The first week of classes hadn't been that bad. The only class she had with Karak was Modern History, which was one of the general classes the school required, and she didn't share any classes with Silver.

Things had been odd between Sweetie and her white-maned roommate. While they didn't hate each other anymore, Sweetie still found it hard not to treat her like she always had. After the first argument, they had started a ritual of sorts, talking about their foalhood and Ponyville and things that had happened way back then.

It was interesting to learn that Diamond and Silver had their weekly allowance taken every time they got in trouble at school, in addition to other punishments. Silver couldn't believe the Cutie Mark Crusaders actually went into the Everfree Forest by themselves, even if they were grounded afterward.

Sweetie sighed, glancing at the clock. It was nearly noon. She had no clue what Scootaloo was doing at her school, but she knew Apple Bloom was probably getting ready to eat lunch. It was a nice Saturday, and she really should have been outside doing something instead of sitting in the lobby of her dorm building, but she didn't feel like it.

She pulled out paper to write letters to her friends. Karat was great, but the Pegasus was doing something today and couldn't hang out, and she and Silver were taking things every slowly. The door opened, but Sweetie didn't look up from the blank pages before her.

She jumped when she felt a pair of hooves wrap around her. "Guess who?" asked a voice she could recognize anywhere. She jumped out of her seat with a grin.

Her eyes briefly look in the red mane and light colored coat before wrapping her hooves around her friend. "Apple Bloom! I missed you!"

She looked over and saw Karat standing shyly to the side. "Oh, have you guys met? Apple Bloom, this is Karat. Karat, this is Apple Bloom, one of my best friends." Sweetie grinned.

"Oh, y'all are friends? Ah just asked her how to get to this building. Well, do you wanna hang out with us, Karat?" Apple Bloom smiled.

Karat shook her head. "I'd like to, really, but I have…stuff to do." The Pegasus blushed slightly.

"Maybe next time, then," Sweetie suggested. Karat nodded and started back out the door, before Apple Bloom stopped her.

"Hey, sorry, Ah know you have stuff to do, but Ah just gotta ask. What does your cutie mark stand for?"

The Pegasus looked at her flank where two gears were locked together. "I'm good with technology," she shrugged, making it apparent she didn't want to talk about her cutie mark. "What about the two of you?" Her tone was lighter as she took a step toward the old friends.

Apple Bloom started before Sweetie Belle had a chance, much like when they were fillies. "Ah, mine has to do with zap apple jam makin' and Belle's is singing, not much interesting."

Sweetie rolled her eyes, but Karat looked amazed, like she did most times Sweetie mentioned something common in Ponyville. "Zap Apple Jam? You make Zap Apple Jam?"

Looking slightly confused and a little proud, Apple Bloom nodded. "Well, yeah. Ah mean, my granny discovered it all, and bits of it used to embarrass me, but I got over it. I got my cutie mark two years after Ah realized all those embarrassing things were what made the jam so special."

Karat walked over and joined the two mares, now fully part of the group. "What's so embarrassing about making Zap Apple Jam?"

Sweetie couldn't help it, she laughed. Apple Bloom glared at her, which made her laugh harder. Realizing her friend wasn't going to stop laughing soon, the earth pony started explaining Zap Apple Jam to Karat-without giving everything away, of course.

Every time it seemed that Sweetie was about to stop laughing, she would listen to Apple Bloom and start again. Sure, she was in the story this time, making Granny Smith talk to Cheerilee during her nap or hopping in a bunny costume, but that didn't matter.

Apple Bloom had joined her by the end, though it was still easy to understand what the earth pony was saying "And-And then," Apple Bloom finished, "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were forced to join us. The looks on their faces alone was worth it."

After giving the mares some time to calm down, Karat looked between the unicorn and earth pony. "It sounds like Ponyville is a lot of fun." Karat wrinkled her brow in confusion. "I thought you and Silver Spoon were friends though, Sweetie?"

Sweetie shook her head as Apple Blooms mouth actually dropped open in shock. "No, not at all. Well…we weren't anyway. It is complicated."

