cross the finish line.

"OK, this one shouldn't be too hard," Pecan explained. "Whoever scores the most points wins." In case you're wondering, the next round was a simple game of horseshoes. While the others were cheering for Apple Bloom, I could hear her inner voice say, "This one I can't lose." And she then tossed all three of her horseshoes--and neither of them had landed on the stake.

When it was my turn, the two snobs were of course giving me their little cheerleading routine, but all I had to do was toss and direct all three horseshoes with my mind and had them all land on the stake. And like before, everyone couldn't believe what they saw--especially Apple Bloom.

And so we came to the third round; Apple Bloom herself had chosen this one, and she seemed confident that I wasn't going to win this one. The game she chose was basically some type of guessing game: while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle picked a card with some image, Apple Bloom would press a button of a certain image to see if it was the same one. So basically this is the kind of game that only a Mindbender like me could win. While she was guessing, I noticed she was doing this stupid thing that involved rubbing her hoof on her head. Yeah, like that's suppose to improve your perception.

After failing to get any of them right, she turned to me and said, "I'd like ta see you get any of 'em right." When she selected a card, I could hear her inner voice say, "Heh, there's no way that he'll pick the heart." And I did just that. She then picked another one, "He won't pick the blue star." You bet I did. She was getting slightly agitated when she picked the next one, "Now I know fer a fact that he won't pick the green clover." Boy was she wrong. A scowl was slowly forming on her face at this point. "I swear ta Celestia if he picks the yellow circle." But to her everlasting dismay, I did pick it. Instead of picking another one, she just tosses the table away and shouted, "That's it, I'm finished with this!"

As she was storming back to her home, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara both started to brag over it. "I like knew that some Blank Flank couldn't stand a chance against my Sheldy!"

"Was there really any doubt?" and while they did their flank shake and continued bragging some more, I took this time to sneak past them and tried to follow Apple Bloom.

While this was going on, somewhere in Sweet Apple Acres, Tex was in the room of his girlfriend as they were both lying in bed with one another. "You sure can show a stallion a real good time, Applejack." Said Tex.

And his girlfriend, whose name is Applejack, said to him, "I only save the best fer my special somepony." And as soon as they started to smack each other's lips, that's when they saw Apple Bloom and me coming. They both looked out the window as Applejack pointed out, "Looks like my sister's finally comin' back. But who's that blue colt?"

"That's Sheldon," said Tex. "He's Pecan's new friend."

"But why is he followin' Apple Bloom?"

"Well I did remember Pecan mentionin' somethin' about Sheldon havin' a crush on her."

"Really? Well ain't that just adorable; my little sister's already havin' herself a little admirer."

And this was when Apple Bloom turned and snapped at me, "Will you go away already?! You've beaten me at everythin', so just get lost!"

I took my chalk and wrote down, "Did I do something to upset you?"

"Ya dang right ya did! You pretty much humiliated me in every game!"

"I wasn't trying to make you look bad." I erased that sentence. "I was just trying to get it over with."

"Ya mean so you could hang around with yer snobby girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend." I erased that statement. "I don't care what she or Diamond say, we're not in a relationship."

"Oh, and I suppose we are?! That's right, I know about these 'feelings' that you're havin' tawards me; and I'm telling ya right now that it'll never happen! My friends might've told me that you love me, but if you can't even admit it yerself, then why should I bother believin' ya? So why don't you just do yerself a big favor, and stop wastin' yer time!" and then she went into her house.

As I stood there, I drooped my head down as tears started to fall out of my eyes. I guess the flower petal was wrong. And so I just turned away as I silently sobbed away home.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was watching me leave through a window. "I thought he'd never leave."

"Now Apple Bloom, was that anyway ta be talkin' ta yer little boyfriend?"

She turned and saw Applejack and Tex with playful smirks on their faces. "Applejack, he ain't my boyfriend! Besides, I don't even love him!"

"Then why are ya blushin'?" asked Tex.

"I'm just angry, that's all!"

"And why's that, sugarcube?"

"Because Sheldon kept beatin' me in every game we could come up with!"

"Isn't that cute, Tex, she already remembers his name."

"He's not my boyfriend! I don't want a boyfriend, and I don't need one! All I need is my Cutie Mark!"

As she stormed up to her room, Applejack said to Tex, "Young love."

"Don't you know it," said Tex. "Well, I better go home and check on Pecan." And so he kissed his girlfriend goodbye and went back to his home. While Applejack went up to have a private talk with Apple Bloom.

She knocked on the door and said, "Apple Bloom, I think we should talk."

"If it's about Sheldon then forget it!"

She went in anyway. "Now Apple Bloom, you should know better than ta be raisin' yer voice at that young colt. And he looked like he really liked ya."

"Just because he likes me, doesn't mean I have ta like him back."

"Well be that as it may, I think you should be a little more nicer ta him."

"What fer? he has his Cutie Mark, and he's datin' Silver Spoon; so what more could he ask fer?"

"That's because you don't know colts like I do. You see Apple Bloom, most colts want what they can't have--the same can be said for stallions. Like one time I remember this Trenderhoof fella who did nothin' but dote and fawn over me, and I was in no way interested in him--that is until I found out that he was only usin' me ta get closer ta Big Mac. But the point is Apple Bloom, there's gonna be a lot of colts who'll be attracted tawards you, and Sheldon's one of 'em."

"But I'm not even interested in him or any colt at school."

"Maybe not right now, but at some point you'll start seein' him in a different perspective." And with that said, she left the room and allowed Apple Bloom to think over the matter.

A Date and a Surprise Visit

After Apple Bloom had succeeded in crushing my heart, I was just heading back home with depression weighing down on my shoulders. The only thing that would make this worse would be if those two snobs were to just bump into me; and to my dismay, that's just what happened.

"There you are Sheldy," cried Silver Spoon. "We've like been looking all over for you!"

"What's wrong Sheldon," Diamond asked, "were you so worried that you wouldn't see Silver again that you just had to break down in tears?"

No, that's the least of my worries. "Well don't you worry Sheldy," Silver cooed, "because I will never let you out my sight like again." If I could speak, I'd let out an annoyed sigh right about now.

Now I know what you're probably thinking, "Can things get any worse at this point?" well, how about an unexpected date with a pony you don't love? Yeah, the next thing that literally popped out of Diamond Tiara's mouth is, "And I know just the thing to lift your spirits; a romantic dinner with your girlfriend!"

As they were both squeeing in excitement, I took the time to write down an excuse. "I'd love to, but I can't really afford a meal at the moment."

I was hoping this would change her mind, but instead all I get is, "You won't have to worry about that, I'm paying your meal for you. My daddy is best friends with this pony who owns the finest restaurant in Ponyville, and it's the perfect place for you two lovebirds."

If there was one thing that I didn't miss about Canterlot, other than the uptight snobs and uniforms, it was the fancy restaurants. I should've expected that dating a snob would require me to go to where only a snob will ever eat at. And this restaurant is pretty much like any other fancy restaurant you've probably seen; from the waiters with the gelled hair and thin mustaches, all the way to the violin music playing in the background.

While we were waiting for our food, Silver tried to strike up a conversation. "Isn't this romantic, Sheldy? I've been wondering when we were going to have like a proper date."

"And now your wish has come true."

"Yeah, but you like don't seem to be too happy."

"Well to be honest, I'm not really a fancy food type of pony."

"You sure it like has nothing to do with Apple Bloom?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Sheldy, I knew that you were like having feelings towards her; and I also knew that you've been hanging with those Blank Flanks. Me and Diamond just had to get you away from them somehow."

"You mean you and Diamond had planned that challenge the whole time?!"

"It was for your own good, Sheldy; I thought I was like going to lose you. Besides, at least now you know that she's not interested in you." A scowl was slowly forming on my face. "Now Sheldy, don't give me that look. I was only thinking of you. Besides, there was never a chance that you and that Blank Flank would ever be together; why waste your time trying to get something you can't have when you can just stick with something you can have?"

First she forces me to be her boyfriend, and now she made the filly I love hate me; now I have more than enough reasons to not love her! as my anger started to rise, so did that beeping noise that I used on Twilight. But it soon went away the second our food was brought to us. While Silver Spoon was eating, I thought I try looking into her memories like I did with Diamond Tiara.

...

She was on her bed, looking at some photo that Diamond had gave her. Then out of her pillow, she took out a big scrapbook and in it she placed a picture of my flank! as she was staring dreamily at it, she said to herself, "One day, that flank will be all mine."

"Silver, time for dinner!"

"OK Mom!" she then hid her scrapbook back under her pillow as she went to have dinner.

...

And there went my appetite. Come on, you have to admit that if you knew someone who keeps a collection of pictures of ponies flanks, wouldn't you lose the urge to eat at that point?

After dinner was finally over, I was having to do what most boyfriends are clearly expected to do after a date, and that's walk his girlfriend to her house. When I took her to her doorstep, she said, "I had a great time tonight; I hope we'll get to do this some other time." As I was about to head back home, she stopped me and said, "Aren't you forgetting something?" I just drew a big "?" on my board. "You're suppose to kiss your girlfriend goodnight after walking her home."

She then positioned her cheek for me to kiss. You'd think that forcing me into a relationship, ruining my chances of winning the heart of the filly I love, going on a boring date, and then taking her back to her house would be enough for her. But nope, she decided that I got to suffer some more. I hope nopony can see this. And so with a forced pucker of my lips, I grudgingly kissed her cheek. And the second she finally went into her house, I immediately ran straight home (and the first thing I'm probably gonna do is get the taste out of my mouth).

The second I opened the door, I was soon barraged by the same lecture every parent gives a kid when they're not back home on time. "Sheldon, where were you? We were worried that you wouldn't come back."

Seeing as how nopony else is around I moved my chalk with my mind and wrote on my board, "I've had a rough day, don't ask."

"Well I hope that you're not too grumpy for a surprise." My mom said.

"What surprise?"

She and my dad led me to the living room, and that's when I saw my grandparents and Dr. Egghead! I of course rushed onward and hugged them. "How's our favorite grandson?" my grandma asked.

"What do you mean 'favorite grandson'?" my grandpa inquired, "He's our only grandson."

"I know Sheldon, I just like to make him feel special."

"He already has brain powers, just how special do you want him to be?"

"Well technically it's Mindbending." Dr. Egghead corrected him.

"Mindbending, brain powers, same difference." My grandpa declared.

Dr. Egghead knew it was best not to argue with my grandpa, so he turned to me and said, "So how're you liking public school, Sheldon?"

"It's definitely better than my old school." I erased that sentence. "The teacher gave me a sticker just for passing a test."

"Just a sticker?!" my grandpa exclaimed, "when I passed a test, I got to buy something out of a comic store!"

"You mean your teacher would actually let you do that?"

"Oh no Sheldon Clopper II, that's something that only my mother would allow me."

Dr. Egghead then said, "Now Sheldon, did you actually study for this test or did you just get the answers out of your teacher's head? because you know that you're not suppose to be using your powers in public."

"It's not like I was waving my board in front of her." I erased that sentence. "Besides, they can't tell when I'm reading their minds."

"Well be that as it may, you need to be more careful. You haven't forgotten why you'd moved here in the first place, have you?"

"He's fine, Egghead," my dad said, "nopony here seems to be suspecting anything yet."

My grandma then tried to change the subject. "So Sheldon, your parents told me that you have a crush on some filly."

My crestfallen mood suddenly came back to me as I wrote down, "I do, but she doesn't like me that much."

"And why's that?"

"Because this filly that I'm being forced to date just happens to be her bully." I erased that sentence. "And now she thinks that I'm just like her."

"You mean some other filly is forcing you to be her boyfriend?" my grandpa asked.

"That about sums it up."

"There, there, Sheldon Clopper II, I know just what you're going through. Before I met your grandmother, I too was the unfortunate victim of a forced relationship. I was just a young genius--still attending university--when this mare with orange hair and tanned fur had offer me free dinner. And little did I know that by accepting that offer, I was soon bounded by some relationship contract. At first she seemed OK; she'd get me food and pretty much assist me with my work. But whenever I just wanted to do something fun with my friends, she would always be there to prevent me."

"Did it ever stop?"

"You bet it did; when I finally did finish my work, she had the gall to demand to take credit for it! and so I told her to get out of my sight and I've never seen her again to this day."

"You mean I can just put an end to it whenever I want?"

"Of course you can; you just go up to this filly and tell her it's over."

My grandma however seemed to have a different opinion, "Come on Sheldon, this filly you're having to date can't be that bad."

"Would you ever want to date somepony who keeps a picture of your flank in a scrapbook?"

"That's nothing. When I was a filly, I used to keep jars filled with the saliva of colts I used to crush over."

After wiping that disturbing image out of my head, I turned to my parents and wrote down, "Family Appreciation Day is tomorrow." I erased that sentence. "Can one of you come to school?"

"Sorry son, but my boss doesn't allow any employee to miss work over anything."

"I'd love to sweetie, it's just that the Cakes have to make a delivery and Pinkie will be too busy looking after the twins to run the store. Why don't you ask Grandma or Grandpa?"

When I asked them, my grandpa said, "And what does one have to do on this 'Family Appreciation Day' that you speak of?"

"You just go in front of everypony and tell them about yourself."

"In that case, count me in! I'm always eager to enlighten young minds of my brilliance!"

"Don't we know." My grandma's inner voice said.

The second I went to my room, everypony started to discuss more serious matters. "Has anypony noticed anything about Sheldon's secret?" Dr. Egghead asked.

"I told you that he's fine Egghead," my dad told him. "We've taken every precaution we can take."

"He didn't meet anypony that's close to Celestia, did he?"

My mom then told him, "Well he did get to meet Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"You mean Celestia's former student? oh no, how could I forget her?! if I had remembered that she lived here, I would've suggested that you three move to Vanhoover instead!"

"Don't worry, Egghead," my mom assured him, "she's in no way suspicious of Sheldon; in fact, he's already become friends with her."

"You let him be alone with her?!"

"Calm down, Egghead, it's not like she interrogated him." My dad commented.

"It's hard to stay calm when your Mindbender son is rubbing hooves with Celestia's former student. What if she were to see Sheldon moving something with his mind? what if she tells Celestia about this? for that matter, what if Celestia already knows?!"

"Egghead, I know that you're only thinking of the well being of our son, and we appreciate it, but you have to relax. Sheldon has been keeping his powers very well under control; and until somepony does find out, we got nothing to worry about."

My grandpa then tried to lighten the mood, "Things have been more exciting since Sheldon Clopper II found out what he really is. I feel like I'm in some kind of suspense, thriller, serial comic."

My grandma then said, "You seem awfully OK that our grandson's life is at stake."

"Oh he's a big boy now, there's nothing he can't handle." He then let out a yawn. "Well, I better get some shut-eye; if I'm going to present myself at Sheldon's school, I'm going to need all the sleep I can get."

Everyone just yawned in agreement. As Dr. Egghead was about to leave, my mom told him, "Won't you like us to set up a guest bed for you?"

"Thanks Diane, but I'm sleeping at an inn tonight." And so with that said he went out the door, and everypony went straight to bed.

Family Appreciation Day

When Family Appreciation Day had finally come, you can just imagine how excited my grandpa was. By the time we finally got to school, my grandpa was still hopping up and down with anticipation. But when he found out that other foals' family members will be attending as well, he was then held still by his own disappointment.

I just went to my seat as I started having a conversation with my friends. "So who did you bring, Sheldon?" asked Rumble.

"My grandpa."

"Oh, I didn't know your grandpa was living with you and your folks."

"He's not." I erased that sentence. "He and my grandma are just visiting."

"No kidding! My folks are visiting as well."

"My parents came all the way from San Haytonio just ta see me." Said Pecan.

"And my dad even cancelled an important meeting just for Family Appreciation Day." Said Button.

"So what do your dads do?"

"You're about to find out," said Rumble. "That is if Diamond Tiara's dad doesn't take up most of the time to talk about boring business stuff."

Upon mentioning that name, a scowl had started to appear on my face. Pecan placed his hoof on my shoulder and said, "Hey, we heard about what Apple Bloom said ta ya; and I just want ta tell ya that there's no shame in bein' upset about it."

"That's not why I'm upset," I erased that sentence. "I'm upset because those two snobs were behind it!"

"You mean Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?" Button asked. "What did they do, exactly?"

"While I was being forced to go on a date with Silver Spoon," I erased that statement. "She told me that she and Diamond purposely planned those challenges just so Apple Bloom could have a reason to hate me."

"Yep, I would've suspected that they chose Apple Bloom for a reason." Rumble's inner voice was saying. He then opened his mouth and told me, "Listen Sheldon, as much I hate what those two just did, you really have no choice but to stick with Silver Spoon at this point."

"No I don't!" I erased that statement. "In fact, the first chance I get, I'm gonna end it."

"Whoa there," said Rumble, "you can't just dump her just like that."

"Why not?" I erased that question, "You broke up with Diamond Tiara, so how hard could it be?"

"I broke up with her because I had a reason to."

"And purposely preventing me from ever being with the filly of my dreams isn't a reason to end a forced relationship because...?"

"Look, even if you do end your forced relationship with Silver, it still won't change the fact that Apple Bloom hates you."

"So what?" I erased that statement. "Having to spend the rest of your life with nopony to love, is much better than spending your life with somepony you don't love."

While I was having this conversation, my grandpa was patiently waiting for Ms. Cheerilee to come in and start everything when he was tapped on the shoulder by a red earth pony with scruffy black hair and a shaggy beard. "Which one's yers?"

"The one with the chalkboard around his neck is my grandson."

"Why does he need a chalkboard fer?"

"He was born mute; most ponies consider that to be a handicap, but I just think that my grandson's so perfect that he's just too good to be talking."

"I suppose that's one way of puttin' it." The red earth pony extended his hoof and said, "Name's Haysmen, but everypony just calls me Walnut."

My grandpa shook his hoof and said, "Sheldon Clopper. My grandson's named after me, you know."

"Oh, he's a junior?"

"No, he's simply the second of his name."

"Exactly, a junior."

Before my grandpa could get into a long lecture, he and Walnut turned their attention to some black pegasus with spiky light blue hair who came flying into the school entrance and shouted, "Yes, still undefeated! Even after high school, you still can't outrun me!"

They then saw this earth pony with dark brown fur and gelled orange hair came in while panting. "Only because you have wings."

"Blaming will get you nowhere, Flynn." The pegasus turned his attention to my grandpa and Walnut. "Hey there, names Hurricane Smasher. You both here for Family Appreciation Day?"

"Yep," said Walnut, "me and my wife came all the way from San Haytonio just ta see our two boys."

"What a coincidence! My wife and I came all the way from Cloudsdale to see our boys as well."

My grandpa then asked him, "Pardon me for asking this, but why is it that you're called Hurricane Smasher?"

"Because it just so happens that I'm a member of a weather team that deals with the handling of hurricanes."

Right when the brown earth pony--known as Flynn--was about to introduce himself, he was interrupted by a certain rich pony. "Well, if it isn't Flynn and Hurricane Smasher. Never thought I'd run into you two misfits after high school."

Flynn had an annoyed look on his face as he said, "Ah, hello Filthy."

"You know I prefer Rich."

Hurricane then retorted, "Yeah, but Filthy seems to suit you better."

As he was laughing, Filthy Rich started to get irritated. "I came here for my Diamond, not for you two to insult me!"

"Oh, but you're just so much fun to insult." Said Flynn.

"Only because I'm richer than you two."

"True, you may have a lot of money, but I got the most beautiful wife a stallion could ask for."

"I still can't understand why Elaina would ever pick a goof like you over somepony like me?"

"Because although you might've been the richest pony in town, Elaina and I have known each other since we were foals. Besides, she finds sweet, goofy guys like me to be charming."

"Please, you're about as charming as Discord. When I asked her to the prom, I gave her a diamond necklace and a carriage ride. All you did was put on a fake mustache and offer her a carton of apple juice."

"What can I say? I just know my mare. Besides, you got to marry Spoiled Milk."

Filthy Rich would've laugh it off, if only he wasn't the butt of the joke. His marriage to his wife was clearly one of business and not at all one of love. His wife could never be satisfied with anything; and controls him so much that she practically has him tied to a leash. Had it not been for having a daughter, and all the photographic evidence she most likely has of him cheating on her, the unhappy millionaire would've filed for a divorce already. Getting fed up with his old rival, Filthy Rich turned to my grandpa and Walnut and said, "So what do you two do for a living?"

"I'm a plumber." Said Walnut.

"Oh, you fix toilets?"

"Toilets, sinks, pretty much anythin' havin' ta do with pipes."

"And what about you?"

Always eager to talk about himself, my grandpa said, "Well, since you asked, I happen to be a world renown physicist."

"And what's that?"

Before my grandpa could get into anymore detail, Ms. Cheerilee had finally came in and started the presentations.

...

The first to go was Filthy Rich, whose speech was extremely boring. For minutes he just rambled on about all the ways he made money (the only ponies who weren't bored by this were the two snobs themselves). After him was Walnut; he mostly talked about plumbing (and after having to listen to Filthy Rich's speech, fixing toilets had suddenly become more interesting at this point). Next we got to listen to Hurricane talk about handling hurricanes, and Flynn talking about running a game company.

My grandpa wasn't at all pleased to be last, but when his time finally came, he had no reason to complain. "Hello, I am the grandfather of Sheldon Clopper II."

This caused Diamond Tiara to raise her hoof, but Ms. Cheerilee said, "Diamond, save your questions until Mr. Clopper's done."

And when she laid her hoof down, my grandpa continued his presentation. "Anyway, I am a physicist, which means that I'm extremely smart. And seeing as how you're probably still in third grade, I'll try my best to do this presentation in words you can understand."

"Well at least I know where Sheldon gets his smart aleck attitude from." Ms. Cheerilee's inner voice said.

As my grandpa kept talking about his theories, everypony was pretty much as bored as they were with Filthy Rich's speech. While my grandpa was just rambling on, I took the time to listen to Diamond Tiara's inner voice. And to my somewhat horror, it was saying, "Clopper? I thought his last name was Vandelay."

Uh-oh, looks like somepony's getting suspicious. As much as I was worried that she might be getting closer to finding out my secret, that feeling toned down a bit when I heard Silver Spoon's inner voice say, "So instead of Mrs. Vandelay, I would be Mrs. Clopper...I guess it's like not that bad." Well at least somepony doesn't suspect anything.

Seeing as how my grandpa is still killing time, I decided to listen to Rumble's inner voice. I was silently chuckling to myself as I heard his inner voice say, "Oh Ms. Cheerilee, even through Sheldon's gramp's boring speech, you still have my attention."

And for no reason at all, I listened to Apple Bloom's inner voice. This was all it had to say, "Gees, and I thought Diamond's dad was borin'. Maybe it's a good thing Sheldon can't talk."

As much as I was offended by that comment, I lost focus on it when Ms. Cheerilee said, "OK, does anypony have any questions?"

Diamond Tiara immediately raised her hoof. "Do you have a son named Colt Vandelay?"

My grandpa--unwittingly--told her, "No, the only son I have is Jack Clopper (who just happens to be Sheldon Clopper II's father)."

"Really? Because that's not what Sheldon said."

"Yeah," Silver Spoon added, "He like said that it was Colt Vandelay. So which is it?"

