Peni and Copper: A Love's Beginningby DeadlyPegasisterChaptersThe QuestionThe First ProblemsFirst Day BackThe Big DayRunning through a Short WeekThe QuestionIt's been two weeks since the cloud barrel competition - and the kiss. Peni had a hard time trying to talk to Copper after that, she'd normally just blush and look away. Even when she'd try to talk to him, Copper would do the same. After the first few days, Copper asked Peni if she'd be his marefriend, and she'd quickly said yes, almost too quickly. A quick hug, and they walked the rest of the way down the hall hoof in hoof. After the two weeks, the Grand Galloping Gala was coming, and Peni seemed depressed. "What's the matter, Pen?" Copper asked one day. Peni replied, "I can't afford tickets to the Gala, and I want to go so badly!" Copper bit his lip, but only for a second. Peni was looking away, so she didn't notice. After the kiss, Copper had went straight to Rarity Belle, owner of the Carousel Boutique. The memory flashed into his mind: The twinkle of the doorbell sounded as Copper walked into the boutique. A dragon sat in the front room, almost too big for the huge room. A beautiful, white unicorn mare stood inside the room, looking over a finished outfit studded with jewels. Obviously, the dragon had been talking, his deep voice canceling out the sound of the doorbell. Rarity first noticed Copper in a reflection of one of the sapphires. She said, "Oh, I'm sorry sir, may I help you?" Copper replied, "Yes, Mrs. Rarity. I only have a question for now. About how long would it take for you to create a simple dress and a suit?" "Why do you ask, darling?" Rarity gasped, then said, "Is it for a special somepony? Who is it you're going to the Gala with?" Copper was confused. "How did you know I was going to the Gala with my special somepony?" The dragon, Spike, replied, "It's her mare's intuition. She just knows, is all." "Well," said Copper, "I need to know because, yes, I'm taking my special somepony to the Gala, and I want to surprise her with the tickets. I just need to know how soon I should ask her so she can come to you and you can design the dress. With my suit, I just want it simple, a dark blue suit with a light blue tie." "All right, your suit can be done within just a day or so, and the dress, depending on the simplicity of it, will take three to ten days." Copper said, happily, "Thank you, Mrs. Rarity. I'll be by three days before I leave for Canterlot to get to the Gala to pick up my suit." "You're welcome, darling! And the dress and suit will be half price, since you'll be almost broke after getting the tickets!" Rarity said. With a two weeks left before the Gala, Copper would need to tell Peni very soon. And he decided now would be the perfect time. "Peni, how about we go to Sugarcube Corner for lunch? Josie can come, and Frostbite, too. How about it?" Peni replied, "Yeah, I guess. It's better than hearing all the stories everypony has to tell about their gala dress or how they got the tickets." At lunch, Peni, Josie, Copper, and Frostbite took off towards Sugarcube Corner. As Peni contemplated what to get, Copper made sure he had the two golden tickets in his saddlebag. There they were, gleaming beautifully in the sunlight. Of course, Copper had eaten before this. He wouldn't have enough bits to pay for the suit and dress if he bought something for himself and Peni. Once the four ponies finally made it to the little sweets shop, Copper checked one last time that the tickets were there. And like last time, they gleamed in the light. Josie noticed, and said, "I'll wait out here for just a moment, be right in." She then set her hoof against Copper's chest, saying, "Okay, what were those? What are you planning?" The colt sighed, and gave in. "They're... Gala tickets. For me and Peni." Copper quickly added, "I haven't told her yet!" upon seeing Josie's look of surprise and joy. "Oh my Celestia! Copper, she'll be SO GRATEFUL! I can't wait to see her face when you show her!" Josie exclaimed, her wings beating rapidly in her adrenaline rush. "So you'll be telling her today?" "Yes, and I've already set an order for a dress and suit. No specifics for the dress though, that's Peni's and I don't want to decide for her," Copper told Josie. "Well," Josie said, flying behind Copper and starting to push him towards the door, "what're you waiting for?" She stopped pushing him so it wasn't obvious something had happened. Josie followed behind moments later, after having a little moment of squee. "I'll be paying for your order, Peni. And, I've got, uh... I've got something to ask you." Copper sat on the floor, and dug into his saddlebag. Upon pulling out the two golden tickets, he said, "Penned Hearts, will you be my date to the Grand Galloping Gala?" Peni's hooves instantly flew to her mouth. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she tearfully said, "Yes... Yes, Copper Wire, YES I WILL!" She embraced him as the ponies in the sweets shop clapped for the sweet couple. Peni gasped, "Oh! I've got to go put in an order for a dress with Rarity!" Peni raced out the door, her mane and tail flying behind her. Copper quickly took out his cellphone and called the boutique. "Is this the Carousel Boutique? Yes, Mr. Spike. My marefriend is coming to order her dress. Who am I? I'm the colt that came in two weeks ago, pre-ordering my suit and letting you two know about my plan. Yes, that's me! My marefriend will be there shortly to start the order. Please don't tell her I ordered a dress for her, that I only ordered my suit specifically. Okay, thanks." And he hung up. Frostbite asked, "You already ordered her dress?" "Well," Copper replied, "not completely. Just that I knew she would go for a dress, and I pre-ordered her dress, without a description. I wanted THAT to be up to her." "My good colt, you are a MASTER of planning," said Josie. As I ran to the boutique, a dress began forming in my mind. A complicated dress? No. Simple, of course. Hmm, a light yellow top... a sparkly blue bottom... No, a light green top... white collar... A belt separating the two different colored halves... Shoes? No... A choker! A black choker with an emerald in the middle, and the top will be yellow. I got it! I entered Carousel Boutique, out of breath. Mrs. Rarity sat in the middle of her display room. She was adjusting a light blue tie on a deep blue tux. "Hmm? May I help you?" Rarity asked. "Yes... please..." I said, in between breaths. "I need to order a dress. For the Gala." "Okay," said Rarity, pulling out parchment with a pony mannequin already drawn on. "How would you like that designed?" I said, "A light yellow top, about the color of Fluttershy's coat, with a white collar and a sparkly blue skirt. At the seam of the two parts of the dress, a belt. And to top it all off, a thick choker with an emerald in the middle." After Rarity drew the design, she asked me to look. It seemed to... complex. "Maybe... a little simpler. Cut back on the frilled sleeves, the shoes, and the height of the skirt." After adjusting the design to an almost Rarity-repulsing design, I said, "Just like that!" "You know," Rarity said, "without all the sparkles and the gem choker, I would just get you Twilight's old birthday dress and modify that." She took the design and pinned it to her "Current Dress Design to Make" board. "Come back in about a week, and your dress will be ready." "Thank you, Rarity! I'm so glad you could do it," I said, and left. After a week of waiting, Peni returned to Carousel Boutique to pick up her dress. The blue suit had gone, but the gorgeous dress of hers stood off to the side. "Ah!" Rarity said. "You've come for your dress, I presume?" "Yep!" Peni said. "I can see it's done." Rarity said, with a hint of 'I know something you don't' in her voice, "Your dress has been payed for by an anonymous pony." And with a hint of 'How can that be?' in her voice, "You know, while I was waiting for you to come pick up your dress, which I finished yesterday, I got asked several times by my customers if they could PURCHASE the dress! It appears simple designs are all the rage nowadays." "Thank you, Mrs. Rarity! And tell whoever payed for my dress that I said... thank you..." Peni's voice faded as she realized who'd payed. Peni hurried to Copper's house to ask him how long he'd planned this out. Once she got there, Peni pounded on the door, demanding to be let in. Copper opened the door, and upon instant, Peni asked, "How long did you plan the Gala surprise?" "Oh! Well, I knew you'd ask at some point. I've been planning this for almost a month now. I needed a lot of time to earn money for the tickets. I started by buying one just for you, but then my father FINALLY paid his foal support, and I got enough to pay for mine." "Just so you know..." Peni began, a face of resent and anger quickly fading to happiness and... Lust. "I love that, so much." And she kissed Copper full on the lips. "Oh my Faust, Copper! This place it BEAUTIFUL!" Peni and Copper had just arrived at Canterlot, the day before the Grand Galloping Gala. Peni wanted an extra day so she could go sight-seeing and meet new ponies. "Okay, first let's go to the gem shop, where Rarity told us to g-" Peni's sentence was cut off as she bumped into a gorgeous unicorn mare. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss-Miss-Missus de Lis! I am SO sorry!" "Oh, it's alright, young mare. I wasn't hurt, and I hope you weren't," Fleur de Lis said, and continued, "I'll be on my way. And if you need help finding the gem shop, Gifts from the Hearth, it's just around the corner to the left." Copper replied, "Well, thank you so much, Mrs. de Lis. I do hope we end up meeting again. Perhaps at the Gala tomorrow?" "Oh, I do wish we do!" Fleur said excitedly, and left with a "Farewell, new friends!" Peni said happily, "Well, that was certainly a treat! Now, let's go see Rarity's daughter at the gem shop." Copper and Peni went off in the direction Fleur de Lis told them. Once they arrived at the gem shop, Gifts from the Hearth, a young mare walked up to them. She looked younger than Copper, but definitely larger, and had strange horns growing out of her head, right on the backside of her ears. Her mane was short and incredibly curly, and she bore claws on all four of her hooves. And sweeping from side to side behind her was a violet tail, the brunette curls on the end glimmering in the hearth fire. "Hello, strangers! My name is Beauty Gem, how may I help you?" asked the violet mare. The freckles on her cheeks danced as she talked. To Copper, she was one of the most beautiful and strange mares he'd ever seen. But to Peni, she was a familiar face. "Beauty," Peni said, her eyes wide with recognition, "it's me, Penned Hearts, from elementary school!" Beauty's eyes opened wide with the memories flashing back into her mind. "Peni? Oh my Celestia, it's been so long! How are you?" Beauty exclaimed as the two mares embraced each other in a hug. It was then that Copper also noticed the objects fanning out around Beauty's middle. "Are those dragon wings?" he asked, indicating to Beauty's wings. The dragon-pony nodded, quickly explaining that because of her mother's slightly extended life and her father being a dragon, she'd managed to be one of the two foals of Rarity and Spike. Her twin brother, Beast Claws, was living temporarily in Manehattan looking for a job suitable for somepony his size. "So far, Beast hasn't been able to find a job. He would look in Cloudsdale, but he's part dragon, so he can't manipulate or walk on clouds. He should be able to find one sooner or later. But I'd told him to look for a job in the traveling business, his wings and legs being rather strong so he'd be able to get along pretty fast." "Tactical. Anyway, we came by because your mom said we should come and visit since we're going to the Gala tomorrow," Peni said. Beauty gasped, then noticed the choker on Peni's neck. "Will you be wearing that to the Gala?" She pointed at the emerald in the middle, and continued. "Even if you aren't, I'll go ahead and polish it for you, it seems a bit dull." Peni removed the emerald and handed it to Beauty, saying, "Yeah, thanks! How soon should I pick it up tomorrow?" "No, no, I'll just bring it to your apartment. Me and you can cartpool to the Gala while Copper and my date, Record Player, head out in their own cartpool." "Okay, Beauty. Thanks again, we'll stop by before we leave Canterlot to say goodbye." Beauty said, "All righty, then, see you Peni, bye Copper!" Once the two were outside, Copper said, "You never told me about Beauty. You said you met in elementary school?" Peni nodded. "So, you couldn't have