“How did your first big day at school go, Squirt?” Rainbow Dash cheerfully threw a wing over William's shoulder, giving him a tight little hug.

“My name is William,” he insisted, thinking heavily. “And all went accordingly. Very bland,” he lied, nodding quietly as he kept up pace next to his adoptive mother.

“What, was it really that boring?” Dash asked with a small grin as they continued down the road, the sun beating down on them.

“I could imagine nothing more positively droll and dreary, Miss Dash. I cannot wait to return.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Gotta admit, Squirt, I can’t really tell if that was sarcasm or not.”

The odd pair walked quietly beside each other, Rainbow Dash curiously drilling him with questions about his first day. It felt like no time at all had passed before they finally returned home, a pleasant breeze guiding them along the way as colts and fillies screaming with delight either with their parents or by themselves meandered about, free at last from the tyranny of the stuffy classroom. The first few grey clouds of an oncoming rain gathered at the horizon, but lulled back peacefully.

Rainbow Dash was quietly glad to have him by her side again; somewhere she could watch him. She honestly didn’t think that she would have gotten quite so used to the small boy’s company in such a short time, but if she had to choose between going back to being alone or keeping him…

Well, she wouldn’t go back to being alone.

If it meant that she could keep William, Rainbow Dash would go through hell and high water to do it.

Journal of William Zachariah Klaskovsky

Day 14 –

Ah, where to begin.

I am sincerely thankful for these written notes of mine; they give me an honest opportunity to recollect my thoughts, ponder and allow reminiscence over my day. However, there are times when I do wonder whether or not this may be a healthy habit I have developed, as it appears to lead to a larger amount of time brooding.

Hmm. Something to consider, I suppose.

But I digress.

As I have begun to routinely cover my previous day’s experiences in the morning, I believe that I shall continue this daily ritual in preparation of the day to come. Or not; I can be rather fickle.

After schooling the day before, Miss Dash and I had an excellent picnic southwest of Ponyville. Afterwards, per my request, she gladly explained the finer details of weather manipulation and gave a small demonstration, wresting a cloud – a cloud – from its place and displaying it to me. I must admit, I was rather fascinated by the show; that only brings me to another point, which I have yet to properly analyze.

Magic is a curious thing.

I long to study it, to observe and dissect it to the core; so much so that it has recently been keeping me from sleeping.

I have asked Miss Sparkle about the subject numerous times during our weekly Saturday astronomy lessons, but she has thus insisted that familiarizing myself with the ‘new’ solar system is of higher importance. Bah.

Again, I digress.

Hardly two weeks have gone by, and already I find that I have begun making enemies.

Evidently, I am clearly not as intelligent as I previously gave myself credit for; otherwise, I could potentially have avoided said confrontation altogether. This ‘Diamond Tiara’ and her hench… pony.

I must allow myself a moment. That is still a highly unfamiliar term.

Diamond Tiara and her henchpony ‘Silver Spoon’ have doubtlessly sworn me their mortal enemy by this point; regardless, it is clear that this latest cult I have been suckered into is dead set against them. I shall follow the old saying to the best of my ability. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all that.

Actually, I would like to rectify my previous statement.

The enemy of my enemy is also my enemy, and I should thusly be doubly prepared.

These ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ reek of trouble, and I want nothing to do with them.

However, should the brat and her subservient minion return with a vengeance, the ‘Crusaders’ shall provide as either excellent allies or ample cannon fodder; I care not either way.

I do feel a smidgen of remorse for that airheaded buffoon that the spoiled one drags everywhere with her, though. What a terrible life one must lead, to find succor in docile behavior.

Nevertheless, she has sided with Tiara, and should either of them cross me, they shall discover precisely why William Zachariah Klaskovsky has no enemies.

Submission is for the weak.

“You comin’, or what?”

William exhaled through his nostrils heavily, staring upward at the small, one room treehouse in mild disgust. It was clearly a highly unsafe structure, perched precariously around the trunk of the sprawling apple tree. Apple Bloom held the front door open for him, into which was carved a hole in the shape of a heart, similar to the wooden window shutters.

He gazed upon the building with evident disdain, and unenthusiastically trudged up the winding planks at the filly’s request. The short wooden door snapped shut behind him, and William was a little surprised to discover the inside of the clubhouse exceptionally well lit due to the spacing of the glass paned windows.

“Er-hem,” Sweetie Belle cleared her throat, beaming at him as they presented a small red cape with their blue-patched Cutie Mark Crusader symbol on the side, identical to the ones they currently wore. She unrolled a long sheet of parchment, and began reciting.

“William ‘Rainbow Dash’s adopted colt’ Klaskovsky,” the unicorn spoke squeakily, and he resisted the urge to rub his ears. “Do you so solemnly swear –”

“Yes,” he raised his right hand immediately. Anything to make that screechy voice stop.

