All's Fair

by Equestria Buck Yeah

First published 29th of January, 2015

...in love and war, as the saying goes, and sometimes it's hard to tell one from the other. Even Princess Twilight and her friends will find they aren't immune to such things, and if they're not careful, it could tear their friendship apart.

...in love and war, as the old saying goes. Sometimes the line between them blurs; sometimes there can be no line at all. Even Princess Twilight and her closest companions will come to learn that they too can fall victim to such unpredictable emotions. Just how far will things go before their friendship is torn apart?

Special thanks to the wonderfully-bearded lumberjack for editing.

Rated Teen/Sex for implied sex. Nothing will be graphic.

Chapter 1

The simple hair brush floated down in its basket next to the bathroom sink, the soft purple glow fading away. Twilight looked over her mane meticulously, checking for any split ends or out of place hairs. It may have been just a brunch get-together with her friends, but there wasn't any reason she couldn't look reasonably presentable in case anypony that happened by felt like taking a picture of her.

Even after so many months of being a princess, there were some things she doubted she'd ever get used to. As she nodded to herself, content with her appearance, she wondered for a moment if Celestia or Luna ever felt a bit overwhelmed by their royal stature. It was likely so – one doesn't rule for thousands of years without feeling some weight that came with the stresses of royalty – but Twilight never once felt it was polite to ask such a thing in the time she had known them.

She swung her head around and checked the clock beside her bed – just after ten. Whoops! Better get a move on.

Deciding to pick up her pace, she gave the mirror one last smile and quickly trotted out the bedroom, opting to leave her crown on the night stand. There wasn't going to be any royal business or summit going on, and she wasn't any better than anypony else anyway, so what harm could it do?

On the way down the castle's spiral staircase, she heard a certain dragon going through the fridge, probably looking for a late breakfast. No doubt he appreciated being allowed to sleep in that morning and have the day off. Something told her he'd appreciate her next gesture even more as she rounded the corner and came to a stop by the kitchen.

"Morning, Spike!"

"Hey, Twilight. What's going on?" he asked, putting his rummaging on hold for a moment.

"Not too much. Just heading out to brunch with the girls. Did you want to come?"

"Really? What's the occasion?"

"Come on," she egged him. "You've been cooped up in the castle far too much lately. Nothing wrong with having a lazy day every so often."

He closed the refrigerator, smirking proudly. "Those are my favorite kind! Alright, sure! I didn't have many plans to begin with today. So, where are we going?"

The pair continued out the large double doors, greeted by another average day in Ponyville. "The little bistro by Stirrup Street and Fourth."

"Oh yeah! Place isn't bad." Spike jokingly gave her a little poke with his elbow. "Maybe you can get the food for free, what with being a princess and all."

"You know that isn't going to happen, Spike," Twilight retorted while returning a wave to a passerby.

"Eh, worth a shot."

The food was passable today; the last time they were there, it seemed to have a bit more flavor. Ah well, maybe the usual cook was out sick or something. What was more of a concern to the girls and Spike was where Pinkie Pie was. It wasn't like her to be late when it came to hanging out with her friends. Probably just got distracted by...well, that list was long.

A few minutes went by before they finally saw their bubbly friend staggering toward them. "Oh, here she comes now," Fluttershy said.

Their happiness gradually became concern when the baker flopped down hard on her chair. She blinked one eye at a time and it looked like her hair hadn't been brushed in a week. "Hi, girls! Sorry I'm late. Busy morning!"

"Obviously," Rainbow muttered.

"You okay, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "You look like you're about ready to pass out."

"Oh, yeah, heh. A new family stopped in to Sugarcube Corner this morning and I had to throw them a Welcome Party. I just wish I had the–"

In mid-sentence, the exhausted mare promptly fell asleep, snoring loud enough to disturb a few nearby customers. Her friends shared a look and an embarrassed grin with their fellow patrons.

"Uh...Pinkie?"

"–time to throw them a proper one," she continued without missing a beat. "It doesn't feel right to give them such measly little parties."

"You know you could always tell them that you'd like to throw them a bigger one at a later date, right?" Rarity suggested.

"Oh no no no, I couldn't do that! If I don't throw them a Welcome Party right away, they may think that Ponyville isn't a super-duper-riffic place to live and that the ponies here are a bunch of meanie pantseses and that we really don't want them as our newest, bestest friends, especially with Twilight being the Princess of Friendship and all! How well would that go over, am I right?"

"But, sweetie, look at yourself! You're clearly exhausted. You need to have some time for yourself to get your strength so you can throw those parties of yours properly."

"Don't you worry about a thing, Rares! I'll be alright. I had a few cups of coffee before I got here, so once they kick in, I'll be ready to go!"

"You've been throwing an awful lot of parties lately, haven't you?" Twilight asked.

"I have! I thought I was the only one who's been noticing how many new ponies there are in town recently. It's been going on for at least a few weeks now. This week, I've thrown..." She pulled out an old-fashioned adding machine and a tossed on a visor, tapping away at the buttons and pulling the lever when needed. The strip of paper hanging out the back nearly stretched across the table when she was finished. "...eighteen parties alone since Monday!"

Meanwhile, their waiter visited their table and set a dish of pastries and a few light breakfast snacks in front of the rambling mare along with a glass of orange juice. "Your friends ordered this for you before you arrived, miss. Enjoy."

"Thanks!"

"Eighteen? What's been bringing so many ponies here lately?" Fluttershy wondered. "Were there a bunch of new job openings around town that we weren't aware of or something?"

"I don't know. The mayor hasn't informed me of anything like that. In fact, I haven't heard any of new kind of legislation being passed for the town that'd make ponies want to come here in droves like they have been."

"Maybe it's something to do with your castle or the fact that you're a princess," Applejack suggested.

"What would that have to do with anything?"

The cowgirl shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if, when Canterlot was built, more than a few ponies with money moved there just to be closer to Celestia. Be something of a status symbol to be her next door neighbor, right? Could be something like that going on here, just that Ponyville is easier to move to since the cost of living around here isn't too high."

"But my coronation was months ago," Twilight pointed out. "Why would this be happening now?"

"There was more than one time that I went to a small town for some farming-related competition. Frankly, I was amazed they had half the conveniences we have here. Wouldn't surprise me if news of your coronation took a little longer to reach them."

"Months later just sounds a little too long though."

"Eh, I don't know. Just a thought."

"Well, whatever the reason, all these new faces around town could definitely have some perks," Rarity said. "They'll be a boost to the local economy if nothing else, and it's always nice meeting–."

