Snickers woke up the next morning with a yawn and stretch, shivering as his muscles relaxed and tensed by his exertion. Smacking his lips, he looked around his room and his bed, his mood starting bland for the day. “Waking up alone after sleeping with others is just… I feel sad,” he sighed and then noticed the cape.

His mood brightened a little and he got up from the bed and put it on, adjusting it on his back before leaping from the edge to the floor and prancing to the full body mirror in the room. He struck a pose and showed his side, pride growing in his chest and pressure growing in his bladder.

“Damn it, just when I’m lookin’ good,” he winked to his reflection and quickly made it to the bathroom. He walked in, the faint weight of humidity and clear scents of several shampoos and conditioners let him know he at least wasn’t the first one awake, however he wasn’t awoken, either.

“No line… no giggling, gossip, teasing, or talking,” he sighed as he stood over the toilet and let go, “this really is sad… I’m just being lame, right?”

Eventually, Snickers made it downstairs and looked into the kitchen. “Empty,” he mumbled and backtracked to the sewing room and heard the telltale sound of a sewing machine. “Hey, mom,” he said at the threshold, “makin’ dresses and stuff?”

Rarity nodded. “Ah, yes. As you can see, I’ve got three dresses and a suit top to make by sunset,” she stopped the machine and looked at him, tilting her muzzle down to see over her glasses, “do you need help with anything?”

Snickers shook his head. “Nah, just… lonely,” he poked at the carpet awkwardly, “I haven’t been this alone since I got to Equestria, I guess.”

“Awww, come here, darling,” Rarity opened her forelegs and gave Snickers a gentle hug. “Sweetie, I haven’t a problem with you spending time with me while I work, but do you know what time it is?” Snickers shook his head against Rarity’s chest. “Nearly nine in the morning. If you wish, you can still make it to school.”

Snickers leaned back and looked at her with a bit of hope. “That’s today? I can go?!” Rarity giggled and nodded. Snickers leapt to hug her around her neck. “Thanks, mom! I’ll get my notepad and backpack.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Snickers,” she called and he stopped at the curtain separating the rooms, “come here for a moment,” she said with a raised eyebrow. Snickers complied and quickly cantered back, still grinning. Rarity sniffed at him; his mane, his back, she turned him and snuffled at his side. “As I thought, you didn’t shower this morning, did you?”

Snickers shook his head, clearly starting to become antsy to move and leave. “No, but I’m fine.”

“I’d say not,” she let a grin cross her lips, “since you know the rule. Nopony shall leave this house without looking fabulous,” she stood, “and your forelegs smell like a cologne called ode de penis, and we can’t have that, can we?”

Snickers stopped and blushed through his brown coat. “M-mom?!”

“Come along, darling. Once you’re clean you can go to school, the longer it takes…” she let the answer be, knowing he knew it.

Fifteen minutes later, Snickers was clean, his coat quickly brushed, his mane smoothed and held with daytime conditioner and slightly styled, his blue and white shirt was on, and he had to have Rarity help teach him how to brush and floss before she gave him a small meal bar to snack on while she packed a meal in his saddlebags.

Rarity knew everything she’d done to clean him would be ruined before he got home, but she could see the grin on his face as he ran around the show floor, making sure he had everything he’d need for school while chewing his meal bar like a wad of gum. “Snickers, darling? Are we ready to go?”

“Mgph,” he replied.

Rarity walked to his saddlebags and lifted them with her magic, adding the last items and lunch. “I told you to take bites, now you’ll be chewing for at least three more minutes,” she teased, “at least you keep your mouth closed as much as you can. Come along, bags on!”

Snickers ran to the door and let her slip them over his back and cinch the girth under him getting a quiet grunt. “Sorry, darling. If it’s not tight it’ll slip off or spin under you… that’s the start of much teasing and mockery among foals your age, so we shan’t have that, shall we?”

Snickers shook his head and then bumped the door handle with his lips and grumbled. He pointed to his mouth and the door handle with a frown. “Snickers, I hope you learn from this,” she said opening the door and watching his tail as the last thing she saw from him as he ran from his home.

Trotting at a steady pace, Snickers chewed and finally cleared his mouth after a block with a sigh. “Finally, I won’t be doing that again,” he said smiling at adults he passed.

“Hey, shouldn’t you be in school?” A mare asked from her market stall.

