Marks of Sorrow

Chapters

1 A Chilly Autumn Morn
2 Introductions
3 Schoolyard Battles
4 Neighborly Chores
5 A Lunch to Remember
6 Isolation
7 Debates
8 Observation
9 Gambles

1 A Chilly Autumn Morn

Cheerilee yawned as she approached the schoolhouse, eyelids heavy with sleep. Celestia hadn't even raised the sun yet, but the pretty pink-maned teacher had found no solace in her dreams last night. Upon waking she'd wanted to put as much distance between herself and the sweat soaked sheets as possible. The half remembered wisps of her dream were fading with each moment and every step, but they still brought a frown to her normally joyful face. At least there was a coffee pot waiting for her at work. She could use something warm and full of caffeine to rouse her fully.

A key turned in the lock with a metallic clack as her breath misted before her. She pushed the door open hastily and shut it just as quick. The autumn breeze was surprisingly chill as it tried to follow her into the dusty room, and the purple coated mare didn't need it making things even harder as she fumbled with a candle. Soon it would be the Running of the Leaves again, but it seemed a bit cruel of Cloudsdale to send a frost weeks before they were even expected to bring winter to the town. Still, it wasn't all bad. The harvests were almost in, and then Big Mac would once again have some free time to spend with her...

Cheerilee cursed quietly under her breath as the wick caught and singed her hoof. The wounded appendage sprang to her mouth as much to stifle the ugly word as to soothe the hurt. Guiltily her gaze swept across the desks piled to one side of the large room and the empty walls which would soon be covered with another year's work crafted by her foals. No one was here to hear her, of course. Still, she needed to get back into the proper mindset after these months off. It wouldn't do to set a bad example. She mentally began running through the tasks needed to get both the schoolhouse and herself ready for another year as she set the coffee pot to boiling.

"Whish, whish, whish" went the broom as it began gathering together several week's worth of dust. Then "slak" as it's stiff bristles struck a pile of papers near the door, stirring her from her reverie. The mailmare had apparently slipped a manila envelope through the door slot sometime since the break began, and in the schoolteacher's haste to flee the chill it had escaped her notice. She'd told Derpy to deliver the school's mail to her home during the break, but sometimes the gray coated pegasus forgot the simplest things. Cheerilee shook her head in annoyance. It'd always been the same with Derpy, ever since they were in school together, when she'd given the mailmare the not entirely kind nickname of "bubble-brain". Still, there seemed to have been no harm this time; the date on the folder was only three days past.

She set the broom aside, floor momentarily forgotten as she headed to her still completely bare desk with the envelope. By next month it would be cluttered with books, small tokens of the student's appreciation, and the odd apple or two. At least her chair was as comfortable as she remembered. The mare set the candle down and broke the envelope's seal, allowing several scrolls to tumble free and roll across the desktop. The first she opened was an enrollment form for a new student, a colt by the name of... Silver Slice? It was an odd name, and one Cheerilee was sure she would have remembered hearing. Ponyville was a small enough settlement that hers was the only school. By necessity it catered to children of a wide age range, so she was familiar with most every school age pony in town. Scanning the second scroll confirmed her suspicions, a combined transcript and transfer document from a... St. Eligius Academy in Manehattan. "Disciplinary Record, See Supplement Scroll C" she mouthed the words even as she looked at the third and largest scroll.

With some trepidation she unfurled the final parchment and was met with a surprisingly adorable picture of her newest student. "Another blank flank?" she mused. Cheerilee had enough trouble keeping Filthy Rich's little girl and her henchpony in line as it was, and she hoped the boy was ready to defend himself. He was a lanky, black colt probably a year older than her other students, just beginning to grow in a set of furry white fetlocks. In the picture he had his front two hooves crossed in front of him and his head lowered and pitched slightly to the side. It gave him a bashful look, as though he'd just been caught with his hoof in the cookie jar and scolded by his mother. The picture just didn't track with the long list of violations below it. Playing hooky, multiple fights with his schoolmates, something called "Serious Behavioral Infractions" that she could only guess at. She was soon lost in reading one incident report after the next.

"WHEEEE!" The sound of the coffee pot caused her heart to jump and the Disciplinary Record to fall from her hooves with a thud. It only took her a moment to recover and hurry over to the steaming tin. Through the window the horizon was grey as Celestia prepared to begin the day. Cheerilee's shaking hooves poured an unsteady stream of black liquid into a pastel pink mug that spelled out "#1 Teacher" in gaudy glitter. As she sipped the steaming coffee and watched the sun rise through the window, Cheerilee thought about what the new school year might hold and couldn't shake the chill.

Author's Note

Nothing too exciting happening yet. This first chapter is mostly to set the tone and lay the groundwork for future installments. The story won't be told from first person, but I'm planning to set a focus character for each section and switch things up pretty regularly. Obviously that's Cheerilee for this chapter, and likely at least part of the next one as well.

Anyway, I hope you guys like it and I'll see you next chapter!

2 Introductions

The morning was half over, and Cheerilee's earlier melancholy had been washed away by the smiles of her students. Even now they were chatting merrily while discussing the writing prompt their teacher had given them. Doubtless more than half of the conversations had strayed into what had occurred over the summer months, but it was only the first day and the purple and pink mare was willing to be lenient. She was just about to call everyone's attention back to the front of the class when she was forestalled by a knock on the door.

Most chose to continue their conversations, though a few of the more curious children looked for the source of the disturbance even as their teacher hurried to answer. They hardly ever had visitors to the schoolhouse in the middle of the day, this year was looking up!

The door opened to reveal a grey-coated stallion with a weedy, straw colored mane and a white, button up shirt. His cutie mark was one of those old fashioned calculators that spit out the strip of paper from the top. From the frown on his face, it was clear there was somewhere else he'd rather be. Cheerilee spotted her new student slouched behind the stallion, and she guessed he didn't want to be here either. Her unease from this morning churned back to life in the depths of her stomach.

The older stallion cleared his throat, drawing her focus back to himself. "Miss...?" he left the silence hang in the air until she felt obligated to fill it. "Cheerilee" she supplied with a smile that she hoped would put them both at ease.

"Miss Cheerilee, I'm Slick Figure and this is my son Silver. I believe you should have been informed he was transferring into your class?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Welcome, both of you, to Ponyville." the words came out perhaps a little too fast.

"I hope his tardiness isn't too much of an inconvenience. Rest assured he'll be punctual from now on." Slick shot his son a glare that left the consequences for future cutting unstated but clearly implied. Silver merely rolled his large blue eyes and sighed, but he seemed to get the message.

"It's not a problem, so far today we've mostly been going over the yearly syllabus, so he hasn't missed much. Why don't you come inside Silver?" By now the topic of the student body's conversation had turned to the identity of this newly glimpsed black colt, and if their curiosity was not sated soon Cheerilee feared her classroom would descend into chaos.

Silver was about to comply when his father's hoof on his shoulder brought him up short. "You know I have to get back to work, son." The older stallion remarked. He pulled the boy into a hug before he could protest. "I know this is a big adjustment, but Ponyville is a fresh start for both of us. Listen to Miss Cheerilee, and I'm sure you'll make all kinds of new friends. You can tell me all about it tonight." The teacher finally saw some of the father in her student as his deep blue eyes softened briefly in the embrace. But he was at that awkward age where children begin to be embarrassed by their parents, so the young colt quickly broke his fathers grasp. "Yeah. Sure, Dad." was all he said as he entered the schoolhouse. Slick let him go, and with a nod to Cheerilee turned to walk back to town and his work. She closed the door and turned back to her own.

"My little ponies!" the sound of her voice caught the attention those few in the back still unaware, but more importantly it stilled the chatter. Once things were calm, Cheerilee continued "You can all see that we have a new member of the class. I trust you'll all make him feel welcome here in his new home." The majority of the class nodded enthusiastically at the prospect of a new friend, and she felt so proud of her students in that moment. "Why don't you give your name and introduce yourself?" Instantly all eyes turned to the lanky black newcomer standing in front of the chalkboard.

