Here's chapter seven!

Sub-Volume 2 - Heroes and Villains

Chapter 7 - Arrow Through Me (McCartney, 1979)

Written by Zack Wanzer, James Riddle, and Rachel/TobyandMavisforever

Later in the day, Rainbow Dash was still feeling a bit tense following the fight with Starlight Glimmer. She sat down with Sunset, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, Vincent, Song Cue and Comet Tail during lunch.

"Ya'll right there, RD?" asked Applejack. "Ya look lak yer on edge."

"She got into a fight with Starlight," Comet explained to the others. "Not to mention she upset Song Cue by mentioning her brother."

"You mean Orange Sherbet?" asked Pinkie Pie. "But those two are like birds of a feather."

"Uh, not that one, Pinkie," Fluttershy gulped, understanding the situation clearly.

"Rocky Ripple, isn't it?" asked Vincent. He'd hoped he hadn't offended Song Cue without meaning to.

Song Cue gave a nod. "That's the one..." she sighed.

"Ah remember when Song Cue, Fluttershy and Orange Sherbet first attended Rainbow Falls Middle," Applejack said. "They told me, Caramel, Maud and Mudbrair everythin'. Ah don't think ya were there yet, Pinkie."

"No, I wasn't," said Pinkie. "Marble and I didn't turn up for another year."

"That is understandable you wouldn't want to repeat the story after your first day," said Sunset. "Still, if I ever see Starlight, I'll knock her block off, and then shove a textbook all the way up her-!"

"I don't think you should bother," Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"I guess you did beat her up enough this morning," Sunset admitted. "Though I'm surprised she's not tormenting us again. Where is she anyway?"

"Principal McCracken had her expelled," explained Rainbow Dash. "Good riddance; that's what I say."

"That's what James said in The Deputation in regards to the spiteful brake van," Song Cue couldn't help but chuckle.

"Brake vans can get expelled from school?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"No, Pinkie," laughed Vincent. "We'll explain it some other time."

"Okey-dokey-lokey," Pinkie Pie chuckled. "So anyway, don't worry about that good for nothing bully, Song Cue. We have your back."

Song Cue was touched by her friends' words. Even though Pinkie had only just found out about her big brother bully, she wasn't letting that effect their friendship. And Rainbow may have attacked Starlight, but that was because she was so protective.

"Thank you, all of you," she whispered. "I love you guys so much." The friends all gathered around Song Cue, with Comet Tail and Fluttershy being the closest to her, and they all tightly hugged each other.

"So, on a more lighthearted note," said Rainbow Dash, "who did what on the school break?"

"Well, Vincent and I went to a gaming convention for Math Equation's birthday," said Sunset.

"Ooh, I hope he had a great birthday!" said Pinkie Pie. "What games did you play?"

"It was mostly video games we played there," said Vincent.

"I think she means which video games did we play," said Sunset.

"Oh yeah," said Vincent.

"So which ones were they?" asked Applejack.

"We played some of the classics like Super Mario Brothers and Pac-Man," said Vincent, "as well as the more modern games like Mortal Kombat and Sonic Generations."

"Oh yeah, that game's really fun," said Song Cue. "The cutscenes where Sonic saves his friends, especially with classic Sonic, can be really funny."

"Indeed," said Sunset.

"Song Cue and I went ice skating during the holidays," said Comet. "Orange Sherbet went too, and so did Cherry Crash and Trixie."

"You? Ice skating?" asked Vincent, amazed that Comet would try something like that. "No way!"

Comet blushed shyly. "Well, Song Cue was eager to try, so... heh."

"Well, go on then," said Rainbow Dash. "How'd it turn out?"

"Well, first I held onto Song Cue's and Trixie's hands, but later on, I was skating by myself."

"You did really well, Comet," Song Cue gently placed her hand on top of his. "I'm proud of you for giving it a try."

FEBRUARY 16, 2014

"Did you hear?" cried Song Cue excitedly to Orange Sherbet while they were at the shops with their mother Sweet Song. "The pond's all frozen over, and the ice is super thick."

"The pond's frozen over..." Sweet Song trailed. "Song Cue, are you thinking about ice skating?"

"I sure am, mom," she giggled. "We can both go, Orange Sherbet. What do you say?"

"It sounds like a lot of fun, Songs," her brother replied.

"Great!" The two high-fived each other, and at that moment, Shooting Star was walking toward them with Comet Tail in tow.

"Good morning, you two," said Shooting Star. "Mrs. Song."

"Hello, Shooting Star, Comet Tail," Sweet Song greeted. "The twins decided they want to go ice skating on the pond."

"Ice skating?" asked Comet. "It sounds rather tricky."

"It does indeed," said Song Cue, "but it sounds fun too. You just glide along the ice. I bet it feels like you're flying."

