Spike wrung his claws together as he and Dimmed Star stood just outside the schoolhouse, the damp early morning air cooling his scales.

"A-are you sure this is OK? I mean... isn't it a bit late in the school year?" He asked nervously as he looked over to the brightly smiling Dimmed Star who stared back at him. She chuckled lightly, before nudging him towards the door by pushing on his new bright green backpack that Rarity had been kind enough to gift him the day before.

"Don't get cold claws on me now, we're already here. Besides, the school has only been in session for a few months, I'm sure you'll catch up. Let's get inside so we can talk to Cheerilee before the class starts." Despite digging his claws into the dirt, he couldn't hope to keep himself from being pushed through the door as Dimmed Star strode inside, pushing him along with her muzzle.

Dimmed Star had been positively giddy ever since Spike told her that he wanted to go to school, so much so that she had shot from the house with him in her magical grasp, rushing about the stores in town to buy school supplies. It had been a bit of a struggle to get what they needed initially, in her excitement she had forgotten the current predicament that the towns-ponies were still rather wary of her, and some had gone so far as to close the doors to their shops when they saw her approaching. One had even screamed when she approached, causing Dimmed Star's mood to turn a one-eighty from happily excited, to extremely pissed. It took Spike jumping between her and the unfortunate merchant to stop her from tearing into the mare herself, but it hadn't stopped her from slicing the merchant's cart in half when Spike wasn't looking, leaving the mare to stare in horror at her ruined merchandise.

It was only when they ran into Applejack and Fluttershy, who were each out getting groceries, that any relief for their plight had been found.

Fluttershy had volunteered to take Spike to get what he would need, happy for the little drake to be going to school and making friends, while Applejack decided to walk around town with Dimmed Star to try and show the towns-ponies that she was harmless... mostly.

As the two of them entered the building, the sounds of foals talking merrily and enjoying their time before class filled the air, and Cheerilee could be seen standing near her desk where it looked as though she was busy writing up the attendance sheet. The room slowly grew quiet however as they were spotted by the students, some who stared with curiosity, some with excitement, and some with no small amount of worry. Dimmed Star paused in her stride as she took in their stares, before shaking them off and pressing onward. Spike glanced back to her, before looking back to the students and smiling nervously as he waved a bit. The crusaders smiled back broadly, each waving back to him happily.

Cheerilee for her part barely noticed their approach as she worked on the sheet before her. It came as a surprise when the sound of several ponies clearing their throats came from almost directly behind her, making her jump and turn around, expecting to see a group of ponies.

"OH! I'm so sorry I d-" Her voice caught in her throat as she stared at Dimmed Star, her eyes wide.

"O-oh! M-Miss Dimmed S-Star, how can I h-help you?" She asked nervously, a bit of sweat beading at her brown.

"Hello, Cheerilee." Her voice caught the mare off guard even more with its multiple tones. Despite knowing of her, Cheerilee and most of the townsfolk had hardly any real interaction with Dimmed Star aside from seeing her leaving and entering her home on occasion, usually late in the evening and always heading out into the Everfree. This being the first time actually talking with the formerly known Twilight Sparkle, Cheerilee was rightfully left speechless, much to Dimmed Star's chagrin.

Dimmed Star tapped her hoof impatiently while waiting for a response from the school teacher, who finally picked up on the mare's growing frustration and quickly straightened herself, trying hard not to tremble.

"Um, yes, hello Miss Star... uh as I said before, what can I do for you?" It took a tremendous amount of effort for her to not stutter. Dimmed Star frowned at this reaction but ignored it in favor of nudging Spike forward with a hoof.

"I'm interested in having Spike here be enrolled in your class. Is that going to be a problem?" Although she kept her voice as even as she could, a small bit of a growl managed to edge its way into her tone, Spike looked back to her worriedly. Cheerilee, however, did not seem to notice as she looked down at Spike, who smiled back at her nervously before lifting up a paper document and holding it out towards her.

"Enroll...? Oh! Of course!" Her fear of the pony before her momentarily forgotten, she darted around her desk and opened a drawer, a smile on her face as she pulled out a few documents and brought them back over to them as she took the enrollment form from Spike.

