Phantom Paradise

by ManaMinori

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Other, Diamond Tiara, Slice of Life
Length: 5133

The magic and mystery of Equestria have always been lorded as wondrous, but few come to know the truth.

The magic and mystery of Equestria have always been lorded as wondrous. Few dream of questioning what has always been for ponykind, fewer still come to know the truth. Star Dreams is Cheerilee's most promising student and unicorn that the Princess has her eye on, but has discovered a realm that lie beyond the door of truth, that of the Phantom Paradise. Can the Princess rely on the CMC and their intern Diamond Tiara, to get Star Dreams to see the light?

Published 2016-03-15 03:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-04-05 06:43:08 UTC

The weirdo

It was a glorious day in Ponyville. Celestia's sun was shining overhead, warming everything below that its golden rays kissed. Perfectly aligned, puffy white clouds that looked like delicious dollops of whipped cream dotted the vast blue sky. The birds flitterred and fluttered to and fro, chirping cheerily, and the joyous shrieks and shouts of young fillies and colts at play in Ponyville Park filled the air.

"Coming at'cha, Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo directed, face stretched into a smile as she quickly postioned herself underneath a descending rubber ball. Crouching, muscles taut with anticipation for the perfect bounce, she knew she had only seconds to aim it toward her friend.

Easier said than done, but changing the direction of the object, along with getting the distance spot on was always tricky. But Scootaloo had every bit of confidence that the ball would follow her direction, as she had called it. Like springs, her legs lifted her body weight right before the rubber ball made contact with her head. Her weight shifted ever so slightly to the left, where a short, white unicorn waited.

Contact!

The ball flew in a long arc, sailing through the air with the perfect amount of spin. The orange pegasus smirked, puffing out her chest proudly, as her ears picked up the awe-inspired "ooh"'s and "aah"'s from her small group of classmate admirers who had chosen not to participate in the game, but instead be content as onlookers.

"I got it! I got it!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, a look of concentration set on her face. Viridian eyes gleamed, locked on her prize as she took a quick step to the right. A little to the left... A bead of sweat formed on her brow, her heart beating in her ears as time seemed to slow to a crawl. She had to connect with that plummeting sphere. But she knew Scootaloo. That pass was no ordinary one. Just as she had developed an eye for detail and precision from Rarity, so too had Scootaloo developed a competitive, yet trickster attitude from Rainbow Dash. The ball was spinning too quickly to descent straight down. A curveball!

"Lickety Split!" Sweetie Belle shouted, as she leapt for the ball, having determined where it would land. Hoof outstretched as far as it could go, she somehow managed to get the toy back up into the air and aimed at the ball-bouncing expert who could give Scootaloo a run for her money.

The chocolate brown colt watched as the ball soared over his head, far too much force put into it. Ears were pointed backward in disappointment, but before he could do so much as frown in Sweetie's direction, he saw where the ball was heading. Blades of tender green grass, and chunks of dirt were tossed by his hooves as he broke out into a gallop toward the spiraling projectile. It was too far ahead of him, he realized, as his legs carried him of their own accord. He wouldn't make it! Frustrated, both at himself and Sweetie Belle, the ground under his hooves erupted a second time as he forced himself to stop.

"Look out!"

Underneath a whitewashed gazebo where a blossoming cherry blossom tree bloomed, filling the air with its lovely floral scent, a lone unicorn filly sat. Head down and muzzle buried in a book, she never saw the danger headed toward her. Ears deaf to the sounds around her that had become mute, only swiveled in the direction of a peircing yell that drew her back to reality, in the same instant a galaxy of stars exploded behind her eyes.

"Uh-oh..." Sweetie Belle gulped, a sense of dread and panic beginning to wrap its ice cold tentacles around her. Frozen in place, she could only watch as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom raced past her toward the gazebo.

Sheets of scattered papers fluttered lazily to the ground around a light lavender filly laying on her side; pages torn and slightly crumpled in the open book that was being read. Wide-eyed, Lickety Split commanded his legs to keep moving, to close the distance between him and his injured classmate; at least see if she was okay. Already, a small crowd was beginning to form around the gazebo, and the blonde-haired colt had to reevaluate his decision. He could try and push his way through the other ponies, or...

"Give her some space!" Taking charge, the little, flightless pegasus hissed at the curious gawkers, some of which were already gaggling and gossiping, eager to control tomorrow's news on the playground. "Hey Star," Scootaloo hovered over her fallen friend, exchanging worried glances with Apple Bloom. "Are you okay?"