"Seems simple enough," said Comet.

"Do you want to come along with us, Comet?" asked Orange.

"Erm, sure," said Comet. "Nothing wrong with trying something new."

Shooting Star looked surprised by Comet accepting the offer.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Comet Tail?" he teased.

"I guess he knows Song Cue wants to try ice skating and wants to make her happy," smiled Sweet Song, causing her daughter to blush.

"I guess I do," said Comet. Little did the trio know, that Trixie (who was with her mother) had overheard the conversation (unintentionally this time), and was left in thought.

By the next day, Song Cue, Orange Sherbet and Comet Tail had bought ice skates and went to the frozen pond. Of course, they weren't the only ones who decided it was a good idea. Many others were out and about as well.

Among them, were Trixie and Cherry Crash. Comet and the twins were surprised to see Trixie hanging out with someone other than Starlight.

"What's she doing there?" asked Comet.

"You three aren't the only people in the world who wanted to go ice skating," said Sweet Song.

"Unless we're in Australia," said Orange.

"They have ice skating rinks Down Under," Song Cue pointed out.

"Oh yeah," said Orange. "Can't believe I forgot that."

"But, anyways, what I meant was... Trixie is not with Starlight, which is unusual."

"That's a good point there," Song Cue replied to her boyfriend. "What did happen between the two, and why's Trixie here with Cherry Crash?"

"We're not going to find out if the five of us stand around here in the cold," said Shooting Star. The three teenagers walked over to the two girls.

"Oh, hello," greeted Cherry Crash. "It's Song Cue, Orange Sherbet and Comet Tail, right? I think I've seen the three of you around the school a few times."

"That we are," Comet confirmed.

"Uh, hello guys..." Trixie shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"Why aren't you hanging around Starlight?" asked Song Cue, sounding a bit suspicious.

"I realized just how toxic Starlight was..." Trixie said quietly.

"When was that?" asked Comet.

"Sometime before the Valentine's Day Formal," sighed Trixie, and she explained all that happened with her newfound friendship in Sandbar and Cherry Crash.

"Well, idealistic friends are a trap people tend to fall into," Orange Sherbet commented after a pause. "Sometimes you don't realize it until it's far too late."

"That happened to me once," sighed Sweet Song. "And it does hurt. But once you're over it, you stop and think to yourself, 'I have no idea what I saw in that person'."

"I can't believe you fell into the wrong crowd like that," said Comet.

Trixie nodded. "But, I've got someone who's willing to give me a chance. And I couldn't be happier."

"Well, we're glad to hear that," said Song Cue.

"Say, do you want to skate with us? Or... would we be interrupting things?" Orange joked, seeing Trixie and Cherry holding hands.

"O-oh, no," said Cherry, blushing slightly. "I-it's no trouble at all." Within seconds, the five teenagers had skates on and headed onto the ice.

"I think I heard Pinkie say to put your hands out for balance," called Song Cue as she started to move her legs.

"You mean like having them all stretched out like a bird's wings?" asked Comet.

"Something like that, yes."

"Well, hope for the best," said Comet as he slowly began to stand.

"You're looking good, Comet," called Orange. He had his arms stretched too.

"Looking good, looking good," Comet said to himself. "Hopefully nothing goes wr- aaaaaagghh!"

Song Cue and Trixie grabbed his arms to save him from slipping.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" asked Song Cue.

"Yeah," said Comet. "Good thing the ice is thick or I'd have fallen through."

"Forget that last bit," Song Cue shuddered.

"Yeah, save the icy water for penguins," Trixie remarked.

"Agreed," said Orange. "You okay, C.T.?"

"Y-yes..." he stuttered. "Thanks to these two."

"Oh, it was nothing," said Trixie.

"Let's try taking it slow, Comet," said Song Cue. "Hang onto us for as long as you need to."

"Okay." Song Cue, Trixie and Comet started to step slowly, putting one foot in front of the other, while Orange and Cherry went to the sides.

"So what do I do now?" asked Comet.

"Try to maintain your balance," Trixie advised. "That's always a key thing when ice skating, at least, so I've been told from my mom."

"That would be difficult if I had just one leg and no arms," muttered Comet.

"Last time I checked, you have two of each," chuckled Song Cue.

"I know, I was bein' sarcastic there," replied Comet.

"Just messing with you a little," Song Cue giggled. "That's what girlfriends are for. Check the manual."

"So, Trixie, Cherry Crash," said Comet, "what have you two been up to so far this break? Outside of this, I mean."

"Oh, I went shopping with mom and I found this new treat, cinnamon nuts," said Trixie. "Have you ever tried them? They go really well with apples."

"I haven't," said Comet. "I probably should some time."

"We should recommend it to mom," said Orange to Song Cue.

