"The way I see it… the best way to get the first year vote is celebrity endorsement." Judy said the next day at breakfast once she got a good look at the first year girls sitting at a large table.
Giselle slowly said, "You mean… I use my fame to help Fru get the votes she need?"
"Exactly."
"That's brilliant!" exclaimed Dawn, "Why didn't I think of it sooner? It's perfect!"
Fru gave an unsure look, "I don't know… I don't like using Giselle that way… I rather get the votes myself without a famous singer having to sponsor me."
Judy gestured, "You would still be yourself, Fru. As I was thinking that Giselle sings a song about your best qualities and how it can affect others to be like that, too."
"Oh!" both Giselle and Fru said.
"Think you can do it?" she questioned the gazelle.
She smiled, "It would be hard not to." she faced the shrew, "Had I was asked to do a song about your worst traits there would hardly be anything to sing about."
"Aw…" Fru gushed.
Judy then asked Dawn, "Think you can persuade your mother to let us perform here in the dining hall once Giselle gets the song done?"
"I'm sure I could." she smiled. "Once I tell her it's for Fru and that it was your idea, she won't object."
"Great."
Nick was nodding off in the detention room. He was feeling bored out of his skull as he noticed a couple of other students were there as well and the clock seemed to be going slow. He been here before for smart-mouthing teachers and pissing off students like Bogo and Lionheart. But he felt a great injustice has been this time. He got totally set up by those two and already he was planning his revenge. He wished his pals were with him now so he could give them the play-by-play but Ben and Gideon were model students and never got detention. On occasion Finnick would but not today.
He sighed dramatically and laid his head on the desk.
A timber wolf that was sitting next to him asked, "What are you in for, Wilde?"
"What are you in for, Garry?"
"I started a howl in class." and quickly added, "By accident."
"Buffalo Butt and Lionfart set me up for not coming back from the bathroom after fifteen minutes."
Garry slightly chuckled, "I was wondering what they were going to do to you after being bossed around for a month…"
"So how did you start that howl." he made air quotes, "by accident…?"
"It was during a documentary in Biology class about the wolf's need to howl and it just came out."
Nick rolled his eyes. What is it with wolves and howling?
Thankfully, the minutes passed by and detention was over. The fox rushed out of there and founded his friends in the library where they were doing their homework.
Finnick smirked once he saw him sitting down to join them. "How was it?"
"It was your typical Saturday detention, what else can there be?"
Ben asked, "Were you the only one there?"
"No, there were others like Garry who got in trouble for howling."
Gideon said, "I remember that. I was in class with him when the wolves in the documentary began howling and he joined right in, pretty soon the rest of the wolves in class followed and we heard wolves from other classes doing it too."
Ben joked, "Guess they worked up one howl of a riot." he chuckled but stopped short when he saw his friends giving exasperated looks.
Nick said, "I tell the jokes, Ben. And I wouldn't have been in detention in the first place if it wasn't for Buffalo Butt and Lionfart. I have to get back at them."
Gideon cringed, "I don't know, Nick… You're already in hot water with them, why provoke them further?"
Ben nodded, "They might get you expelled next time!"
Fin stated, "And I'm sure you don't want that since it'll cause heartbreak to both your mom and Hopps."
"Well, what am I supposed to do? They totally set me up! How can I ignore that?!"
The fennec shook his head, "Of course not, you dope. But you can't just outright get payback without it blowing in your face… You should know that from experience."
Nick winced, recalling the bug and Judy dressing up so sexy.
Finnick continued, "Now as it so happens, while you stuck in detention I overheard Lionfart talking to his vice class president that The Battle of the Bands tournament is right after we get back from winter break, and that he, Buffalo Butt and his gang were entering it. But what if another group entered in and managed to win…?" he led on so Nick could fill in the blanks.
The taller fox slowly smirked and looked at the rest of his group.
Gideon caught on, "Us? In a Battle of the Bands?"
"I think it's great!" Ben exclaimed.
"Yeah, but do we even all know how to play instruments? I played some piano when I was younger so I could play the keyboard but what about the rest of you?"
Fin scoffed, "I've been playing the guitar since I could walk!"
"I know how to play the drums!" Clawhauser said excitedly, "My mom made me take lessons as a cub!"
