The Valentine Picture Day
"Say Happy Hearts and Hooves Day!"
"School of Magic wins! Five points to nil!" announced the unicorn filly as she beamed with delight.
It wasn't typical that the School of Friendship lost against a school of unicorns, especially at home, but it was just one of those games. A game they couldn't help but lose. There was no foul play, no cheating or fraudulent moves. We all have a bad day at the office.
"Ah, come on, Regina," an electric blue earth pony stallion calmly said, "You played exceptionally well!" He patted the small trophy sat on the bench behind the pair, with glistening stars and an encryption of Regina's name and team.
The pegasus mare sighed as she ripped off her headband and leg warmers. She was clearly disappointed as she jumped down from the bench. Regina stretched her small legs, ready to return home after a long day of training and defeat.
"Hey, Ms. Regina?" called out a unicorn pony, whose butterfly wings were slowly fading, poked her head through the door. Her cream-coloured coat blended in with the walls of the changing room as she slowly entered.
"I'm Rustic Shore!" she said, beaming with delight. "It was a good game, we'll have to play again soon sometime!" Her face turned into a face of smugness, her expression appearing to be rather villainous. "Hopefully, we can win again!"
The mare turned around, opening the door wider with her back hoof as her wings faded with a shimmer and a pop. Rustic was either competitive or sly. Regina couldn't work it out.
Her pale blue eyes sprang open. Her pale blue eyes firmly shut. Over and over again within seconds.
"That was..."
"Weird!" an apricot coloured changeling finished Regina's sentence, as she carefully took off her Buckball uniform. "She's up to no good! Who knows what she could do to us before photo day tomorrow!"
Bumblebee's high-pitched voice rang through Regina's ears again and again. Tomorrow was photo day. She would pose with her teammates: five other creatures who went to the School of Friendship.
Finally taking off her clothing, identifying the team she represented, and letting her hair fall loose as she undid the hair tie, Regina stretched her wings. She wanted nothing more but her bed.
And sleep. She really wanted to sleep.
"See you tomorrow, Twi!" the tall changeling mare said as she and the earth pony stallion trotted away back to their living quarters.
Regina waved back at them both. She smiled, somewhat happy her friend had used her favourite nickname - following the name of Twilight Sparkle - it was something for her to be happy about.
Using her left wing to reach the light switch, the purple pegasus opened the door and turned off the light that heated and lit the changing room. Her white hoof leapt out onto the cold, wintery path.
"Oh!" Regina whined, adjusting herself to the lack of heat in the outside world.
Her bed was ever so warm and cosy; completely different from what she had experienced the night before. The sun shot through the small gap in her curtains. She could hear her mother pottering around in the kitchen that lay below the room Regina had autonomy over. Twi yawned, opening her eyes slowly. Mist covered her sight, making her rub her eyes awake.
She flipped over onto her belly, small puffs of cloud dissipating as she did so. She squinted her eyes, checking ths time before she placed her glasses on her snout.
Regina watched the hands of the alarm clock move, making way for the new hour.
"TWELVE?!"
The silly pony had slept for several hours more than she should have. Potentially attributed to the fact she forgot to turn on her alarm, Regina's intense evening of Buckball had worn her out, and now she had to pay the price, it seemed.
The photos were to be taken in an hour: how ever could she prepare herself in time?
"Regina? When's the photo shoot?" her mother's voice rang throughout the house, clearly noticing Regina had exited her slumber.
The young mare rushed around her room, finding time to brush and style the messy flop that she called her bed-head mane, apply her make-up, and rush to school. She would surely find something to eat there - even if it wasn't nearly as good as the food Lucky Belle made for her daughter.
All before one.
Tasks sounding easier than they were, Regina sighed, tears filling her eyes. They burned, for her glasses were still sitting on her bedside cabinet. Quickly rushing over to the cabinet to retrieve her glasses, she picked up a wiped and cleaned them quickly.
The metal circles crouched in front of her eyes comfortably, giving her one less thing to worry about.
She quickly brushed her mane, making sure every curl she owned was shown. She wanted to look perfect, yet she wanted to be exactly how she usually was.
