It turned out that Karat couldn't hang out Saturday because she was practicing her flying skills. She wasn't that great-not that Sweetie Bell would tell her that. It wasn't the technical aspects of Karat's flying Sweetie thought were off, but the fact that her tricks were so simple. Of course, growing up around Rainbow Dash and having Scootaloo drag them around watching her had taught her a lot about flying.

She had noticed Karat in an empty hoofball field doing barrel rolls and such and had wondered over to watch. When the red Pegasus noticed her, she immediately stopped and walked over to her, blushing.

They walked back to the dorm together, discussing what the 'surprise' their history professor could have planned for them. Of course, it wouldn't be for another month, but he had wanted them to all know about it. When Sweetie made it back to her dorm, she found Silver still pouring over the essay for Economics.

"Need some help?" she offered.

Silver shook her head. "I just have to make sure it's perfect. It feels wrong, but I'm missing it." Silver sighed. "I just have to get an A on this, you know? I need to keep a 4.0. or I'll never get into the schools dad wants me in."

"He pushes you that hard?" Sweetie asked. Silver just shrugged, muttering something about him wanting the best for her while her eyes poured over the essay again. The unicorn shook her head. Rarity pushed her to be her best but she never caused her this much stress. Well, not in the same way. Sweetie prepared for bed and sat on her bunk. "Silver?"

"Hmm?"

"Silver?" Sweetie repeated, wanting the mares full attention.

Silver looked up. "Yes?"

"I think you should give it a rest. Let me look over it for you tomorrow." She nodded when Silver looked indecisive. Finally, the earth pony gave in, putting on her sleeping cap and finding her eye mask.

With all the lights out, the room was nearly pitch black. After a few minutes of total silence, when Sweetie was nearly asleep, she heard Silver ask a question. "Why was Apple Bloom so nice to me?"

Not bothering to open her eyes or turn to face her roommate, Sweetie answered, "Cause Apple Bloom is a nice pony. It's how AJ raised her."

A shorter silence stretched before Silver spoke again. "She doesn't like me though."

Sweetie sighed and turned over, looking at the grey mare who was staring at the ceiling. "It isn't that she doesn't like you. But she doesn't exactly like you either. I mean, do you like her?"

For the third time that night, silence fell before Silver answered. "I don't know, really. I think of our foalhood, you know, and all the feelings that brings up. And then there was today, where we were laughing and joking like old friends. I just…it is so confusing."

Sweetie smiled. "Yeah, but I mean, ponies change, right? I mean, we were pretty secluded in Ponyville, especially compared to a city like this. Maybe we're just maturing and seeing that how we were before wasn't right?" The statement would have been more powerful if Sweetie hadn't said the last half through a  yawn, but she saw Silver nod anyway.

"I guess. You know, Sweetie Belle, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad you’re my friend."

Sweetie nodded in agreement. "Me too. I guess Pinkie was right. If you look for the positive in ponies, the negative seems less negative."

Neither pony had anything to say after that, so they both drifted soundlessly off to sleep.

--

It didn't seem like three weeks since Apple Bloom had visited, but when she looked at the short letter detailing what was happening at the farm and with other people in Ponyville, she realized it had been. School was taking up a lot of time. Between studying and classes, making friends with Silver and Karat, she didn't have much time. But when she saw that 'everyone' was coming to see her, she smiled.

"It's going to be so great," she told Silver. She was a little afraid to tell Karat, least she faint from the prospect of actually spending time with Dash. "Apple Bloom said everyone. Not that I really know whom it means exactly, but still. She seems excited about it, so…hey, do you wanna hang out with us?" Sweetie smiled, meaning the invitation this time. "It'd be a great chance for you and Apple Bloom to get to know each other."

Silver bit her lip as she looked toward her school things. "I don't know, I have so much work to do."

"Well, it isn't like I need to know now, anyway." Sweetie looked around the room. "You have until tomorrow to decide. They said we could all hang out after my history class, I guess Rarity told them my schedule or something. You can decide then if you'd like."

Silver just nodded as she continued to type numbers into a calculator. It took Sweetie a while to realize Silver wasn't ignoring her when she did that, but that her roommate was focused on her work. She laid on her bed, not meaning to fall asleep, but doingso all the same.

Time seemed to pass so slowly as she waited for everything to be over with and she could hang out with her family again. After what seemed like an eternity, the awaited day arrived. The time seemed to tick slowly by as it often does when you're waiting for something. Finally it was time for her history class, which she considered skipping until she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to reveal Karat.

"Hey Sweetie, are you ready? Tonight is his 'big surprise' that he's been talking about forever." Karat rolled her eyes. The excitement had waned since his first announcement. "Might as well go see what it is."

Sweetie grabbed her saddle bags and walked with Karat to class. "So, where are we suppose to meet Apple Bloom?" the red Pegasus asked. Sweetie had told Karat the day after receiving the letter, and her new friend was going to come along.

