As Zephyr, the mares and the Shadowbolts neared closer to their much-needed destination, things at Ponyville had gone quiet once more. Not a single pony was outside, save for the ones that were guards that were escorting civilians back into their homes. Those that were in the safety of their four walls made sure that they were sight tight, so that nothing harmful could get in and take a hold of them or anypony with them. Numerous piles of wood, brick and rock could be seen on just about every single street, with a few or so demolished stands mixed in a pile with the other destroyed debris. The stench of blood was also in the air, courtesy of the back to back battles that ponies, be it civilian or guard had with the Timberwolves, and it didn’t look like it was gonna go away anytime soon, along with the stains painting the ground. Despite that, everything seemed to be calm once more, and the civilians look to be recovering quite well from the ordeal.

At Sweet Apple Acres, things were even quitter than they were than back at Ponyville, with the ponies staying there having once more fallen into a state of blissful silence. Many of them had gone back to sleep, with Midnight, Amethyst, and Derpy having done so after having some casual conversation with Snowflake and Midnight. The mountain blue and beetle black Pegasus were the only ones who stayed up, offering to keep watch for Granny Smith and the Apple family after the fight that they had more than two and a half hours ago. Though they were hesitant, Honey Blossom, Jubilee, Scarlet, and Anna Blaze all agreed, but Granny Smith insisted that she stay up with them and give them an extra eye. After the four siblings retired to their bedroom or with the other ponies, the three mares took watch over the Apple family household, and everything was silent once more.

Well, almost everything.

On the far Eastern side of Sweet Apple Acres, the sounds of laughing and giggling could be heard in the interior of the barn of Sweet Apple Acres. The exterior of the clubhouse had a very pale orangish and pinkish painting on all four outside parts of the walls, with a window on either side, and said windows having wood with hearts carved into them. At the front, where the door was, which also had a heart carved into it was a window just above that having a few pots of flowers, just below the large reddish-brown roof that sat atop the clubhouse. The small building had a platform that looked to be strong enough to hold the whole clubhouse up, going around the large tree it was standing on. Finally, there was a flight of stairs that went straight down halfway before turning to the left and ending on the ground, with a large white rope hanging from a branch on the left side of the tree.

The interior of the clubhouse had a large green latter that was just a few feet away from the front door, with two large pink curtains hanging from the two windows on either side. At the front of the clubhouse, was a table big enough for at least seven or eight foals at the left side, a green chest on the right, and a large podium right in the middle. There was also a lamp hanging just in between the table and the podium, with a large picture frame hanging above from behind the table. To top it off, there was a large lavender purple rug with a large elegantly knit sun that covered quite a large portion of the color, and on said rug, were eight foals, five of which were laughing their little tails off.

“Ugh, are you girls done now…?” Sheton asked with a slight groan as he held his oversized barrel. “You’ve been going at it for five whole minutes. How long are you gonna keep it up?”

“Yeah…” Spike grunted as he sat on the floor, trying to ignore the pain in his own stomach as Dinky sat beside him. “It really isn’t all that funny…

“Oh my bucking gosh!” Fire Flash exclaimed, rolling around on the ground as she held her stomach. “I can’t believe you really did it! You really ate all of those fritters, hahaha!”

“Ah didn’t think y’all would really do it!” Apple Bloom nodded, unable to hold back her own laughter. “Apple Fritter made so many o’ them that Ah didn’t think y’all would even get halfway there, but ya went ahead an’ did it anyway, and nowlook at y’all! Ya look like an apple pie that looks ready t’ burst on Hearth’s Warmin!”

“I know!” Sweetie Belle giggled, putting a hoof to her mouth. “I’m sorry, but you two just took so funny like that!”

“They always do whenever they eat themselves to the point of bloating!” Crescent Shield guffawed, leaning into the alabaster filly to keep from falling over.

As the four fillies continued to laugh, Scootaloo and Dinky, who was the only ones that were not laughing, was occupied in trying to provide comfort to the two colts. She draped both of her wings around their backs and rubbed their forehooves as she glared sternly at her friends. “Honestly girls, what’s the matter with you all? Sheton and Spike are obviously in pain from how much fritters that they ate. We should be trying to help them, not laughing at them!”

“Yeah!” Dinky squeaked, giving a rapid nod of her head. “Why’re you guys being so mean?!”

“Oh, come on Scoots, Dinks! Why’re you getting so mad at us?” Fire Flash asked, her laughter ceasing somewhat. “It’s their fault for eating so much! They were the ones who agreed to the bet!”

“The bet that you goateed them into agreeing to?” Scootaloo retorted, making the crimson filly pause.

“Oooooh, she got you there, Flash!” Apple Bloom laughed, pointing a hoof at her friend.

“Well, they did[/I ]tell us that they could eat more than the average pony.” Fire Flash pointed out, a little weakly with a shrug. “I just wanted to see if they could really live up to what they were saying, or if they were just bucking around with us.”

“Well, you can see now that they weren’t!” Dinky huffed as she crossed her forelegs. “Big meanie…”

“Yeah, and you certainly got what you asked for!” Spike growled, glaring at Fire Flash. “I hope your happy, Fire Flash…”

“That was a really cheap shot if I’m being entirely honest.” Sheton nodded, frowning at the Pegasus filly. “Now I have an even more painful tummy ache then when I first ate breakfast with the Apple family! It didn’t hurt anywhere near as much as it does now! Dangit Apple Bloom, why did your grandmother have to make those apple fritters and turnovers so good?!”

The sun yellow filly giggled slyly, flipping her mane as she put a hoof to her chest. “What can Ah say? Mah Granny is the best baker ‘ere in all o Ponyville, with the Cakes and Ms. Pinkie Pie bein’ a very close second. No offense t’ them.” She replied, her tone matching the sly smile on her face. “Though, Ah can’t really blame ya fer likin’ them so much…anypony that’s ever tried one o’ Granny’s baked recopies will find themselves comin’ back t’ the farm over an’ over again wantin’ t’ try more. Ya jus’ happen t’ be her next unfortunate victim t’ it, no offense…” She added, her expression softening as she put a hoof on the stormy grey colt’s shoulder in comfort.

“None taken.” Sheton said softly, wincing as he felt another jolt of pain go through his stomach.

“Wow…you must be really hurting right now, aren’t you Sheton?” Sweetie Belle asked, her humorous expression now replaced with one of worry. “Are you sure that you’re okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m alright really.” The stormy grey colt replied. “My stomach is…just a little cramped from eating all of those apple treats that Granny Smith made us.”

“Do you or Spike need anything?” Scootaloo asked, looking from in between Sheton and Spike as she kept them nestled in her wings.

“Unless you girls have anything that’ll make these agonizing stomach aches go away, its fine.” The mulberry purple colt replied, putting a claw on his stomach. “Ugh, it feels like I’m gonna explode…”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you two goofballs.” Crescent Shield giggled, walking over to the two colts as she ignited her horn in a teal blue aura of magic.

“Uh, what’re you doing Crescent?” Fire Flash asked, raising a fiery eyebrow at the ocean blue filly.

“Just a little something to help my brother and Sheton with their tummy aches.” Crescent Shield replied with a wink, stopping in front of the two colts.

