Strictly speaking, Vision Cone didn't need to monitor the dorm at night. Not even Principal Cinch had asked her to. But Vision's mother had made clear the risks of boarding while sandwiched between two floors of boys, and someone had to watch out for her fellow students' virtue!

Besides, walking the halls meant Vision wasn't left to her own devices. Or her dreams. Which had taken a recent turn that Mother would definitely disapprove of.

Vision shivered as she shook the memories out of her head and pulled her free hand away from her pajama shorts. She could’ve sworn her camisole hadn’t been thin enough to give her a chill when she’d put it on. To say nothing of how the fabric brushed against her—

The creak of a door dragged her mind away from the state of her body, adrenaline chasing out her growing fatigue and other sensations. Vision dashed to the sound, relying more on her knowledge of the floor plan than her eyes. The hall lights had gone off hours ago, and she tried to limit her flashlight use to keep any boys from knowing she was there. Still, she needed to see the details of this incident, so on it went.

A moment later, Vision dropped the flashlight in shock.

The beam danced about the hall, bringing three colors of bare skin in and out of sight, reflecting off of dull eyes and highlighting lazy smiles. They didn’t seem to mind the sudden light. If anything, it just made their smiles wider.

Vision could’ve sworn the three were barely trudging forward, but the next thing she knew, there were lips pressed against hers and hands roaming about her body. She stiffened as one squeezed her buttocks. She ought to object, to pull away, to scream to anyone who might hear…

But then they might see. And thinking beyond the humiliation, who knew what these girls might do to other onlookers?

A breathy voice whispered into her ear, the breeze enough to make her quiver. Or maybe that was someone pulling down her shorts. “Hey. You’re up late. Want to have some fun?”

Vision tried to think of what Mother might say to such a proposition. Then a tongue slipped into her mouth and she found it very difficult to think of anything at all.

The next thing she knew, her new friends were leading her to a dorm room and showing her things she’d never known, and the world seemed to have a gauzy filter over it, as if someone had thrown a sheer camisole over a flashlight.

Lemon Zest awoke to the smell of sweat and the sight of two perky, apple-sized blue tits. Her eyes darted up to see that Sugarcoat was awake, browsing on her phone, and like Lemon herself, was very much still naked.

Even if Lemon had cared about propriety, she was pretty sure this situation wasn’t found in most etiquette guides. "Um..."

"You don't snore when someone else is in your bed," said Sugarcoat, not looking away from the device. Though the arm around Lemon's shoulders was sending some mixed signals. "That or you were just completely exhausted from last night, but the Internet assures me that snoring doesn't work that way."

Lemon ducked under the arm and shifted to the other side of the mattress. She needed to think, and that wasn't easy with an admittedly great rack two inches away. "So last night actually happened?"

That got Sugarcoat to glance at her, one eyebrow raised. "Can you think of any other reason why we'd share a bed?"

Lemon rubbed the back of her head. She knew she was putting everything on display, but after last night, modesty felt like a moot point. "Well, I mean, I know you're not looking for a relationship, but we're obviously comfortable with each other. Already got that whole ‘watch each other’ setup. Wanna blow off steam together more directly?"

"Hmm." Sugarcoat put down her phone. "An empty, purely physical relationship?"

"Hey, I like to think we're friends." Lemon shrugged. "Just, you know, with benefits."

That got a small grin out of Sugarcoat. "I never said a purely physical relationship was a bad thing, but you raise a good point." She leaned over and began to knead one of Lemon's breasts.

It took a few moments for Lemon to get herself to pull away. "Not that this isn't nice, but I didn't mean now."

"It's Saturday morning. What else were you going to do?"

"I got plans this afternoon."

Sugarcoat glanced at Lemon’s clock radio. "It's not even nine."

"Oh.” Lemon grinned and leaned in for a kiss. “Okay then."

She’d been half-joking. Sugarcoat clearly wasn’t, going by how she grabbed Lemon by the back of the head and practically slammed their lips together. She kissed the way she spoke, no nonsense, no frills, and no expectation of or appreciation for either. This wasn’t a delicate, loving peck. It was the glove slap before a tongue duel. And Lemon found that the duel had begun while she was still processing the opening move.

Lemon fell back onto her sheets, still not sure if she was actually enjoying this or not. Sugarcoat bringing a hand to one of her boobs helped. Once her motor was running, Sugar’s breastplay was almost as rough as her kissing, but Lemon appreciated a good nipple tweak a lot more than the continued effort to swallow her tongue. Orally, it was all she could do to hold on, but she was happy to return the favor on Sugarcoat’s chest.

Finally, Sugarcoat pulled away for a breath. Lemon offered the best grin she could under the circumstances. “Really wanted to shut me up, huh?”

“If you’re looking for gentle lovemaking, you’ve got the wrong girl.” Sugarcoat trailed a fingernail down Lemon’s side for emphasis.

Lemon hissed as the sensation left tingles on her skin. “That’s cool. I’m cool with that. Just went from zero to sixty real quick there.”

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow. “If you think that’s sixty, we’re going to have problems down the line.” Her fingers kept going lower, soon settling into a circular pattern on Lemon’s inner thigh.

“You’re seriously gonna tease me after that?” said Lemon, trying her hardest not to pant like one of the actresses in last night’s little film festival.

The eyebrow only went higher. “I may be rough, but I know better than to ram fingers in while you’re bone dry.” Sugar’s fingers moved those last few inches, and her other eyebrow joined its partner. “Oh.”

Lemon found herself giving a sheepish grin. “Anyone who isn’t a little damp downstairs after that is either straighter than a ruler or dead.”

