2.4 - School Hard

Five…

Air Raid slid the gear stick into first with her left forehoof and engaged the Fiesta’s launch control system on the steering wheel.

“Ready?” Slingshot didn’t look up from his pace notes, flipping to the fifth sheet for the hill climb route they were about to undertake.

Four…

Air Raid’s only response was to flick the power switch on the dashboard, which gave her an extra hundred and fifty horsepower to play with.

“Windcharger’s three seconds in front of us. We can do this Raid. There is a three hundred metre straight half way in, before it you’ll come out of a long right banked three corner, drop out to second gear going in and upshift to fifth at the apex.”

Air Raid didn’t reply. Slingshot wasn’t expecting her to.

Three…

Air Raid gave barely a nod to indicate she’d heard her co-driver at all, she merely dumped her right hind hoof on the accelerator, she smiled as she felt the revs build up under her, the car seemingly coming alive around her, straining like a captive beast against the restraint of the hand brake.

“Do not short shift out of the second left two corner, the gravel will bite the tyres and slow us down.”

Two…

Air Raid watched the needle move up the rev counter as she pushed the accelerator with her hoof, her heartbeat seeming to equalise with that of the car as she nestled into the bucket seat, the racing harness tight against her chest.

‘Second place…’ She thought to herself as she stamped the accelerator again and the car roared, echoing her mood. They were in second place. This was intolerable to the competitive pegasus. ‘Three seconds’. They were behind by three whole seconds. ‘Might as well be three years, three decades’. The lime green mare knew she’d have to drive out of her fur to make up that much time.

“Ready?” Slingshot asked again, even though the pink stallion knew his partner was in her zone.

One…

Air Raid glanced over at Slingshot and gave him a wink, flooring the accelerator, red lining the rev limiter. Oh she was ready. Celestia’s flank was she ready. She gripped the steering wheel with her right hoof, and rested her left on the hand brake. The revving engine vibrating the chassis around her.

‘I’m ready…’

GO!

Air Raid heard the ‘G’ of the word ‘go’ and depressed the hand brake forwards and slid her left hoof down to the gear shift, the sole of her hoof resting on the moulded knob as the little supercharged Fiesta shot forward, already accelerating through twenty miles per hour as her left hind hoof worked the clutch pedal.

Three seconds later Air Raid was in fourth gear pushing eighty as she approached the first bend. She was in her element. There was no pony and vehicle, no driver and car. It was as if they were one entity, the car was an extension of her, she an organic part of the machine.

“Easy five left to twenty to over crest eighteen to fifty to gravel hard two left…” Slingshot didn’t look up as he called out the notes for the upcoming section. He felt rather than saw their progress, judging the gear changes and their speed against where they should be to give his driver the details she needed.

‘Easy five left...check’ Air Raid heard and dabbed her brake pedal with her right hoof as she turned the wheel into the wide bend. The rear engine Fiesta didn’t slow down but the tail heavy car did enter a shallow drift, throwing up a cloud of dust and loose pebbles as they took the corner at just under seventy.

Exiting the corner the pegasus saw the shallow eighteen degree jump and she pulled the gear stick back to third, easing off the accelerator so as not to lose too much momentum in the air. “Whoooo!” She cheered as they made the jump, immediately flooring the gas and pushing up to fourth for the fifty metre straight. ‘c’mon baby, we got this.’ The racer grinned as she saw the hairpin coming up.

‘Hard two left…check’ Air Raid kept the power on until she was on top of the hairpin then block shifted from fourth to second as she pulled the hand brake and turned in, taking the tight turn at thirty miles an hour. Just as she was about to lose control of the back end the lime green mare turned the wheel the other way, applying full opposite lock to counter steer out of the corner and passing the electronic section markers, which turned green as she drove through them. ‘Clean section’ she thought with a grin as she patted the wheel.

Slingshot was already on the next page of his notes as Air Raid drove them through the section marker. The pink stallion glanced at the stopwatches in front of him on the dashboard. One had Windcharger’s time, the other had their current time. ‘Two seconds down…’ They’d made up a whole second already! ‘We’re gonna win!’ Scanning the notes in a split second he spoke into the microphone of his helmet, giving Air Raid the directions she needed.

“Hard two right to long seventy easy right to ascend hard one left right double.” As always the earth pony never looked away from his notes. He didn’t press Air Raid for confirmation he’d been understood. He knew his partner well enough by now. Slingshot smiled as he felt the rear of the car dip, heard the engine growl in protest as she shifted down through the gears.

Slingshot prided himself on the role he played. Not for nothing did he have a reputation as one of the best co-drivers on the rally circuit. He smiled again, remembering the look on Blur’s face when he turned the unicorn down to race with Air Raid. He still couldn’t put his hoof on exactly why he chose her to ride with. There were better paying teams out there definitely.

‘Nah…money was never the issue…’ Air Raid had a drive, a burning desire to race and to win, to be the very best that he hadn’t seen in the other drivers. He’d driven himself once, but his career hadn’t taken off. Since partnering with Air Raid though everything had just come together.

Slingshot was jolted back to the here and now as Air Raid pulled the hand brake and slid the car around the first tight left hand hairpin to climb the forty five degree incline that lead to the right hand turn. He glanced a sideways look at his partner. A feral smile was on her muzzle, her mane was wild and free, sweat plastering the fringe to her forehead. It never ceased to amaze him how alive she looked when she raced.

Air Raid slammed the gear stick back into fourth gear as she powered the one point six litre Fiesta R2 out of the second hairpin, the first right of the double set. Accelerating up to sixty five for the brief straight section she thundered up into the second left hairpin, fully aware if she got it wrong at this point there was a one hundred foot drop off the side through scattered trees and boulders.

That was why she had the wide smile on her face. This wasn’t a game. There was no reset button here if she stuffed up the hairpin and buried the Fiesta in the rock face or lost control on the corner. It was Air Raid and her partner. Right now her universe consisted of nothing else.

Air Raid slid the rear wheel drive car around the bend, loose rocks and stones rebounded off the car’s bodywork as they ricocheted off the rock wall just a few feet to the right of the car. Once more she shifted up from second to fourth as she dumped her right hoof on the gas.

‘Shit! Shit! Shit!’ Air Raid cursed to herself as she felt the driving wheels spin on the loose surface, costing her a vital second of thrust, the power spinning from the wheels before they bit and gained purchase. The lime green mare thumped the wheel in frustration as she shifted to third to help the car up the slope to the last hairpin of this section.

Air Raid saw her opportunity. The outside of the hairpin was a wide bend. She smiled to herself, thinking it was a good thing Slingshot never looked out of the car window. It was risky. She knew the consequences if she got this wrong. She didn’t think twice. Still in third gear she lifted her hoof from the accelerator and as the car started to slow she turned the wheel to the left, out towards the sheer drop of the cliff face. Holding her nerve for the last split second she wrenched the wheel to the right, feathering the throttle as the car started to answer her command and it swung to the right. A loud grating noise and a slight resistance at the rear told the pegasus she’d left some paint on the unforgiving rock behind her.

Air Raid smiled, her gamble had paid off. Taking the corner wide with the Scandy Flick had meant she missed the apex by a few feet but more importantly it left her facing the exit of the hairpin exactly where she needed to be and at fifteen miles an hour faster than she would otherwise have been. She resisted the urge to whoop as she thrust the gear stick to fifth for the first time and powered through the section markers, which also turned bright green.

Slingshot checked the stopwatches as they drove through to the third section and his heart skipped a beat. Despite the slip up two turns back when the wheels had spun, they had made up another half a second on Windcharger’s time. They were just one and a half seconds behind first place. It all came down to this section and how his driver took it.

“Left fork to fifty straight to long easy five right banked to three hundred straight, centre obstacle at two hundred.”

‘Left fork…check.’ Air Raid saw the fork coming up in the path ahead, roughly forty five degrees intersection. Turning the wheel ever so slightly left she feathered the brake with her right hoof as the Fiesta shot down the straight, high walls of rock two feet either side reminded the pegasus that one twitch of the wheel here would be game over. Especially at this speed.

Emerging from the mini canyon Air Raid block shifted down from fifth to second for the tight entry to the banked long right corner, positioning them hallway up the bank angle. ‘Easy five right bank…check.’  Just before she hit the apex of the corner Air Raid shifted up through the gears to fifth and stomped the accelerator like it was Blitzwing’s head, actually hitting the bare floor of the Fiesta. Within the space of three seconds the car accelerated up to eighty, a second later a hundred. Air Raid was forced back in her seat as the car reached its top speed, the scenery around them becoming a blur.

“Centre it!”

Air Raid saw the road ahead had been narrowed, either side were two huge boulders, both easily ten feet high and wide enough to ensure only the exact centre of the gravel road could be driven on. The same second she realised this she also realised she had the car twelve inches over to the right and was currently approaching the boulder there at one hundred twenty miles an hour.

‘Centre obstacle at two hundred…bucking check!’ The lime green mare wrenched the wheel to the left just in time to clear the boulder, the loud crunch told her the driver’s side door mirror hadn’t been as lucky as the rest of the car.

‘That was close…’ Air Raid thought as she powered on through the obstacle to the section markers. She wasn’t surprised in the least when they turned bright red this time. She knew once the race was over Slingshot would have words for her. ‘Well…deal with that later…’ Right now the pegasus had too much adrenalin to care.

Slingshot checked the stopwatches as they passed the red section markers. His heart skipped two beats as he saw the readout. They were a half second ahead of Windcharger’s time! They’d done it! All they had to do now was finish. The pink earth pony tried to keep the excitement from his voice as he passed on the final pace notes for the last section. That they’d already won was the last thing his driver needed to know. He knew Air Raid. She’d get complacent and ease up. Slingshot wasn’t going to allow that. “Easy long five left to easy long five right to two hundred to easy long five left to finish.” The stallion smiled, ‘Tartarus even I was convinced then…’ “Pour it on Raid, give it the beans.”

'Pour it on Raid, give it the beans…CHECK!’ Air Raid allowed herself a savage smile as she kept her right hoof down hard on the accelerator. She turned the wheel just enough to follow the curve of the long wide bend. She didn’t bother with the brake. She just kept the car in fifth and trusted her partner.

