Falling For Our Stars

Chapters

Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Special Chapter 1!
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Special Chapter 2!
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Special Chapter 3!
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Special Chapter 4!
Chapter One
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Two

“Did you fillies know that Bubbles didn’t get all Cs?” Miri told us conspiratorially as we made our way to breakfast. Her hushed tones made it obvious that this was big news.
“Really? Oh my, poor Bubbles,” Fly replied, looking a little sad. “So she’s not here?”
“Yep, but she’s the only one. She didn’t pass English,” Miri continued, before rushing away to tell other ponies. I suspected that would mean the entire school.

It was the first day of the school term, and the school was finally alive with ponies. All of the younger years had arrived the night before. We’d passed the ten days since results doing induction work for our new subjects and enjoying our new privileges. School had arrived, but it had arrived with free periods which were the best thing ever. A whole hour lazing around doing nothing.
“Imagine, a whole lesson of doing nothing!” I said, fantasising happily about my new-found freedom.
“I think we’re supposed to work during our free periods. Catch up with the extra homework we’re getting now,” Fly said in her normal sensible tone.
“Whatever, I’m sleeping in the first one. I missed half an hour’s sleep because Miri took so long in the bathroom.”

There was no rain hitting the windows as we made our way downstairs to the dining hall. September had started cold but dry, which killed my slim hopes of Saddle Arabian summer. The only reason I had willingly dragged myself out of bed was to pick up our new timetables, details just how many free periods I would be enjoying this term.
“Looks like they’ve got fresh daisies today,” Fly informed me shortly before I started heaping them onto my plate. Breakfast was always subdued because all of the older ponies were still half-asleep.

Dinner was my favourite meal of the day. Lunches from the dining hall always tasted weird (we didn’t know why) so only the first and second years ate them. Everypony else got sandwiches and went back to their rooms, or in the case of the sixth and seventh years, to the common room. But dinner was the best time of day. Everything happened at dinner, from complaining and teasing right up to hoof-slap fights and massive tantrums. They were so unpredictable, and usually turned into the highlight of my day.

I ate my daisies slowly, hoping I’d wake up before I had to go to my first class, but it only took ten minutes for Fly to grow impatient.
“Come on Cat, or we’ll be late.”
Lateness was one of the worst sins at Buckingham, so I downed my orange juice in two big mouthfuls and followed Fly towards the main hall. It was time for morning assembly, after which we’d finally get our timetables for the year.

We got seats near the back, which meant we didn’t have to listen too closely. Sunlight was streaming annoyingly through the windows, shining into my eyes and really irritating me. Of course, when the sunlight blinded you during exams it was even worse.
“Welcome back to Buckingham, everypony. It’s so nice to see you all again, as well as our new arrivals, who I assume will be treated nicely by everypony.”
The Head was stood on the stage, reading from a sheet. She always shouted and never used a microphone.
“Some quick notices. Breakfast is at eight sharp, do not miss it. Lights out at ten with no noise; any noise will result in detention for the whole room. “ She smiled, showing us her missing teeth. “Now I hope you all have a lovely term.”

With that, the stampede for the doors began, everypony wanting to get their timetable and start complaining as soon as possible.
“How’s yours?” Fly asked, scanning the room for Rarity and Miri. “Mine looks okay.”
“Double French on Fridays but nothing worse. How many free periods do you have?” I had counted eight on my timetable.
“Eight,” she replied, and I was relieved.
“Oh, same here.”
“I’ve got double drama on Tuesdays and Thursdays though.” I d never understood why quiet Fly had been so interested in drama.

History was first on a Monday, so I set off back to the dorm room to pick up some paper, my timetable floating in front of me.
“I’ll see you at lunch?” Fly suggested as we pinned our timetables up beside our beds.
“Great! See you then.” I smiled at my best friend as she made her way out of the room and downstairs to her first class. Hanging around to wait for Rarity and Miri was attractive, but I was already a few minutes late for History. Anyway, I’d see Rarity in cass.

History looked bleak until Rarity sat down next me, sharing my desk. Now it looked like it would be just like old times.
That was, until we started the first exercise. My pen floated in front of me, spinning around aimlessly as I stared at the worksheet. We were supposed to be matching the portraits for famous ponies to things they had said, but I was clueless. I brushed my mane out of my eyes and shrugged.
“Stuck?” Rarity asked me in hushed tones.
“Yes,” I replied quietly. Advanced history was much harder than I had anticipated.

When we marked the sheet at the end of the lesson, I had only got two wrong thanks to Rarity’s help. Of course, Rarity had got hers all right, but she didn’t say anything and merely pushed the sheet into her file.
“I’ll see you in the common room later?” She said as we exited.
“Okay.”
She walked away, her perfectly styled tail bobbing along behind her. I was jealous that she always found time to look great.

Music was my favourite lesson. Mainly because I found it easy and always got good marks, which made a change to usual. It was all classical study, which was really boring, but meant that by the end of the lesson I’d done all of the work and the homework. It had always annoyed me that none of my friends took music so I never got to help them, and in every other subject I had to keep asking for their help.

Afterwards I made my first trip to the common room. Miri and Fly were already relaxing in the corner.
“Is this desk okay?” Fly asked timidly, looking at me.
Miri interjected. “The seventh years told us that the desk you pick at the start of the sixth year is the one you have for the next two years.”
“Well this is fine,” I said, sitting down. Fly was eating a sandwich and looking at her notes from that morning.

“Sorry, I got held up finishing a painting.. it was terribly mucky,” Rarity announced as she sat down opposite me with a sandwich. “Eating this will make me fat.”
“You’re totally thin Rarity. I’m the short and fat one,” Miri whined. “I’m skipping lunch today.”
“Same here. I need to diet down,” I said, feeling overweight just looking at a sandwich. I’d taken to stress-eating over the summer and gained half a stone, which manifested itself horribly around my waist. “I ate nothing but carbs yesterday.”

Rarity was much less keen on her sandwich after that. “Anypony else want half?”
“I wish,” Miri said sadly, before staring out of the window. “Before the Hearth’s Warming Eve dance, we have to do one of those diet pacts. It makes it much easier to stick to if your friends are doing it too.”
“I’d forgotten all about the dance!” Rarity exclaimed happily once she’d finished her mouthful. “We’re finally allowed to go, it’ll be so delightful.”
“Saving up for dresses will be hard though. I always spend all of my money,” Miri said, the excitability draining out of her. “Mainly on chocolate.”

I had a thought which cheered me up a little. “Hey, we get our maintenance this weekend. Anypony else want to go into Maneminster?”
“Teachers are usually pretty light with homework in the first week,” Fly said as she finished her lunch.
“And it’ll be the start of the autumn fashions!” Rarity added, her eyes going wide with happiness. “We just have to go.”

The Saturday train into Maneminster Central station left at nine o’clock, so I had to drag myself out of bed much earlier than I would have liked. I was still struggling to keep my eyes open as half past eight came and went, and Miri was still buried under her blanket.
“We’ll be late if you don’t get up,” Fly told her. “You’ve only got fifteen minutes before we have to go.” She tapped Miri’s shoulder, eliciting a groan.
“Just leave me here to sleep... I can’t face being awake.”

Whilst I was brushing my tangled mane, once again complaining about how it lacked... well, everything, Fly and Rarity teamed up to drag Miri out of bed.
“Really Miri, stop this nonsense. If you keep this up, you’ll be the only one looking totally unfashionable at the winter dance,” Rarity complained at her.
Miri just grumbled under her breath as she staggered into the bathroom and locked the door.
“Hurry, you’ve got ten minutes or we’re leaving you,” Fly said as she banged on the door with her hoof.

The bouncy pony took fifteen minutes as usual, and we had to run for the train. I hated getting my coat sweaty, but when we sat down in the carriage I could feel the familiar stickiness permeating under my raincoat.
It was raining when we exited the train in the capital, faced with the hustle and bustle of the big city. We rode the tube to the main shopping districts, making fun of the posters in the carriage.

“I wish I was rich and could buy everything from the expensive shops,” Miri dreamed as we walked past a boutique with fancy dresses in the window.
“When I have opened my boutique, you can have anything you like for free,” Rarity declared as we headed for a fashionable-but-cheap shop that specialised in reduced designer labels. The rain was making my mane worse than usual and I didn’t feel like trying anything on because I knew it would just look awful.

Rarity held up a blue bracelet. “This would suit you, Fly. Might complement your coat.”
“I don’t usually wear bracelets,” Fly replied cautiously, not wanting to insult Rarity’s taste.
“Well it’s up to you, sweetie,” Rarity continued, dropping the accessory as something else caught her eye.
“What do you think, girls?” Miri piped up, poking her head above the clothes racks. She was wearing a bright pink bow, attached to a mane band.
“Oh, no no no. Clashes with your mane,” Rarity informed her, gently removing it with her magic. “Look for something in black.”

Miri sighed. “Without you, I’d just walk around looking like a clown.”
“Which is different to what you normally look like?” I teased, before stepped away quickly before she hit me with a frosty stare.

Fly gasped as she found something. “Oh my, do you remember these?” She held up a gaudy yellow maneband with a false set of eats attached.
I laughed. They had been the height of fashion last year, and I was sure I still had a rogue one somewhere at home.
“Oh yes! They’re so terrible,” Rarity said, cringing. “Put them away.”

For once the shop let us down, none of us finding anything we liked enough to buy, except for Miri who bought the bow band in black.
As we left, we passed through the sock section.
“Socks anypony?” Rarity giggled. Fly blushed a deep crimson.
“No chance,” I said, giving them a wide berth. “Can you even imagine wearing them?”
“Maybe if I had a coltfriend,” Miri said, before breaking into uncontrollable giggles.

We stepped into the pouring rain and Fly spotted a forlorn-looking ice cream cart. “Shall we get one?”
“Fly darling, it’s tipping it down,” Rarity said. “Not ice cream weather.”
“But now I really want one.”
“Me too!” Miri said happily, eyeing up the giant ice cream on the top of the van.
I gave her a disapproving look. “What about that so-called diet?”
“Oh yeah...”

After some discussion, Fly decided to get one and Rarity and I bought one to share. Miri eventually stuck to her diet and went without. We sat in the doorway to a shop as we ate them, Rarity and I taking turns to lick the mint-flavoured ice cream and complain about how unhealthy it was whilst Fly scoffed hers down.
“We should look for make-up next,” Miri told us, trying to keep her mind off the ice cream. “There’s a good shop just round this next corner, I think.”

We only had to look at the price of one bottle of hoof-polish to know it was too expensive, so Rarity took us to somewhere a bit cheaper.
“Pink or red?” I asked Rarity, holding up both tubes of lipstick.
“Pink. Always go pale,” the fashion pony replied without looking up from a pile of hoof polish bottles.
I decided to buy the pink one but declined to try it first. I could still taste the mint from the ice cream, and as I passed her I caught a smell of Rarity’s equally minty breath as she tried out some peach lipsticks.

The sky had turned black and the rain was getting much harder when we boarded the train home. Of course, once we arrived back at Buckingham it was hammering down and not even my raincoat was enough to save me.
“Anypony have an umbrella?” Rarity asked sadly.
“I do,” Fly replied, helpfully pulling it out of her bag. It was tiny though, barely enough to cover one pony, let alone four.

Once we arrived at the school’s door we were soaking wet and laughing at each other’s manes.
“Fillies, whatever did you think you were doing going out in this weather?” the dorm matron asked as we dripped our way up the stairs.
“We were in Maneminster and didn’t realise the weather was going to get this bad.” Fly explained as the rest of us shuffled past, heading for the towels that were waiting for us in our dorm.
“Take umbrellas next time. And get dry before you catch cold,” the older pony told us sternly. “We don’t need an epidemic.”

We took it in turns to warm up in the shower before settling in for the evening. My bed looked so inviting and my legs ached from all of the walking we’d done.
“I’m so tired out. I could fall asleep right now,” Rarity said, putting her purchases away.
“I know what you mean. This whole week has been tiring,” Miri added, collapsing onto her bed with her eyes closed.
“Who knew school could be difficult?” I said as Fly came out of the shower, a slight smile on my face as I propped myself up with pillows.
“I’m regretting that ice cream,” Fly told us when she sat down on her bed, holding her tummy.

I picked up the book I was supposed to be reading for English and tried to focus on the next chapter as Miri chattered about calories.
“What do you think, Cat?” She asked me.
“Oh, I don’t know. You probably got plenty of exercise today.”
“Maybe you’re right. What do you think Rarity? Rarity?” Miri frowned at Rarity, who was lying motionless on her bed.

“She’s asleep, I think,” I said, trying to locate my bookmark.
“Then I’ll wake her,” Miri said, picking up a pillow.
“Touch me and I’ll destroy you,” Rarity said dramatically, not bothering to move.
I giggled then tried to focus again. But my tired eyes were telling me to give up.
Miri pretended to look shocked before launching the pillow and squealing as Rarity enacted her violent revenge.

The weather worsened as October wore on, and by the last week I’d turned the radiator up to its maximum setting permanently and spend my mornings scraping ice from the inside of the window panes. Once the clocks had gone back it was suddenly very dark in the evenings, which restricted our activities to studying and complaining about how good all of the models in the magazines looked. Fly just carried on reading her books as normal. November was my turn to buy the fashion magazines, so I made a very wet trip to the shop to pick them up.

“Hi Cat. Looking for something in particular?” the shopkeeper asked when I walked in, my mane dripping.
“Just the usual order of magazines please Mrs. Petal,” I said, glancing around the shop while she got them from behind the counter.
“You girls at the school certainly do like your fashion magazines,” she said kindly as I handed over some bits. “Can I interest you in some Nightmare Night sweets? They’re half price.”
“Oh, no thank you. I’m trying to save my bits,” I smiled. “Although they look tempting.”
“Well, you can take a few for free. Make sure you give some to Miri though, that’s my only condition,” the greying pony said, her eyes twinkling. “I know she’ll have one taste and then come running here.”

Mrs. Petal was exactly right, and we all had to listen to Miri complain about how little money she had left for the next few days. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact that Nightmare Night was coming up, which gave us a brief respite from all of the homework.
Traditionally all of the younger fillies and colts would go out and give sweets to Nightmare Moon, but it was seen as a bit childish and... Equestrian for we more sophisticated fillies. Instead, we held corridor parties with food and punch and dancing.

The only pony in our year who took it seriously was Rarity, for whom it was a more important tradition. She always went all-out and made an amazing costume, whereas the rest of us were unwilling to spend bits on costumes we’d only wear once. And this year was no exception. I dressed up in all-black clothes with a black hat so I’d look like a cat burglar - not that anypony except me got the joke. At least it was more creative than Fly, who just wore an old sheet and tried to look like a ghost. Sadly for her, the sheet was rather thin and her green coat showed through, making her look a bit... strange. Miri just wore many brightly coloured accessories and went as somepony from the 80s, messing up her mane and looking decidedly unfashionable. She’d even dug out a pair of pink false ears.

Rarity though, looked fabulous. She’d dressed as Nightmare Moon in a hoof-sewn costume, which looked as realistic as anything I’d seen in textbooks.
“You forgot the wings,” Miri said unhelpfully as she tried to squeeze another neon green wristband onto her hoof.
“Too difficult to make,” Rarity replied. The rest of her costume was made up of a long dress, dyed black with moons painted on it.
“You look great Rarity,” Fly said, muffled by her sheet.
“Thank you darling. I still don’t understand why you three won’t let me make you costumes. Oh well, shall we go?” She batted her eyelashes and smiled.

We’d been invited to go to the corridor below, which was a party being hosted by some seventh years. They’d only invited us to make up the numbers, but we were happy to go for the free snacks. Costumes at the party ranged from some ponies who had just smeared on face paint with barely a thought, to Rarity’s glamorous ensemble which drew gasps and admiring looks from everypony present. Nearly everypony stopped her to compliment her, which suited me because it meant I could get to the snack table more easily.

“Rarity’s costume is really pretty,” Fly said though a mouthful of hay fries. “I wish I was that talented.”
“It is nice..” I replied, looking over at my friend. “It even suits her.”
Fly quickly got annoyed at all of the ponies who kept standing on the bottom of her she, so we filled some plates with food and made our way to a quieter section of corridor, going back only to refill our cups with the strange purple punch.
“I like your costume too, Cat. It’s a really good idea,” my best friend said. She was always trying to be nice.
“Thanks Fly. I like yours too.”
“Oh, no. Mine wasn’t a very good idea. I look green,” she replied sadly, looking down at her hooves.
“Maybe a little bit,” I smiled, looking over at Rarity again. She had finally shaken off her admirers and was coming over to speak to us.

She sat down rather wearily next to me. “Oh my, those ponies do like to talk! I’ve left them with Miri, who should be more than a match for them.” As she spoke, she brushed the hem of her dress so it would lie flat.
Fly looked across at Miri, who was deep in conversation with some seventh years. “Yes, looks like it. She can talk forever.”
As the words left her mouth, Miri turned around. “Hey Fly, can you come over here a second?”

Fly snaked her way across the corridor, trying to stop anypony from stepping on her sheet, and left me with Rarity.
“I wonder what she wants,” I said, idly speculating in my head.
“Could be anything, knowing Miri. Anyway, I meant to say earlier, I just love your costume. Apart from, you know, the lack of colour,” Rarity said, clapping her hooves together. “A cat burglar, right?”

I blushed at the compliment, then smiled when she guessed right. “Finally, someone who guesses it without me needing to tell them!”
“Oh well I wouldn’t go that far. Miri told me earlier,” Rarity admitted, giggling a little. “Sorry.”
“I knew I should have gone for something more obvious,” I said, a little bit annoyed at myself for going for a clever idea over something easy to guess. “Do you want some punch? You haven’t had any since you got here.”
“If you don’t mind sharing,” Rarity said as she picked up my cup and drank a few mouthfuls. “To tell you the truth, this costume is a little warm.”

We sat and watched the party progress, Rarity flustered by the constant attention lavished on her and me feeling a little bit like a spare part. It was a seventh year party really, and only the glamorous sixth year fillies got to really take part.
“We’ll probably have to host this next year,” Rarity finally said. “And provide all of the food.”
“I think the school supplies some of it,” I replied, shrugging. “But we should definitely make the most of not having to clear up afterwards.” My eyes strayed to her face, noticing how expertly she’d managed to apply her mascara, framing her eyes perfectly without any unsightly deviations.

She looked back suddenly and our eyes met awkwardly. I looked down at my hooves.
“Shall we dance?” She asked, still looking at me.
“Oh, I don’t know...”
“Nonsense. Come with me.”
I found myself being pulled into the area of the corridor near the stereo, where music was playing rather loud. Once there it was actually quite easy to join in, especially since I wasn’t wearing a bulky costume that got in the way. Plus, dancing with Rarity was fun because she was enthusiastic, but I did catch her occasionally glancing the way of the popular seventh years with a worried look.
Miri and Fly joined us after a while, although Fly spent most of her time trying not to get trodden on.

Another bunch of seventh years burst in on our party, bringing leftover cake. We swapped it for punch, or rather, Rarity swapped it for punch without anypony’s permission. Not long afterwards the dorm matrons arrived and sent us all back to our dorms, severely warning us that any further music playing would result in detention. We lost Miri on our way back, she heard a tidbit of gossip and couldn’t drag herself away. By the time she’d been escorted back to our dorm by the matron, the rest of us were ready to sleep.

“What was so important that you had to disappear?” I asked, lounging lazily on my bed and wishing there had been more cake. I was still supposed to be dieting, but it wasn’t happening.
“Oh, nothing. Bit disappointing really,” Miri replied, shutting herself in the bathroom to de-accessorise.
“Don’t be too long in there. Cat and I have a history test tomorrow,” Rarity told her.
“Do you think we should do some studying tonight?” I asked the unicorn, feeling my stomach start to twist with anxiety.
“Forget it. We won’t remember anything we cram now,” Rarity said, with some authority as she applied face cream.

The test was a total disaster, I reflected as I left the classroom and headed for the common room the next morning.
“Don’t worry about it,” Rarity said kindly. “You might be allowed another go.”
“Thanks Rarity,” I said, smiling at her, but feeling inside like I might do even worse on my second go.
“We can study now? I don’t have any lessons until later,” she suggested to me.
I knew Fly and Miri would be in lessons until later, which gave us at least an hour of peace and quiet to work. “I think I need it,” I told her.

“So, when the question says ‘explain the impact of Starswirl the Bearded on pre-Equestrian society’, it’s really asking you to explain what his research led to,” Rarity said, pointing to the relevant paragraph in the textbook. “You just need to link it to his discoveries.”
“How do I know what to include?” I asked, confused that the question would ask something different to what you were supposed to put for an answer.
“Well, the gorgeous Princess Platinum was the centre of pre-Equestrian society, so when you see the word ‘society’, try and link it to her,” the unicorn explained patiently, her blue eyes flashing towards mine every so often. I focused on the book. “How did Starswirl’s discoveries change how Princess Platinum acted?”

I paused to think. “Did he stop her treating the earth ponies so badly?”
“Pretty much. His magical ineffectiveness theory meant that the unicorns had to rely on the earth ponies more,” Rarity told me, pointing to the line in the book.
“Oh yes, I see it. They needed the earth ponies to grow food, so she renegotiated those trade thingies.”
“Trade contracts, yes! You’re getting it.”
I smiled at her, then caught myself admiring her eyelashes. I tried to cover it up with a quick question. “Because of the closer co-operation, they ended up in conflict?”

“Now why couldn’t you have put all this on the test?” Rarity laughed. “Then you’d be fine.”
“Maybe if the questions asked what they wanted you to write...” I grumbled.
“Don’t worry, there’s a technique to it. Plus it’s ages until the real exam, plenty of time for practice. You can study in your free periods instead of gossiping with Miri.”
I blushed since I had just been looking at the clock and wondering how long it would be until Miri returned with some hot news. “I do study, but history just gets left behind.”
Rarity giggled. “I do the same thing too, don’t worry.”
“But you had time to make that amazing costume for last night! And everything else you do. You’re just too organised,” I said, resting my head on the textbook and trying not to look at the work.

“Practice makes perfect. Now, let’s get back to this Starswirl question.” Her Equestrian accent usually came to the fore when she tried to sound like she was in charge, despite her efforts to adopt a more sophisticated accent. “Move your head.”
I sat up. “What else do I need to do?” I stared blankly at the page.
“See this bit, about his students?” She jabbed her hoof. “Why is this important?”
“Because he trained them?” I tried.
“And...?”
“I... don’t know.”

Rarity shook her head. “We made notes on this in class.”
“Oh, are we meant to use those?” I started rifling through my folder.
“That’s the point of classwork.”
“Sorry.”
She just tapped the book and looked a bit distressed. “I’ll forgive you if you can answer the question.”
“Is it because... his students were important?”
“Yes! They went onto important roles in society and spread his personal influence.”

I sighed in relief. “Starswirl was really complicated.”
“His cloak would make a good costume though, don’t you think? Robes are quite like dresses, so with a hat and a beard it would look fantastic,” she mused, looking at the portrait. “Shame beards don’t suit me.”
“I can see that,” I said, giggling.
“Facial hair in general actually. Tiaras though, they suit me. I wonder if anyone in this book has a pretty tiara...”
I was happy to have a few moments away from the brain-melting boredom of the history textbook while Rarity flicked through, her eyes wide at the thought of wearing a tiara.

Chapter Three

Winter came in a hurry, leaving piles of wet leaves on the lawns of Buckingham. Everypony knew that the period between Nightmare Night and Hearth’s Warming Eve was a dreary one, with the temperature flirting with the negative figures but snow being slow to come. The best way to warm up was Bonfire Night, taking place less than a week after Nightmare Night. The school didn’t have any fireworks of its own, but all of the fillies got to pile into coaches and be taken down to Platinum Palace Park in Maneminster to watch the fireworks at the Platinum Palace transmitter. The carriages were budget but that didn’t deter anypony from making the most of a rare school outing.

“Why do you have to hold these fireworks when it’s so cold?” Rarity complained, wrapping another thick scarf around her neck. It was still a few degrees above freezing, but Rarity was particularly susceptible to the cold temperatures and always piled on the layers, ending up looking like a walking lump of fabric.
“It’s to remember the plot to imprison Princess Platinum,” Fly replied even though everypony already knew it. The same story was trotted out every year.
“Why couldn’t they have plotted to overthrow her in July,” Rarity grumbled, pulling the scarf tighter. “Do you think I need boots? Better had.”

In reality, everypony knew that the best part of Bonfire Night was the fact that they could meet some of the local colts. Fly and I had never been that interested, more more accurately, the local colts had never been that interested in us. We preferred to go on the various rides and attractions in the park. Rarity and Miri, though, loved the attention and tried to get friendly, but the dorm matrons were always on patrol and made life difficult.

As we stepped outside, a bitter wind bit at our ears and I wished I’d brought a hat. Rarity looked smug under her many layers, but I knew she’d be sweating before long. We cantered down to the carriages, anxious to get an empty one so we wouldn’t have to share. Rarity was weighed down and took ages to catch up.
“Was that third coat really necessary?” I asked, poking out my tongue as she clambered into the coach.
“Yes, it was.”
The coaches were built for six but we spread out to try and deter any opportunistic first years wanting to get a ride with the cool, older ponies.

The sun set as the carriages creaked their way to the park in a long convoy. Pinks lit up the sky, suggesting it would be another cold day tomorrow.
“I hope there are plenty of colts there,” Miri enthused, clapping her forehooves together.
Fly wasn’t impressed. “Just make sure you don’t get caught.”
“Fun police,” Miri replied, before giggling. She was always in her best spirits whenever colts were involved. “Anyway, the sevenths years always get to sneak off, so surely we can too? I heard Crystal Shores missed the carriages home because she lost track of time.” A dreamy look came over the excited pony’s face.
“You hear too much,” I warned her. “I’m not spending all evening covering for you.”

The fireworks were scheduled for seven, which gave us two hours to enjoy the rides and try not to get too old. But it was always busy with foals and their mothers at first, so we rode on the free merry-go-round over and over to pass the time, watching each other’s breath rising in the artificial lights.
Miri practically leapt from the ride when she saw a group of promising-looking colts hanging around near a hay fries stand. We followed her of course, but I wasn’t very keen on embarrassing myself in front of yet more colts.

Miri latched onto a handsome colt with a black coat and big muscles, and spent the next few minutes complimenting him and hanging onto his arm. “Do you pull carts? You look like you do.” It took them a matter of minutes to disappear off together, and Rarity rolled her eyes. I didn’t like colts who thought a few muscles were enough to get any filly they wanted, but there were plenty of ponies like Miri who would make them think just that.
“So what school do you go to?” I asked the remaining colts. Most of them just mumbled and wandered off.
“We go to Platinum Palace Colt’s School,” the nearest one say, pawing the ground with his hoof and sniffing loudly. There was an awkward pause, during which Rarity stalked off in the direction of Miri.

The moment she had gone, the colt looked up at me. “Oh wow, is she from Equestria?”
I glanced at Fly, who was having colt trouble of her own. But the two of them looked so shy that neither of them was going to say anything. I turned back to my own burden. “Yes, but she’s been here for the past two years.” I tried smiling sweetly.
“Woah, that’s so cool. I always watch the Equestria Rodeo Competitions.”
“I’m Cat.” This colt was starting to annoy me.
“People call me Rapids.” Another pause.
“So do you want to eat something?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at his total lack of talent with the fillies.
“Uh, yeah.”

We sat on the steps of a carriage and watched the festivities, eating a bag of hay fries each. Predictably, he’d made me pay for my own. Now I was cold and running out of money.
“So what is your friend called?” He asked, mouth full of food.
“Who?”
“The Equestrian.”
“Her name is Rarity.” The Equestrian indeed. That was practically an insulting way of referring to her.
“Woah, what a cool name. Where in Equestria does she live?” More sprays of half-chewed food.
I daintily put a hay fry into my mouth and chewed it before answering. “Ponyville.”
“I thought she’d be from Canterlot, ‘coz you know, she’s so sophisticated and everything.”

This was rapidly becoming tiresome, if you’ll excuse the pun. “No, definitely Ponyville.”
Rapids paused, although I suspected it was so he could shovel more hay fries into his mouth.
“So where did Rarity go?” He asked.
“I don’t know. Probably to see my other friends.”
“Oh wow, are they Equestrian too?”
“No.”
“That’s a shame. So does Rarity like the Equestrian Rodeo?”
“I think I can hear my friend over there.”
“Is it Rarity?”
“No.”

I trotted away from him, feeling a pang of guilt at just running away. But he was seriously annoying and a little bit creepy. I wanted to give him a sound smack in the chops for fawning over Rarity so obviously, but I thought that might be a little overprotective. I wandered aimlessly until I bumped into Fly, who seemed to be wandering too.
“Hi Cat,” she said quietly.
“Hi Fly. What happened to that other colt?”
“Oh um, he went away.” I knew her voice well enough to know she was blushing.
I shrugged. “If it helps, mine was no better. Obsessed with Rarity.”
“Oh, my.”
“Kept asking me about her. I mean, I know we’re really good friends, but really?”
“I see.”
“So weird, you know? It really annoys me that colts are like that.”
Fly didn’t reply and just let me fume to myself.

The annoying colt did a good job of ruining my evening, since I just ended up standing around pointlessly with Fly and calling Miri all kinds of rude names for dragging us over to those colts. Fly was very patient and just ignored me.
We tried to avoid any of the colts, and in the process managed to find Rarity standing behind one of the food tents, banging her hooves together for warmth.
“Why are you hiding here?” Fly asked, sounding confused. It was too dark to see anything more than vague outlines.
“I found Miri again but she’s gone off with that colt. Who knows what they’re up to, but I have to keep watch.” Her tone was definitely disapproving.
“We’re hiding from the other colts,” Fly said, rather more abruptly than I would have put it.
Rarity seemed to smile. “Not a good night for any of us, then. Except Miri.”
“You didn’t find any nice colts then?” I asked her, already knowing the answer.
“No. And I put on my best scarves, too.”

When the fireworks started Miri was still ‘occupied’, so we went over towards the bonfire to try and warm up a bit. She’d just have to hope all of the dorm matrons were looking at the fireworks and not at wherever she was.
The fireworks themselves were always spectacular, lighting the sky with bright colours courtesy of the genius earth ponies who were responsible. We stood as close to the bonfire as we could and warmed our hooves, eyes glued to the wonderful display. I sneaked a couple of sidelong glances at Rarity, seeing the fireworks reflected in her bright blue eyes.

Once the final fireworks had exploded (a series of loud bangs and red sparks), everypony started heading for carriages. We needed to find Miri as soon as possible, since in ten minutes the carriages would leave.
“I’ll find her. You go and secure a carriage,” Rarity told us before trotting away towards the food tents. I looked at Fly, who looked back without much expression.
We reserved a carriage by sitting in the door and not letting anyone past, shooing away occasional younger fillies who looked lost.
“Miri is such a pain,” I said, stamping my hooves on the ground to stop my legs getting cold.
“At least she keeps things interesting,” Fly replied. I couldn’t quite tell whether she was joking.

Rarity returned five minutes later and gave a murderous look to some first years who were tailing her. The dorm matrons were already rounding up stragglers.
“Where’s Miri?” I asked her, now feeling quite concerned.
“I can’t find her, or the colt,” the unicorn told us, her voice betraying a hint of concern. “What if something’s happened?”
“Fly, you stay here. Rarity, do another quick lap of the park and I’ll search the inside. Back here in three minutes,” I said quickly, before cantering away to look for my friend. Rarity nodded and did the same.

There really was no sign. I was starting to have terrible thoughts about that nasty-looking colt when I got back to the carriage and found Rarity there but no Miri.
“She’s probably just being air-headed again, right?” Rarity said, looking at the two of us for reassurance.
The dorm matron interrupted, looking at us suspiciously. “You three. That’s Toccata, Fly Leaf and Rarity. Have any of you seen Miriam? I haven’t found her yet.”
I was panicking, running through all kinds of possible answers in my head, when my problems were solved for me by the quick-thinking of Rarity.
“She’s being sick. In a bush. Don’t worry, we’ll get her before the carriages go,” Rarity said, her bad poker face invisible in the dark. “Must’ve eaten a dodgy doughnut.”

“I’ll see to her then,” the matron said, looking carefully around the nearby bushes.
“Oh, no. Once it’s out of her system she’ll be fine. The sooner she’s out of the cold, really,” Rarity lied, looking and Fly and I.
“Well, if you’re sure,” the pony said, making a tiny tick and moving on.
“But Rarity, what if she doesn’t arrive? We need to tell someone,” Fly said anxiously.
“She’s probably just wandered off. She can get a taxi back to school and sneak in, no need to drop her in it yet,” Rarity said, but she didn’t sound entirely convinced.
Fly nodded. “If she’s not back by the time we go to sleep, we tell someone.”
“Okay, that’s a good idea.”

The carriages pulled away less than a minute later, leaving the three friends pondering where Miri might have got to.
“I hope she’s okay,” Fly whispered.
I hugged her. “You know Miri. Always getting into scrapes.” I smiled as best I could, but I was worried too.

Once we were back at school, there was still no sign of her. And when the matron came around to tell us to go to bed a ten, there was still no Miri. I expected the matron to notice she wasn’t in the room and ask after her, but she merely walked away, satisfied.
“Um... Miri’s missing,” Fly suddenly said, sounding worried. “She didn’t get back into our carriage after the fireworks.”
I chewed my hooves nervously, afraid of the matron’s reaction. But she merely laughed, surprising us all.
“Don’t worry girls, we know exactly where Miri is. I expect she’ll be joining you shortly.”

Ten minutes later, a rather embarrassed looking Miri stepped into the room, her eyes ringed with redness from crying. We all jumped up and enveloped her in hugs.
“Miri!” Rarity said happily. “Where have you been? We were so worried! Whatever happened?”
Miri just grinned, the mischievous glint still in her eye. “Oh, I went off with Weight and it was sooo romantic and we went on all of the rides and did everything we could!”
“You could have told us!” Fly said, exasperated.
“I forgot... sorry. You know how it is.”

“So how come you missed the carriages home? You knew they were after the fireworks?” I asked her, wondering how she came to end up crying if she had a good time with the colt.
“Oh oh oh! Weight said he’d take me back to school in his private cart! Isn’t that romantic? He’s so thoughtful.”
“So did he? Bring you back?” Rarity asked.
“Oh, no. He left me in the park after the carriages had left.”

Despite this revelation, Miri didn’t seem put off the colt at all. “I hope I can see him again soon. Maybe for the winter dance.”
I looked at Rarity, but she just shrugged back. Miri was a lost cause, we all knew that. “So you got upset because he ditched you?” I said.
“No, I actually got a taxi back to school and tried to sneak in.” Miri laughed, but a sudden loud sniff betrayed the fact that she was still upset about something. “I got stuck in a window and the dorm matrons found me.”
I had to laugh. This was just too priceless. Miri smiled at me. “Why a window?”
“It was the only place I could get in without getting caught! It was actually nearly a success, if they’d come round a few seconds later I would have been free.”

“So what happened? They must have punished you,” Rarity said, sitting down on Miri’s bed with her.
“I had to see the Head Mare a-and...” Miri started to sob a little bit, her brave face cracking. “S-she’s confiscating my maintenance for the rest of the term, and I’m not allowed on any school outings for the rest of the year.”
With that, the red-maned pony began to cry into Rarity’s shoulder.

The punishment was very harsh and I felt sorry for my friend. We had a group hug, Miri’s hot tears splashing into my mane. She was always so excited to go on outings, and not being able to go anywhere until the summer was probably really hurting her. We let her go and get cleaned up in the bathroom. I could hear her sobs from my bed.
“Well, she did makes us really worried...” Fly said in a whisper.
Rarity nodded sadly. “But still... a whole year of being kept in is really mean. I feel so bad for her.”

The good news that came of the rest of the term was that my work in history continued to improve under Rarity’s expert tuition, until I was comfortably mid-bottom of the class. November brought mid-term mock tests so we could see how we were doing. Teachers warned us to expect poor grades, especially since everypony dropped a grade between the fifth and sixth years. Even then, I was still really concerned that I was going to embarrass myself.

History was, predictably, the worst. Rarity got a B for her test - her face betrayed disappointment. And if Rarity got a B, I would be in for a terrible shock, I was sure. And I was - my essay came back with a large red ‘D’ in the corner.
“Could be worse,” Rarity whispered to me. “We can always work more together?”
I had a sinking feeling that I was going to fail history. I wanted to tell Rarity so she didn’t have to waste her time trying to help me, but then I knew that I would really miss our sessions together. So I said nothing and just smiled a pained smile.

I did excellently in music and about average in English and French, so I was confident in passing those. It could only get better. And there were no more exams until March, where more mock tests awaited. But despite the plus points, I still felt gloomy sitting in the common room listening to excited ponies comparing their results and started to spend more time in the library reading magazines, mainly just to get away from it.

On Friday afternoon, the weekend only hours away, I was just sitting in the library with some English work open in front of me, staring at the wall. I was lost in my thoughts, mainly about how hard history was and why I was pathetic, when Fly abruptly sat down next to me, giving me a fright.
“Are you okay?” My best friend asked.
“Yes, you just scared me! Don’t sneak up on me.”
“No, I mean since you got your results. You’ve seemed a bit... distant. And you’re never at our table in the common room.” It hurt me to listen to Fly’s voice so full of concern. I wanted to wrap my hooves around her and cry.

“I’ve just had a lot of work...”
“You know you can talk to me about it? We have been getting through these things for five years, let’s not stop now.” She smiled at me and I couldn’t help but feel the ice thaw a little.
“I just feel like I can’t do well, even when I work hard...”
“Nopony is good at everything. You did really great in music, top of the class I heard.”
“That’s my special talent. That’s different,” I mumbled, trying to blink back tears.
Fly paused, still looking at me. “I feel jealous of you when it comes to school.”

This came as a shock, trust me.
“What? You’re jealous of the pony who has to work super-hard but can never be bothered? I don’t think so.”
“No, I mean about your special talent. You’re a great musician and you can lend that to a subject and be one of the best. Me - you can’t learn everything out of books. Sometimes I wonder if my special talent isn’t holding me back.”
I’d never heard Fly admit anything like this before, and when I looked at her she looked sad, even sadder than I felt. I nearly snapped and burst into floods of tears, but I held it in. Just.
“I still have to struggle through school. And you don’t,” I smiled, wanting to cheer her up.
“I can help you with some things if you like?”
“No, that’s okay. Rarity is helping me.”
Fly smiled back. “Well, it’s nearly the weekend and nopony should be sad at the weekend. I think if Miri knew that. she’d explode.”
I giggled. “Thank you.”
“Any more lessons today?” She asked, drawing little circles on the desk with her hoof.
“Just history.”
“Ah. Well, lots of chocolate and hugs afterwards?”
“I could go for that.”
“I’ll tell Rarity and Miri, I’m sure they want to see you cheered up too.”

I couldn’t help but throw my hooves around her and cry. I was so lucky to have a wonderful friend like her.

We did make a bit of a scene though, and I got us thrown out of the library for being too loud.

I felt a bit better after a large amount of chocolate biscuits in our dorm room, listening to Rarity and Miri making jokes about each other.
“You know, it’s only four weeks to Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Miri said. “You should be thinking about the dance.” The earth pony had got over her setback from Bonfire Night and was now getting excitable again, although a trace of sadness in her expression showed how sorry she was to be missing the dance.
“Of course! I’ll need to get started on dresses,” Rarity said, rubbing her chin with a hoof as she sunk deep into thought. “I should be able to do them all if I start right away.”
“I don’t need one, remember,” Miri added, looking away from us.

“Are you going to go and see Weight again?” Fly asked, not liking the slightly sad atmosphere. “I know you’re not allowed out exactly but you could probably...”
“Sneak out! I know! I’ve got an excursion planned for this coming Saturday,” Miri squeaked. “He’s so romantic... and cool... and handsome... and those muscles...”
None of us really approved of Weight, but we didn’t want to knock Miri any further than she’d already fallen.

“Okay so you two will need to give me a list of what you want from your outfit. Tomorrow preferably.” Her eyes were screwed up in thought, which was not a particularly flattering look. “I can go shopping this weekend, then that’s two weeks. We can do a dress rehearsal with manes and make-up, and then I’ll need about four hours before the actual dance for finishing touches...”
“You’re obsessed,” I teased.
“Ahem, well. We can get to that soon.” She looked a little embarrassed to have been caught rambling on like that. “We’ll be the best dressed ponies at the dance. Much better than the ponies at the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot.”
“So we’ll be spending thousands of bits on the world’s finest dresses?” I asked, and Fly giggled behind a hoof.
“No, but you’ll have the world’s greatest designer,” Rarity replied, dismissing my comment with a charming smile. “Nothing but the best. I’ll need to measure you at some point so everything fits...”

My face dropped faster than a unicorn on a cloud.
“I haven’t weighed myself since the start of term,” I whispered, my blood running cold. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom, shutting myself in and grabbing the scales.
As I waited for them to calibrate, I heard Fly’s voice through the door. “She’s probably hardly gained any weight at all, there’s no need to worry.”
“I’m getting fat!”
“Oh be quiet Miri.”

I’d gained a stone and a half since I’d got back to school. The news crushed me like a hammer as I stepped back into the room. Miri dashed past me to take her turn.
“It’s not healthy to obsess over your weight,” Fly told me in a stern tone.
“Do like I do and weigh yourself every morning. That way you can change your eating habits before you really start to slide,” Rarity said, catching a look from Fly.
Miri reappeared looking like I felt. “I’ve gained a stone.” She dashed up to me and took my hooves in hers. “Cat, promise me we’ll go on a Hearth’s Warming Diet with me. We can both slim down, please please please!”
I smiled. “Yes! I’d do anything to get rid of this horrible fat.” I poked my tummy with a hoof. “Ew.”

“Neither of you really show it... it’s well spread out,” Rarity said, sweeping a discerning eye over us.
“No biscuits or chocolate. Only meals from the food hall and no snacks.” Miri was mentally working out our new diet. “Fly, take all of my chocolate, so I won’t be tempted.”
Before the pegasus could protest, we’d dumped our entire supply on her bed.
“Well, if I measure you the week after next, that’ll give you time to make adjustments,” Rarity mused, looking at me. “So I’ll start with you, Fly. Oh, i-deeee-a! I know just what will make you look divine, darling.”
Fly blushed.

“I need to go into Maneminster next weekend. You three can come, of course-”
“-I can’t, stupid ban-”
“Okay well you two can come. But no buying. Everything will be half the price in the January sales anyway. This is strictly for me to get you stuff for your dresses,” Rarity smiled. “This is so exciting!”
“I already feel hungry,” Miri said, eyeing up the chocolate on Fly’s bed.
“No way. If I’m not giving in, neither are you,” I told her.

Fly went back to reading her book after hiding the chocolate away, leaving Miri and I to feel sorry for ourselves. Rarity was flicking through a fashion magazine.
“Oh hey, who’s getting the December issues? Miri normally would but...”
“I’ll get them,” Fly piped up. “Since you two have given me so much chocolate.”
“You know what’s interesting?” Rarity suddenly said, turning her magazine around and pointing to an article on winter coats. I’d read it weeks ago.
“What?” I asked, wondering if I’d missed an important tip.

“I noticed the models are posing in front of the Palace of Maneminster. You know, I’ve never been there?” Rarity said, going back to studying the photo.
“Never?” I asked. “Everypony’s been there.”
“I haven’t. We always just go shopping because it takes so long to sightsee.”
“Well then, on Saturday we shall go sightseeing!” I declared, smiling. “We can get up really early, since we’re not going to be dragged down by Miri.”
Miri scowled at me.

“That would be nice,” Rarity said.
“Just get a day ticket for the tube,” Fly suggested. “Then we can go wherever we like.”
Our discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Bedtime girls.”
Miri ran into the bathroom first, forcing the rest of us to wait whilst she went through her complicated pre-bed routine which seemed to take forever.
“Are you going home for Hearth’s Warming Eve?” I asked Rarity, making conversation while we packed stuff away and got ready for bed.
“Oh, yes. I’m going the day after term finishes,” she said as she moved her pillows. “I’ve been trying to persuade my parents to take me to the pageant in Canterlot - the actors this year are meant to be Manehatten’s finest. But they always seem to be so busy around this time of year.” She sounded disappointed.

“I’d love to see it, but it’s a long way from here,” I said, lying back on my pillows.
“My parents are reluctant to take Sweetie Belle anywhere. She’s normally a delight, but when she gets going she can scream like nothing else.” Rarity smiled knowingly, floating a hairbrush towards her mane.
“Are you looking forward to seeing Sweetie again?” Fly asked, still reading her book.
“Yes! She’s so adorable. But not a natural at sewing, I’m afraid.”
We laughed, and I got up to bang on the bathroom door and get Miri to hurry up. I realised I was going to miss my friends over the holidays, trapped at home in the countryside.

Chapter Four

The Saturday of the shopping trip approached rapidly. I’d spent the week complaining about the amount of homework I had to get done, but Rarity had found time to draw extensive concept artwork and measure my (slightly thinner) self so she could fit the dress properly.
“Make sure it’s not too tight fitting. I want to hide my excess weight,” I complained, but Rarity just ignored me.
Our diet had been going well and I hadn’t touched any snacks, despite feeling hungry almost all of the time. Miri had found it harder, but every time she’d looked weak I’d been able to stop her.

A problem arose on Saturday morning though. Fly had ended up getting totally drenched during a physical education session in the rain; she was terrible at catching the ball and the teacher refused to let her go inside until she improved. So on Saturday morning, Fly was sneezing and blowing her nose every fifteen seconds.
“I can’t really go anywhere today...” Fly said, sounding as bad as she looked.
“I’ll get the nurse,” Miri said, displeased to have been disturbed but concerned about Fly’s wellbeing. Within minutes, Fly had been moved down to the medical ward so she could recover without infecting everypony else.

“Are you sure you still want to go? There’s always next weekend?” I asked Rarity as she pulled on some boots.
“I need at least two weeks to prepare everything,” she said. “It doesn’t matter, we can not go if you don’t want to?” She looked at me, blinking a little.
“No, I don’t mind going, I just thought you might need Fly there.”
“Oh no, I have her measurements and everything. I can get everything I need without her, the poor dear.”

The weather was frosty and the cold was biting, so we made sure we were bundled up before going anywhere. Since we were getting the all-day ticket, we went for a slightly longer walk to the nearest tube station to the school, which would take us directly into the heart of Maneminster.
“So where first?” Rarity asked as we found two adjacent seats on the near-deserted train.
“We’d better sightsee first. Then we’re not carrying bags around.”
“Good plan.”

I pointed out the stop we needed, which was Ponyloo. She nodded and counted the number of stops.
“We can walk up past the river from Ponyloo and take in all of the sights, before getting lunch in Griffontown.”
“Is there where all of those lovely shops are that sell exotic food?” Rarity asked, excited. “I’ve always wanted to try them.”
“Yes, it is. Then after that we get the tube to the shopping markets, then we can see how much time is left.”
“I only need to go to Coltven Garden and Oxmare Street.”
“Coltven Garden might get busy later on... better go there straight after lunch.”

Rarity counted off all of the stops whilst I stared at the floor. All of the advertising posters whizzing past in the stations made me sick.
I felt much better when we emerged from Ponyloo. “Okay so remember we need to get to Trottenham Court to get back,” I told Rarity.
“Of course. Oh my, this is lovely! I don’t think I’ve ever been south of the river,” Rarity said, excited. She stamped her hooves a little, making a kind of excited happiness noise that only she seemed to be able to make.

I led the way towards the river so we could cross. As we stepped onto it, Rarity gasped.
“Oh my! Look!” she pointed her hoof towards the Palace of Maneminster, which was illuminated by the weak winter sunlight. The brown and murky grey river carried on straight past. I smiled as continued walking so as not to hold anypony up. I’d seen everything before, of course, but it was always nice to sit back and sightsee occasionally.
“You get much closer on the other side of the bridge,” I told my friend, laughing a little as she stepped up her pace.

Once safely across, we headed through Princessment Square and on towards Trafalicorn Square on the other side. Rarity gawped at the famous clock tower of the Palace of Maneminster. It was nice to see her having such a good time looking at everything.
“What’s that they’re building over there?” she asked, pointing towards a construction site on the other side of the river.
“Some kind of giant wheel, I think. It’s been delayed so many times I don’t know if they’ll ever finish it.”

I would have preferred to walk along the riverside where the air was a bit cleaner, but most of the attractions were in the city.
“Which way next?” Rarity asked, finally tiring of the clock tower.
We stopped next to the statue of Britannia, the pony who had helped unite the country many years ago, and worked out a route. Then we headed for Buckingham Palace, passing by Westmanester Abbey where the Princesses had been crowned as rulers of the country. Rarity squee-d a lot when I told her that. She got far more excited at Buckingham Palace though, running around like a foal at the thought of royalty actually being inside that building.

We worked our way towards Griffontown, passing through the famous Trafalicorn Square with the fountains, although it was a bit cold on this particular day. We didn’t progress very quickly because Rarity had questions about nearly everything, only about half of which I could answer. Once we were near Griffontown, we just followed the spicy and delicious smells, passing by hundreds of small carts selling everything from classic Maneminster dishes to vegetables I’d never even seen before. There were Griffons everywhere, from the rooftops to the street, and I just hoped we could find out way out again.

“What do you want to eat?” I asked Rarity as we passed another of the giant theatres in the district.
“I’d like to try something new...” she replied, eyeing a stall labelled in Griffon script.
“Shall we try this one?” I suggested, pulling some bits out of my bag and scanning the food to see what was available.
Rarity took forever to decide what she wanted. I had a vegetable salad with a spicy sauce (which was delicious) and Rarity eventually settled on a hay-salad. We ended up sitting on a wall near the overground railway, overlooking some of Griffontown.

I tucked into my food whilst Rarity talked about school.
“So, I think you can improve in history. When we have mocks in March, you’ll be in trouble if you don’t pass,” she explained, looking at me. I didn’t really want to think about it. “I don’t mind helping you.”
“Thanks, but I think I might fail,” I said, shrugging. “But I’ve got three other subjects to focus on.”
“Don’t think like that! I know you can pass if you put your mind to it,” she said, trying to sound convincing but not really achieving it. “Anyway, what do you want to do... in the future?”
Buckingham offered A-Levels because they were the easiest way into a university. I needed to study music so I could make a living out of playing the piano. Otherwise I’d have to take a job in a shop or something, which didn’t sound very appealing.

“I suppose I want to study music,” I eventually said. It struck me that Rarity might not want to go to a university and so we might be apart, which made me feel a little sad. “What about you?” As much as I dreaded the idea of not seeing her for years, I couldn’t not know.
“Probably open a boutique in Ponyville. There’s a really good opportunity coming up to buy the building soon, and it’ll mean I’m close to my family.” The look in her eyes had excitement, but also some sadness which I attributed to her not being with her friends from school. “Of course, I need to showcase my glamorous designs. It’s simply a crime for them to go unnoticed.”

An urge to beg Rarity not to go welled up inside me, but I fought it down by changing the subject. “So, what are you getting for Fly’s outfit?”
That did the trick and Rarity began talking about how Fly was difficult to choose colours for but she’d found a cute ensemble that matched her mane. I didn’t understand most of it, but it meant I could finish my dinner and try to keep my mind off the future.

Once we were finished, we made our way over to Coltven Market, ignoring tempting-looking boutiques containing the finest dresses Maneminster had to offer.
“I have a list, so don’t worry,” Rarity reassured me, heading for the indoor market stalls. “I need to get some fabric but you’ll probably get bored, so just go and look around if you like.”
“Oh no,” I protested. “I’ll go with you. I want a preview of my dress.”
Rarity smiled happily. “Okay, well, you can make sure I don’t spend too much.”

I was useless when it came to the process of haggling and buying. I just hung back and held whatever Rarity asked me to hold. She was in her element though, practically glowing as she negotiated criminal bargains from the sellers. If I’d had more money I would have asked her to get me something super-cheap. There were all kinds of nice ornaments that I had my eye on, but I needed to save my bits. It amazed her how Rarity was so generous, spending a few bits here and there to make her the perfect dress, for nothing in return. She was definitely a special pony.

Weighed down with bags of fabric (which I found was surprisingly heavy), we headed for the tube station.
“I’m glad I managed to get everything I needed, something they’re sold out,” Rarity said, trotting along beside me. “A quick stop on Oxmare Street and we can go home.”
“It’s starting to turn cold,” I noted as we rounded the corner towards the station. “I’ll be glad to get back in the warm.”

Our all-day tickets whirred through the barriers and we stepped onto the waiting train, heading through the underground system to the Oxmare Street station. Rarity was staring at the map, counting off the stops when the train pulled out of the station, but we had only been in the tunnel for about a minute when the train brakes squealed terribly and all of the lights went off.
“What’s going on?” Rarity asked, her voice coming through the pitch-darkness from beside me. I felt her hooves wrap around my leg, so I leant a bit closer.
“I don’t know...”

Murmurs were erupting around the carriage as the emergency lighting came on. It barely lit the carriage, but it did enough to show that we weren’t moving and that everyone looked scared. Some loudspeakers crackled into life above us.
“I regret to inform passengers that there has been some kind of power failure, so the train can’t move until power is restored. The emergency lighting has been switched on but will only last ten minutes. After that period we will begin evacuation prodecures. Thank you.”
The idea of evacuating didn’t do much for my nerves. Rarity’s eyes were wide, glancing around the carriage and squeezing her hooves more tightly.

“It’s probably a minor thing,” I said, trying to reassure her. “We’ll be on the move again in a minute.”
“Has this happened to you before?” she asked quietly.
I shook my head. “But it’ll be fine. Trust me.”
She nodded and moved a little closer. Somepony was shutting the ventilation to stop it getting cold, which cut off a nasty draught that had developed near the doors.

Just as the ten minutes of lighting was about to expire, the driver’s voice crackled through the carriage again.
“We’re awaiting some rescuers who are in the tunnel now and on their way. As such, I would like to ask all passengers to simply be patient and wait in the carriages until they arrive. Thank you for your co-operation.”
No sooner had he said it, the lights switched off and returned the carriage to darkness. We could see some torchlight in other carriages, but nopony seemed to have it in ours.

“Well, at least it’ll make a good story for Fly and Miri,” I said to Rarity. “Fly will be glad she didn’t come with us.”
“That’s true.” Rarity sounded fine but I could tell she wasn’t.
“Are you claustrophobic?” I whispered to her, moving my head so it was close to her ear (or at least where I hoped her ear was).
“No... I just don’t like being stuck here.”
It struck me that this was Fly’s worst nightmare, being stuck in the dark, and I had a wave of relief that she wasn’t with us.

“It’s okay Rarity. We’ll be out of here soon,” I tried telling her, but she didn’t reply. “You just need to keep your mind off things.”
“Yes. I should think about fashion, that usually helps.” She sounded unconvinced.
“Well, you can tell me about the spring fashions. I’ll be useless as usual and probably buy everything wrong.”
“Oh no darling, spring is easy! You can’t go wrong. Autumn now, that’s another matter. There’s a reason for the autumn sales, it’s because they’re trying to get rid of all the unfashionable stock.”
“So don’t buy in the autumn sales?”
“Oh no no no Cat, you should, but only buy things that are neutral. Anything too bold will just look tacky.”

I giggled. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“Once I’ve opened my boutique I’ll be able to finally educate some ponies about fashion. I mean, you and Fly and Miri are okay, but you’re slow learners.”
I heard her laugh and affected a pout, but she couldn’t see it. “How nice of you to say so.”
“It’s okay, you’re getting there with my guidance. Miri not so much, but then she does insist on dyeing her mane that awful colour. If she let it grow out she could wear so many different colours.”
Miri had been dyeing her mane since our first or second year at Buckingham. Before it had been a kind of pale green which I thought was nice, but she hated it and religiously kept it red.

“At least it’s nicer than my mane,” I complained. “Black is just... useless.”
“Black never goes out of fashion, darling. And it goes with practically everything, except yellow of course. Unless the bee look is the one you were going for,” she giggled. “I admit though, it would be nicer if it would hold some volume.”
“It’s so horrible. And none of the sprays ever seem to work.”
“Oh, some probably will, but I expect they’d be expensive. If I ever get one, I’ll let you try it.”
I smiled at her, not that she realised. “Thanks.”
“Okay, so this train is starting to freak me out,” Rarity suddenly said. “It’s too dark. I can’t even see my hooves.”
“Now, just close your eyes. Then it’s no different to going to sleep,” I tried.
“But I can’t sleep without my eyemask. It’s scary.”

Her voice pained me to hear. She’d gone from her normal, confident self to a pony who I knew was really frightened. “Well, the other ponies will be here soon, and we’ll be able to see everything and go to the station and get back to Buckingham.”
“I don’t like being here.” I could feel her hooves quivering. I put my hoof around her, pulling her into a kind of awkward half-hug. She moved her hooves from my leg, and shifted but I couldn’t tell where to.
“It’ll be okay.” I held her tight and tried not to think about her shaking or the darkness pressing in on me. I closed my eyes and felt a little better.

“Cat?”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask you something?” Her voice was shaking very gently.
“Of course.”
“Why do we always leave the curtains open in the dorm?”
“Huh?” I wasn’t really sure why she was asking. Everypony opened the curtains during the day.
“I mean at night. You’re always the one who shuts them but you never shut them completely. You were doing it before I got to Buckingham, but I’ve never thought about it until now.”
The real reason was of course, Fly’s deepest secret. She’d made me promise never to tell anypony about it, but now Rarity was asking me. I couldn’t think of any plausible lies.

“It’s a secret,” I said as quietly as possible. “I can’t tell you.”
“Oh. Okay.” It was impossible to tell if she felt left out or understanding.
Suddenly the emergency lights blinked back on, illuminating the carriage. It took a second for me to adjust to the new light, but when I did I realised with a jolt that Rarity had unknowingly shifted so that her muzzle was inches from mine. We looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, feeling like startled rabbits, before springing apart suddenly. My face grew hot and I knew it was going red, and her cheeks were doing the same.
“Uh... at least the lights are back,” she said, sounding as embarrassed as I felt.

We didn’t say anything else until some burly-looking maintenance ponies in hard hats appeared and helped us all down from the carriage. It was a ten minute walk through the tunnel to the station.
“Excuse me sir, but is the power back on?” Rarity politely asked the pony who helped her climb down from the carriage to the track.
“No. We’re running this train on some batteries at the moment. All the power is out across Maneminster, I’m afraid.”

The station was dark so I couldn’t read the name, but we followed the emergency lighting to the exit, climbing our way up a long stationary escalator. It was a surreal experience, like being underwater or something.
The road outside was deserted and dark, since there was no street lighting and none of the office buildings had lights on.
“We should try and get a taxi...” Rarity suggested, looking around in vain for one.
“It might be difficult, since none of the traffic lights will be working. It’ll probably be gridlocked,” I told her. “We might have to hoof it towards the outskirts and try and find somewhere with the traffic still moving.”

We picked a direction and walked. I spotted a policepony on a street corner, and tapped his shoulder.
“Excuse me, do any of the districts of Maneminster have power?” I asked. If any did, we could try getting a taxi from there.”
“Not as far as I’m aware. Maybe the far north does,” he replied. “You’re best off heading east though, the traffic flows a bit better there.”
“Thank you so much,” I replied as he pointed us in the right direction.

We passed streets of gridlocked carts, some of which had been abandoned by their owners. Most ponies seemed to be going in our direction, which made navigating easier at least.
“I’m glad I’m here with you, Cat. If I was by myself I think I would just panic,” Rarity said, smiling. “Probably would still be searching for a taxi.”
We found an operating taxi rank but the queue stretched around the corner, as many as a hundred ponies. When a driver did turn up, he told everyone that he could only do some particular locations since the traffic was so bad, and it would take hours. We kept moving.

My hooves started to ache when the street signs told us we were out of central Maneminster and heading for the east part of the city. I knew the river went on a bend here, so we headed for it.
“But why do we need to find the river?” Rarity asked as I peered down a dark alleyway.
“The river heads out to sea in the east. If we follow it we’ll be heading roughly east.”
“Which direction is Buckingham?”
“It’s north of Maneminster, so it’ll be quite a long way back. But if the traffic is solid going north, we might have to walk all of the way back.”

Rarity didn’t seem enthusiastic about this idea. “The river it is.”
The river was strangely beautiful. The winter sun had well and truly set, and the crescent moon was reflecting off the rippled surface, making it look like a ribbon of silver in the darkness.
“Wow. I wish I could take a picture of this,” my friend said. “It’s amazing.”
“It’s a sign. We should follow it.” I said, laughing a little. “We can’t go wrong, and even if we do, it’s worth it just to look at.”

We managed to skip the bend in the river, and so we made our way out of the recognisable areas of Maneminster and ended up in residential areas, just sticking to the riverside.
“I’m cold,” Rarity said, pulling her scarf around her neck. “I wish we could just find some traffic that was moving, not like this lot.”
“Me too. Can you keep walking?”
“For a while. This has totally ruined my hooficure.”

Mercy came in the form of an elderly stallion, pulling a cart along the pavement and ignoring disgruntled pedestrians.
“Excuse me sir, do you know if the traffic is moving up ahead?” I asked him, since he seemed to know where he was going.”
“Oh my! You’re a little young to be wandering around here at night,” he said, peering at us. “The traffic is solid right up to the city outskirts, I’m afraid.”
“Oh no,” Rarity said, sinking down and sitting on the pavement.
“No taxis running?” I asked.
“Not one.”

“Oh well. Thank you sir.” I turned around and went to sit down next to Rarity, but the old stallion just kept looking at us.
“You know, you two are the same age as my granddaughter, I reckon. I’ll give you a ride.”
“Really?” I smiled at him. “That would be great.”
“Hop in. I might be a little slow but some of my unicorn magic should do the trick.” Rarity practically galloped over to the cart and jumped in.

“Where to, ladies?” he said, beginning to move forwards at a snail’s pace. His horn glowed green and suddenly the cart sped up a little.
“Do you know Buckingham?” I asked.
“Of course. Bit of a long way from here though.”
“You can just drop us wherever’s nearest.”
“Oh, no no.” He looked at me, and I realised he wasn’t actually pulling the cart. It was moving by magic. “I don’t like the thought of you two wandering the streets. I’ll take you right there.”
“That’s very kind of you.”

Rarity was enthralled by the river as we passed it, turning north and towards home.
“You’ll never see it like that again,” the old stallion said. “No power with such a moon. Once in a lifetime view, this is.”
“Have you seen it like this before?” Rarity asked, her eyes not moving from the ribbon of silver.
“Yes, I’ve seen the silver river before, but it wasn’t beautiful then.”
“Hmm?” I wondered how the river could possibly not be beautiful when it looked like this.
“Not beautiful?” Rarity asked as the river disappeared from view. The old stallion hadn’t given it more than a second glance. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Last time I saw the river like that, it was during the blackout. In a few hours, I’d be hiding in a metal shelter and listening to griffon bombs raining down on Maneminster. I wouldn’t ever go back to that, and so I don’t care for the silver river,” he said in a sombre voice. “A murky grey suits me just fine.”
Rarity and I were a little humbled by this.
“That must have been frightening,” Rarity said quietly, her experience in the tunnel earlier coming into perspective.
“It was, I don’t mind telling you. I have never been so scared before or since,” he said honestly, glancing at us. “The moonlit nights were the worst. I still can’t go out in them without shivering.”

He guessed that his speech might have darkened the atmosphere a little, so he changed the subject and asked us about our school. He said his granddaughter was also a schoolpony, but she lived somewhere far away.
“Buckingham is nice, isn’t it Cat?” Rarity told him, nudging me. “Of course, I used to live in Equestia, so I’ve only been here the past few years.”
The stallion grunted acknowledgement, like Rarity had just solved an annoying puzzle.
“I hope the power is back on though. We were trapped in an underground train when it went off,” I told him.
“Doesn’t sound very pleasant. Anyway, what were you two doing out in Maneminster?”

Rarity filled him in on the detailed, and he snickered.
“Oh, a shopping trip? When I saw that it was just the two of you, I originally thought you might have been on a date.”
I blushed furiously. “Oh no, nothing like that.”
“I see that now. I thought you ponies were always in gaggles, four or five at a time. Just idle speculation.”
I looked at Rarity, who looked away as soon as our eyes met. I could just make out the tinge in her cheeks. The stallion chuckled when he looked back at us.
“For two ponies who aren’t on a date, you two do act like you are.”

Rarity fell asleep as we skirted around the north side of Maneminster. I took the opportunity to look over the quiet and dark city, or at least I pretended to. There wasn’t much to see except occasional glimpses of the river. Really I was thinking about what the old stallion had said. I mean, Rarity and I were just friends. But would ‘just friends’ go out together, just the two of us, and have such a wonderful day? I hadn’t had that much fun on a day out for... well I couldn’t remember the last time.

And then of course there was the thing on the tube. Her muzzle had been so close to mine, surely she had to realise? Was she blushing because it was a mistake or because I looked surprised? I couldn’t decide. And we’d shared that ice cream. I thought that was just an innocent way of sharing the cost, but I’d smelt Rarity’s breath. Maybe she was trying to tell me something and I was being too blind to pick up on it? I didn’t even know if I felt the same way about her.
“Bit for your thoughts?” the old stallion said as we trundled through a quiet park. “This place is a bit eerie and I’d rather hear something other than phantoms and shadows.”

I shrugged. “Nothing really. Just admiring the city.”
The stallion humphed, as if he knew I was lying. “Nice place, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Make a change from the countryside, where my parents live.”
Another humph. “You know, your friend is asleep. You don’t have to keep anything from me.”
I didn’t reply.
“In an hour or so you’ll be back at school and I’ll never see you again. Plus it’s better to get your secrets out in the open sometimes,” he said, without looking at me. “Stops them becoming too much to bear.”

Shifting so I was sitting up at the front of the cart, I watched his magic make the wheels go round and round. He smiled warmly and I instantly felt much better.
“So, what’s eating you? Something at school?”
“I suppose so.”
“Is it bullies?”
I paused. “No, it’s not bullies. What made you think that?”
“A hunch. Sorry. Do continue.”

It took me a few moments to gather my courage, and a few more to check Rarity was really asleep.
“It’s about Rarity.”
“Ohhhh.” His knowing look made me squirm. He’d seen straight through me. “Sorry cupcake. When you’re as old and wisened as me, you’ll be able to do exactly the same. Now tell me what it is about Rarity that’s worrying you?”
As I formulated the next sentence in my head, it occurred to me that if he already knew, I didn’t need to tell him. My secret was out, so to speak. But I still wanted to talk about it. And since when did it become a secret?

“After what you said... I’m not sure about my feelings for her. Or her feelings for me.”
He laughed, but I could only smile. His laugh was infectious. “One thing I’ve never been able to work out is how mares are feeling.”
“I’m just not sure what to say to her. Or how to act around her.” I chewed my lip nervously.
The stallion just carried on walking. “I think that as long as you act like yourself, then whatever will happen, will happen.” He fell silent and left me wondering what in Britannia he’d meant.
“But-”
He interrupted. “This is something you need to think about more carefully. Affairs of the heart are the most painful, and an old fool like me is nopony to be putting your faith into. Don’t ask me for advice, but maybe I can be a good listener.”

And that’s how I found myself pouring out every private thought I’d had about Rarity into the ears of a total stranger. I told him about the ice cream, and about the dresses, and about how generous she was. He didn’t reply and just let me continue, only letting me know he was taking in every word with occasional nods of his head. So I told him about our near muzzle-bump on the tube and how she'd once walked in on me in the shower. And about how I wasn’t sure whether today had been a date or just friends out shopping and whether if thinking it might be a date made me a terrible friend.

He kept on listening.

I slumped down in the back of the cart, watching signs for Buckingham going past. Rarity was still asleep, her soft white coat rising and falling rhythmically, puffs of condensation coming from her mouth like the dragons in the stories. Her long lashes lay still and I wondered what she was dreaming about. She certainly didn't look as troubled as I felt.
A rogue impulse told me to kiss her. Kiss her?!? Where did that come from? Friends kissed friends, of course, on the cheek. But this urge had been to kiss her on the lips. My friend's mouth was there, and she was asleep, so it couldn't hurt, could it?

I sat in silence, staring. Of course it could hurt. If she found out she might never talk to me again. And nothing was worth losing her friendship over.
But if I didn’t do it now, I might never get another chance.
Rarity is my friend. If I do something so stupid and betray her trust, I couldn’t live with myself.
So soft and warm...
If it were me sleeping, would I want Rarity to just lean over and kiss me like that?

Yes.

Chapter Five

The next fortnight was one of the hardest I had ever endured at Buckingham. The schoolwork was getting easier, what with it being the lead-up to Hearth’s Warming Eve and all of the teachers laying off the homework to let us put up decorations in our dorms or write out traditional cards for each other. There was even a school postage system, where if you wanted to send cards to somepony you could give them to an adorable first year pegasus who would flap around and make sure they all got to the right ponies. I sent all of mine as soon as they started doing deliveries; I liked to decorate my wall with them and the longer they were up, the better.

Actually, I didn’t send all of mine. I didn’t send one to Fly, Miri or Rarity. I didn’t know what to put into any of them. In the end, I decided to wait until I got theirs first. Then I knew the appropriate response. I didn’t want to seem like I didn’t care, nor did I want to seem like I was overly-attached. Presents were the same, although because everypony was short on bits we just enacted a present-exchange system. I had to get something for Miri, and decided to gift her my old pair of faux ears. She was the only pony I knew who could possibly get away with wearing them.

But none of this was the difficult part. What was difficult was having to be around Rarity but be totally unsure about my feelings. She didn’t seem to be acting any differently on the surface, but sometimes I accidentally caught her eye and we both blushed, or I bumped into her in the corridor and she suddenly looked a little shy. The rational part of my head was screaming at me that Rarity was just a friend and I was being stupid, but the rush of happiness I felt when I saw her mane bounce or her excited smile. Some ponies said that there was nothing like a summer romance, but I was starting to strongly suspect that a Hearth’s Warming romance was even better.

Not that I would admit it was anything like romance. Anyway, she probably just thought of me as a friend.
But it was oh-so-hard to keep myself from staring at her while she worked on my dress for the ball, while childish thoughts of how pretty she would look in her dress, and how maybe just maybe she might want to dance with me, were running through my head. I had to look away hastily and pretend to be making paper chains every time she looked up. But once she turned her attention back to the fabric, my eyes wandered.

The last few days of school were mainly spent playing seasonal games in lessons and not really achieving anything. I had two essays to do over the break, along with a whole pile of homework. And I’d spent fifteen minutes on the phone to my parents about how I was going to get back home; we’d eventually agreed that I’d get the train, but Mum insisted on coming to pick me up from the station. No doubt so she could interrogate me about how my work was going and read my end-of-term report as soon as she could.
The winter ball was on the Saturday night, and then everypony was going on Sunday. When Saturday finally arrived, Rarity was most definitely not okay.

“Please stand still Fly. This will only take a few moments,” she said irritably, poking another pin into the dress.
“Ow! Rarity, that’s my coat you’re poking,” Fly snapped back, shifting away from the pain and accidentally pulling a hem loose.
Rarity scowled. “If you can’t stay still and be a big pony for five minutes, then this dress will look just awful.”
The two of them stared each other down while Miri tittered away in the background.

“I wish Rarity would lighten up a bit. Up until this week she was fine about the dance, but now she’s suddenly uptight,” Fly complained to me after I’d had my final fitting. Rarity had gleefully informed me that I was back to my regular weight, which I mainly put down to worrying, but it put me in a good mood anyway. I just wanted all of my friends to get along.
“Don’t be too harsh. She did make that dress for free,” I reminded her, my eyes straying over to the white unicorn who was now efficiently sewing up my hem.

Fly grabbed my hoof and dragged me into the corridor without warning. I yelped and tripped, ending up in an untidy heap on the carpet.
“Hey, that wasn’t very nice!” I said, craning my neck to get another look back into our dorm. Fly shut the door and marched towards the stairs. The atmosphere had taken a turn for the tense, and I wondered if my siding with Rarity had upset my best friend. I followed Fly, already formulating an apology and feeling terrible.

She led me into the grounds, which were frosty but still not snowy. We’d lost all hope for a white end of term.
“Cat, tell me what’s going on,” Fly demanded, walking slowly around the perimeter path. The gravel crunched underneath my hooves and I felt cold, but I had never kept anything from my best friend before and if I ran off, she wouldn’t forgive me.
“How do you mean?”
“Every time I’ve spoken to you in the past two weeks you’ve just been distant. I thought it might have been because of your school work, but now you seem to be over that. So why have you been acting like I barely exist?”

Her hot words burnt me and my ears dropped. “I haven’t been acting like you don’t exist...” I said quietly, looking at the ground.
“You have. I haven’t even had a card from you yet. My card for you has been written for weeks and I haven’t been able to give it to you, and now it’s the last day.”
I sighed. “It’s a secret.”
“So you’ll tell me?”
My eyes were screwed up, half in thought and half because I thought I might cry. “I don’t know how to tell you.”
“Did you tell somepony I’m afraid of the dark?” she asked, her tone changing to one of hurt. I could feel her big frame suddenly deflating, like I’d betrayed her.
“No! Of course not.”

If I told Fly, I could trust her never to tell any other pony. But if I told her, it might come between us. If it were a colt I liked, I would tell her in an instant, but the fact that it was a filly was holding me back. I didn’t want her to think I was a freak or anything, or that I was creepy.
“Cat, if you don’t feel you can tell me, then that’s okay. I just want to be here for you.”
I cried, a lot. Fly was too good at this whole ‘being nice’ thing. I just wanted to be wrapped up in her feathered wings and not think about anything ever again.

“I... I think I l-like R-Rarity,” I eventually said between sobs. I studied her expression through watery eyes, watching from disbelief to to shock to comprehension in a flicker.
She hugged me again. “So that’s it... why didn’t you think you could tell me?”
I wanted to scream at her for being so perfect. Why did I have to end up with the best best friend in the entire of the pony world?

We carried on walking while I choked back my tears and managed to tell her everything about the trip to Maneminster. Nearly everything.
“So you only realised when that stallion suggested it?” Fly asked, her big eyes fixed on me. “Or did you know before that?”
“I don’t know... I think maybe I knew but didn’t want to admit it. You know what ponies would think,” I said, truthfully.
“I won’t tell anypony. Promise.”

I kicked gravel, hoping my outpouring of tears wouldn’t ruin my face for the upcoming dance. “Sorry I haven’t been paying you much attention lately. My head has just been in about ten different places,” I said apologetically, feeling bad.
Fly laughed. “Was this while your eyes were fixed on Rarity? Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
I blushed deeply and couldn’t meet her gaze. “Was it that obvious?”
“Only to me, I think, because I know you so well,” she said kindly. “You should really try not to do it so much, though. Otherwise she’ll notice.”

Fly paused, but only for a moment. “Are you going to tell her?”
I had no answer for this. “I don’t know. Maybe. I had half-thought about telling her at the dance.”
“So soon?”
I shrugged, not taking my eyes off the path. “If there was a moment that was right.”
The pegasus nodded. “Well you know I’ll be there for you if you need me.”

I spent most of the rest of the day fidgeting and switching my attention between magazines and complaining about my mane and books and packing my suitcase and despairing about my mane. An hour before the dance, Rarity told me to go into the bathroom so she could do my mane and make-up.
“Don’t worry Fly, I’ll get to yours afterwards. But as I’m sure you’ll agree, Cat’s mane needs much more work than yours.”
Rarity locked the door behind her and I sat awkwardly on a backless chair, feeling my mane and tail being tugged gently by the unicorn’s magic.

“Okay, so do you have any ideas about how you want your mane and tail done? I have a plan that goes with your dress, but if you’d prefer another style?”
I was alone in a room with Rarity. And the door was locked. And she would be dressing me. Eep.
“Cat, darling? Are you feeling okay?”
My reply was a squeak. I could see a pair of terrified eyes staring back at me in the mirror.
“Do you need a drink of something?”

Sipping water helped me feel better, and I eventually made it clear that she could go right ahead with my mane and tail. And then she set to work, sliding hairpins in here and elastics in there, twisting and spraying. The mirror didn’t reveal too much of her technique, so I just sat back and hoped she couldn’t read my thoughts.
“Your dress is just perfect now. I’ve done all of the sewing and it should fit just right, but you need to be careful not to move too quickly in it. The underside is rather delicate and anything more than a light trot could tear it,” I was told. “I’m going with light make-up of course, our coats are so similar that I’ll just use what I’ve got in my bag. Anything too dark will just look awful.” I tried to nod but my mane was being too tightly held back, so I just smiled and hoped she understood.