“Don’t say ‘damp.’ It’s almost as bad as ‘moist.’”

Lemon didn’t exactly have a long list of things people had said to her just before they started to finger her, but that was easily the worst entry.

Her mind scrambled for something else to think about so the endorphins could kick in properly. “So,” she said as her own hand made its way along Sugarcoat’s hips, “think the others are doing something like this?”

Sugar’s fingers slowed for a moment as she thought. “The idea seems highly improbable.” Their speed redoubled as she gave a wicked grin. “But also very hot.”

Sunny Flare suspected someone had felt very proud of themselves when they'd put her in the same room as a girl named Moondancer. Thankfully, despite the wordplay, neither was much of a morning person and both respected the sanctity of the weekend.

Whoever was shrieking in her ear was not so considerate.

After the shriek, Sunny processed several things in quick succession: She wasn’t in her own bed, she was naked, and the screamer was another girl, which made the previous data a lot less concerning.

After a bit of stretching on Sunny’s part, the gray girl paused for breath. “You done?” Sunny said while she had the chance.

“Bu- but I- This isn’t- I don’t—”

Sunny rolled her eyes as she got out of bed. Indigo Zap and Sour Sweet were both watching from the other bed, amused smirks on their faces and ill-fitting pajamas on their bodies. Going by the posters of fighter jets, the pile of laundry, and the stuffed animal holding a switchblade, this was their dorm. She was aware of her own nudity, but that was low enough on the list of issues that she could put it out of mind for now. “You two want to help?”

“Aww,” Sour cooed, “but you were so sweet sleeping next to each other!” The wicked grin came back with a vengeance, though it might have worked better if she weren’t spilling out of her top. “And at least I got to see one of you panic.”

“I can never get married!” cried the other girl, holding the comforter over her own bare body.

Indigo blinked at her. “Wow, what century did she come from?”

Sunny rubbed her head, not only because of the yelling right next to it. “Everything after that second ‘film’ is a blur. I’d think Lemon spiked the drinks, but we weren’t drinking anything.”

“Well, Indigo and I both woke up sore, sticky, cuddling, and not wearing anything.” Sour snorted. “Clearly we all had a lollipop humping contest.”

Sunny rolled her eyes and turned to the other girl, who now seemed on the verge of hyperventilation. “Look, what’s your name?”

That got her a deer-in-headlights look through two-tone teal bangs. “V-Vision Cone.”

Sunny clapped her on the shoulder. “Well, Vision, good news. This isn’t a Mane Austere novel and you don’t need to worry about securing a dowry for your ailing father. Congratulations on discovering your bi- or pansexuality. What room are you in?”

The poor girl boggled like she’d been told the sky wasn’t actually blue. “T-two sixteen?”

“Perfect; I’m across the hall from you.” Sunny began browsing the room for signs of terrycloth. “We’ll borrow some towels and run for it before more people wake up. Throw in some giggling and they may not know it’s a walk of shame.”

“Assuming we’ll let you borrow towels.”

Indigo nudged her roommate. “Not the time, Sour.”

Sour pouted and pointed at Vision. “But she’s so fun when she squirms!” After a blink, she added, “Oh. Think I remembered something from last night.”

Vision blushed so hard she almost turned brown before completely burying her head in the bedclothes. Sunny didn’t have the heart to tell her that left her rear end sticking out for all to see.

Indigo stood, highlighting her growth-spurt midriff, and pulled two towels out of the pile on her floor. “Here.”

Sunny wrapped one around herself and draped the other over Vision’s bare bottom. “Come on. To paraphrase Spear Shaker, let’s exit like we’re being pursued by a bear.”

Eventually, Lemon managed to escape the Sugary honey trap and prep for her day out.

“How’s this?”

“You have a plumber’s crack while standing up straight.”

In theory.

“This?”

“Your nipples stand out so much, people may claim they’re trying to read Braille.”

In practice, that meant running through a casual wardrobe that she’d outgrown without noticing, all while a still nude Sugarcoat offered advice that straddled the line between aggravating and enticing.

Lemon wasn’t sure when or how it had happened, but her own lemons had ripened to oranges and her hips had followed suit. She paced about in nothing but a pair of especially elastic panties. They were the only thing she’d found that fit, and they still left her in a state of almost painted-on cameltoe. “Ugh, I haven’t exploded like this since middle school. Are they slipping hormones in the lunches or what?”

“Hmm…” Sugarcoat looked off into the distance, a finger idly rubbing against her lower lips as she imagined something. Probably their whole class supersizing the same way Lemon had. And, come to think of it, the way Sugar had as well; Lemon could see a good bit more on her roommate now that she was looking for it.

All those people, barely even able to wear clothes, wandering the halls of Crystal Prep. Why, who knew what would—

Lemon shook the image out of her head and all but peeled her hand off of her own breast. “Don’t have time for this right now.” She turned back to her assembled wardrobe. Process of elimination had left her with only one option.

Once it was on, Sugarcoat was still lost in fantasy, so Lemon gave herself a once-over in a makeup mirror she’d used maybe a dozen times before. “Hard to tell with this thing, but I… think it’ll work?” She leaned back and stretched out her arm, trying to get a mirror meant for her face to show all of her. “Am I showing underboob again? Not a good look.”

A sigh and the sound of a camera shutter got Lemon to put down the mirror. “Oh. Right. Technology also works.”

She considered the picture now displayed on Sugarcoat’s phone. There was no underboob to be had, but it was a near miss. She was still rocking much more midriff than she’d have preferred. The tank top nearly matching her skin tone didn’t help matters there. Plus, the bright yellow skirt only reached down to mid-thigh.