Slingshot, by a sheer act of will forced himself to keep looking at the pace notes in front of him like it still mattered. He wanted more than anything to look out the window, to savour the motion blurred scenery whizzing past at one hundred and fifteen miles per hour. He wanted to relax in his bucket seat and enjoy the last section. He fought against it with every fibre of his being. If Air Raid caught him in her peripheral vision she’d know something was up. No…he’d be damned to the bowels of Tartarus before he let her blow it at this stage…

The earth pony spent the next few moments in concentrated silence. So much so he didn’t realise they’d stopped.

It still didn’t register when he heard the dull ‘clunk’ of Air Raid’s five point harness being released.

“Well? What was the time?” Air Raid spoke for the first time in four minutes thirty six point seven two seconds. Slingshot just looked over at her with a dazed expression.

“Pinks…what was the bucking time?” She grunted in frustration as she flicked off the car’s engine and reached over for the stopwatches. Realisation dawned on her, her eyes went wide as it sunk in through her skull to her brain. Four thirty six was almost a whole two seconds faster than Windcharger! They’d done it!

“We’ve won…”

Air Raid released Slingshot’s harness and pulled him out of the bucket seat and into a tight hug that made him gasp for breath. Letting go of the hug they sat there for a brief moment, driver and co-pilot, team mates, partners, just sharing the moment as the crowd outside the battered car went nuts around them.

“We won!” The two ponies exclaimed together as they shared a hoof bump.

~ ~ ~

Air Raid looked around the podium as the officiating stallion read out the results and presented the awards. Third, with a time only five seconds slower than her own was a unicorn stallion called Springer. He had driven a Fiesta R2 like her. The assembled crowd cheered and stomped as he stepped on to the lowest tier and was given the bronze. Second, and just two seconds behind her was Windcharger. The olive earth pony mare looked like she’d sucked a field of lemons as she stepped to the next tier and was awarded silver, also to thunderous applause.

‘This ain’t right,’ she thought as the stallion read out her name and time, calling for her to stand on the highest tier of the podium. Her wings fluttered with excitement as she stepped up. Her heart felt like it was going to burst. She, Air Raid, was the Canterlot Hill Climb WRX Champion…except she wasn’t. Not on her own she wasn’t. Her grey eyes scanned the front row of the small crowd, immediately she saw the three ponies she loved more than internal combustion. Her dad, Fire Prism, was beside himself stomping and cheering for her. Next to him was Wildfire, her marefriend of six months going absolutely nuts, whooping her little heart out, and then there was Slingshot. Standing there, genuine broad smile, cheering away, clapping his hooves like everypony else in the crowd.

Air Raid frowned as she bent her head to allow the officiator to hang the gold around her neck. She caught sight again of Slingshot.

In the crowd.

She stomped her right hoof in frustration as she grabbed the stallion’s microphone from his hoof. Nopony noticed until she spoke. “Hey…”

The crowd immediately silenced. Everypony looked to the lime green mare, caught off guard by the unexpected interruption.

“Hey…” Air Raid started again as the officiator stood dumbstruck holding the trophy. “I wanna say, while it’s great and all, winning this medal and that trophy, it wasn’t just me in that car. I had the best partner in Equestria sat by my side. This is as much his victory as it is mine. Slingshot, get your ass up on this podium partner.”

The crowd where still silent as Slingshot stood and made his way to the stage, a fierce blush colouring his pink cheeks. “Raid…what’re y…” He asked as he got close to her.

“Shh…I should’ve done this a long time ago mate.” She whispered, although as she still held the microphone the whole crowd heard anyway. Stepping aside she made room to share the podium and put her medal over Slingshot’s head. “Um…you can carry on now…” She said as she passed the microphone back to the stallion and the crowd roared, stomped, clapped and cheered their approval. They even managed to drown out the stallion as he gave Air Raid the gold trophy.

“Do I get that too?”

“Don’t push it ‘Shot.” Air Raid giggled as she nudged him playfully on the shoulder while the crowd still applauded. “You get the limelight and the shiny medal. I get the trophy and the sexy mare down there.”

“Deal.”

~ ~ ~

"AAAIIR RAAAAAAAAIID!” Wildfire clenched her brown eyes closed  while she bucked her hips hard and screamed her marefriend’s name to the heavens as she came long and hard, the juices from her marehood leaking out around the lime green foreleg currently buried to the knee in her vagina, soaking the cloud they were laid on.

“You know something?” Air Raid asked with a smile as she leant forward and kissed Wildfire’s forehead, tasting her sweat as she kissed down her closed eyes to her muzzle and nose.

“Wh – what?” Wildfire panted, her lungs gasping for breath as she rode out her climax.

“I never ever get tired of watching you cum my little lovely.” Air Raid smirked, slowly – very slowly – removing her left foreleg from her marefriend’s cervix.

“Oh ha…nggh! Aaaah! ...ha!” Wildfire’s hindlegs went into a spasm with the sensations of the retreating hoof as it slowly withdrew itself from her tunnel. “N – not f – funny!” The yellow mare wailed as she almost came for a fourth time that evening.

“Yes it is.” Air Raid giggled, wiggling her hoof as she pulled it out, earning her a few more gasps and groans, as well as an adorable pout. “Watching you squirm on the end of my leg like a worm on a hook is very amusing. To me anyway.” The older mare smiled, kissing Wildfire’s nose as she wiped her hoof on the cloud.

“I hate you Raid.” Wildfire crossed her forelegs and pouted hard.

“I love you Wily.”

“I love you too you sexy old mare.” Wildfire giggled as she propped herself up and launched herself onto Air Raid’s back, kissing the back of her neck just an inch above the spot that Wildfire knew her marefriend really liked.

“That was a very nice thing you did y’know…” Wildfire whispered into the lime green ear in front of her as she kissed lower on Air Raid’s neck, finding her sweet spot.

“W – what…th – the…oooooh…the sex?”

“No silly,” Wildfire giggled as she continued to kiss lower, towards the base of Air Raid’s left wing, “The sharing the podium with Slingshot. That was pretty awesomes.”

“Well…aaah…why…oooh…not?” Air Raid cooed as Wildfire continued to kiss her way down the back of her neck. “He…hmmm…earned it Wily. He put…hmmm…as much effort in as…aaah…I did.”

Air Raid tensed up under her marefriend as she kissed nearer to the base of her left wing. Her hooves dug into the cloud as she felt Wildfire’s muzzle get closer to her wing. ‘She’s gonna see…oh Celestia no…’ “W – Wily…what you doing?”

“I’m gonna preen you…”

"Wh - what? No…Wily y – you can’t…”

“Raid...” Wildfire paused, her lips at the base of her marefriend’s left wing, “What’s wrong babes?”

“N – nothing…” Air Raid lowered her head to the cloud, away from Wildfire’s eyes. “Nothing’s wrong Wily…”

“Let me preen you then babes. You always preen me, I never get to do you…hey, Raid…what is it?” Wildfire asked as Air Raid started crying into the cloud they were laid on.

“It…it’s nothing…”

“Raid you’re a rubbish liar baby. Please…please talk to me.” Wildfire rested a hoof on her shoulder, “Is it to do with you not flying?”

The lime green mare just nodded miserably, tears streaming down her face, matting the fur of her cheeks. “Yeah…something to do with that, yeah.”

“So tell me, let me help.” Wildfire stroked her hoof down to the base of Air Raid’s wing and saw her visibly flinch at the near contact. “Okay. Tell me or I’m going home. I mean it Raid.”

“Y – you can’t leave me up here…”

“Your choice. You tell me right now what’s up or you find your own way home.”

“Fine…” Air Raid sat up on her haunches and turned away from the yellow mare in front of her, spreading her left wing as wide as it would go. She then reached her right foreleg over her chest to her left shoulder and to the base of her left wing, spreading apart the point where fur met feathers.

“Raid…what…” Wildfire’s brown eyes went wide as saucers as Air Raid revealed a jagged ten inch scar that ran down the joint where the wing met her barrel. It looked deep and nasty. Wildfire reached out a hoof and touched the scar. Air Raid didn’t flinch this time, as she ran her hoof along the wound. She could see it was old, and that whatever had caused it had cut very deep, almost as if…no…surely, surely Raid wouldn’t have done this to herself? Would she?

“I was seven. I hated my body, and I hated my useless wings. I hated them because I couldn’t fly, I hated them for the way they made my mom look at me. I was an earth pony with wings right? So I decided to remove the wings.”

“Y…you did what!? Raid why would you do that?” Wildfire asked, concern on her face as she scooched forward to wrap her hooves around Air Raid’s back. “That’s suicide!”

Air Raid turned her head to glance at her marefriend over her right shoulder. “I was seven!” She exclaimed as she stomped a foreleg into the cloud. “How was I to know the upper brachial artery runs along the leading edge of the wing? I had no idea, I had the kitchen knife in my right hoof and looked myself in the mirror as I cut into myself.”

“Then what happened?”

“What do you think happened?” Air Raid sighed as she felt Wildfire’s legs wrap tight around her chest. “I redecorated the bathroom is what happened. Blood happened. Blood everywhere, spraying like a geyser from my wing. I knew something had gone wrong. I tried to get help, but I couldn’t get up. I kept slipping in the blood and I was getting weak.”

Wildfire kissed the back of Air Raid’s neck, nuzzling the hollow of her shoulder. “How did you survive? Sounds like you were bleeding out.”

Air Raid didn’t answer straight away, she clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth as she stared at the distance, taking in the breath taking scenery but not really looking. Presently after a few minutes she took a deep breath; “Mom opened the bathroom door and found me…”

“Well…that’s good though…right? Your mom called the ambulance…right?” Wildfire resumed her nuzzle when again Air Raid didn’t answer straight away. “Raid, she did call nine one one…right?”

“No.” The lime green mare’s voice was almost inaudible, barely above a whisper. “No. she didn’t Wildfire.”

“She…she didn’t?” Wildfire couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. She knew Starburst had precious little time for her daughter, but this…this was something else.

“No. Mom sneered at me, turned on her hooves and calmly trotted down the stairs. I lay there bleeding and I heard her say to my dad; ‘Fire Prism, you’d better call the EMT’s. Air Raid’s had a little accident.’” Air Raid sighed before continuing, “I must’ve blacked out, cause the next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital, dad asleep on the seating pad next to my bed.”

“I…I’m so sorry Raid…I had no idea…” Wildfire whispered in her marefriend’s ear as she tightened the bear hug around her chest.