“What do you mea-” Dinky began to ask, only to stop Crescent Shield closed her eyes as she encased both Spike and Sheton in her aura of teal magic. The two colts jumped at the sudden contact, but slowly closed their eyes a few moments later as they let their bodies relax under the pressure. They both gave blissful sighs as the warm feeling of Crescent Shield’s magic coursed through their bodies, sending pleasant jolts through them and lessening the pain in their swollen stomachs. A minute later, Crescent Shield opened her eyes and released her magical hold on her brother and friend, the magic around them dissipating with a fizzling pop, before it disappeared around her horn just a second later.

“There we go!” Crescent Shield chirped sweetly, watching as the two colts slowly laid on the rug covered floor. “Do you two feel better now?”

“You have noidea…” Spike replied with a sigh; his eyes closed in relief. “Thanks for that Cressy…that really helped us a lot.”

“Yeah, I can barely feel my tummy aching anymore.” Sheton replied, sighing softly as he felt Scootaloo’s hoof slowly run across his back.

“Hmhmhm, your welcome you two!” The ocean blue filly giggled, reaching and patting each of them on the head. “Anything for my awesome little brother and cutie of a best friend!”

“Crescent…” Sheton whined, looking up at her from behind his mane with a single visible emerald blue eye.

“What? It’s true!” Crescent Shield protested, her smile never leaving as she gently elbowing the stormy grey colt in the side. “Why can’t you just admit that you look more cuter than a button?”

“Because you’ll just go on and keep teasing me about it like my sisters do.” Sheton frowned, blushing as he pulled his fedora down over his eyes. “Like you’re doing right now…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Crescent Shield said slyly, looking off to the side with a much too innocent look on her face. “I’m just saying that you’re a lot cuter and sweeter than most of the colts that I meet back at home.” Her golden eyes shifted towards the other fillies, as she put a foreleg around the stormy grey colt. “Aren’t I right girls? Don’t any of you think that Tony’s cute?”

“Crescent!” Sheton hissed, looking up at her from under his hat. “I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t call me that when there are other ponies around!”

“Oh, come on Tony.” Crescent Shield giggled, leaning her face in close to his. “You know you love it…”

“Wait a minute, back up there partner.” Apple Bloom said, holding up a hoof as she began to giggle again. “’Tony’? That’s th’ nickname that ya came up fer him?”

The ocean blue filly paused, looking down at Sheton, who shot her his best warning look as he shook his head vigorously, pleading with her not to say anything else. Giving him a small, yet mischievous smirk, she looked back to the other four fillies and replied, “Well, I wasn’t really one that gave him the nickname. It was his Mom that gave him the nickname some time ago, though it’s his older sister Goku that calls him that more than even she does. That is, whenever it’s just him or his sisters, but he doesn’t really like it that much.”

“Gee, I wonder why?” Spike deadpanned, watching Sheton’s face continue to burn a deep red.

“Really?” Fire Flash asked, pondering over it for a moment. “Well, I can totally see why you call him that. He is kind of cute.”

“Kind of?” Crescent Shield asked, raising an indigo eyebrow.

“Oh, come on Fire Flash! Not you too!”

“Awwww, look at him!” Sweetie Belle cooed. “He’s blushing!”

“Stop it!”

“Oh, what’s the matter Sheton? Don’t like bein’ told that yer all cute an’ stuff?” Apple Bloom teased, leaning in close to her new friend. “Or should Ah say…’Tony?’!”

Letting out an embarrassed groan, Sheton whipped his head over to the only other colt in the clubhouse. “Spike, please help me out here! Make them stop!”

“Sorry dude, you’re one your own with this one.” The mulberry purple colt replied with smile, a sympathetic expression on his face. “You know how Crescent Shield gets at times like this; best to just tough it out, and wait for it to pass.”

Ears flattening against his head, Sheton let his face hit the rug, the sound of Crescent Shield and the other fillies giggling filling his ears. He then felt a hoof rest on top of his head, and he look up to see Scootaloo staring down at him, a gentle smile etched on her face. He frowned back up at her, silently pleading with her to make the teasing, however good natured it was, to stop before he died from embarrassment. To his relief, the bright orange filly got the message, and she turned to look at the rest of her friends, with the upmost sternness in her expression.

“Alright girls, that’s enough! Can’t you see what you’re teasing is doing to Sheton?” Scootaloo asked, making the rest of her friends pause. “I know that you guys are just teasing with him, but honestly, don’t you know when you’ve taken it just a littletoo far?”

“Oh, lighten up a bit Scootaloo.” Apple Bloom said, chuckling a bit. “Ya know we don’t mean any harm by it. ‘Sides, it’s not like we’re doing it t’ git on th’ poor boy’s nerves.”

“That may be so, but I think you’re teasing may be having the opposite of what you intend.” Scootaloo said softly, yet firmly as she pointed down at the colt beside him. “As you can plainly see.”

“Yeah, lay off a little, will you?!” Dinky asked, stamping her hoof on the floor as she lashed her tail out.

The four fillies paused in their giggling to take a good look at Sheton, who was lying on the floor with his fedora pulled over his eyes and his cheeks burning a deep red. A moment later, their expression became embarrassed as they all looked at each other with sheepish expressions, before looking back at Sheton and Scootaloo.

“I guess we may have gotten a little carried away for a minute there.” Sweetie Belle mumbled, her cheeks a bright pink as she looked at Sheton apologetically. “We’re sorry Sheton; we didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything.”

“Yeah, we were jus’ jokin’ ‘round with ya, that’s all.” Apple Bloom said gently, walking over and putting a hoof on the colt’s shoulder. “We’re sorry if we gave off th’ wrong impression, Ah hope there ain’t any hard feelings.”

“N…no, it’s alright, I’m not mad at you girls. I know you didn’t mean it either.” Sheton replied after a few moments of silence. “Y-you just, um, got me reallyembarrassed with all of the teasing you were doing about my appearance. I’m not really used to being called cute all that much.”

“I know how you feel Sheton, trust me.” Fire Flash said understandingly. “Honestly, I don’t like it when ponies call me cute or adorable from time to time. I’d rather be called strong or tough, or even awesome, which is more my style, like my big sister Rainbow Dash! I don’t really mind if my Mom and Pop call me cute when I’m in a costume or anything like that.” She looked off to the side, adding with a mumble under breath. “Just as long as they don’t do it out in public or over-exaggerate it, or both.”

“I’m sorry too Sheton, I didn’t mean to upset you or anything.” Crescent Shield concluded, smiling apologetically. “Can you forgive me?”

Sheton frowned, his ears flattening against his head as he stared at the sad-eyed puppy dog look that the ocean blue filly was giving him. Heart aching and expression softening, he walked over to her and gave her a hug. “Yes, Crescent Shield, of course I can forgive you. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t forgive you for a little teasing? Even if you did get carried away with it.”

“Yeah…I did, didn’t I?” Crescent Shield asked with a slight laugh, nuzzling up to the stormy grey Thestral colt as she hugged him back. “And it wouldn’t be fair to you if I didn’t do the same.”

“Mhm.” Dinky nodded curtly.

