Patch couldn't stop thinking about confessing. It was like a splinter in her hoof that hurt like heck, but she couldn't pull it out; every time she tried, it just got lodged deeper in her and hurt her more. She had to walk on eggshells to keep from pushing it further in.

And, if she wasn't careful, she knew she was ready to blab about her feelings, ready or not. Every time she was around her mellow yellow friend, she wanted to declare her love, whether or not it was just between the two of them. It would have been that way whether or not it was a terrible secret; Patch just wasn't a secretive pony by nature.

The peach pony would also admit she had great spy instincts. Bright Eyes, Melody and Bon Bon in particular were vocal about how they were part of some stalker complex she had. Hah! Redonkulous. She just liked eavesdropping and spying on ponies she cared about.

That was what she thought as she sat in the top of the tree with her adventure pack slung over her shoulder and her binoculars at her eyes. Amongst the thick foliage of the oak tree in the front of the school, she watched intently as Bon Bon made her way up, one hoof in front of the other and her long, strong neck slouching under the weight of her satchel.

A girlish sigh escaped her muzzle as she imagined nuzzling that neck. Fangirlish glee whipped her insides as she thought of her friend opening up to her, and nobody else. She'd confess soon, whether she liked it or not. Things would be too awkward if she didn't do it soon. Maybe in the next week or so.

888

"Hey, what gives?!

Patch ignored the blue-colored boy pony with the Mohawk as she threw the blue cushions off of the couch in the boys' clubhouse in a later but still connected event. "Ace, stop her!" Teddy commanded, sitting on the other cushion and glaring at the peach pony.

"Yeah, Patch, stop messing up the clubhouse," Ace snapped, adding to Teddy's protest. "This place is hard to keep clean."

Patch could hear them, but continued ignoring them as she unzipped the zipper on the cushion and ran her hoof through its insides, feeling for any hard squares that could even remotely resembled the hard square she was looking for.

"Grot," Teddy yelled.

Patch let the insult roll off of her back as she continued in her search. Jumping away from the cushion, she instead forced her forehooves behind the couch and started shoving it to the best of her ability.

"You're being unreasonable," Ace snapped in a disdainful tone. "What are you looking for in here? I probably know about it."

Possibly, Patch admitted internally. But Ace was one insightful guy. If she mentioned what I was she was looking for, then there was that chance that the soccer guy would see right through her feelings. Because the very important object she was looking for was Bon Bon's diary.

It'd gone missing. It was gone. In the wrong hooves. Heavens forbid, stolen. And she was deeply upset by the development. Patch clearly remembered her friend reminiscing about her time in Mecklenburger, where Bon Bon's only safe place was her red leather-covered book. And that was only because she kept it in behind the cheese, which her dastardly bullies would have stolen had they not been terribly allergic to cheese.

As a matter of fact, she was almost as distressed as she was on that masquerade night all those nights ago.

Before Patch was forced to respond, she fled the boys' clubhouse, her dusty pink tail trailing behind her.

…Then she took a twenty foot plunge into a mud puddle because she forgot to take the latter in her haste. Internally cursing, Patch didn't even bother dusting herself off before she got running again.

Patch leapt right over a river and dug her hoof into the moist earth by its bank. She stared at the hot pink pony in front of her with determination in her eyes. "Is it here?"

Melody turned around from the tree stump she'd been searching in. Her jaws dropped and her green eyes went wide. "How did you…"

"What?"

"You just jumped across a river, Patch. That's, like, four yards."

Patch froze, her eyes wandering back to the river's width. Indeed, it was twelve feet wide. And, well… she was no taller than four at the shoulder. She'd never jumped more than seven from a flat surface before. "Huh."

Suddenly, Melody's look of shocked amazement turned into a smirk. "Really enthusiastic about this 'finding Bon Bon's diary' business, ah?"

Patch lifted one of her forehooves off of the ground, staring at Melody with amazement. A slight blush developed on her cheeks as she realized what her friend had meant. "Hey! I'd do it for any of you!" Patch exclaimed.