She put some kind of fabric over my head and told me to go and get Fly back. I looked weird with the stuff on my head, but I got Fly back.
“You look funny, Cat,” Miri told me, looking up from her magazine.
“Did you get to see Weight again? I forgot to ask,” I said, sitting down heavily on my bed and simultaneously wishing the evening was over and feeling terribly excited for the dance.
“Yeah, but he didn’t seem that interested. I think I might dump him,” Miri said without looking up again. “There are plenty more fish in the sea.”
“True. I think you’re better off with a colt who suits you.”

Miri could sometimes be difficult to handle when it came to colts, so I hoped I hadn’t said the wrong thing.
“You know Cat, you’re right. I need to look for a colt who suits me instead of hoping I suit him. I am a sophisticated and educated mare after all, and they’re all just thick-headed colts.”
I giggled and hoped it wasn’t going to dislodge my manestyle. “Good idea.”

Fly came out of the bathroom, her manestyle now wrapped up in the same fabric as mine. “I don’t know what this is but Rarity says it will help,” my best friend said, pointing with a hoof. “She wants you back in there though for more torture.”
Rarity was doing her hair expertly with her magic when I stepped back inside, butterflies having a panic attack in my tummy. “Okay Cat, I’ll take the fabric off but then your mane and tail will be done, so if you need to scratch your neck, do it now before I let your mane down. I blushed and rubbed the side of my neck with my hoof.

Once done, her horn glowed and pulled the fabric away. I barely recognised my horrible old straight mane, which was now curled and styled to perfection. I moved my head and it moved just the right amount, not like my old mane which swung there irritatingly.
“Oh... wow.” I felt a surge of happiness directed towards my mane and the mare responsible for it.
“I’m glad you like it, darling. Now, I’m going to help you into your dress if you don’t mind. I need to make sure it sits right.”

This was the part I had been dreading. I mean, I don’t normally wear clothes, but after years of accessories and dresses, not wearing anything was a little... well, embarrassing. I mean, everypony could see my cutie mark! I felt a blush spreading through my cheeks.
“Oh my, if you’d rather do it yourself, I’m happy to step outside,” Rarity said, her cheeks turning pink.
“No, it’s okay. Not like it’s anything that I’m not normally wearing, right?” I said, mainly trying to justify it to myself.
“Okay then.” Rarity unzipped a bag containing my dress, which was a midnight black and shimmered in the light. “Don’t look too closely, I want you to have the full effect when you see it on you.”

Getting into it was no easy matter. I had to carefully direct my hooves through intricate leg holes and try not to get my tail snagged. All in the cramped space inside the bathroom, and with Rarity fussing over the hems and batting my hooves away when they strayed towards the decorations.
It was worth it when Rarity fastened the last catch and told me to look into the mirror. We both gasped at the same time.
“Rarity... I...”
“It’s quite alright darling. I’m glad it suits you so well.”
“But... it’s magnificent!”

It was all I could do to stop myself from stamping my hooves happily and squealing.
“Now, just be careful when you move, and go and get Fly. I need to finish her too.”
I did my best to emerge serenely from the bathroom, trying not to let the hems trail on the carpet.
“Oh my!” Fly said, the look on her face saying it all. Against my wishes, I blushed again. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you Fly, but you really need to tell Rarity. Anyway, she wants you now.”

As Fly was probably going through the same transformation I had, Miri buzzed around me like a bee, marvelling at my dress and manestyle from every angle. “Rarity just keeps getting better and better. Once she has a boutique, her dresses will be fit for the finest ponies in the whole world!”
I couldn’t help but agree. The dress fitted perfectly, showing off my slender forehooves and the silver necklace that my mother had given me for my sixteenth birthday. The rest of it disappeared into folds of black, seeming somehow mysterious and yet reflecting my mane. The tiny decorations must have taken Rarity hours, but when you looked up close you could see that the decorative stitching was as good as the dress itself.

Sitting down was no longer an option, so I just admired the dress while Miri continued to fuss over me, tucking a stray hair back behind my ear.
Fly came out of the bathroom next, looking equally as amazing as I did. Her dress was a kind of pale green and was made out of some light material, which somehow did a great job of offsetting her extra height and playing on her natural beauty.
“Fly... I can’t believe you look so-” I started, but Miri bounced past me with a squeak.
“Oh, by Britannia! This is fantastic! You look so good, I wish wish wish I could be there at the dance with you!”
Fly looked a little embarrassed as she made her way over to her bed to find shoes. Flats, of course. Any animosity between her and Rarity was forgotten as Miri did her bee act again.

I checked the clock and it said it that the dance was about to start. We’d leave in about ten minutes, so I let Miri hunt around in the wardrobe for my black heels. Rarity had told me not to bother getting new ones, and I could see why. The ones I had were perfect, and attention would be on my dress, not on my hooves. Once the heels were on, and I was a few inches taller, I did a few test walks. Everything seemed perfect, so long as I didn’t move too quickly. Rarity was right about the underside, it was rather restrictive.

We waited patiently for Rarity to finish. She could be a perfectionist at times and was normally five minutes behind schedule. But when she came out of the bathroom, her hair waving its way down her neck and finishing at the neckline of one of the most fabulous dressed I had ever laid eyes on, it didn’t matter what time it was.
The three of us were speechless.
“Well, what do you think?” Rarity asked, the slight smile saying that she probably already knew. The dress was a gentle pink, with the darker lines breaking it up into a truly great piece of fashion. I had no idea how she’d come up with it to suit her so well.

“Rarity, it’s just unbelievable,” Fly managed.
“Super-amazing!” Miri piped up, before launching herself forwards to get a good look.
I just mumbled incoherently. “Mane... dress... wow.... just... mane....”
Rarity seemed flattered by all of the attention and fluttered her eyelashes. “I’m glad you like it. Let me get my shoes and we can go down to the dance.”
“I am so coming with you,” Miri asserted. “I don’t care what they do to me, I have to be there to see the moment you three walk in.”

We traversed the corridor in single file, anxious not to crease our dresses, with Miri leading the way happily. I was afraid that I might have a mishap on the stairs but I managed to keep my balance, and as I heard the strains of music coming from the hall my tummy was starting to feel like something was churning in there.
“Okay girls, now just take it slowly. We can walk in together. Fly, you go on the left,” Rarity said, before straightening her back and carrying herself gracefully. I did my best not to let her down as Miri trotted over to the doors and held them open for us.

It’s safe to say that the next few moments were some of the best I can remember. Everypony turned to look at us, there were gasps, sighs and squeals, and not just a few jealous glances.
“Remember girls, grace and poise,” Rarity reminded us in hushed tones as we headed for a group of ponies I knew from class, skirting around the empty dance floor.
“Hi everypony,” Fly said, her cheeks burning from the attention. I realised that the only reason I wasn’t blushing was because I was so distracted by how amazing the moment was. But now everypony was going back to their conversations and I felt a little silly. What if my mane was lopsided? Or I’d taken a short step?

Rarity reassured me with one of her brilliant smiles. “You were fantastic darling. And even if I say it myself, you look fantastic too. Definitely one of my finer creations.
“Yours is the best though Rarity. It’s... beautiful.” I could feel my blush as I said the words, my mind slipping into its highest gear and wondering whether that was too much.
“Why thank you. That’s very kind,” Rarity replied, her cheeks matching mine. “But you’d better stop with the compliments or my colour will be ruined.”

There were a few colts around at the dance but they seemed to be mainly interested in their fillyfriends rather than anypony new. Not that this bothered me; the boost to my self-esteem that my dress had provided had brought me to terms with my crush on Rarity. Yes, I was admitting it to myself. She did look beautiful in that dress, and I made a resolution to tell her how I felt before the evening was over.

The first of the formal dances began. I couldn’t dance with Rarity because I’d only learnt the steps with Fly (Rarity and I were the female partners, Miri and Fly were male). Rarity waved her hoof at us as we stepped into the dance floor, trying to remember the right steps and wondering whether formal dancing was really part of the ‘essential curriculum’. Of course, since Miri was barred from attending (some of the teachers had firmly escorted her back to the dorm), Rarity was partner-less and I could see she was a little disappointed not to be able to show off her dress on the dance floor. I ached to go back and ask her to dance with me, but I knew that could wait for later.

There must have been some kind of fashion magic going on, because not only did Fly and I manage to execute all of the dances perfectly, with only a few minor wobbles, but we also managed to do it all without ruining our dresses. Applause rang out around the hall as we finished, and I made my way back with fly to the sidelines to try and find Rarity as some more upbeat, contemporary classical music began to be played by the quartet on stage.
“Have you seen Rarity?” I asked Fly, who shook her head. I desperately wanted to find her, but it was too difficult to move in the dress, so I decided to stay put and wait for her to come back.

She was a very long time in coming back.
“Probably being asked about her dress,” Fly told me as we headed back to the dance floor for a few minutes. “You know, being that she made it herself and everything.”
Rarity’s dress was definitely the best one at the dance, and it made sense that she would be inundated by curious ponies asking her. I accepted this explanation and enjoyed myself dancing with my best friend, laughing at each other when we pulled strange faces. My eyes kept strafing the sides though, looking for Rarity.

“Fly, I’m going to go and find Rarity. Maybe I can rescue her from some inquisitive ponies,” I eventually said, not wanting my friend to spend the whole dance stuck with annoying questions and no time to have fun with her friends. Despite my dress, I started to work my way around the hall, darting in between dancing ponies and keeping my eyes peeled. She had to be here somewhere, probably stuck in the middle of some giant group of annoying ponies. Oh well, maybe I could get her away.

There was a bounce in my step as I walked. The dancing and the dress had made me happy, but I was still a little nervous about confessing to Rarity. She could still say no. But I would feel better if I told her, and maybe it would stop me from staring at her so much. I needed to tell her, and if she was ever going to be happy to hear it, it would be if she was feeling the same way as I was at the dance. I was practically bouncing around in happiness.

And then I saw her.
At first, I couldn’t tell what she was doing. She seemed to be having a conversation with somepony in a weird dress. Then I realised that the dress was actually a suit, and it was being worn by a colt. Why would Rarity be talking about dresses with a colt? Wait, what was her tail doing? It couldn’t be... wrapped around his? No, it was probably a mistake. I mean... what were they doing... why was she leaning closer to him...
NO!

I felt every last piece of that happiness that had been building up inside me turn into total and complete sadness. I shut my eyes tightly and set off at a respectably fast pace for the doors, drawing looks and comments from those around me. I burst through the doors and broke into a gallop, heading out into the cold night with hot tears running from my eyes. I wanted to be anywhere but there, as far away from Rarity and... and him, as possible. I could feel the dress tearing and breaking, but I didn’t care.

My legs gave out when I reached the far side of the grounds, and I just sank into a heap and felt terrible. I cried with loud sobs, not caring about the tears rolling down my cheeks and my crushed manestyle. My heart was crushed just as much, and there was nothing I could do but cry.
“Cat?” a familiar voice said. I was too busy sobbing to reply, but I felt comforted that she was there. “Don’t cry Cat.” I found myself being pulled into a rather wet hug. I let out my emotions onto Fly’s shoulder, my back shaking. “Why are you crying?”
I sniffed. “Rarity...” was all I managed before bursting into tears again.
“Come on Cat. It’s okay.”

I only calmed down once the cold had started to make me shiver. Fly was all for going inside, but I didn’t think I could face Rarity.
“She probably has no idea what’s going on. After all, you didn’t confess to her, right?” Fly said, trying to reassure me. “Just make an excuse.”
Her logic was sound, but something was holding me back. I felt terrible for ruining her dress, and I almost felt as if I must have failed her for her to shun me like that. Even if she had no idea what she’d done.
“I... I just can’t.”
“Come on Cat. You’ll have to eventually. You’ll feel better once you’re back in our dorm.”

There wasn’t much chance of that, but I felt bad for Fly being out in the cold, so I agreed and gingerly got back onto my hooves.
“That’s it. We can go nice and slowly,” Fly said, using one of her wings to gently wipe my eyes.
I smiled and did my best to feel better. I really was glad I had such a caring friend as Fly. She helped me all the way back up the stairs and into the dorm, where Miri was waiting eagerly.
“How did... oh,” Miri said, her face falling when she saw mine.
“It’s okay Miri. Cat’s just a little upset,” Fly said, guiding me towards the bathroom so I could clean my make-up. “She’ll be fine soon.”

Miri, for all of her flaws, showed superb self-restraint in not poking further. Fly shut the door behind us and I let out a huge sob.
“Now Cat, let’s get this make-up off,” she told me, sitting me down and lowering her voice. “You must be feeling really terrible.”
I nodded and it was perhaps the most pathetic nod I had ever made. I felt like a useless pile of pony parts who could do nothing but feel useless. “I... I don’t know how to feel.”
“Well, I think that you need to be the amazing pony I know you are and stand up to this. It’ll be tough but you’re much tougher,” she said, her voice soothing me as she used a damp tissue to clean the worst of my ruined make-up off. “And anyway, you’ve got the whole of the holidays to get over this, and I know you will.”

I was glad it was the holidays, for the first time. I wouldn’t have to see Rarity and have to face her. Maybe if I stayed in bed until the last moment tomorrow, I might not even have to speak to her.
“At least you didn’t confess to her. That would have made things worse,” Fly said, stroking my mane. “You’re fine. Do you want me to give them an excuse?”
Another one of my pathetic nods.
“Okay. I’ll say you felt unwell and got upset because you’d have to miss the rest of the dance.”
“Thank you,” I croaked. Now my throat was dry and sore because of the crying. My overall uselessness caused Fly to smile and hug me more tightly.

“You’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”
“Fly... can I tell you something?” I’d lowered my voice to little more than the slightest whisper.
The pegasus smiled. “I need to tell you that you should get out of that dress. But tell me anyway.” She started to unzip my dress, which was awkward because I was just lying on the floor and feeling miserable.
“I... you can’t tell anyone, ever. Super best friend promise.”
“Super best friend promise.”

I took a deep breath. which turned into a series of little sobs. I couldn’t cry another tear.
“I... I... kissed Rarity.”

Chapter Six

The train home was a lonely one. I’d fallen asleep before I saw Rarity come back from the dance, and I got up and left for the station before she woke up. I knew that putting it off would only make things worse, and Fly told me so a number of times, but I just couldn’t face her. She was like my fallen heroine, and I didn’t want her to see me.

I wanted to talk to someone, and by someone I mean Fly, but she was at home with her parents a long way away. I certainly wasn’t going to talk to my parents; I love them and everything, but I didn’t think they’d be very accepting of my new-found feelings. In fact, I was suddenly afraid of admitting my feelings to myself, which was probably the only reason that I managed to keep them to myself. I played the piano a lot and got much better at it, mainly because playing the piano kept my mind off things.

I’d seen girl-girl couples at Buckingham before, of course. There were always a few; they usually wandered around the corridors with their tails entwined and looked blissful. The school didn’t formally comment on such relationships but they seemed permitted. In a school of so many fillies, it made sense that there would sometimes be romances.
“Maybe she, you know, doesn’t swing that way,” Fly had told me. And she was right, much as I hated to say it. I couldn’t just expect Rarity to be interested in me, especially if I was stupid and foalish enough to think she might be giving me signs. She was just being my friend and I’d ruined all of that with some flight of fancy. And to make everything worse, I’d kissed her, and I couldn’t undo that.

Even though I was dreading seeing Rarity again, I couldn’t help but count down the hours until I’d be back at Buckingham. Sitting around in the living room with my parents, looking at magazines and trying to pretend I knew what they were talking about, was nice ‘family time’, but I missed my friends. And of course, Hearth’s Warming Eve was the best time of the year to be with friends.
“Do you want to come present shopping with me?” Mum asked me one morning when I was lounging around wondering about doing some piano practice, “You should get some fresh air.”
I took one look at the frosty trees outside and shook my head. “I think I might do some baking if you’re going to be out.”
“Make sure you wash everything up afterwards.”

Once my mum had gone out into the cold, I pulled on an ancient jumper which was super soft and warm, then got to work in the kitchen, making mince pies and using up all of the ingredients my mum probably wanted to use for something else. I ran out of mincemeat eventually and had to make a number of tiny pies, before putting them all into the oven and collapsing onto a chair with a magazine and some Hearth’s Warming carols playing.
“Hi sweetie,” Dad said as he stepped into the room, “Something smells nice.”
“Not for another fifteen minutes it doesn’t,” I replied in a warning tone.
“That’s okay, I wouldn’t want to spoil dinner.”

He hung around, peering over my shoulder at the magazine.
“Can I help you?” I asked, shutting the glossy pages and turning to look at him.
He smiled. “I’m just wondering about what you think we should do for the holidays. You know that Grandma has moved into her new house, so we could go and visit her, or we could stay here, or book a last minute trip somewhere else.”
I shrugged. “I’ll go along with whatever you and Mum want to do,” I told him. “Where is Grandma’s new house? I’ve forgotten.”
“It’s in Weston-super-Mare, which is about four hours away by train.”

Four hours on a train didn’t really fill me with glee. “Maybe we could stay at home?” I suggested.
Dad laughed a little. “I’ll talk to Mum. But it might be worth remembering that Weston-super-Mare is just a few minutes away from Plymhoof.”
“Why would I want to go to Plymhoof?” I replied, confused. I was trying to remember whether there was a stage show there, or maybe a fashion show, or some good shopping. Or maybe it was just something stupid to do with piano.
Dad knitted his brows. “Isn’t that where Fly lives?”

The prospect of a trip to see Fly did raise my spirits a bit, even if it meant enduring Grandma for a week. But first we had Hearth’s Warming Eve to look forward to, which meant all of the usual festivities and a visit from my cousins, who came every year. They arrived two days before, while I was out shopping for presents.

I was weighed down with saddlebags full of presents and cards when I opened the door, hoping to just drag myself up the stairs and collapse on my bed, but a filly much smaller than myself came charging at me.
“Cat!” she yelled, latching onto my leg and refusing to let go. “What did you buy?”
I tried to push her away without overbalancing. “Hello Sprinkles, and no, I’m not telling you.”
Her eyes widened in happiness. “Is it presents?”
“Maybe. But you won’t get any if you don’t let go of me.”
She sprang away and dashed back into the living room, practically dragging me with her. “Daddy! Look who it is!”

Resigned to my fate, I put my saddlebags down by the door before stepping into the room. I waved a hoof at my Uncle Stars, who waved back.
“Well hello Cat. How is my favourite niece?” he asked, scratching at his ultra-short manecut.
“I’m okay thanks Uncle Stars. Where’s Auntie Shells?” I asked, noticing her absence.
“She’s really not very well at the moment, so she decided to stay at home. Didn’t want to infect you all and ruin Hearth’s Warming Eve,” he explained.
“She could have come all the same, you know we don’t mind,” Mum said, sipping at a cup of herbal tea. “Better to get these winter illnesses out of the way.”

“I’ve put Sprinkle’s stuff in your room, if that’s okay Cat,” Dad told me, resting his hooves on the side of the armchair. “Can you go up and make up the camp bed? Sorry to be a pain.”
“No problem. Is Twinkle here? I haven’t seen him.”
“Upstairs. Go and tell him to come down and stop hiding away,” Uncle Stars said, sighing and shaking his head. “It’s that difficult teenage phase.”
I shrugged and picked up my saddlebags.

I’d always felt a little bit bad for Twinkle. He’d been cursed with a bit of a girly name, and he’d never really taken to it. I dragged the heavy bags up the stairs and dropped them off in my room, making a mental note to sort out Sprinkle’s things before I went back downstairs, but I knocked on the door of the spare bedroom first. I didn’t get to see Twinkle every often.
“Yeah?” a colt’s voice grunted.
“It’s me, Cat. Can I come in?”
“I suppose.”

Definitely a difficult phase, I thought as I stepped into the room. He was reading a book, which he put down to look at me.
“Hi Cat. I suppose my dad has told you to come and get me,” he said wearily. “Tell him I’ll be down in five minutes.”
“Okay. How are you? I haven’t seen you since this time last year,” I asked, trying to make conversation. When we’d been younger, Twinkle and I had always got along really well when our families met, but he’d gone a bit shy over the past couple of years.
“I’m fine,” he said abruptly, his eyes straying back to his book.
I left him to it. I’d try to get more out of him later, and anyway, I had to set up a bed for my youngest cousin.

Twinkle didn’t really say anything all throughout dinner, and then disappeared again to go and read his book as soon as we were finished.
“Cat, tell me. Will he ever grow out of this?” Uncle Stars asked me with a smile as we washed the dishes. “I’m sure you went through a similar phase when you were his age.”
My dad chuckled. “Oh yes. She only ever spoke to us to tell us to be quiet and stop annoying her.”
I blushed and focused on the bowl I was wiping dry.
“I did wonder about sending him to that all-colts school. I thought it would toughen him up a bit.”
“We were afraid to send Cat to a mixed school. She was so delicate back then,” Mum said, making me blush even more. “I think we made the right choice though.”
“Twinkle will come round,” Dad added, winking at me. “Cat did.”

We didn’t see Twinkle for the rest of the night, so I ended up playing Monopony on a team with Sprinkle. She was a bit too young to understand the rules, so I just indulged her by buying all of the colourful properties and trying to collect the orange bits. Orange was her favourite colour.
“Hah, you rolled a seven, so you’ll land on my Hayfair with three houses. Let’s see... five hundred bits,” Mum said triumphantly to Uncle Stars.
“Five hundred? No way, I want to check that,” he replied. They’d been getting more and more competitive all through the game, and Mum had brutally bankrupted Dad without mercy about halfway through. Dad had decided to join her team as an ‘advisor’, although he spent most of his time working the bank.

Mum and Uncle Stars were brother and sister, which is where the rivalry came from. I wasn’t entirely sure how Sprinkle and I had managed to hang on all the way through the game so far, but we always seemed to get lucky with the dice and jump over the expensive areas.
“Five hundred bits right now or you lose!” Mum demanded, holding out her hoof.
“Okay okay, just let me liquefy some assets,” Uncle Stars said, turning over cards and receiving bundles of cash from Dad. “Here we go. Five hundred. You know, you really should have gone into business or something. Bankrupting your own husband... heart of ice.”
Mum just shrugged and added the cash to her growing pile. “I only like taking from family members. You’re just too easy.”

It was our turn, so I let Sprinkles roll the dice again. We jumped over the hotel district and landed nicely on a safe spot.
“That was a close one,” Sprinkles said, giggling and sitting on my lap heavily, knocking the wind out of me.
“Careful Sprinkles,” Uncle Stars warned. “We don’t want to squish Cat.”
I just gasped in response. shifting Sprinkles so she wasn’t crushing quite so many of my ribs.
“Does anyone want any more crisps?” Dad asked, handing around the bowl. Sprinkled jumped up, giving me momentary relief, before landing on me again and starting to munch her hoofful of crisps.

“Hah! That’s Oxmare Street with a hotel! Now you’ll pay, hahahahah!” Uncle Stars said happily, rubbing his hooves together at the sight of Mum’s marker landing on the hotel. “I’ll be taking all of those bits.”
Mum scowled and shifted a whole pile of bits across the table to him, giving him a withering look. Uncle Stars wasn’t bothered though, and he laughed happily to himself when he saw his new riches.
“Daddy, shouldn’t you be nice to your sister? You’re always telling Twinkle to be nice to me,” Sprinkles said, examining on of her favourite orange bits.
Mum laughed. “Exactly Stars, you should be nice to me.”
“Colts only have to be nice to fillies who are pretty,” Uncle Stars replied, getting more evil looks from Mum.

Sprinkles was all hyped up on sugar and excitement (Uncle Stars defeated Mum in a thriller after Sprinkles and I got wiped out in one turn) and took ages to fall asleep that night, keeping me up with her fidgeting. She was much bigger than she’d been when I saw her last year. I wondered if Rarity was feeling the same about Sweetie Belle, who I’d heard so much about but never actually met. At least Sprinkles was past the crying stage, otherwise there was no way I’d let her sleep in my room. But thinking about Rarity made my insides hurt, so I tried to think about presents and fell asleep.

Hearth’s Warming Eve was always exciting, but even more so when there was an excitable filly around. She was bounding everywhere, and getting under everypony’s feet, but nopony really minded. Well, except for when I was trying to make more mince pies and she stormed in like a hurricane, knocking nearly everything over before disappearing, covered in flour.
“When is the show?” she asked me for the fifth time that morning., peering over my shoulder as I mixed up the pastry.
“I told you, it’s at seven o’clock. If you don’t calm down a little and have a rest, you’ll fall asleep during it.”
“No! It’s too exciting to fall asleep. I want to know about Commander Thunderhead!”
I paused, trying to work out who she meant, but she galloped off before I could reply.

Twinkle finally got up just before lunch, and he only just managed to pick his way through a leafy sandwich.
“Your turn to help wash the dishes,” Uncle Star said to him. “Cat did it yesterday.”
“Oh no, that’s okay,” I said, “I don’t mind. I never have to do them while I’m at school.”
“No no, you deserve a rest after babysitting Sprinkles all day.”
Well, I wasn’t going to refuse that offer, so I went into the living room and sank into an armchair. It was only half an hour until we needed to leave for the theatre, but Sprinkles seemed to have fallen asleep upstairs and it was nice to have a break.

It was tradition for ponies in Britannia to get dressed up for the show; Rarity said it was a bit like her Grand Galloping Gala, which she’d always had an ambition to go to. It only took me a few minutes to get into my smart dress and brush my mane. Not that it made my mane look any better.
“Come on Sprinkles, time to go,” I said, shaking the filly awake. “You need to get your dress.”
She jumped up like a rocket and nearly headbutted me in the jaw. “Let’s go, let’s go!” she said, hopping up and down on the spot while I fetched her bright pink dress out of her suitcase.

“Have either of you seen Twinkles?” Uncle Star asked as we came downstairs.
I shook my head, but Sprinkles beat me to speaking. “He’s still in his room. Shall I go and get him?” She didn’t wait for a reply before dashing back up the stairs.
Dad looked at me. “You look lovely, Cat,” he said, brushing a wrinkle out of my dress. “If this is what you look like at those school dances, I feel sorry for all those colts.”
I blushed. “Thanks Dad.”

Sprinkles managed to drag Twinkle downstairs. He looked a bit disheveled, with his tie on crooked. Uncle Stars straightened him out and I thought he looked rather dashing, even if it was in an awkward-teenager kind of way.
“Right then, let’s go. Have you got the tickets, dear?” Dad asked Mum.
Mum rolled her eyes. “Of course. Now hurry up, we don’t want to miss the carriage.”
We were all bundled out into the darkness, and I wished I’d brought a thicker jacket. It was very cold, but not likely to snow. No chance of the magical white Hearth’s Warming.

“Cat, who is your favourite character?” Sprinkles asked me, tugging on the sleeve of my dress as we sat in the carriage. “Mine is Chancellor Puddinghead. She’s funny.”
“Hmm. I like Chancellor Puddinghead too, but I think I have to pick Princess Platinum as my favourite.”
“But she’s boooring.”
“No she’s not! She’s very important-”
“Booooooring! Most boring pony in the entire world.”
Uncle Stars chuckled to himself. He was probably just glad he didn’t have to deal with her this time. I shot him a glare, but he just stuck his tongue out at me.
“Maybe you’re the most boring pony in the entire world!” I told the little filly, who looked suitably shocked.
“That can’t be true, because Chocolate Smiles at school told me I was very interesting after I told her a story I made up,” Sprinkles declared, sounding pleased with herself.

We had seats somewhere in the middle of the audience, so we squeezed past a few disgruntled ponies before finally getting to our seats.
“Now Sprinkles, you need to remember to be very quiet all the way through the show,” Uncle Stars told her. She was sat between the two of us, her eyes taking in the giant town hall and the ornate stage at the front, curtains closed ready for the performance to begin shortly.
“Okay Daddy.”
“Good girl.”

The version of the Hearth’s Warming Tale traditionally told in Britannia differed from that told in Equestria. The Equestrian tale was about the founding of Equestria, but ours focused on the defence of Britannia against the scary-looking snow wolves of the south. They weren’t really scary in the play, just ponies dressed up in fluffy white costumes, but some of the drawings of snow wolves in books were pretty intimidating. Britannia, dressed in her elegant red robes and with her magnificent helmet flashing under the bright stage lights, was the star, drawing upon earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi alike to chase away the terrible threat and unite Britannia into one kingdom. Of course, the reason the snow wolves invaded was because Chancellor Puddinghead, Commander Hurricane and Princess Platinum couldn’t be nice to each other.

“When I grow up, I want to be just like Britannia,” Sprinkles told me in the interval, “She’s the best pony in the whole play. And she gets a cool helmet.”
I giggled into my hooves and caught Twinkle’s eye. He seemed to be enjoying himself, but when I noticed his smile, he turned it into an instant scowl and folded his hooves. I wondered if the general sulkiness was just an act he was putting on, but Sprinkles grabbed my attention again.
“Look, look! They’re selling ice cream!” she yelled into my ear.
“Go and ask your dad for some money,” I suggested. I hadn’t brought any.

I regretted telling her to, because she ended up licking the tub clean and getting her muzzle all covered in sticky. And then she kept nose-bumping me and getting it all over my coat.
“Stop squirming,” I told her, using my magic to wipe her face with a stray tissue, “It’ll be over in a minute.”
Sprinkles didn’t appreciate it though, and refused to talk to me for the next two minutes, but then the show started and she was clutching my hooves again.
“And so Britannia was in a terrible position, and the snow wolves were creeping closer...” the narrator announced as the lights dimmed.

As the carriage rumbled back towards home, I hoped that the epic battle at the end wasn’t going to give Sprinkles nightmares. I was tired enough as it was. But those wolves had been quite vicious, especially in the way they’d been dragging ponies off-stage.
“What did you think, Twinkle?” Uncle Stars asked, nudging his son.
“It was okay,” the colt replied, shrugging his shoulders.
“I’m sure I saw you smiling,” the stallion continued.
Twinkle just grunted in reply, and Uncle Stars rolled his eyes.

Sprinkles was far too excited to go to sleep that night, and we just let her bounce around the living room until she finally crashed on the sofa. Twinkle was in his room, as usual.
“When you go to bed, take this for Sprinkles,” Mum told me, handing me a bag containing small presents. “It should keep her occupied in the morning.”
I had no plans to go anywhere, but the looks on my parents’ faces suggested they were expecting me to go to bed immediately. “What, can’t I stay up a bit longer?”
“Well, the present pony won’t come if you’re not asleep,” Dad teased me.
“Come on, I’m not tired and I can’t make any noise in my room because of Sprinkles,” I complained, folding my hooves in annoyance.

“Well, we were going to have some Hearth’s Warming whisky, and you’re still a bit young,” Dad admitted, pointing to the empty glasses he’d brought through from the kitchen. “Sorry love.”
“I’m old enough! It’s only one glass.”
Uncle Stars seemed convinced, and Dad was about to get up and get me a glass when Mum intervened. “No way. You’re still a filly, so you’re not allowed any.” Her eyes looked set, and I knew I wasn’t going to win.
“Fine. See you in the morning,” I said, huffing as I dragged myself to my hooves and picked up Sprinkles’ presents.

To my surprise, Sprinkles had woken up again, so I hurriedly hid the bag behind my legs as I pushed open my bedroom door.
“Hi Cat. Are you going to bed already?” she asked me.
“Sadly. I’m not allowed to stay downstairs,” I explained, stuffing the bag down the side of my bed. “How come you’re still up?”
She giggled. “I’m too excited to sleep. The present pony is coming!” she exclaimed.
“Sshh. You have to be quiet, or you’ll scare her away,” I said. “Come on, it’s bedtime.”

She settled down and fell asleep sometime between me brushing my teeth and making sure that my blanket was just so. I hoped she wasn’t going to be too much of a hoofful in the morning, although it was a bit of a long shot. Young fillies and Hearth’s Warming Day mixed to make some kind of explosive reaction.
With the time difference, I thought, it would be about time for the Equestrian version of the Hearth’s Warming play to be performed. Rarity had said she was going to the Ponyville version with her parents, and I imagined her sitting next to Sweetie Belle and watching excitedly as the curtain rose and the play began, all of the ponies talking in those strange accents about the founding of Equestria. I somehow missed her more than ever.

I was woken at half past five with a jolt, which turned out to be Sprinkles bouncing on my bed.
“Cat, Cat, wake up! It’s time for presents,” she squealed, her eyes fixed on the bag I hadn’t hidden well enough.
I just groaned and checked the time. “You can open them at six, okay? Let me get a bit more sleep.”
“No, Cat! Wake up! I need my presents noooooow!”
Anything to make her be quiet. I pulled out the bag and passed it to her, hearing a squeak of happiness as she leapt off my bed and onto hers, pulling presents out with her weak magic.

By six I was wide awake, wrapped in a dressing gown and watching Sprinkles pushing some princess dolls around on the carpet. My parents would be sleeping in until at least eight, and I somehow felt cheated that I was basically giving them a free babysitting service. A plan entered my mind.
“Do you want to go and visit your uncle and aunt?” I asked my cousin, who nodded enthusiastically.

I wasn’t really in my parents’ good books after that, but after I offered to help cook the dinner my mum started to soften. I’d eventually left Sprinkles with her brother, who was reading his book and entertaining her by helping push the plastic princesses around without much interest. He was doing a good job of hiding it, but I could tell he was excited to open his presents.
“Cat, can you keep an eye on the potatoes and make sure they don’t boil over. I put them in a bit late so you need to keep them on a high heat,” Mum told me, bustling around.

I stirred the vegetables, letting the steam curl upwards past my face, then switched on the radio so I didn’t have to listen to the saucepan bubbling.
“...and next up on this frosty Hearth’s Warming Day is that winter classic, the lively It’s Snowing Again (Where Are The Pegasi) by that star of stage and screen, Sapphire Shores!”
As the music came on, Mum danced her way past, turning up the volume and giggling like a filly. “Come on Cat, let’s dance.”

***

The season’s snow arrived on the day we planned to leave for Grandma’s house in Weston-super-Mare. Mum was fussing over it, but she would have fussed whatever the weather.
“Don’t worry dear, it’s not very deep, and it’ll be lighter near the coast,” Dad reassured her, “and we’ve got everything, I’ve triple-checked.”
We got to the train station on time and managed to load our suitcases without any problem. I had a saddlebag filled with January fashion magazines (including the Sapphire Shores special edition of Ponypolitan) so the four hour trip didn’t really faze me.
“I’ll sit behind you,” I told my parents, grabbing the pair of empty seats so I could stretch out. “I’ll be fine.”

I was looking forward to seeing Fly and getting to catch up after the first part of the holiday. It was a bit saddening to think that over half of our holiday was already gone, and in a week I would be back in lessons at Buckingham. And I’d have to face Rarity again, which made my insides feel like they were made out of a mixture of lead and ice. I really needed to talk to Fly about it. But first, I needed to check and see which accessories were going to be popular this next month.
“Faux ears, again? What the Celestia?”

“Oh Cat, you’ve grown so much since I last saw you!” Grandma said happily, fussing over me and giving my horrible mane a critical look. “Are you going to get a manecut before you go back to school?”
A manecut wasn’t actually a bad idea.
“Hi Grandma,” I replied, ducking under her flailing hugs and dragging my suitcase to the foot of the stairs. “Which room is mine?”
“First on the left, dear.”

I was already planning my escape to Fly’s house before I was even back down the stairs. Grandma was nice, but she was just a bit... overbearing. Nothing was ever perfect. I suppose it was why Dad was the exact opposite.
“Cat, why don’t you do your tail differently?” she asked as soon as I was back. “It’s nice like that, but these modern fashions are so flimsy.”
“I quite like it,” I lied. I took a seat and curled my tail up behind me, examining the many split ends and wondering which side of the family I’d inherited my terrible hair from.

“So, tomorrow I think we’ll go for a nice walk around the town, and I can show you some of the places to go,” Grandma informed us, stretching her legs out so that her knees clicked.
“I’m going to go and visit one of my friends overnight tomorrow,” I said to her, tracing little circles on the arm of the chair with the tip of my hoof. “I’ll get the bus or something, if you can point me in the right direction.”
“Is this a friend from school?” she asked suspiciously.
“Yes. Her name’s Fly.”
“Oh, well that’s okay then,” she said, “I’m sure we can show you to the bus station.”

The next morning was freezing cold, but Grandma insisted on the walk, so we trudged around the town in the slushy snow, freezing our hooves off. I’d bundled up in as many layers as I could, but my ears were numb after five minutes and I’d lost all feeling in my legs.
“This is the pier,” we were told. “I haven’t been on it yet but I’m waiting for the weather to improve.”
The breeze coming off the sea was too cold for words, and I sheltered behind my dad and privately wished I could go somewhere warm and indoors. The bus station was the next stop on our tour, and it looked as miserable as I felt.

At least I knew where I was going that afternoon as I headed for the buses marked ‘Plymhoof’. Fly didn’t actually know I was coming, so if she turned out to be on holiday I’d just have to get the next bus back. At least I knew her address.
“Does this go to Plymhoof?” I asked the driver before giving him any bits. He looked bored and nodded, so I paid for a ticket and picked one of the many empty seats. Buses weren’t anything like as nice as trains, and I had to shift an empty bottle of... something before sitting down.

The train took forever, but when it did finally pull into Plymhoof bus station, a big surprise was waiting for me.
“Fly? How did you know I was coming?” I asked as we hugged, her big green wings wrapping around me.
She laughed. “Your Dad phoned and said you were on the way.” She picked up one of my saddlebags and started to lead the way back to her house.
“How did he know your house number?” I asked, still incredulous that my best friend had been waiting for me.
“Probably found it in the directory,” she said, and laughed again.

“I’ve missed you. We’ve got so much to catch up on,” I said to her, noticing that she’d had a manecut and it was styled differently.
She nodded, folding her wings carefully around the bag. “Did you see about faux ears coming back into fashion?”
“I know! How ridiculous is that.”
“I’m glad I kept mine, now. I think Rarity might have thrown hers out. She’ll be kicking herself.”
“Unless there’s some other hot fashion in Equestria that she’s going to bring across with her.” I giggled.
“Miri will be pleased though. She did love having pink ears.”
We both laughed and I suddenly felt happier than I had for the entire holiday.

Chapter Eight

It took until the next lunchtime to get Fly alone. I grabbed her and dragged her back to the room during our lunch break, leaving Rarity and Miri in the common room with their sandwiches.

“What is it, Cat?” Fly asked, puzzled.

I made sure the door was shut tightly and that nopony was going to disturb us before turning to my best friend. “Miri told me some gossip about Rarity yesterday. Did she tell you?”

“No. What is it? Rarity is never involved in gossip and things.”

I nodded and sat down on the bed next to Fly.

“Miri told me she’d overheard Rarity on the phone to her coltfriend. Apparently they were talking about... it.”

“About what?”

“You know, it. Doing it. The thing with a colt.”

“Oh.”

I rubbed my hooves together awkwardly. “Miri says that Rarity has done it. With her coltfriend.”

Fly turned a very deep shade of red. “I see,” she whispered.

“She told me not to tell anypony but I just had to tell you. It seems so weird.”

The green pony nodded. “Isn’t it a bit... grown-up? I’ve never really thought about it before.”

“Me too. I just... wanted to tell you. Rarity doesn’t think anypony knows so don’t tell anypony else. It has to stay a secret. I don’t think Miri will tell anypony, since it’s such a big secret about Rarity.”

The secret kept playing on my mind. My plan to get over her on Hearts & Hooves day had worked. All of my feelings for her were gone, replaced with wondering about Rarity and her coltfriend, and trying to find out which pony had sent me the card. I’d had a few surreptitious looks around when I was walking through the corridors, trying to spot any blushing younger fillies, but I didn’t notice any. And I just looked really paranoid, always glancing over my shoulder. I decided it was time to pull out the big guns.

“Miri, do you know who this card is from?” I asked, handing her my mystery card. “I can’t work it out.”

Miri studied it. “No, I don’t. But I can find out for you, if you like.”

“If you could.”

The earth pony looked pleased as punch to have some kind of gossip to work on. I could see the cogs in her head working out which ponies were best to ask about this, and who she’d go to first.

“Can I hang onto the card? It might help.”

“Go ahead.”

That was one less thing for me to worry about. If Miri couldn’t track them down, nopony could. Only a very skilled pony could successfully hide from Miri’s instincts.

Rarity seemed subdued in lessons, and I kept gently trying to find out why, but she always claimed she was tired. She seemed to be sleeping as well as she usually did, and the schoolwork wasn’t getting any more difficult. The scheming part of me instantly jumped to the conclusion that she was having trouble with her coltfriend, but I ignored it. She could just be homesick or something. I couldn’t just assume things.

But then again, if I were in her hooves, I would be worried about my coltfriend. If I was willing to do it with somepony, then I was going to be worrying about whether they really cared about me. In all the films, there were colts who would just ignore you as soon as it was done, and I hoped Rarity wasn’t in that situation. At least all of Miri’s break-ups were painless and didn’t involve any real attachment. This was just too grown-up for me. I wanted to just hide and somehow go back to when we were fourth-years and had nothing to complain about except how few bits we always seemed to have.

On the plus side for Rarity, she did seem to be visiting her coltfriend every weekend. So even if she was a bit more withdrawn than usual in lessons, I was confident that everything was going well for her. Sadly, the same couldn’t be said for my schoolwork, which had definitely suffered over the first half of the term. Teachers began announcing mock exams for March, which rapidly approached while I was busy pondering everypony else’s love life and doing no work. Only when I realised how much time Fly spent with her nose stuck in a textbook did I realise that I should probably start doing something.

“When’s your first exam?” Miri asked me as we attempted a marathon revision session in the common room one afternoon. I was drawing up a revision timetable, colour-coded by subject.

“The fifth. Way too soon.”

“I’ve got until the tenth, at least. They should really let us have some time off if they’re giving us exams.”

Everypony was jealous of the seventh years who got weeks and weeks off in the lead-up to their exams, although theirs weren’t mocks. I’d have given my hind legs to get even a week off to do revision.

Rarity walked into the common room, distracting me from my shading. She tutted disdainfully at somepony wearing faux ears, then trotted over to our table. “Hi everypony. I’ve just finished a load of work for textiles, so now that’s out of the way until after the mocks.”

“Good for you,” I replied, despairing at how little free time I had left. “I should really be starting some history work.”

“I can give you a hoof if you like. I need to do history too.”

“Sorry Miri. We can go back to this tomorrow,” I said to the earth pony, who I then abandoned to her work so that Rarity could go through some topics from the history textbook.

Miri stalked off somewhere, probably back to the room so she could work in peace and quiet with Fly, who was probably still reading.

“I miss the days before we had exams,” Rarity said, piling her heavy textbooks up on the table. “It’s just been non-stop for the past two years, it seems.”

“And all of next year,” I sighed, flicking aimlessly through the history book with my magic. “At least we get time off then.”

Rarity shrugged. “Oh well. Anyway, history. Which chapters do you want to go through?”

“Pretty much all of them.”

The purple-maned unicorn just opened the book at a random page and then turned back to the beginning of that chapter. “Ah, Chancellor Puddinghead. Good choice, Cat.”

I rested my head on the desk.

“There will probably be a long-answer question on earth pony society under the Chancellor, so you should consider writing up answers for some of the questions here,” Rarity said, pointing with her hoof. “Then you’re prepared for whatever comes up in the end.”

My hooves absent-mindedly ran through my limp mane. “Okay, that’s a good idea.”

“Then you can give them to the teacher to mark and he’ll show you where you’re going wrong.”

There were six questions, and my heart sank because I knew that each of them would take hours.

The only time any of the four of us had left to socialise was in the evenings when we’d burnt out from studying. Fly just continued to read, but Miri was making up for being quiet all day by being especially exuberant and refusing to stop talking about anything she could.

“I hate Minty so much,” she whined, waving her hooves pointlessly. “She’s such a stupid pony. I wish she didn’t go to school here.”

I just continued reading my magazine, not taking much notice, but Rarity was in the mood to agree.

“She keeps looking at me and whispering,” Rarity said in a flat tone. “I have no idea why.”

We found out why on the day of my first exam. I had endured two hours of history with Rarity, sitting in the draughty hall and writing until it felt like my hoof would fall off, and we were both looking forward to the lunch break when Minty appeared in front of us, her green mane shaking with suppressed laughter.

“Hi Rarity,” she said in a petulant tone. “Seen your coltfriend lately?”

I was inclined to ignore her, but Rarity always insisted on politeness.

“I saw him this Saturday just gone, why?” she asked, wondering why Minty had brought it up. I tried to drag her away, but it wasn’t enough.

“Oh, just wondering. Tell me, was the hotel room nice?” she added, giggling openly.

Rarity blushed from the tip of her muzzle to her hooves, and I grabbed her shoulder and tried to move on. Clearly Minty was just being ridiculous. As we left, Minty called back at us.

“I bet he wasn’t even your first!”

Rarity was shaking in my grip, her eyes shimmering. I nearly galloped towards the nearest bathroom, pulling my friend in with me before she broke down completely. Minty’s laughter was still ringing in my ears.

Rarity burst into unhappy tears as soon as we were inside, her carefully applied mascara turning into long black streaks down her face.

“Ignore her,” I said firmly. “She’s just being mean because she doesn’t have a coltfriend of her own.” Even as I said it, I was sure there was more to it than that. I needed to have a stern word with Miri.

The unicorn couldn’t even speak for her tears for a few minutes, so I just stroked her mane and hugged her.

“It’s just not true...” Rarity eventually managed, choking the words out one by one. “I’ve never done anything like that, why would anypony say such hurtful things?”

“It’s just Minty, you know what she’s like,” I said.

“I mean, we... we haven’t even kissed since the dance! He’s too much of a gentlecolt,” Rarity told me, tears dripping onto my coat. Now that came as a surprise, and I had to stop my mouth from falling open.

“We just go for walks and talk! Why would Minty just make something like that up?”

Looking at her tear-strewn face, I knew that it was unfair to keep it from her any longer.

“Miri told me she overheard you on the phone with your coltfriend, talking about... well, saying about how you two had... done it,” I admitted, watching her face change to an expression that was somehow even worse than it had been before.

“What do you mean? Of course that’s not true! Who has she told?”

“She told me, and I told Fly, but I didn’t know she had told anypony else,” I said, feeling ashamed. “Sorry.”

“But... what will everypony say? Minty will tell everypony in school, and even the teachers... they might throw me out.”

“They won’t do that,” I reassured her. “Everypony will think it’s just Minty being spiteful. I’ll talk to Miri and find out who she’s told about this, and set her straight,” I promised. Rarity just looked so upset that I could feel tears coming myself.

“I don’t want a reputation as that kind of pony,” Rarity said, sniffing her tears back.

“Nopony will believe her, trust me.”

“But you believed it when Miri told you! And Fly!”

I couldn’t argue with that, and I just felt more guilty for ever believing Miri.

My chance to confront Miri came that evening. Rarity didn’t go to any lessons, and I had spotted Minty whispering with lots of other ponies, her eyes always fixed on me. I headed Miri off as she left the common room, walking back to our room where Rarity was hiding.

“Miri, I need to talk to you,” I said in a firm voice. “It’s about Rarity.”

We found a spot in an empty classroom, and I shut the door with a chair so we weren’t disturbed. The earth pony looked pleased about something.

“What is it, Miri?” I asked, knowing that she needed to get it out of her system otherwise she wouldn’t listen to a word I said.

“I found out who sent you that card!” she said happily. “It was soooo difficult but I managed it.”

“Okay, so who is it?”

“It’s actually a fifth year, her name is River Blossom and she does music. She’s pale blue with a pale pink mane, so you’ll probably recognise her when you see her.”

“Did you speak to her?”

“I spoke to her friends, but not her. Apparently she would be really embarrassed to know that you know who she is.”

This was all interesting, but I had more pressing matters to think about than some fifth year who liked the way I played the piano. “Miri, Minty has been spreading rumours about Rarity.”

“Like what?”

“Like about what she’s been doing with her coltfriend.” My expression was like stone and Miri suddenly seemed a lot less happy.

“I don’t know where-”

“Miri, only you and Fly and I know about what you overheard, right?”

Miri paused, and my suspicions seemed confirmed. “Who did you tell?”

“Nobody! I truly and honestly didn’t tell anypony else. Well, I told Fly, but she said you’d already told her.”

“Promise?”

“Of course! I would never spread a secret like that about Rarity. About other ponies, yes, but not Rarity. I know how sensitive she can be.”

I sighed. This was turning into another detective story. “Also, I spoke to Rarity about it, and what you heard on the phone isn’t true. She hasn’t even kissed him since the dance.”

The earth pony nodded solemnly, her mane bouncing. “I didn’t realise...”

“Well, you can try and stop the rumour if you can. Rarity’s been crying all day in our room. You had better apologise.”

Miri trotted off to go and do that, and I headed for the common room. Somepony had to know which room belonged to Minty.

Apparently Minty lived in a different block to us, so I made my way there and hoped that no teachers spotted me wandering around after lessons. I’d memorised her room number and I banged loudly on the door.

“Oh, hi Cat,” the pony who came to the door said. “Why are you here?”

“Hi Dusk Pear. Is Minty in?”

“Yeah, she’s here.”

Minty came to the door, looking bored.

“Minty, who told you that horrible rumour about Rarity?” I asked sternly.

The pegasus with the green mane just shrugged. “I can’t tell you that.”

“I’m not joking. You do know it’s not true?”

“How do I know that? I haven’t got any proof.”

I shook my head. Minty had always been a difficult pony to get along with. “It’s not true, so there’s no point spreading it around. Everypony will know you’re making it up.”

“I didn’t make it up!”

“Then who told you?”

“Okay, so I heard it from Sky Prancer.”

I didn’t know the name. “Who’s Sky Prancer?”

“She’s a fourth year.”

“Who did she hear it from?”

“She overheard two ponies talking about it.”

“Was it Miri?”

Minty blanched at the name. “Ugh, I hate that pony so much.”

“I don’t care who you hate.”

“Yeah, she heard Miri telling some green pegasus. There are a few of us green pegasi around so I don’t know who that was exactly.”

“Thanks Minty. Now please stop spreading it.”

“Yeah right.” She shut the door in my face.

“And tell Sky Prancer to stop, too!” I yelled through the door, pounding it with my hooves before turning and walking away, feeling angry.

The rumour continued to be spread, but after I told Rarity that I had confronted Minty, she seemed comforted enough to return to lessons. Of course, there were still exams to do work for amongst all of this. Miri spent the next week trying to make it up to Rarity by helping her with everything she could.

I filled Fly in with all of the details of what had happened, and she just seemed resigned to it.

“It was inevitable. Miri would leak it sooner or later. At least this time she was just overheard telling me,” Fly said, rolling her eyes.

Rarity still had to endure whispers and pointing hooves wherever she went, but Miri was telling everypony about how the rumour was just something Minty had made up because Minty had been turned down by a colt. This seemed to do the trick, and although I didn’t really approve of making up a mean rumour about Minty, it did mean that some of the whispers and points shifted to the gossipy pegasus, which made Rarity feel a little bit better.

All that remained, apart from the fact that I was even further behind on my exam revision, was to find this River Blossom pony and see her for myself. I was turning into a regular detective pony, always trying to find clues to her existence. Eventually my chance came after a music class. I had asked the teacher and she told me that River Blossom was in the music class that was using the room next, so I deliberately spilt my pencil case all over the floor. By the time I’d tidied it up, the next class of ponies were on the way in.

I spotted her as I left, and we passed in the corridor. The moment she spotted me she went red and looked away, pretending to be absorbed in the wall next to her. I smiled to myself and remembered when I’d seen the popular ponies when I was younger, always chatting excitedly about them afterwards. But some small part of me managed to note that River Blossom was actually a very pretty filly. This was a thought I tried to ignore.

The exams went okay, In my opinion. We got our results back almost instantly since they were only mocks, and everything except history turned out to be a pleasant surprise. History was... well it was disappointing. And I didn’t pass.

“Don’t worry. It’s ages until the real exam,” Rarity told me, but deep down I knew that I probably wouldn’t pass that either. Not that it mattered, since I had the luxury of dropping one subject at the end of the year. But that was still months away and history wasn’t getting any easier.

I felt a little bit down about everything and spent a few hours moping around in the room, feeling disappointed in myself after all of that revision. Fly tried to cheer me up by talking about how it wasn’t too long until the holidays were here again, but it didn’t really make me feel any better. In the end, Rarity had the brainwave that finally got me out of my slump.

“I know what will cheer you up darling. I’ll give you a makeover!”

I asked if I could have faux ears and just got a frosty look in return.

Rarity and Fly went shopping in secret. I wasn’t allowed to know what they were buying me, but I gave them all of the bits I had left for the term. I wasn’t sure what I was letting myself in for, but Miri was staying at home so I was sure that their choices would at least look tasteful. In fact I could feel myself getting excited to see what they had in store, but Miri kept me occupied by blabbing on about some scandal involving a younger pony who had called a teacher a rude word and subsequently got triple detention. I just tried to get my homework out of the way.

When they got back, they were carrying a number of bags that they hid from me.

“Now now Cat, it’ll be more of a surprise if you just be patient,” Rarity told me as Fly blindfolded me with an empty pillowcase. I didn’t like not being able to see, so Miri guided me over towards the bathroom where Rarity wanted to get to work.

“Hey, don’t play some mean joke on me,” I complained, wondering if they were going to dress me up in some costume. “I don’t think I could take that.”

“Just stop talking and let me take care of you,” Rarity told me, slapping my flailing hooves. “Stay still.”

I had a fright when I felt the scissors snipping my mane.

“I told you to stay still!” Rarity sighed. “If you move around you’ll end up looking a sight.”

Fly carefully held me in place on the chair while Rarity snipped here and there, doing something that I couldn’t work out. With nothing to look at, I suddenly felt a whole host of itches that I hadn’t had before, and whenever I could I scratched them with a hoof, usually getting a slap from Fly or Rarity, I couldn’t tell which.

Once they were finished torturing my poor mane, which looked bad enough to begin with, Rarity started work on my tail. This kept sending funny sensations up my back, enough to make me squirm and get a poke from a disapproving hoof.

Next they started with clothes, which meant a lot of having my hooves moved around and negotiated into sleeves. I was desperate to open my eyes, especially after Rarity spent another five minutes adjusting my mane.

Then came make-up, which meant they had to remove my blindfold. I had to keep my eyes closed at all times, and when they were allowed to be opened briefly, Fly stood between me and the mirror so I couldn’t see anything, and Rarity applied the eye make-up with her magic.

“Why can’t I see? Surely you must be nearly done,” I complained when Fly made me close my eyes again.

“Five more minutes,” Fly told me gently, trying to keep me from moving around too much. Rarity giggled and I suspected that they were having a laugh at my expense.

“Let me seeeeeee!” I whined, flailing my hooves and getting another slap. “Pleeeeease?”

Rarity was making some adjustments to something, then stopped. “I declared this makeover done! Show Miri in.”

I had to keep my eyes closed while Miri made excited noises at my appearance. The tension was killing me, and I had convinced myself that it was some kind of mass joke between the other three. I decided to count down from ten and then take a peek.

“Okay, Fly, put her in front of the mirror. Cat, you can look now,” Rarity said just as my count reached five.

I did as she asked for a change, opening my eyes slowly and letting them adjust to the light, then focusing on the pony in the mirror. She looked a little bit shocked. My mane had been cut into a slightly wavy style and whatever Rarity had used had given it a bit more volume than it normally had. The same could be said for my tail. They’d bought me a shimmery white dress that went well with my coat, but there were obvious some details that Rarity had added and made it look even better.

My make-up had been expertly applied and made the whole thing look even more amazing. I paused for a few moments to take it in, and then started gushing.

“Oh thank you sooo much Rarity and Fly you’ve done such a great job I really look amazing oh my this is so great I can’t believe-” I said all in one go, hopping around on the spot.

“You’re very welcome, Cat,” Rarity told me, turning a little red at my gratitude. “It was nothing, really.”

“I chose the dress,” Fly told me shyly, still taking it in. “But Rarity made it so great.”

I was just continuously squee-ing and hopping around happily, so Miri dragged me into the room so I could look in the full-length mirror. I just looked so nice, even better than I had at the Hearth’s Warming Dance.

“You really do look good, Cat,” Miri told me, admiring my manestyle.

“Your mane should definitely look better than it usually does, even without the special stuff on it,” Rarity told me. “I found some tips in a magazine on how to give manecuts and turned out to be pretty good at it.”

I pulled all three of my friends into a hug.

Eventually Miri insisted it was a moment too good to miss and dashed downstairs to borrow a school camera. We worked out how to take pictures with a delay so that all four of us could be in it, and Miri gave me the photo that it printed.

“You should keep this. I have the one from the dance,” she told me. “Plus the one you’ve got is probably from fourth year or something.”

With some guilt, I realised she was right, so I packed the photo carefully away in my suitcase so that I wouldn’t forget to take it home.

The next morning, Rarity helped me do my hair again so that it looked just as good. I couldn’t wear the dress for lessons, but for once I drew admiring glances from the other fillies as I made my way around school. I spotted Rarity taking a certain amount of satisfaction from it, which she was entitled to do. She’d really done a magnificent job, and I wasn’t exactly the perfect material to be working with. Throughout my music lesson I just glowed with happiness that my mane was finally nice-looking.

On the way out, I was thinking about what might potentially be for lunch and wasn’t really looking where I was going. So, of course, I walked straight into another pony, knocking her flat onto her rump.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry,” I said, reaching out a hoof and helping her to her hooves.

“No, that’s okay,” the pony replied, rubbing her bruises. She took one look at me and her eyes widened in some kind of mixture of fear and shock. I instinctively touched my face with my hooves, wondering if the collision had given me a nosebleed.

Then it clicked. The pony I’d knocked over was River Blossom, and a blush was spreading across her face as she stared at the ground, drawing figures of eight with one of her hooves.

“Oh, you’re River Blossom?” I asked, looking at her.

“Um... yes.”

“I heard about you from one of my friends, I think. You like music too.”

She brightened a little and looked at me, her blue eyes looking into mine. “Yes.”

I noticed her cutie mark was of a musical score, which tallied up with what I’d just said. “Um, anyway. I’ve got to go, got to get some lunch,” I said, starting to head for the common room after the strange encounter.

“Wait, Toccata?” River Blossom asked, looking terribly nervous.

“Yes? Oh, and please call me Cat,” I replied, swivelling around to look at her.

“I... no wait never mind.”

“Okay. See you around, River Blossom,” I said, turning again and heading for the door.

“No, no, wait!”

I paused again.

“No... it’s okay.”

This time I left, shaking my head and wondering what she could possibly have wanted. Probably fashion advice. Well, good thing she bottled it, since I wouldn’t have been much help whatsoever.

I picked up some sandwiches and juice from the cafeteria and then headed for the common room, the funny encounter with the younger filly still playing over in my head. I felt bad for knocking her over.

“Hi Cat, I saved you a seat,” Fly said, pointing to the empty seat by the window that was next to her. I took it gratefully.

“How was music?” she asked as I unwrapped my food.

“Uneventful,” I said truthfully, still mulling over the encounter in my head.

Rarity and Fly went back to whatever they were discussing while I stared out of the window and wondered about River Blossom. She’d seemed so embarrassed to bump into me. When I was a fifth-year pony, I suppose I would have been embarrassed to bump into one of the fashion icons that I admired from afar. But then they were all much older than me - they’d all left the school by the time I was a fifth year. It was certainly unusual for fillies to admire others who were only a year older. Oh well. I continued with my sandwich, accepting that I was never going to be able to work out the minds of others.

“What are you thinking about?” Fly asked, noticing my vacant expression.

“Oh, nothing,” I said, shrugging. “Just thinking about that filly who sent me the Hearts & Hooves card.”

“River something?” Rarity asked, pausing halfway through her lunch. “Miri told me. She’s a bit old to be admiring you.”

“I think she just likes my musical talent,” I replied. “I keep seeing her outside music class.”

“You are very talented at playing the piano,” Fly told me. “I wish you’d play it more so I could listen.”

Nothing was worse than performing on the piano. All those ponies staring at me, waiting for me to make a single mistake... no way. I hated it.

“Maybe once. Ever. I don’t like doing it,” I said.

Rarity shrugged. “It’s a better talent than having a gem detecting spell.”

“Yeah, but you can make beautiful dresses. That’s a good talent.”

The unicorn smiled. “Maybe. But you can make beautiful music, which is just as important.” Fly nodded vigorously in agreement, and I sighed.

“I wish it wasn’t so nerve-racking though.”

The door to the common room opened and Miri came in with a funny expression on her face. She walked over to the table, and Rarity pointed her towards the empty seat.

“Um, Cat? Somepony wants to talk to you,” she said.

“Who?”

“It’s River Blossom.”

I spotted a hint of pink tail outside the door to the common room, so I left my lunch and got up to go and find out what she wanted.

“Hi River Blossom.”

“Oh, hi Cat. I hoped you were in there.” There was a pause as I waited for her to elaborate, but she was rapidly blushing again. I could practically feel it from where I was stood. The younger filly waited for another pony to pass in the corridor before continuing.

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“Ask away. But if it’s about fashion, I’ll go and get my friend Rarity. She knows about it better than I do.”

“No, it’s not fashion.”

“Music?”

“No.”

Her voice was tailing away to a squeak, and I wondered if she was ever going to spit it out.

“Well?”

She shifted nervously from hoof to hoof, biting her lip.

“Do you want advice about something?” I tried, studying her face to see if there was any reaction. There wasn’t, unless you count her looking even more embarrassed. “Well, if you think of it, I’ll be in there eating my lunch,” I eventually said, not wanting to be rude.

“Wait... um...”

I paused, deciding that this was the final time I was going to listen to one of her ‘Wait... oh actually no’ statements.

“Cat... do you, um, well, will you go out with me?”

Chapter Nine

Her question stunned me. I just stood there looking at her blankly, my brain trying to process what she’d just said, while her blush spread all the way to the tips of her hooves.

“Er...” I choked out. She just looked even more embarrassed, still waiting for a coherent reply.

“Um...” she said, but I finally regained control of my tongue.

“I’ll think about it,” I rasped, hating the noise my voice made. It was a reflex answer, and I forgot my manners and just dashed for the safety of the common room, trying to avoid the burning sensation that was spreading across my face. My three friends all had worried expressions as I returned to my seat, my hooves shaking imperceptibly.

“What happened?” Rarity asked, looking concerned. Miri was practically bouncing with excitement when she saw my blush; I think she’d guessed what I had been asked. Fly just put her book down and looked at me, throwing Miri a sharp look to make her calm down.

I rubbed my hooves together in thought. “Well, River Blossom... she asked me if I wanted to go out with her.”

“I knew it!” Miri exclaimed, bouncing up so quickly that she knocked her chair over backwards. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!”

Rarity laid a calm hoof on Miri’s shoulder to get the earth pony to stop shouting. “What did you say?”

There was silence as all three ponies (plus quite a few from around the common room, attracted by Miri’s falling chair) stared at me. I shrugged. “I said I would... think about it,” I finally said as quietly as I could, so that everypony else couldn’t hear.

“Does that mean you might say yes? Or were you just letting her down gently?” Rarity asked me, her wide eyes almost overflowing with either happiness or concern, I couldn’t tell.

“I might say yes.”

Everypony sat around the table gasped a little, their sandwiches forgotten.

“So you like fillies?” Rarity asked, covering her mouth with a hoof. I could tell that the same question was on Miri’s lips. Fly already knew, of course, so she said nothing.

My voice was barely a whisper. “Um... I think so?”

Rarity and Miri both broke into wide smiles and threw their hooves around me, forming an awkward group hug with a table between us.

“I’m so pleased you told us!” Rarity said, and I had a suspicion I could feel her tears on my coat.

“You’d make such a sweet couple!” Miri babbled, her mane hitting me in the face over and over.

After we’d broken up the hug, Fly asked the question I’d been asking myself since I’d left River Blossom.

“So do you think you’ll go out with her?” the pegasus asked me, and silence fell over the table again.

I didn’t know the answer. River Blossom was younger than me, I barely knew her and if I said yes, the gossiping around school would be endless. Finding out that somepony liked fillies was big enough, but a relationship between a fifth year and a sixth year would probably be the biggest news of the year. And of course, I had to worry about what my parents would say, on top of all of the usual relationship worries.

But then again, River Blossom was really cute and good-looking, and she seemed really nice. There was something about her that made me want to say yes, despite all of my advice to the contrary. It had been quite a long time since that ill-fated relationship with some buck I barely spoke to in the fourth year, and all of my friends seemed to be having fun with their romantic entanglements. It just felt nice to possibly have a special somepony, even if it was a terrible decision. I decided to sleep on it.

“I don’t know. I might decide tomorrow,” I told my friends, before returning to my sandwich.

As we left the common room, I gently tugged on Miri’s tail. “Please don’t tell anypony about this,” I said, doing my best begging expression.

“Of course I won’t,” Miri replied, but she looked put out, like she’d been denied dessert or something.

“Thank you Miri. This really means a lot. I promise that when I decide what to do, you’ll be the first to know.” After Fly, of course, but I added this mentally.

Miri went back to smiling. “Okay, thanks Cat.”

It’s a bit of a cliche but I really did find it difficult to sleep that night. Mainly because I’d said I was going to make a decision the next day and I didn’t want to go to sleep until I knew what I was going to do, but nothing concrete formed in my mind. Whenever I thought I was coming to a conclusion, which was that I was going to be sensible and tell River Blossom no, she kept appearing in my mind and something in my tummy would make me reconsider. When I woke up the next morning, Fly was looking at me.

“You’ve been tossing and turning all night. Are you okay?” Fly asked gently as I stretched my legs and rubbed my eyes.

“I think so. I just don’t know what to do,” I said.

“Miri’s found out which room River Blossom is in, if that’s helpful,” Fly told me, pointing to a scrap of paper on my bedside table. “She and Rarity have gone for breakfast, they got up early for some reason.” Her room wasn’t too far away, so I resolved to go and see her after lessons, and hopefully I would be able to give her my decision.

I kept getting meaningful looks from Rarity and Miri all morning, especially Miri. She was desperate to know what my decision was, even if she was too polite to keep badgering me about it. Fly, as always, was the perfect friend and simply left me to my thoughts, trying not to bother me. I wanted to talk to her about it, but I wasn’t sure she’d really understand. Lessons finished far too quickly and suddenly I was confronted with the reality of going to find her room. I knew where it was, but I deliberately walked slowly and tried not to think about it. I was rehearsing what to say in my head, but I still wasn’t convinced about what my answer actually was.

When I arrived, I double checked that I was at the right room, then took a deep breath and knocked. If one of her roommates answered, I’d have to ask for her.

River Blossom answered. “Oh, hi, um, Cat.”

“Hi River Blossom,” I said nervously, then paused. Surely as the older filly I wasn’t supposed to be doing the hard work. “I thought about what you said.”

She said nothing and just blushed again. She really did have an impressive blush, turning her coat into a shade that matched her mane.

“Well, er, I was thinking, and yes, I will go out with you,” I said, my voice disappearing to a whisper again. My answer actually surprised myself, but it surprised River Blossom even more.

“Oh... well okay then,” she said, pawing at the ground with her hoof. We stood there awkwardly for a few more seconds.

“Well, we can go somewhere... sometime,” I said, shrugging a little and then thinking I looked stupid. “If you want.”

“Yes... okay.” More awkward standing, so I took the initiative (and a deep breath) and leant forward, kissed her on the cheek, then turned and trotted away down the corridor, my tail swishing.

“Wait, Cat?” River Blossom said. I turned and waited. “You can call me River, if that’s okay.”

***

“I said yes, so I suppose River is my fillyfriend now,” I said, revelling in the word ‘fillyfriend’. It sounded so much nicer than ‘coltfriend’.

Miri and Rarity made excited noises and attacked for another group hug, this time accompanied by Cat.

“This is so exciting!” Miri said in my ear, before springing backwards, galloping on the spot.

I smiled. “You can go and tell ponies,” I said, shrugging. “Everyone will know eventually.” Miri disappeared with a speed that would probably have made her some kind of champion on the running track, and Rarity followed after her with a sheepish expression.

“I’m pleased you found somepony, Cat,” Fly said to me, pulling me into a less excited hug. “I felt really bad for you, you know, because of what happened.”

“That’s okay,” I said, hugging the pegasus back. “I’m totally over Rarity.”

Fly giggled happily. “You have a fillyfriend! This is so exciting.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her expression. “We can go on double dates!” This really set her off, and I was definitely glad that I was going out with River.

Thanks to Miri’s efforts, by the next morning everypony knew about the new relationship between Toccata, the sixth year, and River Blossom, the fifth year. I was now subject to the whispering and occasional pointing, even from first and second years who should really have been afraid of me. But I didn’t mind. I spotted River at breakfast and caught her eye, and we both blushed a little. Her friends seemed to giggle a lot, like mine. It was weird to think that I had a special somepony, even if we hadn’t really spoken. I sent Fly across to see her with a message about meeting up at my room after lessons. I would normally have delivered it myself, but it would just fuel the gossip ponies. And I was a bit afraid to, in truth.

For the second day in a row, lessons flew past, and before I knew it I was looking shyly at River as we walked down the stairs and headed for the school grounds. She was wearing these cute little yellow boots that looked just amazing. After agonising for hours over what I was going to wear, I could appreciate her style. I’d eventually just gone with brushing my hair and attaching a bow. Actually Rarity had, but I’d agreed with her.

“So, um, how were your lessons?” I asked, trying to make conversation to kill the awkward silence.

We stepped out into the chilly air and headed for the path around the perimeter of the grounds. I wished I’d brought a jacket, but I hadn’t been able to decide on which one looked best.

“Lessons were fine, how were yours?” River replied with a smile that looked a bit forced.

I tried smiling more naturally but I didn’t think it looked any better. “Yeah, fine. Did you have music today?”

“Yes, did you?”

“No. How was it?”

“It was fine.”

We walked around in silence for a little longer whilst I desperately tried to think of something else to say that wasn’t about the weather. River got there first.

“Do you really want to go out with me?” she asked in a quiet voice, looking over at me.

“Why do you ask that?”

“Well, it feels a bit awkward. And we don’t know each other very well so I think I might have asked you too soon.”

I paused before replying. “I do definitely want to go out with you. We should get to know each other better. What’s your favourite kind of music?” I tried, hoping that pursuing our common interest as a topic of conversation would work out.

She smiled. “I really love classical music. I always drag my parents to concerts and stuff so I can hear it played in big concert halls. What about you?”

“I like contemporary things more than classical, but playing the piano means I have to listen to all the classical stuff anyway,” I replied, “So I suppose I like it a bit.”

“I would love to hear you play the piano,” River told me. I sighed.

“It’s not that much fun... I don’t usually play for other ponies very much.” Not even having a fillyfriend would be enough to make me play the piano in public.

“What else do you like?” River asked me as we turned a corner, moving further away from the school buildings.

I thought about it. “I like fashion, mainly. My friends and I try to read as many magazines as possible, so we’re always up-to-date.”

“I try, but magazines are quite expensive.”

“We share the cost out between the four of us.”

“Wow, that’s a good idea.”

“Doesn’t leave much for actually buying stuff, though.”

As we moved across the path to get around an overgrown shrub, my foreleg accidentally brushed against hers. She blushed and I giggled, and I swung my tail over so that she could entwine it with hers. We walked a bit further, enjoying the new sensation and not saying anything, the silence no longer awkward.

“So was it you that told everypony?” River asked me.

“No, it was my friend Miri. She loves to gossip.”

“I didn’t know you were friends with Miri! If my friends knew that, they’d be insanely jealous. Miri is pretty much a celebrity.”

It amused me to think that the silly earth pony was a celebrity with the younger ponies, but it was also a reminder than River was younger than me, and that felt a bit awkward. I mean, she hadn’t even done her fifth year exams yet, which seemed like ancient history to me. “Wow, really? I’ve been friends with her since our first year.”

“Pretty much everypony in the fifth year wants to be her. She knows everything and everypony.”

I smiled. “Miri was the one who found out that you had sent me that Hearts & Hooves card.” River did her huge blush again, so I nudged her and giggled. “Don’t worry, I liked it. I just really wanted to know who sent it.”

“One of my friends must have blabbed. Oh well, no harm done.”

“She also found out where your room was. She must have a network of ponies who know everything there is to know about everypony.”

“I’ll be more careful in future about what I say in public.”

Our conversation continued until we’d walked a complete lap of the school grounds and found ourselves at the front doors again. It has turned cold as the sun set and both of us wanted to get inside.

“Well, we can work out something else to do before the holidays,” I said. It was only two weeks until I’d be making the train journey back up to my parents’ house. I still hadn’t decided whether I was going to tell them about River.

“Well, it’s my roommate’s birthday coming up, so if you want to come to her party, then you’re invited. You can bring Miri too. If you do, she’ll be so happy,” River said, smiling.

“Sounds like fun. I’ll talk to Miri,” I promised.

We looked at each other for a moment, not wanting to untwine our tails, but eventually I pulled away at the same time as she leant forward to kiss me. We both looked at each other for a moment, then learnt forwards and kissed briefly before jumping back like we’d had an electric shock. Then we trotted back indoors, not saying anything else until we parted ways at the bottom of the staircase.

“How was your date?” Rarity asked as I went back into the room, shutting the door behind me.

“It was fun. We just walked around the grounds.”

“Did you kiss?” Miri asked, bouncing on the bed.

“Yes, we kissed.”

There were more excited noises from my roommates.

“Anyway, Miri, River has invited me to a birthday party for a fifth year this coming weekend. If you’re free, you’re invited.”

“Why me?” Miri asked, examining her hooves. “I mean, I want to go, but why did they invite me?”

“River says you’re a bit of a celebrity with the younger years.”

Miri’s eyes went wide with happiness. “A celebrity? Me? Oh my, this is too much! I am so excited! They’ll be including my fashions in their conversations! Rarity, this is your big chance!”

“I hardly think that a bunch of fillies here will lead to my big break in fashion,” Rarity drawled without moving.

Miri didn’t listen though and spent the whole evening giggling with delirium. If you didn’t know better, you might have thought that she was the one that had just been on a date instead of me, but she was actually the pony who still didn’t have a special somepony. Not that I was going to remind her of that fact.

“I need a party dress, Rarity, which one should I wear?” Miri enthused, throwing open the wardrobe.

“The red one, darling. No faux ears this time, and wear those black shoes. Then you’ll look older and more glamorous,” Rarity said without much emotion, still reading the magazine.

I didn’t see River again until the day of the party, despite hanging around outside the music classroom in the hope of seeing her. Eating in the common room instead of the canteen meant I didn’t get to have lunch with her, since a sixth year eating in the canteen was just not acceptable at lunchtime. Miri was always out talking to fifth years about the latest trends so she’d know what topics of conversation to use at the party, and I was starting to get the impression that was was taking it far more seriously than she should be. Especially since there was no evidence that there were more than ten ponies going to be attending.

We eventually made our way down to River’s room, ensuring we arrived fashionably late. Miri wanted us to be a little later, so that she could make her big entrance, but it occurred to me that her big entrance would be my big entrance, with all of the fifth years getting a good look at River’s fillyfriend for the first time. I’d chosen another black dress, since I only really looked good in black, and I hoped that I looked okay. Rarity had said I did, and I was willing to trust her expert judgement. Plus she’d done my mane again so that it looked nice and not like the limp mess it usually was.

The party was in full swing when we arrived in the corridor, and there was a mass of talking when everypony spotted that Miri had arrived. She was swallowed up by the talkative group of ponies nearest the door and I left her to it, putting our jointly-signed birthday card on top of the pile near the food. River had spotted me and trotted over, wearing a shimmering blue dress that I recognised from some magazines.

“Hi River. I love your dress.”

“Thanks Cat. I got it a while ago. I only still have it because it suits my coat so well.”

We smiled at each other for a few moments before she led me over to the birthday filly so I could wish her many happy returns. Miri was nowhere to be found, but I was sure that the earth pony could handle herself. Parties were pretty much what she lived for, and she would already be catching up on the day’s events.