“It’s okay Wily, really.” This time when Air Raid glanced at Wildfire the little yellow pegasus was sure there was a glint in her grey eyes, “See, the next day in the hospital after I had my psych evaluation I was watching the telly, a cable sports channel. There was this orange mare with a purple mane doing these insane stunts on her scooter. I watched entralled, she was like poetry the way she moved, in total control of her environment. It was only after she finished her run they announced her name; Scootaloo.”

“The one your condition is named after?”

“Yeah. I saw here on the screen. She couldn’t fly just like me. But…but she wasn’t letting it hold her back. There she was, entertaining a packed stadium, thousands of ponies watching her perform. I saw it and I wanted it, I wanted to be like her Wily.”

“Is that the real reason you race?”

“Yeah it is, and because I suck ass on a scooter.”

Wildfire burst out laughing at that, followed a split second later by the larger mare she was holding on to. Eventually after several moments of giggling fits, in which both mares had to break the cuddle so they could hold the stitch at their sides they came to rest side by side on the cloud, staring up at the darkening sky.

The panting yellow pegasus looked across to her equally out of breath marefriend before looking back up to the heavens, her mind’s eye connecting the stars to make a picture of Air Raid’s face. She smiled then as inspiration took hold of her, words and rhymes forming in her brain. She tried them out in her head a few times before she was happy with it and without looking at her partner spoke softly, knowing she’d be heard.

“The bird with no wings.

No where to go, no where to hide

from all the monsters in her dreams.

So she fought them all and lost to all

because without wings she could not fly.

Without wings she could not fight.

So she lost it all.

But when they left her, She got up,

and learned to live outside of her dreams.

A lost mare, she learned that within all her darkness,

her deepest secrets, her saddest thoughts,

She had a love buried deep within her.”

“Wily…that was beautiful…I don’t know what to say…”

Wildfire giggled as she finished her poem. "This is the bit where you say 'I love you Wily’. And then I say ‘I love you Raid’, and then we make out on this cloud.”

“I love you Wily…”

“I love you Raid…”

~ ~ ~

Nervoucited.

If Dusk Midnight Melody had to choose an emotion to sum up the way he felt right now then that would be it. Yes, nervoucited just about covered it. Flying low at two thousand feet he admired the scenery passing below him as he flew from Canterlot to Ponyville.

Ponyville. Quiet, sleepy little Ponyville. Home to just twenty thousand ponies, a wholly unremarkable little town were it not for Princess Twilight, the Crystal Castle and the main residence of the former Elements of Harmony.

Right now to Dusk Ponyville was the scariest place in Equestria. His powerful dark blue wings carried the pegasus on towards his destination. The closer he got to the town the bigger the butterflies got in his stomach. Every beat of his wings brought him closer to Ponyville… ‘And closer to him…’ Dusk thought happily to himself as his mind started to wander in mid-flight.

Dusk found his mind wandering all the time recently. Mostly since the trip to the fun fair last week. Ever since he’d met Vocal Chord that evening the young Prince found he was thinking about nothing else other than the tightness of his flanks, the line of his jaw, his velvet soft light grey fur, dark blue spiked mane and tail, his sheath…

Dusk blushed a fierce crimson as he flew, which momentarily distracted him from thoughts of his destination. Thoughts which came crashing back to him as he saw the town approaching in the distance. Ponyville was getting closer. Which meant he was getting closer to Ponyville. Closer to him. Closer to his stallion. Closer to the date he had with his stallion.

Dusk was so nervoucited!

He was also prepared. The moment Vocal Chord had hung up after having called him after the fun fair to arrange the date Dusk’s brain had overloaded. Thirty minutes later when he’d stopped hyperventilating, and his mum, Octavia, had almost stopped laughing at him hyperventilating he started to think.

Then he went to his suite to think in private, if only to get away from his mum’s incessant laughing.

Of course the answer had been his friends. Specifically those with partners. Or experience of having had partners. Upon reflection Cyclone had probably been a mistake as a first option to call. The moment he said he wanted dating advice for his first ever date the black mare had laughed as hard as his mum, at least until he hung up his phone.

Air Raid and Wildfire hadn’t been much more help, though he was sure his B.B.F.E, or best bestest friend ever, would have some helpful tips for him. And she did, after Air Raid had stopped laughing long enough to pass Wily her phone. “Be yourself” Wily had said. “Have fun,” she said.

While these ideas had seemed fine on the phone in Canterlot five days ago where there was wine, now he was very sober landing in Ponyville ten minutes before his date these ideas were just the craziest thing Dusk had ever heard. ‘Still, too late to worry now…’ the stallion thought to himself as he made his way to the hot air balloon stand.

Besides, he was prepared. After trying his friends and best friend, the light bulb had gone off and the solution had presented itself. Twilight. Dusk didn’t know why he hadn’t gone to the Princess first off. Twilight had never failed him with a problem yet, and she was the Princess of Friendship, and she had her marriage to Rainbow Dash too…

True, his cousin Cady was the Princess of Love, and she had the very hot and very cute Shining Armour, the very strong Captain who always seemed to make Dusk’s knees weak with just a look, but, well, Ponyville and Twilight were nearer. And Twi had a library. A huge lovely library. Full of books. And books were a source of reassurance to Dusk. Dusk trusted books.

As Dusk waited by the hot air balloon for his date to appear – he wasn’t worried, they had agreed four o’clock in the afternoon, and it was only three fifty two – he recalled with a smile bursting into the Crystal Castle five days ago.

~ ~ ~

“Twilight! Twilight!” Dusk burst through the doors of his science teacher’s library, a look of utter panic on his face warring with feelings of complete joy in his heart. Although Twilight, no, Princess Twilight, wasn't ‘technically’ his teacher during the University holidays, the dark blue pegasus still went to her with any problem he had, true most of those problems were homework related and nothing like this, but at this point Dusk was out of options.

And this was a problem and a half…

Frantically he called her name once more before the sound of clopping hooves from the stairs outside the library reached his ears. A small semblance of calm entered his being at the sound of her measured hoofsteps.

“Dusk Melody, what in the wide world of Equestria is wrong?”

Panic threatened to resurface, and Dusk flapped his wings in agitation, hovering a few feet from the floor of the library. “Twilight! Thank the sun and moon! Help…I need, please…help!”

Twilight took a deep breath, “Right. From the top, tell me what's happened.”

“Well, I…you see, I…” Dusk trailed off, still maintaining his panicked hover.

“Has something happened to Luna, or Octavia?” Twilight asked, fishing for clues as to what had wound up her top student.

“I…wait, what?” Dusk landed with a bit of a thud, confused slightly. “No, it's nothing like that, my parents are fine…no, this is worse, much worse…”

“Okay, is anything wrong with Celestia then?”

“No! Aunt Tia is perfectly fine! Everypony is fine!” Dusk raised his voice in annoyance, wishing Twilight would shut up about his family and let him start so he could finish.

“Well.” Twilight’s tone had turned noticeably chilly in the past few seconds. “What is it then that has you in this state?”

Dusk, in a barely audible voice that Fluttershy would have been proud of, opened his mouth, eyes firmly focused on the floor; “I asked him out…”

“Excuse me?” It wasn't that Twilight didn't believe what she’d heard, more that she didn't hear anything. “Say again?”

“I asked him out…Vocal Chord. I asked him out. On a date. With me. In five days. With me. On a date.”

“But…that's brilliant! Dusk I'm so happy for you!” Twilight halted her congratulations, upon noticing the glazed look in the young stallion’s eyes. “So…forgive me, but what's the problem?”

"The problem? I don't know what I'm doing! I've never asked anypony out before! I've never been on a date before! What do I do? What do I say? Where should we go?” Dusk’s wings flapped involuntarily, joining his right eye as it twitched.

Twilight chuckled, recognising much of herself in the pegasus’ freak out. Gently she placed a lavender hoof on his shoulder, “Dusk, calm down. Everything will be fine.” Seizing a book on a nearby shelf in her magical grasp the Princess levitated it over to where they were sitting and deposited it in Dusk’s hooves. “Here, take this. Read it, it'll help, I promise.”

Dusk glanced at the title of the book he had been given, and with a faint blush on his cheeks stored it in his saddlebags with a grateful smile at the Princess. “Thanks Twilight, I'm sure that'll help!” Wrapping his forelegs around her neck he brought his favourite teacher into a tight hug before flying out the open library doors.

“Good luck!” Twilight called after him, her only reply the slamming of the main castle door a moment to two later.

~ ~ ~

Dusk checked his watch, three fifty eight. Two minutes to go. Nervoucited didn’t even cover the way he felt any more. But, he reflected with a smile, he had read the book that Twi had given him, ‘Romance 101, The Novice’s Guide to Dating’, he had read it cover to cover several times over the past few days. He had taken its advice to heart. ‘Get to know your potential somepony as soon as possible’ the book had said. So, in his saddlebag was the means by which he’d do just that.

Dusk smiled confidently. Vocal Chord would be so surprised!

~ ~ ~

"Vocal..."

The noon day sun shone through the windows of the little one storey house, ricocheting its way around the bedroom until it eventually hit the closed eyes of the sleeping unicorn. With a sigh he rolled over in the bed and tried to ignore the sunlight and the accented voice that called his name.

“Vocal Chord…” Falsetto leaned against the door frame of her bedroom, her forelegs crossed and a little wry smile on her yellow muzzle. Uncrossing her legs the earth pony mare wiped her powder blue mane from her eyes and trotted over to her snoozing friend. She smiled at the sight of the light grey unicorn, all curled up in the doggie bed, looking for all Equestria like the best little pet in the world.

The bass player crouched and leaned herself close to her lead singer’s upturned ear, smiling as she took a deep breath; “VOCAL CHORD!” She shouted into the ear, and immediately giggled as the slumbering stallion jerked awake, spilling out of the bed onto the bedroom floor.

“Morning ‘Setto,” Vocal yawned himself fully awake as he groggily shook his head, “Was that really necessary?” He asked grumpily as he scratched his unruly mane and stretched, his muscles popping from being curled up in the pet bed.

“Good afternoon Vocal,” Falsetto sniggered as she started to busy herself with tidying the bedroom to some form of decency. “And yes it was necessary,” She continued as she carefully put her prized bass guitar back in its stand, “Somepony has a date with a Prince today, remember?”