"Uh..." he hesitated, looking first at his classmates and then at his teacher until she gave him an encouraging nod. "My name's Silva Slice, and I'm from Manehattan..." his words carried a slight Broncs accent, but they trailed off uncomfortably.

Three uncomfortable heartbeats passed before Cheerilee realized there wasn't more forthcoming and decided to step in to fill the gap. "Thank you, Silver! Now, does anyone have any questions for our new friend? I'm sure he'd be happy to answer them for you."

She almost instantly regretted her invitation, as Diamond Tiara's hand shot up. The pastel pink filly didn't even wait to be called on before blurting out what was on her mind. "Miss Cheeerilee," despite the smile pasted on her face, the foal's teacher hated the nasally way her most troublesome student drew out the first half of her name. "Why would someone from Manehattan leave the city and come all the way out here to live in Ponyville?" The question was innocent, but the implication was clearly that there must be something wrong with the new student.

"Well..." the teacher hedged, unsure what would be appropriate to share.

She was saved from her dilemma when Silver's blue eyes narrowed and the formerly taciturn kid spoke for himself. "I got expelled cause some mare thought she could bully me, and I broke her legs."

For the first time since Cheerilee had known Diamond Tiara, the girl was struck dumb, her mouth literally hanging open in shock at the threat. The expression alone was priceless, and the teacher wished she had had a camera ready to preserve the moment forever. No one else was aware of the black colt's history, and titters erupted from the foals at the joke. They quickly died as everyone realized Silver wasn't smiling.

Cheerilee sighed inwardly. No matter how satisfying that comeuppance had been, she knew Silver Slice had just confirmed Diamond Tiara's unstated accusation and that things would now be much harder for him. Best to cut things short before he got a chance to dig himself a deeper hole. "Thank you, Silver! But I'm afraid we've no more time for questions. Please choose one of the empty desks and take a seat. The rest of you, please take out your summer observation reports and begin passing them forward."

There were quite a few empty desks, as last year's graduation had been fairly large, and Silver was the only new student this year. Still, amidst the busy shuffling of papers there was a fair amount of trepidation from the foals on either side of the row he walked down. The teacher noted that no one seemed to want to be the one he sat down next to, with the possible exception of the three other blank flanks in her class. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had been a frequent target of Diamond Tiara's ire in the past, and Sweetie Belle actually motioned at an empty desk next to her. Silver ignored her invitation, stalking past to settle in a desk near the back, next to exactly nopony.

As Cheerilee gathered up the stacks of papers gathered to the front, she hoped this would be the most dramatic thing to happen this school year, but the pit in her stomach told her that hope was in vain.

Author's Note

We finally get to meet one of our focus ponies in this chapter, and it's clear he has an attitude. It's already earned him many enemies, but has he won any friends? We'll see in the next chapters!

3 Schoolyard Battles

Diamond Tiara was furious as she stalked across the playground, practically shaking beneath her pretty pink coat. Ever the loyal shadow, Silver Spoon was at her side, but the friendly chatter seemed hollow and inconsequential; it was doing nothing to calm her nerves. "How dare he?" Diamond Tiara fumed silently to herself. A shake of the heiress' head sought to banish the memory of Silver Slice's quip, though it did little save dislodge a strand of hair from her perfectly coiffed, purple and white mane. Annoyed, the little filly paused to replace the errant hair beneath the glitzy silver tiara her father had bought her as a cute-ceañera gift, a perfect replica of her cutie mark.

The thought of her daddy finally brought some measure of balance. Filthy Rich was the smartest pony she knew, having built a business empire that made him the wealthiest pony in town. Diamond Tiara chewed on her bottom lip as she pondered what he would do in her place. Her place as queen bee of the school had been threatened, as this new colt entered the game.

She could almost here daddy's words in her mind. "If someone's got you on the back hoof a distraction can give you time to recover, and a show of strength will make your enemies hesitate to take advantage of your stumble." A vicious smirk spread across Diamond Tiara's face as a plan began to form. She just needed an appropriate target...

"... and that's when I realized that she'd tried to pass of some cheap imitation as a genuine Versace. I wasn't about-" a raised hoof brought Silver Spoon's words to a stumbling halt. The younger grey filly looked at her oldest friend and recognized that look. "What's up, Di?" despite herself, a hint of excitement crept into her voice, somepony was about to have a bad day.

"I need to blow off some steam, Silvy." Diamond Tiara thought that she still had about half of the lunch period to vent her frustrations and was eager to begin. "Did you see which way the Cutie Mark Goofsaders went?"

"They went towards the Gazebo, I think." With a nod, Diamond Tiara began to casually trot in that direction with Silver Spoon falling into step behind her.

The school's open air gazebo lay on the far side of the ball field, and rather than walls it sported thick hedges broken by a trio of red painted gates. Deciduous clematis vines climbed the quintet of posts to twine among the arbor, providing a shady green sanctuary from summer heat. In the autumn though the structure looked more than a bit lonely, with the woody stems bearing sad wilted leaves soon to be swept away in the preparations for winter. As a result, few students had come out this far during lunch in the last few weeks.

Today was an exception, it seems, as the mischievous pair soon spotted their targets on the east side of the structure. The three Blank Flanks were laying down near one of the hedges and seemed to be engrossed in something on the ground between them. It was too easy for the mean girls to circle wide and come at them from an angle covered by a screen of vegetation. It never hurt to have a little information before starting in, so Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stealthily approached to listen in.

"Ah dunno Sweetie Belle, ya really think your sister'll be alright with lendin' us all this?" Apple Bloom's voice sounded skeptical.

"Don't worry about her, Rarity's super busy with a big order. She'll never even notice it's missing." The high pitched voice had to be Sweetie Belle

"No harm, no foul, right?" Scootaloo tossed out.

There were a few moments of silence and the sound of a filly shifting "Y'all sure this ain't too much? Applejack don't usually... I feel like you mighta put too much on."

"I watch Rarity put this on all the time, and everyone thinks she looks great! Cmon Apple Bloom! Scootaloo did me, I'm doing you, and then you can do Scootaloo! A little practice and we'll have our Beautician Cutie Marks in no time."

"Ooh, we could be the Cutie Mark Cosmetologists!" the pegasus' undersized wings buzzed excitedly.

Apple Bloom, it seemed, was determined to keep kicking up a fuss though. "It smells funny, like that time we mucked out the chicken coop for Fluttershy."

"Oh, quit your whining! Rarity says it's made from Nightingale droppings and that its really rare and expensive! I always wonder what the Nightingales keep dropping though."

Apparently the significance wasn't lost on Apple Bloom, as disgust crept into her voice "Uh, so you mean to tell me yall've been smearing DROPPINGS all over mah face?" The two hidden fillies shared a look and fought to keep back a snicker, this was going to be priceless!

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sauntered into view and stopped in their tracks when they got a look at the faces of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Each of them had applied a pale cream to their faces far too thickly to blend with their natural coloration. Sweetie Belle's snow white coat made that blunder rather harmless, but the yellow and orange coats of her two friends contrasted bizzarely with the cosmetics. Gripped in the aura of her telekinesis was a short bristled brush tipped with paint, even now putting on the finishing touches that outlined Apple Bloom's lips in a garish red. The unicorn filly had already completed her work on herself and Scootaloo. They looked, for all the world, like a trio of undersized clowns who had somehow confusedly stumbled onto the playground.

It wouldn't do any good to humiliate these three in private; Diamond Tiara knew she needed an audience to make her point. The little filly laughed at the three, her friend quickly picking up on the plan and joining in. She made sure it was loud, cold, and cutting like a shard of ice brought from Cloudsdale months ahead of schedule. The little ponies on the ball field stopped their game to gaze curiously towards the source of the mirth. "Perfect" she thought.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" a smirk spread across Diamond Tiara's face as she circled around the targets of her ire.