“No, it most certainly wouldn’t.” Scootaloo said firmly, watching as the ocean blue filly blushed. The bright orange filly’s stern expression soon softened as she smiled gently. “Even so, I’m glad that you girls are apologizing for it, and making it up to him and make him feel better.” She paused, a small blush coming to her own face as she looked off to the side. “Although…”

“Although what?” Spike asked, looking at Scootaloo suspiciously. “Don’t tell me that you’re going to get on it too.”

“Oh no no no no no! I0tt’s nothing like t-that, honest!” Scootaloo cried, waving her hooves in front of her. “I-it’s just…n-not that I’m t-trying to tease S-Sheton or anything, b-but…h-he does look r-really, um…a-adorable.”

Sheton froze, his pupils contracting as he slowly turned to look at Scootaloo, who was doing her best not to make eye contact with him. The whole clubhouse went silent as every single head turned to the Pegasus filly’s way.

“W-w-w-what did you just say?” The stormy grey colt asked, feeling his whole face burning twice as much as before. “P-please tell me that I heard you wrong Scootaloo!”

“N-no, you heard me right.” The bright orange filly stuttered shyly, poking her forehooves together. “I-I r-r-really do think that you look, u-um…adorable…eep!” She let out a squeak as she wrapped her wings around herself, covering her entire head.

“Uh, Scoots…” Fire Flash began with a sweat drop. “You do realize that Sheton is, like, around a year younger than you, right?”

Apple Bloom glared at the crimson filly, slamming her hoof on the back of her head. “Shut it, Fire Flash! Does it really matter whether she’s one year older or five years older than Sheton! She can say that he’s adorable if she wants! Don’t be such a jerk!” With a snort, she adjusted the large Stetson on her head, before she turned back to Scootaloo. “Sorry ‘bout that Scoots, you were sayin’?”

“N-nothing!” Scootaloo stuttered out in reply, slowly coming out from behind her wings. “I-I just that I’d point it out…”

“Um…o-okay?” Sheton said slowly as he let go of Crescent Shield. “A-a-any particular reason why?”

“N-not really…” The bright orange filly replied, rubbing her forehooves together. “I-it’s just, um…earlier when you visited me and my sister at our cottage earlier today, y-you said that I looked p-pretty. I-I didn’t really get to say anything nice like that to you in return, s-so I thought it’d say it now.”

“O-oh, um…o-o-okay then.” Sheton replied, looking down at the ground as he pawed at the rug. “T-thank you for the, um…compliment. I really did mean what I said to you earlier too.”

“Is that so?” Sweetie Belle asked, raising a two-toned eyebrow at Sheton as she frowned at him. “And you’re saying that we aren’t?”

The stormy grey colt froze, his wings pinning to his sides as he held his hooves up in front of him defensively. “Oh no no no, not at all! Of course, I do think you’re pretty Sweetie Belle! You, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Fire Flash all are! Oh wait, you probably don’t like being called that Fire Flash! I-I mean, not that I’m saying that you’re not pretty, it’s just that…I, well…gah!”

Unable to say anything else, Sheton slumped back to the floor, putting both hooves to his face in defeat as his bat wings covered them too. A few seconds later, he heard laughter, causing him to look form in between his hooves and see Sweetie Belle laughing infectiously.

“Really Sweetie?” Spike deadpanned as he too frowned at the alabaster filly.

“Sorry, sorry! I just couldn’t help it!” Sweetie Belle said, smiling cutely at the young mulberry Kirin. “He just looked too adorable like that!”

“Oh come on!” Dinky exclaimed, raising both forehooves in the air.

“Oh jeez…” Sheton sighed, flopping down on the floor as Scootaloo once again wrapped a wing around him. Sweetie Belle and the others continued to laugh while Spike just sighed and rolled his eyes, shifting over and taking his place next Sheton, Crescent Shield and Scootaloo. A few moments later, they all went silent, taking some time to recover from their mirth, before Apple Bloom spoke up again.

“So Sheton, …how’re ya likin’ it here in th’ farm?” The sun yellow filly asked, looking at the Thestral colt with a smile. “It’s pretty neat ain’t it?”

“Yeah, the farm is so large and there are so many apple trees here, more than any other pace that I’ve ever been at!” Sheton beamed happily. “Your family is great too, and your brother, sisters, and grandmother are all so nice and kind! I still can’t get over how ancient Granny Smith looks!”

“I think ancient is a bit of an over exaggeration.” Crescent Shield giggled. “But I’d definitely say that Granny Smith is has lived here in Ponyville longer than anypony else here! I don’t know why, or how, but I can tell just by looking at her that she has.”

“Same here, I can tell Granny Smith’s age just by smelling her.” Spike nodded crossing his forelegs. “There was just something about her that told me that she wasn’t anywhere near as young as she looked. Not to say that she’s not a looker but…you guys know what I’m saying, right?”

“Yeah Spike, we know, don’t worry.” Fire Flash chuckled. “Then again, when it comes to ponies like us, we’re not exactly like most other ponies.”

“No, we’re really not.” Sweetie nodded, having gone back to her shy demeanor. “Even if we’re all at Granny Smith’s age, we’d still be considered really young. Rarity did always say never to judge a book by its cover.”

“True that Sweets.” Apple Bloom nodded. “There are a lotta ponies here that mistake other ponies fer a good number of reasons, and it really makes things harder fer them. luckily, mah Granny’s always there to clear it up, an’ those unfortunate ponies won’t have t’ deal with all o’ that unfair backlash. That’s jus’ how mah Granny is, always able to see somethin’ in ponies that others can’t see, jus’ like Miss Fluttershy, right Scoots?”

“M-mhm.” Scootaloo murmured, smiling slightly.

“Wow, your grandmother seems like a really nice pony.” Sheton said softly, marveling in what Apple Bloom had told him. “Then again, everypony I’ve met here has been so kind, so I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less.”

“Uh-huh.” Spike said, giving off a toothy smile. “Then again, there are a few rotten eggs even in a town like this, and I’ve run into a good few of them in the time that I’ve been here. So just be careful Sheton, just because the ponies you’ve met today were kind to you, doesn’t mean that everypony you meet will be. You never know when there’s that one rotten egg waiting to ruin your day.”

“Totally.” Dinky nodded with a groan. “I can totally think of one bad muffin…or rather, three of them.” She added under her breath, giving a huff as she lashed her tail out.

Sheton looked over at the grayish violet filly, having not completely heard what she said even with his sensitive hearing. “Well, I’ll be sure to watch out for any um, expiring fruits as my Mom would call it, here in Ponyville, and I’ll totally be there for you guys if that happens.” Sheton said encouragingly, earning sweet smiles from the five fillies in return. “By the way, I’m curious about something. What’re the teachers and other foals there like here in Ponyville?”

“Only some of the bestest and nicest teachers here in all of Ponyville!” Dinky replied, her excited voice raising ever so slightly as her eyes sparkled. “There are a lot of teachers at Ponyville Elementary that are very kind and understanding, and very helpful to other foals. Though, if there’s one teacher here that you really have to, um, favor, you should choose Ms. Cheerilee!” She squealed as she began to bounce up and down in a manner very unlike her.

“Ms. Cheerilee?” Spike asked perplexedly. “Who’s that?”