Vocal dragged himself to his hooves, trying to process his backing singer’s sentence through the fog of sleep that still clouded his brain. He wondered why he was so light headed. He didn’t remember getting drunk last night, not to say that was hard proof he didn’t, but something felt off. Concentrating he tried to magically unlock the dog collar around his neck, and panicked when nothing happened. “’Setto, my magic’s not working!” The singer whined as he tried to work out what had happened.

Falsetto looked up from her cleaning, and idly wondered if it would constitute a breach of their roommate agreement to let him panic a bit more. ‘Maybe…but it would be funny…’ She thought to herself with a giggle. A moment later she took pity on her friend and trotted over to him and put a yellow hoof on his shoulder. “Chill out dumbass,” she grinned, the Vanhoovan showing in her accent.

“But…what…I don’t get it, why…” Vocal’s voice trailed off as Falsetto took his horn in her mouth. He was just about to ask her what he’d done to deserve this little treat when he felt her teeth grip something and twist, before she removed herself and spat what she had removed at his hooves.

“You forgot about the inhibitor again, stupid.” Falsetto giggled as she reached around him and unbuckled the collar. “Besides, good doggies don’t touch their collars, do they?” She bopped his nose with her hoof before carrying the collar to his saddlebag and resuming her battle with the forces of untidiness.

“Thanks ‘Setto,” Vocal started before a thought came thundering to the fore of his brain, “Wait…you said it was the afternoon! What time?” He asked as a new wave of panic threatened to overtake him.

“Relax pooch,” Falsetto sniggered at Vocal’s pout, “You have about two hours. There’s a hot bath in the bathroom ready for you, and cold scrambled eggs on toast in the kitchen.”

“Thanks ‘Setto.” Vocal grinned as he set off to the kitchen to find his food bowls.

Having decided the tidy war was won for today the yellow earth pony leant against her bedroom door and mentally counted down; ‘Three…two…one…’

Right on cue she heard Vocal Chord let out a whine of disappointment from the kitchen. “The eggs are on a plate. The plate is on the table. You will sit like a pony and eat like one, thank you very much.” Falsetto chided him, an undertone of frustration in her voice.

“But…”

“No ‘buts’ V!” She exclaimed, breathing through her nose for calm as she made herself a coffee. “You know the agreement. I indulge your little pet fantasy thing whatever it is, and when you wake up the next day and the collar comes off I get my friend back to talk to. I walked you and played fetch with you yesterday, so now you can be a pony for me.”

“Fine…” Vocal sulked as he started to eat his eggs and Falsetto joined him at the table with her steaming coffee. Vocal cast a look at his food bowls as he ate, and while he had to admit the cold eggs weren’t all that bad, ‘They’d taste better in my bowl…’ he thought to himself.

“So…” Falsetto started as she took a sip of what Vocal guessed was her seventh caffeine injection that day, “What’re you gonna be doing?”

“What? With Dusk you mean?” Vocal asked as he swallowed a mouthful of eggs without thinking, a good proportion of his concentration still lingering on the bowls on the floor.

“No, with his mom,” Falsetto answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “I’m sure Princess Luna would just love to walk you on a leash around the Royal Gardens.” She gave an annoyed sigh, “Yes I mean with Prince Dusk.”

Vocal stuck his tongue out and gave Falsetto a loud raspberry. “Well, Dusk said something about a hot air balloon ride, and a picnic on a cloud, so it should be fun.”

Falsetto drained her cup in a single swallow and gave her friend a solemn look. “Don’t buck this up V.”

Vocal answered her look with one of his own as he slid off the seating pad to go to the bathroom. “What d’you mean, don’t buck it up?”

“I mean, this isn’t your usual skanky groupie looking for a quick fumble with somepony famous, this is a date with royalty! So, like I said. Don’t buck this up.”

The unicorn paused at the bathroom door and looked over his shoulder with a grin; “No mom, I’ll behave mom!” Vocal Chord giggled as Falsetto stuck her tongue out at him and decided it was time to beat a hasty retreat to the sanctuary of the bathroom.

An hour later Vocal emerged from the bathroom, washed and scrubbed to within an inch of his life he had even spent a good twenty minutes brushing his fur. His unruly dark blue mane and tail were straightened for possibly the first time in his life, Tartarus he’d even polished his horn.

Falsetto put her book down, a rather racy ‘romance’ novel called Twilight’s Lover, and looked Vocal over as he exited the bathroom. To her great surprise she found her mouth hanging open. ‘Jeez…he’s really trying…buckin’ hell even I’d give him one…’

“Hey V, looking good mate, almost didn’t recognise you.” She trotted over for a closer inspection as he stuck his tongue out at her. “How’d you get your mane to behave?”

“Used your mane straightener.”

“Gee thanks. That’s that ruined then.” The earth pony mare aimed a swat at Vocal’s flank, which he easily dodged with a giggle. “Go on, get out and have fun with your Prince.”

“Yes ma’am…” Vocal paused at the door and levitated his saddlebag to him from the bedroom, but caught Falsetto’s questioning look as he laid it over his back. “What?” He asked, left eyebrow raised.

“You aren’t serious?”

“What?” Vocal asked again.

“You’re taking your collar and leash. Seriously, on a first date. With a Prince?”

Vocal Chord simply shrugged his shoulders as he opened the door with his magic. “You never know ‘Setto,” he grinned back at her, “I might get lucky.”

“Yeah well don’t think me or the band’s gonna visit you in the dungeons when you get arrested for being weird!” The yellow bassist yelled after him as he sauntered off down Mane Street towards the hot air balloon stand. “Ugh…he’s so gonna get arrested.” She thought as she shut her door.

~ ~ ~

“Dusk, babe, what the hay is this?” The light grey unicorn held the sheaf of paper in his magical field, scanning it incredulously.

“Well Vocal, It's, well…it’s a…questionnaire…” The dark blue pegasus’ voice trailed off through sheer embarrassment. ‘What was I thinking?’ He thought to himself.

“I can see it’s a questionnaire Dusk,” Vocal Chord said with a roll of his green eyes, “what I want to know is why my sexy coltfriend has given it to me.”

Dusk shuffled his hooves inside the wicker basket, closely inspecting the weave as he spoke. “It's a ‘getting to know you’ questionnaire.” The young pegasi explained like it was the most reasonable thing in Equestria.

“A getting to know…Dusk…”

“Um, yes Vocal?”

“This questionnaire has seventy five questions and more than twenty pages! You seriously expect me to answer all these? Really?”

“Well, if you wouldn't mind…”

“But babe we’re on a date! You're cute and I love you! Why do you need this?” The exasperated unicorn waved the papers at his coltfriend.

“Well, this book I borrowed from Twilight’s library said it was a good idea to get as much information about your new partner as possible…” Dusk trailed off again as the basket lurched into motion.

“Twilight huh? Hey, speaking of the Princess, thanks for getting her to cast the cloud walking spell. That'll be a help later. So, which book was this exactly?”

A fierce blush flared across the pegasus’ muzzle, turning his dark blue coat a bright purple. “Romance 101, The Novice’s Guide to Dating.”

“Oh Dusk Melody, what am I to do with you?” Vocal laughed out loud, throwing the questionnaire over the side of the hot air balloon basket with a wave of his magic.

“Hey!...mmph!” Dusk’s protest was cut short as Vocal leant in for a kiss, their lips pressing tenderly against each other as Vocal gently pushed his tongue into his coltfriends mouth, causing the pegasus’s wings shot out either side of his body with an audible ‘poomf!’. As the balloon gained height and Dusk relaxed into the deep passionate kiss the Prince found that he really didn’t care about the questionnaire after all. ‘Besides…’ He thought with a ghost of a smile as he kissed his coltfriend, ‘There’s two more copies at home…’

~ ~ ~

“Dusky?” Vocal Chord asked as a thought occurred to him, the unicorn reclining against the pegasus’s barrel, his head resting on the Prince’s wing as they laid together on the Stratocumulus cloud.

Dusk swallowed the mouthful of daisy and sunflower sandwich before he answered; “Yes Vocal?”

Vocal levitated over a cucumber and watercress sandwich and took a bite as he framed the question in his head. “Why don’t you have guards, y’know, when you go places?”

Dusk took a sip of his wine, mulling over his answer. Certainly his friends had asked the same thing, even his mom, Luna, had offered the royal guard many times when Dusk had gone out, or to attend some minor function or other. Every time he had refused the use of them.

“Like, take the fun fair last week.” The singer carried on when Dusk didn’t reply straight away.

“What about it?” Dusk asked, reaching for one of the strawberries on the plate next to them.

The unicorn finished his sandwich before continuing; “I get that you were hanging out with your friends having a good time and that, but, c’mon Dusky you got assaulted by that bully’s thugs. Yet even after that here you are again, flying about, trotting about, no guards or anything. So, why?”

“Because…” Dusk replied, having considered his response. “I hate being seen as something special that’s why. I’m not some prancing royal fop that thinks ‘commoners’ shouldn’t be within ten feet of me, or that everypony should bow and grovel as I walk past, or that they should put on airs and graces to appease me. Equestria’s got Blueblood for that.”

Vocal sniggered as he levitated his glass of wine and took a sip. “I get that too Dusky, and I’m glad you aren’t like Blueblood, but surely you can have some security, even if they aren’t near you all the time?”

Dusk smiles as he took another strawberry; “I don’t need security, I have Air Raid.” They both shared a laugh at that, remembering the lime mare stood over Blitzwing with her hoof at his neck.

“Seriously though,” Dusk said as the laughter died away, “I want ponies to think they can approach me. I’m not better than them, or more deserving than them, just because Luna’s my mom and Octavia’s my mum. I’m just a pony Vocal, and besides, Twilight doesn’t have any guards.”

“True,” Vocal giggled as he finished his wine and went for a refill, “But she’s an all-powerful immortal alicorn. You aren’t cutie. And Blitzwing approached you alright. What’s his deal anyway?”

“He’s a homophobic bully…”

“Yeah…I kinda worked that bit out for myself,” Vocal giggled as he floated over a strawberry, “I meant what’s his deal with you?”

“His family is old, Vocal, one of the oldest in Canterlot, even Equestria I daresay. They were Luna supporters, the whole lot of them. His ancestors lost a lot of influence when the Nightmare took my mom and aunt Tia had to send her away. They lost a great deal of their wealth, status and power.” Dusk took a breath before continuing on, thankful that Vocal wasn’t interrupting him. “When my mom returned and was cleansed by the Elements Blitzwing’s family was among those who called out for her to be sent back.”