told me before?" Peni shook her head, and laughed. "She was one of the few ponies that was different in my class. Everypony but me, Spirals, Aqua, Flitter, Josie, and Pom absolutely HATED her. That is, until Spike came to talk with the teacher. That was when he started to get HUGE." Peni's stomach grumbled, and she giggled. "We should look for a place to eat real quick." Copper opened a map and said, "Here's a new restaurant called Twilight Sweets, run by a mare names Sugar Belle. We could stop there, what do you think?" "Sure, let's go there! I heard she's the second best baker in all of Equestria, only behind Pinkie Pie and the Cakes." "Ooh, I'm so excited!" Peni stood in her room, ready in the new dress Rarity made her. Beauty was standing behind her, working on her mane. The emerald in Peni's choker gleamed, amplifying the deep green in her eyes. "I can understand that, Peni, it's your first time ever going to the Gala, and it's also your first date with Copper!" Beauty pointed out, finally finishing Peni's mane with a spritz of manespray. "Oh, my Celestia, you're right! I didn't consider that!" Beauty's outfit was gorgeous, a light red color, with deep blue at the skirt's edge. In front of her right horn was a deep red bow. She was stunning, and Peni knew there would be more than one colt attempting to court her tonight. "I'm all finished, Peni. You look gorgeous! Copper's never going to leave your side. He might even give you a kiss!" Beauty said, and made kissy faces at the air. Peni giggled and pushed her shoulder. Peni said, clearly ready to go, "Okay, let's head out to the carriage. I wanna be there before Copper." The two mares went out to the carriage, getting quite a few stares before they got there. Spirals had ordered the carriage, and asked Wicker to drive. Peni was a great friend of Wicker, the wyvern, so Wic had gladly agreed. She gently flicked the reigns to get the two colts pulling the carriage moving. It bumped along the road, heading towards the enormous castle in the center of Canterlot. Once they arrived, Peni saw out the window that Copper was already at the castle, waiting for them. Once he saw Wicker, he straightened up, knowing Peni was in the carriage. Wicker opened the carriage door, and Beauty stepped out first. Copper bowed his head in greeting, and raised it just in time to see Peni step out. Coppers eyes widened at the sight of her. Peni's mane was curled gently at the front, and the back was pulled into a partial ponytail. Light green eyeshadow outlined her eyes. The emerald gleamed and amplified Peni's eyes. And the dress was stunning. The light blue skirt lit with sparkles brightened up her coat, and the light yellow top brightened her mane. And the belt and collar simplified the entire outfit. Peni giggled as she noticed Copper's beet red face. Copper was stunning, in his own way. The dark blue suit Peni had seen when she ordered her dress deeply contrasted Coppers red-orange coat. A white rose was tucked into the coat pocket, making his eyes seem darker than usual, and his normally lengthy bangs were trimmed short and still glowed with his recent shower. Peni felt her cheeks heat up, and Copper reached out his hoof. They walked towards the castle, Peni's leg crooked inside Coppers. "Now, milady, shall we go inside?" Copper said at the castle doors, pulling one of them open. Peni walked inside, exclaiming at it's beauty. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, and Spirals stood at the top of a large set of stairs, shaking hooves with the guests. When Peni and Copper got to the four alicorns, Spirals said, "Peni! Copper! Welcome! I didn't know if you'd be able to make it, how are you? Was Wicker a good host?" "Yeah, Spirals. Oh, and guess who I came with?" Peni said. "Copper? Isn't that obvious?" "No, it's another pony, one we've known since elementary school. She's not the most normal of ponies..." Spirals noticed the mare Peni was talking about, and gasped. "Beauty! I didn't know you were coming!" Peni said, "I'm going to go dancing with Copper, if that's alright with you guys. Come on, Copper. Real quick, RD, isn't your sister playing here tonight?" RD, Record Player, replied, "Yeah, I forgot she said she would be playing with Mom Tavi and her sister." Peni thanked him, and went off with Copper towards the dance floor. After a long while of dancing, Peni decided she'd needed fresh air, and Copper escorted her outside towards the garden. Once they're outside, Copper pointed out the beauty of the garden. Peni knew he was being subtle about how she looked, and Peni said, "Yeah, and the night is just as pretty. You know, Princess Luna believed nopony liked her night, but I find it absolutely gorgeous. But I can't spend too much time outside by myself, it gets too creepy. But that's just because I'm paranoid." Copper said, rubbing the back of his neck, "You know, I'm glad you said yes to coming with me, and also to be my marefriend. Otherwise I'd probably take your brother." "Yeah, you two made the cutest couple before we came here," Peni said, laughing. Copper and Peni laughed heartily. Peni slightly opened her eyes, and gazed at Copper. She closed her eyes, and... The two ponies kissed passionately. Peni wrapped her hooves around Copper's head, curling them into his mane. Copper hugged Peni's body towards him, kissing her harder. The two wouldn't have split if they could, but they needed to breath. "I love you, Penned Hearts." "I love you more, Copper Wire." The First Problems"How's it been going with Copper?" "Just like always, he's never been difficult, and we've never had a reason to argue." "That's pretty goo- wait. Who... in Equestria... is THAT?" A mare walked forwards, a vest and set of saddlebags hiding the fact that she's either a pegasus or not. She had a combed back dark gray mane, curling thickly at the ends. Her coat was a deep blue color, and her eyes were a soft silvery gray. Copper walked right along beside her, laughing at what Peni guessed was a pretty funny joke. He walked up to her and said, "Hey, my little Penned Hearts. I'd li-" "I know you're going to say, 'I'd like you to meet so-and-so. She's my cousin or something,'" Peni said exasperatedly, stomping her hoof. "Look, I don't know if you're cheating on me, or trying to test my loyalty towards you. I don't suggest it. I hardly enjoy breakups." "No, no, it's not a test and I'm not cheating. This is my sister, Ariel Ace. And, I can prove it." The mare lifted her bags and vest, to show- A single wing. Only one, and nothing more. The one wing was glimmering in several different colors, that changed each time the light hit them. The other was a stump, no scars or anything to show an accident. Peni remembered what Copper had said about his sister's birth, and how she'd been born without one of her wings. "Oh! Okay, now-now, now I understand. Hello Ariel, it's nice to finally officially meet you!" Peni said, holding out her hoof. Ariel took it and nodded. "I've heard so much about you, Peni! Copper talks about you all the time and-" Copper cut Ariel off quickly with a soft bump in the shoulder. Ariel read the look in his eyes and said, "Ooh! Oh, I didn't... You... Okay." A crease formed between Peni's eyebrows. Josie cut the awkward silence with a "Haha, now let's stop the silent sibling talks, shall we?" "Sorry, didn't intend on it. Anyways, she'll be going to school with me today, just to see what public school's like," Copper said, messing Ariel's mane. "She's normally home-schooled, and she's wearing the vest to hide her missing wing. Mom doesn't want her to get bullied, since she knows about what happens here. Especially with you and Till." "Yeah... I really pissed him off when he first got back," Peni said, and continued, "He saw how much weight I lost, so he couldn't call me fat, and he saw me with you, Copper, and just flipped out. Since then he couldn't call me a lonely loser." Josie said, "And a couple days later he found something he could make fun of you about, and you ripped him a new one! That was amazing, and his eye is STILL black!" "What?!" Ariel seemed almost mortified, as if she'd never heard of the stuff that happened at school. Copper replied, "Yeah! This colt Till was making fun of Peni because she lost her father a few years back-" Ariel interrupted with a sad "Aww, I'm sorry," and Copper continued, "Yeah, it was bad. But he was making fun of her one day, and she got so pissed, she just punched him in the eye." "Got 3 days of ISS, but it was WORTH IT!" Peni said. Her green eyes sparked, a strange red, fiery, fierce look appeared. She seemed glad she'd blackened Till's eye, and would do it again if given the chance. But there was something more... something unexplainable. It appeared to Ariel that this side was darker, a hidden piece of Peni, something- "Ariel? Are you listening?" Ariel snapped out of her conscience, immersed in... something, just moments ago. Unable to remember, she said, "No, sorry. What was it you said?" Copper replied, "I said we'll be going to Canterlot for two weeks next week, since that'll be Spring Break. Will you be coming?" "Oh, yeah, of course! It'll be good to go back for a while," Ariel said, nodding. "Go back where?" A young, tan-coated unicorn came up, his eye blackened recently. "Go back where?" Till repeated. "None of YOUR business, Till," Copper said. "And stop staring at my sister, before I blacken your other eye!" Till stopped staring at Ariel, slowly tearing his eyes from her curvy figure. It was then he noticed, after pulling away his gaze, that she was missing her wing. "And you'll do what, Half-Wing?" Till asked, "Let your brother, who isn't a whole colt himself, do everything for you?" At "Half-Wing," Coppers eyes burned furiously. Peni stuck out her hoof, and Ariel stepped in front of Peni. The look Ariel held wasn't anger; it wasn't fury; it wasn't even fear. It was determination. "Watch your language, young colt. You won't know who you're messing with," Ariel said, calm and almost monotone, "until you've pushed me beyond my limit." Till asked, "And what limit is that? Calling you stupid?" "Insulting my family." "Heh," Till said, and continued. "Well, first off, Peni is a fat, father-less looser. Mr. Legless over here has no life beyond his pity-marefriend, you have only one wing, you're short, you look stupid, and you're most likely a slut." Before Till could even react, he was down on the floor, blood pooling around his face as he screamed and yelled at Ariel, "You bitch! You fucking BITCH!" Several other students gathered around Till, and one helped him to his hooves. "You're going to regret that, Half-Wing..." Peni and Josie were speechless. Their jaws hung open, eyes wide and pupils dilated. Peni glanced back at Copper, to Ariel, then back to Copper. "Holy shit, Copper! Why didn't you tell me Ariel was a total bad ass?" "Didn't know it would be relevant." Peni said to Ariel, "Now I know not to piss you off!" Ariel laughed and poked Peni in the side. Spring Break finally started for Ponyville High School a little early, thanks to a half day. It was because of Teacher In-Services, and that was when Peni, Copper, Josie, and Ariel began to pack for the Canterlot trip. Till's parents, however, had another idea for Ariel. Since she'd broken his nose, he'd told the principal of Ponyville High, and she couldn't do anything about it other than call Till's parents and tell them what happened. They believed Ariel should be put in detention, but she wasn't even a student. "YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! You're a principal and you can't even put students in DETENTION?!" Mrs. Till was screaming, infuriated by the fact that the principal couldn't punish "students." "Mrs. Till," Principal Pyra said, "I can't punish this mare! She isn't an official student of this school-" "BULLSHIT! She wouldn't be in this school if she wasn't a student of the school!" "Look, ma'am, I've been more than patient with you, now just shut up and listen. Miss Ace here isn't a student, but her brother is, and he asked me if she could visit for the last day of school before Spring Break. Just to see what it would be like at a public school. Ariel, please tell your side of the story now that Mrs. Till has gone quiet." "Okay, well, Copper asked me if I wanted to meet his marefriend, Peni. Of course I wanted too, since I want her to be my sister in-law someday. Till comes up after Copper mentions heading back to Canterlot for Spring Break. He starts to stare at me in a really perverted way, and it isn't until Copper tells him to stop staring at me that he starts to insult me and my friends-" "That's a lie! My son would never do that to-" "MRS. TILL! Let her finish the story. Please continue, Ariel." "Thank you. Till started to insult me, calling me half-wing. I told him to watch his language, that if he insults my family he won't like it. Till then goes and calls Peni fat and fatherless, Copper her pity coltfriend, said I was stupid, short, and an s-l-u-t." "Okay. Well, Ariel, since you're heading to Canterlot, I'll let you go and-" Mrs. Till screamed at Principal Pyra, "WHAT?! She's been lying the WHOLE TIME, and you're just going to LET HER GO?