"There won't be any trouble at all, I'll just need you to fill out this form for safety and contact information as well as well as for anything else that may be relevant." Dimmed Star took the papers in her magic while Spike stretched on the tips of his claws, trying to see them as well. Nodding, Dimmed Star trotted around Spike and up to the teacher's desk, taking up a spare pencil to begin filling in the information.

Cheerilee stood awkwardly next to Spike, watching as Dimmed Star filled out the necessary paperwork. When she finished, she dropped the pencil back on the table and walked back to them, leaning down and nuzzling Spike as he blushed, embarrassed in front of the class.

"Have a good day Spike, I'll be here to pick you after classes." He awkwardly pushed her away while she grinned at him.

"C'mon Star, I know my way home. You don't have to pick me up." He mumbled as he glanced at the students who watched, a few snickering at his dilemma. Dimmed Star only shook her head and smiled.

"Fine then big colt, just make sure you're home before the sun sets and get your homework done, I will be checking it. I have a few errands in town myself today so we'll have to catch up when both of us get back home." He nodded as she turned to Cheerilee, the look in her eyes returning to blank stare as she caused the mare to shuffle nervously under her gaze.

"Take care of him." She let the statement hang as her eyes darkened, the unspoken threat making Cheerilee audibly gulp and nod vigorously.

"O-of course! He'll fit in just fine with the other foals." She smiled shakily. Dimmed Star eyed her for a moment longer, before trotting past them and out the door of the schoolhouse. Spike waved after her, a slight smile playing on his lips as he watched her go.

The room was quiet for a few more seconds, before Cheerilee breathed a sigh of fresh air, her heart pounding in her chest.

'I wonder if it's too soon for me to file for retirement?' She asked herself as she stepped up to Spike, placing a hoof on his shoulder and making him look up to her questioningly.

"Well then Spike, welcome to my class. We'll introduce you and then find an open seat." She smiled brightly at him as he clasped his claws together nervously, before looking out to the class of what he could only guess was about thirty or so students. He could only name a few of them, and even fewer he had only seen in passing. Several waved back to him as he swallowed nervously.

"U-uhm... Hi? My name is Spike..."

Dimmed Star trotted calmly through the streets of Ponyville, occasionally nodding her head in greetings to the few ponies brave enough to wave in her direction.

It had been a few hours since she had dropped Spike off at the schoolhouse, she had returned home shortly after that and returned to her studies. But her efforts were for naught and it angered her to no end.

'If I had stayed in Canterlot, I could have gone to the archives and possibly found something a bit more useful...' She grit her teeth together, angry at herself for not thinking of such a thing instead of letting her emotions rule her and drive her from the abundant amount of resources due to her issues with the princess.

'I suppose I could send a letter asking for the information, but I'm not exactly keen on talking to her yet.' Lost in thought, she barely realized that she had walked through the doors of a building, and it was with a single breath that she snapped from her thoughts and looked to find herself in the sweet-smelling bakery that was Sugar Cube Corner. She glanced about curiously, unsure as to why her hooves would have carried her here when suddenly she felt her stomach rumble at the sight of the many baked goods. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she blushed and her ears folded back as she looked to the many baked goods in the displays.

Cupcakes, muffins, cookies, and pastries of any that you could imagine sat before her and she paced before the display, licking her lips as she remembered the taste of the wonderful confectioneries, bemoaning the fact that she could no longer enjoy such things.

'Oh!' Her eyes lit up as she spotted one that she had eaten once before, a medium-sized blueberry cupcake that was topped with whipped cream instead of icing, a bright red cherry resting in its center.

"Hiya Dimmy!" Said mare jumped about with a yelp, her eyes wide as she twisted her neck a full one-hundred and eighty degrees to see the pink mare that stood directly behind her. The sound of bones cracking and snapping filled the lobby of the bakery, causing those who had watched the scene to lose immediate interest in their meals. Pinkie stared in wide-eyed shock as Dimmed Star glared at her, her neck still twisted in an unnatural way.

"Pinkie Pie..." She spoke through gritted teeth as her body began to turn, readjusting the bones in her neck with a sickening crunch. Pinkie chuckled nervously, her ears laid back.

"Uh, Hiya Dimmy?" She tried again, a bit more reserved after the display before her. Dimmed Star only stared back at her for a moment, before taking a breath and releasing an annoyed sigh.