“So you see, my cute unicorn,” Dusk smiled, “Being Luna’s son was never going to get me a Hearth’s Warming Day card from them, and being gay in Canterlot doesn’t help either.”

“So what?” Vocal Chord surveyed the three-quarters eaten picnic, trying to decide what to go for next, before settling on a chocolate dip for the strawberry. “What’s it matter if you’re gay in Canterlot?”

“Old families like Blitzwing’s, and Blueblood and some that are worse than them both, are the rule rather than the exception. Image and status are everything in Canterlot Vocal, anything that doesn’t fit the perceived ‘normal’ template is excised and removed. I’m protected to a degree by being royal, but I still have to mind how I act.”

“That sucks.” Vocal dipped a strawberry in the chocolate sauce dip and with a smirk floated it over to the midnight blue pegasus. “Open Your Majesty.”

Dusk was about to reply that he shouldn't be fed nor should he be addressed as ‘Majesty’ when he saw the smirk on the light grey muzzle in front of him. Swallowing the retort he opened his mouth and prepared to swallow the treat as well.

“Oops…” Vocal snickered as he ‘accidentally’ smeared chocolate on Dusk’s nose before trying again, this time inserting the fruit and watching as the pegasus swallowed it. Smiling the unicorn dipped another strawberry and sent it towards Dusk, again ‘accidentally’ missing. “Sorry,” he grinned as he leant in to the pegasus’s stained muzzle and proceeded to lick the chocolate from his fur.

Dusk melted into the kiss, running his tongue along Vocal’s lips, blushing slightly as he felt his wings extend out to their full span.

Vocal Chord edged closer to his date, wrapping his forelegs around the stallion’s shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. “See Dusky? We don’t need no questionnaire baby.”

Dusk kissed Vocal’s neck, cooing gently as the unicorn nipped his ear. “That…hmm…was a…ooh…good…ahh…idea…at the time…”

“Sure it was baby…” Vocal licked his way up Dusk’s ear again as he leant back, pulling the Prince on top of him on the cloud. “Sure it was…” The unicorn moved from his date’s ear and kissed him full on the lips. The pegasus fell on top of Vocal with a surprised ‘eep!’ and was about to resume the kissing when he caught sight of the singer’s saddlebag, forgotten next to their picnic.

“Vocal?”

“Hmm…yeah?” He asked between kissing and nipping his way along Dusk’s jawline to his neck.

“Wha…ooh…what’s…hmm in the…aaah saddlebag?” Dusk managed to ask as Vocal continued his assault on his jaw and neck.

Vocal pulled his muzzle away from the neck he was busy covering in kisses and glanced over at the bag, for a split second almost regretting bringing it, but this was a part of who he was, and he figured it was best to be upfront straight away with stuff like this. “Oh…it’s um…something I’m going to give to you.” He answered with a sheepish smile.

“Oh Vocal! You got me a present? I love you!”

“Well…it’s for you but I hope we’ll both get enjoyment from it…” Vocal levitated over the saddlebag, a look of apprehension on his muzzle. ‘Well…here goes nothing’ he thought as Dusk took the bag and peered inside. ‘Oh no…he hates it…Falsetto’s gonna kill me’.

Dusk flipped open the saddlebag with a hoof and peered inside its depths, wondering what in Equestria his date had given him, and his brain started to slide on a tangent of things he could get him in return. He was partway through formulating a list of potential gifts when Dusk’s hoof, fishing around the almost empty bag, found and gripped what felt like the only thing in there. Carefully he extracted his hoof from the saddlebag and found himself looking at what was inside.

A dark blue dog collar and leash. A metal identification tag on the collar read simply ‘Vocal’. As Dusk turned the collar over in his hoof he was aware of the unicorn watching him warily, judging his reaction.

Dusk, in turn was studying the dog collar, deep in thought. Of course he knew what it was for, he’d seen it all before at home. He smiled as he recalled memories of Octavia wearing a bridle and reins, and Luna leading her around the castle and the grounds, her tail tied to the headwear. His parents had never hidden their interests from him, it was just how life was. His mom, Luna, was the dominant one, and his mum was her sub. Coming home from school and seeing his mum in hoofcuffs and a ballgag was as natural as seeing her with her cello.

Now here he was, sat on a cloud, on a date – his first ever date, and his coltfriend had presented him with a collar and leash. A dark blue collar and leash. Dusk held the collar against his fur, the colour was almost a perfect match. The significance wasn’t lost on him. ‘Vocal wants to be my pet,’ He thought as he turned the collar over in his hooves. ‘What the hay do I do? He wants an answer, look at him, sat there watching me hold his collar…’ Dusk was at a loss as to what to do, ‘I could ask Twilight…Celestia NO! she’d recommend a checklist or something…I could go to mum…no…too straight laced.’ Dusk sighed as he pondered his options. ‘I guess there’s always mom…after she’s stopped laughing.’ Dusk sighed again, mentally ruling out Darkstar and Cyclone for advice, for the same reasons.

“Dusk…” Vocal inched forward and put a light grey hoof on Dusk’s own, his usually confident brash voice cracked and uncertain. “Say something, anything…please?”

Dusk looked up at Vocal Chord, saw the fear and uncertainty in his eyes, sitting there wondering if he’d made a mistake in sharing this most intimate thing with him. Dusk looked and smiled. ‘I can do this,’ he thought to himself, convincing himself, ‘For him, I can do this…’

“Dusky…”

“You wish to be my coltfriend or my pet?” Dusk interrupted him, looking him straight in the eyes. ‘I can do this…’

“Dusk…” Vocal smiled, feeling slightly more confident, “I want to be both, and I want you to be my coltfriend and my caretaker.”

“Caretaker? How do you mean?”

“Well…” Vocal took a deep breath as he started to explain, his smile wavering again. “When the collar goes on, I’m not a unicorn, I’m not a pony or a singer with a band. I’m a dog. A pet. I like to act like one, and be treated like one.” Vocal paused for breath, trying to gauge Dusk’s reaction. He hadn’t yelled at him yet or called him weird or sick so he carried on; “As a caretaker you’d be like my owner, do everything a dog’s owner would. Walk me, pet me, feed me, play with me…” Vocal shivered, “…and…discipline me.”

“I see…” Dusk tried to keep his voice even, to not give anything away just yet. “Do you have a caretaker right now?”

“Yes, um…Falsetto.” Vocal mumbled, his blush lighting up his face. “She um…she takes care of me.”

“Your bass player?”

“My friend. My best friend. Strings and Crescendo just don’t understand why I need to do this. They have the decency to not make snide nasty comments about it because we’re friends,” Vocal recalled the arguments and accusations as he spoke, “They made it clear they don’t want anything to do with that aspect of me.”

“What’s your arrangement?”

“During the week I’m her friend Vocal, we do band stuff, hang out, then the weekends, usually Friday night to Monday morning she’ll put the collar on me and I’ll be her puppy. It works for us.”

Dusk smiled at Vocal as he gave him a little kiss on the unicorn’s lips. “Friday to Monday huh?” He kissed Vocal again as he nodded. “Well, it’s only Saturday evening. You have some time to go yet pup.”

Vocal’s pale green eyes lit up with excitement, he could barely believe what he’d just heard. “Dusky…are you saying…?”

“Yes Vocal, my lovely cute stallion.” Dusk grinned as he embraced his coltfriend with a kiss, “I’ll happily be your caretaker, and, I’ve always wanted a puppy.”

~ ~ ~Wildfire slumped at her desk, her head in her hooves. ‘I hate Monday’s…’ She thought to herself glumly, pouting at the wooden surface in front of her.

As if arriving five minutes late to the start of the first day of the semester wasn’t bad enough, receiving her new timetable for the upcoming year had all but sealed the deal on a bad day. First period was her least favourite subject; Math, with her least favourite teacher; Professor Calculus. She was sure the forty year old earth pony mare hated her as much as Wildfire did her. ‘I really hate Monday’s…’

Wildfire’s present misery was compounded by the pony sitting one desk in front of her. Blitzwing. Given the bully’s proximity she was glad of the empty desk separating them. To his left was the hulking form of Boudicca, his diamond dog shadow. Wildfire looked to her own left, Dusk Melody was, of course, ready to get started. Notebook primed, pens aligned in size order on his desk. She grinned, somethings just didn’t change. To her right were seated Brightstar and his sister Darkstar.

Wildfire glanced around the class again, very happy indeed that Calculus was running late this morning. With any luck she’d be a bit later and she could skip Math altogether. She was only taking this dumb stupid class because Hot Spot had said she needed it to advance from Reserve to Full Firefighter. She saw Blitzwing lean across to his right and groaned inwardly. ‘Here we go,’ She thought, ‘I really, really hate Monday’s…’

Blitzwing leant over to the unicorn at his right; “I see Professor Calculus hasn't arrived yet. Must be delayed getting a primer for Wildfire at the foal school.” Hightower, the massive orange stallion to the right of Blitzwing simply nodded and chuckled at the jibe.

Dusk shot his best friend a look, concerned to see she was already grating her teeth. “Ignore it Wily...”

Wildfire tried to ignore the taunt, for all of three seconds before she bit and retaliated; “Ha ha Blitz, how's the fleas from your dogs?”

The dark grey pegasus grinned, knowing he’d got her. “Don't tell me you lost one?” He sniggered, leaning forward and getting the attention of the earth pony mare sat in front of him, “You can't even trust Wildfire to keep track of fleas.” He sat back in his seat with a smile as the rest of the class laughed.

Darkstar reached over and put her white hoof on her friend’s shoulder, in an effort to calm her down. “Wily, it's the first day of term, chill out huh?”

“Yeah Blitz, lay off Wily…” Brightstar added as he got his notebook ready for the start of the class.

“Lay Wildfire,” Blitzwing turned to face the blue unicorn with a nasty smile, “I don't think I'm her type, Brightstar, you're more her type I think.”

Boudicca turned her yellow eyes to Wildfire, snout pulled in a malicious grin; “I told you not to trust her with our fleas Blitzwing, as it would require she could count.”

Wildfire almost broke a tooth, she was grinding them that hard. “I can count, thank you!”

Blitzwing snickered at Boudicca’s quip. He was impressed, though he’d never admit it to his underling. “Wildfire you and your family are of no account, but at least one step above that nightmare pegasus.”

