It was a quiet Saturday, and not much was going on in the area of Canterlot Castle where the royal cadets resided.

In one of the office areas, several cadets were attending to paperwork and filing, while on a nearby bench, sat two ponies next to a non-descript office door.

“Think this will last much longer?” asked Scootaloo, tapping her hoof impatiently.

It wasn’t long before she had her answer. The door opened, and Sweetie Belle appeared.

“Thank you, Shining Armor,” she said, once she had cleared enough room to properly turn around without knocking anything over with her chest, and giving the stallion behind her enough room to step out of the office too.

“This should finish up the last of our issues regarding the incident,” said the older stallion, who noticed the two ponies on the bench. “And here are some more familiar faces.”

“Thank you for doing ever-thin you’ve done fer Sweetie Belle,” said Applebloom, as Shining shook her hand.

“It’s the least I can do,” smiled Shining Armor, also shaking Scootaloo’s hand. “Anyways, I hate to cut this reunion short, but I need to prepare for a meeting in a few minutes.”

“Alright,” said Sweetie. “We can see ourselves out.”

“Okay,” said Shining as he returned to the office. “Bye, girls.”

“Bye!” the three replied in unison, before walking down the tiled hallway.

Once out of the castle, the three made a beeline for a bakery close to the university campus, and were soon sitting around a table, a cupcake in front of each of them.

“Not the kind Pinkie Pie makes, but close enough,” said Scootaloo. “So what’s up with, you-know-who?”

“Well, Shining Armor wouldn’t tell me much about Chrome,” said Sweetie, “only that-“

“No-no-no,” interrupted Applebloom. “She meant the other you-know-who. We’re not gonna say his name because we don’t wanna upset you.”

“Ooohhh. All I’m allowed to say about ‘him,’ is he probably isn’t going to be here in Canterlot much longer.”

“Oh really?” asked Scootaloo.

“Really. Shining said after what happened at the dance, a few other cadets reported that they believed he planned the attack on Chrome. If it turns out to be true, he may have to start over in a new place.”

“Any idea where he’d be headed?”

“No idea,” said Sweetie Belle. “Maybe he’ll end up transferred up near Griffinstone, and get some sense knocked into him.”

“And what about…the other you-know-who?” asked Applebloom.

“If you mean Chrome-“

“she did,” chuckled Scootaloo.

“-he’s still stuck doing additional duties and services up through mid-May.”

“Poor fella,” said Applebloom.

“Yeah,” sighed Sweetie Belle. “Poor fella.”

“Didn’t even get to finish your dance properly because of you-know-who.”

“Mm-hm.”

“And what that could have led to afterwards.”

“What are you getting at?” asked Sweetie.

“Nuthin,” said Applebloom. “Such a shame, that dress of Rarity’s not even making it all the way through that party. Isn’t there some rumor that if you don’t wear a new dress through a party, it’s not officially broken in?”

“Where in Equestria did you hear that?” Sweetie asked, looking at her friend as if she were crazy.

“Not sure. Swear I heard it somewhere.”

“Girls?” said Scootaloo with a big smile. “I think we should go out, and give that dress a proper send-off before finals.”

“Huh?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“These last few months, we haven’t done hardly anything together, and it’s a few weeks until finals. What do you say we get all done up and have a girls night out?”

“Sounds fun!” smiled Applebloom.

“But where do you think we should go?” asked Sweetie.

“Let’s find somethin’ fancy in Canterlot. Someplace where…a sophisticated pony can be seen.”

As she said this, Applebloom tried to make herself look snooty, causing her friends to laugh.

“I’m in,” said Scootaloo. “Sweetie Belle? How about it?”

“Dressing up fancy with my best friends? I’ll never say no to that,” smiled the fluffy-haired filly.

And with that, the three toasted the plan with their cupcakes, and shoved them into their mouths.

The next day found the three fillies making their way through the upper-class streets of Canterlot. Before long, they had split up to cover more ground on their research trip for their upcoming night out.

After a few hours, they met at a small tea shop, and compared notes. They finally narrowed down their choice of venue to a supper club a few blocks from the castle.

“They said they have live music,” said Scootaloo. “That sounds like fun for sure.”

“I’ll make the reservation later, “ said Applebloom. “And maybe, we could git Sweetie Belle to sing somethin there-“

“Oh n-n-n-n-no,” said Sweetie, waving her hands and causing her chest to jiggle. “I am not singing in front of a room full of ponies.”