"Easy now," The country accent spoke soon after, as the filly began to stir. "Ah' gotcha." Apple Bloom's yellow hoof wrapped around a limp, lavender one, gently pulling the disoriented, disheveled unicorn to her feet.

The world spun, turning and tumbling like a circus acrobat. Hooves clopped unsteadily, gingerly shuffling against the warm wood before body weight was distributed south, and Star Dreams opted for sitting on her rump instead, while her head cleared. Blinking and shaking her head, she tried to quell the painful ringing in her ears, while the world decided on which way it should right itself. "Hnn..." she murmered. "I'm okay..." she said, more to reassure herself than giving confirmation to the ponies around her. A foreleg was raised, tenderly touching her stinging face, then sweeping back her glittering, tri-colored tresses in attempt to make herself look presentable once again.

"Thank Celestia." Sweetie Belle sighed in relief, wriggling her way through the crowd to stand beside Scootaloo. "I'm really sorry. It was my fault that-"

"It's fine." Star Dreams spoke quietly, but abruptly. Her tone held no animosity, but rather an unusually calm indifference. Her expression, unreadable. Hooves moved fluidly, gathering the damaged book and scattered papers littering the floor of the gazebo.

"Let me at least help you with your things!" the white unicorn insisted, reaching for a paper that was farther out of Star Dreams' reach.

'You've done enough.' Star Dreams wanted to say, but decided against it, and held her tongue. Aqua eyes locked with bright pools of green, and a smile to reassure her friend, if only for appearances, briefly touched her lips. Poised, yet polite. Such was the way of her upbringing. The last of her belongings was retrieved, and a light nod of appreciation given to the pink and lavender-haired filly, the flightless pegasus, and the southern-accented apple seed. "I think I'm going to go home, now. I've had my share of excitement for one day." She announced, to the dismay of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Lickety Split pouted as he kicked the ground with his hoof. Though the accident was more Sweetie Belle's fault for overshooting, the ball was his, and he- like the CMC, felt awfully worried when it had hit Star Dreams in the face. His lack of action to help in some way made him feel guilty. Brow creased in confusion and disappointment, an apology dying on his tongue as Star Dreams walked past him.

"Want us to walk you home?" Scootaloo called out after her, showing concern. The ball had been light, and there were no serious injuries, of course. The light-furred filly was already able to walk on her own...but still, asking only felt right.

Star Dreams stilled, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She knew the girls meant well, but she didn't appreciate being coddled. "No, thank you." Though the invite was politely declined, her words left no room for argument. She had studied the three, even interacted with them on a few occasion, long enough to ascertain that they wouldn't be hurt by something as insignificant as a declined proposal. It wasn't personal, after all. Having had her say, Star Dreams resumed her gait, retreating toward Ponyille Park's west entrance.

"What a weirdo." Somepony stated.

Lickety Split's ears swiveled, catching the unmistakable voice of Ponyville Schoolhouse's Princess Persnickety, the only pony in the school with a perfect royal tiara on her prissy pink flank. "Diamond Tiara." The words were venomous, leaving Lickety's lips in a hushed growl. The Cutie Mark Crusaders may have gotten the pretend pedigree to see the true meaning behind that cutie mark of hers, but it appeared that already, she was back to her old ways. What was she plotting, this time?

The know-it-all's

Sweetie Belle scrunched her muzzle, a deep crease forming along her brow as the gears turned in her head. Bright pools of emerald were now glazed as the young filly trained her gaze at invisible object in front of her. The look on her face was one that mirrored Rarity's, only when a rather puzzling predicament was set before her. Pointy ears pointed backward along her skull, but hadn't missed a single word of what had been spoken in an unusually hushed tone- well, unusual for a pony who deliberately spoke in such a way so as to always project her voice above others, perhaps in imitation of how Princess Luna had spoken in the "Royal Canterlot Voice". Perhaps she couldn't expect Diamond Tiara to drop the snooty princess facade at the drop of a hat. Change in a pony did take time, after all. But as Sweetie Belle contemplated, her opinion was slowly being swayed by an inkling of truth weaved within those mean-spirited and hurtful words. "Hmmm." she hummed, her bottom lip poking out ever so slightly in an adorable Rarity inspired pout.

A yellow ear swiveled in the direction of the low-toned hum. "What'cha thinkin' about, Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked, hooves pressing down fresh, springy blades of grass as her body turned in the direction of friend.

"You look constipated." Scootaloo chimed in, upon observing the features of the unicorn's face. Though not entirely sure what it meant, she had overheard Rainbow Dash saying it to Princess Twilight, when she had a similar scrunchy face serious look on her face.