“On my way, I had tummy troubles, but I’m better now,” he said passing and the mare nodded understanding. She waved with a smile and the rest of the trot was completely normal, which he was glad for. No weirdness was great, and arriving in class he was welcomed with smiles and waves. A seat was saved for him where he was before and once he sat down the lesson resumed and the seat formed to him supporting the odd sitting position that they all had.

“Miss Cheerilee?” Snickers raised his foreleg abashed.

“Yes, Snickers?”

“I can read and everything, but I’ve never learned to write with my mouth,” he said and his ears flattened when fillies giggled and the colts snickered.

Miss Cheerilee smiled at Snickers, then scolded the class. “Class, be nice. Snickers, I understand, but when you took the test with me you used your hooves just fine. Can you do that in class, please?”

Snickers nodded and looked at the ponies around him with pencils in their lips while he had to take one between his hooves. The writing was vastly different, he noticed. Smooth strokes or rounded edges on the pages around him, while he wrote like an expected horse with a pencil in their hooves would write.

He looked at the notes he’d tried to take at the pace Miss Cheerilee wrote and set his pencil down. He leaned over to his right. “Scoots, can I copy your notes?” he whispered and got a nod in reply. “Thanks.”

He’d missed recess, but lunch was even better. Sitting under a tree with the CmC and Silver Spoon, they ate and talked about their day so far, each avoiding the topic of the shared vision but the looks Silver Spoon was giving Scootaloo and Apple Bloom was giving Silver Spoon was obvious by each of them.

“So,” Scootaloo said, finally broaching the topic, “I guess I was the only one to get Snickers out, huh?”

The rest of the fillies grumbled. “Yeah, we get it, Scootaloo, yer the bee’s knees. Ah don’t see the big deal, we all got out and learned a lot in the process, right?” Apple Bloom said.

Snickers nodded. “Yeah, I think I learned the most, though.” The attention was on him. “Well, first I learned there aren’t any tag-back, and the swings are safe!” Snickers reached over and tapped Scootaloo’s foreleg and ran away. The others looked at Scootaloo’s leg and realized what had just happened, scattering, except for Silver Spoon.

“Go play your game, it’s not my type of--”

“Tag, you’re it, and winner gets a hug!” Scootaloo shouted as she ran with her wings flapping.

Silver Spoon hesitated, looking at her lunchbox and then to Scootaloo before giving up and giving chase. “You’re on!”

***

The group gathered their saddlebags and helped one another put them on before leaving class. “So, I’ve got a surprise for you,” Snickers said proudly getting the fillies to stop what they were doing and look at him expectantly. “But, I’ll have to show you later at the Clubhouse… so, what’re we doing next, now that school’s out?”

Apple Bloom tapped her hoof. “Ah’m thinkin’ a snack at Sugarcube Corner.”

“I wanna pick some flowers for a lovely snack,” Sweetie suggested.

“I just wanna hang with my best friends,” Scootaloo said and hugged Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, “c’mon you two, get in here,” she said adding the others.

Silver Spoon stepped back and flipped her braid. “Well, after that messy game at lunch, I guess that’s the best hug I’ll be getting.”

“Don’t be hard on yourself…” Snickers snickered and Scootaloo rolled her eyes, “sorry. Just keep playing and you’ll get better. C’mon, let’s blow this popcicle stand,” he said and took the lead. Once out of the schoolhouse he stumbled and tripped over his saddlebags. Sitting up he laughed. “Mom was right!”

A few others around him laughed while he untangled his hind legs from the bags and got them on, making sure they were tight before he walked off this time. “Okay, so… when do we go crusading?” Snickers asked. “I’ve only gone with you a couple times, but you had to pick me up from home and that’s just not the same.”

Sweetie answered. “Oh, we have to meet at the Clubhouse and start with our pledge, then we can go over what to try. The list is getting kinda short, but with you here; we’ve got new ideas from another world!” Snickers shushed her. “Oh, sorry.”

Scootaloo switched places with Sweetie Belle. “Why can’t everypony know? It’s totally awesome that you’re… you know.”

Snickers shook his head. “Nope, not taking the risk. Last thing I want is some trouble popping up out of nowhere after I’ve had such a great day already.”

“Hold it right there!” A filly’s voice called from a sidestreet.

Snickers exhaled his troubles in a single breath. “What is it, DT?”

“Come here,” Diamond Tiara commanded. “I’m not gonna hit you, if that’s what you’re so chicken about.”