Right when my grandpa was about to correct her, his inner voice said, "Oh that's right, Sheldon's trying to not draw attention to himself." And when that finally went through his head, he quickly tried to come up with an excuse. "That's right, I just remembered. My son is named Jack Clopper, but in the business world he's known as Colt Vandelay. He just never likes to go by his real name whenever he's working." Everything seemed to be going on just smoothly...that is until my grandpa said, "Say, you wouldn't happen to be Silver Spoon, by any chance?"

"Yes."

"So you're the one who forced Sheldon to be your boyfriend."

Everypony had one of those "Say what?!" expressions on their faces after he brought that up. Silver Spoon said nervously, "I, uh...I don't know what you're like talking about."

And so my grandpa decided to give her the full details, "Well last night, Sheldon had told me, his grandmother, his parents, and his therapist how you forced him into a relationship, how you and your friend plotted to have this one filly that he has a crush to hate him so that way he would have no choice but to stick with you, and how you told him all this during a date that you were also forcing him to attend."

All that information was said so fast that everypony couldn't even bother to have a reaction to all this. That is until the bell rang and everypony got out of their seats and went with their folks.

Meanwhile, over at the snob fortress, Silver Spoon was pacing back in forth in anger as Diamond Tiara tried to calm her down. "Now Silver, there's no need to lose our composure."

"Easy for you to say," Silver snapped. "It's not like you have a boyfriend who doesn't want to have anything to do with you!"

"Who cares what that old pony said? Besides, it's not like he's still interested in Apple Bloom."

"Oh yes he is! He must be if he like had to lie to me about his real name and not give me a good kiss!"

"Come on, how bad could his kiss be?"

"When your special somepony kisses you, it's supposed to feel magical. His however felt like he was kissing a Changeling! I bet he wouldn't give that sort of uncomfortable kiss to Apple Bloom!"

"It doesn't matter what he would do with her; she's not even interested in him now."

"She may not be interested in him, but as long as he still has feelings for her, he'll never like have any for me!"

"Then maybe we've been doing a wrong approach; maybe we should try something different."

"Like what?"

"Well, if forcing him to be your boyfriend, force him to go on a date, and forcing him to outshine that Blank Flank so much that she can't stand to be near him isn't enough, then maybe we shouldn't be focusing on Sheldon after all."

"Then like who should we be focusing on?"

Diamond then looked out her window and a devilish grin started to form on her face as she watched Apple Bloom walk by. "I think I know just the pony."

Mindbreaking Up

Afterwards, me and my parents had found ourselves at the train station, saying goodbye to Dr. Egghead and my grandparents. Before they got on the train, they each had one last thing to tell me. Dr. Egghead told me, "Remember Sheldon, you're only safe when you're not using your powers in public. So don't forget it."

My grandpa told me, "I guess this is goodbye for now, Sheldon Clopper II. We'll be looking forward to our next visit."

My grandma then gave me a pie and said, "Sheldon, if you happen to stop by Princess Twilight's castle, be sure to give her this pie and let her know that it's from me." With all that said, me and my parents just waved to them as the train was taking them back to Canterlot.

After that little goodbye, my parents went back home while I was delivering grandma's pie to Twilight. As I was walking through the halls, I saw Spike sitting next to a table with a bored expression on his face. But that bored look had soon melted away when he saw me coming. "Hey Sheldon, what's with the pie?"

I placed it on the table so that way I was able to take my chalk and write down, "My grandma made this for Twilight." I erased that sentence, "Is she around?"

"Oh yeah, she and Flash Sentry are in her study." I then started to hear those same moans and grunts that I heard Tex and Applejack making before. So while those two were in the middle of "foalplay", me and Spike were standing next to the balcony, watching ponies as we ate some of my grandma's pie.

After having his fill, Spike tried to bring up a topic, "So...how's your little relationship quest going along?"

I then placed my plate away as I took my chalk and wrote on my board, "Not very good." I erased that statement. "It turns out your little flower petal theory was wrong."

"Why do ya say that?"

"Because the flower petal claimed that she loves me," I erased that sentence. "Yesterday, she made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with me." I erased that one as well. "I guess this is what I should expect from trusting my fate to a plant."

"Hey now, you shouldn't let one little setback like that get in the way of being with your one true love. You just gotta...say, isn't that Apple Bloom?"

At the mention of her name, I looked over the balcony and I saw her just walking around Ponyville. I soon began to have a sense of dread when I saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approach her. "Hey Blank Flank!"

Apple Bloom let out an annoyed sigh as she turned and said, "What is it this time?"

Silver was the first to speak. "I like got a bone to pick with you."

"Don't tell me, it has somethin' ta do with Sheldon, isn't it?"

"You like bet it is, you colt stealing tramp!"

"Now hold it right there. I have not been stealin' anypony's colt; if somethin' ain't workin' between you and Sheldon, then that's yer problem, not mine."

"Well it's about to be your problem seeing as how he like can never look at me the same way he looks at you."

"I told him ta stop wastin' his time over me..."

"And clearly you didn't do too much of a good job on it," Diamond interrupted her. "So it looks like we're gonna have to teach you a lesson on staying away from somepony's boyfriend." That's when she pushed Apple Bloom into a pile of mud!

As she was trying to wipe the mud out of her eyes, Silver went up to her and told her in a menacing whisper, "The next time you like ever see Sheldon, you better make sure that he's drowning in tears after you break his heart again!"

Then Diamond added, "And if Silver and I keep noticing him taking glances at you, or showing any little bit of interest, we're going to keep 'teaching' you until you get it right!" that's when tears started to show on her face. "Aw, is the little Blank Flank gonna cry now?"

"Why are you so upset," said Silver, "I thought farm girls like you love to be covered in filth?!"

As I was watching those two laugh from a distance, my hate for them was way beyond measure at this point. I turned all my focus on Diamond Tiara, and with all the anger inside of me I could hear that beeping noise slowly get louder. And when the beeping got higher, her laughter soon got lower.

What happened first was her placing her hoof on her head as if she was bitten by a bug. When the headache started to get worse, she then had both hooves on her head like she was trying to keep it from tipping over. But when the pain reached it's full maximum, that's when she was spasming on the ground as she let out an excruciating shriek that would've been heard by everypony in all of Equestria!

"Diamond, like what's wrong?!" Silver showed her concern.

Diamond then painfully said, "I don't...I don't know. All of a sudden I'm feeling this headache and...AHH!!!" as the pain started to get worse, she could hear my inner voice shouting, "Apologize to her!" she was just jerking her head around trying to find out where that voice came from. "Who said that?!"

"Diamond, like what are you talking about?"

"Didn't you hear that?! AHH!!!"

"Apologize now!"

As it seem that her brain was getting close to popping like a bubble, she turned to Apple Bloom and cried, "OK, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just please stop!" with that said, I made the beeping noise go down and took a quick breather before I went to confront them.

While Diamond was slowly recovering from the bashing that her mind had to endure, I was getting closer and closer to them. When Silver Spoon noticed me, she tried to embrace me, but I quickly stopped her in time to write down my rage on my board.

"Just who the hay do you two think you are treating her that way?!"

"Well Sheldy, she like was trying to take you away from me." Said Silver.

"Yeah Sheldon," Diamond added, "we were just looking out for our friend."

"You two are not my friends," I erased that sentence. "You two are the most obnoxious, bratty, and despicable little imps that I ever had the misery of knowing!"

Diamond was flabbergasted after reading this. "B-but we allowed you to be in our presence, we treated you to fine restaurants, we even befriended you when nopony else would!"

"Yeah, we're like all you got."

"That's not true. I've had plenty of friends other than you two," I erased that sentence and added. "And they're way better friends than you two will ever be!"

"You mean those Blank Flanks?" said Silver. "But they're losers, they got nothing. We have rich dads and Cutie Marks!"

Diamond then made her own statement, "And why is it that you're defending Apple Bloom? Haven't you forgotten that she practically crushed your heart into dust?"

"I might've been upset when she said those things to me," I erased that sentence. "But at least I wasn't doing anything pathetic, like crying over a picture of her while stuffing my face in ice cream!"

After mentioning this, Diamond had a shocked expression on her face as her inner voice was saying, "How does he know that?!"

I turned to Silver Spoon and wrote to her, "You're right, she might not be the richest pony around here, but at least she doesn't do anything weird like keep a collection of colt flanks!"

Silver was in a mix of shock and nervousness as she said, "Is that a crime? Like I don't think so!"

"And since we're still having this conversation, I think now will be a good time to tell you that we're done."

"Like what do you mean?!"

"You and I are going to stop seeing each other," I erased that sentence. "Although, I never agreed to be your boyfriend to begin with. Which means that this relationship never existed to begin with."

Silver was tearing up a little as she said, "Fine, don't be my boyfriend! I never thought you were like cute to begin with!" and then the two just stormed off (possibly going back to their lair where she can cry over me the same way Diamond did for Rumble).

After that was all settled, I went over to Apple Bloom and helped her get up from the mud pile. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, it's nothin' too serious; it ain't the first time I've been covered in mud." She went to a fountain and washed all the mud off.

After she cleaned herself, I quickly wrote on my board, "Would you like me to walk you home?"

She stood there for a while as her inner voice was thinking, "Well, he did stood up fer me, and he is givin' a kind offer." and then the word that came out of her mouth was, "Sure."

As I was walking away with her, I looked back and saw Spike giving me--what he refers to as--a thumbs up. Twilight was then standing beside him as she said, "Hey Spike, where did that pie come from?"

"Sheldon delivered it for his grandma."

"He was here? Well where is he now?" Spike pointed her to my direction. "Why is he walking with Apple Bloom?"

"Oh, probably because he might have a bit of a crush on her; and I think he's doing well."

As Spike went back inside, Twilight was watching me and Apple Bloom with a smile as she said to herself, "Young love."

Back at the clubhouse, the crusaders were playing some kind of card game together. Sweetie Belle said, "Rumble, do you have any eights?" he then grudgingly gave her one of his cards. "Button, do you have any threes?" she got no response. "Button?" she looked over and saw that he was transfixed by his gizmo.

The second she tapped him, he was immediately in his whiny state. "No, no! Sweetie Belle! I was so close!"

Rumble then said, "Oh just forget about it and get your head in the game."

"My head was in the game!"

"The card game, not the videogame, dingus! How do you expect you and the others to get your Cutie Marks in poker if you don't play along?!"

"You don't even care about gettin' your Cutie Mark. So why would you care?" Pecan pointed out.

"Well these are my cards we're playing with, are they not? So I don't see why I shouldn't be allowed to play."

"Don't you mean they're your brother's cards that you took without asking?" Sweetie Belle interjected.

"Nopony asked you!"

"Hey guys, check this out!" Scootaloo shouted. They all crowded each other near a window as they saw Apple Bloom and I walking by.

When we came to the clubhouse, Apple Bloom said to me, "Thanks fer walkin' me home."

"It's the least I could do." As we were just standing in silence, my feelings for her were starting to come back as I kept gazing at her. Before it could get anymore awkward, I quickly wrote down, "I guess I'll be going now."

But as I turned, I was suddenly stopped. "Sheldon wait!" both our faces were suddenly close to each other. "Sheldon, I...I..." as she was trying to finish her sentence, I could hear her inner voice saying, "I might never hear the end of this." Then out of nowhere, she planted a small kiss right on my cheek and ran straight to the clubhouse. As I was walking away, I was feeling this warm sensation all over my body as I thought to myself. I guess the flower petal wasn't wrong after all.

Anyway, the second Apple Bloom was inside she was greeted with a lot of playful smirks. "Why are y'all starin' at me like that?"

"No reason," said Sweetie, "it's not like it's every day that you get to walk home with your special somepony."

The second they started to snicker, Apple Bloom knew right away what they were talking about. "It ain't what y'all think!"

"Don't deny it, Apple Bloom," said Scootaloo. "We saw you kiss him."

"Well I had ta thank him somehow!"

Sweetie then added, "When he was walking with you, were you two holding hooves?"

"No we weren't! He was just bein' polite is all."

"Why were you even walking with him to begin with?" Rumble asked.

"Yeah, we thought you hated him." Button reminded her.

"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were pickin' on me, and so he came and told them ta leave me alone."

Rumble then asked another question, "Did he mention anything about breaking up with her?"

"Well he must've written somethin' on his board that said so, seein' as how she was about ta cry."

Rumble then shouted, "All right! That means you and Sheldon might have a chance after all!"

"Now hold on, I appreciate what Sheldon did fer me, but that doesn't change anythin'. Besides, after the way I treated him yesterday, I'm sure that he only wants ta be friends at this point."

"Oh please," said Rumble, "since when does a colt ever want to just be friends with a filly?"

"I don't know," said Button. "Why don't you ask Pecan?"

"Hey, I can be more than just friends with a girl!" Pecan claimed.

Scootaloo put her hoof on his shoulder and said, "Yeah, they mean girls our age, Pecan."

"Oh yeah, well I'm gonna prove it!"

As everyone was following Pecan outside, Sweetie said to Apple Bloom, "Aren't you coming along?"

"No, I think I'll just rest here fer awhile." The second she was alone, she started to contemplate to herself on what's happening. "There's no way he's still interested in me; I practically told him ta stop. Though then again, he wouldn't have come defend me like that if he wasn't interested in me. Oh, what is it that Spike does whenever he has a feeling that Rarity might like him?" when she looked at some flower that was in a vase, she suddenly remembered how the theory went. And so she took the flower and said as she plucked the petals off one by one, "He loves me...he loves me not..."

Foalsitting

The next day, everypony was fidgeting with anticipation as we were all waiting for the bell to ring. When it did ring, nearly everypony was bursting through the door as Ms. Cheerilee tried to tell us, "Now remember students, the field trip to Canterlot is tomorrow. So make sure you get to the train station on time." But I'm pretty sure that nopony took any notice of that.

As I was walking out of the school, I noticed that Pecan was talking to some fillies who quickly rejected him. Rumble and Button were snickering over his failure, while the Cutie Mark Crusaders seem to be feeling sorry for him. When Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara had walked by, you'd expect them to start calling them names at some point, but instead they just sort of ignored them and continued on in a brooding silence. (I'm guessing that after my little confrontation from yesterday, that they must've lost the will to bully others.) Anyway, the crusaders just went back to their clubhouse, Rumble and Button both went with their brothers, and Pecan just short of walked away in a sulky mood. Which means that the only option for me was to just go straight home.

As I entered my house, I went to the living room and saw both my parents lying down on the couch in a deadpan manner. My dad looked at me and said in a mopey tone, "Hey son, how was school?"

I levitated my board and chalk and wrote down, "It was all right," I then erased that short sentence. "What's wrong?"

My mom then said, "Oh it's just our ten year wedding anniversary, and your father and I were hoping to go do something special."

My dad added, "The only problem is that we would have to leave you alone, and we're a little worried about taking that risk."

"Couldn't you hire a foalsitter?"

"And just who do we know will be willing to look after you while we're away?" my dad asked.

"You could ask one of our neighbors."

"I guess we could," my mom agreed, "but who can we hire on such a short notice?"

"How about Tex?"

My parents thought for awhile until my dad said, "I guess we could go with him." And without wasting anymore time, my parents got off the couch and had taken a ten second walk to Tex's house.

The second my dad knocked the door, he and my mom were both greeted by Tex. "Well howdy neighbors, what brings y'all around?"

"Oh not much," my dad told him, "we were wondering if you could look after Sheldon for tonight?"

"Oh sure I can, but what's the occasion?"

My mom said, "It's our wedding anniversary, and we wanted to do something special for tonight."

"Well if it's a good night that y'all wantin', then I'll be more than happy ta foalsit yer boy. Besides, my little bro seems ta be a little down today; so some quality time with his friend could cheer him up."

...

Later that night, my mom had donned her fine, red dress, while she was helping my dad with his tie. As they were preparing themselves, my mom took the time to go over the rules with me. "Now remember to mind Tex while we're gone, Sheldon. And you make sure that you get to bed on time."

"No worries, Mom."

When the door started to knock, I quickly put my board back around my neck while my dad went to open the door. "Glad you can make it Tex, and I see you brought your brother with you."

"Yeah, like I said earlier, Pecan could use a little quality time with yer son." As soon as my parents left, he placed a bag he was carrying on the coffee table while Pecan sat next to me. "So Sheldon, Pecan told me that Apple Bloom kissed ya yesterday."

Without using my Mind Powers, I wrote on my board, "How did you know that?"

Then Pecan said in a depressed tone, "Me and the others were watchin' ya from the clubhouse."

Boy, somepony's got a cloud over their head. I then saw Tex take some kind of notebook out of his bag and showed a picture to Pecan--which I'm guessing was suppose to brighten his spirits. After looking at the picture, I wrote for Tex, "Did you draw that?"

"You bet I did," he said. "Drawin' just happens ta be my special talent." He then pointed to his Cutie Mark (which was a pencil over a piece of paper). "Yep, I was very surprised when I discovered my special talent; but not as much as my dad. He was hopin' that my talent would involve plumbin', kinda like his. But when he realized that my true destiny wasn't goin' ta involve helpin' him in his business, he had a feelin' that there would be some kind of tension between us. (Which is probably the main reason why I decided ta move ta Ponyville.)"

At that point, he decided to show us more of his pictures. After probably showing us the thirty sixth drawing, Pecan let out a groan and said, "Are ya just gonna show us all yer pictures?"

"Well I ain't got nothin' better ta do at the moment," said Tex. "Besides, I'm expectin' some company to arrive any minute."
And that's when the door knocked.

He went to open the door, and then enters Applejack. She ruffled Pecan's hair as she said, "Well howdy there, Pecan, yer brother's been borin' ya ta death?"

"He was showin' us his drawin's."

"Yeah, that stallion sure does love ta draw." That's when she turned her attention to me. "Well look who we have here, if it isn't the little lover-boy who's been courtin' my little sister." My cheeks started to turn red when she said that. "I heard that ya walked her home yesterday; were ya tryin' ta be a sweet, little gentlecolt ta her?" I nodded my head. "Well that's good ta hear. Because ta tell ya the truth, my sister could use a little boyfriend of her own. Ya know, ta take her mind off of her lack of a Cutie Mark."

Tex then wrapped his hoof around Applejack as he told us, "OK, you two just stay put and have some fun, while me and Applejack go upstairs." And so they both went upstairs to probably do some more "foalplay". (Hey, as long as they're not doing it in my room, then I'm OK with it.)

While we were having to listen to the sounds of grunts and moans, I took the time to ask Pecan something. "So Pecan, I noticed you were talking to some fillies." I erased that sentence, "Have you gotten tired of Minuette?"

"No," he said very glumly. "It's just that after we saw Apple Bloom kiss you, the other's made some kind of remark about me never havin' a girlfriend. So I was tryin' ta prove ta 'em that I could get fillies ta like me; except it seems ta me that they don't exactly have any likin' tawards me. And I've been thinkin', does Minuette only like me out of pity that no other girl would ever want ta be with me? Could it be that...I may never have a special somepony of my own?"

Seeing that he's in some kind of hurt state, I did what all best friends do in a situation like this, and that's comfort him. "Pecan, I might not be an expect on love, but I'm sure that somepony might love you."

"Yeah, the only girl who seems ta care about me is Minuette; the only problem is I'm too young fer her. And even if I do get old enough, how do I know that she won't already be datin' somepony else at that point?"

"I highly doubt that that would ever happen to you," I erased that bit of information. "You're always so nice to her that I for one can't imagine her of all ponies not wanting to be with you when you grow up."

"Ya really think so?"

"Well I may not be able to look into the distant future, but I'd like to think the two of you could be together."

Pecan started to lighten up a little bit as he decided to discuss another topic. "So anyway, are ya gonna come on the field trip tomorrow?"

"You mean the one to Canterlot?"

"Yeah, so are ya goin'?"

Knowing that Celestia would probably spot me in a millisecond, going back there would probably be my death warrant. So I wrote down, "I'm not sure."

"Why not? You said so yerself that ya used ta live there."

"I know, but I didn't exactly like it there."

"Come on Sheldon, Apple Bloom will be there. And who knows, you might have a chance ta actually start somethin' with her."

He does kinda have a point; nearly everypony wishes to one day go to Canterlot, and a farm girl like Apple Bloom would definitely find the experience to be amazing. So I wrote down on my board, "I might give it a shot."

Meanwhile, my parents were at that fancy restaurant that Silver Spoon forced me to go to as they were celebrating their anniversary. (They both know that they agreed to not go for anything expensive when we'd first came here, but they made an exception since this is their anniversary.)

As they waited for their meals, my dad took out a box and said, "It's for you, Diane."

My mom opened it and was amazed as she looked at the diamond necklace. "Why Jack, it's beautiful!"

"Yep, a beautiful jewel for my beautiful wife."

As she put it on, she felt a bit of guilt in her as she said, "Oh Jack, if only we weren't trying to make a low profile for our son's sake, I would've gotten you something just as expensive."

"There's no need for that; you're the only gift I need." After giving each other a quick kiss, that's when the waiter brought their meals.

As they were eating, my parents were reminiscing about how they came together. "Jack, you remember the first day we met?"

"How could I forget? We were both freshman at the most prestigious university in all of Equestria."

"I could never forget when I asked to borrow your pencil."

"Yeah, and in return you had to go to dinner with me."

"Ah yes, I especially loved those dates that you and I would take for the next four years."

"But the one day I had to love the most was graduation."

"I know, that was when I told you that I was pregnant."

"And that was also when I proposed to you."

"Now here we are ten years later."

"Yep, just two ponies who love each other who were blessed with a wonderful son."

Upon bringing that up, they both seemed to have some kind of dread clouding over them. "Do you ever worry that Sheldon might be taken away someday?" my mom asked.

"There's not a day goes by that I have a nightmare of that dreaded day that'll eventually come," my dad said solemnly. "But the important thing for us to do right now is to make sure that Sheldon's secret is well hidden, and that Celestia and nopony else will start to catch on."

...

Two hours later, my parents were just walking back to the house when they saw Tex--with Pecan hanging on his back--and Applejack come out. "Howdy, how was yer anniversary?" Tex asked.

"It went swimmingly," my dad told him. "How's Sheldon?"

"He and Pecan were plumb tuckered out," Applejack explained, "so I went and tucked him inta bed fer ya."

"Speaking of which, I better get my little bro ta bed; he and his friends are gonna be goin' ta Canterlot tomorrow."

"And I better make sure Apple Bloom doesn't oversleep as well. Bye y'all!"

As soon as they left, my parents had gone into my room to watch me sleep. As they were watching, my mom said to my dad, "He looks so peaceful."

"Times like this I keep forgetting that he's getting older by the second."

"He deserves a normal life; if only Celestia didn't want somepony of his kind dead."

"I know that our boy deserves better than this, but there's nothing we can do to change that. Sheldon was born a Mindbender, and he has to make sure that nopony finds out. Well, let's get to bed Diane."

When my dad left, my mom had stepped towards my bed and planted a goodnight kiss on my forehead. "Goodnight, Sheldon."

Hearts and Hooves Day

Back at school the next day, the whole classroom was enveloped with red and pink, paper hearts from top to bottom. As I walked towards my desk, from left to right, I saw colts and fillies giving each other little paper hearts with sappy messages or heart shaped candy that tasted like powder.