“Only, like, the most awesome teacher ever!” Fire Flash exclaimed as she flew into the air. “There a lot of cool teachers here and there that are cool in their own way, but Ms. Cheerilee really takes the cake! She’s just so darn sweet and cool, and almost every day in her classroom is so exciting! It doesn’t matter what subject she’s teaching us; she always finds a way to make it exciting! Trust me!”

“Uh-huh!” Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “She’s really, really nice and understanding and she treats all the foals there equally like any other teacher! Though with her, she makes sure that nopony is being shown any favoritism or anything like that, and that they’re all treated the same! Hay, she doesn’t even care if the foals that come to her school are from members of our clans!”

“Whoa, seriously?” Sheton asked, his eyed widening a bit. “So, she doesn’t mind of somepony who’s a Thestral comes to her school? Even if there’s a risk of the school getting demolished?”

“Y’all bet Sheton!” Apple Bloom replied. “Any kind of pony is welcome there, an’ even though we haven’t really gotten to that point where non-ponies come here, she’s more than willin’ t’ let other creatures attend her school!” She winked at the three foals. “If there’s onething that we learned about Cheerilee since our time goin’ t’ her school, is that she ain’t one t’ judge others on what they are, pony or not! Ah guess it’s probably b’cause o’ th’ way she was brought up, accpetin’ others fer who an’ what they were and not treating them any differently that you would treat your best friend. Anyway, that’s how Ms. Cheerilee rolls, an’ she don’t like it when any o’ th’ other foals treat others any differently for the aspects that we have.” She wrapped her forelegs around Scootaloo, Fire Flash, and Sweetie Belle. “’Speciallyus!”

“Is that because we all come from families that are known to protect Equestria from threats?” Sheton asked, knowingly already knowing what the answer would be.

“Uh-huh!” Dinky nodded enthusiastically. “Now, don’t take her protecting ponies like us as a sign of special attention you guys. Like Apple Bloom said, Ms. Cheerilee just wants to make sure we’re all treated equally, and that we don’t have to worry about feeling so insecure about ourselves. Although, she does like it when she gets to teach the class about us!”

Sheton paused, tilting his head to the side in confusion. “What do you mean?” He asked, giving a little twitch of his ear.

“What she means is, Ms. Cheerilee takes a real likin’ t’ us, b’cause we come from the seven clans of Equestria!” Apple Bloom emphasized, gesturing to herself and each of her friends. “Our families contain knowledge that dates centuries back to before Equestria was even founded, and she loves it when she teaches the whole class about our families and how we play apart an’ makin’ Equestria what it is today! Oh that, and how our clans came t’ be too!”

“Does she know anything about mine, Crescent Shield and Sheton’s families?” Sheton asked as he walked over to them. “Any books or ancient history on the Kirins and the Thestrals?”

“Ms. Cheerilee taught us a bit about the Thestrals, about how they were Bat Pony’s and that they worked under the authority of Queen Luna, but nothing else really.” Crescent Shield replied bashfully. “As for the, um…Shenron clan…nothing that me and Spike don’t know if friends know of. Though, I can’t really say the same for Dinky and the other girls.”

“Huh…Ms. Cheerilee must be an amazing cool pony huh?” Crescent Shield, earning excited nods from the five fillies. So…what’re the foals at, uh…Ponyville Elementary like?”

Scootaloo smiled softly, brushing her mane away from her visible eye. “Oh, a l-lot of them are r-really kind a-and s-sweet. W-we actually made friends with a l-lot of them a-at the s-school, and t-they’re pleasant t-to b-be around.” Her smile slowly faded. “W-well…most of t-them are.”

“Most of them? What do you-” Sheton began to ask, only to pause as realization made its way to his face. “Wait…you mean…”

“Yep, you guessed right.” Spike nodded, a small frown adorning her face. “Like Scootaloo said, a majority of their classmates are really cool and easy going. Unfortunately, there are a couple of foals at Ponyville Elementary school who’re anything but easy going!”

“Who…who are they?” Sheton asked, the slightest bit of apprehension in his voice.

“Diamond Tiara Rich, Zipperwhill Kiba Lycona, and Silver Spoon Tenshi.” Apple Bloom replied scornfully, saying the two names as if they were an apple rotting in her mouth. “The richest, rottenest apples to ever walk Ponyville Elementary!”

“Richest?” Crescent Shield repeated. “You mean that they come from wealthy families?”

“Understatement of the century Crescent.” Sweetie Belle replied with a roll of her eyes. “Diamond Tiara , Zipperwhill and Silver Spoon come from three of the wealthiest families in all Ponyville! They practically rule the ground that everypony walks on here, most especially Diamond Tiara’s dad Filthy Rich, who’s the owner and lead business pony of Barnyard Bargains!”

“Barnyard Bargains?” Sheton repeated, his brows furrowing a bit. “So…he’s like a wealthy farm pony or something?”

“No, but Ah wish he was jus’ that.” Apple Bloom replied dryly, giving a little snort. “He does business with my Granny, sellin’ ‘er zap apple jam through his stores so he can keep his business boomin’ through th’ food markets that he runs. He also does business with Sweetie Belle’s sister Rarity, sellin’ th’ dresses that she makes through th’ dress stores that he also has under his hoof. It’s because of how much money he makes due to how delicious th’ zap apple jam is an’ how amazin’ Ms. Rarity is at makin’ her dresses that he values workin’ with them so much.” Her brows furrowed as her eyes began to glow. “Which is exactly one o’ th’ reason why Ah don’t like him, b’cause he sees them as tools t’ help him his way t’ th’ top. At least th’ Tenshi family don’t see ponies like that…”

“Wait, so the only reason Filthy Rich even bothers working with Apple Bloom’s grandmother and Rarity is because of their skills an’ the business that they make?” Sheton asked, earning solemn nods from Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. “Wow…talk about selfish and greedy.”

“And totally uncool!” Fire Flash added, snorting smoke from her nostrils.

“And just downright mean!” Dinky huffed indignantly, her horn giving strong sparks of magic.

“That’s not the worst of it though.” Spike said softly, making Sheton to him. “It’s because of how much business that Mr. Rich makes with Ms. Rarity and Granny Smith that they can’t really make him do anything about his daughter bullying us or any of the other foals at the school. If they try, he’ll just blackmail them into leaving Diamond Tiara alone, and even threaten them into cutting business ties with them permanently and have their businesses foreclosed!”

“What?!” Sheton shouted, his eyes going wide as he took a step back. “He…he can really do that?!”

“He can…” Sweetie Belle replied solemnly, her ears falling limp against her head. “They’re the ones that signed the contract with him which allows them to do business with him. So, he basically has a lot of power over them, in his own way I guess. You have no idea how much my sister or Apple Bloom’s grandmother have made ever since agreeing to work with Filthy Rich, even after Granny Smith turned the care of Sweet Apple Acres over to Applejack. They’ve gained so much ever since then, not only for themselves, but for Ponyville too! If all of that were to suddenly be cut off with just a single sheet of paper, then…then…” The alabaster filly paused, squeezing her eyes shut as she fought back a sniffle.