"Looks like someone's decided to go for an avante garde look!" Better than anyone else, Silver Spoon knew how to set them up. The two of them were perfect for each other, and it was adorable in a sociopathic kind of way.

A mock gasp, wide eyes, and a hoof to her muzzle contrasted with her obvious sarcasm. "Do you think the clown look will be all the rage this winter, Silver?"

Sweetie Belle looked embarrassed and miserable when Scootaloo spoke up in defense of her friend. "Hey, she's just starting, you can't-"

Silver Spoon ignored the feeble defense to trample the objection. "I bet if we wrote a book filled with everything you three know about beauty, it'd be as blank as your flanks!" Another softball.

"I bet she thought she'd be good at this because her sister is." It was a casual remark, but the words that followed were cutting. Diamond Tiara's eyes narrowed as the went in for the kill. "Looks like talent doesn't run in your family."

Tears began to run down the unicorn filly's face. With a sniffle she tried to wipe them away, but only succeeded in making a further mess. More were on their way anyhow.

The onlooking students shifted uncomfortably, their game forgotten. No-one dared intervene, but neither could they look away. It was like some horrible train wreck and their classmates were caught up in it.

"Still afraid of me. Good." Diamond Tiara allowed herself to feel the satisfaction of a job well done.

A new voice broke her reverie. "Give her a break, any skill needs practice. I bet ya weren't this much of a cold-hearted bitch when ya started." Silver Slice, the same pony who had made her so mad in the first place, was standing in the gazebo resting his forehooves on the top of the hedge casually and looking down on her. His face held no fear, only contempt. "Ya've obviously had a lot of practice."

The sniggers of her classmates brought a blush to Diamond Tiara's cheeks. Silver Spoon had taken an alarmed step backward, but anger made the other pony bold. She stomped towards the newcomer, ignoring the still crying Sweetie Belle for now. Apple Bloom had her hooves around her friend and was whispering comfort in her ear, but Scootaloo watched the confrontation play out with keen interest. "You little..." Diamond Tiara's mind whirled as she sought a way to express her outrage. The look in the black-furred colt's eyes carried threat enough to bring most foes up short, but for all her faults Diamond Tiara could not be called weak-willed; she pressed on.

"My Daddy-" she started to speak, only to be interrupted by Silver Slice's hoof darting down to snatch the bejewelled tiara right off her head.

He filled the stunned silence. "Yah Daddy isn't here right now."

"Give that BACK!" it was almost a shriek.

Silver Slice twirled the tiara around one hoof like the world's fanciest loop-de-hoop. "Of course I will, I ain't a thief. But ya got to decide HOW I'm gunna give it back. Option one, both of ya scram right now, I toss this to ya on yah way out. All friendly. Option two, ya stick around and try yah luck, and I shove this so fah down yah throat Daddy'll be picking diamonds outta ya shit foh weeks..." He shrugged, seemingly uncaring which she chose. "Either way, I catch ya doin this crap again, I won't be so nice next time."

For the second time that day, Diamond Tiara didn't know how to react. No one dared threaten her before, not even her parents! She unconsciously took a step back, and Silver Slice nodded at her seeming choice. He cocked his leg and then brought it forward swiftly, sending the precious silver trinket sailing over the heads of the onlooking crowd to bounce and roll through the field beyond.

Gritting her teeth with frustration, the defeated mare turned and galloped towards the small gathering of students with Silver Spoon in tow. Heedless of anything but the pursuit of her treasure, the filly plowed into the crowd, knocking Snips and Snails onto their haunches. All the rest suddenly remembered they had somewhere else to be, and the field was quickly deserted.

Silver Slice sighed, and stepped back down into the gazebo, disappearing from sight. Scootaloo could hear the clop of his hooves as he circled around to one of the gates and trotted down a short set of wooden stairs. By the time he was back in sight she couldn't hold her excitement anymore. She leapt into the air, tiny wings buzzing furiously "That... was... AWESOME!"

The lanky black and white colt spared Scootaloo a small smile. She had at least tried to stick up for her friend, after all. Right now though, his primary concern was the fragile white unicorn, whose sobs were thankfully ebbing with Apple Bloom's gentle rubbing on her back. "Are ya alright?" He swept one of his white fetlocks across her eyes, surprisingly gentle.

The tender gesture seemed to help Sweetie Belle regain the last of her composure. With a final sniff, she nodded. "Thanks, Silver Slice."

Scootaloo seemed to take it upon herself to make introductions, stepping forward to grab his hoof and shake it before he knew what was happening. "I'm Scootaloo, " she pointed a hoof to her chest proudly. "This is Apple Bloom," a wing rested on the yellow filly's shoulder, who smiled but seemed a little troubled yet. "And you've already met Sweetie Belle there." The unicorn got to her feet and nodded in his direction. "We're the original Cutie Mark Crusaders! I'm sure you've heard of us?"

Silver Slice crossed one leg in front of the other and shook his head a little too quickly.

"Whaat? But you're from Manehattan, and we have a branch there and everything! Maybe you've met Apple Bloom's cousin Babs?"

Sweetie Belle assumed her "know-it-all" face and spoke up "Manehattan isn't Ponyville, it's huge! Rarity says that it's way bigger than even Canterlot. There must be thousands of ponies our age there, and hundreds of schools, there's no way he'd just know all the kids in the city."

"Well it's not like it hurt to ask." was the pegasus' retort. "How was I supposed to know if I didn't ask? And besides, it's not like there is NO chance..."

Apple Bloom could tell her two friends were headed for one of their good natured spats, but for now she focused on their defender. He seemed adrift and awkward, nothing like the intimidating presence he had shown a minute ago. Silver Slice seemed torn between attempting to join their conversation or just turning on his heel and leaving, so Apple Bloom decided to ask the question gnawing at her thoughts and make that decision for him.

"Uh, Silver Slice?" she had his attention, "When ya said you'd make Diamond Tiara eat her tiara, you were bluffin... right?"

The muscles in his back tensed and his head lowered slightly, producing a noticeable change in his stance. "No."

"But... she's a filly." The other two thirds of the Crusaders had halted their bickering to listen to this exchange. "You'd really hit a filly?"

"Filly... colt..." He shook his head. "Makes no difference. She's a bully and I'll hit anyone who deserves it."

"Ahm not real sure that sits right with me."

"Then next time, stand up for yourself, so I don't have to." The anger in his voice was obvious as he turned and trotted back toward the schoolhouse.

When he was gone, the three friends exchanged a look for a long moment. The bell rung the hour. Lunch was over.

4 Neighborly Chores

Apple Bloom wiped the sweat from her brow, adjusted her bow, and looked over the freshly clean clubhouse with a job-well-done grin.

Applejack always tried to make a game of the farmwork, and Apple Bloom loved her for it, but there were only so many times you could play a game before it too started to wear on you. So this particular Saturday morning, Bloom had snuck away for a little break from working the south field, heading for the Cutie Mark Crusader's "Secret" clubhouse.

She'd been shocked to find the place a wreck. Scootaloo must have held another one of her Rainbow Dash fan-clubs in it yesterday, and as usual they hadn't bothered to clean up after themselves. There'd been multi-coloured hair scattered about the floor (doubtless lost from those ridiculous wigs they wore), pamphlets of the flying ace's current and future competition schedule, and the odd popsicle stick from snack time glued to this or that random surface.

The little filly had almost turned right back around and ignored the whole thing. It wasn't like they needed the clubhouse this weekend. Sweetie Belle was having a Spa weekend with her sister and Scootaloo was doubtless watching her idol's practice, so there wasn't any Crusading to do until next week. Still, she wasn't one to leave a task that needed doing undone, and accomplishing something productive with her break helped ease her conscience and would provide a ready excuse if Big Sis came callin.

"Ah really ought to get back, afore ahm missed." she mused to herself. A gentle breath flowed from the open window, caressing her pale, butter-colored coat and carrying away the tiniest bit of sweat from her labours.

"Maybe a bit longer..." She followed the breeze to its origin at the south window, leaning out to get the most flow through her damp mane.