When I sat down, I saw Rumble and Button give Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle some paper hearts, and they in turn received kisses to the cheek. After that, they then turned their attention towards me and sat next to me. "I take it Sweetie and Scootaloo loved what you gave them?"

"Yeah, they're pretty easy to please on Hearts and Hooves Day." Said Button.

"Where's Pecan?"

"Couldn't make it," said Rumble. "He's over at Sweet Apple Acres helping Apple Bloom with some chores; which gives you plenty of time to win her heart."

"So how are ya gonna do it?" Button wondered.

Before I could even write down anything, I was about to come face to face with the one pony I thought I'd never had to see again. "Well, well, if it isn't my old friend, Clopper. I presume that your colleagues had sent you my regards?"

While my face was saying "Sweet Celestia, not you again!" Rumble was the first to--actually--respond. "Hey I know you, you're that snooty rich kid that we met at Canterlot."

"Yes, and you're the dimwit who cast that lovely jewel aside for some tomcolt." He pointed to Diamond Tiara--who in turn had blown him a kiss.

Button leaned to me and asked, "Sheldon, just who is this guy?"

I then written down a full description. "That's my most obnoxious rival, Highbrow Canterster."

Highbrow then tried to make himself look like the good guy. "Now Sheldon, is that anyway for you to be speaking about your own buddy?"

"You and I were never buddies!" I erased that statement and written a strong point. "Also, since when did you started to call me by my actual name?"

"You mean he didn't call you Sheldon?" Button asked.

"Before I got my Cutie Mark, he'd always refer to me as 'Blankius Flankicus'." I erased that bit of information and written another. "And when it's not about my Cutie Mark, he'd like to take the 'C' out of my last name and replace it with an 'F'."

"Flopper?" Rumble said in confusion. "Why would he call you that?"

"Because back then, I wasn't exactly the top student in the class. That is until the day when I beaten him at a bet." I then erased that sentence and written down the whole story. "I bet that I could make a higher score than him; and when I did, he had to eat his own uniform."

Button and Rumble were both bursting in laughter after reading that. "You actually ate your own uniform?!" Rumble asked Highbrow.

"How did it taste?!" Button jokingly asked.

"Yes, yes, get it all out of your systems," Highbrow said. "Listen Clopper, I didn't talk my father into having us move to this dump-heap of a town just to continue our petty little rivalry. I came here for one reason, and she's sitting over there. Now if you'll excuse me, my lady is waiting for me."

He then went towards Diamond and kissed her hoof. "Oh Highbrow, I didn't think you'd make it."

"Like I wouldn't see my special somepony on Hearts and Hooves Day; speaking of which." He then used his magic to bring in a big paper heart with Diamonds on it. And Diamond wrapped him in his hooves and started to smother him in kisses.

As we were watching this, Rumble said, "Gees, it's almost as if Diamond's dating herself."

"Or maybe Highbrow's dating himself."

...

During lunch, we each sat at a table together as we had the misfortune of watching Highbrow and Diamond feed each other and rub muzzles together. When Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came to sit with us, Sweetie said, "Have you guys noticed anything weird about Diamond?"

"You mean other than the fact that she's probably dating a filly who's possibly trying to look like a colt?" said Rumble.

After we both gave each other a hoofbump, Scootaloo then pointed out, "Normally when we walk past her, she'd start calling us names at this point; and now it seems that she doesn't know we exist."

"Probably because she's too busy rubbing muzzles with her boyfriend." Button suggested.

This caused Sweetie to say to me, "Speaking of which, are you planning on confessing your love to Apple Bloom?"

I put the sandwich I was eating down so I could write my answer. "I'll tell her after school."

Sweetie was squealing with excitement while Scootaloo was appearing to doubt it. "And just how do ya plan on doing that, Casanova?"

"I'll just head over to your clubhouse and tell her myself."

"So basically you're just gonna walk up to her and say, 'I think you're beautiful, now kiss me'?"

"When she yelled at me, she mentioned something about me not telling her myself." I erased that sentence, "So I figure if I were to actually tell her how I feel, then she might believe it."

Rumble then commented, "Yeah Sheldon, I don't really think that the direct approach might be the best option."

"It's either that or do nothing for the rest of my life."

"Fine, if you want to be direct with her, then by all means."

...

Around the time school had finally ended, Apple Bloom and Pecan were both relaxing in the clubhouse after finishing all those chores. "Thanks fer helpin' me out today, Pecan."

"What are friends fer? besides, I didn't really have much purpose ta go ta school today anyway."

"I know that ya didn't want ta be the only one without a special somepony, but you ain't the only one."

"That ain't true, ya got Sheldon."

"Not yet I don't. Just because I said I'd give him a chance, doesn't mean I'd automatically be his girlfriend just like that."

"Well what is it you want him ta do? just come in and sweep you in his hooves?"

As soon as he said that, that's when Sweetie and Scootaloo came bursting in. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Apple Bloom, you're not gonna believe this!" Sweetie Belle was blurting in excitement.

"Believe what?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Sheldon's got something he wants to tell you!" said Sweetie.

"Well where is he?"

"He's at his place, getting himself ready." Sweetie turned to Pecan. "So Pecan, why don't you go get him for us?" when he left, Sweetie turned back to Apple Bloom. "And while he's off getting Sheldon, we better get you prepared as well."

Back at my house, I was in my room with Rumble and Button Mash as they each tried to make me look dashing for Apple Bloom. Rumble had some hair gel that he took from his brother and said, "My bro puts this stuff in his hair all the time, and all the mares would swoon over him."

"Is covering my mane in gel really that necessary?"

"Sure it is; that fancy Canterlot hair of yours is good, but it can be better."

"He doesn't need any of that gel," said Button, "all he needs is a mustache."

The second he whipped that fake mustache out, I immediately wrote down, "I am not wearing that."

"Come on Sheldon, it worked for Sweetie Belle."

"Well I'm not trying to woo Sweetie Belle, am I?"

"Fine, but at least put on some of this cologne."

"Isn't that strawberry scented?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Wouldn't Apple Bloom prefer something that smelled like apples?"

While Button was cursing himself for an idiot, that's when Pecan came in. "Hey Sheldon, you ready ta get yerself a girlfriend?" I nodded. "Then let's get goin'."

Back at the clubhouse, Apple Bloom was in the process of what girls like to call: a makeover. Scootaloo had taken her bow off from her head and replaced it with one that had little gems embedded on it. "Scootaloo, don't you think this might be a bit excessive?" said Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo just told her, "Don't be ridiculous. When Sheldon comes in and sees you in that bow, he'll be dazzled."

That's when Sweetie Belle started to spray some perfume on her. "Sweetie Belle, what the hay are ya doin'?!"

"Just spraying some perfume on you," said Sweetie, "Rarity sprays it when she's about to meet a stallion."

"Well it ain't a stallion that I'm waitin' fer," said Apple Bloom, "it's a silent colt who better get here if he ever expects me ta consider datin' him."

"Now Apple Bloom, don't be so hard on Sheldon." Said Sweetie. "He'd said he'll come, and that's what he'll do." Boy does she have perfect timing or what? because as soon she said that, I was standing next to the door, being entranced by Apple Bloom--again. As we were staring at each other, Sweetie Belle said, "Well, I guess we better leave you two lovebirds alone."

As soon as they were gone, I got closer to Apple Bloom. Not wanting things to be awkward, I decided to start things with a compliment. "That's a nice bow you got."

"Thanks, somepony at school made this fer me; but I don't really wear it that much. So...ya got somethin' you wanna tell me?"

Since I couldn't actually tell her, I just handed her a little paper heart that I made for her. She looked at it and let out a giggle when she read the message: you leave me speechless. (You know, because I don't have a voice.) But when she looked back up, she was really surprised when she saw a message on my chalkboard that reads, "I love you."

When she read it, her cheeks started to turn red and her inner voice was saying, "My gosh, maybe he really does have a crush on me. And ta think that I was such a jerk ta him before." She then opened her mouth and said, "Sheldon, I'm sorry fer what I said ta ya three days ago. I guess I just assumed that because you were around Diamond and Silver that you were just like 'em. And yet even after all those horrible things I said ta ya, you still chose ta be nice ta me. Why?"

"Just because you hated me, doesn't mean I had to hate you."

"Applejack's right, I really am seein' him differently. I thought he was some obnoxious pest, but he's actually sincere and sweet. Maybe this whole boyfriend business doesn't seem so bad after all." That was when she saw the others watching us from some window. "I think we're bein' watched."

I turned around and saw them quickly duck down while whispering very loudly. Seeing as how I'm getting closer to the grand finale, I wrote on my board, "You think we should give them what they want?"

A playful smile formed on her face as she said, "Might as well."

As we were preparing ourselves for what might be our first kiss, Sweetie Belle was really eager to see it. "They're closing their eyes, their lips are puckering, they're leaning closer, and closer, and closer, and..." as soon as our lips had touched each other, Sweetie Belle jumped up and shouted, "YES!"

When our lips departed, we both had a warm sensation through our bodies. As we were both just staring at each other dreamily, Apple Bloom suggested, "I heard they're givin' away free milkshakes over at Sugarcube Corner. Wanna join?" and so we both nuzzled each other as we walked out as boyfriend and girlfriend.

While we were leaving, Sweetie Belle was celebrating, "We did it guys, we got them together!"

"Yeah, now let's see if we got our Cutie Marks!" cried Scootaloo. But they were all disappointed when they saw that they were all blank.

"Aw man, that must be a real bummer for all of you; especially after all of the hard work you all put into bringing those two together." Rumble attempted to offer his sympathy to his fellow Blank Flanks.

"It wasn't just fer nothin'," said Pecan, "we got our friend ta be with the pony he loves."

As they kept watching us, Rumble said, "I bet they last until three months."

And to that, Button said, "You're on." And boy were those two in for a surprise.

A Dance to Remember

Rumble thought that mine and Apple Bloom's relationship wouldn't last for more than three months; it's been ten years since I'd moved here, and all the way up to high school, Apple Bloom and I were still together. We were all seniors at this point, and pretty much all the Cutie Mark Crusaders had finally gotten their Cutie Marks. Apple Bloom's was a purple apple with a little pink heart inside while also within a striped shield, Sweetie's was a purple star with a little musical note inside within the same striped shield as Apple Bloom's, Scootaloo's was a purple wing with a little lighting bolt inside along with the aforementioned striped shield, Rumble's was a tornado, Button's was the buttons on his gizmo, and Pecan's was--ironically--a pecan.

Anyway, it was now lunchtime, and I was sitting with Rumble and Pecan--who both just got back from hoofball practice. As we were eating, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had eventually joined us as well. It was at that moment when we were greeted by the rich kid and the head cheerleader (better known as Highbrow and Diamond Tiara).

"Well if it isn't our favorite team of misfits," Highbrow said in a--not so--mocking tone. "Where's the one who likes to stare into that little gizmo?"

"Button's at home fixing up my surprise," Sweetie explained. "Today's our anniversary."

"How lovely," said Highbrow, "I came to wish you all good luck at the dance tonight; although it's pretty obvious that my Diamond and I shall be crowned Prom King and Queen."

Diamond Tiara then said to Sweetie Belle, "And Sweetie, I heard that you'll be singing. I just hope that you pick a good song for when Highbrow and I dance."

"Well, see you all tonight." With that said, they both walked away.

To think those two used to do nothing but get on everypony's nerves. Sweetie Belle then said, "So, do any of you have anything special planned for tonight?"

Rumble was the first to answer, "Oh just dance around with my mare, and then maybe watch the stars on top of a cloud."

"And I can finally fly now," Scootaloo added, "which means I won't need you holding me."

"But we can still cuddle though, right?"

As they both inserted each other's tongues in their mouths, Sweetie said to Pecan, "What about you, Pecan? is there a certain mare that you're planning on taking?"

Pecan tilted his head down as he said, "No, still can't seem ta work around the mares."

"But you're in the hoofball team," Sweetie pointed out. "Surely some cheerleaders are interested in you."

"Well, they mostly prefer Rumble."

At the mention of his name, Rumble said, "Oh yeah, you can't imagine how many of them cheerleaders just stop and watch me practice."

Scootaloo was giving him a death stare as she said, "Don't be getting any ideas, buster!"

"Of course not, babe; you're the only mare for me."

And that's when Sweetie turned to me. "And what about you, Sheldon? are you planning on taking Apple Bloom with ya?"

"Where is she, anyway?"

"She's in the gym, setting things up for the prom." A playful smirk had started to form on her face. "Why, are you hoping for some alone time?"

"What we do alone is no concern of yours." I erased that sentence, "Besides, I just want to see if she wants me to walk her home."

"You sure do like walking her home a lot, don't you?" said Scootaloo.

"What's wrong with walking with your girlfriend?"

"Nopony's saying that it's wrong," said Rumble. "It's just that you're now at an age when you and Apple Bloom should be doing more than just sneaking in the barn and play kissing games."

"You mean like foalplay?"

"Exactly," Rumble clarified, "it's time for you to stop being a colt and become a stallion; like me."

He then started to slide his hoof down to Scootaloo's flank. But as soon as she felt it, she immediately smacked it away and said, "Knock it off, Rumble! I told you we're not gonna do that sort of stuff until we graduate!"

"Come on babe, we're not little foals anymore. So let's go up to the next level."

"Gees, it's no wonder your brother didn't want you looking at his magazines."

I then heard Sweetie's inner voice eagerly say, "Ooh, maybe that's what Button has planned for our anniversary!" and I just continued eating my lunch as I tried to put these thoughts aside.

...

When school was officially over, I went to the gym to check on Apple Bloom. She was standing on top of a ladder, fixing the lights, when she saw me walking towards her. "Howdy Sheldon!" as she was coming down, the ladder looked like it was about to tip over. So I quickly used my Mind Powers to hold it still for her. After she got off, she gave me a kiss and said, "So, are ya ready fer tonight?"

I nodded my head as I wrote on my board, "Would you like me to walk you home?"

"Like I would ever say no."

As we were walking out of the school, I saw Spike--who has become quite taller and muscular after these years--come running towards me and said, "Hey Sheldon, Twilight's got something for ya."

"Can't it wait?" I erased that question, "I'm kinda in the middle of walking my girlfriend home."

"It's OK Sheldon, I don't mind walkin' by myself this time." Said Apple Bloom, "You just remember ta pick me up tonight."

After kissing my cheek, she went back to Sweet Apple Acres while I was following Spike.

When we were in the castle, I saw Twilight talking with one of those mutated monkeys that I saw not too long ago. (Only this time, I was able to get a much better look at him.) This one had on a red shirt that had the words "Star Wars" written on it, some blue pants that looked like it was squeezing his lower section, and these weird things that were covering his feet. It also had short black hair, and a black mustache on its face. While the mutant was chugging down on a can of Colt, Twilight said, "Oh good Sheldon, you're here!"

The mutant then turned and said, "Is this the pony you were talking about?"

"That's right, Jeffrie," said Twilight, "this is Sheldon Clopper."

The mutant known as Jeffrie then said, "Not related to Sheldon Cooper, I hope." He then started to do this laugh that sounded like a castrated dolphin.

As much as I wanted to question his sense of humor, I had something more important to ask. "So what is it that you want me for?"

Twilight then told me, "Well Sheldon, I know that you're unable to speak; which is why I've been working on something that can fix that." She then wrapped this weird cowbell around my neck.

The mutant known as Jeffrie then blurted, "Oh God, please tell me you're not making him wear those things that make him sound like a robot."

"What's a robot?"

"Try it and see for yourself."

Spike then flipped some switch that was on it as Twilight was instructing me. "Now say something." I was about to write on my board, but then she pulled it away with her magic. "No, don't write what you have to say. Speak."

I then opened my mouth, and what came out was this weird techno sound. "Hello, I am Sheldon Clopper."

Spike and Twilight seemed to be thrilled by this, I however was not amused in anyway. I snapped the thing off of my neck and tossed it aside. "Sheldon, what's wrong?" Twilight asked.

Picking my board and chalk up, I wrote down, "I'm not wearing that thing!"

"But you can talk now." Spike pointed out.

"I'd rather be mute than sound ridiculous!"

"You didn't sound ridiculous." Twilight tried to assure me.

But the mutant known as Jeffrie had a different opinion. "What do ya mean he didn't sound ridiculous? he sounded like fucking Stephen Hawking."

"Jeffrie, you're not helping."

"Don't get mad at me for telling the truth, Twilight; honesty is part of friendship, remember? well, I better get going before Jonathan and Andrew do something stupid. See ya Spike."

As soon as he left, Twilight said to me, "You'll have to excuse Jeffrie; he can be a little abrasive sometimes."

That's when Rumble came flying through the balcony. "Sheldon, Spike, you guys have got to see this!"

"What is it?" asked Spike.

"It's Button and Sweetie Belle; come on!"

As we were running off, Twilight gave her invention to Spike and said, "Hold on to this in case Sheldon changes his mind."

When we entered Button's house, we started to hear somepony arguing. "I can't believe you've forgot our own anniversary!"

"I didn't forget, honest!"

"Don't lie to me, I saw you doing nothing but playing video games!"

"It was part of the surprise, Sweetie!"

"Oh, I suppose that breaking your own girlfriends' heart was all part of the surprise?!"

When we came in the room, we saw Pecan and Scootaloo watching Sweetie Belle and Button having a fight. "What's happening?" Spike asked.

Pecan then told him, "It seems that Button here forgot his own anniversary."

This caused Button to shout, "For the last time, I didn't forget!"

"Don't bother denying it, Button!" Sweetie cried. "It's obvious that you love these video games more than me!"

"That's not true; I've always loved you!"

"Then how do you explain those times when you're staring at your stupid JoyBoy while I try to share a romantic moment with you?! if I had known that allowing you to be yourself would lead you to ignoring me, then I would've just let you sell your stupid video games from the start! at least you were actually interested in me when you didn't have any video games near you!"

"Sweetie, you don't really mean that?!"

"Yes I do; and if you expect me to keep being your girlfriend, then you better choose: me or the video games!"

After an uncomfortable silence, I tried to write something down on my board. But what I had to say to them couldn't fit on my board. (Which means that I have no choice but to use Twilight's invention.) After slamming my board and chalk down, I strapped the device to my neck, switched it on, and everypony stared at me awkwardly when they heard the techno voice.
"Sweetie, Button, I might not know how your relationship is suppose to work, but after all the years of dating Apple Bloom, I've learned that you each have to give eachother a chance. Button, it's OK if you play video games, but you also have a wonderful marefriend who just wants your attention. So you gotta start making some time for her. And Sweetie, don't be so hard on Button; he's trying his best. If you were to allow him to explain himself, then maybe you both can fix this problem together."

After that--somewhat--awkward speech, Button took the time to explain himself. "Sweetie, I understand that I wasn't exactly the best stallion for you, but if you were to at least look at your surprise, then I'll be OK if you don't want to go to the prom with me."

He then turned on his game box and on the screen, Sweetie's jaw dropped when she saw a pixelized message that reads: Happy Anniversary! Around that message were giant, pixelized heads of Button and Sweetie, while also surrounded by pixelized hearts.

She was shedding some tears of joy when she said to Button, "You made all this...for me?"

"Yes Sweetie, I know that I never seem to truly appreciate all those times when you were willing to waste your time with somepony like me instead of doing something else. Which is why I wanted this one surprise to be very special for you; and after all these years we spent together, I can honestly say how lucky I am to have you for a girlfriend. I might not be able to take back the times I took away from you, but can you ever forgive me?"

"Oh Button!" she then wrapped her hooves around his neck as they both passionately made out.

Well I guess that fixed their problem. "I'm guessing you're gonna start using Twilight's device more often, huh?" asked Spike.

I just gave him the dreaded device back as I wrote on my board, "Never again!"

...

Later that night, I was donning a tuxedo while my mom was taking pictures. "Ooh, my boy's going to his first prom!"

My dad then added as he straightened my hair, "Yep, I still can't believe how fast you've grown."

My mom handed me a corsage to give to Apple Bloom and said, "Now you go have fun, sweetie."

As I was walking out the door, my dad said, "But don't be out too long, Sheldon; you still got graduation tomorrow."

When I came to Sweet Apple Acres, I knocked on the door and was greeted by Apple Bloom's brother. "Ah, you finally arrived. Had it been much later, I would've assumed ya stood her up." When I entered, he had more to say. "Ya know, you've been datin' my little sister fer the past ten years, and I keep havin' my doubts about you."

"If you're worried that I'm hurting your sister, then I assure you that I'm treating her like the mare she is."

"I hope you are; because if you're not, then it would seem that my sister would be in need of a new stallion."

"Big Mac, leave Sheldon alone," said Applejack. "Ya know dang well that he'd never take advantage of Apple Bloom!" she then turned to me, "Hope ya ready sugarcube, because here comes yer date."

I was then in complete awe as I gazed upon Apple Bloom in her light purple dress! After giving her the corsage, and taking a quick picture for her family, we were on our way to the dance.

The dance was just what you would expect; ponies dancing, loud band music, and tainted punch (which I of course didn't drink). Rumble, Button, and Pecan--and any other stallion for that matter--pretty much had on the same tux. Scootaloo had on a yellow dress and gold earrings, while Sweetie Belle had on a slick blue dress and pink eye shadow. But the ones who stood out the most were Highbrow and Diamond (what with him wearing a dark purple tuxedo, and her wearing a poofy dress). They of course were crowned Prom King and Queen, and Sweetie got to sing them a slow love ballad as they danced.

As for Apple Bloom and I, we both got to have a few dances with each other with little to no problems interfering with our enjoyment. Although, there was a certain orange pony by the name of Tender Taps who almost spoiled this night for us when he took to the dance floor and began to show off his tap dancing moves for everypony. I spotted a few mares swooning and sighing as they gazed upon this dancing stallion; but what really struck a nerve in me is when I head Apple Blooms' inner voice say "That Tender Taps sure has some nice legs." Fearing that this tap dancer is attempting to steal my girlfriend from me, I carefully used my Mind Powers to make a banana peel fall from a nearby trash bin. Then I waited until Tender had moved close enough for me to slip the peel into his direction, resulting in him tripping and injuring his knee. The moment he was taken to the clinic, I took this chance to share one last dance with Apple Bloom.

When it was over, we each went to a big lake. Button and Sweetie were riding on a boat, Rumble and Scootaloo were making out on a cloud, and Apple Bloom and I were lying next to each other, gazing at the stars. As we were nuzzling next to each other, Apple Bloom said, "Sheldon, I had a great time tonight."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." I erased that sentence and written a joke, "I just hope your brother doesn't kill me afterwards."

She let out a giggle as she then told me, "Sheldon, do ya think that maybe we can try takin' our relationship ta another level?"

"You mean like doing what Tex does with your sister?"

"Exactly. We're grown ups now, so we should love each other like grown ups. And what better night ta foalplay then on prom night?"

"Why not until we're married?"

She was very surprised when I brought that up. "You-you're actually thinkin' about marryin' me?"

"Why not? You are my special somepony; so it only makes sense that I spend the rest of my life with you."

"Ya mean it?" I nodded my head. "Well, I guess foalplay can wait fer now; but until then, this'll have ta do." We then just passionately made out under the night sky. (For little did I know, that it may be the last moment I'll ever spend with her).