They faced Nick who seemed to have gazed off. His dad used to play the guitar and taught Nick, but he hadn't touched a guitar since then. He got out his trance, "It'll be a little rusty but I should be able to play the guitar by the tournament."
Gideon said, "Well then, I guess we got ourselves a band."
The girls were at the mall looking for matching silver gowns as it was required at the Winter Ball to wear a gown with silver or white in it but the girls wanted to be completely matching. They were in the dressing rooms when Judy decided to return some of the gowns she tried on and started looking over at another rack.
She had just picked out a promising dress when a bunny with dark fur came up from behind her unnoticed.
"That's a good one for you."
Judy dropped the dress and quickly turned around to see the rabbit she heard on Halloween but she could see her this time. Her ex-friend was wearing all black with a matching leather jacket on and had sunglasses perched on the top of her head. She picked up the dress and held it out for Judy to take bitterly.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded quietly so's not to alert her friends nearby.
"I saw you coming into here and was curious as to why you would be dress shopping, I never knew you to be girly-girl."
"Well, mammals change. Something you should know about…"
"I never changed, Judy. I had always been against preds ever since we were little girls. You were just too caught up with the idea of animals living in harmony you never really noticed…"
"So… you been lying to me ever since we met?"
"I never lied. I never told you I was against predators. I was able to tolerate with them when we went to school, but I never actually liked them…"
Judy shook her head sadly. "Had I known… maybe I could have helped you…"
"There's nothing you can do for me, Jude. But maybe… there's something I could do for you…"
Her brow went up before she scowled, "Like what? You made it clear that you don't want to accept predators so why bother trying to appeal to me?"
"Because I know about your school's graffiti problem and I know you want to find the culprit."
She gapped.
"I was there that day, I saw a hooded figure spraying the words on the wall and when I called out to him, he ran for his motorcycle and went off. But I managed to catch the license plate."
"Then why didn't you report this to the police?! If you actually saw them…"
"Please, would the police take me seriously?" she pointed to her attire, "I look like a hoodlum in their eyes!"
Judy didn't say anything.
"Besides, I knew you wouldn't take this lying down, you always had this thirst for justice and the vandal deliberately debased your school so of course you want to see them caught."
Judy looked down at the floor and quietly asked, "What was the plate?"
Ruby gave it to her while Judy was mouthing the words so she could remember them later. She then faced the rabbit.
"If this is some sort of trick…"
Ruby held her paws up, "No tricks. I'm just doing an old friend a favor."
"I shouldn't trust you… but this is the only lead we got at this point."
"I'll make you deal, if this clue doesn't work out for you, I will never seek or speak to you again. I'll be gone from your life forever. But if this does work, then could we maybe friends again?"
Judy frowned until she said, "If it does work, I'll consider it… but I can't promise you anything."
"Fair enough." Ruby grinned and started taking her leave but she stopped and said with her back facing Judy, "You know, Jude, I do miss the good old days… When our friendship meant something…" with that she left the store.
Judy's face sagged and sighed, she didn't want to admit it but she missed those days too. She then put on a smile and grabbed the dress she wanted and went back to the dressing rooms.
Giselle being the tallest was able to look over the stall and saw Judy came back.
"You been gone for some time. I was starting to worry."
"Sorry about that, I just couldn't pick over a couple of dresses." she fibbed. She didn't like lying but Ruby was her problem and she didn't need to drag her friends into their complicated past.
When Ruby got out of the mall, she was greeted by three mammals that were a raccoon, lemur, and a doe all wearing black and the lemur had a dye job on her tail and the raccoon had a punk rocker hairstyle and all of them had one hoop earring on their right ears.
The raccoon inquired, "Well?"
"She went for it." said Ruby, "Now remember, when she comes to visit you make sure you lead her on a wild goose chase. The idea is that I help her try to solve this mystery so I can gain back her trust or else my brother won't be so pleasant with me by the time spring comes…"
AN: Okay, I don't know how many of you in the fandom are also in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom who have watched the first Equestria Girls movie where the cafeteria song is because I would love to use that for the song Giselle has to sing about to increase Fru's chances at winning the Snow Princess competition. So let me know if I should go for that or not. And now that I have the boys in a band I don't know what song or songs they should sing so here's your chance, dear readers to give me some suggestions. Thank you!