Snickers started walking to the commanding filly against the other’s wishes. They stayed close and kept the numbers advantage, even while checking the windows, walls, doors, and roofs for possible assassins or ninjas that could attack them. “What is it… ouch, I’m sorry about your muzzle,” Snickers said looking at her up close.

Diamond’s muzzle was swollen and stitched, the worst of it wasn’t even Snickers’s fault, but he still felt bad, and it showed. “You did this to me, to my beautiful muzzle,” she stepped closer to him with a frown. “I can’t tour the pagaent circuit until next year and my mom won’t let me have this healed because it’s a life lesson, she says."

Snickers’s ears lowered.

Diamond Tiara continued. “I have to stay in Ponyville until the end of this season,” she sniffled and her eyes watered. “Do you know what that means?”

Snickers shook his head weakly. “That you can’t perform, or something?”

“No, you butt,” she reached around his head and pulled him into a kiss, whimpering from the pain on her muzzle while everypony else was in shock at what they were seeing and what was happening. She let him go and stepped back, wiping her eyes. “I can actually be with my friend… if she’ll take me back.”

Silver Spoon closed her mouth and stepped from the group to Snickers’s side and then closed his mouth with her forehoof. “Why should I be friends with you again, Diamond? After what you said to me?”

Diamond stood tall and proud, but her voice belied her feelings. “I’m sorry I said what I said. I don’t think you’re just trying to,” she looked around, “do what I said.”

“No, Diamond, say it. I want everypony else to hear what you told me,” Silver challenged.

Diamond slumped and looked at the ground in the first sign of weakness any of them, except Silver Spoon, had ever see. “I… said that you wanna dam a bastard child of some worthless orphan.” Diamond raised a foreleg to protect herself from an attack that didn’t come. “I was mad and didn’t want to lose you as a friend, and not only did I lose you, but I realized that you’re all I have.

“I’m not into you, Snickers. That was a thank you kiss, nothing else, but if you still have your herd…”

“No fucking way,” Snickers stated.

Diamond flinched and took a step back. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Snickers rolled his eyes. “Not that, the herd is over and done with. Best case, you can be friends with all of us,” he said stepping closer to Silver Spoon, who smiled widely at the closeness and played with her braid with a forehoof. “Worst case, you stay a bully and alone all year until you go crazy and get a cat, maybe three,” he narrowed his eyes, “and you know what that means.”

Diamond gulped and timidly stepped closer to Snickers and Silver Spoon. She was a foreleg’s distance and raised one between the two. “I’ll do anything to not be alone, even if it means spending time with bla--”

“Shut it, Diamond Tiara,” Silver Spoon snapped. “You were one, I was one… and I remember getting my mark first and having a blank flank for a friend, and not once did I tease her,” Silver Spoon stomped the ground, “and you have to stop using hurtful words and names, or I’ll stop talking to you and I won’t be your friend anymore.”

The other fillies ran to form a line. “Yeah, us, too,” Scootaloo said. “And, I wanna ’pology for you teasing my wings, and Sweetie’s magic, and being mean to us for the last two years for no reason.”

Silver nodded. “It’s all of us, or none of us… what do you want to do?”

Snickers extended a foreleg and waited as Diamond looked at the five looking at her and raised her foreleg quickly, bumping her hoof to Snickers’s. “I’m in.”

“That’s what she said,” Snickers snickered again and moved forward hugging a nervous and confused Diamond Tiara.

“But, I did just say that,” Diamond said as she was enveloped in a massive group hug.

From a window above, a mare looked down and nodded approvingly, glad she didn’t have to break up another fight and cause more trouble for the hurt filly.

***

“Hi-ya, Snickers and friends!” Pinkie waved from the counter at Sugarcube corner. She exchanged bits for a box of treats before beckoning the group over. “Shakes, tarts, pies, cookies, muffins… cupcakes?” She dragged the last word out pointing to one on display that looked like it was the bane and boon of dentists everywhere.

The foals placed their orders and rushed to a table, jockeying for a specific seat by playfully shoving, climbing over one another, and in two cases, sitting on the lap of an unhappy friend to get the desired spot while Snickers watched from the floor before taking an end seat next to a very nervous Diamond Tiara.

“Diamond,” Snickers said resting a forehoof on the table in front of her, “I’m really sorry about how we met and everything I did to you. I know what it’s like to be hurt on my muzzle like I did to you, and even bucked in my gut like I did to Silver Spoon, only way worse. It shouldn’t have happened that way, and I hope you can forgive me,” he finished, looking into her eyes.