Apple Bloom's cheeks quickly took on a rosy hue beneath lemon-colored fur. Her eyes widened, pupils narrowing as she shot a look at Scootaloo, which went unseen by the oblivious orange pegasus.

"Huh?" Sweetie Belle's curls bounced and bobbed as she turned her attention to her two best friends. "Oh, I was just wondering...it's weird." she paused, glancing to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's curious gazes. "We've talked to Star Dreams and hung out with her...I guess...if being tutored by her sometimes qualifies as "hanging out"..." she trailed off, having lost her original train of thought. A quick shake of her head switched tracks, putting her thoughts on the right course.

"I hung out with her at Sugarcube Corner last month." Scootaloo interrupted. "Buuuuut..." she sighed, eyes rolling. "She agreed to relocate there because Twilight was reshelving books in her library that day, which is where she usually agrees to tutor me." A hoof was raised to scratch at the back of her magenta mane.

"What are you getting help with?" Apple Bloom inquired.

Scootaloo's wings fanned out from her sides, rising slightly, then falling in a gesture that resembled a shrug, before the appendages were tucked at their original station. "Math. I'm kinda falling behind, and Miss Cheerilee suggested that I get tutored. Star Dreams is the smartest pony in class, so-"

It was Apple Bloom's turn to interrupt. "But she rarely comes to class." she noted.

"But she's always studying.....something. And just because she's not in our class doesn't mean she's not in one of Miss Cheerilee's other classes." Sweetie Belle interjected. "But what I was trying to say was that even though we've "hung out" with her before, it's weird that in all this time, we don't really know anything about her." Much as she hated to admit to Diamond Tiara being right, maybe Star Dreams was weird...but only because they knew next to nothing about her! On second though....they hadn't taken much initiative to really get to know her outside of study groups...were they actually the weird ones? The mystery was making Sweetie dizzy.

Apple Bloom lifted a hoof to rub at her chin as she thought. "We know that she doesn't have her cutie mark yet." she said, tossing her observation into the discussion.

"I know that she likes strawberry shortcake!" the over-enthuiastic orange pegasi chirped. "Star agreed to let me treat her, in exchange for her lessons, while we were at Sugarcube Corner. She orderd a slice of strawberry shortcake, so I know that she must like it, then." she reasoned.

Lickety Split kept both ears open as the Cutie Mark Crusaders went down the list of what they knew about their mysterious classmate, while he bopped and bounced his favorite ball on his muzzle. He had been practicing so much that he considered himself an expert at keeping the toy in the air, without it hitting the groud even once. Unbeknownst to the Crusaders, however, he had also gotten pretty good at just-so-happenning-to-overhear-conversations-without-appearring-suspicious. Some might call it 'eavesdropping', but Lickety Split much preferred the former description, rather than the latter.

"Sweet scoop, Scootaloo!" smiled Apple Bloom, giggling at her own unintended pun. "What else do we know?"

An awkward silence fell around trio, each filly racking their brains for information. After some hoof shuffling and thoughtful hums, the three came to the conclusion that they had come up short. Their extent of knowledge on Star Dreams, in spite of them each being tutored by her in one subject or another, and seeing her in class- was pitifully lacking. Six ears drooped, and all eyes focused at the grass beneath their hooves.

It was at that moment, Lickety Split decided to take action, which came easier without the filly in question being around, for some reason. With a perfectly timed bounce of his ball, he sent it through the air, travelling in an angled arc toward his stationary targets. He didn't even have to look to know where it would fall.

"You think we'd learn more if we asked- WHAT THE?!" Apple Bloom hollered, eyes widening in surprise as something grazed her backside. Spooked by the unseen attacker, she kicked her hind legs out, bucking hard. Her small hooves connected only with empty air. "What the hay was that?!" she demanded, though her voice held notes of panic and confuion. Hooves treaded lightly as she spun her body around so that her hindquarters faced her friends, rather than go unprotected. "Did somethin' bite me? Was it a bee?" she continued to shriek. "Was it a snake?!"

"Relax," Scootaloo huffed, glancing around the jittery filly's behind through half-lidded eyes. "It's only Lickety Split's ball." the brave pegasi reported as she spotted the spherical object in the grass. She couldn't help but toss a smug gaze to the crimson-haired scaredy-cat, lips curling into a coy smirk. "Who's the chicken, now?" she teased, innocently.