“Do you want a drink?” River asked me, and I nodded. There was no music, I noted, but then that was probably because there was barely any room to fit a stereo into the hallway.

The punch was pink and tasted of strawberries, which actually made it taste a bit like cough medicine. I didn’t say anything though, and just chatted to River and watched the fifth years having a good time.

“Thanks for bringing Miri. Looks like she’s the life of the party,” River said, leaning over to point at where my friend was regaling a huge group of fifth years to a story about somepony, probably Minty. I suspected that it would be fabricated and probably mean, but Minty deserved it.

“Miri was really happy to have been asked, actually. I don’t think I could have kept her away,” I said in response, shrugging. “She loves any opportunity to hear about scandals not involving sixth years.”

By the end of the evening, River and I were sitting in her room, which was surprisingly empty considering the party going on outside. My tail was wrapped around hers and I admired her pretty blue eyes when we surfaced from kissing for a while.

“Do you think we should go back to the party?” she asked me, her hoof tracing shapes on my foreleg.

“I don’t think they’re really missing us,” I replied, catching sight of the clock out of the corner of my eye. “But I have to go back to my room before too long, otherwise it’ll be lights out.”

River sighed. “I suppose. We need to do this again soon.”

I nodded my agreement and kissed her on the nose with a giggle, but the door slammed open to reveal Miri looking even happier than usual.

“Come on Cat, we’ve got to go. I have to stop off on our way back,” Miri told me, grabbing me firmly by the hoof and starting to drag me away.

“Sorry River, I’ll see you soon,” I said to the blue filly who just waved in response. Miri’s grip was actually far too firm and my hoof was starting to hurt, but I was whisked away from the corridor and down the stairs, heading for a block that I had never visited before.

“I really really have to tell somepony something so can you just wait one minute for me to tell them?” Miri jabbered at me, locating the right door and knocking on it. I was relieved that she’d let go.

“Hi Miri, what brings you here this late?” the pony who answered the door asked. They looked a little young, but they were probably part of Miri’s network of informants so I said nothing. Miri really did have a promising career ahead of her in the secret service.

“Wave, you just have to hear this!” Miri began, so I tuned out. It was just about some fifth years and a teacher, so I tapped my hoof impatiently and wondered if we were going to get back before lights out. With Miri in full-blown talking mode, it seemed unlikely. I didn’t want a detention but it was proving difficult to drag her away.

“Come onnn Miri, it’s already time to go,” I complained, but my friend continued talking away without caring. I wanted to abandon her and get back myself, but I wasn’t entirely sure of the fastest way back and I didn’t think Miri would forgive me.

“Hi girls, having a nice chat?” the dorm matron said as she arrived, giving Miri and I an icy glare. “Better go back to your room before you get detention.” This had the desired effect, and Miri finally stopped gossiping and we headed desperately for the stairs, hoping that we wouldn’t bump into anypony on the way back.

“It’s faster to cut through the third year corridor,” Miri told me. “That way we’ll come out just two floors down and should be able to avoid actually going back to the ground floor.”

I trusted her. “Just keep going,” I panted, not used to having to run anywhere. We skidded around a corner and cut through the third year corridor as advertised, and I recognised where we were. Only thirty seconds until we were back at our room. The dashing had really been quite exciting.

“Ah, there you are girls. Been out for a late-night stroll?” The voice of our dorm matron killed any excitement I was feeling. “Rarity and Fly seemed to think you were in the bathroom when I checked your room. Sounds like you two will be in double detention, and your friends can join you.” She smiled an evil smile and pointed us towards our room. I felt like thumping Miri for making us late, but it was pointless.

“Did she catch you?” Fly asked anxiously when we entered the room, both looking ashen-faced. “You must have had really bad timing, I thought we’d fooled her.”

“She says we’re all in detention,” Miri announced sadly before throwing herself onto her bed. “You shouldn’t have covered for us.”

Rarity looked put out. “It’s okay, you would have done the same for us. Was it Cat and her fillyfriend who made you late?”

I was outraged, but Miri came clean before I could start yelling. “No, I got caught up talking to some fourth years on the way back and took way too long.”

Fly rolled her eyes and went back to her book, and I just headed for the bathroom to clean off my make-up.

“Oh, Cat? You should get that lipstick off your mouth and cheeks,” Rarity told me lazily just before I shut the door. I instinctively rubbed a hoof on my cheeks to see how much of River’s lipstick had come off, but Rarity just giggled. “Hah, got you! You have been kissing River! Knew it.”

I glowered at her and went into the bathroom, double-checking in the mirror just to make sure there were no kissing marks on my face. There weren’t, and I couldn’t believe I had fallen for it.

“I bet River’s roommates did the same to her,” Miri said through the door, and I saw the funny side.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to properly see River again before the holidays began. (The dorm matrons had decided to withhold our detentions until the start of the next term when we could be properly disciplined). We shared a quick kiss as I took my suitcase down to the carriages and bumped into her, but she was in a hurry to grab what remained of her things.

“I’ve got study leave next term so I won’t see you very much,” she reminded me, giving me a piece of paper with something written on. “I’ve given you my number and address though, so maybe you could come for a visit or something.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” I replied, watching her tail disappear up the stairs. I headed for a carriage, making a mental note to ask Dad where her address was in relation to our house, without giving anything away.

That plan was a total bust.

“You have a coltfriend?” he asked suspiciously, grabbing the attention of Mum, who then trotted over with a revolting expression on her face.

“Little Toccata has a coltfriend? But you’re far too young, dear,” she said, squeezing my cheeks happily. “Where does he live? Are you going to go and visit him? Ooh, I bet he’s really good-looking.”

I didn’t think that this was the best time to explain that he was actually a she, so I just snatched the piece of paper back from Dad and scowled at him, then trotted off to my room.

“Neighcastle is about two hours from here. You’d have to get two trains,” Dad informed me as I left.

So it seemed that living in the countryside was once again going to frustrate my ability to actually stay in contact with any of my friends during the holidays. Too far to visit River, too obvious if I phoned her, so I had to stick to writing her a letter which would take so long to get there that the holidays would be half-over by the time she read it. Oh well, better than nothing. I decided to send something to everypony except Rarity, since sending mail to Equestria would take way too long. I even put on some red lipstick so that I could leave a kiss mark on the letter to River, but I changed my mind and just put lots of ‘x’s instead.

None of my friends wrote back, not even River, although it occurred to me that she didn’t actually know my address. But I did get an unexpected letter covered in weird-looking stamps and strange postmarks, which Dad retrieved for me.

“Looks like it’s come from Equestria,” he said, shrugging.

It was from Rarity, but it was only a short note saying that she had some exciting news for when we got back to school. It probably concerned Sweetie Belle, but if it excited Rarity enough for her to bother sending the three of us letters about it, (I assumed she’d sent the same to Miri and Fly), then it must be important.

Now that there was something fun waiting for me at school, the holidays seemed even more interminable. Mum ended up forcing me to give a ‘family performance’ on the piano just to give me something to do and stop me from hanging around the house endlessly. I didn’t mind playing for my family, since if I made any mistakes they would probably not notice and still tell me it was perfect. But it meant I had to do more practice, so I sat in front of the keys for hours on end, trying to get the hang of a tricky concerto that I was supposed to be performing for my musical exams at the end of the year. That was the other worst thing about having a musical special talent. The fact that there were exams in it. Nopony else had to do exams in their special talent, everypony just accepted that if it was your cutie mark, you must be good at it.

I did the family performance on the day before the train home. Mum and Dad seemed to enjoy it, and Dad gave me a big chocolate egg to make up for having to perform for him. I saved it for consumption on the train.

“Are you sure you’ve done all of your homework?” Mum asked.

“Yes, I’ve done it all.”

“And you’ve done enough piano practice? While you’re away I don’t think you’re getting enough.”

“Yes Mum, I practice every time I have music lessons.”

“What about your other lessons?”

“Everything’s fine.”

“Yes dear, I’m sure Cat is doing perfectly well. Just leave her to it,” Dad said, sticking up for me. I gave him a hug in return. “Thanks Dad.”

He winked at me and replied in a whisper. “Just making sure you have enough time for that coltfriend of yours.”

Chapter Ten

On the first day back, I found myself sitting quietly in the school hall next to Rarity, waiting for a presentation that could apparently ‘change our lives’. There was an official-looking unicorn at the front, messing around with little notecards, but I wasn’t convinced she could change my life just by talking from the front.

“Quiet down please girls,” the Headmare said sternly, and the general whispering died out. “Thank you. Now, please give a warm welcome to Mrs Racecourse who is here to talk to you about your post-school options.” We all stamped our hooves then waited for the unicorn to speak. She looked quite young to be a Mrs.

“Thank you everypony. My job is to give you an idea about what kind of things you can do after you leave school here. I know it seems a long way off, but in one year’s time, you should be totally decided and ready. So it’s best to start early.” She used her magic to swap notecards. “Most of you will probably want to progress onto a university, although other options do exist, like doing an apprenticeship at a business. It’s up to you to decide what you’d like to do, but your teachers and mentors will be able to help you.”

I felt uncomfortable. University seemed too far away to be relevant but now we were being told all of this information on what we’d be doing to apply.

“This term you’ll be going on a trip to get prospectuses and see which universities exist and appeal to you. So you’ll need to do some research before that to see what you’re interested, and trying to think of a degree course you might be interested in.” Mrs Racecourse adjusted her mane for a moment, probably allowing everything to sink in, before continuing. “You should talk to your family and friends until you’re absolutely confident about what you want to do.”

She went on for a few more minutes, but I didn’t listen very closely. We hoof-stomped a bit more when she left, then we were all sent back to our rooms to think it over.

“Before that, you need to hear my announcement!” Rarity said as we got back to our room. “Just wait a moment.”

The three of us sat there, watching her searching for something in her suitcase. It was probably just something Sweetie Belle made for her, or maybe fresh pictures. I did love seeing the cute filly.

Instead, Rarity pulled out a glossy brochure, the pages covered in bright images. She squealed in excitement and then pointed us to the page she’d highlighted. It was an advert for a one-week holiday on what seemed to be a tropical island somewhere I’d never heard of.

“I was thinking that we could organise this for the summer holidays so that we don’t have to be apart for all of it. It’s actually really close to Equestria, so you might even be able to stop over in Ponyville or something,” the unicorn explained, trying to sound excited and yet still keep her cool. “What do you think?”

Miri was about to burst, so I jumped in ahead of her. “That sounds great! It’s a really good idea. I’ll ask my parents.”

Fly agreed with me. “I just have to check that it’s okay with my parents.”

This seemed to satisfy Rarity. “Superb! This is going to be really fun!”

It sounded really fun. Going on holiday with my parents meant sitting around reading all day, but going with my friends meant that we could do all kinds of fun things. I found myself bouncing on my hooves in anticipation even though it was only a suggestion.

I put it to the back of my mind and tried to concentrate on the looming university applications stuff. In truth, the talk had scared me a little bit. I had never been good at dealing with the future, and now it seemed like a very strange future indeed.

“Have you had any thoughts?” Fly asked me in the common room when we were away from Rarity and Miri. “About universities and stuff.”

I shrugged. “Not really. You?” The pegasus looked at the desk for a few moments and I managed to guess. “Don’t tell me you’ve already got it all planned out?”

“Well it’s obviously not planned out, I don’t know where I’ll get in and all kinds of things could change. But I have got a plan.”

I giggled and poked her with a hoof. “Trust you. Can you please plan for me too?”

“I can help...” She was all for heading to the library and picking up a copy of the league tables, which ranked all of the universities in Britannia in order of their academic excellence. I wasn’t all that concerned about academic excellence, but it was a starting point. Nonetheless, I still wasn’t going to the library.

“I’ll bring them to our room tonight. Tell Rarity and Miri that we can make a start this evening,” Fly said, but I suspected that the other two ponies wouldn’t take too kindly to having their recreation time taken up by an overly-organised pegasus. And if they were as lost as I was, then not much was going to be achieved. But Fly disappeared to the library to fetch resources and I resigned myself to an evening of work. On the plus side, I did have a cute notebook with butterflies on that I could use to record everything...

It turned out that I was wrong. Miri agreed with me that wasting valuable relaxation time on looking for universities was silly, but Rarity seemed to think that it was very important and an excellent idea. So I was half-right, at least.

“It’ll be fun,” Fly tried vainly to say, but Miri was unswayed. Eventually Rarity managed to get her to consent to the idea, even if she was just going to lie there and pretend to listen. Fly had brought an exceptionally large pile of books for us to look at, enough to fill two shelves at least.

“Did the librarian let you take all of these out yourself?” Rarity asked, flicking through thick tome.

“No, so some of them are registered to the three of you. I’ll take them back soon so you don’t need to worry.”

The huge pile included a world atlas and a detailed map of Britannia, which I didn’t initially see the purpose of.

“So we know where the institutions actually are,” Fly informed me. “No point saying somewhere looks really good if it’s out in the Trottish Islands or something.”

Rarity had managed to get enthralled in a fashion magazine and Miri was reorganising her clothes, so I half-heartedly helped Fly organise the books and admired my beautiful notebook. I’d pencilled the words ‘university applications’ on the front, which made it feel more official.

“Okay everypony-” Fly began, but Miri shot her a glare. “Well, okay then, the first thing is to write down which grades you think you might achieve.” The pegasus was reading from a black book entitled ‘How To Get Into University’, so I took her words to be accurate. “Then you need to write down some ideas for subjects that you might like to pursue.” There was a pause as the three of us hastily scribbled something down and felt self-conscious.

“Now you can look down the league tables-” she pointed to a stack of books “-and match your grades to universities.”

Thus I found myself using my magic to turn the pages of a gigantic book which had details of every institution in Britannia. The league tables were organised by subject, so I started with music. I’d actually written ‘Music???’ and ‘Music-related’, but they both said pretty much the same thing. I thought I might be able to get an A and two Bs if I worked hard, so I went for that kind of level. Fly was already circling things and writing stuff down, so I was pleased to spot Rarity looking bored and Miri reading over her shoulder.

“Come on, we’re supposed to be taking this seriously,” Fly complained when she looked up. Miri had actually taken Rarity’s book and was reading something with intense concentration, whilst Rarity was just flicking through a fashion magazine and I was trying to ignore every mention of the word ‘audition’. It seemed like a lot of places wanted me to audition.

“Sorry Fly. I’m just not sure I’m very interested in going to university,” Rarity said. “I think I’ll probably just try and buy the boutique in Ponyville and run that. It’s close to my family and I’m not sure that having a degree will help very much.”

Fly thought about this for a moment. “You could get some business qualifications... plus all the ponies of high society will go to a university.” She dived into a book entitled ‘Studying Abroad’ and found a page she’d already bookmarked. “You probably wouldn’t make the cut for Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but there’s always Marevard. It says ‘if you’re looking for the lifestyle of the rich and famous, then Marevard is the place to be. Fifty percent of the current runway models are all graduates of this school.’”

“Tempting,” Rarity said, levitating the book over so she could read it. “Mixing with models would really enhance my career.”

“You should think about it.”

I stayed out of their conversation, partly because I didn’t understand and partly because hearing about Rarity being thousands of miles away for the future was making me a bit sad. I went over to find out what Miri was reading.

“Politics? Why are you looking at politics?” I asked.

The earth pony shrugged. “People always tell me that politics is just gossip, so it might be a good career.” The idea of Miri running for mayor was actually quite intriguing. She could probably get to the top through blackmail pretty easily, which was more scary than it was reassuring.

“Well, that’s a good idea,” I told her. “I’d vote for you.”

Miri made a face. “I don’t know about that. It says here that there are all kind of opportunities behind the scenes, which would probably suit me.”

“Would it involve gossiping?”

“Probably. That’s why it looks like fun,” she said, smiling happily. “Finding out all of the gossip about boring politicians might even be better than finding out about everypony at school.”

I giggled. “You’d be the most powerful mare in all of Britannia.”

“Make everypony my slaves!”

Next it was my turn to be harassed by Fly. I hate to say it, but she was starting to get pretty annoying.

“Come on Cat, have you picked out anywhere?” she asked me in a businesslike tone.

“Well, have you?” I tried, hoping to stall her.

“I have, but I’m trying to see about you. Look in the book and see if anywhere interests you.”

“But they all want auditions,” I pouted. “I’m terrible at playing for in front of anypony..”

“Now Cat, just be confident. I’m sure you could nail an audition if it was to get into somewhere you liked.” I didn’t believe this for one minute, but it did at least prompt me to go back to looking.

“So, what about you Fly? Where do you have your eye on?” I asked her. In the back of my mind I had a plan to try and find a university place near her.

“Well, I’d love to go to Oxmare... I’m thinking about applying there. Otherwise, maybe Southoof, it’s not too far from home.”

I surreptitiously looked up Southoof on the map, then started trying to find music courses in cities nearby. “I didn’t realise Plymhoof had a university,” I said. That would be as close to Fly as it got.

“Don’t you think Plymhoof is a bit far for you to go?” the pegasus asked me. Looking at the map, it did seem a very long way... much further than the trip to Buckingham. That was a bit off-putting. I looked up Oxmare, which seemed much more reasonable for travelling to. That was assuming Fly got in; Oxmare had a ferocious reputation for only accepting the best of the best. I had no chance, so I was looking for nearby cities that looked big enough to have a university.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Fly told me, noticing Miri’s sudden enthusiasm for university courses.

Now that I was out of the spotlight, I went back to gazing into space and reading a magazine while Fly interrogated Miri. She was being a bit overbearing, but it was for our own good. I just wish she’d let me have more time to let it sink in. It was a big step and I was starting to feel a little sick just from thinking about it.

“Don’t look so sad,” Rarity said, sitting on the bed beside me and putting her hoof around me. “You’ve got ages to work all of this out.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Just ignore Fly if she’s pressuring you.”

I smiled. “I will. Thanks.”

Rarity nodded. “Hey Fly, if you want to get into Oxmare, shouldn’t you already be studying for fifteen hours a day?”

Fly gave her a glare which made both of us laugh.

Unfortunately, I still didn’t really know very much about what I wanted to do when we were boarding carriages heading for the university conference, sweltering in the hottest day of the year so far.

“Okay everypony, remember; this is about finding things out, not committing to anything. Just make the most of it,” one of the dorm matrons said to us. “Try not to get lost, and be back here by two o’clock.”

My plan was to walk around with Rarity, since she wasn’t really interested in information about Britannic universities. I had no idea what I was looking for, but Fly had forced me to make a list of ten institutions I would at least speak to, so I was going to do that then have the rest of the day off.

“Wow, this is busy,” Rarity said in my ear as we entered the giant hall. It was heaving with ponies our age, who had obviously come from all over the capital. Little stands, walled off by partitions, contained ponies looking to advertise their university and hand out prospectuses.

“And warm,” I noted, realising that it was quickly going to become uncomfortably hot. A good reason to dash round and then relax outside.

“Where first?” the unicorn asked me, and I pulled out Fly’s sheet.

“Royal Institution for Music, apparently,” I replied, reading the first one off the list. “It’s actually not too far from here.”

“Oh good, we won’t need to walk much.”

“No, I mean the actual university isn’t far from this area. I have no idea where their stand is.”

We wandered aimlessly, trying to decipher a terrible map, before finally getting directions from a flustered-looking member of staff. I was too scared to actually speak to the student-y ponies at the stand, so I just sidled over and grabbed a prospectus before turning to run.

“Aren’t you going to ask them?” Rarity said, nudging me. “Ask about the auditions.”

I sighed and turned around, getting the attention of a tall mare. “Excuse me, but are the auditions really hard?”

The mare sighed. “We only take the best musicians, so they are quite tough. But if you’re up to the challenge, then you’ll get the best musical education anywhere in the country.” I nodded blankly and thanked her before retreating.

“One to think about,” I said to Rarity, looking for the next one on my list. “Hmm, Manechester... I bet that’s on the other side of this gigantic crowd.”

As the day wore on, it got hotter and hotter in the hall and I was rushing to get all ten visited to pacify Fly. The outside of the hall was full of ponies cooling off, and I wanted to join them. Rarity kept throwing the windows longing looks, and I knew that it wasn’t long before she lost patience and abandoned me.

“Last one,” I said triumphantly. “And I can see it from here. Then, freedom!”

Rarity squeezed through the crowd and grabbed the prospectus for me, and then we both bulldozed our way towards the exits into the glorious outside. It was like walking into an air conditioned building on a hot day, but in reverse.

We sat down on a big set of steps leading up to the hall and just watched thousands of ponies coming and going. More than once I spotted ponies who looked very similar to River Blossom and felt my heart flutter, but closer inspection always revealed them to be regular ponies I’d never met before. I knew that my fillyfriend was in Buckingham, and I was just being silly.

“Miri will be excited to see so many colts around,” Rarity said.

I smiled. “She’s probably hiding with one of them inside the partitions or something.”

“Knowing Miri, I wouldn’t put it past her.”

“What about your coltfriend? Is he here?”

Rarity shook her head. “He’s coming tomorrow, which is a shame. I was hoping we could spend the day together, but it’s just bad luck that his school has scheduled it for tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s not so great. When are you next seeing him?”

“This weekend. We’re going to go to the pictures and then get something to eat. I think it will be really romantic.” She ran a hoof through her purple mane and blinked.

“I hope so.”

“How’s it going with River Blossom?”

“Pretty good. I have only seen her a few times this term though. We should probably organise a proper date.”

Rarity nodded. “I guess it must be hard for you, since the colt always suggests dates.”

“It’s not really so bad. With both of us making suggestions, we actually get a lot of ideas out.” I sighed and combed my mane with my magic, wishing there was something softer to sit on than the concrete. “These prospectuses are heavy.”

The white unicorn smiled at me. “Well darling, you were the one who wanted to pick them all up.”

“Blah blah. Whatever. I just want to get them back to school so that Fly can look at them for me.”

“I think you’re supposed to look and see which ones you might like to visit.”

Fly finally surfaced from the hall, looking warm and weighed down with far more prospectuses than I’d managed to get.

“Hi Fly,” I said. “How did it go?”

She smiled. “Pretty good. I went to the talk on applying to Oxmare, and I’ve learned so much.”

“Have you seen Miri?”

“Yeah, she says she’s coming in a minute.”

I wondered what could possibly be keeping Miri, other than a colt. Probably a colt, actually.

After Miri arrived, out of breath from pushing through the crowd, it was nearly two o’clock and time to get back into the carriage. But as I looked around, I noticed that a lot of ponies were absent.

“Has anypony seen Lilypad? What about Hazy? Leafy?” the dorm matron asked, listing off twenty names. “Well, since we appear to have lost everypony, we’re going to have to wait a bit longer.”

Miri leant forward and whispered into my ear. “How about we leave our saddlebags here and make a dash for it. We can collect them back at school.”

I relayed the message to Rarity, who agreed, and Fly, who was less enthusiastic but was outvoted.

When the dorm matron was checking her list again, we jumped out of the side door and quickly joined the crowds still milling around, pleased to have some freedom. It was still warm and we were in Westmanester with the rest of the afternoon to kill. Miri whooped, but everypony gave her funny looks. We headed for the tube station and joined the rest of the population riding the trains towards the centre.

“It’s too sunny to shop,” Miri complained, looking at the map as we discussed which station to alight at.

“It’s never too sunny to shop,” Rarity replied, tossing her mane.

“I’m with Miri,” I said. “We could head for one of the parks. They’ll probably have ice cream.”

Buck’s Park was the biggest and best so we headed there, accidentally losing Miri during a dramatic train change. Once we’d found her again, we headed to the park and climbed the many steps out of the station. It was still sunny, and it seemed like the everypony living in Westmanester was out enjoying the weather.

“Let’s try and get somewhere on the big lawn,” Miri suggested as we trotted towards the nearest entrance, dashing across the road when the lights changed.

“I wish we’d brought blankets,” Rarity said. “I hate sitting on the ground.”

Fly shrugged. “It’s grass, so it’s like sitting on a green carpet.”

The other three secured the best spot to sunbathe while I bought four ice creams from the cart. It was tough to carry them back without dropping them, so the nice stallion gave me a cardboard holder for them. Didn’t stop them melting and dripping everywhere, so by the time I had rejoined my friends, the cones were covered in sticky ice cream.

“Don’t worry, I can always lick my hooves clean,” Miri said, tucking into hers with gusto. Fly was less impressed, and I exchanged a smug look with Rarity as we both levitated ours.

“Magical ponies are the best,” I said.

“Oh yeah?” Fly replied, jumping up and flapping her wings, taking off and hovering whilst she finished the ice cream cone. “Can you do this?”

Rarity giggled. “Touché! It’s actually only Miri who can’t do anything.”

Miri glowered at us, but she’d already polished off her cone and was lying on her front, soaking up the warm rays. “I don’t care what you say, I’m the best pony out of the four of us.”

The pegasus disappeared to do a quick lap of the park and stretch her wings, so I settled down to sun myself too.

“So Miri, who was that colt I saw you with?” Rarity asked. I opened my mouth to when she’d seen Miri with a colt, but she just winked at me.

“Oh, I only met him today. Pretty cute, huh?” Miri replied, and both Rarity and I burst into giggles.

“Did you kiss him?” I asked, clutching my tummy which now hurt from the laughing.

Miri smiled. “Maybe.”

“Where did you find somewhere to do it? It was heaving for the entire day,” Rarity said, sounding impressed.

“We sneaked behind the partitions at the back. Let me tell you, we weren’t the only ones with that idea. You should have come with your coltfriend, Rarity.”

“Oh, he wasn’t there today. It would have been nice if he was.”

“Are you seeing that colt again?” I asked Miri, rolling onto my side.

“I don’t know what he’s called, so probably not.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “You need to find a serious coltfriend and stop disappearing with strangers.”

“Hey, maybe I’m going to copy Cat and find a nice filly,” Miri said, winking at me. I couldn’t help but blush a little bit.

“Yeah right. You like colts too much,” Rarity replied. “Beside, what filly would go out with you? You’d tell the entire school what they were like at kissing.”

Fly returned and couldn’t work out why we were laughing. “Are you ponies just going to sunbathe for the entire afternoon?” she asked.

“That was the plan,” I replied, turning onto my other side.

“There are a few colts over there who are trying to organise some kind of mass ponyball game. I thought we could check it out.”

“Get them to play it over here so we can watch without going anywhere,” Rarity said. Fly flew off to go and ask them.

Of course, colts were more than happy to play ponyball somewhere else if it meant a group of fillies would be watching. They set up the posts and began playing near us, occasionally glancing over to see what we thought.

“The only thing better than sunbathing is sunbathing with entertainment provided,” Miri said, propping her head up on her hooves so she could watch the colts getting sweaty. “Especially when it involves colts tackling each other.”

Rarity giggled. “I’m not supposed to be appreciating this, since I have a coltfriend of my own.”

I hadn’t given colts much thought since going out with River, but I had to admit, they were appealing. “I’m sure if River was here, she’d be joining me in admiring them.”

One of the colts took off his shirt. Ponies didn’t normally wear shirts, but watching a colt taking off his shirt was somehow better than the fact that the rest of them were all shirtless anyway.

“Look at those muscles,” Miri commented. “I bet he could lift me clean off my hooves.”

“Wait, see if he tackles somepony,” Rarity added, and we kept our eyes fixed on the colt in question. He seemed content to just hang around at the back and not do any tackling though.

“Come onnn, hit somepony!” Miri yelled, making us all giggle. The noise caught his attention, and noticing that four fillies were watching him, he galloped forwards into the next tackle, taking down his friend and rolling over a few times.

“Woo! That’s how it’s done!” Miri cheered.

“You should go and ask him out,” Fly suggested.

“He wouldn’t be interested. He looks like he’s about five years older than me,” Miri replied, playing with her mane.

“I don’t know... maybe three years. Ask him,” Rarity said, squinting a bit. “He might say yes.”

“You think so?” Miri said anxiously, looking at the rest of us.

I laughed. “You spent the morning with some colt you met at random, surely this isn’t much of a challenge.”

As Miri trotted off to go and ask the colt out, Fly gave me a sharp look. “You let Miri waste her time with some colt this morning?”

“I didn’t know at the time! She didn’t tell us until later,” I protested, now lying on my back and trying not to get too much grass in my tail.

“I knew I should have made the three of you stick together,” Fly replied, sighing. “Miri can be so irresponsible.” The earth pony was now engaged in conversation with the muscled colt, tossing her mane and fluttering her eyelashes for all she was worth.

“Ooh, that other colt is quite tasty,” Rarity giggled, pointing to one of the larger ones still involved in the game. “He just ran over that other one.”

I went back to watching, keeping my eye on a good-looking cream-coloured colt who seemed pretty enthusiastic in his tackles.

“Who’s winning?” Fly asked.

“I have no idea. I don’t think I even understand the rules,” I replied, shrugging. “Rarity?”

“Oh, I didn’t even know ponyball existed until last year. I’m clueless.”

The ball escaped and came rolling over to us. I jumped up and kicked it clumsily back towards the cream colt who had come to collect it. He deftly grabbed it out of mid-air and caught my eye, smiling.

I blushed and went back to my spectating.

“That one likes you,” Fly teasted.

“Well, he should know that I’m taken,” I replied, keeping my eyes fixed on him as he returned the ball to their game. “And that my fillyfriend would be upset at him.”

“He’d probably like that even more,” Rarity said, before looking over at Miri. “Oh my, I cannot believe it. She’s actually kissing him.”

We all swivelled as one to look at her, only to find our friend engaged in a long kiss with the colt in question. “He must be at least a student, if not older,” I said.

“Probably a student. I think older guys would be more interested in how old she is,” Fly said.

“Maybe she lied and told him she’s older than she really is,” Rarity suggested.

After the hoofball game broke down due to everypony getting too hot, I had one last lingering glance at the colt who’d caught my eye and then went back to sunbathing and daydreaming about River. It was now getting on for late afternoon but it was as hot as ever.

“What time do you girls want to go back to school?” Fly asked.

I didn’t like being disturbed from my daydream. We’d just entwined our tails. “I don’t know. We’ll have to wait until after rush hour.”

That gave me at least two hours to continue my daydreams, which suited me fine.

“How about we go back when it starts to cool down?” Rarity suggested. “Assuming we can get Miri back by then.”

I lazily watched some ponies playing in the lake, wondering what it would be like to cool off like that. It would ruin my mane, of course. River would probably like it though. We could sit on the bank of the lake and paddle a bit with our hooves. That would be nice, and it wouldn’t make my mane go all frazzled and horrible. Maybe some splashing water at each other. River would look really nice when she was wet, perfect for kissing.

“Cat, are you asleep?” Fly asked, interrupting the daydream again.

“No,” I replied, opening my eyes and blinking as they adjusted to the sunlight. “What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering.”

Back to the daydream. The ponies were still playing in the lake.

“I can’t believe Miri is still with that pony,” Rarity said, watching them. “She must have lied about her age. No way a pony that good-looking would be interested in anypony our age.”

“I hope he’s only a few years older. If he’s much older, it would be a bit creepy,” Fly added.

“Knowing Miri, this will turn into a sordid relationship that finally ends with her crying all night,” I said without opening my eyes.

“Oh, I hope not. But I agree,” Rarity said. “Miri really does have the knack for finding the stupid ones. Good-looking, but stupid.”

Now River was splashing me with refreshing lake water... her eyes were locked on mine... time for some daydream kissing...

“Don’t fall asleep Cat.”

I gave Fly a hard stare.

Chapter Eleven

Buckingham High School for Fillies basked in the warmest week of the year so far, with classroom windows thrown open all across the school. Exams were rapidly approaching as April merged into May, and teachers were beginning to panic about whether or not everypony was ready.

“I know these are only mocks,” my music teacher intoned for the fifth time that lesson, “but they are very important in determining whether you get into university or not. We have to send your grades to anywhere that you apply.”

Music was most important, but I’d been acing all of the class work and I was confident I’d be able to get a high score on the test. That would be good for getting me into the university of my choice, of course, but I still hadn’t actually decided which university that might be. Fly had been to meetings with her literature teacher about extra sessions to help her get into Oxmare, so I’d been wasting my time lounging around with Rarity or River and pretending to be doing university work while she was gone, and of course pretending to do revision for my important mock exams.

“I give up,” I announced again, letting my head fall onto the thick textbook. “I’m never going to pass history.”

“You might be right,” Rarity said, levitating one of my terrible essays and examining the large red ‘D’ that was scrawled on it. “We’d been through this in detail.”

“Do you think I’ll get rejected from university if I fail?”

The white unicorn shrugged. “Ask Fly.”

“Urgh, I don’t want to ask Fly. She’ll just lecture me about how little I’ve done.”

Rarity went back to her note-taking. “Then maybe you should have done some more.”

“I’ll do it over the summer holidays. I’ll have four weeks with nothing to do but sit around and feel guilty about it, so I’ll eventually come up with something.”

“You’re supposed to go and visit places during the summer, you know. If you leave it too late, you’ll miss all the visit days.”

“But if they all want me to audition, then I’ll have to go and visit them then.”

“Now you just sound desperate to spend your summer doing nothing.”

I groaned and refused to lift my head off the textbook. “This is so boring. I can’t believe we have to stay at school until July.”

“Stop whining, Cat.”

Miri arrived to take my mind off my endless list of complaints, one of which was ‘it’s too hot here, let’s go outside’.

“Either of you want to go and sit on the lawn? Everypony else is out there.”

“It’ll be too noisy with first years,” Rarity complained, staring more intensely at the textbook.

“I’ll go!” I enthused, jumping up and packing the textbook away. “Got nothing else to do.”

Neither of us were very energetic given the heat, so our walk to the ground was lethargic.

“Did you know that the head filly elections are coming up after the exams?” Miri asked me.

“No, I’d forgotten.”

“Yeah, as soon as the seventh years leave at the end of May, we’re in charge, so we have to elect a head filly.”

“Let me guess, you’re thinking of applying.”

“Of course! I would make a good head filly, don’t you think?”

Personally, I thought that Miri would be far too distracted to make a good head filly, a role which included a lot of responsibilities, but I didn’t tell her. “Yeah, you’d be great. I’d definitely vote for you.”

“I think Minty is going to apply for it too, which would be terrible. I might need to start a smear campaign already.”

I giggled. “Won’t you get disqualified for that?”

“That’s why I need somepony like you to run it for me.”

“I’d be terrible at it. Why don’t you get some of those mean fifth years to do it?”

“Good idea Cat.”

The lawn was indeed covered in excitable first years running around and playing tag, so we headed for the more civilised areas that were usually populated by older fillies.

“So, how’s the revision? Fly nagged you to death yet?” Miri asked.

“Not yet. I keep avoiding her so that I don’t have to answer questions.”

“Good idea. She’s been on at me as well, so I’ve been staying away from the library and pretending to do work a lot.”

“She might have to work hard, but it doesn’t mean that the rest of us have to.”

Miri nodded. “Is this spot okay?”

I sat down abruptly, folding my tail away neatly. “I wonder if River is out here.”

“She’s probably revising for her exams. You don’t want her to be that one pony who fails and ends up not coming back next year,” Miri said, spreading herself out to absorb the afternoon warmth.

“True. I wish the summer would hurry up,” I sighed, staring at the single cloud that was hovering in the sky. It was moving steadily towards the sun, so a lone pegasus zipped up there and pushed it away.

“There’s some fun stuff planned before the holidays come. Once our exams are over, we have an entire month without anything to do before we break up,” Miri said. “Shame that River will be at home for it.”

I’d been making the most of the pre-exam time with River, but she wanted to revise and I wanted to procrastinate. It didn’t mix very well, so we only saw each other occasionally.

“I’ll probably see her in the holidays,” I told the earth pony. “Get the train or something.”

“Make sure it doesn’t clash with the holiday Rarity is organising,” Miri replied. “It’s been hard enough convincing Fly that she can spend a week not preparing for Oxmare.”

“No way I’d miss that,” I said, going back to staring at the sky. “All of these exams are just stressing me out.”

My last date of the year with River came at the end of the pre-exam break. I had my French mock coming up in two days and she had her real maths exam the day after. After lots of persuading, she’d finally agreed to meet me in the evening so I could at least see her again before exams and then her going home.

“Hi Cat,” she said as I opened the door to our dorm. “Shall we go?” The good weather meant that I’d planned for us to go on a romantic walk through the grounds, culminating with a picnic and watching the sunset.

“Okay,” I replied, pulling the door shut behind me. I’d gone for the simple look again, just employing a small flower clip in my mane, but River just looked as if she’d brushed her mane nicely and styled it. I was jealous of her flowing mane. “I’ve got the food, so we can just stop whenever.” I’d actually planned for us to stop in a secluded corner for some possible kissing. But I was going to just go with it and be relaxed.

“How’s the revision going?” River asked me as we left the doors of the school. It was a loaded question; she knew full well that I was doing next to nothing meaningful with my time. I tried to think of a suitable response and her eyes narrowed. “Cat, you need to do something. This can really impact your future.”

“I know! But the weather had just been making me tired.”

“That’s always your excuse. I managed to resist the good weather today and sit in the library doing practice exam questions, but you’re supposed to be doing even more important exams and you just lounged around.”

This was only partly true. I’d lounged around all morning reading magazines in my room, only getting up at gone eleven o’clock. After that I had read magazines outside for a while, before joining in with a game of rounders that went on for ages. Then I went inside for food and ended up gossiping with Miri until it was nearly time for my date. “I did try...” I lied, hoping that my pathetic expression would fool her. She just shook her head dismissively, making my envy that mane again.

“Promise me you’ll do more tomorrow?” she asked, looking into my eyes.

“Okay, I promise,” I said, now wondering how I was going to force myself to do French when there were so many magazines left unread.

We continued walking in silence. I tried to pull her tail into a twist with mine, but she pushed me away and avoided my gaze.

“I’m sorry,” I said, looking down at my hooves. “I know I’ve been useless.”

“It’s not good enough, Cat.” River stopped walking and looked at me. “I’m worrying every day about my exams and trying hard, and I know that when I get my results then I’ll know I did my best. But you’ll just fail history or something and then spend the rest of your time complaining to me about how unfair it is. And I like you too much to keep reminding you that you’ve done nothing whatsoever to prevent it from happening.”

Her words stung as she carried on walking, leaving me to my guilt. She was totally right but I hated the idea of being indoors doing work when it was so nice outside. Somehow I’d managed to resist it when it had been last year’s exams, which made a difference to whether or not I got to stay with my friends. But these were only mocks and I just couldn’t summon the energy to read my notes or practice answering questions when there was so much else to do.

“I’m sorry River,” I said. “I will really try harder from now on.”

“It’s too late Cat. If you do badly now, you’ll just have yourself to blame,” she said coldly.

That made me resolve to work twice as hard so that I would pass everything and have nothing to complain about. We carried on walking in silence, River two paces ahead of me. I was still carrying the picnic, so I thought it might be a good time to tempt her with food. Plus, the spot I had in mind was pretty close by.

“Do you want to get some food?” I asked, shaking the box a little.

“Okay.”

We sat in silence and ate the assorted cakes and biscuits that I’d brought. I wanted to apologise again, but she’d already made it clear that apologising wasn’t cutting it.

“So how was your day?” I tried.

“I spent all day in the library revising maths.”

“Do you feel okay about your exam?”

“Not really, but I’ve got another few days to revise in.”

“Oh, that’s good then.”

We went back to silence. Looked like kissing was out of the question.

“I was wondering, do you want to meet up again before the holidays?” I asked, halfway through a slice of cake. River gave me another dark look.

“I have to pass my exams. I can’t do anything until after exams, and then I have to go home.”

“No, I meant you know, maybe a few hours of relaxation when you were free.”

“I’m not free.” Her words carried a note of finality and she carried on eating without looking at me.

I felt terrible for the rest of the evening. I know that she was doing it for my own good, but I felt like I’d really messed up and that she was very upset with me. We ended up walking back in silence, and although I walked her back to her dorm room, she just shut the door without speaking to me. So much for a romantic date. I sulked all the way back to my room and did my best not to talk to anypony, although I’m sure they all knew that there was something wrong. I was torn between deliberately not working just to spite River, and doing loads of work so that I would do really well. The only thing I knew for sure was that upsetting River meant that I was guilty and sad.

In the end, I did work twice as hard as before. I even found my history notes and did a whole pile of work for that.

“Aren’t you going to go to bed?” Fly asked anxiously. I’d shut myself in our room all day and only come out for meals.

“Just let me finish this bit...” I said without looking up, completing my detailed diagram. “Two minutes.”

“I’m glad you’re finally taking this seriously,” Fly added, before hopping onto her bed and pulling out a book. “You might pass after all.”

River left at the end of her exams and went home, probably to worry as much as I had in the summer after my exams. I was stuck at Buckingham, worrying about whether or not I’d hurt her and if she was going to speak to me again. As well as whether or not I was going to be able to visit her during the holidays. At least my exams had gone as well as I could have hoped. History was hopeless but I’d expected that; the teacher was already resigned to the fact that I wouldn’t be carrying it on next year.

“Now everypony, it’s four weeks until you all go home and Buckingham finished for the summer. As you will know, the seventh years have now left and you sixth years are the most senior ponies in the school,” the headmare told us, running a hoof through her greyed mane. “There are a number of events going on that will be important for next year, so make sure you listen. Firstly, if you would like to run for the post of head filly, please give an application to your dorm matron. Voting will be next week. Secondly, the end-of-term dance will take place as usual on the last day. I expect perfect behaviour from all of you, since there will be younger ponies in attendance. Finally, sports day will be on the last Tuesday of term, and you will be expected to take part.”

Sports day was pretty much the most dreaded day of the year, possibly even more so than exams. We didn’t have to do any exercise as part of the curriculum at school, which avoided sweaty and potentially embarrassing sessions of running around, but there was the annual sports day to make up for it. An entire day of serious running, jumping and throwing, and everypony was forced to take part and humiliate themselves. It just wasn’t fair.

“Oh my. Sports day is going to be awful,” Rarity whispered in panicked tones to the rest of us. She was right. Sixth years were expected to look after the younger years all day, on top of all of the stupid running around.

“At least we’ve got the head filly elections to look forward to,” Miri reminded us as we left the hall. “I’m going to hand in an application as soon as possible, so do I have your votes?”

“Of course,” Rarity said, patting Miri’s hoof. “I’ll help with your campaign when I’m not designing our dresses for the dance. We must go on a shopping trip soon.”

“Plus then we can get swimming costumes!” Miri squealed, attracting a few strange looks from the other ponies. “I can’t wait!”

“Why do we need to get swimming costumes?” Fly asked.

“For our holiday, of course,” Rarity replied, waving a hoof dismissively. “It’s not like we can just take any old thing.”

Miri was as good as her word and had an application form filled out as soon as we got back to the dorm. “We need to come up with a catchy campaign. Something that rhymes... what rhymes with Miri?”

We all sat in thought for quite a while.

“I’m not sure anything rhymes with Miri...” Rarity said in the end, shrugging. “You should try another tactic.”

Miri looked frustrated. “Why does this have to be so difficult?”

Rarity got to work on designs for our dresses for the dance. Fly had disappeared for one of her extra literature lessons to help prepare her for Oxmare applications next year. I just lay on my bed and wondered if there was any way out of sports day. I could fake an injury, but the dorm matrons were pretty good at spotting that.

“I hate sports day,” I finally declared, but neither of my friends were listening. I just picked up a fashion magazine and brooded about how much the end of term was going to suck.

“Cat, can you help me with my posters? I need somepony to colour me in,” Miri asked, pointing to the paper. “Rarity is really artistic so she’s sketched me, but if you could just colour me in then that would make my posters look even better.”

Since I had nothing better to do, I agreed. “Do you have coloured pencils? Mine are running out and I think I lost the red,”

“Here. Be careful though, I want my posters to look the best. Much better than Minty’s, anyway.”

I started colouring in her mane over and over again, finding it pretty boring but at least it kept my mind off things. Rarity was like a machine though, and I was soon looking at a huge stack of posters.

“How many are you planning on making?” I asked, using my magic to colour her coat while I hoof-coloured her mane.

“At least one hundred. I won’t be outdone. There’s going to be a ‘vote Miri’ poster on every door and wall in school.”

My hoof was starting to ache. “How soon do I need to finish these?”

“By tonight,” Miri replied. “I’m handing in my application when the dorm matron comes around after dinner, then the entire evening is going to be taping them up. Are you up for that?”

“Why not?”

With three of us on the case (Fly was doing homework) we soon had the school covered in smiling drawings of Miri. There was nothing to be seen of Minty’s posters, so I just assumed that she was more sane and wasn’t forcing her friends into slave labour.

“That’ll show Minty. I’m going to win the election for sure!” Miri said, nearly breaking out an evil laugh, as we returned to our dorm.

“I used up an entire roll of tape,” Rarity complained. “I’ll have to buy more when we go shopping.”

“When are we going?” I asked, trying to get my mane to stop looking so awful by back-combing it with my magic. It was a lost cause.

Rarity shrugged. “This weekend, if you haven’t got anything else planned. We only need to get material and swimming costumes, so it won’t take that long.”

The glorious weather returned after its absence during the exam period, but now it was a heatwave. We vigorously discussed the merits of going into the city, where it was always hot and humid, but in the end Rarity won and we decided to go. Fly was annoyed that she would have to miss out on some more work, but once again she was outvoted.

“I’m short on bits this month, so somepony might have to help me out,” Miri said as we fussed before leaving. “I want to get a new swimming costume but the summer fashions will already be expensive.”

“I’ll help,” I said. “I’ve got a few left over from last month. You can pay me back during our holiday.”

The city was really very hot. I knew I was going to start sweating, and that was unacceptable, so we did our best to stay in the shade.

“Where do you want to look for swimming costumes?” Rarity asked. “We can go to Coltven Garden later on, it’ll be too warm at the moment.”

“I say we go to Oxmare Street,” Fly said. “It’ll probably be easiest there, plus the least walking.”

“Oxmare Street it is. I think they have milkshake bars there as well, which would be nice,” Miri added.

I laughed. “You haven’t got any bits, so you won’t be getting one.”

We ended up just off Oxmare Street, in Haywick’s on Neigh Bond Street. Miri wanted to go through the toy section, but we dragged her away and found ourselves in a sea of swimming costumes on the fourth floor. The warm weather seemed to have been boosting sales, so at least there was plenty of choice.

“Okay ponies, we can spread out and cover everything. If you see something you think would suit somepony else, then pick it up and we’ll meet back here in ten minutes.”

I had to take the side with the windows, which slowly roasted me to death as I browsed. I would be happy when I got away to an Equestrian beach with a gentle breeze and unlimited cold drinks.

I actually didn’t find anything; I’d been browsing through the one-piece swimming costumes that seemed to be made for older mares. They were all really floral and... old. So I just trotted back over to where Rarity was waiting, ignoring the sales assistant who seemed to think that she was being far too picky.

“Nothing Cat? Oh, that’s a shame. I found something for you though,” she said, holding up a zebra-print bikini that looked far too small. I felt myself starting to blush just from looking at it.

Miri had a lot in her hooves though, so we headed for the changing rooms with Fly in tow. Once they were divided up, I had four to try on. Fly only had one, but then green is a tough colour to plan for. The one that Miri had picked out seemed to suit her though, so Rarity congratulated Miri on finally having some taste.

“You next Miri,” Rarity said, handing over a bundle of material. “Try not to go for anything too red. It clashes.”

Miri had to model about ten different ones before Rarity was satisfied. Everything with even a hint of red or pink was out, so eventually she settled on a cream coloured bikini with white polka dots. According to Rarity, it was the height of fashion.

“You go, Cat. I’ll go last,” Rarity said to be, giving me a hard push into the changing room. I nearly tripped on my way in, but found myself behind the curtain looking in a huge mirror. I couldn’t work out why we needed curtains since we didn’t usually wear swimming costumes, but anyway.

I left Rarity’s choice until last, but Rarity just told me that all of the others didn’t really suit me (mainly Miri’s choices). I could never get away with wearing clothes that weren’t black. It was like I was eternally going to funerals. Blue was the only other colour that sometimes worked, but all of the swimming costumes were a sky blue that make me look like a cloud. In the end, I had to try Rarity’s skimpy-looking choice. I was embarrassed to step out in front of my friends wearing it.

“Oh wow, that one really suits you,” Rarity said, her eyes fluttering happily. “Have you ever tried zebra-print before? It’s so perfect for your coat.”

I continued to turn red. “Thanks Rarity.”

“You simply must get it. What do you think Miri?”

“It looks great,” Miri said, but I suspected she was just agreeing with Rarity.

“Okay well, it’s your turn next,” I said to the unicorn, ducking back behind the curtain. It didn’t matter if I never wore it, I had old swimming costumes at home that Rarity had never seen.

Rarity tried on a succession of purple or blue designs, but they didn’t really work. I was wondering about heading back and checking the racks again when she came out in a silver number that was just... stunning. It wasn’t an understatement to say that she would be drawing the eyes of a few colts.

“That’s so great!” Miri yelled, bouncing up and down.

“Quiet Miri. But it does look great,” Fly said, nodding. I noticed that it was just as revealing as my costume, but Rarity didn’t seem at all embarrassed.

“It’s perfect. I love it,” Rarity said happily, doing a twirl. I was blushing on her behalf, but then I wasn’t sure whether that was because of the suit or because of how good she looked in it.

I dug out the bits to pay for my suit, and handed over some to Miri for hers. I was wasting my money on the zebra print thing, since I was never going to wear it in public... or at all for that matter. Maybe River would have liked it, but now I had no idea whether or not she even wanted to see me again. I made a mental note to send her a letter or something and find out whether she wanted me to visit. The idea of a week on the beach with Rarity in that silver bikini was somehow making my fight with River less important.

After swimming costumes we had milkshakes (I had mint, which was a mistake), and then Rarity went to get material while the rest of us watched an earth pony magician who was performing on the street. He seemed to set fire to a lot of things, which was a bad idea on a day that was really hot.

“Okay, if he keeps waving that fire stick around, he’s going to set fire to everything,” Fly said. “It’s making me hot just looking at him.”

“I wonder how he does that thing where he burns off his mane and then regrows it,” Miri said.

“Maybe he has a hidden unicorn sidekick in the crowd,” I suggested. I didn’t think there was a hair-regrowing spell though.

“I’m back,” Rarity announced, weighed down with bags. “I’ve had a just great idea for your dress, Miri. It’ll look perfect when you’re accepting your Head Filly award.”

“Shall we go to a park?” I suggested.

“No, it’ll be so overcrowded,” Miri replied. “Let’s go back to school, then we can lie out on the lawn and have loads of space. We can model the swimming costumes.”

“No!” Rarity and I said at the same time, before looking at each other and giggling.

Fly stretched her wings. “Let’s at least get moving, since it’s way too hot here.” Before we left, I put a bit into the performer’s hat. He was pretty talented at not overheating, if nothing else.

There was a shock in store when we got back to school. Miri turned red with rage when we headed back to the dorm room, discovering that Minty had been round and stuck her election posters over the top of all of Miri’s.

“I’m going to kill her!” Miri yelled, pawing at the ground. “This is war!”

“Come on now Miri, we’ll get her back tomorrow when it’s not so hot. We’ve all got the day off, so we can make loads of new posters. Twice as good,” Rarity said diplomatically, using her magic to stop Miri from running off.

“We’d better. I hate that stupid pony,” Miri said, tearing one of Minty’s posters down. “They’re not even good posters. Looks like she paid a first year to draw it.”

Thankfully, Rarity’s careful words calmed Miri down, and we got to spend the rest of the day relaxing on the lawn, and we didn’t have to wear the swimming costumes. I spent my time drafting a letter to River Blossom, this time making it a lot less lovey-dovey than it had been last time. I still felt like she was angry at me, even though it was probable that she’d forgiven me a bit. I didn’t like fighting when we could make up again very easily.

“Hey Rarity, do you know which week we might go on holiday? Just so I can suggest some dates for River,” I asked, rolling over onto my back and wondering why it was so hot.

“Probably the first week in August.”

We spent all evening making posters for Miri, which spilled over into the next day. She was the most motivated, so she wandered around the school putting up her posters and left us in the room like a mini production line. The plan was to put one poster on top of Minty’s, and then two more next to it, so Minty would have to make three times as many in order to stick over the top of them all.

“Good work everypony. Only two hundred to go,” Miri said as she scooped up another stack. “I like the artwork Rarity, I think it’s getting better.”

My hooves ached from colouring. I didn’t know why Fly got to do the lettering when I had to colour. I was just as good at drawing letters as she was, but I was the pony who sat there with the crayons, wondering if the windows in our room would open any wider. With the hot spell, I was pleased that my bed was near the window.

“Hey girls, you know we’ve only got three weeks left in this room,” I said, glancing around. “Before long we’ll be packing everything up and wondering which room we’ll get next year.”

“This was a great room,” Fly said. “Much better than all of the others we’ve had. The view is just brilliant.”

“What rooms did you get in the first year?” Rarity asked, yawning while using her magic to draw Miri over and over again.

I thought for a moment. “They were all on the ground floor, right next to where the dorm matrons sleep.”

“Yeah, we always used to get in trouble for giggling after lights out,” Fly added. “Those were the worst.”

“Next year we’ll probably get one downstairs,” I said, shrugging. “Since we’re not coming back until September this time. Oh well.”

“I’ll miss the view. We loved watching you and River on your romantic walking dates,” Rarity said, looking at me. “Although I guess we can keep watching those next year.”

“You were watching?” I exclaimed, outraged. “You’re supposed to give us our privacy!”

“Oh, hush Cat. It was so sweet watching the two of you walking together,” the unicorn continued, fiddling with the curls in her mane. “We couldn’t have missed it.”

I sulked for a while, muttering about what terrible friends they all were and pressing down far too hard with the crayons.

Chapter Twelve

For the rest of the term, I was at a loose end. Rarity was always occupied with making our dresses for the end of term dance; Miri was out canvassing votes so she could beat Minty to the role of head filly; and Fly was going to her extra literature sessions, which left me with nothing to do except hang around in our room and dread sports day. To pass the time, I tried hanging around with Rarity and lending a hoof.

“You can hold the tape measure,” Rarity said warily, giving me a distrustful look. I obliged, pinning it in place with my magic, while she made the necessary cuts with her scissors. “Okay, well why don’t you look after the tape measure permanently?” she added, glancing at me. I nodded, rolling the tape up and waiting patiently for her next instruction. As usual, she was quickly engrossed in her sewing and left me sitting there for ten minutes before looking up again.

“Oh, sorry Cat. I don’t think I’ll need the tape measure again for a while.”

I went to find Miri, who was guaranteed to be more interesting to work for than Rarity.

“Hey you, if you want a head filly who works for you, vote for Miri!” she shouted at me as I walked over.

“It’s me, Miri. You don’t need to tell me.”

“Oh, sorry,” she said, relaxing and putting down the box of ribbons she was holding. “I didn’t recognise you at first. I’m so used to seeing first years at the moment.”

“How’s it going? Got many votes?”

“I think so. Lots of ponies are wearing my ribbon,” she pointed at a group of small-looking ponies, all of whom had a red ribbon tied in their manes, “and I haven’t heard any more from Minty for ages.”

“Rarity is just sewing and being boring so I came down to see what you were up to,” I explained, inspecting her ribbons. “How come you didn’t give any of us a ribbon?”

“They’re for ponies who need to be persuaded,” Miri replied. “I’ve already persuaded you so I’m not going to waste them.” I pouted at her and she giggled, before abruptly turning and shouting at a first year. “Oi you, if you want a head filly who works for you, vote for Miri!” she yelled once again, trotting over and carefully tying the red bow into the unsuspecting victim’s mane. “When the head filly voting starts, who will you vote for?”

“Um... Miri?”

“Yes! You can go.”

We trotted off towards a different area of the school, hoping to catch the fourth years as they finished their lessons. We rounded a corner and Miri locked eyes with Minty, who was already occupying the area, clutching a box of green ribbons.

“You stole my idea!” both ponies shouted simultaneously, before intensifying their fiery gazes.

“Come on, let’s just be calm. We’ll be on our way,” I said, grabbing Miri by the leg and starting to drag her in the opposite direction.

“You’re going down, Minty,” Miri said, her voice acidic.

“Not very likely, Miriam,” Minty replied, eyes narrowed. “You’d be the worst pony in the whole school to get elected.”

“I hate Minty,” Miri complained as we headed for the gardens to try and catch ponies there. “She always steals my ideas and then pretends they’re hers.”

“Well, you’ll win anyway so it doesn’t matter.”

“She just really annoys me,” Miri said sourly, sitting down heavily and sighing. “I don’t think I could take it if she were to win.”

I put my hoof around her. “Well, I’ll tell everypony I know to vote for you. I don’t know why any of them would vote for Minty anyway.”

We all had to cast our votes in the morning, which meant I couldn’t lounge around until lunchtime reading magazines. Skipping breakfast every day meant that I had actually lost a bit of weight, which Rarity was bemoaning as we headed for the voting boxes in the hall.

“I keep having to adjust the waist on your dress because of all this,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You need to go back to eating until after the dance.”

I shook my head. “I’m finally looking more like I want to. I’ll go back to breakfast when I finally reach the right weight.”

There were little pieces of card to fill in, so I ticked the box next to Miri’s name and folded it in half, before dropping it into the metal box. I hoped it helped Miri win, since she’d be unbearable to live with if Minty won. There seemed to be more green ribbons in the hall than red ribbons as Rarity dropped her vote in.

“I wouldn’t worry. Miri has been getting lots of first and second years, who voted at breakfast. It was a sea of red,” Rarity reassured me. “Of course, you’d know this if you’d got up a bit sooner.”

“No way. I like staying in bed and reading,” I grinned, wondering how to pass the rest of the day. The results were announced after the evening meal, so I had nothing to do until then.

“You can help me with my extra homework if you’re not busy,” Fly said, appearing from nowhere grabbing me with her wing. “I’ve got to learn a whole load of quotes and you can help by moving the flashcards for me.”

“You’ve got six limbs, why can’t you do it?”

“Because you’ve got a horn. Now come with me.” Actually, her grip was so strong that I didn’t have much choice, and I waved goodbye to Rarity as we ascended the stairs to the library. “Plus, if you don’t help me, you’ll just loll around in our room and get nothing done.”

“Hey! I’ve been reading.”

“Fashion magazines don’t count as reading, especially since you mainly look at the pictures.”

I was astounded when Fly got out her flashcards. There must have been thousands. I had been expecting about twenty or something, but I was sorely mistaken.

“Okay, we’re going to start with romantic poets and work our way forwards. All you need to do is show me the quote and I’ll tell you who wrote it, what work it’s from, and when it was written. Sound easy?”

“I suppose.”

“Okay, let’s do it.” She rubbed her hooves together happily and pushed the first stack over to me. I levitated the first one over to her.

“Ooh, that’s Swirly Daze, the work is The Hayseed, and the year was... I can’t remember.”

“So, how’s the coltfriend?” I asked the pegasus, resting my hooves on the table. Fly had got bored after hundreds of flashcards, so now she was carefully writing an essay. At least it meant I could just sit around, although I was supposed to be putting all of the flashcards into order.

Fly glanced up at me. “Oh, he’s fine. I haven’t really seen him much lately.”

“Oh? Problems?”

“No no. It’s just that with me being away at school and him being at his school, we don’t get many chances to meet up,” she told me, pencil scratching away. “The train is too expensive, so we’ve agreed to just meet up during the holidays.”

“A long-distance relationship. Sounds like hard work,” I commented idly, trying to get one of her spare pencils to spin on its point. “When do I get to meet him?”

Fly looked thoughtful, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of my question or because she was trying to remember some prose. “I don’t know. Maybe in the summer holidays if you come down for a visit. We could go on a double date if you invite River.”

“Probably too far for both of us to go,” I replied.

“I have no idea then.”

“Maybe it’ll be at your wedding,” I said with a smirk, and Fly blushed.

“I think it’s a bit soon to think about that.”

I went down to the dining hall with Fly after she’d packed up her books and paper. Miri was waiting for us, looking pained.

“Hi, I’m really nervous,” she said quickly, glancing around. Everypony seemed to have taken their ribbons off by now, but there was definitely an air of tension.

“You’ll do fine,” I said, hugging her. “I’m looking at the next head filly of Buckingham.”

“Thanks Cat. Have you seen Minty? I’m trying to avoid her.”

“No we haven’t. We’re going to get a table, come and sit with us. Rarity will be along soon,” Fly suggested, before grabbing Miri as forcefully as she’d grabbed me earlier in the day and dragging her over to a table. I followed, keeping an eye on the stage area where the voting boxes were.

Miri hardly ate, despite Rarity’s best efforts when she finally arrived, late. (“If you don’t eat, you’ll lose weight and then there will be two dresses I have to constantly adjust!”) Minty was sat as far away as possible, which seemed to reassure the earth pony, but she still fidgeted and kept glancing over to see whether Minty looked as nervous as she did. In my opinion, Minty looked much worse, but Miri couldn’t see that.

“She’s so calm! Maybe they’ve already told her the result?” Miri panicked, flailing a hoof and knocking over Fly’s water.

The pegasus used a napkin to mop it up. “There’s no way they’d do that. You’re being paranoid,” she soothed, patting Miri on the hoof. “Only a few minutes to go.”

Eventually the head mare got up onto the stage and cleared her throat, causing the hall to go silent. Since it was still set out for food, there wasn’t enough space for everypony to fit in, so the younger ponies had been sent away so the older ones could come in and listen for the result.

“Well, as you all know, it’s time for the results of the head filly competition. I must congratulate both our candidates on some excellent campaigns this year. Those coloured ribbons have definitely been making the corridors brighter,” the head mare waffled. Miri looked like she might explode with the anticipation.

“Anyway, without further ado, I’ll announce this coming year’s head filly. And the winner is,” she said, unfolding a piece of paper and examining it through her glasses, “by a margin of twenty-seven votes, Miriam!”

Miri jumped clean out of her seat and landed on all four hooves, emitting a whoop of happiness. Everypony else just cheered and applauded, except for Minty who looked like she’d eaten a lemon.

“Congratulations Miriam!” the head mare finished, before stepping off the stage and heading over to congratulate her personally.

Fly, Rarity and I got out of the hall as quickly as possible so that Miri wouldn’t have to give a speech or anything. Once the teachers were finished shaking her hoof and instructing her as to what she had to do next, she’d come back to the room so we could congratulate her.

“Okay, the reason I was late is because I was setting this up,” Rarity said dramatically as she opened the door. The entire room was decorated in streamers and balloons, and a large banner with ‘Congratulations Miri’ painted onto it was hanging in the middle. My bed had been converted into a kind of table for snacks, which looked delicious even though I’d only just eaten.

“What would you have done if she hadn’t won?” Fly asked as I made myself comfortable on her bed.

“Hmm? Oh, I was pretty sure she’d win. She’d pretty much got the votes of the entire first and second year,” Rarity said, re-tying a bunch of balloons deftly with her magic. “If disaster had struck, I would have just galloped back here in a hurry to clear it away.”

“Well, you did a great job,” I said, bouncing a little and levitating some crisps over. “She’ll probably be really pleased.”

“She should be! She’s the new head filly. All kinds of famous ponies are ex-head fillies of Buckingham,” Fly informed us.

“Oh wow! This is amazing!” Miri said as she stepped into the room, her eyes beginning to overflow with tears. “I can’t believe you did this for me!”

“Well, Rarity did most of the work,” Fly said quietly, shortly before the three of us were ambushed by one of Miri’s hugs.

“I donated my bed,” I added, wishing Miri wouldn’t squeeze my neck so tightly. She let go a few seconds later, then started bouncing on the spot.

“Congratulations, darling. We’re all so proud of you. Now have some snacks, since you barely ate dinner,” Rarity said, guiding Miri over to the snack bed.

Since the head filly elections were over, there was nothing left to do except worry about the upcoming sports day. As the new head filly, Miri was expected to give her first speech on the day, so at least I had a companion in my fretting.

“Okay, so I need to write at least half a page,” Miri informed me after the snacks were eaten. “But I have no idea what to write.”

“Just talk about how excited you are to do sports,” I suggested, not liking to think about it.

“No no, this is for the end of the day.”

“Then say how excited you were when you were doing sports.” Miri studiously wrote this down. “Also mention about how great you think everypony was and stuff like that.”

The sports day was only a few days away, so I began my rain dances in earnest. If it rained, they’d have to call off all of the outdoor events, which made up ninety percent of the day. I’d found an umbrella in my suitcase and had taken to carrying it everywhere and waving it around whenever I got the chance.

“Stop that Cat, or you’ll hit someone,” Fly scolded me when I was in the middle of a particularly vigorous dance.

“Hey, if she’s going to get it to rain, then leave her to it,” Miri replied. She was still writing her speech.

I developed a complicated dance routine that I had to perform five times an hour. It was actually very tiring and involved a lot of spinning, but I stuck to it. If unicorns could do magic, then earth pony rain dances could make it rain. Miri often joined me when she wasn’t worrying about her speech. Fly thought we were being foalish and Rarity was above such silliness, so it was just the two of us waving umbrellas around.

“Your dresses are nearly finished, and I think you’ll all look great,” the unicorn told us. “I know it’s not the best dance, but I think it will be fun. But you have to stop making yourselves look so stupid.”

My fervent prayers for rain came to nothing. By the time sports day arrived, the weather had taken a turn for the better, and bright sunshine and warmth greeted us as we muttered angrily about getting sweaty and looking stupid, all lined up on the school’s lawn.

“Okay everypony, you’re divided up into your coloured teams. Each team must volunteer two ponies to take part in each event, which will be divided by age,” the head mare informed us. “We’ll begin in ten minutes.”

“You’re with me,” Rarity said. We were both wearing blue headbands, which marked us as members of the blue team. Miri and Fly were together on the yellow team.

There was always a sixth year team captain, so I was eager to get them chosen so I could blend into the background and avoid doing any actual running.

“Okay, so there are only five of us sixth years,” Rarity said, after doing a quick count. “I vote Cat is captain.”

“Wait, no! I don’t want to be captain!” I complained loudly.

“You’re always saying you want to stay in shape,” Rarity smirked. I was officially voted blue team captain in a matter of moments, so I put on my best pout and ignored Rarity’s smirk.

“Everypony, you’re on my team. If we’re going to get sweaty and ruin our manes, we might as well win,” I said to my team of unhappy-looking ponies. “So I want two volunteers for every event without fail. If I have to, I’ll push you over there myself.” I pointed a hoof over towards the freshly-painted running track. “You’d be better off volunteering for the easy events than being forced to do the hard ones.”

“Well said, Cat,” Rarity said to me as everypony went back to muttering. “You definitely sound like a leader.”

“In return for you electing me captain, I’m going to make sure you have to run the long-distance race,” I said to Rarity, glaring at her. “No excuses.”

As captain, I had to volunteer myself for a number of races when nopony else would put themselves forward. I had to run, jump, throw, and practically anything else undesirable. In the hot summer sun, I was soon sweating and trying to brush my damp mane out of my eyes.

“Doing well, Cat!” Fly called out to me. She seemed to be being friendly, so I smiled and waved back before going back over to my team.

“Okay, so we’re still in second. The red team are always beating us, so in the next event we need to really beat them. Who wants to do the five hundred metres?” I asked hopefully, and predictably got no response. I sighed and flashed an unhappy glance at Rarity.

“Next up, the two mile run. Now, Rarity has kindly volunteered herself for this one,” I said, getting satisfaction in my revenge, “so let’s cheer her on with all of our blue team spirit!” Our ‘blue team spirit’ pretty much amounted to a few of the first years cheering occasionally and everypony else just sitting in the sun and gossiping. The only reaction we ever got was when somepony fell over, which caused a ripple of laughter and cheering. Somewhat unfortunately, this was exactly what happened to Rarity as she started the last lap. I was suddenly struck with horror; what if Rarity never forgave me for forcing her to humiliate herself?

The elegant white unicorn picked herself up off the ground and trotted onwards, her cheeks tinged with pink. She paused to wave at the cheering crowds with the utmost grace before continuing. At least she took it well.

“Rarity, I’m so sorry...” I trailed off, looking at her face and trying to work out what her reaction was going to be as she trotted back over. I deserved a hoof squarely in the face.

“Oh, don’t worry about it Cat. It happens to the best of us,” Rarity replied, hugging me. “Anyway, didn’t you hear them cheer? It was almost like being a famous fashion designer at a red carpet event.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at that description. “I am sorry though. I was just in a sulk.”

“Really, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, I didn’t come last, so we must’ve got a few points for the championship,” Rarity said, looking over at the scoreboard.

I turned to my team, who had gone back to gossiping. “Alright, we’re closing in on the red team, and the next event is an easy one, so I need volunteers right now. If we try, we can beat them, I’m sure of it.”

Rarity waved as Miri ran past in the current event, but Miri didn’t seem to notice. “You know what would be nice? Water,” Rarity said, sighing and trying to fan herself with a hoof. “Do you think we can get some?”

If water was required, the intrepid blue team could get it. “Okay, I need volunteers to go and get water. Anypony volunteering for this will be exempt from the next twenty events.” Now I had nearly everypony volunteering. “Okay, someone needs to fake an injury, others carry them inside, then you need to find as many bottles as you can and fill them with water and bring them back.” I hoof-picked five ponies to go, who dashed away to pull off the deception with enthusiasm.

“You know, if we actually get a load of nice cold water, the other teams will be really jealous,” Rarity said, now lounging on the grass and regaining her strength.

They were very jealous indeed. We surreptitiously enjoyed our refreshing beverages while other teams just looked hot and sweaty. None of the teachers noticed our ploy, and suddenly our athletes were looking fresher and faster. Maybe Cat, the inventive blue team captain, could lead her team to victory on the back of a bright idea? If I could just pull it off, it would go down in pony history at Buckingham. Or at least it would until the current first years were seventh years and left school.

In the end, the red team did overcome us, and my epic bid for the history books was foiled.

“Don’t worry Cat, at least it’s over,” Rarity said, hooking her hoof around my shoulders. “No more sports day ever again. Plus, at least Fly and Miri didn’t win.”

I giggled. “That’s true. Coming a close second is better than last like they did.”

“Where are they, anyway?” Rarity asked, looking around to try and spot them. “I thought they were in front of us after Miri’s speech, but now I can’t seem to see them.”

Fly and Miri had pulled a strategic move and galloped back to the room first, leaving the moment Miri was finished talking. When we arrived, Fly was standing protectively by the bathroom door, and we could hear Miri’s singing coming from inside.

“Aha! You may have beaten us at sports, but we beat you to the bathroom! Enjoy feeling sweaty for the next hour,” Fly said gleefully. Rarity sighed heavily and sat down on the floor, looking dejected.

“You know, I don’t think I will be able to get my mane back to normal before the dance,” the unicorn complained, poking at it with a hoof. “It’ll just look awful.”

Miri continued to sing loudly, so I pounded on the door with a hoof. “Hurry up in there, we’ve all got to have a turn.”

“You snooze you lose!” she sang back at me. I stamped my hooves in annoyance before turning away and storming over to my bed.

“Why is it so hot?” Fly asked, fanning herself with a wing and looking out of the wide-open windows. “It’s always really good weather at the end of term, but then once the holidays start it’ll just rain.”

“It won’t rain on our holiday!” Rarity exclaimed, before going over to the bathroom door. “If you don’t get out of there soon, you won’t be coming with us!” she yelled.

“Oh, Cat, I forgot to say, there’s a letter for you,” Fly said to me, pointing to it. “It must have been put under the door when we were outside.” I picked it up and examined the envelope, but it didn’t give anything away. Not wanting to get my bed sweaty, I sat on the floor near the windows and opened it. It was from River.

Dear Cat,

Sorry that I got so upset with you. I think it was just the stress of the exams. I’m really nervous now! If you want, we can meet up during the summer. I’m free almost all of the time, so I’d recommend sometime in August. Let me know if this is okay and I’ll get permission from my parents.

I miss you.

Love from River xxx

“Awwww! That’s so sweet!” Rarity said, reading over my shoulder. “You’re going to have a romantic summer date!”

“Maybe. I need to work out when we’re going to do it, and where we can meet up,” I replied, putting the letter back into the envelope. “I’m just relieved that she’s forgiven me.”

“If you go to her house, you could stay the night,” Miri shouted through the door.

“That would be so romantic and grown-up,” Rarity said, sighing with happiness.

“I don’t know... it would probably be awkward.”

“It would be like a sleepover with any of us, just with more kissing,” Fly giggled.

The last few days of our sixth year slipped away after that. We spent most of the time in the school grounds, enjoying the hot summer weather. Before long, it was the night of the dance, and the next day my parents would be arriving to take all of my belongings back home.

“Okay everypony, final dress check,” Rarity said, adjusting the thousands of pins in her mane. “Make sure it fits properly in all places, I can still do final adjustments. Don’t smear your make-up. It’s only fifteen minutes until we leave.”

“I think the hem has come down here...” I said, looking at the dress. Rarity bustled over and quickly sewed it up with her magic.

“Miri, hurry up and get out of the bathroom!” Rarity screeched, hitting the door daintily. “I still have to do your tail!”

I dropped a few more of my clothes into my suitcase, folding them carefully. “It’s a shame about your coltfriend, Rarity.”

“Oh yes, it is. But I’m seeing him tomorrow before my flight leaves,” she said, smiling.

“Only three weeks until our holiday!” Fly added. “I’m really excited already.”

Miri finally left the bathroom. “Okay, just my tail to go and we can leave,” she said serenely, watching Rarity’s rage rising.

Fly and I hung around near the door, waiting for Miri to be finished. Rarity absolutely had to make sure everything was perfect before we left, and I knew from experience that there would be at least two further checks on the way to the hall.

“One minute,” Fly warned as Rarity stuck three more pins into Miri’s tail.

“I think that’s done. I’ve got spare pins in my bag if anything comes loose,” Rarity said, grasping her bag tightly as if it was precious.

“Let’s go then!” I said, pretty sure that whatever happened, this dance would be a better experience than the last one.

Miri disappeared away with Fly, so I hung back to walk with Rarity. Apparently this was deliberate, because Rarity began whispering to me urgently.

“You’ve been with Fly all day and we haven’t been able to get you away from her! Her coltfriend is coming to the dance to surprise her, but we need you to keep her occupied until the perfect moment. Don’t let on and just keep her from leaving the hall, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll do my best. How long will it take?”

“I don’t know, just don’t let her leave.”

I was suspicious that this meant distracting Fly for hours, which was difficult since Fly didn’t really enjoy dancing all that much. Rarity hurried forwards to adjust something on the back of Miri’s dress before we arrived, then turned and started picking invisible dust specks from mine.

“What’s the surprise?” I whispered to Rarity.

“He’s going to meet her near the fountain with lots of flowers, and then they’re going to go on a moonlit carriage ride, I think.”

“Oh wow, she’ll love it!”

“Yes, so you need to make sure she doesn’t get wind of it.”

Throughout the dance, I did my best to stop Fly from getting bored and wandering off. Rarity and Miri had completely disappeared, and Fly kept asking where they were, so I made up a lie about Miri having some kind of dress malfunction. I think she believed me, since she didn’t go anywhere to try and find them.

“So, what do you actually do in these extra classes you’re having?” I tried asking, running out of conversation topics that didn’t involve other ponies’ dresses.

Fly blinked at me. “Well, I mainly just do extra work. Writing essays and reading books, that kind of thing.”

“Oh, wow. What kind of essays?”

“Long ones. Usually comparing two poems.”

“Interesting.”

I started to panic. I needed to use the little filly’s room, but I couldn’t possibly leave Fly by herself or take her with me. There was no sign of Miri or Rarity.

“So what’s your favourite poem?” I asked, doing my best to look interested. Fly launched into a long explanation that I didn’t listen to, spending most of my time desperately scanning the room in the hope that one of my other friends would return.

“Are you okay?” Fly asked. “I think we should go and find Rarity and Miri, they might want our help.”

“No, I’m sure they’re fine...” I said weakly, and Fly stood up and began heading for the doors.

By some miracle, Miri appeared at the door just as Fly was about to walk through it.

“Oh, hi Miri. Where have you been all night?” Fly asked. Miri looked at me, and I tried pointing to my dress.

“I’ve been... admiring the dresses of the fourth years. Really impressive,” she said, looking at me with a blank expression. I smacked my hoof into my face.

“Cat seemed to think you’d damaged your dress somehow?”

