Chapter Three: Flash

Later a carriage pulled into the courtyard.

"Sir? We're here!" Called the brown stallion pulling the carriage. "Shiz University!"

The blue-haired orange stallion within started awake. "What? Already?"

"Yes, sir."

"What a shame." He climbed out. "Well, I'll see you soon, Button. Doubt I'll last longer at this school than any of the others."

"Don't give up hope just yet, sir." They performed a secret hoof shake, then parted ways.

Across the lawn a young dragon was attempting to win Raritia's affection.

"I know I'm just a little dragon, but dragons have feelings too, and I've been trying to tell you mine, for you. But sometimes it seems like you don't even know I'm here." He pleaded.

"Oh, that's not true Spick."

"It's Spike."

"Spick!" She grabbed his arm. "Do you know who that stallion over there is? The orange one."

Spike shook his head. "That's Flash Sentry, the Winkie Prince whose reputation is so scandalacious!" Raritia squealed.

Spike looked at the "prince" with newfound disgust. What had he done to deserve Raritia's admiration? To Spike's horror, the stallion began walking over to them. Raritia swished her hair. Flash did the same, though Spike thought it looked ridiculous for a male to do.

"Were you looking for something or someone?" Raritia asked him.

"Uhhh yeah… history…. Class?" Flash looked about, seemingly dazed. "I don't know… somewhere."

"History building is that way." Spike pointed. "Way over-"

"That class just ended!" Raritia interrupted.

"Oh! Perfect timing!" Flash sat down next to Raritia, shoving Spike off the bench.

"Well, he recovers quickly." The dragon grumbled.

"So," Flash resumed. "What does one do for fun around here?"

"Nothing really… Until now that is…" Raritia fluttered her eyelashes.

"We've been studying!" Spike protested. They ignored him.

"Well, I see that once again the responsibility to corrupt my fellow students falls to me." Flash wiggled his eyebrows. "Luckily, I'm up to the task."

"The trouble with schools is they always try to teach the wrong lesson." He explained. "Believe me, I've been kicked out of enough them to know. They want you to be less callow, less shallow, but I say why invite stress in? Stop studying strife and learn to live the unexamined life… Dancin' through life, skimming the surface, gliding where turf is smooth. Life is painless for the brainless, those who don't try, never look foolish. Dancing through life, no need to tough it when you can sluff it off as I do. Nothing matters, but knowing nothing matters. It's just life, so keep dancing through." He got up and started to follow his own advice, dancing around the courtyard. "Dancing through life, swaying and sweeping, and always keeping cool. Life is fraughtless when you're thoughtless. Those who don't try never look foolish. Dancing through life, mindless and careless. Make sure you're where less trouble is rife. Woes are fleeting blows are glancing, when you're dancing through life!"

He turned back to Raritia. "So! What's the most swankified place in town?''

"That would be the Ozdust ballroom." Raritia answered.

"Sounds perfect!" Flash grabbed her hand and started spinning her. "Let's go down to the Ozdust ballroom, we'll meet there later tonight. Find the prettiest girl." He pressed their cheeks together. "Give her a whirl!" He resumed dancing. "Right on down to the Ozdust ballroom, come on follow me! You'll be happy to be there!"

By this point other students had begun to join in, making a sort of flash mob. Or rather, Flash mob. "Dancin' through life, down at the Ozdust!"

"If only because dust is what we come to!" Flash interjected.

"Nothin matters, but knowing nothing matters. It's just life!"

"So keep dancing through." Flash finished.

Spike tapped on Raritia's shoulder. "Miss? I hope you'll save at least one dance for me. I'll be right there, waiting, all night."

"Oh, that's so kind." Her eyes darted around looking for an excuse. Her eyes lighted on Applejack, who was watching on the sidelines. "But you know what would be even kinder? See that tragically beautiful girl?" she turned him to look at AJ. "The one in the chair? It seems so unfair we should go on a spree and not she. Gee, I know someone would be my hero if that someone were to go invite her!"

"Well, maybe I could invite her!" Spike suggested.

"Oh, Spick, really? You would do that for me?"

"I would do anything for you, Miss Raritia." He strolled over to Applejack. "Excuse me Miss? There's something I'd like to ask you…"

"You're good." Flash walked up to Raritia.

"I don't know what you're talking about. But, seeing as I happen to be free tonight, so…"

"So I'll be picking you up around eight?"

"After all, now that we've met one another, it's clear we deserve each other! You're perfect."

"You're perfect!"

"So we're perfect together, born to be forever dancing through life!"

/\\\\/\\\\

"It's absurd!" Twilight ranted. "This silly, rich boy appears and everyone's off to worship him at some cultish social gathering!"

"Even me!" Applejack wheeled over to her vanity. "I'm going! Isn't it wonderful? Spike said he was too shy to ask me at first, but once Raritia encouraged him…"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Raritia?!"

Applejack turned to her. "Don't you dare say another word against her! I'm about to have the first happy night of my life all thanks to her!" She turned back to the mirror. "Finally for this one night, I'm about to have a fun night with this dragon-boy Raritia found for me. And I only wish there were something I could do for her. Oh, Twilight see… We deserve each other and Raritia helped it come true. We deserve each other, me and Spike. Please, Twilight, try to understand."