Embarrasssed that she had made such a scene after getting spooked, the southern sapling's canary yellow cheeks blushed, turning redder than her mane.

"Sorry, girls." the brown colored colt chimed as he cantered up to them. "I guess my ball got away from me that time." he winked at Sweetie Belle, hoping that she didn't feel too bad for her accident with the ball, earlier. "You ok, Bloomy?" he asked, cocking his head at the one he had startled.

"Y- ya'" she said, timidly at first, before she borrowed Scootaloo's confident facade. "Wha'y wouldn't ah' be?" reddened cheeks and chest puffed out in a show of bravery and indignation. Both habits she had seen performed by both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, though never simultaneously. "It was just a ball..."

Behind her, an entertained unicorn and pegasus stifled their gleeful, girlish giggles to the best of their ability.

"Heh." Gleaming blonde tresses blew in a warm wind as a brief laugh spilled ftom Lickety's lips, in a more open display of amusement. "If you say so." he retrieved his ball from its resting place, spinning it on his hoof, as an idea began to form in his head. "I'm getting hungry. You guys want to grab a bite at Sugarcube Corner?"

Pony of Interest

No sooner had Star Dreams stepped foot outside Ponyville Park's premises did the little pink filly slow her gait. The world around her cracked, then violently exploded; thousands of fragments falling as the gears in her head spun. Click. Click. Clack. Each rotating cog rebuilt the world piece by piece; with every click of metal teeth, a new piece of the world magnetically rejoined the mural. When all the pieces had reassembled, a landscape of dirt roads, spacious parks, and cozy buildings clustered close danced across the reflective surface that encompassed a formless figure, black as Luna's night. Familiar faces of ponies ghosted through the open space between the landscape projecting screens and the shapeless shadow, pressing in- closer and closer, spinning faster until the blob shifted, molding itself into the form of a small pony whose eyes stared into the gaping mouth of one of the faces, seconds before it devoured its prey like a snake.

Star Dreams knew from observation that many of the schoolyard ponies she had left behind in the park weren't making a fuss over the accident. Many had undoubtedly resumed their games or chatter with their foal friends. But others would talk, whispering behind backs and prepare their attack on her tomorrow, no doubt. The sooner for them, the better. 'Strike while the iron is hot', so the saying went. While never the victim of such antagonistic behavior, which would be orchestrated mainly by Diamond Tiara, though there were other bullies who tried to claim her throne, Star Dreams knew their game; their tactics. Ever on the outskirts of the radar, she had observed Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo bearing the brunt of the wannabe Princess' assault. Come tomorrow, surely as the sun would rise, it would be her turn to be subjected to impending embarrassment and humiliation, and made a spectacle of in front of her peers- as if today's mishap weren't enough. After all, it wasn't every day that unsuspecting ponies got beamed in the face by a ball, unless perhaps those ponies were Snips and Snails. But just about everypony in school expected such things to happen with those two. It was hardly gossip fuel for the fillies who thrived on keeping the plebians beneath their hooves; barely even a laugh.

'Sticks and stones....' the words were whispered by an invisible presence to the ravenous, disembodied heads. One by one they swelled, features twisting and bloated until they looked positively grotesque. Then, like balloons, they popped; exploding with a luminous turquoise aura that glittered and sparked with dazzling diamond-like specks around the magical perimeter..

With the ghostly guests exterminated, the gears halted then grinded counter-clockwise. With an audible 'crack', the world once again exploded into a myriad of shards, then rebuilt itself to that of the former landscape.

A deep breath was drawn into Stars' lungs, held, then expelled in a long drawn out sigh. In with the good, out with the bad. In and out, in and out. The process was repeated no less than five times. She could feel the cool air of Luna's calming night gently lick at her thin coat, windy tresses weaving through her mane and tail. Fresh and pure was the air drawn into her lungs. A pregnant moon lounged overhead, its belly bulging. Tiny goosebumps peckled her skin as Star Dreams focused, feeling. A familiar magic hung heavy in the air like a warm, comforting blanket. With every breath, it became one with her.

Aqua eyes cracked open, focusing on the lush, green blades under her hooves. Gears shifted, processing what positive she could find in the first thing she saw. Having had enough experience in this game whose rules were her own, she drew the positive aspects close, taking account of each one and inhaled their essence. Each and every blade of grass was warm, wrapped in Celestia's sun energy and bursting with life, even in the depth of night. Each tiny tender shoot, though oft taken for granted by most who weren't earth ponies, were at this very instant creating energy of their own by feeding off of the sun's power, processing it through their cells and turning it to sugar. The barest hint of a twitch pulled at a corner of Star's mouth, before disappearing without a trace.