“Oh yes, of course! I did. I er, broke it. Yeah.”

Fly was now officially alerted that something was going on.

“Fly? Oh, I’m glad you’re here. I lost my necklace in the fountain and need you to get it. You know, by flying over to it,” Rarity said, saving the day.

“Okay. Why were you outside?” the pegasus asked, giving us all looks that suggested she thought we were insane. “Cat said you were inside, fixing Miri’s dress.”

“Er, I’ll explain later. Just go,” Rarity said, pushing her gently outside. “It’s urgent.”

“Alright then...” Fly grumbled, being careful not to snag her dress as she disappeared out of the doors and headed for the fountain.

We watched at a distance as Fly’s coltfriend greeted her with the biggest bouquet of flowers I’d ever seen, and then invited her to take a seat inside the silver carriage that was waiting behind him. I could see her wings flapping with happiness as he helped her up the steps, and before long the carriage was disappearing into the darkness.

“The carriage was really late, I’m sorry Cat,” Rarity explained. “You did a great job keeping her from realising what was up.”

“I’m glad it worked out. Another minute and you would have been caught,” I said, shaking my head. “Next time, tell her coltfriend to make sure he’s on time.”

We went back to the dance and spent the rest of the time discussing our relief that we’d got away without Fly noticing. The dance itself wasn’t too impressive, mainly being filled with first and second years running around playing tag. We talked about the holiday we were going on, and stuff we could remember from being a sixth year, and what we were looking forward to doing as seventh years. Our night ended when Miri accidentally unpicked a carefully-tacked hem on her dress and the entire thing unravelled, leaving Rarity in fashion agony.

Chapter Thirteen

Then, as if my sixth year had never happened, I was packing the last of my belongings into the last suitcase. The wardrobe was empty; the other three had already left, leaving promises to write and to get in contact over our planned holiday. It was just me and our room for the past three terms, which looked a lot more bare now that it didn’t have photographs tacked onto the walls, pictures of fashion models cut out of magazines and note cards containing quotes and phrases for our exams. All that was left was a pile of my suitcases and me, staring around and feeling sad that the year was over.

In six weeks I’d be heading back to Buckingham for my final year. Once exams hit in less than ten months’ time, I would leave for good. This was my last ‘last day’ before the summer, and the thought was making me a little sad. Our past ‘last days’ had always been full of hugs and jokes about seeing everypony next year. But this year, I just felt sad to be leaving it all behind. As the phrase went, my best years were behind me. I strolled over to the window and gazed out, taking in the grounds and the multitude of younger ponies streaming out to the carriages that would take them and their parents home.

A group of three ponies caught my eye. There were hugging, looking embarrassed as their parents exchanged small talk, and sharing their last moments with their friends. After a minute or so, they waved goodbye and headed for their respective carriages. They reminded me of how I’d been a few short years ago; complaining about how long the summer would feel without Fly to talk to; looking forward to my first lie-ins of the summer; wondering if maybe this summer I would find a cute colt and finally be one of those fashionable ponies with a handsome coltfriend. But that had passed now, and I was a sixth year, worrying about exams and the future.

I carefully shut the window for the last time and turned around, patting my bed as if to say goodbye to it. It seemed like no time at all since I’d bounded in on the day I’d got my exam results, quickly snapping up the best bed in the room and admiring our great view. I thought back to the first day of the year, taking in all of my new lessons and teachers and loving the idea of free periods where I could do nothing. Ignoring the painful memory of the winter dance, I moved onto the excitement of meeting River and getting a crush on her, and our freezing cold first date. So much had changed since the previous September.

“Cat? We’re here, darling. Have you got everything?” Dad asked as he entered the room. “Mum’s waiting in the carriage.”
“Okay Dad, everything’s in the suitcases,” I said, turning to look at him. “We can go.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, noticing my slightly reddened eyes.
“I’m fine. Let’s go,” I replied, using my magic to levitate a few of the lighter bags and floating them into the corridor. Dad got the rest, and once everything was out of the room, I locked it. “Remind me to hand in the key,” I asked my dad as we headed for the stairs. And just like that, my sixth year at Buckingham was over. I passed the trip home by daydreaming about visiting River and going on holiday with my three best friends.

As usual, the first part of the holiday passed in a blur of piano practice and sunbathing in the garden. I felt like I should really have done something productive, like getting on with my homework or something, but the weather was divine and I preferred to read magazines to boring textbooks. Before I really knew it, two weeks had flown by and Miri was suddenly on my doorstep, clutching two giant roller suitcases.
“Hi Cat! Are you ready to go?”

It was five o’clock in the morning, and she’d been dropped off by her parents. We were going to ride the train together to the airport, where we’d meet Fly and then head for the tropical resort of St. Ponada by plane.
“I’m ready,” I said sleepily, rubbing one eye as I dragged my suitcases out of the door. My Dad waved goodbye from behind his jumbo mug of coffee, so I waved back before shutting the front door. “Okay, we’re on time.”
“I nearly slept through my alarm,” Miri informed me as we loaded everything into a taxi carriage. “It was a close call.”

“So, are you excited?” I asked her as we got comfortable and the carriage rumbled away.
She nodded. “I really am! This is going to be the best summer ever! What about you?”
“It’s hard to be excited at five in the morning,” I replied truthfully. “But I’ll feel better once I’m awake.” The sun had risen already, but was fighting to burn through the hazy skies. Once it did, it was going to be a really hot day.
“I hope Fly is on time. I really don’t want to miss the flight,” Miri said, tapping her hooves together. “I haven’t flown anywhere before.”

Fly was waiting for us as we left the taxi. I was handling Miri’s money for the duration of the trip, since her parents had apparently not trusted her with it. After paying the driver, we grabbed our suitcases and started trundling them through the maze of the airport.
“Hot, eh?” Fly said, checking the details on her ticket against the departures board. “Almost a shame we’re going away.”
“Is it delayed?” Miri asked, looking blankly at the blinking boards.
“No, it’s on time. Let’s go and check-in.”

Miri was a bit of a nightmare. Waiting around in boring places, such as an airport’s departure lounge, was not really her strong point. We’d arrived two hours early to give us plenty of time to clear security, but we’d sailed through and ended up sitting around with ninety minutes to kill.
“You keep an eye on the bags, I’ll take Miri around the shops and keep her occupied,” I said to Fly, sighing at my bad luck. “We’ll be back before long.”
“Okay. Don’t let her buy loads of tat. Only stuff she’ll actually use.”

The lounge wasn’t busy, so Miri decided to browse everything. I was frequently telling her that she really didn’t need a travel pillow, and that we’d already packed sun hats and she didn’t need to buy more. I did let her buy a foreign fashion magazine, which was totally indecipherable but had nice pictures in it, and a yellow pen that lit up when you pressed down with it.
“Do you think the plane will make me sick?” Miri asked as we went for a bathroom break.
“I have no idea. Probably not,” I replied. “They’ll take care of you if it does, though.”
“Will you hold my hoof if it’s scary?”
“Of course.”

Miri bought a grown-up coffee from a stand, so I bought a decaffeinated equivalent and had to surreptitiously switch them. The moment we sat down with the hot drinks, boarding opened for our flight, so the two of us tried to drink scalding-hot coffee as quickly as we could without burning ourselves.
“Hurry up, you two. We’re in section C, which is next,” Fly hissed, grabbing all of our carry-on luggage. Miri’s was massive, but she was somehow allowed to take it on board.
“One second,” Miri said, trying to drink huge mouthfuls of her coffee. “I’m nearly done.”

I threw mine away, half-drunk, then went to help Fly with the luggage. I checked we all had the right tickets and that we knew our seat numbers, then they announced that section C passengers could board. Fly handled the tricky business of getting the tickets checked, but we were soon settling into our allotted seats and trying to work out how the in-flight entertainment worked.
“Read your magazine before take-off,” Fly advised Miri. “You might get a headache if you read it once we’re moving.”
“I can’t read it,” Miri replied, pointing to the strange characters that all of the text was written in. Fly gave me an irritated look.
“Hey, it’s better than nothing,” I replied, shrugging. “Anyway, once we’re airborne, I want to catch up on some sleep.”

Fly kept Miri quiet whilst I slept for a few hours, catching up on the early morning. The shift in time-zones was easiest to deal with by staying up late once we’d arrived, Rarity said, so I didn’t have a problem with a power nap. I woke up in time for lunch, which was a hard lump of some kind of vegetable in a weird-smelling sauce, so I choked down half of it and filled up on the complimentary drinks. Fly finished all of hers, but Miri refused to touch it and kept asking for more of the warm bread.
“Do you want to play a game?” she asked the two of us once our lunch was cleared away.
“What game?” Fly asked, sounding weary.

Miri explained it to us, and it seemed to involve a lot of messing around with pieces of paper. We tried it, but Fly lost a sheet of paper somewhere under her seat and it collapsed.
“Try getting some sleep,” Fly said to Miri, handing her the pillow I’d been using. “You’ll feel more refreshed when we arrive if you’ve got plenty of sleep.”
Once she was asleep, Fly and I contented ourselves to watch a film on the entertainment system; the little display thing said that we were only two hours from St. Ponada, so once the film was over, we’d be nearly landing.

“Are you looking forward to it?” Fly asked me, looking away from the film.
“What? The holiday?” I moved my head and my headphones fell out, so I just ignored them. The film wasn’t that good anyway.
“Yeah. I’m a bit nervous about going on holiday without my parents,” she confided. “What if something goes wrong?”
“We’re only a couple of hours by plane from Ponyville, so Rarity will have everything covered,” I replied. “Just try to relax.”
“Okay. Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Will you really wear that zebra-print bikini on the beach?”

I giggled. “I seriously doubt it. It’s a bit revealing.”
Fly sighed in relief. “I’m glad you agree. If you’d said you were going to wear it, I was going to tell you not to. I hope Rarity doesn’t wear hers either.”
“I packed it, to keep Rarity happy, but I’ve got three others that I prefer. You’re safe,” I said, nudging her.
Fly nudged me back. “I can’t believe you bought it! I would die of shame if I wore it in front of anypony.”
“What about your coltfriend? I’m sure he would appreciate it,” I smirked. Fly just blushed and went back to the film.

Rarity’s flight from Equestria arrived earlier than ours, so when we stepped off the plane into the tropical heat, she was waving from the arrivals lounge.
“It’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed, pulling us into a group hug. “I hope your flight was okay.”
“Pretty good, yeah,” I replied, glad that Miri was still sleepy and not yet getting over-excited. “Yours?”
“Good also,” she said, waiting with us as we searched for our bags on the luggage conveyor. “I have directions to the hotel, so we can either get a taxi or try the shuttle bus.”

One taxi ride later, we were settling into our rooms at the plush hotel. I was sharing a room with Fly, and Miri was sharing with Rarity. We were relieved, since we could hear Miri getting more and more worked up as she discovered the various features of the hotel.
“There’s a free ice machine! Can we get some?”
“No, Miri, we don’t have a drink to put ice into.”
“Then can we get a drink? There’s a vending machine just down the hall! It has all kinds of drinks that I’ve never even heard of!”
“It’ll be expensive. I’ll get you something when we go out later.”

The tropical climate was sticky and humid, so Fly and I took quick showers before we headed down to the hotel lobby. We were going to go and find some dinner in a restaurant nearby, before making a quick trip to scout out the local beaches.
“What kind of food are you ponies in the mood for?” Rarity asked. She had donned a large pair of sunglasses, and I wished I’d remembered to wear mine. The sun was setting and starting to get low enough to be blinding.
“We’ve got the whole week to try everything, so I don’t mind,” Fly replied. “How about we try this Neighponese place?”

The air conditioning was heaven, so we decided not to face going back outside and just got a table near the window. A bored-looking waitress sauntered over with a forced smile and took our orders in a hurry. I couldn’t decipher the menu fast enough and ended up pointing to a picture of an orange dish and saying I wanted it.
“And we’ll have four lemonades, please,” Rarity said, “I think we need it in this weather.” Apparently the weather was not of any interest for the inhabitants of the island, so the waitress just disappeared without any comment.

“Talking about the weather! You ponies have converted me to your Britannic ways,” Rarity complained, giving Miri a friendly poke.
“It’s hardly surprising after three years,” I replied.
“It makes you sound sophisticated and glamorous,” Miri reassured the unicorn. “When you’re back in Ponyville, I bet everypony there is jealous.”
Rarity gave this some thought. “I think you might be right, actually. Some of them can be rather... backward.”

Our drinks arrived, so we gulped them down in a hurry.
“I’m sweating,” Miri said pathetically. “Tomorrow I’m going to keep showering until I’m immune, or something.”
“Don’t get too hot,” Fly warned. “If we’re going to the beach, we should really find somewhere with shade.” As she said it, our food arrived. I looked with some disdain at the rubbery orange slices that were placed in front of me, accompanied by a strong smell of seawater.
“Ooh, I didn’t realise you were ordering sea vegetables!” Rarity said to me, looking jealous. “They’re my favourite.”

Having never eaten sea vegetables, I didn’t know what to expect, but my first mouthful revealed that they mostly tasted of salt, which wasn’t really very appetising. I let Rarity pinch a few of them, feigning annoyance.
“You can have some of mine if you like,” she told me, letting me try some of the bright yellow flowers she was eating. They didn’t really have a taste, so I was happy to munch on them instead of my strange sea vegetables.

After we’d eaten (and I’d had another drink to wash the taste out of my mouth,) we headed for the sea, stopping only to get a couple of drinks cans from a roadside vending machine. I shared with Miri for a change, and ended up having most of the can.
“Isn’t it pretty!” Fly said as we turned a corner and found ourselves on the beach. “It’s so blue.”
“And the sand is really white... at home it’s always a dirty yellow or brown,” Miri added, drawing a giant heart with her hooves. “I can’t wait to come back tomorrow when it’s sunny.” The sun was slowly setting on one side of the beach, casting long shadows across the sand. I kicked through Miri’s heart and giggled.

We walked down the beach, heading for our hotel. Miri insisted on a quick paddle, but ended up with sand stuck all over her hooves.
“You’d better clean every last speck of sand off your hooves before you go back into our room,” Rarity said sternly. “I’m not having sand everywhere for the next seven days.”
“This was a great idea for a holiday,” Miri said, trying to redeem herself. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“You’re welcome. I’m just glad that I actually get to see you ponies this summer, instead of sitting at home bored for six weeks,” she replied. “It’s the only good thing about being at Buckingham.”

“Being a seventh year will be the best year yet,” Miri said. “Not only do we have a short year, but with me as your head filly, I’ll be making all of the decisions. I could probably get us the best room in the entire school.”
“I doubt it. I think you pretty much just have to make a bunch of speeches,” Rarity told her. “Don’t get too excited.”
“I don’t care. It’s going to be fun,” Miri said, trotting ahead of us.
“We do get a lot more responsibility next year,” Fly said. “We get more free periods, and we get to organise things like the Winter dance.”

I had no opinion. In reality, I was feeling a little bit down about the fact that this would be the last year with my friends, but I didn’t want to share that thought. Instead, I just shrugged.
“Well, I’ll have my work cut out making you all dresses,” Rarity said, stalking off after Miri. Fly just smiled at me as our hotel came into view.
“You know that Miri’s never going to get all that sand off,” I said to the pegasus. “Rarity will be complaining all of tomorrow.”
“Oh, I know. We should never have let her go into the sea.”

We spent the entirety of the next day on the beach. Because of the jet lag, Fly and I had woken early and decided to put it to good use by securing nice spots on the beach. Rarity and Miri joined us later, complete with breakfast.
“I’m so glad we can just relax. All of those exams really took it out of me,” I said, stretching out on my towel once I’d finished my food.
“I remember you hanging around in the room, refusing to pick up a textbook,” Fly reminded me. “It’s only thanks to River that you did any work.” She paused, taking in my blank expression. “Have you organised any visits to universities?”

This triggered my guilt. Since nopony had been nagging me to get on with it, I’d just ignored the idea of organising visits and put it to the back of my mind.
“Er, not exactly,” I said, looking shifty. “I got sidetracked.”
“By what?”
“Piano.” This wasn’t entirely untrue, but it left out the hours of reading magazines and sunbathing. Fly didn’t let me get away with it for even a second.
“Cat, this is your future. You need to get on with it.”
“I know,” I complained, rolling onto my back. “I’ll organise something once I get back.”

“No you won’t. You’ll see River and that’ll take up an entire week, then you’ll finally start your homework, and then school will start again and you won’t have done anything.” Fly’s tone was serious, so I sighed. She knew me too well.
“Okay, so maybe I haven’t started my homework yet. But I will,” I said, trying not to sound hurt. “Soon.”
Fly rolled her eyes. “It’s for your own good. If you don’t get all of the information, then you’ll make a bad choice and regret it.”

“So where have you visited?” I asked, deflecting the topic. I was in the mood to relax, not to be criticised.
“I’ve been to Oxmare and three others already. I’ve got four more booked after this week, and I’ll probably take some time off school in the autumn to visit others, if I haven’t chosen five,” Fly said. I detected a hint of smugness in her voice.
“Wait, you can take time off school for visits?” I asked. This was news to me; if it meant getting out of lessons, then I was going to schedule all of my visits for the autumn.
Fly’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Most places have their official visit days during the summer.”

But she’d lost the battle. I was already making mental plans to go visiting on days when I had the worst lessons. I could practically feel Fly’s exasperation, but she abandoned me and went back to her book, stretching her wings out to provide some more shade.
“Hey, Cat and Fly, I’m going for a swim, want to come?” Miri said, jumping to her hooves after the allotted hour-after-eating was up. Fly nodded and put her book down again, but I shook my head.
“Maybe next time. I want to get a bit more sun.” Miri just nodded and disappeared down the beach at a gallop, leaving Fly to chase after her.

“What happened to that swimming costume I picked out for you?” Rarity asked from behind her sunglasses. “You did remember to pack it, right?”
I could feel a blush rising, so I looked at the ground. “Yeah, I just thought I’d wear it another day.”
“Oh, good idea. We can wear them together one of the days!” the unicorn enthused, poking me with a hoof. “Everypony on the beach will be jealous.” I didn’t reply, preferring to stare at my towel and not think about the swimming costume in question. It was carefully hidden at the bottom of my suitcase, and I had been hoping that Rarity would forget.

My nightmares were realised on the morning of the third day.
“I’m going down to get breakfast. Cat, Rarity says she’s going to wear her swimming costume today, so you should wear yours,” Miri informed me as she poked her head around our hotel room door. “She also says you should wear it under something when we’re getting breakfast.”
I looked at Fly, panicking, as Miri shut the door. “What should I do? I can’t wear it.”
“Try it on. I saw a few swimsuits like that at the beach yesterday so maybe it’ll be okay,” Fly said. I puffed out my cheeks and then nodded. It had been a long time since I’d last worn it, so maybe it wasn’t as bad as I remembered from the shop.

Oh no, it was much worse. Once I’d put it on and shown Fly, she turned a deep shade of red and began mumbling.
“Oh come on, just tell me,” I said, spinning around.
“Um... it’s more revealing than I remembered,” the pegasus said, averting her eyes. I trotted over to the mirror and then cringed, trying my best to cover up with my tail.
“I can’t possibly go out in this. I’ll never get married,” I said, but Fly had hidden herself in the bathroom.
“You could talk to Rarity,” Fly said through the door.

I threw a towel over myself and then went into the hallway, knocking on Rarity’s door. “It’s me, please open up.” I glanced around, expecting somepony to come along and embarrass me. Nopony did, and I leapt inside the moment that Rarity opened the door.
“What is it, darling? You look distressed,” Rarity said. She wasn’t dressed in her swimming costume, thankfully. I pulled off my towel and turned around.
“I really can’t go out like this,” I said, hoping that she would have the same reaction as Fly. “It’s just not...”

“Just not what?” Rarity asked, apparently entirely unembarrassed by the unrestricted view of me. “I think it really complements your coat colour.”
“It’s...” I started, but I was just flabbergasted that she couldn’t see it. “I think...”
“Shall I put mine on, and we can compare?” Rarity suggested, reaching for her own ensemble. She slipped into it before I could reply, and I realised just how great it had really looked on her. The silvery material seemed to enhance certain features, and I found myself blushing furiously and trying not to stare.
“See? It’s really no different,” Rarity said, giving me the rear view and almost giving me a nosebleed.

I somehow lost the will to complain after that, so I ended up putting on a summer dress to cover up the zebra print nightmare and making my way down to breakfast. I was sure that I would die of shame if I wore it on the beach, and I’d lost my appetite by thinking about it.
“Come on Cat, eat something. At least have a drink,” Fly said, but she knew what I was occupied with. Miri seemed clueless, and I had no desire to tell her.
“I think I’m going to go back to the room and put on bug spray,” I said, losing my nerve entirely. Before anypony could protest, I jumped up and headed for the stairs.

Once back in the room, I locked the door and took off the dress. In front of the mirror, I did my best to justify it. From the front, it didn’t look so bad. In fact, there was so little of it that you might not notice it at all. From the side it was passable. No worse than some of the swimming costumes I’d seen at the beach before. But from behind... it was intolerable. I couldn’t believe I’d even put it on. I should have been stronger and told Rarity I didn’t like it in the shop. It was just awful. I turned around again so I was looking at the front, and tried to convince myself that nopony would see. Maybe if I just kept the dress on all day and never went swimming.

We arrived on the beach and I laid my towel out like usual, lying down on it and getting the first sun of the day. A sideways glance at Rarity revealed that she was still wearing her clothes, so I didn’t need to panic yet.
“Are you still wearing it?” Fly whispered to me.
“Yes... I can’t let Rarity down, but then I really don’t want to be seen in public with it on,” I said, burying my face in my hooves. “I just don’t know what to do.”
“Just talk to Rarity.”
“I can’t! I said I liked it. I tried talking to her in the room, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.”

Fly looked thoughtful. I was practically having a panic attack at the thought of taking the dress off.
“How about I talk to her for you?” Fly suggested.
“Really? You’d do that?” I gushed, suddenly feeling relief. “That would be perfect.”
Fly beamed at me. “Leave it to me.” She got up and trotted over to Rarity, so I looked away and waited for my ears to burn. I was so lucky to have a friend like Fly to look out for me. Maybe I wouldn’t have to suffer the shame of wearing the swimming costume after all.

A shadow came over me, so I rolled over and squinted up at the pony causing it. It was Rarity.
“If you didn’t want to wear it that much, you should have just said so,” Rarity said to me in a gentle voice. “I’m not so scary that you can’t disagree with me, am I?”
“No, it’s just... I don’t know,” I replied, smiling. “I’m useless.”
“I understand. It’s a shame, since it suits you so well, but you should only wear what you’re comfortable with. Do you want me to go back to the hotel with you so you can change?”
I pulled her into a hug. “It’s fine. I’ll go back at lunchtime.”

With a much more modest outfit I could really enjoy the afternoon on the beach. Rarity, Miri and I decided to go for a swim during the hottest part of the day, leaving Fly to shelter in the shade and watch our things. Of course, this meant that Rarity could show off her costume, which seemed to be even better on the beach that it had been in the hotel room. Miri seemed oblivious (she had eyes only for the lifeguards doing drills) but I could feel my pulse racing as I deliberately followed Rarity down the beach, getting the best view. I felt a little guilty for doing it, but I was rewarded. When the water hit me, though, I did wonder what River might have thought if she knew what I was doing.

There were more than a few stares from various colts on the beach as we played in the sea. We did our best at ignoring them though, even when we were towelling off and a few of them had the nerve to actually walk past a few times to get a closer look.
“I think I’ll take a nap. Wake me up in an hour or so,” Rarity said, putting her clothes back on, much to the disappointment of most of the beach (including, I am sorry to say, myself).
Fly giggled, whispering to me again. “I don’t think there was a single pony on the beach who wasn’t staring when the three of you came out of the water.”

Seeing Rarity in her swimming costume unlocked some kind of gate for me. For the rest of the day, I couldn’t help but stare at her, even when she was wearing clothes. All through dinner I was trying to catch glances of her, and I was rewarded when she dropped some coins when paying. The problem was that I felt terribly guilty for it. Fly could tell something was up, so she asked me about it once we were lying in the dark, trying to sleep.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I just keep staring at Rarity and I don’t know why.”
“Maybe it’s just because you like fillies and she’s attractive?” Fly suggested.
“I think so. That swimming costume just... did something to me.” I sighed, turning over and getting my sheets tangled in my hooves. “I’ve been obsessed all day.”

Fly went quiet for a bit before speaking. “Do you need to... you know. Do something. To yourself.”
I went the brightest red I think I had ever gone, which included the time my mum had tried to have ‘the talk’ with me. “Oh no, no, no, definitely not. No.”
“I mean, I can go for a walk or something,”
“No. No. Stop talking.” My face continued to burn.
“Okay.”
We both lay in silence for a while, then I had an irresistible urge to laugh. I ended up having a fit of giggles, which Fly joined after she got over her shock.

“You two seem happy,” Rarity commented at breakfast the next day. The two of us had been laughing about it when we were getting up.
“We just saw somepony funny out of the window,” Fly said, shrugging.
“Ooh, what were they doing?” Miri asked.
“Balancing a ball on their nose?” I tried, and the earth pony seemed disappointed. I caught Fly’s eye and we giggled again.
“Whatever,” Rarity said dismissively. “You and your giggling.”

Special Chapter 1!

Special Chapter One

“Hey Miriam,” a nasty-sounding voice said. Its owner was glaring across the lunch table at a brown-haired earth pony who looked up at the mention of her name.
“What is it, Minty?” Miri replied, not rising to the bait. She continued forking hay into her mouth and acted disinterested in what Minty had to say.
“I’m glad I caught you with your annoying little friends,” Minty sneered, looking down at Fly and I. I hid my face behind a curtain of limp mane. Minty was a bully and I didn’t like her. I could see Fly getting nervous.

Miri shrugged. “Get on with it or go away.”
“I heard from our French teacher that your special trio will soon be four,” she said acidly. “Yeah, that’s right, they’re assigning somepony to live with you this year.”
I looked at Fly, but she seemed as clueless as I was to this development. We let Miri do the talking.
“Well then it’ll just be one more pony who’s my friend and not yours,” Miri said curtly, before tidying up her lunch tray and looking towards the exits. This put Minty off, and she just tossed her mane and stalked off to her own table.

“Somepony living with us?” I asked Fly. “How come we haven’t been told?”
“They said that since there were an odd number, we’d just have the extra space,” Fly replied. “I didn’t know anything about reassignments.”
Miri smirked. “Oh, it’s not a reassignment. It must be a new pony joining,” she informed us. “Some of the fifth years told me it happened to them.”
“A new pony,” I mused. “I wonder if she’ll be nice.”
Fly had never liked meeting new ponies, and having one move into our room was probably going to be a bit of a shock for her.

“Don’t worry, she’ll probably be great,” I tried to reassure the pegasus as we walked to our next lesson. “Last time you met new ponies, you met me, so it can’t be all bad.”
“I suppose. I just wish they’d told us sooner,” Fly said, looking at the floor.
“She’s probably joining for this year,” I guessed, “So she must arrive soon.” I tugged at my mane again, trying to iron out the split ends.
“I don’t like Minty,” Fly said, a smile finally returning to her face. “She’s always so mean.”
“I heard that her older sister is just the same,” I added as we joined the queue outside the classroom. “They’re only ever nice to each other.”

The official announcement of our new room-mate came that evening. The dorm matron bustled in as usual to make sure we were all in bed and ready to go to sleep before revealing it.
“She’s arriving tomorrow evening, so please clear the extra bed and be welcoming to her. As you know, you’re starting work for your formal exams so she might find it a big adjustment.”
“Where is she from?” Miri asked, and I pricked up my ears.
The matron patted the bottom of Miri’s blanket. “She’s flying in from Equestria.”
Of course, Miri had spread the news by breakfast the next morning. It wasn’t everyday that a new pony joined our year, especially not one who was Equestrian. We spent breakfast speculating.
“I hear they all play sports in Equestria,” I said, hoping the other ponies would listen. “She’ll probably be really athletic.”
“Yeah, and their schools are the best. I applied to get into Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but their entrance exam was way too hard,” a pony at the other end of the table boasted. “If she’s been somewhere like that, she’ll be top of the class.”

Miri raised a hoof to get attention. “Equestrians are always loud. So expect her to be gossiping nearly as much as me.”
I giggled a little. Miri gossiped enough herself, she didn’t need a partner in crime.
“I hear they all have perfect teeth, like little rows of shiny metal,” somepony else said.
“Maybe she’ll only want to eat Equestrian foods,” Fly said quietly.
“Well, who would want to eat our school dinners?” Miri replied, looking forlornly at the remains of her breakfast.

At lunchtime, we had special permission from the dorm matron to make a welcome banner for our new friend, and to clear her bed and some wardrobe space. Neither Fly or I had very many clothes, so we just gave up some of ours.
“I’ll clear her bed of my biscuits in return,” Miri said, pulling packets out from seemingly everywhere. “Shame we’ll lose such a perfect hiding place.”
“Try the back of the wardrobe. They stopped checking there last year,” Fly said, helping the earth pony transfer everything.

I spent my time carefully painting the banner. It said ‘Welcome to Buckingham’, but with every letter painted a different colour. I had found out that yellow didn’t show up very well, so I had to go back over all the yellow letters in purple to replace it.
“I hope she’s nice. I really don’t want to have to share a room with another Minty,” Fly said in a whisper.
“Nopony is as stupid as Minty,” Miri reassured her. “And if she is, I’ll see to her.”
“She won’t be,” I added, looking at Miri. “She’ll probably be really nice.”
Fly nodded but didn’t seem convinced.
“Come and paint the red letters, Fly. It’ll take your mind off it.”

The rumours about who the new pony was had spread like wildfire, and after lessons finished we found a small crowd of fourth-years crowding around our room.
“She’s not here yet,” Miri yelled, pushing her way through the crowd. “Nothing to see!”
I followed her, trying not to trip over anypony’s hooves. From somewhere in the crowd I hear a pony say “I heard she’s the richest pony our age in the world,” so her friend replied “No, she’s actually a supermodel who’s been in all of the magazines.”

I seriously doubted both of those, but if she did turn out to be super-rich, she could buy all kinds of nice things for our room. I’d always been jealous of a pink lava lamp that the ponies next door had.
“Go away!” Miri shouted at the crowd before firmly shutting the door behind her, turning to face Fly and I. “Those ponies are so silly. They always exaggerate everything.”
“You probably caused this,” I said, shaking my head.
“Whatever. Hey, can you help me with something?” Miri asked me, beckoning for me to go into the bathroom with her. Mystified, I followed, glancing quizzically at Fly as I did.

“I want to make a big impression on our new friend, so...” Miri said, pulling out a carrier bag. “I bought this!” In the carrier bag was a packet of red mane dye.
“Red dye? You’re going to dye your mane?”
“And tail. Brown is so boring, I really want a change,” Miri explained, opening the box. “Can you help me? She’ll be here in a few hours and I want it to be perfect.”
“Are you sure? Isn’t this against the rules or something?”
“No, I checked. Come on, please?” She fluttered her eyelashes, which made my laugh, and she took that as a yes.

I had never used dye before, so I just made sure we carefully followed the instructions on the packet. I’d heard horror stories about it turning blue, so I consoled myself with the thought that Miri would probably like it blue.
Once it was done, Miri stayed behind to style it the way she wanted, and I went to explain the situation to Fly.
“It’s all done now, so she’ll be out in a minute,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“We should probably wait outside for the new pony. The dorm matron came by and said she’ll be here soon, and shooed the big crowd,” Fly told me.

But as soon as we opened the door, an even bigger crowd surged forwards, craning their necks to get a look into our room.
“She’s not here!” I said, waving my hooves. “Still hasn’t arrived.”
There was a sigh of disappointment and the other ponies went back to their muttering. Fly and I headed for the stairs, which were lined with ponies hoping for the first glimpse.
“There’s a carriage pulling up outside,” somepony said. “It must be her!”
Everypony crowded around the windows to get a look, but it turned out to just be a mail delivery pony with a package. Fly was starting to get nervous again, so I held onto her hoof tightly.

Our salvation came in the form of a whole team of dorm matrons storming up the stairs. The first one must have brought back-up.
“Okay, everypony who is not supposed to be here, get back to your room or there will be detention tomorrow lunchtime. You have one minute to be out of the corridors,” the biggest, meanest-looking matron yelled. Everypony mumbled in disappointment and began making their way back to their rooms. Fly and I headed back as well, planning to wait just outside.

“Hi girls,” our matron said, giving us a friendly smile which seemed to reassure Fly. “She’s been having a meeting with the headmare and she’s just on her way now. Is your room tidy?”
“Yes,” I replied truthfully. “Is she nice?”
“She seemed to be when I met her. Just wait and see,” the matron said, winking.
We turned to look at the stairs, and up them came a few large suitcases, accompanied by the headmare and a unicorn with an intricately curled purple mane and tail.
“Here’s your room, and your new room-mates. Here’s a key,” the headmare said to her. “I’ll leave you in their capable hooves.”

Fly was shaking a little bit, so I put my hoof around her as the new pony approached. She looked just as nervous as Fly.
“Um, hello,” she said, pawing at the ground with a hoof.
“Hi. What’s your name?” I tried, admiring her mane.
She smiled weakly. “I’m Rarity.” When she said her name, her accent became more obvious. Definitely Equestrian.
“Well I’m Toccata and this is Fly Leaf, but you can call us Cat and Fly,” I said politely. Fly turned and went back into the room, leading Rarity in.

Miri jumped out from the wardrobe, giving both Fly and Rarity a huge fright. Fly ended up hovering near the ceiling. My indignation took over from my nerves and I gave Miri a harsh look.
“Hey, Miri! Don’t be mean,” I said sharply. “This is Rarity.”
“Hi! I’m Miriam, but everypony calls me Miri,” Miri said, disregarding my advice and pulling Rarity into a hug. “Your bed is next to mine.” She pointed as Fly came down from the ceiling and settled on the bed next to mine.

“Thanks,” Rarity said, setting her suitcases down and looking around the room.
“The bathroom is there. We’ve cleared some of the wardrobe for you, too,” I told her, doing my best to smile at her and make her feel at home.
“Oh, good. I have a lot of clothes,” Rarity said. However, we were not expecting the huge pile that she began pulling out of suitcases and laying on her bed.
“Um... need a hoof?” I asked, taken aback by the volume of clothing.
“That would be nice.”

Only belatedly did I notice that Miri’s mane and tail were definitely red. We had done a good job, and it actually suited her a bit. She’d get bored and go back to brown before long, but that didn’t matter.
“Okay okay, you need to tell us everything about you,” Miri said, bouncing on her bed. “Everything. Then we can fill you in on the three of us.”
Rarity giggled. “Oh, before I forget, I brought over some magazines from Equestria. I don’t know if you like reading them.”

Miri and I stared at the fashion magazines like they were made of solid gold. Equestrian magazines were rarer than pink bananas in Britannia, and suddenly our new friend was giving them to us to read!
“I think we’re going to get along,” Miri said happily, grabbing the first one from the top of the pile.
“I can’t wait to go shopping in the capital. I’ve never been before and I’ve heard they have such great shops,” Rarity said, using a hoof to re-curl the tips of her mane. “You’ll have to show me all the best places.”
Miri fell onto the floor with a thump.
“We will, don’t worry,” I assured her. “And ignore Miri. She’s a bit excited today. Do you want me to show you around the school tomorrow?”

Chapter Fourteen

“Cat, darling, have you got a minute?” Mum asked, poking her head around my bedroom door. I was just idly flicking through a magazine and wondering what to do, so I shrugged and smiled.
“Yeah. What is it?”
Mum sat next to me on my bed, her lips drawn into a serious smile. “Well, your father and I were talking.”
As usual, millions of possibilities flashed past my eyes. Please let it be that we were moving house.
“Well, you’re going to start your final year at Buckingham in a week, and it’s very important that you work hard.”

“Okay...” I said, not sure where this was leading.
Mum tried a sympathetic smile this time. “Are you okay at Buckingham? We’d be happy to let you attend a local school if you thought it meant you could concentrate better.”
“No, no, Buckingham is great,” I said, trying to cut her off. She carried on regardless.
“Or, we could move you to a different boarding school. There are a few with really good credentials, could help you get into a top career.”
“No Mum. Buckingham is fine. It suits me.”

She nodded. “Well, if you’re sure.” I smiled at her, glad the ordeal was over, but she didn’t budge.
“Now, Cat, have you given any thought about what you might want to do after you finish school?”
I had, of course, but I didn’t really know how to reply. I wasn’t sure what she was expecting. “Er, yes. A bit.”
“Well?”
“Well, I was thinking about maybe going to study music. At a music school, or something,” I tried, hoping it suited her because it was pretty much the sum total of all my thinking.
“That sounds acceptable. Does the school give you any advice on achieving that?” Mum asked, patting my leg with her hoof.

“Er, yes. There’ll be lots of stuff once I go back. Plenty of help,” I said, assuming it was probably true. “I just have to pick places to apply to.”
“Oh, your father will be able to help with that more than me,” Mum said, sounding relieved. “I was worried you didn’t have any idea what you wanted to do. I wouldn’t want you to drop out or anything.”
Ignoring the extra pressure that Mum had just given me, I smiled back at her. “I’ll probably have a clearer view during the next holidays,” I explained, glancing at my magazine.
“Well, you could as if you know what you’re doing,” Mum declared, getting up and heading for the door. “Do speak to your father about selecting places to consider.”
“Thanks Mum,” I said, returning to my magazine and listening to her shut the door.

After a week of sun on holiday, I’d found myself getting bored at home. Fly had urged me to get on with visiting universities, but I ignored her and just lounged around the house. She was right of course; the deadline for applications was less than six months away and I still had to go to auditions. Nearly all of their visit days were gone and I was only procrastinating because I didn’t want to face up to the idea of having to audition. The one thing I hated most was performing in front of other ponies, and an audition was like the ultimate refinement of this. I’d even flirted with the idea of doing a subject other than music, but I didn’t like my chances of getting in.

We’d get the results of our end-of-year tests when we went back to school. I was already convinced that I would be dropping history, but we were supposed to have a meeting with a member of staff to confirm which subject we were discontinuing. There was a nagging concern at the back of my mind that this meeting would be used as an opportunity to ask me about my university applications and visits. I had half a mind to just lie and pretend I had visited one, just for an easy life. It would do nothing to appease the guilt I was feeling, though.

There wasn’t enough time to schedule anything in the week or so that remained of the holidays, so I forgot about it and focused on the last excitement of the summer. River had written and invited me to visit her in a few days. It seemed rather close to the new term to be worthwhile, but it was the only chance I was going to get to go on a proper date with her that didn’t involve Buckingham in some way. I agonised over outfits before eventually choosing one that Rarity had picked out, since her taste was impeccable.

Of course, telling my parents about the visit had been a fiasco.
“So, you’re going to visit a friend from school, but it’s not Miri, Rarity or Fly?” Mum asked suspiciously.
“Yes. I’ll get the train so it’s fine, you don’t have to do anything,” I said, too quickly.
“And you’re staying... overnight?” Mum added, narrowing her eyes.
I sighed. “Yes, it’s too far to go there and back in a day.” It was a lost cause, and I was getting flustered.

Dad saved the day. “Well, I’ll give you a chance. We trust you. But be warned; if you do go off and meet some colt, we won’t be able to trust you in future.”
Since it wasn’t a colt, I wasn’t really lying, but I still felt bad. But not bad enough to call off the trip. My outfit consisted of a white bow in my mane, which drew attention away from the way it just hung limp, and then a contrasting black dress which was relatively simple. Enough to look cute without giving the impression that I was going to a funeral.

The train ride was a long one, I didn’t make that up. I passed the time reading magazines and looking out of the window, mainly daydreaming about River. I couldn’t put my hoof on what it was but for some reason I wasn’t feeling as excited about our date as I thought I would. Staying there overnight was a big step, and I felt a little apprehensive, but it just didn’t make me tingle with excitement like it would have a few months ago. I had no idea what to expect and my nerves were getting worse as the train got nearer.

River met me at the station, and I must admit, I relaxed a bit when I saw her. She looked fantastic in a cherry blossom pink dress, and I think I may have blushed a little.
“Hi Cat,” River said, hugging me. I felt her breath on my neck.
“Hi River,” I replied, pulling away and checking to make sure I didn’t crease her dress. “Shall we go?”
“Okay,” she said. As we walked, I wished my saddlebags weren’t between us so we could walk a little closer. “We can stop off at my house first to drop off your stuff. I thought we could go for something to eat.”
“Sounds good.” I felt a little shy. It had been a while since we’d seen each other, and I wasn’t entirely sure where our relationship was.

We went shopping in the afternoon. I didn’t buy anything; I was trying to save up my money for when I got back to Buckingham. River seemed a little embarrassed to buy anything if I wasn’t, so we ended up getting cupcakes from a food stand and eating them as we walked.
“I’m glad you came,” River told me, our tails gently twisting around each other. “I’ve missed you over the summer.”
“Me too,” I replied, nuzzling the side of her face. “It seems like ages since exams.”
“The results come out soon,” River told me, betraying some emotion. It seemed like a very long time since that rainy day when I’d got mine.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll go great,” I reassured her. “If I managed to pass, you will definitely have done it.”
“What about your exams from this year?” She asked, looking at me.
I shrugged. “Not sure. I think I did well in music, which is important, but the rest I don’t know.”
“What about university?” There it was, hitting me right in the guilt.
“Haven’t been to any. I’ll do it in September,” I told her, not wanting to discuss the subject. We turned a corner and headed for what looked like a park. My cupcake was being neglected, so I took another bite.

River giggled. “You have frosting on your nose.” I stopped and lifted a hoof to wipe it off, but she was quicker and licked it off, surprising me. With a giggle, she trotted away, leaving me rooted to the spot with a blush.
To finish the cakes we sat on a bench under a tree. The weather looked like it was going to deteriorate, and River assured me she’d got an umbrella big enough for both of us.
“Are you looking forward to going back?” River asked me as we looked out across the park. She didn’t meet my eye and I think she was dreading the exam results, like I had.

I shook my head. “The final year is the hardest. I’m not looking forward to all the extra work,” I explained, before taking another small bite of my cake and chewing thoughtfully. “And all the exams.” River’s head found its way onto my shoulder and I smiled, even though it had started to rain.
“Cat?”
“Yes?”
“I’m worried about this year.”
“You don’t need to be.” I put my hoof on hers. “You’re much better at school than I ever have been.”
She just looked at me without smiling. I knew from experience that she would feel much better once she’d opened the envelope and confirmed her success.

We went to the restaurant that River had picked out at about six o’clock, even though it was still raining. In order to fit under the umbrella we had to walk close together, which I liked. I decided to just eat a salad because I wasn’t too hungry, and River copied me. We were sat facing each other, and I could tell that her nerves were eating away at her.
“Don’t worry. You’ll feel better soon,” I said, trying to get her to smile a bit. “Everypony always does.”

I did my best to take her mind off it by discussing things other than school, and she slowly opened up. This mainly consisted of funny stories about stuff Miri had done, but River seemed to enjoy hearing about the new Head Filly. The rain still hadn’t subsided when we finished, so we shared some ice cream for pudding, and then dashed through the puddles back to our bus home. My mane stayed dry and my tail only got a little bit wet, so I thought it was basically a success.

Once back at River’s house, the nerves started again. Parents, as usual, were the main problem.
“Listen, I haven’t, you know, actually told my parents,” River confided as we walked the last hundred yards to her front door. “So don’t give anything away.”
“So they think I’m just one of your friends from school?” I asked.
River nodded. “Also, they think you’re in my year, just to make things easier to explain.”
That didn’t really make me feel any less nervous, so as we walked inside I just hoped that I wouldn’t get asked any awkward questions.

“You must be Cat,” River’s mum said to me, smiling politely. “I’m Meadow. I suppose you’re probably feeling just as nervous about this week as she is.”
I hesitated, which she thankfully took as me being shy. “Yes, it’s pretty scary.”
“Wheat- er, River’s dad has just popped out to get some milk,” Meadow said. “He’ll be back in a minute.”
Wheat turned out to be a nice-looking stallion who wore glasses. He shook my hoof gently and smiled, but seemed tired. I asked River about him when we ascended the stairs to get to her bedroom.
“Oh, he works a lot, so he’s usually tired,” she explained. “Mum is a bit bossy sometimes.”

They reminded me a bit of Fly’s parents, but that thought was driven out of my mind when River opened the door to her room. Everything was... feminine. Pink wallpaper, lots of pink books, pink bed covers.
“Oh wow. Nice room,” I said, stepping inside so she could shut the door.
“I hate it,” she admitted. “When I was younger I loved having everything pink, and there hasn’t really been a good opportunity to redecorate.”
“I think it’s cute.” I giggled, glancing around and taking it all in.
River smiled. “I’ve got some snacks and things. We can just watch TV or look at magazines or something, so long as we’re quiet.”

I felt my face tingeing with red and I gently rubbed a hoof on the carpet. “Um... where am I, you know, um, sleeping?”
River went red and looked away. “I have a camp bed thing. Let me go and get it.”
I was too embarrassed to say anything so I just let her go, my mind moving at a million miles an hour. She had obviously thought my question meant that I didn’t want to share her bed (which, incidentally, was a comfortable but narrow-looking single bed), but that wasn’t necessarily the case. I didn’t know what I wanted to do really, but coming right out with it like that had made things awkward.

“River, I didn’t mean...” I started when she got back, carrying a disassembled pink mattress thing. “Look, I didn’t mean that I wanted to, you know.”
The cute-looking pony in front of my just looked at the floor and seemed embarrassed. “It’s okay.”
“I’m just not sure what I want. It’s... I’m nervous.”
“Me too.”
I helped her set up the camp bed, occasionally catching her eye and giggling a little. I have no idea what her parents must have thought was going on.

There wasn’t much on TV so we just worked our way through bad horror movies (who would have thought that River was into slasher films?) and read magazines. The camp bed was at an awkward angle for seeing the screen so I sat on her pink bed for a while, getting a bit bored of old magazines. We watched together for a while, laughing occasionally at the really cheesy bits, before she found my tickling spot. Of course, I probably don’t need to tell you where that led. Suffice to say that by the time the film was over, we were under the blanket, cuddling up quite close.

We put the light out after her parents went to bed, but it was uncomfortable for both of us to sleep on the one bed, so I moved back to the camp bed. I wasn’t sure whether River was feeling disappointed by this; I was the older pony in our relationship, and so I was probably more interested in moving at a faster pace, but I’d always got the impression that River was more mature than she seemed. I didn’t want to let her down, but then whenever our kissing got particularly heavy I always felt nervous. In the end I just fell asleep listening to her gentle snores, not sure what to make of it all.

***

After returning from River’s house, having wished her good luck in her results, I procrastinated effectively right up until the date of my return to Buckingham. I knew that Fly was going to rip into me the moment I saw her, which was the kick up the backside that I really needed. All the way there on the train, with my parents looking tired and bored, I fretted over what I was going to say.
“Here we are, darling,” Dad said to me the moment we arrived at school, handing me my suitcase. “We’ve got to dash if we want to make the connection. See you in the holidays.” He planted a kiss on my cheek and Mum followed suit, and then the two of them dashed off. It started to rain as I sadly made my way inside.

“Toccata? Good to see you. You’re looking well,” I was told as I approached the reception desk. “I suppose you’ll be wanting a room key.”
I merely nodded and was handed a key. “Excuse me, but have any of the others arrived yet?”
“For that room? Yes, the Equestrian girl was around earlier,” the receptionist said kindly. “Radish, is it?”
The idea of seeing Rarity was causing some kind of churning in my tummy, but it wasn’t the guilty churning I’d been feeling all day. Ignoring it, I headed for the stairs without answering the receptionist, dragging my suitcase up behind me, aided by my weak levitation magic.

“Cat darling, so nice to see you,” Rarity said, throwing her hooves around me as I tumbled into the room. “I take it you’ll want one of those beds there,” she said, motioning with a hoof. “I kept Miri away from the bathroom this year, you’ll be pleased to hear.”
I couldn’t be bothered unpacking my suitcase, so I just sat on top of it and sighed. Rarity, observant as always, quickly trotted over for a hug.
“What’s the matter, Cat? You look awfully pale.”

“I haven’t done any university visits and Fly is going to kill me,” I said sadly, staring at my hooves. Rarity smelled nice, and I wanted to hug her back, but it seemed inappropriate. This wasn’t full-breakdown mode yet.
Rarity seemed thoughtful. “That is quite a predicament. Have you spoken to her recently?”
“No, I’ve been trying to avoid her.”
“I recommend speaking to her straight away. She might be sympathetic.”
I shrugged. It couldn’t be any worse than I was expecting.

Miri was next to arrive, bringing with her even more biscuits than ever.
“For stress,” she explained, stuffing them behind her headboard. “There will be a lot this year.”
“I do hope not,” Rarity said. “It’s terrible for the skin, you know.”
“Just think, only eight months until our last day ever!” Miri enthused, jumping up and down on her bed to try and compact the chocolate underneath.
Rarity smiled and told Miri to get down before she hurt herself.

I was not looking forward to the new school year, which was a familiar feeling, but this time it was for different reasons. After my night with River, I was really unsure about all of my romantic feelings, and this was the worst possible time to be having that problem. Instead of looking forward to seeing my best friend, I was worried that she was going to be angry at me. And I was afraid that my nerves would get the better of me and I wouldn’t be able to go to a music school. Nothing seemed to be going the right way.

Fly arrived last, dropping her suitcase on her bed with a smile. “Hi everypony. This is a nice room,” she said, hugging the three of us. The room was on the second floor, overlooking the school gates. Not as good as last year, but not bad. Plus, the bathroom was bigger, and my bed was closest to it. Maybe not everything was going wrong.
“Fly, I need to talk to you,” I said, swallowing my nerves. “I need your help in organising some university visits.”
“Didn’t you get some practice during the holidays?” she asked, busy unpacking her clothes.
“Um. No.”

Instead of anger, I just saw some resignation in her eyes. It hurt more that she’d known all along that I wasn’t going to do it.
“Okay. We’ll go to the library this evening and get some addresses,” she said curtly, not looking up. I felt bad and trotted back to my bed, avoiding the sympathetic glances that Miri and Rarity were giving me. Disharmony on our first night back at school was something I wanted to avoid, so I sacrificed some of my best chocolate biscuits before the room inspection later on. They disappeared very quickly and I suspected Miri.

After the inspection, which found nothing out of place (Miri was a seasoned veteran), Fly and I headed for the library. We passed a group of crying second years who had foolishly hidden their entire stock of biscuits in the wardrobe and subsequently been found out. Their dorm matron was giving them a strong talking-to, and I would have giggled if Fly wasn’t so angry at me.
The library was empty, so we picked the table nearest the rack of university information.
“Listen Fly, I’m sorry. I really am,” I said, wishing she’d talk or something and make me feel more at ease.
“You don’t have to apologise to me,” she snapped.

I paused before continuing. “I wish I’d got on with it, I really do. I’ve felt so guilty for the whole summer.”
She softened, her wings folding back at her sides like they did when she was calming down. “Sorry Cat. I just knew you wouldn’t do it and I’m angry at myself for not making you,” she admitted. “It’s your future, not mine.”
“I know, and that’s why I’m sorry,” I said, glad she was forgiving me. “You really need to force me to do these things.”

So she did. I wasn’t allowed even a moment’s rest as we trawled through the huge tomes of information, writing down the postal addresses of any music school I had an interest in.
“If they don’t have a visit day, you’ll either just have to go by yourself for a walk around, or apply without visiting,” Fly told me sternly. “Although you’ll probably be shown around a bit when you go for your audition, so it’s not a major problem.”
“That’s good,” I tried, not letting my concentration waver.
“I think we’ve got all of them. Which do you like best?”

There was a page full of a lot of information. It was hard to take in.
“I liked the Britannic College and um, the Princess School,” I said, pointing to them with my hoof. “They seemed good.”
“What about location?” Fly asked.
“Oh yeah. Forgot.” I peered at the addresses. Britannic College was somewhere in the capital, and Princess School was somewhere I’d never heard of. “Where is this place?”
“Hmm? Oh, Clydesdale? It’s way north, probably three hundred and fifty miles from here,” Fly explained. “But it’s probably only about one hundred from your house.”

“What about grades? Everypony is always talking about the grades they need to get into these places,” I said, sighing. “My grades aren’t good enough for these prestigious music places.”
Fly shrugged. “I think they’re mostly interested in your audition and your music grade. Since you’re so great at music, you’ll probably easily have a high enough grade.”
“So you think I should focus on these two?” I asked. This was a big decision.
“Why not? I’ve written some details down for about twenty of them, so if you change your mind you can always come back and look up some others,” Fly said, closing a big book. “Anyway we’d better get back, I think Miri wants us to do that ‘how was your summer’ chat.”

Well, two auditions were better than a whole load, I thought was we walked back. I might be able to handle two. Maybe. But being miles and miles from Buckingham sounded tricky, since I was under the impression that Fly was applying for Oxmare, which wasn’t too far away. I didn’t really want to be a long way away from her, so I set the Britannic College as number one choice, with Princess School as my backup option if everything else failed.

Once back at the room, we discovered Miri tucking into her biscuits with gusto.
“I thought those were for stress,” I asked, “not for snacking on.”
“I am stressed! I thought you two were going to be late or something,” she said, looking indifferent.
“You know Miri, I like your mane. Maybe you should consider a different colour?” Rarity said, changing the subject abruptly. “It would suit you if you went for a dark colour, maybe a dark brown or purple.”
Miri sighed. “I’m sticking with red. It took me ages to get my parents to accept that it was red, purple would probably give them a heart attack.”

Once Miri’s biscuits were eaten (entirely by her) and the dorm matron had been round to tell us to go to bed, the annual ‘what did you do in the summer’ discussion started. Unfortunately, Miri insisted that I went first. I think she was just bitter that I had got the bed nearest the bathroom.
“Uh, well, I went to a couple of piano concerts with my parents. I kept up my piano lessons, of course, but there weren’t any performances this time,” I said, looking around as the other three all stared at me. I knew what they were all thinking but I was going to say nothing.
“That was pretty much it.”

“No it wasn’t,” Miri said, pointing a hoof at me. “You must have seen River during the holidays! Tell us!”
“Who says I did?” I said, shrugging. “She does live a long way from me.”
“Tell us! Tell us!” Miri chanted.
Rarity brushed her mane away from her face. “The faster you tell us, the faster Miri will finally be quiet,” she said, smiling encouragingly.
“I never said I saw River!” I protested. “I don’t know what you three are thinking.”
“Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!”

I gave in. “Alright. Well, I saw her earlier this week, if you must know.”
Miri suddenly made an ‘ooooo’ noise, so Rarity threw a packet of biscuits at her. “Do carry on, darling.”
“Well, I went on the train to see her, and we went shopping and bought cupcakes, which was really nice. We ended up talking on a park bench while it was raining, before going to a nice restaurant for food.”
“Then you went home?” Fly asked in a quiet voice.
“Um,” I said, going red, and Miri seized her chance.

“Oooooooo, you slept at her house! I knew it!” she said, bouncing on her mattress.
“Look, we just watched films and stuff. I slept on a camp bed on the floor,” I said truthfully, omitting the other parts. “Nothing to get excited about.” I planned on telling Fly the truth at some other point, but I didn’t want Miri spreading gossip and I felt funny about Rarity knowing. I just... didn’t want her to. It was irrational.
“Then I went home the next morning. It was actually rather romantic,” I said. “I didn’t know it was so much fun being in a couple.”

Rarity made an ‘aw’ noise. “That’s a nice story.”
“Yes,” Fly agreed, smiling at me. “I’m glad you two are getting on well.”
“So, that was my whole summer,” I finished, rolling onto my side. “Somepony else’s turn.”
Miri pondered for a moment. “You go, Fly. I want to hear the details of you and your coltfriend.”
Fly glowered at Miri. “You know, you could just get a coltfriend of your own.”
“Could, but I don’t want to. I have too many responsibilities as head filly,” Miri said, clearly talking nonsense.

Fly simply ignored Miri. “Well, I saw my coltfriend every Saturday. We went to get milkshakes and listened to music at his house, stuff like that.”
“Did you stay over?” Miri asked. Rarity and I glared at her.
“No. I haven’t even seen his bedroom yet, since we just stayed in the sitting room,” Fly answered. “Not very exciting, I suppose.”
“Better than Miri managed,” I said, giggling. Miri glared at me and flung a pillow, which I kept.

“Do anything else interesting?” Rarity asked, looking over at Fly.
“I went for a visit to Oxmare with my parents. It looks really nice,” Fly explained. “I’m definitely going to apply.” I could tell she was blushing a little bit.
“Good luck! I know it’s hard to get in there,” Miri said, trying to brush her mane with the tip of her hoof.
“Of course, we can help you with anything you need, like an interview outfit,” Rarity said, and I nodded in agreement.

“Enough of that, though. Rarity, tell us, what did you do over in Equestria? Wait, don’t tell me your coltfriend came for a visit? Why do you all have such great coltfriends and I just have nopony?” Miri said quickly, assuming a pathetic facial expression.
Rarity held up a hoof to interrupt her. “Well, I should tell you that I broke up with my coltfriend. I think he was bored of not seeing me very much over the summer,” she said. I couldn’t detect any trace of regret on her face, but we all said how sorry we were anyway.
“It’s okay. I think I’m better off focusing on my studies anyway,” Rarity said positively. “So other than that, I just helped to look after little Sweetie and worked on my dresses.”

I should have felt bad about Rarity’s relationship not working out, but I couldn’t suppress a feeling that it was a good thing. I tried putting it down to the idea that she was better off without a colt who wasn’t committed, but I had a suspicion that it was something else. I felt a lot better knowing that she was single again, which seemed wrong.
“You all had really uneventful summers,” Miri said, waving a hoof around. “It’s probably because I’m not there to liven it up.”
“What did you do then Miri?” I asked, yawning and resting my head on the pillow I’d stolen. I planned to listen to maybe the first five or ten minutes of her super-detailed recount before falling asleep.

***

“Um, Cat? Can I ask you something?” Fly said, looking at the carpet. I was about to go down for breakfast, but I paused.
“Of course. What’s up?” I took a seat on the edge of my bed.
“You know how I said that I’ve never seen my coltfriend’s bedroom or anything?” she said, still staring steadfastly downwards and tracing little circles on the floor with her hoof.
“Oh my. Don’t tell me you have!” I said, trying to keep my voice down. “I can’t believe-”
Fly shook her head. “No, no, I was telling the truth. I haven’t. But... do you think he’ll break up with me if I don’t do stuff like that soon?”

I wasn’t really sure what to say. “Has he been asking you to?”
“Oh, no. He’s always very sweet. But he might meet somepony else who is ready for that kind of thing. I’m just not sure.” Her voice was wavering with a lack of confidence.
I put a hoof around her. “If you’re not ready, then just don’t let anything happen.”
“But-”
“But nothing. If he really cares about you, he’ll wait until you’re ready.”
Fly smiled, so I hugged her.

“I have to tell you something, though,” I said. She looked up, surprised.
“Is it about River?”
“Yes,” I giggled. “I said that I just slept on the camp bed, on the floor? Well, I wasn’t entirely honest, because I didn’t want Miri to know.” I didn’t want Rarity to know either, but I wanted to keep that fact to myself.
“So you two have... been together?” Fly asked, staring at me with an expression that seemed to, rather strangely, be something like admiration.
I shook my head. “No, not like that. We just kissed a lot. I think she wanted to do it, but I lost my nerve and ended up sleeping on the camp bed after a while.”
“Oh. Okay.”
I did my best to smile at her. “Anyway, let’s get breakfast. Please don’t tell Miri or Rarity.”

Chapter Fifteen

In order to get my exam results, I had to wait for an appointment with some senior teacher at the school on Monday afternoon. I couldn’t get comfortable on the itchy chair outside her office while she spoke to another pony, and I was running through various situations in my head so that I would know what to say when she asked me awkward questions.
“Okay, send the next pony in, please,” the teacher’s voice floated out of the room as the door opened. I vaguely recognised the pony leaving, but I was too preoccupied to think of her name. I stood up and stepped inside, smiling.

“Toccata? Ah good, take a seat,” the pony said, pointing to another equally uncomfortable chair. “I am Mrs. Pearl. I suppose you know what you’re here for?”
I nodded. The teacher had a severe face, which made me even more afraid of her, but her manner was relaxed. She pulled out a pencil from her pale blue mane and licked the tip before making a small check mark on a list.
“Okay Toccata. I’m here to talk to you about your future,” she said in her strong voice, looking me straight in the eye with authority. “I have your exam results here, which is an exact copy of what we’ll send off to any institutions you are interested in.”

I rubbed my hooves together slowly, not really sure what to do, as she opened up the white envelope and took a look at the contents.
“Huh,” she said, writing some more things with her pencil before looking at me again. “Okay, so before I show you this, do you have any thoughts on what you might like to do?”
“Um,” I replied, eager to say something, anything. “I, well, I was thinking about going to a music school.”
Mrs. Pearl nodded, and motioned with her hoof for me to continue.
“Since I’m quite good at music, and I can play the piano. It seems like it would suit me,” I finished, staring at my lap.

The teacher nodded and made some notes. “Well that seems sensible, if that’s what you’re interested in. Did you have any particular institutions you were interested in? A lot of ponies like to go to their parents’ alma mater, or somewhere near to their home.”
I paused. “What’s alma mater?”
Mrs Pearl smiled kindly. “It means a school or university that you graduated from. So next year, Buckingham will be your alma mater.”
“Oh, okay,” I replied. I had no idea which schools my parents went to, but neither of them had studied music.
“Any you’re interested in?”

I shrugged. “I liked the look of, um, Britannic College, and Princess School.”
“Good choices. Your grades are certainly on track to gain you entry, so long as you keep working hard this year. You’ll obviously have to pass the auditions, but you’ve got a great reference from your music teacher and everything else seems to be in order,” Mrs Pearl told me, glancing back at my results. “I’ll schedule another meeting for a month’s time. You need to write an application letter for both institutions, which we’ll send off for you. Then it’s just a matter of waiting.”
I nodded dumbly, with no idea how to write an application letter.
“Alright. Well here are your results. I take it you want to drop history? Good, I’ll take that off your timetable. Send the next pony in.”

As soon as I got back to the room, I pulled out my results. Miri and Rarity were out somewhere, but Fly came and sat next to me, reading over my shoulder. I’d failed history, somewhat predictably, but passed everything else, with a high mark in music.”
“Well, apart from history, you did pretty well,” Fly said, hugging me. “You can just drop history and focus on the others.”
I was relieved. “Yeah, that’s true,” I told the pegasus, flicking through the other sheets of paper in the envelope. There was a template application letter and some details of what to do at interviews and auditions, which I put aside to read later.

“If you ask your music teacher, they’ll probably do a mock audition for you,” Fly suggested. I tensed up at the thought of having to do an extra audition that didn’t even matter, and the pegasus noticed. “It might help with your nerves, since you’ll know what to expect.”
She was totally right, of course, but I was really dreading the idea of having to audition. Performing on stage meant I could gallop away the second I was finished, but being in front of ponies who were judging my performance was just too much. Fly hugged me extra-tight and I felt a little bit better.

I found out later that Fly had passed all of her subjects with top grades and was considering not even dropping anything. Miri was similar, so I found refuge in complaining about my grades to Rarity, who had matched my grades, but without failing anything.
“So what did you tell Mrs Pearl you wanted to do?” I asked Rarity as we lounged around reading magazines. School was due to restart the next day but neither of us had any inclination to prepare.
Rarity seemed thoughtful, tugging gently at a lock of her mane with her magic. “I told her I was going to go back to Ponyville and open up a fashion boutique. She was quite supportive, actually.”

I nodded and stared blankly at the glossy pictures. I knew that Rarity was planning to go home, but I just didn’t want to face that reality so soon.
“What about you? Did you say which music schools you might like to go to?” Rarity asked me, picking at some split ends.
“I suggested the Britannic College or Princess School,” I replied, doing my best to affect a shrug.
“Oh, I’ve hear the Princess School is really prestigious. There are always visiting musicians from Princess playing in Canterlot,” Rarity said with excitement. “You might get to come and visit on a tour.”
“I don’t know... I was favouring Britannic College,” I admitted, lazily turning a page. “I’m not sure about going so far away.”

Rarity smiled at me. “Isn’t Princess much nearer where you live?”
“Well, I mean... I’m not sure about living too far away from Fly,” I said, staring at the magazine and not looking up.
Rarity laughed, but not unkindly. “Oh darling, you need to think more carefully than that! Fly will always just be a train ride away, and during term time you’ll both be busy, so you won’t see very much of each other outside of the holidays anyway. You should go to the best place for you, not the one nearer to Fly.”

She was right, of course, like all of my friends seemed to be (except Miri), but that was another reality I didn’t want to confront. Living far apart from Fly just wasn’t going to happen. No way.
“Maybe,” I replied, shrugging. “I liked the look of Britannic better.”
Rarity said nothing, seeing through my excuse. “If you’d like, I can help you with your application letter. I know Fly will be the best at it, but I can help you make a start. I expect she’ll get busy before long with her own application.”
I smiled. “Maybe tomorrow. I think I just want to relax for the rest of today. Last day of the summer and everything.”

Fly did get rather busy once school had started. She assured me that the moment I had my application letter written, it would be at the top of her to-do list to look it over, but her to-do list was very long. As well as preparing for her application to Oxmare, which had to be sent in less than six weeks, she was helping look over the application letters of many other ponies. Miri snapped at her when she stayed up increasingly late poring over them with a torch, which prevented the rest of us from sleeping. Feeling bad, I didn’t get started on my letter for quite a while, instead concentrating on my lessons.

Since my music teacher knew I was going onto a music school, she had started to personally tutor me in more advanced concepts. It was interesting to learn, but she always made me feel pressured. Her most annoying habit was her tendency to tell horror stories about auditions that some of her past pupils had experienced, which was making me feel even more nervous about the auditions I might have to do. Indeed, being rejected from both schools sounded like it would be a relief.
“Come on Cat, concentrate,” she said, tapping her little conductor’s stick on the piano. “You need to nail these pieces. Not just recite them, but really put feeling and grace into them.”

My horn ached from all of the practice. Third year was turning out to be the most difficult by a long way, and the time I usually spent procrastinating or napping was being filled with extra rehearsals or instructional talks on how to write the best application letter. Apparently the quality of the application letter had a big impact on how likely you were to get a place, but my music teacher assured me that the audition was far more important, doing nothing for my nerves.
“Your mock audition will be tomorrow at lunchtime. Is that okay?” she asked after a particularly difficult practice. I nodded in reply.
“It won’t be me doing your audition though, it’ll be somepony else. This will make it feel more authentic in that you won’t know the ponies auditioning you at the real thing.”

I didn’t sleep that night. My insides felt like somepony had stuck a knife in and kept twisting it. When Fly woke up and went to get some water, I considered saying something, but she was overworked enough. She didn’t need me to heap my concerns onto her shoulders on top of everything else she was dealing with.
“Are you okay? You look awfully pale,” Rarity told me the next morning. I didn’t say anything, just headed into the bathroom to make a half-hearted attempt and looking a bit more presentable. Looking tired didn’t suit anypony.
“Good luck at your thing later,” Miri said as she flounced out of the room, Rarity in tow.
“Thanks Miri,” I said, rubbing my eyes to try and wake up a little. Fly had got up early and left without disturbing me, so I hoped to see her after the audition. I felt a little put-out that she hadn’t said good luck.

“Oh, yes, your audition thing. Good luck,” Rarity said, poking her head back through the door. “It’ll go great.”
A sudden warmth seemed to dissolve the knife that was twisting my insides and I felt a lot better, although the dread was still all-consuming. I barely listened in my lessons, preferring to worry instead. I hadn’t eaten and when I bumped into Miri later in the day, she commented that I was starting to look awful. I had expected this, and when I tried to rehearse during the morning break I just made a huge mess of it and spent ten minutes crying. There was nothing I hated more than performances, and the stress of even a mock audition was driving me crazy.

By the time I’d composed myself in the bathroom (missing a lesson), it was time to go for my audition.
“Hello Cat, I’m Dr. Bluejay. Please, take a seat at the desk,” an unfamiliar stallion said as he let me into the empty classroom. My hooves were shaking a little, but I did a good job of hiding it as I shook his hoof and then sat down in the plastic chair.
“Okay, so this is just a mock audition so you don’t have to worry,” he began, which was so absurd I almost laughed. “Just a few questions to begin with. What made you apply to study music?”
I paused for a moment before answering. “Well, I’ve always enjoyed music, both listening and playing. And I think that going to a music school will be the best way of continuing this.”

He nodded. “Good, good. So, what is your favourite thing about the study of music?”
“I like learning to play new pieces and understanding each one of them. It’s amazing that I can sit down at a piano with absolutely no idea how a song goes, but in a few hours I can play it.”
“These are really good answers Cat. Last one now; what do you think you’ll gain by coming to a music school?”
“I think I’ll gain more understanding of music, and a better sense of how to appreciate pieces, both those I haven’t listened to before, and stuff I’ve heard a lot.”

Dr. Bluejay seemed delighted, but my hooves were sweating and when I tried to wipe them on my coat, I discovered that it was wet with sweat too.
“Thank you Cat. Okay, so I know you’ve prepared something to play for me, if you could do so now.”
This was it. The moment of truth. I nodded, my throat dry, and trotted over to the piano. The music was set up, ready for me to play. All I had to do was play it. I actually felt okay about it as I sat down, making sure everything was perfect. It was just like any other practice session, except for the pony watching my every move, a pencil ready to write down every mistake I made. All of the nerves came back in a rush, and I paused. The stallion stared at me, waiting for me to begin.

Carefully I checked everything was in order and began playing. It was fine. No problems as I finished the first line on the page. But then I slipped; played a B sharp instead of a B flat. It jarred, and I tried to cover it up by rushing onwards, but then I got out of time. Another wrong note, then I got lost on the music. Three wrong notes in a row.
“Okay, I think that’s enough,” Dr. Bluejay said, pausing and writing something with his pencil. “Thank you.”
I don’t know what it was, maybe something about his calm demeanour or the way he thanked me for my horrific performance, but after that I just broke down into tears and fled the room. I think he might have called my name, but I just kept running until I was back in our room and locked in the bathroom.

I don’t really know how long I was sobbing for, but eventually I heard the door to the room open.
“Cat? Are you in there?” Fly asked, gently knocking on the door. “Can I come in?”
Wiping my tears, I walked over to the door and unbolted it, letting her in. The moment she saw my tear-stained face she let out a sigh and pulled me into a much-needed hug, and I broke out into fresh tears as she did so.
“What happened? The dorm matron came and found me and said you’d run off crying, and I guessed you’d come here,” Fly said, stroking my mane as I cried into hers. “Was it the audition?” I nodded, and she sighed. “It’s okay, you don’t need to worry about it. It was only a mock.”

Actually, I felt a lot better now that Fly was here. With the summer holidays and her being so busy over the first few weeks of term, I had barely had a chance to talk to her. And now that she was here, I was too busy sobbing to get any words out. But I was touched to think that she had dropped everything and come running when she heard I was upset.
“Thanks,” I said, sniffing and trying to wipe my eyes. Fly handed me a tissue.
“Do you think you can tell me about it?” the pegasus asked me kindly, hugging a little more tightly.
“I think so,” I sniffled, pretty sure I was going to burst into tears again before I got all the way through the story.

“I... I totally messed it up, and I knew I was going to, and it all went so wrong and I just know that I won’t be able to do the real thing,” I said sadly, trying not to start sobbing again. “I’m just a failure.”
“You’re not, Cat, and you know that’s not true,” Fly said, brushing my mane away from my wet eyes. “You just had a bad experience. All you have to do is work on it like you do for any performance.”
I shook my head. “I just can’t... I get too nervous and then I do it all wrong. I can’t do auditions.”
Fly squeezed my hoof. “You can. You just have to get over this. Trust me.” Her big eyes stared at me and I couldn’t help but feel a little bit better.
“Thanks Fly.”

It seemed like everypony at Buckingham knew about my big meltdown. When Rarity and Miri arrived after lessons, they had both heard entirely different versions of what had happened.
“I heard that you’d fainted,” Rarity said, hugging me. “I was so worried.”
Miri bounced a little. “I heard you’d wet yourself.”
“Excuse me?” I said, taken aback.
“Some fifth year told me,” Miri said dismissively. “Do you want some of my biscuits?”
Chocolate did make me feel better, as well as the concern of my friends. The terrible nerves from earlier were gone, but I couldn’t see any way that I would be able to do a real audition if I was totally unable to complete a mock.

The next day, I got a message asking me to go for a meeting with Mrs. Pearl. I knew what it would be about, but I had no idea what advice she was going to give me on the problem. Since I was no longer worrying so much, my schoolwork began to improve a bit, which was good. I avoided my music teacher, though. I felt like I’d disappointed her.
“Come in Cat,” Mrs Pearl said as I trotted into her office. “I suppose you know why you’re here.”
“Yes,” I said, sitting in her chair once again.
The mare looked at me with serious eyes. “Your audition... this is clearly a big problem for you. Why didn’t you say something in the first place?”
I didn’t reply.

Mrs Pearl smiled at me encouragingly. “Look, the point of the mock was for you to work through any problems you might face. If you were feeling tense about it, you should have said so. We could have worked out a solution. Getting upset won’t help anypony.” She nodded wisely. “How about we draw a line under this? I’ll schedule another mock for you.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Mrs Pearl held up a hoof to stop me. “I know it’s scary, but you need to face it if you’re going to have a chance of achieving your goals. Before the mock, I’ll speak to your music teacher and schedule some special sessions to help you conquer your nerves. There are plenty of techniques out there to help you.”

“Now, have you done your application letter? The deadline isn’t until January, but I want to get yours sent away by November so that you can have your auditions out of the way by Heart’s Warming Eve. Okay?”
“Okay.” I got to my hooves.
“Good. You can definitely get through this, so just stay positive. I’ll see you soon.”
On the way out, I did feel more reassured, but having extra sessions was going to tire me out even more than before. I was definitely starting to wonder if all of this hassle was really worth it.

“Did everything go okay at your meeting?” Fly asked when I got back to the room. Miri and Rarity were out doing something for Miri’s Head Filly role.
“Yeah. I’m going to have special sessions to help me get over my nerves,” I explained, dropping onto my bed and feeling exhausted. “And then another mock audition.”
Fly smiled. “You’ll do fine. Anyway, you should get started on your application letter. Rarity told me you haven’t done any work for it so far.”
I sighed. “I’ll do it soon, I just don’t know how to start.”
“Start now. Here’s some paper and a pencil,” Fly said, giving them to me. “Just write down what you’re good at and what you’re interested in.”

I looked over at Fly, but she had the kind of steely expression that meant I wasn’t going to be able to get out of it. With a huge sigh, I picked up the pencil with my magic and started writing.
“Do you think I should put down my piano lessons during the holidays?” I asked, nibbling the end of the pencil.
“Has it helped your musical knowledge?” Fly asked, and I glanced at her. She didn’t look back, but she seemed to be joking.
Back to writing. “You know, I pretty much don’t have anything outside of music. I should have joined a club.”
“I did invite you to join the book club.”
“Yeah but books are boring.”

I added the fact that I was in the music club (technically true, but I never went to the meetings), and then added some details about the performances I’d given during the holidays.
“Should I mention stuff from five years ago?”
“Not unless it’s really relevant.”
“What if I just don’t mention when it was?”
“That’s probably fine.”
The pencil scratched away as I added some of my older performances. No reason to exclude them so long as I didn’t say exactly when they were. “Now I can’t think of anything else.”

Fly looked at my paper, which was really rather empty. She frowned. “Any books you’ve read? Concerts you’ve been to that were inspiring?”
I snorted in derision, but then I wrote down a few concerts that I thought I could probably include just to pad it out a bit. I didn’t want to seem as if I spent most of my time looking at fashion magazines, even if that was what I actually did.
“How this?” I asked, letting Fly take another look.
“Should be fine. Now you just have to work it all into an application letter.”
“How do I start?” That was the hard part.
“Write at the top, ‘Why I should be accepted into music school’, and then just answer the question,” Fly advised. “In the end, that’s what you’re supposed to be telling them.”