“I’m gonna have to be careful bending over,” Lemon concluded.

Sugarcoat nodded. “The co-eds in last night’s porn were wearing more.”

“Will it get me arrested?”

“Not immediately.”

Lemon sighed. “It’ll have to do. Good thing I was already planning on the mall today.”

The bus ride to Canterlot Mall wasn’t as awkward as she’d feared. Sure, she got some looks, but they were definitely more appreciative than judgemental. The knot in Lemon’s stomach had completely uncoiled by the time she walked into the mall. By that point, her only concern was finding the bobbing head of electric blue hair.

"Vinyl!"

It was easy to tell that Vinyl Scratch had found her. Lemon just had to watch for the double take. Watching her try to pull her jaw off the ground was icing on the cake. “The hell are they feeding you guys?”

Lemon couldn’t help but grin. “You know, I asked that myself earlier. Part of why I’m out here. Need something that I won’t burst out of.” The grin widened. “Though I haven’t heard any complaints yet.”

Vinyl gave a smirk of her own. “Yeah, no doubt.” As they moved through the mall, her head bobbed like an off-kilter metronome, slowly dragging down and to the side before she caught herself and snapped back up, only for the process to repeat. She wasn’t the only one, but she was Lemon’s only opportunity to watch the cycle multiple times. “Didn’t even bother with a bra?”

“Not unless I want to slice my shoulders open.” Lemon rubbed one, recalling the trials and copious errors of that morning. She rubbed her chin as inspiration struck. “You know about the crazy horse magic, right?”

That got a shrug and another attempt to look Lemon in the eyes. “As much as anyone who doesn’t have any. You pick up a few things from being the Rainbooms’ main roadie, but I’m not earning my wizard staff any time soon. Pretty much told you everything I know at the Games. Why?”

“I may have been freaking out during the whole ‘collapsing reality’ thing, but Twilight looked like she’d gone up a cup size after going mad with power. Does that stuff, you know, enhance your attributes?”

“Not that I’ve seen. Although…” Vinyl trailed off again, though this time she did so while facing away from Lemon’s chest.

“Yeah?”

“We could ask her.” Vinyl moved to the glass partitions blocking off their floor of the mall and pointed into the open space below them.

Lemon followed along to the food court, and to an all-too-familiar figure assaulting a burger. “Oh.” The knot in her gut rewound itself. “Um…”

“Bad blood still?”

“No, just awkward lymph.” Lemon bit her lip. “And maybe some anxious cerebrospinal fluid.”

Vinyl’s eyebrows rose over her shades. “You really do come up with this stuff on the fly. I thought you just did it on Disqorse.”

“Yeah. It’d be real great if it helped me figure out what to say to the girl who I peer-pressured into demonhood.”

A hand around Lemon’s wrist broke her out of her thinking in desperate circles. “Alright, come on,” Vinyl said as she dragged her to a nearby escalator.

Lemon tugged back half-heartedly. “Hey, what gives?”

“We’re going over there,” said Vinyl. “I’m not gonna say anything. You will clear the air with Twilight and get this out of the way.”

“I have a counterproposal: We can do literally anything else.” Lemon smirked and leaned down, a tricky feat given the continued dragging. “Anything.”

Vinyl didn’t even glance back. “Friendship problem now, then get back to me after I see if Tavi’s up for a threesome.”

“Hey, this is a friendship problem! Uniting the schools, overcoming the rivalry, all that good stuff.” Lemon made sure there weren’t any children among her onlookers before adding “Just, you know, through the symbolic act of boinking.”

“I’ll get back to you on that after you talk to Twilight. Like I said, Lemon, I’m their roadie. You’re gonna run into her fairly often if we’re gonna keep hanging out.”

Lemon threw her head back and groaned. “Curse you, with your valid arguments and making logical sense. I get enough of that from—” The rest of the sentence died in her mouth as their quarry looked up from her slaughtered, all-beef prey to see the two of them standing in front of her table. “Twilight! Hey! Nice to see you!”

“Oh. Um.” Twilight cleared her throat and dabbed at her ketchup-smeared face with a napkin. Though that didn’t remove all the red from her face as she looked over Lemon. “Hi, Lemon Zest.”

Sunset Shimmer, Twilight’s sole dining partner, looked up from her salad and raised an eyebrow. “Old friend of yours?”

“Not exactly,” said Twilight, who was now intent on fidgeting with her straw.

Guilt stabbed at Lemon and made her yelp out something to chase away the growing silence. “Close as anyone came at Crystal Prep, but that’s not saying much. And it’s our fault, not Twi’s.”

Twilight shook her head. “I wasn’t exactly open to friendship at the time.”

Lemon snorted at that. “Who was? Principal Cadence is doing her best to change that, and I’m right there with her. Had a sleepover with some of the girls on my floor last night, Sugarcoat included.”

“Oh. That sounds… nice?” Twilight shrugged. “I’ve never had a sleepover. Do you normally dress like that the day after?”

Vinyl snorted and doubled over at that, managing to all but roll on the floor laughing in total silence.

Lemon resisted the urge to kick her. Friends didn’t kick friends, or so she assumed. “Please ignore the mime I found on the way in. She imprinted on me after the rest of her colony abandoned her egg.”

To her credit, Twilight actually had a response to that sort of thing for once. “You know, I think you would get along really well with Pinkie Pie.”

Sunset cleared her throat. “We’ve actually got Twilight’s first sleepover planned for tonight.” She looked over Lemon from top to bottom with an expression not far from the one she wore as a golden unicorn laser angel. “So, what brings you to the Canterlot Mall? And this specific table?”

