Prickle adjusted her saddlebag as she looked in the mirror. She smiled as she called out to her mother, "I'm headed for school!"

"Have a good day, sweetie." Her mother was wielding a basket in her snout, hardly a rare sight. "I'll see you afterwards. Do come straight home."

Prickle lifted an ear. That tone held promise in it. She trotted from home, wondering what her mother had in mind for later.

"Good morning," came a voice from above where Small Packages had parked herself on the roof above the door. "Where ya headed off ta?"

"School. I don't want to be late." Prickle spared a friendly wave at their guest. "Are you having fun?"

"Well, sure, when we're all together, doing stuff. Idling isn't my style." She shrugged softly. "Small town life is something else." She waved Prickle towards school. "You better get going. I don't want Junebug thinking I'm making a delinquent out of ya."

Prickle waved for a final time before setting off towards school at a spirited trot.

On the way, she spotted some familiar faces and veered off to intercept Scootaloo. "Good morning!"

"Prickle!" She quickly threw a leg over Prickle in a fierce, if brief, hug before resuming her walk. "Nice to see ya. Hey, uh, so what's up with the little pony?"

Prickle tensed. She was lousy at her own secrets. She dared not even come close to someone else's. "You should talk to her. She's nice."

"Huh, is she? I just might. I mean, she's dressed like a superpony and all, figured you two must've known each other." She bumped into Prickle from the side as they went side-by-side. "She a new colleague you met at the big hero shebang?"

Prickle's eyes darted around. "You shouldn't talk about that right in public!"

"Relax. I'll save it for after school." She pointed ahead at the schoolhouse they were closing in on. "See you during lunch." She trotted ahead and joined her other friends, chatting animatedly with the rest of the CMC.

"Prickle."

She turned a little stiffly to behold Diamond Tiara looking at her quite pointedly. "Yes, Diamond Tiara?"

Diamond leaned closer, her expression hard to read immediately. "Good to see you. I've figured you out."

Prickle went rigid from front to back. She could feel a cold sweat forming. "Y-yeah?"

"Oh yeah." She lifted a hoof up, curling her arm so it pointed upwards. "You vanishing for a few days was a dead giveaway, though I'm not sure how you managed it. You went off to slave after your idol."

Prickle blinked softly,

"Don't look so bashful." She rolled her eyes and laughed in a half-snort. "Silver Spoon's about the same way. You went chasing after Tiny Titan, didn't you?"

Prickle clenched her teeth a moment. 'D-diamond..."

"No need for being embarrassed. Seems just about everyone likes that super filly."

"Tiara..."

"Yeah?" Diamond lifted her shoulders. "You look like you're about to cry. It's not a good look on you."

"You going to make fun of that?"

Diamond put a hoof on Prickle's shoulder. "I'm asking because I care, duh. You can't see that?"

Prickle felt around her dry mouth with her small tongue. "I have a secret."

"Don't we all?" Diamond rolled her eyes in that way she had well practiced. "Did you get some juicy pictures of TT?"

"N-no." Prickle wondered what sort of picture that would be. "It's worse."

"Well, tell me at lunch, we have to get to class. C'mon!" She nudged Prickle forward and they both vanished into the schoolhouse.

Cheerilee smiled brightly at Prickle. "So good to see you back. Did you learn anything interesting during your trip?" She tapped at her desk. "You can put your homework here."

Prickle walked up and set a mouthful of papers down to be graded. "I did. I really did."

"Would you like to share with the class?"

Prickle squirmed in place a moment before she took a soft breath and stood up tall. "I learned I am surrounded by wonderful ponies that care for me very much, and that I care about them just as strongly. I learned that I am not alone, and I learned that I am not a freak."

Cheerilee's ears perked up. "That's... a very important lesson. Not... exactly what I expected, but very nice regardless. Thank you. Please have a seat."

Prickle parked herself back in her seat and focused on the lessons of the day until a piece of paper bounced off her paper.

I care about you too!

There was a picture of Silver Spoon sketched on it.

Prickle smiled and folded it up in time for another wad to bop her on the noggin.

Ponyville's #1 superfilly! You're my second hero!

That one had a sketch of Scootaloo on it.