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM! I could do a FAR BETTER JOB AS PRINCIPAL than you EVER COULD!" She continued to insult the principal as Ariel walked away. Mrs. Till's shouts were still loud and clear shortly after Ariel left the school. "Faust, that mare just won't give up!" "Ariel!" The voice made Ariel jump, since she'd been expecting a quiet walk home. Turning, she saw it was Peni who'd called out her name. "Ariel, I finished packing early, I wanted to walk home with you." "Oh, thanks Peni! I can't believe that mare though!" "Mrs. Till? Yeah, she's a total bitch. Tried to get me expelled for hitting Till in the eye." "Didn't you say you only got 3 days of ISS?" "Yeah. It was my first physical offense since I came to Ponyville High. You wouldn't believe how pissed I was at Till for making fun of my father like he did. Said he killed himself because of me! Little shithead kept at it until I punched him. Took me two weeks to build up the anger, but when it happened, I blacked out. I didn't see it, but I remember it. Weird." "Oh, wow... That's some psychological stuff right there. My father's just down in Canterlot, but we're staying away from him. Total ass. Did Copper tell you he was the reason he doesn't have a leg?" "Yeah, first time we met, actually. Though, when Copper said you guys lost your father, he made it seem like your father was dead." "Oh, no no. He's alive and well. Okay, so he's alive." Peni laughed. "His name's Tool Box, and he's not only an ass, but a drunkard as well. Makes it really hard to live with him." "Copper says part of the reason we're heading to Canterlot is to see your oldest brother, Jet Stream?" "Yeah, next week is his birthday, and Jet's gonna adopt Parchment from our dad." "Your other brother is named Parchment?" "Yeah, he's an amateur novelist. But he's best at poetry. He keeps saying, 'No, guys, poetry is for MARES!'" Ariel chuckled. "And I keep say-" Ariel snorted, trying to hold in laughter, "saying, 'Par-Parchment, th-" She snorted again, holding her wing over her mouth, "there were plenty of colts who wrote poetry.' And he asks who," another snort, and Peni's on the verge of falling to the sidewalk in a fit of giggles, "And I say- Okay, sorry, I can't finish!" Ariel burst into laughter, Peni merely laughing at the pegasus's reaction. "Why are you laughing?" Ariel asked in between fits of laughter. "Because you're laughing, Ariel!" Peni nearly shouted. "Oh, Copper, Canterlot gets prettier every time we visit!" Peni exclaimed. "I want to stop by Beauty's shop again, see what she's up to." "That's alright with me. It's nice to see her." Peni scrunched up her nose at Copper, and he laughed. "I'm not cheating on you with Beauty. She's dating Tree Trunk, remember?" "Oh that's right..." First Day Back"Come on, Josie, or we might be late!" "I'm coming, I'm coming! Gosh, you act like I've been here the whole school day." "No, you haven't, but you've wasted all of our morning free time!" "Really? Okay, I'm coming down. The blue and violet pegasus mare flew down from her cloud, having reshaped it into a barrel for practice. Her cutie mark, a barrel with a red lightning bolt made it impossible to guess her special talent. The blue earth pony mare that had been calling to her sat heavily, huffing. "You've done this almost every day now, let's just go ins-" RIIING! "Oh, pony-feathers! That's the 2 minute bell!" yelled the pegasus, Josie. She picked up the earth pony and soared through the school, not bothering to slow down at corners. Turning the final corner before their P.E. class- Wham! A clutter of books, pencils, notebooks, and new, unsharpened pencils rained down on the four ponies, all laying on the floor. Two colts, two mares. Two pegasi, one unicorn, one earth pony. The female pegasus laying on top of the unicorn. The male pegasus laying on top of the earth pony. "Oh, my Celestia, I'm so sorry! I should've slowed down-" "No, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention-" "No it's my fault, I'm just trying to get to class-" "Here, let me help you with your things-" "It's alright, I got them. Thanks anyway-" "Your welcome, um..." "Josie. My names Josie." The conversation just flowed out of Josie and the unicorn colt. But the pegasus colt just stared at the earth pony mare. She blushed as he pushed himself up, hurriedly grabbing the mares things and putting them in her bag. He reached for his own bag when the mare beat him to it, handing it to him. After quickly - and very stutter-y - the colt said, "T-t-thank you, u-u-u-um..." "P-Penned Hearts. B-But, you can just call m-me, Peni." "Okay," said Josie, "let's go, lover-mare, we gotta make it to P.E. class." "Come on, Copper, we've got to make it to science, I don't want a tardy on my first day." The white coated unicorn grabbed the pegasus colt, Copper, by the front leg and hurried him along as he mumbled, "Bye, Ms. Hearts..." "Thank the five alicorns we made it on time!" said Josie. "Okay, now, I saw how you were looking at that colt, Copper. Are you in LOOOOVEE?" Many of the other mares in that class heard Josie, and began to murmur amongst themselves. "No! I can't fall in love with a colt I just bashed into!" Peni replied hastily, adding, "I also hardly know him, and unless we end up sitting next to each other in one of my next classes this day, I'm waiting til he says 'Hi' first." A pink pegasus mare walked up and said, "Oh, suuuure, Peni, just like you waited until Explosion was dared to ask you out?" "Oh, shut the hay up, Flitter." "Bit on the defensive, are we, Ms. Hearts?" asked a navy blue unicorn mare wearing a Ponyville High sweater with her name etched on the back, 'Aqua Marina'. "Okay, last year you wouldn't even call me Penned, now you're calling me Ms. Hearts?" Peni asked Aqua. "Okay, class," shouted Coach McHayz, grabbing the small classes attention, "today, since it's just the first day back, let's get our legs warmed up for Fitness Week of Fall!" The entire class groaned in unison. "Okay, I was gonna do just three laps and then some hoofball games, but we can do laps all day..." Each colt nearly burst the mare's eardrums shouting, "HOOFBALL! HOOFBALL! HOOFBALL!" "Honestly," Peni whispered to Flitter, Josie, and Aqua, "I'd rather be doing volleyball practice, or, you know, almost ANYTHING ELSE." Flitter replied, "I hear you, sister. Trust me." "Okay, ladies, your locker room is right outside the door to the left. Gentlemen, yours is right outside the opposite door, to the right. Get dressed out, and come right back. We'll start with our three laps," said Coach McHayz, indicating to the east and west doors leading to separate hallways. "Wait, why do we get dressed out? We run around naked the rest of the time," said Josie. "I mean really..." She went on rambling like this for a short while. All Peni could think about was that colt... with his shiny, almost oily looking mane... his gorgeous silver eyes... and his amazing wings... RIIING! "Of COURSE! This always happened last year, with Coach Colburn! We'd start undressing and washing up, and then we wouldn't have time to finish!" Peni was on the verge of yelling, trying to gather her things and finish drying her mane at the same time. Glancing at her schedule for the day, Peni saw she had Chemistry 101 next hour. She knew the chemistry teacher NEVER gave tardies to ponies from first hour P.E., so she was lucky. "Thank Faust in the heavens!" she said to herself. After hoisting her school bag - one side an actual bag, the other a three-ring trapper with all her paper, notebooks, pens, and pencils in it - onto her back, she hurried out, wanting to make a good first impression on Mrs. Fizzover. Arriving just a few moments before the tardy bell, Peni heaved her trapper/saddlebag on the floor and saw on the board who she was sitting next to. Copper Wire. Oh my Faust, oh my Faust, oh my Faust, OH MY FAUST! Peni thought to herself. Josie will never let me live this down... Peni sat down at her seat, noticing the one next to her empty. Did he get sick and have to leave? Peni thought, just moments before Copper hobbled into the classroom, obviously having trouble with his bags. She got up to help him, and accidentally kicked his back left leg, which, to her surprise, left a resounding clang in the classroom. "Hm?" Peni somewhat said, glancing curiously at the colts leg. He's got a prosthetic leg? I didn't notice that before! "Thanks, uh, wasn't it Peni?" Copper asked, after hoisting his saddlebags onto the desk. Mrs. Fizzover walked into the class, saying, "Okay, okay, now class, I know you're all glad to be-" *Collective groan* "Well, I was going to say 'Freshcolts', since honestly, nopony wants to be back here. Let's just get this class over with, which gets us that much closer to the end of the day, which gets us closer to the end of the week, then closer to the end of the month, which get us closer to the end of the quarter, which gets us closer to the end of the simester, which gets us closer to the end of the school year. Then you'll be sophmares, then juniors, the seniors, then possible freshcolts in college. I'll be retiring with your graduating class, so don't worry." Wow, a teacher that realizes school is a prison! I'm gonna like Mrs. Fizzover. Peni thought to herself as she had us all go around introducing ourselves. When it got to Copper, he said, "Well, I'm Copper Wire, and I just moved here from Canterlot." All hope is lost. Peni thought. He's a rich city colt, so that's great. This really ho-hau-haw whu-what am I THINKING?! Holy Celestia, I'm FANTASIZING ABOUT HIM?! "Ms. Hearts?" asked Mrs. Fizzover. "My turn?" Peni replied with a question. "Okay. I'm Penned Hearts, but everyone knows me as Peni. Not much to tell about, uh, my family consists of my two brothers, one sister, my brother-in-law, and my mom." Mrs. Fizzover asked, "No father?" "No," Peni replied, "my father passed away two years ago, and my family's lived through it. Anyways, I've lived here in Ponyville for 11 years, since I was 6 and still a blank flank. But very soon after I moved here, I discovered my drawing talent, and I've been just drawing and drawing. I sometimes write, but it's not my strong point." "Thank you, Ms. Hearts. Next, Mr. Jam?" The next pony began his 'personality speech, while Copper just turned to Peni. "I'm really sorry about what happened to your dad," he said, and continued, "I lost my dad when I was 3, but he left us first. I was given to my mother, along with my sister, while my dad got our two brothers." "Oh, I'm sorry!" Peni said, sympathizing with Copper. She'd known what it was like for her father to leave, but not the way Coppers dad had left him. Peni's father had normally only left when he and her mother were arguing, just to cool off. Once he was arrested, but unfairly, since he had barely driven down the road, and a cop arrested him for drunk driving. Peni, her brother Controller, and her mother had to leave very early to bail out their father. "Do you ever get to see your dad?" "No, I decided to stay away from my father and his new wife, but I'm able to see my brothers, since my mom got weekend custody." Peni and Copper kept chatting throughout the class, only stopping when they needed to answer a question or write some notes. Peni found out he'd lost his leg in an accident caused by his father, and his sister was born without her left wing. When the bell rang, Peni and Josie met in the hall, and realized they both had seminar next hour, so they had an hour and a half to sit and talk. "So," Josie asked, "What's up in Chem. 101? You look like your itching to tell me something." Peni just burst. "Oh my Faust, Copper is AMAZING! He moved from Canterlot with his mom and sister, and he get's to see his brothers on weekends cause his mom got partial custody. And he lost his leg because his dad sliced it up and broke the bones too much they had to amputate it, and his mom made him a bunch of new ones, and he made the one he's wearing by himself..." She went on and on about the colt. From how he cared for his younger sister, Ariel Ace, when the court fights were going on to how