“Well, I wanted to hang with one of the cooler girls I met during the Friendship Games.” Lemon jerked a thumb at Vinyl, who had recovered enough to wave. “Sorry about her monopolizing the conversation.”

Vinyl stuck out her tongue, but didn’t otherwise contribute.

“She’s also making me get this awkward conversation out of the way so that one day, we can become genuine friends ourselves.” Lemon turned back to Twilight. “And… I would like that. Really.”

“Oh. I see.” Twilight’s gaze had fallen to the floor by that point. Somehow, the lingering bits of condiments around her mouth only made her seem even more pathetic.

Lemon rubbed a forearm. A nudge from Vinyl unstuck her tongue. “Look. I’ve said this to a lot of people, but never to the one who needed to hear it the most. We all may have been under Cinch’s bitchy thumb, but we’re all still responsible for how we treated you while you were at Crystal Prep.” After a sigh, she added, “And in hindsight, blasting your eardrums with Skullcruncher? Not the best way to make you feel comfortable around me.”

Twilight glanced up at her—well, part of her—and offered something like a smile. “I… do appreciate your attempts to share your interests with me. Though we have very different musical tastes.”

“And that was before I came down on you with the rest of the team and pressured you into becoming a terrifyingly sexy—” Another jab from Vinyl’s elbow shoved Lemon’s train of thought onto a different track. “—into becoming that thing. So, for everything I did to you, I’m sorry. And I hope we can start over.” Lemon held out her hand.

After a few eternity-spanning seconds, Twilight took it her own and shook. The smile grew to something worthy of the name as she met Lemon’s eyes. “I’d like that. Thank you, Lemon. Apology accepted.”

Lemon sagged with relief, letting out a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding. “Okay, good. That is honestly a huge load off my mind. Kind of been using you as an example of how we need to change our collective tune with some of the harder heads at Crystal Prep. Not making things right with you was one of the bigger hypocrisies hanging over my head.”

“I’m glad to hear it. But, uh, if you’re through, I’m kind of busy right now?” Twilight tilted her head towards the other chair at the table.”

Sunset waved and gave a Sour Sweet grin, the kind that wasn’t friendly so much as an excuse to bare her teeth. “Yeah, still here.” The plastic fork in her white-knuckle grip gave a worrying creak.

“Oh. Alright, Twilight.” Lemon gave her a thumbs-up before turning to Sunset. “No joke, like, a quarter of Crystal Prep is jealous of you.”

There was definitely a story behind the conflicted look that produced. “I shouldn’t take pride in that,” said Sunset.

“Totes do.”

“Uuuuuh…” Twilight had paled to a faded lilac tone, looking back and forth between them. A blush spread across her face even as Lemon watched.

“Well, this is a fine mess I’ve made,” said Lemon, fingers running along imaginary suspenders. The fact that it gave her an excuse to stick out her chest was merely a side benefit. “Drop me some contacts on MyStable, Twi; we gotta keep this up. Right now, you crazy kids have fun. Don’t do anything I would.” And with that, she turned and used what remained of her force of will to only walk away and not dash at full speed.

At least, that was the plan. Vinyl grabbing her wrist and shaking her head said otherwise.

“Come oooon,” Lemon definitely didn’t whine. “I know my choices have consequences, but that doesn’t mean I have to face them.”

Sunset smirked. “Oh. Trust me. It does.”

Vinyl cleared her throat, pointed at Sunset, and held her hand up against her forehead, index finger extended.

Lemon blinked. “Oh. Right. Good point.” She sat, looked from one girl to the other, and said, “Okay, so I may have a magic problem…”

The years seemed to peel away. Twilight lay in her bed, hugging Cumber, her plush map of the universe’s background radiation, while Cadence sat next to her. For a moment, she legitimately wasn’t sure if she were eighteen or eight. “Thanks again for this.”

Cadence smiled and ran a comb through her hair. “I’m happy to keep doing this for as long as you feel you need it, Twilight. What are sisters-in-law for?”

“Heh.” Twilight smiled and squeezed Cumber harder. “Still can’t believe you fell for a doofus like Shining.”

That got her a light nudge. "Hey now, in a few months, he’ll be my doofus. So, how's it been at CHS?"

"It's been... odd.” The room seemed to fall away as Twilight looked over her memories. “No more world-shaking news from my counterpart, though apparently you’re pregnant?”

“I am?” Cadence brought a hand to her decidedly flat belly.

“Well, you know, alien princess horse you. Because that universe never stopped being full of magic ponies.” Twilight shrugged. That she could after saying that spoke volumes in and of itself. “My counterpart’s already graduated from the most prestigious school in the country, among other things. Seems safe to assume they’re ahead of us by a few years.”

“Ah,” said Cadence. It was a familiar, disappointing “Ah,” the one she used when she didn’t fully understand something but didn’t want Twilight to explain it for the next few hours. “Well, no spoilers, thank you. I’d love to meet this other Cadence some day, but right now it sounds like we’ll both have a lot of challenges coming up soon.” She smiled as she put down the brush. “How’s this Twilight doing in school?”

“I’m learning a lot. Not academically, obviously, but socially? Sunset and her friends have already taught me so much, so many unwritten rules I'd forgotten or never knew in the first place."

Cadence frowned. "You still don't see them as your friends?"

"Not because of anything they’ve done. They’ve been great.” Pinkie Pie came to mind in all her surreal glory, and Twilight could’ve sworn the memory waved at her when the actual girl hadn’t. “Baffling at times, but great. It’s just... I still have trouble thinking of myself as the kind of person who has friends. Who people would want as a friend."

“Hey, they’ve had a week,” Cadence said with a grin. “Still as friendly as when you met them?”