“So, let me get all of this straight…” Sheton groaned, rubbing his head with a hoof. “This Filthy Rich guy works with Ms. Rarity and Granny Smith only because of the special skills that they have when it comes to food and clothing, which will make his business grow if he does. Then, whenever your sisters or parents go to Filthy Rich about it, he threatens them with either black mail or the fear of no longer doing business with them?!” Another chorus of nods confirmed her answer. “That’s…that’s just inconceivable! How could one pony be so cruel?!”

“Somepony who likes to use their business smarts, money and wealth make ponies do what they want them to do.” Crescent Shield replied bitterly, her ears pinning back. “Like Father like Daughter I’d say…”

“Is his daughter really that bad?” Sheton asked nervously, a frown forming on his face.

“You have no bucking idea!” Fire Flash exclaimed. “Diamond Tiara is, like, one f worst ponies you could ever meet! Mean, snooty, and rich beyond belief! I mean, yeah, she’s pretty, rich and hot all, but that’s about the only thing that she and her friends got going for. Nopony at our school likes them, or wants anything to do with them, for obvious reasons! Especially our other friends!”

“I can definitely imagine that.” Sheton sighed with an understanding nod. “Nopony likes to get teased or harassed by anypony, whether it’s in a school or anywhere else.”

“D-diamond Tiara doesn’t j-just tease us a-a-and call us n-names.” Scootaloo said softly, rubbing her left foreleg with her right. “S-she does a l-lot m-more t-than that…s-she says and d-d-does awful things t-to us t-that h-hurts us i-in m-m-more ways t-than o-one.”

“Do I wanna know?” Sheton asked, afraid of the answer.

“No really, but just in case you run into her or happen to come here to our school, we’ll tell you what you should watch out for.” Crescent Shield replied. “Diamond Tiara has done a lot of things to us that’s either embarrassed us or hurt is in one way or another, and no matter how many times Ms. Cheerilee gets on her case and punishes her for it, she always does it again. One time, when I was trying to take notes for our history lecture, she kept distracting me because she wanted to tell me somethin’. When I finally asked her what, she gave a note saying that Ms. Cheerilee was a big fat meanie that had stupid hair and that she shouldn’t even be teaching in the first place!”

“Which is so not true in the least!” Dinky denied with a shake of her head. “Ms. Cheerilee’s actually really pretty, and she has a great mane too! Even if, um…she likes to grow it out and style it sometimes.”

“No way…” Sheton breathed putting a hoof to her mouth. “Did…did you get in trouble for it?”

“Well…more or less.” Apple Bloom replied after a short pause. “On one hoof, Ms. Cheerilee didn’t like that I was passin’ notes with somepony in class. On the other hoof though, she knew that Ah didn’t right that, because, fer one, she an’ Ah both know Ah’d never say somethin’ like that ‘bout her! Granny would burn mah hide of Ah did anyway! Second, is because Ms. Cheerilee knows each and every single on o’ our ways of hoofwritin’, so she knew fer a fact, that Ah didn’t right it. Thankfully, Ah was jus’ let off with a warnin’ while Diamond Tiara was forced t’ stay in fer recess.” She crossed her forearms as she snorted. “Serves her right fer sayin’ somethin’ so mean ‘bout Ms. Cheerilee.”

“That’s not all.” Fire Flash said, hovering back down to the floor. “One time, when I came into school early, I went to my desk and found that the words ‘tomato filly’ had been written all over the top! There was even a picture of me in the center of it, with all of the arrows on the desk pointing to it, all of it in marker! You do not know how long it took me and Ms. Cheerilee to clean it off, and by the time we did, class had long since started! So, we had to pretty much rush through our lectures if we wanted to get anything done!”

“Yeah, and don’t even get us started on what she tries to do during our activities!” Sweetie Belle added, lashing her tail out. “Whenever we’re trying to do things like arts and crafts, Diamond would accidentally drop glitter and paint on our projects, and we’d have to star them all over again! Ms. Cheerilee knows that we aren’t the ones doing it, but unless she outright sees it herself, there’s not really anything she can do about it. Still, she’s very understanding, and lets us have extended time to finish, even if we, uh, don’t get the grade we originally wanted.”

“Uh-huh…I just wish we had gotten higher grade for all of them.” Crescent sighed shamefully, her mane spilling over her face. “At least we didn’t get any Ds or Fs.”

Scootaloo nodded, looking up from the floor at the gob smacked faces on Sheton, Crescent Shield and Spike. “T-that’s just as bad, if not w-worse than t-the harassment a-and t-taunting that D-D-Diamond does to us w-whenever she’s n-not doing all t-those other t-things. Diamond Tiara c-calls us a l-lot of things…w-w-weak, d-dumb, useless, n-not special, f-friendless, poor…a-all of those horrible things…b-but when p-push comes to s-s-shove…s-she really lays it on thick with u-us.” The bright orange filly’s face scrunched up as her ears pinned back. “I-I remember one time…w-while we were out at r-recess, I had fallen off of one of the s-swings because I went too h-high. I tried to make myself airborne, b-but I couldn’t, a-a-and I ended up landing on the ground on o-one of m-my w-w-wings. D-Diamond Tiara s-saw this a-and laughed right at my f-face, a-along with Silver Spoon a-and Z-Zipperwhill…I-I b-begged them t-to stop, b-but they just w-wouldn’t…a-and…a-and then…D-Diamond Tiara called me a chicken!” She shut her eyes as tears began to form in them, a tiny sniffle leaving her nose. “S-she called me a w-worthless flightless c-chicken that c-couldn’t even stand up for m-myself! A-a-and, t-that I was better off as a chicken a-anyway…b-b-because c-chickens c-couldn’t…f…fl…”

The Pegasus filly trailed off, unable to say anymore as began to silently cry, rivers of tears rolling down her face. Sweetie Belle hugged her, rocking her back and forth as she stroked her indigo hair, whispering comforting words into her ear while Scootaloo wept into her shoulder, holding her tight. Sheton stayed silent, his shocked expressions never leaving his faces as he processed that the Spike and the fillies had just said.

“I…I can’t believe it…I can’t believe that she would do all of those things.” Sheton finally said after a moment of silence. “I’ve dealt with bullies before…along with me and Crescent Shield, and they were all bad in their own way…but…but I never thought that your bullies would be so cruel.” His face contorted into a deep brown as he looked at the girls sympathetically. “I…I’m so sorry that you girls have to go through all of that.”

“That’s okay Sheton…ya don’t go to our school, an’ ya ever even been in Ponyville until today, plus ya never even meet Diamond Tiara, so ya couldn’t o’ known ‘bout what she as doin’ t’ us.” Apple Bloom replied, giving a dismissive wave of her hoof. “We’re jus’ given ya a warnin’ t’ be on yer guard if ya ever run into her. Silver Spoon and Zipperwhill ‘re real rotten apples too, but they’re lumps o’ sugar compared t’ Diamond. Jus’ though Ah’d let ya know that right now, if ya ever run into’ her.”

“Thank you Apple Bloom; everypony here in Ponyville has been really nice to me so far. Other than you and your sisters, but I know that not all of them are gonna be. So, I’ll know what kind of ponies to watch out for if I ever move here or go to Ponyville Elementary.” The stormy grey colt said, before he gave a pause as something came up. “Speaking of which…I kind of forgot to tell you something back at Twilight’s library.”