“Why not? You kin still carry a tune.”

“And just how would you get the band to play for me? I seriously doubt they’d know any of the few songs I know by heart.”

“Maybe we could pay off the band!” exclaimed Scootaloo.

“Maybe YOU two could pay off the band,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Well maybe we will,” smirked Applebloom. “And if they know one of yer songs, you’ll have tah sing it.”

“Well good luck,” said Sweetie, sticking out her tongue. “Bleeaahhhh!”

“Bleeeaahh,” replied Applebloom and Scootaloo, sticking out their tongues.

“Bleeaahhh,” came the sounds of a little pony at a table next to theirs, copying them and making the three friends break out in laughter.

Afterwards, the three walked around looking for a place where Applebloom and Scootaloo could find dresses for the big event.

They eventually found a discount dress shop a few blocks away from the tea shop, and began trying on dresses, and looking for shoes and accessories.

A few hours later, Sweetie’s friends made their purchases, and they returned to the dorm room.

After dinner, the three decided to try their dresses on to see how they looked as an ensemble.

Sweetie Belle had not yet had her dress from the dance cleaned, so she felt a bit “icky” trying it on after all this time.

It still fit like a glove, though she could swear her chest was puffing out of it a bit more than usual.

Applebloom had chosen a shimmering green dress with light-green swirling accents. It also came with a set of matching gloves that covered her arms all the way past her elbows.

“Never worn gloves b’fore,” she said, flexing her arms. “Feels kinda weird.”

Scootaloo’s dress was a light purple color, and left her back exposed clear down to just above her hips. The top portion covering her chest crossed over in a loop that went around her neck.

“Never wore one of these before,” she said. “Think I should wear pasties underneath?”

“Probably the only option,” said Sweetie Belle.

Once dressed, all three of them turned to look in the tiny mirror on the bathroom door. There wasn’t a lot of room, but the three friends got a good look at themselves, all dressed up for the first time in awhile.

“What do ya think, girls?” asked Applebloom. “Ready fer a little fun?”

“You bet!” said Sweetie Belle holding up her hand. “And I’ll take these to the cleaners tomorrow.”

A moment later, her friends high-fived her, and gave a collective “yeah!”

“How do you feel?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“A little…woozy,” said Chrome, as they both sat down on a bench near the student union, each one holding a to-go cup of tea.

The weather had continued to get warmer as the month of April wore on, and both pony and stallion were wearing warm weather clothing that was accentuating certain areas of their bodies (and causing a number of students to try and not stare at the two of them).

“I think you’ll do fine on Twilight’s next test,” said Sweetie. “You’ve definitely come a long way from earlier in the semester.”

“And look at you,” he replied.

“What about me?” she asked, looking down at her chest, thinking something was on it.

“No, not that. You’re going to pass that course of Twilight’s no problem.”

“Oh come on, it’s not easy! I just, have a bit more…confidence in my abilities.”

“That reminds me,” said Chrome. “I was thinking the other day about how you dropped your first year major. Why not go with one dealing in magic?”

“Really?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Sure! I mean, you already have an advantage by knowing the Princess of Friendship-and before you say it, I’m not meaning you should get a free ride because you know her, but you might be able to utilize your magic skills once you graduate.”

“Doing what?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you could get a job at the castle, or, go up to the Crystal Empire. I’m not the best stallion to know what to do, exactly. I mean, I’m just a cadet.”

“But you’re very good at being a cadet,” smiled Sweetie Belle. “By the way, any chance you’d be able to get out of your extra duties earlier?”

“I told you last time, that’s not gonna happen,” said Chrome, in snappy tone.

“Okay-okay,” Sweetie said quickly. “Sorry I brought it up.”

“I just need to deal with it, and move on, like my Father says.”

“Have you spoken to him recently, or your Mom?”

“Not in awhile. I should do that soon.”

“Yeah, you should. And what about your friends I met at the dance?”

“Clear Sight and Steel Spirit? Oh I still see them almost every day, nothing’s changed there.”

“You sound a little happier talking about them just now,” noted Sweetie, taking a drink.

“Oh that’s right, I didn’t tell you,” said Chrome, his mood still upbeat. “Next Saturday we’re going to hit a few bars in Canterlot. Brawny Bones was transferred out of Canterlot a few days ago, and they figured that called for a little celebration.”

“Sounds like fun,” said Sweetie. “Maybe me and my friends will see you out on the streets. We’re going to spend the evening at a supper club and have a little fun before we really have to start studying for finals.”