Twilight had to nod. “Even more. Especially Sunset since, you know, I’m not threatening her friends by tampering with forces beyond my understanding.” She tried to cap that with a smile of her own. The cheek strain alone told her it didn’t turn out well.

A hand on her shoulder got her to relax. “How about the rest of the school? Still mistaking you for the other Twilight?”

“No, you were right about it clearing up. Some of the clubs are actually reaching out to me, at least for next year.” Twilight smiled much more easily. “They actually have an impressive robotics group. This one boy, Microchips—”

“Oh? Already moved on from Sunset Shimmer, have we?”

Twilight pulled away as best she could while already tucked in. “Cadence!”

Cadence covered her laughter with a hand. “I’m teasing, Twilight. Honestly, I’m ecstatic to hear how you’re settling in at CHS. I can only hope Crystal Prep even comes close to what you’re experiencing now.”

“You’re on the right track, based on what I’ve heard.”

“Oh? Tapping into the grapevine yourself?”

Twilight shook her head. "Not exactly. It kind of came to me. And by ‘it,’ I mean ‘Lemon Zest.’ She was very enthusiastic about your changes to Crystal Prep thus far."

"That's wonderful to hear!” Cadence said, beaming. “Where'd you meet up?"

"The Canterlot Mall. She was with one of her CHS friends, Vinyl Scratch.” Twilight felt her face heat up as details she’d missed in her shock came to the fore now. “And, uh, speaking frankly, was also in dire need of a new wardrobe. Unusually late growth spurt, apparently. We’re ninety-nine percent sure it doesn’t have anything to do with magical radiation exposure, since Canterlot isn’t seeing anything similar.”

“It may be more a matter of the uniforms. We’ve been getting more than a few complaints there.” Cadence shook her head. “But you don’t need to hear about the minutiae at your old school. What were you doing at a mall? I’d almost think you were a teenager or something.”

“Heh. Well, aside from watching the slow death of physical commerce, I was…" Twilight trailed off. Her faded blush reignited.

Judging by Cadence’s growing grin, she’d noticed. "Yes?"

"Okay, I was with Sunset.” Twilight waved her hands as though to wipe away any implications. “But don't read too much into that! We just hung out at the mall. Had lunch together. Not together together. Normal, entirely Braytonic together. I think. Maybe. I guess?"

Cadence leaned back, crossed her arms, and just waited.

"Okay, so maybe it was something more. But I'm still working out the basic fundamentals of simple friendly interaction! I don't know how to be in a romantic relationship! I didn't even realize I was attracted to girls until I met Sunset Shimmer! I didn’t realize yesterday could be construed as a date until Lemon said Crystal Prep would be jealous of her!” Twilight felt an eye twitch. “And I’m only unpacking the implications there right now.”

“Breathe, Twilight. This is a good thing.”

That got the incredulous look that such a mad statement deserved. “I ate a cheeseburger in front of someone I’m attracted to! How is this possibly a good thing!?”

Cadence just smirked. “Well, for one, maybe you’ll start coming up for air more often.”

Twilight squeezed Cumber hard enough to initiate a Big Crunch. “She thought it was cute.”

“That works too. It’s like I’ve been telling you for years, Twilight, you’re a very pretty young woman.”

“Cadence, this isn’t a self-image issue. I almost had a panic attack when we held hands! What happens if we kiss?"

"We could practice."

Twilight’s head snapped up. "Cadence!?"

For a moment, she thought Cadence looked just as shocked. Then the other woman winked and said, "Kidding. And trying to shock you out of that mental tailspin."

"You definitely succeeded there."

"Look, part of any healthy relationship is going at a pace you're both comfortable with.” Cadence’s grin grew as she said, “I won't lie, I'm shipping you two like Cupid paid for next-day delivery, but I don't want you to feel pressured to go further or faster than you want to. There's no timetable or schedule for romance."

Twilight groaned and fell back until her head hit her pillow. "I wish there were! At least then there'd be some structure to it."

"I... suppose I could give you an assignment, if you really think it would help."

That got a nod. "It absolutely would."

"Alright.” Cadence stood, putting her back in Twilight’s field of view. With a look of teacherly focus, she said, “This week, I want you to tell Sunset how you feel about her. If she reciprocates and you feel comfortable with it, feel free to go further. But if nothing else, you should get your feelings out in the open."

"Okay.” That had come out automatically, but then Twilight thought about it for a moment and nodded. “Okay. I can do that."

Cadence nodded back, though she seemed to be waiting for some—

A horrible thought came to mind. "What if she doesn't feel that way about me?"

"Then she doesn't feel that way about you,” Cadence said with a shrug. “You've still learned something about yourself and the two of you can still be friends."

"Won't it be awkward?"

"For a while. But that will pass. I can’t say I know a lot about relationships that begin with one person cleansing the other of dark magic, but I think your bond can survive a little awkwardness.” Cadence offered a soft smile. “And it's just as likely that she does feel that way about you."

Twilight couldn’t let that stand. "That isn't how probability works. Still, thanks. Really."

"No problem.” Cadence paused on her way out of the room and looked over her shoulder. “And hey, if you really want some kissing practice..."

Twilight stuck out her tongue. "That wasn't any funnier the second time."

Cadence slid into her own bed, arms wrapping around her own cuddle-buddy. He followed suit. “How’s Twily?” Shining asked.

“Healing. Her new friends are helping there, and at least one old one as well. How about you, Shiny? Ready for Monday?"

He nodded. "More than ready. I talked this over with Captain Hardline, and I think we've reached a workable compromise for this whole business."