A Bittersweet Celebration

We were all on top of a stage, as we had on our blue suits and caps and patiently waited for our names to be announced. "Apple Bloom." She got her diploma and went to her family. "Button Mash." He received his diploma and went to his family. "Rumble." He took his diploma and went to his family and foalsitters. "Scootaloo." She was given her diploma and went to her "sister", Rainbow Dash, along with her overly supportive parents and her two aunts. "Sweetie Belle." She'd taken her diploma and went to her family as well. "Sheldon Clopper." I finally claimed my diploma and went to be congratulated by my parents, grandparents, and therapist.

My dad: "Good job, son!"

My mom: "I'm so proud of you!"

My grandpa: "I knew that you wouldn't fail!"

My grandma: "You've done your grandmother proud, Sheldon!"

Dr. Egghead: "You're taking a big step, Sheldon!"

When it was finally over, my family and I were heading back home to prepare myself for the after graduation party over at Sugarcube Corner. But as we entered the house, we failed to notice the royal guards who were watching us from a distance. One was a white unicorn, with long blue hair and purple armor. The other was a white earth pony with a black mustache and gold armor, while the other was just a black earth pony with gold armor.

The white earth pony said, "Is that him?"

The unicorn told him, "Yep, that's our target."

"So when do we arrest him?" the black earth pony asked.

"As soon as Flash Sentry comes back."

"It's amazing how much time that guy wastes when we're about to arrest somepony."

An orange pegasus then flew by and said, "Hey bros, what did I miss?"

The black earth pony told him, "Well, you almost made us lose our target again."

"Come on bro, you're still not mad at me for being late that one time, are ya?"

"It was a dragon that was robbing a bank, and we couldn't stop him because you weren't around!"

"I was fixing my hair; it's hard to keep your swag going when you have to wear a helmet."

The white earth pony asked the unicorn, "Remind me again why we need Hotshot here to be with us on every mission?"

The unicorn then said, "Because as brash and obnoxious Flash Sentry may be, he happens to be one of the most skilled soldiers to ever enter the royal guard...and he's also bucking my sister."

"Hay yeah I am!" Flash raised his hoof for a hoofbump, but instead received this.

"Why is it that every time you speak, I just want to punch you in the muzzle?"

"Come on bro, you're not really gonna hit your future brother-in-law, are ya?"

"No, but if you don't focus on the mission, then I might be able to make an exception."

"Oh relax, it's just another criminal that Celestia wants us to apprehend; how bad could he be?"

The unicorn took out the order and read it out loud, "Wanted: Sheldon Clopper. Crime: suspected Mindbender. Arrest with caution. Does that answer your question, Flash?"

"Well come on then, ladies! let's go arrest somepony!" as he was moving forward, the unicorn thought to himself, what does Twily see in him?

Before they were about to enter, my parents, grandparents, and therapist, were all downstairs, having a celebration of their own. "I never would've thought that Sheldon would live long enough to graduate high school." My dad said.

"Now all that's left is university." My grandpa said.

"Yep, after all these years of hiding, I think the worst is finally behind Sheldon." As soon as Dr. Egghead said that, that's when the door knocked. The second the door opened, my parents had dropped their glasses when they saw the royal guards. "Why Prince Shining Armor," my dad exclaimed, "what brings you all the way from the Crystal Empire?!"

The unicorn known as Shining Armor said, "Are you the parents of Sheldon Clopper?"

"Yes."

"We received orders from Princess Celestia to bring him to her at once."

"But what did our son do?!" my mom cried.

"Your son is suspected of being a Mindbender; we're going to take him straight to Princess Celestia where he'll be interrogated. And if he's not what she suspects he is, then he's got nothing to worry about."

Dr. Egghead tried to hide the truth, "Well as his therapist, I've been observing him for years and not once did I ever see him do anything Mindbending related."

"Well that's for the princess to decide. Now will you kindly call him down?"

Seeing that they have no choice, my mom had reluctantly called me down. As soon as I came down, all my nightmares were about to come true. "Sheldon, sweetie, these guards are going to take you to Celestia." But how could it be?! I never made my powers look that noticeable or told anypony, so how could Celestia have found out?! "Don't worry sweetie, they're just gonna take you to talk with her and then they'll bring you back."

As Shining Armor was taking out some cuffs, Flash Sentry took them and said, "Please bro, let me handle this." He then slowly walked towards me and said, "Come on kiddo, just let me put these cuffs on ya and we'll take you to Celestia."

I can't believe this was happening; those years I spent in public school, my friends, even the mare of my dreams were finally coming to an end. No! I wasn't going to let the life I wanted be taken from me! so before he could even snap those cuffs on me, I quickly made my mind turn the beeping noise back on.

As he stood there, my inner voice told him, "Drop the cuffs." And so he dropped them.

The white earth pony walked to them and said, "What's wrong Hotshot, the cuffs are too heavy for ya?"

"Kill him!"

As he leaned down to pick up the cuffs, Flash took his sword out and decapitated him!

"Flash, what're you doing?!"

"Kill the others!"

He then lunged his sword deep into the black earth pony's skull and then he and Shining Armor were both clashing swords! While this was happening, Dr. Egghead's inner voice was saying, "Sweet Celestia, he's Mindbreaking!" he rushed towards me and shouted, "Sheldon, get out of here! don't drain anymore of your energy, just run!"

As soon as I ran out of the house, Shining Armor had disarmed Flash and then shoved his blade through his throat. As he regained his composure, Shining Armor started to question everyone. "Where is he?! where's Sheldon?!"

"He's gone," said my dad. "He's somewhere where you and Celestia can never find him!"

"For assisting the escape of a suspect, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to take you all into custody."

I was hiding behind some bushes when I saw my parents, grandparents, and therapist being dragged in chains. It hurt me to see the ones I love being taken from me, but not as much as it's gonna hurt Shining Armor when I free them. But before I could perform the beeping again, some strange inner voice told me, "Don't. You've lost a lot of energy, and are in no condition for Mindbreaking. You might not know who I am, but I've known you since the day you were born. If you want to learn more, then remain hidden and head east to the Mind-Temple."

Word Spreads Out

Author's Note

I'm not sure if many people do this, but I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Layman11 for being so patient and enjoying the story so far.

Word Spreads Out

By the time this was all happening, everypony was over at Sugarcube Corner, celebrating the after graduation party. Amongst the crowd was all my friends and their families. Pecan was near a table receiving praise from his parents and brother. His dad patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well Pecan, looks like you're finally gonna be facin' the real world."

His mom started to squeeze his cheeks while saying, "Oh my little boy's all grown up!"

And Tex was ruffling his hair while telling him, "Yep, now all that's left is fer him ta get himself a mare."

After hearing that statement, Pecan's joy had suddenly dissolved into misery. While his family just chatted together, Pecan was standing by a table as he was drowning himself in punch. By the time when he was on his tenth cup, he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned around and had almost spat out the punch in disbelief when he laid eyes on the dentist whom he had fancied since childhood.

"Minuette, what're you doin' here?"

"I came to see you, of course. You didn't think I'd forget my favorite colt's graduation, did ya?"

"Well, no...but I thought ya had too many appointments?"

"I did, and I'm very sorry that I couldn't have been there to see you get your diploma."

"It's OK; it's not like ya missed anythin' important."

"Why do you say that?"

Pecan was silent for awhile until he placed his cup back on the table and said, "Can I be honest with ya, Minuette?"

"Of course you can, Pecan."

"When I was a kid, I had this big crush on you. This might be a little embarrassin' ta say, but everyday I'd floss and brush my teeth constantly just ta impress you. A bit of me did know that I could never actually get ta have you fer a special somepony, so I tried ta maybe date somepony my age. I never could seem ta get even one girlfriend; and my friends would always joke about it. At that point, I just had ta face the fact that I could never have a special somepony of my own."

"Don't say that Pecan, anypony can find a special somepony. You might've just been some little colt, but you're a full grown stallion now. There must be plenty of mares who'd want to be with you."

"You're wrong; even throughout high school, no mare would even acknowledge me. (And I was on the hoofball team.) Even at the prom, I was the only one without a date. If I couldn't even get a girlfriend durin' school, then how could I ever get one now that I graduated?"

Seeing as how he was getting close to tears, Minuette laid her hoof upon his shoulder and tried to comfort him. "Pecan, look at me. Do you know what I see? I see a very dashing and kind stallion who would make any mare happy. None of those mares may see it, but I do. And trust me Pecan, I'm not just saying this to make you feel better; I really do mean it. Because after watching you grow from that sweet, little colt to the handsome stallion you are right now, I just know that you'll find that special somepony."

While they were having this conversation, Button was receiving some praise from his family as well. "I'm so proud of you, Button." His mom was saying while she was hugging him and shedding tears of joy.

"Was there really any doubt?" his dad said rhetorically while ruffling Button's hair.

His brother however was appearing to be a tad bit jealous as he said in a snarky manner, "Yeah, well you better hope that he doesn't screw up by the time he goes to college."

To this, Button said, "Don't worry Gibson, I promise I won't drop out after the first exam and spend the rest of my life in Mom's basement."

While Button chuckled to himself, Gibson's face had turned red when he blurted out, "Oh shut up you little dweeb!"

"Gibson," his mom scolded him, "that's no way to be talking to your brother!"

"Oh well excuse me Mom," Gibson exclaimed, "I forgot that he's your favorite!"

His dad decided to add something to the matter. "Now son, you know very well that your mother and I love you and Button equally; there's no such thing as a favorite child."

Button then tried to make peace with him. "Look Gibson, I know that we've never really get along that much, but we shouldn't always be like this. You're still my brother after all."

Gibson tried hard to fight back his emotions but would eventually give in. "All right, come here you cap wearing dork." As soon as the two of them embraced each other, Gibson whispered a little advice to his brother. "Try to hang on to that mare of yours (Celestia knows I couldn't)."

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle was standing around another part of Sugarcube Corner as she too was being praised by her family. "It's so great to see daddy's little girl finish high school." Her dad said while giving Sweetie a hug.

Her mom then commented, "Yeah, now all that's left is for her to make us grandparents."

Sweetie's cheeks started to turn red while her sister added, "I take it that Button is planning on proposing?"

To this, Sweetie said, "Well he has been trying his best lately."

"You mean that pony who does nothing but play video games all day?!" her dad exclaimed. "Now Sweetie, I might understand that boy being your first love, but shouldn't you consider marrying somepony more mature--or at least athletic?"

"Now Hondo," her mom said, "you should know better than to be judging your daughter's stallion. Let's not forget that you weren't exactly the romantic type yourself; after all, you were the one who took me to a hoofball game on our wedding anniversary."

"Well I for one don't mind at all whom my sister marries," her sister stated, "just as long as I get to design her dress."

"Well of course you are, Rarity," said Sweetie. "Who else would make my dress for free?" they all paused for a brief moment, but then slowly started to join together in laughter.

Around the same time, Rumble was finding himself being tightly hugged by his foalsitters as they were both shedding some waterworks. "Our Rumby is all grown up!" cried Cloud Chaser.

"I knew this day would come," added Flitter, "but why did it have to be so soon?!"

The second Thunderlane was able to pry the twins off of his brother, he said to them, "Now girls, as much as I wish that Rumble can remain my baby brother forever, he's gonna have to grow up at some point. Right Mom and Pop?"

"Yep, he ain't no colt anymore." Said his dad.

"Besides, how else are we gonna have grandchildren?" his mom asked.

Upon bringing that up, Cloud Chaser asked Rumble, "You know Rumble, you and Scootaloo have been together since third grade; any plans of a wedding anytime soon?"

Rumble's cheeks started to turn red as he stammered, "W-well, w-we have been thinking about maybe mo-moving in together."

After letting out a collective "Ooh" Flitter was the first to say, "Just promise us that when you two lovebirds finally have some foals of your own, that you'll let us be the ones to foalsit them."

"Well of course you will," Rumble assured them. "You two are the best foalsitters in Equestria."

As the twins were playfully kissing his cheeks after that compliment, Rumble's dad said to Thunderlane, "That reminds me, Thunderlane, when are you gonna move back to Cloudsdale and lend your mother and I a hoof?"

"Whoa, whoa, this isn't about me, this is about my bro finally becoming a stallion." In an attempt to not further the discussion, Thunderlane quickly wrapped Rumble in a headlock and commenced to giving him a noogie.

"Ah, Thunderlane, stop!" cried Rumble.

"Come on little bro, this might be the last time I'll ever get to be with ya," said Thunderlane, "so we might as well make it last."

While Rumble was getting his graduation noogie, Scootaloo was having a few words with her "big sister". "Oh squirt, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am. First you finally learn how to fly, then you get your Cutie Mark, and now here you are graduating from high school. It's like you just make me proud everyday."

"I'll say!" shouted Rainbow Dash's over enthused mother, Windy Whistles. "Seeing the way you accept your diploma and shook hooves with your principal, it made me just as proud as when Rainbow Dash graduated!"

"You said it, honey!" her equally supportive husband, Bow Hothoof, concurred. "Why, it practically feels like it was just yesterday that you were just a little trotter who popped up into our front lawn to do a report on our Rainbow Dash, and know you're all grown up! I'm crying just thinking about it!"

As Rainbow's dad took the time to let out some liquid pride, Scootaloo's Aunt Holiday decided to share a few words as well.

"I just know that your mom and dad are going to be absolutely thrilled once I deliver a copy of this recording to them."

"Thanks everypony," Scootaloo finally got to speak up. "You've all been such a great help for me to get to where I am now, and it means a lot to me that you all were able to take some time to attend the ceremony."

"Hey, being a Wonderbolt might mean a lot to me," said Rainbow Dash, "but my sister comes first, no matter what."

"And we just know that you're ready to embrace the world on your own." Windy Whistles proclaimed.

"Oh I won't be alone, I got Rumble by my side."

"Yeah, about that stallion of yours," Scootaloo's Auntie Lofty spoke with a teasing smirk, "were the two of you planning on a little celebratory foalplay after this party?"

"Oh Lofty," her wife retorted, "you know very well that our Scootaloo never thinks of such things."

It was at this point that Scootaloo began rubbing the back of her neck as she made her confession, "Well...I did promise him that we'll wait until graduation, and we finally did graduate, so I was thinking..."

"Wait until you're married!" Rainbow Dash's overprotective-big-sister-mode had kicked in, "I might not have a stallion myself, but I know for a fact that you're not gonna let Thunderlane's perverted brother take advantage of you that easily!"

"Rainbow, I've known him since we were foals, there's no way that he'll do anything like that."

"Well be that as it may, I don't want you to do anything stupid. But if you want to buck him so badly, then at least promise me that you'll use protection."

"Of course Rainbow, who wouldn't?"

"That reminds me!" Bow Hothoof rummaged through a nearby bag mostly full of Scootaloo styled attire, rally flags, and confetti, until he pulled out a square box wrapped in indigo wrapping paper with gold stars upon it.

Eagerly unwrapping her graduation present, Scootaloo's anticipation quickly dissolved into a mixture of embarrassment and confusion when she discovered that she's holding a box of Friesian condoms. "Thanks Bow, these will certainly come in handy."

"I gave Rainbow those condoms when Windy and I thought that she and Zephyr were going to be a couple."

"How come the two of you never did hookup?" Windy turned her attention back to her daughter. "The two of you were so cute together at the prom."

"We've been over this, Mom," Rainbow explained through gritted teeth, "I only danced with Zephyr because I felt sorry for him; it was never meant to be serious!"

That's when Scootaloo's Auntie Lofty presented hers and Holiday's gift to their niece. "And if you two lovebirds do end up having a foal together, you'll at least have a nice, warm quilt that wrap that little bundle of joy in." The two aunts unveiled a graduation themed quilt containing a black graduate cap alongside a diploma, with Scootaloo's graduation year beneath it.

Scootaloo's eyes began to overflow with tears of joy as she said, "Auntie Lofty, Aunt Holiday, you two always knit the best quilts." Feeling a profound sense of love for her aunts, Scootaloo wrapped her hooves around them in a group hug, with Rainbow Dash and her parents joining in as well.

By that time, my girlfriend was beginning to worry about me. Even while her sister, brother, and grandmother were congratulating her, all she could think about was whether I was going to make it or not. "What's the matter, sugarcube?" Applejack asked her. "Ya don't seem awfully thrilled ta finally be done with high school."

Apple Bloom was able to snap out of whatever trance she was in and told her, "Sorry sis, it's just that Sheldon hasn't made it yet and I..."

This was when her brother interrupted her, "Now Apple Bloom, ya got a lot more ta be worryin' about than that mute stallion of yers."

"Yer brother's right," said Granny Smith, "you should be lookin' ferward ta all the big work you'll finally start doin' around the farm."

"But there's no need ta worry, sugarcube," Applejack assured her, "you'll still have plenty of time ta spend with Sheldon; it ain't like he's gonna be arrested or anythin'."

"TWILIGHT!"

Everypony had immediately stopped whatever they were just doing the second Spike came running inside. "Spike, what is it?" Twilight asked.

He then told her as he was catching his breath, "Shining Armor...he...he's arresting Sheldon's family!"

"What?!" upon receiving this information, Twilight--and pretty much all the ponies who were inside--had ran out of the building to see Shining Armor leading my parents, grandparents, and Dr. Egghead in chains. "Shining, what the hay are you doing?!"

"Calm down, Twily, I'm just following Celestia's orders." Shining Armor stated.

"Why would the princess want you to be arresting these ponies?" Twilight clearly wanted answers.

"Yeah, what have they ever done to you?!"

Shining Armor had turned around to see nearly half of the whole town witnessing the whole confrontation. "Just relax, everypony!" Shining Armor was announcing. "These five are under arrest for the assistance of an escaped suspect!"

Twilight tried to defend my families'--and therapist's--good name. "Shining, I've known these ponies for quite some time, and I can assure you that they're not what you think they are. And also, who might I ask is this suspect that they were supposedly helping?"

"The suspect's name is Sheldon Clopper."

Upon mentioning my name, everypony started to murmur amongst themselves until somepony in the crowd asked, "What's his crime?"

"It has come to Princess Celestia's attention that the pony known as Sheldon Clopper is a suspected Mindbender. And after what I've just experienced, I can honestly say that those suspicions are true. As soon as we tried to arrest him, he...he used his powers to kill my whole squad--including Flash Sentry."

Everypony was in a state of disbelief when they had heard this new information--especially Twilight. But even that wasn't enough to dissuade her, "As dreadful as it may be, I still doubt that Sheldon would purposely kill somepony. This must be some misunderstanding, why don't we just talk with him?"

She sure is OK with her buck buddy being dead. "I'm afraid that's out of the question, Twily. Because just as soon as Sheldon was done butchering my squad, he took the opportunity to run as far away as possible. His family and therapist, however, weren't as lucky; which is why they're going to appear before Celestia and answer for their crime."

"Since when is protecting your child a crime?!" my mom suddenly cried.

"Do you even know what it's like to have a son?!" my dad asked in a way that was meant to insult him.

"I already have you all in chains, so don't push it!" before Twilight could further the argument, Shining Armor said. "OK, Twilight, and everypony, just go back inside and don't worry! I assure you all that the princess shall have this resolved by tomorrow!"

After Shining Armor had succeeded in silencing everypony, they all just turned around and went back to Sugarcube Corner.

Back inside, Twilight was pacing back and forth in a frantic manner as she was starting to put the pieces together. "It's no wonder that he ran from me the first time we met; he must've thought that I would find out he's a Mindbender and inform Celestia."

Spike walked up to her and whispered, "So...all this stuff about Celestia executing Mindbenders were true?"

"I'm afraid so, Spike. And unless I can talk some sense into her, I don't think things are going to bode well for Sheldon and his family. All right Spike, I'm going over to Canterlot to at least try to convince Celestia to spare Sheldon and his family; you just stay here and keep an eye on everypony."

With the power of her magic, she teleported herself right out of Sugarcube Corner and left Spike alone with a big crowd of ponies who're clearly just as confused and worried as he is. After long minutes of awkward silence, Rumble was able to work-up enough courage to ask Spike, "So...Spike, they teach you any of this stuff back at Canterlot?"

"Oh yeah," Spike replied, "although, they don't exactly want us to talk about it, though."

"Well...could you at least explain to us what a Mindbender is?"

"Well to put it bluntly, a Mindbender is somepony that can use Mind Powers."

"What kind of powers?" Pecan asked.

Spike then gave him a list, "Let's see, there's stuff like moving objects, reading ponies minds, mind control, just name it."

"You mean like how he got Rumble out when he played kickball with us?" everypony turned when Button had blurted that out.

"What're you talking about, Button?" asked Rumble.

"Well, when you bucked that ball, it looked as if that you would've kicked it all the way to the moon. And yet it just somehow fallen right into Sheldon's hooves just like that?"

"Say, he's right," said Pecan. "Maybe that was probably how Sheldon was able ta beat Apple Bloom in all those challenges."

Sweetie then added, "And that might also explain why he always got a perfect score on a test."

"I knew it!" Highbrow suddenly shouted out. "I've always had a feeling that he cheated on that test somehow; I just never suspected that he was some kind of mind controlling freak!"

"Don't you dare talk about him that way, you pompous, spoiled brat!" Apple Bloom tried to defend my good name.

"You watch your mouth, farm girl!" Diamond Tiara got in her way, "Unless you want Princess Celestia to know that you've been dating a wanted criminal all the way through high school. I don't even know who I should feel more sorry for: you, or Silver Spoon."

"Well I just hope that Celestia puts that freak's head on pike!" Highbrow commented.

"Oh don't be ridiculous," Scootaloo said, "I know Celestia can be hard at times, but even I doubt that she would go so far as to kill somepony."

"Oh yes she can." Everyone stood silent when Granny Smith had made that statement. "Believe me, I've been around here far longer than any of y'all and I've seen things that should probably have been forgotten. Pecan, you remember when you and yer friends came back from school and I met Sheldon fer the first time?"

"Yeah."

"Well, when I looked upon his Cutie Mark, it reminded me of the first stallion that I've ever loved. (And I know this because he had the exact same Cutie Mark that Sheldon has.) When I was just a filly, when Ponyville had just recently been discovered, my family had been makin' many deals with a lot of rich families. One of them had a son who was about my age. His name was Romeo; and even after all these years, I could never forget his silver fur, or his long, golden hair. Whenever my daddy would do business with his daddy, me and him would mostly just play around in the orchard. I would do all sorts of things just ta get on his nerves; like splashin' mud all over him, or tossin' rotten apples at him. But at some point, my attitude tawards him would change when I finally found out that he was one of them Mindbenders. Sometimes he would use his Mind Powers to braid my hair or place a flower on my ear whenever he felt like bein' romantic. And throughout both of our lives, we would develop a love that would last up ta adulthood. Around that time, he and I decided ta do a little experimentin' that would result in me gettin' pregnant. When both of our families found out, they were of course out raged. But Romeo was able ta make peace when he proposed that we join our families together in marriage. When the weddin' finally did came, it was probably goin' ta be the happiest day of my life. That is until..."

"Until what, Granny Smith?" Apple Bloom asked.