Wildfire felt her temper start to rise and her blood boil as the bully kept up his taunts. She slammed her hoof on her desk, “And what's that supposed to mean?” She asked angrily.

Boudicca sniggered, baring her fangs in glee, “Is she as bad at history as she is at Math?”

Blitzwing guffawed, oh but this was priceless! “I don't know if that is possible Boudicca, a rock can do better at math.”

To her right Darkstar sniggered behind her hoof, “Fair point he has you there Wily, you are pretty awful.”

“You have something to say about me Blitz?” Dusk asked as calmly as he could while Wildfire silenced Darkstar with a venom filled glare a Cockatrice would be proud of.

Blitzwing fixed the Prince with a hard look; “Other than the only reason you exist is because Princess Twilight failed to do her job?”

Wildfire lost it on her friend’s behalf, disbelieving that Dusk was just sitting there taking this. “How DARE you!”

Dusk kept his voice as even as he could, staring the dark grey stallion right back. “Blitz, my mother was cleansed by the elements, as well you know.”

The bully stomped his hoof on the floor, the only sign of temper from him so far. “A story spread by lies! Princess Celestia sent Princess Twilight to destroy the nightmare as her own sentimentality of being a sister wouldn't let her finish the job she started a thousand years ago! Darkness can only be cleansed by fire!”

Dusk put a hoof on Wildfire’s foreleg, holding his friend back. “You know…I think somepony's just sore because their family lost a lot after my mom was sent away. Got any of that land back yet?”

Blitzwing snorted in derision, fixing Dusk with a look of utter contempt. “I will not make the mistake of my ancestors by supporting a loser like you. A reckoning will be had and justice will be done.”

Dusk sighed, “It already has Blitz, you just can't see it.”

Wildfire angrily shook her friend’s hoof off of her leg, staring daggers at the hated pegasus. “You wanna pack up calling my friend a loser?”

“I'd rather double down as he is a loser born of a lost cause. No wonder he's gay, born of two mares.”

Brightstar nudged his sister with his elbow, “Darkie, should we...?”

Darkstar gave her brother a sideways glance as she got her own things ready for the class. “No, Brighty, we shouldn't. We should sit here and keep out of it bro.”

Wildfire’s eye twitched, and her hackles rose at the back of her neck. One thing she really hated was homophobes. “So what if he's gay? At least he has a somepony!”

“But that is the irony of it all.” Blitzwing laughed a nasty laugh, “You have each other, at least it must be celibate.”

Wildfire sneered at the pegasus, her breathing beginning to come heavy as she reached her limit. Deep down she knew Blitz was pushing her, she also knew she didn’t care right now. “If you must know he's with a unicorn!”

The dark grey stallion just laughed harder. “Oh, trying to borrow nobility by dating a unicorn?”

Wildfire pushed herself to her hooves, wings flared in anger, “He's a Prince you idiot, why's he need to borrow anything? Jeez, Raid must've hit you really hard!”

“Oh, genius, prince of what? Gay bars and nightmares?”

Wildfire’s muzzle pulled back in a snarl; “I swear Blitz, one more and I’ll finish what Air Raid started!”

Blitzwing’s eyes twinkled, he knew full well he had the yellow pegasus in the sole of his hoof, one more taunt and her semester would be cut very short. He made his move. “That stupid mare is far more earth pony than she is pegasus.”

Wildfire snapped. That was too much. The yellow mare leapt over her desk, her brown eyes full of fury.  “Shut your mouth! You don't know the first thing about my mare!”

Several things happened at once at this point. Blitzwing shot Wildfire a triumphant look as he shoved an empty desk between them and neatly stepped behind the towering form of Boudicca, whom Wildfire had forgotten about till now. Dusk yelled for her to sit back down, as Darkstar again told her bother to stay out of what was about to happen. Finally out of the corner of her eye Wildfire saw Professor Calculus enter the class room as she screamed at the slab of muscle in front of her; “Hiding? Raid's got more balls than you, you coward!”

“Cease and desist right now!” Professor Calculus stomped a hoof for emphasis, the chocolate mare surveying the scene in her class room, Wildfire, her least capable student,  on a desk with Blitzwing behind his ‘bodyguard’ for want of a better term. ‘Oh joy…just what I need…’ She thought to herself. “Ms. Wildfire, why are you trying to destroy one of my desks?”

“I'm not trying, Ma’am, I will if this bitch doesn't move!” Wildfire replied, not taking her eyes off of the diamond dog.

“Silence!” Calculus took a deep breath, stroking back her dark blue mane as she tried to forget the migraine hammering in her skull. “Off to Professor Water Colour's office now!”

“But...what...why?” Wildfire stomped her hoof in frustration, “He started it!”

“Aaand that's why we stay out of it Brighty” Darkstar whispered to her brother, who just nodded in reply.

“Now Ms. Wildfire!”

The yellow pegasus stomped her hoof a second time as she started to trot to the class room door “You're taking his side, already?

Calculus took her seat at her desk as she asked; “Boudicca, what started this?”

“You know her ma'am. She has always had it in for Blitzwing, probably because he is able to understand your lectures.” The diamond dog smiled a self-satisfied smile as she retook her seat.

Calculus looked in her desk drawer for some painkillers. “Mr. Blitzwing?” She asked as her search was proved fruitless. ‘Great…’ She thought to herself, ‘I need this…Wildfire along with everything else…’

“Pardon me for saying this Ma'am but maybe she is in heat.” Blitzwing smiled a smug smile as he glanced over at Dusk’s face.

“What!?” Wildfire turned in the doorway, outraged at what she’d just heard; “You filthy lying...” She snorted in anger as she stamped both forehooves. Dusk just muttered something under his breath as he facehooved. In exasperation Wildfire turned to her teacher; “Of course you believe it right?”

Calculus paused as she retrieved her paperwork for the lesson “Is there a reason you're standing in the hall Ms. Wildfire?” She asked, her tone icier than she intended.

“I'm learning more than being sat in your class, Professor.” She spat back.

Calculus just glared at her student, doing her very best to swallow her rage at this impudent little pegasus. “Do I need to add more to my report Ms. Wildfire or will you be trotting off to the vice principal’s office?”

Wildfire stood glaring right back at her teacher, “Fine! I'm going!” *She turned on her hooves and trotted off, muttering to herself.

Professor Calculus rubbed her temples with her hooves as the rest of the class looked at her to begin the lecture. “Boudicca,” She said with a sigh, “Could you please put that desk back. Everyone please be seated and we shall begin. If anyone wishes to bother, they may take notes for Ms. Wildfire.”

Blitzwing moved past Dusk, his gloating smile hidden from the earth pony teacher. “You going to make it through class without your marefriend to suck you off?” He asked in a low voice.

Calculus looked up from her desk, board eraser in her hoof “Mr. Blitzwing, please be seated.”

“Sorry Ma'am,” Blitzwing smiled, oozing false sincerity just for Dusk he added, “Just letting Prince Dusk know there was no hard feelings since Wildfire is one of his friends.”

Dusk sat at his desk, seething at Blitzwing in his chair. “Happy now are we?” The dark grey pegasus simply smiled and turned his back to Dusk, ignoring him for the rest of the class while the Prince busied himself taking Wildfire’s notes for her.

~ ~ ~

Wildfire paused at Water Colour’s door. She couldn’t believe she’d been sent to the Vice Principal’s office this fast. In fact she was certain it must be some kind of University record. She raised her hoof and knocked twice in her usual manner, before waiting to be admitted. Fortunately Wildfire didn’t have very long to wait.

“Enter.” The unicorn’s calm deep voice sounded muffled through the thick wooden door, and after a brief second Wildfire pushed the door open with her hoof and stomped into the office, her mood still sour.

Professor Water Colour glanced up from his mountain of paperwork and to see who had been sent to him. He had a shrewd idea of course, when he had received the email from Calculus. “Good morning Ms. Wildfire, not the way I was hoping to start this semester. I've received an email from Professor Calculus. What is your side of the story?”

Wildfire took a seating pad opposite the Vice Principal, “Blitzwing started it! Sir he was taunting me, Dusk and my marefriend!”

“I see. Professor Quill speaks well of you. Words, Ms. Wildfire. Did he threaten to assault you?”

The angry young pegasus harrumphed and crosses her legs “No...”

Water Colour gave Wildfire a long hard piercing look. “Did you threaten to assault him?”

Wildfire spluttered and stammered, “I...well I...might've said something like that....”

The Art teacher gave Wildfire a very deep disappointed sigh, “So Professor Calculus isn't in error when she put that in her email. Ms. Wildfire, it is far too early in the year to suspend you, would you agree?”

Wildfire hung her head, her anger spent, her adrenaline leaving her system. “No Sir...she isn't in error. And yes, I don't want to be suspended, Sir.”

Professor Water Colour took up a pen in his magic and started to fill out a pass as he addressed the pegasus sitting in front of him; “Very well then Ms. Wildfire as I agree. You will spend the rest of this period writing a letter of apology to Mr. Blitzwing, and you will turn that letter into Professor Quill who will review and report to me on its contents. Professor Quill will turn it over to Mr. Blitzwing, or he will recommend that suspension is the best course of action. If you decline to do this, then you will leave yourself with suspension as the only available course of action. Do you understand?”

Wildfire jumped to her hooves, fresh outrage coursing through her system. “Oh come on! An apology?” She whined, knowing she was beaten. “Fine, yes Sir, I agree to write the letter.”

“A wise choice Ms. Wildfire.” Water Colour offered her a smile as he levitated over the pass. “You are dismissed to the library for the rest of the period. Here is your pass.”

“Ugh!” Wildfire pouted as she took the pass from the Vice Principal’s magic field, “Thank you Sir.” She slid off the seating pad and turned to open the door.

The unicorn stopped her as she reached for the handle; “One last thing Ms. Wildfire. I know that words can cut as deep as a knife, but that knife is so dull you have to let it get past your skin. Please be sincere in your letter.”

Wildfire didn’t turn around, she just took a deep breath and lowered her head. “Yes Sir, thank you Sir.”

~ ~ ~

Dusk was a few minutes behind everypony else when he left Calculus’s Math class, due to him having to pack up Wildfire’s stuff as well as his own, and secure her saddlebag to his barrel. Bidding a good bye to the earth pony mare he was pleased to see Darkstar, Brightstar and Cyclone waiting for him in the hallway. “Hey guys…” His smile evaporated along with his sentence when he saw Blitzwing there as well, albeit minus Boudicca. “What do you want Blitz?”