Cadence reluctantly let go and sat up. It wasn’t easy to have a serious conversation with her fiancé’s chest. "What do you mean?"

"The Friendship Games weren't the first supernatural incident at CHS.” Shining tilted the notebook he’d been going through so Cadence could see some of the notes and news clippings within. “Your aunts have tried to cover up the previous cases, but I have my sources."

She smirked. He was so cute when he tried to act like a badass. "Twilight?"

Shining’s eyes darted to the notebook. He flipped to a page that didn’t have his sister’s handwriting on it and cleared his throat. "Not just Twilight. The point is, the Canterlot PD's been taking a hands-off approach until now. No one's happy about implicitly promoting vigilante justice, but it's not like that precinct is equipped to handle what those girls have faced."

Cadence nodded. "Who is? It’s not like they make magic-proof vests."

"Yeah. That’s why I proposed a preventative measure. Something that should keep situations from escalating to where a bunch of teenagers with attitude need to bail us out."

Cadence stifled a laugh at the image that brought to mind. "Pretty sure they're not posing in Spandex."

"Well, I'm not waiting until they are.” Shining flipped to a bullet-pointed syllabus. “My idea is a course to inform kids about supernatural dangers and how to avoid them. That Sunset Shimmer girl's been a big help in terms of what not to do."

"Glad you approve of her."

Cadence could almost hear the squeal as Shining’s train of thought tried to change tracks midway through strategizing. "Why's that?"

She offered an innocent smile. "I'm happy to see you get along with any of Twilight's new friends. So, a modified course... 'Magic Abuse and Resistance Education'?"

Shining nodded. "Officially, I'll be working with you to teach the prototype M.A.R.E. course.” He gave her an adorkable wink. “And if we happen to liaise on any other subjects, that's just an efficient use of our time."

"Shiny, you're brilliant.” Cadence gave him a half-lidded look and snatched the notebook out of his unresisting hand. “And on that note, Officer Armor, I think we should liaise on a particular subject right now."

Shining returned her expression. "Principal Amore, I would love nothing more."

Cadence had a lot of experience with kissing Shining Armor, going back to the days when they were students at Crystal Prep. They’d learned a lot from each other—certainly more than her brief time with that ass Buck Withers—but tonight, the show of love that usually left her so fulfilled seemed… insufficient.

So she went looking for more. At least until Shining pulled back, gasping for breath. “Easy, Cady! I’ll still be here in the morning!”

“I know.” She ran a hand over his chest. “I just… want a little more right now.”

Shining, bless him, gave her a blank look for a moment as he thought about that. But only for a moment before he grinned and said, “Sounds good to me.”

Still, it was Shining, and Cadence had learned a lot from him. “And to be clear, I’m talking about sex.”

He just reached down with one arm, and Cadence felt his length spring out and brush against her thigh. “I know I’m not the best at picking up signals, Cady, but even I got that much.”

She winked. “Just making sure.” And neither of them said much after that.

Sour Sweet had found that holding two contradictory ideas in her head was essential for success at Crystal Prep. She was at once a member of the elite few and a worthless waste of gray matter who had to buckle down if she wanted to get anywhere. Crystal Prep was the best place to be and, until recently, a nigh-literal hellhole of academic and social pressure. Canterlot High was both the hated competition who demanded her complete focus in destroying and a laughingstock. (No one said either idea had to be true.)

As such, it was easy to convince herself she was both spying on Dean Vehementi and taking a moment in the hall to sort out her backpack where she just happened to be next to an open door.

“We need to do something,” Sour’s math teacher hissed in what might have been a whisper if she weren’t so good at barking out orders that carried across the classroom.

“I understand your concern, Ms. Fussbudget, but the principal is very busy right now.” Sour couldn’t help but smirk at that. If Dean Vehementi laid on the subtext any more thickly, it’d be oozing out of the room.

“Yes, mostly with work she’s made for herself,” scoffed Ms. Fussbudget. More gently, she added, “And I understand her desire to lessen the pressure on the kids. I heard what happened at the Friendship Games. No one wants a student having a nervous breakdown, much less that.” The iron came back into her voice. “But there is such a thing as being too lax. I know it’s getting late in the year, but I swear every day is more of a struggle to get students to pay attention to something other than each other!”

Sour bit her tongue. It was hardly her fault that pre-finals review was the most boring part of the year.

“With all due respect,” Dean Vehementi said in a tone that had anything but, “I’m not sure what you expect Principal Amore to do about discipline issues in your classroom.”

“It’s not just my class. Go to the faculty lounge, ask anyone you find there. We’re all seeing student attention drop off like never before. Reminding them that finals are getting closer is barely enough to get them to look at me these days. I’d tell Cadence herself, but I can’t find her for love or money.”

Footsteps approached, and Sour raced to get her backpack in a state of plausible deniability. “I assure you, Ms. Fussbudget, I keep the principal appraised of every pressing issue at Crystal Prep.”

The math teacher pursued her, all but stomping along the way. “I’ll believe that when I see her do something about it.”

“A moment.” Dean Vehementi stuck her head out into the hallway. Sour had an increasingly familiar moment of confusion as three different heads resolved themselves into a single disapproving glare. The dean hadn’t even needed to look around for her. “You’ll be late for your next class at this rate, Miss Sweet. Do get going.”

Sour swallowed against the lump in her throat and picked up her bag. “Um, right. I’ll just...”

She waited for the dean to go back in the classroom. Ms. Vehementi waited as well. After another few seconds, Sour sighed and left.

It was a clear day outside. The ominous thunder was definitely in her head.