compassionate he seems. When Peni finally finished, Josie said, "Well, looks like you two had a lot to talk about." RIIIING! WOOOOOOO!! The entire school let out a collective whoop as the day ended. Peni and Josie met up at the door, and went to leave, when- Wham! Saddlebags fell to the ground, this time nothing falling out. Copper and Peni sat on the floor, unintentionally blocking the doorway for the hurrying ponies. "Sorry guys!" "Didn't mean to!" Peni and Copper were talking at the same time. "Hey, Copper. Hey F-Frostbite..." Josie said, stuttering at the unicorn colt, Frostbite's, name. A gentle blush warmed her cheeks. Peni's cheeks were much redder, considering she was just one 'wrong' head turn away from accidentally kissing Copper. A teal magic aura lifted the two ponies on the floor outside with their bags. "Hey, Copper, do you and Frostbite want to come to my barrel racing competition this weekend? The tickets for my guests are free, so your brothers can come, Copper. Your sister too." "Yeah, sure! That sounds like fun. I've gotta go, my mom's here! See you, Frost, Peni, Josie!" Peni stared at Copper, astonished he'd actually said yes to Josie. Once he and Frostbite were gone, she said, "Well, you and Copper got aquainted when I wasn't in the class you shared." "Yeah," Josie said, "we had third and fourth hours together." Peni said hastily, "Lucky! I've only got one cl..." Peni realized she felt... jealous. She took off before Josie could tease her for the way she acted. Man, Peni thought, I can't believe Josie was right this morning... The Big DayRIIING! As the final bell rang, Peni and Josie met at the doors, literally jumping with excitement. Copper had stayed from school that day to meet with his brothers, who actually told their mother they were arriving there early, and tell them the great news. Before Peni could wave goodbye and head home, Josie grabbed her hoof and pulled her towards her mom, saying, "You're spending the night at my house. Asked my mom yesterday, she said yes, since we're going to the competition together." "Whoa, whoa! Okay, let me text my mom," Peni said back, fumbling with the phone in her saddlebag. A quick text: Mom, I'm spending the night at Josie's, be back home after the competition. Her mom texted back almost wildly fast: Toothbrush, hairbrush, coat? Reply: Extras all at Josies'. Text you again when we get there. "Okay, she knows now, LET'S GO!" Peni shouted, racing behind Josie as fast as her legs would carry her and her body would allow. Even with the short distance, Peni was panting at Josie's mom's car. "I hate being overweight..." she said between pants. Josie asked, obviously worried, "Are you OK? Faust, you lasted longer than that during Monday's laps." Peni held up a hoof, asking for a moment with the gesture. "Y... Yeah... I didn't... didn't have... control... of my bre... breathing... this time..." Peni replied, still panting, but taking deep breaths to sooth her rapidly beating heart. "Let's just go... I'm fine, you know that..." "Yeah," Josie said, continuing, "I know that, but that doesn't mean I can't be worried. Okay, let's go." Josie helped Peni into the car. "You can rest, it'll be a long ride." "Okay. I'm ready. I can do this," Josie encouraged herself, preparing to practice her cloud barrels against another contestant, since she knew the colt. She'd asked him if he wanted to practice with her, and he'd gleefully agreed. "On your marks!" Peni began the starting shouts. The pegasi moved to the marks on the clouds, made by one of their feathers. "Get SET!" They flared their wings, beating them slowly, then speeding them up to almost unrealistic speeds. "GO!" The pegasi took off, Josie inches behind, letting the colt, Wild Winds, race ahead. He seemed to get cocky, turning back to laugh, when a blue, purple, and golden blur sped past him. Looping three times for each barrel, then three times back, Josie won. That was her tactic, letting other ponies get cocky and underestimate her, then beat them to the punch and win. Wild Winds stared from where Josie had passed him, awestruck. Shaking his head and basically regaining consciousness, he said, "Well, J., I don't have to tell you you won. I'll see you at the big race tomorrow morning!" He went off, flying to Cloudsdale. "I did awful!" Josie exclaimed, thinking how much better she could've done. "I've gotta practice ALL NIGHT to get that right!" "NO! No, I won't let you! If you want to do ANYTHING at all, you need sleep!" Peni demanded. "What you can do, is practice RIGHT NOW, to some wing-ups, make yourself stronger and wear yourself out at the same time. That way, you'll get plenty of sleep when your done." Josie replied, "Can't really argue with that logic. Okay, I'll start with some wing-ups." Josie lay on the ground, then began pushing up her muscle-heavy body with only her wings. After doing as many wing-ups as she could, Josie stood at the starting line she painted on the ground, and took off. The wind she let off blew the seeds off a field of dandelions and a few leaves off a tree. But she wasn't satisfied. Stretching her wings, she did more wing-ups. "Josie, Peni! Come inside for a bit, dinner's done." "What is it, Mom? Dinner, I mean," Josie asked. "Lasagna with wheatball chunks," Josie's mom replied, then headed inside saying, "Don't be too much longer, Josie." Josie did about five more wing-ups, and flew past the tree again. A bunch more leaves flew off, but she gave in, and went inside to eat. Of course, after eating, she wanted to go back out and do more wing-ups. Peni counted, and when Josie told her to get on her back - "Or at least put a big rock on!" Josie'd demanded - Peni obliged. Placing a rock on Josie's back, Peni went back to watching and counting. The next time Josie flew past the tree, most of the leaves flew off, littering the green grass. "YES!" she shouted, jumping into the air. "Now, I've gotta make sure I can go past those cloud barrels without barreling into them." The two mares laughed at the pun, and Josie went up to the starting line cloud. "Ready? On your mark... Get set... GO!" Josie flew off, bits of cloud trailing her gold and violet streak. She reached the first cloud, and spiraled around it. The cloud's sides twirled like a spring, and only got tighter the second time Josie went around them. That time span between the first and second loops were a mere 2 seconds. And Josie was definitely satisfied. And exhausted. "Celestia, I've gotta sit down..." and she collapsed. Peni managed to catch her and lay her down just in time. "Okay, I'm gonna get your dad... stay there..." And Josie's dad carried her to the camper where the two teenage mares were sleeping. The beds were set up, and Josie's dad laid her down on the couch-bed. "Josie... Josie, wake up... Come on, you've gotta start getting ready..." "Huh? Whuh... Oh... Okay, I'm up..." Josie said, gently pushing her weight off the couch mattress. Peni told her, "I've laid your uniform out on the counter, away from the sink and stove top." The elastic uniform was made to cause the least increase of wind resistance, and the least amount of movement restraint. After having a cup of coffee, and eating a dandelion-toast sandwich, Josie was fully awake, pulling the uniform on. The colors were deep, ocean blue with white swirls. She looked like a sky at sunset, but without the deep violet of sunset. At the competition, all the colt pegasi from all over Equestria were warming up. Fancy, dressy colts from Manehatten and Haywaii, bulky colts from here in Cloudsdale, and thin, wiry colts from Califoalia. A mare was handing out numbers for the race, and Josie was number 6. Copper and Peni chatted in the arena seats, theirs having to be on the top row, the balloon section for earth ponies and unicorns. Copper decided to sit with Peni, so she wasn't alone in the basket. Josie's parents took their own balloon. And to make everything better, Josie was the only mare. "Did you see some of the other contestants? The thinner ones look pretty fast, since they have less body mass to carry. But the bulky ones have more body mass, so they could either have really strong wings or be really slow," Peni speculated. "But after what Josie did last night, I think she has a good chance of at least 3rd place, and of course at most 1st. She's doing wing-ups right now, she told me she would do as many as she could and rest, then do more and rest, so on and so forth." Copper replied, "Yeah, and one of the wiry ponies, number 17, has HUGE wings. He looked pretty fast. Oh, oh, it's starting!" Peni's teeth began to chatter. It was FREEZING in the balloon section! "Are you cold?" Copper asked. Peni could only nod now, her teeth chattering so fast. "Here, I'm made for colder weather, and I brought a coat." He laid the fleece-lined coat on Peni's shoulders, then hugged her close to keep her warm. Her face turned bright red, looking nearly violet under her blushing cheeks and nose. OhFaustohFaustohFaustohFaustohFaustohFaust! Peni thought, trying to keep her attention on the racers coming out at the mention of their names and numbers. "Number six, Josie!" shouted the announcer. This caused Copper to move his hooves and start clapping. Peni did the same, and cheered. "WOO! GO JOSIE! I BELIEVE IN YOU! NO MATTER IF YOU WIN OR NOT, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE THE FASTEST PEGASUS NEXT TO RAINBOW DASH!" Peni shouted. To her, there were no prizes or titles of 1st and 2nd places. There was only winners. Fast or slow, heavy or thin, or right in between. Once all the racers were in their respective locations, the cloud barrels were put into place. A humongous colt looked at Josie and laughed. "Shouldn't you be in the kitchen, little mare?" The other colts laughed. You won't be laughing too much longer, Peni thought as she cheered away. "Ready? On your marks!" The ponies moved to the checkered strip laid down on the cloud. "GET SET!" Wings flared, and beat rapidly at the air. "GO!!" The pegasi took off, Josie doing her usual 'lag behind then take them by surprise' tactic. Several of the colts turned to look, but only saw a fading trail of blue, gold, and violet. Peni couldn't even see Josie, only a rounded trail tip. The clouds swirled into ice cream shapes, and before everyone could even put up the winners tape, Josie was across the checkered line. The line itself was to be split as the winners tape, so Josie tilted and used the tip of her feather to break it. "OH MY CELESTIA! JOSIE YOU WON!" Peni jumped up and down, hugging Copper. He flew out of the basket and started to pull it down, doing so slowly. The rest of the racers had either stopped or crossed the line already, so Copper and Peni were allowed to go to the finish line. Once there, Josie and Copper picked up Peni in a group hug, and cheered together. After the competition, Josie's parents used a small amount of Josies' winning money to buy milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner. As it got dark, Peni, Josie, and Copper started walking to Peni's house to drop her off. "Copper," Peni said, "Thanks for coming with us. I'm glad I got to spend some time with you. Oh, and here's your coat back, Copper." Peni handed the coat back to the colt. "My house is just over here, thanks guys." Peni hugged Josie and Copper, hesitated for a few moments, then... Kissed - or more liked pecked - Copper on the cheek, and took off running, her face beet red. Josie gasped, and Copper just stared, eyes wide and cheeks red. Copper touched his cheek, and just said, "Oh, my Faust... She feels the same way..." Running through a Short WeekTuesday; Accompanied by: Exhaustion, Wanting to leave Peni: Aaugh... Just... let's end this week. Josie: Come on, Friday... Come on, Friday... Copper: I forgot to tell Ariel about the barrel races! I've gotta write that on my hoof... Wednesday; Accompanies by: Wanting to end the day, Excitement for the upcoming weekend Peni: Not much longer... Should I just wear the hat J. gave me last week..? Maybe take a jacket, in case it's-no, Copper might, and then he'll romantically drape it over my shoulders... aahhh... Josie: *watching the clock* Friday... Friday... Friday... Copper: I'm gonna take a jacket, just in case. I may not need it, but if Peni does, I'll give it to her. It'll seem so sweet... Thursday; Accompanied by: Excitement, Stories of what the weekend will hold for each pony Peni: Come on... Uugh, this is just taking too long for me! I hate feeling impatient... Josie: *once more watching the clock* Come on, baby, come on, baby- AAGH! This clock's too slow! Copper: Ooh, I'm so excited! I'll get to hang out with the five ponies closest to me! FRIDAY!! All three ponies, at the end of the day: YES! FINALLY!
