Part 1: The Artful Dodgers
9:01 AM
Twilight peeked around the doorframe after the last student left the classroom. Her breathing grew shallow as the river of students crowded the halls. Now’s my chance! She took a deep breath and bolted out into the hall, murmuring apologies and excuse me’s as she brushed past. She scurried behind a book trolley and crouched down to her knees, pushing her thick rimmed glasses up her nose with a trembling hand.
“Hi, Twilight!”
The bookworm gasped sharply and snapped her head upwards. Pinkie Pie towered over her with both hands on her hips and a big smile on her face.
“Pinkie!” Twilight squeaked in surprise. “You scared me!”
“I did?” Pinkie asked loudly. With a frightened grunt, Twilight abruptly reached up and yanked Pinkie down to the floor. “Yow!”
Twilight clapped a hand over Pinkie’s mouth. “Please, Pinkie, you’re too loud!”
The drummer gave a confused look and pulled away from Twilight’s hand. “Why are we hiding behind a book trolley?” She suddenly pouted. “Is there an epic game of hide and seek I don’t know about? Why didn’t anyone invite me?”
Twilight waved her hands before gripping her new friend by the shoulders. “Pinkie, I need you to listen to me. Please. This isn’t a game! I…” Her eyes darted back and forth as if she sensed someone were listening to their conversation. “I’m hiding from someone. Someone who wants to beat me up." She swallowed. "Badly."
“What?” Pinkie touched Twilight’s elbow, her eyes concerned. “Who? Who's threatening to beat you up!?" She gritted her teeth and rolled up her imaginary sleeves. “Nobody messes with my friends! Give me a name, Twilight, any name! I’ll put ‘em into the ground!”
“I-It’s...Gilda.”
Pinkie’s shoulders instantly sagged and her mouth hung open. “Gilda? The transfer student? The girl with that one pierced ear but doesn’t even bother piercing the other one? That Gilda!?”
Twilight nodded.
“Ohh. Welp, can’t help you there, Twilight,” Pinkie said with a sheepish grin. “That’s a whole ‘nother ball game. She’s...well, she’s a tank!”
Twilight nodded in understanding. “And it doesn’t help that she’s Rainbow’s old friend from elementary.”
“Yeah huh. But I don’t understand. Why would Gilda want to hurt you? You haven’t said anything, have you?”
“Well…” Twilight nervously tugged at the strands of her hair. “I'd...rather not say. I-I'll tell you later when I have the time. Bottom line...she wants to...give me a wedgie."
Pinkie's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh...oh no...I'm...I'm so sorry, Twilight."
Twilight buried her head between her knees and moaned. "What have I done?"
“Well, I can help you avoid her for the rest of the da---oh wait. We have gym class with her fourth period, don’t we?”
“Maybe I should tell Coach Will I’m sick,” Twilight said worriedly.
“Ah, come on, it won’t be that bad! Coach Iron Will’s probably gonna take attendance, make us run a few laps up and down the stadium and have us do a few push-ups--and before you know it, badda bing, badda boom, we’re out of there! Just like yesterday. I’ll be there with you the whole time!”
“And so will Gilda,” Twilight gulped.
Pinkie gave her a confident pat on the back. “Just run slower than you usually do when we run laps. Since Gilda’s always competing with Rainbow Dash to be first to finish, you should be safe.”
Twilight rolled her eyes at being called slow, but she knew that Pinkie always meant well, even if her comments seemed off handed some of the time. The book trolley suddenly rolled off in a different direction, causing Twilight to squeak; she quickly scrambled to her feet with Pinkie following suit. “W-Well, as long as Rainbow Dash isn’t absent today, maybe Gilda will leave me alone.”
“Yo, Twilight!”
Twilight whirled around and gasped at the sight of that Flash Sentry boy waving in her direction with a cheese-eating grin on his face. Without a word, she grabbed Pinkie’s hand and bolted the other direction, leaving Flash pouting in the middle of the hallway.
“Pinkie, how would one get a restraining order in this school?”
“He really likes you, Twilight,” Pinkie smiled. “Maybe he just wants to read and chill.”
Twilight looked at her incredulously. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, you know. He knows you like reading and he likes to chill out, so--”
“I don’t think that means what you think it means.”
“There you are, Dweeb!” a voice shouted. Twilight and Pinkie turned to see a tall girl with feathery white bangs coming at them from the end of the hall. Her golden eyes sparked as she stormed towards them.