“Oh?” Dinky asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. “What’s that?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly when me and my sisters are supposed to, but…” Sheton began timidly, pawing at the rug. “…we’re actually trying to move into Ponyville sometime this month.”

At these words, the five fillies paused, looking at the stormy grey colt with wide eyes.

“R-really?” Scootaloo asked, wiping that last remnants of her tears. “Y-you and y-your sisters a-are going t-to move here? T-this month?”

“Uh-huh, we were originally planning to move here sometime after the Summer Sun Celebration, so we wouldn’t have anything major to deal with later on.” Sheton replied with a slight nod. “Though, after what happened at the Town Square…I think we may have a bit of a delay there.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa wait a minute,” Fire Flash said, holding a hoof up. “So, what you’re saying is, that your sisters and you are planning to move here? Permanently?”

Sheton nodded again, smiling shyly at the five fillies as his fangs gleamed. “Uh-huh…my sister Goku just graduated from college some time ago, and she really misses her friends. Plus, she wants me to go to a better school where the teachers and kids are actually nice to me, and foals want to be friends with me. So…” A blush came to his face as he hid behind his mane. “…yeah, I guess you could say that I’m officially moving here after, you know, everything blows over.”

In the blink of an eye, Sheton found himself staring into the wide green eyes of Sweetie Belle, who a bore a smile that almost went from ear to ear. “Really?! Does that mean that you’ll also becoming to our school?!”

“If my sister is okay with it and its run by with Ms. Cheerilee then…yeah, I guess I will.” Sheton replied with a little shrug as he adjusted his fedora. A split second later his ears were filled with a loud ear piercing squeal that echoed about the barn, before Sweetie Belle pulled him into a tight hug.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! This is so going to be so exciting!” The alabaster filly cried as she spun the stormy grey colt around. “We can’t wait for you to meet the other colts and fillies back at Ponyville Elementary! There’s Twist, Rumble, Featherweight, Lily Longsocks, Button Mash, Ruby Pinch, Noi, Coconut Cream, Toola Roola, Chip Cutter, Kettle Corn, Petunia, and Cozy Glow! I know that they’ll all be so excited to meet you! They’ll get to play with you, do all sorts of activities and projects at the school, have sleepovers, and go on tons of crusades, and-”

“Alright, alright Sweetie Belle, slow down there…don’t wanna overwhelm the boy b’fore he’s even gotten a chance to experience all o’ that. Jeez, you sound jus’ like Melon Cake whenever she gets excited ‘bout somethin’.” Apple Bloom said as she put a hoof to Sweetie Belle’s muzzle, effectively silencing her. Taking her hoof away, she looked back at Sheton as Sweetie Belle released her. “Any who, as Sweetie Belle so kindly an’ excitedly stated, that’s what you’ll be lookin’ forward when ya move her an’ come t’ our school. Don’t worry Sheton, all th’ foals there are sweeter than sugar apple pie, an’ Ah’m sure they’ll love gettin’ t’ know ya too. Once our sisters come back after defeatin’ that Nightmare Moon varmint, we can probably have them all meet ya an’ we can have fun at the Summer Sun Celebration together!”

“Yeah!” Fire Flash nodded, patting the colt on the back. “Oh, and if Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are there and they give you any trouble, we’ll be right there with you! All of you!”

“Hey, don’t forget about me you guys!” Dinky exclaimed, running over and joining the group.

“Thanks you guys, that really means a lot to hear you say that.” Sheton said, a small thankful smile on his face. “I really hope that we’ll be great friends someday.”

“W-we hope s-so too, S-Sheton.” Scootaloo nodded, smiling sweetly at the stormy grey colt.

“Group hug!” Crescent Shield squealed excitedly, flaring her large wings out and bringing Spike, Sheton and all the other fillies in a rather large embrace. They all laughed and giggled at the ocean blue filly’s actions, but nonetheless reciprocated as they all shared one big embrace, nuzzling each other affectionately.

“So Sheton, now that we know that you’re coming to live here and accepted us as yer new friends,” Dinky began as she and the others pulled away. “Do you mind if we ask you a question?”

“Sure, what is it?” The stormy grey colt asked curiously as he ruffled his feathered bat wings.

The grayish violet filly looked back at the other fillies for a moment, a tiny smile on her face, before she looked back at the other three foals in front of them.

“We’re just a little curious about something…” Dinky continued, the smile on her face growing slightly. “…are you…ticklish?”

The stormy grey Thestral colt paused at these words, looking over at the fillies with perplexed looks on his faces as he took a moment to ponder the question. A second later, he looked over at Crescent Shield and Spike, and then back at Dinky and the other fillies, his brows knitted.

“Um…I guess so…why?” Sheton asked slowly, an unsettling feeling forming in the bit of his stomach.

“Oh no reason...” Apple Bloom said cutely, an all too innocent smile formed onto her face. “It’s just that whenever there’s anypony that accepts our offer in friendship, there’s a little…test that they have to pass first.”

“W…what kind of test is that?” Sheton asked tentatively, giving a little gulp as he took a step back.

At this question, a devious smile formed on Apple Bloom’s face, her sunset orange eyes glowing mischievously as she and her friends, with the exception of Scootaloo, slowly began to walk towards the trio. A lump formed in Sheton’s throat as he took stepped back, obviously put off by their sudden change in behavior.

“U-uh, girls…w-w-what’re you doing?” Sheton asked timidly, his tail tucking between his legs. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”

“Oh don’t worry, we’re not gonna hurt you guys.” Fire Flash said calmly, the wide fanged grin on her face sending a shiver down Sheton’s spine. “We’re just preparing you for our test.”

“W-what test?” Spike asked, looking like ready to jump out the closest window.

“Here we go…” Spike murmured while Crescent stifled a giggle.

“THE TICKLE FIGHT TEST!!!” The four fillies yelled in unison before they lunged at the trio.

“AIEEEE!!!” Sheton squealed as he flared his wings and took to the air, just barely dodging Fire Flash as she lunged for him. He barely had time to recover and process what was happening before as the crimson filly lunged for him again, only to miss a second time. Undeterred, she began chasing him all over the barn, Sweetie, Apple Bloom and Dinky following close behind.

“Awwww, what’s th’ matter Tony?! Ah though ya wanted t’ be our friend!” Apple Bloom exclaimed in a mock hurt to as she jumped at Sheton. “Don’t tell me yer rejectin’ our offer?!”

“N-n-no, that’s not true in the least!” Sheton squeaked, keeping herself as high as she possibly could while evading Fire Flash’s incoming attacks. I-I-I just…I don’t want you guys tickling me that’s all!”

“Why’s that? Afraid that we’ll find your most ticklish areas?!” Sweetie Belle giggled. “Crescent and Spike did tell us that Thestrals arereally ticklish, especially in the chest areas!”

Sheton’s gaze snapped over to Crescent and Spike, his face contorted in horror. “Y-you told them about one of my biggest weaknesses?!”

“More like we kind of let it slip out…” Spike replied bashfully. “The girls kind of did the same thing to us, and in the heat of everything…we blurted out that you were even more ticklish than us.”

“How could you?!” Sheton whined, crying anime tears. “I trusted you guys not to tell anypony that! Now everypony here in Ponyville is going to know about my families ticklish streak!”