"Good enough." she whispered, staring into the mirror of the bathroom. She took some time to brush her teeth and clean her face, shooting out of the door after hugging and saying farewell to her mother. "I won't be too long!"
From her house in the northern quarters in Cloudsdale, Regina shot through the sky like a bullet towards Ponyville's edge. The wind whistled through the pony's mane as she travelled, skimming each individual feather that belonged on her wings. She enjoyed being in the air, even if she preferred to be on the ground. The air was cold, the winter chill still hanging over the mid-month day.
As the luscious waterfalls of the School of Friendship came into view, Regina's rush quickly came to a halt. She spotted the benches that lay outside of the school, on the grass verge she had watched stars circle the sky countless times with her friends and teammates. The Castle of Friendship shimmered as the mare approached the school that lay across from it, the sun bleeding through the crystals that any dragon would find divine.
"Finally! What took you so long?"
The electric blue stallion, who Regina knew as Electro, shouted as the mare ran towards the school's Buckball team. The team were wearing their clean, spare uniforms, with Regina's twisted on the floor - much to her dismay - and ready for action.
"Alarm." Regina muttered with a yawn between each syllable as she spoke. "Didn't go off or something."
As the sun found its way to a comfortable position, it found itself beaming on Regina's face. The pegasus' deep and dark eye bags became the focus of the event between the team, with several giggles and gasps.
The lenses that were bolted into Regina's glasses increased the pure size of her eyes, her snowdrop coloured eyes a figure of tiredness and a longing for sleep. It was almost as if she was blinded by her pure lack of sleep.
"Is that Photo Finish?"
A kirin mare, whose coat was just as cream coloured as vanilla ice cream, turned her head like a helicopter propeller as she heard such a distinctive voice. Regina couldn't tell if she was excited or nervous: nervacited was surely the best word she could have used in the situation. A mixture of both emotions fitted the situation rather well.
The mare was a little more aged than Regina had expected. She reckoned that was what happened when you travelled across the world, snapping photos of fashion shows and fashionable looks. She was dressed to the nines, a dress composed of long sleeves and a long skirt. Her sunglasses remained firmly sat on her face. Those sunglasses had become a trademark of the mare, with purple shines every mare desired during the fashion boom of Equestria, moons before Twilight Sparkle relocated to Ponyville.
"And then, the plumes of the skirt didn't even flow!" Finish shouted, waving and wiggling her left hoof in the air, as she walked next to Sweetie Belle. Her glasses might as well have jumped off her face as she yelled, her face moving up and down intensely. Her blue coat shimmered in the sun as a panting griffon trailed behind her, carrying the camera who had remained loyal to her for so long. Capturing photos of fashion and friendship, Photo Finish's camera of dreams had seen everything.
The mare who had been keeping her company had known how extravagant the mare was. She didn't know how loud she could be.
Regina watched the two trot closer to the Buckball team she called her own, imagining a droplet of sweat running down Sweetie's face.
The unicorn mare had been known across Equestria for almost her whole life; from the Cutie Mark Crusaders to her life as a singer and performer. But as her sister came to realise she had to travel across the world and give up her job at the school, the singing mare had no problem filling Rarity's rather large, rather sparkly boots.
Regina couldn't help but find her inspirational: and a good teacher at that. Someone who enabled her art form into friendship lessons. Somepony who students could go to for advice, other than Trixie Lulamoon.
As the two pony mares (and the young griffon who seemingly just wanted a nap) approached the Buckball team, Electro shook his mop of hair out of his eyes as instructed by Honeybee.
"That's better," she whispered softly, carefully cupping his face with her hoof.
"Not now!" the yak, whose name was Brighthorn, shouted, his slightly smaller than typical frame coming into light. He was seemingly disgusted by the display of lighthearted happiness the two friends had displayed. He scowled. He wasn't happy. Neither was Regina.
She just wanted to sleep.
Alas, the poor mare had to morph her face to be one that was rather happy.
The extravagant voice Photo Finish owned drummed through Regina's ears. She was so loud that maybe the student could give her a part-time job as an alarm clock. It was a silly but honest consideration.