“Run!” Twilight shrieked. The two took off into the crowd of students with Gilda in hot pursuit.
“It’s kind of weird that I’m running,” Pinkie said as they turned a corner. “But this is fun too!”
Twilight suddenly grabbed her arm and opened a door. “In here!” they squeezed into the tiny room and closed the door behind them--Pinkie backed up into a mop and it toppled over onto her head.
“We should definitely hang out more often,” Pinkie said as Twilight pressed against her. “You always find the weirdest places to hide!”
“Shh!” Twilight grunted as she tried to find some wiggle room. The supply closet was much tinier than she expected, and now she was smushed against Pinkie of all people. They were so close, they had no choice but to look at each other, which proved to be very uncomfortable for Twilight.
“Your heart’s beating really fast,” Pinkie noted.
“So’s yours,” Twilight deadpanned, eliciting a giggle from Pinkie.
“Oh, my heartbeat’s always fast. Like a drum. I love drums, don’t you?”
“...Did you always smell like Chlorine?”
Suddenly the door flew open, making them both scream. A boy peered at them, his look of shock shifting to a knowing smirk. “Hey, ladies,” he purred.
Twilight’s mouth formed into a line. “That’s it. I’m going to class.”
GYM CLASS 11:30 AM
“Where’s Rainbow Dash!?”
Twilight’s eyes darted around, frantically searching the gym for even a thread of Rainbow’s brightly colored hair. She rubbed her arms with both hands, trying to calm herself.
Her new gym uniform was something to get used to: Blue t-shirts with the Canterlot horseshoe imprinted on it and white shorts--or sweatpants, if the student preferred it. Her sweat pants were quite heavy on her; it was almost like wearing a parachute around. “I hope my shipment comes in soon,” Twilight muttered, tightening the elastic strings.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be here,” Pinkie assured her. “She wouldn’t miss Gym class for anything. But...why don't you just tell Rainbow what's going on?"
Twilight shook her head. "Gilda is Rainbow's oldest friend. I only met her three months ago. She'd never believe it--besides, Gilda's probably going to do worse if I do."
“Hey guys!” a raspy voice chirped, slinging an arm around Twilight’s shoulder from behind.
“Rainbow,” Twilight sighed, almost going completely slack. “Thank goodness you’re here!”
Pinkie wrapped both her arms around the athlete. “I knew you’d come!”
A cocky smile spread across Rainbow’s face. “Well geez, it’s only been three and a half hours since first period! Honestly, what’d you guys do before you met me?” Pinkie gave her a playful punch to the arm while Twilight gasped quietly and ducked behind the two of them. Before Rainbow could question, Gilda sauntered into the gym with a hand on her hip. She couldn’t look more bored.
Twilight watched in frozen terror as Rainbow’s hand went up to call Gilda over when a whistle pierced the air.
“STUDENTS!” boomed Coach Iron Will, “Today, we will not be leaving the Gym on account of it raining outside!”
Collective groans of disappointment filled the room. “What!?” Rainbow exclaimed and pointed at a open door near the indoor bleachers. “It’s not raining, it’s just a little sprinkle!”
The large man frowned and folded his muscular arms. “Iron Will does not want to pay for any lawsuits regarding students slipping on rain water, sprinkle or not! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!”
“YES COACH!” everyone shouted.
“Good! Now, since we won’t be able to do some outside activities today, we’ll have to settle for a nice quiet inside activity.” He reached behind him and held out a red rubber ball. “DODGEBALL!”
Immediately, cheers claps and whistles bounced off the walls of the gym, the loudest being Rainbow Dash. Out of all of the games they played, Dodgeball was an all time favorite. “Now let’s get into teams,” Iron said, tucking his ball under his left arm. “I need two team captains!”
Scores of hands shot up accompanied by a chorus of “Me’s” and “I’ll do it’s.”
Twilight gulped. “If I end up on the same team as Gilda, I’m done for!”
Pinkie nodded. “I gotcha, Twilight.” She raised her hand up high and jumped up and down in great exuberance. “ME! ME! OOOH, PICKMEPICKMEPICKME, I WANNA BE CAPTAIN!”
“Miss Dash,” Iron said, eliciting a victory squeal from Dash before she jumped up beside him. “And…”
“ME! ME! PICK ME!”
Through the sea of raised hands, Iron could see a bouncing blur of pink right in the thick of it. His eyes passed over it as he kept on searching. “And…”
“ME, I’LL DO IT! COACH WILL! COACH WILL! PICK ME!”