“Pfft, as if we’d tell anypony that!” Fire Flash snorted. “Still, it’s obvious that you don’t want us to tickle you senseless until you become as red as my fur! That’s okay, if you wanna do this the hard way, we’ll do this the hard way! I like a good challenge anyway, hahaha!”

“Well, why isn’t Scootaloo joining instead?!” Sheton asked, jamming a hood down towards the bright orange filly sitting quietly on a hay sack. “She’s the only one not trying to tickle us! So how come you guys are trying to and she’s not?!”

“Oh, it’s not that I don’t wanna join.” Scootaloo replied, looking up at the stormy grey colt as he was chased by Fire Flash. “It’s just…I’d rather only tickle somepony if they’re up for it. I don’t like making other ponies do stuff, even if it is all in good fun.”

“That may be so…” A sweet voice cooed from behind Scootaloo, making her freeze in place. “…but did you forget the rules of the Tickle Fight Test whenever somepony accepts our hoof in Friendship? All foals who are doing the tickling must participate in it, without any exceptions, and tickle said victim until they either win or yield. Those that don’t participate in it, will find not only the victims tickled but also the ones who’resupposed to do the tickling, tickled themselves.” The bright orange filly turned around to see two gamboge golden yellow orbs glowing back at her evilly. “Have you forgotten that one super-duper teeny tiny important rule, Loo-Loo? Hm? Have you? Hm?”

“I-I, uh…I, er…ummm…” Scootaloo stammered, slowly backing away from the advancing Dinky.

“It seems like to have…such a shame. Well, as my momma and big sister say, fillies that break the rules are bad fillies indeed.” Dinky continued, that terrifyingly sweet tone never leaving her as she smirked at the bright orange filly in front of her, her horn ignited. “And as my momma and big sister say…bad fillies…must be PUNISHED!”

Now it was Scootaloo’s turn to squeal in fright as she turned tail and ran off, trying to get away from the other filly and escape her tickle attack. Unfortunately, she didn’t even get a fully ten feet away from her before she felt her tail get grabbed in the grayish violet filly’s magic and be pulled back to her attacker. The next thing she knew, she was on her back and staring right into the glowing eyes of Dinky, who wasted no time in attacking her sides with her forehooves, laughing all the while. Scootaloo tried with all her might to fight back, but her gentle nature and desire not to hurt her friends, added by the lightning quick jabs at her stomach and sides meant that it was all in vain. She was soon reduced to a squealing giggling mess as Dinky relentlessly tickled her, followed by Sheton just a minute later as his assailants captured him as well.

For the next several minutes or so it went on like this, the colt and filly were at the mercy of their friends, who attempting to tickle them into submission. All the while Crescent and Spike both watched, unable to resist laughing their little tails off at the display in front of them. As they continued to have their fun, they were blissfully unaware of the ruckus they were making and just how loud it was from outside. It was going at such a volume that it was enough to draw the attention of a couple of mares from outside of the barn, who then made their way over to see what was going on. The foals were so enwrapped in their fun, they didn’t notice the mares coming in the barn, at least not until they made themselves known.

“Now what in tarnation is this?!” The southern drawl of an Apple shouted, the surprise in it echoing about the barn. This was enough to stop the foals dead in their tracks, and they looked up to see two mares standing just inside the barn. The first mare was an Earth Pony, will a light-yellow coat, lighter than Apple Booms, and a brilliant malachite green and tail with strong sea green streaks in them. Her eyes were the same emerald green shade as Spike’s and Sweetie Belle’s and her Cutie Mark was off three apple fritters. The second mare beside her looked to be far younger, in her mid to late teens, and unlike the mare beside her, she was a Pegasus. A waterfall of a leaf green fell over her face and around her neck, slightly obscuring one of her violet eyes, while her tail somewhat dragged behind her and a Stetson sat on her head. She had a slightly lighter shade of green fur, and her Cutie Mark was of an apple tree that had a pencil sketching at the side.

“Oh, uh…howdy there, Apple Fritter.” Apple Bloom said sheepishly, a pink blush forming on her cheeks as she sat on top of Sheton. “W-what’re you and Pencil Sketch doin’ here?”

“We heard a whole bunch o’ noise comin’ from th’ barn, an’ we came to see what th’ hay was goin’ on?” Fritter asked, walking inside the barn. “Speakin’ o’ which, jus’ what are y’all doin?”

“Oh, we were just um…doing some bonding time with our new friend.” Sweetie Belle replied dumbly; her own cheeks adorned with an embarrassed blush. “W-we were welcoming him in our friend group w-with our all famous Tickle Fight Contest.”

Fritter deadpanned at that statement. “Fer real? Ya mean the very same Tickle Fight Contest that nearly got this here barn burned down by Spike when ya did that t’ him?”

“I didn’t mean too!” Spike pouted. “How were they supposed to know how dangerous Laugh Fire is?! Plus, I didn’t have any time to warn them and they just…came onto me, and not in thatway either!”

Crescent Shield looked at Spike curiously. “What way do you mean Spike?”

“A way that you will know in the next five years.” Spike said curtly. “I’ll tell you about it then.”

“We know that Spike, I’m just a bit pissed off at th’ fact they’re tryin’ that again, ‘specially given what happened last time.” Fritter sighed, looking back at the fillies. “I mean seriously, is there no other way y’all can think of t’ welcome any youngin’ int’ yer lil’ friend group?”

“If there was, we’d have done it by now!” Fire Flash snorted. “Besides, when we do it this way, we’re showing others how much we mean it when we say we wanna be there friends! It also shows that we’re not going to be complete and total bitches to them either, unlike some foals that we know.”

“O’ course it does.” Fritter sighed, rolling her eyes before she looked at Sheton. The moment she made eye contact with him, her eyes widened with recognition. “Wait a minute…didn’t Ah see ya earlier today?”

Sheton nodded, rolling over on his stomach so he could properly look up at Fritter. “Yes ma’am, we did, it was at the Apple Family Reunion Brunch with Applejack and the rest of your family.”

“Oh yeah, no Ah remember…can’t believe that Ah forgot ‘bout that.” Fritter chuckled, walking over to the colt. “Well, it’s nice t’ see ya again sugarcube, never thought you’d be back on th’ barn again.”

“Y-yeah, there was a slight change in plans, and I ended up back here again.” Sheton said, blushing at the sight of Fritter’s chest fluff. “U-um…who’s that mare with you?”

“Oh right, Ah didn’t introduce ya t’ her, did I?” Fritter said with a shake of her head. Reaching over, she brought the teen filly in, emitting a squeak from her. “Sheton, Ah’d like ya t’ meet mah daughter, Pencil Grove Sweet Apple Titan. She’s the only lil’ apple that Ah got, but she’s mah most cherished on nonetheless.”

“Pencil Grove…I can see why she’s named that.” Sheton giggled, his cat-like eyes scanning her Cutie Mark. With a polite smile, he walked over to the larger flyer and stuck his hoof out. “Hi Pencil Grove, my name is Sheton Nightstalker Shenron. It’s really nice to meet you.”

Pencil Grove smile gently, reaching over to Sheton’s own outstretched hoof, only it wasn’t to shake it. Instead she grabbed it and pulled the Thestral colt into her, embracing him into a tight yet affectionate hug. Sheton was taken aback by the action, but quickly composed himself, and shyly returned the hug.