Tears started to drop from her eyes, as she continued with her story. "By the time we were suppose ta kiss each other and become husband and wife, a royal guard had shoved a spear into the back of Romeo's head. The guard then started ta tell us that Celestia had declared all Mindbenders ta be enemies of Equestria, and that she was headin' over ta their temple ta wipe the rest of them out. When the guard had found out that I had Romeo's child in me, he ordered me ta drink this potion that would abort it. I refused at first, but then I had ta when he threatened ta burn down Sweet Apple Acres and arrest my entire family as traitors. After all of that, I was able ta marry some other pony and was able ta give birth ta y'alls daddy. But when I laid eyes upon Sheldon's Cutie Mark, I immediately remembered all those horrible things that had happened so long ago. And whenever I was seein' Apple Bloom with him, a bit of me knew that they'd probably suffer the same misery that I had ta after I lost my Romeo."

...

After that dark backstory, everypony had went on to their homes--including Apple Bloom's family. As soon as they were back in Sweet Apple Acres, Big Mac had helped Granny Smith into bed and went down stairs to have a discussion with his sisters. "I've always known that there would be no good in my sister datin' some city pony."

"Now Big Mac, none of us could of guessed that Sheldon was some kind of endangered species." Said Applejack.

"He ain't just that," he stated, "he's also a threat ta this family."

"Big Mac, Sheldon could never be that." Apple Bloom said.

"Oh yes he could," Big Mac declared, "and startin' tomorrow, I don't want ta hear anymore about him."

"What do ya mean?"

"You might've had yer fun in the barn with him when y'all were foals, but now it's time fer ya ta do what's best fer yer family. Which is why you're gonna ferget everythin' about that Mindbender and find yerself another stallion."

Apple Bloom looked as if her whole heart had shattered. "But I don't want another stallion; I love Sheldon!"

"Now don't you even think about startin' any of that, what you two had was just puppy love. Now you can either move on and find another stallion ta love, or you can spend the rest of yer life alone. But either way, you're not gonna put this family at risk!"

"But I..."

"No buts! now go ta yer room this instant!"

As soon as she had ran up to her room, she landed on her bed and cried into a pillow. She stopped when she heard a tapping on her window. When she opened it, she was surprised to see that it was me. "Sheldon!" she whispered in contained excitement. She then wrapped her hooves around me and started to rapidly kiss my cheek. "How the hay did ya even get up here!" I pointed to huge stacks of hay that were just piling next to her side of the house like a flight of stairs. "Oh yeah, I keep forgettin' those bales of hay were still there."

Seeing as how there's no longer any point in trying to hide my secret, I levitated my board and chalk and I've written, "I assume that everypony has heard about what's happened?"

"Oh yeah, we all saw yer family bein' all chained-up and heard about you bein' some kind of Mindbender. Clearly those rumors are true."

"Does this mean that you don't want to be my girlfriend anymore?"

"I don't care if you have Mind Powers, I'm just glad ta see you all right. What are ya even doin' here, anyway? aren't ya worried that some of the guards might find you?"

"I know. Which is why I'm planning on heading east." I erased that sentence. "I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Ta all of us?"

"I wish I could, but I can't risk being spotted by any guards." I then tried to write something romantic. "At least I got to see you one last time."

"It doesn't have ta end like this; let's go east together." I shook my head. "Why not? ya love me, don't ya?"

"Yes, I do. Which is why I can't risk putting you in danger as well." I erased that sentence. "My family is already suffering because of me, you shouldn't have to suffer too." This next sentence was hurting me a little. "Which is why this might be the last time we'll ever see each other again."

"Oh Sheldon, I wish this wasn't so."

"I know, after all the hard work I had to go through just to win your heart, I don't want this as much as you." I then written a suggestion. "Why don't we do something special on this night?"

"Like what?" when she saw what I had in mind on my board, she blushed a little as she whispered, "Ya sure about this?"

"Yes. Since Celestia is probably hunting for my head right about now, I figured that we can't wait for this."

"All right, then."

When I came into her room, she undid her pink bow and allowed her lovely red hair to flow around her. We then climbed into the bed together, wrapped our hooves around each other, kissed each other with as much passion as we can muster, and then we were both under the covers as we were experiencing foal play for the first--and possibly last time.

Celestia's Judgement

Around the time Apple Bloom and I were both experiencing a whole new definition of love, my parents--along with my grandparents and Dr. Egghead--had found themselves being taken straight to the one place that they'd never expected to return to: Canterlot. The second they had all stepped hoof inside the castle, they were immediately brought into the throne room. As they were being dragged across the hall, my family and therapist had spotted three figures standing before them. On one side stood Princess Luna, on the other side stood a pink alicorn with hair that's a mixture of purple, pink, and pale gold, who's probably best known as Princess Cadance. But standing right in the middle of those two, was the one pony that they've been trying to avoid for a long time.

They knew that Celestia would be white with a rainbow mane, but what they weren't expecting were the green shades in her eyes. As they were all taking a deep gaze into those green eyes of hers, none of them were feeling that they were looking upon a princess but were rather feeling as if they this might be some monster hiding behind Celestia's skin.

Anyway, when the green-eyed monster--who might've been Celestia--felt that the suspense had been raised enough, she rose from her throne and said to Shining Armor, "I take it that one of them is the suspect?"

Shining Armor was a bit nervous, but after receiving a reassuring glance from his wife he was able to say, "Actually, the suspect had wiped out my squad and ran off."

"Then would you mind explaining to me on how highly trained soldiers were made into mince meat by somepony without any military training whatsoever?"

"Because this wasn't just any ordinary pony that we were facing...your suspicions about this pony were true."

A satisfied smirk started to form upon Celestia's face. "So he really is a Mindbender, then? and you allowed him to get away?"

Shining Armor was a bit embarrassed to admit this to her, but he digressed. "Yes, I confess that I wasn't able to capture him; but as you can see, I didn't return empty hoofed."

"And just what's so special about these five that you felt had to be brought before me?"

"Well princess, these five are the ones who've been hiding the Mindbender from you all this time."

Celestia kept her glance upon my family as she said, "Ah, so you managed to apprehend a couple of traitors for me. I suppose you're not too much of a failure, Shining (even if you do cry like a little girl in weddings)." She then slowly stepped towards my family as she was inspecting them. "I'm just gonna take a wild guess and say that you're Sheldon's...family?" they each gave her a nod. "OK, now let me see...you two are his mother and father, and you two are his grandparents. Now what does that make you, his great uncle?"

"His therapist." Dr. Egghead answered her.

Celestia decided to ask more important questions. "Now tell me, when did any of you had known that Sheldon was in fact a Mindbender?"

"When his parents took him to see me one day, he showed me his Cutie Mark." Dr. Egghead explained. "I immediately recognized it the moment I laid eyes upon it."

"And then what happened?"

"I'm one of the few who keep any forms of history concerning Mindbenders, and I knew just what you would do to him if you ever found out."

"So you told his parents to take their little colt all the way to Ponyville? you do know that my former student resides there, right?"

"Yes, I might've forgotten about Princess Twilight Sparkle; so I can only assume that you found out because of her?"

"Oh dear me no, the suspicion just sporadically popped into my head and I just sent some of my guards over there. Although I'm still a bit surprised that Twilight herself didn't bother to report this herself." And as if on cue, Twilight had found herself teleported right into the throne room.

"I'm not too late, am I?" Twilight asked.

"Oh no Twilight, in fact you've arrived just in time to watch me pass judgement upon these ponies."

But before she could, Twilight attempted to share a few words of her own. "Now princess, I can understand that you're not exactly happy with what these ponies had done, but I can assure you that they were only doing what they thought was best for their son."

"And I'm suppose to take the word of the same princess who failed to even bother reporting any of this to me in the first place?" after an uncomfortable silence, Celestia returned her focus back to my family as she passed her judgement upon them. "For the crime of hiding a Mindbender, I, Princess Celestia, hereby declare each and everyone of you as traitors. And as punishment..." she stopped to take a quick glance on the nervous looks of Twilight, Cadance, Luna, and Shining Armor as sweat started to slide down each of their faces. When she felt like she had enough, she decided that she made them wait long enough. "You shall all be executed, by the next sunrise, in front of everypony!"

Everypony just gasped while my family just had these defeated looks upon their faces. In a last attempt to undo this, Luna whispered to her sister, "Celestia, I strictly advise you not to do anything rash!"

"Fear not, dear sister," Celestia whispered in response, "I won't." She then had one last thing to say to my family, "Now don't be so melancholy, look on the bright side: your son might end up joining you after this. Take them away!"

While some guards were taking them to a dungeon, my father shouted, "You won't have our son! do you hear me?! you might take away our lives, but you'll never take away our son's!"

The second they were all gone, Twilight was the first to say, "Princess Celestia, what the hay just happened?!"

"That, my dear Twilight, was me performing my royal duties (unlike somepony else I know)."

Luna then said, "Dearest sister, I strongly suggest that you reconsider your actions! who knows how our subjects will react once they see innocent blood being shed?!"

"I'm sorry Luna, but last time I checked, it's I who has our subjects love and respect, not you. After all, I wasn't the one who got myself banished to the moon for a thousand years. Also, what do you mean 'innocent blood'? they're traitors, remember?"

"Perhaps what they did wasn't the right thing to do," Cadance voiced her opinion, "but even I think that executing them is going a bit too far. Couldn't spending a night in the dungeon be punishment enough for them?"

"No my sweet and naïve Cadance, nothing is enough for a traitor. The second you decide to defy your own ruler, then there's never going to be any middle ground at that point. Besides, their execution is the least of my worries; it's how I'm going to kill Sheldon is what I'm worrying about."

Twilight then tried another tactic, "Celestia, when Sheldon was just a little colt, he told me that he was afraid of you. But I assured him that you're merciful; so please, I'm begging you to prove that what I said about you is true and spare him."

"She's right, sister," Luna agreed, "I too had known about his apparent fear of you when I visited him in his dreams; and I'm sure that the last thing you'd want is to let those nightmares become a reality."

None of this seemed to have moved Celestia by the slightest. "Oh Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, forced tears and pitiful pleas shan't break a heart of stone. And even if I did wanted to spare him, he should've thought of that before he decided to murder members of the royal guard. If he was afraid of me then, then he'll have more than enough reason to fear me now. (Every Mindbender has the right to fear me.)"

"And what about when he finds out that you had his entire family murdered?!" Cadance shouted. "When word of this reaches him, won't you become scared when he comes for your blood as well?!"

"Now Cadance," Celestia told her, "I have absolute cause to execute those five; and it's only murder if you don't have a reason for it. And if Sheldon does try to come after me by the time this happens, then I'll have more than enough cause to execute him as well."

"Well I hope you're enjoying this new reputation of yours, because I'm sure not!" Luna cried.

And to this, Celestia said, "Do I care what you think? do I even care what any of you think? no, I don't! I rule Equestria; therefore, my words and my words alone are the only things that matter! I mean, did any of you really think that your words matter as well? none of you are like me; you're all just tools with pretty titles. The only reason why any of you are allowed to even be here with me is all because of me!" she turned to Luna, "You're here because you're my sister and I just didn't feel like banishing you again." She turned to Cadance, "You're here because I was able to find it in myself to adopt you as my niece." She turned to Twilight, "And I'm the reason why you're even a princess to begin with! I gave you that privilege, so don't give me any reason to take that away from you." She then turned to Shining Armor, "I trust that you'll be able to preform the execution, Shining. You already failed to bring me the Mindbender, it would be embarrassing for you to not be capable of delivering justice as well."

...

By the time the sun was beginning to rise, my mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, and Dr. Egghead, were each trapped in a cell while patiently waiting for their lives to end. "Oh, who would've thought that my life would come to an end by the swing of a sword?" my grandpa was analyzing his upcoming death.

"None of us could've predicted it, Sheldon." My grandma told him.

My mom was the most depressed of them all, "Our poor boy is going to die; we never got him fully prepared for the real world, and now he'll suffer for it. And it's all because of us!"

Before she could even try to flood the dungeon with her tears, Dr. Egghead told her, "Diane, remember just why it is we're brought here in the first place: to protect Sheldon. He might be out there starving and freezing, but at least he still has a chance to live. So don't act as if we're dying for a lost cause."

"He's right, Diane," my dad assured her. "Sure, we might not have been able to prepare him on time, but at least he's not in this dungeon right now."

"And besides, Sheldon Clopper II has Mind Powers, so he can pretty much take on anything that comes in his way." My grandpa pointed out.

"I know," my mom said, "I just wish that I could've said goodbye to him."

The cell door had suddenly opened, and there stood Shining Armor with a face that's sort of a mixture of guilt and sadness. "It's time."

They each found themselves being brought before a big stage that was practically looking down upon the onlookers. Some of them recognized who they were and they started to murmur to themselves. But their murmuring had came to an abrupt end when Celestia had stepped forth to make her announcement.

"Citizens of Canterlot, the ponies who stand before you are traitors who have committed the crime of hiding a Mindbender! and as you all witness this, keep in mind that this is what comes to those who take my loyalty for granted!" she paused for a moment so that she could switch her gaze to my family. "Would any of you wish to speak your last words?"

What followed was a solid fifteen seconds of silence; Celestia was prepared to order for the execution, until she was interrupted by the voice of my mother. "I only have this to say. I know that some of you might be thinking how our current predicament could've been avoided had we simply turned our son over to Celestia, that we would have been granted her mercy just by staying loyal to her. A weaker pony might have no problem sacrificing their only child to save their own skins, but we are not so weak as to stoop to that. We were willing to take any risk there is just to save our son from Celestia's wrath, and we would've gladly do it again, even if it still ended in our deaths!" my mom took one last defiant glance towards Celestia before saying, "Our son was just a colt when we made the decision to flee to Ponyville; he has now grown to become a fine young stallion with powers that even you can't possibly comprehend! and the longer he gets to live, the more stronger his powers will become; and there's not enough guards or magic that can save you when Sheldon finds out what you've done to us!"

Both my mother and Celestia held onto their gazes in what might feel like an eternity. Without gazing away from my mother, Celestia bellowed out her next command. "Shining Armor, bring me their heads!"

Everypony was just roaring as Shining Armor had unsheathed his sword and prepare to decapitate Dr. Egghead. But as he raised it, something within him had caused him to freeze in place.

"What're you waiting for?! get on with it!"

Even though Celestia was ordering him to kill them, the looks upon Twilight's, Cadance's, and Luna's faces, had seem to be giving him a different order. But that didn't stop Celestia from taking the sword away with her magic and pushing him aside. "Fine, I'll do it myself!" and he calls himself a stallion!

By the time she had chopped off his head, everypony had gone silent and the whole world seemed to have slowed down. Shining had quickly covered his sister's and wife's heads right before Celestia had decapitated my grandparents. Before she came to my parents however, they both looked each other in the eyes, and gave each other one last kiss before the blade had gone through their necks.

After she was finished with this act of murder, Celestia made one final announcement, "And now my little ponies, you have all seen what befalls to any of you who dare to betray me. But there's one last thing I'd like to tell you all. From this day forth, I, Princess Celestia, hereby declare the Mindbender known as Sheldon Clopper, to be an outlaw and an enemy of Equestria! I shall bestow an award of one million bits to the pony who brings me his head. But let me remind you all; if any of you do know where this criminal might be and refuse to tell me about it, then just remember what became of the five traitors who thought they could keep a secret from their princess."

New Recruits

Meanwhile, around the time after that heinous act was committed, Apple Bloom was still snoozing in bed with her hair all ruffled up, her body sweating from that foalplay that she and I had partook last night, and this strange feeling inside of her that felt as if the part of her that was still a little filly had now gone away for good. By the time her eyes were beginning to open, she turned to where I was sleeping beside her and found a note upon the pillow. When she finally got all of the sleep out of her eyes, she was able to get a much clearer look upon the note:

Dear Apple Bloom,

By the time you read this, I would probably be very far east by now. I know this might not be the best way to say goodbye, but knowing that Celestia is probably going to have all of Equestria calling for my blood, I figured that it was best that I leave as soon as possible. But always remember that I'll always love you; and even if you've moved on and found another stallion to replace me, I'll never forget you--and I hope that you won't forget me as well.

Love, Sheldon.

After reading it, she was getting close to shedding some tears, but upon hearing some hoof steps getting closer to her door, she quickly put the note inside her mouth and swallowed it right before Applejack had came in.

"Mornin' sugarcube. Ya sleep good?"

"Yes sis."

Applejack started to pick up a scent. "Why does it smell like a locker room in here? and how come you're sweatin' like that?"

Apple Bloom had quickly come up with an excuse before Applejack could start to suspect something. "Well it has been pretty hot fer the past few weeks; I'm surprised I was even able ta sleep at all."

She was worried that her sister might catch on immediately, but she was relieved to see that Applejack had actually believed the excuse. "Well shoot sugarcube, all ya gotta do is open up a window. Anyway, ya better get dressed up; Twilight has somethin' important ta tell everypony."

"Is it about Sheldon?"

Applejack paused for awhile until she whispered, "I know that you miss him, Apple Bloom; but ya best not mention him in front of Big Mac again."

By the time everypony had finally gathered themselves over to Twilight's castle, she stood in front of the balcony as she made her announcement. "Citizen's of Ponyville, I gathered you all today to relay a couple of announcements from Princess Celestia. First, I regret to say that the ponies known as Egghead, Jack Clopper, Diane Clopper, Sheldon Clopper I, and Amy Clopper, have just been executed for the crime of harboring a Mindbender."

The whole crowd started to voice their own opinions upon receiving this news. Among the crowd, Pecan was saying to himself, "Oh poor Sheldon, he's gonna be devastated when he hears about this."

When the crowd had quiet down, Twilight continued her announcement. "Also, the Mindbender who you all know as Sheldon Clopper has been declared an outlaw for the crimes of resisting arrest and for murdering members of the royal guard..." a tear started to slide upon Twilight's cheek when she said this, "Furthermore, a bounty of one million bits has been placed upon his head."

Upon hearing this, Highbrow had remarked to himself, "Oh please, a rusty old horseshoe is worth more than that freak's life!" and then he received a smack to the back of the head when Rumble just happened to overhear it.

Twilight then had only this to say, "And last but not least, by order of Princess Celestia, every stallion from every town or village must serve in the royal guard." Spike then gave her a list of all the recruits; upon opening it, Twilight started to go over all the names.

After all the names had been announced, nearly every stallion was off to settle with their affairs before any of them would have to get on the next train to Canterlot. Around this time, Pecan was over at the dental office getting his teeth whitened by Minuette. "OK, now let's rinse all of that toothpaste out." Minuette instructed as she was making Pecan take a sip of water. After spitting it into a nearby sink, Minuette held a mirror in front of his teeth as she said, "There, now you can be the first royal guard to have a clean set of teeth."

"And whenever any of them ask me how I got 'em," Pecan stated, "I'll tell 'em that it's because I've known the best dentist since I was a colt."

Minuette giggled at his flattering comment as she then told him, "I'm going to miss you when you leave to Canterlot."

"And I'm sure going ta miss you when I'm havin' ta be around stallions fer Celestia knows how long."

They both had themselves a little laugh for a brief moment, that is until Pecan's smile had shifted into a frown. "What's wrong Pecan?"

"I really wish that I wouldn't have ta do this; I mean it's one thing ta hear that yer friend whom you've been playin' with since childhood has been branded a criminal, but it's a totally different matter when you're the one who has ta hunt him down."

"Now Pecan, I understand that having to apprehend Sheldon may seem difficult for you, but when Princess Celestia says you have to do something, then you really have no choice."

"I know that she claims Sheldon ta be a threat, but he's still my friend though. I'm not even so sure that I can be able ta bring myself ta kill him; in fact, a little bit of me is kinda scared that Sheldon might end up killin' me when he sees me in that fancy armor."

"Don't say that! you should know better than to make me think of something as horrible as you dying."

"I'm sorry Minuette, I just can't seem ta get these ideas out of my head. I just wish there was somethin' that could take my mind off of it fer awhile."

They were both silent for a long while, that is until an idea had popped into Minuette's head. "Pecan, you've never had a girlfriend before, right?"

"Yep."

"So, that would mean that you've never been kissed before as well?"

"Well as much as I don't want ta admit it, but yeah I've never kissed any mares before."

"Well Pecan, since you've always taken better care of your teeth than anypony else, (and since this might be the last time we'll ever see each other again,) how would you like it if I were to give you a special treat?"

It took awhile for Pecan to comprehend what she was suggesting to him. "Ya mean ya want me ta...?"

"Mmm-hmm," Minuette assured him, "this is what you've always wanted, isn't it?"

"Well of course, but I never thought it would actually happen."

"Well it's about to; so why don't you just close your eyes and pucker your lips."

Both of their eyelids had went down as their faces were slowly moving towards each other with their lips making contact. By the time they let their lips go from one another, Pecan's whole life had seemed to flash before his eyes. "Wow Minuette, ya don't know how long I've been dreamin' fer this moment ta happen."

"And now it's finally coming true; well, come on Pecan, let's go into the X-ray room."

"What fer?"

"You didn't think that I was just going to give you one kiss, did you? besides, I did promise you a special treat, didn't I?"

Knowing very well that he's been desiring this for quite some time, Pecan got off of the dental chair and followed Minuette into the X-ray room to receive more of his "special treat".

Meanwhile, Rumble had just now received his own "special treat" from Scootaloo. They were both panting for breath and soaking with sweat after their first experience with foalplay. He had his hoof wrapped around her as he said, "Now that's what I call a going away present."

"Well I did promise you this after graduation," Scootaloo reminded him, "and besides, I figured you've earned a little reward for being so patient."

"Yeah, I just hope I'll get more of that when I come back."

"I'm just hoping that you will come back."

"Don't worry babe, I might have to end up killing my own friend, but I'll still make it out alive. Now, since it's not time for me to be heading towards the train station just yet, how 'bout we go another round?" before they could even so much as kiss each other, a loud bell was being rung all over Ponyville. "Aw great, well it looks like it's time for me to get going." And so he got out of Scootaloo's bed, removed a piece of rubber that was attached to his private area, straightened his hair, packed up his bags, and then he and Scootaloo were both walking to the train station together.

Over at the train station, nearly every stallion was gathering themselves to the next train to Canterlot, while some were taking the time to make a quick goodbye to their loved ones. Amongst them was my boyhood friends; Button was having a little private talk with Sweetie Belle. She had her hooves wrapped around him as she whispered, "Don't let me be alone, Button."

"Don't worry, Sweetie," he assured her, "after this is all over, I won't ever leave your sight again."

After giving her a goodbye kiss, Button then went to his family. His mom hugged him tightly while she said tearfully, "You be safe now, you hear me?"

"I will, Mom."

After giving her a kiss on the cheek, Button turned and went into the train. His mom turned to Gibson and told him, "You keep an eye on your brother, Gibson." She then turned to Flynn. "And you make sure that our sons are OK after this."

"Honey," he assured her, "Ever since I was given that raise, I've made it my mission to never have our boys be put through any harm." He kissed her upon the lips. "Don't worry Elaina, nothing bad will happen to them as long as I'm around."

Around that same time, Rumble was having a last minute chat with Scootaloo. "So you're going to be a big, strong, and studly royal guard now, huh?" she asked him.