The rock star rolled her eyes. "No doubt about that. Where have you looked, Casanova?"

Patch punched her friend's shoulder. "Shut up!"

"I've had no luck around here. I already checked the river up to the Meadowsweet farm. I've lifted up every rock." Melody motioned towards the rocks that had been flipped on their sides all around the river. "See?"

"I've already been to the boys' clubhouse and the tea club clubhouse. Logan said he hasn't seen a red book around." Residual annoyance still existed in her look.

"Corn boy says the same. Clover is already looking in the south, all the way down to the charted part of the Old Woods."

"Who is checking where, anyway?" Patch tilted her head just slightly.

Melody took a second to think before replying. "Sweets checked the Rollerama, that other roller-skate place on Main Street and the sweet shop Bon Bon goes to all the time. Starlight is probably finished up at the schoolhouse by now and at the ice cream shop. Bright and I already got the library, and now she and Clo are checking out the old woods. Sweet and I were gonna check out the soccer field later. Not sure where Bon Bon's been this whole time."

Patch couldn't keep back a pang of sympathy for the yellow pony. She was probably in a panic by then… "Anyone checked the Jazzercise Gym?"

"No clue."

Patch didn't even say another word to Melody before she took a running start and leapt over the river, trying to mimic her glorious run there.

She ended up falling head-first into the bottom, her tail end sticking out of the water like a tannish little rock in the middle of a river. A cute little fish with big lips that looked strangely familiar swam by, stopping by to wave at her for a second before being drawn by the river's current.

Patch stood up, her nose throbbing a bit, The water reached up to her neck when she got back up. "To Jazzercise!" she declared, running out of the water and ignoring her pain.

"Hey… wait for me!"

888

"Aw man, what are we gonna tell Bon Bon?"

Melody bobbed her head; the pony version of a shrug that could be done while walking. "It'll be fine. Maybe one of the others found it."

Patch could tell that Mel was just trying to make her feel better, and as such lowered her head. "She's really worried about this…" she muttered.

"You aren't responsible for it," Melody assured her. "Don't be so negative; it's unlike you. This isn't just because you have a crush on her, is it?"

Patch reluctantly lifted her head. "I have no idea. I mean, after that… confession last week, I can't think of her any other way. It's pathetic. I'm pathetic."

"Quit being a downer! You aren't pathetic, it isn't pathetic, and it's fine! You're confessing to her soon anyway. I swear, if this whole crush thing turns my best friend into a self-hating loser, I'll beat you up." Melody's tone of voice left no room for argument. "This entire crush thing in the first place happened because you care about her," Melody added in a more encouraging way, "so it's no big deal."

The two girls halted in front of the Ice Cream Shop. Patch sighed. "Thanks Mal. I'll need that." The taupe pony pushed the door open and led her friend to the booth her friends were all sitting at. Patch's skin crawled under her fur at the hopeful look Bon Bon gave her. "Sorry Bon Bon, I came up empty."

"Me too," Melody added.

"Aw, what am I gonna do?" the yellow pony asked hopelessly. "That book has all of my deepest secrets inside it! If anyone at all reads it, I'll be ruined." Bon Bon buried her face in her forehooves on the table. "For good…"

Bright Eyes sighed. "I would keep on looking for it, but I have an awful lot of homework to get to."

"I can't take a break from my job," Starlight added. "I need to work at least two hours today!"

Patch couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Who else has a generic excuse?" She couldn't help asking the question. Everyone always had to do the same things, didn't they?

"I have to get to the Barringtons' house to babysit later on," the white pony of the group added. "…Also, what's 'generic?'"

"See what I mean? Our friend is in serious trouble and all we can do is think about ourselves," Patch retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Even Sweetheart fell into the trap."

"Quit being so negative, Patch, I know you like Bon Bon," Starlight retorted. "You're just upset."

Patch shot Starlight a warning glare and leaned forward. "Shut up I do not! You've got a lot of nerve to say something like that, sissy!" She couldn't believe Starlight would bring that up right in front of all of her friends. And so passively, too! Before she knew it, she slammed her hooves on the table and growled at the pink pony, who just looked surprised.

