Spike was standing in front of the high school, staring up at its imposing facade. The freshmen started the year earlier than the rest of the student body, allowing them to get acquainted with the layout of the building and the rest of their peers before being pressured by grades and upperclassmen.

Spike wished Twilight was there. Even if he was adopted, Twilight was still his big sister, and he was still her little brother. Shining Armor was still his hero, and his parents still loved him like he was one of their own. He needed some support right now, but he couldn't have anybody pick him up or drop him off, he'd look like such a baby in front of all his new classmates. And he really didn't need that, he was weird enough being adopted, new to the town, and being Pawnee. Of course, none of that would matter if he got caught with the thing in his pocket.

Spike's hand twisted around the object, running his thumb across the smooth surface, just knowing it was there was all he needed to calm his nerves as he pressed through the front doors. Meeting his new world, addressing his fate, falling flat on his face!

"Ow…" he muttered, sitting up and glancing at what he tripped over as he had walked through the door. It was a girl, no bigger than he was, and with her scrawny legs, she very well could've been smaller. She glanced up at him, rubbing her forehead, a band-aid on her cheek. The girl had short, choppy hair and steady purple eyes.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" She said. Spike stood up and dusted himself off.

"Oh! I'm really, really sorry about that!" He exclaimed, holding out a hand to help the girl to her feet. It wasn't until the girl glared back at him with her hard face that Spike realized his mistake. The thing he had tripped over wasn't the girl, but what was sprawled on the floor behind her. A collapsed wheelchair had tipped on its side and was a testament to why the girl's legs seemed disproportionate to the rest of her body.

"Oh ha ha." She said, rolling her eyes and turning from Spike, "Very funny, wise guy." The girl went to work trying to fix her wheelchair to an upright position for her to climb into.

"No!" Spike said, rushing around to try and help fix the chair, "Honest, I didn't mean anything by it! I'm sorry, I didn't realize…" Spike was babbling. Twilight had always told him that if he was babbling nobody would understand him and to slow down and breath. He followed her advice and took a deep breath in, and sighed before continuing, holding out his hand again, this time for a handshake, "My name is Spike."

The girl took a look at the hand and climbed into her chair instead of taking it into her own palm, "Scootaloo."

"Nice to meet you…" Spike said, being cut off by a much louder voice.

"Scootaloo! There you are!" Around the corner came a smiling girl, a little taller than Spike. Her red hair tied back by a pink bow and her face smattered with freckles that could only occur from working in the sun.

"Hey Apple Bloom, what's up?" Scootaloo said, smiling up at her friend, ignoring Spike.

"Who's this?" Apple Bloom asked, pointing at Spike without care for tact.

Spike shrugged it off and held out his hand again, "The name's Spike. Nice to meet you…"

"I'm Apple Bloom," she said, grabbing a hold of Spike's hand and shaking it vigorously. "Maybe you've heard of my family, we run the orchard in town!"

"The Apple family? Do you have a big sister named Applejack?"

Apple Bloom nodded her head.

"Come on, Apple Bloom, let's go find Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo whined, wheeling herself in place.

"Yeah, in a minute! How do you know my sister?"

"My big sister is a friend of hers. Twilight Sparkle?"

Scootaloo groaned and slumped in her chair, "Yeah, yeah, small world, whatever. Let's go, Apple Bloom!"

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and leaned in to whisper to Spike, "She gets cranky in the morning. Wanna come along with us?"

"Uh, sure. If you'll have me…" Spike was looking at Scootaloo, who didn't seem too keen on the idea, "Who was it you were looking for?"

"Our friend Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said, grabbing the handles of Scootaloo's wheelchair and pushing her along. "She's Rarity's little sister, if you know my sister, you've probably met hers too."

"Haha, yeah… I did…" Spike said, he was blushing a little bit, thinking about the older girl. Another friend of his sister who he had met. Rarity was easily the prettiest girl he had ever met, but he never had a chance with her. She didn't pay him any attention except when he was doing something for her personally.

"Let's check the music room, she might be singing," Scootaloo suggested.

Spike tagged along behind the girls, a little nervous about what he might be walking into. He never really had friends before, unless you counted his sister's. And he didn't. It also wasn't helpful knowing that the person he was about to meet was the sister of his stupid crush. What if she thought he was weird? What if Rarity had mentioned him to her? What if she mentioned him to Rarity?

But, as the trio neared the music room, Spike could faintly hear the sound of a gorgeous singing voice ringing through the air and meeting his ears gently. The closer he got, the more enticed Spike became by the mystery singer and her melodious voice.

"Sweetie!" Scootaloo called out as she took control of her chair, letting Apple Bloom's hands free to open the door, "It's us! We found some guy in the lobby!"

The tune got cut off as the door opened, "Oh? Who is it?" Asked a high pitched voice, coming from the only person in the room as she turned to face the group.

Spike was standing in the middle of the doors as they were pulled apart, a brief gust of air signaling the difference between rooms. Spike blinked through the light, tempted to raise a hand to his eyes to protect them from the sunbeams shining through the large windows adorning the other side of the room. There was a grand piano in one corner, risers in another, and even a drum kit with an emblem painted across the kick. But nothing caught Spike's eye like the girl turning to smile at him in the middle of the room. Brighter than the sunlight, nicer than the music she sang, and even prettier than her older sister Rarity.

She certainly lived up to her name.

Sweetie Belle