"Complicated? That blasted pony made our lives horrible as fillies. And-you know Silver Spoon?" It was Apple Bloom's turn to look confused.

Karat glanced at Sweetie Belle. "Well, she's kinda my roommate. It was so weird the other day." Sweetie shrugged. "Really, though, she isn't a bad roommate."

A short silence followed that statement, before Karat stood. "I'd really like to stick around, Apple Bloom, but I have to umm…go. I might catch you guys later."

They said goodbye to the red Pegasus as she walked out the door. "Welp, I dunno about you, but Ah'm hungry. What d'ya say we go get something to eat?"

Sweetie nodded with a grin. "Sounds great to me." Apple Bloom followed Sweetie Belle to a small off-campus restaurant. It looked nice and had some old music playing, not that either of the girls minded. "This is a great place for a hay burger and fries."

The two ordered quickly and sat at a table, enjoying their food. "So, how's the farm?" Sweetie asked.

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Same as usual. Nearly Zap Apple Season. Granny says I'm gonna have to do it myself this year. She's not been feelin' too hot lately." The smile slipped from the farm mare's face. "AJ says she's afraid it's nearly Granny's time. I don't know if I could handle that."

Sweetie picked at one of her fries, suddenly not feeling very hungry. "Granny is always full of life though. I mean, sure, she moves slow, and sometimes she isn't all there, but she just…" Sweetie trailed off, not bothering to finish her sentence. After a moment, she glanced at Apple Bloom. "If…if anything happens, at all, you have to let me know. I don't want you to go through that without me."

A sad smile was reply enough, as Apple Bloom took a bit of her burger. "You know, this is really good."

"I told you they were the best!" Sweetie said, glad the conversation had turned back to something light. The two friends finished their food, keeping talk light, about school, what they thought Scootaloo was doing and how they couldn't believe she hadn't written yet, and just various other things.

Nearly an hour later, they returned to Sweeties dorm. "Sweetie, do you know where I put that report? I need it for Economics." Silver Spoon turned to look at her roommate, only to stop when she spotted Apple Bloom. "Oh, um, hi Apple Bloom." The grey mare forced a smile, which the other earth pony returned.

"Didn't you put it in your saddle bag, so you would know where it was?" Sweetie said, glancing between the two earth ponies and hoping neither started anything.

Silver nodded, gratefully smiling at Sweetie. "Oh, yes, that's right. Thank you." She pulled the report out and started looking over it at her desk.

No one moved, though. The air was tense again, something Sweetie and Silver had managed to disperse lately. Finally, Apple Bloom asked the question she had been wondering. "So, y'all are friends now?"

Sweetie and Silver glanced at each other, neither wanting to offend the opposing party. "I guess," Sweetie said at the same time Silver said, "Sort of."

"Right." Apple Bloom glanced between them. "How did that happen?"

Sweetie shrugged. "I guess we just…worked out past problems? I had no idea how hard DT and I really were on the three of you." It wasn't an apology, exactly, but Apple Bloom nodded anyway.

"That's all water under the bridge, isn't it? We're grown mares now." She held out her hoof. "Ah can't really say Ah understand why, but if Sweetie and you can live together and not kill each other, you gotta be alright." Silver shook Apple Bloom's hoof. "Ah mean, when Sweetie spent just two days at my house Ah wanted to kill her." Apple Bloom grinned.

"Oh, I never said it was easy." Silver said, though she sounded cautious. "I mean, have you heard her snore?"

"Have Ah? We practically lived at each other's houses during the summers." The two earth ponies laughed.

"Hey!" Sweetie said, somewhat indignantly. "I'm not that bad!" She mocked being offended, throwing her nose up in the air, but couldn't help but smile.

The three of them talked for a while, Apple Bloom actually surprised at how much she liked Silver Spoon since she wasn't bullying her friends and herself. Of course, she didn't completely trust the mare yet, but she was sure Sweetie didn't either.

When it finally came time for her to go back to Ponyville, she actually thought Silver looked at little disappointed. Of course, it could have just been a trick of the light.

Next Chapter: V: The Elements of Harmony Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 43 Minutes