"That one looks like she hasn't slept a wink!" the earth pony mare rather loudly stated, her eyes locked with the purple pegasus. A blue hoof moved from the ground as she spoke, pointing towards the team's captain.
Regina scrunched her muzzle, her nostrils flaring and her glasses slowly retreating up her face. She could feel her darkened eye bags shift as she sighed.
"She slept for too long!" Electro jeered, receiving a twist of rage in the aftermath as the short mare turned around at the speed of light.
"Shush."
Regina turned around again, making eye contact with Photo Finish.
"Oh, no," she began to lie, an awkward laugh taking over her breath, "I'm perfectly fine. Au Naturel as they say in the bizz."
Sweetie Belle blinked. The Buckball team watched her as if they made a loud sound of shiny music. If they listened closely, they could hear what could best be described as musical notes as her long eyelashes clipped together. Sweetie had no idea what had just emerged from her student's mouth, and quite frankly, neither did anyone else.
"Okay then!" the unicorn mare awkwardly said. "Every creature into position, please!" She smiled, her pink eyeshadow gleaming with delight. She had already visited at least fifty students in different groups and societies the school opened, celebrating cultures, academics, and sports. It was the happiest place in the world - at least, that's what each student would say.
As if by magic, benches appeared behind Regina and her team. Each creature leapt onto a bench as Buckball balls and Buckball hoops appeared next to them, with small hearts plastered over them - only on Hearts and Hooves Day could Buckball be made lovey-dovey.
"I don't know how that happened, but Yak thinks that was cool!" Brighthorn said happily, his speech mixed between Equestrian Ponish and Yakyakistan's dialect. He muttered in his native tongue under his breath, a smile still plastered on his face.
Brighthorn and Honeybee found themselves sitting on the back bench, as Electro decided it would be best to sit on the bench in front.
"Maybe Mint Ice could sit in between Honey and Brighthorn?" Sweetie Belle suggested, the unicorn student complying as she said so.
"Ah, a gorgeous... eh, what is the word?" Ms. Finish stammered, "Gaggle of colour!"
The group laughed, as the final pieces of the puzzle came together: a kirin and a pegasus joining Electro on the lower bench.
Regina found herself front and centre, her captain headband sitting politely against her forehead.
"Can I get a water?" the young griffon, who had been carrying the equipment Photo Finish owned for the best part of the day, had thrown himself on the grass turf to catch some of the winter breeze.
Sweetie Belle twisted her neck, watching his crumpled form lie in a dire state. She nodded, and he zipped away as if the spirit within Rainbow Dash had taken over him.
"He'll get used to this." Finish slyly giggled, her mane whisked away by the windy trail that followed him.
Sweetie Belle looked at her, some confusion fusing into her expression. She shook her head, turning back to look at the sporting students.
"Say Happy Hearts and Hooves Day!"
Repeating Sweetie's words, the students shuffled closer together, several shudders of light taking over the scene. Their faces were ones of happiness and delight, even with the somewhat corny theme.
"Okay! Bye bye!" Photo Finish proclaimed in a shout before running towards her next shoot. Sweetie Belle followed, saying farewell to her students. The scene became normal again, as the young griffon returned to carry Finish's equipment and left huffing through his pain. The only thing that was now out of place was the team.
"Well then!" Regina said, her accent soft and kind. "Back to bed I go!"
Before the young mare had the chance to fly back home to her cloudy house, Honeybee's usually reserved voice became louder.
"Wait!" she called, all eyes peeled on hers, "The field is free! We should play a game."
Each creature nodded in agreement, rushing away to the field. Regina simply sighed.
"Maybe next time." she quietly said, the ears of the kirin picking up as she heard her.
"C'mon Regina!" Opera Splash smiled as she turned around, "Hopefully we can team up and beat some Buckball butt!"
The two friends giggled, bouncing away like happy Easter Bunnies.
"PERFECT! EVEN BETTER THAN THE BUCKBALL TEAM!"
Author's Note
Happy Hearts and Hooves! 