I was just writing down that question with Miri and Rarity returned, looking a little flustered.
“What’s going on?” I asked, glad of a distraction.
“Some sixth year has a colt in her room!” Miri exclaimed, beckoning with a hoof for us to follow them. “We’re joining the crowd for when the dorm matron finds out.”
“Oh, I don’t think-” Fly started, but I was already halfway out of the door and she changed her mind when she realised she was going to be alone.
“I hope we get there in time,” I said to Miri as we cantered along the corridor, heading for the stairs.
Miri giggled. “We can outrun the dorm matrons. You need to see this.”
“Who tipped them off?” Fly asked.
“I think one of their roommates fell out with them or something,” Rarity answered. “I don’t know exactly, it’s all sixth year politics.”

There was already something of a crowd when we arrived, so Miri used her authority (“I’m Head Filly, move out of the way please,”) and got us near the front.
“They’re trapped,” Miri said, a little too gleefully. “I can’t wait for the fireworks.”
Having a colt in your room was strictly prohibited, of course, and was punished by a series of detentions so severe that it struck fear into everypony at Buckingham. In all my time at the school, only one pony had been caught before.
“Hey, this reminds me of that time they caught Pale Rose,” Fly said in my ear, following my thoughts exactly.

“I’d forgotten about Pale Rose,” Miri said, giggling even more. “She was always so stylish.”
My only memories of Pale Rose were as a glamorous and aloof-looking seventh year who had a string of male admirers from outside the school, never showing any interest in the numerous fillies who were totally infatuated with her. She’d eventually been caught with a colt in her room and got the full punishment, but it never seemed to bother her. Looking back, I realised that she was just another pony, but she’d attained a kind of cult hero status at the time.
“Which pony is it who’s in trouble?” Miri asked, a little more loudly than necessary. A sixth year hurried over and whispered into her ear.

“It’s somepony called Fast Forelock. I’ve never spoken to her, only heard rumours that she’s very pretty,” Miri informed the three of us. “A bit like you, Rarity.”
Rarity blushed and looked away. “Oh, stop it Miri.”
“The dorm matron’s coming,” a voice at the back of the crowd said, and there was a sudden buzz of excitement.
“Make way! I said make way!” the dorm matron said severely, almost smacking a few first years with a hoof. The crowd parted and the matron trotted through, heading for the door. I thought I could almost see a hint of a smile on the face of the older mare, probably because she was enjoying the spectacle as much as the rest of us.

She opened the door dramatically, sending it crashing inwards. We crowded around to get a look inside, but we’d barely had a chance to do anything when the dorm matron turned around. “Someone get the Head Mare. You, Miriam, go straight to the front gates and don’t let anyone come in or leave.” The dorm matron set off at a gallop towards the stairs, overtaken by Miri with the majority of the crowd following hot on her tail. Rumours whipping through the crowd, coming from the ponies who had got a good look into the room, suggested that the colt had made his escape through the window with Fast Forelock.

I’d become separated from Fly, so I just followed Rarity as we dashed through the foyer and out into the grounds. Miri was pulling ahead, going at full gallop towards the school gates. I’d never seen her move that quickly before. A few pegasi were taking off and using their wings to get ahead, which made me jealous.
“They’re over there!” a pegasus cried, pointing her hoof towards two ponies who were running for the gates. There was no way they could beat Miri, and with practically the entire of the school’s staff following our giant crowd, Fast Forelock was caught for sure.

It all ended in a standoff at the gates. Miri kept them open just long enough for the colt to run through, getting a look of gratitude from Fast Forelock. The crowd arrived moments later, in time to witness two dorm matrons marching the sixth year away to have her punishment handed down. As she passed us, I did notice that she really was very pretty, with a pink mane that suited her pale grey coat. No wonder she was popular with colts.
“Alright everypony, get back to your dorms. Anypony left in the grounds in five minutes will get detention,” the Head Mare said, panting from the run. “Let’s go, girls.”
I walked with Rarity and Miri on the way back, not sure where Fly had gone. “That was nice of you to let him escape, Miri,” I said.
“I would have wanted someone to do it for me,” Miri replied, smiling, “Not that I would ever be so foolish as to have a colt in the room.”

The chase, however tiring, had been a good distraction from my application letter, but I was sure that Fly would want me to get straight back to it as soon as we were back in the room.
“Are you feeling any better, Cat?” Rarity asked as we walked. “After your meeting, I mean.”
I nodded. “I think so. I have to go to special sessions to help me get over my nerves, and do another mock audition, and then get my application letter sent off by November.”
“Sounds tough. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about all of this,” Rarity said, tossing her mane a little. “I just have to worry about exams.”
“Lucky you,” I commented, not feeling too confident about exams either.

“Hey, cheer up! Once applications are done, we get loads of free time,” Miri said, bouncing around to try and get us to be a bit happier. “There are all kinds of fun things to do next term, and we’ve got the dance this term.”
“Oh yes, the dance. I really need to start thinking about dresses...” Rarity added, looking thoughtful.
“Why don’t we just use the same ones we had last time? I’m sure no-one will remember,” I suggested.
“Oh no no no, that would be terrible! Anyway, you’ll need something that complements River’s dress,” Rarity said, tutting at me. “You don’t seem to have been spending much time with River lately.”

I felt a pang of guilt when Rarity mentioned her. I had intended to see her, and it occurred to me that I should probably have tried to see her after my crying incident and reassure her that I was okay, but I just kept forgetting. She really didn’t play on my mind as much as she used to, which made me feel guilty, so I suppressed thinking about her even more.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve just been busy,” I lied, knowing full well that Rarity had watched me lounge around for ages without getting into contact with River.
“Hmm, well, if she wants a dress, I don’t mind making one for her too. You two can have a first dance!” Rarity and Miri made excited squealing noises. “Oh, that’ll be so cute. The two of you together.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose. We’ll see, Hearth’s Warming is a while away yet.”
“Are you not interested in River any more?” Rarity asked, her eyes wide. I could see Miri’s ears twitching, so I made something up.
“No, I am interested, but I want to focus on my application letter and stuff first. I don’t like to get distracted or nothing ever gets done.” The other two ponies seemed satisfied by this, so I relaxed. I couldn’t deal with rumours flying around about my love life at this point. And I didn’t entirely lie; when I got distracted I really did procrastinate a lot, so being distracted with River was not something I wanted. But then I suspected that River probably couldn’t distract me as much as she had been able to the previous year.

Chapter Sixteen

In the end, it needed a stroke of chance for me to actually motivate myself to see River again. When eating breakfast a few weeks later, noting how dark it looked outside now that autumn was approaching, there was a loud crash which signalled only one thing. That somepony had dropped their breakfast tray. I joined in with the humourous applause, knocking my hooves together while stretching my neck and trying to find out which pony it was and how much of a mess they’d made. Miri leapt up from her seat and hurried over to give the unfortunate pony a hand, being the conscientious Head Filly she was threatening to become. My eyes followed Miri, and ended up taking in the form of a distraught-looking River, standing in the middle of an explosion of breakfast on the floor, orange juice slowly trickling around her hooves.

Rarity nudged me and I got up, leaving my own breakfast half-finished to go and give me fillyfriend a hand. She smiled at me as I approached, a half-wretched smile. I trod carefully and offered one of my forehooves for her to hold onto so she could extricate herself from the mess. We left Miri to the cleaning up job and I helped escort River back to her room so she could clean up.
“It just slipped...” she said, shaking her head as we walked. “I can’t believe it. You always see other ponies doing it, but you never expect it to happen to you.”
“Well, at least it created some entertainment on this otherwise bleak morning,” I smiled. “They’ll let you have a late breakfast if you ask.”

I hadn’t been to River’s new room for this year, so she had to lead me through some familiar corridors from my own sixth year before we arrived outside her room, which wasn’t all that far away from our old one.
“You can come in for a bit,” River said, unlocking the door and leaving it open for me to follow. I took in the room; it was pretty much a standard room for four fillies, with magazines lying in untidy stacks and school books sitting on the beds. River trotted through to the bathroom to wash her hooves, so I sat on what appeared to be her bed, judging by the pretty sign she’d painted and tacked above the headboard with her name on it.
“So why haven’t I seen much of you this term? Busy?” River asked, acting like her usual self. I squirmed, not really sure how to reply.
“Yeah, busy,” I eventually said, feeling like a failure for not having a good reason. “Seventh year is the hardest.”
“I heard that,” River replied, her voice muffled because she was using her mouth to operate a tap.

She emerged from the bathroom, her hooves clean and tidy. “So, do you want to meet up sometime?”
“Yeah, okay.” I thought I’d better agree.
“How about twice?” River said, looking happy as she sat down next to me on her bed. “There’s Nightmare Night coming up, and then Bonfire Night soon after. You must have those days off.”
“I think so. What did you have in mind?” I was starting to feel awkward.
River thought for a moment. “Well, we’re having a party in our corridor on Nightmare Night, so you’re invited to come. And then we can just go and watch the fireworks together. I know a couple of good places we can go...” she said, rather suggestively. The comment made me feel nervous rather than excited, so I skimmed over it.

“Sounds good. I’ve got to get to lessons though, so I’ll see you at the party next week?” I said, giving a forced smile and getting up.
“Okay! I’ll look forward to seeing you,” River said happily as I headed for the door. “Don’t work too hard!”
I was relieved to get away, in truth. My feelings for River were really rather mixed, and I didn’t want to think about it. Lessons were a relief because it meant I could occupy myself with something not related to romance or university entrance.

On the day before Nightmare Night, Rarity locked herself in the bathroom to work on her costume, without telling any of us what it would look like. Miri conducted a loud conversation with her through the door, and I read magazines until Fly guilted me into actually finishing my application letter and taking it to Mrs Pearl. Fly had made her input, correcting spellings and showing me how to tidy it up, and once it was finished I was fairly happy with it. Fly was something of an expert by now, and I was sure there was no way she would let me send away anything substandard.

“Ah, Cat, excellent. Just in time,” Mrs Pearl said as I entered her office, handing over my finished letter. “Now, just to be clear, you’d like me to send this to Princess School and Britannic College?”
“Yes, if that’s okay.”
“No problem. If you don’t get a response by the new year, I’ll have another meeting to ask if you want to send it off to any other schools at the last minute,” Mrs Pearl said, smiling. “You can go. I’ll call you in for another meeting if you get a response.”
“Thank you,” I said before leaving, glad that there was one less thing for me to do. I put the applications out of my mind and replaced them with wondering about the party the next day.

When I got back to the room, Rarity had emerged from the bathroom in her costume. I immediately recognised it as a stylised version of Princess Celestia, but she really looked breathtaking. Her mane was restyled into a wavy length which fell over her eye, and she was wearing a beautiful pink and green dress that matched her white coat. Miri and Fly couldn’t take their eyes off it, and Rarity was enjoying the attention.
“Oh, hello Cat. What do you think?”
“I... wow. It looks fantastic,” I said, in awe. “You look fantastic.”
“Why thank you. I did work rather hard on this one,” Rarity said, remaining modest. “It’s not as bulky as last year’s, so I should be able to move around more freely.”

She admired her reflection in a mirror and the three of us admired her. I could feel a kind of pang in my tummy when I looked at the way the dress flattered her natural curves and how amazing her mane looked. I tried my best not to make this obvious, though.
“Okay, I’d better put it away until tomorrow,” Rarity finally said. “Don’t want it to get creased.” We all agreed and watched as she carefully hung the dress in the wardrobe, leaving plenty of space either side so that the details wouldn’t get damaged.
“You really have a talent there,” Miri said, sighing. “I wish I was as creative as you.”
“Oh do stop Miri. Next year I’ll have to make creations like this all of the time for customers,” Rarity said, a blush on her face. I ended up picking up a magazine just so that I would stop staring.

I had invited all of my friends to River’s Nightmare Night party, mainly so that I wouldn’t have to be alone with her, but Miri would be too busy with her Head Filly duties. “I have to look in on all of the parties to make sure everything is fun,” she said, shrugging. “I’ll be there at some point in the evening, and if I have free time at the end.” She was taking Rarity with her, which gave the unicorn a good excuse to show off her dress to as many ponies as possible. Anxious that I wouldn’t have to go by myself, I had to rely on Fly.
“I really need to work on my interview,” Fly said. “I wasn’t planning to go out very much, maybe just an hour at the one on the floor below.”
“Come on Fly, please? Just for a while.” I did my best begging face.
“Why do you want me to come? Once you and River get together, I’ll be by myself.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t argue with that without opening a whole can of worms about how I didn’t really want to be with River all evening. What I really wanted to do was go around with Rarity and admire her dress, but that made me feel guilty. In the end, I just got Rarity to do some creepy face paint and borrowed some of Fly’s clothes, which didn’t fit very well, and went as a zom-pony by myself, leaving Fly with her nose stuck in a book.
“I’ll be back later,” I said as I left, not really sure if I wanted to go at all.
“Have fun,” Fly said vaguely.

“Hi Cat! I’m glad you could make it,” River said enthusiastically when I arrived. “A zom-pony? Cool costume.”
“Thanks River. I like yours too,” I said, smiling. She was dressed as a dragon, but it appeared to be more of an excuse to wear clingy clothes and a dress than a serious attempt at a costume.
“Is Miri coming with you?” somepony I didn’t recognise asked. “You’re friends with her, right?”
I shrugged. “She’ll be here at some point, but she’s going round all of the parties, so she won’t be here long.”

River and I got some punch, ignoring the slightly disappointed mutterings of the other ponies.
“So, how is your application stuff going?” River asked, sipping her drink and looking at me with her heavily made-up eyes.
“I sent off my letter yesterday. Just waiting for replies now,” I said. “Fly sent hers off ages ago and she’s still waiting, so I probably won’t hear anything for a while.”
River nodded. “And how are your lessons?”
“Fine. I only really need to worry about music, so that’s okay.”
“What about that audition thing? I heard-”
“It’s fine. I’m over it, I think,” I told her, not really wanting to talk about it.

We sat in silence for a few moments longer. River put down her punch cup and looked at me with her big eyes, which I thought did look quite attractive. I stared back, and River reached out a hoof to slowly move mine until my own punch was on the floor. I could feel an unfamiliar rush of emotion and I wasn’t sure if I was blushing, but River smiled cutely and I was suddenly much more decided. My application letter was done, it was Nightmare Night, and I could relax. I leant forward to kiss River, my hoof sliding into her lap, and she kissed me back.
“Cat?”
“Mm?”
“Under the dress... I’m wearing socks.”

***

As I lay in bed that night, I had a weird feeling. It was hard to describe. Everything had happened so fast with River, and yet I’d really wanted it to happen. It maybe wasn’t how it was supposed to happen in a fairytale, but then fairytales tended to include one mare and one stallion. Everything was so new, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be the same again. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to tell Fly about it, in case she was upset or shocked. It wasn’t all that unusual for ponies my age to be doing it, but still... there was still something exciting about it. I was never going to have another first time, and it made me feel somehow more grown-up.

When I woke up, there was still some residual excitement, which manifested itself through a smile that I couldn’t seem to get rid of all morning. I waved at River at breakfast, and she waved back.
“You seem happy,” Fly said, sounding tired. “Was it a fun party?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I suppose.” The breakfast hall wasn’t a place for that kind of revelation. “Um, I have something to tell you later. Can you meet me at lunchtime in the room?”
“Oh, okay,” Fly said, but I noticed Miri listening in. I glared at her and she looked away, but I could just see the rumours flying.

Of course, they did. This was why I sometimes really didn’t like Miri; she just came up with totally baseless gossip and told everypony so she would seem to be in-the-know. By lunchtime, the air was thick with rumours that River and I had broken up, which was totally untrue. I told a few ponies this as I made my way back to the room, but they didn’t seem convinced.
“Cat?” Fly said as I walked in.
“Ugh, remind me to shout at Miri later,” I said irritably, sitting on my bed. “She’s the cause of all this.”
“Everypony will have forgotten by tomorrow,” Fly reassured me. “What did you want to talk about? You sounded a bit worried.”

I took a deep breath. This was the biggest thing I had ever told Fly, so it took some doing. “At the party last night-”
The door flew open, revealing an ashen-faced Miri and a rather angry-looking Rarity.
“Ah, I’m glad you’re here,” Rarity said. “Miri has something to say.”
Miri sighed. “I’m sorry about spreading those rumours.”
“That’s okay,” I said, my anger forgotten. “Just don’t do it again.”
Rarity was still glowering at Miri as the two of them stretched out on their respective beds, pulling out chocolate biscuits.

“So what are you two doing in here at lunchtime? We thought you’d be in the common room,” Rarity asked, pulling a hairbrush magically through her mane.
Neither Fly nor I said anything. I wasn’t sure how best to explain.
“A secret?” Rarity asked, an eyebrow raised. “That’s okay, we won’t pry. Miri learnt that lesson today.”
Miri just shrugged. She was still sulking.
“I suppose it’s not really that much of a secret,” I said, thinking it over. I was actually dying to tell somepony about it and see whether my excitement was justified, but Miri and Rarity had frustrated my chance to tell Fly.

“Last night, at the party on River’s corridor,” I said, watching Miri suddenly perk up. “You have to promise not to tell anypony, though. I’ll know who’s responsible if this gets spread around the school.” The others nodded, and by the look on Rarity’s face I suspected she had already guessed what it was.
“We ended up in her room... and in her bed. We, you know, did it,” I said, relieved to have got it off my chest.
“Oh my,” Fly said, a slight blush rising on her face. I waited for a definitive reaction from somepony.

Miri seemed happy, and Rarity gave me a big smile, so I relaxed.
“Wow. You must be excited,” the unicorn said, dashing over to give me a hug. “You seem so grown-up.”
“Thanks Rarity,” I said while Miri joined the hug. Fly just sat on her bed and seemed a bit tearful, so I escaped the hug and sat down next to her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah... I don’t know why I’m crying,” she said, smiling. “I guess it’s just weird to think about the four of us being grown-up. It’s only six months until we won’t see each other any more,”
That really damped my excitement, but I hugged her anyway. “It’s not that bad. Cheer up.”
Rarity gave me a look of admiration. “You sound so mature now... it’s like I’m seeing you in a whole different light. Not that you weren’t mature before, of course, but now... I don’t know.” She smiled and I felt another pang that didn’t have anything to do with River.

Whenever I saw River after that, I felt a little rush. When we passed in the corridors or saw each other over breakfast, I thought about the party and how exciting it had been, and then I would feel a little happier. Contrary to how I’d felt just a few days ago, I was suddenly really looking forward to going to see the fireworks with her.
“Do you think it’ll be cold?” Rarity asked as we got ready to walk down to the carriages. “I’m not sure how many scarves to take.”
“Probably two. It looks frosty,” Fly replied, putting her own scarf on.
Rarity also donned a woolly hat which would have looked unfashionable on any other pony, but somehow she turned it into quirky.

I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of River as we walked down to the school gates, but there didn’t seem to be any. She’d probably gone on ahead.
“Last time we get to go to the fireworks,” Fly said as we settled into the carriage, Miri’s fierce glances keeping any other ponies from trying to climb in.
Rarity smiled. “I can’t say I’ll miss being freezing cold all evening. Now Miri, are you going to behave yourself this time?”
Miri giggled as the carriage began to move. “Yes, I’m a mature Head Filly now. Anyway, I have to help make sure everyone else is behaving themselves, so I can’t just sneak off anywhere.”

River was waiting when our carriage arrived, so I trotted over and gave her a hug.
“You look nice,” she said stroking my scarf with a hoof.
I nuzzled the side of her face. “You too. Do you want to get something to eat?” She nodded and we headed for the food vans nearer the bonfire. I gave Fly a quick wave as we left and she waved back.
“I didn’t know they’d have a Ferris Wheel this time,” River said, pointing to the large ride that was silhouetted against the sky. “Shall we go on it?”
“It’ll probably be full of first years just going round and round,” I commented, “But yeah, why not? It’ll be fun!”
“Let’s get chips,” River said, kissing me on the cheek and dragging me towards a van.

We decided to eat the chips while we walked and then go on the Ferris Wheel when the rush from the younger fillies had died down.
“Come on, let’s go somewhere a bit darker,” River whispered to me, and we ducked behind some vans. “There’s a nice dark spot over by the fence where ponies always go to get off with each other, want to go?”
I couldn’t say yes fast enough, and I followed her pretty tail as we trotted through the darkness towards the fence at the edge of the grassy field. River was right; it was dark, and there was no chance of any teachers coming this far out. It was still fairly early so we seemed to be the only ones there. It was cold but the grass was dry, so once we were sat down we got straight to the business of kissing. River had put on some kind of perfume that I didn’t recognise, which gave the whole thing a nice scent.

“Ew, are those-” a male voice started, making us break apart and look around for who it was. I hadn’t seen anypony, but it appeared that another couple had just arrived minutes after us.
“What? Oh, yeah, it’s two fillies kissing. Let’s find somewhere else,” a female voice said, pulling the other pony away. “Don’t want to be around that.”
I looked at River, and her face looked as sad as I felt. “Come on, ignore them. They’re just idiots,” I said gently, hugging her.
“I know,” she said, kissing my nose. “Not very nice to be reminded, though.”

Thankfully no other ponies disturbed us, and we were left to snog in peace until I got really bad cramp in my legs and we decided to go for the Ferris Wheel.
“Maybe the fireworks will be on while we’re riding it,” River suggested. “That would be nice.”
I nodded, wrapping my tail around hers. “Yes, it would.” I was just happy to be able to spend time with her, and I wondered why I had been so ambivalent towards our relationship over the past couple of months.
“You seem thoughtful,” River said, looking over at me as we approached the brightly lit amusement area.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” I replied, smiling at her.

“One ride, please,” I asked the stallion running the wheel. He took my bits and handed over a ticket without question, so we stepped forwards and climbed into the seat. River cuddled up close to me once the safety barriers came down.
“You know, they’re building a giant one of these,” I said as it jerked into motion. “Just near the river in Maneminster.”
River just nodded and rested her head on my shoulder. We held hooves as the wheel went round, lifting us up into the air. I squeezed her hoof gently and she squeezed back, and we looked at each other before giggling a little bit. I tried to see any of my friends among the ponies on the ground, but I couldn’t see enough detail.

“Can I tell you something, Cat?” River said quietly as we neared the top.
“What is it?” I put my hoof around her to try and keep the cold out, since it was quite chilly up high.
River paused. “When you didn’t talk to me for so long after term started, I felt like we were going to break up. But then you were so nice and took time out from being so busy to spend with me, which makes me think that you really do care.”
I didn’t reply, and she just stared out across the limited area of Maneminster that we could see from our high vantage point. I didn’t really know what to say, so I kissed her on the cheek and stayed quiet. I think she took this to mean that I agreed.

They didn’t start the fireworks until we were back on the ground, so we watched them together from a dark spot near the bonfire. River seemed happy, and I was glad she was having a good time. I was still conflicted about my feelings for her but I was finally reaching a place where I could accept that. Her tail was wrapped around mine and she seemed very affectionate, so I didn’t feel uncomfortable around her. I didn’t have to look for true love yet. Maybe I could just be okay with whatever this was for a while. It might even turn into love. I leant over and kissed her on the cheek before going back to admiring the fireworks, which lit up the sky and made me jump every time a big one went off.

River rode back to school with her friends, so I walked down the line of carriages looking for Rarity, Miri and Fly. I couldn’t find them at first and started to panic, afraid I was going to be left behind, but I eventually spotted Fly and managed to clamber in just as the carriages pulled away.
“Where have you been all evening?” the pegasus asked me, shifting across her seat to make room for me.
“I was with River.”
“All evening?” Rarity asked. “We didn’t see you anywhere.”
“Oh, we went on the Ferris Wheel and stuff. I did keep an eye out for you three and I couldn’t see you,” I said, shrugging.

Miri giggled. “You weren’t looking out that much, or you would have seen me when you came back from your little kissing session with River.”
I went bright red and stared at the floor while my friends laughed.
“Don’t worry about it,” Miri said, poking me with a hoof. “I’ve been there enough times.”
“And we didn’t lose her this time,” Rarity said, pointing to Miri. “I didn’t see her with a colt all evening.”
“Well done Miri,” I smiled. “Your bad habits must have rubbed off onto me.”
Miri sighed in response. “Watching the fireworks is much less fun when you have to be responsible.”

The next week passed slowly, and I used the time to get ahead on my schoolwork. There was nothing interesting planned for the remainder of the term until the Hearth’s Warming Eve festivities began, so I stuck to practicing for my potential auditions and doing homework. The special lessons, which were with Mr Bluejay, were actually very useful.
“Okay Cat, now I’m going to observe you playing that piece, just as I would in a real audition,” he said in a friendly tone, picking up his clipboard and sending a flicker of nerves through me. “Remember what I’ve taught you. If you get flustered or make a mistake, just stop, take a few deep breaths, and start again.”

I nodded and sat at the keyboard, making sure I was on the right page of the music. I played it without any mistakes, and whenever I saw his pencil start to move, I just took that deep breath he had mentioned and I could carry on.
“Very good Cat. I think that’s the first time you’ve been able to play it through,” he said, smiling encouragingly. I smiled back, but I knew that it was only because I knew this wasn’t a real audition. Once the real ones came around, I was sure I’d go back to being a complete wreck.
“Let’s try it once again. No change to last time, just another run-through,” Mr Bluejay said, picking up his pencil again. “Begin whenever you’re ready.”

After the session I headed back to the room, since lessons were done for the day. I passed Fly on the way, which was unusual because she was normally in the room reading.
“Where are you off to?” I asked as I approached her. “The library is the other way.”
Fly smiled, but she looked nervous. “I have to go and see Mrs Pearl. I have a meeting now.”
“Oh, I thought your next meeting wasn’t for a few weeks?” I asked, knitting my brow.
“Yes, so this means I must have had a response from a university,” she said uncertainly.
“Oh wow. I’ll come with you,” I said, doing my best to reassure her.

“Fly Leaf? Ah, good. This came for you today,” Mrs Pearl said when Fly went into the office. I stayed outside, but I listened at the door so I could hear every word. I was sure Fly wouldn’t mind.
“Thank you. Should I open it now?” Fly asked, sounding a little scared. I felt sorry for her.
“No time like the present.” I heard the sound of paper ripping, and then silence as Fly read the letter. There was a slight rustle as she handed it back to Mrs Pearl.
“Ah, good. Well, you’re well on track with your preparation. Is there any other assistance you’d like me to organise?”
“I could do with some way of getting to Oxmare,” Fly said quietly. “Do you think I should go on the train?”
“That would be fine. We’ll sort something out for you.”

Fly left the room, nearly hitting me with her wing as she came out. I pulled her into a hug and squealed as soon as we were out of earshot of Mrs Pearl’s office.
“Congratulations! Wow, you must be so happy!” I said. “An interview at Oxmare!”
Fly smiled. “Yeah, it’s great. I’m a little nervous about it though.”
“Forget that for today. We have to celebrate a little bit,” I told her, nearly dragging her back to our room. “And you need to break the good news to Rarity and Miri. They’ll be so happy for you!” As we walked (I was practically skipping), Fly let me read her letter, which was very complimentary about her application letter. I felt sure she was going to pass the interview, but I was the last person to be handing out advice on handling nerves.

“Congratulations Fly! This is great!” Rarity said, hugging the pegasus when we got back to the room. “I’m so happy for you.”
Miri was the next to hug her. “Our Fly, off to Oxmare to be a scholar!”
“It’s only an interview,” Fly said, rearranging her feathers, but I could see that she was secretly very pleased.
“Come on Miri, crack open those caramel biscuits. I saw you bringing them in,” I said, pointing to the section of her mattress that she’d stashed them in.
While Miri dug out the biscuits, I handed the interview letter to Rarity so she could read it. “Fly, how are you going to tell you parents?”
“Oh, I think they send a copy of the letter to my parents,” Fly said. It occurred to me that my parents had no idea which schools I was applying to, but I put that out of my mind.

When Miri surfaced, she had not only caramel biscuits but also an unopened bottle of lemonade and some paper cups.
“Where on Earth did you get those?” Rarity asked, shocked. “There’s no way you’d pass a surprise inspection that that under your bed.”
“Head Filly’s privilege. I got this as leftovers from Nightmare Night parties, Dorm Matron said I could have it so long as I drank it quickly,” Miri explained, handing us each a cup.
“And precisely when were you going to tell us?” Rarity asked, outraged. “You were planning to drink it all yourself?”
Miri giggled, embarrassed. “I thought you ponies would want to be watching your weight.”
“You’re the one who is always worried about your weight!”

Fly’s interview was set for the beginning to December, giving her three weeks to prepare. She began to spend all of her time reading or going to extra lessons to help her prepare for the interview. With nobody to talk to most of the time, I ended up asking Miri about her hunt for a university.
“Me? Oh, I’m going to try and do politics somewhere,” Miri shrugged. “I’m not as good as Fly so I can’t get into Oxmare.”
“But you get straight As anyway. Where did you send application letters to?” I replied, half-wondering about going to visit her next year.
“Well I sent them to Manechester, Trottingham and Sheffhoof, but I really want to go to Neighcastle. I liked it when I visited there,” Miri said, lazily leafing through a book. “We’ll see.”

I hadn’t expected Miri to be so organised, but then she had been showing a whole new side of her since she was elected Head Filly. I didn’t ask Rarity about her preparations for returning to Ponyville because I didn’t want to think about it. Instead, I just went back to focusing on my piano practice. If all of my friends were going to achieve what they wanted to, then I was going to join them, even if I had to do those awful auditions with strange ponies marking my performance and just waiting to laugh at my every mistake.

Chapter Seventeen

The rest of term leading up to the winter dance seemed to drag. I was acutely aware of the fact that as each day passed, there was one day less for me to get a letter from one of my chosen schools, which would be closed over the holiday period. After that, I’d have to resume looking, which had been difficult enough in the first place. Fly tried to keep my spirits up, but she was now getting offers of places from lots of universities up and down the country and had nothing to worry about except her interview. The same was happening to Miri, which meant I was left out of their conversations.

“Do you think I’m ready?” Fly asked me the day before she left for Oxmare, her suitcase half-packed. Rarity had yet to see it, and I suspected that some of the items would be removed rather quickly.
“For your interview?” I asked cautiously, looking up at her over my magazine.
“Yes,” she replied, nodding. “I’ve been practising but I don’t know if I’m one hundred percent yet.”
I tried an encouraging smile. “You’ll do great. You’re exactly what they’re looking for.”
“Should I show you my interview outfit?”
“Show Rarity, she’ll know better than I will.”

The three of us waved Fly off at the school gates when she got a taxi to the station, trying not to look at the pained expression on her face.
“Do you think she’ll really be okay?” I asked Rarity and Miri as we made our way back up the long drive towards the school buildings.
Miri just shrugged, but Rarity was more confident. “Oh, I think so. She’ll be fine the moment they start talking about books, just you see.”
“I hope so. She’s been nervous for days,” I said, biting my lip.

When we arrived back to the room, there was a very small filly waiting outside with a worried expression which seemed to ease when she saw us.
“Um, which one of you is Toccata?” she asked in a quiet voice. I waved, trying not to seem scary. “There’s a letter here for you...”
I frowned as I took it off her, wondering what it was, and the little pony scampered away, probably relieved to be away from the older ponies. “It says I have to go and see Mrs Pearl right now.”
“Good news, I expect,” Miri said, patting my shoulder with a hoof. “Come straight back!”

I left the two of them as they unlocked the room and went back inside, instead going down the stairs and towards the offices on the ground floor. It wasn’t the end of term yet, so if it was bad news it was an outright rejection letter.
There was somepony else inside the office when I arrived so I hung around nervously, shifting my weight from right to left until the door opened and the other pony exited.
“Come in, Cat,” Mrs Pearl said in a curt voice. I took a seat on her uncomfortable chair and pressed my forehooves together, trying to seem calm and collected.

“I hope you’ll forgive me but I’ve been withholding some information from you,” the teacher began, fixing me with a steely gaze that suggested I didn’t have a choice in the matter. “I had a letter a week ago for you, but I decided to save it until I had a letter from both of your choices.”
Instead of saying anything, I just nodded and tried to seem like I thought this was a good idea.
“You can have the letter from Britannic College first,” she said, handing it over. The headed paper was impressive and I took a moment to admire it, the school crest taking pride of place. The letter went downhill from there, informing me politely that while I was a very strong candidate, they didn’t consider my all-round academic talents to be strong enough to merit a place.

“Don’t take it too hard,” Mrs Pearl said when I’d finished reading. “You might want to read this other one.”
This one was from the Princess School, with an equally impressive heading on the paper. The contents were much more positive, inviting me to go for an interview just after the holidays and a short audition to follow it.
“The date they’ve given is just inside the term, so we’ll arrange transport for you, if you’re going to take up their offer?” the other pony said, still looking at me.
“Um, yes,” I said automatically. “That’s fine.”

“You can keep the letter. There’s more on the back giving you details about your audition, so it might be useful,” she told me in a businesslike fashion, tidying up some papers and marking something with a pencil. “There will be time after the audition to organise more applications if you like.”
“Thanks.” I smiled, getting out of the chair with the letter held by my magic. Mrs Pearl just nodded and pointed her hoof at the door, which I headed for, passing another unfortunate pony who was sweating outside.

Miri and Rarity were delighted by my news of an audition, and looked suitably disappointed by my rejection. I wanted to tell Fly, but it would have to wait until she returned the next day. Once Miri and Rarity had gone back to their business, I took a seat on my bed and began to read the letter properly, taking in the details of the audition and interview. It didn’t seem very intimidating, but they mentioned ‘two separate solo performances’ which meant I had to learn two pieces and play them perfectly in front of their interviewers. There was a sudden tightness in my tummy and I rolled onto my front unhappily.

“You okay Cat?” Rarity asked, her blue eyes looking at me from across the room.
I nodded and went back to reading, my tail swishing a little to try and cover my apprehension. I knew I would be worrying about it all through the holidays and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself properly, which was really making me feel down. I was tempted to simply put off my preparation until the new year, but then something at the back of my mind told me that this was a bit more important than some homework. I let out a quiet sigh and put the letter down, staring out of the window at the frosty grounds.

Mr Bluejay was very encouraging when I went for my next special preparation session.
“Congratulations for getting the audition!” he said, his cheerfulness entirely the opposite of my feelings about it. “You’ll have the whole holiday to work on it, and I’ll see if we can squeeze another session in before you go in January. Now, we need to decide on which pieces you’re going to play.”
I was all for something nice and basic with no chance of messing it up, but the stallion recommended some more complex pieces that played to my strengths. “Something slow but powerful, I think, so there’s less room for you to get lost.”

Without much joy, I tried a few things until he decided on two, which complemented each other by showcasing my full range of skills, as he put it. I felt more like they would showcase how easily I can fail at everything, and my lack of enthusiasm was obvious.
“You shouldn’t feel so unhappy, Cat. It’s nothing to worry about,” Mr Bluejay told me. “I mean, if you want to get into Princess School, you can just handle a little bit of work up until then. It’s no worse than working for an upcoming concert.”
I nodded and went back to playing, not really sure if I wanted to get into Princess School. It was very far away and I knew I would see Fly much less often if I went there, but my stomach turned at the idea of going to more auditions.

As I returned to my regular lessons after the special session, Rarity’s advice was still in my head. I wanted to see Fly as often as possible, but during term she would be busy. I could still see her in the holidays, but that seemed to mean hardly ever. The more I thought, the more I couldn’t bear to not see my best friend every day, but I had no chance of getting into Oxmare and I was now trapped in this awful audition. The future definitely did not seem very bright, and I was in a rather mopey mood by the time I got back to my lessons.

When Fly was due to return later in the day, Rarity had begun to fuss about the upcoming dance. She had this vision of a perfect first dance for River and I, and was working on matching outfits, dispatching me to go and actually ask my fillyfriend whether or not she actually wanted her dress to be made by Rarity. She agreed, but I somehow felt like matching outfits would just be embarrassing. To put my mind off it, Miri and I trotted down to the school gates to greet the pegasus when she got back.

“You know, if her train has been delayed on the way back, we could be waiting here for hours,” Miri helpfully informed me as we walked into the cold air outside. “Should have brought scarves.”
“Don’t jinx it,” I said, glaring at her. “I’m sure she’ll arrive on time.”
Miri just shrugged and peered ahead, wondering if she’d arrived yet. I was quite cold, now that Miri had brought my attention to it, and I shivered a little in the winter air. My private hopes were that Fly arrived sooner rather than later, otherwise I might have to admit defeat and retreat to find winterwear.

My blushes were saved when Fly turned up right on time, looking a little flush with the exertion of carrying her bag. Miri and I both hugged her as soon as she arrived and I carried her bag, relieved that it wasn’t too heavy.
“So, tell us, how was it?” Miri asked excitedly, taking the words out of my mouth.
Fly smiled. “It was okay really. I loved Oxmare and the college was really nice, I could definitely see myself there next year.”
“What about the interview?” I added, doing my best not to sound nosy. “Did that go well?”
“Oh, I hope so. It was hard to tell. They seemed really friendly and nice, but they did ask quite hard questions.”

She didn’t really give anything else away, so I got the impression that it had overall been a success. The letter of acceptance or rejection would come in the new year, she told us, so she could relax until then. I was jealous that she’d be able to sit back over the holidays and relax while I was worrying, which reminded me to tell her my news.
“Oh, while you were away I got an audition at Princess School,” I informed the pegasus, trying not to sound like I was stealing her thunder.
Fly let out a kind of squeal and awkwardly hugged me with her wings. “That’s great! What about Britannic College?”
“They rejected me.”

My best friend was still upbeat about my audition as I helped her unpack everything.
“Princess School is really impressive, even getting an audition means that they must think very highly of you,” she enthused, voice muffled by the bathroom door as she put away her toothbrush. “They’re probably only auditioning to make double sure you’re suitable.”
“I wish they didn’t have to,” I complained. “When they hear my terrible audition then they’re never going to accept me.”
“I thought those extra sessions were helping?” This time there was a note of concern in her voice, so I backtracked.
“Oh, yes, they are, I’m just being overly negative. I’m sure I’ll feel better nearer the time.”

This placated her, and whilst I felt bad that I wouldn’t have a friend to confide my fears in, it was better than having Fly worrying about me. I just kept going to my extra sessions and trying not to think too hard about how few of them remained. It was only two weeks until the holidays began and that meant a maximum of four more hours with Mr Bluejay. Rarity was in full fussing mode for the upcoming dance, splitting her time between designing and making five dresses and trying to help Miri with the speech she had to make to the younger ponies before the dance. (Miri didn’t like it when Fly tried to help, because Fly often disagreed with her.) It occurred to me with a slight pang in my chest that it was almost exactly a year since my first kiss with Rarity, which she still didn’t know about.

River and I made plans to go to the dance together, which seemed to please Rarity and Miri. Our outfits were coming along (I’d persuaded Rarity not to make them match) and when I should have been practicing my audition music, I was actually spending hours in the bathroom with Rarity trying to make my mane look nice with the outfit, which wasn’t easy.
“Maybe if I cut it...” Rariity mused, and I shook my head. “Just a little?” More shaking. “Okay, well I might need to pin it here...”
It would be our last winter at Buckingham, which was sad. Whenever I passed a room adorned with Hearth’s Warming decorations or somepony humming a carol, I felt a little bit sadder than I had before.

When the night of the dance finally arrived, I had a last-minute session with Mr Bluejay, which threw a giant spanner into Rarity’s preparation plans.
“Well, maybe I can do it if I leave you until last... oh no but then that won’t leave time for accessories... perhaps if I start Fly now... no but then... I can’t do Miri because she’’s off making this speech,” she mumbled, patting me absent-mindedly. “I think I’ll probably have to do your mane before you go, otherwise it just won’t work.”
And so I made my way down to the music classroom with my mane elegantly styled and curled, feeling like a bit of an idiot.

“I like your manestyle,” Mr Bluejay said as soon as I entered, making me blush. “Are you looking forward to the dance?”
“Yes,” I replied simply, not really wanting to get into the details. “My friend is doing my mane and dress so she wanted to start early.”
“Well I’m sure you’ll look fabulous,” the stallion said with a kind smile. “Now, do you want to get straight into some practice? I think I’m going to allocate our last session, next term, to a mock audition, so this is your last chance to do some normal practice.”
I tried to ignore the feeling of terror that the mock audition was filling me with, and just nodded mutely, sitting down at the piano.

“Just play both pieces straight through and ignore any mistakes,” he said, picking up a clipboard and pencil. I tried to concentrate on the music, actually pleased that my manestyle kept my hair away from my face so my vision was clearer. I started playing and did rather well for a change, almost getting the tricky faster part right. I attributed this to my mind being occupied by thoughts of the dance, so I couldn’t overthink it.
“Good job Cat. Play like that in the audition and you’ll nearly have it,” the teacher said. “You’ll obviously be able to practice during the holidays to make sure you play it perfectly. Now, how about some interview questions?”

The worried feeling that I always had during practice sessions didn’t go away as I made my way back to the room to get my dress. It was entirely down to me to learn the pieces and play them at the audition from now on, so I couldn’t rely on any extra help. I tried not to feel sick and just focused on the dance.
“Finally Cat, we’re already fifteen minutes over schedule,” Rarity said as I entered. “Quickly, go and get your dress. I’m just finishing Miri.” Fly, already looking pretty in her aquamarine dress, gave me a sympathetic smile. Rarity turned to me. “Are you sure River will be okay with hers?”
“She said she would,” I replied. “I’m going to meet her at her room so you can come if you like, make a few last-minute adjustments.”
“Oh no no, that would ruin your romantic date.”

I found myself sitting and watching Rarity at work, marvelling at how her magic was so gentle and precise when it came to handling clothes and manes and tails. Each minor adjustment she made seemed impossibly small, but they were perfect and the overall effect was magnificent. When she finished Miri’s red dress she looked over at me, holding my cream coloured outfit, and caught me looking at her. I looked at the carpet and shuffled over, feeling a bit stupid, but Rarity didn’t say anything.
“I don’t think cream suits you as well as black,” Rarity told me for the fifth time that week, “so just make sure that you don’t stand in any bright lights.”

Once I was done, which thanks to Rarity’s speed was actually slightly ahead of schedule, I trotted over to find River, using my magic to stop the hem of my dress trailing on the floor or getting caught in doors. I knocked three times on her door and waited to see if anypony would open up.
“Hello? Oh, hi Cat,” River said, looking nice in a shimmering blue dress. “Ready to go? All of my friends have gone already.”
I just stared at her. “What happened to the dress Rarity gave you?” The unicorn had designed River a pale gold gown, elegant and stylish without the extra adornments that most dresses had. “I thought it would suit River better like that,” Rarity had pronounced when she drew the design. “No frills.”

River just shrugged. “Oh, I didn’t really like it.”
“Did you try it on?” I asked, incredulous. I had been skeptical about a number of Rarity’s dresses in the past, but after trying them I always loved them.
“No, I didn’t want to. Anyway, shall we go?” River seemed nonplussed.
“Wait, I have to tell Rarity,” I said, frowning. “She’ll spend the whole night wondering otherwise.”
“That’ll make us late,” River said, irritated. “Come on, you can tell her when you see her. It’s not exactly a big deal.”
“Well she did work pretty hard on that dress for you,” I snapped back, not liking her annoyed tone. “I think she deserves an explanation.”

My fillyfriend didn’t reply and we walked in silence towards the hall, occasionally glancing at each other before looking away quickly. I knew that Rarity would be gracious enough not to say anything when I told her, but she would definitely be hurt by River’s preference for something off a rail rather than a personalised creation. River stepped ahead of me when we arrived at the hall and went in, going straight for her group of sixth year friends and leaving me standing on my own, scanning to find mine. They didn’t seem to have arrived yet, so I spent a few minutes looking like an idiot by myself, before cutting my losses and heading over to River.

“Cat,” Fly exclaimed, cutting me off halfway there. “Sorry we were late, Miri accidentally trod on her hem and it was panic stations.”
“That’s okay,” I replied, hugging her carefully. “Where’s Rarity? I have to tell her something.”
“She’s just coming,” Fly said, pointing to the doors with a wing. “What is it? Why aren’t you with River?”
“River decided not to wear Rarity’s dress,” I explained. “Apparently she didn’t like the look of it.”
“Well did she try it on?”
“No, she didn’t.”
“Rarity will be really hurt, you can’t tell her! It’ll ruin the dance.”
“She’s going to notice River’s dress sooner or later,” I said, sadly. “It’s best that I break it to her gently.”

Rarity made her grand entrance as usual, this time heightened by the fact that she was coming with the Head Filly, probably the most popular pony in the whole school. Miri drank in the attention, and I suddenly realised why Rarity had panicked when Miri had stood on her hem. Her dress was really amazing, and her mane looked totally different, cascading down to her shoulders in long straight lengths rather than its usual curls. Several ponies gasped when they saw her, including some teachers. Rarity had outdone herself, but she simply looked proud of Miri rather than pleased with herself.

“Wow... Miri looks fantastic,” I said as soon as I could get Rarity’s attention. “You’ve done such a good job.”
“Well, I do think it worked just right,” Rarity told me. “I thought she deserved to be the belle of the ball for once.”
I nodded my agreement, but felt I had to chance the subject. “Look, Rarity, I have to tell you something about River.”
“Hmm? Did she have some kind of difficulty with the dress? I’m happy to help touch it up.”
“No, no. She decided not to wear it.” I waited for her reaction, hoping she wouldn’t take it too badly.”
“I knew it... that gold fabric felt thin when I bought it. I should have gone for the thicker stuff! I always had a thought that it might rip when somepony tried to put it on...”
“No, it’s not that. She just decided not to, she didn’t like the look of it.”

Rarity paused, her eyes fixed on mine. “Didn’t like it? So what is she wearing?”
“Something blue, I don’t know exactly.”
“Blue?” Rarity pushed past me, trotting over to see exactly what it was. I followed, feeling bad.
River took one look at us and assumed a defensive tone. “Look, I’m sorry Rarity but I don’t think that dress suits me.”
“Suits you? It was perfect! Please tell me you at least tried it on,” Rarity drawled, her expression stern.
River shook her head. “I didn’t need to, it just wasn’t me.”
“Well, if that’s what you think,” Rarity said, her expression wounded. “Suit yourself.”

I had a look at River but her face was still hard, so I decided to go after Rarity instead. I caught a glimpse of betrayal on my fillyfriend’s face, but ignored it.
“I’m sorry about her,” I said to Rarity when we finally stopped on the opposite side of the hall. A bouncy carol had just come on and lots of ponies were getting up to dance, which gave us some privacy. “If I’d known...”
“Oh, it’s not your fault. Some ponies are just close-minded,” Rarity said unhappily, hurt obvious in her voice. “I’ll have to make something better next time.”
“No, the dress you made was beautiful. Don’t let someone like her tell you otherwise,” I said, reassuring her.
“Someone like her? I thought you really liked her?” Rarity said, sniffling a little bit as her eyes shone in the lights.
I shrugged. “I don’t know how much I can like somepony who doesn’t like your dresses.”

Rarity let out a little bit of a laugh, but I knew from experience that she didn’t handle failure very well so I escorted her to the little filly’s room, dragging Fly along with me, expecting tears.
“Just look after her. I need to go and speak to River,” I explained in hushed tones to Fly. “There’s extra make-up in my bag so use it to fix hers.” Rarity’s tears were starting to make everything run.
“Okay,” Fly said timidly, taking my bag. “I wish this hadn’t happened.”
“I’ll tell Miri when I see her,” I said, feeling terrible for being part of the cause of it all. I hurried out to find River, hoping that an apology would be enough to save Rarity’s evening.

“Miri, Rarity’s crying,” I said when I saw my other roommate. “River didn’t wear her dress.”
Miri gave my fillyfriend a nasty look from across the hall. “Well that wasn’t very nice.”
“I’m going to go and talk to her now, see if she’ll apologise.”
“I’m coming with you. No arguments, Cat,” Miri said, looking angry.
“Okay, well please be nice.” Miri didn’t reply as we walked around the edge of the hall, avoiding the dancing ponies in the middle until we reached River and her group of sixth years. Her look could have cracked stone, but Miri matched it with something that I sincerely hoped I was never on the receiving end of.

“River, Rarity is really upset,” I explained. “She worked hard on your dress and I think she’d appreciate it if you said you were sorry.”
River ignored Miri. “I never asked her to make that dress, she was just determined to make me wear it. Maybe I wanted to wear something different?”
“You could have told her before she did all that work for you,” I said, shrugging. “Just apologise and I’m sure she’ll be happy.”
Miri was still glaring at her, so she took me to one side. “Cat, I’m your fillyfriend. You should be on my side, not supporting somepony who just happens to be your roommate.”
“She’s one of my best friends, not just my roommate. I really care about her.”
“And you’re supposed to really care about me. I care about you, Cat.”

I paused. “Well if you really care about me, you’ll apologise to my friend.”
River rolled her eyes. “I care about you so I wore the best dress I could to the dance! I wanted to look nice so you would want to dance with me and have fun. I didn’t want to look like Rarity’s doll.”
“It meant a lot to me that you would wear my friend’s dress,” I said coldly, not really believing that River was being so mean. “I would still have had fun whatever you wore.”
“Then why have you been ignoring me all evening?”
“Because you hurt my friend! Why can’t you just say you’re sorry?”
River sighed and rubbed her muzzle in annoyance. “If you care so much about your friend, why don’t you go out with her instead of me?”
“Because.. why can’t you just apologise?”

River laughed hollowly. “Oh, so you don’t even know any reasons that you’re going out with me? Now I’m hurt.”
“I don’t want to upset you, I just don’t want my friend’s evening to be ruined.”
“No Cat, you seem to care more about her than me. If you wanted me to wear her dress, then you should get her to actually make good dresses.”
Miri, who has been surreptitiously eavesdropping for the whole conversation, suddenly went white with fury and poked River hard on the rump. “You take that back right now.”
“No! I can say what I like,” River insisted.
“Well then I don’t want to go out with you,” I said, red mist descending as I clenched my teeth. “I don’t want to date somepony who doesn’t like my best friend.”

Miri smiled at me and the two of us stalked off, not looking back at River’s expression of anger and shock. What I’d said didn’t really sink in until we were back in the bathroom with Rarity and Fly.
“River said she thought your dresses weren’t nice and Cat dumped her,” Miri said, a hint of pride in her voice as she looked at me.
“Cat! But what about your first dance?” Rarity hiccoughed, her tears nearly subsided.
“She was mean to you. I don’t want a fillyfriend like that,” I said, shrugging. “I think it was bound to happen eventually anyway.” Even though I put on a brave face, I could already feel a wave of emotion in my tummy that was threatening to make me cry.

Rarity seemed a little happier and Miri took over comforting her. Fly looked at me and seemed to read my mind, because she put her wings around me just as my first tears broke free.
“I know you really liked her,” Fly whispered soothingly. “You’re allowed to cry.”
I sniffed, trying to be brave and keep myself from crying, but they kept coming. “I know... I did so much s-stuff with her, I thought I might even h-have loved her a little bit,” I managed between sobs.
“It’s okay. You’ll get over her,” Fly said, her wings pulling me closer and crushing our dresses a little bit.

With half of us crying, Miri suggested we write off the dance and go back to the room to eat biscuits and get out of the cumbersome dresses. I agreed, especially since when Rarity had seen me crying, it had set her off into a fresh flood of tears. It took Fly and Miri’s best efforts to get us back to the room without anypony seeing us.
“Got any other Head Filly privileges stashed under your bed?” Fly asked Miri when we got back.
“No, but I’ve still got lots of chocolate left over,” she said, handing both Rarity and I a bar. “It’s way too much for me to eat, I’ll just get fat.” I hadn’t been eating particularly healthily with the holidays coming up and my worries about my audition, so I tried to ignore my weight gain as I tore open the wrapping of the bar and shed my dress into a big pool on the floor.

Even though I could still feel the occasional tear escaping, I felt much worse for Rarity. It seemed so mean for one pony to ruin somepony else’s evening like that, especially since it was our last winter dance. It was going to be awkward bumping into River, but we only had six months left at Buckingham. After that, I wouldn’t be able to see any of my friends every day, and that thought managed to trigger more tears and sobs which Fly did her best to help me fight off. The chocolate helped too, I must admit, even if some of it did get a bit wet.
“Well, I think we can safely say that this dance has been a bit of a disaster,” Fly said, giggling. “Although you did seem to be enjoying yourself earlier, Miri.”
“The dress did all of the work,” Miri said, rubbing a hoof through Rarity’s mane. “I can’t imagine having a better one.”

“Well, you could have got one from Hoity Toity’s winter range in Canterlot. That would probably have looked better than mine,” Rarity said with a small smile. “But you’d have needed a few thousand spare bits.”
“I think I have about twelve spare bits,” Miri said. “What would that get me at Hoity Toity’s boutique?”
“You’d probably get a nice gentlestallion to show you to the door,” Rarity giggled.
“I think I’d prefer to go to Rarity’s Ponyville boutique. Much nicer service,” Fly declared, squeezing me a little more tightly. “The three of us will come for a visit whenever we have some kind of occasion coming up.”
“Like the Queen’s garden party,” I added.
“Oh yes, I’m sure we’ll all be invited to that every year,” Miri said in an over-the-top posh voice. Rarity laughed and I had to laugh with her. She looked much more pretty when she was smiling.

Special Chapter 2!

Special Chapter Two

The summer holidays always dragged. I felt envious of ponies like Cat, who were an only child and had all of their parents’ attention, or ponies like Rarity who had a cute little sister to play with. Unfortunately, I was the cute little sister, but since I wasn’t so cute any more my sisters had got bored of playing with me, preferring to make fun of me.
“Is your hair really still that colour, Miri?” Buttercup asked when I arrived at their house. My sisters were all grown up, and the three of them lived in a house in the city, far enough away from our parents so that they wouldn’t be supervised, but near enough that they could still go home to get food when they wanted. Sadly, my parents had booked a romantic cruise for a week and dumped me with my sisters, who weren’t all that pleased to have me hanging around.

Buttercup was the eldest and the smartest. She worked in a high-powered office job and made loads of money, but spent it on jewellery and spa treatments. She got through coltfriends like she got through diamond necklaces. Dandelion was the next oldest and always took after Buttercup. The two of them were always doing stuff together like double dates or coffee mornings. Dandelion hardly ever worked; officially she was an interior designer, but she usually just sponged off Buttercup and only actually did stuff when she had nothing else to do. The third oldest was Thistle, who was especially mean to me because she thought it would make the others like her more. She was actually a secretary but never admitted it, instead claiming she was a personal assistant to somepony famous. I didn’t think that the regional manager of a company tgar made glass was really very famous, but I never said so in case she took her revenge.

Buttercup and Dandelion usually acted as if I was a nuisance, and Thistle preferred to call me names. I did my best to be nice to them, but it was usually a waste of time. They let me have the spare bedroom for the week, but it came with a dire warning from Thistle that if I made any noise when she was asleep, she would lock me in there for the rest of the week without any food. I thought it was an empty threat, but she’d done worse in the past so I was always as quiet as a mouse when she was asleep. But the worst part about living with my sisters was that I couldn’t go out and see the local colts; everypony in the neighbourhood knew I was the little sister to Buttercup, Dandelion and Thistle, and so just asked me about them.

I should probably mention that all three of my older sisters are extremely beautiful. They could be models if they wanted, but they seem to consider it beneath them. Well, Buttercup considered it beneath her, and the other two copied her. I have been plagued my whole life by the fact that when I was with them, colts always just asked about them and wanted to know more about them. I’d never even had one coltfriend when they were around, only at home or at school, and I’d had to wait until they’d all left Buckingham before I could get coltfriends at school. Having three older sisters sucked, there was no other way of saying it. But things got worse when they suddenly announced that they were all having the day off work and we were going to the beach.

Unfortunately for me, having three glamorous sisters meant that they attracted extra attention when at the beach, leaving me to answer endless boring questions from colts who didn’t seem to realise they weren’t even in the same league.
“Buttercup?” I asked when she was cooking dinner. (She only cooked for herself; I was left to subsist on the scraps that were left.)
“What is it Miri?” she asked, sounding bored.
“Can I stay at home tomorrow? I don’t really feel like the beach.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to go to the beach?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the vegetables she was cutting.
“I’d just prefer to stay here.”

Buttercup promised to talk to the other two, but they were both negative. “Sorry Miri, they say that if you stay here, you’ll probably go through our stuff.” Her tone was disappointed, but her face was devoid of expression.
“I won’t!” I protested, but she wasn’t having any of it. Reluctantly I packed my swimming costume and a towel into my bag and went to bed, petulantly knocking on the wall with my hoof as soon as I was sure Thistle was asleep. She pounded back and made death threats, but I felt a little better.

The next day dawned hot and sunny, the hottest day of the year so far. We were going to get the train to the seaside, and I hung around by the front door for an hour before the other three finally managed to get up and make themselves look just right.
“Come on then Miri,” Dandelion said, rolling her eyes. “You don’t have to be so enthusiastic.”
I wanted to make a clever reply, but it would make the already boring train ride a little bit harder, so I said nothing and privately wished I didn’t have any sisters. At least the train didn’t take much longer than an hour, which was merciful because the hot weather was making it hot and sweaty on the crowded train. My sisters didn’t look flustered at all, of course.

‘Welcome to Whinney Bay’ the sign said when we alighted, and I followed the glamorous forms of my sisters through the crowds on the platform, wondering why I had been saddled with the picnic box when they all seemed capable of carrying more than just their towels. The three of them all walked with the latest designer sunglasses plastered onto their faces, backsides swaying, and I just hurried along behind them and wondered if I was ever going to be tall enough to walk at the same speed as they did. The beach was an easy walk away, and the sand under my hooves was a relief. I could finally just relax and ignore the presence of my sisters, and maybe if I got far enough from them I could even find a couple of nice-looking colts to spend the day with.

Once settled onto a nice open patch of the beach, I put up the windbreak and hid the picnic in the shade to keep it from getting hot. It was hot enough to go swimming, and the sea looked invitingly close.
“I’m going to go for a paddle,” I informed the other three, laying my towel out on the sand. “Can somepony keep an eye on my towel so it doesn’t disappear?” There was no response from the others, who were now laying out in the sun on their own towels. I shrugged and trotted down the beach, skirting around foals digging sandcastles until I reached the cooling waves, which lapped around my hooves in a refreshing way.

I considered going for a dip, since the hot sun would dry my coat in less than an hour, but the seawater did nothing for my mane and I didn’t need to look any worse in comparison to my sisters. I just paddled, keeping my hooves nice and wet and admiring the ponies who were bobbing further out, playing games with inflatable balls and giggling as the waves washed over them. I missed my friends from Buckingham, who would probably just plunge into the water with me. The very thought of my sisters plunging their perfect manestyles into anything was enough to make me snort with derision.

Once I’d had enough of feeling alone, I returned to the beach, wanting to dry off with my towel. I’d drifted along the beach a little, and I had a hard time finding my way back. I kept scanning the area I was sure we had laid out our towels in, but I couldn’t see my sisters anywhere. Eventually I cut my losses and walked up the beach, hoping that they were just hidden behind a bunch of ponies I could see in the middle of my vision. It became obvious as I approached that the group of ponies were actually a group of admirers who had appeared around my sisters. One of them, an obscenely muscled colt, was lying on my towel and chatting to Thistle.

“Excuse me, that’s my towel you’re lying on,” I said to him, tapping his shoulder. I could actually see the sweat dripping off his limbs and onto my towel.
“Really?” he said, not believing me but getting up anyway.
“Yeah really,” I replied, a little caustically, snatching up the towel and rubbing the worst of the water from my legs. Thistle glowered at me, so I stepped aside and let her muscled admirer lie back down on the sand. With all of the colts around, there was nowhere for me to sit, so I just laid my towel over the picnic box.
“Going for a walk,” I told Buttercup, deliberately interrupting her conversation. “Back later.”

My sisters were really annoying me, so I resolved to walk as far away from them as I could. I could see some white buildings just behind the sand dunes and surmised that they must be part of the town by the beach, which probably had shops and cafés to pass the afternoon in. Without a backward glance I headed for the water, planning to walk through the surf to keep cool. I sulked as I walked, muttering the occasional insult about my idiot sisters who were ruining my week. The sooner I had my own house to live in, the better. Then I would never have to see them and I could just pretend they didn’t exist.

Luckily, my mood lightened when I spotted a group of colts about my age playing a game of beach football. I made sure my mane was looking good and walked close to them, keeping my eyes firmly forwards and hoping I’d got their attention. Sure enough, as I passed, a trio came up to me, abandoning their less handsome friends to the game.
“Hi,” one of them said, and by his swagger I assumed he was the leader.
“Hi,” I replied sweetly, smiling and stopping.
He looked at me for a moment. “You’re the pony who came with those hot ponies over there? Can you introduce us?” he asked, a hoof pointing in the direction of my sisters. I just gave him an icy stare and stalked off without a word.

Now my day was definitely ruined. My chances of finding a nice colt who wasn’t interested in my sisters was zero, so I was going to be alone all day. Miserably, I headed for the buildings, wanting to get away from the beach and sit in the shade somewhere.
The town wasn’t particularly large, but the beachfront had a number of shops selling souvenirs, beach craft items and ice cream. I decided in favour of ice cream, and I joined the queue, counting my loose change to see if I had enough for one now, one later.

Somepony was taking photographs behind me, and I wondered what could possibly be interesting about a queue for ice cream. Looking up, I spotted a pony taking a photograph of the ponies behind me in the queue, and I almost decided against looking at them. But it wasn’t as if I had anything better to do, so I did.
“Oh my, it’s Quartz Shine,” I whispered under my breath, my eyes drawn to his famous face. Everypony knew Quartz Shine. He was a famous male model who appeared in magazines wearing the very latest styles. I knew Cat had a picture of him pinned up by her bed; I’d helped her cut it out of the magazine. He was... amazing.

And he was standing right behind me, posing with a small filly while her mother squealed and took their photo. Once they’d trotted away, Quartz Shine turned to look at the queue and spotted my frozen features staring back at him.
“Can I help you?” he asked in a friendly voice, and I dragged my eyes away from his face, blushing furiously.
“Oh, no, I just realised who you were,” I said, turning back away from him. “Sorry for bothering you.”
He just smiled at me, but while I was ordering my rum and raisin double scoop, I could feel him standing behind me.

“That’ll be three bits,” the pony behind the counter said, carefully handing me the ice cream.
“Let me get that,” Quartz Shine said, leaning over from behind me.
I blushed even more deeply. “Oh no, it’s okay...”
“I insist,” he said with a flourish, placing the bits on the counter. “And I’ll have the same.” As the ice cream pony disappeared with his scoop, Quartz Shine looked at me. “You look like you need somepony to talk to, and I just can’t walk away from another rum and raisin lover.”
There was something in his friendly smile that put me at ease, although I had to force myself not to stare at him. “Well, thank you very much Mr. Shine.”

“You can call me Quartz, everypony else seems to. What do I call you?” he asked, picking up his own ice cream and paying for it.
“Miri. It’s short for Miriam.”
“Miri is a nice name! I might remember that in case I have foals someday,” he winked, and we walked away from the ice cream pony. “So, Miri, what brings you to Whinney Bay all by yourself?”
“I’m actually here with my sisters,” I admitted. Quartz was heading for some unoccupied benches at the top of the beach, so I followed him.

“Sisters? Are they around somewhere?” he said, taking a seat.
“They’re further down the beach. I’m avoiding them,” I told him, licking the side of the cone to stop the ice cream from dripping onto my hoof.
“Avoiding them? There’s got to be a story there,” Quartz said, taking big bites out of his ice cream. “Are you going to tell me? I won’t tell anypony else, not even the magazines.”
“You could probably tell the magazines. Then I’d be famous,” I giggled. “Not as famous as you, of course...”
“Bit of a pain in the flank when you’re trying to have a quiet day at the beach,” he added. “Everypony wants a photograph. Now tell me, what’s wrong with your sisters?”

I filled him in on the story, still a little stunned that I was speaking to a real-life celebrity, and a fashion model at that. My sisters would wet themselves with jealousy if they knew what I was doing.
“So they’re just ignoring you and talking to these colts? Doesn’t sound very nice to me,” Quartz summed up, crunching his way through his cone while I still licked my upper scoop. “I don’t have any brothers or sisters, but if I did, I would try to be nice to them.”
“It’s because I’m the youngest, I think. They always look down on me.”
“Their loss. I bet they don’t like rum and raisin ice cream.”
I giggled again and blushed a little. “So,” I ventured, “Why are you here today?” I wasn’t sure about making conversation with such a famous pony.

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking over at me as he finished the last morsel of his cone.
“Well, I would have thought that a pony like you would probably go to a big beach in a hot country,” I said, immediately feeling like an idiot and going red.
He just laughed kindly. “I was born here, my parents used to live in a house about ten minutes from here. I come back sometimes when it’s nice and warm for a day at the beach.”
“Makes sense,” I said. “I didn’t know you were from here.”
“Fashion magazines don’t usually ask questions like that,” he replied. “Although I think some ponies would probably find it more interesting than what I have for breakfast before a shoot.”

It didn’t take long until I had forgotten who I was talking to and let me mouth take over, blabbering on about school and my friends while he listened patiently.
“I’m probably boring you,” I eventually said, clapping a hoof over my mouth. “I talk quite a lot.”
“Oh, it’s not boring. It’s quite interesting,” he said, but I wasn’t sure if he meant it, or if he was just being nice. “Your friend Rarity sounds very interesting. When she becomes a famous designer, I’ll model something for her.”
“Really? You’d do that?” I asked, incredulous.
“Of course. New talent is the most exciting,” he told me. “I’m always modelling for different designers, I find that sticking with the same one too long means you just end up modelling the same clothes in different colours.”

Once my ice cream was gone, we had a discussion about which flavours were best. (I like mint but he hates it, and neither of us like chocolate, but we both think rum and raisin is the best.)
“I’m sorry if this is a bit rude,” he eventually said, and I suppressed a sigh. I didn’t want him to go but nopony famous wanted to spend an entire day talking to a random fan who went on and on about her school.
“But I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat? I’ll just end up eating alone otherwise, and having a conversation will probably deter those ponies who want a photo,” he asked, smiling. “I’ll pay for it, don’t worry.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”

We ended up going to a quiet café that served sandwiches and salad. I was careful to pick a salad that wasn’t too expensive, and I just asked for water, but Quartz ordered three sandwiches and a jug of lemonade.
“When I’m doing a shoot, I have to eat specific foods to control my figure, so I drive my agent crackers by eating as much as I can when I’m having a day off,” he explained. “Once I’m retired, I’m going to get really fat and never exercise.”
“What is the secret to your diet? I always try to follow the ones in the magazines but they either don’t work or I crack and end up eating a whole packet of biscuits,” I admitted.
He laughed, loud enough to catch the attention of the waitress, who just smiled at him. He gave her a wave. “A whole packet? I wish... The secret is just to eat balanced meals three times a day. If you’re full from lunch until dinner, and then full from dinner until bed, you don’t feel the temptation to eat a whole packet of biscuits.”

“I only ate a whole packet once. I normally end up eating most of the packet before I feel too guilty to go on,” I told him.
“Can we swap lives? I’d love to just sit and eat biscuits all day,” he grinned, rubbing his hooves together as his three sandwiches arrived. “Help yourself to lemonade if you finish your water.”
I started on my salad, which looked quite small in comparison to his three plates. “So, do you have a fillyfriend?” I asked, the words escaping my lips before I realised. I blushed and stared into my salad as he blinked at me, caught off-guard.
“Er...”
“Oh, I’m not, you know, interested in you. Well, I think you’re really good-looking and fun to talk to and nice and stuff like that, so I am interested I suppose, but I’m not asking because of that, and I know that you’re not interested and that’s fine, I wasn’t expecting it, and I don’t want to make you feel awkward or anything.”

He held up a hoof to silence me. “Trust me, I’m used to blushing mares. No, I do not have a fillyfriend at the moment, and I am flattered that you think I’m nice and fun to talk to.”
I kept blushing and didn’t look up, just shovelling lettuce into my mouth to cover the awkward silence.
“Do you want to know something the magazines don’t know?” he asked, taking a big bite of sandwich. Of course, I couldn’t resist those words, so I looked up, my eyes wide.
“What?”
He leaned forward, looking left and right to make sure we wouldn’t be overheard, and I could feel my heart fluttering. “Well... I tell the magazines I don’t have a fillyfriend because I haven’t met the right pony yet, but in reality... I don’t date because I travel too much. I don’t think it would be much fun for anypony to have their coltfriend jetting off to all these locations at a moment’s notice.”

I nodded reverently, as if he had just imparted something holy. “That makes sense.”
“Anyway, enough gossip.” I felt my heart sink. “What about you? I want to hear more about these evil sisters.”
“They’re not evil,” I said, giggling. “Well, Thistle is a bit evil sometimes. They’re just mean.”
“Do you want some advice?” Quartz said, using a hoof to scoop up a slice of cheese that had slipped out of a sandwich. “About your sisters, I mean.”
“Really? What?” I asked, sipping my water and wishing I’d ordered lemonade.
He tapped his muzzle. “It’s got to stay our secret. I don’t normally give out advice, and if the magazines found out I had, they’d be signing me up for a Q and A column.”

“Of course! Magazines never interview me anyway,” I replied.
“I’m jealous,” he smiled. “Anyway, I think the reason that your sisters are still mean to you is because they’re a little bit threatened.”
“Threatened? But they’re all glamorous and pretty, and I’m just normal.”
He tapped his muzzle again, but this time I think it was because he was trying to get a bit of cheese out from his teeth. “Ah, but think about it. Your sisters are pretty, but none of them have a serious coltfriend. I think that’s because they’re probably not very interesting ponies.” He chewed a little. “Well, not as interesting as you. Anyway, if you’ve got the personality in the family, then they’ll be envious and won’t like you very much.”

“How do you know?” I found myself staring, my salad forgotten.
“It’s the same in fashion. Everyone values looks over everything else, but none of them ever seem to settle down and get married even if they’re the best-looking ponies in the world. But the photographers and the lighting people and even the designers always seem to be happier than the models are.”
“Are you happy?” I asked, before blushing again.
“Me? I suppose so. I think it’s because I keep my feet on the ground, which is what you have to do.”

I waited with bated breath for his advice, which had to wait until he’d had a long drink of lemonade.
“When your sisters are ignoring you, just think about your friends back at school. They like you for who you are, so if a few jealous ponies are mean, ignore them. You know you’re better than that. And if they say mean things, just smile. You know, think of it as your personal burden that’s making you stronger. If somepony insults you at school, you know you’ve had worse.”
It all made sense and I nodded. “That’s good advice.”
“I think so. It works for me.”

All good things come to an end, as the saying goes, and once we’d finished our late lunch, Quartz had to go.
“Sorry Miri. If I hang around too long, the agent will send out a search party. Probably the police.”
I giggled. “That’s okay. Thank you for the food.”
“No problem at all. Maybe it’ll stop you from eating those biscuits.”
That made me smile. “Wait... can I ask a favour?”
“Of course. Unless you want to become a model, because I don’t really have an influence with the talent agencies.”
“No, it’s not that. If I tell anypony I met you, they’ll never believe me.”
He chuckled, and I found myself staring again. “You want a photo?”
“But I don’t have a camera...”

He just winked. “Well, I’m doing an interview for Summer and Sensation tomorrow. Try to get your hooves on the next edition and I’ll see what I can do, Miri.”
I smiled and waved as he left, walking back into town. Just before he turned the corner, he looked back over his shoulder and waved back, then disappeared. The sun was starting to get low in the sky, setting behind the town and reflecting on the water, so I headed back to find my sisters. They would probably be anxious to get going before it started to get cold, or more likely, before they were the only ones left and looked a little bit uncool.

“Oh, there you are Miri. Ready to go?” Buttercup said without any emotion.
“Yeah, let me just get my towel,” I said, glad the picnic box was lighter, at least. Not that they’d left me anything.
“Where’ve you been? Swimming?” Dandelion asked, squinting at me and tilting her head.
I shook my head, one hoof pushing back my mane. “Nope. You’ll never guess what I’ve been doing.”
“We don’t have time for your games, Miri,” Thistle said, giving me a cold look as we headed back to the railway station. “You’ve probably just been digging a big hole or something.”
“Nope. I had lunch with Quartz Shine.”
“No you didn’t,” Buttercup said flatly. “If you’re trying to make us jealous, it’s stupid. Grow up.”
“I really did!” I protested, but the others just rolled their eyes. I pouted and ignored them all the way home, not letting them get to me.

***

I hate to admit it, but I scanned the magazine racks every day for the new edition of Summer and Sensation. The past month’s edition advertised a big interview with Quartz Shine, and they were true to their word when the new edition finally appeared, a big picture of Quartz on the cover. I bought it instantly and practically galloped home to read it, glad I was away from my sisters so they couldn’t make fun of my excitement.
Once safely in my room, I rifled through the pages until I found the interview. Adorned with huge glossy pictures of Quartz looking even more handsome than I remembered, the interview wasn’t actually very long and didn’t take me long to read.

S&S: What do you do to relax between shoots?
QS: I usually just relax in my apartment or read, but when it’s good weather, I like to go back to my hometown and have an ice cream.
S&S: An ice cream? Isn’t that bad for your figure?
QS: I suppose, but rum and raisin is just too nice to turn down!
S&S: Anything else you’d like to tell the readers of Summer and Sensation?
QS: Well, there is one thing, for a friend. Miri, get Rarity to contact me when she needs a model, and when you next eat a whole packet of biscuits, do it for me. Thank you for a great time yesterday.
S&S: With those cryptic words, Quartz shakes me warmly by the hoof and leaves, after checking that I’d spelt his friend’s name correctly.

I’d forgotten that Dandelion liked to read Summer and Sensation until I got a call that evening.
“Miri, I think you have some explaining to do.”

Chapter Nineteen

The date of the trip came closer and closer, and all the while I wished I would hear back from Princess School. Even though I knew there was nothing I could do but wait, I was hoping that I’d get a definite answer so I could stop worrying. I was jealous of an ever-increasing number of ponies like Fly who knew where they’d be going next year, and who knew exactly what they had to do in their exams. It began to feel as if I was the only pony in the whole school who was still waiting when Miri finally got a whole pile of confirmations.
“I’m sure it won’t be long,” Miri said, trying to reassure me. “The deadline is only six weeks away.”
By some miracle of planning, our trip was going to include Hearts & Hooves day, ostensibly to ‘prevent the silliness going to our heads’. I was sure that the day was going to be much more silly if we were all away on a trip, but I obviously didn’t say anything.

There was just a week to go. I woke up, feeling tired as usual and dreading the idea of lessons that day, since I felt like nothing more than crawling back into bed and sleeping for the entire morning.
“Come on, Cat. You don’t want to be late,” Fly advised me, already brushing her mane. “It’s only ten minutes until breakfast.”
“Leave me to die.” I didn’t know how Fly was always so awake in the mornings.
Fly giggled. “I’ll tickle you if you don’t get up.”
I rolled out of bed. “Alright, I’m moving. I can’t wait until the weekend when I can lie in.”

After breakfast we had a special assembly to give us details on the upcoming trip. It was mostly a packing list, which gave us time to get anything we didn’t have from the shops.
“As well as this, you’re going to spend the day today off lessons, doing a special project on Prance’s culture,” the Head mare announced, to my relief. “This will be done in pairs, and the winning pair will receive free tickets to an attraction in Mareis.”
A ripple of murmurs broke out in the audience, mostly doing the same as I was and trying to secure a partner. I’d made the mistake of sitting between Miri and Rarity, with Fly on the other side of Miri.

“Sorry Cat, I told Miri I’d be her partner,” Fly said apologetically afterwards.. “I think she just wants to go with me so she can win.”
“But if I went with you, I could win! Miri is stupid,” I complained, slumping in the chair.
Rarity tapped me on the shoulder with a hoof. “Look for the silver lining, darling. You’ll get to partner up with me. I’m sure our project will be far more attractive than theirs, since Miri has no imagination.”
I giggled. “I suppose that’s true. We should take the other two down, though, for being so scheming.” Our facial expressions must have been quite evil, because Fly seemed to look a little scared.