“Ah, Prince Dusk, are you going to be a good lapdog and deliver Ms. Wildfire her notes?” The dark grey stallion leant against the lockers lining the hall wall, a cheshire cat smile plastered over his muzzle.

Dusk stopped, his muzzle scant inches from the other pegasus’s. “I bet you just loved that didn't you?”

Blitzwing just kept up his wide smile, utterly unconcerned that Dusk was inches away from him, in fact he did his best to appear as disinterested as he could. I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I was merely concerned you'd dumbed them down enough for her to understand.”

Dusk snarled and pulled his hoof back, ready to land a punch square on that infernal smile. He would have too, consequences be damned, if he hadn’t been stopped by a familiar black hoof. “Hey!” Cyclone yelled down his ear, “That is the last thing you need Dusky!”

Blitzwing raised an eyebrow at the black mare; “Seems I'm wrong on one account. I thought you surrounded yourself with idiot advisers so you'd look smart. Seems you have one semi-intelligent one there.”

“Get lost Blitzwing, don't you have cars to trash?” Cyclone glared at the stallion, her turquoise mane in her eyes.

“What an odd thing to say. I have a chauffeur.”

“Come off it.” Cyclone let go of Dusk’s leg to jab her left forehoof in forcibly in Blitzwing’s chest. “We all know what you did to Raid's car!”

“Raid…Raid…” Blitzwing put a hoof to his chin, deep in mock thought, “Oh you mean Ms. Air Raid. I wasn't aware she had a license let alone a car.”

“Bullshit Blitz!” Dusk yelled at his nemesis, his temper all but spent. “You know full well it was her car!”

At that moment Darkstar appeared at Dusk’s side so fast he was sure the unicorn had teleported, in face if he didn’t know she couldn’t, he would’ve sworn she done just that. “Leave it Dusk! C’mon Rosetta's waiting, we’ll be late for Languages.”

Blitzwing merely smiled at Dusk and sauntered past, trotting into the class with a grin and proceeded to ignore the three friends for the remainder of class, content with the friction he had caused, and hopeful that at least Wildfire would be expelled. As Professor Rosetta began her lecture on the Griffon Native Tongue he started to daydream about him and the rest of his family joining with their beloved Celestia when the Sun Goddess decreed it was finally time to overthrow the Nightmare that was Princess Luna.

~ ~ ~

After the Languages class with Rosetta Blitzwing was once again waiting for Dusk in the hall. News that Vice Principal Water Colour had not expelled nor suspended Wildfire had reached the dark grey stallion. He smirked, grateful for dumb stooges and smart phones. “You know, I really thought they'd expel that carbon dioxide emitter. Maybe I'll let her lay a hoof on me in Literacy.” He wondered loud enough for Dusk to hear as he walked past.

Dusk spun on his hooves to face the smirking bully, “You'll leave her alone! Just what is your problem?”

Blitzwing smiled, “You are the problem Prince Charming, you and you alone.” He carried on smiling as he trotted off to the next class before dinner, Literacy with Wildfire. ‘This’ll be fun,’ he thought to himself, the thought making him chuckle.

“Hey D, you seen Darkie?” Wildfire asked, the little pegasus all out of breath from running in the hall to catch up with her best friend.

Dusk paused, walking with his friend. “Yeah, she’s in the next class with me, History with Top Notch. Why’d you ask?”

“Me and Raid need her outside Calcy’s class room at dinner.” Wildfire buzzed her wings in excitement over what they had planned for the dinner hour.

Dusk smiled, “You two gonna go ahead with that huh?” The midnight blue stallion chuckled as his friend nodded enthusiastically. “Okay well I’ll remind her when I see her. You know if you get caught you’ll be in proper trouble right?”

Wildfire grinned, “Thanks D, and we aren’t gonna get caught, we got it all planned out.”

“Alright, I don’t think I wanna know the details, the less I know the better for when this all goes south.” Dusk turned to trot off to his class, but paused, putting a hoof on Wildfire’s shoulder. “Do not let Blitz get to you in class Wily.”

~ ~ ~

At roughly three minutes past the hour and with the rest of the Literacy class looking her way Wildfire burst through the door. “I-I’m…s-sorry I’m…late, Professor Quill.”

Velvet Quill placed his notes on his desk and looked up from his laptop at the out of breath young mare and smiled at his best student. “You have something for me Ms. Wildfire?” The pegasus stallion asked, his rasping gravelly voice almost unrecognisable.

“Uuuugh!” Wildfire groaned, audibly, as she approached the desk. “Yes. Yes I have, Sir.” She reached into her saddlebag and hoofed over the letter of apology she’d been forced to write.

Velvet Quill took the letter in his hoof and laid it on the desk next to his keyboard. “Thank you Ms. Wildfire, please take your seat.”

Wildfire trotted to her desk on hooves of air as Professor Quill introduced the class. She got out her very best pen and special notebook she reserved just for this class and waited expectantly for her teacher to reveal today’s assignment.

The pale blue pegasus stood and flipped his laptop’s remote control to make what was on his screen appear on the large white board behind him. He didn’t care for the older chalkboards like Calculus and Rosetta. Flipping a switch on a remote was so much easier. “Today class we will be doing poems of your own creation in the form of a Shakespony Sonnet.”

Wildfire grinned to herself and got to work, pen in her mouth already scribbling ideas and thoughts for her second and third lines as Velvet Quill was running the class through what a Shakespony Sonnet actually was. Wildfire was sketching out her ideas for her second quatrain while Professor Quill was detailing the fourteen lines, three quatrains and rhyming couplet for the last two lines.

My Mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damasked, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

There in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak; yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go;

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground

Any yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.

Forty five minutes later Wildfire smiled and with a sense of accomplishment finished her Sonnet, which she just entitled; My Mistress, My Love, and happily dotted the last full stop.

With fifteen minutes to go to the end of the class and the start of the dinner hour, something Wildfire was looking forward to very much, the yellow mare heard Professor Quill call out Blitzwing’s name. “Mr. Blitzwing, would you please approach my desk.”

Blitzwing looked up from his half-finished Sonnet with surprise on his muzzle. Wondering what it was the Professor wanted the dark grey stallion nevertheless trotted up to Quill’s desk. Velvet Quill winged Wildfire’s letter to him. “For you review and comment if you wish, Mr. Blitzwing.”

Blitzwing took the letter in his hoof. “Thank you sir.” He turned on his hooves and trotted back to his desk to read the letter Velvet had just given him. Wildfire kept her head down as he passed her desk, determined as she was to actually finish a class today. Out of the corner of her eye the yellow mare could see Blitzwing reading through the letter with a scowl on his face.

A few moments later the pale blue pegasus stood and cleared his throat, not that anypony in the room thought it helped, “Thank you students,” he started, “That is all for today’s class.”

Blitzwing raised his hoof, attracting the teacher’s attention; “Professor Quill?”

“Yes, Mr. Blitzwing?”

“Concerning this letter,” He said with a smug smile, hoping to goad Wildfire in front of her favourite teacher. “I have to accept in full. Ms. Wildfire's prose is so eloquent that I'm positive any tabloid would be happy to have her services.”

“Yuppers,” Wildfire grimaced with the effort of being civil, “I’m…sorry Blitzwing.”

Blitzwing just trotted off to the cafeteria with a deep sigh, disappointed his effort to wind up Dusk’s best friend had gone straight over her dim uncomprehending little head.

~ ~ ~

“You two are gonna get caught!”

“Oh relax Darkie,” Air Raid sniggered, her wings already semi erect, “We’ve got it planned, c’mon, hurry up and cast the spell!”

“I will not relax Air Raid! You’re already breaking the law just by being in this damned building!”

“Come on Darkie, you’re always up for a prank, we’re just pranking old Calcy.” Air Raid giggled as she imagined the look on Calculus’s face when she found her desk.

“Yes, I like nice harmless pranks Raid.” Darkstar stomped her hoof, “This isn’t a prank, it’s stupid! You’re gonna get arrested, and you Wily,” The unicorn addressed the yellow mare, “You are gonna end up expelled!”

“Darkie, you gonna cast the spell or not?” Wildfire asked, bored by her friend’s reaction. “We’re wasting time, and somepony might see us.”

“Fine. Whatever. Just remember, I was never here, you never saw me, and I did not cast this spell. Are we clear?” As the two pegasi nodded Darkstar concentrated her power through her horn, silently channelling the words of activation and binding to fashion the invisibility spell. Finally with a flash of light and a fair amount of sweat it was done. “Now…the moment you touch, the spell will activate. The moment you separate, the spell will end. Oh, and being invisible does not stop you being heard or smelt. Be careful.”

“Darkie you worry too much…” Wildfire giggled as she opened the door to Calculus’s class room.

“Whatever…” Darkie turned and trotted off to the cafeteria.

Air Raid hoofed open the door to the Math class room and stood aside for Wildfire to enter, giving her flank a long hard look as she trotted past and to the large desk. Letting go of the door she followed the yellow mare into the class. “So Wily, my cute little mare,” she whispered seductively, “Now that we’re here, what do you want to do?”

“Well…” Wildfire draped her wing over the desk as she walked past, cogs and gears turning in her head as an idea formed. “I wanna eat you out on this desk.”

“Hmm…doesn’t that sound like fun?” Air Raid’s semi erect wings popped fully open at the thought, she could smell herself getting as aroused as she felt. “On the desk then my love.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Wildfire smirked as she pulled herself up onto the solid oak desk and laid down, getting  herself comfortable,  folding her wings to her barrel, her head facing towards the closed door, grinning  as she smelt her marefriend’s arousal.

Air Raid didn’t waste a second more as she hopped up onto the desk and placed her knees either side of Wildfire’s head. “Hungry love?”

Wildfire looked up to the lime green mares moist dripping marehood and nodded as Air Raid lowered her hips to her marefriend’s waiting muzzle, the moment of contact sealing the invisibility spell that Darkstar had cast on them.

The yellow mare got her tongue to work straight away, the moment Air Raid got herself within licking range. She lapped and nipped around the older mare’s labia, earning herself a few moans and groans from the mare above her.

“Aaahn! Oooh Wily…” Air Raid rocked her hips over Wildfire’s muzzle as she felt her tongue enter her dripping wet passage, she pressed down harder, almost driving the snout inside herself.