Thoughts routed like an electric current, Star Dreams squared her shoulders, holding her head high. She was fine. Everything was fine. She was a titan who towered over even the tallest trees. The whispers and would-be rumors and taunts of tiny ponies were miles from her ears, which scraped the sky, invading Pegasi airspace. Her legs carried her at a canter's pace, nearly mirroring Pinkie Pie's playful prancing, in order to let everypony watching know of her elevated emotional state. She imagined the ground trembling with each timed tap of her hooves. Sure, there were accelerated growth spells for just about every organism out there, courtesy of some studious, historical unicorns, but there was a magic that wasn't goverened by laws of science or even existing pony magic, and it belonged solely to her. Twinkles lit her eyes as Star Dreams ventured down Stirrup Street.

Along the bustling Stirrup Square, dozens of ponies tended to their businesses. Small shops, kiosks, and carts peppered both sides of the boulevard. Tourists and regulars alike shopped for daily discounts on their errand run, or searched for souveniers to take back to family and friends. The pink unicorn filly brushed by a vendor's kiosk, sighing inwardly as the alluring aroma of Marcie and Faun's PheNOMNOMenoms assaulted her nostrils. Mouth watering at the tantalizing treats, she longed for a taste, but steeled her will.

"Hey Star Dreams!" Faun Doo chimed, waving a hoof while her sister offered a sweet smile.

A polite nod, accompanied by a mirroring smile, was offered in return. Neither words nor bits for the baked goods were traded. Conversing with the siblings during business hours was far too dangerous an affair.

Effortlessly, Star integrated amongst the ponies swarming the street like migrating salmon. A cacophony of jangling bits, jingling cash registers, clopping horseshoes, creaky wagon wheels, and voices of every pitch could be heard up and down the square. The abundance of noise made it quite difficult for the filly to turn the atmosphere on mute, unlike the squeals of foals having fun in a more open area, as she had done with ease earlier. Ears strained to retrat backwad to lay at submision along her skull, but twitched, being held erect and at attention, instead. On her left her, a bright, golden salamander with a fiery orange trail of fire flickering at its crown and tail was pulling a cart of carrots at a relaxed trot. Her head was turned slightly, lost in conversation with a grey, stone golem who walked alongside her. "she's so fond of Derpy. I think we should try to get her to foalsit again." Star's sharp ears overheard, but soon lost to other sounds and conversations.

Light as pegasi cluds, and tinkling like tiny bells, the whispers of faeries tickled her ears.

A baby's wail sounded from the upstairs room within Sugarcube Corner. Motorized hums of blenders and mixers, along with the smell of sweet, freshly baked pastries wafted from the kitchen; the Cakes hard at work. Gentle clinks of utensils against flatware and satisfied hums as customers enjoyed their treats was a symphony of its own in the dining area. It wasn't long before an exasperated sigh stirred the air, adding an element unique to the symphony of sound, that was no more unwelcome than the frustrated chorus of Pound Cake, who had joined in a duet with his sister upstairs.

"What exactly are we doing here?" huffed Diamond Tiara, never a pony to beat around the bush. She was trying hard not to roll her eyes as anxiety began to bubble within her. Old habits, she discovered, were difficult to let die.

Apple Bloom met the impatient filly's gaze, struggling to supress a sigh of her own. Instead, she chose to curl her lips around a straw that poked out of a heaping, ice cold chocolate milkshake in front of her. Hearty gulps cooled her throat, giving frostbite to her initial response. Lips were licked and eyes narrowed slightly once she was able to rethink a response to the pink pony's inquiry. "Well, we're waiting on Scootaloo to decide on her order." she spoke loudly enough to cause the pegasus pony scrutinizing the menu at the counter to glance in the direction of their table, wide eyed.

"Hey, it's not my fault they added stuff to their menu!" Scoots quipped. "I don't know what to try. They all look so good!"

"Just get what you always get! " Sweetie Belle groaned, her hoof smacking her own forehead. "We don't have all day, you know. Rarity wants me to be home in an hour, so my parents could pick me up." She hated the thought of having to leave her friends, when there was still so much to do, but she didn't have a say in the matter.

"Oh, alright." the pegasus griped, returning her attention to the menu. "One fudge layer cake."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, waiting until her friend returned to their table with her cake, before clearing her throat and proceeding. "So, Sweetie Belle," a concerned look was cast to the curly-haired unicorn. "You an' Lickety Split were whisperin' by yourselves an awful lot, on the way here. Mind fillin' us in on the plan?"