Hopping in her seat, Pinkie Pie redirected the conversation, pointing at a family of three walking in their general direction. "Hey, look! Here come some new folks now! I threw them a party three days ago. They didn't really seem into it though. Not sure why." The pink pony bent backwards over her seat, practically folding herself in half, and waved obnoxiously at the new arrivals. "Hell-ooooo! It's me, Pinkie Pie! Come on over and meet my friends!"

The family couldn't help but hear her, even from a distance, and cringed at each other. The father, a lilac unicorn with a navy blue mane, took the lead with his red-coated earth pony wife right behind. Next to her was a tiny, light-pink unicorn with a curly white mane and tail of her own. She narrowed her green eyes and held back growling to herself. But, they had to go say 'hi' now. It only took one meeting, but they quickly assumed when Pinkie Pie wanted to talk to you, you were going to talk to her whether you wanted to or not. She took a deep breath and put on a timid smile as they got closer, as did her parents.

"Uh, hello there," the stallion said.

"Hey, everypony! How've your first days in Ponyville been?"

"Err...great! It's a...really quaint little place."

"Glad you like it! Oh, where are my manners?" Pinkie said, bopping herself on the head for her rudeness. "Girls, this is High Note, his wife Curtain Call and this little cutie here is Cottontail. These are my bestest friends in the whole wide world: Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Princess Twilight!"

As the other former Element bearers said their hellos, Cottontail blinked and shook her head in shock. "I'm sorry...Princess Twilight?" She hopped onto her hind legs and half-climbed onto the table, finally getting a peek at Twilight's wings.

"Mhm! I was crowned several months ago. My castle kind of sticks out over the horizon. You can even see it from here." They all turned and noticed the large, crystalline star towering over the town. "But I didn't receive it all on my own. If it weren't for my friends here, it would never have been created. It's...a long story really."

The small filly rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "Interesting. They really weren't kidding," she mumbled to herself.

"Who wasn't kidding?" Fluttershy inquired.

"The, uh, newspapers," High Note quickly answered. "We hail from a really small town and news tends not to travel too fast out there."

"Sometimes we can be a little behind the times," Curtain Call added.

"What do you know, A.J.! You were pretty on-target for once," Rainbow Dash joked as she chomped into a bagel.

"Ha ha."

"We were just off to enroll Cottontail here for classes at your school starting Monday."

"Oh, that's great!" Twilight beamed. "Cheerilee's a wonderful teacher."

"I have a feeling you'll probably end up meeting our little sisters," Applejack added. "Apple Bloom's mine, Sweetie Belle is Rarity's sis, and Scootaloo is...well, she's not officially R.D.'s sister, but close enough."

"Why do you say that?"

"They formed a club a while back called the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Those three are always running around trying to figure out some way to go about getting their cutie marks."

Cottontail glanced back at her own blank flank and smirked. "Oh. I see. They don't have theirs either. I-I'm sure they're nice enough though."

"Don't let their passion scare you away if you do happen to talk to them, sweetie. It's just very important to them that they figure out what their special talents are, that's all."

"I understand," Cottontail said meekly as she got off the table.

"We better get going. Don't want to late for signing her up," High Note chuckled. "It was nice meeting you all."

The small family walked away, happily waving goodbye only for their pleasurable tone to turn sour once they were out of earshot. Cottontail was particularly irritated, letting out a repulsed groan. "Wish we could just hide out in our house until Monday morning instead of dealing with all this nonsense."

"As do we, but this is something that needs to be done."

The filly snorted in disgust. "Three more days," she grumbled. "Threeeee more days."

It was roughly twenty minutes before her first class started. The new filly waited patiently in the playground, kicking gently at the dirt below her swing and scanning over her surroundings. She had been getting a good look at the other students. Nothing about any of them seemed particularly interesting or noteworthy. A few came up and introduced themselves and she was as pleasant as possible. It must have been enough for those she met as no feathers seemed to have been ruffled by anything she said. Still, she would have liked nothing more than to levitate these two particular colts and toss them into class through the window. Gods, were they ever annoying!

Time had slowed to a crawl and she wanted to get the day over with as fast as equinely possible. Still, the school was a necessary evil she just had to accept – for now. The relative peace and quiet quickly evaporated when she heard two unfamiliar voices grumbling from behind.

"Great. Just what we need – another blank flank."

"As if we didn't have enough around here."

"What do you think, Silver Spoon? You think she'll be as big a joke as the other ones around here?"

"Probably even bigger!"

Before Cottontail could tear into them properly, however, another group of children spoke up in her defense, the first with a familiar twang in her voice. These must be them.

"You two really need to come up with something more original. It's getting kinda played out, y'know."

"Maybe they could if they were a bit smarter."

"Cut them a break, Scootaloo. It's not their fault they were handed everything and never learned any real skills on their own."

The rivals stepped up to each other in front of the newcomer, getting nose to nose, though the former pair were clearly more agitated by the exchange. "Oh, whatever. You idiots have been doing your little Crusader stuff for how long and you still don't have your marks? You're so pathetic," Diamond Tiara chastised.

"Even with all the time you've spent with Princess Twilight, you still haven't gotten any better at those lame skills you've been trying to learn," Silver Spoon chimed in.

"And yet we're the ones who have friends and loved ones that actually care about us, even without our cutie marks," Apple Bloom fired back.

The apparent leader of the duo rolled her eyes and backed off, choosing to head inside to class instead of continuing the argument. "Because that really matters in the end. Come on, Spoon, let's get out of here before we catch a case of the stupids from them."

Her charming friend shuddered, following a step behind. "Ew, don't even joke about that."

The trio glared daggers at their enemies as they left. Once they were gone, they approached their new acquaintance, the one with the bow speaking up. "Sorry about those two. They're just a pair of jerks."

"Yeah, they'll never learn."

"We're–"

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?" Cottontail said first, stunning the fillies.

"How did...?"

"I met your sisters a few days ago. They said I'd probably bump into you at school today. Just put two and two together. I'm Cottontail."

The final bell rang and the floodgates opened, spilling dozens of kids out into the town. Taking their time behind most of the group was the trio-turned-quartet, getting to know their new companion further.

"We usually head back to our clubhouse in Sweet Apple Acres and try and figure out what to do after school. I know this is only your first day, but you're welcome to come if you want," Apple Bloom offered.

"Sounds like it could be fun."

"I don't know how much we'd be able to do later though," Scootaloo interjected. "Rainbow Dash told me yesterday that they had to schedule a heavy rainstorm tonight. Kind of puts a damper on things."

"Ah shoot."

"Good thing too, because that's just what Ponyville needs. Another one of you running around causing problems," a familiar shrill voice said.