"We all like Bon Bon here; she's our friend." Starlight gave her a beseeching look with her pale purple eyes that just seemed to scream, I didn't mean it like that, Patch… I never would!

"Fine. I'm checking the Rollerama again."

With that, Patch charged away.

888

The next day, Patch pulled her lunch out of her toolbox-styled lunchbox, smiling gently as she took the plastic wrap off of it. Ham and cheese with a lot of mayonnaise piled on under whole-grain bread. She opened her jaws to take a bite… but promptly closed them again.

Something was wrong.

Patch wiggled her ears as she tried to listen for some clue… and she ended up hearing the sound of ponies whispering just around the corner of the schoolhouse. She adopted a determined, suspicious look as she abandoned her sandwich in her lunchbox.

She came around the corner and pressed herself against the solid pink wall behind her. Just six feet closer, she could distinctly hear two voices.

"I said squares, not rectangles!"

Uh-oh. That was Teddy the Troublemaker. Something was clearly going to explode if she didn't further investigate.

There was shuffling. I need to get a better vantage point, Patch decided. Grabbing her lunch box, she hurried around to the opposite side. Spinner and Dandy, who were hanging out on the side, asked minimal questions, but Patch was in no mood for it, and jumped up a series of crates and onto the slanted roof of the school.

The taupe pony climbed on her hind legs as she jumped up, gripping the flat part of the roof. Her forehooves found purchase, but her legs were dangling. She kicked them for a minute and then inched the rest of the way up.

Okay. She was on the roof.

Patch slunk across the pink surface and peered down... though what she saw made her take in a sharp breath.

Bon Bon was sitting in front of Teddy, leaning into his personal space and… feeding him little squares of cheese. "Better?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Yeah… now I think I could use a back massage though." The blue pony grinned devilishly at Bon Bon, who sighed wearily.

"Uhm..." The yellow pony attached her hoof to her chin as Teddy lay down on his stomach. Then Bon Bon sighed.

Patch couldn't stop staring as Bon Bon inched up to Teddy's side and started rubbing his back.

Oh… my… gosh… Patch's eyes widened at the realization of what was happening… Bon Bon is cheating on me. With HIM.

Why?! What was so great about Teddy?!

More importantly… just, why? Hadn't she been really close last time? Wasn't Bon Bon happy to have someone sappily declare their love for her? Or… had it all been a ruse, a bamboozling trick, to mock her?

And Teddy was a rude, rebellious, loud jerk who did nothing but hurt ponies. If he and the demure, innocent Bon Bon got together… that relationship would sour quick. Bon Bon was not only cheating on her best friend… but she was heading for an abusive relationship so quick. And Bon Bon would be wrecked forever.

But in the meantime, Bon Bon seemed happy to be around that JERK! And if that idiot of a Teddy dared hurt her, Patch would take it upon herself to tear him limb-from-limb and get pictures of the teddy bear he had. Illegal, but so justified!

"Tell me how handsome I am," Teddy demanded.

"The handsomest," Bon Bon replied in a monotone voice.

Bon Bon was seriously duped. Oh, why couldn't it be her down here?! Getting a massage from the fair lady would have been off the hook amazing! Ooh, she would teach those cheaters a lesson. Her broken heart wouldn't fix until she was done with just that!

888

"Alright then, class, it's time for our project of making our very own rollercoaster, just like I said we would yesterday."

Patch glared between Bon Bon and Teddy, not knowing which was the more logical to glare at. It was Bon Bon who needed to change her mind, but… she was really mad at Teddy, in a totally different league than her heartbroken anger at the yellow pony. So instead, she shifted between them every few seconds.

"You may choose partners as you like. Remember the rules: no unruly behavior, no misusing the supplies and no breaking the rules for the project, which I've written here." Miss Hackney motioned towards the black board. "Any questions?"

Nobody raised their hoof. Miss Hackney nodded in approval, putting her hooves on her hips. "Good. Now you all may pair up."