“Glad you three found some time to do that,” remarked Chrome. “Gives you all a chance to have a little fun.”

“Mm-hm,” said Sweetie, taking another sip, and then asking Chrome if he had heard if Brawny had confessed to the attack.

Sweetie Belle was observing herself in the full-length mirror on the bathroom door.

Her friends were running late, and rather than wait for them to help her, she had utilized her magic to put on her bra, get into her dress, as well as brush and style her hair to be even pouffier than usual.

“Not bad,” she said to herself, before giggling at how she just sounded like her big sister. “Now what is taking those two so long? We’re gonna be late!”

She clopped across the floor and got herself a drink from the fridge. It was just then that there was a knock on the door.

“It’s about time, you two,” said Sweetie Belle, opening it.

Instead, she found herself looking into the bewildered spectacles of a freckled pony.

“Um, uh, um…are you Sweetie Belle?” she asked.

“Mm-hm,” nodded Sweetie.

The pony handed her a note, and took off.

Opening it up, Sweetie began to read it.

Scootaloo and I have to help Sunny Sprint with something really important. Sorry we’re running behind, but please go to the Supper Club, and we’ll meet you there. Really sorry about this.

• Applebloom

Sweetie Belle closed the door and sat on her bed.

It wasn’t like her friends to be late, and what if they needed help?

She wrestled with her conscience for a little while longer, before deciding to do as the note said.

Putting her faux wrap over her bare shoulders, she gave herself one more going-over in the mirror, picked up her clasp, and headed out the door.

If only Chrome wasn’t out with his friends tonight, I’d have asked him to escort me to the club, thought Sweetie Belle, as she made her way across the campus grounds.

There was still some light out in the sky, but even with how she was dressed (and the vast amount of cleavage she was displaying), she couldn’t help feeling exposed.

Stop thinking like that Sweetie Belle, she said to herself. It’s not like you don’t have magic. If push comes to shove, you can defend yourself in that way.

Pretty soon, she was making her way down crowded sidewalks off the campus grounds.

Just like during the walk to the castle dance, a number of well-to-do ponies and stallions were eyeing her. Sweetie tried to ignore the upturned muzzles a few ponies gave her, let alone the wandering eye of a number of older stallions as she passed on by.

Soon she reached the Supper Club’s doors and entered into the crowded lobby area, where a maitre’d stood behind a small podium.

“Good evening madam,” he smiled. “How may I help you?”

“I’m part of a reservation for three,” she said. “It should be under my friend Applebloom’s name.”

“Alright,” said the stallion, looking over his papers, before looking confused. “Strange, I don’t see an Applebloom marked down here.”

“Well how about Scootaloo? She’s my other friend.”

“Hmmmm, um…nothing for that name either.”

“Sweetie Belle? That’s my name.”

“Ummm…sorry,” said the Maitre d.

“Th-there must be some mistake,” she said, growing concerned. “My friend told me she called and made the reservation a few days ago. Maybe you can pencil us in for the evening anyway?”

“I’m sorry Ms Belle, but we are a rather small club, and our main floors seating is fully booked for tonight.”

“B-but my friends are still coming,” she said. “I-they-we…we were supposed to be here this evening.”

“I’m terribly sorry my dear, but like I said, we have no more seating.”

“I, um…ok,” said Sweetie Belle, dejectedly..

Looking around, she wasn’t sure where to go, but saw an open chair along the nearby wall of the bar. Carefully she weaved her way past a number of ponies (a few giving her dirty looks).

She sat down, wondering what to do next. By now her friends were probably back at the dorm getting into their dresses. And when they showed up…well…maybe they could find something else to do on short notice.

Sweetie Belle tried to fight the feeling of disappointment in her stomach. As she closed her eyes and attempted to concentrate, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Excuse me, miss,” came a stallion’s voice. “I think you might need this.”

“She opened her eyes, and found a blue hand holding a glass of water.

“Thank you,” she said, gulping down the glass like a thirsty racehorse.

It was after she returned the glass to the hand, and looked at the face of her benefactor, that her green eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Author's Note

This was one of those crazy chapters. I was afraid it might take a few days to really nail down, but knowing “the bones” of the format, it fleshed out incredibly easily. It took one drafting, and a small amount of tweaking to finish up.

I do feel this could have gone on a bit longer in places, but the talking really made me figure out where the focus should be.

It was also nice to plan something with the girls, given where much of the focus for the story has been over the myriad chapters.