The Crusaders stopped in their tracks, various levels of annoyance plastered on their faces. "Don't you two have anypony else to harass?"

"I suppose we could show your new friend what they're in for as a stupid blank flank," Diamond Tiara teased.

"Leave her alone!" Sweetie Belle demanded. "She hasn't even said anything to you all day!"

"You haven't done anything with your magic all day either," Silver Spoon goaded. "So much for all that training you've been doing. Too much of a challenge for you?"

"There wasn't any reason for me to use it today!"

"Sure there wasn't." Growing ever bolder, Diamond Tiara jabbed at the tiny pink unicorn's horn. "I'll bet Cottontail here's just as bad at it, aren't you?"

The newcomer hadn't given much credence to anything the bullies had to say until now, instead choosing to let them spew their childish ideas at will. She narrowed her eyes and lit up her horn. An emerald glow took hold of a nearby tall tree, one almost as high as most of the houses in Ponyville, and effortlessly tore it out of the ground, causing the ponies around to jump at the crazy sight.

Even the terrible two blinked in surprise, but still acted unimpressed. Perhaps if Cottontail could will money into existence out of thin air, they may have complimented her. "Hmph! Seems that horn of yours has some life, after all. I guess it doesn't really surprise me that you're better than Sweetie Belle at it. She's always been a bit slow."

"If I was a unicorn as lousy at magic as she was, I know I'd simply die of embarrassment. But honestly, if these idiots want to waste more of their lives with their stupid crusading, who are we to stop them, D.T.? We've got more important things to do."

"Yeah, you're right. See you later, blank flanks!"

Once the hecklers were out of earshot, Cottontail replaced the tree while her friends growled under their breath. "Really wish they'd find something better to do with their time," Sweetie Belle eventually said.

"No kidding. Frankly, I'd love it if somepony put them in their place for once," Scootaloo growled.

Their pink companion raised a curious eyebrow and swiveled an ear around. A decidedly coy smirk crept across her face. "Really?"

"Pretty much. They've been doing this for years. You'd think they'd have gotten bored of it by now."

"Well, it so happens that, err...at my last school, I was something of a mediator," Cottontail explained.

"What's that?"

"Basically, if two groups of ponies are arguing about something, I'd step in the middle and try to settle their differences for them. I was told I was pretty good at it." The confident young mare rubbed a hoof on her chest.

"What, you think you can convince those two to stop bothering us all the time?" the doubting farm girl asked.

"You give me twenty-four hours and I can guarantee it!" Cottontail boasted, tapping the yellow filly on the shoulder.

The little pegasus guffawed at such a ludicrous idea. "Sister, if you can pull that off, we'll make you a Crusader for life!"

"Heh, thanks. Now, I'm curious, where do those two usually go after school? Do you have any idea?"

Sweetie Belle cleared her throat and bit her lip, remembering things she'd prefer to forget altogether. "Not all that long ago, some...things happened and we thought they were genuinely being nice to us, but they were just using us to get close to Princess Twilight. Most days we'd go hang out at their house up in the north end of town." The other two shifted their eyes away or kicked regretfully at the dirt. Were they ever glad the humble alicorn was so understanding and forgiving when she found out the truth.

"Then that's where I'll go talk to them."

"Err, I don't mind you trying to get through to them for us, but isn't going right to their house about this kind of...personal?"

"They probably act like this because of something personal. It only makes sense to go to the source," Cottontail wisely suggested.

"I...suppose so."

"Besides," the little pink filly continued, "I can understand why you would be hesitant going there, but you don't have to worry. From what I've experienced, uh...well, it seems to be more effective when I...talk to both parties individually! Since you haven't really done anything, you're off the hook. I just need to speak to them!" She wrapped a foreleg around her fellow unicorn's shoulders. "Now, you said they lived on the north end of Ponyville. Which is their place?"

"They have a large gate out front and a shrub fence," Sweetie Belle answered. "Good luck getting to the front door, though. If Diamond Tiara doesn't want you in there, you're not getting in there."

"I'll figure something out. In fact, I'm going to head home right now and start putting together what I want to say to her."

"Wait, you were thinking about going over there tonight? What about the storm?"

"Look, you're my first friends in this new town and your...happiness is my primary concern – and I'm not worried about some silly old rain. I'll be fine!" Just as Cottontail was about to take off, she came to a stop, barely getting a hoof in the air. "I just thought of something else. What about her family? Will they be there? I only ask in case I need to talk to them too about this little...problem."

"Her parents aren't together anymore, at least that's what my granny's told me. I'm not sure where her mom is, but her dad, Filthy Rich, owns Barnyard Bargains near the center of town," Apple Bloom clarified.

"Oh yeah, I've been by that place." Cottontail tapped her chin, going through a mental checklist for that evening. "Hmm, is there anything else? I...think that might be everything. Alright, well, I'm going to head home now. I'll let you know how it all went when I see you tomorrow, okay?"

The filly was already several yards away from her friends before they even had the chance to say goodbye, sprinting off as fast as her little legs would carry her and leaving them rather puzzled that she'd leave so abruptly. But hey, if she could actually make Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stop bugging them, more power to her.

As she raced through town, Cottontail occasionally made eye contact with other foreign faces, exchanging quick nods with them as she dashed by. Eventually, she reached her house and threw open the door with surprising strength, startling her parents out of their stupor.

High Note had been sitting by the window, meticulously inspecting ponies as they trotted by. Curtain Call had been sprawled lazily on the couch taking a nap, an errant limb draped casually over the top of the furniture and a string of drool hanging from her mouth. Upon their foal's arrival and consequent slamming of the door closed, they staggered up to her and stood patiently like a pair of Wonderbolts waiting for orders.

Cottontail approached with a wide smirk on her face. "It seems I may have found another way in – and this one's going to be fun."

"Is that so?" High Note asked, grinning just as fiendishly. "Is there anything you want us to do?"

"As a matter of fact, there is."

The evening came earlier than usual thanks to the severe overcast. The moon barely had any time to show its face before it was hidden away behind the dark clouds decorating the sky, resulting in the street lamps here and there along the cobblestone being some of the only light the town had to offer. Most ponies took the opportunity to stay inside and curl up by a warm fire or fix themselves a nice, hot meal rather than going out and living it up a bit; the only ones out seemed to be stuck at work, hoping the final tick of the clock would come despite the inevitability of getting soaked on the way home.

One exception to the rule was a small, pink unicorn who was new in town. Without a hint of caring about the impending storm and the heavy winds that had already made their presence known, she marched toward Diamond Tiara's house, her head held high and a whimsical smile on her face.