Sweetie Belle gave him a level look, but Scootaloo cackled.

“Screw the formalities!” the pegasus said excitedly, tossing the cape over his shoulders and grinning widely at him. “Welcome to the Cee Em Cee!”

“That stands for Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Apple Bloom added helpfully, just in case it wasn’t already painfully obvious.

“Yes, thank you, Apple Bloom,” William replied dryly. “I would be so lost without you.”

“… I can’t tell, was that sarcasm?” she tilted her head at him, eliciting another burst of air through his nostrils.

“Forget that!” Scootaloo said excitedly, straining for his attention. “You gotta tell me; what’s it like being with the Rainbow Dash all the time?”

William blinked, backing away from the overexcited orange pegasus slightly.

“Firstly, personal space,” he held up a single finger. “Secondly… well, actually, I was not under the impression that Miss Dash was anyone of particular importance.”

Scootaloo gawked at him, walking a couple of circles around him before sitting down. “Seriously?” she asked in disbelief. “How can you not know?”

“Not know what?” he asked, genuinely interested.

“Y’all ain’t never heard o’ the Elements of Harmony?” Apple Bloom stared at him as if he’d suddenly turned a different color.

“I apologize, Miss Bloom,” William stated testily. “But if your accent were to grow any thicker you would lose the capacity for speech as your voice would likely break your tongue.”

It was silent in the clubhouse for nearly a full ten seconds, before Sweetie Belle slowly turned toward an antsy Scootaloo.

“Screw the formalities, huh?”

“What?” William blinked, honestly confused. “What did I say?”

It was silent in the clubhouse for nearly a full ten seconds, before Scootaloo began attempting to hide her snickering behind one hoof.

“Anyway,” Sweetie Belle shook her head, determined not to lose the first new member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders so soon. “We’d like to officially welcome you to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Will!”

“William.”

“Whatever!”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at the unicorn, showing William a long list of scribbles and crossed out items.

“The main objective for the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” she explained to him as she passed him the list “is ta’ figure out what our Cutie Marks are going to be.”

“That’s more like a side-thingy than anything else,” Scootaloo added. “More just a reason to hang out and chill.”

“I… see,” William pored over the list, eyes lingering especially longer on the ‘expert pigeon pokers’ and ‘supreme bowling champions’ parts. “And you want me here because…?”

Scootaloo slapped him on the back, causing him to jump.

“Because you’re our new friend! Duh,” she chortled. “Plus, maybe you can get your Cutie Mark While you’re at it as well!” Scootaloo eyed his thigh, as if he might be hiding a Cutie Mark beneath his pressed pants.

“Wait,” he said suddenly, a thought occurring to him. “Those brandings on you creature’s thighs are natural?”

“Well, of course!” Sweetie Belle nodded, taking a look at the long list for herself. “Don’t humans get Cutie Marks, too?”

The way the unicorn pronounced ‘human’ was slightly off, as if she were unaccustomed to the word. In hindsight, William thought vaguely, they likely all were.

He shook his head slowly, a little unnerved by the odd stare she was giving him.

“No,” William informed her. “Humans do not obtain ‘Cutie Marks’. I was under the impression that ponies had a frequent tendency of branding themselves, perhaps with dyes or inks as a form of social recognition.”

Sweetie Belle snorted at the ridiculousness of the comment, and William felt a heat rising in his cheeks as she bit back her laughter. He hated it when others laughed at him.

“Not even little ones?” Scootaloo pried, tilting her head as her wings ruffled.

“No,” William shook his head again. “The main method by which humans obtain any form of physical branding is either with numerous piercings or inking tattoos onto their flesh beneath the skin with needles.”

The resounding ‘Ew,’ almost made him grin.

Almost.

“Gotta admit,” Apple Bloom stuck out her tongue. “That’s kinda gross.”

William stared at her, astounded.

“Gross?” he asked. “Gross? Do you have any idea what restrooms look like here?”

“I do!” Scootaloo stuck her hoof in the air.

“Rhetorical question,” William frowned. “And more importantly, one would assume that you all have been informed of basic hygiene due to the bars of soap I found in the bathrooms, yes?”

The silence in the clubhouse was thick and heavy.

William let out a short burst of frustrated breath, and said “That one was not rhetorical.”

“Yes,” Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes at the young boy. “We know how basic hygiene works. We’re not animals.”

He once again had to bite back a retort.

“Regardless,” he said flippantly, sitting cross legged on the floor to make himself more comfortable. “One is expected to wash their hooves before leaving the bathroom.”

They nodded simultaneously.

“The same hooves that you walk on.”

They nodded simultaneously.

“That you just washed.”

They nodded simultaneously.

