Chapter 14: Denial Before the Bell

"Twilight! It's time for school again!" Spike called out to Twilight.

Twilight just groaned and slowly sat up. It was time for a very important part of her plan. Today she was going to start recruiting ponies for her glorious rebellion. She already had made a mental list of the targets she would hit first… and who she would leave alone. Even though she had revealed her plans to rebel to nearly all of her friends, she wanted to leave Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack alone. It may be true that Applejack was a soldier for the enemy, but Twilight suspected that AJ would come around on her own. As for Pinkie and Fluttershy, the reasons not to involve them were obvious.

Speaking of Fluttershy, Twilight was still uneasy at her last words. Fluttershy could see into the minds of others? How was this possible, and how long had she had this ability? Despite Twilight's uncertainties, she was certain that she would keep Fluttershy's abilities a secret. Celestia knows what the Nightmarian Crown would force Fluttershy to do if they knew of her powers.

"Twilight! Come on! Stop keeping your head in space!" Spike called again.

"Silence, infidel!" Twilight burst out.

"W-What?"

"Nothing, Spike! I'm coming!"

"Oh, okay!"

Twilight sighed.

(I'm becoming more and more like my mother every day. Unfortunately for you, I plan to continue being myself!)

"Heh, good…" The spirit that gave Twilight her power said.

"Well, another day at the school. Now this is more like it, seein' how well things have been fixed up since the floods. I just hope-" Applejack started to say as she roamed the school, until-

"AHHH!"

Applejack looked up to see Scootaloo screaming and dropping right toward her. AJ urgently put her front hooves out and tried to catch Scootaloo, but she was knocked down to the ground under Scootaloo's impact. After a while, Scootaloo weakly got off AJ.

"Oww… so not awesome…" Scootaloo said.

"W-Where did you…" AJ started, then looked up.

Applejack saw that there was a school building looming above her with an open window. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were looking out the window with worried expressions. Applejack's eyes narrowed.

"Scootaloo, I can't believe you! I knew that you fillies were kinda extreme when it came to doing things to get cutie marks, but I never figured you would throw yourself out of windows for cutie marks!" AJ was upset.

"But sis, you don't understand! Scootaloo didn't want to- ouch!" Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle said ouch when Breezeshade stuck her head out the window and pushed the fillies' heads away.

"You! Are you messin' with Scootaloo again!" AJ asked.

"Me? Breezeshade? I didn't mean to throw that filly out the window, honest! I simply entered the room up here and flapped my wings to stretch them! It's not my fault if this overexcited filly had her wings stretched out too widely so that she caught the wind!" Breezeshade said with mock innocence.

"Grrrr…" Scootaloo was staring at Breezeshade in anger.

"What are you doing pokin' around in a classroom for fillies anyway? Do something useful before school starts!" AJ shouted.

"Oh, I was simply familiarizing myself with the school campus. Do not assume that you can boss around a Nightmarian just because you are a monitor for Marian Valkolovich. Your position is not an honor, it is a chain of fate." Breezeshade explained her sick logic.

Behind Breezeshade, Applebloom was getting quite upset at how this elitist was mouthing off to her sister Applejack. She was about to charge Breezeshade so that she would fall out the window as she was talking derogatorily about Honorary Nightmarians, but then she flew out the window using her pegasus wings. Applebloom tried to stop herself, but she fell out the window just like Scootaloo.

"AHHH!" Applebloom screamed.

Applejack caught her sister much more successfully than she had caught Scootaloo. Breezeshade looked down at how this filly had fallen in surprise.

"…That wasn't me. See, Celestian fillies just have this mental condition where they toss themselves out of high places. It's sad, really." Breezeshade left with these words.

"Grrr… that miserable Nightmarian…" Scootaloo muttered while she was still steaming.

"Scootaloo, don't say things like that!" Applejack scolded.

"Why not? They always treat us bad because we're Celestian!" Scootaloo defended.

"Not they, Scootaloo! Just that sour one! They're not all like that!" AJ said.

"Oh yeah? Then name one-" Scootaloo started, then her eyes widened.

"Twilight Sparkle…" Scootaloo finished.

"Exactly. That's why I don't want anyone to say bad things about Nightmarians like that. Think about how she would feel." Applejack said.

Scootaloo just looked uneasy.

"Everything okay, Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked her friend.

"…Rainbow Dash is acting kind of funny today… about yesterday, and stuff. About Twilight." Scootaloo said.

"You don't think she's gonna do anything crazy, do you?" Applebloom asked.

"Of course not! She's Rainbow Dash! Anything crazy that she does is a stunt, and this is no stunt." Scootaloo snapped for a second.

"Sorry, Scootaloo…" Applebloom replied.

While the two fillies talked, Applejack thought about what Scootaloo had said. Rainbow Dash acting weird? Nah, what could be so weird about a bubblegum blue pony with a rainbow mane who could brake the sound barrier? Just goes to show y'all that somethin' was up, and AJ was about to make sure Twilight didn't get hurt.

"Excuse me, but I have to make sure things are alright!" Applejack told the fillies before she dashed off.