Meanwhile, in the arrogant filly's bedroom, located near the front of the house, she and Silver Spoon were doing each others make-up, taking care of their luxurious locks, and occasionally playing with her extensive collection of dolls. It was a fairly typical night for the girls but that didn't mean they weren't enjoying the peace and quiet that came with being left alone.

The solitude would only last so long though as there was a knock at her boudoir. Randolph, the old family butler, stuck his head in. "Miss Tiara, your homework is complete."

"It's about time," she groaned. "What took so long?"

"Apologies, my dear. I wanted to make sure everything was done properly and took the liberty of triple-checking my work."

"Good. Daddy would simply hate it if my grades started to slip."

Randolph knew that tone well and subdued a wince. The last thing he needed was Diamond Tiara to whine to Filthy Rich about something that ultimately didn't exist. On his own, Mr. Rich was decent enough; getting his daughter involved in anything usually resulted in something painful, be it emotionally, mentally or financially. The old pony didn't need any more nonsense that night.

"I assure you you will receive an 'A' with this assignment. Now, if there isn't anything else you require, Miss Tiara, I'm going to draw myself a bath and prepare for bed a little early tonight."

She glanced over at the clock on her night stand – 8:16. Good. That meant Filthy Rich closed up about fifteen minutes ago and would probably be home pretty soon. "I'll be fine."

"Very good. Have a good night, little one," Randolph said as he closed the door, not expecting – and not receiving – the same pleasantries from his young employer.

Once his hoofsteps on the pristine marble floor faded away, Silver Spoon piped up in annoyance. "I can't believe he's so slow with your work. I mean, it's elementary school stuff. Shouldn't he know it already? He's only, like, a million years old."

"Yeah, I don't get it either. Makes me wonder what we pay him for sometimes."

While they bickered and whined, a banging noise echoed softly from somewhere in the house, adding to the their grievances. After a minute or two of the gentle rapping, Diamond Tiara grit her teeth and yelled at her servant. "Randolph! Go see what's making that noise already!" They sat in silence a short while longer, listening for activity that never happened; whatever was rattling around wasn't stopping. "Ugh, always have to do everything yourself around here. Randolph!"

The girls stomped deeper into the spacious, expensive house, flicking on a light or two as they went and endlessly calling for the hired help. The old stallion never answered, but the living room's center window swinging against the outside wall did. They paused and exchanged a perplexed look. Sure, the winds had been picking up over the last hour or so, but how'd they blow the windows outward? Maybe a particularly strong gust spun around and yanked it open like a twister would? Either way, they always kept their windows locked. It was secured in the first place, right?

Grunting in frustration, Diamond Tiara looked around and picked a cushy nearby chair to use as a make-shift ladder. It was a bit of a struggle to get a good grip on the frames, but eventually, she was able to get both halves back together and replaced the latch nice and tight, all at the cost of her coiffed mane. It was a bother, but at least the banging had stopped and it was easy enough to re-restyle her hair anyway. With a snort, the filly hopped back onto the floor and put the chair back in place. At least it hadn't started raining yet. Her dad would be furious if the pricey fabric was ruined.

Just as the girls were about to return to Diamond Tiara's room and get back to playing, there was a knock at the front door. The filly growled under her breath. There wasn't any use in calling for Randolph for such a trivial matter. He didn't respond with the window and they weren't far from the door as it was. "Who in the world could that be this time of night?"

They answered the door to find a cheery little unicorn with a poofy white mane on the other side, smiling brightly at them. "Hello!"

Oh great, one of the resident blank flanks. Diamond Tiara sneered and asked, "What do you want?" A realization suddenly came to her as the newcomer stood there. With several confused blinks, the wannabe princess darted her eyes back and forth between their 'guest' and the fence behind her. "And how did you even get past the gate in the first place? You can't fly."

"Oh, that's nothing you need to worry about. I came by to talk to you two about the Crusaders, see if maybe we can work something out so you'd stop teasing them all the time. I hope that's okay."

"Are you serious? Those three babies deserve every harsh word they get!" Silver Spoon snapped.

"You're new around here and may not understand just yet, so I'll just spill it about them," Diamond Tiara interjected. "Nothing they do results in anything useful. All they ever seem to accomplish is giving everypony around them headaches. They run around playing their stupid little games trying to get their cutie marks and cause nothing but disaster everywhere they go. At the rate they're going, they're never going to earn their marks and they're never going to amount to anything in society, and neither will you if you stick around with those losers."

"So, there isn't anything I can do to change your mind about them?" Cottontail tried again.

"Get it through that head of yours – no! Now get off my property!"

The tiny filly took it all in stride, never losing her smile. "I was hoping you'd say that. Bye!"

Diamond Tiara slammed the door in her face, pausing as soon as she started to take a step. "She was hoping we'd say that? What's that supposed to mean?" She flung open the entranceway again. "Hey, what'd y...?"

She instantly found herself at a loss for words as Cottontail was nowhere to be seen. They blinked and stuck their heads outside, braving the first few heavy drops of rain as they searched high and low for the strangely spunky filly.

"Where is she?" Silver Spoon wondered. "She was here two seconds ago. She couldn't have just vanished."

"Ah, who cares? Was just a bunch of hot air from a stupid blank flank," Diamond Tiara growled, shutting the door again. A clap of thunder bellowed as they took their first steps back to the bedroom, making them fillies jump. Here came the downpour, no doubt.

They paused mere inches from the chamber, a familiar banging sound coming from inside again. Slowly, the girls craned their necks with confusion written all over their faces.

"Is that the window again?" Silver Spoon asked.

"It sounds like it."

"I thought you locked it."

"I was sure I did. This had better not be some kind of prank," Diamond Tiara huffed, taking the lead into the living room.

Like before, the center window had somehow been thrown open, the silk curtains flowing violently in the strong winds and being soaked by a torrential rain. The carpet and any nearby furniture was already just as drenched.

"Oh no no no no! Daddy's going to have my head!" The filly dragged the same chair over as quickly as she could and slammed it against the wall. "Come on, help me here!"

Obeying like a lap dog, Silver Spoon climbed next to her friend, desperately reaching for her window pane in spite of the overpowering gusts. Just as they were about to finally get their hooves on the structures, the opening slammed itself closed, launching the waterlogged pair onto the floor.

Almost as if it had a life of its own, the latch almost appeared to wait until they looked up before sealing itself closed. A flash of blinding light tore across the stormy sky, making the children wonder if they really did just see the hook glowing emerald for a second. Slowly, they got to their hooves and took a cautious step toward the strangely animated inanimate object.