Air Raid’s marehood continued to leak her juices around Wildfire’s mouth as she drove her tongue as far inside her writhing marefriend as she could, she could feel the desk under head getting wet with the green mare’s essence.

“D – daamn Wily…hmmmm…AAAAH!” Air Raid cooed and let out a small scream of pleasure as Wildfire found her clit with her tongue and wrapped her lips around it, almosr bringing her to her peak…

As the door to the class room was opened by a chocolate coloured hoof and Professor Calculus trotted in, carrying her lunch bag in her mouth. She was looking forward to eating in peace. Her migraine was finally receding, and the teacher’s lounge was just too noisy for her tastes.

As the door opened Air Raid stopped riding the muzzle below her and tried desperately to remain silent, caught on the edge of a wondrous climax.

Wildfire looked up in horror between Air Raid’s thighs at Calculus trotting into her class room. ‘Oh buck oh buck oh buck…’

Calculus was half way to her desk when a scent hit her nostrils. She froze as she sniffed the air.

‘Oh no…no, no, no!’ Wildfire thought frantically to herself as she started to panic. Air Raid looked down at her between her hind legs and made ‘shushing’ motions with her hooves, willing the yellow pegasus to be quiet.

The chocolate mare looked around her class room, and moved closer to her desk, still sniffing the air. With a grimace she recognised the scent, and noted it was stronger nearer the empty desk.

While she was trying to remain silent Air Raid was very suddenly struck with the giggles, and as her shoulders shook she had to put her hoof in her mouth.

Again, Calculus looked around the room, trying to find any hiding pony. It was as she was looking around the walls she noticed a very slight haze over her desk, which with the strong smell all but confirmed her suspicions. With a deliberately hard throw she tossed her bag onto the desk, which bounced to the floor.

Air Raid winced as the lunch bag hit her flank hard, and despite herself she let out a tiny whimper. Keeping hold of Wildfire’s hoof she carefully removed herself from around her head.

The chocolate mare bent down to retrieve her bag from where it had landed on the floor while Air Raid motioned with her head to the door. Wildfire nodded in reply and the lime green mare gently lowered her hind left hoof to the floor as silently as she could. Wildfire followed suit but her hind hoof clopped on the floor as she lowered it. Glancing over her shoulder she breathed a sigh of relief as Calculus seemed not to have noticed.

Quietly the two mares tip-hoofed their way over to the closed door, their wings touching to keep the invisibility bubble in effect. Gingerly Air Raid reached for the door handle and slowly turned it, only to be greeted with a noise of metal on metal as the catch opened.

Calculus quickly lifted her head at the sound and grabbed her ornamental inkwell in her mouth and tossed it hard at the area of the door as it started to open.

“Ow!” Air Raid groaned in pain before she could stop herself, rubbing her sore shoulder with her with without thinking. The wing that was keeping contact with Wildfire. The wing that was keeping the spell active.

“Freeze!” Calculus yelled as the invisibility spell faded, revealing an ex-student of hers, snorting giggles like she was going to collapse at any moment, and Wildfire, quite possibly the least able mare she’d ever had the misfortune to teach, blushing as bright a red as her cutie mark.

Professor Calculus simmered on the very edge of rage as she addressed the two mares in front of her; “For some reason I'm surprised, yet I shouldn't be.” She sighed as she rubbed her temple, her migraine stomping back in full force. “So, did you pick my desk because of the rumours about me?”

Air Raid smiled brightly as she waved her foreleg at the Math teacher, “Hey Calcy long time no see, and she picked the room, not me.”

“What rumours?” Wildfire tried to look puzzled, if course everypony had heard the rumours about Calculus’s homophobia, but this didn’t seem the time to bring it up.

Calculus gave Wildfire a long hard glare, but chose not to answer. She reached for and toggled the intercom. “Could Principal Legacy and Vice Principal Colour please come to Professor Calculus' class as soon as possible please?”

Wildfire’s brown eyes went wide with panic, they were really in now. “Oh shit!” She exclaimed, “What was that for?”

The earth pony mare ignored the younger pegasus and spoke to Air Raid, her tone short and clipped. “Ms, Raid you are dripping on the floor, please go to the washroom, clean up, and return here. Please do so quickly.” Finally she turned her attention to her student; “Ms. Wildfire, please sit at your desk.”

“You could let it go y’know, just once.” Air Raid scowled at her old teacher as she made her way out of the door to the nearest rest room.

Calculus bent to retrieve her inkwell and returned it to her desk. “I do not trust my judgement at this time Ms. Wildfire.” She said tersely as she watched the yellow pegasus take her seating pad at her desk.

Wildfire slumped her shoulders as she sat down, deeply wishing she’d minded her friend’s warning. “You really hate me don't you Professor?” She asked as she tried to blink away her tear, determined to not look weak.

“That wasn't the rumour that I was speaking of, but your lack of effort does grate my nerves Ms. Wildfire.” The teacher sighed as pain lanced through her skull. “Hate is a strong word, but I wouldn't say you are on my Hearth's Warming Eve list.”

“But...but I do try!” Wildfire protested heatedly. Celestia knows she tried, “I really do! It’s just...it’s hard, Professor…”

Calculus took her seating pad at her desk and frowned at the young mare. “I haven't seen any real effort from you. Have you tried a tutor? Thought of dropping this class to attend a one on one private class? I've tried several methods with you Ms Wildfire and it seems you pay no attention or just don't care.”

“I can’t drop it Ma’am.” She explained, her eyes glued to her desk. “The Fire Team requires math. I dunno, its...the numbers all seem to jumble up on the page.”

“Then you need private tutoring, Ms Wildfire. But this,” She gestured at the top of her cum stained desk, “This is too much.”

Wildfire hung her head, deeply ashamed of her actions, ‘what had we been thinking?’ She thought miserably. “I'm sorry Professor, we didn't mean anything by it.”

Just then the class room door opened and Principal Last Legacy and Vice Principal Water Colour both walked in. Water Colour took a look at Wildfire and sighed a deep sigh. The Principal, a cream unicorn with a burnt yellow mane shot through with grey addressed the Math teacher; “Yes Professor Calculus?”

“I'm waiting for Ms. Raid to return Professor’s and then we can take care of this all at once.”

As if summoned by some ethereal force Air Raid reappeared in the doorway and trotted in to stand in between the teachers and Wildfire. “I felt my ears burning Calcy. Talking about me?”

Last Legacy nodded to Air Raid as she entered, before looking at Calculus expectantly; “Begin please, Professor.”

“It is rather simple.” The chocolate mare began, “I detected an invisible pony in the room, and it turned out to be these two having sex on my desk.” She concluded by pointing out the stains on her desk.”

Last Legacy’s expression was wholly unreadable as he looked at the two mares in front of him. “Who cast the invisibility spell?”

Wildfire pointedly avoided her Principal’s piercing gaze; “I don't remember, Sir.” She lied through her teeth.

“Me either,” Air Raid smiled as the Professor turned his gaze to her, “I didn't ask his name.”

“Very well. Professor Colour?”

Water Colour merely shook his head and sighed once more at the yellow mare. “Nothing to add, Professor Legacy.”

“Professor Calculus?”

The earth pony mare adjusted her seated position as she thought, “I'll leave this to you, as the offended party I should recuse myself.”

Last Legacy nodded, addressing the firefighter first. “Ms. Wildfire. Detention for you now. After school you will clean up this mess. Your parent will be informed as to why you are late. Nine day suspension starting tomorrow. You are off any extra-curricular team events for the semester. Do you wish to say anything in your defence?”

“I'm sorry Sirs, Ma'am...Professor Legacy...please don't tell my dad…”

Last Legacy pointed a cream hoof at the racer next. “For you Ms. Raid, you will be charged with trespassing and destruction of school property.”

“Please...” Wildfire whimpered, a look of genuine fear on her face, “Don't send a letter home, please…”

The Principal gave Wildfire a hard piercing look; “You should have thought of that before you committed this. Is there a reason you chose Professor Calculus' desk?”

“I thought it'd be a joke, Sir.” Wildfire replied in a very tiny voice.

“Seriously, you can't tell her dad,” Air Raid spoke, “Principal Legacy he'll kill her.”

Last Legacy cocked an eyebrow, shooting a questioning look to Water Colour, who just shook his head. “There is nothing on file.”

At that moment, a unicorn police pony stallion appeared, escorted by the university secretary, who promptly turned and left them all alone. “Ah…officer,” The cream unicorn nodded to the police pony, “Please take Ms. Raid in custody. Ms. Wildfire, report to detention.”

Air Raid looked at the police unicorn, knowing her time was short. She didn’t care about herself, she knew her parents wouldn’t give two bucks whether she was arrested or not, it was Wildfire she was worried about. “Wily tell 'em...now quick tell 'em!”

Wildfire sighed dejectedly. She knew full well what was waiting for her should she go home, that’s why she’d been living at Air Raid’s place since she got her cutie mark. “It's nothing, really…”

“Like buck it's not he beats her!”

Wildfire rubbed her neck, the last place her father had hit her. The bruise was long gone but its memory remained. Air Raid didn’t understand. She couldn’t say anything, she just couldn’t. “It was an accident…”

Water Colour trotted over and gently placed a hoof on Wildfire’s shoulder. “If you want to make a statement Ms. Wildfire, the police are here.”

“Raid...” Wildfire whimpered, afraid to meet her Vice Principal’s look, but grateful his hoof was on her shoulder. “I - I can't...it was just an accident, Sir…”

The Principal nodded to the police pony who was stood by Air Raid. “Officer please escort Ms Raid from the building. Charges are being filed.”

“Wildfire!” Air Raid panicked as the police officer nudged her with his hoof, “Come with me please Miss,” He said simply as he started to guide the lime green mare out of the class room.

“S – sorry…” Wildfire whispered as Air Raid was lead from the class room.

Air Raid dug a hoof through her saddlebag in the doorway, withdrew her house keys and threw them over the room to her marefriend. “Wily, don’t go home, stay at mine!”

None of the Professor’s moved to intercept the keys as they hit and bounced on the floor near Wildfire’s seating pad. Her marefriend had been removed by the time the yellow mare bent to pick up the keys. “Thanks Raid…” She whispered almost inaudibly as Vice Principal Water Colour nudged his hoof on her shoulder.

“Let’s go Ms. Wildfire, detention is this way.”