The two fillies watched her leave.

"I made it!" Somepony said.

Applebloom and Scootaloo turned around to see that Sweetie Belle had come down.

"Sweetie Belle, you didn't have to come down here too! Argh!" Scootaloo said as she facehoofed.

"Yeah, we were just going to come up!" Applebloom said.

"Oh. Yeah." Sweetie Belle said sadly as she worked her way back up with her friends.

"If I said my heart was feeling low, if I could escape the crowd somehow! If I said I want your body now, would you hold it against me!" Pinkie Pie sang as she hopped across campus with her friends Twilight Sparkle and Spike.

Ponies that were passing by stared at Pinkie as she practically wailed this song. Spike didn't mind too much, but Twilight was embarrassed.

"Pinkie, do you really have to sing that song just because the bus driver turned on the radio during the ride?" Twilight asked.

"If I said I wouldn't stop singing, would you hold it against me, Twilight?" Pinkie asked.

"No, of course not, but-"

"YOU FEEL LIKE PARADISE!" Pinkie just continued blasting her song.

Twilight just sighed and tried to move closer to Miss Gneiss' class for when the bell rang. But then-

"Oh, there you are, Twilight!"

Twilight turned around to see Rainbow Dash. However, instead of feeling joy, Twilight felt uncertain. She didn't know how Rainbow Dash would react to what happened yesterday.

(Oh Celestia, here it comes…)

"So, anything new with you, Twilight?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight just stared for a while.

"Uh, Rainbow? Do you… remember yesterday?" Twilight ventured.

"Of course I do! Who do you think I am! This is Rainbow Dash you're talking to!" Rainbow proclaimed.

"And do you remember the diner scene? What AJ said?"

Rainbow was still for a moment, then burst out in laughter. Pinkie joined her.

"That's funny! What are we laughing at?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh, just at how Twilight thinks I'm going to freak over what happened yesterday! I understand everything about what happened yesterday!" Rainbow said with a smile.

Twilight felt at ease for a while.

(Oh, thank goodness! So I won't have to-)

"It's all part of Applejack's tricks to get us to all hate each other!" Rainbow concluded.

Twilight and Spike both flinched at this, especially the former. Even Pinkie was slightly confused.

"…What?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow looked from side to side to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then spoke in a lower voice.

"Twilight, can't you see? I think it's about time to tell you that Applejack is just playing with you. She's an unstable Nightmarian supporter, so she wants you, me, and everypony else to believe that you're a Nightmarian. I mean, come on! We all know how much you supported Princess Celestia! Applejack must not even be trying!" Rainbow said with a chuckle.

Twilight's eyes just widened at this.

"Twilight, Pinkie, Spike! Y'all okay?" Applejack asked as she approached quickly.

"Ugh, there she is! Fight the power, Twilight! I gotta fly!" Rainbow said as she prepared to fly off, but she was stopped by a smooth voice.

"Do you now, eh? My body desires to communicate something to you, Rainbow Dash. Follow me, por favor." Seltzer Contové told Rainbow.

Rainbow threw up in her mouth a little bit out of pure shock. She swallowed that flame as the fire in her eyes left. She uncomfortably followed Contové away from her friends. Her friends watched her leave in confusion.

A couple yards away, when they were away from everypony, Seltzer broke it down.

"I just wanted to let you know, though it pains me to say it, that your body has lunch detention with me for trying to kill me."

"What!" Rainbow was outraged.

"I'm sorry, but it must be done. Actually, this isn't even for trying to kill me. I've dealt with attempts at my life before. This is for all of the destruction you've caused to this new school. You students may have you doubts, but this is a beautiful thing that Doña Valkolovich is trying to do, I think." Contové said.

"You think! Why do Celestians have to take that? We don't want to go to this school! We have lives! We have goals!" Rainbow yelled.

"…This is the only way. Please try to understand, señorita."

"No! You try to understand! Scootaloo almost died yesterday thanks to that Valkolovich hag! How would she like it if she died! Somepony should kill her and then see if she'll like it! Then there's Applejack! She think she's doing the right thing or some crap like that! And that Breezeshade, that no good-" Rainbow had a catharsis.

"Applejack is a good pony, and Valkolovich is responsible for keeping you alive. Do not hate those who save you." Seltzer advised.

"I can save myself!" Rainbow almost shrieked, but then the bell for Period One rang.

"'Bout time!" Rainbow sped away with these words.

Seltzer Contové just looked up into the cerulean sky and let his gaze dance amongst the sunshine.

"Oh new generation, how I pity you… and envy your resistance. But it will take the power of a god to make any difference."

Author's note:

And here is Chapter Fourteen. I'm sorry it took so long, but I was kind of taking a break for Christmas. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, by the way! Or Happy Holidays, if you would prefer.

At this point you may be worried about whether or not I know what I am doing. Is the author just creating more angles in the story than he can handle? The answer is that I may have bitten off a lot, but I will chew it all or your money back. ^_^

The next chapter will star The Great and Powerful Trixie, so expect awesomeness. And royal palaces. And Snips and Snails. And slapping.