The QuestionIt's been two weeks since the cloud barrel competition - and the kiss. Peni had a hard time trying to talk to Copper after that, she'd normally just blush and look away. Even when she'd try to talk to him, Copper would do the same. After the first few days, Copper asked Peni if she'd be his marefriend, and she'd quickly said yes, almost too quickly. A quick hug, and they walked the rest of the way down the hall hoof in hoof. After the two weeks, the Grand Galloping Gala was coming, and Peni seemed depressed. "What's the matter, Pen?" Copper asked one day. Peni replied, "I can't afford tickets to the Gala, and I want to go so badly!" Copper bit his lip, but only for a second. Peni was looking away, so she didn't notice. After the kiss, Copper had went straight to Rarity Belle, owner of the Carousel Boutique. The memory flashed into his mind: The twinkle of the doorbell sounded as Copper walked into the boutique. A dragon sat in the front room, almost too big for the huge room. A beautiful, white unicorn mare stood inside the room, looking over a finished outfit studded with jewels. Obviously, the dragon had been talking, his deep voice canceling out the sound of the doorbell. Rarity first noticed Copper in a reflection of one of the sapphires. She said, "Oh, I'm sorry sir, may I help you?" Copper replied, "Yes, Mrs. Rarity. I only have a question for now. About how long would it take for you to create a simple dress and a suit?" "Why do you ask, darling?" Rarity gasped, then said, "Is it for a special somepony? Who is it you're going to the Gala with?" Copper was confused. "How did you know I was going to the Gala with my special somepony?" The dragon, Spike, replied, "It's her mare's intuition. She just knows, is all." "Well," said Copper, "I need to know because, yes, I'm taking my special somepony to the Gala, and I want to surprise her with the tickets. I just need to know how soon I should ask her so she can come to you and you can design the dress. With my suit, I just want it simple, a dark blue suit with a light blue tie." "All right, your suit can be done within just a day or so, and the dress, depending on the simplicity of it, will take three to ten days." Copper said, happily, "Thank you, Mrs. Rarity. I'll be by three days before I leave for Canterlot to get to the Gala to pick up my suit." "You're welcome, darling! And the dress and suit will be half price, since you'll be almost broke after getting the tickets!" Rarity said. With a two weeks left before the Gala, Copper would need to tell Peni very soon. And he decided now would be the perfect time. "Peni, how about we go to Sugarcube Corner for lunch? Josie can come, and Frostbite, too. How about it?" Peni replied, "Yeah, I guess. It's better than hearing all the stories everypony has to tell about their gala dress or how they got the tickets." At lunch, Peni, Josie, Copper, and Frostbite took off towards Sugarcube Corner. As Peni contemplated what to get, Copper made sure he had the two golden tickets in his saddlebag. There they were, gleaming beautifully in the sunlight. Of course, Copper had eaten before this. He wouldn't have enough bits to pay for the suit and dress if he bought something for himself and Peni. Once the four ponies finally made it to the little sweets shop, Copper checked one last time that the tickets were there. And like last time, they gleamed in the light. Josie noticed, and said, "I'll wait out here for just a moment, be right in." She then set her hoof against Copper's chest, saying, "Okay, what were those? What are you planning?" The colt sighed, and gave in. "They're... Gala tickets. For me and Peni." Copper quickly added, "I haven't told her yet!" upon seeing Josie's look of surprise and joy. "Oh my Celestia! Copper, she'll be SO GRATEFUL! I can't wait to see her face when you show her!" Josie exclaimed, her wings beating rapidly in her adrenaline rush. "So you'll be telling her today?" "Yes, and I've already set an order for a dress and suit. No specifics for the dress though, that's Peni's and I don't want to decide for her," Copper told Josie. "Well," Josie said, flying behind Copper and starting to push him towards the door, "what're you waiting for?" She stopped pushing him so it wasn't obvious something had happened. Josie followed behind moments later, after having a little moment of squee. "I'll be paying for your order, Peni. And, I've got, uh... I've got something to ask you." Copper sat on the floor, and dug into his saddlebag. Upon pulling out the two golden tickets, he said, "Penned Hearts, will you be my date to the Grand Galloping Gala?" Peni's hooves instantly flew to her mouth. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she tearfully said, "Yes... Yes, Copper Wire, YES I WILL!" She embraced him as the ponies in the sweets shop clapped for the sweet couple. Peni gasped, "Oh! I've got to go put in an order for a dress with Rarity!" Peni raced out the door, her mane and tail flying behind her. Copper quickly took out his cellphone and called the boutique. "Is this the Carousel Boutique? Yes, Mr. Spike. My marefriend is coming to order her dress. Who am I? I'm the colt that came in two weeks ago, pre-ordering my suit and letting you two know about my plan. Yes, that's me! My marefriend will be there shortly to start the order. Please don't tell her I ordered a dress for her, that I only ordered my suit specifically. Okay, thanks." And he hung up. Frostbite asked, "You already ordered her dress?" "Well," Copper replied, "not completely. Just that I knew she would go for a dress, and I pre-ordered her dress, without a description. I wanted THAT to be up to her." "My good colt, you are a MASTER of planning," said Josie. As I ran to the boutique, a dress began forming in my mind. A complicated dress? No. Simple, of course. Hmm, a light yellow top... a sparkly blue bottom... No, a light green top... white collar... A belt separating the two different colored halves... Shoes? No... A choker! A black choker with an emerald in the middle, and the top will be yellow. I got it! I entered Carousel Boutique, out of breath. Mrs. Rarity sat in the middle of her display room. She was adjusting a light blue tie on a deep blue tux. "Hmm? May I help you?" Rarity asked. "Yes... please..." I said, in between breaths. "I need to order a dress. For the Gala." "Okay," said Rarity, pulling out parchment with a pony mannequin already drawn on. "How would you like that designed?" I said, "A light yellow top, about the color of Fluttershy's coat, with a white collar and a sparkly blue skirt. At the seam of the two parts of the dress, a belt. And to top it all off, a thick choker with an emerald in the middle." After Rarity drew the design, she asked me to look. It seemed to... complex. "Maybe... a little simpler. Cut back on the frilled sleeves, the shoes, and the height of the skirt." After adjusting the design to an almost Rarity-repulsing design, I said, "Just like that!" "You know," Rarity said, "without all the sparkles and the gem choker, I would just get you Twilight's old birthday dress and modify that." She took the design and pinned it to her "Current Dress Design to Make" board. "Come back in about a week, and your dress will be ready." "Thank you, Rarity! I'm so glad you could do it," I said, and left. After a week of waiting, Peni returned to Carousel Boutique to pick up her dress. The blue suit had gone, but the gorgeous dress of hers stood off to the side. "Ah!" Rarity said. "You've come for your dress, I presume?" "Yep!" Peni said. "I can see it's done." Rarity said, with a hint of 'I know something you don't' in her voice, "Your dress has been payed for by an anonymous pony." And with a hint of 'How can that be?' in her voice, "You know, while I was waiting for you to come pick up your dress, which I finished yesterday, I got asked several times by my customers if they could PURCHASE the dress! It appears simple designs are all the rage nowadays." "Thank you, Mrs. Rarity! And tell whoever payed for my dress that I said... thank you..." Peni's voice faded as she realized who'd payed. Peni hurried to Copper's house to ask him how long he'd planned this out. Once she got there, Peni pounded on the door, demanding to be let in. Copper opened the door, and upon instant, Peni asked, "How long did you plan the Gala surprise?" "Oh! Well, I knew you'd ask at some point. I've been planning this for almost a month now. I needed a lot of time to earn money for the tickets. I started by buying one just for you, but then my father FINALLY paid his foal support, and I got enough to pay for mine." "Just so you know..." Peni began, a face of resent and anger quickly fading to happiness and... Lust. "I love that, so much." And she kissed Copper full on the lips. "Oh my Faust, Copper! This place it BEAUTIFUL!" Peni and Copper had just arrived at Canterlot, the day before the Grand Galloping Gala. Peni wanted an extra day so she could go sight-seeing and meet new ponies. "Okay, first let's go to the gem shop, where Rarity told us to g-" Peni's sentence was cut off as she bumped into a gorgeous unicorn mare. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss-Miss-Missus de Lis! I am SO sorry!" "Oh, it's alright, young mare. I wasn't hurt, and I hope you weren't," Fleur de Lis said, and continued, "I'll be on my way. And if you need help finding the gem shop, Gifts from the Hearth, it's just around the corner to the left." Copper replied, "Well, thank you so much, Mrs. de Lis. I do hope we end up meeting again. Perhaps at the Gala tomorrow?" "Oh, I do wish we do!" Fleur said excitedly, and left with a "Farewell, new friends!" Peni said happily, "Well, that was certainly a treat! Now, let's go see Rarity's daughter at the gem shop." Copper and Peni went off in the direction Fleur de Lis told them. Once they arrived at the gem shop, Gifts from the Hearth, a young mare walked up to them. She looked younger than Copper, but definitely larger, and had strange horns growing out of her head, right on the backside of her ears. Her mane was short and incredibly curly, and she bore claws on all four of her hooves. And sweeping from side to side behind her was a violet tail, the brunette curls on the end glimmering in the hearth fire. "Hello, strangers! My name is Beauty Gem, how may I help you?" asked the violet mare. The freckles on her cheeks danced as she talked. To Copper, she was one of the most beautiful and strange mares he'd ever seen. But to Peni, she was a familiar face. "Beauty," Peni said, her eyes wide with recognition, "it's me, Penned Hearts, from elementary school!" Beauty's eyes opened wide with the memories flashing back into her mind. "Peni? Oh my Celestia, it's been so long! How are you?" Beauty exclaimed as the two mares embraced each other in a hug. It was then that Copper also noticed the objects fanning out around Beauty's middle. "Are those dragon wings?" he asked, indicating to Beauty's wings. The dragon-pony nodded, quickly explaining that because of her mother's slightly extended life and her father being a dragon, she'd managed to be one of the two foals of Rarity and Spike. Her twin brother, Beast Claws, was living temporarily in Manehattan looking for a job suitable for somepony his size. "So far, Beast hasn't been able to find a job. He would look in Cloudsdale, but he's part dragon, so he can't manipulate or walk on clouds. He should be able to find one sooner or later. But I'd told him to look for a job in the traveling business, his wings and legs being rather strong so he'd be able to get along pretty fast." "Tactical. Anyway, we came by because your mom said we should come and visit since we're going to the Gala tomorrow," Peni said. Beauty gasped, then noticed the choker on Peni's neck. "Will you be wearing that to the Gala?" She pointed at the emerald in the middle, and continued. "Even if you aren't, I'll go ahead and polish it for you, it seems a bit dull." Peni removed the emerald and handed it to Beauty, saying, "Yeah, thanks! How soon should I pick it up tomorrow?" "No, no, I'll just bring it to your apartment. Me and you can cartpool to the Gala while Copper and my date, Record Player, head out in their own cartpool." "Okay, Beauty. Thanks again, we'll stop by before we leave Canterlot to say goodbye." Beauty said, "All righty, then, see you Peni, bye Copper!" Once the two were outside, Copper said, "You never told me about Beauty. You said you met in elementary school?" Peni nodded. "So, you couldn't have told me before?" Peni shook her head, and laughed. "She was one of the few