"I did a bit of roller skating at the park with some friends like Mystery Mint," said Cherry Crash. "Of course, roller skating is a bit different as you're on wheels, not ice."

"I think I may try that at some point too," said Song Cue.

"Yeah, similar principle," said Orange, "except you have a higher range."

Just then, Comet glanced back and realized the group were in the middle of the pond.

"Wow, that's far," he said.

"Yeah, we've come a long way," said Cherry Crash.

"How are you feeling now, Comet?" asked Trixie.

"A bit nervous," admitted Comet, "but hopefully I'll be stable enough and skate gracefully."

"Okay," said Song Cue. "Trixie and I are going to let go slowly." So they did; Comet slowly moved forward on his own, and before he knew it, he was gliding along the ice without a care in the world.

"You look great, Comet," smiled Song Cue, catching up to him.

"Look at that!" he cried excitedly. "I'm ice skating!" Laughing, he took his girlfriend by the hand and pulled her along. Song Cue squealed with excitement as she followed, eventually laughing as well.

"Aww, cute!" called Cherry Crash. "How long have those two been dating?"

"A few years, actually," said Orange. "It was during Song Cue's first Fall Formal. Long story short, there were a few complications with them trying to go out with each other that night, but Thunderlane helped to make things work."

Speaking of which, Comet and Song Cue were having such fun that they both forgot to be careful. Before they knew it, both slipped out of control and into a nearby snowbank. Cherry Crash, Orange Sherbet and Trixie zipped forward.

"Sis, Comet?! Are you okay?"

Much to their surprise, both were laughing despite the incident.

"I got a little carried away there, didn't I?" chuckled Comet.

"Didn't we both?" giggled Song Cue; she was already starting to make a snow angel. Comet followed suit. Orange chuckled and took a picture.

"That's one for the album."

FEBRUARY 24, 2014

"Aww, I love the part where you make snow angels," smiled Fluttershy.

"Sounds lak ya'll had fun that day," said Applejack.

"Wait, hang on," said Sunset. "You tell us Trixie was with you the whole time?"

"There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" asked Comet Tail.

"Well, this Trixie doesn't sound anything like the Trixie we know."

"To be fair, we hadn't really interacted with her in the past year," Vincent pointed out.

"Maybe you guys should try," said Comet. "She's really changed since she left Starlight."

"I figure we should," said Vincent. "What do you say, Sunset?" His girlfriend didn't seem sure at first, but based on what Comet and Song Cue had said, Sunset was willing to give their word the benefit of the doubt.

"Alright," she said. "We'll give her a chance. Where would Trixie be at after school?"

"Found her!" cried Pinkie, glancing to the back of the cafeteria. Trixie, Cherry Crash, Sandbar, Blossomforth and Orange Sherbet were eating together.

"That was quick," said Vincent.

"I have my ways."

"Well, that's Pinkie Pie for you," said Sunset as she stood up. She and Vincent walked over to the back table, and Orange was the first to look up.

"Oh, hey there, you two," he said. "What're you heading over there for?"

"Song Cue and Comet told us about the ice skating," said Sunset.

"So... we wanted to talk to Trixie to see if she's really changed," Vincent went on. The pale blue-haired girl looked anxious; even now, to her at least, Vincent and Sunset weren't keen on speaking with her, so it came as a surprise that they wanted to.

"It'll be alright," Sandbar said quietly.

"You sure?" asked Trixie.

"If you're on their good side, you've made friends for life," Blossomforth agreed.

"Okay." Trixie got up and walked over to Vincent and Sunset.

"Uh... hello..."

"It has been a while since we last spoke," said Sunset.

"I know, and... I'm really sorry for all I did to you guys..." Trixie almost whispered. "I get it if you won't forgive me; what I did was despicable..."

"Well..." said Sunset, "we did hear about you helping Comet how to skate."

"Yeah," said Vincent. "It was a nice thing to do." Trixie gave a small smile.

"Maybe we can get a sandwich on Saturday to talk some more," Vincent suggested.

"That would be nice." But before Trixie could say anymore...

"Again with that blasted bell?!" muttered Blossomforth.

"It's always interrupting at the worst possible times," sighed Cherry Crash.

"Off to class, gang," said Sandbar, and everyone moved off. As Trixie walked off to her next class, she couldn't help but feel it would take a lot more effort and time to gain Vincent and Sunset's full trust.

FOOTNOTES

In the original draft, Trixie was going to help Sunset and Vincent expose Starlight's nature for causing trouble again under the school's collective nose. However, Starlight was expelled from Canterlot High in a different manner in chapter six, so a majority of chapter seven had to be remade from ground up.

The qoute "That's what girlfriends are for; check the manual" Is a quote from an episode of The Saddle Club, Greener Pastures Part 1.