"It would do you well in the future, Pinkie, to not startle me. I could have done far worse than simply turned to look at you." Her glare intensified as she nodded to the ground beneath them. Pinkie blinked, unsure, as she glanced to the ground and swallowed nervously.

The floor below them was covered in Dimmed Star's Ink, but the part that Pinkie herself stood on had the beginnings of sharp tendrils edging their way from the surface. She watched nervously as the tendrils began to withdraw, and the puddle itself soaked back into Dimmed Star's hooves once more. The floor where they stood was now stained black, and the smell of the sweet treats was nearly overpowered by the stench of burnt fur.

"O-oh... yea... eheh..." Pinkie looked back up from the ground, worry still in her features despite how she tried to hide it behind a smile. The other customers stared at the two with wide and fearful eyes, leading Dimmed Star to glare at them in aggravation.

"I'll be going now..." Turning towards the door, Dimmed Star made her way past Pinkie and the few customers who had stood in line behind her. Pinkie watched her go with concern, an internal struggle of whether to stay and clean up, or go and help out her friend. It was a simple choice and one that she made with ease as she bounced after the dark mare.
Once outside, Dimmed Star closed her eyes and sighed.

'This... this isn't fair...' She thought back to all the fun memories she'd had when she would visit Sugar Cube Corner, the many smiles of the ponies within and without. She bit her cheek to prevent the tears in her eyes from falling as she looked up towards the raised Sun. Her hurt filled gaze began to burn with anger as the Sun's light burned into her eyes.

'It's not my fault... I didn't choose to be this... I'm not the one who...' The thoughts of the wedding drifted through her mind.

"Dimmed Star!" Pinkie's voice called out to her, breaking her from her thoughts and causing her to glance back in the direction of the bakery. Pinkie had just come through the doors and had begun to make her way around to Dimmed Star's side. She smiled brightly, as though what had just transpired inside the bakery had been a daily occurrence for her. Dimmed Star rolled her eyes, before trotting forward and getting herself back on track from before she had accidentally walked into Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie happily bounced along beside her, smiling just the same.

The two trotted in silence as they made their way through town, Dimmed Star attempting to ignore the mare, Pinkie merely being happy in her presence.

"What do you want, Pinkie?" She finally asked in annoyance as the two of them stood next to a cart in the shopping district. Though it wasn't Market day, some stalls stayed open throughout the week. The one they stood before now was a stall that sold many of the latest books and texts, although from what Dimmed Star could see, they were all fictional and mostly directed towards young fillies. She grimaced in annoyance at once more being denied the information that she needed.

"What? Is there something wrong with wanting to hang out with one of my bestest friends?" Pinkie asked happily. Dimmed Star glanced to her out of the corner of her eye, while the pony behind the stall merely watched the two of them curiously.

"We're friends, are we?" Dimmed Star asked questioningly. In her mind, she still called the mares that made up the Elements her friends, but in truth, she wasn't entirely sure how she saw them right now. Her question had quite the impact on the mare next to her however. She stopped smiling as brightly and her ears drooped, while her eyes looked to her in worry.

"We... we are still friends... right Dimmy?" Dimmed Star turned from the stall to face her fully, eyeing the mare up and down.

"I'm not sure, Pinkie. How many times have you and the girls come to visit me at my home this week, compared to the week before? Or perhaps the week before that? Or even before that?" Pinkie deflated more and more with each question until her head drooped along with her ears and her mane had lost some of its fluff. She looked as though she had given up on answering, and so Dimmed Star rolled her eyes and made to move past her once more.

"We don't know how..." She stopped at the whisper of a voice. Looking back, she found Pinkie still looking to the ground, her hoof playing in the dirt.

"Mind repeating that?" She turned back to the mare, her ears directing themselves towards her to hear her better. Pinkie took a shaky breath as she looked up from what she was doing to meet Dimmed Star's gaze.

"The other girls and I... we don't know how to approach you... We've been wanting to come over all week. To say hi, to hang out, to play games or even talk about our day... but we..." Dimmed Star let nothing escape her as she paid close attention to the mare.