Before Patch could even get up, Bon Bon turned around in her seat and grabbed her by the hoof. "Please?" she asked with a nervous grin.

Patch nodded, smiling gently before remembering what she'd vowed earlier. But then, she could cut off her losses and just divert the attention away from Teddy and back onto herself. And besides, she was happy because their hooves connected so perfectly. "'Course."

The two quickly unlinked their appendages when Teddy came in, his annoying Mohawk markedly more annoying than usual. "Hey Bon Bon, wanna work with me?" he asked with a wide, slightly wicked smile.

"Oh! Me and Patch here were gonna work together," the yellow pony exclaimed with a grin. "Guess you better go find someone else to work with, and…"

"But we have to work together… remember?!" Teddy demanded pointedly. "The deal from earlier."

What's going on? Bon Bon chuckled nervously and then returned her gaze to a very confused Patch. "Sorry. I think I'll work with Teddy today. Next time."

Patch's eyebrows furrowed as Bon Bon was practically dragged away by the blue pony. What deal?!

"Upset about those two?"

Patch looked behind her to see Sweetheart standing there on twos, sighing and shaking her head and looking at Bon Bon and Teddy. Teddy was saying something to the yellow pony that clearly scared her (and despite that vow, she was perfectly willing to smack the guy upside the head). "You have no idea."

"I knew you would," Sweetheart said, turning her pink eyes to Patch. "You like Bon Bon, I like Teddy… it makes sense."

Patch's ears shot up. "What the?! You know?!"

Sweetheart smirked. Or, well, did the closest thing Sweethearts did to a smirk. "Oh, Patchy, I've known all along. By that, I mean since the masquerade incident. By the way, that was not nice of you to put Teddy down like that. But I think we should team up."

"Uh…"

Sweetheart smiled widely. "I knew you'd say that." Then she skipped to the door, where everyone was lining up with their partners.

Patch reeled from the strangeness of the situation for a moment before she sighed. How wouldn't she know? She's a romantic… Come to think of it, hadn't Sweetheart said once or twice that, basically, they would make a cute couple?!

But still, she all but wandered up next to the white pony in line. As she did, she put her hoof around Patch's shoulder and smiled in a very disproportionately large way. Oh man…

Miss Hackney led the class out of the classroom shortly and onto the playground. Patch and Sweetheart approached one of the seven piles of stuff that was situated out there; one that was just to the side of the schoolhouse. All sorts of things were in the assortment of objects. Tape, nails, plywood, tubes, pipe cleaners… basically all manner of construction materials for all types of ponies experience-wise.

"Okay. Before we get started on this whole rollercoaster thing, tell me ALL ABOUT your feelings for Bon Bon," Sweetheart said. She pushed Patch up against the wall and looked uncharacteristically stern as she stared into Patch's gold eyes.

Darn it, where did she get so tall?! "Uh… I, uh…"

"Well, I can't help you and her get married someday if you don't tell me!" Sweetheart sounded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Marriage?! Eww! I don't want to get married with her, married couples do…" Patch gulped and probably blushed, "…the thing…"

"You don't have to do the thing in a marriage. You just need to love someone enough to be with them forever and ever. And I think you girls would be perfect together. You just need a little nudge. So that's why I wanted to ask you what you've tried so far."

Patch pushed Sweetheart out of her face, causing her to land on her rump with a soft "oh!" "Don't get ahead of yourself Sweets," she warned, her eyes narrowed.

Sweetheart got to her hooves and giggled. "Of course. I'm just teasing you. So what did you try so far?"

"Well…" Patch sighed. "Let's talk about it another day… For now… let's just work."

"Alright then!" Sweetheart exclaimed. "I was thinking we should do something like the Pony Monster at the amusement park!"

"I was thinkin' more along the lines of the Firebolt…"

"Great. I'll start drawing a diagram!"

As Sweetheart trotted off to find a sheet of paper and a pencil, Patch grinned wickedly, gripping the marbles in her pocket with gusto and then glancing at Teddy and Bon Bon, who were right then trying to attach some tubes together to form the first part of their coaster. Time to do what I'm best at…