ponies that was different in my class. Everypony but me, Spirals, Aqua, Flitter, Josie, and Pom absolutely HATED her. That is, until Spike came to talk with the teacher. That was when he started to get HUGE." Peni's stomach grumbled, and she giggled. "We should look for a place to eat real quick." Copper opened a map and said, "Here's a new restaurant called Twilight Sweets, run by a mare names Sugar Belle. We could stop there, what do you think?" "Sure, let's go there! I heard she's the second best baker in all of Equestria, only behind Pinkie Pie and the Cakes." "Ooh, I'm so excited!" Peni stood in her room, ready in the new dress Rarity made her. Beauty was standing behind her, working on her mane. The emerald in Peni's choker gleamed, amplifying the deep green in her eyes. "I can understand that, Peni, it's your first time ever going to the Gala, and it's also your first date with Copper!" Beauty pointed out, finally finishing Peni's mane with a spritz of manespray. "Oh, my Celestia, you're right! I didn't consider that!" Beauty's outfit was gorgeous, a light red color, with deep blue at the skirt's edge. In front of her right horn was a deep red bow. She was stunning, and Peni knew there would be more than one colt attempting to court her tonight. "I'm all finished, Peni. You look gorgeous! Copper's never going to leave your side. He might even give you a kiss!" Beauty said, and made kissy faces at the air. Peni giggled and pushed her shoulder. Peni said, clearly ready to go, "Okay, let's head out to the carriage. I wanna be there before Copper." The two mares went out to the carriage, getting quite a few stares before they got there. Spirals had ordered the carriage, and asked Wicker to drive. Peni was a great friend of Wicker, the wyvern, so Wic had gladly agreed. She gently flicked the reigns to get the two colts pulling the carriage moving. It bumped along the road, heading towards the enormous castle in the center of Canterlot. Once they arrived, Peni saw out the window that Copper was already at the castle, waiting for them. Once he saw Wicker, he straightened up, knowing Peni was in the carriage. Wicker opened the carriage door, and Beauty stepped out first. Copper bowed his head in greeting, and raised it just in time to see Peni step out. Coppers eyes widened at the sight of her. Peni's mane was curled gently at the front, and the back was pulled into a partial ponytail. Light green eyeshadow outlined her eyes. The emerald gleamed and amplified Peni's eyes. And the dress was stunning. The light blue skirt lit with sparkles brightened up her coat, and the light yellow top brightened her mane. And the belt and collar simplified the entire outfit. Peni giggled as she noticed Copper's beet red face. Copper was stunning, in his own way. The dark blue suit Peni had seen when she ordered her dress deeply contrasted Coppers red-orange coat. A white rose was tucked into the coat pocket, making his eyes seem darker than usual, and his normally lengthy bangs were trimmed short and still glowed with his recent shower. Peni felt her cheeks heat up, and Copper reached out his hoof. They walked towards the castle, Peni's leg crooked inside Coppers. "Now, milady, shall we go inside?" Copper said at the castle doors, pulling one of them open. Peni walked inside, exclaiming at it's beauty. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, and Spirals stood at the top of a large set of stairs, shaking hooves with the guests. When Peni and Copper got to the four alicorns, Spirals said, "Peni! Copper! Welcome! I didn't know if you'd be able to make it, how are you? Was Wicker a good host?" "Yeah, Spirals. Oh, and guess who I came with?" Peni said. "Copper? Isn't that obvious?" "No, it's another pony, one we've known since elementary school. She's not the most normal of ponies..." Spirals noticed the mare Peni was talking about, and gasped. "Beauty! I didn't know you were coming!" Peni said, "I'm going to go dancing with Copper, if that's alright with you guys. Come on, Copper. Real quick, RD, isn't your sister playing here tonight?" RD, Record Player, replied, "Yeah, I forgot she said she would be playing with Mom Tavi and her sister." Peni thanked him, and went off with Copper towards the dance floor. After a long while of dancing, Peni decided she'd needed fresh air, and Copper escorted her outside towards the garden. Once they're outside, Copper pointed out the beauty of the garden. Peni knew he was being subtle about how she looked, and Peni said, "Yeah, and the night is just as pretty. You know, Princess Luna believed nopony liked her night, but I find it absolutely gorgeous. But I can't spend too much time outside by myself, it gets too creepy. But that's just because I'm paranoid." Copper said, rubbing the back of his neck, "You know, I'm glad you said yes to coming with me, and also to be my marefriend. Otherwise I'd probably take your brother." "Yeah, you two made the cutest couple before we came here," Peni said, laughing. Copper and Peni laughed heartily. Peni slightly opened her eyes, and gazed at Copper. She closed her eyes, and... The two ponies kissed passionately. Peni wrapped her hooves around Copper's head, curling them into his mane. Copper hugged Peni's body towards him, kissing her harder. The two wouldn't have split if they could, but they needed to breath. "I love you, Penned Hearts." "I love you more, Copper Wire."
The First Problems"How's it been going with Copper?" "Just like always, he's never been difficult, and we've never had a reason to argue." "That's pretty goo- wait. Who... in Equestria... is THAT?" A mare walked forwards, a vest and set of saddlebags hiding the fact that she's either a pegasus or not. She had a combed back dark gray mane, curling thickly at the ends. Her coat was a deep blue color, and her eyes were a soft silvery gray. Copper walked right along beside her, laughing at what Peni guessed was a pretty funny joke. He walked up to her and said, "Hey, my little Penned Hearts. I'd li-" "I know you're going to say, 'I'd like you to meet so-and-so. She's my cousin or something,'" Peni said exasperatedly, stomping her hoof. "Look, I don't know if you're cheating on me, or trying to test my loyalty towards you. I don't suggest it. I hardly enjoy breakups." "No, no, it's not a test and I'm not cheating. This is my sister, Ariel Ace. And, I can prove it." The mare lifted her bags and vest, to show- A single wing. Only one, and nothing more. The one wing was glimmering in several different colors, that changed each time the light hit them. The other was a stump, no scars or anything to show an accident. Peni remembered what Copper had said about his sister's birth, and how she'd been born without one of her wings. "Oh! Okay, now-now, now I understand. Hello Ariel, it's nice to finally officially meet you!" Peni said, holding out her hoof. Ariel took it and nodded. "I've heard so much about you, Peni! Copper talks about you all the time and-" Copper cut Ariel off quickly with a soft bump in the shoulder. Ariel read the look in his eyes and said, "Ooh! Oh, I didn't... You... Okay." A crease formed between Peni's eyebrows. Josie cut the awkward silence with a "Haha, now let's stop the silent sibling talks, shall we?" "Sorry, didn't intend on it. Anyways, she'll be going to school with me today, just to see what public school's like," Copper said, messing Ariel's mane. "She's normally home-schooled, and she's wearing the vest to hide her missing wing. Mom doesn't want her to get bullied, since she knows about what happens here. Especially with you and Till." "Yeah... I really pissed him off when he first got back," Peni said, and continued, "He saw how much weight I lost, so he couldn't call me fat, and he saw me with you, Copper, and just flipped out. Since then he couldn't call me a lonely loser." Josie said, "And a couple days later he found something he could make fun of you about, and you ripped him a new one! That was amazing, and his eye is STILL black!" "What?!" Ariel seemed almost mortified, as if she'd never heard of the stuff that happened at school. Copper replied, "Yeah! This colt Till was making fun of Peni because she lost her father a few years back-" Ariel interrupted with a sad "Aww, I'm sorry," and Copper continued, "Yeah, it was bad. But he was making fun of her one day, and she got so pissed, she just punched him in the eye." "Got 3 days of ISS, but it was WORTH IT!" Peni said. Her green eyes sparked, a strange red, fiery, fierce look appeared. She seemed glad she'd blackened Till's eye, and would do it again if given the chance. But there was something more... something unexplainable. It appeared to Ariel that this side was darker, a hidden piece of Peni, something- "Ariel? Are you listening?" Ariel snapped out of her conscience, immersed in... something, just moments ago. Unable to remember, she said, "No, sorry. What was it you said?" Copper replied, "I said we'll be going to Canterlot for two weeks next week, since that'll be Spring Break. Will you be coming?" "Oh, yeah, of course! It'll be good to go back for a while," Ariel said, nodding. "Go back where?" A young, tan-coated unicorn came up, his eye blackened recently. "Go back where?" Till repeated. "None of YOUR business, Till," Copper said. "And stop staring at my sister, before I blacken your other eye!" Till stopped staring at Ariel, slowly tearing his eyes from her curvy figure. It was then he noticed, after pulling away his gaze, that she was missing her wing. "And you'll do what, Half-Wing?" Till asked, "Let your brother, who isn't a whole colt himself, do everything for you?" At "Half-Wing," Coppers eyes burned furiously. Peni stuck out her hoof, and Ariel stepped in front of Peni. The look Ariel held wasn't anger; it wasn't fury; it wasn't even fear. It was determination. "Watch your language, young colt. You won't know who you're messing with," Ariel said, calm and almost monotone, "until you've pushed me beyond my limit." Till asked, "And what limit is that? Calling you stupid?" "Insulting my family." "Heh," Till said, and continued. "Well, first off, Peni is a fat, father-less looser. Mr. Legless over here has no life beyond his pity-marefriend, you have only one wing, you're short, you look stupid, and you're most likely a slut." Before Till could even react, he was down on the floor, blood pooling around his face as he screamed and yelled at Ariel, "You bitch! You fucking BITCH!" Several other students gathered around Till, and one helped him to his hooves. "You're going to regret that, Half-Wing..." Peni and Josie were speechless. Their jaws hung open, eyes wide and pupils dilated. Peni glanced back at Copper, to Ariel, then back to Copper. "Holy shit, Copper! Why didn't you tell me Ariel was a total bad ass?" "Didn't know it would be relevant." Peni said to Ariel, "Now I know not to piss you off!" Ariel laughed and poked Peni in the side. Spring Break finally started for Ponyville High School a little early, thanks to a half day. It was because of Teacher In-Services, and that was when Peni, Copper, Josie, and Ariel began to pack for the Canterlot trip. Till's parents, however, had another idea for Ariel. Since she'd broken his nose, he'd told the principal of Ponyville High, and she couldn't do anything about it other than call Till's parents and tell them what happened. They believed Ariel should be put in detention, but she wasn't even a student. "YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! You're a principal and you can't even put students in DETENTION?!" Mrs. Till was screaming, infuriated by the fact that the principal couldn't punish "students." "Mrs. Till," Principal Pyra said, "I can't punish this mare! She isn't an official student of this school-" "BULLSHIT! She wouldn't be in this school if she wasn't a student of the school!" "Look, ma'am, I've been more than patient with you, now just shut up and listen. Miss Ace here isn't a student, but her brother is, and he asked me if she could visit for the last day of school before Spring Break. Just to see what it would be like at a public school. Ariel, please tell your side of the story now that Mrs. Till has gone quiet." "Okay, well, Copper asked me if I wanted to meet his marefriend, Peni. Of course I wanted too, since I want her to be my sister in-law someday. Till comes up after Copper mentions heading back to Canterlot for Spring Break. He starts to stare at me in a really perverted way, and it isn't until Copper tells him to stop staring at me that he starts to insult me and my friends-" "That's a lie! My son would never do that to-" "MRS. TILL! Let her finish the story. Please continue, Ariel." "Thank you. Till started to insult me, calling me half-wing. I told him to watch his language, that if he insults my family he won't like it. Till then goes and calls Peni fat and fatherless, Copper her pity coltfriend, said I was stupid, short, and an s-l-u-t." "Okay. Well, Ariel, since you're heading to Canterlot, I'll let you go and-" Mrs. Till screamed at Principal Pyra, "WHAT?! She's been lying the WHOLE TIME, and you're just going to LET HER GO?