“Well, Ah can see that Grove is takin’ a likin’ t’ ya already.” Fritter giggled. “Ah’m sorry ‘bout that Sheton, mah daughter can be a bit of a hugger.”

“Yeah, I can see.” Sheton said sheepishly, looking up at Pencil Grove. “It’s really nice to meet you Pencil Grove.”

Grove let out a soft giggle, leaning in and nuzzling the smaller flyer on his head. “Hello there Sheton, it’s very nice t’ meet ya too.” She said in a soft, and practically childish voice as she hugged the foal even tighter.

“Awww, look at that Sheton! Not even five minutes and Grove already likes you!” Sweetie Belle cooed, her eyes sparkling. “You really look like you have a think for drawing ponies to you!”

“You have no idea.” Spike chuckled while Crescent giggled.

“Alright Pencil Grove, that’s enough.” Fritter said, putting a hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “I know he’s cute an’ all, but Ah don’t’ want ya t’ suffocate the poor boy. He’s already had enough o’ that from Honey Blossom an’ Apple Bloom.”

“Ah was not!” The farm filly denied as Grove set Sheton down.

“Anyway, Ah’m glad that yer all havin’ fun an’ all, but can ya try t’ tone it down?” Fritter asked, setting Sheton’s fedora back on his head. “We can hear y’all all th’ way inside th’ house, an yer disturbin’ everypony else inside th’ house.”

“W-we’re sorry m-miss Fritter.” Scootaloo stammered. “W-we g-got carried away i-in our t-t-tickle f-fight w-with Sheton. W-we didn’t mean t-to disturb you o-or Grove.”

“That’s alright Scootaloo.” Grove cooed. “We know y’all didn’t mean it, y’all were jus’ havin’ fun with yer new friends is all. Jus’ be more careful ‘bout it okay, don’t want y’all gettin’ hurt round here an’ all.”

“We know, there are a lot of things in the barn that can really hurt us.” Sheton said, pawing at the ground. ‘And that’s not the only thing that can hurt Spike, Crescent or the other fillies…or, at least the only one.’

“Hey Fritter, if we’re really causin’ that much of a ruckus, then maybe we can move somewhere else on th’ farm?” Apple Bloom suggested. “Maybe t’ th’ clubhouse on the eastern side o’ th’ barn?”

“Ya mean that old clubhouse that Applejack used to hang out in?” Fritter asked, tilting her head to the side. “The same clubhouse you an’ yer friends like t’ hang out in?”

“Yeah, that one.” Apple Bloom nodded. “It’s pretty far from th’ barn, not t’ mention any ruckus that we make can’t really be heard an’ bother anypony. Plus, Ah really wanna show Sheton th’ clubhouse so he knows where t’ find us so he can hang out with us.”

Fritter pondered over it for a moment, before smiling and giving a nod. “Ya know what Ah think that’s a good idea. With all that’s been goin’ on, Granny Smith an’ th’ rest o’ mah cousins could really use some relaxation time, an’, no offense t’ any o’ y’all, but all o’ this fun yer havin' is jus’ a lil’ too loud.”

Dinky blushed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. “Uh-huh…we were kind of loud here.”

“Yeah, jus’ a lil’.” Grove giggled, her luscious mane bouncing slightly. “If ya want, Ah can take y’all over there, an’ me an’ Ma can probably make y’all some more fritters, an’ even bring ya some cider as a lil’ bonus.”

“Oh buck, please do that!” Fire Flash begged, her mouthwatering. “Please bring me that cider; I cannot get enough of that delicious beverage!”

“We know you can’t Fire Flash.” Crescent murmured. “Just be glad that Melon Cake isn’t here to hoard it all for herself.”

The crimson filly glanced over at the ocean blue filly. “What?”

“Nothing!” Crescent chirped, smiling cheekily.

“Well then, that’s settles it.” Fritter nodded. “Pencil Grove here can take y’all to AB’s clubhouse while Ah git somethin’ cookin’ again. I can tell jus’ by lookin’ at those plates that not all o’ y’all will be satisfied easily.”

As she said this, she locked eyes with Sheton, her expression knowing as the stormy grey Thestral blushed in embarrassment. As the light-yellow mare walked out of the barn, Sheton glanced over at Apple Bloom. “You actually have a clubhouse?”

“Eeyup, Ah sure do!” The sun yellow filly chirped. “Applejack used to use it when she was th’ same age as me, but now, she’s lent it over t’ me! Me an’ the girls have done a lotta remodelin’ t’ it, an’ it looks alot better than it did b’fore! With some extra additions t’ it too!”

“Extra additions?” Sheton repeated, tilting his head. “What kind of additions?”

Apple Bloom grinned, reaching over and patting the bat winged colt on the cheek. “You’ll jus’ have t’ wait an’ see Sheton…you’ll jus’ have t’ wait an’ see~.”

As the foals continued to converse, they were blissfully unaware that the releasing off all the tension and stress they were doing was going to be very vital later on. Because in just a short while, their whole town would be in for one very dark and violent surprise. One that will pull them into a scenario that will force them all to fight for not only there own lives, but for each other's lives as well.

Author's Notes:

Well, there you guys go, another sweet and fluffy encounter with the foals of Ponyville, with our all time famous Cutie Mark Crusaders, my most favorite fillies ever!!! Now, just like with the last couple of chapters involving Fluttershy and the Manticore, I had changed some scenes and scenarios before addition more editions to them. Like with Spike and Crescent Shield actually living in Ponyville with the CMC and them also having do deal with the cruel scenarios of bullying, with Sheton being the only one learning of it, and just what he should expect in his soon to be new home. I had planned to leave it off with them bonding over their little tickle fight, but I had decided to add the scene with Fritter and another OC that I'm planning to give a role later on in the series before leaving those little cliffhangers. One of them being the clubhouse that Spike, Crescent, Dinky and the CMC are going to show Sheton, and the adjustments. I honestly don't know why, but it felt that it'd be better for me to do that, especially if others were curious about the ponies Midnight detected in the barn while she and the Apples were fighting the Tantabuses.

Also, yes everypony, as with many other author's I have made Diamond Tiara the number one school bully in all of Ponyville Elementary School that Crescent Shield, Dinky, and the CMC go to, and where Sheton will go to as well. Everything they've told Sheton in this chapter about what Diamond Tiara did to them both in and outside of school should give you some indication of just how bad this AU version of her is. Add that to the fact that her dad Filthy Rich hasn't done anything about it just shows you that he's really not doing anything about it, and blackmailing and threatening their families into leaving Diamond alone makes it even worse. Though if you think the Diamond Tiara in the Main Series is bad, trust me, you will feel purely and utterly revolted by what this AU version of Diamond Tiara is capable of, because this chapter is only scratching the surface of just what this spoiled, snobby, snobbish, and snooty little filly is capable of in this series that I am planning! Trust me when I say this, that it is going to be SO bad when we get to that point, so much so that it'll make the main episode of Ponyville Confidential seem like the Cutie Mark Crusaders were just joking around!!!

Well, that's it for today everypony; tune in next time for a much tenser scenes, with more than a little emotion packed into it later on.