“...And…”
“I KNOW YOU SEE ME, COACH! I’LL DO IT! PLEEEEEAAHEHEHEAAAASSSSE!”
With an annoyed sigh, Iron pointed into the crowd of students. “Fine. Pie, get up here.”
With a wide grin, the frizz-haired girl charged forward and stood next to Rainbow Dash, who regarded her with an amused grin.
“Pick your teams,” Iron sighed.
“You go on ahead, Pinks,” Rainbow said, still smirking. “I’ll win either way.”
“Okay!” Pinkie replied. “Hmmm. I’ll pick...Twilight!”
Everyone watched with slight confusion as the Crystal Prep Transfer came forward and stood next to Pinkie. Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Good luck, egghead. No offence.” She turned to the rest of the class and pointed. “Gilda.”
Gilda strode forward with a proud smirk before bumping fists with Dash. Thank you, Pinkie.
****
Twilight looked around at her teammates, feeling slightly peeved. Besides her, there was Lyra, Fluttershy, Diamond Tiara, Twist, Hoops Score and Dumbbell (Rainbow wouldn’t pick them for anything), Tree Hugger, Button Mash, that weird kid that always giggles to herself at the back of the class that Twilight didn’t know, a girl named Derpy and...Flash. Confound you, Pinkie.
Pinkie Pie clapped her hands resolutely. “Okay, team! Looking around at you guys, I know we’ve got it in the bag!”
An awkward silence followed.
Twilight glanced over at Rainbow’s team and sighed inwardly. Accompanying Gilda, they had Bulk Biceps, Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Soarin, Scootaloo, Trixie, Bon Bon, a kid they referred to as “The Doctor”, Vinyl, Snips, Flitter, and Thunderlane. They crowded around Rainbow, who seemed to be speaking passionately as she pounded her fist into her hand.
In other words, they were screwed.
Flash inched behind Twilight and quietly sniffled the back of her bun. “Now Dashie’s competitive, but she plays fair, so we shouldn’t be expecting any surprises--yes, Lyra?”
“Coach Pinkie, can I go to the bathroom?”
“Lyra, this is no time to tinkle! You should have waited before the game!”
“But...I think I might be having my--”
“Um excuse me,” Diamond Tiara interrupted, waving a small piece of paper. “But since I have a delicate complexion, my doctor says that I can’t participate in any events where balls fly by my face.”
Several people snickered while Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Nice try, Diamond. This is serious business, you guys!” She threw down a clipboard that no one knew she had in the first place. “THIS IS NOT A GAME!”
“I thought it was,” Derpy said, looking genuinely confused.
Pinkie paused before shaking her head. “Never mind. What matters is that we play right and have fun. Now who’s ready to play some dodge ball?”
“Yaaay,” Hoops muttered.
“See? There you go, Hoops is excited!”
Button Mash tugged at the end of Pinkie’s shirt. “What’s our team name?” he asked while Twilight took off her glasses and cleaned the lenses. “I’m ready I guess, as long as it’s not in the face.”
“That’s it! Thanks, Twilight! Hands in! 1, 2, 3, Not In The Face!”
“Wait, what? That’s not what I--”
“Not In The Face!” The group declared, throwing their hands in the air.
Coach Iron Will blew his whistle, calling his students back. “Okay kids, you know the drill! Behind the line, pronto!”
Both teams spread out behind the single line that divided the gym. Several balls sat on the line, just waiting to be picked up. Twilight wandered somewhere in between Twist and Dumbbell and rubbed her palms together anxiously. She hadn’t played Dodge ball in years, not since Middle School. Even back then, she was terrible at it. At least I wasn’t picked last this time around.
Then she looked up to see a pair of golden eyes staring straight back at her. Twilight’s heart dropped into her stomach and her knees started to quake. Gilda sneered and gave the tiniest of nods in her direction, confirming Twilight’s growing fear. She’s going straight for me.
“Team Not In The Face Vs ….” Iron’s expression turned deadpanned. ”...Team Balls Deep.” Team Balls Deep tittered. “Very funny. At the whistle, you will begin!”
“Father son holy spirit,” Twilight mumbled as she hiked up her sweats.
PFFFFT!
Balls were flying everywhere. Twilight joined Fluttershy in running for her life as Gilda aimed for them without relent. Twilight waddled d as she dodged, thanks to the sweatpants weighing her down. At some point, Soarin hit Lyra in the pelvis on accident, causing Lyra to run off crying, “My period’s been activated!”