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM! I could do a FAR BETTER JOB AS PRINCIPAL than you EVER COULD!" She continued to insult the principal as Ariel walked away. Mrs. Till's shouts were still loud and clear shortly after Ariel left the school. "Faust, that mare just won't give up!" "Ariel!" The voice made Ariel jump, since she'd been expecting a quiet walk home. Turning, she saw it was Peni who'd called out her name. "Ariel, I finished packing early, I wanted to walk home with you." "Oh, thanks Peni! I can't believe that mare though!" "Mrs. Till? Yeah, she's a total bitch. Tried to get me expelled for hitting Till in the eye." "Didn't you say you only got 3 days of ISS?" "Yeah. It was my first physical offense since I came to Ponyville High. You wouldn't believe how pissed I was at Till for making fun of my father like he did. Said he killed himself because of me! Little shithead kept at it until I punched him. Took me two weeks to build up the anger, but when it happened, I blacked out. I didn't see it, but I remember it. Weird." "Oh, wow... That's some psychological stuff right there. My father's just down in Canterlot, but we're staying away from him. Total ass. Did Copper tell you he was the reason he doesn't have a leg?" "Yeah, first time we met, actually. Though, when Copper said you guys lost your father, he made it seem like your father was dead." "Oh, no no. He's alive and well. Okay, so he's alive." Peni laughed. "His name's Tool Box, and he's not only an ass, but a drunkard as well. Makes it really hard to live with him." "Copper says part of the reason we're heading to Canterlot is to see your oldest brother, Jet Stream?" "Yeah, next week is his birthday, and Jet's gonna adopt Parchment from our dad." "Your other brother is named Parchment?" "Yeah, he's an amateur novelist. But he's best at poetry. He keeps saying, 'No, guys, poetry is for MARES!'" Ariel chuckled. "And I keep say-" Ariel snorted, trying to hold in laughter, "saying, 'Par-Parchment, th-" She snorted again, holding her wing over her mouth, "there were plenty of colts who wrote poetry.' And he asks who," another snort, and Peni's on the verge of falling to the sidewalk in a fit of giggles, "And I say- Okay, sorry, I can't finish!" Ariel burst into laughter, Peni merely laughing at the pegasus's reaction. "Why are you laughing?" Ariel asked in between fits of laughter. "Because you're laughing, Ariel!" Peni nearly shouted. "Oh, Copper, Canterlot gets prettier every time we visit!" Peni exclaimed. "I want to stop by Beauty's shop again, see what she's up to." "That's alright with me. It's nice to see her." Peni scrunched up her nose at Copper, and he laughed. "I'm not cheating on you with Beauty. She's dating Tree Trunk, remember?" "Oh that's right..."
First Day Back"Come on, Josie, or we might be late!" "I'm coming, I'm coming! Gosh, you act like I've been here the whole school day." "No, you haven't, but you've wasted all of our morning free time!" "Really? Okay, I'm coming down. The blue and violet pegasus mare flew down from her cloud, having reshaped it into a barrel for practice. Her cutie mark, a barrel with a red lightning bolt made it impossible to guess her special talent. The blue earth pony mare that had been calling to her sat heavily, huffing. "You've done this almost every day now, let's just go ins-" RIIING! "Oh, pony-feathers! That's the 2 minute bell!" yelled the pegasus, Josie. She picked up the earth pony and soared through the school, not bothering to slow down at corners. Turning the final corner before their P.E. class- Wham! A clutter of books, pencils, notebooks, and new, unsharpened pencils rained down on the four ponies, all laying on the floor. Two colts, two mares. Two pegasi, one unicorn, one earth pony. The female pegasus laying on top of the unicorn. The male pegasus laying on top of the earth pony. "Oh, my Celestia, I'm so sorry! I should've slowed down-" "No, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention-" "No it's my fault, I'm just trying to get to class-" "Here, let me help you with your things-" "It's alright, I got them. Thanks anyway-" "Your welcome, um..." "Josie. My names Josie." The conversation just flowed out of Josie and the unicorn colt. But the pegasus colt just stared at the earth pony mare. She blushed as he pushed himself up, hurriedly grabbing the mares things and putting them in her bag. He reached for his own bag when the mare beat him to it, handing it to him. After quickly - and very stutter-y - the colt said, "T-t-thank you, u-u-u-um..." "P-Penned Hearts. B-But, you can just call m-me, Peni." "Okay," said Josie, "let's go, lover-mare, we gotta make it to P.E. class." "Come on, Copper, we've got to make it to science, I don't want a tardy on my first day." The white coated unicorn grabbed the pegasus colt, Copper, by the front leg and hurried him along as he mumbled, "Bye, Ms. Hearts..." "Thank the five alicorns we made it on time!" said Josie. "Okay, now, I saw how you were looking at that colt, Copper. Are you in LOOOOVEE?" Many of the other mares in that class heard Josie, and began to murmur amongst themselves. "No! I can't fall in love with a colt I just bashed into!" Peni replied hastily, adding, "I also hardly know him, and unless we end up sitting next to each other in one of my next classes this day, I'm waiting til he says 'Hi' first." A pink pegasus mare walked up and said, "Oh, suuuure, Peni, just like you waited until Explosion was dared to ask you out?" "Oh, shut the hay up, Flitter." "Bit on the defensive, are we, Ms. Hearts?" asked a navy blue unicorn mare wearing a Ponyville High sweater with her name etched on the back, 'Aqua Marina'. "Okay, last year you wouldn't even call me Penned, now you're calling me Ms. Hearts?" Peni asked Aqua. "Okay, class," shouted Coach McHayz, grabbing the small classes attention, "today, since it's just the first day back, let's get our legs warmed up for Fitness Week of Fall!" The entire class groaned in unison. "Okay, I was gonna do just three laps and then some hoofball games, but we can do laps all day..." Each colt nearly burst the mare's eardrums shouting, "HOOFBALL! HOOFBALL! HOOFBALL!" "Honestly," Peni whispered to Flitter, Josie, and Aqua, "I'd rather be doing volleyball practice, or, you know, almost ANYTHING ELSE." Flitter replied, "I hear you, sister. Trust me." "Okay, ladies, your locker room is right outside the door to the left. Gentlemen, yours is right outside the opposite door, to the right. Get dressed out, and come right back. We'll start with our three laps," said Coach McHayz, indicating to the east and west doors leading to separate hallways. "Wait, why do we get dressed out? We run around naked the rest of the time," said Josie. "I mean really..." She went on rambling like this for a short while. All Peni could think about was that colt... with his shiny, almost oily looking mane... his gorgeous silver eyes... and his amazing wings... RIIING! "Of COURSE! This always happened last year, with Coach Colburn! We'd start undressing and washing up, and then we wouldn't have time to finish!" Peni was on the verge of yelling, trying to gather her things and finish drying her mane at the same time. Glancing at her schedule for the day, Peni saw she had Chemistry 101 next hour. She knew the chemistry teacher NEVER gave tardies to ponies from first hour P.E., so she was lucky. "Thank Faust in the heavens!" she said to herself. After hoisting her school bag - one side an actual bag, the other a three-ring trapper with all her paper, notebooks, pens, and pencils in it - onto her back, she hurried out, wanting to make a good first impression on Mrs. Fizzover. Arriving just a few moments before the tardy bell, Peni heaved her trapper/saddlebag on the floor and saw on the board who she was sitting next to. Copper Wire. Oh my Faust, oh my Faust, oh my Faust, OH MY FAUST! Peni thought to herself. Josie will never let me live this down... Peni sat down at her seat, noticing the one next to her empty. Did he get sick and have to leave? Peni thought, just moments before Copper hobbled into the classroom, obviously having trouble with his bags. She got up to help him, and accidentally kicked his back left leg, which, to her surprise, left a resounding clang in the classroom. "Hm?" Peni somewhat said, glancing curiously at the colts leg. He's got a prosthetic leg? I didn't notice that before! "Thanks, uh, wasn't it Peni?" Copper asked, after hoisting his saddlebags onto the desk. Mrs. Fizzover walked into the class, saying, "Okay, okay, now class, I know you're all glad to be-" *Collective groan* "Well, I was going to say 'Freshcolts', since honestly, nopony wants to be back here. Let's just get this class over with, which gets us that much closer to the end of the day, which gets us closer to the end of the week, then closer to the end of the month, which get us closer to the end of the quarter, which gets us closer to the end of the simester, which gets us closer to the end of the school year. Then you'll be sophmares, then juniors, the seniors, then possible freshcolts in college. I'll be retiring with your graduating class, so don't worry." Wow, a teacher that realizes school is a prison! I'm gonna like Mrs. Fizzover. Peni thought to herself as she had us all go around introducing ourselves. When it got to Copper, he said, "Well, I'm Copper Wire, and I just moved here from Canterlot." All hope is lost. Peni thought. He's a rich city colt, so that's great. This really ho-hau-haw whu-what am I THINKING?! Holy Celestia, I'm FANTASIZING ABOUT HIM?! "Ms. Hearts?" asked Mrs. Fizzover. "My turn?" Peni replied with a question. "Okay. I'm Penned Hearts, but everyone knows me as Peni. Not much to tell about, uh, my family consists of my two brothers, one sister, my brother-in-law, and my mom." Mrs. Fizzover asked, "No father?" "No," Peni replied, "my father passed away two years ago, and my family's lived through it. Anyways, I've lived here in Ponyville for 11 years, since I was 6 and still a blank flank. But very soon after I moved here, I discovered my drawing talent, and I've been just drawing and drawing. I sometimes write, but it's not my strong point." "Thank you, Ms. Hearts. Next, Mr. Jam?" The next pony began his 'personality speech, while Copper just turned to Peni. "I'm really sorry about what happened to your dad," he said, and continued, "I lost my dad when I was 3, but he left us first. I was given to my mother, along with my sister, while my dad got our two brothers." "Oh, I'm sorry!" Peni said, sympathizing with Copper. She'd known what it was like for her father to leave, but not the way Coppers dad had left him. Peni's father had normally only left when he and her mother were arguing, just to cool off. Once he was arrested, but unfairly, since he had barely driven down the road, and a cop arrested him for drunk driving. Peni, her brother Controller, and her mother had to leave very early to bail out their father. "Do you ever get to see your dad?" "No, I decided to stay away from my father and his new wife, but I'm able to see my brothers, since my mom got weekend custody." Peni and Copper kept chatting throughout the class, only stopping when they needed to answer a question or write some notes. Peni found out he'd lost his leg in an accident caused by his father, and his sister was born without her left wing. When the bell rang, Peni and Josie met in the hall, and realized they both had seminar next hour, so they had an hour and a half to sit and talk. "So," Josie asked, "What's up in Chem. 101? You look like your itching to tell me something." Peni just burst. "Oh my Faust, Copper is AMAZING! He moved from Canterlot with his mom and sister, and he get's to see his brothers on weekends cause his mom got partial custody. And he lost his leg because his dad sliced it up and broke the bones too much they had to amputate it, and his mom made him a bunch of new ones, and he made the one he's wearing by himself..." She went on and on about the colt. From how he cared for his younger sister, Ariel Ace, when the court fights were going on to how compassionate he seems. When Peni finally finished, Josie said, "Well, looks like you two had a lot to talk about." RIIIING! WOOOOOOO!! The entire school let out a collective whoop as the day ended. Peni and Josie met up at the door, and went to leave, when- Wham! Saddlebags fell to the ground, this time nothing falling out. Copper and Peni sat on the floor, unintentionally blocking the doorway for the hurrying ponies. "Sorry guys!" "Didn't mean to!" Peni and Copper were talking at the same time. "Hey, Copper. Hey F-Frostbite..." Josie said, stuttering at the unicorn colt, Frostbite's, name. A gentle blush warmed her cheeks. Peni's cheeks were much redder, considering she was just one 'wrong' head turn away from accidentally kissing Copper. A teal magic aura lifted the two ponies on the floor outside with their bags. "Hey, Copper, do you and Frostbite want to come to my barrel racing competition this weekend? The tickets for my guests are free, so your brothers can come, Copper. Your sister too." "Yeah, sure! That sounds like fun. I've gotta go, my mom's here! See you, Frost, Peni, Josie!" Peni stared at Copper, astonished he'd actually said yes to Josie. Once he and Frostbite were gone, she said, "Well, you and Copper got aquainted when I wasn't in the class you shared." "Yeah," Josie said, "we had third and fourth hours together." Peni said hastily, "Lucky! I've only got one cl..." Peni realized she felt... jealous. She took off before Josie could tease her for the way she acted. Man, Peni thought, I can't believe Josie was right this morning...
