When Friday finally arrived for Silver Rose, she was glad to hear the bell ring to release them from her calculus class.

“I want to see more work on your variables, got it?” Mr. Dee Wit told the class, before returning to his desk. “Have a nice weekend.”

“Freedom…” Silver groaned and pushed her books into her backpack.

After saying goodbye to her friends, she left for her locker, needing to put some things away and to get more books for her weekend homework.

And then, of course, she had a study date with Home Run today. She hadn’t gotten to see him in some time and she was really looking forward to it, study or no. With all that’s been going on with Sunny Flare, she really wanted some time with Home Run, hoping she hadn’t yet forgotten him.

“Hey, Silver.” Canvas Splash greeted her in the hall. “Someone’s looking happy.”

“Yeah, it’s finally the weekend,” Silver said and threw her locker door open. “You? You haven’t been getting bullied again, have you?”

“Nope!” Canvas shook her head happily. “I haven’t had to worry about it all week! And it’s all thanks to… well… Thanks to… Umm, let’s say it’s all thanks to you, Silver.”

“Aw… It wasn’t, I didn’t do anything…” Silver blushed. “Don’t worry about it, Canvas. Whatever ghost that helped you, I’m sure it’ll continue to watch out for you.”

“Sure, yeah!” Canvas pulled at the bow on her head. “I never quite did believe in ghosts, but it’s cool to have one watching out for me! Well, I’ve got some pictures to paint, so I’ll see you next week, Silver!”

“Yeah, you take care, Canvas.” Silver Rose watched her friend go. She was glad things were finally getting better for her. She still wished that as Canvas’ friend, she could’ve known about her actual feelings towards the bully problem sooner. She had no idea that all this time, Canvas would go to the bathroom at the end of the day to cry it all out, alone.

But not anymore. Canvas was her friend here and she wasn’t going to let something like that slip past her again.

Finally heading out of school, Silver found her aunt parked by the roadside as usual.

“Hey, Aunt Ivory.” Silver belted herself in after getting into the car.

“Hey, sweetie. You… don’t smell different today. That’s good.” Ivory nodded and drove away from Crystal Prep Academy. “Well, you have a date today, don’t you? With that Home Run boy?”

“Mhm.” Silver nodded quickly, then changed her attitude towards it. She wasn’t Moonglade yet. Silver Rose shouldn’t be so excited over it. “I mean, Moonglade has a date. But he has a baseball game today, so we’re only going out after that. Mother canceled my extra lessons today for that.”

“Would you like to go see the game, sweetie?” Ivory offered. “Maybe he’ll play better if he saw you there.”

“You think so, Aunt Ivory?” Silver thought about it. She didn’t mind.

“I don’t see why not. So long as you finish all your homework after that.”

“Okay! Sounds like a plan, Aunt Ivory.” Silver tried not to sound too excited. She had to wait until she got into persona before she started jumping for joy.

When they got home, Silver Rose tried to make it look casual as she entered the house, walking instead of running up to her room. In no time, Silver Rose had gone into the bathroom and Moonglade had walked out, all ready to go out again.

Here I come, Home Run. I finally get to see you again!

Then she calmed herself and breathed slowly. “Right. Falling in love with him is already wrong. I need to start remembering that…”

With a sigh, Moonglade picked up her glasses and headed down, realizing the sirens were not home too. Perhaps they were at the baseball game. Adagio Dazzle did have a thing for Home Run. Moonglade wondered if she still did.

“I’m ready, Aunt Ivory!” she cheered, finding her aunt by the front door. “Is mother home?”

“Your mother had to go out for some early morning shooting. I think she mentioned she’ll be back after dinner tonight.” Ivory put a finger to her chin. “And you’re looking lovely today, my sweet little niece.”

“Thanks, Aunt Ivory.” Moonglade smiled. “And hey, you’re quite pretty yourself, Aunt Ivory. I mean, you’re very pretty. Maybe you should go out and find a boyfriend for yourself?”