Suddenly, the light bulbs in the lamps on the two end tables burst out of nowhere followed by the ones overhead in their extravagant chandelier, raining thin shards of glass onto the carpet. The fillies jumped out of the way, not wanting to step on something painful. Another series of pops rang throughout the hallways closeby, leaving the house to be slowly consumed by darkness. Even the bulbs that hadn't been on suffered a similar fate. All that could be seen in through the windows was a faint street lamp across the muddy path, partially masked by the heavens having opened up and the occasional burst of lightning that came with it.

"Th-th-the lights," Silver Spoon whimpered, crawling up against her friend.

"I-it's nothing. Probably just a blown fuse," Diamond Tiara mumbled.

An angry roll of thunder shook the house as well as the fidgeting fillies. If they didn't know any better, they'd swear there was a chuckle in the air. They wrapped themselves in each others quivering forelimbs.

"Did...d-did you hear that, D.T.?"

"Y-you mean the thunder? Of course! Don't be silly!"

The last of their calm turned to shrieks when an unseen entity flung the love seat across the room like a toy. Only a few feet away, the sofa was then thrown against the far wall, leaving a nasty dent. The end and coffee tables soon followed, flinging their lamps and crystal centerpiece aside and smashing them all on the floor.

Another bolt of lightning let them see enough of the destruction around the room so they could make a break for it. Screaming and with tears in their eyes, they ran for the front door as fast as they could. They would have been home free if not for the bookcase that yanked itself in front of their escape route, groaning loudly as the stubby wooden feet dragged across the marble and forcing them to come to a screeching halt.

They turned and sprinted off to the side toward Diamond Tiara's bedroom, but it was just as in vain. Every hallway, every door the fillies tried to use was sealed off just as they arrived, barricaded by random pieces of nearby housewares – side tables that spilled their expensive vases, a large stone statue, storage shelves. Whatever was hunting them gradually forced them back into the demolished living room, the last possible exits around the den eventually being cut off. Their hearts threatened to burst from their chests as they panted for breath from all the hollering and racing from the apparition.

The pounding deluge beat steadily against the windows, stifling the girls' voices as they huddled together in horror. "Randolph, help!"

"Somepony! Anypony, please!"

A distinct laugh echoed through the cavernous abode, drowning out their cries. Where exactly it was coming from was anypony's guess. "I'm afraid he's currently...indisposed."

Diamond Tiara recognized the voice instantly. Her fear transformed into seething, spitting rage. "C...Cottontail?! You...y-you miserable little witch! Come out so I can bury you!"

"Awww, such tough talk is almost adorable in a pathetic sort of way."

"F-fine! Just wait until my daddy gets home! I'll tell him everything you did and then you'll be sorry!"

The hidden unicorn cackled even louder, unfazed by the threats. Diamond Tiara shrank back at the wordless rebuttal, her brash confidence quickly evaporating. "Go ahead," Cottontail hissed. "He'll never believe you."

"W-why not?"

"Yeah, it's our word against yours and there's only one of you!" Silver Spoon added.

"That would be telling. Just think – we may have the night all to ourselves. Isn't that just lovely?"

"Shut up! Just...just get out of my house! Go away!" Diamond Tiara shouted. The fillies began to slip into panic mode, shaking again as they searched the shadows, desperately trying to find Cottontail's hiding place.

"What's the matter? You said you were going to bury me. Lost the nerve?" Almost as if floating on a cloud, the curly-maned unicorn silently approached them from behind. The twin terrors froze up and slowly turned around when her green magic gradually lit up, revealing a wickedly smiling young mare. "Now, about that talk..."

Another flash of lightning erupted, leaving Tiara and Spoon to witness a snarling monstrosity suddenly lunging for them. "RAAAAUGH!"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Chapter 2

Outside the school, the Crusaders waited and waited for Cottontail to make an appearance. One of the first things they started chatting about when they all met up that morning was wondering exactly how things went the night before with their sworn enemies. Could she really have gotten through to them when no one else had ever been able to? If so, what all did she say or do?

There was only a few more minutes before the first bell rang, but fortunately the trio wouldn't have to sit around any longer. "Hey girls. How's it going?" Cottontail greeted them, seemingly from out of nowhere, full saddlebag draped across her waist.

"Morning, Cottontail," Apple Bloom said. "H-how'd your visit go?"

"Couldn't have been better!"

The fillies shared a shocked glance. "Really?" Scootaloo muttered. "You can't be serious."

"I am. They've seen things in a whole new light." The young unicorn spotted something cautiously approaching the schoolhouse from the corner of her eye and turned toward it with a wide, hopeful smile. "There they are now. Why don't you go talk to them?"

The girls spun around and caught eyes with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, making the duo freeze in place. Their manes were as disheveled and raggedy as they've ever been. Their eyes were terribly bloodshot and carried large sets of bags. While they were usually joined at the hip when it came to their activities and insults, one would almost believe it was quite literal now as they huddled against each, trembling like leaves.

Their terrified appearance was more than easy for the Crusaders to see. Genuinely curious – as well as strangely concerned for them – they walked up to the petrified pair only to be backed away from by a couple steps. The troublemakers glanced at the glaring pink filly who stood behind the flightless pegasus and shook even harder.

The air couldn't have been thicker with tension as they stood there staring at each other, unsure who was going to break the ice. Sweetie Belle eventually had that honor.

"Uh...morning?"

"H-h-hello," Diamond Tiara whimpered.

Another awkward pause followed. Not being teased was great so far, but they certainly weren't expecting them to be so...oddly submissive, to say the least.

"Are...y'all okay?"

"Sure! Wh-why wouldn't we be?" Silver Spoon mumbled.

"Well...you kinda look scared at your mind."

They snuck another look at Cottontail. "Oh, that. It was...kind of a nasty storm last night and–"

"–a-all that thunder and lightning, it...sort of made it look like the walls came alive," Silver Spoon finished for her friend. "We d-didn't sleep well last night. It's nothing really."

Apple Bloom lifted an unconvinced brow. "That's it?"

"Uh huh." Diamond Tiara suddenly bit her lip and sheepishly hid her gaze. "Listen, we're...we're really sorry about all the grief we've given you. We were blank flanks too once."

"Yeah. It was really stupid that we kept harassing you all this time. Please don't hate us," Silver Spoon added.

Three jaws nearly hit the floor. As one, the Crusaders craned their necks and gawked at their new companion, who gave them a gleaming smile. Any questions they had remained unanswered by her very proud and rather inappropriate response. Turning back, a part of them almost felt sorry for their rivals, given how scared they obviously were at...whatever it was.