Few knew it, but from its vantage in a tree upon a small hill, the clubhouse commanded breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside, and the southern exposure was her favorite of all. On a clear day, she could see the Everfree looming to the East, and Ponyville's (relative) bustle to the South. Today her eyes were drawn West, to the simple dirt road that wound its serpentine way between their apple orchards and an old abandoned farmstead across the way. There was an unfamiliar cart trundling north behind a bay colored mare with a pink and blue striped mane, it's bed heavy-loaded and covered with a canvas tarp.

It wasn't unusual for the Apple family to cart their wares to and from town, but they almost never had anything delivered to the farmstead. Money was tight, and anything too heavy for Pegasus post charged two legs to deliver out here in the country, so Applejack always made arrangements for Big Macintosh to pick deliveries up in town. As far as Apple Bloom knew, nobody else lived out this ways, at least not since the Pears had moved away long before she'd been born.

Apple Bloom squinted, trying to make out more detail. The cart and it's driver turned off the road, heading towards the old farmstead, and she briefly lost sight of them under the thick canopy of untended pear trees. The cart soon emerged and pulled up to the dusty stone cottage, where it was met by two familiar figures who began helping the mare unload.

"Ol' Mr. Pear musta finally found somepony to rent his cottage, which means we got a new neighbor! If mah eyes'r good that's Silver Slice an' his Pa!" Apple Bloom could hardly believe her luck. Not that she didn't appreciate her other friends, but it was a long trek from the farm to town and it sure as sugar would be nice to have another pony her age nearby.

"What're they doin' now?" Apple Bloom felt a brief spike of excitement, a voyeuristic thrill as she watched another mare emerge from the house with a platter of drinks. They were far too distant to hear what was being said, but the three adults seemed to be chatting amiably and nursing their drinks, leaving Silver to slowly amble around the corner. Once out of sight of his parents, he took off at a gallop into the orchard.

She tsked and shook her head. "He must be tired'a haulin' things in and decided to play hookie." The colt briefly flashed into view crossing the road and entering her family's south grove, which reminded her of her own unauthorized break. "Not that ah can speak, mind." Apple Bloom guiltily remarked. "Still, where the hay're you goin'?"

Her reverie suddenly shattered as a familiar voice called out from the bottom of the hill. "Aaaapple Blooooom!" Big Sis' words echoed through the trees, carrying a warning. "You best not be slackin' off up there, missie, or Granny's gonna tan yer hide!" It wouldn't be the first time. All thoughts of her classmate and his family fled Bloom's mind as she raced to think of a good excuse for Big Sis.

Time up, the little filly frantically rushed to close the window and hurried for the exit. The door clattered shut as Apple Bloom cantered away, leaving the clubhouse empty save for the gentle, doomed breeze now trapped within.

Author's Note

Been a while since I last posted! When I started this story, I hadn't seen or heard about the CMC getting their marks in the show (though I think the episode may have already aired), so when I learned of that I was more than a little disheartened. As you'll see eventually, Cutie Marks play a large role in this story, and the CMC lacking theirs will be a pretty major plot point!

So what's a writer to do? I considered trying to rewrite things to accommodate the new canon, but ultimately it would have altered the nature of the story I want to tell too much. So I guess this is an AU story now!

Still going to try to keep it close to current timeline in the show, but I won't be acknowledging anything for the younger ponies from Crusaders of the Lost Mark onward. Look forward to more nasty Diamond Tiara in future chapters, for example!

5 A Lunch to Remember

Scootaloo briefly stirred the yellow and green sludge quarantined in one corner of her lunch tray, watching it congeal back to stillness. "What did the menu say this was?" she whined to her two friends seated nearby.

The Ponyville schoolhouse was a single room, much too small to have a cafeteria, so the local government had hired a catering company to provide school lunch from a wagon parked on the lawn outside. The contract went to the lowest bidder. It showed in the surly serving mare with her dead eyes and mane-net that stank of cigarettes as much as the quality of the slop she served. The wet slap of another ladle full of “nutrition” landing on some poor pony’s tray somehow pierced the persistent murmur of the students who’d already found their seats. “No wonder nearly everypony who can afford to brings their own lunch.”, Scootaloo thought, before settling down on the grass at the edge of the sports field.

Sweetie Belle looked up from her carefully packed lunch box, to regard the other filly’s tray. "It was, corn.. something, wasn't it?" she only half recalled. A quick spell cracked open her own meal as an afterthought. Rarity had recently discovered a passion for Neighponese food, so her little sister's lunch had rice balls and little veggies lovingly cut to resemble cutesy sea creatures.

Apple Bloom was also in the free lunch crowd, but she was already obliviously munching through the slop on her own tray. "Who cares? Food's food, mah granny says." Sweetie noted that her friend had never quite managed to master NOT talking with her mouth full and discretely pushed her own lunch out of the spray zone. "And ya gotta eat ALL of it afore you get an apple for dessert, or you won't grow up big an' strong!" Bloom patted the paper bag with 3 sweet treats at her side. The Apple family may be poor in bits, but they were definitely rich in, well... apples. "Thems tha rules." The words landed with the finality of the grave.

Scoots flapped her tiny wings in annoyance, surveying the herculean task before her. "Your family's rules! I don't know why they should apply to me..." Another poke, another jiggle, then stillness. "This looks like something Sweetie could have made!" Apple Bloom chuckled, while the unicorn sniffed and levitated a bit of steamed zucchini carved into the shape of a smiling squid. Scootaloo looked on enviously as Sweetie took a demure bite, decapitating the jolly little morsel. It looked both delicious, cute, and awesome. "Hey, Sweetie Belle, how about you give me some of those carrot-fish?"

"You think you can insult my cooking and then ask me for some of my lunch immediately afterward?" An arched eyebrow conveyed her skepticism. "Really?"

"C'moon!" Scoots did a fair impression of Rainbow Dash's scratchy timbre. "Where's the Generosity?"

"First of all, that's my sister. If anything, I should get to be a little stingy to balance her out! And second, you didn't wash up and I don't want your hooves touching my lunch!"

"And third, you eatin' her lunch won't get you any closer to yer apple. Thems-"

The pegasus filly rolled her eyes and finished before her friend could "the rules. I know."

Apple Bloom smiled and looked around the school field, tuning out her friends as they continued to bicker good-naturedly. The three of them always ate together, but they were far from the only regular group sprawled out on the grass enjoying the late autumn sun. The few school-colts usually ate in one big group. Among the mares, free lunchers tended to gather together in groups of 4 to 6, and most of the bag crowd did the same.

Diamond Tiara's group was an exception. She got gourmet lunch specially prepared and delivered from her father's estate daily, and had built a circle of sycophants largely on "sharing the wealth". The Queen's Court, the school-fillies called it, laid claim to a shady tree on the far side of the field. Only the most elite and popular young ponies were welcome there, and it was many a filly's dream to be invited. Not Apple Bloom though, she'd had her taste of the high life and didn't miss it. If other ponies wanted to swallow Diamond Tiara's bull-pucky in exchange for some tiny sandwiches, they were welcome to. At least holding court usually kept their nemesis too busy to harass them at lunch.

As her eyes wandered across the field, she realized most everyone in their class belonged somewhere, except the new colt Silver Slice, apparently. He lay on his barrel next to an empty bag, a little ways away from the other boys, napping by himself. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he being excluded from the boys' group or did he choose to be alone?

The colts did seem a little more animated than usual, and Apple Bloom spotted several of them gesturing towards the loner. She tried to filter through the buzz of general conversation to catch what they were saying. Her focus was rewarded with a small snippet "he's dangerous, boys". Maybe Silver Slice's actions last week had made everypony too scared to include him?

"Hey!" Apple Bloom snapped he head around. "You alright there, Bloom?" Scootaloo was looking at her strangely.

"Sorry, sorry. Mah mind went wandrin'."

"So you gonna give it, or what?" the pegasus asked.