"I do." Twilight left to go have a discussion with her roommate. The roommate who was, just then, talking about her.

/\\\\\/\\\\\

"Raritia, what in Oz's name is this?!" Pinkie pulled a pointy black hat out of Raritia's wardrobe.

"Oh, pretend you didn't see that." Raritia pulled her hair into a bun, then shook it out. "My mother is always giving me the ugliest hats, the mare really has no sense of style. I'd give them away but I don't hate anyone quite that much."

"Um, excuse me for interrupting." Fluttershy whispered. "But, you kind of do."

"Oh, you don't mean…"

"DO IT!" Pinkie encouraged. "Give the hat to Twilight."

Raritia took the hat and headed out the door, nearly running over Twilight in the process.

"Oh, Raritia. Listen, AJ and I were talking about you just now-"

"And I was just talking about you!" The unicorn blurted. "I thought you might want to wear this hat to the party tonight." She thrust it at the alicorn. "It's really, uh, sharp! Don't you think? Y'know black, is this year's pink! You deserve each other this hat and you, you're both so… smart! You deserve each other, so here! Out of the goodness of my heart."

She ran back into the room. Twilight looked down at the hat, and slowly walked back down the hall.

/\\\\/\\\\

At the dance that night Spike stood by the side of the dance, awkwardly holding Applejack's hoof.

"So… what's in the punch?" she attempted.

"Uh, I think its lemons, and melons, and pears." He answered.

"Oh my!"

Finally Spike's conscious wouldn't let him rest anymore. "Listen AJ…"

"Yes?" She asked hopefully.

"Uh, AJ… I've got something to confess a reason why, well, why I asked you here tonight… Now I know it isn't fair."

"Oh, Spike, I know why."

"You do?" Her face looked so crestfallen he could hardly look her in eyes.

"It's because I'm in this chair, and you felt sorry for me…" She paused, regarding his shock. "Well, isn't that right?"

"No! No, it's because… uh, because…" He couldn't do it. He couldn't look her in the eyes and say he asked her out to win Raritia's heart. "Because you are so beautiful!"

Her face lit up. "Oh Spike, I think you're wonderful! And we deserve each other, don't you see this is our chance? We deserve each other, don't we Spike?"

He tried to think of a way to change the subject and his eyes fell on the dance floor. "You know what? Let's dance!"

Applejack panicked. "What?"

He wheeled her out onto the floor. "Let's dance!"

On the other side of the ballroom Madame Moon ran up to Raritia.

"Miss Upland?"

Raritia turned, a little surprised to see her headmistress.

"I have something for you." She pulled out a small pamphlet and levitated it in front of Raritia.

In small, elegant script it read: Magic Spells for Beginners.

"Oh, Madame." Raritia breathed as she took it in her magic. "Really?"

The grey-blue unicorn nodded. "Yes. Your roommate was rather persistent. You should thank her when you next see her."

Raritia tore her eyes from the pamphlet. "Wait, what? Twilight?"

"Yes. She requested I include you in my sorcery class. She also insisted I tell you this very night. Even threatened to drop out of the seminar."

"But… why?" Raritia questioned.

Madame rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Well I don't know. My personal opinion is that you don't have what it takes. I hope you'll prove me wrong… I doubt you will."

She left, her final thought hanging in the air. Flash came up behind Raritia.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I… I got what I wanted." She stared at the pamphlet.

He cocked his head to one side, in confusion. "Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing…" She tucked the pamphlet into her saddlebags over at the wall.

"Good." Flash grabbed her hoof. "Let's dance."

They'd only just started dancing when they began to hear laughter near the entrance. They wandered over and pushed their way through the crowd. In the center of all the laughter was…

"Twilight?" Raritia muttered.

She was standing in the center in what could charitably be called a frock. On her head was perched the hat Raritia had given her. She considered the crowd around her, regarding them coldly as if to say 'you can't hurt me anymore than you have.'

"Who in Oz is that?" Flash asked incredulously.

"Oh, it's my roommate. Please don't stare." Raritia begged.

Flash glanced back at Twilight and chuckled. "It's a little hard not to."

Twilight had started dancing. It was quite clear from the way she moved that she'd never done it before. She moved about in a most unseemly manner, throwing her hooves in the air and wiggling her flank. Nopony joined her, not even the music.

"Well, I'll say this." Flash commented. "She doesn't give a hoot about what any pony else thinks."

"Yes she does." Raritia realized. "She only pretends not to… Oh… I feel awful."

"Why?" Flash questioned. "It's not your fault."

Raritia wasn't listening. She was too busy pushing her way through to the center, throwing out 'sorry's and 'pardon me's. When she joined Twilight in the center, she began dancing just as horribly. The other students soon joined in, figuring if Raritia liked it, it must be alright.

"Dancing through life, down at the Ozdust. If only because dust is what we come to. And the strange thing, your life could end up changing while you're dancing through."

Oh, Spike. Had you only told her then.