"Err...no, we don't hate you. We just wanted you to stop teasing us, that's all," Sweetie Belle said with warmth, trying to bridge any remaining gaps.

"We will. We promise!" Diamond Tiara blurted.

"Okay. Um, thanks?" Apple Bloom murmured, still completely puzzled by the sudden turn of events.

"Did you maybe, I don't know, want us to carry your books in for you or something?" Silver Spoon offered.

"No, that's okay. You girls go on ahead. We'll be in shortly." With grateful nods, the former terrors sped in the door in the blink of an eye and found their seats. Once they were likely out of earshot, the little farmer asked, "What in the world did you say to them?"

The unicorn was taken aback. "What do you mean? I thought you said you wanted them to stop bothering you. They said they would, didn't they?"

"Well, yeah, but...I guess I didn't expect them to be acting so...scared of...well, it looked like they were scared of you."

"I noticed that too," Sweetie Belle confirmed.

"Same here. What happened last night?"

Cottontail curled her lips as she told her side of the story. "I went over there, we talked for a bit. Her dad eventually came home and... Ohhhh." Her ears drooped as she continued. "I think I know what might have happened."

"What?"

"I sat down with Filthy Rich and talked to him about some of the things that they had been saying and doing. He didn't believe me at first, but I told him that Miss Cheerilee could confirm quite a bit. I don't think it was the first time he had heard such things about Diamond Tiara before. After a while, I think he started to believe me; I could see it in his eyes. He said he'd talk to her and thanked me, and once I was out the door, I could've sworn I heard some yelling through the wall." The tiny filly cringed. "I...don't really want to think about what might have happened afterward."

The Crusaders listened in horror, stunned at the revelation. Sweetie Belle was on the verge of tears. "You mean...Filthy Rich...?" Apple Bloom tried to say. "That just doesn't make any sense."

"Why do you say that?"

"Once a year, me and the family harvest this special apple called Zap Apples. He's our first and biggest customer; he always buys a few crates of the jam we make out of them. He just...he just never seemed the kind that would do something like that. He's always really nice."

"Oh. Guess you never know what somepony's like until you're around them in private," Cottontail said, staring forlornly at the dirt. "Probably shouldn't have been smiling back there. I just wanted to make sure they left you alone. I didn't want it to look like I was gloating or something."

"It's okay. We appreciate it, really. I guess it looked like they were scared of you since you talked to Diamond Tiara's dad and accidentally set everything off. Wasn't like that was your intention or anything." Scootaloo leaned in and whispered, "Do...do you think we should maybe tell somepony about this?"

"Adults tend not to listen to kids often because we're kids," Cottontail explained. "Some can have wild imaginations or blow things out of proportion; simply being scared of something may not mean anything. Unless an adult actually sees something like a bruise, it can be hard to convince some of them. I'm afraid Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are the only ones who are going to be able to do anything about it."

"Are you sure? It just seems–"

"Yes," the newcomer quickly snapped. "We've already ruffled enough feathers as it is. It'd be best to just...drop it. Something tells me that those two aren't going to come to you for any moral support either, seeing as how they bullied you for so long."

One by one, Cottontail's new friends looked toward the welcoming school door where their former enemies just entered, their spirits at an all-time new low. "I never honestly thought I'd feel bad for them. But it kinda makes a lot of sense."

"Yeah. Really makes you think. Come on, we don't want to be late for class."

With heavy hearts, the Crusaders slogged their way in with Cottontail bringing up the rear. They never once saw her glaring daggers at them and gritting her teeth behind her lips.

Their sorrow hadn't really left them all day in school. Considering their proximity to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, it was understandable. As implicitly suggested by Cottontail before the first bell, they decided not to question their rivals about what they were told. It would have been a bit difficult to, even if they wanted to, as the two did everything they could to keep their distance from them.

Even after they were finished with class, the Crusaders didn't have the motivation to go do anything fun. They just didn't feel right about it. Their usual trip to Sugarcube Corner was also put on hold for another time.

Despite the girls deciding to head back to their respective homes early, Cottontail still wanted to spend time with them. With some convincing, Sweetie Belle eventually took her up on the offer and brought her back to Carousel Boutique. The bell jingled overhead as they entered the luxurious shop, midway through a conversation about the white unicorn's family life.

"So, where'd your parents decide to go?" Cottontail asked as they went in.

"They're taking a trip around the country, seeing some sights here and there. They've sent us a postcard for every place they've visited so far. We've gotten about seven or eight since they left, I think."

"Sounds fun!"

"Yeah, I'd love to go with them, but all that running around would probably wear me out real quick. Who knows, maybe one summer they'll let me tag along, but it's nice being with my sister while they're gone. It's almost like having a second home, and I honestly wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

Attracted by the bell and the prospect of a customer, Rarity eventually made her way down the stairs with a scaly, purple assistant a step behind her. "Oh, hello Sweetie Belle, Cottontail. How was school?"

"Fine."

"Alright. You won't believe what happened today," Sweetie Belle proposed.

"What's that?"

"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon...apologized for bullying us all this time."

"Those two spoiled rich brats?"

"Spike!" Rarity scolded.

"What? It's just what they've told me," he retorted.

"Still, you shouldn't say things like that, even if they are true." The fashion designer looked back at her little sister. "They just up and apologized, just like that? Not that I'm not happy that they've decided to leave you alone – and I know how much you've complained about them before – but, what made them do so out of the blue like this?"

"Cottontail talked to them last night. Whatever she said seemed to do the trick." The young filly held her head up proudly.

"That's it? All they needed was somepony to sit down and talk with them?" Rarity asked, rightfully skeptical.

The two youngsters shared a glance, recalling they finer details Cottontail had shared about the tail end of her visit. The little mare shrugged and put on a false smile. "Yeah. We worked things out pretty well. Who knew that'd be all it'd take, right?"

With a warm smile, Rarity stepped forth and gave them each a tight hug. "Well, I'm very happy to hear it."

Sweetie Belle's cheeks flushed. "Come on, sis, you're embarrassing us."

The elegant mare giggled to herself. "Alright, alright. I'll leave you girls to play. Cottontail, feel free to help yourself to any snacks or drinks or whatever you like while you're our guest here. I'll be upstairs putting some of the final touches on a few new dresses I had been working on." She turned and nuzzled her smitten assistant's cheek. "Want to finish up with me, Spikey-poo, or would rather spend some time with Sweetie Belle and her friend?"

He was putty in her hooves, a big dumb grin stretching across his face. "I-I'll help you out, Rarity."