The sessions seemed to consist of a variety of practical sessions, where the final product would be marked out of ten in each.
“Let’s see… cuisine, geography, music, history and language. I think we can probably do well at a few of those,” Rarity told me. “You’ve got music covered and I can probably do a bit of language and cuisine.”
“Fly and Miri will have history and geography wrapped up,” I added, resting my face on my hooves. “It’ll be tough to beat them.”
“Be positive, Cat. We can win if we put our minds to it.” The purple-maned unicorn smiled at me, and I smiled back.
Not everypony did each activity at the same time, so we were in small classes. Unfortunately, Miri and Fly were in the same class as us, so we would have to do everything head-to-head.
“Music is first,” Rarity said, consulting a timetable. “I’m sure you’ll be absolutely sparkling. This one is ours for sure.”

Our lesson was in a familiar music classroom, and we sat as far from Fly and Miri as we possibly could.
“Okay everypony. Despite the competitive aspect, the point of this session is to become familiar with the music of Prance,” the teacher began, surveying us. “Composers from Prance are world-famous for their work, most of which has a very distinctive style.”
I stopped listening. I was normally interested in music but classical stuff was just so boring. Rarity lost interest too and we had a brisk hoof-war under the table, stifling our giggles.

“Your challenge is to compose a short piece of music in this classical style. I’ll award each one marks out of ten for originality and for following the style.”
Seemed easy enough. I got to work, my horn working overtime as I played the piano and wrote on a blank sheet at the same time. Rarity just admired her reflection in a hoof mirror and gossiped with the group next to us, handily sabotaging their efforts since they got next to nothing done. I only had to listen to three of the original pieces from Prance before I’d identified the style, and then I just sat and tried keys until I had an original tune to adapt. Didn’t take long, and I even spent the last five minutes polishing it until it was perfect.
“Okay, time’s up,” the teacher told us. I was pleased to notice looks of frustration on the faces of Fly and Miri, while both Rarity and I just smirked over at them with confidence.

“Cat, your piece?”
I played it through without any mistakes and then gave the teacher the sheet music. I noticed Rarity’s admiring eyes staying fixed on me and I blushed a little, casting my eyes downwards in modesty.
“This is perfect, I must say. Ten out of ten for definite,” the teacher announced, giving me an encouraging look before moving onto the group that Rarity had distracted. Rarity and I bumped hooves and looked smug. Fly and Miri had scored a measly five, and the teacher had told them to stop halfway through because it sounded so bad.
“We’ve got twice as many points as them,” Rarity pointed out. “You were amazing.” I couldn’t help but blush a little more, a warm feeling in my tummy.

The warm feeling didn’t go away when we headed to the history classrooms, and every time I looked at Rarity it seemed to intensify. I think that getting a compliment from such a glamorous young mare was affecting me.
“The history of Prance is a long one, full of interest,” the history teacher had began. It took me back to a whole number of boring history lessons from the previous year and I found myself drifting off, although this time Rarity stayed interested for the whole introduction. Taking advantage of her focus, I found myself staring at her, taking in the vivid blue of her eyes and the way that her lashes curled perfectly without any evident effort from her. Her mane bounced slightly when she shifted position, and I watched her curls sway, insanely jealous of her perfection and yet at the same time, in complete awe of her.

I wasn’t quick enough to look away when the teacher finished talking, and she turned, her big eyes staring into mine for a fraction before I looked away, heat rising in my face.
“Did you hear the challenge?” Rarity asked after a pause, leaning towards me.
“No… listening to stuff about history just brings back bad memories of last year,” I admitted, smiling.
“We have to research an aspect of Prance’s history, and then write a short report on it. The teacher is going to mark the report out of ten.”
I groaned. “Fly’s going to have this in the bag. She can read faster than lightning, and Miri will just be able to write down everything she says.”
“We need to give it a try. Even if we don’t beat them, so long as we get six points or more, we’ll still be ahead.”

This spurred me on a little, and I picked up the nearest book.
“How about you write and I read?” Rarity said kindly. “I think that would be easier.”
Relieved, I handed her the book and pulled some paper over, ready to get writing. My eyes drifted back to her appearance as she read, and I had to fight to stop myself from getting behind as she gave me points to include.
“Do you think it’s long enough yet, or should I get some more books?” Rarity asked, looking at the page of work I’d managed to write down.
“More books. Anything we can do to beat the others,” I said, and Rarity got up to look for another book. I watched her tail swaying as she went away, and got caught looking. She just smiled a little at my blush.

Two books later, we ran out of time. My horn ached from writing, and I hoped that Rarity had done enough for us to get a reasonable number of points.
“Fly and Miriam? Let’s see…” the teacher said, levitating their report in front of him. I noticed, with annoyance, that they had even included a few sketches, which were sure to wrap up the perfect ten.
“Should we try including a couple of sketches?” I asked Rarity in a whisper while the teacher read.
“Not enough time,” she whispered back urgently as the teacher put the report down.
“Excellent! The diagrams are impressive, but the sources you’ve included… magnificent! Ten out of ten!”

Rarity and I grumbled to each other as Fly and Miri gave us annoying grins. We just didn’t look at them, but their gaze seemed to bore into my head until I couldn’t help but turn around and see Miri poking her tongue out at us.
“So, Rarity and Toccata. Let’s take a look,” the teacher said to us, picking up our report which now looked very smudgy in comparison to Fly’s pristine sheet. We waited nervously for his verdict, and I chewed my lip, trying not to look over at Miri and hoping our result would wipe off her annoying smile.
“Hmm. I like it, very informative, but maybe a bit basic. I’d say… seven.”
“We’re still two points ahead,” Rarity whispered once the teacher had moved on. “We only need to do as well as them in all the rest and we’ll win.”
“Yeah…” I replied half-heartedly, seriously doubting that we could keep it up.My warm feeling had disappeared.

There was a break next, and we ended up bumping into our rivals in the common room. They were at our usual table, so I probably shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Those tickets will be ours,” Miri announced as soon as we were close enough to hear her. “Don’t you worry about that.”
Rarity glared at her. “I think the score speaks for itself.”
“Only two events in, there’s plenty of time for us to get ahead of you.”
I didn’t really have the heart to say anything mean to Fly, so I focused my attention on Miri. “Fly is carrying you, on your own you would crash and burn.”
“Oh really? I’d like to see you on your own,” Miri replied, her eyes narrowing.

“Don’t listen to her, she just really wants those tickets. We’ll all be friends again this evening,” Rarity told me after we’d walked away. “She’ll probably apologise.”
“I suppose…” I replied, looking down at my hooves. I actually wanted to win just to show up the others rather than for the actual tickets. I’d been saving my bits for a while and I could probably afford to go to all of the attractions anyway, and I’d rather go with my friends who liked me. “Maybe we should just stop this whole rivalry thing and be friends.”
“Are you insane?” Rarity said, turning to face me. “We have to beat them! If we let them win, you’ll spend the whole trip looking at Miri’s smug muzzle!”
I took a step back, a little overwhelmed by Rarity’s vigour.
“Let’s beat them and show that we’re the best team!”

Cuisine was next, and I was feeling a little fired up from Rarity’s team talk.
“Prance is famous for its cuisine,” the teacher said, a short mare in an apron that I hadn’t seen since my first year at Buckingham. I’d been a terrible cook and she’d quickly given up on my culinary progress.
“Being close neighbours, Prance’s cuisine has manifested itself in ours, creating many dishes…”
The excitement of the day was making it impossible to actually focus on the teachers’ monologues, so I just looked hungrily at the ingredients in the store cupboard and wondered how long it was until lunchtime.

“So, we simply have to make one of these recipes and the best one gets full marks,” Rarity told me, pointing to a list in a cookbook. “What do you think?”
All of the words were written in French, so instead of bothering to translate it all, I just picked the first one with ‘chocolate’ in the title. Rarity found the page and looked at it.
“Looks good to me. Okay, go and get eggs and flour from the storeroom, plus some chocolate.”
“Aye aye captain,” I replied, and she gave me a playful poke as I made my way over to the storeroom. I looked over my shoulder and noticed her looking at me, and I inexplicably blushed again.

There were loads of flour and eggs, so I levitated them up, but there was only one bar of cooking chocolate left. I grabbed it and turned to leave.
“Oi, that chocolate is ours,” an acidic voice said, which turned out to belong to Miri. “Give it back.”
“I had it first, it’s ours,” I replied, frowning. “You can ask the teacher for more.”
“No, it’s ours.” She reached out a hoof to grab at it, but I levitated it out of her reach.
“Miri, it’s mine. Let me past,” I said, trying to escape but finding my path blocked. Miri grabbed again, missing it, and I pushed her. She refused to budge and gave me a mean stare.
“Girls! I might expect this from some first years, but you should know better!” the teacher said, staring at both of us angrily. “Get back to your seats, and you can expect some points knocked off your final totals.”

Fuming, I went back over to Rarity and explained what had happened. She shot Miri a look filled with daggers, but Miri and Fly were giving us equally poisonous glances.
“I expect Miri told Fly that you were the one responsible,” Rarity said soothingly. “Let’s just concentrate on our recipe.”
“If they wanted to do the same one as us, it must be a good one,” I said, trying to follow the recipe closely. “Do you really have any experience with this?”
“It’s some kind of chocolate cake, so it shouldn’t be too hard to make a good one. Just remember to get it out of the oven at the right time,” Rarity told me, her eyes fixed on the book. “Start by mixing the flour and eggs.”

Thankfully we did remember to get it out of the oven at the right time, but when we tried to put icing onto it, the icing went really runny and covered the cake in a thin, sticky mess.
“Try scraping it off,” I said urgently, levitating over a spatula.
“No, it’ll scrape the cake away. Um, we could try covering it up?” Rarity replied. “Can you make some thicker icing?”
I tried, but my efforts just led to a big lump in the middle of the bowl, rock-solid. I put it on top of the cake. “Looks a bit weird.”
Rarity chipped away at the lump and made it a bit more circular. “This decoration is most uncouth.”

Time ran out before we could remedy the problem, and the lump of hard icing looked better than leaving the sticky icing with nothing on top, so we just left it alone. Neither of us could bring ourselves to look over at Miri and Fly.
“Ah, this cake looks… interesting,” the teacher said, making a few notes on her clipboard before slicing it and eating some. “Good taste, but the decoration is… poor. That’s probably… a six, but you’re getting two points off for that little incident earlier.” She walked away, leaving Rarity and I feeling miserable.
“I’m sorry I messed it up,” I whispered to her, poking at the awful icing lump.
“It’s okay, it was my fault as much as yours. A crime against cake, this is,” she told me, but she still ate a slice in consolation.

“Now, this is more like it,” the teacher said when she reached Fly and Miri. Rarity and I stared out of the window so we didn’t have to see their cake.
“Nice texture, good flavour, excellent decoration, if a little unimaginative. I’d give this eight points, minus two for earlier.”
“We’re tied,” Rarity told me. “Two contests to go and we just have to edge ahead.”
“But one of them is geography and Fly will probably get all ten,” I said sadly. “I think we should maybe just accept that we won’t win.”
“Don’t say that! Even if we can’t beat them, we need to lose with dignity! A lady does not give up.”

We went straight to the geography classroom, not bothering to look at the gloating faces that we knew Miri and Fly would have. Fly was starting to annoy me; she could quite easily sabotage their efforts if she thought that the competition was too mean, but she kept trying her best to beat us.
“Try to concentrate this time,” Rarity said to me when we took a seat. “It might be important, and anything we can use to beat Fly and Miri is good.”
I did my best, but the droning voice of the teacher quickly made me get distracted by staring out of the window. There were some small birds flitting about and I was much happier watching them than trying to listen.

“The geography challenge is easy. You need to make a colourful poster about a region of Prance. I’ll give you each a region in a moment. You’ll get points for content and how attractive the poster is.”
We got the area including Mareis, so Rarity got to work sketching a giant Hoofful Tower. I skimmed through some books and wrote down every interesting fact I could find, surrounding them with colourful bubbles without disturbing Rarity’s impressive sketch, which was filling the paper rapidly.
“Wow, that’s amazing,” I said, taking in the detailed drawing Rarity had made. It even included some of the other notable buildings in Mareis.
“Thanks Cat. It’s no different to drawing a fashion design, just more to draw,” she told me, sounding a bit modest.

I sneaked a few peeks at Fly’s poster, which looked like it had a lot more information but a lot less decoration than ours.
“Rarity, you need to add lots of decorations,” I told her, frantically going back over all of the books to find some extra stuff to include. “I think we might be a bit short on facts.”
“Need me to help?” she asked, flicking through a book.
“No, just decorate everything. We don’t have time to add too much.”
She nodded and did as I’d said, adding embellishments that were impossibly pretty and made my colourful bubbles look amateur.

“Time’s up!” the teacher said, looking at the clock. It was almost lunchtime and despite the slice of poorly-decorated cake I’d eaten, I was feeling hungry. Hopefully we could eat lunch away from Miri and Fly, who were really annoying me now.
“Okay, let’s see those posters. Bring them to the front,” the teacher told us, pointing to the desk in front of her. I took it, doing my best to ignore Miri when she walked past me. Their poster didn’t look as good as ours now that Rarity had made ours amazing.
“They all look really good. It’s going to be tough deciding how many points to award,” the teacher gushed, giving us all an encouraging look.
“Probably eight or nine for everypony in the class,” I told Rarity when I sat back down.

Unfortunately, the teacher didn’t follow through on her enthusiasm.
“Miri and Fly? There’s good information but not much in the way of attractiveness. Four points.”
I stifled a laugh. Four was a terrible score. Rarity gave me a surreptitious hoof bump, but our smiles were soon gone.
“What a wonderful drawing of the Hoofful Tower! But little information. Five.”
Nopony in the whole class got more than six, so we probably shouldn’t have been too disappointed, but I still felt a little aggrieved that our amazing drawing had got next to no credit.
“Your drawing deserved better than that,” I told Rarity as we left, aiming to get our food before the others, so we could secure the usual table before them.

We didn’t actually see the others at all over lunch, which was good, because I didn’t think I could stand to see them. They were probably off fuming about their slightly lower score than ours. That one point could be crucial.
“We just need to tie with them, and the final round is language, which the two of us can pretty much manage, don’t you think?” Rarity said as she nibbled on a sandwich. “I think we can at least tie.”
“I hope so,” I said absently, privately wishing that Fly would be a bit more friendly. Not being able to talk to her was making me feel a little bit sick.

“The only reason we’re still in the race is because of you, Cat,” Rarity said, unexpectedly.
I was taken aback and felt my face going red. “Huh?”
“Well, without those ten points in the musical round, we’d probably be three or four points behind. That music was way better than anything I could have done.” She smiled and looked at me, which made my tummy churn a little bit.
“Yeah, but it’s a team effort. You’ve carried me in the other three. You’re so talented.”
Her turn to blush. “Oh Cat, stop it.”
“I’m looking forward to the trip, though, even if we don’t win the free tickets,” I said, finishing my lunch and throwing the wrappers into the bin. “It’s going to be fun to spend time with you three.”
“I agree. Especially since we don’t have much free time left together,” Rarity said in a tone tinged with sadness.

With lunch complete, we headed for the final classroom, which was my usual French classroom. I wasn’t sure exactly what we would need to do, but it was probably going to be something difficult.
“So, the final test. I’m not going to introduce the language since many of you are still studying it. Each of you will get a recording which is appropriate for your skill level, and all you have to do is translate it all. Best translation gets most points.”
Now this was hard. I didn’t even like doing this for exams, let alone when it decided who won the contest.
“You can do it, Cat,” Rarity said. “Just take it slowly.”

I put on the headphones and got started, my horn working hard to get everything written down. There were quite a few sections that I had no idea about, but I skimmed through or repeated them until I could understand, and by the time the lesson ended, I thought I’d done pretty well. I was expecting Fly to have easily outdone me, but maybe Miri would drag her down. It wasn’t until I took off the headphones that I realised how tired I was. The entire day had been draining and I didn’t really feel like having an argument with Miri later on.
“Thanks Cat,” the teacher said, taking my translation. I hoped he was going to be kind.

In the end, we got seven points for our team. Our total wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t find out what Miri and Fly had got. Rarity and I just made our way back to the room, and somepony told us that the results would be announced the next morning. I felt like crawling back into bed and catching up on the sleep I’d been denied that morning, but when we arrived, Miri and Fly were waiting. Miri disappeared into the bathroom the moment we came in, but Fly seemed to have softened.
“We got eight points in the last part, what about you?” she asked anxiously. “Miri is taking it really seriously.”
“Seven,” I replied. “So if we’ve tied overall, there’s no way we can win those tickets.”
“Maybe they’ll give us each two?” Rarity suggested.

In the end, we didn’t need to worry. Rarity and I had scored thirty-three points from a possible fifty, but the winning team ran away with it, scoring forty-eight. I stamped my hooves along with everyone else, wondering why we’d bothered getting competitive in the first place.
Miri apologised after that.
“I’m sorry. I went a bit over the top,” she said at lunchtime, having bought us all a biscuit (including Fly). “I just really didn’t want to get beaten.”
“It’s okay. We were just as bad,” Rarity said. I didn’t entirely agree, but it wasn’t the time to say that, so I just nodded, smiled and ate some of my biscuit.

After that, it was just a matter of counting the days until we left. We were going to get the train into Maneminster, then another train to Mareis. Long trips with my friends were always fun, and I was looking forward to this one especially because it meant time off school. School trips always led to a lot of messing around, particularly at night, so I stocked up on biscuits to take with me. I also went and bought up a pile of fashion magazines for reading material on the train, since it was my turn to buy them. I got a few jealous looks from younger ponies when I came back from the shop carrying the stack, especially since they knew where we were going before long.
“Cat? Can you come with me, please?” Mrs Lemon asked as I passed her, my saddlebags still full of glossy paper. “Just for a moment.”

Suddenly I had an attack of the nerves. It was sure to be something from Princess School, and I didn’t know if I could handle a rejection just before a fun trip. I followed without a word, stepping into her office where she shut the door.
“Take a seat.”
Once I was seated in the horrifically uncomfortable chair that made me itch, she shifted some paper around on her desk. “Cat, before you ask, I haven’t had anything back from Princess School for you. It’s not really a bad sign, though, they’ve still got seven weeks to get back to you. However, I have got something else for you.” She patted a piece of paper. “The music department is thinking of having an end-of-the-year concert, and they need someone to take over running the junior band while the teachers are busy. Want to do it?”

This was certainly not what I had been expecting when I’d gone into her office. “Um… when is it?”
“It’s every Tuesday and Thursday after lessons, for two hours. You’d obviously have time off during your exams, but it is a big commitment. Plus, I think you’ll probably want to work on something for the concert yourself. You are our premier musician in the school,” she informed me, smiling. “I hope you can do it, because we really want to establish this concert as a tradition here at Buckingham.”
“Um… yeah I suppose so. It should be okay,” I replied a little uncertainly. I’d never really thought about the fact that I might be the best musician.
“Excellent! The first rehearsals will be after you get back from the trip, so make sure you have something prepared.”

I went back to the room, feeling a little bit weird about it. I’d been in the junior band when I’d been a first and second year; it had been a lot of simple tunes for ponies who weren’t really good at music but were trying to learn. Shouldn’t really be too difficult to look after, especially since I could just sit behind the piano and keep them on track. The idea of supervising a room full of younger ponies was a little daunting, though, so I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I really wanted to just enjoy the weekend without having to think about that sort of thing.
Unfortunately, the day before we were scheduled to leave, I was interrupted from my packing my bags by Mr Bluejay.

“Cat, we need to work on a piece for you to play at the concert,” he explained once we were down in the music room. “Now, I know you want to get back to your friends, but I wanted to get in an early session.”
“Okay,” I replied, sitting down at the piano and looking over the keys. “Do you have any suggestions?”
He placed a sheet of music in front of me, which looked horribly complicated. “Have a go at this.”
It was far more difficult than anything I had ever played before, and involved playing three parts instead of the traditional two. I started slowly, working my way through the first part while Mr Bluejay listened to my jarring mistakes.

“This is… really hard,” I said when I got halfway through and lost the thread of it. “Why can’t I do something easier, like the bit I did for my interview?”
“This is world-class music, Cat. If you can master this, then you won’t have to learn anything quite so hard for many years. It’ll be terribly impressive at the concert.”
“But…”
“Is there no-one you’d like to impress with your talents?”
I paused. There was one pony who I’d like to impress… “I’ll try it.”
“Excellent! I must confess, there’s another reason I chose this particular pieces for you,” the stallion said with a wry smile.
“Hmm?”
He closed the sheet music to show the title. It was called Toccata from Symphony No. 5.

Author's Note

I'm going to include an author's note for the first time, because the ending of this chapter is actually worth a little explanation. I originally named Toccata for Widor's Toccata from Symphony No. 5, the famous music used as a recessional at weddings. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKejfYzB3ak). It's worth a listen if you want some idea of how difficult the piece is to play, even with unicorn magic.

Chapter Twenty

“Come onnnnn Cat, if you don’t get up then we’ll be late and we’ll get the worst seats,” Fly complained, throwing pillows at me to try and get me out of bed. “It’s only fifteen minutes until we’re supposed to be ready.”
It was still dark, so I turned over and used one of the pillows to cover my ears. “I’ll just use the bathroom when everypony else has.”
“But Miri has to use it yet!”
I threw the pillow off and shot Miri a dark look. Her eyes met mine, and I have never leapt out of bed faster. She was quicker off the mark because she was already on her feet, but I was nearer to the bathroom door. Unfortunately for me, my mad dash was in vain because she slipped past and slammed the door in my face before I could react and grab her.

“Get out of there Miri! You’re going to take ages!” I raged, pounding on the door with my forehooves.
“I was here first,” she answered, muffled by the door and my hooves.
With a gasp of exasperation, I hit the door extra hard and then walked off, muttering rude names for Miri under my breath and looking for my manebrush.
“Do you need to pack anything else?” Fly asked, heaving her suitcase over to the door in readiness.
“Just my manebrush and stuff from the bathroom,” I replied, glaring at the door.
“Maybe you can brush your teeth if you dash back up at the end of breakfast?” Rarity suggested. “You can pack the essentials when we carry our suitcases down to the carriages.”

If Miri had been a bit more considerate, I wouldn’t have had to worry, but Rarity’s suggestion was the only option. Once my mane was brushed back into line (it still hung over my face limply and I channeled some of my anger at Miri towards it), I accompanied Fly down to breakfast, levitating my suitcase as we went. Fly had to drag hers, and I felt a bit sorry for her. Rarity and Miri were joining us later.
“Are you excited?” Fly asked me between breaths.
“Yeah. I think I’ll be more excited once I’ve had a nap on the way there,” I replied, setting my suitcase down amongst the large pile by the main doors to the school.

I did manage to dash back to the room and clean my teeth after a quick breakfast, which was nice, and I made sure to give Miri a few scowls before softening up. She was annoying but she was also fun, and she would liven up the trip to Prance quite a bit.
“Okay everypony, into the carriages,” the head mare said, seeming a bit strained. “We’re behind schedule.”
It was finally getting towards dawn outside. We had to have an extra-early start to make the right trains, which was why I wanted to get back to sleep. I hoped that the other ponies wouldn’t be too noisy while I was napping. It was an hour’s carriage ride to the railway station we needed to go to, and I managed to sleep the entire way, mainly helped by the fact that Rarity fell asleep almost as she sat down. Without her gossip partner, Miri was quiet for a change, which gave me the peace and quiet I needed.

We were woken for the transfer to the train, and I felt much more refreshed. I didn’t even mind levitating my suitcase across to the train, because it was kinda fun watching the earth ponies and pegasi struggling with theirs. Rarity and I hurried onto the train and bagged four seats with a table between them, stowing our luggage in the overhead racks and smiling smugly at everypony else who went past, coveting the table.
“Good job,” Miri said excitedly when she saw the seats we’d secured. “I was afraid you’d get beaten to it.”
“I must say, darling, that after going back and forth between here and Equestria so often, I am something of an expert on travelling,” Rarity replied, opening a magazine. “How long is the train ride?”

Fly consulted a guidebook she’d bought. “About four hours from here. We have to go through the tunnel and stop at the borders, so that’ll take a little while.”
“I hope we have plenty of free time in Mareis,” Rarity added, adjusting her mane. “There are so many things I want to see… go for a nice walk along the river, maybe stop at a cafe for coffee…”
“Sounds nice,” I replied, imagining it. “I can’t wait to get there.”
“Well, we’re moving,” Fly replied, looking out of the window. She had a map in front of her which showed where we were going. I thought it was a bit pointless, since the train could only really go in one direction, but she seemed to like looking at it when she wasn’t reading her book.

Rarity was absorbed in her magazine, and Fly in her book, so I ended up playing cards with Miri. She was too good at it, and managed to beat me at nearly everything. I suspected it might have something to do with the professional way she managed to deal the cards, quickly and without any mistakes, but even when I clumsily dealt them, Miri just kept winning. Annoyed, I gave up and read a magazine for a bit, watching Miri play herself at patience and win more often than she lost. She was really infuriating when she wanted to be.
“I bet you’re wondering how I do it?” she eventually said after I’d watched her for about ten minutes. “It’s simple.”
“Cheat?” I asked, and Fly giggled a little.
“No, no cheating. Here, look.”

For five minutes she showed me the trick. It had something to do with remembering which cards hadn’t come up yet, but I found it hard to do. Rarity had a go for a bit but couldn’t get her head around it either. We both gave up and nudged Fly until she put her book down and played cards with us for a bit, beating Miri over and over again. Rarity and I just played off for third place, which was surprisingly an even contest. Fly didn’t betray any emotion, but Miri didn’t really like coming second all of the time.
“You should let her win for once,” I told Fly when Miri had gone to the toilet.
“I’ve been trying to let her win, but she keeps throwing it away at the last minute,” Fly said, unable to keep a hint of laughter out of her voice.

Following Miri’s comeuppance, the train arrived at the tunnel. We all had to be checked off the school’s list of ponies by the border inspectors, who seemed pretty unfriendly. It took a while, but eventually the train got moving again and we disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel, the watery sunlight of our surroundings being replaced by artificial orange light.
“Well, it’s still light enough to read,” Fly informed us before going back to her book.
“I wonder what we’ll be able to do on Hearts & Hooves Day,” Rarity asked. “Do you think they’ll let us have it off?”
“I’m hoping that a dashing colt comes to sweep me off my feet,” Miri replied, showing that some of her old self was still left. “We’ll spend the day together in a whirlwind romance and then write passionate letters to each other when we’re apart.”

“I can’t see that happening,” I replied, the voice of reason. “Even if you manage to find a colt, you won’t be able to speak to each other.”
“Ah, but we don’t need to speak.” Miri’s eyes had misted over. “Whenever we’re together we’ll just be able to tell what the other is thinking.”
Rarity and I had to suppress a laugh, but mine escaped in an undignified snort and Miri gave me a look.
“It is a bit far-fetched, Miri,” I told her. “Maybe you shouldn’t get your hopes up and should just aim to enjoy the day?”
“Fine. Anyway, I wouldn’t have time to get him a card, so it would be a wasted day,” Miri said, shrugging.

“What are you planning to do about your card for your coltfriend, Fly?” I asked, poking her in the shoulder to get her to stop reading. She put a bookmark in her book and sighed, annoyed to be continually disturbed.
“He’s already sent me a card. It’s in my suitcase, and I’ll open it on the day. I sent his a week ago so he can do the same,” she explained, picking up her book again.
Miri sighed. “I wish I had a colt who would do such romantic things with me. But all of the colts at home seem to be the opposite of romantic.”
“I think your standards are too high,” I said, hoping that Rarity would agree with me, but the other unicorn was still thinking happily about Fly’s story.
“A card on Hearts & Hooves day is just so fabulous… I simply love it,” she said, throwing her hoof forwards so she could lean on it. “One day a prince will sweep me off my feet and shower me with cards.”

Clearly both Miri and Rarity were lost causes. I wanted to talk to Fly, but the look on her face suggested that the next pony to poke her shoulder was going to get a punch in the face, so I didn’t say anything and I just leafed through my magazine, the models all looking orange in the strange light. Miri went back to playing patience and Rarity continued with her magazine. The unicorn caught my eye when she adjusted her mane, and when I looked up she was looking at me out of the corner of her eye. She smiled and I smiled back, but when the moment came for me to go back to my magazine, I missed it, kept staring, and ended up blushing and staring intently at an advert for perfume.

The train burst back into the light as we left the tunnel, and it stopped again for another round of identification.
“Only an hour to Mareis from here,” Fly informed us, tapping her guidebook. “I’ve already found a few fun activities for us to do in the city that shouldn’t be too far to go. They have an underground train network that we’ll take.”
“That’s if the teachers let us have any time off,” Rarity added. “We might be stuck doing whatever they want us to do all the time.”
I shrugged. “They must let us have some time to go and buy souvenirs.”
“Unless they supervise us while we do that, too.”

I was starting to get quite hungry by the time we alighted the train to Mareis, carrying our suitcases and grumbling about how far we had to go to get to the hotel.
“Do you think I can sneak off and get a sandwich?” I asked Fly as we walked down the street, following a teacher who didn’t really seem to know where she was going.
“Maybe if you’re quick,” Fly replied cautiously, but that was all I needed, so I dropped my suitcase on her back and dashed into a nearby bakery, hoping that nopony had seen me. There was a queue, so I selected a sandwich and waited nervously, watching the line of ponies file past the windows with Fly looking exasperated. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for me to reach the front of the queue and put my sandwich on the counter.

Then I realised I had forgotten everything I could remember about the language. Stricken, I just stared at the shop assistant, who looked a bit bewildered, and then passed over some Prance bits. With utmost care, he passed most of them back, took two and put them in the till. Then I dashed for the exit, moving as quickly as I could without seeming like a shoplifter. It seemed like everypony in the shop was staring.
“What happened?” Fly asked, peering through the window at everypony.
“I forgot how to speak,” I giggled, levitating my suitcase and seeing the funny side. “Ended up giving him about five times the value of the sandwich.”
“We’d better hurry,” Fly said between laughs. “They’re miles ahead now.”

We must have missed a turn that they made, because before long we were completely lost. It should have been difficult to lose a giant convoy of ponies all heading in the same direction, but we’d managed it.
“Where do you think they’ve gone?” I asked Fly pointlessly as she consulted a street map. “I’m sure they can’t be far.”
“I’ve no idea, Cat. They must have made a turning way back and we didn’t realise.”
“If I hold the suitcases, can you fly up and look for them?” I asked, looking up at the occasional pegasus flitting past.
“I’ll try, but these buildings are too tall to make it easy,” she said, leaving her suitcase in my care and taking off, disappearing behind the nearest building and leaving me to my thoughts.

To pass the time, I stared at the big map we’d stopped next to. It was very confusing, with lots of winding streets, and since I didn’t know where anything was except me, I couldn’t work out what I was looking for. So instead, I just sat on Fly’s suitcase and tried not to catch the eye of the passersby who probably thought I was waiting for a carriage. Hopefully Fly would find the others and return soon. If not, I’d have to make my way back to the railway station and wait for someone to notice I was missing and send somepony back. I ate my sandwich in the meantime.
“Cat?” Fly’s voice said as she landed, and I turned around. “I’ve spotted them and let one of the teachers know we’re behind.”
“Did you tell them why?” I asked nervously. I didn’t want to get into trouble on the first day of the trip.
“I just said we’d fallen behind and taken a wrong turn.”

We set off to find the others, and I was relieved that Fly had said nothing. The teacher who had to wait for us wasn’t very happy, and we passed the rest of the walk in silence, taking in the surroundings. By arriving late at the hotel, I suspected that we’d end up with the worst room in the whole place, probably one adjacent to the teachers’ room.
“Try not to wander off again,” the teacher said sternly when we arrived. “Always stay with someone responsible.”
I had got rid of the evidence of my sandwich so I didn’t really take much from the rebuke. “Come on Fly, let’s find a room.”

Miri was waiting for us at the foot of the stairs. “Hi, took you a while!”
“We got lost,” I explained. “I stopped for a sandwich and then we lost everypony.”
“A sandwich? You could have told me, I’m starving!” Miri said, a pained expression on her face. “Anyway, it’s four to a room so we’ve saved you two a space.”
“Did you get a good room?” I asked as we ascended the stairs, me levitating my case while Fly struggled behind us.
“Yeah, right on the top floor. It’s got a great view and plenty of space, plus it’s the only one with a washbasin,” Miri said. “You know there’s a lift if you wanted to bring your case up?”
Fly just scowled at her.

The room was as advertised. There were only two single beds, but two camp beds had been set up on the floor between them. I noticed that Rarity and Miri had secured the good beds, but then they did deserve it for arriving first. I dropped my case onto the camp bed nearest Rarity’s; I didn’t think I would manage sleeping too near Miri.
“Where have you been?” Rarity asked, putting down her magazine. “I sent Miri to look for you ages ago.”
“We got lost after Cat stopped for a sandwich,” Fly explained.
“Thought we would never find you,” I laughed, unpacking as best I could in the limited space.
Rarity smiled. “You ponies simply must take a look at the view. It’s magnificent!”

She was right. The top floor was high enough to see over most of the other buildings in the neighbourhood, so we had an unobstructed view looking down as far as the river and the bridges spanning it. They disappeared as the river turned, but we could see the Hoofful Tower from far-off, dominating the skyline and pointing straight up into the slate-grey sky, which seemed to be threatening rain at some point.
“This is really fantastic,” Fly said, mainly to herself.
“Better than the other side of the building. They just have a brick wall,” Miri added, lying on her bed with her hooves clasped over her tummy. “Can we please go and find something to eat?”

I didn’t fancy another trip to a bakery without permission, but Miri and Rarity disappeared to find a bakery that Miri claimed was just round the corner. They had to sneak out, and Fly and I waved at them from our top floor perch as they dashed along the street, hoping that none of the teachers had noticed them.
“I bet you that we’ll have dinner in a few minutes once everyone is settled,” Fly said with a smile as she continued unpacking. I just admired the view and chuckled a little when the first spots of rain came down.
“I hope they don’t get too wet. I can’t find any towels,” Fly added.

We were in Mareis for two full days to come, plus whatever remained of today, then we’d be getting another early train home. Hearts & Hooves day was the day after tomorrow, and while I surveyed the city from above, I wondered what we would do for the day. Probably something boring that the teachers had planned, like a museum with nothing that I could understand in it. Well, hopefully if I got to go round with Miri we could just mess around instead of listening, since I expected Rarity to behave herself as usual and Fly would probably be really interested in all the old historical boring stuff. Seemed a shame to waste such a fun day which was usually a riot back at Buckingham.

Miri and Rarity managed to slip through the teachers’ net on the way back and were back with us unscathed, if a little damp.
“There are towels in the bathroom down the corridor,” Rarity informed us when they came back, towels wrapped around their manes. “Not that it does me any good, I will have to totally restyle my mane because it’s gone all frizzy.”
“You’ll probably have time this evening,” I reassured her.
“I’m going to go downstairs and see if I can find out what the plans are for this afternoon,” Fly told us, getting up from her bed and heading for the door. “I’ll be back soon.”

I tested out my bed, wondering if it was going to be comfortable. It was hard to judge with so many of my clothes and my case covering half of it, but it seemed acceptable. Worst came to the worst, I’d just sleep on the blanket.
“Wonder where that colt I’m going to meet is?” Miri said, gazing out of the window. She looked like a scene out of a cheesy romance novel, with the skyline in front of her and her wistful gaze.
“No idea. Probably back at Buckingham, looking for you,” I replied, earning a pillow thrown at me.
“I think the idea of a romance in Mareis is just divine,” Rarity said, joining Miri by the window. “Just imagine, we might have met somepony while we were at that bakery.”
“Because buying a sandwich to silence your tummy rumbles is just so romantic,” I giggled, this time getting a smile from Rarity.

It turned out that once we’d all been to buy lunch from the bakery around the corner, we were going to spend the afternoon at - you guessed it - a museum. Apparently it specialised in mechanical items, which sounded like a total snoozefest to me.
“I can’t go, they might recognise me,” Miri said as we left for the bakery. “Bring me back something.”
I decided to get her a sample of the local cuisine, something that looked strangely green and slimy, and put it in a sandwich for when we got back. It would serve her right for sneaking off, although I had done the same earlier. But it was a different bakery and that’s what was important.
Miri didn’t enjoy the sandwich very much, but Fly ate all of it.

The afternoon museum trip started once the sky had cleared a bit, since nopony knew what to do with a wet umbrella in a museum.
“Ugh, this is just so not what I had imagined what we’d be doing in Mareis,” Rarity complained to me as we stood around looking at old machines. “Do you think they have any old sewing machines?”
“I suppose,” I said, my muzzle in the official leaflet. “There’s a collection of Mare’s Machines on the floor above. They’ll probably be there.”
We headed for it, abandoning Miri and Fly who were reading everything in sight, Fly for enjoyment and Miri just because she wanted to test herself.

There were some old sewing machines which interested Rarity for all of two minutes, and then we just sat on a nearby bench and wondered when our torture would be over.
“Excuse me, how long do we have here?” Rarity asked a teacher, wording it tactfully.
“About another two hours,” the teacher said, checking an old clock on the wall before walking off, attracted by the sound of giggling.
“Two hours?!?” I said, then sighed. “There’s nothing to look at.”
“There’s a display of tractor engines somewhere,” Rarity added, pointing to the map. “Magically driven.”
“Not by my magic,” I said unhappily. “I wish there was something else to do.”

We managed to waste fifteen minutes in the gift shop, translating the little cards that said what everything was, and we noticed quite a few other ponies from school hanging around, more in hope than expectation.
“Want to buy anything?” I asked, waving some oven mitts with a plough on them.
“No,” Rarity replied, giggling. “I think I’ll save my bits.”
There was really nothing to do, and I couldn’t face going back into the museum with all of its boring little card with information on. “Rarity?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think we should just sneak off?”

“We’ve got two hours to kill and as long as we’re back in an hour and a half, we’ll probably never be missed.”
“Anything is better than here,” Rarity told me, and with a few furtive glances at the door to make sure no teachers were hanging around, we made our escape through the exit door, bursting into pouring rain on the street.
“Oh, horseapples,” Rarity said, and I giggled at her language. She gave me a swat and we trotted under a canopy for shelter.
“Where to? We’ve got ninety minutes and the whole of Mareis to explore!” I said, sounding more enthusiastic than I really was as I stared at the pouring rain.

“Come on. Let’s go down to the river,” Rarity said, taking hold of me by the hoof. “We probably won’t get another chance to walk there if the teachers keep making us do this. There are hundreds of art galleries in Mareis.”
I just nodded, not trusting my voice to work with Rarity clasping my hoof between hers. She smiled and I blushed a little, but my damp mane did a good job of hiding it.
“Do you know which way it is to the river?” she asked.
“Not really. I suppose it’s downhill.” Both directions were perfectly flat. “Maybe we should ask somepony.”
“Do you know how to ask it?”
“I think so.”

She let go of my hoof and she entwined her tail in mine so we didn’t get separated, and then we set off at a canter, giggling as the rain started to soak us. We just ran down the street away from the museum, and I made a note of which street it was so we could get back. There wasn’t anypony around in the rain, but we kept cantering, and eventually spotted a stallion hurrying along, his head under a newspaper.
“Excuse me, sir, which way is the river?” I asked, doing my best to put on a good accent.
He paused for a moment and pointed through an alleyway. “Two minutes.”
“Thank you!”
He watched us canter away, shaking his head.

We both laughed and skirted around puddles as we dashed down the alley and followed the next one, crossing the empty streets without needing to stop. I was soaked to the skin and I could feel the weight of the water in my coat and hair, but we kept moving, Rarity’s usually-perfect mane hanging in limp purple threads around her face when it wasn’t streaming behind her. The river was less than two minutes and we suddenly came out beside it, the surface pebbled with thousands of raindrops drumming down on it. I was out of breath and took a few moments to breathe before I tried to say anything.

“So much better than a museum,” Rarity told me, and I followed her as we walked up the river towards the nearest bridge. The buildings either side were tall enough to block out most of the view.
“We’re going to be totally caught when we go back to the museum sopping wet,” I said, holding back a laugh. “No way of hiding this.”
“It’s okay, we’ll live,” Rarity replied, her tail still wrapped around mine. “I just wanted to do something wild for a change.”
When we passed the bridge and followed a bend in the wide river, we had a fantastic view of the Hoofful Tower, obscured only by the steadily falling rain. There was avenue leading to it, and I hoped that we could visit later in the week.

“Come on, let’s keep going,” Rarity said, following the wide walkway beside the river. “Maybe there’s a cafe.”
“Not much chance of them letting us in if we’re in this state,” I told her, nudging her accidentally with my shoulder. She nudged me back and I grinned, flicking my wet mane in her face. She gasped, eyes wide, and then used her magic to rub her mane in my face, causing water to run down my cheek.
“Okay, okay, stop it,” I giggled, trying to wipe my face with a hoof but only getting wetter. Rarity gave me a satisfied smile.

The rain didn’t seem likely to subside, and we occasionally saw ponies making a mad dash for the next bit of shelter, or trotting along under an umbrella, but we must have looked a real sight.
“You know, if you imagine, we could almost be here by ourselves,” Rarity said, her mouth close to my ear to be heard over the rain. “On a nice holiday.”
“I wish,” I said, thinking glumly of the time that we’d have to turn back and get back to the museum. “This isn’t as fun as I thought it would be.”
“I’m having fun now,” Rarity said, a raindrop hanging on one of her eyelashes. I flicked it away.
“I am too, but I was hoping that we could have been a bit drier.”
Rarity laughed and nudged me again, but I didn’t retaliate for fear of more wet mane on my face.

Once our time was up we turned around and headed for the museum, threading our way through some other alleys to take a shortcut. I wasn’t sure it was the right way but Rarity was convinced, and her sense of direction won because we came out opposite the museum, which looked as drab and boring as it had always done.
“Let’s wait here for a minute,” Rarity told me, pulling me back before I left the alley. “We can see it from here if they decide to leave early, but I bet they’re waiting until the rain stops.”
“I suppose.” We stood next to each other, peering out across the road at the museum and wondering if any of the ponies inside could see us.

“This was fun,” Rarity told me, her neck rubbing against mine. “I’m glad we got to do it, even in the rain.”
I just nodded, and looked at her out of the corner of my eye. She was still staring across the road, but she looked over at me and met my gaze. I felt a sudden rush of butterflies in my tummy, but I didn’t look away and neither did she. I kept looking into those blue eyes, her eyelashes shimmering with the rain that had hit them, and I tried to keep my tummy under control. It felt like I was about to give a solo performance in front of a thousand ponies, all waiting expectantly for me, mixed with another feeling that I thought I recognised but didn’t want to admit. There was a raindrop exactly on the top of her muzzle, and I thought briefly about trying to flick it away. Her mouth was so close to mine and it just seemed like the perfect moment, so my eyes slowly closed, and-

“Oh Celestia’s bells, they’re leaving,” Rarity said suddenly, her eyes flicking back to the museum. I practically fell over as she stepped forwards, her tail letting go of mine. “Come on Cat, we’ve got to try and blend in when the teachers aren’t looking.”
Feeling a mixture of disappointment and relief, I followed her, galloping across the road in the rain while the teachers were looking elsewhere. Our general dampness didn’t matter because everypony else was soaking wet within a few minutes anyway. I lost Rarity in the crowd as we searched for Fly and Miri, hoping that our absence wouldn’t have been noticed.

“Fly!” I said, relieved, when I spotted my green pegasus friend. “Did they realise we were gone?”
“You were gone?” she asked, frowning. “I thought you’d just waited in the gift shop and left straight away.”
“Where’s Miri? And have you seen Rarity?” I asked, blending into the crowd once more and walking alongside Fly.
“No, haven’t seen either of them. I thought Miri was with you.”
I spotted Rarity in the crowd ahead, but something stopped me from rushing over. It felt like I’d embarrassed myself somehow, even though Rarity hadn’t noticed anything of my stupidity. I knew what I was feeling and I pressed the feelings into a little ball in my tummy, ignoring them.

Chapter Twenty-One

There were no disciplinary consequences for our leaving the museum, so Rarity and I considered ourselves out of the woods for the time being. The teachers seemed none the wiser, unless they were saving up some kind of special punishment, which was unlikely. Instead, we just continued as usual, enjoying the evening once we were all towelled off. After tea, there was an educational video downstairs for anypony who wanted to go, but it seemed to only be for ponies who didn’t like their roommates, so we stayed in the room and played cards again, despite Miri and Fly’s dominance.

“I wish I’d managed to escape with you two,” Miri complained as she won her third game in a row. (Fly was reading her book and not paying full attention.)
Rarity and I exchanged a look and smiled.
“The museum was pretty boring once you’d seen everything,” the earth pony added, shuffling the cards with strange efficiency.
Fly snorted a little. “Well, if you hadn’t just rushed around trying to be the first pony finished.”
“I wasn’t the first pony. Everypony else got fed up way before I did.”
“Did you enjoy it?” I asked Fly, looking over at her. I could tell she was a little bit irritated at me for skipping the museum, but it didn’t bother me. She’d be fine the next morning.
“It was good, I thought. They had a lot of interesting collections,” she told me in clipped tones, before going straight back to her book.

Miri predictably won the next game, and Fly came last, without even trying. Miri was starting to exploit Fly’s lack of interest, so I persuaded her to stop reading and join in. After that, it became a bit more even, and I sometimes managed to win when Fly and Miri cancelled each other out.
Unfortunately for my general concentration, Rarity was sat exactly opposite me and kept looking over at me whenever it was my turn. Resisting the temptation to blush and giggle inexplicably, I stared too hard at my cards and made mistakes, trying all the time to keep my head and pretend that my tummy wasn’t churning the way it was. It was the worst possible timing, just before Hearts & Hooves Day, and especially with my exams and a concert coming up. Life was just too complicated.

We went to sleep when the dorm matron (who had managed to get on the trip with the rest of us) came around and told us to turn the lights out. It had been a long day so we didn’t try and stay up any longer, even though it seemed like we should probably do something fun in the dark. We agreed to save it for the next night and just catch up on the sleep we lost that morning.
“Goodnight everypony,” I said, pulling my blanket up to my chin and lying on my side, avoiding a hard patch of the camp bed. Everypony else replied sleepily, already drifting off, and I tried to ignore the weird feelings I was having and just sleep, but it suddenly seemed much more difficult. I could see the indeterminate lump under the blanket on the bed next to me which was Rarity, her mane rising and falling as she breathed.

I must have fallen asleep, but when Miri went to the bathroom in the middle of the night and stood on me, it jerked me awake.
“Sorry!” she whispered, almost tripping as she skirted around to get to the door. I rubbed my leg and hoped it wouldn’t bruise, because bruises showed up quite strongly against my white coat and it would be an unseemly hoof-shaped one. Once Miri had disappeared, I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but it proved difficult. The bed felt much more uncomfortable and my leg still ached, no matter what position I lay in.

To make matters worse, one of Rarity’s hooves was poking out from under her blanket, the glow from the streetlight outside the window making it look orange. I just stared at it, feeling like a bit of a creep, but the way it moved slowly as the unicorn breathed was keeping me from looking away. When Miri returned, I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep, but it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep and for me to be back to my thoughts. I’d been too close to Rarity that afternoon, that was all. It was just a short-term thing because she was so beautiful and glamorous, and it was intoxicating. I’d nearly made a fool of myself and I needed to snap out of it before I ruined our friendship forever. With that stern rebuke, I rolled over to face away from her and kept my eyes tightly shut, ignoring the throbbing in my leg and stubbornly refusing to move until I fell asleep.

Instead of getting up for breakfast, Miri and I slept in and decided to get something from a bakery when we went out. I had a leisurely shower and got myself nice and clean while Miri slept on, her blanket wrapped tightly around her so nopony could drag her out of bed. The shower was nice enough with plenty of room, so I luxuriated as best as I could and took advantage of the fact that with everypony at breakfast, I was unlikely to be disturbed. It was good to wash my hair properly and stop it from being so frizzy, although it wasn’t exactly much better when it was back to its limp and annoying state. I vowed to get a severe manecut when I got back to Buckingham, but I knew I’d forget long before then.

Unfortunately, my mane aside, my thoughts were still dominated by Rarity. I wanted to agree with my theory that it was just a one-day thing, but I still felt the same about her and I was glad she wasn’t around to make it worse. Hopefully it was a holiday thing and would wear off when the reality of Buckingham returned, but it didn’t seem all that likely. Once I was dry, I returned to the room, hoping that it wasn’t going to ruin our friendship and wondering if there was something I could do to take my mind off it.
Fly and Rarity were waiting when I got back.
“Looks like the plan for today is a morning trip to an art gallery,” Fly began, and I sighed, expecting the worst.
“But,” Rarity interjected, “We have the afternoon to sightsee and buy souvenirs.”

That was a better prospect, so I wasn’t too bothered by the idea of enduring an art gallery in the morning. Miri and I stopped off for pastries and juice on the way out, eating them out of paper bags and avoiding the gaze of the various teachers as we walked the route to the gallery.
“This is pretty good,” Miri said as she scarfed down hers. “Plus it’s really cheap.”
“Really? I just hand over what they ask for,” I replied, finishing the last morsel of mine. It was something with chocolate in it, which was perfect.
“They’re probably ripping off some gullible tourists,” Fly joked, hovering just above the ground instead of walking.

The art gallery was, as predicted, boring. Fly and Rarity were really interested in it, and disappeared off on a guided tour, while Miri and I did our best to drink fruit juice without attracting the attention of some burly security ponies in uniform. There just seemed to be a lot of ponies standing around staring at artwork and murmuring to each other about ‘tone’ and ‘form’, neither of which really meant anything to Miri and I. We just wandered around commenting on how boring a row of yellow stripes on a blue background was and getting glares from the teachers. There wasn’t even a gift shop, although if you had thousands of bits, you could buy some of the paintings.
“Don’t know why you’d want to,” Miri said, looking at a picture made up of blobs of paint. “This wouldn’t exactly look nice on a wall.”

Miri had managed to bring the pack of cards, so we found a secluded bench in a quiet wing of the gallery and had a few one-on-one games, all of which Miri won. I wasn’t really very concerned because it was filling the time.
“Maybe we’ll go to a concert tonight,” I said, more in hope than expectation. “There are always some on in Mareis.”
“What kind of concert? I think a classical one would bore me to death,” Miri replied without looking up.
I just shrugged. “I don’t exactly see school sending us to a pop concert.”
Miri nodded and we went back to playing, that idea shot down.

Once the art gallery was finished, we emerged back into the fresh air and wondered what was next. It was lunchtime so we went to a nearby park and the teachers handed around paper bags which contained a packed lunch. Mine contained a sandwich, some juice, an apple and a biscuit.
“Anyone want a cheese sandwich?” I asked, holding it up.
“I’ll give you my orange for it,” Rarity offered, and we swapped without another thought. I tucked into the apple first.
“So, what are we doing this afternoon?” Miri asked, her mouth full of bread.
Fly had the guidebook and consulted it while she ate. “Well, there are a few attractions we could visit…”

I piped up. “Somewhere that we can walk around. Miri and I have just been sat down all morning.”
Miri nodded her agreement, but Fly was unimpressed with our lack of enthusiasm for the gallery.
“Well, there’s always the Hoofful tower,” Fly said, pointing with a wing to the tower we could see over the surrounding buildings. “We could go there.”
“Sounds good to me,” Rarity added, still working her way through my cheese sandwich.
“Are there stairs?” Miri said with a pained look, and I giggled.
“I seriously doubt it,” Fly replied, frowning at the guidebook. “There are probably lifts.”

Once lunch was finished, we drifted away from the other ponies. We had to be back at the hotel for tea, but it left us the entire afternoon and Fly led us to the metro station which would take us to the Hoofful Tower, or at least near the bottom of it. Since it was the middle of the day, the train wasn’t very crowded.
“I don’t know how much the tower costs,” Fly told us, her guidebook still open. “If it’s expensive we can always just go for a walk through the park.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Rarity reassured her. “Let’s just see when we get there.”
“The view should be great,” I said, stating the obvious. Nopony else responded so I went back to reading the adverts on the carriage walls.

The Hoofful Tower looked very tall when you were looking at it from the base. The very tip seemed to disappear, and in order to get a good look you almost had to topple over backwards.
“Fly, why don’t you just flap your wings and go to the top? Then you don’t have to pay!” Miri suggested, but Fly just glared at her. We joined the queue to get in, which snaked all the way around the ticket office but seemed to be moving pretty quickly. Everypony with tickets went straight to the lifts that disappeared upwards every minute or so, returning full of other ponies who were busy chatting to each other.
“Ugh, the waiting is killing me!” Miri complained, but we weren’t far from getting tickets.
“Just be quiet and get out your money,” Rarity told her, “Then it’ll be even faster.”

We paid as a group to get in faster, and once the tickets were divided, we joined the next lift and found ourselves flying upwards, ears popping. Fly looked a bit uncomfortable in the cramped lift, so I found her hoof and gave it a squeeze. She seemed grateful, and thankfully the lift slowed to a halt before very long and the doors slid open, letting everypony exit.
“Oh, wow,” Rarity said as we stepped out, taking in the panorama in front of us. There were views stretching out across the city in every direction, the grey skies broken occasionally by a pegasus flying past at high altitude. I approached the glass and looked down at ponies walking by, little more than dots. I wondered if I could see anypony from Buckingham, and I waved a little.

There was a display area that told you a little bit about the history of the Hoofful Tower and showed what you could see in the distance. Fly went off to read it, and Miri had disappeared, so I took in the view with Rarity.
“Magnificent…” she whispered, her breath condensing on the glass in front of her muzzle.
I stopped looking at her and went back to looking out over Mareis, following the snaking river as it passed through the centre of the city and then disappeared, heading for the sea.
“You can see where we were yesterday,” Rarity said, pointing towards the bend in the river.
By squinting a little, I could just make it out. I recognised the bridge that we’d galloped past, and I could just make out the tiny forms of ponies crossing it, some of them strolling along the riverside in pairs and threes.

I glanced across as Rarity to see what she was thinking, and I caught her looking at me. We both blushed and went back to surveying the city.
“Look, if you come around on the other side you can see the railway station,” Miri told us, grabbing both of us and dragging us over. She told the truth; you could make out tiny trains entering and leaving the giant structure, although you could only see them between the gaps in the taller buildings that lay between the station and the tower. It was still pretty impressive.
“Do you think you can see our hotel?” Rarity asked, trying to find the right area of the city, but Fly cut in.
“No, it’s too far away. You probably could with binoculars,” she informed us, pointing in the general direction of the hotel with her wingtip.

The afternoon wore on and none of us really tired of the view, although Miri seemed to be spending her time watching the trains. I wanted to have another conversation with Rarity, but Fly was hanging around with us and I couldn’t really talk the way I wanted with her around, as much as I liked her. She kept telling us about landmarks we could see, which was actually quite interesting, but I wished she would get distracted by something and wander off. She enjoyed telling us too much, though, so there was no chance of that.
“Do we have any plans for when we go back down?” Rarity asked, peering down at the ponies on the ground. “We’ve still got a couple of hours.”

Fly and I just shrugged.
“I’m just dying to go to one of those quaint little cafés,” Rarity told us. “Have some coffee and a cupcake?”
“Fine by me,” I replied, watching a pegasus flying slowly past.
“There should be quite a few in the market district, which is only a few metro stops away,” Fly said, her guidebook appearing again.
I told Miri about our plans and she seemed happy enough to go along with it, so we took our last few looks at the city and then headed for the lifts, passing the new groups of ponies who were gasping at the view.

A café to Rarity’s liking didn’t prove very hard to find, since we were surrounded by them as soon as we got out of the metro station. She squee’d and rushed ahead, looking at the menus and the outdoor tables and eventually settling on one with white tablecloths and an advert for fresh coffee. I noted, to my relief, that it didn’t seem to be very expensive, so we all sat down at one of the outdoor tables and placed our orders with the waitress, who was very prompt and returned with coffee for everypony in less than a minute. I was facing the street, so I just watched everypony going by, noticing the difference between the locals who always seemed to be in a hurry and the tourists moving at a more pedestrian pace.

When I wasn’t looking at the other ponies, I kept sneaking glances at Rarity. She seemed super-happy to be drinking coffee at an authentic Mareis café, and I felt the warm feeling coming back as I took in her smile and the way her eyes seemed to shine even though the sky was overcast. Occasionally she looked over towards me and I went back to admiring the local scenery, looking up at the Hoofful Tower and marvelling at how high up we’d been. I waved at everypony at the top, but it wasn’t very likely that they could see me. I wasn’t a huge fan of the bitter-tasting coffee, but I wasn’t going to say anything, and I drank it without complaint.

After we’d finished, Miri needed to go to the toilet, so she and Rarity departed to look for the public conveniences. Fly and I just sat at the table and drank the remains of the coffee, not saying anything and enjoying the tranquility. At least, I was.
“Cat?”
“Yes Fly?”
“Do you like Rarity?”
The inflection in her voice made it perfectly obvious what she meant.
“Um…”
“I knew it!”

I sighed. “Look, I don’t really know what I think. You can’t tell her or Miri or anyone else.”
“Of course I won’t.” She gave me a knowing smile.
“How did you know, anyway? Or was it a lucky guess?”
The pegasus giggled. “I can see the looks you keep giving her. It’s not very subtle.”
I turned red. “Do you think she knows?”
“Who, Rarity? I don’t know.”
“Miri?”
“Oh, I think Miri has probably guessed.”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. There was no way Miri would be able to keep her mouth shut, and with Hearts & Hooves Day coming up, it was guaranteed that it would be on her mind.
“I don’t really know what to do, Fly,” I confessed. “It’s totally the wrong time for this, and if Miri knows it won’t be long until everypony at school knows, but I just can’t stop thinking about her.”
“If you really like her, you should tell her how you feel. She can only say no.”
“But what if it makes our friendship really awkward? We’ve only got a few months left and then she goes back to Equestria. I don’t want to ruin that.”
Fly looked thoughtful. “Well, if you think that you can keep your mind off her until she leaves, then maybe it’ll just be out of sight, out of mind.”

The idea of not seeing Rarity hurt more than anything else, so I stopped talking. I just gave Fly a look which I hoped would convey all of my emotional turmoil.
“Do you need to go to the toilet as well?” she asked in response, and I sighed. To my benefit, Miri and Rarity reappeared and I did my best to look nonchalant.
“We should probably be heading back,” Fly said, getting to her hooves. “It’s only half an hour until tea and we’ll get in trouble for being late.”
“Lead the way,” Rarity said graciously, looking around for signs to the metro station. I forced myself to stare at the ground and follow Fly without looking at her, resolved to do better.

It was futile, and by the time we’d eaten tea I was feeling more lovesick than ever. Rarity kept tossing her hair and blushing slightly whenever anypony spoke to her, and it was driving me insane. Fly gave me a few meaningful looks, but it was hopeless.
“I need to do something,” I complained when I managed to get five minutes alone with Fly after the meal. “I can’t concentrate on anything else.”
“Then you need to tell her,” Fly said sagely. “Otherwise you’ll just suffer.”
“I can’t! I just can’t ruin our friendship. It would be too awkward to speak to her afterwards.” I stamped my hooves in frustration.

“Maybe you could get her a Hearts & Hooves card? Then it’s anonymous and you can get your feelings off your chest,” Fly suggested after a moment’s thought. “We can sneak out and get one tonight sometime.”
My eyes lit up. “Fly! You’re a genius!”
It was her turn to blush. “It’s nothing.”
“Do you think we could go now? If we buy food at the same time, nopony will think anything of it.”
“We need food for snacks anyway. I’ll go and ask the others if they want anything specific.”

Fly returned soon with a list of snack items (all for Miri), and we set off, heading for a local supermarket that I remembered being near one of the bakeries. It was open late and we got nearly everything that Miri asked for, except for some things which we didn’t even think you could buy at home, let alone in Mareis.
“Who would want… olive paste?” I asked, consulting the list. “Is it some kind of snack?”
“I think it comes in a jar,” Fly said absently, looking for crisps. “Do you think she’ll be happy with cheese and onion since they don’t have cheese and chive?”
“She’ll probably never notice.”

Fly helped me pick out a Hearts & Hooves Day card. There was a big display of them since it was only a day away, but most of them were in French and I had find the other ones. There were a few labelled ‘to my fillyfriend’ but they all featured a colt on the front, which was a bit of a put-off. It was Fly who found the best one, a blue card which just had a heart on the front and no other designs.
“It’s simple but it’s better than the others,” she said, so I paid for it and we headed back to the hotel.
“I’ll write it sometime tomorrow when I’ve got free time,” I explained, really planning to write it sometime in the middle of the night by absconding to the bathroom.

Instead of going to bed straight away like the previous night, we decided to stay up even after the Dorm Matron told us to go to sleep. Miri was loaded up on snacks and spent most of her time alternating between talking and munching, while the rest of us just ate the occasional crisp or biscuit.
“So, do you know what’s happening tomorrow?” I asked, glad that in the darkness I wasn’t tempted to stare at Rarity.
“I overheard one of the teachers talking about another art gallery, one of the big ones this time,” Miri explained. “There’ll probably be loads to do there so it’ll be an entire day, most likely, including lunch.”

I sighed. “Ugh, more art. Why can’t we do something fun?”
Miri giggled, ignoring the sighs of the other two. “Yeah, I’m sure there are some cinemas or something that we could go to.”
“But then the films would need to be subtitled,” Fly pointed out.
Disappointed, Miri went back to her crisps.
“As long as it’s not an early start,” Rarity said, levitating some of Miri’s crisps over to her bed. “I’d like a lie-in after a busy day today.”

“I’ll be back in a minute,” I announced, extracting myself from my blanket and heading for the door, Rarity’s card and a pencil secreted under my mane. For once I was glad that it hung in a featureless sheet. The light in the corridor was on, so I hurried to the bathroom and locked myself into a shower cubicle, writing on the back of the door. I had to be quick, otherwise the others would wonder where I’d gone, but it was hard to work out what I wanted to say in such a short time.

Rarity,
I began, but the rest of it was difficult. I rehearsed a few lines in my head, but none of them came off right. For a few moments I wondered about just writing Happy Hearts & Hooves Day and leaving it at that, but it wouldn’t have really satisfied me. In the end I just took the plunge and started writing.
I really admire you and wanted you to know that I think about you a lot. I hope you have a wonderful Hearts & Hooves Day.
Love from ?
xxxxx

It wasn’t much but I didn’t think I could add any more without ruining it. I quickly put it back into the envelope and sealed it with my magic, then tucked it back into my mane and headed for the room again. I was planning to sneak back to the room during another planned toilet trip the following morning, and put it into Rarity’s suitcase somewhere. Then she’d find it and assume that some other pony put it there. Even if she caught me, I’d just say I was putting it there for a friend. It was a foolproof plan, so long as Miri didn’t catch wind of it and spoil everything. It would be just like her to put her hoof in it and say something.

When I got back, Miri was holding forth about the Hoofful Tower, so I managed to hide the card amongst my belongings without any difficulty. I briefly considered giving my plan a name, like Operation Greetings Card, but I couldn’t come up with a name that didn’t sound obvious, so I just called it the Rarity Plan. Miri and Fly were having a discussion about something I didn’t understand, so I laid down on my bed and worried about the plan, wondering if I should do something about Miri. Maybe if I said something… but then she might get the wrong idea… perhaps I could ask Fly to distract her…
It didn’t take long before I was asleep.

The plan worked smoothly the next morning. It actually went better than intended; on the way to breakfast, Fly suggested that she be the one to put the card in Rarity’s suitcase, so there was no danger of me being suspected. Her ideas always amazed me, (I wasn’t sure how one pony could have so many good ones), and this one worked perfectly. She reappeared at breakfast and poked me under the table, a secret sign that she’d done what was required. I felt a fresh wave of butterflies in my tummy because there was no going back. If Rarity realised it was from me… but maybe that would be a good thing… only if she was happy that it was from me… it was all too complicated. I focused on eating.

I had been expecting to have the whole day to worry about the card while we were out, (Miri was right about the all-day art gallery thing), but Rarity decided to dash back and pick up a scarf because there was a cold wind. I hoped she wouldn’t notice the card.
“Cat? I tucked the card into the scarf…” Fly told me guiltily. “Sorry.”
So much for that. “Come on, let’s get going. If we get a head start, she can’t interrogate us.” We joined the front of the line snaking out of the hotel, eager for once to be on our way. My nerves were getting worse.

“Don’t worry about it, Cat. I’m sure there’s no way that she’ll be able to tell it’s from you,” Fly reassured me. “Just relax.”
I did my best, but it didn’t seem to do much good. I could feel my hooves shaking as we arrived at the gallery, not daring to look behind.
“They’re on their way,” Fly whispered in warning, and I did my best to look normal.
“Hey, you two left without telling me!” Miri complained when she and Rarity reached us.
“Sorry, we were getting cold waiting,” Fly lied, covering for me well.
Rarity smiled. “I’m awfully sorry for making you all wait.”

Nopony said anything about a card, and there was no gleeful excitement in Miri’s body language that suggested she was party to some salacious gossip, i.e. that Rarity had received a Hearts & Hooves Day card from an unknown pony.
“Doesn’t look like Rarity told Miri,” Fly said to me once we were safely inside the gallery. I was sticking close to her for support, which meant that I had to linger in front of every painting while my pegasus friend took it in.
“Yeah, you’re right. I wonder why not,” I mused. Fly didn’t say anything, but continued staring at a painting of two pegasi lying in a field. I wondered why they didn’t just take a photograph and save themselves the effort.

Fly eventually got fed up of my constant questioning and wild theories, which eventually went to the extremes of ‘what if somepony else gave her a card, saw mine, stole it and then decided not to give her their card?’ After that we just walked around in silence, Fly admiring the paintings while I kept a sharp lookout in case we were ambushed by Miri or Rarity. Thankfully, neither of them appeared before lunch.
“Can we sit away from them?” I asked Fly.
“No. That would look suspicious,” she replied, walking straight over to the table that Rarity and Miri had reserved for us. I did my best to seem normal.

Rarity didn’t help matters by looking especially good in her scarf. The pale blue of the scarf complemented her mane and matched her cutie mark, and she seemed to be acting especially polite and graciously today. On more than one occasion over lunch I did something clumsy and blushed a deep red, inwardly cursing myself for being so obvious. Rarity never commented or even seemed to notice, which was almost as bad as if she’d said something. Fly nudged me with her wing whenever I was staring for a bit too long, which helped me avoid further embarrassment.
“Your plan didn’t work,” I complained to Fly when we were tidying up. “I feel worse now than I did yesterday.”
Fly just giggled and walked off, leaving me to my contemplation.

Special Chapter 3!

Special Chapter Three

“Mom?” the white unicorn asked in a voice that suggested she was going to pester her mother until she gave in.
“Yes Rarity?” Pearl replied wearily. She had only just put Sweetie Belle down for her midday nap and was feeling as if she could sleep for a whole day, given the chance.
Rarity kicked her hoof, scuffing the ground. “Can I go to the spa?”
“The spa? You mean the one that just opened up in the square?”
“Yeah. It’s supposed to be really relaxing.”
Pearl paused. “Ask your father.”

Magnum was sitting on the couch, hoof in a bag of chips and the hoofball on.
“Dad?” Rarity asked, using the same sing-song voice.
Magnum sighed. “Yes, darling?”
“Can I go to the spa?”
He mulled this over. “The one that just opened up in the square?”
“Yeah. It’s supposed to be really relaxing.”
The stallion paused. “Did you ask your mother?”
“She told me to ask you.”

Silently cursing Pearl for offloading it to him, he thought for a few moments. “Okay, you can go. Are you going with somepony in particular?”
“No. I just want to try it out,” Rarity replied, a note of happiness in her voice as she spun on the spot.
“Well, make sure you don’t get lost,” he replied. “Do you need money?”
“Yes please.”
With a resigned air, he waited a few moments until the break, then got up and found his wallet. “Okay, here’s five bits. It shouldn’t cost that much, but just in case.”
“Thanks Dad.”

Happily, Rarity left the house and headed for the town square. Ponyville was pretty much the opposite of cultured; nearly everypony was somehow employed in agriculture, and those who weren’t seemed to share the same attitudes. Rarity yearned for the excitement of Canterlot, and she craned her neck to see if she could see the royal city over the eaves of the thatched houses that surrounded her. It was well hidden, so she sighed but carried on, her eyes peeled for the day spa that she had heard was opening in the town square. A couple of ponies had moved to Ponyville from more exotic climates and had decided to offer a luxury spa treatment, which Rarity was keen to try.

“Mornin’ Rarity,” a green pony said, her greying blonde mane tied into a tidy plait.
“Good morning,” Rarity replied politely, recognising the voice as one belonging to Granny Smith, a local farmer pony with a granddaughter about her age. Once she was past Granny Smith, she stepped daintily into the town square, noticing at once the impressive spa with ‘Now Open!’ and ‘Discounts!’ signs on the door. With a happy squeal, she trotted over, maintaining her dignity. Excessive public displays of emotion were not appropriate for high society ponies such as herself.

A bell tinkled as she stepped in, and a blue pony with a pink mane immediately appeared.
“Ah! Are you here for a treatment?” the pony asked in heavily accented Equestrian.
“What do you have on offer?” Rarity replied, feeling terribly sophisticated.
“It is on the board.”
Just past the entrance was a large blackboard with the various treatments written on it. Rarity wasn’t adventurous enough to try some of them, (although she was intrigued by the idea of a full mud bath and exfoliant herbal massage), and opted for the more basic hooficure. Anyway, the prices of some of the packages would have sent her father into spasms.

“This way, madam,” the blue pony said, leading her through to the treatment room. “My name is Lotus Blossom.”
“I’m Rarity,” the unicorn replied graciously. “I’m afraid this is my first time getting a real hooficure, so you must excuse me if I’m a little sensitive.”
“First time? So many ponies here have not had spa treatments before,” Lotus replied with a slight shake of her mane. “No matter. We have another first-timer here.”
Intrigued, Rarity craned her neck to see around the corner, but a curtain blocked the view from the corridor to the room.

Inside were a whole host of shelves, covered in creams, salves and lotions. Rarity stared at them, eyes wide, noticing far more products than one would expect to see on the shelves of an average Canterlot spa. Maybe there was something special about the Ponyville spa.
“Ah, you have noticed our special creams,” Lotus said, leading Rarity to a reclining chair. “Many of them are specially from our homeland.”
With another delighted squee, Rarity settled into the chair, her four hooves rested comfortably in the slots. Lotus was selecting some vicious looking metal tools from a tray, but Rarity had read in magazines that the more vicious, the better for you.

Looking around, Rarity suddenly noticed that other ‘first-timer’ she had been told about. She was a yellow pegasus, looking like she would rather be anywhere except in the spa as another pony who looked just like Lotus Blossom filed her hooves with utmost care.
“Well hello there. My name is Rarity,” the unicorn said, looking over with what she hoped was a friendly smile.
“I’m…” the pegasus replied, hiding her face behind her wing.
“I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t catch that?”
“I’m Fluttershy.”
“Fluttershy? What a delightful name! Are you from Cloudsdale, perchance?”

The nod that Fluttershy gave in reply was music to Rarity’s ears. “Ah, Cloudsdale. I certainly wish I could visit, take in the sights. The great pegasus city! You must miss it.”
“Well…”
“Such a shame that we unicorns are unable to stand on clouds and mingle with the sophisticated socialites that I have heard reside in Cloudsdale.”
“Um…”
“Anyway, are you also here for a hooficure?”
“... Yes.” Fluttershy sighed a little as her hooficurist tugged her hoof to stop her from hiding it under a wing.
“Oh, how lovely,” Rarity replied, sighing with happiness as Lotus began to file her hooves to just the right shape. “I do like ponies who can appreciate the finer things in life.”

Fluttershy did not reply as the hooficure continued, so Rarity decided to carry the conversation. After all, not every pony could be a conversationalist like she was, and it was up to her to bestow her gift on the world.
“You know, I think that this spa is bringing a little sophistication to Ponyville. I go to school in Britannia and while I’m here in Equestria, I do miss the culture of Maneminster.”
“Oh, my…”
“Oh yes, darling. The boutiques are simply marvellous, even if they are a teensy bit outside my price range. Have you ever visited?”
“Um… no.”
“You simply must. It’s divine!”

The conversation lulled again, but as Rarity opened her mouth, she was surprised to find Fluttershy speaking first.
“Why do you go to school in Britannia?”
Rarity tossed her mane and laughed slightly. “For the glamour, of course! The School for Gifted Unicorns is world-leading, of course, but it’s for academics. I consider myself to be more vocational, and so I need an education from the traditionalists.”
“Do you have many f-f-friends… at school?”
“What an odd question darling! Of course! I have three very good friends! Why do you ask?”

“Oh… no reason.” Rarity didn’t notice the slightly admiring look that Fluttershy gave her, the pegasus’ face half-hidden behind her beautifully brushed pink mane.
“Well, there’s Miriam, of course. She is rather loud and gossipy, but I suppose I might call her my best friend. She’s with me the most. She has a talent for memory and she can be very kind when she wants to be,” Rarity said, watching Lotus start work on her hind hooves. “There’s Fly Leaf, whom we all call Fly, and she is very shy but awfully clever. A dab hand with a book or a test, but she takes a while to open up. Oh, but her figure! I design my own dresses for my friends, and she is just a delight to design for. A pegasus, like you, but tall! So tall and refined.”

“Finally there’s Toccata, whom I like to call Cat. She’s so lovely! She can play the piano like an angel, and she is just so thoughtful. Sometimes she can be unsure of herself, and Miri winds her up so much, but I just can’t imagine my life without her. Such poise and grace.”
Fluttershy just looked over at Rarity, and the unicorn paused.
“Oh, but I’m rambling. Getting me onto the subject of my friends was a mistake!” she laughed, to the irritation of Lotus who had to yank her hoof back into place. “What about your school?”
“Um, I used to go to Cloudsdale flying school, but I, ahem, dropped out.”
“Dropped out! My, that’s a brave thing to do.”
“It’s okay. I have a job looking after the animals around Ponyville,” Fluttershy remarked, shifting slightly in her seat to show Rarity her cutie mark. “It’s my special talent.”

“And what a delightful talent! Ponies with an aptitude for animal welfare are rare indeed,” Rarity replied, giving Fluttershy an encouraging smile. “It’s refreshing to meet a pony not engaged in uncouth agricultural work.”
“Oh, I quite agree. I’m not cut out for… ploughing.” Fluttershy said the word as if it might physically tire her just to hear it.
“Absolutely! We are of one mind,” Rarity said confidently, relaxing while Lotus painted her hooves in a delicate shade of purple.

After another pause, Rarity spoke again. “So, what brings you to the spa?”
“Um, I decided to try and support some local businesses… I stopped off for a… for a cupcake earlier.”
“Very commendable! I only wish I was so community-minded,” Rarity declared. “I merely came for a bit of rest and relaxation. My sister is still a foal and can sometimes be a drain on the nerves.”
“Oh! Is that… Sweetie Belle?” Fluttershy asked, tailing off as she said so.
Rarity beamed. “Yes! Little Sweetie Belle is quite the bouncing foal, although I sometimes wish she could be quiet for a few hours.”

Fluttershy tittered. “I suppose that’s true.”
“Do you have any brother or sisters, Fluttershy?”
“Oh, no. It’s just me.”
“That’s a shame. Much as Sweetie annoys me, it is nice to have a sister to share things with!” Rarity added, giggling slightly as the hoof-gloss brush tickled her.
“It must be…” Fluttershy replied, looking down at her own hooves. Her hooficurist had finished a while ago, but had left her to chat with Rarity since they didn’t have any other customers.

Once her hooves were adequately glossed and buffed, Rarity stepped out of the chair, feeling refreshed. “That was just perfect, I must say.”
Fluttershy didn’t reply, but followed Rarity out of the room and back to the counter, where the unicorn was handing over three bits.
“I must say, you did an excellent job. I’ll be recommending you to my friends,” Rarity said happily, stepping carefully with her new decorated hooves.
“Yes…” the pegasus agreed, handing over the same payment even though her hooves remained unpainted. “Quite delightful.”