Some of Cadence’s orders had come in over the weekend, so the sex ed room wasn’t quite as barren. Some anatomy posters both male and female, an excellent one on the truth behind common rumors about sex, and another on contraceptives. Ideally one of the students might actually glance at one.

For now, they were all focused at the front of the class. A few had their mouths hanging open. If nothing else, Cadence could appreciate their good taste.

"Good morning, class,” she began. “As I said last week, we have a special guest today, someone who I hope we'll be seeing fairly often.” She gestured to said guest. “I'd like to introduce my fiancé, Shining Armor."

"Hello, Mr. Armor," some of the class said dutifully. Others nodded. One or two made the wheezing sound that had come out of Shining after the first time Cadence had kissed him. She couldn’t help but wonder if part of that was the obvious tightness of their uniforms against their chests.

Judging by his grimace, Shining recognized the sound as well. "Um, hi, everyone."

"Now, I may know a fair amount about safely and responsibly making love, but some questions are better answered from a male perspective.” Cadence braced herself for what was about to come. “So who would like to ask Shining something?"

A forest of raised arms shot into the air. To the students’ credit, the wave of sound she’d half-expected never came to pass.

Cadence nodded to Shining. "Go ahead."

"Uh... right. Sorry, kids, I’m going to have to learn your names as we go.” He scanned the room and pointed at Ginger Owlseye, an orange-skinned girl in the second row. “You, with the purple bangs."

Ginger bolted to her feet like she’d brushed against a thumbtack on her chair. "Um, I, I…” She blushed and shook her head as she sat back down. “I can't, I'm sorry."

The other students started murmuring to one another. Cadence swept a glare across the classroom, then smiled as she focused on the girl now trying to sink through the floor. "It's okay, Ginger. As I said, there's no shame here. You want honest answers. We want to provide them."

After a few moments, Ginger gave a shaky nod, though she still kept her gaze down on her desk. "O-Okay. Mr. Armor, are guys going to notice a girl like me with a small chest?"

Shining looked poleaxed. And maybe a few other polearms on top of that. "Ah."

Cadence moved next to him and softly said, "One of the reasons I called you in was one of the boys asking me something similar about penis size last week."

He clenched his fists, looking about the room. "Ah."

"No, he isn't in this class."

"I see.” After a deep breath, Shining said, “Honey, can I do something a little off-color?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Shining leaned in close and whispered his plan. Cadence raised her eyebrows, but after a moment, answered with, "Let's see where you go with that."

After a nod, Shining turned his attention back to Ginger. "I'm going to answer your question with a demonstration.” He took a step back and addressed the room. “All the guys who like girls, I want you to shut your eyes. Now imagine you're with a girl and she's bare from the waist up. Raise your hand if you care how big her chest is at that point."

Not a single hand went up. Ginger looked around, and Cadence could see the relief flood through her relaxing frame.

"Guys are simple creatures, Ginger,” said Shining. “If they're anything like me, they'll be grateful that you're giving them the time of day. And some guys prefer smaller breasts. Everyone has their own tastes."

"Very true,” Cadence said with a smile. “Thank you, Shining. So, for our next question… Yes, Neon?"

Neon Lights lowered his hand and adjusted his sunglasses. Cadence couldn’t see his eyes, but she doubted they held any hint of confidence. The rest of his posture certainly didn’t. "Uh, kind of a follow-up to that last bit, Ms. Cadence. When is a fetish too weird?"

Shining and Cadence shared a look. Any relationship can become close enough to reach the point of complex nonverbal communication. In this case, the growing haunted look in Shining's eyes clearly said, "I'm going to be stuck doing this for a while, aren't I?"

And the taut lines around Cadence's serene facade all but screamed, "If I am, you absolutely are."

With five periods of sex ed to teach each day, Cadence barely spent any time in the principal’s office, making what she could spare there all the more important. And as she went through the stack of reports Ira had provided, she appreciated just how important this particular matter was.

“Incredible,” she said as she worked her way through all the forms. “Simply incredible. And these are just the last few days?”

“Indeed, Miss Amore,” Ira said from her usual spot at the side of the desk. “It’s not even the whole picture. Apparently some students chose to sidestep the usual process and acquire replacements with their own time and resources.”

“I can hardly blame them. If we even have this much in reserve, any more will definitely clean us out.”

“As you say, ma’am. This many requests for larger uniforms is unprecedented.”

Cadence lingered on yet another form that requested a larger bra, among other things. “Making underwear part of it is an abomination. It’s not like we’re going to check. It’s been a way to squeeze more out of the students and everyone down to the freshmen knows it.”

Ira looked off into the middle distance. “I’d like to maintain my plausible deniability there for the next few minutes, ma’am.”

That got a smile, if only for a few moments. “I admit, I am worried about what the board will say about this. I may have started the process, but actually following through before they offer their feedback? That’s definitely overstepping my bounds, especially given how hesitant some of them were about the idea.”

“If I may speak honestly, ma’am?”

“I hope you don’t need to ask permission every time,” Cadence said with a smirk.

Ira returned the faintest upturn of her lips. “They’re more afraid of you than you are of them. You should hear my mother talk about you when you’re not there. The way she tells it, you’re intent on burning the school to the ground and dancing in the ashes.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Cadence sighed. “Just because I’m not going that far doesn’t mean they can’t censure me. Maybe even try to get Cinch back.”

“You can get another week or so out of the Friendship Games disaster, ma’am. If you ask me, you should milk it for all it’s worth.”

Cadence raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you the one who told me I was pushing too hard? I am still going to need to work with the board when that week’s up.”

“True. But speaking as someone who also had to wear that uniform?” Ira directed such a hateful glare at the request forms, Cadence was surprised they didn’t burst into flame. “Nuke the policy from orbit, ma’am. It’s the only way to be sure.”