"So that's what she needed," Pinkie realized.
Rainbow and Gilda were a powerhouse, getting as many people out as possible. Derpy made it her mission to catch every single ball that was thrown at her, so that helped.
After some time passed, Fleetfoot locked eyes with Twilight and was about to hit her, when Flash slid forward and caught the ball. Twilight blinked in surprise as Fleetfoot stomped off the court. “Uh...gee, thanks, Flash.”
The spiky-haired guitarist grinned widely and lowered his eyelids, a light blush forming in his cheeks. “Sooo...Do you have any friends that are guys...but they're more than friends?”
After swallowing the nervous bile back down her throat, Twilight grabbed Flash and used him as a shield, causing someone’s ball to hit his chest. “Thanks again!” she called as she ran off to the other side of the gym. Flash stood there, dumbfounded until his lips curled into a simper. “Yep. She definitely likes me.”
Coach Iron blew his whistle and the game came to a halt. “Okay players! Now we’re in the second half! Take two minutes with your team!”
Twilight panted and wiped the sweat from under her bangs before looking around. Team...huh...what team?
Now that the smoke cleared, she could see exactly who was left. Pinkie, Derpy, Fluttershy and Tree Hugger. That’s it. “What a turn out, huh?” Pinkie said with a cheerful grin. Twilight leaned forward and pressed her hands on her knees as they regrouped.
“If you...can call it one,” she wheezed. “We’re...completely outnumbered!”
Pinkie glanced at the other team. Rainbow and Gilda were still standing of course, along with Trixie, Flitter, Snips, Soarin and Thunderlane. “But look at how many people we got out! We even got Bulk Biceps!”
Not that he’s hard to miss, Twilight thought begrudgingly.
“And great sticking it out, Fluttershy!” Pinkie complimented, putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
The introvert sighed and crossed her arms. “It happens to me every game,” she lamented. “People always forget about me and aim for everyone else--then by the time I’m the last one, someone always hits me, and I lose the game for everybody!” Her large teal eyes filled with self doubt. “We were doomed from the start.”
“Maybe if we forfeit early, we can avoid that scenario,” Twilight said, casting a wary glance towards Gilda.
Tree Hugger scratched at her hip. “Yeah...I think I have something rotting in my locker.”
“Hey, hey, hey!” Pinkie frowned. “That’s not the kind of attitude I’m looking for in a team! Now I know things look a little grim--but doggone it, we gotta pull ourselves together here!”
She stood with her arms folded behind her back, her expression uncharacteristically serious. “Now the last time me and Derpy here were on the same team, we won. How, you ask? Because we practiced hard, and we believed in ourselves!”
“And because we scored more points than the other team!” Derpy stated proudly.
The other three looked at each other with varied reactions.
Pinkie stomped her foot. “Now listen here! A day may come when we look at the odds, throw our hands in the air and say ‘I give up!’ But it is not this day.
“A day may come when we cower from the other team and retire into the locker room with tears in our eyes and ball rash on our bodies. But it is not this day!” Pinkie pointed towards the ceiling, her bright blue eyes burning with passion. “And a day may come when we all end up like Twilight here when Gilda gets a hold of her--our undies stretched so high, it covers our heads!”
The rest of the team winced slightly. “Thanks for the image, Pinkie,” Twilight muttered.
“BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY!”
“When I blow the whistle, you will begin!” Iron shouted.
Just like before, both teams lined up behind the straight line of balls. Pinkie and Rainbow smirked at each other, ready to settle things once and for all. Gilda eyed Twilight and Fluttershy as if they were a two course meal.
Trixie flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled smoothly. “With a team like you, you couldn’t even hit me on accident!”
PFFT!
Derpy slinged a ball that hit Trixie’s waist, causing her clothes to explode in bark blues and purples. Students off on the sidelines erupted in laughter as Trixie attempted to rub the substance off her skin. “No fair! I-I wasn’t ready! You hit my smoke bombs, you jerk!”
Twilight’s eyes ogled when two balls came speeding at her at the same time. Luckily, Fluttershy lept forward and caught the ball aimed for her side and Twilight managed to jump over the second ball. Tree Hugger caught a ball that Flitter threw and threw it back, managing to nick her hand.
Flitter waved her hand and started to wail at her broken nail. Rainbow dodged a ball and threw her an incredulous glare. “Is she crying? Over a nail!? There is no crying in Dodgeball!” she shouted after Flitter.