Another paper came, gently bumping against Prickle's snout before lowering to the desk under familiar magic.

You've shown remarkable growth. It is a pleasure to count myself as one of your friends.

A smiling Sweetie Belle face accompanied it.

Prickle learned little of pure academia. By the time the lunch bell rang, tears were ruining her attempts to read the encouraging letters. One letter in particular she clutched close to her chest as she walked out on her other three legs.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were at one table. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were just joining them. Prickle moved to follow the motion, smiling despite the shed moisture. "Hello everyone."

Silver Spoon pouted just slightly at the sight of her. "Prickle, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, everything!" She clutched the paper she held to her chest more tightly. "Diamond... do you mean it?"

"I usually say what I mean." She snorted softly before a smile spread on her face. "I know we had our differences and stuff, but, c'mon, we're already mostly there."

Prickle slowly let the letter fall to the ground. "T-then... I can't..."

Diamond's face darkened with sudden anger. "What?! You don't want to be friends?"

"No No!" Prickle waves her forehooves wildly in the air. "I can't... keep a secret... This... You deserve to know... this."

Silver Spoon and the girls were entirely silent, looking back and forth between Prickle and Diamond Tiara, barely daring to breathe but not much else.

Diamond Tiara sat up and waved a hoof in a single motion of finality. "I don't need to know. Friends can keep secrets."

Prickle sagged. "But... really, I... want to."

Diamond perked up her left ear, fur dancing mildly in the breeze. "If you want to tell me, I'm listening. I'm just letting you know you don't have to, ya know?"

"Right." Prickle drew a slow breath. "I am... not... I mean..."

Diamond booped Prickle right on the end of her snout. "Whatever it is, it can't be that big of a deal. Relax."

"Relax, right." Prickle drew a hoof slowly down her front. "Diamond Tiara, I am and always have been Tiny Titan." Her words were spoken with the steady rhythm of a metronome, as if any deviance would break her. "I hope we can still be friends."

As Diamond's jaw slowly fell open, a few bits were exchanged between Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, the latter looking triumphant while Apple Bloom muttered something under her breath.

"You..." Diamond took a strong sudden step towards Prickle. "You... Thank... you..."

Prickle blinked. Of all the words, she did not expect those. "What for?"

"For saving Silver Spoon, dummy." She punched Prickle in the shoulder with a sudden swat of her right hoof. "For, you know... the heroing stuff. By Celestia, why were you hiding something that cool from me?" She suddenly twitched. "Wait! You were talking to me... about you! With me!"

Prickle shrank back. Despite all her power, Diamond Tiara still terrified her. "I wasn't trying to fool you, honest! I was just, you know, protecting my secret identity."

"Yeah?" Diamond strutted up to Prickle, towering over the cowering filly. "So what did you really do when you vanished for a few days? Did some super bad pony foalnap you?"

Prickle smiled despite herself. "The last bad guy to succeed at foalnapping me became a good friend."

"You were foalnapped?!" Diamond raised a brow high. "And now you're friends? Prickle, you are a freak." She pat Prickle's sagging shoulder. "My favorite freak."

Prickle jerked up. "What?"

"Did I stutter? You're an amazing freak." She waved a hoof wildly. "I'm not blind. I saw how many papers you were buried under. I bet everypony saw that. I bet the teacher saw that, and she didn't complain or anything. You've gone and made being a freak fashionable." She suddenly smiled. "You were listening."

"Listening?"

Diamond bumped her shoulder against Prickle's as she went past. "I told you to be like a super hero, did you forget? I totally said you should be doing it."

Prickle thought back to it. Wasn't that after Tiny Titan had come out? She considered it, but correcting Diamond on that didn't seem a wise course. "You were completely right. Thank you, Diamond... I... like being a hero, and saving ponies."

"As if I'd steer you wrong." She thwapped Prickle lightly. "So, what's with the secret name thing anyway?"

No answer came as their friends descended on them, hugging and congratulating them both. The secret of Ponyville was defeated, at least among Ponyvillians.

Author's Notes:

Finished in the evening of Bronycon Day 2. We are pulling up towards the station. There is still a matter or two to gently set down. I hope everyone has enjoyed this trip with me.