A scent suddenly tickled Cottontail's nose and she took a quiet, subtle sniff of the air. Her eyes lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree as she looked over the reptile.

"You're such a dear, Spikey-Wikey," she cooed. As she headed back upstairs, she waved to the fillies. "Let me know if you need anything, girls."

"Sure thing, Rarity." From the corner of her eye, she noticed Cottontail staring intently at the staircase, presumably with their host on her mind. "What is it?"

"Since when did you have a pet dragon?"

"Spike? He's not a pet. He's Princess Twilight's assistant, but he likes to spend time here helping my sister with whatever little thing she wants."

"He's in love with her, isn't he?" Cottontail guessed.

"It's that obvious, huh?" Sweetie Belle chuckled. "Yeah, he doesn't hide it as well as he thinks. It's kind of cute."

"Huh...interesting."

An idea started forming in her head, and the smallest of grins found her face. Her thought process was briefly interrupted when the pink filly felt a pat on her shoulder.

"Come on, I'll show you around," Sweetie Belle said.

"Sounds great!" As Cottontail followed her friend, her smirk returned. "Say, Sweetie Belle, you said you received postcards from your folks from around the country, right?"

"Uh huh. You want to see them?"

"That'd be wonderful!"

They made their way into the kitchen and to a small, ceramic basket sitting on the back of the counter. Several letters and small papers stuck out from the top. Sweetie Belle levitated them out and set them on the floor between them. At the back of the small pile were the postcards. Fillydelphia, Whinnipeg, and Las Pegasus were among the destinations in the pictures. Cottontail took several in her magical grip and looked over the photos that wished the recipient was there, admiring the vast, impressive sceneries depicted. She flipped them over and found that the script on some of them had faded. The post dates on those indicated they must have been from previous vacations.

"I like this one from Mareami a lot. The beaches look gorgeous," Sweetie Belle said, holding up the corresponding post card. Another one was held up. "This one's from San Prancesisco. Mom and dad said that was a pretty fun trip. Here's a card here from this place called Amsteerdam, but they've never wanted to tell me what that place was like. Neither has Rarity when I've asked her – which, of course, makes me want to know about it even more. Not even Twilight will let me look at a book about the place though. It's kind of annoying."

"These look like some fun places. I think my folks have always wanted to travel, but we could never afford it. Maybe some day."

"Yeah. I'm going to grab a drink. You want something?"

"Sure. Some apple juice would be fine. I'll put these back."

As Sweetie Belle got up to rummage through the fridge, Cottontail put the papers, notes and cards back in a pile and set them back where they belonged. However, while they floated back into the basket, the new filly kept a watchful eye on her ivory friend as she quietly slipped a recent post card into her bag.

It was starting to get a little late when Cottontail decided she needed to head back home. Sweetie Belle saw her out and closed the door behind her. Turning to leave, the filly grinned as she glanced at her saddlebag and its stolen contents. She had more than just homework to do now.

She happened to canter past a hopping pony popular to the town but paid her no mind. Pinkie Pie, however, did not share the lack of sentiment. Despite being ignored when she stopped to say hello, she decided to follow her back home to share some fantastic news for her, but not before debating with herself for a good ten minutes if she should.

Cottontail eventually returned home and tossed her saddlebag on the couch, letting the contents spill out. Her parents sat, like every other day, perched at the windows and watching the town.

"So, how'd it go with those three brats? Were they thrilled at what you did for them?" Curtain Call asked, not shifting her gaze from the window.

"Not like I'd hoped. I barely felt anything from them," Cottontail snarled. "Instead, they acted all concerned and worried about those two bullies when they saw them huddled in fear of me. Perhaps I overdid it last night."

"They still trust you though, yes?" High Note asked.

"For now, yes. But I learned something extremely valuable not three hours ago." With a burning rage, the little unicorn suddenly gripped her father by the throat and dragged him down to her eye level. "And I'm wondering how in Equestria you idiots didn't know about it!"

"Wh-what?!"

"The little dragon is infatuated with Rarity!"

"He...he is?" High Note wheezed. Cottontail released him, sending him tumbling into an end table beside the couch. The parents shared a confused look, shrugging and shaking their heads. "Somepony would have said something about that if they saw some evidence of it."

"Maybe he just doesn't display such affection in public?" Curtain Call suggested.

"...Maybe. But, even better, he's Twilight's personal assistant. He'll make getting to them even easier than I thought, more so than trying to manipulate their annoying little sisters."

"So, what are you going to do now?" Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. "Who could that be?" High Note looked through the peep hole and saw a pink mare rocking back and forth, waiting patiently for an answer. "Ugh, that one," he grumbled. The family put on smiles and greeted the bouncy, happy visitor.

"Hey there, everypony!" Pinkie Pie said. "I saw this little cutie walking home and I remembered that I wanted to let you know that I've got that super duper party all planned out in full for you now. I'm really sorry I couldn't come up with something a little more festive when you first got to town, but I've been running around like a loon lately and haven't been getting much of a chance to welcome folks to the town properly. So, I just wanted to make sure you got the invitation to stop by Sugarcube Corner after school tomorrow and I can show you how we get down in this town, yeah!"

"Oh, heh, thank you, err...Pinkie Pie, but if it's all the same with you, we're simply not the partying types," the father explained.

"Awww, are you sure? There's going to be all kinds of fun and games and cake and punch and pie and stuff."

"We're sure. We do appreciate the gesture though."

The disappointed mare kicked at the dirt but maintained a smile nonetheless. "I understand. I suppose it's not a total loss. At least I have a party ready to go should the need ever arise, and I do have to show a bunch of other new families a good time."

"That's one way to look at it," Cottontail added.

"Alright, well, I'll head on home then. Let me know if you ever change your mind, okay?"

"Will do, Pinkie. Thanks again."

As the happy-go-lucky party planner bounced away and High Note shut the door, Cottontail growled through her teeth. "I swear by all the gods, I hate that one so much."

"You and me both. She's going to be the hardest to break, you realize."

"On the contrary, she'll probably be the easiest."

"Why do you say that?" Curtain Call asked.

"What do we know about her? The thing that makes her the happiest is making others happy. So..."

"If she thinks she's making others miserable..." High Note concluded.

"Exactly. We won't have to lift a hoof, really."

"Should we tell the others to get started with that?"

"Not just yet. I wouldn't be surprised if her friends' happiness means even more to her. We need to wait until our plans are in full effect."

"You're assuming it's all going to work out smoothly," High Note muttered. He received an icy glare for his off-handed comment. "I-I mean...it will, it's just...uh...it'll take some time!"