The Friendship Games team, fully aware of their need to find a different term for themselves, staggered out of the auditorium at the end of the day, all but blinded by the wide vistas of potential fashion laid out before them.

“Right, Imma stress test this.”

At least, that was how Sunny Flare had felt before Lemon Zest had opened her big mouth and begun undoing the bow on her uniform.

“Must you?” said Sunny, even as she and the others herded Lemon to an out-of-the-way corner of the hallway.

“Why mustn't you?” Lemon beamed as she balled up the ribbon and tossed it at Sunny’s face. “Nothing's forbidden! Everything's permitted!

Indigo rolled her eyes. “You are not an assassin.”

“My horse self could be an assassin,” Lemon said while unbuttoning her jacket. “And I bet she doesn't wear much either.”

Sour Sweet scrunched up her nose in confusion. “Horse self?”

Lemon shrugged, sending the jacket to the floor. “Apparently it's a full-blown parallel universe situation. Just with magic horses instead of goatees.” She undid her skirt, nodding like anything she was doing or talking about was remotely reasonable. “You guys really gotta talk with Twilight. She's fun when no one's Cinching up the room.”

“I understand what you mean by that,” said Sugarcoat, “but "cinch" is already a verb.”

Lemon snorted as she pulled off her shirt. “Yeah, 'cause everyone knows every word in Wranglish only has one meaning.”

Sour smirked. “She's got you there.”

“Am I the only one bothered by our friend stripping to her underwear in the middle of the hallway?” said Sunny.

The others, Lemon included, shared uncertain looks. Then Indigo shrugged and pulled off her own indifferently tied ribbon. “You’ve probably seen worse in sex ed.”

“Heard about how hunky her fiancé is,” said Lemon, who started making her way for the exit. The others followed her. Even Sunny relaxed a little as she saw no one seemed to mind the girl in hot pink underwear that seemed designed to exaggerate her breasts. Just the opposite, going by the lingering looks. A nudge brought her attention back to Lemon herself. “Kinda jealous you’re getting that eye candy on a daily basis, won’t lie.”

“Would magic horse land even have assassins?” Sour Sweet mused, undoing her own vest. “I saw what was on the other side of those tears. They seem too cute for that.”

“We can always ask that Sunset girl Twilight's crushing on. She’s from there,” Lemon said as she walked out of the building.

The others stood stunned for a moment before racing after her. “She's what!?” they chorused.

Lemon nodded. “Yeah, girl's a unicorn.”

“Not that!” cried Sunny, unbuttoning her jacket. It was a warm day, after all. “Twilight has a crush?”

“My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined,” Sugarcoat deadpanned, likewise making allowances for the weather.

Sour’s expression wavered between a smirk and sympathy. “... Really?”

That got a shrug. “To a degree. She was one of the nicest people here, to a fault.” After a thoughtful pause and removing her skirt, Sugarcoat added, “And she had a cute butt.”

Lemon patted her on the back. “You know what they say, Sugar, there's plenty of butts in the sea. And we're working on Crystal Prep being less horrible.” Draping one arm over Sugarcoat’s shoulders, she swept her other hand over the campus.

It was the fastest trend Sunny had ever seen; people dropping bits of their uniforms like shedding snakes everywhere she looked. Judging by the number of girls who were undoing their bras and holding them in place with their forearms, she was far from the only one who’d noticed some unexpected tightness. She’d never felt overdressed while standing on Crystal Prep’s lawn before.

“Apparently that includes streaking.” The snark couldn’t completely hide Sunny’s… Well, calling it discomfort wasn’t entirely accurate. A few fantasies about the boys’ locker room came to mind, without any of the harsh reality about the likely odors.

“Manifold are my schemes and stratagems,” said Lemon, puffing out her chest to significant effect. “On that note, y'all up for another movie night sometime this week?”

The others murmured affirmations at varying levels of volume, enthusiasm, and blushing.

Sunny sighed. “Can we at least start with some actual cinema this time?”

Lemon nodded with a grin. “Sure! I need time to find something that can measure up to what we watched anyway.”

Most directors could only hope to inspire the blend of dread and anticipation Sunny felt at that.

The next day saw an explosion of variety in wardrobe and smiles on students’ faces. Cadence almost felt like a spoilsport by keeping on her usual outfit. The atmosphere of the principal’s office definitely had that feeling. “This room really needs some windows,” she said as she opened the door.

"Something to bear in mind for the future, ma’am,” said Ira, who’d been standing on the other side.

Cadence flinched back. “I take it you have something important?”

Ira nodded. Between the fingers tapping against the clipboard and the hints of tension about her eyes, she looked on the verge of panic. For her. “Critically, ma'am."

"What is it? The board?"

"They’ve been silent. One of the janitors reported an odd whining sound coming up from the sub-basement.” Ira gulped. “When was the last time you looked at the generator?"

Cadence felt her purse drop from nerveless fingers. "Um..."

"You... have been looking after the generator, have you not?"

"With all the reforms, it completely slipped my mind.” Cadence dreaded her next question, but she had to ask it. “How often did Abacus maintain it?"

"At least once a week," said Ira.

Cadence nodded. "Ah. If you'll excuse me.” With poise that would do her old dance teacher proud, she spun on a heel and ran like hell.

Author's Note

Vision Cone is a humanized guardsmare, specifically this one. (No, that's not the tag they're using on Derpibooru, but it's not like that's official, so nyeh.)

Yes, they really do sell plushies of the CMBR.

And next time... Well, not all Hell breaks loose, but a significant quantity will.