Ivory laughed and shook her head. “I don’t think now’s a good time. And I’m in that strange relationship with your mother, remember? I’ve my hands full with her already. Perhaps after I succeed in helping the sirens, I’ll do a little… hunting, eh?”

“Yeah, you should, Aunt Ivory.” Moonglade followed the older changeling back to the car. “You’re prettier and you’re more experienced in this.”

“More experienced, yes, but don’t kid yourself, princess.” Ivory held her niece’s chin gently. “You’re far more beautiful than you or your mother think. Don’t sell your looks short, huh?”

“Thanks for always saying such nice things to me, Aunt Ivory.” Moonglade buckled in next to her aunt, wanting to sit in front with her.

“It’s the truth, sweetie. Why lie to you, you know?” Ivory Wings smirked and started the car.

The drive over to Canterlot High had felt like a long time for the young changeling, her mind a whirlwind as she tried to not think of Home Run, but at the same time, she couldn’t wait to see him, with the latter likely overpowering the former, seeing as the journey felt so long.

The game had already started an hour ago and Moonglade had missed most of it, but she hoped she could still be there for Home Run when it mattered. She didn’t know how much more of the championships were left, but she’d been hearing about it long before meeting Home Run. Perhaps it was close to an end now, seeing as summer was right around the corner.

“Now, sweetie, remember.” Ivory stopped the car by CHS’ field entrance. “It… may be too late now, but Home Run is just food. I know he means a lot to you and I do want you to be happy, but please remember restraint, okay? We cannot let anyone find out about our true selves. Ever. You know how important that is, right?”

“I do, Aunt Ivory.” Moonglade nodded and released her seatbelt. “I’ll try my best. I promise.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear.” The older changeling gave her a warm hug. “I’ll be following behind you, so don’t worry about me. Just… enjoy yourself today, okay?”

“I will. Thanks, Aunt Ivory!”

Moonglade had easily found her way to the stands were the crowd was watching the game. She didn’t dare go up and join the other students or look for the sirens, so she picked a quiet spot under the shade of a tree to watch the game.

The current score was a two to one, with the other team, the Coltorado School Senators leading.

“That doesn’t look good…” Moonglade mumbled. She spotted Home Run and the rest of the team in their little dugout towards the left side, watching the field intently as that ponytail boy who had bothered her on her first date got ready to bat.

He missed the first two balls, but then knocked the third one high, immediately sprinting to the first base before the other team could tag him out.

“Alright!” Moonglade found herself cheering for Home Run’s team.

They had almost gone another full round to get a point when the pitcher, a big muscular boy with glasses, threw the ball really hard and fast, hitting a girl with long and messy hair, knocking her well away.

The Canterlot team had run out of the dugout to go check on her. Moonglade tried to look past them, but they were crowding her too much. Eventually, they began walking her back, the girl holding on to her arm like it was broken. But there was no way that boy could break her arm with a single throw, right?

That out signaled a change in teams, with the Canterlot Wondercolts now taking the field as the Senators took to the bat.

Moonglade watched Home Run position himself far on the field, away from the four plates. She waved, hoping he would see her, but he wasn’t currently looking in her direction.

The girl who had been hit was now sitting in the dugout as their coach placed an ice pack on her arm, talking to her about something, likely assessing the damage.

Moonglade continued to watch the game. It was turning out to be a hard, unfriendly one. Fouls were being committed left and right, mostly by the visiting team, and before long, the bad mood became evident in the Wondercolts too. She sniffed the air. No good feelings here, nope. It wasn’t near Cinch’s level, but it still didn’t taste very nice.

The young changeling continued to stand there under the tree, trying to stay out of the sun as much as she could. Fortunately, the tree was large and the shadow was nice and big, perfect for hiding in.

There came a tap on her shoulder, and she looked up to see a bag of popcorn being pushed into her face.