"So, err, what're you going to do in the meantime?" Curtain Call stepped in to ask, hoping to disarm the situation.

Backing off – and leaving High Note with his skin, much to his relief – the filly went up to the couch and sorted through the papers until she found the post card she took from Rarity's place. She flipped it over and examined the note written by her folks closely.

"Homework."

Two days had gone by before Cottontail allowed herself to be seen in public after returning home from school. The only thing she'd tell the Crusaders is that she had some plans with her family and they left it alone for the most part. Stories about going out to eat or doing some shopping seemed to quell their curiosity as to why she didn't seem to want to spend time with them. At least they enjoyed each other's company during class. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon continued to maintain a healthy distance from them as well.

Cottontail had only spent about ten minutes at home before heading out that afternoon, and it wasn't to stop by the Crusader's Clubhouse; she hadn't even bothered to take her saddlebags off before she was out the door again. Instead, she made a beeline for a coffee shop in the heart of town where three stallions – two pegasi and one unicorn – sat in wait. Like her, they were relatively new to town and had kept to themselves, save for Pinkie Pie insisting she throw them a Welcome Party as well. They weren't having any of it either.

Without saying a word, however, Cottontail strolled up to them, pulled a large envelope from her bags and tossed it onto their table. They exchanged a subtle nod, and the filly was on her way again; she barely broke her stride before she started her trek back home. Once she was out of sight, the cream-colored unicorn undid the clasp and dropped Rarity's post card, a few bits, a pen and a note onto the table. He held the letter up for them all to get a good look at what it said.

"Everypony got all that?" the unicorn said. His companions nodded as he slid the contents back into the envelope. "Alright then. Let's go."

The next week was dreadfully slow for the pink filly. Before the first one had even finished, she hated being in that stuffy classroom talking to ponies whose names she would never bother to remember. One in particular that she did was Sweetie Belle's, and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were getting a little jealous of how much extra time they had suddenly been spending together after they were done crusading for the day. But they didn't let it bother them; they simply assumed that they connected better somehow and left it at that.

On one particular visit to the Carousel Boutique, the two young unicorns happened to find Rarity sitting at the kitchen table, sipping at some tea. The mail was in a neat pile before her, save for a post card that had been pulled from the group. She sat in obvious deep thought, her brow furrowed as she read and reread the letter.

"Hey Rarity."

The designer blinked back to reality. "Oh! Hello, Sweetie Belle. I didn't hear you come in."

"S'okay. What're you looking at there?"

The letter floated its way down to the younger sister. "Mother and father sent me a post card from Manehattan. It says they happened to meet somepony rather important in the fashion world and wanted me to come up to see them at the hotel they're staying at. But they didn't say who it was they ran into. Supposed to be a surprise."

"What are you going to do? Sounds like it could be a golden opportunity for you," Cottontail asked.

"Yes, it does, but I couldn't leave Sweetie Belle and Opal unattended, and I do have some things I've been working on. Still, if somepony would be willing to take you in until I return... Oh, I'm not sure what to do."

"What would you like to do?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Rarity curled her lips and looked away from the little ones, almost ashamed at her answer. "I'd honestly like to go. Meeting just the right somepony could really help my career take off to where I'd like it to be. Plus, I may bump into some friends I made the last time I was in town and see what they've been up to. Please, dear, I don't want you to get the impression that I don't want to spend time with you, it's just...well, like Cottontail said, this could be a golden opportunity."

"I understand where you're coming from, sis. It's okay," the filly said with a big smile. "It's still early yet. Want to head to Sweet Apple Acres and talk with Applejack? I can't imagine she'd mind having me over till you get back."

"Unless she has some things of her own going on. Still, I...don't suppose it'd hurt to ask. I guess I could talk to Fluttershy on the way over too. I can't imagine she'd turn down taking in Opal for the time being. You sure you're alright with the idea, Sweetie darling?"

"Sure. It's really no big deal, Rarity."

"Well...a-alright." The filly found herself hugged tightly, gratefully, by her big sister. "Hopefully, she'll be able to take you in tonight. I'd like to get packed up tonight and be on the way in the morning if I can help it. Cottontail, would you like to come or do you want me to drop you off at home on the way?"

"Home's fine, thanks. You don't mind, do you, Sweetie Belle?"

"Aw, I was hoping we could hang out some."

"Eh, I just remembered my parents asked me to come straight home this morning after school. Hopefully they won't kill me for being a little late!" Cottontail joked.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. Your folks seem really nice."

"Yeah, they're swell!"

"They did seem rather pleasant when Pinkie introduced us. I honestly wouldn't mind getting to know them a little better at some point, but right now's not the time to worry about that," Rarity said as she put the mail pile back together. "Alright, just need to take care of a couple quick things and then we can go."

"Shoot, I don't mind looking after Sweetie Belle for you, Rarity," Applejack said as they sat in the living room. "You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. May not get another chance like this again, so you may as well take it. Besides, it's not like your sister hasn't spent an inordinate amount of time on the farm playing with Apple Bloom anyway."

"Oh, you have no idea how much I appreciate this, Applejack," Rarity sighed. As predicted, Fluttershy was more than happy to look after her fussy cat. Now, thanks to A.J., all her bases were covered with friends she could depend on.

"T'ain't nothing to worry about. Did you want to stay for dinner tonight? One last home-cooked meal before your big trip?" the farmer offered.

"That sounds lovely, thank you."

In the meantime, half a town away, Cottontail sat impatiently with her family, wishing the night would come and go as quickly as possible. While it wasn't a terribly thrilling evening for her – though few were – she ultimately preferred it to being around the Crusaders for any extended amount of time. Anything she had done up until that point was out of necessity. However, if things went down at Sweet Apple Acres that evening as she expected, tomorrow opened up a whole new set of possibilities.

"So, what are you supposed to do with the school now?" High Note asked, getting his daughter's attention.

With a roll of her eyes, she replied, "Y'know, you could go instead. It's not like it matters."

"You realize they'll wonder where you are. Those three are...tenacious."

Cottontail narrowed her eyes at her father. "That wasn't a suggestion."

High Note blinked then hung his ears as he got the gist. "Oh. Well, that isn't going to be fun."

"No, it's not. Deal with it."

"What if they ask me questions I don't have the answers to?"

"Just fake it! By the gods, do I have to do all the thinking for us?" Cottontail growled.

"N-no," High Note whimpered.

"See that that remains so."

As her father sulked his way out of the living room, Cottontail turned her attention back to the window she sat in front of and smiled venomously. Save for one thing in particular that she wasn't looking forward to, tomorrow was going to be a good day – she could feel it.