"Give what?" She was still confused, and looked to Sweetie for clarification

"The apple." Sweetie motioned towards the bag with a hoof, then to Scootaloo's bare tray. "Scoots there finally conquered the dragon and now she wants her prize."

Apple Bloom smirked as she reached into her bag and passed over the fruit. "Ya'll's prize, knight Scoot of Loo! A worthy reward fer a worthy deed!"

The mockery went right over the pegasus' head. "Damn right!" She tore into her apple with a vengeance.

The other two smiled at the sight, until Sweetie noticed something which caused her mirth to die. "Trouble coming." she said simply, nodding her head subtly towards the Queen’s Court. The others tried their best to look without being obvious, spotting the Queen herself cantering primly in their general direction.

Scootaloo groaned at the sight of Diamond Tiara’s approach, whispering to her friends "Why now of all times!? It's enough to spoil my appetite!" There was a pause while the pegasus took another large bite from her apple. "Almost." she clarified while chewing.

"Alright gals, just play it cool and don't let 'er git a rise outta ya! Remember that's what she wants!" It was good advice, hard learned through years of harsh experience. The others nodded. Resolved to not repeat last Friday’s debacle, they braced for their nemesis’ arrival.

Diamond Tiara's words were daggers wrapped in mock sympathy. "Still slumming it over here with these two, Sweetie Belle? I'll never understand why someone with connections to high society chooses to lower herself like this." Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged glances while they waited for the other horseshoe to drop, but Sweetie Belle focused on her lunch, barely acknowledging she was being spoken to. "You should join me and my friends for lunch sometime." There it was. Ever since Sweetie's older sister made it big in the fashion world last year, Diamond Tiara had been playing on and off at peeling her away from the Crusaders. None of them trusted for a moment that it was a genuine offer.

The unicorn finally lowered her food and fixed Tiara with a stare. "I hang out with people who enjoy my company, not those who enjoy my lunch. So what brings you over to our area..." Sweetie paused for a moment, her eyes darting across the field to where court was being held without its queen but with her food. "alone?"

Apple Bloom gave a holler in her mind at the blush Diamond Tiara sported, but kept her outward reaction to a snigger. Sometimes she wished she could be as catty as Sweetie Belle.

Unfortunately, Scootaloo was less adept at social one-upmanship than either of her friends, and chose this moment to interject. "Yeah, just a couple minutes ago she was being totally stingy and wouldn't share her lunch with me at all! But we're still here, so there!" Now it was Sweetie Belle's turn to blush, while Diamond Tiara smirked, Bloom facehoofed and Scootaloo cast her eyes down and ran a hoof through her mane sheepishly. "Sheesh, that seemed a whole lot more like a burn in my head." she mumbled.

"I heard from a little birdie that your valiant colt-friend managed to upset the other colts." she pointed a hoof over to the boys' circle even as two of them broke away, sauntering towards their napping target. Her smile was all teeth, and no mirth, "I'm just here to watch the show."

Author's Note

Not much action in this one, just some build up to a confrontation, sorry! I am pretty proud of the brief interplay between the school fillies, but I had trouble establishing a strong POV in this chapter, which is less good.

Oh well, onwards and upwards!

6 Isolation

In his dream he was a dragon soaring through the sky. He felt the tension and power in each beat of his wings and tasted with forked tongue the fear of any pony his shadow fell upon.

Far below they scurried about in panic, seeking shelter in the buildings of their little village.

He snorted. As though any of their pathetic works could protect them from his wrath. Not one of them had the courage to confront him, much less the power to stop him. Here in the sky, HE was the supreme master, safe.

Suddenly his illusion fell to pieces. He sensed that he was no longer alone, in the vague way that dream senses work.

A powerful wingstroke sent Dragon Silver Slice banking right. The scales of his long, sinuous neck rattled with the gale-force of his attacker's near miss. Draconic fury began to build as he leaned further into the turn, flipping briefly to fly belly skyward in hopes of getting a glimpse of his foe. The sky was clear, with no sign of the one who dared challenge him. He still had the nagging feeling that he was very much in danger. The fire in his gut twisted, begging for release, but he held back.

Some nebulous instinct alerted him to another incoming strike, and he folded his wings just in time to plummet out of the way. A sharp sting and the cracking of the scales below his left eye told him he hadn't escaped entirely unscathed, but he had what he needed. A glowing green blade flew, flickering and fading from sight even as it sped away. Silver roared a challenge and poured forth his fury in dragonfire. The blade vanished in flame.

The dragon threw open its wings to arrest its fall, wincing at the sudden strain of wind on leather. The ground was approaching far faster than he was comfortable with. A glint of green raced upward even faster, and Silver Slice felt his mighty heart clench as he realized the trap. Pulling out of his stall left him little speed or room to dodge, but leaning into the dive would result in a crash even if it would give him the speed to avoid the green blade and its invisible wielder. Another blast of dragonfire wouldn't be available in time, which meant he'd have to rely on counterattacking with claw or tooth.

Another powerful flap to level out, and it was upon him. Claws longer and sharper than swords raced to meet a streak of flickering, insubstantial color. It slid between the dragons digits with the grace of a dancer, slashing towards his face. Silver Slice closed his eyes and braced for the pain.

========== TRANSITION ==============

The blade of grass swayed in the gentle breeze, tapping the colt's snout once, twice, thrice.

"AH-CHOO" Silver Slice blearily opened his ice-blue eyes, memory of the dream fleeing his mind like a shadow. The sun's rays warmed his coat, and the wind brought with it the soothing scents of red and yellow leaves. All-in-all, it was perfect weather to return to his nap, but as the colt's sight came into focus he realized that this would not be an option. Two of his classmates stood only a few paces away, looking like his violent sneeze had interrupted whatever words they had been about to speak, leaving their lips to tremble uselessly.

He yawned without bothering to get up and studied the two. "Can I help ya?"

The one on on the right, a teal colored unicorn colt with a brown mane and a cutie mark resembling a pair of scissors, snapped his mouth shut and glared. Probably thought he had the advantage because he was bigger than Silver Slice. Well, heavier and wider anyway. Maybe it was the weight of all that fat which made his voice so nasally and annoying. "Yeah, we got something to say to you!" getting the words out seemed to bolster his confidence some, and he grinned like an idiot.

Dead silence hung in the air for a few seconds. The prone colt felt the weight of everyone's gaze as he lazily rolled onto his side, extending his legs out in a stretch. "Go on then." he grunted in relief as the muscles of his haunches and croup loosened. "Say it."

The fat one, Silver briefly wished he'd paid more attention during introductions last week so he could put a name to the round face, looked over at his friend and gave him a shove.

"Go on, say it like we practiced." Fatty whispered urgently.

The other colt had a small, weedy frame and a burnt orange coat which looked like it was in need of brushing. To this point he'd been staring ahead vacantly, but Fatty's words bounced around his skull and finally seemed to settle in. His forehoof pawed at the grass twice and he lowered his head to level his horn at Silver. It was a small thing, barely protruding from a messy clump of Blue-green mane, but the challenge was clear even before he spoke.

"We don't like your face! So we're gonna stomp you into the ground!"

"Great..." Silver thought to himself as he rolled over onto his hooves and considered his options. Backing down definitely wasn't on the table, this was his first test in this new school and if he was to have any peace he'd have to make things crystal clear... but maybe he could still avoid this fight.

"Ya don't know me too well, I geddit. So lemme tell ya the score." He raised himself to his full height and twisted his neck to one side with an audible pop. Both unicorns grimaced at the sound. "I'd like to let yous two off with a warnin', on account that kicking your flank's not worth my time or the trouble of my dad yellin at me." The hard edge of his hoof dug a shallow trench in the yard and he stepped back from it. "But if you just gotta learn who's the hardest stallion on this field, step across that line. I'm not a gentle teacher though."