With a nod, Sweetie Belle complied. "Sure!" vibrant jade optics focused on Scoolatoo. "It occurred to me on the way here that it wasn't just us who had been interacting with Star Dreams. Scootaloo, you said that you thought that she liked strawberry shortcake, because that's what she ordered when you guys came here to study, right?"

"Yeah, but what's that got to-" the pegasus began, only to fall silent mid-sentence. Ears pricked at attention as realization dawned, eyes widening. A brief glance to Lickety Split's sly smirk confirmed it.

"We ask Mrs. Cake!" Scootaloo and Applebloom shouted in unison, reaching the same conclusion. It made perfect sense, if the pony patisserie had made treats for Star Dreams before, she would've had to pick up on something about the mysterious filly that the Crusaders had yet to see!

Lickety Split guided a heaping spoonful of Triple Treat Neapolitan Sundae Delight with rainbow sprinkles into his hungry maw, as the earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus leapt from their seats to dash up to the service counter in attempt to get Mrs. Cake's attention.

Diamond Tiara arched an eyebrow, turning her attention to the cocoa-colored colt across the table. This pony, unlike the CMC, hadn't spoken a single word since they arrived. Her ears had picked up whispers in front of her on the walk over, particularly between Sweetie and Lickety, but the specifics of their conversation hadn't been overheard over her own conversation with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and the din of Ponyville. A frown touched her lips. Something wasn't right. According to the youngest Apple sister, it was Lickety Split who proposed the trip to Sugarcube Corner. The CMC were apparently eager to get to know Star Dreams...so why were they led to the hot spot sweet shop, to pester Mrs. Cake, rather than confronting Star directly? Yes, something definitely smelled fishy, and for once, it wasn't a plan that she was cooking up.

"What's your deal?" The pink pony inquired, hardening her stare at the colt. "What game are you playing at, with bringing us here to Sugarcube Corner, instead of to Star Dreams directly?"

Returning the scrutinizing stare with a look of bewilderment, the blonde pony stopped chewing. "Huh? I'm not playing at anything." his tone was weaved with sincerity. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders came to the conclusion of talking to Mrs. Cake on their own. I just came for the treats." he explained. The look on Diamond Tiara's face was easy to read. Immediately, two hooves were raised in defensive gesture. "Honest." Lickety added, soon after noting the irony in being on the recieving end of that look from none other than the very pony who should be recieving it herself.

Hard pressed not permit the sceptical hum from escaping her, the filly scratched an itch at her ear, instead. If the CMC trusted him, she supposed...now that they were her friends, she should follow suit in putting the same trust in other ponies that they did. Ears flattened partially. "I....you may be-" she could feel her face heat up. Why was saying a single, stupid word so hard?! "So- ...sor-..." stammering, she forced the words through a restricted airway.

Lickety Split held up a hoof, silencing the apologetic pony, sensing her struggle. "It's fine. You're forgiven". He said. And that was that

"Ponyfeathers." Apple Bloom grumbled as she and the other crusaders made their way back to the table to finish their desserts, "No luck. Mrs. Cake said she hadn't noticed anything about Star Dreams that we could use to learn more about her."

"So what now?" asked Diamond Tiara.

Scootaloo, Sseetie Belle, and Apple Bloom exhanged glances. Sweetie spoke first. "Well, Scootaloo did mention that she and Star usually have their study sessions in Twilight's library. Maybe Twilight knows something!"

It was Apple Bloom's turn to scrunch her muzzle. "Couldn't we just find Star and try to get to know her, personnally?"

"We could, if we knew where she lived, smarty pants." Sweetie countered. "But we don't, so come on! To Princess Twilight's castle!" hurrying through the last few bites of her cheesecake, she bolted out the door at full speed.

"Wait for us!" cried the stunned, orange pegasus and golden earth pony. Diamond Tiara, having declined ordering a snack that would've detained her, was already hot on Sweetie Belle's hooves.

"I'll catch up." Lickety Split said to the girls as they stuffed their maws like they were in an eating competition. He still had a mountain of his own dessert to get through, and he much preferred to take his time. The fillies would undoubtedly be tending to tummyaches later.

After watching the remaining two go in a hurry, a soft sigh slipped past his lips. His spoon linked the glass as it was cleaned of its contents many minutes later. Leaving the table, the little colt cantered back to the service counter, smiling at the pudgy blue pon y patisserie.

"One slice of strawberry shortcake, please. And make it to go."