“In case you get hungry,” Ivory Wings whispered, also depositing a can of iced tea next to her foot. “I’ll be around, sweetie.”

“Thanks, Aunt Ivory.” Moonglade looked at the bag and wondered where her aunt had gotten it from. The tea was easy, likely from the vending machines next to the bleachers.

The young changeling returned her attention to the field as she peeled the bag open, wanting to chew on something.

The popcorn was lightly salted, just how she liked it. As she continued to watch and eat, Moonglade noticed Home Run looking in her general direction. She smiled and waved.

“Foooooooddd…” Came Ivory Wings’ voice from up inside the tree’s branches.

“I’m not doing anything wrong, am I?” Moonglade looked up at her aunt, who was resting both arms on a branch above.

“No, but I figured you could use a reminder,” Ivory said, sliding out of the tree and landing on the ground with a pomf.

“Oh.”

Home Run had seen her and waved back, making the girl’s heart flutter a little, happy that he had noticed her watching.

“Oh, look, Aunt Ivory! He knows I’m here?”

There was no response.

“Aunt Ivory?”

There was no sign of the elder changeling.

“Huh.” Moonglade shrugged and went back to watching the game.

The Wondercolt pitcher had tossed his ball and the Senator batter had hit it really far. Home Run and his two friends scrambled around, looking up at the falling ball. And then when it looked like it was about to pass all their mitts, Home Run ran back, tilting back almost a hundred and eighty degrees, managing to catch the ball before somersaulting on the grass once, landing on his back.

“He caught it!” Moonglade cheered to herself and stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

There was a barely audible noise next to Moonglade’s foot. She looked down to see a small bag of nuts deposited there, next to the can of tea.

“Huh.” She looked around for her aunt, but couldn’t see her, though it was really nice of her to keep making sure she had enough food.

The Wondercolts suddenly began playing with more and more confidence after that one, their scent slowly starting to smell better, along with most of the crowd. The Senators and their small crowd still didn’t smell that good, but that didn’t matter to the blonde haired girl. She wasn’t here to see them, she was here to see Home Run and cheer his team on.

“You can do it, Home Run,” she mumbled and smiled to herself. “I believe in you.” Then she blushed and looked to the side. “That sounded so cheesy…”

After a long while, the match seemed to be drawing to an end, with the Wondercolts shutting down the Senators as they tried to score a point. They were once again up to the bat, but the opposing team had managed to get the shaved head boy out before he could even run.

The girl with the long teal and grey hair was still by the side, holding her arm up. Moonglade guessed there was no way she would be playing again this match.

The ponytail boy was up to bat again, holding his bat in a strange position. Moonglade didn’t know much about baseball, but she was sure holding it like a sheathed sword wasn’t normal. In the end, the young girl just shrugged off the thought and finished the bag of popcorn her aunt had given her, stowing the crushed up plastic in her coat pocket.

That reminded her that maybe it was time for a wardrobe change for Moonglade, at least for the summer duration. It was going to look weird if she was the only one walking around with a coat, and that would surely draw some unwanted eyes.

“Perhaps a sleeveless top?” Moonglade tapped at her chin. “Or maybe one of those Discourse shirts I got? Meh, I have a lot to choose from. That can all wait.”

Returning her attention to the game as she peeled open her bag of nuts, Moonglade spotted the ponytail boy already sprinting forward to first base.

Oh, did he hit the ball? Guess I missed it.

The Senators were scrambling, rushing around, their heads looking up, trying to get the ball. Eventually, one of them did catch the ball, but the Wondercolt boy was already sprinting towards third base by the time they got the ball anywhere. Unfortunately, instead of stopping, the boy kept running, trying to score another point.

“No, what are you doing?” Moonglade complained as one Senator tossed the ball back to the pitcher.

With an almighty swing, the muscular boy caught the ponytail one in the side, knocking him down and planting his face in the dirt, stopping him in his tracks. Even from here, she could hear his bellowing laughter.