The twosome left the spa, taking in the sunlight.
“Well, I’m sorry to depart,” Rarity said, bowing a little. “I’ve got to get back.”
“That’s okay. I live over by the f-forest anyway,” Fluttershy replied, shuddering slightly at the mention of the forest. “Maybe I’ll see you again?”
“Oh, we must meet up again! Perhaps a weekly spa treatment?” Rarity said, seizing Fluttershy’s forehooves in hers. “Please!”
“Okay… how about Tuesdays?” Fluttershy replied, beating her wings so that she didn’t topple over.
“Tuesdays it is! Now, I must depart,” Rarity said, releasing Fluttershy’s hooves and trotting away down the road. “I shall see you then.”

Fluttershy flew slowly back towards the forest and Rarity headed home, pleased that she had made a new friend in Ponyville. She’d been worrying for a while about moving back to Ponyville when she finished school, because she’d be so far away from her friends. But it seemed as if there might be some new friends her own age to make in Ponyville, which would make the bitter farewell to Buckingham a little easier.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I got the shock of my life when we arrived back at the hotel. Rarity had dragged Miri off to go and visit some kind of souvenir shop she’d spotted, and left Fly and I to head back to the room. We were supposed to spend the evening watching another educational video, and Fly and I were having trouble thinking of an alternative.
“We’ve got to sneak off somewhere,” I said to her as we climbed the stairs to the room. “It’ll just be a waste if we’re stuck here.”
“Wait until the others get back, then we can think of something,” Fly suggested. I sighed and stepped into the room, ready to massage my aching hooves.

As a precaution, I looked around to see where the card I’d given Rarity was. It wasn’t in sight.
“It’s not where I left it,” Fly added, looking at Rarity’s open suitcase.
I decided to try not to worry about it, and looked through the clothes I’d brought for a warm coat if we were going to be outside all evening. That’s when I saw it. Tucked inside my suitcase was a pale pink envelope, with the word ‘Toccata’ written in elaborate script on the front.
Fly just watched with an open mouth as I tore it open carefully, removing the card from inside. It featured two fillies sitting together in a park, holding hooves.

Dear Cat,
It took a lot of courage but I have decided to tell you my feelings. You are such a lovely pony and I wish we could be together more. Hopefully this card will help you realise how I feel about you.
Much love from ?

I was stunned. Fly took the card and examined it for any evidence of who sent it, but nothing was apparent.
“Must have been bought in Buckingham,” Fly said, but that was all she could glean from it. I sat down heavily on my bed and stared at the cover, trying desperately to think who could have sent it, hardly daring to hope that it came from Rarity.
“Could be anyone, even one of the sixth years,” Fly added, her voice low. “They could have asked a seventh year to take it and give it to you.”

There didn’t seem to be any answers, so I put it back into the envelope and hid it at the bottom of my suitcase.
“What about your card?” I asked Fly, realising that she would have one too. “Did you open it yet?”
“Oh, no. I’ll open it now. I wanted to open it this morning but there was no time,” she explained, pulling it out of her bag. She read the card and blushed a little, then showed me. It was a very sweet message from her coltfriend, complete with a tiny sketch of Fly with her nose in a book. I thought it was very accurate as well as super-cute.
“Sounds like he’s one to keep,” I told her as I handed the card back, and she just smiled.

Once Fly had picked up her book, mainly to prevent me from asking her to play cards, I began to feel guilty about telling her about the card. Rarity didn’t seem to have told Miri, and if it was from her, then she probably wouldn’t have wanted me to show mine to Fly. But then again, maybe it wasn’t from her…
When Rarity did arrive back, I said nothing to her or Miri, and neither of them seemed to say anything. I half-expected Rarity to act differently, but she didn’t seem to be.
“So, any plans for something to do?” she asked, levitating a manebrush out of her suitcase and beginning to brush herself.

Miri had been an bought a tiny model of the Hoofful Tower, which was was stashing in her bag. “I don’t really know what there is to do in Mareis at night.”
Fly found her guidebook and flicked through. “It doesn’t give anything specific, apart from a list of fancy restaurants that are way out of our price range.”
“Maybe we’ll just have to endure the video,” I complained, lying on my back on my bed and staring at the patterned ceiling. “We should get an early night anyway.”
“It’ll be busy in the city because of it being Hearts & Hooves Day,” Rarity added. “Everypony wants to come here.”
Miri sighed and rolled onto her side, half-heartedly staring at a magazine.

Fly was carefully reading a page of the guidebook without much enthusiasm, so I gave up and started cleaning my hooves with a folded piece of paper.
“How about a boat trip on the river?” Fly suggested, looking up at the rest of us. “There are a few listed here that sail at night, and it’s supposed to be really good.”
Miri and I just shrugged at each other.
“Got to be better than a video,” Miri replied, drawing Rarity’s ire.
“Better than a video? A romantic cruise down the river in Mareis, taking in the city with all of its lights? The culture! Tres magnifique! It’s more than just better than a video!” she exclaimed, and I was glad it was Miri in her withering glare and not me.

The plan was settled, and Fly worked out a route to get to a big section of the river where there were loads of boats.
“We should be able to at least find space on one,” she said, counting out the metro stops in her head.
“I simply cannot wait,” Rarity declared, picking up her scarf once again, wrapping it elegantly around her neck. “This is really going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The weather was quite nippy, so I made sure I put on some boots and a thick coat before we went anywhere. It made it rather obvious that we weren’t planning on watching an educational video, but hopefully we’d be able to sneak out without getting caught.

The teachers had worked out that nopony wanted to stay, so they were guarding the door.
“Ah,” Miri said. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to talk our way through this one.”
“Any ideas?” Fly whispered as we hid next to the main staircase. “We can’t wait here forever.”
“Maybe once the video starts, they’ll leave?” I suggested, but Miri disagreed.
“They’ll just be even more vigilant. Follow me.”
She led us around towards the room we ate breakfast in, and then we rapidly trotted through a door labelled ‘Private’.

“Miri, I don’t think…” Fly started, but Miri disappeared around a corner. It looked like a kind of kitchen, but there didn’t seem to be anypony around. We followed her and discovered her standing in front of the back door to the hotel with a triumphant expression.
“It leads to the street behind the one the hotel’s on. I spotted it when I was looking for that bakery before,” Miri explained as we hurried through the alleyway at the back. “Should be easy to escape from there.”
Fly recalculated which metro stop we needed if we couldn’t go around the front of the hotel, but it wasn’t a terribly long walk. Once we were onto the next street, there was no chance of the teachers catching us.
“Thanks Miri,” I said, relieved that we weren’t trapped with only the video to look forward to.

The lights of the city were rather impressive when we arrived at the river. Everything was reflected in the ripples, and the Hoofful Tower stretched up into the starless sky.
“I found one!” Miri shouted from a hundred yards down the path, pointing with a hoof at a boat. We hurried over to discover that it left in five minutes, which pleased me because we wouldn’t have to hang around in the cold.
“Only two bits!” the salespony said, so we all fumbled around in our pockets for coins. Once on board, we found seats towards the front. Rarity sat down gracefully and I was suddenly seized with panic; if it was going to be a romantic trip, would it be weird if I sat next to her?

Fly gave me a tiny push towards the seat, but Miri bounded past and plonked herself down in it before I could move. Fly and I took the pair of seats behind them, and I wasn’t sure what to think. Maybe Rarity had wanted me to sit next to her? I tried to convey this question to Fly without speaking, but she didn’t seem to really understand. I just sighed and stared out across the river, wondering who had sent me the card for the thousandth time. Fly was right; it could have been just about anypony, but there was the slightest chance that it might have been from Rarity, so I clung to that and kept my hooves crossed.

The boat started to move away without much fuss, heading downriver towards the ornately carved bridge ahead. Rarity was sat right in front of me, so I had an unobstructed view of the back of her mane, which, lovely as it was, wasn’t really as nice as the front of her head. I had a strange feeling about not being able to sit with her. It was like not being able to perform at a big concert; I felt relieved at not having to do anything, but at the same time disappointed to have missed an opportunity. The disappointment must have been most obvious on my face because Fly nudged me with her wing.
“Cheer up,” she whispered. “You’ll get a chance.”
I wished that the card had helped me vent some of my feelings, but it had done nothing of the sort.

We sailed past the Hoofful Tower, which looked majestic all lit up. I squinted at the very tip and wondered how we had ever gone up so high. It certainly seemed to be a very long way away from the river when you looked up at it. The boat went all the way through the city before turning around and coming back, which meant that I got a chance to see everything on both sides of the river. There was less to see on the side which didn’t have the Hoofful Tower, but we did get some nice views of the bridges across the river and ponies walking past, having romantic night-time strolls.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, and before long I was lying under my blanket in the hotel room, trying to get off to sleep so I wouldn’t feel too terrible in the morning. Almost all of my stuff was packed already, so I wouldn’t have to do too much in the morning, which was a little sad because it felt as if we’d only just arrived. Everypony else seemed to be asleep, but I was having a hard time drifting off. Buckingham seemed a very long way away and a lot had changed since I was last there, although when I really thought about it, I realised that I had been slowly developing feelings for the unicorn for a while before we came to Mareis. It just took the trip to show me that they were what I was trying not to believe they were.

After that, it was just a long train ride back to Buckingham. Miri and I slept for most of it, finally waking up when we were only about an hour away from home. It was about five weeks until the holidays, and then exams started as soon as we were back, so there really wasn’t much time left at school. I was feeling a little bit sad about this when the carriages pulled into the school drive and dropped us off with our luggage. It didn’t take long to levitate my stuff up the stairs, ignoring pleas from Miri for assistance. Unicorn’s privilege, I told her, but she just pouted and asked Rarity.

There was a note tacked to our door when I arrived, addressed to me.
Cat,
Please see Mrs Lemon in her office at your earliest convenience.
I was sure that this time it would be an answer from Princess School, so I felt my nerves starting up. Once I’d dumped my suitcase on the bed and paused to let Fly into the room, I headed straight for the office, only realising as I waited outside that I was breathing much too fast. I tried to calm down and take deep breaths, but an annoying part of my head kept reminding me that this was pretty much my entire future.

“Ah, come in Cat. Take a seat,” Mrs Lemon told me, gesturing towards the chair. “How was the trip?”
“It was good,” I replied, tapping my hooves on the floor nervously.
“Excellent. Well, I suppose you’re wondering why I asked you to come here,” the pony told me, her forehooves pressed together. “You’ve probably guessed that it’s from Princess School.”
I just nodded mutely, and she passed me a white envelope. The postmark was from Princess School, so I bit my lip and opened up the letter inside carefully.

Dear Toccata,
We are happy to offer you a place studying music at Princess School, commencing next autumn. I hope you are as delighted with this offer as we are.

The rest of the letter was just details of various administrative things I needed to do, like applying for somewhere to stay and giving them my medical details, but none of that sunk in. I was just staring at it, not really feeling excited but mostly relieved.
“Congratulations Cat,” Mrs Lemon said, smiling at me. “I know you worked very hard for it.”
“What do I need to do now?” I asked, scanning the letter for some list of grades in my upcoming exams.
The teacher just carried on smiling. “Well, it looks as if you don’t have to get anything in your exams. They’re willing to take you no matter what.”

My expression must have been a little bit too cheerful, because Mrs Lemon continued with a stern glance.
“That doesn’t mean you’re not taking any exams. You’ll still have to go to lessons and work hard to make sure you pass, otherwise you’ll just let everyone down.”
I nodded, still over the moon that the pressure of exams had been entirely lifted.
“Anyway, you can focus on leading the junior band and preparing for the concert. We need your talents to make this work,” she said, straightening her papers and slowly getting to her hooves. “You can go and tell your friends now.”

I practically galloped back up the stairs to the room, bursting with news. I threw the door open and was met with three questioning faces, who had no idea why I was so happy.
“I got into the Princess School!” I announced proudly, and I was immediately deluged with hugs and words of congratulations. I waited until they had calmed down a little before dropping my next bombshell.
“They don’t want any grades in my exams, so I don’t have to pass them,” I said, and received more congratulations, although I could tell that Fly was a little disapproving. I reassured her that I wasn’t just going to sleep all day instead of going to lessons or anything. Now that I had their attention, I told them about the end-of-year concert.

“Well, when it is? If it’s too late, I’ll already have flown back to Equestria,” Rarity said, sounding distressed. “I have to be back by the end of May.”
I felt like there was a stone where my tummy was. “Well, the plan was to hold the concert on the 31st…”
Rarity paused for a moment. “I think that would be fine, but I’d have to go straight to the airport afterwards.
That was a little better, but part of the reason I was actually going to perform was because I wanted to show off my music to Rarity. If she wasn’t there… I didn’t want to think about it.

Miri gave me some biscuits and we had a small party that night to celebrate my good news, but the biscuits were some she’d brought back from Mareis and they were a little crushed. After that, life returned to normal at Buckingham for everypony except me. Fly was rushing around, disappearing to the library every day to look things up and stressing about her exams. I kept reassuring her and telling her she’d be fine, but she continued to get worked up. The teachers were giving us more and more work, and I was very happy just to do my homework without the pressure of having to learn it at all costs. I could tell Fly was jealous, so I did my best to work hard and not make her feel worse.

Miri was also working hard on her exams, putting aside her Head Mare duties while she did. She didn’t get quite as obsessed as Fly, but sometimes when she had a lot of revision to do, she got a little bit snappy. I stayed away from her in those situations, preferring to help Fly revise by reading out flashcards or testing her on extracts from books.
Rarity didn’t have any pressure from her exams either, although she was still keen to do well. I thought that this would mean we’d get to spend more time together, but was was enlisted as Miri’s study friend and spent nearly all of her spare time quizzing Miri when I was quizzing Fly. We were all looking forward to the holidays.

Any extra free time I got from not having to study so much was taken by my three-times-a-week practices on the piano. Mr Bluejay was there for one of them, but the other two I did by myself, playing through the piece as best I could but having major difficulties. It was easily the hardest thing I’d ever attempted and there were times that I thought I would never be able to do it, but then I’d work out the next section and after a few hours, I’d be able to play it semi-well and I could move on. It started to sound more and more impressive as I got better, but it was taking weeks to get even a small way through it.

And then finally I had to deal with my junior band. Our first meeting was not long after I got back from the trip, and I made my way down to the practice room a little nervously, carrying a folder full of fairly simple tunes that everypony would be able to play. I deliberately arrived a couple of minutes late so that all of the younger ponies would be there before me. There was a lot of chattering coming from the room when I got there, so I pushed the door open and cleared my throat.
“Uh, hi everypony. I’m Toccata, and I’m going to be teaching you,” I started, heading straight over to the front of the room and dropping the folder on the desk.

Everypony in the room went silent and stared at me. I stared back, taking them in. There were only about ten of them, all first and second years, eagerly clutching their instruments.
“So, we need to be able to play two pieces of music for the end of term concert,” I explained. “I’ve got a few choices, so I’ll go through and see what I think would be best. For now, we can start by tuning the instruments.”
There was a big difference in talent amongst the group. There were a pair of first-year fillies with violins who were obviously beginners, so I patiently helped them with their tuning. At the back was a second-year with a trumpet, and when I asked her to play a simple tune for me, she played it perfectly and then looked very embarrassed. I noted that her cutie mark was a musical score, so I marked her down as an expert.

I split them into two groups, one made up of beginners and the other of ponies who seemed to know what they were doing. The beginners needed the most attention, so I simply gave the other group the music that I’d picked out and asked them to select something to play at the concert.
“You’ll be playing in front of everypony from school, plus a whole load of parents and teachers, so you need to pick carefully,” I told them, giving them each a different sheet. “You can try playing stuff and see what it sounds like.”
They nodded obediently. I knew that when I’d been a young ponies at Buckingham, I would probably have spent times like this gossiping because the pony taking the session wasn’t a real teacher and couldn’t hand out any discipline.

Instead, all of the ponies seemed quite well-behaved and even did what I told them, trying out the music on their instruments and seeming interested. I was impressed. I didn’t have to worry about the beginner’s group, because I could supervise them all of the time.
“The other group is picking the music because you all need plenty of practice. I’ll probably give you the easy parts to play, because the important part of performing is doing well, not playing something difficult.” I felt a little bit like a hypocrite.
One of the meaner-looking ponies pouted. “How come they get to pick?”
“Because you get me teaching you instead,” I replied simply, wondering if I was cut out to be a teacher. “Anyway, let’s get started with some scales. That’s the easy part.”

The other ponies eventually ended up arguing over which piece to choose. The majority seemed to want to play a simple but catchy piece, but some (including the one I thought was an expert) were more interested in a harder, classical one. I told them we’d play both to calm the waters, then set them to begin practicing amongst themselves. They automatically grouped up by instrument, which made my life a bit easier while I introduced the sheet music to the beginners.
“We’re going to do these two. This is the hard one,” I said, pointing to it. “But don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of time to practice. Now, get into groups for each instrument and make sure you can all see a sheet. You need to be able to read it and play at the same time, so don’t hide behind somepony taller than you.”

They were hard work at times, but the hour flew by amongst the squawks and whistles of inexpert musicians. They all left, clutching copies of the music and chattering to each other, hastily-packed instrument cases bobbing along in their saddlebags or in their hooves. I said goodbye to them all (it was ritual at Buckingham to say goodbye to the teacher at the end of the lesson), feeling very grown-up.
“Excuse me, miss?” a voice said from behind me, and I spun around to see who it was. It was the pony with the musical score for a cutie mark, her face tinged with red.
“Hmm? What is it?” I asked, feeling a little embarrassed for no discernible reason.
“I was wondering if I could ask a few questions.”

“You can call me Cat,” I told the younger filly, sitting down on a piano stool to talk to her. “Everypony does.”
“Um…” she replied timidly, reminding me of Fly. “Well, I was wondering, are you the pony who is going to Princess School next year?”
I was a little bemused that anypony except my friends and I knew that. “Yes, why?”
“Oh… my mum and dad went there. They want me to go,” she told me in a small voice.
“Well, that sounds like a good goal for the future,” I replied, trying to sound kind.
She still seemed excessively shy. “I’m just wondering if… um, well, I always get nervous playing music in front of other ponies.”

I laughed a little, and she seemed upset, so I shook my head hastily. “Oh, no, I just mean that I have the exact same problem. I’m always nervous playing at concerts.”
She brightened. “Really? I thought it was just me.”
“Oh, not at all. It’s a common thing, I think.”
“My name’s Serenade,” she told me, a little more at ease. “I’m a second year.”
“And you play the trumpet?” I asked, gesturing towards her instrument case. “I thought you played very well.”
“I’ve been playing since I was a foal. Do you play the piano?”

Since I was sat right next to it, I opened up the piano and played a short tune. “Yup! Ever since I was a foal.”
“What’s the hardest thing you can play?” she asked, and I suspected this was more out of general curiosity than any kind of specific questions she had for me.
Clumsily, I played a few bars of my concert piece from memory. “It sounds a bit like this, but I haven’t learnt it all yet.”
“Oh, wow. That was cool.”
The look in her eyes made me suddenly modest. “Well, it’s really hard and I don’t know if I’ll even be able to get it right.” I could tell she was forming an opinion of me as some kind of fantastic musician, even though I wasn’t.

“Well, shouldn’t you be getting back to your dorm?” I asked, closing the piano again. “Or do you have any more questions?”
She just shook her head and jumped to her hooves, smiling and disappearing out of the door. “Bye miss,” she managed, almost as an afterthought.
“Bye Serenade.”
While I tidied up the room, putting away chairs and music stands, I wondered whether I had been like Serenade when I was her age. I was definitely less shy and more of a chatterbox, although I never found the courage to talk to seventh years. When I was a second year, all of the seventh year ponies seemed impossibly glamorous and cool.

“How was your first session?” Fly asked when I got back to the room, saddlebags full of sheet music.
“It was pretty good. We’ve picked some music and I think we’ll be okay performing it,” I replied, going through the sheets and picking out the right ones. “I just have to edit the music so that the beginners can play it.”
“Sounds like fun,” Fly added, before going back to her studying, not really interested in the intricacies of music. I just shrugged and lay back on my bed, pretending to concentrate and make tiny revisions to the music with a pencil, but instead wondering whether I had turned into one of the glamorous and exciting seventh years that I had always looked up to when I was younger.

As the holidays approached and Fly and Miri disappeared under increasingly large piles of work, I found that a small fan club was springing up amongst some of the second years, spearheaded by Serenade. I did my best to deflect the attention, which was flattering. Serenade was always too shy to say anything during the band practices, but she listened to everything I said, sometimes listening in to stuff I said to the beginners, even though she knew it all already. Outside the practices, when I saw her or her friends in the corridors, they always seemed to smile and stare at me, whispering to each other once I’d smiled back and walked past.

“I hear you’re something of a hero to my younger pupils,” Mr. Bluejay told me after our last practice session before the holidays. “They can’t stop talking about the great Cat.”
I blushed. “I try not to encourage them.”
The stallion laughed. “Don’t worry, fillies will be fillies. There’s not really anything you can do about it except enjoy it; not all teachers have such a good reputation.”
“Some of them don’t even take music…” I added, sighing. “I suppose it’s nice to be appreciated.”
“It always is. You must have had a few idols in the sixth and seventh years when you were a filly.”
“I suppose,” I added, feeling a little uncomfortable to think of being a filly in the past tense. “They were usually the fashionable ones with coltfriends.”

“Well, maybe the current second years are a little more discerning,” the teacher replied kindly. “Anyway, just wait until you wow them all at the concert. They’ll be talking about you when they’re your age.”
“I hope not…” I replied, working out how old I’d be by then. “Seems a long way away.”
“Time flies, Cat, which brings me back to the matters at hand,” he said with a kindly smile. “You’ve got two weeks of holiday coming up, so you’ll need to practice daily. Do you need me to send a letter to your parents explaining?”
“Oh, no. They’ll be forcing me to practice anyway.”
“Good! Once you get back, you’ll have exams straight away, so we won’t have sessions then. After they’re over, it’s just a week, so I’ve taken the liberty of pencilling in an hour every day. Is that acceptable?”

I nodded. “Sounds fine to me.”
“Excellent. Then the concert will be on the Friday of that week, and I’m sure you’ll be fantastic,” he informed me. “Try not to get lazy during the holidays.”
“I won’t,” I replied, but I knew I would. Ever since the stress of exams had been lifted, I’d been getting into bad habits of lazing around for hours at a time, much to the irritation of Fly and Miri.
“Then I think you can go. Enjoy the holidays, though. Not too much work,” he said, getting up and opening the door for me.
“Thanks. Bye, sir,” I told him as I left, following the corridors back to the room.

There had been a nervous feeling building in my tummy for a few days up to that point. I’d put it down to nerves about my concert performance, but I knew that wasn’t it. The real reason was the fact that Rarity was going to stay with me over the holidays, for an entire week. My parents were happy to have her, and had even made me ask what kinds of foods she liked, but I wasn’t so keen any more. It seemed an eternity ago that the idea of having Rarity to visit for a week would have filled me with happiness, but after I’d found I had feelings for her, I knew that it was going to be a difficult week. She was going to be sharing my room, and it was only going to be the two of us for a whole week. It had only taken a few hours together in Mareis for me to realised that I really liked her, so seven days was probably going to tip me over the edge.

If I said something stupid or let her know about my feelings, it would ruin our friendship completely, and she’d probably have to go back to Fly’s for the rest of the week. I didn’t even know if I would be able to face going back to Buckingham after that, because it was certain that everypony would know by the end of the first week. To make matters worse, once exams were over, Rarity would be going back to Equestria. I was supposed to enjoy the week, with the last days of Buckingham coming up, but instead I was going to be nervous and worried, which was not what I wanted in the slightest. The dread built in my tummy and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, hoping that it would work out.

Chapter Twenty-Three

When I arrived home for the holidays, my parents seemed especially pleased to see me. I think part of it was them congratulating me for gaining entry to the Princess School, but it was also partly because they were realising that I wasn’t actually going to be around for much longer. Once I’d graduated in a few short years, I’d be living away from them, so they were treating me extra-nicely. I even got taken on a special trip to a fancy restaurant to celebrate.
“So, are you looking forward to your friend Rarity visiting?” Mum asked when we were working our way through pudding.
I answered once I finish a mouthful of custard. “Yes, it’ll be fun,” I half-lied.
“Well, your father and I are looking forward to meeting her. She seems lovely.”
“Which one is Rarity?” Dad asked, looking puzzled.
“The other white pony.”
“Oh, of course.”

It was the first time in my seven years at Buckingham that any of my friends had come to my house. Living in such an isolated area meant that it was more convenient for me to go and visit them, although it was still a fairly rare occurrence. As such, as Rarity’s arrival grew closer, my parents began to fret more and more about how best to look after her. They started to get on my nerves, because I wanted to be left alone to worry about what I was going to say to her, and I didn’t want to be dragged around the shops looking for her favourite foods. I didn’t even know what her favourite foods were. I made sure to get plenty of biscuits, mainly for me to stress-eat.

The only thing that prevented me from going mad was being able to play the piano, which was the reversal of my usual attitude towards it. In all of my previous holidays I had worried myself sick about concerts and hated practicing. Now, with a more worrying concern coming up, I found myself practicing for hours on end. I improved rapidly and sometimes found myself playing through sections I had perfected just to listen to it. By the end of the first week of the holidays, there were only two tricky bits left. and I focused on them almost exclusively. The sooner I could play the entire thing through, the sooner that I would be able to relax.

Rarity arrived on the Monday afternoon. She’d had to come a long way on the train from Fly’s house in Plymhoof, so I made sure I went down to the railway station with my dad to greet her.
“Hello Cat!” she exclaimed, alighting the train carefully and placing her suitcase on the station platform beside her. I hugged her, taking in the scent of her perfume and her mane and feeling a sense of intense longing, cut short when she pulled away.
“Ah, you must be Cat’s father. A pleasure to meet you,” she added politely, shaking his hoof.
“The pleasure is mine. You must be tired, allow me,” Dad replied graciously, hefting her suitcase off the platform and heading for the taxi carriages. Rarity and I followed, anxious for a chance to catch up.

“Fly is well. I spent a lot of the week helping her with her studying, which I can’t say was the most fun thing, but I was glad I could help out,” Rarity explained. “Anyway, I have this week to relax.”
“That’s true. I only have to practice my piano a bit, if that’s okay.”
“Of course! I am just dying to hear it.”
I paused for a moment. “Um, I’d actually prefer if you didn’t…”
“Whyever is that, Cat?” Rarity asked, looking over at me.
“I just want to play it for the first time for an audience at the concert.”
My dad chuckled. “Don’t worry Rarity, she won’t let either me or her mum listen either.”

Part of the reason I especially didn’t want Rarity to hear it was because I was planning to play it to her at the concert; like Mr Bluejay had said, the point of learning the piece was to impress somepony, and that somepony was Rarity. At least, that was if I didn’t ruin our friendship with an ill-judged move sometime during the holidays.
Dad spent most of the journey back asking Rarity about her preferences; did she need a blanket on her bed, what did she like to eat, did she need anything special to be bought for her. Rarity was, as usual, very polite and aimed to create as little fuss as possible, with the exception of asking for a soft blanket.

“You’ll be sleeping on Cat’s bed. She’s agreed to sleep on the camp bed,” Dad informed my friend. “My wife has put fresh bedding on while we’ve been collecting you.”
“Oh Cat, that’s not necessary. I don’t mind the camp bed,” Rarity said quickly, but I could tell from her look that she was grateful, so I just blushed and shook my head.
“Is there anything in particular you’d like to do this week?” Dad asked, playing the role of annoying parent rather well.
“I wouldn’t mind at least one long walk in the countryside,” Rarity said after a pause. “We don’t really have rolling hills like this in Ponyville, unless you count the area around Froggy Bottom Bog, which is rather unpleasant.”
There was plenty of countryside around our house, and I was glad that my parents would be be too busy with work to accompany us.

“Well, here we are,” Dad announced when the taxi carriage pulled up outside our house. “Let me get your suitcase.”
With nothing to carry, Rarity and I were first to the house. I pushed open the door with a hoof and let Rarity inside to wipe her hooves.
“Mum? We’re back?” I shouted up the stairs before wiping my own hooves and turning to Rarity. “Come through to the kitchen for a minute, my mum will want to meet you.”
I made hot drinks while my dad carried the suitcase up to my bedroom and my mum finished whatever it was she was doing and came back downstairs.

“Ah, well you must be Rarity!” she enthused when she arrived. “It’s lovely to meet you after all this time. I don’t think a holiday has gone by without Cat talking about you.”
My face burned red as Rarity giggled.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” she replied politely.
“I’ve put a blanket on your bed, as per instructions. Is there anything else you’d like?” Mum asked, going straight back into her worrying mode.
“No, thank you. That’s fine.”
“Good! Well if you need anything, just ask Cat. I’ll have some tea as well,” she added, looking at me. I sighed and found another mug.

Once the tea had brewed, we headed up to my room. I had self-consciously tidied up before leaving to collect Rarity, which was the first time ever. Apart from dirty clothes I’d picked up from the floor, I’d also tidied away some of the more foalish touches that my room had from the days before Buckingham. I wondered whether to leave out the photo of Rarity, Miri, Fly and I that sat beside my bed, but I decided that I better had, otherwise Rarity might ask where it was.
“What a delightful room,” Rarity said, apparently truthfully. It did look a lot tidier than usual. “I love it. It’s much nicer than mine at home.”
I blushed again. “Well, it’s nothing much…”

We unpacked her stuff, which involved me giving over some of my wardrobe space to her clothes. She spent fifteen minutes going through every garment I owned, including the ones that no longer fitted. I told her I needed to sort them out, but she seemed to approve of my dress sense as a younger filly.
“What’s this?” she asked, finding a photo frame at the back of the wardrobe. I’d forgotten that it existed because it had been hidden for so long.
“I don’t know…” I said, craning my neck to see the photo. Rarity studied it for a moment and then showed it to me.
“Looks like it has you and Fly and Miri on it.”

The picture was of the three of us looking a lot younger, (Miri’s hair was undyed and Fly was much smaller than she was now), standing in a line in front of a door at Buckingham. Standing next to me was a pale blue pony with a white mane.
“Who is that?” Rarity asked, examining the photo again. “I don’t recognise her from school.”
“Oh wow, this brings back memories. The pony is Platinum Blonde, she and Miri were really good friends. She left after the first year because her parents moved to another country,” I explained. “Then we just had an empty space in our room until you arrived.”
“Ah, I see,” Rarity said, still looking at the picture. “You all look so young.”
“I think it’s our first day at Buckingham. We’re stood in front of our dorm room.”

I wanted to bury the photo back under clothes, partially because I looked so awkward and partially because I wasn’t sure if Rarity wanted to look at a photo of her predecessor at Buckingham, but she insisted on keeping it out.
“I need to memorise it for blackmailing Miri with,” she explained. “Anyway, it’s cute.”
I nodded and let her put it on my bedside table next to the more recent one that featured her.
“We should get a picture taken on our last day,” Rarity said thoughtfully. “Then we have something to remember it by.”
Thinking about the end of our time at Buckingham made me sad, and I think Rarity could tell, so she changed the subject.

“It’s weird to think that the three of you spent three years at Buckingham before meeting me, and even had a different roommate,” she said, reclining on the bed while I settled onto the camp bed, which was much less comfortable.
“It seems a long time ago,” I agreed. “I haven’t heard from Platinum since she left.”
“I bet she looks different now,” Rarity added, gazing at the picture.
“I think Miri keeps in touch with her occasionally. They got along really well in the first year, pretty much as well as Fly and I did,” I reminisced. “Miri was really upset when she left.”
Rarity nodded. “I can imagine.”

Noticing her expression, I snapped out of my memories, which were putting me in a sad mood anyway.
“Well, the silver lining is that you got to move into our room. If Platinum had stayed, I have no idea who you might have been with,” I said, shrugging.
“Very true. I’m glad I ended up with you ponies,” Rarity replied simply, smiling. I smiled back; it was contagious.
“Do you want anything to eat?” I asked. “I’ve got some biscuits somewhere if you want one with your tea.”
“Why not?” the other unicorn replied with a slight giggle. “I am on holiday, after all.”

By leaving Rarity to read magazines for an hour each day, I was able to get in my piano practice. Rarity’s presence was actually making me worse, but I did make limited progress. It wasn’t helped by the fact that my parents were being over-helpful and kept interrupting with irritating questions, and on Thursday I gave up early.
“Do you want to go for that walk?” I asked Rarity when I returned. She looked up from the magazine with an enthusiastic expression, so I found a scarf that would help to keep me warm outside. Rarity chose to wear a thick shawl which was fastened with a brooch of a ladybird. It looked really nice, and I was surprised that she hadn’t worn it before.

There was a beck that ran behind our house, so I decided that it might be fun to follow it and see where it went. Rarity agreed and we set off, agreeing to be back in time for tea.
I had been able to restrain myself throughout Rarity’s visit to that point. Admittedly, repeated hugs and being around her so much was returning me to the state I had last experienced after our rain-soaked walk in Mareis, and on occasion she caught me staring into her eyes (or, more embarrassingly, at her tail), but overall I was holding up. Rarity started talking about Buckingham once we’d located the stream and I hoped that it would take my mind off how pretty she looked.

“Do you have any plans for this summer?” Rarity asked, looking over at me.
I paused in thought. “Not really. Probably just keep practicing the piano. What about you?”
“Well, I’ll probably try and put together the bits I need to buy the boutique in Ponyville and then move in, as well as spending time with Sweetie. Although once I’ve moved back to Ponyville, I’ll be able to see my little sister every day.” She smiled at the thought and I felt another wave of emotion unrelated to her sister.
“You’ll have to bring her next time you come here for a visit,” I joked, half-hoping she would.
Rarity giggled slightly. “That would be nice, wouldn’t it…”

We walked a little further, weaving through some sparse trees which lived in the valley. The hills around my house were neither steep or very tall, but they met in a valley through which the stream ran. It was an easier walk than climbing any of the hills, and the ground was usually flat. Plus, it gave a nice view, the stream making the only sound in the valley other than our voices. Some might call the location romantic, but I was keeping those thoughts firmly silenced.
“Do you think you’ll visit Fly when she’s in Oxmare?” Rarity asked, admiring a cloud.
“Hmm? Why do you ask?” I replied, keeping my eyes on the ground so I could avoid a boggy puddle.
“I asked Fly the same thing. I think you two should stay in touch.”

It was an awkward question. I was sure that I’d stay in touch with Fly, since she was my best friend, but it was a fair distance from Princess School to Oxmare and she was going to be busy with her academic work. Plus, during the holidays she’d be in Plymhoof, which was even further away.
“We will. I think we’ll probably write to each other,” I explained. “Visits might be harder, but I’m sure we could do it once or twice a year.”
“That’s good. I think it would be a shame if you didn’t, after all this time,” Rarity told me.
“What about you and Miri?”

It was obvious that Rarity was upset about this and I regretted asking.
“Well, it’s difficult to fly here for just a visit. We’ll write, but with the boutique, I don’t know when I’ll have the bits to get back and see everypony,” she said, the note of sadness in her voice making me desperate to hug her.
“Miri will be okay. She’ll still have Fly and I, plus new friends from university,” I said, trying to reassure Rarity. “And we’ll definitely all come to see your boutique. No way we’d miss that.”
She brightened a little and gave me a small hug, which I returned. After that, we walked with our tails together, something which filled me with a great deal of happiness. I didn’t say anything, though.

After that, I just told her funny stories of things that had happened at Buckingham before she arrived. There had been a legendary fifth year called Crystal Shores who’d caused all kinds of trouble for the teachers (and amusement for the other fillies) before she’d settled down to work in the sixth year. I told Rarity as many of the stories as I could remember and she giggled at them all. Miri had managed to get herself into a number of colt-related sticky situations over the years too, and it was fun picking the worst of them. Her first experiment with make-up had been disastrous and she’d refused to go out of the bathroom for hours, although she’d seen the funny side later on.

“Platinum and Miri used to try and sneak into events for the older fillies, and at one of the dances they got caught and were marched back to our room, but escaped custody and reappeared in the hall. They were eventually brought back to the room by four teachers and our room was guarded for the rest of the night,” I recalled with a laugh. “Fly was worried that we were going to get into trouble, but we never heard any more about it.”
Rarity giggled behind her shawl. “Miri is so weird sometimes.”
“Tell me about it. She went through a phase when she was obsessed with banana-flavoured food, and so we spent six months eating nothing but banana biscuits and foam banana sweets. I was sick of them by the end.”

We stopped by a big rock and sat on it, tired of walking. The stream disappeared into some bushes before long and it seemed as good a place as any to rest before turning around.
“It’s getting quite cloudy,” Rarity observed. “Might rain before long.”
“It’s okay, I brought an umbrella,” I replied, patting my saddlebag. “You’re lucky to have weather ponies in Equestria.”
“Oh yes, they do a good job keeping the skies clear most of the time. You get advanced warning of rain, so you can shelter indoors all day,” she explained. “It took a while for me to get used to the random weather over here.”

I don’t know what it was that kept drawing me to stare at her. Maybe it was the way that her neck looked while she looked upwards at the ominous clouds, or just the way she’d done her mane that day, in a wavy variation on her usual style. Whatever it was, I couldn’t look away and I felt a burst of nerves every time she looked in my direction.
“Do I have something on my face?” she eventually asked, cautiously, a hoof rising to brush whatever it was away.
“Oh, no,” I replied, turning red. “Well, I mean, yes, you do have an eyelash.”
“Can you get it? I’ll probably just brush it into my eye or something silly.”

My heart was pounding as I leant towards her. My magic was too clumsy to levitate it away, but it was impossible with hooves, so I carefully pushed it away with the point of my horn.
“There you go,” I replied, in an inexplicable whisper.
Rarity didn’t reply, just looked at me. I could feel the same feelings I’d had in that alley in Mareis, waiting to go back to the museum, only this time they seemed stronger. I ground my hoof into my side to try and endure it, but it was too much and I knew it. The moment had come and I couldn’t avoid it.

“Rarity… I…” I started, my thoughts going into panic stations. I had no idea what to say.
“Hm?” she asked, blinking and unconsciously setting off all kinds of nice feelings inside me.
“I… it’s just…” Stuttering, I couldn’t manage to get anything out. She kept looking at me, and I wondered when the last time I’d breathed was.
“I’m…”
“Oh my, did you feel that?” she said suddenly, looking away with a slight blush. “I felt a raindrop.”
Her tone was rushed and I felt a sting of rejection, my eyes drawn up to the sky. She was right; the heavens were about to open so I fumbled with my bag to find the umbrella.

We walked back in the rain, sheltered by the umbrella. The moment had gone, and the intense feelings had been replaced by a slight sadness. Rarity was stood right next to me, close enough to touch, but I felt a little distant, as if I was never going to be close to her.
“We have a lake behind our house in Ponyville,” Rarity said, her eyes fixed straight ahead. “But it’s not as scenic as this.”
“Oh, huh. Must be nice to have a lake,” I replied.
“My father likes to fish in it during the afternoon. It’s quite peaceful,” she added, giving me a glance but nothing more.

There was an overwhelming feeling that I’d gone too far and I’d messed up. Conversation didn’t flow as freely as it had before, and I was kicking myself for giving in to temptation and ruining our friendship. She was probably thinking all kinds of things about me, mainly that I was putting her in an awkward position and that she’d like to get back to school as soon as possible. I didn’t blame her, I just blamed myself. Cat the idiot strikes again. We only had a little over a month left together before Rarity left, and I’d managed to make it awkward and weird. I should never have given into the feelings, I should have kept my mind off them and just thought of Rarity as a friend like she is.

We were going back to Buckingham on Saturday, and time passed quickly until then. Rarity went back to acting normal, and things seemed to be fixed. I was glad that I hadn’t completely freaked her out, but there was definitely something different about the way she looked at me. Before, she’d met my longing stares with a smile, but now she just blushed and looked away, as if I was an embarrassment to her. The train ride back to Buckingham passed with her telling me about the upcoming summer fashions and pointing stuff out in magazines, but it was far from the excited discussion I had envisioned us having. After all, it was the last time we’d get to be together until we had Miri and Fly panicking about exams around us again.

“Thank you for having me over the holidays,” Rarity said to me as we walked up the drive to the school, suitcases floating along behind. “I’ve had a really great time.”
“Me too,” I replied, meaning it. It had certainly been better than moping around in my room, thinking about her and missing my school friends.
“Ready?” she asked, a hoof on the door.
I giggled. “As I’ll ever be.”
And with that, she opened the door and we strolled inside, back to the frenzied studying of our friends and the excitement of Buckingham. I had a lot to tell Fly.

We entered May without any fanfare, and exams got started. The first week of May was a study period, with no lessons but occasional study sessions. I made the most of the free time by lying in and reading a lot during the day, and then helping Fly with her studies during the afternoon. I was almost as keen as she was for the exams to be over, so that I could have a break from reading endless flashcards. I felt that I’d memorised far too much useless information about books than I’d ever need just from helping her. Miri was in a similar state and absorbed all of Rarity’s time.

My piano lessons continued, although it was mostly Mr Bluejay listening to my progress. He was impressed with how much I had done during the holidays and encouraged me to get in plenty of practice so that I’d be perfect for the concert.
“I can guarantee that everypony will be blown away if you get this exactly right,” he promised. “I know I will.”
The nerves about the concert were starting to kick in, especially because I had to help the younger fillies in the band. They were going to play right at the start of the concert, and I’d have to get up and conduct for them.

However, they were definitely improving. We’d mastered the first piece, and I made them play it at the start and end of every practice session (which were now twice a week, with an extra hour for the beginners). The second piece was probably going to be ready by the time the concert came around, excepting the occasional mistake due to nerves.
Serenade was still admiring me as much as ever, and kept asking questions about music.
“You’ll learn that in your music lessons in the next few years,” I kept telling her, pleased that the music teacher had at least one enthusiastic pony to help. “Just keep practicing, that’s what’s important for now.”

After one of our band practices, she asked me to help her with a piece she’d been learning for her trumpet lessons. It seemed simple to me, but she was struggling with the tempo, so I played it on the piano for her and helped her with each note she was finding difficult. We made a lot of progress in fifteen minutes, which seemed to cement my status as some kind of genius musician in her mind. I left with a weird feeling that she’d been testing me to see how good I really was, despite the fact that I knew next to nothing about playing the trumpet. I wanted to tell Fly, but she was too busy re-reading books ready for her exams, which were only a few days away.

Once exams started, the stress levels went to the top of the scale. The only time I’d known everypony to be this worried was during our fifth-year exams, but even they seemed to pale in comparison. Fly seemed to literally do nothing except studying and occasionally eating, and I thought I heard Miri crying in the middle of the night once when I got up to get a drink. She stopped the moment I moved, but I was sure that the stress was getting to her. I told Rarity about this and she promised to keep Miri from frying her brains. I was immensely relieved that I didn’t have to worry about anything.

In fact, my own exams seemed to come as something of a surprise. I hadn’t been in exam-mode at all, so when I found myself sat at a wooden desk in the hall, a pencil lying on the desk in front of me, it was if I’d been abducted by aliens.
“Your English paper starts now. You have two hours.”
I surprised myself. I’d absorbed a lot from Fly’s flashcards and managed to get answers for nearly everything, although there was an essay question that I hadn’t revised and had no idea about. After two hours, I was sure I’d probably not failed.
“How did you find it?” I asked Fly as we left. English was her key exam, and she needed a top mark.
“It’s okay. We’ll see,” Fly replied, sighing. “Now I just have to focus on everything else.”

I strolled through the music exam without any studying, forgetting a couple of key terms but answering everything else. Midway through the exam I was suddenly paranoid that I might have missed something, and Princess School might actually have wanted me to do well in my exams. It wasn’t easy to suppress but I managed, reminding myself every five minutes that I was going to Princess School no matter what because of my excellent audition.
Finally I had a go at French, forgetting nearly everything and answering barely any of the questions properly. Grammar seemed impossible, so I just ignored it and wrote down whatever sounded natural in my head.

And with that, the exams were over. I spent a couple of days helping Fly with revision for her final exam, and then we were free, with an entire week to kill before term ended.
Of course, I found myself suddenly overburdened with responsibilities for the concert. The band began coming up with all kinds of obscure problems; a whole load of clarinets were ‘stolen’ for two days before they turned up in a music room, under a pile of books. Only Serenade seemed confident for the concert, and I suspected that I was because her trust in me was absolute.
“Okay everypony, this is our last practice,” I told them on Friday evening. “The concert is tomorrow, so make sure you get plenty of sleep.”

“You can play both pieces perfectly, all of you. Remember, if you do make a mistake, just find your place and carry on. It doesn’t matter.” My words didn’t seem to be all that reassuring, and most of the ponies in the band still wore worried expressions. I was sure that I’d have exactly the same expression tomorrow, so I left it at that and just made them go through both songs for the last time before the big day. They played them perfectly, to my surprise, so I gave them all a hoof-bump as they left.
“Make sure you’re ready! Bring your music and your instrument!” I said as they left. Once everything was tidy, there was only one thing left to do.

Mr Bluejay listened to me play through the entire piece. I’d worked out the kinks and, apart from a couple of mistakes which I managed to correct, I could play it just fine.
“Sounds fantastic,” he said, beaming with pride. “I’ll be sat in the audience tomorrow waiting for the performance.”
“Do you think I could come here to practice tomorrow morning?” I asked, anxious to play it mistake-free. Whatever had happened between Rarity and I, I still wanted to play it perfectly for her.
“I’m sure that’d be fine. Just make sure you help out the band, they’re counting on you to lead them,” Mr Bluejay said, putting away his clipboard.

“I will,” I said, relaxing a little and looking forward to sinking into bed when I got back to the room.
“Anyway, since this is the last time we’ll have a practice session, I’d just like to thank you for being an excellent student,” the stallion continued, smiling. “I think you’ll shine at Princess School and I fully expect to be seeing you on stage in concert in front of royalty someday.”
I blushed and shook my head.
“Just make sure you remember me so I can get free tickets,” he added with a smirk.
I got up and shook his hoof. “Thank you for teaching me.”
“My pleasure. Now, if you go and play that piece perfectly, that’s thanks enough for me. I’ll take all the credit.”

Feeling happy, I went back to the room. All of the leaving ceremonies were going to be held tomorrow, which was technically my ‘last day at Buckingham’. My parents were coming down on Sunday to pick up my stuff and take me away from Buckingham forever; instead of getting our exam results at school, they were going to post them to us. Rarity was leaving on Saturday night, and because it was so far to go from my house, I would be the last one at school, with Miri and Fly leaving before me with their parents. I was glad that I could play in the concert at the end, which I hoped my friends would enjoy (except Miri, who I knew would find it boring). The sadness about leaving school wasn’t as strong as my nerves for the concert, which was a relief.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Instead of a relaxing night’s sleep, I found my friends getting dressed and ready to go to a party.
“There’s a big party downstairs,” Fly informed me when I got back. “Only for seventh-years, and apparently some of the dorm matrons are going.”
“Last chance to see everypony,” Miri reminded me. “By this time tomorrow, some ponies are going to have left.”
She didn’t name anypony in particular, but everypony knew she meant Rarity specifically. I wanted a good night’s sleep ready for the early start tomorrow, but I also didn’t want to throw away my last ever chance to see all of my school friends.

I wore a simple dress that Rarity had designed for me in a year gone by. It was a silky grey material, and it complemented my mane and tail without being overstated.
“Oh, you’re wearing one of mine?” Rarity said happily. “I’m so glad you like it.”
“I like all of the dresses you’ve designed for me,” I told her. “I’ll be wearing them for years.”
Fly and Miri agreed, but then we quickly went back to adjusting our make-up and manes because Rarity seemed to be about to burst into tears and we didn’t want to set her off.
“Here, wear that thin scarf,” Rarity told me, going through my clothes and finding the white scarf she meant. “That’ll go perfectly. You look a little monochrome but it’s a classic look.”

Once Miri had finished hogging the bathroom, I tried to arrange my mane to make it look a bit nicer, but it didn’t really want to behave. Instead I just made sure my make-up looked good and touched it up where it needed some, which was pretty much everywhere.
“Hey, what do you think of my dyeing my hair blue?” Miri asked.
“No,” Rarity replied flatly.
“What about… not dyeing it?”
“I thought you looked nice before you started dyeing it,” Fly said.
“I’ve never seen it not dyed,” Rarity replied almost immediately.
“Hmm. I think I’ll stick to red.”

We took all of our remaining hidden snacks to the party, which was on the floor below, away from younger fillies. Our arrival was greeted by cheers, which were mainly aimed at Miri, but the rest of us enjoyed them anyway.
“Is it true that some dorm matrons are coming?” I asked Miri.
“Yeah. Apparently, they like to come and say goodbye to the ponies who they looked after,” she explained. “I don’t know when they’ll get here, though.”
I dropped our snacks on the table in the middle of the corridor, which was groaning under the weight of contraband that needed to be used up. I noticed that Miri had already visited and picked up some of the best stuff.

There was music courtesy of a stereo at one end, and there seemed to be as many ponies dancing as there were ponies in tears. It was emotional to have to leave, but I hoped the occasion didn’t end up too sad.
“Come on, let’s dance a bit,” Fly said, tapping me on the shoulder. “I’d like to try it somewhere that I’m not wearing a costume or a formal dress.”
“Okay,” I replied, glancing over to see Miri and Fly saying hello to some of the other seventh-years from their classes. “Maybe we can get Miri and Rarity to join in later.”

Once we were in the rhythm, Fly decided to speak to me.
“Have you told Rarity how you feel?” she asked, sounding a little worried.
I shook my head. “I don’t know how to. When I told her in the holidays she seemed unhappy, remember?”
The song changed to something thankfully a little less energetic.
“I know, but this is your last chance. You can’t tell her in a letter, and you might not see her for ages.”
This made me sad. “I don’t know… I don’t want to ruin the end of school.”

I was surprised when Fly spoke more forcefully than she usually did. “Cat, you have to tell her. I found out from Miri that Rarity is confused why you’re acting weirdly around her. If you tell her tomorrow and it ruins your friendship, it’s better that she knows than she thinks you don’t like her or something.”
“Maybe. It’s just so hard to find the words.”
“You need the right moment,” Fly said, stopping dancing and taking me to one side. “You can probably ask after the concert.”
“Do you think that would be the right time?” I asked, now feeling a rising panic. It was like agreeing to jump off a cliff.

“You’ll be feeling happy from the concert, and Rarity will be emotional about going home. You won’t get a better chance.”
I nodded, my tummy full of butterflies. I sneaked a glance at Rarity, but she was busy talking to somepony I recognised from my English class.
“I’ll help if I can, but this is your last chance. You should take it.”
“I will. I’ll try.”
Fly seemed satisfied, so we went back to dancing, waving and saying hello to ponies I recognised and had spent time talking to in lessons and the common room.

The highlight of the night was when the dorm matrons arrived, dressed up for the occasion. We gave them a round of applause, which reduced them to tears, which reduced nearly everypony else to tears. After all of the detentions and snap room searches over the years, I did not expect to find myself hugging our dorm matron and wiping away tears, but it happened that way. I was going to miss the ritual ‘lights out’ warning. When the dorm matrons saw the big pile of biscuits and chocolate that we’d assembled, they laughed.
“We know you find places to hide it, it’s amazing where you put it all,” one of them said. “Every year you seem to find new places.”

I spent the rest of the night with Rarity, Miri and Fly. It was starting to dawn on us that we didn’t have much time left as a group, and all the years of memories were bearing down on us like a heavy weight.
“Do you want to find someplace quieter?” Miri suggested. “I’ve seen everypony here, we can go back to the dorm?”
We all seemed to agree with that, but when we arrived back at our door, I felt more tears welling up. I didn’t want to sit there all evening crying, but it seemed like I just couldn’t close the floodgates. Fly gave me a hug and I smiled at her.

We stayed up and reminisced about times past at Buckingham. Miri had the best memory so she told most of the stories, and I found that most of my tears had turned to laughter once I’d heard the story of the time Fly dropped her food at breakfast in the first year, and the time Miri got lost during fireworks and got caught climbing in through a window. We didn’t really talk about the sad stuff, like going back home, and just concentrated on the fun times we’d had together. I told everypony about the time that Rarity and I were stranded in Maneminster during the power cut, minus the part about kissing Rarity that she still didn’t know about.
I eventually fell asleep, feeling much happier but still with a little sadness that this was our last night at school together. I’d already given cards to give to the other three, all of them containing a long message about how much I was going to miss them, and received them in return.

When I woke up on the Saturday, it was quite early. I had a lot to do. I would have preferred to spend the entire day on a shopping trip in Maneminster with them, just messing around and eating ice cream, but I had to go and get ready for the concert, which meant I’d miss seeing them for most of the day. But the excitement and nerves for the concert soon took over, and I didn’t envy the other two helping Rarity to pack all of her clothes. She was already beginning to worry about leaving something behind when we were all dressed and ready to go.

First thing was the formal leaving ceremony. We all had to dress smartly, and there would be speeches from the head mare and from the head filly (Miri had apparently prepared something in secret), and then after that we’d have the day off until the concert in the afternoon. I was going to do some practice in for the rest of the morning and then spend my time with the band until the concert started, because they needed looking after. For most of them it was their first time playing in from of an audience and it could be scary, even as part of a group.

“Well everypony, you’ve come through a lot to get to this day. Some of you have been here since you were first-years, some have joined since then, but you’ll all done wonderfully and made the school proud,” the head mare told us once we were all seated. Miri had disappeared.
“I’m confident that your exam results will be excellent, and you can all be proud of yourselves. You’ve done Buckingham a service, and you’ll all be remembered along with the many ponies who have gone before you.”
“Now, next is an unusual speech from your head filly, so please give her a round of applause.”
We all craned our necks to get a glimpse of Miri, but when she appeared she was dressed normally and wasn’t even carrying notes, which suggested something especially unusual.

“Hi everypony!” she said, leaning casually on the podium. “So, normally the head filly just gives a speech about how well we’ve done in our exams and how hard everyone worked, but I’ve decided that you’ve probably heard enough of that. So instead, I’ve prepared this for you.” She produced a black box which I recognised as the kind of thing they have at the cinema for showing films. Everypony murmured, wondering if Miri had made a film.
“It’s not a film,” Miri said, quickly, “But it is a lot of photos of everypony. I tried to make sure I have a photo of everypony here.”
She switched it on and a picture appeared on the wall, this one showing Miri pulling a pose.
“Had to start with me.”

She went through everypony in the year, giving their names and making a few comments, mainly amusing. The pictures were amazing; they went back years. Most ponies appeared in a group shot, but occasionally Miri would single somepony out. I wondered if she was going to save her roommates for last, but she came round to us in the middle.
“Okay, so here I am again, this time with the other ponies in my dorm. There’s Cat, voted ‘pony most in need of a mane transplant’ by a poll of over one million ponies. Fly, who is so clever that I’ve got a grade higher in every subject just by being around her, and then Rarity. Remember the name Rarity, because when you’re wearing her designs in twenty years, you can tell everypony that you knew her at school.”

I was touched by Miri’s thoughtfulness, even if she’d poked fun at me, but when the photo changed it was a close-up of my mane.
“Seriously, medical attention is needed here.”
I couldn’t help but laugh along with everyone, ducking my head so I didn’t have to see all of the ponies turning in their chairs to look at my reaction. I had no idea when she’d obtained that picture.
Miri continued and eventually worked her way through everypony, earning a lot of admiring glances, mainly for the fact that she could remember everypony’s name.

“So, hopefully you enjoyed that, and it’ll give you something to remember from your otherwise boring time at Buckingham,” Miri grinned, before passing back over the the head mare while we all applauded her.
“I didn’t know she’d had time to do that,” Fly whispered to me.
“Where did she get those old photos?” I asked, but neither of us had an answer.
“Okay everypony, so I’d just like to finally thank you for a fantastic seven years at Buckingham. I know we said you could go now, but we need a photograph to go on the wall of all of you. Could you please go out to the front of the school and try to line up in height order?”

It did occur to me, now that I thought about it, that every leaving class at Buckingham had a photo up on the wall outside the head mare’s office, and they went back years. I filed out with everypony else, keeping an eye on Rarity because we were almost exactly the same height.
“I’d better go,” Fly said when we arrived out on the drive. “Good luck for the concert if I don’t see you before.”
“Thanks,” I said, waving at her as she joined the tallest ponies. Rarity and I stuck in the middle, with Miri going to the front when she arrived.
“Okay everypony, just line up on the grass. You shorter ponies need to sit on the grass, and those in the middle take a seat,” a stallion holding a big camera said.

Rarity and I sat next to each other, smack in the middle of the photo. I couldn’t see Fly, but Miri was sat on the grass in front and to the left.
“Big smile everypony!”
He took about eight photos, then made us smile again, and took eight more.
“Okay, wonderful. You can go.”
“Surprisingly painless,” Rarity commented as we trotted back towards school.
“I’ve got to go and do some piano practice… I’ll see you later,” I told Rarity, knowing that I wouldn’t see her for more than a few minutes before she left to catch her flight.

There were tears in the corners of my eyes as I headed to the practice room, hoping they wouldn’t impair my vision when I tried to read the music. However, the practice room didn’t have a piano in it, and it occurred to me that it must have been moved to the hall so it could be put on stage. I changed direction and headed for the stage, annoyed that I wouldn’t be able to practice if ponies wanted to set up the stage.
Thankfully, when I got there, there was no sign of anypony. The stage was already set, more or less, and the only thing lacking were instruments. The piano sat there to one side, so I sat in front of it and warmed up. It took an hour, but I played the piece three times without a mistake and decided I was ag good as I was ever going to be. It was time to go and see the band.

There was a lot of nervous chatter in the music room when I arrived, hoping that my own nerves weren’t going to show.
“Okay everypony, so we’re first on, which means we need to get it right now. Please tune your instruments and then we’ll run through each song in turn until we’re perfect,” I said giving Serenade a smile.
“Are you playing in the concert, miss?” somepony at the back asked.
“I’m playing the piano at the very end,” I informed them. “You’ll probably be forced to listen.”
“Can we hear it?”
“Not until the concert. Now come on, let’s do some tuning.”

Despite the nerves, they seemed to play well. Serenade was on particularly good form, and quite often she managed to carry everypony else, which was good because it made any mistakes seem smaller. She was definitely talented and I could see her being the school’s top musician by the time she was a sixth- or seventh-year.
“Okay, that was brilliant,” I said after a particularly good performance. “Play like that and it’s wrapped up. Now we’d better get packed up and go over to the hall so we can get ready.”
They seemed excited to finally be going towards the stage. Once they’d left, I felt a pang of sadness because I couldn’t see my friends until afterwards.

We waited backstage for the cue to come out. Everypony had their instrument and their music clutched tightly, and there were stands set up on the stage. Apparently the head mare was going to do an introduction before we all started, so I waited through that, feeling nervous and jumpy. I had the baton in my magic and I kept practicing waving it, looking faintly ridiculous but hoping that the entertainment would help the others get over their nerves.
“Okay, so let’s begin! First up is the junior band, with two pieces I’m sure you’ll enjoy,” a familiar voice said, and I realised that Miri was compering the concert.

I trotted onto the stage, leading everypony into their right positions and making sure none of them had forgotten anything. With all the music turned to the right page and ready to go, I stepped back. Having my back to the audience actually made it a lot easier, although I had to look at their nervous faces and try to make them feel a little better.
1, 2, 3, 4, and… I waved the baton to the beat and the tune started, sounding better in the big hall than it ever had in the practice rooms. Nobody seemed to make a mistake and I kept them all in time, nodding to them when it was their turn to start or stop. It all ran smoothly and I felt a weight being lifted, even though I noticed some minor mistakes.

The second tune went just as well as the first, and when we finished the round of applause from behind me was definitely loud. I turned and bowed, and then led everypony back off the stage. They were buzzing with the excitement and relief that always came after a successful performance, but with my own performance still to come, I couldn’t join in.
“Well done everypony,” I said, smiling. “You did an amazing job! You need to go and put your instruments away, then go into the back of the hall and find somewhere to sit for the rest of it.”
They did as instructed. The rest of the concert was solo performances from older fillies, with the senior band playing after the interval. Unfortunately, it all built up to my final performance, which just added pressure.

The interval was time for me to get a bit of a warm-up on the piano, playing the tune but not actually pressing the keys. I seemed fine, and I took the opportunity to see where my friends were sitting in the audience. They seemed to be towards the back, although I couldn’t see if Rarity was with Fly or not. I waved and Fly waved back.
The senior band trotted out and I left, taking deep breaths and trying to stay calm.
“You’ll be fine,” Miri said to me, appearing backstage after introducing the band. “You did a great job at the start.”
“I just hope I don’t make a mistake,” I replied, tapping one of my forehooves on the ground nervously. “Do you know where Rarity is sitting?”
“She’s next to Fly, but she nipped out during the interval,” Miri replied.

Before long it was time for me to go out. Miri introduced me and I stepped onto the stage, walking over and sitting down at the piano. It looked as familiar as ever. I looked out into the audience. There were hundreds of ponies; mainly fillies from the school, but some parents and teachers scattered about. I could just about make out Fly, though the glare from the stage lights was doing its best to hide the audience. I smiled at her, even though nopony could tell except her, and then I took a deep breath and started to play. The piece was quite long, so I made sure I regulated my breathing so I didn’t get an attack of the nerves. I could see Rarity in my mind’s eye, and I wondered what she would think of my performance. I made sure I did my best for her, and I put everything I had into playing. It flowed smoothly from the keys, and I stopped thinking about the audience and only thought about the sheet music. It was easy to remember and I worked through it, covering the pages quickly and turning them with a burst of magic whenever the time was right.

I didn’t make any mistakes, and when I reached the end, finishing with a long note, the audience applauded. I blushed and bowed my head, and the applause went on, led by Mr Bluejay in the front row. I got up and headed backstage, glad it was over, but Miri stopped me.
“So, fillies and gentlecolts, you may or may not know but Cat here has secured a place next year at the prestigious Princess School! Certainly quite a talent. In return for her hard work with the junior band, I have the pleasure of giving her this card!”
The card was in an envelope, so I didn’t open it, and Miri continued.
“The card is from all the ponies in the junior band, thanking you for your work. Now everypony, that’s the end of the concert. I hope you enjoyed it!”

The card, once opened, had been signed by everyone in the band. I noticed that Serenade had adorned her name with tiny hearts, and I smiled a little. Mr Bluejay came up to me whilst I read it.
“I’m glad you did well, Cat,” he said, giving me a pat on the shoulder. “The music department got you this to say thank you.”
He handed me a white box, which when opened contained a tiny model of a piano, made out of a silvery metal.
“It’s from everyone, really. Your friend Miri picked it out for you. Congratulations on everything.”
The piano had my name and the date engraved in the back, and when I saw Miri directing some ponies, I rushed over and gave her a hug.
“Thank you,” I said, trying to blink back tears and pointing to the box. “It’s lovely.”
She just smiled and hugged me back.

Fly was somewhere in the ponies heading out of the hall, so I went to go and find her, but Serenade waylaid me.
“You were amazing! I hope I can play that well someday,” she enthused. “Except the trumpet, not the piano.”
“I’m sure you will be able to, if you practice enough,” I told her, smiling. “You were really good in the band.”
“Thank you, Cat. Will you give me more lessons next week?”
She seemed happy so I didn’t want to disappoint her, but I had to.
“Sorry Serenade, but this is my last day at Buckingham. I’m going home tomorrow. But you can get lessons with the music teachers and there are a few sixth-years who are good.”

I found Fly at the back of the hall, waiting for me. I got another hug from her.
“Wow! I am amazed. That was just brilliant,” she said, looking over at the stage. “You’re really very talented, Cat.”
“Thanks Fly,” I replied, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I think I’m going to cry before long.”
Fly giggled. “That’s okay, you deserve it after that.”
I paused. “Do you know where Rarity is?”
“No, sorry. She disappeared at the end of the concert.”
“Is she in the room?”
“Probably.”

Just as I made to leave, Fly stopped me, and I noticed that despite her brave exterior, she looked as if she was about to burst into tears.
“Are you okay?” I asked, trying my best not to let her set me off.
“Yeah, I think so…” she said, but the tears started and I pulled her into a hug.
“Don’t worry,” I said, but I wasn’t really sure what to say that would comfort her. She sobbed again which meant that I started to cry as well, laughing at the strangeness of the situation.
“I’m sorry,” Fly said, sounding pathetic, and I hugged her tighter.
“It’s fine. I was going to start sooner or later.”

Once Fly had managed to calm down enough to string more than two words together, she looked at me, her eyelashes wet.
“I’m going to miss you, you know that?” she said, dabbing her eyes with her feathers.
I smiled. “I’ll miss you too.”
“You’ll visit?”
“When I have time. There’s no way I wouldn’t,” I reassured her. “And during the holidays.”
She seemed to cheer up a little, and she waved her wing towards the doors. “You should go…”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’ll have time to see you tonight and tomorrow, but there’s not long left to see Rarity.”

I gave her an encouraging kind of smile and hugged her again, wondering just how much I was going to miss her when we were apart. Six week summer holidays were one thing, but I had always known that I was going to see her again afterwards. This time, we’d only be able to spend weekends or odd days together. It was weird to think that somepony who I’d seen nearly every day of the year would soon be gone, and then that got me onto thinking about Miri, and worse, Rarity, and then I could feel myself starting to tear up again, so I shook myself out of it.
“I’ll go,” I said softly, squeezing her hoof. “Wish me luck?”
She nodded. “Good luck.”

The walk back to the dorm felt like nothing, and I was soon walking along the corridor, using my magic to rearrange my messy mane into something more respectable. I opened the door to our dorm and found Rarity sitting on her bed, her eyes looking a little red.
“Are you okay?” I asked for the second time in ten minutes, sitting down on the bed next to her.
“I don’t think so. I just can’t believe this is all over,” she replied, tears still on her cheeks. “I have to go in ten minutes.”
“Well, make sure you write to all of us. First thing you do when you get back.” I smiled even though I didn’t feel very cheerful. I think I would have cried again, but my tears seemed to have dried up. Sobbing uncontrollably wasn’t very dignified either, so I just hugged her and held her close.
“I will. Make sure you write too.”

We just sat there for a minute, my hooves around her while she tried to dry her eyes. I wanted to tell her how I felt about her, but she didn’t seem in the right mood to accept it. So I just stared at her, holding her close and hoping that I could somehow telepathically tell her what I was thinking. My last chance was rapidly disappearing.
“Cat?” Rarity’s voice was different; the upset had gone and it was somehow clearer.
“Hm?”
“Did you give me that Hearts & Hooves Day card in Mareis?”
I blushed, but the time for denials and friendship-saving exercises had passed. “Yeah, I did.”
“It was lovely, thank you.”

There was another pause, and I opened my mouth to speak, but she sat up and looked at me before I could say anything.
“Yes, I gave you yours. I don’t know, something changed when we were in the rain…”
“I know… I’d felt something before that, though.”
“Me too, but I didn’t know what to say. I hoped you’d tell me when we were walking near your house, but I got scared.”
I smiled. “I should have.”
Her expression changed to a sad smile. “You know, we can’t be together. It just won’t work.”

I nodded, tears suddenly forming. “I knew that,” I replied, truthfully.
“I do feel something for you, Cat. You’re pretty and talented and funny, and I would love to be with you. But I’ve got to go back to Ponyville.”
“It’s okay,” I choked, tears escaping my eyes.
Rarity was crying too, but she pulled me into another hug. We just sat there, our hooves around each other, for the longest time, before she leant back.
“I’ve got to go now… I’m so sorry.”
“No, no, it’s fine.”
“You’ll find somepony right for you, Cat. I promise.” She smiled as best she could and I did the same.

“I… I love you, Rarity,” I said, between tiny sobs. “When we were in that p-power cut, and you were asleep… I kissed you.”
Rarity wiped away one of my tears with a hoof. “I know,” she whispered. “I let you.” She leant in and kissed me, my eyes closing. It only lasted a second, but I knew I’d remember that second every day that I lived. She pulled away and I smiled, and we hugged again. This time I didn’t feel so unhappy, and for the first time there was a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Tears turned to excitement.

The door burst open, and Fly and Miri were standing there, both of them looking tearful. Miri bounded forwards and joined our hug, closely followed by Fly. I couldn’t help the tears any more, but this time they seemed to be happy tears.
“I’ve got to go,” Rarity said again, finally moving and picking up her suitcase.
“We’ll go with you,” I said automatically. “At least to the front of the school.”
Rarity nodded and Miri helped her with her suitcase. They disappeared out of the door and I sat on my bed, staring at the bed that had been Rarity’s until a moment ago.
“Ready to go?” Fly asked, offering me a hoof.
I took it. “Ready for what?”
“I don’t know. Everything.”
I got to my hooves. “Maybe.”

Epilogue

One Year Later

Dear Rarity,

Thank you for your latest letter. I’m glad that Sweetie Belle is getting on okay, and that the boutique is running smoothly. I promised you I’d visit and I will - as soon as I can get the bits!

I’m just back from visiting Fly. You’ll be surprised to hear that she’s not the top of her class at Oxmare; there’s a colt who is outperforming her, but only just. Apparently they’re rivals now, but I think it’ll turn into love before long! Just don’t tell her I said that, she’s not really over that break-up with her coltfriend yet. She says to thank you for the flowers you sent for her mother’s funeral last week. It was rather sad, and Fly is having a hard time, but you cheered her up a great deal. She apologises for not having written you a letter, but the circumstances are rather upsetting.

Miri was at the funeral, although the occasion meant she was a little subdued. She’s been elected president of her university debating society, which is keeping her busy. She gave me a letter to send to you, so hopefully you’ll find that enclosed. It saves on postage if we send stuff together! Miri also says she’s going to visit the boutique as soon as we’ve got the money, so you’d better design something extra-special for us to buy.

I’m fine otherwise. I’m auditioning for the Britannic National Orchestra, which has an open slot at piano, but it’s a long shot. I’m hoping it’ll get me experience of professional auditions more than anything. Otherwise I’m just gearing up to go back to Princess in the autumn. I’m living in a house with two other musicians, so we’ve had to soundproof the walls! It’s nothing like as fun as sharing a room with you and the others, but I do my best.

I won’t ramble any longer. Keep working hard and I’m sure we’ll be seeing your designs in the shops over here before long. After all, some of your originals are made here! I hear that you’ve made some new friends in Ponyville and vanquished some kind of villain - don’t get too big for your boots! Hope that your parents are keeping well, and give my love to Sweetie.

Hugs and kisses (and still a little bit of love) from

Cat xxxxx

***

I folded the letter and put it into the envelope with Miri’s letter. I was trying to put a positive spin on everything, which was, after all, good, but I didn’t mention the fact that neither Miri or I were even close to financing a trip to Britannia, and with Fly losing her mother, she wasn’t even thinking about it. The chances of seeing Rarity again were getting less and less likely, something which made me more sad than anything else.
“Mum? I’m going out to post this,” I shouted up the stairs.
“Okay Toccata.”

The post box was down the road a little way, but I went and sat on the rock by the stream instead, soaking up the hot summer sun. It was an early heat wave that had no signs of abating. The rock was hot to the touch, but I sat on it anyway and looked out across the stream. I missed my friends a lot. My new friends at Princess School were nice, but they weren’t as close as I had been to Fly and Rarity and even Miri. I wished more than anything that I could see them all again.
I thought back to the day that I’d sat on the rock with Rarity. I’d been so close to telling her how I’d felt about her, and if I had, things might have been different. Or if I’d told her in Mareis.

My love for the purple-maned unicorn had abated in her absence. I no longer felt quite as intensely about her, and when I thought about her it felt more like thinking about a particularly happy period of my life more than thinking about somepony I loved. I had definitely loved her, in a way I hadn’t loved River. It was more than an attraction and compliments, there was just something about Rarity’s personality that made me fall in love with her. Her generosity and near-infinite grace were so unique, I didn’t think I’d ever meet anypony like her again.

My mind wandered onto other things as I got up and made my way to the postbox. Life went on.

Special Chapter 4!

Special Chapter Four

Rain was hitting the windows of the carriage with a constant droning. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, wishing that we’d chosen a taxi carriage with more cushioned seats. Or maybe I’d just grown soft and Britannic taxi carriages had always been this uncomfortable.
Beside me, Sweetie Belle was sleeping, letting out a gentle snoring that occasionally turned into a loud snort when the carriage went over a bump. It was only because she had a cold, and the flight had taken a lot out of her, so I didn’t complain. Anyway, I could see the school gates approaching through the murk, and she’d have to be woken soon.

“Sweetie, darling, wake up.”
“Hmm?” she said, stretching and rolling into a seated position. “Are we here now?”
“Yes, it’s here.”
She pressed her face against the window to get a glimpse. I looked at her and smiled. She’d had a hard time leaving Ponyville, where Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were, but Scootaloo was going away to flight training and Apple Bloom was busy working on the farm, so it wasn’t as if she was breaking up the crusaders on her own. Well, the crusaders weren’t really broken up, just made part-time.

The carriage parked at the end of a long row. The rain didn’t show any signs of abating, so I put up and umbrella and Sweetie huddled underneath it with me. I took a look at the drive and the front of the school and smiled, before helping my sister to get her suitcases out of the back. We trotted up the drive smartly to get indoors.
“Ah, hello. You must be Sweetie Belle,” the head mare said, giving her a smile.
“How do you know?” Sweetie asked, tilting her head.
“I recognise your sister. Now, if you go through to that desk, you can get your room key and take your belongings.”

Once she’d gone, I turned to the head mare. “You’re looking well.
“And you! Always nice to see an ex-pupil, especially a successful one. I keep dropping hints for my husband to buy me a Carousel Boutique design, but he’s as thick as two short planks,” she laughed.
“That’s very kind,” I replied, blushing slightly. “I have a request, if I may.”
“Of course!”
“Once Sweetie is settle in, can I go and see our class picture?”
“You certainly may. Do you remember the way?”
“I think so.”

Sweetie Belle reappeared, carrying a room key with an excited look on her face.
“Okay, so I’m in 141. Do you know where that is?” she asked.
“Didn’t they give you directions?” I asked, wondering if I could remember.
“Oh, maybe. I didn’t really listen.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I think it’s in the main building, so we can just explore a bit.” I picked up the suitcases and we made our way into the living block, which brought back memories of traipsing along corridors to get to lessons and corridor parties.

“Here, 141,” I said, pointing to it. It was on the second floor and hadn’t been too hard to find. “Now, it’s right at one end of the corridor, so make sure you hide your biscuits and chocolate really well, because you never know when you’ll get an inspection,” I told her as we stepped inside. Too late did I realise that the dorm matron was inside, helping another pony get settled in.
“Oops. Sorry.”
She raised an eyebrow at me, but I was too old to discipline.
“Pick your bed,” I told Sweetie.

She opted for the one by the window, so I dropped her stuff there. The filly was busy introducing herself to her roommate, so I decided not to hang around.
“I’m off now, okay? I’ll come back in a week to see how you’re settling,” I said, and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.
“Okay Rarity. She’s not my mom, she’s my sister,” Sweetie explained.
“Nice to meet you,” I said to the other filly, before making my exit. Sweetie would settle in better if I left her to it.

For old times’ sake, I went to the room that I had shared with Cat and Fly and Miri and looked at the door. I wanted to look inside, but there were probably some ponies in there and I didn’t want to disturb them.
“Can I help you?” a voice said from behind me. I turned to find a seventh-year with poorly-hidden biscuits in her saddlebags. Clearly she was concerned that I was a dorm matron she’d never seen before.
“Oh, I used to have this room,” I explained, and her relief was evident. “I’m only visiting.”
“Want a look inside? Everypony else is out shopping.”

She let me in and I took in the room. It was basically unchanged except for the decor, which belonged to its current residents. The filly who had helped me started unloading the biscuits onto the bed which had once been Miri’s, and then she ferried them under the mattress.
“You know, that bedside table has a false panel in the bottom,” I said nonchalantly. The filly looked at me, and then opened up the table. Miri’s secret area was still there, and the filly grinned at me and began filling it.
I took a last look at the bed I’d once occupied, which was now covered in magazines, and took in the photo on the bedside table. It showed four ponies, who I assumed lived in the room, standing in front of the big wheel thing they’d built in the city.

“Thanks,” I said, and left, closing the door behind me. Next stop was the class photograph, which was on the wall near the head mare’s office. I cast my eye over the photograph of ponies in days gone by, noticing the fact that fillies of our age never seemed to change very much. It took a while to locate ours amidst all of the others, especially since it was no longer the most recent. But I did find it, and I traced my hoof along the rows, spotting Fly looking serene at the back and Miri grinning madly at the front. Cat and I were sat in the middle, smiling nicely. The photo had been the second-to-last time I’d seen her, and even the tiny blob that was her face in the photo made me miss seeing her, and Miri and Fly. It had been too long.