Thunderlane licked his lips and gave Tree Hugger a nod. “See if you can dodge this.”
Tree Hugger gave him a relaxed smile. “Bring it home, Daddy-O.”
The next few seconds were a complete blur to Twilight. Tree Hugger threw a ball that bounced off Thunderlane and Soarin, getting them both out at the same time. Twilight did some quick math in her head after watching Snips for awhile and actually managed to get his toe. A small contribution to her team, but an accomplishment nonetheless. When Derpy turned around and told them that they might have a chance after all, Rainbow’s ball smacked upside the blonde's head.
Now it was three against two. Being outnumbered didn’t mean a thing to Balls Deep; Rainbow and Gilda didn’t hold back in the slightest. Fluttershy attempted to catch a ball, but it nicked her fingers.
In turn, Pinkie threw a ball that Rainbow ran to catch, but her foot accidentally crossed the line, making the athlete’s jaw drop. “Smart,” Rainbow muttered as she slunk off. Then she gave a friendly smirk, a sign of respect. “Next time, though.”
Now that only left Gilda. But the game was far from over.
Twilight almost took a hit to the stomach, but Tree Hugger dived in front of her, taking the fall. Her sacrifice was in vain, however, when Gilda finally saw an opening and hit Twilight square in the face. The crowd reeled, and Rainbow Dash gasped in shock as Twilight’s glasses fell crumpled to the floor. The purple haired girl stumbled back and clutched her nose, a low groan emanating from her mouth. “Ugh. ‘at part of ‘Not In Da Fathe’ doth she not underthand?”
Pinkie ran over and gently tilted Twilight’s chin up, her expression terrified. “Twilight, are you okay!?”
“My bad,” Gilda said dryly.
“Want us to call off the game?” Rainbow called with concern in her voice, not noticing the look Gilda gave her.
“Nonsense!” Iron shouted. “In the world of Dodgeball, there is no forfeiting and there ARE. NO. PRISONERS. Take her to the nurse if you will.”
Twilight shook her aching head and blinked the stars and spots out of her eyes. “No, no. I’m fine.” She took her broken glasses that Pinkie handed over and sighed. “I have a spare in my backpack. I’ll just...squint for the rest of the period.”
“Good!” Iron nodded, not taking note of Twilight sarcasm. “Gryphon! Pie! Finish the game!”
Fluttershy lead Twilight off the court and sat her between Button Mash and herself. Pinkie turned and glared at Gilda’s snark expression, feeling a small spark of unnatural anger towards the bigger girl. From Twilight’s squinted eyes, she could see multiple balls on Gilda’s side of the Gym, and only two balls on Pinkie’s side. This is not good.
Pinkie, however, stood calmly, her biting snarl twisting into an unsettling smile. “It’s a beautiful day outside,” she remarked.
Thunder rumbled outside the Gym.
“Birds are singing…Flowers are blooming…” Pinkie set her feet apart and curled her fists. “On days like these...girls like you...should be burning in Hell.”
The Gym went silent--everyone’s mouth hung open at Pinkie’s malice-filled words. Even Coach Iron’s whistle fell from his mouth. Then Pinkie giggled and waved a hand playfully. “Just kidding! Let’s play already!” After hesitating, Iron blew his whistle, and Gilda grabbed a ball. A glint formed in Pinkie’s eyes. “Go ahead and try and hit me...if you’re able.”
PFFT!
With a scream, Gilda chucked her ball right for Pinkie’s stomach...and missed. Twilight bit back a smile at the look of disbelief on Gilda’s face--or what she imagined to be on Gilda’s face. She could feel Fluttershy exhale next to her.
Gilda bristled and threw another ball, which Pinkie gleefully flipped over. Ball after ball, miss after miss, Gilda started to get quite angry. Her screams grew louder, her throws more lethal, and her patience waning.
The students watched with silent amusement and fascination. No matter what or how Gilda threw at her... Pinkie just couldn’t be hit! At one point, Fluttershy whispered that Gilda was starting to sweat. Coach Iron, however, quickly grew tired of it. He checked his watch and glanced at the clock on the wall. “Look! You two have been at it for 20 minutes! You’re gonna cut into your changing time! Somebody better get hit, or I’m gonna get mad!”
“Sorry, Coach!” Pinkie called. “I was just having some fun. I’ll end it.”
Gilda smiled, thinking that Pinkie would stay still and allow herself to finally get hit, but the curly hair girl materialized a ball out of nowhere and with a mighty “Whacha!”, she whacked her in the neck, cutting off Gilda’s surprised squawk of defeat.