Once again, most of the Wondercolt team ran out to bring the ponytail boy back to the dugout. Moonglade forgot his name, but she remembered it had the word ‘stream’ in it or something. The boy looked like he was in much pain, but he still tried to look tough, forming a wide smirk on his face.

Home Run stopped outside the dugout, looking back at the Senators, then over to Moonglade. The girl froze for a second, but then she made a serious face and nodded to him. A silent way of telling him to kick their butts. Her boyfriend nodded back, then picked up his bat and went over to the batting box.

“Get ‘em, Home Run.” Moonglade clenched her fists in anticipation.

The muscular boy with glasses tossed the ball from hand to hand before getting ready, drawing back for a strong throw. Moonglade saw their catcher giving him some kind of hand signal, but she didn’t know enough baseball to know what that meant, but it didn’t look good.

When he was good to go, the pitcher threw a ball at Home Run, all the while smiling smugly. Moonglade wished she could go over there and make him eat his own smile, but that would only bring the heat on her and she really didn’t want that.

Home Run swung the bat, but missed, getting his first strike. Moonglade held her breath as she watched him swing again, and this time, he knocked the ball away, not up high, but tumbling on the ground lower down, just slipping past the pitcher’s and shortstop’s hands, and continuing to roll outfield.

“Yes!” Moonglade pumped a fist up. Home Run didn’t manage to get very far, but at least he didn’t get a strikeout. He now stood standing over at first base, giving his team and Moonglade a thumbs up. “Oh, Home Run…”

She really hoped they would win, but it was already the last round of the match and they were still down by one point. It wasn’t looking likely. They already had two outs, which meant if the next batter got a strikeout, CHS was out of the championships. That much at least she understood.

The next to step up to the bat was the taller boy with silver blonde hair and bleach white skin. There was a little scuffle going on in the dugout before he emerged, holding a grey bat with red markings on it. Moonglade recognized that bat as the one the ponytail boy was using earlier.

“Do different bats really do different things?” Moonglade remembered her time in the sports shop with Home Run as she tossed a few nuts in her mouth. “I really doubt that, I mean, especially all the different patterns.”

“You’re right about that, princess.” Ivory Wings was suddenly next to her again, drinking from her can of tea. “Markings give you no tactical advantage, whatsoever.”

“So why do people use them?”

Ivory shrugged. “They look cool.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Out there, the tall boy swung the bat, earning a foul once, twice, thrice. Moonglade resisted the urge to bite at her fingernails as she watched the Senator pitcher get ready again. The white-skinned boy had already hit the ball three times. What were the odds of him hitting another?

“I can’t watch!” Moonglade covered her eyes with her hands.

“Oh, you don’t have to be so overly dramatic, dear.” Ivory patted her niece on the shoulder. “It’s just a high school baseball game.”

“Yeah, but I really wanted Home Run to win. What if he doesn’t.”

“Oh, put more trust in your boyfriend and his team, huh? Look up.”

Moonglade opened one eye just as the umpire yelled, “It’s a Hoooooome ruuuun!”

Home Run and the other boy sprinted down all the bases, with the other team unable to even retrieve the ball on time. The two of them ran back into the arms of their team as the umpire declared the game over, with the Wondercolts winning by one point.

The crowds in the stands stood and roared with cheers for them, while the Senators’ little crowd sat in their corner, sulking.

The positive feelings easily dominated the earlier hostility, putting a smile on Moonglade’s and her aunt’s faces.

“Why don’t you go on over, sweetie?” Ivory gave her niece a little push. “I’m sure Home Run would be very pleased to see you right now.”

“Umm, well…” Moonglade looked as the Canterlot High crowd rushed their baseball team. “I don’t know… There are a lot of people there. I don’t want to… you know…”

“Oh, what an adorable little girl you are, Moonglade.” Ivory wrapped one arm around her shoulders. “I don’t get how my sister’s daughter can have stage fright. But it’s okay. You go when you’re ready. I think I’ll go blend in. If you need anything, just give me a text. I’ll be watching from somewhere.”