“But humans are gross?”

“I fail to see the connection,” Scootaloo carefully inspected the bottom of her hoof, as if it had suddenly become more interesting. William was rather disappointed as the first few sprinkles of rain unexpectedly began to fall, meaning that his Saturday astronomy lesson with Twilight Sparkle would be canceled.

Apple Bloom pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Ah get what he’s sayin’.” she nodded.

“I’m stunned,” William stated drolly.

“… I can’t tell, was that sarcasm?”

“What do you mean, ‘sexual harassment’?!” Rainbow Dash asked, flabbergasted. She crumpled the letter in one hoof, and Cheerilee cringed behind her desk slightly.

“I know, Rainbow Dash, I know,” Cheerilee sighed defensively. “This is just protocol, really.”

“Protocol?” the blustered pegasus dared believe her ears, and Cheerilee was a little put off by the odd look that had begun to grow in Rainbow Dash’s eyes.

“I know,” Cheerilee said uncomfortably, sitting behind her desk as Rainbow Dash tugged at the letter from the school in her hooves. “Really, I’m just as surprised as you are.”

Dash took a long, quiet and deep breath, exhaling slowly and sitting down in the wooden chair opposite of Cheerilee. She closed her eyes and continued her deep breathing routine, thoughts heavy. Thankfully, the cool air of the schoolhouse offered some protection from the bright sun despite the gathering rain clouds and heat outside, but it had suddenly grown oddly stuffy and felt cramped within.

“I want an explanation,” she said immediately through clenched teeth, amber eyes snapping open.

“From what I can gather,” Cheerilee said awkwardly “there was some form of confrontation between Diamond Tiara and William, and for some reason he wound up kissing the little b-darling,” she coughed into her hoof.

“How?”

“Well, actually,” Cheerilee said conversationally, not noticing the blossoming dark look in Dash’s eyes. “Diamond Tiara told her father that young William had been completely unprovoked and assaulted her for no reason; you know Tiara, always making mountains of molehills. She went straight to Filthy Rich, demanding that he personally corporally punish the colt, but instead he threatened to sue the school, of all things, if the situation were not – Rainbow Dash, are you feeling well?”

Cheerilee had previously been ignorant of the unexpectedly grim look on the pegasus’s face, and her teeth clacked quietly together in her mouth as she ran her hooves up and down the arms of the wooden chair. The entire time, Rainbow Dash’s rosy eyes never left her, and her heavy breathing through her nostrils belied a quiet, boiling rage that Cheerilee had rarely seen except in diagrams of volcanoes; like she were nearly ready to explode from the pent up anger.

It was also a classic sign that many of her students had exhibited on more than one occasion, and Cheerilee was a teacher for a reason; she wasn’t just trained for these kinds of situations. She was a natural.

“There really shouldn’t be too much trouble,” Cheerilee attempted to diffuse Rainbow Dash’s temper. “I’ve thoroughly convinced Mister Rich that suing the school won’t get anypony anywhere; and that I would speak to you personally about tending to William. Perhaps Monday we should get the two of these to stay after school and work out their problems healthily,” Cheerilee suggested. However, Rainbow Dash had stopped listening long ago.

“Yeah,” she croaked. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s great. Listen, I’ve got to fly –”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, dear, no trouble,” Cheerilee shook Rainbow Dash’s hoof with a smile, still a little perturbed by her unusual expression. “I understand that ponies have lives to see to.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow Dash’s voice sounded distant, hollow; like she weren’t really focusing. “Whatever’s good. I’m going to… tend to William.”

She was already halfway out the door by the time she finished, and Cheerilee let out a long, drawn out sigh as she was left to her paperwork.

Rainbow Dash, however, was already in the air; and with gratitude she sprang into the sky naturally from years and years of training and practice, because her mind certainly wasn’t on it.

It seemed like such a ludicrous idea at first; after all, it was the same one that had first occurred to her what felt like months ago, but was really only a few weeks. Perhaps Discord had been mistaken, maybe he had been wrong. He had his eyes, after all.

Those cold, merciless eyes.

It might have appeared a little unlikely, but the more she dwelled on it, the more deeply the seed of doubt took root – and in that murky soil of her mind was uprooted a great many other foul things. Old, dark things that were better left buried.

Discord had made her promise, long before. And whatever Rainbow Dash might have gone through or would face in the future, she kept her promises.

Hold the child as close to her heart as she could…

And utterly destroy the last remnants of Master.

Miss Cheerilee wanted her to tend to William, did she?

Oh, she was going to tend to William, all right.

Yes. She would tend to her William.

Even if she had to go through hell and high water to do it.

Author's Notes:

Since so many people have decided to ask me personally...
Yes, I deliberately wrote William to be a bit of a smug, arrogant ass.