"Uhh..." Fatty started to sweat as the newcomer stared him down. Something about this pony made him intensely uncomfortable, and he unconsciously took a step back as he cast his eyes around the schoolyard. Everyone was looking at him, waiting to see if he'd chicken out and back down, even the friend who stood by his side. His eyes met Diamond Tiara's and he could see steel in them. No doubt that he'd be in trouble either way, so he made his choice.

Even the rotund unicorn was surprised as he gave a shuddering whinny and bolted toward Silver with his head low.

"Damn, too stupid to intimidate usually also means too stupid to know when to quit." the earth pony griped internally. He'd have to be careful not to send this one to the hospital. Silver stood stock still as his foe bore down on him, then at the last moment tucked his legs in and dropped belly-first onto the ground. The unicorn's horn passed harmlessly over its target, and so did the rest of him. With a grunt and a beat of his heart, the earth pony sent magic to his muscles as he sprang powerfully to his feet. Fatty gave a squeek as the upward force sent him flying and his own forward momentum caused him to tumble hoof over horn. He landed in a groaning heap several feet behind Silver.

A moments distraction as he assessed Fatty's fighting shape was all the other one needed. Orange Pipsqueek was apparently not as dim as he looked. At least he remembered to fight like a unicorn as he grabbed a nearby hoofball with his telekinesis and slammed it into the back of the other colt's head. If it'd been something harder it might have caused a concussion, but instead it merely stunned Silver for a second. The ball was came around for a second pass, and it struck him across the side of his snout. Silver tasted blood as the inside of his cheek met his teeth.

"Don't hurt my friend!"

A thought fought its way through the pain. "Sheesh, maybe he's dim after all. Like he doesn't even realize who started it."

"Worry 'bout yourself." Silver spat out a wad of blood and charged, but soon had to leap to the side to avoid the incoming ball. Whoever this guy was, Silver had to admit he had his TK down pat. He had control enough to harry the earth pony and return it to defense position if Silver's hoof connected to knock it away. His spacing was good too, never so close that the brief loss of control would allow Silver to close the distance and get hoof to hoof. Several aborted charges later, the earth pony was running out of time. If he allowed Fatty enough time to recover he'd have to choose between losing and really hurting someone, and he hated losing.

Silver pumped his magic to get some distance in the leap, and Pipsqueek's ball whizzed underneath his barrel. Muscle enhancement was among the simplest and least strenuous uses of magic for earth ponies, but he'd had to use it more than he liked to stay one step ahead of the damnable ball, and it was starting to strain him. He landed with a huff and flicked his tail up in a fan of hair, knowing he'd get only one chance to make this work. The ball came whizzing from behind, aimed straight for the back of his head. As soon as he felt it touch the hairs of his tail, Silver reacted by collapsing his forelegs and falling forward onto his chest. The ball missed his skull by a few hair's breadth, overshooting by about a dozen feet before reversing course to head straight back. By then he was already rearing back onto his hind legs and ready for it. A powerful hoof blow sent the rubber ball rocketing back towards Pipsqueek's face.

The crowd of fillies and colts gasped as the small unicorn focused his power on the incoming missile, trying to regain control. It halted a few inches from his snout, rotating slowly while he regarded it with a cross-eyed stare. The crowd of onlookers gave a collective sigh of relief.

Silver dropped back to all fours. He needed to stall for a bit more time if this next part was going to work. "Hey, Orange. What's your name?" He panted as his heart pumped magic to his forehooves, then down into the ground below.

"I'm Snails! Nice to meetcha!" the unicorn replied automatically, before realizing he probably shouldn't be so friendly. His face fell as he processed the mistake and wondered how to fix it. Usually his friend helped him with things like that, which reminded him. "Snips, you ok?" he called across the field.

Silver's front hooves sank slightly and he got an almost imperceptible whiff of wet earth.

Fatty/Snips was struggling to his hooves, still wheezing from his tumble. "Just... catching my breath... buddy... Be with you in a minute...."

Almost out of time, Silver focused another pump of magic into the grass. If someone were extremely observant they would notice the blades around his hooves shudder independent of the breeze, but the major movement was in the twisting of the root system beneath the surface. "So Snails, props. You're better than I thought, but still no match for me. You wanna give it up?"

"Nope! Gonna get you good!"

"Alright then, pal, give me your best shot."

Silver was ready as the ball came screaming through the air towards him. As he reared back this time, his front hooves pulled up a shield of wet sod and tangled grass-root to meet the oncoming attack. Rather than bouncing off as it would with something stiff, the ball sank into the yielding earth and was enveloped.

A skilled earth-magi could transform or harden one sort of earth into another with little effort, but that was far beyond Silver's skill level. Instead he settled for forcibly expelling all the water from the soil, leaving it a sort of chalky, pottery-adjacent substance.

"Hey!" Snails gave the whole thing a telekinetic yank, but it was firmly in Silver's magical aura. "Give that back!"

"Sure thing, pal!" Silver sent a final pulse of magic into the now dying root systems. He only needed it to hold for a few seconds anyway. "Catch!" He launched the earth-caked ball directly at Snails' head with all his might.

Once again Snails focused his telekinesis on the incoming projectile, but as his magical aura reached out to it he realized too late that the magic bleeding from the network of roots made it nearly impossible to grasp. "Uh-oh." the modified ball struck with force enough to shatter the outer coating with a resounding CRACK!

FWEEEEEEEEEEEEFFffphlbppbp!

The ball flailed back and forth as it died on the young unicorn's horn. Finally bereft of air, the rubber sack collapsed over Snail's pain-stunned eyes. He toppled over a second later as one of the school-fillies screamed.

Silver sighed, glad that he had one less-

"GRAAAAAAAGHH!" Snips was an unstoppable train of rage and blubber as he shoulder tackled Silver to the ground. They rolled around in a tangle of limbs and snapping, flat teeth for several seconds. Finally the unicorn was able to use his superior bulk to secure the top position. Silver avoided or deflected several downward blows as he scrambled to get the heavier pony off of him, but whether by skill or luck Snips was too far up the earth pony's barrel to easily hook and lever off with the back hooves. An enhanced push with his forehooves might work, but tired as Silver was, he knew that would be the last of his magic reserves and it wasn't even a sure thing. That meant taking the more painful option.

Silver waited for the next strike and swiftly shot his own hoof out, entangling their two forelegs and pulling Snips down close. His second hoof began applying pressure to the unicorn's joint, hoping that his classmate would give before he had to break the leg. Angry as he was, Snips took several long seconds to register the pain, during which the now immobile Silver was forced to endure repeated pummeling strikes. At last Snips went with the pressure and tilted far enough to the side that Silver was able to roll the whole thing over. Now on top, he released his grapple and sent several blows down on the unicorn's face, bouncing the back of his head off the field repeatedly.

The earth pony was greedily sucking air as he leaned back, still sat on the unicorn's stomach. Sweat glistened on his withers, soaked his mane and ran down into his eyes. Blood lazily flowed from one nostril and gushed with each heartbeat from a cut on his lip. "You give?" he rasped.

It was then that Snips unfortunately remembered he was a unicorn, his aura grasping onto Silver and lifting him up before he could react. His magic was no where near as precise as Snails had been, but he had the benefit of being at peak and his target was nearing exhaustion. "Buck you!" Snips wasn't even sure what he was going to do with the earth pony at this point, but he wasn't about to let him win. He could float up there until Snips was ready to deal with him.

Silver gritted his teeth in frustration. "Stupid, stubborn jackass!" A final pump blasted the remainder of Silver's magic from his body, ripping the telekinesis aura that gripped him to shreds. Gravity brought four hooves and the earth pony's full weight slamming into Snip's soft stomach. The pudgy unicorn immediately rolled over onto his side and began vomiting, briefly interspersed by wracking sobs.

Silver rose from the grass, legs shaking but standing tall. By this time the school's colts had formed a rough circle, instinctively putting the largest and strongest members of the herd on the leading edge. They swept over their injured classmate and Silver let himself be pushed back.

The herd glared at him, and Silver glared back. "We clear?" he rasped defiantly. "Anypony else wants to try their luck? I will wreck you."