Diamond raised a foreleg and rested her forehoof on the table, unsure of what to do. “I dunno, Snickers. I mean, I was mean to you when I just met you and didn’t even… I mean, I should h-have b-b… been nicer to all of y-you,” she whimpered and leaned back, covering her eyes with her forelegs and looking down.

Snickers turned and hugged her first. The table was loudly moved away and in the empty space four fillies crowded around Diamond Tiara and hugged her.

“I forgive you.”
“Me, too.”
“Me, three.”
“You’re my friend again, don’t forget that.”

Diamond lowered her forelegs and with wet eyes leaking tears that matted the fur under her eyes, she sobbed and hugged Snickers back, crying over his shoulder. Scootaloo climbed up behind Snickers and side hugged Diamond and Sweetie Belle hugged Diamond from behind, surrounding the pink filly with compassion.

A light emanated from Snickers’s chest, unseen and unknown by everyone, powered by the warmth their hearts shared that spread into Diamond Tiara and calmed her aching heart. Diamond stopped crying and sniffled, nuzzling Snickers and then Scootaloo leaning beside him. “Thanks, everypony,” Diamond finally said softly and the hug ended.

The table was returned and Diamond was moved to the center seat between Silver Spoon and Snickers to her sides. Finally, their snacks and treats arrived with a small ice cream on the house for Diamond Tiara from Pinkie Pie. “Thanks, Pinkie Pie,” Diamond smiled for the first time since meeting the group earlier.

“You have a pretty smile,” Snickers said to Diamond getting a spit take as she took her first spoon of ice cream. The table laughed and he raised a forehoof across the table to Scootaloo and got a bump. “Nailed it. Seriously, though, you do have a nice smile and you should do it more.”

Pinkie ran over with a towel and wiped the mess up and gave Diamond Tiara a new ice cream with spoon the span of three seconds. “Enjoy, and that was a good one, Snickers.” Pinkie bumped his hoof and ran back to the counter to help another customer.

“R-ight, so, Pinkie just happened,” Snickers said.

Apple Bloom nibbled on a carrot muffin. “Diamond Tiara, Snickers is really nice when yer not mean ta him, he’ll say sweet stuff like that whenever, so ya kinda get used to it.”

Sweetie nodded. “Yeah, but it’s still nice to hear a colt say nice stuff about me.”

“Sweetie,” Snicker said sincerely, “your ears are cute when they’re up like that. And they’re cuter when you blush.” The teasing was intense and Sweetie had to cover her ears to hide the blush that had touched them after his comment. “Apple Bloom,” the filly sat up expectantly, “I love how your bow matches your mane so well.”

Apple Bloom unconsciously adjusted her bow and realized what she was doing in time to grab her muffin and take a quick bite before she said something she’d regret from the light teasing she was already getting.

Snickers moved on to the next, since he was already on a roll. “Silver Spoon, I love your braid. It’s so neat how you always have it done.”

Silver played with her braid. “R-really? Thanks, I do it myself, actually.”

“Scootaloo,” Snickers said looking at the filly. Scootaloo sat up and leaned against the table with her eyes wide and ears listening. “You have some icing on your nose,” he said with a cheeky grin and got a cupcake thrown at him in response. “Hm, this is yummy.”

“Hey, give that back!” Scootaloo shouted and climbed over the table as Snickers ate as much of the cupcake he could. Scootaloo was held back. “Pinkie! I need a replacement cupcake!”

Pinkie leaned over the bench seat behind Scootaloo. “Sorry, filly. No refunds or replacements on thrown goods, because then they’re bads. And we don’t serve baked bads, never again,” Pinkie winked and slunk back down, taking the order of a stallion at the counter a second later.

“I’m sure we can make a trade,” Snickers said sliding his cheesecake over to Scootaloo. Scootaloo sat and grumpily took the slice and spoon. Snickers sneezed icing across the table and Pinkie popped back up behind Scootaloo and reached over her to clean up the mess.

Pinkie was still happy, but there was an undertone of frustration hidden very well. “Try to keep it clean, kids. I’ve got a lot of work to do today, okay?”

“Yes, Miss Pinkie Pie,” they all droned and looked between one another with smirks.

Author's Note

Soon this book will be done and the next will start with a colt being a colt. Making new friends, starting a new journey, and finding himself in new situations nopony planned for.