"I…don't know, actually. Maybe back at my dorm. The letter didn't say." She shrugged as she walked into the room and took her usual seat at the front of the class, next to Karat. She looked around the room, trying to see if anything in it could be the huge surprise. "I don't see anything, but maybe he'll bring it with him?"

"Yeah, maybe." Karat agreed. They were the last students to arrive, and the professor arrived not a minute later, not even carrying saddlebags.

He took attendance and then stood in front of the class, smiling. "I know I promised you all a surprise, but first, I'd like to tell you a story. How many of you remember the Summer Sun Celebration that was most recently held in Ponyville?" A few of the students, including Sweetie, raised their hands. "How many of you remember Discords invasion?" Everyone in the room raised their hands. Sweetie was starting to get a bad feeling about what the surprise would be. "How many remember the hero's who saved Equestria both times?" As everyone raised their hands, Sweetie groaned. The professor gave her a strange look, but opened the door.

Keeping her hooves crossed over her chest, she looked up at the ceiling. Twilight trotted in first, followed by Applejack and a bouncing Pinkie. Loud whispers were heard outside before Fluttershy slowly came in, her hair hiding her face. Rarity and Rainbow Dash followed her.

Several students gasped, but Sweetie just put her head on her desk. The professor started speaking again. "The Elements of Harmony have agreed to give firsthoof accounts of these events and answer any questions afterward." He smiled, motioning for the six mares to begin.

"It all started when Princess Celestia asked me to look over the Summer Sun Celebration that was being held in Ponyville. I walked around town, meeting many ponies, including these five mares. First was…"

"Twi, Ah think they do want out of here in an hour or so, maybe you should use the abridged version?" Applejack suggested.

Sweetie couldn't repress a snort. Twilight abridge anything? "I'll take it over from here." Rainbow Dash gave the class a cocky grin. Sweetie glanced over at Karat, who was absorbed in everything that was being said. "Some boring stuff happened, then we all followed Twilight into the Everfree forest to find the Elements. Some other boring stuff happened and Fluttershy tamed a Manticore and then Nightmare Moon was standing in front of us."

"No, Dashie, you're leaving out half the story, you silly filly," Pinkie bounced up close to the front row of desks.  "I think we should let Twi tell the story, don't you guys? She's much better at story telling." She looked over at Sweetie Belle, and the white unicorn knew  exactly what was coming. "Tell them Sweetie."

Sweetie felt all eyes land on her. "Umm, sure Pinks. Twi should tell it, but shortly."

And finally the story was told and the Professor asked if anyone had any questions. A deep purple coated unicorn stallion in the back raised his hoof. "So you guys know Sweetie Belle?"

"She's my sister," Rarity said with a proud smile.

The professor choked. "Sister? I didn't know that!" He looked at Sweetie with a newfound reverence.

"Umm…yeah." Sweetie shrugged and looked down at her desk. She wasn't sure if she should be proud or embarrassed.

She saw Karat raise her hand from the corner of her eye. "Rainbow Dash, have you really preformed three Rainbooms?"

Class continued in the same fashion, the questions not pertaining at all to history or the event discussed. Some ponies asked Twilight questions about magic, one pony attempted to ask Fluttershy a question about when she had been a model, but the soft yellow Pegasus simply hid her slightly pink face behind her hair.

The professor stopped the questions when one stallion asked if any of them were together. Sweetie shot him a nasty look. With class dismissed, many ponies left to make it to their next classes or to find food, but a few stayed behind to talk to the six mares.

Sweetie and Karat stayed seated until the last pony left. "Well, if that didn't go horribly," the professor said. "I'm sorry ladies, I didn't know the students would pry so."

Sweetie snorted. "I don't really get why everyone was so interested anyway, I mean…" she glanced at the six mares looking at her. "I love you guys, but honestly, you're just normal ponies."

"To some people we seem like more than that though," Fluttershy said with a smile.

Dash snorted. "Talk for yourselves. I'm more than your average pony. I mean, I'm Rainbow Dash, best flyer in Equestria."

Karat nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, she's a Wonderbolt, you can't get much cooler than that!"

Sweetie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I swear, you act just like Scoots." She turned to the six mares. "This is Karat, by the way. If you guys wanna tell us where to meet you at, we'll swing by our dorms and put our school things away."

"We'll just go with you," Rarity said, picking up Sweetie's bag for her. "I mean, I haven't spoken to you in a while, it'll be good. And Apple Bloom is there anyway, she said she knew where it was and Silver would let her in."

"Silver and Apple Bloom are in my dorm? Together? Alone?" Sweetie bit her lip. Sure, they had acted fine the last time Apple Bloom had visited, but that was with her there to steer the conversation away from things that could blow up.

By the time the group got to the dorm, it was deathly quiet inside.

Next Chapter: VI: Dinner Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 35 Minutes