As I left, I had to wade through a crowd of excited new fillies, weaving their way around the older fillies who were resigned to another year of lessons and, for some, exams. I remembered the feeling and smiled, heading for a taxi carriage. I’d have plenty of time to reminisce about Buckingham when Sweetie came back to Ponyville.
“The railway station, please,” I told the driver, and we set off back down the drive. It seemed a very long time since I sat in a taxi carriage going down the same drive, waving out of the back to my three best friends, tears streaming down my face. That was the last time I saw them.

At the railway station I bought a ticket to Trottingham and got onto the next train. It was much less comfortable than the trains in Equestria, but I didn’t mind. I couldn’t resist, and I felt in my saddlebags for the ticket.

EXCLUSIVE: Britannic National Orchestra IN CONCERT
FEATURING Toccata performing Toccata No. 5 AND Wind Whistler performing Beethoofen’s Ninth
ADMIT ONE Seat: 14B

The train wasn’t the swiftest, but it seemed like no time at all until I was occupying seat 14B. Fly, looking no older than she had when I left, was in 14A, and Miri, with her hair returned to its natural colour, was in 14C. We were going on to a restaurant afterwards and then I was going to stay with Miri for the week. Fly was living with her dad in Plymhoof and working in some kind of high-tech job, and Cat was on tour, so it was the only choice that made sense.
“You’ll just have to mind the campaign flyers, the stallion who was meant to pick them up didn’t arrive in time,” Miri whispered as the concert started. “Sorry.”
“No problem,” I replied, turning my attention to the huge stage.

Cat was sitting behind a shiny black grand piano, scanning the audience. When she saw us, she smiled and I waved back. Then she started to play, her specialty; the same piece she’d performed on the last day at Buckingham. I looked at her as she played and I couldn’t keep a smile off my face. The slightly awkward pony I’d left looked fantastic in the stage lighting, her mane re-cut into layers to minimise the limp look and wearing a Rarity pre-Carousel original. I recognised it as the same dress she’d worn to the winter dance in our sixth year, perhaps one of my finest works to date.

The look of intense concentration on her face was always one of her best looks, like somepony out to achieve a goal and who wouldn’t stop until it was done. In her last letter she’d told me about her grand Equestrian tour with the orchestra, and I’d promised to get tickets and let her stay at the boutique. I wondered how I was going to tell my new friends about her; I’d never really found the moment to tell them all about my old school friends, although the photo of the four of us was still on my bedside table, alongside the one we’d had taken after the defeat of Nightmare Moon.

Sometimes, when I was searching for inspiration for a dress, I thought about the last day at Buckingham. It had meant so much to me, and was full of so much bittersweet emotion, that it never failed to keep my eyes dry. Part of me, the part that still wanted to be at school with my friends, wished that I could live with the three of them and go back to how we had once been, but it was impossible. Everypony had jobs and responsibilities. I was living a little through Sweetie Belle, who didn’t know how lucky she was to have seven exciting years stretching ahead of her.

But maybe we could recapture a little bit of what we’d lost this evening; a chat about old times and catching up with each other. While Fly and Miri were top professional mares, and Cat was a famous classical musician, I could tell just from seeing them that they were the same ponies I left on that last day underneath. Cat was still a little bit awkward, Fly was shy and Miri was over-the-top. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter One

Rain was hitting the windows of my bedroom when I woke up with a consistent droning. Light was coming in from behind the curtains, which was a good sign; it was finally morning. I had slept badly that night and was relieved that it was time to get up.

The reason for my bad sleep was what was going to happen later that day. It was August the twenty-first, the day I was going to get my exam results, and I was very nervous. The redeeming side to it was that I was going to be able to see all of my friends again after seven weeks of holiday. But then school would restart and I didn't even know if I was going to be able to see them again. Plus it was raining, which was going to totally ruin my mane.

It was still raining when I ran out to the taxi carriage, parked just at the bottom of the garden path. The drops pelted my mane and tail despite my best efforts, and when I flung open the rear door and leapt inside, I could already feel how damp they were.
"Have you got everything, Toccata?" Mum asked. She'd made sure she was safe and dry inside the carriage as early as she could, leaving my dad and I to do everything inside.
"Yes Mum, Dad's just bringing the last things." I replied, flicking my mane out of my eyes. It was so frustrating that it had to be so wet, it made me want to cry. But I suspected that was because I was already stressed out from my nerves and lack of sleep.

"Sorry, sorry." Dad said as he loaded the last one of my bags and then climbed into the carriage.
"It's okay dear, we've got plenty of time." Mum patted his shoulder affectionately. Then she looked at me and her expression changed to a stern one. "Have you got everything? One hundred percent sure?"
"Yes Mum."
"Toothbrush?"
"Yes."
"Only you forgot your toothbrush that time-"
"That was four years ago. I have my toothbrush."
"Okay then. We can go."

The carriage pulled out onto the narrow country lane outside our house and I heard the taxi pony grumbling. He'd been waiting in the rain for half an hour already and he clearly wanted nothing more than to get inside and dry off. But he didn't have too long to wait. We were heading for the local train station, which was only a ten minute walk away. I had always disliked the fact that we lived in the middle of the countryside with nothing to do for miles. To buy clothes I had to walk to the train station and then ride the slow train for half an hour to the nearest town. My parents didn't care, of course. To them it was wonderful to live so far from civilisation.

Arriving at the train station was another huge fuss, mainly perpetrated by Mum. She had to double check that we had everything and double check that it was all stored correctly on the train and double check that we had the right seats even though there was barely anypony else on the train. It was so embarrassing.
But once we were settled and the train was moving it was okay. I had managed to get a pair of seats to myself whilst my parents caught up on a bit of sleep, so at least I had some peace and quiet. But I still couldn't sleep. My stomach was churning and I couldn't bring myself to do anything except stare out of the window.

I'd spent the entire of my fourth and fifth years doing nothing but studying for General Certificates of Equestrian Education, and today they were announcing the results. I was finding out the results of ten subjects, each of which would determine whether or not I was allowed to stay on at school for the next two years. And if I failed, then I'd be going home with my parents to spend a miserable year re-sitting at a local school with none of my friends.
In the end I passed most of the train journey staring at the countryside and wishing that there weren't so many stations to stop at. And that the rain would clear.

Only one of my wishes had been granted when we arrived at Westmanester Central Station. When we stepped off the train onto the wet platform, the rain had at least eased off. Westmanester is the capital city and where I went to school, so we only had another short taxi ride until we were there. Once we'd climbed into the next taxi carriage, I played with my mane and looked unhappily at it. It's an awful black colour that I hate and it just hangs straight all of the time, making me look constantly depressed. Thankfully, Dad noticed my unhappiness.
"You'll have done fine sweetheart." He said, trying to reassure me. It did help a little, so I smiled back, before returning to my mane. I tried to iron out some of the frizziness by using my unicorn magic, but it wasn't very effective.

Both of my parents were unicorns so it made sense that I was too. I'd always loved being able to use magic. The only problem was, when it came to my special talent... well, it had ended up being a talent at playing the piano. The piano was the worst thing ever. What kind of pony wanted to play the piano? Nopony interesting, that's who. It was the most uncool talent of everypony I'd ever met. The fillies at school all had talents like skiing or swimming or medicine. But I was stuck with piano-playing. It was sometimes pretty cool, when everypony applauded one of my performances, but it wasn't anything I wanted to do.

Before I knew it, the carriage was pulling into the school's long drive. I went to Buckingham High School for Fillies, an all-filly school just on the edge of Westmanester which was highly prestigious. The Headmare was always telling us about how many famous and rich mares had been to Buckingham. It must have been somepony rich that started the school though, because it was in a huge manor house with an even bigger garden. The drive was currently full of carriages carrying fifth year fillies and their parents, so ours parked behind the one in front and I jumped out. We didn't unpack everything just in case.

The instructions were that the results would be handed out in the main hall. The grey sky threatened to unleash another downpour, so we hurried up to the school's entrance so we were under shelter.
"Welcome, welcome back." The Headmare said in her manly voice. She was looking greyer than last year, I noticed.
"Ah Toccata, wonderful to see you." She enthusiastically shook my parents hooves, so I took the opportunity to get away and head for the hall. My nerves were getting worse and I felt sick, so I hoped that my friends were waiting for me. Parents weren't allowed inside the hall to stop it getting too crowded.

I actually knew the names and faces of most of the fifth year fillies, but I had three close friends. The dorm rooms at Buckingham each have four beds, so I'd become best friends with my room-mates. Three of us had been room-mates for the past five years, and we'd met the other two years ago. When I stepped into the hall, it was my two oldest friends who were waiting anxiously together, trying to smile whilst probably feeling every bit as nervous as I did.

The results were going to be given out at eleven o'clock, which left ten minutes. There were two long tables at the front of the hall, covered in white envelopes. Inside each envelope was a printed sheet which told each pony their results. I was too afraid to think about it though, and I just walked over to my friends, feeling a little better when I saw their happy smiles.
"Cat!" The red-maned pony exclaimed. She was Miri and she was in a permanent state of excitement. Well, except for when she was in trouble, which was frequently.
"Hi Cat." The quieter pony was Fly, my best-best friend. We'd been sleeping in adjacent beds since the first day and we told each other everything. Not that I didn't like Miri, but she could be a bit of a gossip. She had been the one who'd first given me my nickname, which had stuck ever since with everypony except my parents and the Headmare.

"Hi Fly, hello Miriam." I teased.
"Ugh, don't!" Miri complained, shaking her head so that her unruly mane became even more messy. "I hate that name."
I knew she did, but I just giggled a little and hugged them both. We all had full names that we didn't like: Toccata, Miriam, Fly Leaf (although I thought Fly Leaf was actually a pretty cool name.) The only one of the four of us who liked her full name hadn't arrived yet, but I spoke too soon.

"Oh, hi Rarity!" Miri yelled, dashing over to hug our other friend. Miri and Rarity were best-best friends too; they were both total socialites.
"Hello Miri, and hi Cat, Fly." Rarity said in her exotic Equestrian accent. "It's so great to see you again."
We exchanged hugs, all feeling excited to see each other. Rarity lived in Equestria, so she was always miles away in the holidays. She'd begged her parents to send her to Buckingham two years ago, and she'd been here for school since. She didn't think much of the schools, or ponies, from her home town of Ponyville.

The moment they'd got over seeing each other initially, the Headmare interrupted by stepping up onto the stage.
"Welcome everypony. We're all here, so as soon as the clock hits twelve, you may go up to the tables and pick up your envelope. Good luck!"
It was an unpleasant reminder. I already knew that Fly and Miri would be fine. Both of them might look worried, but they were good at school. Unlike Rarity and I, who were both far more interested in reading magazines than studying. We just lacked the natural gift for being academic. And after the maths exam in June, Rarity had been so upset at how badly she'd done, it had taken hours to calm her down.

To continue at Buckingham, everypony needed to get a C or better in every subject. Of course, I had no concerns about Music or English. But my weakness was Science - I was seriously concerned that I'd miss out on a C in at least one science-subject. Then I'd have to leave my friends and the school... already tears were forming in the corners of my eyes.

As twelve o'clock arrived, around the country fillies and colts began to find out their results. The envelopes were arranged alphabetically, so I found 'T' and picked up the envelope with 'Toccata' nearly printed on it. I stepped away from the table and started tearing it open, despite the fact that I could probably have used my magic. I was just too nervous for thinking straight. The sheet of paper slid out easily and I unfolded it, scanning the sheet for any terrible failures. At first the list of black letters were really difficult to understand, but I started to work through them.

An A in Music and English, as well as unexpectedly in French. Everything else was a B... except for science. With some trepidation I looked up Biology. I was relieved to see that it was a C. Chemistry was the same. But Physics, which was my worst subject... also a C.
I couldn't describe how relieved I was. On the sheet was a breakdown of the exact scores but I didn't care, I just turned and saw Fly looking equally happy, so I pulled her into a hug.

One thing I hadn't missed during the summer was how noisy the school got. Fillies schools were notoriously loud places and Buckingham was no different. With ponies shrieking all around, I had to raise my voice to speak to Fly. "How did you do?"
"Straight As." She replied with a hint of pride. But her expression turned into one of needless concern. "What about you?"
"Er... I passed everything?"
"That's wonderful!" She hugged me again and I laughed happily into her green coat.

After the hug, I turned to look for Miri and Rarity. They were also hugging, just a little distance away, but Rarity had black tears streaming down her face, ruining her mascara. I could feel the nerves returning at the thought of Rarity having to travel back to Ponyville and not see us again, and I almost felt worse than before. If it happened to me then I deserved it for not working harder, but Rarity didn't deserve it at all.

Fly led the way over to Miri and Rarity and I followed, feeling apprehensive and trying to keep myself from crying.
"What happened?" Fly asked, concerned. Rarity couldn't speak between sobs so Miri replied.
"She passed maths."
I pulled Rarity into a hug, her tear-stained cheek pressing against my shoulder. "I'm so happy for you!" I said, before bursting into tears myself.

Once we'd all cleaned up our appearances in the toilets, the four of us went to inform our parents. Rarity's parents were still in Ponyville, so she had to go and send a Pegasus Express letter. I went and found my parents waiting anxiously in the school's entrance.
"So how did you do, pet?" Dad asked, looking concerned. Mum looked like she was about to cry. So much for confidence in me.
"I passed everything." I replied, smiling happily.
"Oh, well done!" Dad said, sounding relieved as he pulled me into a hug. "I knew you'd do just fine in those science exams."
"We're so proud of you." Mum added, whilst dabbing her eyes with her folded hoofkerchief.

Dad typically wanted to know all of the details, so I handed him the sheet whilst Mum hugged me.
"So we can go and unpack your things?" She asked me.
"I need to go and register what I'm doing next." I replied. Sixth years at Buckingham took four subjects - I'd chosen music, English, French and history.
"Oh yes. Well you go and do that, we'll wait by the car."

The Head of Year was a bright yellow pony called Mrs. Lemon. We sometimes made fun of her zany mane behind her back, but she was a bit absent-minded and never found out.
"Ah, Toccata." She said as I approached the desk she was sitting at. "Congratulations on your results, dear."
"Thank you ma'am."
"Now, for you it's an easy confirmation, isn't it... English, French, history and music?" She ticked them off as she said them.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Perfect! Your new dorm is number seven twenty six, which is-"
"On the third floor, yes."

She handed me the key and I headed back to the carriage to collect my things. I was glowing from the happiness of all of my friends getting to stay at the school for the next year and he weight that was now off my shoulders.
"Third floor? Crikey..." Dad replied when I told him where we were going. There were no lifts, so we always had to use the stairs. And Dad had to carry the heavy suitcases, of course.
"We have to hurry." I said, smiling at him. "Think of it as good exercise." I grabbed the rest of my things, which were much lighter, and headed back inside to show them where to go.

The third floor was the best floor. It had the best views, being right at the top of the building, and it was reserved only for sixth and seventh years so you didn't get any of the noisy younger fillies. When I arrived in the right corridor, I was pleased because I discovered that seven twenty-six was right at one end, furthest from the stairs. This meant that we would get advance warning of surprise searches made by the dorm mothers, where they tried to confiscate contraband like letters from colts and chocolate.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside, with my Dad struggling under the weight of the bags behind me. I was the first pony in, so that meant I got to choose whichever bed I liked. I picked the one nearest the window and the radiator. That way I wouldn't get too hot or too cold.
Dad left my suitcases and bags on the bed and sighed. "Next time you aren't bringing quite so much stuff."
"Whatever." I was too pleased with the new dorm to care what he said.

"We'd better get back." Mum said, looking at the clock. "Congratulations again on the results."
"Thanks Mum. I'll see you at Hearth's Warming." I replied, as both Mum and Dad kissed me on the cheek before leaving the room and shutting the door behind them. Now I was alone with my thoughts, but not for long.
Moments later Fly and Miri appeared, both dragging their own suitcases. Apparently their parents weren't so happy to carry everything upstairs for them.
"Hi! How cool is this room?" I grinned as Fly took the bed next to mine. Fly and I had been sleeping in adjacent beds for years, so Miri didn't complain. She got the window bed on the other side, which was nearest the door to the en suite bathroom.

That's when I discovered my mistake. Miri was terrible for taking ages in the bathroom, and if she was nearest the door it meant she would be the first one in there every time, making everypony else late.

"Any sign of Rarity?" Miri asked, opening her suitcase.
"She's just confirming her subjects. I saw her when I came past." Fly replied, sitting on her bed and taking in the new room.
Miri's suitcase contained more chocolate than it did clothes, and she began unpacking all of it. At Buckingham, food was strictly forbidden in the dorms, but that meant that you didn't get any chocolate at all. So everypony always brought loads and hid it.
"Planning to eat all of that yourself, are you?" I asked, giggling a little at the huge supplies she'd brought.
"Yes, hopefully. But I'm going to leave one or two of them in obvious places so that they get found during a search. Then they'll be less strict." She said, putting one under her mattress and another in her bedside drawer.

Searches were a constant threat. The dorm mothers, who were supposed to make sure that everything was okay for us and help us if we had a problem, came into the room at a random time of day and searched everywhere. Until last year everypony had hidden chocolate in the bottom of the shared wardrobe, but one of the mid-term searches discovered the hiding place and everypony lost lots of chocolate. So everypony feared searches and tried to find hiding places that would never be uncovered.

Once Miri had mostly unpacked, Rarity appeared at the door with only slightly smudged cheeks.
"Hi Rarity, we left you the best bed." Miri smirked.
"Thanks Miri." Rarity replied sarcastically, before giggling a little. "Isn't this room amazing?"
Fly nodded. "It's the best."
"But I overheard the Headmare downstairs and she says that there's going to be an inspection in ten minutes." Rarity said, sounding a little worried. "So we'd better hide everything."

The only minor panic that occurred whilst they unpacked the chocolate and all of their clothes was that Miri had far too many chocolate bars to hide. She eventually managed to force them underneath her bed just before the dorm mother knocked on the door.
"Hi girls, welcome to your sixth year." She said. "Do any of you have anything you'd like to ask?" Nopony said anything so she continued. "Okay, well if you would step outside for a moment whilst I check to see that everything here is in order."

Outside we waited for a few minutes, hoping that nothing would be found. But all of the other rooms had been searched and nothing found, so there was no reason to panic.
"Miriam?" The dorm mother said as she came outside holding the easily-findable chocolate bars Miri had left. "I'm confiscating these, but well done to the rest of you for not giving in so easily."
Then we were allowed back inside and Miri smiled. "Told you that I wouldn't have a problem. She found nothing."

The four of us each ate one of our chocolate bars to celebrate, even though it was nearly lunch time.
"So, who wants to talk about their summer holiday?" Fly asked hopefully. We had plenty of time to kill for the rest of the day.
"No, we have to do that tonight. Then it's more fun." Miri insisted. "I say we shop."
"With what money?" It was my turn to moan. "I spent all of my maintenance money three weeks ago."
"Same here." Fly said, smiling at me.

"Going shopping in Maneminster is out then." Rarity said, lying back on her bed and sighing.
"If we're stuck here..." Miri started, stroking an imaginary beard. "Anypony want to go and buy some magazines?"
"Oh yes, the September issues should be out." Fly added, getting up suddenly.
"I'm okay." Rarity said. "I've brought loads with me."
"I thought you had no money, like me?" I said, looking at Fly.
"Oh... I have a little bit left."

Fly and Miri left to go to the local shop and pick up their magazines, leaving Rarity and I sat around in the room with nothing to do.
"So, which subjects are you taking?" She asked me, lazily adjusting her eyelashes with her magic.
"English, French, history and music. You?" I just flopped on my bed and propped my head up on a pillow to look at her.
"We'll be together in French and history, but I'm also doing art and textiles." She replied, now examining her manicure.
I smiled. "You'll have no problem passing textiles."
"And you'll find music easy." She said, smiling back. "Do you want some of the Equestrian chocolate I brought from Ponyville? If I show the others I'll barely get anything."

She broke the bar in half with her magic and floated one of them over to me. Equestrian chocolate had a strange taste; it wasn't really any nicer than the chocolate we had, but it was a nice change. Rarity loved it, though.
"Thanks." I said, biting off a corner.
"Now you have to help me in history for the rest of the term." Rarity said, neatly dividing her half into squares.
"No chance, you're on your own. Anyway, it'll probably be me that's asking you."
"We can fail together and just ignore those two geniuses." She waved her hooves in the general direction of Miri and Fly's beds.

"So how was Ponyville this summer?" I'd always envied her getting to spend her holidays somewhere warm and not rainy like I did.
"Oh you know, lovely and sunny, and I got to spend lots of time with my friends in Ponyville." She said, brushing a speck of dirt from her coat. "We even went to Canterlot one weekend! It was so glamorous. I wish I could live there someday. But apart from that, my parents were a bother, but so are everypony's."
"You're right." I agreed, continuing to eat the chocolate. "Do anything else fun?"
"I think Miri might kill me if I tell you." Rarity giggled, waving her hoof at me. "Don't be sneaky."

Fly and Miri returned a few minutes later, carrying a number of magazines with pink and white covers.
"The new issue of Photo Style must have come out today." Miri said excitedly. "I looked yesterday and I could only find August's."
"Oh, I haven't seen it yet." I said, jumping up to have a look. By each buying a quarter of them and then allowing the others to look at them, we managed to read practically every style magazine going.
"I don't want to spend all afternoon looking at them, they have to last a month." Rarity complained, poking at her mane with her hoof. "Let's go somewhere."
"Like where?" Fly asked, not moving her eyes from whichever magazine she'd bought.

Rarity just rolled her eyes. "My mane is so flat at the moment." She said, changing the subject tactfully.
"I've had that problem." I added, not feeling self-conscious about my awful mane. "I can't seem to get it to hold any volume."
As I spoke the words, large raindrops began to pelt the window panes.
"Ugh. This kind of thing just doesn't happen in Ponyville." Rarity said, looking out at the dark clouds before collapsing heavily back onto her bed.

The four fillies ended up whiling away the afternoon restyling each other's manes and tails. Rarity's were already elegantly styled, but she allowed Miri to try a new, messier style which didn't suit her. Then she expertly styled everypony else's manes, after brushing hers back to normal. She used a spray she'd brought with her to fix my hair and try to get it to bounce a bit more, but it was only partially successful.

Ten o'clock was the time that all the fillies at Buckingham had to be in their rooms and be quiet by. The staff and teachers went to bed then, so if you were noisy you often got an angry teacher banging on your door. We were all giggling about a immature joke Miri had told when the dorm mother knocked on the door.
"Okay, time to keep it down." She said through the door, muffled slightly.
"Okay ma'am." Rarity replied, before giggling quietly. "Miri, get the curtains."

Once the curtains were shut, Miri bounced excitedly on her bed, sending the glossy magazines sliding to the floor. "So, let's discuss our boring summers."
Before anypony replied we all got ready to go to bed. I brushed my mane and tail, sadly noting how awful they were, whilst Miri hogged the bathroom for twenty minutes.
"Come on Miri." Fly complained, holding her toothbrush and knocking on the door. Miri replied by singing an annoying song.

By quarter to eleven though, Miri had finished cleaning herself and all of the fillies were lying in bed giggling.
"Okay okay, let's start with you, Fly." Miri said, still over-excited.
"Oh, really?" Fly was always shy and didn't like talking about herself.
"Yes, how was your summer, Fly?" Rarity asked, filing her hooves carefully.
"Umm, well, I didn't really do much when school finished, but I went on holiday with my parents."
"Where did you go?" I asked, trying to make her feel more at ease.

"We went to Hoofington to visit my grandparents, and we stayed in a hotel. There was a kind of cute colt who was staying on the floor below..."
Everypony giggled.
"I only got to speak to him a few times though, because we spent most of the time with my grandparents." She added, shrugging. "I think he was busy too."
Fly always got nervous when talking to colts, so I guessed that she'd probably mumbled and waved at him once or twice in the morning. She'd had that problem since we met on the first day of school. She was also afraid of the dark, but I didn't tell anypony. It was her deepest secret.

"So then after the holiday, I mainly just worried about my results and read books. I finally got round to reading the last few Whickens novels." Fly said happily. Fly was a total bookworm and loved reading everything from magazines to huge novels with no pictures. She always read the style magazines from cover to cover, whilst I just looked at the models mainly.
"But they're so booooring." Miri laughed, getting a glare from Fly. "It's all about boring old stallions and their wives."
"No they're not. You just don't understand." Fly replied, putting on a sulky voice but smiling underneath.

"Anyway, that makes it your turn to talk about your summer." Rarity said to Miri.
"Well, I have loads to tell you. There was this youth club I started going to, which had loads of colts, and..." The red-maned filly started, launching into full-on gossip mode. Miri's special talent was for memory, which meant she was amazing at quizzes and even won some competitions when she was younger. But now she used it to absorb as much gossip about everypony as she could. She even knew all of the scandals going on with the first and second years.
"... but they were all so unsophisticated, even the good-looking one. You know how they are."

I nodded. Colts back at home always seemed to be so boring and immature.
"Colts are so stupid sometimes." Rarity agreed.
"But that was pretty much it. I wasted way too long trying to get them to notice me." Miri complained. "Of course, I missed you girls too."
"We didn't miss you." I giggled, and she threw her pillow at me. It missed and hit the wardrobe with a thud.
"Okay Cat, your turn." Miri said as I returned her pillow.
My summer was completely boring. I'd been to four piano recitals and practised every day for an hour. I'd gone with my parents for a weekend in Westmanester and we saw the visiting Equestrian Philharmonic. Then I'd just complained about the weather and worried about my results.

"Um, I didn't do much. Just played the piano and did what my parents wanted." I said. "Sorry to be so boring. I only met one colt and he played the saxophone at a recital. But he wasn't my type."
Miri just sighed at my boring story. I did feel bad for being such a boring pony, but I couldn't help it. My special talent was boring so I was probably boring too.
"That just leaves you, Rarity." Miri said, finally expecting something good.
"How is Sweetie Belle?" Fly asked with a smile. "Those pictures last year were so cute! She's like a little angel."

"Oh, Sweetie Belle's just fine." Rarity replied. "She's a bit bigger than in those pictures, though. She starts school in a year, can you believe it?"
"Bring her here!" Miri exclaimed, bouncing on her bed a little.
"Quiet, you'll wake everypony up." Rarity scolded, throwing her pillow at Miri. It hit her in the face. "Anyway, I spent most of my summer helping to look after her and trying some dress designs. No cute colts, there aren't that many in Ponyville." She sighed.

We ended up talking until the clock was showing two o'clock in the morning, but it was mainly Miri talking. Fly fell asleep at around one o'clock and didn't wake up even when Miri got carried away. Finally, when Rarity stopped replying, Miri announced that she was tired and wanted to sleep. I was just relieved that I could finally close my eyes; it had been an exciting yet tiring day.

Author's Note

Please note that this chapter was in a large part co-authored by https://www.fimfiction.net/user/ToccataWrites

Chapter Seven

A gigantic stallion with a pitch-black coat opened the door was we trotted up the drive, towering above us.
“You must be Cat, lovely to meet you,” the hulking pony said, hugging me gently and kissing me on the cheek. “You have no idea how excited Fly has been since she realised you were visiting. Practically flew out of the door. Anyway, come in, come in.”
I stamped my hooves on the mat to rid them of the last clinging bits of snow, then stepped inside behind Fly.

“Dear, Fly’s friend Cat is here,” the stallion (who I had realised must be Fly’s father) shouted up the stairs. He turned to me. “Would you like a drink? I’ll get you some lemonade to take upstairs.” He disappeared into the kitchen, but then I was accosted by a gentle-looking mare who shared Fly’s green coat.
“Cat, darling, it’s lovely to meet you,” she said, shaking my hoof with a grip far stronger than I had expected. “We’ve heard all about you from Fly of course, ever since her first day at Buckingham.”

I just smiled politely and wished she hadn’t squeezed my hoof so tightly.
“Not got a drink yet? Don’t worry dear,” she said before I could open my mouth. “SWEETIE-PIE? GET THE FILLIES A DRINK!” she suddenly yelled, nearly deafening me with her angry tone. Her face immediately turned to a gentle one before Fly’s dad could return with a tray of drinks and biscuits.
“Here you go girls. I gave you the rest of the lemonade in case you want a refill, plus there’s some biscuits. I know you’re probably watching your weight, but you can indulge in one or two,” he informed us timidly, one eye on his wife.

Fly thankfully led me up the stairs to her room before any more shouting broke out.
“Don’t worry, she’s just stressed because of the holidays,” Fly told me quietly as we stepped into her room. I’d never been in her room before, but it wasn’t really anything special apart from the piles of books everywhere. She’d cleared some floor space for my camp bed and I spotted a framed photograph of the four of us at Buckingham.
“I still can’t believe you’re here!” Fly said happily, pulling me into another feathery hug.
“I’m glad I got here alright. It’s too cold outside at the moment,” I complained, putting my bags down on the floor and taking a seat on her bed, before promptly plunging through it and hitting the floor.

“I should have warned you about my cloud bed,” Fly said, blushing as she helped me up. “Sorry.”
I rubbed my bruises. “It’s okay. It’s awesome that you have a cloud bed though.” I tried to prod it with my hoof and watched as it passed straight through. “I’ll just set up my stuff on the floor here.”
While I busied myself with unrolling the camp bed, I noticed Fly studying my face. I looked back, and she smiled.
“I was just wondering how you were doing. You know, after what happened.”
I’d done a good job of managing to somehow scrunch it down so I didn’t have to think about it. A bit like leaving a sock inside a shoe and pushing it down until you don’t notice it any longer. “I’m doing okay,” I replied, doing my best not to choke.
Fly didn’t reply, but I couldn’t meet her gaze. “Cat, if you want to talk about it, I’m right here.”

“I... I just don’t know how to feel,” I eventually said, sighing and tugging at my mane. “I’ve been trying to ignore it.”
“You really need to talk to Rarity,” Fly advised, putting her hoof around me and pulling me into half of a hug. “She’ll understand.”
“I’m scared to talk to her,” I admitted, rubbing my hooves together in my embarrassment. “I know she’ll be understanding, but I’m just afraid that she might think I’m a freak.”
“She won’t.”

I bit my tongue and then sighed again. “Before... before I saw her with, with-”
Fly’s eyes sparkled. “Go on.”
“Well, before that, I was trying to get up the courage to confess to her. But that only made everything worse. I just don’t know what I was thinking.” I could feel a tear escaping for the corner of my eye, so I buried my face in Fly’s coat.
“So I suppose you don’t want to tell her the truth?” Fly asked me, her hooves around me. “I told her you were unwell when she saw you were crying.”

My eyes were red and I sniffed, managing to stifle the tears for the time being. “Thanks. I think it’s best if I don’t tell her.”
Fly nodded. “But you can’t just avoid her forever.”
“I know. I’ll do my best to face her,” I said, rubbing my eyes.
“You know, the worst part about this is that we can’t just badmouth the person responsible for upsetting you,” Fly joked. “That’s the best part.”
I laughed, then sobbed again and managed a fresh round of tears while Fly hugged me.

After I’d recovered (and fixed my ruined make-up), we started on the biscuits and magazines, swapping the ones we hadn’t managed to read yet.
“There are faux ears in all of them...” Fly said darkly. “It’s going to sweep the school again.”
“I thought we’d seen the last of those horrible clashes between ears and mane,” I added, rolling onto my back and burying my face in a double-page spread about tail accessories. “The younger fillies are always the worst.”
“They’d just wear anything they saw ponies like Miri and Rarity wearing, even if it makes them look completely awful,” Fly said. “Worst part is that we were exactly the same back then.”
“Don’t remind me. The horror,” I replied, hiding my face in my hooves. “We needed Rarity to guide us.”

Fly giggled and bounced a little on her super-comfortable looking cloud bed. I was jealous. Someone knocked at the door lightly, making us both pause.
“Girls? We’re going to bed, so just keep the noise down and don’t go to sleep too late. There’s food in the fridge if you’re hungry,” her dad said.
“Thanks Dad,” Fly replied, and we heard his hooves disappearing down the landing. “Now that they’re gone, do you want to hear some real gossip?” Fly asked me, the same slightly-embarrassed look on her face that she always wore when she knew something scandalous.

I giggled uncontrollably for a few seconds, then stopped abruptly, which caused Fly to laugh, which set me off into giggles again. When I had it under control, I spread out on the camp bed. “Yeah okay, you can tell me.”
“Well, you know that colt that Miri has been seeing since the fireworks?” Fly said quietly.
“Of course.”
“Well, I heard that he hasn’t even called Miri at all during the holidays.”
“Oh wow... poor Miri.”
“And I heard from Minty that he’s been seeing an older mare too.”
“How does Minty know?” I asked. Minty was Miri’s only rival in terms of gossip, but Minty was a Gossip Princess to Miri’s Gossip Queen.
Fly lowered her voice even further. “She told me she saw him with her and they were... kissing.”

I wrinkled up my muzzle. “I knew he was trouble. How is Miri taking it?”
“Haven’t heard from her,” Fly said solemnly. “But she’ll probably be really upset.”
“Like always, then. How many times has she had a break-up in the time we’ve known her?” I asked, shaking my head and then blowing my mane out of my eyes.
“Too many. I do feel sorry for her though.”
“Maybe she’ll finally find somepony right for her,” I suggested, shrugging. “But knowing Miri, it’s unlikely.”
“She has a talent for finding the bad ones, doesn’t she.”

The camp bed was really uncomfortable, but I eventually managed to nod off. I was pleased that I’d picked a best friend who didn’t snore, otherwise I would have had many sleepless nights over the years. The only problem was, Fly decided to wake me in the middle of the night.
“Cat, wake up,” she said. I groaned and wondered about turning over, but then I heard her sob slightly. Suddenly I was wide awake.
“What’s the matter, Fly?” I said, sitting up and looking at her through the darkness. She shifted across and landed on the floor gracefully, hugging me and bursting into tears.

“Come on, you can tell me anything. I’m the one who’s supposed to be an emotional wreck,” I told her, feeling her laugh and try to sniff back her tears. “What are you crying over? If it’s Miri’s love life, then I’m really worried about you.”
She laughed again. “Thanks Cat. I... Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.” I stroked her mane gently.
“Um, well. I have a coltfriend.”

This certainly took me by surprise. “A coltfriend?” I tried not to look too shocked. “When did this happen?” This was almost the last thing I had expected. Although I loved Fly, she just never really had any success with colts.
“About two days after I got back from school. My parents made me go to this party in the local church hall, so I took a book so I could just sit and ignore everypony.” She sniffed and seemed ready to begin crying again, but she held it together. “And then nearly everypony there was much younger and I felt really embarrassed but this nice colt was there with his younger sister and he was also reading a book and we just got along really well,” Fly rambled, before suddenly going quiet and shaking a little. “I’ve seen him twice since and we always talk about books.”

“Then why, for Celestia’s sake, are you crying?” I asked, unable to keep a slight laugh out of my voice. “I’m really happy for you and you’re crying over it!”
“I was afraid to tell you... after what happened with Rarity. I thought it might hurt you.”
I hugged her tightly. “You can always tell me anything.” A sudden feeling of happiness welled up inside me and I spontaneously hugged her. “I’m so pleased! Do I get to meet him?” I asked, squeezing her hoof. “You must be so excited.”
“Thanks Cat. I was worried you might be upset.”
I gave her a tissue to wipe her eyes with.
“He might come for a visit at school,” Fly told me, folding her wings back to her sides. “We’ll see.”

***

Before I knew it, I was sitting forlornly on the train back to Buckingham, my holidays over and lessons starting again. Miri would be moping about her ex-coltfriend, and I’d have to face Rarity. And the possibility that the colt she had been kissing would now be her coltfriend. At least Fly would be happy. The worst part of going back was the fact that I’d changed; I’d had a crush on a mare and while I might have gone off her, I didn’t know if I was going to be interested in colts again. The questions were bouncing around inside my head right up until the moment I opened the door to our room at school. Then they were driven out by a whole new set of questions.

Miri was giggling happily and looking at a magazine, while Fly was looking over at her, concerned. Once they noticed me, both of them jumped up and hugged me. But I’d been expecting a broken mess of a Miri, not one who was giggling at the advice column of a magazine.
“She’s been like this since I arrived,” Fly told me. I noticed that Rarity hadn’t arrived yet, but then I didn’t know when her flight was due so it was hardly surprising.

“Miri, are you okay?” I asked, concerned that she might have been bingeing on sugar or something.
She shrugged. “I’m fine, why?”
“Only... I heard about that colt.”
“Oh, him. I dumped him.”
Miri actually dumped a colt?!? Normally she waited until they ditched her and then cried herself to sleep every night, but she seemed... normal. At least, normal for Miri.

“He was stupid and he didn’t call me. I’m not going to waste my time on him any longer,” Miri declared confidently. “And anyway, I’m much happier because I discovered that faux ears are back! I’m going to love these spring fashions.”
I facehoofed, but then went for a rummage around in the wardrobe to see if I had any pairs left. I didn’t want to know what Rarity thought.
“Oh, I borrowed that brown pair you had, Cat. Do you want them back?” Miri asked me, realising what I was looking for.
“I’m okay for now. Just wondering if I’d actually kept them.”

And at that moment, the door burst open and revealed a ball of white and purple rage.
“Since. When. Did. ANYPONY. Think. Faux. Ears. Were. Fashionable?” Rarity shouted, stamping her elegant hooficure. “This is ridiculous. It’s a crime against fashion. I’m speechless. This is the worst possible thing!” She collapsed onto her bed after dropping her suitcases, her mane falling across her face and hiding her angry expression.
I just laughed. “They’re not that bad...”
“Not that bad? They’re awful! Now I’ll have to spend the next twelve weeks looking at little fillies wearing clashing colours and thinking they look good!” Rarity said, waving her hooves unhappily.
I was glad to be back.

Lessons started suddenly on the Monday morning, and I wasn’t used to being up so early in the morning.
“You’ll miss breakfast,” Fly told me, nudging my shoulder with her hoof. I stayed under the blanket and complained about it being far too early.
“Get up darling, we’ve got history first and I don’t want to have to cover for you,” Rarity said, brushing her tail magically. “Plus Miri will be forever in the bathroom and you don’t want to be stuck outside.”
That was enough to get me out of bed with a groan.

I was dreading history because it meant that I would be sitting with Rarity for the first time since... the incident. I knew she was going to ask me about it and it was going to be embarrassing, so I desperately tried to think up ways of keeping the subject away from what happened.
“Cat, I was wondering all holiday about-” Rarity started the moment we had a few moments to talk.
“Wait, did you remember to bring your homework?” I interrupted, no even knowing if there was homework.
“I did. Did you?”
I rummaged through my bag. “Oh, yes I did. That’s good.”

The teacher went back to speaking and I was saved for a few more minutes, but I knew Rarity was going to ask. I needed an excuse, but they just weren’t coming to me.
“So during the holiday-”
“Do you have any faux ears I can borrow?” That was a pathetic attempt and Rarity knew it, but she was distracted by her rage about the faux ears. I half-listened to her while she told me what a silly idea it all was, half-thought about a good excuse.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask you, what was the matter-” I tried to interrupt by saying something incoherent, but she ignored me and carried on. “- with you at the dance? Fly said you were unwell and I saw you crying, but I didn’t see you until you’d left to go home.” She looked at me, her blue eyes shining with concern.
“Oh, uh, um, well, I, er, had an accident,” I burbled, watching Rarity’s cheeks tinge with pink. An accident? What was I thinking?
“Oh my, well, that’s terrible!” Rarity replied, rubbing her hooves together awkwardly.

“No wait, it wasn’t that kind of accident... it was an, um, it was a mare problem,” I said, cringing inside and wondering what I’d got myself into.
“I see,” Rarity said, looking a little less embarrassed. “Well, at least it only happens once a month.”
“Ahem, Cat and Rarity, would you care to share your conversation with the class?” the teacher suddenly asked, looking sternly at us. I just blushed a deep shade and tried to hide my face.
“Sorry sir,” Rarity replied calmly. The teacher just tutted and went back to teaching.

“So, that colt you were with...” I eventually said as we left the classroom, dying to know what was going on there. “At the dance, I mean.”
“What about him?” Rarity asked, looking at me. I couldn’t look back, so I stared at the floor.
“Are you two, you know, together?”
“I think so, yes. He’s really rather sweet and such a good kisser, there was really no way I could turn him down,” Rarity began as we started on the stairs to the common room. I knew I was about to get a ten minute monologue about him, and I wanted to feel happy and excited for her, but every word still hurt a little.

So I was greatly relieved to find Fly in the common room to help distract Rarity.
“My lesson was cancelled,” Fly told us, putting her book down. “How was history?”
“Fine like usual,” Rarity breezed, taking a seat opposite Fly. “I was just telling Cat about my new coltfriend. At least, I think he’s my coltfriend,” she said, suddenly looking nervous. “I’ve never really had a coltfriend like him before.”
“Well now it seems like we’re in the same boat,” Fly said, eyes widening as she spotted some faux ears trotting across the common room.

Rarity followed her gaze and then let out an exasperated noise. “I’ll be back in one one moment, I just need to go and give out some fashion justice.”
Once she was gone, I leaned close to Fly. “I didn’t know that the colt she was with would turn out to be her coltfriend.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just be happy for her,” Fly replied, putting her wing around me.
I nodded. “I’m trying.”
“You’ll get over her.”

The post-holidays period at Buckingham was always cold and boring. Nothing to do but wait until spring arrived and brought the warmer weather. But of course, there was always one day that got everypony excited. Hearts & Hooves Day was now less than a month away and every filly in the school wanted to get a card from their own special somepony. The older fillies, around my age, sometimes got them from colts or their coltfriend, but usually fillies just sent them to each other, and the younger fillies sometimes sent one to an older pony who they admired. I always sent one to Fly, Rarity and Miri, and I’m pretty sure I got one from each of them in return. Nopony signed the cards though, so you could never really be sure.

A deliverypony (one of the seventh years) was responsible for handing all of the envelopes out on the day, and you had to post them all the day before. I expected that Rarity and Fly would get one from their special someponies, so it was just Miri and I who would be lonely. We’d both given up on our diets (too much trauma) so I was planning to eat an entire box of chocolates with her while having a good complaining session about how useless colts were. I was happy for Fly and Rarity though, even if I did feel a little bit jealous about Rarity.

I decided that I’d use Hearts & Hooves Day as an opportunity to finally get over my brief thing with Rarity. I was going to send her a card and be happy about her new coltfriend and have one last day of feeling bad about it, then by the next day, I would have moved on. It was just bad for our friendship if I couldn’t move on, and my History grades were slipping again because I couldn’t concentrate.

When I told Fly about my plan, she agreed.
“You should get your feelings about Rarity out in the card, and then she’ll just think you’re being friendly and you’ll be able to start concentrating again,” she said, more concerned with my school work than anything else.
I was really looking forward to having Rarity back as a friend and not a crush. I bought her card a week in advance and spent all of my free moments working on it, covering every square inch in coloured pen drawings and little hearts.

“Hey Cat, do you have anything planned on Hearts & Hooves Day?” Miri asked me suddenly as we were getting ready for bed one evening.
“Um, no. Why?” I replied, suspicious that she was going to drag me off to some kind of blind date.
Miri just shrugged. “I saw that the new romantic comedy was showing at the cinema and was wondering if you wanted to come with me. Nopony else wants to go.” She glared at Rarity and Fly, neither of whom really seemed bothered.
“I’ll go with you,” I replied, smiling. “It’ll be nice to get away from school for a bit.”

We decided to get something to eat from Griffontown before going to the cinema, since concessions were so expensive. Miri hid two packets of exotic sweets in her bag before we went in, keeping them well hidden from the attentive ushers checking our tickets. We got a seat right at the back so that we could talk through the film without disturbing anypony.
“I hope this is good. The last one was terrible,” Miri told me, munching noisily on some of the sweets and drawing some odd looks. “Ew, actually, you can have the green sweets. I don’t like those ones.”

She tipped all of her green sweets into my packet, then went back to munching as the film started. It was supposed to be about some mares who all had coltfriends and went on holiday somewhere, but after ten minutes of cheesy acting and pun-based jokes, both Miri and I were content to catch up instead of watch it.
“So how come you’re all alone today? Didn’t meet any colts over the holidays?” Miri asked me.
“Not really. We usually spend the holidays without our family, which means I don’t get out much,” I replied, sighing. “I do wish I could just meet somepony nice like Rarity and Fly have.”
“Me too. My ex-coltfriend,” she said in an acidic tone, “Was never as nice as I thought he was. I found out that the reason he never called was because he was busy going around with some other filly, can you believe that?”

“Oh, uh, I did hear that from somewhere. He’s obviously not good enough for you,” I told her.
“Who did you hear it from?” Miri demanded.
“Fly told me, but she heard it from Minty.”
“I hate Minty. That bitch.”
I giggled. “You should spread gossip about her.”
“There’s nothing to spread. She’s so ugly that no colt would ever go near her,” Miri said, then giggled herself.

“Might be best not to get payback. You don’t want to get into a gossip war,” I said, trying to focus on the film a little but I’d lost the plot and had no idea what was going on.
“I’d win a gossip war, if that’s what you mean. She just hears it from ponies who heard it from me and then pretends she was the first to know.”
I was always amazed by Miri’s networking skills. She really did know everything as soon as it happened, which was the reason I hadn’t told her about my crush on Rarity. Some things didn’t need spreading around the school.

“Anyway, do you want to know something really good?” Miri asked me, leaning in close. She always had something really good to say.
“Is it about Minty?” I tried. I didn’t know nearly as many ponies as Miri did and she often told me nuggets of gossip about ponies I barely knew.
“No no. It’s about Rarity.”
I sat up a bit straighter in my seat. “Rarity? What gossip is there about Rarity? She’s never involved in anything like that.”
“I know, and that’s why this is so hot. But you have to keep it a secret, of course.”

Normally that meant I could tell anypony I liked, but if it was about one of my best friends I knew i wouldn’t tell anypony. “Okay, I’ll keep it a secret. But what is it?”
“It’s about her coltfriend,” Miri whispered. The smile on her face told me she was dying to let it slip to someone, and I suspected Rarity had told her to keep it a secret.
“What about her coltfriend?”
Miri’s smirk grew wider. “I heard that they’ve... you know... done it.”
“Done what? It?” My mouth hung open and I was sure my jaw was nearly touching the floor. There was no way they could really have... done it.

“Yup. They’ve gone all the way. I wasn’t expecting it, let me tell you,” Miri continued. “But remember, keep it a secret.”
The revelation hit me like being applebucked in the chest. Rarity... had done it? With a colt? I’d only just managed my first kiss, and it was a secret! She suddenly seemed to much more mature and grown-up.
“How do you know?” I asked Miri, desperate to know why Rarity had divulged this information.
“I overheard her on the phone to him. By accident, of course. But they were talking about it in whispers and kept mentioning it, so it must be true.”

Sounded pretty convincing. I was still reeling from the shock. It only seemed like a few months since the four of us were discussing the best way to kiss a colt (making Fly turn very red), and now Rarity had gone all of the way. I thought she might have told us, but then it was understandable that she didn’t want it spread around the school. One thing was for sure, I was telling Fly just as soon as I next saw her. This wasn’t something I was going to keep a secret from her, because I knew I could trust the pegasus to keep quiet.

“Totally unexpected, huh?” Miri said to me, nudging me out of my thoughts. “She’s only been seeing him since the dance. Must be moving pretty quickly, but then I guess if she’s away for so long, they have to.”
I nodded, but I had a million questions. Why had they done it? Where? Were Rarity’s parents okay with it? I knew that mine would be screaming blue murder if they knew I’d done it with a colt. And still I had that crushing feeling in my chest. If Rarity was ready to do it, then I never had a chance. Just the idea of kissing still filled my tummy with butterflies.

I tried to get more out of Miri, but she didn’t seem to know any more. There was no way I could ask Rarity, so I just had to speculate. I was thinking about it all of the way home on the train, leaving Miri to happily peruse a magazine. I suppose that if I ever wanted to do it with a colt, I’d be able to ask her about what to do, but still... everything suddenly felt so much more adult than it had that morning.

“How was the film?” Fly asked when we got back to the room. She’d been out to get dinner with her coltfriend and must have said goodbye to him, because she was reading her book.
“Terrible, really,” Miri answered, disappearing into the bathroom to clean off her makeup, then retreating rapidly as Rarity shooed her out.
“One moment Miri, I’m just taking off my mascara,” the unicorn said, using her magic to shut the door.

“How was your date, Fly?” I asked, rubbing my hooves to get rid of the ache from walking.
She smiled shyly. “It was nice. We just talked a lot about books.”
Miri giggled a little, and Fly glared at her. “Well I liked it. At least we have something in common and we’re not just after kissing.”
It occurred to me that I had no idea whether or not Miri had done anything more than kissing with a colt. I mean, she was always disappearing when she was with them. But from how excited she’d been about Rarity, I was sure she hadn’t.
“I think it’s nice, Fly. When are you seeing him next?”
“He said he’ll try and come back before the end of term,” Fly told me, stretching her wings before rolling over and continuing her book. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“What did he get you?” Miri asked, before swapping places with Rarity in the bathroom.
“Um...” Fly tried, not sure whether to talk now that Miri had disappeared. She noticed my interested gaze and smiled. “He got me a nice card and some chocolates. I’m saving them, though.”
“That reminds me, the deliverypony hasn’t been yet,” Rarity said, frowning at the door. “Sloppy service this year.”
“I’m sure it’ll come before long. They usually start with the first years and work up,” Fly said. “Or at least, that’s what they told me.”

Rarity nodded. “Well if anypony is interested, my date went fine too.”
“Where did you go?” I asked, suppressing the urge to blurt out what Miri had told me.
“Oh, we just went into Maneminster and had a walk. He lives over on the south side of the river somewhere,” Rarity replied, tucking her mane behind one of her ears and blinking. “It was nice. He gave me a card and some flowers.”
I couldn’t see the flowers anywhere, which was strange. Fly caught my eye and seemed to be thinking exactly the same thing.

Rarity just lay on her front and buried herself in a magazine, not seemingly happy to answer any more questions. I just sighed and went back to massaging my hooves, wondering where the deliverypony was and how much longer Miri was going to be in the bathroom. My makeup was starting to go a bit sticky.
“I’m done,” Miri announced moments later, flinging the door to the bathroom open with gusto. I caught it with my magic to stop it slamming and then trotted past her, giving her a dark look as she giggled.

The deliverypony came when I was cleaning my face, because when I emerged again there were three red envelopes on my bed. Miri was tearing open a stack of about ten, and telling us all who they were from.
“This one’s probably from Thundertail. No idea who this is from, probably one of the younger fillies. Same for this one. Huh, I didn’t know that Prance Dance was still interested in me.”
Fly only seemed to have two, but Rarity had more, mainly from the younger fillies. There was something cool about sending a Hearts & Hooves card to your role model in the older years, which explained why both Miri and Rarity had so many.

I started to dig into mine. Fly’s was on top and was very sweet, complete with swirly handwriting. I put it up on my bedside table. The second was from Rarity, which nearly made my heart flutter but didn’t quite. I put it next to Fly’s. The third was a mystery; it was internally posted so it had to be from one of the younger fillies, but I couldn’t believe that any of them would possibly have me as a role model. I just shrugged and put it next to the others.
“Miri, no card?” I asked, looking over at her as she opened her tenth one.
“Oh, sorry. I forgot,” she said, flushing. “I’ll get them to you tomorrow.”

I glanced at my mystery card and wondered about it. I’d never noticed anypony in the school admiring my fashion sense or staring at me as I walked past. It was probably a joke. Some of the silly younger ponies sending cards to the older ponies just to embarrass them. Or a dare! That was it. It was sent for a dare. I remembered that kind of thing happening when we were in the fourth year. I’d lost a bet and had to send a card to one of the sophisticated and popular seventh years. Then again, I quite admired her... oh, what was the use thinking about it. I’d never know.

Chapter Eighteen

And just like that, Hearth’s Warming Eve was upon us and I bade farewell to my friends, boarding a train back home to the wilderness. My parents were keen to find out all about Princess School and when my audition was, and I had been at home for scarcely a day before they’d arranged a piano tutor to see me twice a week. I didn’t really want to spend my short holidays seeing a tutor, but there was no chance of persuading them otherwise.
“It’s your future,” they kept telling me, not that I was inclined to take much notice. My fear of the audition grew as the holidays went on, which meant I spent a lot of my time hiding in my room and trying to distract myself with books and magazines.

Eventually Dad knocked on my door. “Are you okay Cat? You seem a bit worried.”
I opened the door and let him in. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“I suppose it’s the audition,” he added, sitting on my bed in that awkward way that parents do. He looked at me. “If it really makes you feel that bad, you don’t have to go.”
I knew that Mum would never agree with that view, so I shook my head. “It’s okay. I need to just face up to it instead of hiding away.”
“Do you need extra piano practice? Are you worried you won’t be ready?”
In reality, I was actually totally fluent with all of the music I was going to play, so any extra practice was just to calm my nerves, but I knew that once the panic of the audition hit me I wouldn’t be able to play the music even if I’d done it a million times. “No, it’s not that. Just nerves,” I said, mainly truthfully. “I have extra help at school after I go back so it’s okay.”

He nodded, and I tried my best reassuring smile. “Okay, well, if you’re sure. Your mum and I would love to hear you play, if you’d like that.”
“Maybe after dinner,” I said, getting a prickling suspicion that it had already been decided for me. “I’ll see how I feel.”
“Well, stick in with it, Cat. You’ll do fine, I know it.” He got up and left, forgetting to shut the door behind him, which meant I had to get up and shut it. Grumbling, I returned to the magazine I had already read three times, got bored of it and closed it, deciding to have an afternoon nap. It was raining outside anyway, so nobody would complain.

Soon the holidays were over and I was on my way back to school, dreading the audition in a few short days’ time. My last winter holiday at Buckingham was over, but I didn’t feel too sad; I’d spent nearly all seven of them itching to get back to school so I could see my friends again, so it wasn’t much of a loss. Idly, I wondered whether anypony else would have any exciting news to tell from their holidays. I definitely didn’t, but Fly might have heard back from Oxmare. Starting the new term with a party would be a good way of lifting my mood.
“No, I haven’t. They did say they wouldn’t write until the New Year and it’s only been a week, so I’m not worried,” she told me when I arrived back in our room, unpacking my stuff. “Have you prepared for your audition?”

I opened my mouth to reply, but thankfully I was interrupted by Rarity’s arrival.
“I have amazing news, everypony!” she announced, levitating her suitcases over to the bed. “You will never believe it.”
My heart leapt. She was going to decide to stay in Britannia and open a boutique somewhere so we could all visit her!
“I have asked my parents, and they have consented to allow me to stay here in Britannia over the next holidays! Isn’t that simply marvellous?” She giggled and rubbed her hooves together happily. “Of course, I need to ask the three of you if it would be okay for me to stay with you.”

I was too stunned to speak, stuck halfway between excitement at the announcement and disappointment that it wasn’t what I’d hoped, so Fly went first. “Oh, yes of course. I’m sure it will be fine.”
Miri set about beating Rarity with her hooves. “Why did you have to choose the next holidays! My parents are going on another business trip so you won’t be able to come!”
Rarity pushed her away with magic. “I had completely forgotten Miri, I’m sorry,” she said, sounding apologetic. “You should have told me sooner.”
Sulking, Miri sat on her bed, and Rarity turned her attention to me. “Do you think that would be okay? I’m not sure if it would be fair to ask Fly’s parents to look after me for two whole weeks...”
“It’ll be fine. Good, even. I’m sure,” I stuttered, knowing full well that my holidays were completely open.

“Well, a week at Fly’s and a week at Cat’s, that sounds manageable,” Rarity said happily, lying down on her bed in triumph. “I can finally spend the holidays with my friends! I’m already getting excited and it’s months away!”
Now that I was over my disappointment, I was excited too. I made a mental note to contact my parents and ask if it would be okay, but I couldn’t see any reason why not. It wasn’t as if I ever did anything other than mope around and wait for school to start again, only this time it would be revising for exams and waiting for school to start again. That would definitely be more fun with Rarity around, and she’d probably make me actually focus instead of just aimlessly sleeping the afternoons away.

It wasn’t long before I had to go for my final session with Mr Bluejay, who, instead of letting me straight into the classroom as usual, made me sit outside until my name was called. I’d almost forgotten it was going to be a mock audition, which made me feel even more nervous.
“Toccata?” he said through the door, so I opened it and went inside, doing my best to seem polite as he showed me to a chair opposite his desk.
“Hello Toccata, I’m Mr Bluejay. I’m just going to ask you some questions,” he said, keeping his eyes fixed on mine. I looked back, nodding and trying not to look scared.

He just asked me about music, which was quite easy to answer, and then about what I wanted to learn in the next few years, which I didn’t know and he made something that sounded like a small cross on his clipboard.
“Okay Toccata, thank you. Now, would you please show me something on the piano? Have you prepared some pieces?”
The music was already on the stand, so I took a seat and made sure everything was in the right place. I took a deep breath, ignored the pencil on the clipboard, and started to play, making sure I didn’t start to breathe too fast and lose my place or anything. All of the extra practice over the holidays had paid off and I played through both pieces fluently and without any mistakes, although they didn’t sound quite as good as they did when I was totally relaxed.

“Thank you Cat, the audition is over,” Mr Bluejay said once I had finished. “In the real interview, you should probably say thank you before you leave, since they’re giving you the chance.”
I smiled and sat back down opposite the desk, feeling quietly confident. I hadn’t done anything really wrong, so I thought I had a good chance of passing.
“So Cat, how do you think it went?” he asked, looking over the desk at me.
“Better than usual,” I tried, hoping he would agree.
Mr Bluekay looked at his clipboard. “Well, it was better than last time, yes. Your answers to the questions were good, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

I knew a but was coming in a minute.
“You played the pieces just fine, but you didn’t really play them like you enjoyed playing them. Do you know what I mean?”
“I think it was because I was nervous,” I said, looking down at my lap.
“Maybe. Also, you need to tie your hair back for the interview. You keep pausing to get it out of your eyes and it makes you look distracted.” He wasn’t holding back. “When you play, make sure you focus but also make it sound like a performance. The aim is to entertain the listener and show off your skill, not to just get to the end without making a mistake.”
“Okay, I think I know what you mean.” I wished auditions weren’t so hard.

He made me play the pieces over and over until I could play them like a performance. I didn’t like performances either, but it did sound better. As I left, he offered me an elastic band for my hair, but I declined it. “It pulls out your mane. I’ll borrow something better.”
Rarity, of course, had a large number of hair accessories to offer me. I liked the idea of using a clip to pin it to one side, but she didn’t have any in my colour, so I had to settle for a band with a sunflower on it. Miri unhelpfully suggested I use a faux ear maneband, so Rarity hit her with a brush.
“When do you leave? Do you need me to go over your outfit?” Rarity asked.
“Tomorrow morning. My audition is in the afternoon, so I’m staying until the next day,” I said, pulling my interview outfit from my suitcase. It was actually just a few tasteful accessories, but Rarity chose a few others and pretty much replaced everything I’d chosen.

The three of them got up early to wave me off in the morning, which was a nice touch. Miri wanted me to bring back a present, so I resolved to keep something that they gave me for free. I had a map that I think the someone in the school’s office had done, showing me where to go from the train station. Princess School was in a city called Aberneigh, which I knew nothing about except that it took ages and ages and ages to get to on the train from Buckingham. I had planned to pass the time by worrying about the audition later, but that soon lapsed into extreme boredom. I picked up a discarded newspaper and did all of the puzzles and drew glasses on everypony’s pictures, but then that got boring so I stared out of the window at the countryside going past and reread all of the papers I had that told me what to do for my audition.

It wasn’t a moment too soon when the conductor finally announced “Ladies and gentlecolts, we are now arriving in Aberneigh.” I pulled my suitcase off the luggage rack and took everything except the newspaper with me, the hand-drawn map hovering in front of my face so I couldn’t get lost on my way out.
“Excuse me?” a small voice said from behind me. I turned around, lowering the map to see who it was. It seemed to be a pony of about my age, also dragging a large suitcase and carrying a map.
“I-I just happened to spot that you seem to be looking at a map, and I saw your cutie mark, and I just wondered...” the pony said, trailing off and looking at her hooves.

I took in her appearance, trying to work out what she was talking about. Her blonde mane was neatly cut to a shoulder length, similar to her tail, and her coat was a pale purple. Her cutie mark was a musical score that curled artistically.
“Are you going to Princess School? For an audition?” I asked.
“Yes. Are you?” she asked, a little bolder now.
“Yes.”
We stood and looked at each other for a few moments, and she spoke first. “Would you like to go together? Two of us will probably be better at finding it than one.”
I nodded and she broke into a trot to catch up with me as I continued walking towards the station exit, trying to decipher my map.

“I’m Toccata, but all of my friends call me Cat,” I said, smiling at my new companion.
She blushed slightly and looked away. “I’m Senza Sordino.”
“Sorry? Senza Sordino?” I didn’t laugh, because that would be rude, but her name was definitely weird.
“That’s it. I must have been born under an unlucky star or something,” Senza Sordino said, her head bowed.
“Do you like being called Senza Sordino?” I asked, unable to keep a hint of humour out of my voice.
“Not really.”
“Then you should choose a cute nickname, like fashion models have. What do your friends call you?”

She seemed to waver for a moment as we took a turning, heading away from the station.
“Well, my parents teach me instead of going to school, and they always call me by my full name.” For some reason, she said this with a certain amount of unhappiness.
“Then I’ll have to think of something, because I don’t want to keep calling you Senza Sordina.”
“Sordino. It’s not Sordina, it’s Sordino.”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, let’s just stick to finding our way. I don’t want to get lost.”
“So, Cat, where did you come from on the train?” Senza Sordino asked me as we traversed a busy junction.

“Buckingham, I go to the filly’s school there,” I replied. “What about you?”
“Oh, I got on at Manechester. That’s where I live.”
I didn’t really know where Manechester was, so I didn’t comment and we just kept walking.
“What kind of musical instrument do you play? Or do you sing?” Senza Sordino suddenly said, as if it had slipped out of her mouth by accident.
I looked at her and she seemed to blush. “I play the piano, that’s what I’m auditioning with. And I can’t sing.” I assumed that somepony as quiet and timid as her would play pretty much anything except the trumpet.
“I can’t sing either, and I play the trumpet.”

I was grateful for the fact that between the two of us, we managed to find Princess School, and from there we just followed the signs saying ‘auditions this way’. I checked the impressive clock on the top of the central tower, and worked out I still had an hour before my interview. Inside the buildings, there was a makeshift reception desk that was nothing more than a low desk with two overworked ponies sitting at it, which took away something from the otherwise general grandeur of the school.
“Two more,” the orange pony at the desk said, looking at Senza Sordino and I and then sighing. “Please see my associate,” he said to us.
“Okay, we’ll start with you,” his young-looking friend said, her pink hooves pointing to me. “Name?”
“Toccata.”

She rifled through some papers and then located my name, making a small tick. “Okay Toccata, you’re auditioning on piano?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Perfect. Your interview room is A-88, follow the signs. After, you’ll need this,” she said, handing me an envelope. “It has your room key and directions to your room for tonight. Please leave your luggage in the area behind me and retrieve it when you go to your accommodation.”
I took the envelope and smiled, stepping aside and allowing the process to be repeated for Senza Sordino, who was going to audition in A-60 on the trumpet.
“They’re actually not too far apart, you can go together,” the mare said, before moving on to some ponies who had entered the room behind us.

Once I was free of my suitcase, I tried to work out the various colourful signs that pointed us to our interviews. It seemed that rooms 50-100 were in the east wing, but then there was a huge staircase and I couldn’t work out if 88 was on the top floor or not.
“Just try it and if you get lost, come back here,” Senza Sordino suggested, heading for the easily-visible A-60.
I just shrugged and tried the top floor. The corridor was long but straight, and totally silent. I guessed that all of the rooms must be soundproofed. When I reached the end, there didn’t seem to be an 88, so I turned around sheepishly and went back to the stairs, but I could feel the panic rising. I was sure the room would just be one floor down, but what if disaster struck and I really couldn’t find it?

There was already a sweaty patch on my back as I headed for the right floor, clad in all of Rarity’s well-chosen accessories. I regretted the understated silk scarf, because it was starting to get a bit slippery, but the band and sunflower did mean I wasn’t incessantly touching my hair. Anyway, I located A-88 and sat down on the plastic seat outside the door, not having any idea how long I would have to wait. It was completely silent in the corridor and I dragged my hooves on the institutional brown carpet, my heart in my mouth. Even after all of the extra support, I knew I was going to blow it. Anxious and tense, I bit on my hooves alternately until I left marks.

Instead of worrying, I tried to focus on the pieces I was going to play. Going through them in my head did help calm me down, but after I’d done each of them twice, I was getting worried that I was in the wrong place. Did they definitely say A-88 and not 86? What about the time? Maybe I got the time wrong. If they were expecting me to arrive earlier, then I would have blown it. Should I knock and apologise for being late and make up an excuse? I decided to knock. If I was late I could just bluff, and hopefully they’d forgive me and let me audition anyway, since I was there. Seemed pointless for me to travel all that way not to audition.

I was just about to get up and knock when the door opened, revealing a relieved colt who looked at me with sympathy before heading back down the corridor towards freedom. He hadn’t asked me to go in, so I just sat and waited. Maybe he was supposed to ask me go to in, but he was sabotaging me. After all, we were both competing for the same thing. If I sat outside and ignored them, they would think badly of me. Maybe they’d think I was late and just disqualify me. Worried, I got up to knock, and the door opened.
“Ah, you must be Toccata. Do follow me,” a rich voice said, and a navy blue hoof beckoned me through the door.

The audition room looked like a classroom with all of the chairs and desks pushed to one side, the blackboard still showing the contents of the previous lesson. Pride of place was given to an ornate white piano, sitting at an angle to the desk, behind which sat three ponies, two of whom looked very important and smart and one of whom looked a little untidy and friendly.
“Take a seat please Toccata,” the navy blue pony said in a well-spoken voice, pointing to the piano. I sat down, rubbing my hooves together to dry them a bit. All three ponies stared at me. There was the navy stallion on the right, just sitting down, an elderly white-and-pink pony in the middle, and the friendly-looking brown stallion on the left. He waved and I giggled slightly, and then remembered myself.

“Well, we might as well get started,” the elderly pony started. “I am Mrs. Sherbet, this is Mr. Plum, and this is Mr. Forte,” she said, introducing the navy pony first. “I’m sure you know why you’re here, so we’ll begin. Have you prepared two pieces?”
“Yes,” I said simply, nodding.
“Excellent. Well, let’s hear them.” With those words, the three ponies picked up clipboards and pencils and waited for me to play. Suddenly the nerves were eating away at my confidence again, and the unfamiliar piano was just begging for me to make a mistake. The music was waiting for me, the pages crisp on the stand, and it was on the right page.

Remembering Mr Bluejay’s advice, I took a few deep breaths, composed myself, and began to play, counting under my breath to keep the rhythm. Once I had started, and shattered the silence with a flow of notes, my nerves seemed to abate. I ignored the clipboards and played, occasionally reminding myself to treat it like a performance and play better. The first piece became the second, and even the fast sections seemed easy after all of my practice. And then, without any fanfare, I was suddenly done, the hard part over and the music fading back into silence, punctuated by the scratching of three pencils.
“Thank you Toccata. Now, would you mind if we asked you some questions?”

The cooler air in the corridor was the taste of freedom, and I didn’t spare a glance for the unfortunate pony hunched up on the chair as I swept by. It was all I could do to suppress a cheer, but that was premature. I was sure that nearly everypony would have played perfectly, and it was really a matter of how well I compared. Not making a mistake was just getting a foot in the door. Nonetheless, it was a huge weight off my chest, and I was bursting to tell the others back at Buckingham about how it had gone. My luggage was waiting and I tried not to show my excitement to the new arrivals waiting at the desk.

The envelope I had been given contained another map with many arrows, showing how to get to the accommodation building and find the right floor. It mentioned lifts, which was good, so I set off.
“Wait, Cat!” a voice said, and when I turned around I could see Senza Sordino, hastily grabbing her luggage in a bid to follow me. “How was your audition?”
“It went well,” I replied modestly. “What about yours?”
“Everything was fine, except the mare in charge got my name wrong. She called me Senza Sardino.”
I giggled involuntarily and then felt guilty until I noticed that she didn’t seem to mind. “Sardino? That’s a great name, can I call you that?”

She shrugged. “I suppose... it’s easier than my full name.”
“Sounds like a magician. Sardino,” I said, poking her in a friendly way. “Do you know any magic tricks?”
“No...”
We trotted along together, heading for the accommodation block. There was a timetable in the envelope, which detailed the activities scheduled for the evening. There were tours of the university leaving every ten minutes until dinner was served, and after dinner seemed to be musical games and ways to get to know everypony else.
“Do you think ‘race through the garden with your instrument’ is designed to torture the pianists?” I asked Sardino, and she giggled.

Sordino and I stayed together for the rest of the evening and we got along quite well. The majority of the ponies here for auditions seemed to be colts, which made me a little nervous because I had never been around so many colts before.
“Will you keep in touch until we know which school we end up going to?” Sardino asked me when the games were coming to an end. “I don’t think we’re getting the same train back.”
Annoyingly, Buckingham School had scheduled me to get an early train. “You’re right. I’ll try to keep in touch.”
“Let me write my address on the back of your timetable. Then you write yours on mine. Just send me a letter when you know where you’re going next year.” She smiled at me, her cheeks red from the last round of ‘musical statues’.

When I left Princess School the next morning, I took a detour through the buildings to get a closer look in the light. They were rather grey in the dismal morning sun, but I thought they looked quite impressive. I liked all of the traditional touches, and I could feel some disappointment tugging at my chest when I left the arches and gardens to go back into Aberneigh and towards the railway station. After all of the stress of the audition, I didn’t think that I could handle a rejection. But all of that was put out of my head when I spotted a clock and realised I was a bit late for my train, so I broke into a swift canter.

My return to Buckingham was far from triumphant, to say the least. I had expecting my three friends to be waiting by the gate, bursting to hear about my audition, but there was only Fly.
“Where are Rarity and Miri?” I asked, not really bothering to cover my annoyance. “It’s not even the morning, they should be awake.”
“Oh, there’s been an announcement so Rarity and Miri are doing official Head Filly stuff,” Fly explained. “I’ll tell you when we get back, but first tell me about your audition.”
“They’d better be apologetic...”

While I was telling Fly about my audition and everything else I had done, I noticed that while she was listening attentively, she was dying to tell me something.
“Are you waiting to tell me about this announcement?” I asked, interrupting a long-winded description of the room I had stayed in.
“No, actually.” I could see her excitement, and it suddenly dawned on me.
“Oh Fly that’s so great! I can’t believe it! You got into Oxmare!” I squealed, hugging her too hard. She let out a gasp of pain.
“Thanks Cat. I just have to get straight As this summer and I can go! I can’t wait!” she said happily, hugging me back but gently.

“You got the letter this morning?” I asked as we headed back to the room, a spring in my step.
“Yes. I hadn’t been expecting it at all,” Fly said, smiling and walking round some first years who were roaming the corridors.
“Congratulations! We’ll have to have a party tonight.”
“Yes, especially since it’s two of us who are happy,” Fly squeezed me with a wing. “I’m sure you’ll be accepted, I don’t know how they couldn’t have liked you.”
“Stop it, Fly. They didn’t say when they’d write, so I just have to wait and focus on my exams,” I replied, secretly pleased by the compliment.

Once safely inside our room, I started to unpack my suitcase. Fly told me about this big announcement that had Miri and Rarity so excited that they ignored me.
“Well, we had this big assembly this morning, and the Head Mare was there and she gave us this boring talk about responsibility and how we needed to study effectively for our exams,” Fly informed me as I took various cleansers back to the bathroom. She lay on my bed, on her back, and didn’t do anything to help. “They think that there’s too much gossip and excitement around for anypony to concentrate.”
“Well that’s mainly Miri’s fault,” I said, laughing. “What did they do, send her to the Head Mare and ban her from gossiping?”

Fly shook her head. “Apparently Miri suggested that the best way for us to get it out of our system was to go on a trip.
I paused. “What kind of trip?” I asked carefully, not allowing myself to get excited.
“A long weekend away,” Fly said, the amusement clear on her face as I grinned like an idiot.
“I can’t wait! That’s going to be awesome! Wait, unless we go somewhere boring...” I squealed, arresting my excitement again.
“That’s what Rarity and Miri are discussing at the moment.”
I smiled. “That makes up for not coming to see me. I don’t mind if it means we get to go somewhere fun.”

The pegasus continued as I put away my empty suitcase. “It’s supposed to be somewhere culturally enriching and educational, but Miri said she would insist on at least one day of leisure so we could enjoy ourselves.”
“I can’t believe Miri pulled this off. If she manages to make it an annual thing, she’ll go down in history at Buckingham,” I replied incredulously. “Then again, if we go somewhere really boring, she’ll be a villain.”
“Can you really imagine Miri letting them send us somewhere boring?” Fly asked with a smirk. “I think that more likely this is going to be Miri’s personal dream destination.”

There was a knock at the door, which I answered. A seventh year I recognised from my maths classes in fifth year was outside.
“Can I help?” I asked, smiling politely.
“Is Miri or Rarity there?” she asked, trying to peer around the door.
“No... why?”
“I was wondered if they knew where we were going on this trip.”
“Not yet, come back when they’re back,” I said, shrugging. “Not sure when that’ll be.” The other pony left, sighing.

We waited on tenterhooks, idly guessing at various destinations. When the door clicked and opened, Rarity had a shock when she found the two of us standing right behind it, waiting for her next words.
“I suppose you’ll want to know where we’re going on this delightful trip?” Rarity said, winking. “Well, thanks to Miri not taking no for an answer, she’s managed to get us four days in Mareis, Prance,” Rarity said slowly, backing away as both Fly and I leapt a foot into a air in excitement, the only difference being that Fly hovered there and I crashed back to the ground.

The news spread like wildfire after Rarity told a few others who came to call at our room, and it was less than an hour before it seemed like every seventh year knew that we were going to Mareis.
“Is Miri on her way back?” I asked Rarity.
The unicorn smiled. “She was supposed to be on her way, by now, but I expect she’s been mobbed by grateful ponies and won’t be joining us until she’s eaten all of her free chocolate biscuits.”
“Well, we can’t hold our celebration party if she’s not back,” Fly said sadly. “It might have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Oh, of course! How was the audition?” Rarity asked, her hooves flying to her mouth as she realised. “I cannot believe I forgot to ask you! I’m so sorry Cat, can you forgive me?”
Her blue eyes were glittering somehow as they looked at me, and I melted. “It’s okay, I had almost forgotten too.”
“So, how was it? I’m sure it went well.”
“Yes, it was great. I’m really confident,” I said, and she gasped and hugged me.
“That’s just fantastic! I know you were really worried about it,” she said, stroking my mane. “I am so proud of you.”

Miri surfaced much later, and had apparently been going from room to room receiving thanks in the form of biscuits and chocolate, some of which she was too stuffed to eat and had to carry.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, collapsing onto her bed and holding her tummy. “I ate too much.”
“Shouldn’t have visited every room in the school,” Rarity said sternly, taking one of her leftover biscuits and nibbling at it.
“I couldn’t resist...”
Fly and I couldn’t stay angry at her. “I can’t believe we’re going to Mareis! Everypony is so excited,” I said, not hugging her in case she was sick and instead choosing to give her a clumsy hoof bump.

The earth pony grunted. “Don’t act too excited or they’ll cancel the trip. Remember, this is supposed to get it all out of your system, not make things worse.”
The words went in one ear and out of the other, and I was already planning what outfits to take and how much money I thought I’d need. For the rest of the week, we seventh years basked in the jealous glow of the other ponies at school and spent all of our free time making plans for the coach ride. It had been announced to take place in a few weeks’ time, so all of the teachers worked us extra hard to make up for the Friday and Monday we’d miss. Nopony seemed to mind, and the shower of chocolate biscuits that Miri was getting meant that she had to go on a crash diet.