"You'll do no such thing, young colt." Cheerilee's voice had a hard edge to it as she stepped onto the scene behind several of the fillies. She was carrying a first aid kit which rattled with each of her steps. "Go to my office and wait. Now."

"Miss Cheerilee, it ain't what it looks like..." a filly spoke up. Silver recognized her as one of the three he'd talked to on his first day, the earth pony with the red bow in her hair. He wished he could remember her name.

"Don't bother." He cut the filly off, already turning to stiffly walk back to the schoolhouse. "I did the deed, I'll accept the consequences."

The teacher mentally groaned; it was only the second week and already there were two injured students! She prayed to the Sun that this was the worst she'd see this year, but she still felt a little thrill of dread whenever she looked at the new kid.

She shook her head to dispel the feeling. Cheerilee would deal with Silver Slice in a bit, but right now there were ponies in pain that needed her care.

7 Debates

Bloom's hoof brought the hammer down onto the podium with a resounding crack, stilling the idle conversation of her friends. It was a rusty old metal thing her sister had wanted to throw out, not a wooden gavel like a proper president of a club would use. Still, it served its purpose, and Bloom brought it down two or three more times just to make her point. She cleared her throat while silence fell over the CMC clubhouse, her gaze sweeping over the two other members.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat back on their haunches surrounded by juice boxes and snack wrappers scattered about the plank floor. Despite the soon to be sticky floor, they'd been careful to keep the mess clear of the blue and gold Crusader capes that served as the uniform during formal club meetings. The fancy fabric shimmered beautifully, but it was also real hard to clean and they didn't want to get another scolding from Rarity if they needed a replacement.

Once Apple Bloom was sure the other two were waiting attentively she kicked things off "Ah hereby call this meetin ta order. Crusaders Ponyville Chapter 1, will the secr'tary read minutes from last meetin?"

Sweetie Belle smiled primly as she levitated several note cards up, only to have Scootaloo shove them back down to the floor impatiently. "Forget the minutes! Let's get to whether or not we're getting a new member!"

Sweetie's crestfallen look got a sympathetic nod, but it seemed wiser to press on than tempt the further frustration of an energetic pegasus.

"First on the schedule, the matter of Silver Slice's prospective application to the club. Floors open to arguments for and aginst, girls." Scootaloo's hoof shot into the air, practically vibrating with restrained emotion. Bloom rolled her eyes with a good natured grin "Scoots?"

"Did you see him at the schoolyard? He was like 'shoom' and then the other guy was like 'aaah!' before 'wham'. After a..." the outpouring of language left Bloom struggling to keep up. Every couple words were punctuated with a jab or a leap, as if to illustrate emotion that could not be properly conveyed in mere language. Scootaloo paused, and took a brief inhale to get herself under control, "That colt knows how to kick some serious flank." she concluded with a nod.

By the look on the unicorn's face, Apple Bloom could tell her friend had something to say, though she seemed like it'd need a poke to come out. "Sweetie Belle? Whatchu think?"

"Well." it wasn't normal for Sweetie to hesitate like this, "That's kind of the problem. I heard Snails had to go to the hospital for a cracked horn." She brought a hoof to her own horn and grimaced in sympathy. "What if he gets angry like that again, only at us?"

"Come on! Those colts picked a fight with him!"

"A fight he could have avoided!"

The fillys locked eyes and glared at each other, neither giving an inch as the argument escalated. Bloom hung back to see if anything pertinent might come of it, but was disappointed as the minutes wore on and the argument devolved into a wrestling match.

Time to play peacemaker, it seemed. Apple Bloom's voice had a stern edge to it, borrowed from her sister's most disappointed lectures. She jammed it into a single exasperated word. "Gals."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle froze, each having grabbed a hoofful of the others cheek in the fracas. Toothy, distorted faces slowly turned to regard Bloom, who struggled to maintain her frown of disapproval while staring at the silly sight. Finally Scoots and Belle broke contact, and each had the grace to look shamefaced. A mumbled apology later and order was restored enough that they could proceed.

Bloom ran a hoof under her muzzle, "Ah can see yer point, Sweetie, but I got the feelin that Slice was holdin back, and he did give those two a chance to back off. He don't seem the type to start buckin at the drop of a hat."

"That's not the only thing about him that's worrying!"

Scootaloo gave a noncommital grunt, but Bloom just raised an eyebrow, waiting for her friend to continue.

Sweetie wore a pinched look, as though the words she was about to speak pained her. "My sister's always saying that a pony is judged not only by her own actions, but also by the company they keep. Regardless of the why," there was a hint of heat to her words, "that fight has gotten him on the whole school's bad side! Especially Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who are just going to keep making it worse for him. And us! I don't think our reputations can survive having him in the Crusaders!"

"Anyone who annoys those two can't be all bad, right?" Scootaloo pointed out. "He only got on their nerves the first time by sticking up for us, remember?"

Bloom shook her head "Ah don't expect those two ta stop pesterin us whether we make friends with Slice or not. If anything, dealing with him is the first time I've seen em on the back hoof. Could be useful ta have around..."

"Don't forget how strange he acted after he 'stuck up' for us... I just wish we knew more about him." The unicorn seemed on the verge of relenting, but something held her back.

Apple Bloom knew she just needed some time to get used to the idea. "Maybe we could keep him under observation? Make a Crusade out of it?" All eyes were drawn to the big board which dominated one wall of the club house. Scrawled on its surface were ideas for their next attempt at getting their cutie mark, some crossed out and others underlined.

Sweetie's soft green eyes twinkled. "Ooh, like a Private Eye?" The thought seemed to catch her imagination. Little did her friends (or her sister) know that she'd been secretly reading the Shadow Spade novels Rarity kept in her room for years and had always wanted to try being a detective.

"Yeah, that sounds cool!" Scootaloo was on board. "We can take turns keeping an eye on him, and report whenever he does something suspicious, awesome, or suspiciously awesome!"

Apple Bloom ambled up to the board and grabbed a piece of chalk, rapidly scrawling a new entry. "Alright, gals, sounds like we got a plan. Operation Silver Slice Stakeout is a go!"

And so it began.

8 Observation

Apple Bloom sighed and took another bite of her apple, chewing boredly as even more nothing happened. Three days the crusaders had been taking turns at this, watching Silver Slice's house from the CMC clubhouse after school. Stakeouts were even more dull than she expected, or maybe their target was the most boring pony in history. As far as any of them had seen, the colt had barely been outside during that time, except to take the garbage out or help his mom in the little garden plot they were putting in. He didn't seem to have much in the ways of hobbies, or friends, and Bloom felt a sting of sympathy as she recalled her own isolation before she'd made friends with Scoots and Belle.

Every day it was the same thing. The clubhouse had a pretty fair view into the kitchen and living room area, which both had large windows facing the road which separated their property from Sweet Apple Acres. Silver Slash would get home from school and head into the house, dropping his bag off in the kitchen where his dam was busy being domestic. He'd usually either break out his schoolbooks and do homework at the table while chatting with the mare, or they'd head out into the yard and work the soil. About an hour before suppertime he'd retire to his room and do who-knows-what, until his sire would get home from work and the family would have dinner.

"Oh!" Apple Bloom's ears perked up as she noticed Silver's Pa coming up the road, much earlier than usual. "What's brought ya'll home so early, mister?" She mused to herself as he approached the front door. It opened to reveal Silver's ma, all fancied up in a floral dress and pearls, with Silver himself a dark shadow in the hallway behind her. Husband and wife embraced briefly, there was an exchange of words and then an affectionate hoof ran through the colt's mane. With a final admonition from his parents, the young stallion closed the door, and the pair turned south for a night on the town. "Must be date night."

Fifteen minutes later, the adults were well out of sight and a cautious movement drew Apple Bloom's gaze to the rear corner of the house. Silver Slash poked his head around the corner to check the coast was clear, before crossing the road into the south orchard again. She struggled to follow his form through the thickening canopy but quickly lost him "Where can you be goin'?".