"You bet," said Rumble, "and if you thought that I look hot before, just wait until I get to wear some of that gold armor. Maybe if I'm good, Celestia might let me keep it; you know, so you can say that you're bucking a royal guard."

Scootaloo started to look serious when she said this, "Look, don't think for a second that being a royal guard gives you an excuse to fool around with other mares." She then gave an iron grip to Rumble's private area. "And I'll know if you have."

Rumble didn't know whether he should be feeling enjoyment or fear by this arousing threat of hers; but he did have this to say, "Babe, I'm all yours."

After receiving a long tongue bath, Rumble had decided to spare a few minutes with his family. As soon as he was with them, Thunderlane had jokingly told him, "Got enough lovin' from your mare, Rumble?"

"You bet I did." He told his brother with pride.

"Well don't just stand there," his mom cried out, "come over and give your mother some goodbye love."

"OK Mom." Rumble had quickly hugged his mom and gave her a kiss on the cheek--while hoping that nopony was watching him.

And after receiving goodbye hugs and kisses from Thunderlane and Hurricane, she told each of them, "Now you three be careful now, you hear me?"

"Relax honey," Hurricane assured her, "you forget that we're pegasi; by the the time this is all over, none of us will have a scratch when we come back."

Before any of them could even get on the train, Rumble had soon found himself being smothered by the crushing hugs of his foalsitters. Cloud Chaser was pretty much letting out a whole leak of tears as she was crying, "Why must it be you?! why couldn't it have been somepony else?!"

"It's Princess Celestia's orders," Rumble pointed out, "there's nothing I can do about it."

He was then practically suffocating by the time Flitter had tightly wrapped her hooves around his neck. "I don't care what the princess says; she won't take our Rumby away!"

Thunderlane had eventually broke them apart from his little brother as he told both of them, "Look, I don't want this any much as you do, but when the princess gives an order you have to follow it. Besides, Rumble's a full grown stallion now; he's going to have to embrace the real world at some point or another."

Cloud Chaser turned serious for a brief moment and took the chance to tell Thunderlane, "Listen, Rumble might be your little brother, but after all these years of foalsitting him, he's become our little brother too. So I'm telling you right now, that if something bad ever happens to him by the time you and him have to start hunting down after Sheldon, then we're through. You got that?"

Thunderlane just looked at her straight through the eyes and said calmly, "Cloud Chaser, I've been looking after him since second grade; nothing bad will happen to him." After giving his girlfriend one last kiss, he, Rumble, and Hurricane finally got aboard the train.

Meanwhile, Pecan's family were still waiting for him just so they could have a proper goodbye. "Where is that boy?" Walnut inquired. "The train's gonna leave any minute."

But luckily for them, Pecan just happened to make it just as they were starting to get worried. "And just where have you been?" Tex asked him.

"Oh...just takin' care of some business." Pecan responded with a sly grin with just a hint of pride.

After they each said their goodbyes, Walnut turned to his sons and said, "Well, come on boys; we got ourselves a train ta catch."

And while they were getting themselves aboard the train, Big Mac was having some things of his own to tell his family. "Now Applejack, ya sure that you can be able ta handle everythin' without me?"

"Of course I can," Applejack retorted, "Ya act as if I'd never took care of the orchard before."

And then he turned to Apple Bloom, "And Apple Bloom, since you're all grown up now, I'm countin' on ya ta give yer sister a lending hoof while I'm gone."

She was able to force a little smile as she promised, "I will."

"Now don't any of y'all start frettin'," Big Mac assured them, "by the time this is all over, it would seem as if none of it had ever happened."

And as soon as he was done saying goodbye, the snob couple were having their own little farewell. "Oh Highbrow, I don't want you to go!" Diamond Tiara wailed.

"I'm aware of that, my Diamond," said Highbrow. "But alas, it would seem that I must go hunt down that freak along with these other stallions. Sure, my father had enough bits to bribe his way out of this, but he couldn't even spare a few more to save his one and only son?!"

"Now, now, Highbrow, there's no need to start rebuking your father." Filthy Rich responded. "I'm not as happy about this little pony hunt as you, but at least I'll be able to spend a little quality time with my future son-in-law."

They both surprised after hearing that. "Why Mr. Rich," Highbrow exclaimed. "I don't understand."

"Well Highbrow," Filthy Rich explained. "Your father and I have been discussing things since you've moved here, and we've agreed that our families ought to join together. Which is why as soon as we come back from all this, you shall make a fitting husband for my daughter."

Diamond immediately wrapped her hooves around her dad's neck as she was crying, "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Daddy! I love you so much!"

"Daddy loves you too, Diamond." After kissing her on the forehead, Filthy Rich turned to Highbrow and said while leading him to the train, "Now then, shall we discuss about yours and Diamond's living arrangements?"

"Well of course, Mr. Rich."

"Now Highbrow, if you're going to marry my daughter, then you better start calling me father."

"Assuming that that Mindbender doesn't end up killing him, first." Spoiled Rich spoiled the touching moment between Highbrow and his soon-to-be father-in-law.

"Nevermind her, she's always been pessimistic." Filthy brushed off his wife's comments.

As soon as every stallion was aboard the train, everypony else was just standing as they each watched their loved ones going away. Sweetie was standing next to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom when she said, "Well, there goes my pathetic dork."

"And there goes my perverted spaz." Scootaloo added. My beloved however could only just silently sob inside as she knew very well that their boyfriends might end up having to kill me.

As the train was getting closer and closer to its destination, most of the stallions were killing time by chatting with each other; and it just so happens that my three boyhood friends were sitting together. After noticing the relaxed attitude that Pecan seem to be expressing for the first time, Rumble was the first to say, "You seem unusually cool today."

"Oh," Pecan replied, "probably because I just got ta experience the greatest moment of my entire life."

"Care to elaborate on that statement?" Rumble insisted.

"Well guys, after Minuette had finished whitenin' my teeth, she decided ta give me a little treat."

"Which is...?" Button inquired.

"She kissed me."

"That's nothing special," Rumble stated in disbelief, "she's always kissed you on the cheek."

"Actually Rumble, this one wasn't on the cheek. This was the kiss that you and Button usually get from yer girlfriends."

It took them awhile, but Button was the first to put the pieces together. "You mean Minuette had kissed you on the lips?!"

"Uh-huh, and that ain't even the half of it; after we were done kissin', we both went inta the X-ray room and got a little physical."

Rumble had immediately knew what Pecan was hinting at. "You mean to tell me that you actually got to buck the dentist?!"

"E'yup," Pecan said in a Big Mac impersonation, "not only did she give me my first kiss, but she also took away my virginity. And you two thought that it would never happen between me and her."

"Don't be too proud of yourself," Rumble smirked in retaliation. "It's not like whatever you just experienced is even on the same league of what I've had."

"And what's that?" Pecan challenged his statement.

"Well, to make a long story short, Scootaloo gave me a very good going away present; and boy was it hot or what! after this is over, I plan on getting a whole lot more of that action when I come home."

"Planning on fathering a lot of babies, Rumble?" Button blurted out.

"Don't spoil the moment for me, Button."

Pecan decided to take this chance to ask Button, "Say Button, did you and Sweetie happen ta do somethin' special?"

It took awhile for Button to sink that question in, but he eventually was able to come up with an answer. "You know, now that you've brought it up, she and I actually did do something special."

"Care to go into more detail, Button?" Rumble asked.

"Well let's see...after Twilight had finished calling out everyponies name on her list, I spent some time with my folks and decided to head over to Carousel Boutique. When I got there, I went straight to Sweetie's room, and she and I just talked for a little while. She was very sad that I was going to have to leave for Canterlot, and she was almost about to break down in tears. I of course told her how sorry I was for never spending that much time with her before all this, so I promised her that I'd stay with her until it was time for me to go."

"And..." Rumble was insisting.

"And what?"

"Did something happened while you two were in her room together?"

"Oh yeah, what happened was me and her just sort of lied down on her bed and we just cuddled next to each other. Then we started kissing for awhile; but then she let go of my lips and started to kiss me on my cheek, then underneath my chin, then at the part of my neck where my Adam's apple is, then my torso, and right until she came to my...'joystick'."

Even Pecan was starting to get interested at this point. "And then what happened?"

"Well, she gave the tip a little kiss and then it suddenly starts to feel stiff. Then next thing you know she just flat out engulfs the whole thing with her mouth!"

Pecan and Rumble both tried to contain their reactions after hearing this. "Ya mean she was suckin' on it?"

"You bet she did."

"How did it felt?"

"Pretty invigorating; had I known that I could've been getting some of that the whole time, I never would've wasted all that time that could've been spent actually doing romantic stuff with her."

"You were a colt during those times." Rumble pointed out.

"Exactly," Button stated. "And had I also known that dating Sweetie Belle would involve having her suck on my 'joystick', then I probably would've wanted to grow up much faster."

"Oh for shame, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" they were each suddenly had their attentions turned towards the girly voiced stallion known as Highbrow.

Rumble let out an annoyed sigh as he told him, "What do you want?"

"Oh nothing," Highbrow replied, "I was just coming back from my trip to the restroom when I couldn't help but overhear you three discussing about your girlfriends."

"Yeah, and what of it?"

"Well, not that if it's of any importance to you, but you three are now speaking to the future husband of Diamond Tiara."

"Hey, you're right; it's not of any importance to me," Rumble commented. "I don't even know whether I should feel sorry for you or not: on one hoof, you're an obnoxious, snotty brat who deserves a cruel punishment; but then again, Diamond is probably one of the most stressful mares in Equestria. I just hope that you're going to enjoy constantly putting up with loud wailing and pain in the flank hissy fits just so you can buck her."

"Yes. Well, as much as I disagree about your descriptions of my Diamond, I will agree that getting to procreate with her shall be a very joyful occasion."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on there," Pecan did a double take as he tried to let Highbrow's last sentence sink in. "Ya mean that you and her didn't even get ta do a little foalplay before it was time ta leave?"

"Of course not," Highbrow firmly stated. "Unlike you three, I actually intend on making an honest mare out of my special somepony."

Rumble just gave himself a hoofpalm and then said, "Really, dude? you're just gonna risk dying a virgin just for the sake of preserving the honor of a shrew with a tiara?"

"Who says I'm going to die? Sheldon's probably rotting somewhere by now; so chances are this little hunt will probably be over by now. And I won't be a virgin anymore by the time I marry Diamond."

"So what if you do end up bucking her afterwards?!" Rumble exclaimed. "You'll still be remembered as that guy who lost his virginity after Button Mash!"

He and Pecan were able to find the urge to laugh for the moment (while Button couldn't even decide whether he should be offended or not), and with that said, Highbrow just headed back to his seat while he said to himself, "Even Sheldon was more tolerable to put up with than these three."

But that brief sense of joy had immediately been silenced by the time the train had finally stopped.

By the time every stallion had gotten off of the train, they were all gathered over to some courtyard, waiting for their instructor. But before he did arrive, each of the stallions were gazing upon a horrid sight. On the top of one of the towers stood five pikes; and on each of them were the heads of my family! as if murdering them wasn't enough, Celestia had to go and deny them a proper burial as well! as horrible and gut-wrenching this might've been, everypony was able to get their minds off of it when Shining Armor had finally arrived.

"Attention everypony, I'm Prince Shining Armor, and Princess Celestia has ordered me to train all of you into royal guards. Judging from your faces, I can see that you've all had just noticed Celestia's decorations. She insisted on putting them here as a reminder for any of you who start to have second thoughts over our target. And before we begin training, I think that it's best that you all know our target some more. Some of you have probably known Sheldon Clopper for some time, but none of you seem to understand how much of a threat that he poses to Equestria. After my first encounter with him, the Princess was generous enough to loan me a book on Mindbenders. Their powers mostly consist of moving objects, reading minds, and controlling other ponies through their minds. That last one you should all take extreme caution too; because it was that power that made Flash Sentry kill two members of my squad. And as hard as it might've been, I had no choice but to kill Flash himself. So when you do start searching for Sheldon, just remember that chances are you might end up having to kill your own squad mate. Because as soon as Sheldon gets control over his mind, then there's really no hope in saving him."

After that lecture, Button immediately blurted, "Wait, you killed Flash? I thought you said that Sheldon was the one who killed him?"

"Of course I did," Shining exclaimed, "you think that I would tell my sister that I killed her buck buddy?! (And don't you even tell her that I did!) OK, now for starters, let's begin with swords. We'll be doing this for a month, and then for another month we'll move on to crossbows, and the month after we'll start on spears. And by the time four months have passed, you should all be ready to hunt down this Mindbender."

...

As the first month had passed, nearly all of the stallions were getting the hang of handling swords. But it would seem that none of them could match Rumble's skill with it. It's only been a month, and Rumble had managed to disarm his brother and his father at the same time. Shining Armor had then decided to make an announcement. "OK everypony, I can see that some of you seem to have no problem when it comes to swordplay (while some of you might need a little work), but for now let's move on to crossbows. And for any unicorns amongst you..."

"Shining Armor."

He turned around and noticed that Princess Celestia was gazing upon him with that same disappointed look from before.

"Excuse me everypony, it would seem that the Princess requires my attention." He then went up to her. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Shining, what are you doing?"

"I'm training the new recruits."

"What you're doing is wasting time that could be spent hunting down the Mindbender. Why aren't they in uniform yet?"

"Princess, it's only been a month; proper training usually requires about four months."

"Do they know how to use swords?"

"Yes."

"Then that's all the training that they need to hunt down that Mindbender. So why don't you stop wasting time and get them some gold armor. You've proven to be very disappointing as of lately; it's times like this that I even wonder why I allowed my niece to marry you in the first place."

After that slap to face, Shining had turned to the stallions with his tail between his legs as he told them, "Everypony, there's been a change of plan; it would seem that the Princess feels that you're more than ready to start searching for Sheldon Clopper. So just follow me, and I'll get you into some armor and assign each of you an area to search."

Sweet Memories, Harsh Realities

I've lost count on how long it's been ever since I left Ponyville; it felt like it had been months at this point. That strange inner voice that stopped me from using that beeping noise upon Shining Armor told me to head east; I've done nothing but trekked towards that one direction, and yet I still haven't gotten closer to whatever it is the voice is wanting me to go to. Having to travel through the wilderness has to be one of the hardest challenges anypony would ever have to go through. Since I didn't bother to bring a tent or a sleeping bag, I had to use my Mind Powers to make a shelter out of the branches of trees. If the branches were covered with leaves, then rain is something that I don't have to worry a lot about; but if a Timberwolf or any other dangerous animal were to suddenly pick up my scent, I'd have to get out of there and find another place to sleep. Now of course you're probably thinking to yourself, "Why don't you just sleep at a hotel?" well, I would be lenient towards that idea, I even stumble upon trails that'll lead to a nearby town from time to time, except I can't allow myself to get captured by Celestia or anyone who might be serving her. So I instead have to resort to sleeping beneath trees, running from wildlife, and having to eat grass, shrubs, and pretty much any type of plant I can come by (you know, since I also didn't bother to bring food with me as well).

Anyway, after what felt like a thousand miles, I finally stumbled upon a lake. I dunked my whole head into the water--not even caring if I were to drown. After that quick drink, I pulled my head out and was now able to get a clear look of my reflection. My face was covered by a rugged beard, my once long--but elegant--hair has now started to become shaggy, and due to the lack of any edible food my cheeks were slowly starting to dissolve. Wherever this voice is leading me, it better have lots of food!

"Don't give up just yet, Sheldon," the voice read my thoughts. "You'll arrive to your destination in no time; and don't worry, you'll know it when you see it."

Just as I was about to get up and continue my journey, I heard a sweet, little voice say, "Is this water safe to drink?" that's when I saw a tattered looking filly with light green fur and brown hair (with the Cutie Mark of a dove holding an olive branch) standing beside me with a canteen. After giving her a nod, she went ahead and filled it up. "Thanks, you don't know how hard it is to find good drinking water around here. I was almost starting to think that every water in this forest is poisoned."

Feeling a little concerned that some filly is just wandering around some dangerous forest, I picked up my chalk with my muzzle and wrote on my board. "Shouldn't you be with your family?"

"Of course I am, that's why I'm searching for water." That's when my stomach started to growl. "You know something Mister, you look like you haven't eaten in months. Why don't you come with me? I'm sure that my family can share some food with you."

Seeing as how it was either dine with a couple of strangers or resort to eating my chalk, I figured that maybe these ponies can't be too bad. As I was following her, that voice tried to talk me out of it. "No Sheldon, this is no time for you to be dawdling with some strangers; just keep heading east!"

I then decided to give that voice a piece of my mind. "Buck you, I'm starving!"

While we were treading through the woods, the little filly decided to start a conversation. "I'm Felicity, by the way. Do you have a name?" fearing that she might've heard about me, I decided to just simply leave my last name as I was scribbling my first name onto the board. "Sheldon. Were you named after somepony?"

"My grandfather."

"Must've wanted you to carry on his legacy, no doubt. Not that I have anything against it, in fact I was actually named after my mother."

"What was she like?"

"Well, my father told me that she was very pretty and always liked to help others; he even says that I'm kinda like her in a way. Although, this is just what he says. I never really knew her personally."

"How come?"

Her smile had crumbled into a frown as she prepared herself to answer my question. "She died giving birth to me...my father didn't want to feel like she lost her, so he gave me her name. What about your mother? did she die to give you life too?"

Despite seeing her and my family being taken away from me, I still had some bit of hope in me that they'll be all right. (Of course, I haven't yet gotten word about their demise at the moment.) I just wrote on my board, "No, she managed to live long enough to see me become a stallion. Even my speaking problem wasn't enough for her to give up on me."

"Now that you brought it up, why are you always writing everything on a blackboard?" before I could write down an explanation, we had finally arrived to her little hideout. She moved a curtain of leaves away to reveal a little hut made out of shrubs and tree branches. "Father, I brought some water."

That's when I saw this old earth pony with black fur, short white hair, and a Cutie Mark that kinda looked like the golden medallion that was hanging around his neck. "Oh good Felicity, I knew that praying would lead you to water."

As he was reaching for the canteen, I noticed that he wasn't looking directly at Felicity (in fact he needed her to hand over the canteen for him). After finally getting a good look at his gray, paled eyes, it occurred to me that her father is blind. As he was drinking some of the water, Felicity told him, "Actually, I didn't find it on my own. In fact, the real pony who's responsible for this is with us."

"Is he? well where is this kind pony?"

Felicity grabbed my hoof and led me closer to her father. "Sheldon, this is my father, Partisan. And father, this is Sheldon."

Partisan started to touch every part of my face so he could get a good idea of what I look like. "Well sir, I maybe blind but I can tell that you're a good pony for what you did for Felicity." I written "Your welcome." On my board, but since he's blind Felicity had to read it out loud for him. "Now Felicity, why don't you just let this pony speak for himself?"

"Because he can't speak, father."

"What do you mean he can't speak?"

I then wrote on my board, "I was born with damaged vocal chords; I've been having to write what I have to say ever since."

After having it read out loud for him, Partisan said, "Oh, well that's unfortunate. Don't worry though, you shan't be discriminated for it. I've taught my children to always respect those who aren't as fortunate as they are. In fact, I think I can hear my son coming back right now."

I heard the sound of the leaf curtain being pushed aside, and that's when a stallion with white fur, long black hair, and the Cutie Mark of a basket with food had entered. "Good news father, we shan't be going hungry today; I've brought us enough berries to feed an entire town." He then placed a big bag on the ground and untied the tip of it to reveal a big pile of berries. But when he finally noticed me, he started to look a bit uneasy. "Who's this?"

"This is Sheldon," Felicity quickly introduced me. "He helped me find some drinking water. And Sheldon, I'd like you to meet my brother, Stuart."

While she and Partisan were very welcoming towards me, Stuart seemed to not be very comfortable with me being here. "Oh no, Felicity. Don't even think about bringing some drifter into our lives; we already have enough problems trying to feed ourselves, but we're not going to start catering for other strangers as well."

"Stuart, I'm surprised at you!" Felicity cried. "This stranger has helped me find good drinking water for us, and you're not even going to show him some hospitality? you know that father taught us to always be willing to share with others."

"She's right, Stuart," Partisan replied in agreement. "This pony was kind enough to lend us a helping hoof; so it's only fair that we show our gratitude by allowing him to have a share of the food."

Knowing that he's not going to be able to argue his way out of this, Stuart looked at me and said, "Fine, but if you're going to be staying with us, then you're going to have to help out. So why don't you make yourself useful and help me divide these berries for everyone."

When it was finally nightfall, we were gathered around a circle with plates of berries in front of us. Before the feast can commence, Partisan was starting things off with grace. "Bless the food that we're about to eat tonight, bless my son for always making sure that we don't starve, bless my daughter for never giving up hope, and bless our most honored guest for his good deed. Amen."

As soon as it was over, I was practically the first to finish my plate. This rushed consumption resulted in berry stains covering my beard; the sight of which caused Felicity to giggle. "Would you like to wash that down?" she handed me the canteen, and I in turn took a small sip.

After giving it back to her, I decided to write something on my board. "How long have you all been living here?"

Felicity was the first to reply. "Since we were tossed out of our home."

"What happened?"

This time, it was Stuart who gave me an answer. "Our landlord kicked us out. We've always paid our rent on time, but then he decides to throw us out of our own house just so he can give it to one of his poker buddies!"

"You mean you couldn't buy another house?"

"Oh sure, we had more than enough money to buy another house," Stuart assured me. "That is if we didn't have to always pay a monthly tribute to some bandits just so they cannot harm me and my family! although now that I think about, we don't even have anymore bits to spare for them; so we're pretty much broke. And even if we didn't have to give up every single bit to those bandits, you'd think we'd still be here?!"

"Stuart, don't raise your voice like that," Partisan tried to calm him down. "Sheldon meant no offense by it; he was asking a question." He then decided to ask me one, "So as you can see Sheldon, my family has been having to go through some harsh times. But what about you, though? what brings you to this forest?"

Not really so sure how to put it to them, I just written down the first thing that came to mind. "Celestia sent me here."

That seemed to spark Felicity's interest. "Really?! You know Princess Celestia?!"

"Not personally."

"Then how come she's the reason you're here, then?"

"Because she wants me dead."

When that last sentence was read out loud, Partisan said, "Why would she want you dead?"

"Because I was born different from anypony else; and she seems to consider that a threat."

"No, no, Sheldon, Celestia would never want to harm somepony just for being different. I should know, I've taught everypony about the mercy and faith of our dear princess way before I lost my vision. And as a pony of Celestia, I know for a fact that she would never bare any ill will towards anypony--no matter how different they are."

"She had guards take away my family and force me to leave my life and all my friends behind," I erased that statement. "Where's your 'mercy and faith' on that one?"

Upon having that statement read aloud, Partisan persisted in his claim. "Sheldon, whatever grudge Celestia has over you and your family must be a mere misunderstanding. Whenever bad times fall upon me and my family, I always look up to Celestia for guidance. I can assure you that in one time or another, Celestia will probably forget whatever quarrel she was having over you and will gladly welcome you back to your home."

"Where was your home, exactly?" Stuart asked.

"I lived in Ponyville."

That almost made him choke. "You mind explaining on why a Ponyvillian is going so far east?"