The Big DayRIIING! As the final bell rang, Peni and Josie met at the doors, literally jumping with excitement. Copper had stayed from school that day to meet with his brothers, who actually told their mother they were arriving there early, and tell them the great news. Before Peni could wave goodbye and head home, Josie grabbed her hoof and pulled her towards her mom, saying, "You're spending the night at my house. Asked my mom yesterday, she said yes, since we're going to the competition together." "Whoa, whoa! Okay, let me text my mom," Peni said back, fumbling with the phone in her saddlebag. A quick text: Mom, I'm spending the night at Josie's, be back home after the competition. Her mom texted back almost wildly fast: Toothbrush, hairbrush, coat? Reply: Extras all at Josies'. Text you again when we get there. "Okay, she knows now, LET'S GO!" Peni shouted, racing behind Josie as fast as her legs would carry her and her body would allow. Even with the short distance, Peni was panting at Josie's mom's car. "I hate being overweight..." she said between pants. Josie asked, obviously worried, "Are you OK? Faust, you lasted longer than that during Monday's laps." Peni held up a hoof, asking for a moment with the gesture. "Y... Yeah... I didn't... didn't have... control... of my bre... breathing... this time..." Peni replied, still panting, but taking deep breaths to sooth her rapidly beating heart. "Let's just go... I'm fine, you know that..." "Yeah," Josie said, continuing, "I know that, but that doesn't mean I can't be worried. Okay, let's go." Josie helped Peni into the car. "You can rest, it'll be a long ride." "Okay. I'm ready. I can do this," Josie encouraged herself, preparing to practice her cloud barrels against another contestant, since she knew the colt. She'd asked him if he wanted to practice with her, and he'd gleefully agreed. "On your marks!" Peni began the starting shouts. The pegasi moved to the marks on the clouds, made by one of their feathers. "Get SET!" They flared their wings, beating them slowly, then speeding them up to almost unrealistic speeds. "GO!" The pegasi took off, Josie inches behind, letting the colt, Wild Winds, race ahead. He seemed to get cocky, turning back to laugh, when a blue, purple, and golden blur sped past him. Looping three times for each barrel, then three times back, Josie won. That was her tactic, letting other ponies get cocky and underestimate her, then beat them to the punch and win. Wild Winds stared from where Josie had passed him, awestruck. Shaking his head and basically regaining consciousness, he said, "Well, J., I don't have to tell you you won. I'll see you at the big race tomorrow morning!" He went off, flying to Cloudsdale. "I did awful!" Josie exclaimed, thinking how much better she could've done. "I've gotta practice ALL NIGHT to get that right!" "NO! No, I won't let you! If you want to do ANYTHING at all, you need sleep!" Peni demanded. "What you can do, is practice RIGHT NOW, to some wing-ups, make yourself stronger and wear yourself out at the same time. That way, you'll get plenty of sleep when your done." Josie replied, "Can't really argue with that logic. Okay, I'll start with some wing-ups." Josie lay on the ground, then began pushing up her muscle-heavy body with only her wings. After doing as many wing-ups as she could, Josie stood at the starting line she painted on the ground, and took off. The wind she let off blew the seeds off a field of dandelions and a few leaves off a tree. But she wasn't satisfied. Stretching her wings, she did more wing-ups. "Josie, Peni! Come inside for a bit, dinner's done." "What is it, Mom? Dinner, I mean," Josie asked. "Lasagna with wheatball chunks," Josie's mom replied, then headed inside saying, "Don't be too much longer, Josie." Josie did about five more wing-ups, and flew past the tree again. A bunch more leaves flew off, but she gave in, and went inside to eat. Of course, after eating, she wanted to go back out and do more wing-ups. Peni counted, and when Josie told her to get on her back - "Or at least put a big rock on!" Josie'd demanded - Peni obliged. Placing a rock on Josie's back, Peni went back to watching and counting. The next time Josie flew past the tree, most of the leaves flew off, littering the green grass. "YES!" she shouted, jumping into the air. "Now, I've gotta make sure I can go past those cloud barrels without barreling into them." The two mares laughed at the pun, and Josie went up to the starting line cloud. "Ready? On your mark... Get set... GO!" Josie flew off, bits of cloud trailing her gold and violet streak. She reached the first cloud, and spiraled around it. The cloud's sides twirled like a spring, and only got tighter the second time Josie went around them. That time span between the first and second loops were a mere 2 seconds. And Josie was definitely satisfied. And exhausted. "Celestia, I've gotta sit down..." and she collapsed. Peni managed to catch her and lay her down just in time. "Okay, I'm gonna get your dad... stay there..." And Josie's dad carried her to the camper where the two teenage mares were sleeping. The beds were set up, and Josie's dad laid her down on the couch-bed. "Josie... Josie, wake up... Come on, you've gotta start getting ready..." "Huh? Whuh... Oh... Okay, I'm up..." Josie said, gently pushing her weight off the couch mattress. Peni told her, "I've laid your uniform out on the counter, away from the sink and stove top." The elastic uniform was made to cause the least increase of wind resistance, and the least amount of movement restraint. After having a cup of coffee, and eating a dandelion-toast sandwich, Josie was fully awake, pulling the uniform on. The colors were deep, ocean blue with white swirls. She looked like a sky at sunset, but without the deep violet of sunset. At the competition, all the colt pegasi from all over Equestria were warming up. Fancy, dressy colts from Manehatten and Haywaii, bulky colts from here in Cloudsdale, and thin, wiry colts from Califoalia. A mare was handing out numbers for the race, and Josie was number 6. Copper and Peni chatted in the arena seats, theirs having to be on the top row, the balloon section for earth ponies and unicorns. Copper decided to sit with Peni, so she wasn't alone in the basket. Josie's parents took their own balloon. And to make everything better, Josie was the only mare. "Did you see some of the other contestants? The thinner ones look pretty fast, since they have less body mass to carry. But the bulky ones have more body mass, so they could either have really strong wings or be really slow," Peni speculated. "But after what Josie did last night, I think she has a good chance of at least 3rd place, and of course at most 1st. She's doing wing-ups right now, she told me she would do as many as she could and rest, then do more and rest, so on and so forth." Copper replied, "Yeah, and one of the wiry ponies, number 17, has HUGE wings. He looked pretty fast. Oh, oh, it's starting!" Peni's teeth began to chatter. It was FREEZING in the balloon section! "Are you cold?" Copper asked. Peni could only nod now, her teeth chattering so fast. "Here, I'm made for colder weather, and I brought a coat." He laid the fleece-lined coat on Peni's shoulders, then hugged her close to keep her warm. Her face turned bright red, looking nearly violet under her blushing cheeks and nose. OhFaustohFaustohFaustohFaustohFaustohFaust! Peni thought, trying to keep her attention on the racers coming out at the mention of their names and numbers. "Number six, Josie!" shouted the announcer. This caused Copper to move his hooves and start clapping. Peni did the same, and cheered. "WOO! GO JOSIE! I BELIEVE IN YOU! NO MATTER IF YOU WIN OR NOT, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE THE FASTEST PEGASUS NEXT TO RAINBOW DASH!" Peni shouted. To her, there were no prizes or titles of 1st and 2nd places. There was only winners. Fast or slow, heavy or thin, or right in between. Once all the racers were in their respective locations, the cloud barrels were put into place. A humongous colt looked at Josie and laughed. "Shouldn't you be in the kitchen, little mare?" The other colts laughed. You won't be laughing too much longer, Peni thought as she cheered away. "Ready? On your marks!" The ponies moved to the checkered strip laid down on the cloud. "GET SET!" Wings flared, and beat rapidly at the air. "GO!!" The pegasi took off, Josie doing her usual 'lag behind then take them by surprise' tactic. Several of the colts turned to look, but only saw a fading trail of blue, gold, and violet. Peni couldn't even see Josie, only a rounded trail tip. The clouds swirled into ice cream shapes, and before everyone could even put up the winners tape, Josie was across the checkered line. The line itself was to be split as the winners tape, so Josie tilted and used the tip of her feather to break it. "OH MY CELESTIA! JOSIE YOU WON!" Peni jumped up and down, hugging Copper. He flew out of the basket and started to pull it down, doing so slowly. The rest of the racers had either stopped or crossed the line already, so Copper and Peni were allowed to go to the finish line. Once there, Josie and Copper picked up Peni in a group hug, and cheered together. After the competition, Josie's parents used a small amount of Josies' winning money to buy milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner. As it got dark, Peni, Josie, and Copper started walking to Peni's house to drop her off. "Copper," Peni said, "Thanks for coming with us. I'm glad I got to spend some time with you. Oh, and here's your coat back, Copper." Peni handed the coat back to the colt. "My house is just over here, thanks guys." Peni hugged Josie and Copper, hesitated for a few moments, then... Kissed - or more liked pecked - Copper on the cheek, and took off running, her face beet red. Josie gasped, and Copper just stared, eyes wide and cheeks red. Copper touched his cheek, and just said, "Oh, my Faust... She feels the same way..."
Running through a Short WeekTuesday; Accompanied by: Exhaustion, Wanting to leave Peni: Aaugh... Just... let's end this week. Josie: Come on, Friday... Come on, Friday... Copper: I forgot to tell Ariel about the barrel races! I've gotta write that on my hoof... Wednesday; Accompanies by: Wanting to end the day, Excitement for the upcoming weekend Peni: Not much longer... Should I just wear the hat J. gave me last week..? Maybe take a jacket, in case it's-no, Copper might, and then he'll romantically drape it over my shoulders... aahhh... Josie: *watching the clock* Friday... Friday... Friday... Copper: I'm gonna take a jacket, just in case. I may not need it, but if Peni does, I'll give it to her. It'll seem so sweet... Thursday; Accompanied by: Excitement, Stories of what the weekend will hold for each pony Peni: Come on... Uugh, this is just taking too long for me! I hate feeling impatient... Josie: *once more watching the clock* Come on, baby, come on, baby- AAGH! This clock's too slow! Copper: Ooh, I'm so excited! I'll get to hang out with the five ponies closest to me! FRIDAY!! All three ponies, at the end of the day: YES! FINALLY!