Coach Iron threw up his clipboard as the bell rang. “Not In The Face Wins!”
Students cheered as the girls and boys ran for the locker rooms. Fluttershy quickly helped Twilight stand up; Pinkie rushed over to them and bumped Twilight’s shoulder as she grabbed her other arm. “YOU THREE!” Gilda screamed, charging at them before tripping over a ball. “Oof!”
“Let’s go, hurry!” Pinkie shouted. She and Fluttershy rushed Twilight into the mix of girls headed for the locker room. All Twilight was able to see was a blur of faces and colors, accompanied by loud chatter.
“Just drop me off at my locker, please,” Twilight shouted over the noise. “I think I can take it from here, probably!”
“Uhh...okay. We’re just gonna get our stuff,” Pinkie said hurriedly as they parked her in front of her locker. “Just grab your clothes and your backpack, but don’t change, she’s on our pony tails!”
“We’ll be right back!” Fluttershy called, her voice fading.
Twilight nodded to herself and leaned into her locker, squinting carefully at the combination lock. Fortunately for her, she had her combo memorized by heart. Taking a deep breath, she placed two fingers around the lock. “Okay...5...12...14...23.” She pulled the handle, but it didn’t budge. She bit her lip and tried the combo again, but it refused to budge. “Why isn’t this working!?”
“SPARKLE!” a deep feminine voice bellowed.
After yanking the handle over and over, Twilight was seriously starting to consider going to lunch in her gym clothes when a loud voice appeared next to her ear. “Twi, she’s coming!”
“I can’t get it loose!” Twilight strained.
“Need some help?” a familiar raspy voice asked. “Happens to me all the time. Here.” A multicolored blob moved in front of her and slammed the locker with her elbow before hitting it with her palm; the door sung wide open. “And viola. Always works!”
“Thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight said as she reached in and grabbed her clothes while Fluttershy grabbed her backpack.
“Never seen you guys so excited for lunch,” Rainbow mused. “I’ll meet up with you in a bit. Pinks, you gotta show me your moves later. Oh, hey, Gilda!”
With frightened squeals, Twilight Fluttershy and Pinkie bolted, leaving Rainbow scratching her head. Curiously, she sniffed under her arm. “Do I offend?”
**************
“This way,” Fluttershy called, pulling them away from the crowd of girls headed for lunch. She lead them through the connected bathroom and pushed open a door, revealing dark skies and pouring rain.
“B-But we can’t go out there! It’s raining!” Twilight squawked.
“Going with the others is exactly what she would expect,” Fluttershy said earnestly. “Trust me--it’s better than the alternative.”
“Where are you three!? Your butts are MINE!”
Without hesitation, Twilight threw herself outside with her friends at her heels. The trio ran around the school pool and opened the gate. “Here, behind the dumpster!” Pinkie shouted.
“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Twilight moaned. But she knew she wasn’t. Shivering from the cold and rain, the three hid in between a concrete wall and a huge green dumpster.
They slumped against the wall to catch their breath. “This is nuts,” Pinkie panted. She paused and gave Twilight a weak grin, her drenched forelock covering her eyes. “At least Gilda has a beef with both of us now.”
Twilight sighed. “This shouldn’t be this way at all. I thought things would be safe at Canterlot High--then again, from what you told me, it should be at least safer.”
“Things... could be worse,” Fluttershy reminded them, placing a hand over her heart.
They changed into their regular clothes quickly--Twilight and Fluttershy turned away bashfully while Pinkie couldn’t care less. She just wanted to get warm fast. "So Twilight,” she said, tying her purple ribbon around her waist. “What’s the 411 on Gilda? What happened?"
Fluttershy pulled her socks on, which were hopelessly drenched and sighed. “It couldn't have been that bad.”
Twilight put on her spare pair of glasses feeling relived now that everything was clear again. The way the dark clouds swirled about looked beautiful to her. “Actually...it really was."
Author's Note
*Faints* Finally, this thing got done! This was a chore. But a fun chore. I wanted my 20th story to be special, so I wanted to do something like this before the second semester starts. Help us all! 
I know Gilda is good in pony universe, but let me have my fun! 
Also, since Twilight is in a brand new environment, I made her less timid and shy and more like Twilight from season 1.
This will probably only be two or three chapter long because I'm pressed for time.
Please tell me if I have any spelling or grammar mistakes 