Moonglade watched her aunt walk away, then looked back at the horde of students. The Coltorado students were already packing up their gear, talking amongst their small group of supporters and a teacher. Canterlot High’s students were still crowding their baseball team, giving them pats on the back and likely lots of words of encouragement and celebration.

“Looks like I’m going to be waiting here a while…” The girl folded her arms and leaned back against the tree.

After the rest of the students began to disperse, only then did Moonglade decide to approach Home Run. She figured the baseball team wasn’t big enough to scare her away.

Dusting her outfit down, Moonglade gulped down the rest of her nuts and stowed the wrapper in her pocket, before starting her walk over.

Home Run was the first to see her coming, leaving his friends to run over to her. Moonglade began feeling her heartbeat hasten, overflowing with joy as he ran towards her. She knew she shouldn’t be feeling this happy to see him, but that was what she felt.

“Congratulations, Home Run!” The young changeling threw her arms around him. “I knew you could do it!”

“Yeah! And you came to see our game?” Home Run hugged her back. “Thanks, Moonglade.”

“I thought I’d come and cheer you on before we go for our study session.” Moonglade grinned. “And I’m glad I did. That was some show. Oh, but how are your teammates? The ones that got hurt.”

“Oh, Velvet and Jetstream?” Home Run looked back to his friends, who were already looking over at Moonglade. She blushed and kept her eyes on Home Run instead. “Nothing broken, thankfully. They’re just going to be feeling really bruised for a few days.”

“That guy looked really strong, that pitcher.” Moonglade looked over to the Senators, who were already leaving the field with their gear, looking mildly irritated. Serves them right. “But I’m glad you guys won! Good work!”

“It really took everything we had,” Home Run laughed. “This win means we’re on to the semifinals. It’s only going to get harder here.”

“Have more trust in the team, Home Run.” Rainbow Dash came over and slapped the blue haired boy on the back. “We can beat any team out there. Cause you know at the end of the day it is we who survive,” she finished pointing a finger at the side of her head. “And hey, Moonglade, right? I’m Rainbow Dash. Pleasure to finally meet the daughter of Ebony Wings!” She stuck her hand out past Home Run.

“One of the daughters,” Moonglade said, taking the hand, remembering not to squeeze too hard.

“Man! I still can’t believe she’s your girlfriend!” Rainbow punched Home Run in the arm, sending the boy one step back. “How did you even manage that?”

“Hey, I mean, things happened.” Home Run shrugged. “Then we sorta just got together after.”

“Right. Like it’s that simple.”

“So this is her, huh?” The taller boy came over with the ponytail one. “I’m Lightning Rain. This is Jetstream. I think you’ve met him?”

“We meet again.” The ponytail boy smirked, one hand in a sling. He didn’t look like he even had an injury. “One of the daughters of an acclaimed actress.”

Moonglade blushed. She didn’t like it whenever she got attention because of her mother’s fame. Well, she didn’t like it when a lot of heads were turned towards her.

“Come on, no need to keep bringing it up.” Home Run supported her. “She doesn’t like the attention.”

“Ebony Wings’ daughter doesn’t like attention?!” Rainbow Dash took her cap off. “How does that even work?”

“Th-that’s just how I am…?” Moonglade forced a smile. She disliked the association that just because her mother enjoyed the limelight, she did also, but refrained from clawing the team captain’s face in response.

“Well, okay, Ah guess we should start packing up. Then we can all head home.” The shaved head boy scratched his cheek. “Home Run, why don’t you two head on off? We can manage.”

“What, you sure?”

“Yeah, yeah, your girlfriend’s here and all,” Rainbow Dash said and gave him a little push. “You don’t get to see her much, so go on. We’ll finish things here.”

“Gotcha. Thanks, captain. Thanks, you guys.” Home Run patted Moonglade on the shoulder, then smiled at her. “Shall we?”