"I don't really know myself, but I'm just hoping that this path will help me to rescue my family and maybe marry the mare that I love." That is if she hasn't already found another stallion to replace me.

It was now Felicity's turn to ask me questions. "You have a special somepony?!"

"Oh yeah, we've been together since we were foals."

"Was she pretty?"

"I thought she was the most beautiful thing in all of Equestria," I erased that statement. "When I first saw her, I wanted nothing more than to have her as my girlfriend." I erased that sentence. "Of course I only knew about her beauty at first; I soon got to learn about her temper, her stubborn attitude, and her bad manners." I erased that sentence. "But we both managed to overlook each other's flaws. My grandpa once told me that love isn't about two perfect ponies forming an unbreakable bond, it's just a mutual agreement that two deficient ponies make just so they can be together." I chuckled to myself at that brief little memory of my grandfather. He always did seem to know the solution to everything.

We all heard a yawn come out of Partisan's muzzle. "Well, it seems that now is the time for us to rest. Be sure that you two say your prayers before you sleep."

"Yes father." While they all started to pray, I just lied myself down upon the earth and tried to sleep. But before that could happen, Felicity tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, "If it makes you feel any better, I'll pray that you get to be with your family and friends again." I of course had to chuckle at that sweet innocence. It was times like that, that I wish I could just relive those sweet memories back at Ponyville with all of my loved ones. And when I finally fell asleep, my wish kinda came true.

...

Unlike most of my dreams, these felt more like memories. The first one was of the time me and Apple Bloom had head over to Sugarcube Corner on Hearts and Hooves Day. I was finally able to win her heart; and we decided to celebrate our relationship with a first date. By the time we both sat down, Pinkie Pie had jumped up from beneath and cried, "Hello you two! care to try some of our new lovebirds milkshakes? they're free!"

Apple Bloom then told her, "Sure, we'll share one."

"One lovebirds milkshake coming up!" she then bounced her way into the kitchen and said to my mom, "Oh Diane, your son's here!"

"Really, where is he?"

"Oh he's just sitting over by that table with the cute filly in the pink bow."

Upon hearing that, my mom just had to see for herself. After peeking out the door, my mom was able to get her first glimpse at Apple Bloom. "Oh my, is that Apple Bloom? she's pretty."

"Yep," Pinkie shouted as she was about to bring out our milkshake. "Who would've thought that Sheldon could be quite a charmer?"

Right when she was about to deliver the milkshake, my mom stopped her. "Actually Pinkie, why don't I give it to them?" after taking the tray from Pinkie, she calmly walked towards our table. "One free milkshake for the lovely couple." By the way she was looking at me and standing still, I had a feeling that she wasn't going to leave just let. "Sheldon, you care to introduce me to your little girlfriend?"

Not wanting to be rude to my own mother, I quickly wrote a short introduction for Apple Bloom. "I'd like you to meet my mom."

Apple Bloom gave my mom a quick hoofshake and said, "It's a pleasure ta meet ya, ma'am."

"So you're the famous Apple Bloom that my son keeps talking about."

"Has he now?"

"Oh yes, he always likes to tell us how you're the most beautiful filly in all of Equestria."

"Aww, you really said all of that about me?" Apple Bloom then started to nuzzle next to me--which slowly caused my cheeks to turn red.

Seeing that she succeeded in flustering me, my mom said as she was turning back towards the kitchen, "Have fun you two."

When she was gone, I started to hear Apple Bloom's inner voice. "You know, maybe havin' Sheldon as my boyfriend might not be so bad after all. He does look kinda cute when he blushes like that. In fact, I wonder if he'll blush some more if I did this?" she then planted a little kiss upon my cheek, and my whole face was about as red as a tomato at this point. After letting out a giggle, Apple Bloom pulled the milkshake a bit closer to us and said, "Well aren't ya gonna drink it, or am I just gonna have ta drink this by myself?"

Since we were both drinking it at the same time, the milkshake had gone down much quicker. Everything was silent for awhile until Apple Bloom decided to let out a burp. Everypony just stopped and stared at us in an uncomfortable silence. Apple Bloom just looked at me (probably expecting me to be disgusted) for awhile, and then a smile started to form upon my face. She then started to chuckle a little until she finally decided to let all that laughter out (while I just smiled).

As soon as that was taken care of, everypony just went back to what they were doing before. And this was when the snob couple chose to pay us a visit. "Hello Clopper," Highbrow greeted me. "I see that you've found yourself a special somepony of your own."

"Hi, I'm Apple Bloom."

She let out her hoof, expecting it to be shook, but instead had it be kissed by Highbrow's lips. In a fit of jealousy I used my Mind Powers to toss a cupcake at the back of his head (making sure that nopony else had noticed it, of course). He then started to have another tantrum, "Who threw that?! whoever threw that will hear about this from my father!"

Diamond was able to calm him down though. "There, there, that's not important right now. All that matters is that you and I are finally together." After rubbing each other's muzzles, she turned and said to us, "Bye lovebirds."

When they finally left, Silver Spoon had then approached us. "Hi, I noticed that you two got one of those free milkshakes; I bet it was like delicious." She could tell by the scowl on my face that I didn't want her anywhere near me. "Look, I just wanted to take this time to tell you goodbye."

"What fer?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well you see, I understand that I've done some like horrible things to the both of you, and now you two are finally together. I've done some talking with my parents; and since I don't want to get in the way of your relationship, I've decided to move to Manehattan."

"Oh gees, have ya told Diamond about this?"

"No, I'm like not even gonna bother. I was never really her friend; if anything I was nothing but a stooge to her. And since she has a colt of her own, she's probably not going to even need me to suck up to her anymore." She then turned her attention to me. "Sheldon, I know you have every right to hate me, but I really do love you--even if you never loved me back. Before I move away, I was wondering if you could possibly forgive me for what I've done to you and Apple Bloom? I might not be able to be your girlfriend, but maybe we could at least be friends?"

As much as I didn't even want to say anything to her, Apple Bloom was able to talk me into it. "Please Sheldon, won't you at least accept her apology; she does seem ta feel bad about doin' all that stuff."

Not wanting to look like a jerk in front of my beloved, I decided to just go ahead and write down, "I forgive you."

Upon reading it, Silver Spoon started to tear up as she said, "I'm sure that you don't really mean it, but it's nice of you to say it anyway." And with that said, she walked out of Sugarcube Corner--never to be seen by anypony here ever again.

...

The next memory I had was of the time Pecan had taken me to the dentist. The minute we've entered, Minuette was more than eager to greet us. "Hello Pecan, what brings you here?"

"It's my friend, Minuette," Pecan explained. "He's havin' a toothache."

"All right, just hop on and let me take a look." While I got myself settled on the dental chair, Minuette was getting out all of her tools. "So you're Sheldon? Pecan's been telling me a lot about you. Is it true that you, um...have a speaking problem?"

I just wrote on my board, "How did you guess?"

"I don't mean anything bad about it, I just don't usually meet that many mute ponies. OK, now open your mouth and let's see what the problem is." After inspecting my teeth with her mouth mirror, she shouted, "Oh, there's the problem!" she then used her dental tweezers to pull out a little chunk of a potato chip. "You just had a little bit of a chip stuck in one of your molars." She then gave me a bag with some dental floss in it. "Now I know that you kids these days just love to chow on snacks, but make sure you always floss after a meal. You wouldn't want to have more bits of food stuck in your teeth, would ya?"

After writing down a "Thank you." On my board, I left the dental office and pretty much allowed Pecan to have some alone time with her. (I mean why else would he want to take me to her?)

...

This next memory had took place at Button's house. It was a Saturday evening, and Button and I were in his room, playing a two player game together. As we were getting nearer and nearer to the final boss, Button was saying, "Now this is what makes a good Saturday: no homework, no chores, and getting to play video games with your best friend. How can this day get even better?"

I then paused the game and took the time to write on my board, "Weren't you and Sweetie Belle suppose to be doing something today?"

After letting that question sink in, Button suddenly shouted, "Oh buck me, I promised her that I would take her to the fair today!"

"Then shouldn't you go and take her there?"

"I could, but tickets have probably been sold out and Sweetie might be too angry to see me right now. I'll just make it up for her tomorrow."

An annoyed scowl started to form upon my face as I wrote down, "You know Button, you can be very cruel to her sometimes. All she wants is for you to care about her and yet you don't even seem to put too much effort when it comes to dating her."

"I do so care about her! it's just that I get distracted easily."

"Oh Button, can you come down please?" his mom called out.

After turning his game system off, Button went down the stairs--while I just followed behind him. As soon as he got to the bottom he saw somepony that made him shout, "Dad!" I then saw him rushed towards his dad--who in turn had lifted him up in a hug.

"Hey kiddo," his dad said. "You've been taking care of your mother while I was gone?"

"You bet! but what brings you home so early?"

"Well Button, it just so happens that the company is allowing me to test out this new game system." He then took out a new game system that almost brought Button to tears. "You wanna try it out, son?"

"Would I?!"

As soon as they both went upstairs, it was now just me and Button's Mom. "Oh good, you're still here. You mind if I talk with you for awhile?" she then led me to the living room. Even after having Apple Bloom as my girlfriend I still seem to find myself being attracted towards Button's Mom. When we sat upon the couch, the first thing she said was, "Sheldon, I know you have a crush on me."

Starting to feel a blush coming on, I quickly tried to act like it wasn't true. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Sheldon, I overhear everything you boys talk about; and you're blushing right now."

Seeing as how there's no way that I'm ever going to be able to fool her, I figured that there's really no point in denying it. "Does this offend you?"

"Oh no Sheldon, I've got nothing against this little crush of yours. If anything I'm flattered that a young colt would even think that an old mare like me is still beautiful."

"You're not that old."

She giggled at my compliment. "As sweet as that maybe for you to say Sheldon, I'm afraid that you're going to have put an end to this little crush. (I am married after all.)"

"I'm sorry if it bothers you that I think you're beautiful."

"You don't have to apologize for that. Believe me Sheldon, you're not the first colt to think I'm beautiful. When I was your age, nearly every colt in the neighborhood wanted me to be their special somepony; but I instead chose that quirky video game geek and ended up having two wonderful sons with him. Sheldon, there are plenty of pretty fillies for you to choose from; and I'm sure that a sweetheart like you can't have too much difficulty in getting one."

"I already have a girlfriend; and I love her very much."

"And I'm sure that she must be very lucky to have a sweet and caring gentlecolt like you for a boyfriend."

"I'm the lucky one; she never would've been interested if I hadn't told her how much she means to me."

Button's Mom then did the one thing that I never would've expect her to do: she kissed me on the cheek. "I'm sure that the both of you are lucky to have each other." After that, I just quickly got up and went back home.

When I was gone, Button's Dad had finally came down and joined his wife. "Button seems to be enjoying that new game system; and I bet that the CEO's will be pleased to hear about this. So who were you talking too?"

"Oh just one of Button's little friends--whom happens to have a little bit of a crush on me."

"The kid must have good taste, then." After giggling at her husband's comment, the two of them had then made contact with their lips.

...

My next memory was of the time I spent my first Nightmare Night at Ponyville. I was all prepared in an Altamare costume, while patiently waiting for my friends to come over. As I was pacing back and forth in an impatient manner, my mom--who was dressed as a vampiress--had just finished filling the bowl with candy as she said, "Be patient Sheldon, your friends won't start trick or treating without you." And that's when the door knocked. "Oh, sounds like they're here."

When she opened the door, there stood all of my friends in their own costumes. Pecan was dressed up as a bandit, Rumble was dressed up as some kind of bat superhero, Scootaloo was a vampire hunter, Button was a knight, Sweetie Belle donned a yellow princess dress, and Apple Bloom was wearing a bunny costume. Trying my best not to laugh at her, I wrote on my board, "What happened to your zombie costume?"

"It shrunk," Apple Bloom grumbled. "So I had ta wear this instead."

"I think it makes you look cute."

"Shut it, Sheldon."

"What, I can't say that my girlfriend looks cute in a bunny costume?"

"I said shut it!" not wanting her to get angry, I gave her a small smooch to the cheek--which ended up calming her down. "You're lucky that I think you're sweet."

Before we could leave, my mom said, "Now don't be gone for too long, Sheldon. You still have a bedtime."

"Don't worry Mrs. Clopper," Tex (who was dressed as a cowboy bounty hunter) assured her. "I'll make sure yer boy gets ta bed right on time without missin' any of the fun."

And so we all wandered all over Ponyville and collected candy--while Tex was keeping an eye on us. We got lollipops from Sugarcube Corner, bonbons from Carousel Boutique, toothpaste from Minuette, we even got some chocolate bars from those mutated monkeys. After collecting enough candy, Tex had then led us to a statue of Nightmare Moon.

"All right kids, now go dump all yer candy ta the statue."

"Why do we have to do this again?"

Scootaloo was the first to answer. "Because everypony has to offer Nightmare Moon a share of their candy."

And Sweetie Belle added, "And those who don't get gobbled up."

This might sound frightening, but none of them seemed to be too scared about it. So I figured that maybe a little prank wouldn't hurt. When it was my turn, I just took out the toothpaste and placed it in the pile, while I hid my bag behind my board. A wind started to howl, and after a couple of thunder strikes, there stood Princess Luna herself. "Children of Ponyville," her voice boomed with an echo. "Your Princess of the Night is ever so grateful for your offering, and...wait a minute, what's this?" that's when she noticed the toothpaste. "Who dares to hoard the sugary goodness to themselves?!" no one answered. "None of you wish to confess, huh? In that case, I'll have no choice but to eat all of you then!" after they had all ran away screaming, Luna lowered her tone a bit as she said to me, "It was you, wasn't it?" after revealing the bag of candy, she and I joined in a little laugh. "You're quite a mischievous little colt, but it's still nice to finally meet you in person."

"I'm sure that my parents will be thrilled that I got to meet the Princess of the Night herself."

"Yes, but don't think your attempt at flattery will excuse you for your little prank. You wouldn't want me to take this up with my sister, would you?" upon mentioning her, I started to get a bit tensed up. That is until she calmed me down. "No, no, Sheldon, I was only joking. I promised you that I wouldn't let her know about your secret and I meant it. You have no reason to be afraid around me." To show her how much I appreciated her kindness towards me, I decided to give her some of my candy. "Thank you Sheldon." Like the first time I met her in my dream, I saw a green flash from her eyes, but also like before, I paid no heed to it.

...

The next memory was of the time my mom had gotten sick on Mother's Day. After my dad had left the room, I went up to him and wrote on my board, "Is she OK?"

"No son, your mother has a little cold; it might not go away until a week. I'm afraid we're just gonna have to cancel all those fun things that we had planned for her."

"But she's got to least have something. It's Mother's Day for Celestia's sake!"

"I'm sorry son, but your mom's just too sick for something big."

Just because she couldn't do something fantastic, didn't mean that she still couldn't enjoy herself. So after getting every bit out of my jar, I went over to Sugarcube Corner. When I'd entered, Mr. Cake said, "Why hi there Sheldon, what brings you here?"

I then wrote on my board, "My mom's sick."

"Oh that's awful." Mrs. Cake sympathized.

"I want to give her something special for Mother's Day."

That's when Pinkie Pie popped from out of the counter. "Say no more Sheldon, I'm way ahead of ya!"

She then gave me a box that had a cake in it. As I was about to pay them, Mrs. Cake said, "Oh no Sheldon, you don't have to pay for it. Your mom's been such a good help that it's the least we could do to thank her."

Back at home, my mom was lying on the bed with a pack of ice on her head and a runny nose. After seeing my dad come in, she said through her coughed up voice, "Jack, what is it?"

"Well Diane, you might be too sick to go and enjoy yourself, but Sheldon just got you a great surprise."

I then came in and used my Mind Powers to lay a tray upon my mom's bed. She saw the cake with yellow frosting and in white letters it said: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Next to it was a pink and white card that had a picture of her holding me as a baby and a message that reads: BEST MOM EVER!

As she was starting to shed tears of joy, she reached out and hugged me as she said, "Thank you sweetie."

...

This next memory involved my grandmother. When she and my grandpa came for another visit, she insisted on meeting Princess Twilight. So one day, I was leading her to the top of Twilight's castle, and that's when we saw Spike scribbling some notes. "Oh hey Sheldon, what brings you here?"

"My grandma wanted to meet the princess."

"Oh, this is your grandma?" he then greeted her. "It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am."

"Likewise," my grandma said. "Anyway, Sheldon told me that the princess really liked my pie; so I made her another one."

"Thanks, the last one you sent was delicious."

"Wow, I never had my cooking complimented by a dragon before!" my grandma's inner voice was squeeing in excitement.

The door suddenly opened, but instead of the princess, it was instead her buck buddy, Flash Sentry. When he noticed the pie, he said to Spike, "You've been cooking again Spike?"

"Actually, she made it." He corrected him.

Upon seeing her, Flash said, "And who might you be?"

My grandma was sweating as her inner voice was saying, "Oh my gosh, a Royal Guard is speaking to me! how can this get any better?!" regaining her composure, she told him, "I'm Amy Clopper; my grandson was kind enough to take me to see the princess."

"Is that so?" he then took off his helmet and placed it on my head. "Here ya go kiddo, now you can be a Royal Guard."

When he started to have a piece of the pie, Twilight had finally came in. She giggled when she saw me wearing Flash's helmet and said, "Aw, has this brave little soldier come to protect me?"

"What can I say, I'm a sucker for kids." After giving her a kiss, Flash took back his helmet, patted me on the head, and then flew off.

My grandma then tried to introduce herself to the princess. "Princess Twilight, I'm Sheldon's grandmother. My grandson's always gets to see you, so I thought I'd come along with him."

"Well it's an honor to meet you," Twilight said to her. "And I'd like to say that your grandson is probably the nicest colt I've ever met."

"I've baked you another pie. Sheldon told me that you liked the last one."

"Yes, and it was delicious." She then took a bite. "But not as much as this one. You really gotta tell us your recipe."

"Sorry, it's a family recipe."

...

And now I've come to another memory. It was Hearth's Warming Eve, and my entire family was just in absolute joy over the many things that we got for one another. That is except for Dr. Egghead. I noticed that he was sitting by himself on a couch, drinking some hard cider, so I went up to keep him company.

"Why are you so upset?"

He looked at me with a frown and said, "Well Sheldon, it's Hearth's Warming Eve, and I'm just a little bummed out that I won't get to spend it with my family."

"Why don't you?"

"Because I've lost them."

"You mean they died?"

"No," tears started to slide down his cheek. "They just left me. You see Sheldon, I once had a wonderful wife, and two amazing kids. The only problem was that I barely got to spend time with any of them. Since I'm always having to help other children, my kids were forgetting that they even had a father. My wife of course would always lash out on me for always picking my patients over my own family; so one day, she filed for a divorce and got full custody. I haven't seen them for such a long time; you're probably the closest I'd ever have for a son for awhile. The point is nopony should ever have to spend Hearth's Warming Eve without his family."

I didn't want to see him upset, so I tried to be sincere with him. "Dr. Egghead, you've might've lost your own family, but you still have mine." I erased that sentence. "After all the times you've helped us, you've become much more than family to us. If I'm the closest thing for a son to you, then your the closest that I'd ever have for an uncle." I erased that sentence. "So don't feel like you're alone; because you're not."

His tears finally dried up and a smile was slowly forming on his face. "Thank you Sheldon, that means a lot coming from you."

...

This last memory had happened right when I was finally a teenager. Ever since she finally got her Cutie Mark, Apple Bloom hadn't spent that much time with me anymore. Fearing that I might lose her, I always try to be around her every chance I got. But it would seem that it was starting to get on her nerves; so at one point, she finally snapped.

"OK Sheldon, you really need ta stop this!"

"Stop what?"

"This constant smotherin' me with attention! you've been actin' very clingy tawards me as of lately, and it has ta stop!"

"Well excuse me for wanting to spend time with my girlfriend! it's not like you try putting any effort to be around me!"

"You're sayin' this is my fault?!"

"Maybe I am! ever since you got your Cutie Mark, you're barely around anymore!" I erased that statement. "So you can't really blame me for wanting to remind you that you have a stallion who loves you!"

"Sheldon, I have a Cutie Mark now; I have other things ta worry about now! you're not the only thing that matters here!"

"So what?! I have other matters in my life, but I at least still allow you to be a part of it!"

"Ugh, you're so impossible ta put up with! ya use ta be sweet and caring, but now ya just bein' stubborn and selfish!"

"Look who the buck is talking! I'm not nearly as stubborn as you; or temperamental, or rude for that matter!"

"Well at least I can speak!" that last outburst had silenced the both of us. While I was trying to fight back tears, Apple Bloom was already starting to regret her choice of words. "Look, why don't we just talk later, all right? Sheldon?" instead of responding, I just turned away and went straight home--and I'm sure she did the same thing.

I was lying on my bed and moping like any teenager would do when he feels that his relationship is about to end. I then heard a knock on my door. "Sheldon Clopper II." And then another knock. "Sheldon Clopper II." And then a third knock. "Sheldon Clopper II." I knew right away that it was my grandpa. After opening the door with my Mind Powers, he came and sat next to me. "Hey there, I couldn't help but notice that your facial features were expressing grief. Did something awful transpired?"

"Apple Bloom and I had a fight. I think she doesn't want to be around me anymore."

"Oh boy, I just knew that this day would arrive." His inner voice was saying. He then told me, "Sheldon Clopper II, you're a stallion now, so it only makes logical sense that I enlighten you about relationships. You see, sometimes ponies who love each other tend to get stressed out with each other and will want to have a little space away from one another for awhile. Sometimes they'll get back together, and sometimes they never see each other again. I understand what you're going through; it happened to me and your grandmother one time."

"You mean you and her use to fight each other?"

"Yes, we even broke up at one point. But we still managed to find a reason to stay together, get married, and eventually give birth to your father. The point is Sheldon Clopper II, you're never going to have a relationship without an occasional fight once in awhile. Your parents fight sometimes, and they still love each other."

"Mom and dad don't fight; they're always happy."

"That's only because they wait until you leave and then they let out their frustrations. You and Apple Bloom have finally let out your frustrations, and now it's up to you two to decide whether or not you still want to be together. Love isn't about two perfect ponies forming an unbreakable bond, it's just a mutual agreement that two deficient ponies make just so they can be together."

After letting that information sink in, I was finally able to pull myself together. "Thanks grandpa, I know what I have to do now."

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was in her room--pretty much going through the same thing I just went through. Her sister then came in to check on her. "Hey sugarcube, what's with all the mopin'?"

"Sheldon and I just had a fight, and I might've said a few horrible things ta him."

"Well I'm sure it's nothin' you two can't fix together," that's when I knocked on her door. "See, there he is right now. I'll just leave you two alone."

When she left, I sat next to Apple Bloom and wrote on my board, "I'm sorry if I've been getting on your nerves these past few weeks. I just love you so much and I don't want to lose you."

"I'm sorry too, Sheldon. You were right, I do have a temper problem. I didn't mean ta make ya feel bad about not talking, I just got a little angry."

"I understand. You're just not perfect; and I'm not perfect either. We might be the most imperfect couple in Equestria, but we've still managed to be together."