"Rarity has been so anxious that she's buried herself in her work... I went to see her last night, but she was playing her phonograph so loudly that she couldn't hear me knocking on the door. Applejack is always either in the fields at her farm or here in the market. I saw her with you yesterday, but she kept covering her eyes with her hat when you weren't looking... Rainbow Dash..." She glanced to the sky, Dimmed Star following her gaze slowly. After seeing that the aforementioned prismatic mare was no were to be seen, she sighed.

"I see her in the sky sometimes, doing cloud work... but I don't see her outside of her house any more than that... Fluttershy said that she's been bringing you more cans of fish, but that she hasn't been staying long. She's super busier than normal, a lot of animals from the Everfree have come to her home seeking shelter, they're in such a panic that she can't make sense of why they won't go back... and I... I've..." Tears began to well up in her eyes and Dimmed Star groaned internally. It was one thing to cry herself, or to make somepony else cry, but when you've made Pinkie cry?

"I've been a bad friend!!" And there it was, the mare let out a cry and the tears began to flow freely. Dimmed Star watched as the mare hiccuped and cried openly, causing the few ponies in the market to stop their browsing and watch them curiously. The pony behind the bookstall began to back up. Sighing, Dimmed Star reached forward and placed her hoof over Pinkie's mouth, muffling her cries. Pinkie opened her eyes slowly and looked to Dimmed Star, who stared back stoically.

"You aren't a bad friend, Pinkie..." Looking away for a moment, she glanced out at the town around her, looking to spy the colorful coats of her friends, but none were present.

"Do you... want to hang out?" She asked tentatively, glancing back to the distraught mare. Pinkie perked up near-instantly, her mane bouncing back and her smile bright.

"YES! I'd love to hang out with you! Oh, oh, what do you wanna do?" Dimmed Star flinched back at the mare's sudden return to her usual self. Shaking her head with a small smile, she merely turned and began trotting away.

"Or I could just follow you and we can see where the day goes!" She bounced along after her friend, the day looking brighter already.

Spike and the crusaders laughed as they stepped from the schoolhouse. The bell signaling the end of the day ringing softly in the background as they made their way down the dirt trail into town.

"Finally!" Spike groaned as he stretched his claws into the air, the muscles in his joints loosening. The girls only giggled as they strolled beside him.

"You'll get used to it Spike, after all, it was only your first day." Sweetie Belle smiled at him. He rolled his eyes in response, before pulling his backpack from his shoulders and holding it up for their inspection.

"Yes, my first day and my first massive load of homework. Does Miss Cheerilee always give so many assignments to the new students?" He asked incredulously as he weighed the now much heavier backpack in his claws. The girls just laughed at him as they reached a crossroads.

"Well, ah have to get back home soon. Granny says that I need to help wash the hogs today." Applebloom smiled as she began to walk down the path that would lead her home, while Spike and the others waved her off.

"I should get going too, I was hoping we could hang out today but Rarity needs me to model for a new line of filly dresses that she's been working on." Sweetie groaned in annoyance while rolling her eyes. Spike and Scootaloo could only chuckle as she began to trot off into town. Turning to one another, Scootaloo could only shrug her shoulders.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't have to be home until just before sundown." Spike raised an eyebrow at this, which only prompted her to stick her tongue out at him.

"Hey, I'm not lying." Looking back towards town, Spike pondered on what he should do.

"Well... I don't think Star would mind if you came over for a bit. Wanna put our heads together and have a study session?" Scootaloo's eyes lit up at the mention of Dimmed Star, but she gave a sigh of defeat when Spike brought up their collective homework.

"I guess it's better than scooting around Ponyville with nothing to do. Why not, let's go study." She gave a half-hearted hurrah and the two of them began the long trek back to the library.

Author's Notes:

Twilight: You cut it rather close with the deadline...

Shaded: I was busy!

Dimmed Star: Doing what exactly?

Twilight: Watching youtube? Playing games? Reading other stories?

Shaded: .... is it ok for me to say all the above?

* Screams of horrendous pain fill the air*

Spike: Um... Shaded Blood does not own MLP: FIM or the Equinox Ponies.

Twilight: And just WHY is Spike doing the disclaimer!? * Snaps another bone*

Shaded: * Screams in pain* GAH!!!! I ASKED HIM TO BE A GUEST!!!