Twelve

When Apple Bloom said that she only had a few hours left, she was not blowing things over the top. School, like most things, would enter the so called nap zone like everything else, ready to come back full force at the end of it. It also was the feared deadline for Apple Bloom to deliver her homework.

Coincidence? A naive mistake? Sheer sadism from an old maid?

Who knows.

The point was that Apple Bloom was running out of time. Fast. She needed to get her home work done with and she had to do it now. However, the universe seemed to be conspiring to stop he from accomplishing that.

For instance. She reached the zodiac twins, who had the power to move anywhere they wanted. They got drunk on milk. She lost Sag trying to get them to safety. When she got to the library, looking for the one pony who was not a zodiac and that could possibly know where Aries was, she turned to be in the middle of a zodiac induced rage, meaning that she was perfectly capable of frying somepony if they weren't careful.

"Maybe I can help you." Spike offered.

"No thanks Spike. Ah' need something a bit more professional than a library assistant." Apple Bloom said. Spike glared at her. "No offense."

"Nonet taken..." Spike snarked. He would have continued, but green fire shot from his mouth in a loud belch, singing the top of Apple Bloom's bow. A letter fell right on his claws.

"Aw, Spike! Ya' burned mah' bow!"

"It was an accident!"

Apple Bloom wanted to keep accusing him, but purple magic lifted the dragon from the ground, almost ripping the letter from his claws too. Twilight opened the scroll, readying at a speed that only a consummate bookworm could achieve. Twilight had surpassed that milestone a long time ago.

Spike worried for her sometimes.

"What does it say?" he asked.

"It says that she will send the money to pay for the damage..." her face paled." And that she wants to met a few of these zodiacs!"

"Good. Maybe she can knock some sense into them." Apple Bloom thought.

Spike didn't seem to share Twilight's fear about a dozen aliens with little to no knowledge about the odd ways of Equestria, even when he himself was victim to a prank based on those precise differences.

"Alright. Maybe we can get them to met her by tomorrow, or the day after that..."

"What are you talking about ?! We have to start preparing them! Educate them! We need to get ready for the meeting! Its going to take at least a week!"

If Twilight was hoping that Spike would share her fear, or at least show some emotion about, she was sadly disappointed. Spike merely turned belly up on the pillow he was trying to sleep on. He did react however, when Apple Bloom flipped his pillow over in revenge for her burned bow. He grunted in annoyance when Apple Bloom placed the cushion on top of him and sat on it.

"Now will ya'h help me?" Apple Bloom asked. Twilight looked at her. With a quick spell, the bow was restored to its normal, red, unburnt form.

"There. Now run along. I have to gather the rest." Twilight walked to the basement. "Please go get your sister for me."

"But thats not what Ah'-" POP "-meant..."

Twilight had teleported her all the way to the town hall. There was no way she could get back in there. She was done for. Getting back in the library would only get her teleported again. Walking back to farm would take all the time she had left for her homework. Looking for anypony, particularly a zodiac would be pointless now. She might was well give up to the cruel education system.

"Better start thinking of an excuse..." Apple Bloom muttered. Nap time was ending, as the refreshed ponies walking out of their homes showed. She would barely have time to go to the to warn Applejack before having to run to school. Without her homework. So much for the perfect student.

The orchid came into view soon enough. And just as always, Applejack could be found bucking a tree. Again. Even if it was her talent, one would think she would get bored every now and then. Maybe she could buck other things. Except her brother. Why would she want to buck poor Big Mac?

"Hey sis, whats up with the long face?"

"Twilight wants you in the library."

She left before Applejack could answer. She was no mood for being sisterly. The universe had suddenly decided to pick a random pony to screw with and for some casualty of fate, it had been her. It couldn't have been Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon. No. It had to be little, good Apple Bloom.

"Dang homework and dang school and dang everything..." she scowled.

A few foals ran past her in direction to the school, ready to deliver their own piece of hoof work. They would congratulated and given special consideration for the next test, while she would be scolded and frowned upon by her dear and beloved teacher. The same teacher who gave her this ridiculously hard homework.

Maybe she wasn't so dear and beloved anymore.

"Maybe she should just sit on a....whats that?" Apple Bloom stumbled upon a group of fillies and colts, all cheering in front of the school door. Stuck right in the middle of it was a single sheet of paper.

A paper with the most wonderful news Apple Bloom had been given in a very long time.

SCHOOL OUT DUE TO PERSONAL REASONS.

CLASSES CONTINUE TOMORROW WITH NORMAL REGULARITY.

"Why do you think she cancelled the classes?" One filly asked.

"Maybe she found a colt to keep her busy." Another kid answered.

Apple Bloom didn't care. She could only stare at the sign and smile. She was saved.

She was saved!