Bloom backed out of the window, and hurried to the door. If she was fast enough, she'd be able to trail him to wherever he was going and hopefully learn something useful. An involuntary grin sprouted on her face. Finally!

Her hooves hit the ground running. She angled through the browning apple grove on an intercept course for where last she'd seen her classmate, finally slowing her pace and looking around. She wasn't worried about losing track of him, least not while he was on her land.

The other tribes couldn't quite understand what an earth pony meant when they talked about their land. The Apple family had worked this soil and these trees for generations, and both were as much their friend as any pony of flesh and blood. Bloom pumped a burst of magic out of her hooves and felt the familiar earth mingle with her senses. It was faint, but she could feel the slight disturbance Silver Slash's passage had made through the grove and set off in pursuit.

Minutes passed with periodic pauses to reacquire the trail. It went almost straight northwest, and with dread Bloom realized she'd run out of orchard. She stood in the shade of her trees and glared out across the thin strip of cleared land and the rail fence that divided her home from the wilderness of Everfree. There was a break in the old fence and just beyond it, what looked like a game trail. Her magic wouldn't be able to track anything in there and she hesitated.

"Ah've got hours yet till night. Ain't no different than takin a trip to visit Zecora..." the words were scant comfort, but they rallied her courage enough for her to venture out into the unknown.

The first step was the hardest, and soon the shadows of the thick Everfree canopy had embraced her. Little of Celestia's sun could penetrate here, and she spared a look back to the rapidly fading wall of light behind her. The trail was barely wide enough for her filly hooves, and she hoped that meant she wouldn't run into anything big. Twisted trunks twined and embraced each other on both sides, and unfamiliar birdcalls echoed eerily. She quickened her pace, no longer giving thought to stealth. If Silver Slash spotted her following, she'd be more happy for his company than embarrassed to explain her reasons for stalking him.

The gentle murmur of water, and the smell of damp earth warned her that something had changed before the sudden turn of the trail dumped her into a small glade. There was Silver Slash, laying on his belly on a raised hillock where a turn of the stream had cut a deep channel on three sides. A ray of light broke through the canopy and illuminated the area around him, nurturing a lush bed of grass dotted with little white flowers. The earth pony colt was gently rocking from side to side, humming a wordless tune to himself with eyes closed.

Aside from the burbling of flowing water, the normal sounds of the Everfree had faded away. This place felt... safe, but Apple Bloom tensed and took an awkward step backward. It was like she was intruding on something deeply personal. "Maybe ah should head back." she thought to herself.

Ice ran through her veins as Silver Slash's Broncs accent rang through the still air. "Who's theah?"

Maybe she could still get away, if she ran for it before he opened his eyes, before he got a chance to turn towards her. Instead she gathered her courage and took another first step forward.

Author's Note

Been a while! Don't know if anyone is following this story, but I've been inspired by some other good stories I had thought dead posting after long breaks. If they can do it, I guess I can too.

9 Gambles

The stream's gentle murmer filled the silence between them until the young mare called out across the glade. "It's me, Apple Bloom."

Silver didn't react at first, save to calmly breath in the scents of the woods. Bloom was beginning to find the silence awkward by the time he replied. "Whatcha doing heah, Apple Bloom?"

"Ah saw ya were headin through the south field, and ah wanted to see what ye were up ta?" She cringed. It sure sounded stalker-ish when she heard it said out loud.

Silver Slash's voice wasn't harsh, but there was a challenge in it. "Why ya caeh what I'm up ta?" he didn't open his eyes.

"Me'n the girls, we've got a club. Cutie Mark Crusaders, ya remember? It's what we do ta find our destiny, an' get our cutie marks. We were thinkin of invitin ya ta join." Finding a bit more confidence in her words, the young mare took another hesitant step into the clearing. "So what are ya doin?" she pressed.

"Listening."

Apple Bloom cocked her head, focusing on the sounds of the forest. She heard the song of a far off tern, the soft susurrus of a distant breeze through the canopy above, and the gentle burbling of the stream below his perch. "To the stream?" she ventured a guess.

At last Slash opened his eyes, and turned the blue orbs to regard her with a cold gaze. "I don't needta be in yer club."

"Why not?"

"Because ah already know mah destiny." He got his hooves under him and rose gracefully. "Don't need a cutie mark fah that."

"Whatcha mean? Even if yer right, why not join the club anyway? We have lotsa fun."

The colt cracked his neck, stretching muscles made stiff by his period of silent contemplation and took a step in her direction. It reminded Apple Bloom uncomfortably of his stance on the school field the other day. "Probably not my idea of fun." He was ambling in her direction now, at an unhurried but resolute pace.

"Leave." There was an unstated threat in the colt's tone. He clearly resented her intrusion, and Bloom again felt like she'd interrupted something deeply personal by following him out here. But her sister had taught her not to quail in the face of adversity, and she stood her ground even as he approached.

"Why ya gotta do that? Ya think pushin ponies around'll get ya what ya want?"

Slash shrugged. "Ah like ta fight, and I'm good at fightin."

"Everypony's so afraid of ya, and yer hard case act... Ya'll only push everyone away. Ain't it lonely?"

She saw his eyes tighten and glare went from cool to icy. He practically growled his response. "It's no act, filly. And ah don't needja or anyone else dragging me down." The distant tern had finished his song, and thought better of starting a new one in the midst of the confrontation.

"Friends ain't a thing that drags ya down. Friends lift ya up, and make ya better."

Silver Slash's only response was a contemptuous snort.

He was now practically muzzle to muzzle with her, and she had to fight her instincts not to back up to get some distance. Instead she stepped forward, closing the remaining distance between them before he could. "Well, if you like fightin so much, how about you an me have a tussel? You win, and me'n the girls leave ya alone. But if ah win, you gotta join the crusaders."

He laughed, but she spotted a gleam in his eye that she knew meant he was interested. "This is stupid. Ya really that eagah ta get thrashed?"

Apple Bloom regarded her classmate with an unimpressed glare, which he answered with a shrug. "Suit yahself, filly. Come on, ah got a place we can throw down."

He turned away from her and trotted downstream a bit, to an old trunk fallen across the flowing water to form a makeshift bridge. It was slick with moisture and moss, with eddies swirling in a deep, dark pool on one side where it had dammed the flow. On the far side, the water was shallow and swift, and the sandy bottom could clearly be seen.

Slash hopped up confidently and crossed to the other side, before turning to face her. "Rules are, stay on the log. Other than that, nothin."

Apple Bloom climbed onto the log and took a moment to shift back and forth on her hooves. It seemed plenty stable, though it wasn't wide enough for her liking. This wouldn't be a fight with a lot of maneuvering, but in many ways that would play to her strengths. The colt may be bigger than her, but years of backbreaking labor on the farm had honed Bloom's muscles to peak efficiency, and she was no slouch when it came to channeling her magic for an extra boost either.

Nor was she entirely untrained either. One of the many things the trio had tried in the search for their marks had been the martial arts, working with her sister's friend Rainbow Dash. The brash wonderbolt excelled at combat sports, as she did with practically every other sport. The cloudominium had a spacious trophy room with her tournament awards mixed in with flying ones, according to Scootaloo.

But whatever her personal skill, Dash proved to be an ineffective teacher. The crusade for martial arts cutie marks ended with no cutie marks and three bruised and exhausted fillies. Only Bloom had stuck around for lessons after the first, and now she was glad she had. She'd probably never get her cutie mark in it but she enjoyed the challenge, and Dash never failed to work her into a sweat.

She stooped low, into one of the familiar stances she and Rainbow Dash had practiced, one which emphasized stability and reaction.

It didn't seem to impress her opponent. He'd had a lot more practical experience than her formal training amounted to. "So yah one of those ponies thinks some neighponese threads and a colored belt make ya a fighter, huh?" he sniffed dismissively.

"Hearin a lotta talkin, not seein any fightin." she taunted.

Author's Note

Another action scene coming up next time! Stay tuned!