"Ya know, I just realize that you're the only colt who was ever interested in me. Now that I look back, that time I burped on our first date, most colts would want ta get away from me after that, but you managed ta still love me despite of it. I guess I've just been takin' yer love fer me fer granted."

"Look, we shouldn't let any of our flaws be an excuse to not be with each other. Whatever problems we have, we can fix together. Is that a deal?"

"Deal." After giving each other a small kiss, we just nuzzled next to each other as I saw her brother walk by and I heard his inner voice say, "Oh brother."

...

After that long trip down memory lane, I finally woke up. Except my hosts weren't around; that is until I started to hear voices. As I got out of the hut, I saw Felicity and her family being harassed by three thugs. One was a grey earth pony with long black hair, wearing a black waist coat, and a top hat upon his head. The other was a buffed looking brown earth pony with a twirly black mustache, a red vest, and a bowler hat upon his head. And the last was a bald purple earth pony with a butler's outfit and a monocle.

Stuart was the first to say, "Look, you three have already got every last bit that we could spare. There's nothing left for us to offer."

"Don't be ridiculous," the grey stallion said. "Just because you can't cough up some bits doesn't mean you can't trade. But what do you have that's even of any value?"

"Your Grace," the purple stallion said. "What about that gold medallion around the old bag's neck? That ought to be worth something."

"You're right Your Excellency," the one called Your Grace agreed. "There might be some pawnshops who would have to get their hooves on some gold." He then turned to the brown stallion. "Your Majesty, would you kindly confiscate that medallion?"

Without saying anything, the brown stallion went and ripped the medallion from Partisan's neck. "No, that's a family heirloom!" Stuart tried to fight back, but ended up getting punched in the gut by the brown stallion.

Your Grace then started to say, "I wouldn't want to be going rough with His Majesty if I were you."

"Oy, look over there!" that's when they finally noticed me.

"Oh, a little company no doubt." His Grace said.

"You leave him alone," Felicity stood up to them. "He has nothing that you three would be interested in!"

"I'll be the judge of that, girly." His Grace then said to me, "What do you have that's worth parting with?"

I then wrote on my board, "All I got is a board and chalk."

"Oy, looks like we got ourselves a dumb one." His Excellency commented.

"Who are you calling dumb?!"

"Easy now, he meant no offense," His Grace tried to calm me down. "His Excellency was just simply stating that you're incapable of speech. Kind of like His Majesty." His Majesty then suddenly pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to His Grace. "Well I'll be, if it ain't that Mindbender Celestia's been after." That's when I realized that the piece of paper was actually a wanted poster.

"What are you talking about?" Partisan asked. "Mindbender's are a myth."

"Not this one," His Grace said. "This fella had caused a big raucous over at Ponyville. He might've gotten away from Celestia, but she still made his family pay."

"She might have my family right now, but I'll be back to rescue them!"

His Excellency started to laugh, "Kinda hard to save anypony when their heads aren't on their shoulders."

I was confused at that statement. "What do you mean?"

His Grace then explained to me, "His Excellency is referring to the fact that your family's dead."

Dead! No, this can't be true. I might've been gone for awhile, but even I know that they wouldn't have died already. "You're lying!"

"Oh no, it's true. We were actually there when it happened; weren't we Your Excellency?"

"That's right, we were over at Canterlot getting these fancy duds, and that's when we saw Celestia drag your family out in public and chopped their heads off one by one."

"She even decided to use their heads as decorations for her castle. And to think none of that would have happened if you had just surrendered yourself and let her take your head instead."

No words could describe the feeling of despair that I was experiencing right now. My family: my parents who gave me life, my grandparents who helped me at times when my parents couldn't, and my therapist who practically saved my life by having me move to Ponyville are now gone! I failed! I was suppose to come back and save them, but now they're dead! all I could do was allow this anguish to sink into me as I was pouring out tears and crying out sobs that nopony could hear.

Upon witnessing this sight, His Grace said, "There, there, now, there's no need to be crying now. We do have hearts after all. So I'll make it easy on you," he then took out a knife. "I'll just slip your throat, deliver your head to Celestia, collect that million bit reward, and while we're living the rich life, you can be up in pony Heaven with your mommy and daddy."

As they were getting closer, I saw their faces turn into that of Celestia's. Soon my sadness was now turning into rage. I then built up enough force with my Mind Powers and sent the three of them flying! I watched as His Majesty had planted his face right into a tree, as he laid down in pain I quickly made the tree go crashing down upon him! The sight of his hind legs twitching was enough to make His Excellency flee in terror. But he didn't get too far until he ran on top of a rock and I lifted it off the ground. As he tried to keep his balance, I turned the rock over to make him fall; then I slammed it down with enough fury to chop him in half! he coughed up a little blood, moved back to reveal his intestines sliding out of his body, and then he stopped breathing. His Grace quickly picked up the knife and tried to finish me. But my Mind Powers were too quick; I lifted him up in the air, and I slowly pulled all four of his legs and his neck. He sent a scream that could be heard all over Equestria; but it soon went quiet by the time his limbs were removed from his entire body!

After that, Stuart was standing in front of Felicity and Partisan while shouting, "Stay back! don't you dare try to hurt them!"

"Why would I? It's not like you three had murdered my family." I erased that sentence. "What are you being so mad about anyway? you hated these three."

"Yes, but murder is still murder!"

"But he saved us." Felicity defended me.

"Don't encourage him!" Stuart shouted. "He's nothing but a bloodthirsty monster!"

"The only bloodthirsty monster around here is Celestia. I might've failed to save my family, but now I have a new mission: and that's to kill Celestia!"

"Halt, in the name of Princess Celestia!" I turned around to face the Royal Guards, but I wasn't prepared to whom I was about to come face to face.

The Birth Of A Mindbender

My name is Sheldon Clopper: I was named after my grandfather, and I was given that name by my mother and father, Jack and Diane Clopper. I was just like anypony in Equestria; I go to school, I have friends, and I have a special talent of my own. But my special talent would soon make me the target of Princess Celestia herself. What does any of this have to do with the story? Well, I'm getting to that.

It all began on that most joyous day when I was brought into this world. I remember everything starting off quietly, then I started to hear moaning and a lot of shouting. I heard somepony cry, "It's a colt!" and as I was being hoofed over, I opened my eyes and I just stared into the sapphire eyes of my mother as she cradled me in her hooves and planted a warm kiss upon my forehead. My mother was a beautiful earth pony with yellow fur and long brown hair. Standing beside her was my father: a proud earth pony with blue fur and gelled black hair.

The pony--who I'm assuming is the doctor--walks up to my father and says, "So what's the little colt's name?"

My father thinks for a while and says, "Sheldon, we'll name him Sheldon."

My mother then started to nuzzle her face next to mine as she said, "Sheldon, my little Sheldon."

And while this was happening, I could hear the dr. say, "That's strange, why isn't he crying?" but for some strange reason, his lips weren't moving.

But the strangest thing about all this is that while I was being carried into the room where they keep the other babies, I could hear other ponies saying things like:

"Oh, what a cute little colt."

"Aw, isn't that just the most precious thing?"

"Oh, I just wanna squeeze his wittle cheeks."

And just like the doctor, none of their lips were moving.

But none of that could compare to when I was having to stay in that room for the night. I was trying to get some sleep, but I couldn't get as far as a snore with all these babies keeping me up all night with their bawling. And as if the beaker of my annoyance couldn't possibly rise up any farther, I had to hear their complaints.

"Where's my mommy?!"

"Why am I in here?!"

"It's dark!"

And guess what, their lips weren't moving as well--in fact, they were only moving while they were crying.

I swear, I would've given anything just to not hear them. But alas, I had to be cursed with a good pair of ears. They could've at least not let me be so near to those loud ones. And I'm not exaggerating, the babies who I was having to sleep next to, were extremely loud! It was nothing but hour, after hour, of noise...noise...NOISE! Throughout the night, I was trying my best to block out this rambunctious chatter by thinking of them being pushed away from me as far as I want them to be.

...

The next morning, when the dr. came into the room, he was very surprised to find all--but mine--carts pushed away in a disorderly fashion. "This is very peculiar." He said to himself. He soon brushed it off as he took me out of that madhouse and brought me back to my parents.

When I was finally brought into my new home, I soon found myself being inspected by my grandfather. My grandfather was a lanky earth pony with blue fur and short white hair, and my grandmother was a plump earth pony with pink fur, long white hair, and glasses. As he was examining me, he was saying stuff like, "His cranium is about .9 inches longer than most babies, his heart-rate is surprisingly well, and his corneas don't seem to be in any damage. My final conclusion, this is one healthy baby."

My grandmother told him, "Sheldon, all babies are born healthy; everypony knows that."

"Now Amy, why do you think our grandson is named after me?"

"Because he's a boy."

"If you'd prefer to think that."

My dad then told them, "OK Mom and Dad, it's nice to see you two, but Sheldon Jr.'s going to need plenty of rest right now."

"Now Jack," said my grandfather, "if you're going to infer that my grandson is the second of his name, then at least say it right."

"Come on Sheldon," coaxed my grandmother. "I believe somepony's theory needs to be worked on."

After a brief pause my grandfather then said, "You're right, a physicists job is never done." As he was being dragged out by my grandmother, he quickly said, "Goodbye, Sheldon Clopper II. And don't forget to sing 'soft-kitty' before you put him to sleep."

When that was done, my mother had went to the kitchen and fed me some milk. After that, she placed me in my crib while she and my father just stood there, watching me sleep--and trust me, after listening to all that noise last night, I'm going to be needing a whole lot of snoozing. My father put his hoof around my mother as he said, "Well, we're officially parents."

"Yep," said mom, "who would've thought that after four years of attending the most prestigious university in Canterlot, we would have this bundle of joy in our lives?"

"Yeah, we had our share of accomplishments, but just you wait for what our son will accomplish later on. Who knows, he might be the first pony to graduate at the age of eight."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I named him after my father, didn't I? And if you were ever named after a great physicist, you can probably accomplish anything." After they'd chuckled for a brief moment, my father then brought up what the dr. had only been thinking in his head, "Hey Diane?"

"Yes Jack?"

"I've just noticed something."

"What is it?"

"Sheldon has never cried since we were at the hospital."

A Field Trip and a Rock Farm

That morning, I was probably expecting today to be one of the best in my life. I had went down and practically ate my breakfast in just one bite. But as I got off my chair, my dad had stopped me and said, "Whoa Sheldon, what's the rush?"

I levitated my chalk and wrote on my board, "I'm heading to the train station."

"And just why do you need to go there?"

"The school's going on a field trip."

As I walked around him, my dad had immediately pulled me back and said, "Now hold it, I know just where this field trip is heading to, and I'm already going to tell you that you're not going."

"Why not?"

"Son, have you forgotten just why we had to move to Ponyville in the first place? it's because Celestia will have you killed if she were to find out just what kind of pony you are. She won't just take you away from your mother and I, she'll flat out take away your life. I know I shouldn't be telling you this until you're much older, but clearly you don't know just how serious the situation is."

"I do know just how serious it is; which is why I won't use any of my powers when I'm there."

"Well that's out of the question, Sheldon. I know that you like being with your friends, but this is your life that we're talking about. Do you really want to risk it just for a field trip?"

"It's not just that," I erased that little statement. "It's mostly for Apple Bloom."

"Now son, I understand that at your age you're just dying to get in touch with a filly. But you got plenty of time to make a girlfriend, and today's just isn't one of them. (Besides, Hearts and Hooves Day isn't until tomorrow.) But don't worry son, I thought of a better thing for you to do today. My boss has decided to let it be 'Bring Your Foal To Work Day' and I'm going to bring you along. Now isn't that more exciting?"

"Whoopee." Although my dad could tell by the scowl on my face, that I meant that word sarcastically.

Over at the train station, everypony at school was gathered near a train as they were awaiting for their departure. As it was getting closer for them to get going, Pecan said, "What's takin' Sheldon so long? he said he'd be here."

"I'm sure that he's just trying to make himself look good for Apple Bloom," said Rumble. "See, there he is right now."

As soon as they all noticed me, they were immediately calling me over. However, my dad soon put an end to it. "Sorry boys, but Sheldon won't be attending the field trip."

Right when that was brought up, I could hear Ms. Cheerilee's inner voice say, "Well, that crosses him off." And then she announced to everypony, "OK students, let's get on the train." While everypony rushed in with excitement, Rumble and Pecan both seemed to have been bummed out (except Button Mash, seeing as how he was staring at his gizmo the whole time).

...

After a twenty minute train ride, they all stood in wonderment at the royal city that is Canterlot. My friends however were very underwhelmed by this place--seeing as how they were hoping that I would be with them; even during the tour, they seem to think that it's not as thrilling when one of your buddies isn't around to share the experience.

"Would've been a whole lot better if Sheldon were here." Pecan said to Rumble.

"Yeah, he'd probably show us places that only he knows about." Rumble agreed.

"Oh who needs him," Diamond Tiara blurted as she and Silver Spoon walked beside him. "He wasn't that special to begin with!"

"You're just saying that because he told you two off." Rumble pointed out.

"Oh why don't you zip it," Diamond snapped, "I don't need to be taking any of this from a Blank Flank--let alone you!"

"Aw, what's wrong Diamond? you still cranky because I chose Scootaloo over you?"

"That's one way of describing how you broke my heart."

"You need to have one in order for it to be broken." He and Pecan both laugh while Diamond had a very bitter look on her face.

Silver was about to defend her, but then Diamond stopped her. "Don't even bother Silver, he's not worth it." And as she lifted her head up in that uptight fashion, she didn't see it coming when she bumped into somepony.

The pony she bumped into shouted, "Watch where you're going you little pest!"

But after what Rumble said to her, she just had to let her anger out. "Why don't you watch where you're going you blockhead?!"

After getting that tension out of their systems, they both got a clear look at one another as they suddenly feel as if they were searching for each other for a long time. "Pardon me, but I wasn't aware that I was in the presence of a lady."

Diamond was a bit taken back by this compliment as she said, "And just who are you?"

"I'm Highbrow Canterster. May I trouble you for your name?"

A blush slowly started to glow on her face. "I'm Diamond Tiara."

"Diamond, a rather fitting name for a lovely jewel such as yourself." She then let out a giggle after hearing his flattery. "And just what brings you to Canterlot?"

"My friend and I are here on a field trip."

Highbrow then decided to turn his attention to Silver Spoon. "And just what might your name be?"

Right when he was about to do that kissing somepony's hoof routine, she slipped it away and said, "Don't bother, I'm like not in the mood!"

"You'll have to excuse my friend," Diamond explained, "she just had her heart broken by the colt that she loved--and she's not exactly feeling like moving on at the moment."

Highbrow then said, "Well I must imagine this colt being an absolute fool for turning her down."

"Exactly. And the worst part is that he snubbed her for that Blank Flank over there." She pointed to Apple Bloom.

"He definitely must be foolish for wanting a farm hick over a filly with some class."

"Yeah, but what can you expect from a pony who can't talk?"

This suddenly sparked Highbrow's memory. "Was he wearing a chalkboard around his neck?"

"That's right, but how do you know that?"

"Because Sheldon Clopper happens to be my long time rival."

"You don't say?"

"You know it. I've always been wondering what happened to him after that day he got lucky over me. Where is he, anyway?"

"Ponyville."

"It figures that a pony of his intelligence would want to go to someplace as poor as Ponyville."

"Well I live there, and I'm not poor."

"Indeed, what's a jewel like you not living here?"

"I don't know, my dad just thinks that living here would be 'too expensive'. Anyplace would be better as long as I'm far away from those Blank Flanks--especially him." She then pointed to Rumble--who was kissing Scootaloo at the moment.

"Why him in particular?"

"Because he used to be my boyfriend, but then he left me for that Blank Flank he's smooching with."

"It only makes sense that a Blankius Flankicus would want to mate with one of its own kind."

That got a laugh out of her. "Oh Highbrow, I never met somepony as witty and charming as you. If only you were living in Ponyville, then I wouldn't have to settle with somepony like Rumble."

"Yes, it's rather complicated when you're the son of a rich tycoon who wants you to have the best education money can buy." An idea suddenly came to him. "However, if I could talk my father into it, I just might be able to find myself in Ponyville."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course I would. After all, we do have a saying in my family: a Canterster always pays his debts."

Diamond was so entranced by this colt version of herself that she had to ask him a favor. "You think that maybe you could pretend to be my boyfriend so that way I could make Rumble jealous?"

He then gave her--what she would consider--a charming smile as he held her hoof and said, "Why pretend when it can be for real?"

And so the two of them walked towards Rumble and the other crusaders as Diamond said, "Hey Rumble, meet my new boyfriend: Highbrow. He's rich, and has much better manners than you."

"You can definitely tell just by his taste in fillies." Highbrow gave a smug comment.

This caused Rumble to say, "What did you say about my filly, pretty boy?"

Highbrow had a cocky smirk on his face when he told Rumble, "You mean other than the fact that that piece of Blank Flank trash is only second rate compared to this lovely Diamond that you could've been with?"

Rumble raised his hoof in a punching motion, and that caused Highbrow to flinch and squeak like a little girl. It was then Rumble's turn to smirk. "Strong words coming from a flincher!"

While they were all laughing, Highbrow just turned to Diamond and said, "Come darling, let's go to the hedge maze where we won't have to deal with these peasants." As they were walking away, Highbrow turned and said, "One more thing, if by any chance you see Sheldon, be sure to send him my regards."

When they were gone, Pecan said, "How does he know Sheldon?"

"Don't know and don't care," Rumble remarked, "I just hope he's having a much better time than we are."

...

Meanwhile, me and my dad were pretty much walking for hours until we came to the gray, desolate wasteland that is the rock farm. "What do you think, Sheldon?" my dad asked.

Although the answer was pretty obvious, I still decided to write down my answer. "Seems kinda dull."

"Well what can you expect from a place that has nothing to do put carry rocks around." He then saw this gray mare with purple hair walking very slowly towards us. "Oh uh, Sheldon, this is my boss, Maud Pie. She's the one who runs the rock farm."

The mare known as Maud leaned her head towards me with a blank expression and said in a dull monotone, "Are you having fun coming to work with your father?"

I just took my chalk and wrote down, "What's so fun about a rock farm?"

My dad gave me that look whenever a kid says something that he shouldn't, while Maud just continued staring with her blank expression and said, "Sometimes we gather big rocks and crush them into pebbles; kinda like Boulder." She then took a pebble out of her pocket. "He's my pet rock. Do you have a pet rock?"

I shook my head, and for some reason I was hearing some random inner voice say, "Yes, look at them, gathering my army and multiplying by the second. As soon as these ponies are finished crushing every rock into pebbles, then I shall finally accomplish want I plan every night: try to take over the world!" it took me awhile to put it all together, but it would seem that these thoughts are coming from Maud's rock. Does that rock really have a mind of its own? I was about to doubt this, that is until I heard the rock's inner voice say, "Why is that foal staring at me like that?" yep, it's got a mind of its own.

As this sudden shatter of reality was starting to sink in, Maud made a very dull announcement. "OK everypony, let's get ready for camouflage."

I wrote to my dad, "What's camouflage?"

"It's kinda like hide and seek," my dad explained. "Except you're looking for a rock." I then let out a mental sigh as I thought to myself, that field trip to Canterlot is starting to sound much better at this point.

...

Back at Canterlot, everypony was on the edges of the castle and were watching the sunset. Rumble wrapped his hoof around Scootaloo as they both gazed off in the distance. "Never thought I'd ever be watching a sunset with my filly."

She gave him a smooch on the cheek and said, "You can be real sappy sometimes."

While that was happening, Sweetie Belle was nuzzling next to Button and said, "Oh Button, isn't this romantic?"

"Yes, new high score!" when he finally took his eyes off of the gizmo, he looked at the sunset and said, "Wow, when did we get a view like this?" and Sweetie gave herself a hoofpalm while an annoyed expression was on her face.

During all this, Apple Bloom was by herself as she was watching both couples savoring this romantic moment. She then heard somepony say, "Isn't as good as having somepony to like share the moment with you, is it?" she turned and saw that it was Silver Spoon.

"Shouldn't you be with Diamond and her new boyfriend?"

"They're in the hedge maze, kissing. And I just can't stand seeing those two together when I like have nopony of my own."
After an awkward silence, she then told Apple Bloom, "Listen, I never say this to you or your friends, what with peer pressure and trying to keep up on my reputation, but I just want to say how sorry I am for what Diamond and I did to you two days ago. I just didn't want somepony to take my special somepony away, and it turns out I ended up losing him all by myself. I know that Sheldon has a huge crush on you, and I want you to know that I'm totally OK if you start dating him."

"What makes ya think I'm even interested in him?"

"Well he did stood up for you after what we'd done, you'd think he just do that and not expect you to be impressed? have you even like once gave him a chance?"

"Not exactly. I mean, I did thank him fer walkin' me home, and I even gave him a kiss on the cheek, but the problem is that he's expectin' me ta do the whole 'confessin' yer feelings' thing all fer him. And how can I ever love somepony who can't even say 'I love ya' without havin' ta depend on me ta do the work fer him?"

"Hearts and Hooves Day is tomorrow, maybe he'll tell you how he feels then. All I know is that if you two don't get together, then you might end up like that colt other there." She pointed to Pecan--who was also watching the sunset by himself.
"Trust me on this. I know that there were times where I might've tricked or even lied to you and your friends, but I mean it when I say that you should give Sheldon a chance."

Well, the flower petal did say that he loves me. After thinking this over, Apple Bloom said, "All right, I'll see what happens tomorrow."

Silver then said, "I better get back to Diamond before she finds out that I'm being nice to you. And trust me, once you make Sheldon your boyfriend, you'll like have no regrets. (Especially with that cute flank of his.)"

Fer a rich girl, she's got some weird obsession. After she left, Apple Bloom went to Pecan and said, "Pecan, do ya think that Sheldon might do somethin' on Hearts and Hooves Day?"

"Well he lost his chances on this field trip," said Pecan, "so I guess he might try ta make up fer it tomorrow."

That's when Cheerilee shouted, "All right everypony, back to the train station!" they all let out disappointed sighs as their field trip finally came to an end.

...

Back at the rock farm, everypony was searching for Maud's rock for hours (it was nearly night time at this point). Seeing as how I wanted to get home as soon as possible, I decided to use my Mind Powers to see if I can't find the rock any quicker. After a couple of seconds of focus and adjusting, I was able to hear his inner voice.

"Ha ha ha, I love it when these pitiful ponies are wasting their time looking through piles of rocks! just wait until they find out that Maud had me hidden inside her pocket the whole time!"

So without wasting anymore time, I stepped towards Maud, reached in her pocket, and took out her rock. Maud grabbed it and said to my dad, "Your son found him."

My dad gave me a pat on the shoulder and said, "Good job son, usually nopony can ever find Boulder."

"Exactly," Boulder's inner voice was saying, "this colt is special. Therefore when I take over Equestria, I'll see to it that his death will be quick and painless."

Not wanting to hear anymore of this, I turned to my dad and wrote down, "Can we go home now?"

My dad then said to his boss, "Hey Maud, will it be OK if I left early? my son's just really tired."

And without even changing her expression, Maud said, "Sure, I'll even give you a raise and a paid week's vacation."

"Oh, uh...thanks." And with that said, my dad and I just turned around and went back home.