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// Chapter 3// Story: Dig Your Own Hole// by Sirius_Face//------------------------------//

“Class, I am very pleased that we have all finished reading The Prince and the Pauper! I know it was a little more complex than the average reading assignment I would normally give you, but I can tell by your faces that you all handled it well.”

Had Miss Cheerilee paid a little more attention to all her students, particularly Apple Bloom, she would have seen that not all of them were as excited as she was, or even paying as much attention as she would have liked.

Apple Bloom couldn’t help being distracted.

Waiting for class to end was tough on any student who had other, more important things to do with the day. Apple Bloom was only half paying attention to Miss Cheerilee’s lecture on the recent reading assignment. Taking another glance at the clock above the teacher’s desk, she let out a little sigh at seeing there were still ten long minutes left before she could leave.

Ten minutes before she could corner Dinky Hooves and get to the bottom of what she was keeping secret about Scootaloo.

It must be somethin’ important. Ah can’t understand why she’d be so secretive when she knows how close Sweetie and ah are to Scoots.

Chewing on the pencil in her mouth, Apple Bloom began to wonder about Scootaloo herself. It was only an assumption that she and Dinky were friends, and if they were then that was great because it meant their little group could be bigger. Being a blank flank, Dinky would fit right in.

Except, she couldn’t see how Scootaloo could be friends with Dinky; the two fillies had nothing in common.

As Miss Cheerilee provided background noise, Apple Bloom started to list the places she and her friends would hang out on paper, giving the illusion that she was following along with the lecture and taking notes. Not including the several places they had traveled for crusading adventures, the list of locations were pretty small: Carousel Boutique, Fluttershy’s cottage, the edge of the Everfree Forest, the clubhouse, and Golden Oak’s Library.

Apple Bloom circled the last place on her list. Scootaloo was supposedly visiting the library more often now, if Dinky was to be believed. And Dinky herself seemed to visit there plenty of times, perhaps even working over there for Twilight.

Ah don’t think ah’ve ever seen Dinky at the library, ever.

Looking over her list of clues, she wrote Dinky’s name and drew a line from it to the library, with a question mark between the two. She drew a dotted line between Dinky’s name and Scootaloo’s name, with two more question marks. The library was the only logical link between Scootaloo and Dinky.

Chewing again on her pencil, Apple Bloom crossed off her notes with mild annoyance.

Ah’m makin’ too much of this. Dinky might not talk here at school, but if she’s workin’ at the library now, ah bet Sweetie Belle and ah can get her to talk there, on her turf, where she’s more comfortable. And even if she doesn’t talk still, there’s a good chance Scootaloo will show up, and ah can talk to her direct and find out why she’s been too busy for her best friends!

Apple Bloom smiled to herself, her plan feeling perfect to her as she leaned back in her seat.

“Apple Bloom?” Miss Cheerilee asked, casting a knowing look to her surprised student. “Can you share with the class what you felt was one of the major themes of the story?”

“Huh? Uh…” Apple Bloom started to say, her attention brought back to the classroom in full force as she shrank under the stern eyes of her teacher. Taking a quick look at the board, Apple Bloom worked up a response and thanked her lucky stars that she had read the story over the weekend like she was suppose to. “Fairness? Ya know, how when the prince and pauper switched places and all, the prince got to see how hard it was bein’ poor.”

Cheerilee waited a breath, eyes still on Apple Bloom, before she put on her signature smile that often came when one of her students proved to not only read the material for homework, but remembered it as well.

“Excellent. That’s a very important insight to make, but there is a single word that can sum up what you mean, Apple Bloom. Does anypony happen to know what word I’m referring to?”

In an instant, Sweetie Belle’s hoof went up, with a barely contained squeal of excitement at knowing the right answer to a question. “Equality?”

“Very good Sweetie Belle! I see somepony has been taking her vocabulary lessons seriously. You just earned yourself an extra credit point on our next vocabulary test.”

Sweetie Belle beamed with pride. Apple Bloom gave a smile to her friend, then noticed for the first time that day that Sweetie Belle’s hooves had a glossy shine to them.

It was a simple thing, something she normally wouldn’t have given a second thought or even a first glance -at- had the light not reflected just enough off her friend’s hooves for Apple Bloom to have noticed the way they shined. Stealing a few quick glances while Miss Cheerliee continued the lesson, Apple Bloom could see that Sweetie’s hooves had been hooficured to a smoothed, polished finish.

Apple Bloom imaged how a hoof like that would feel tracing over the fur on the inside of her thighs.

No sooner had the thought come to mind than she banished it, her cheeks turning a slight shade of red. Not now! Ah can’t be thinkin’ about that stuff now!

Looking away from Sweetie only made her attention go to her own hooves. Though she washed them before leaving home, she could see where dirt had left stains that would need a hard scrubbing to remove, a common enough sight for a farm pony who spent the better part of the day working the fields. Her hooves were also a little rough, the edges dry, and she certainly couldn’t make sunlight reflect off them.

Would it feel even better if I took better care of my hooves?

Apple Bloom wanted to ignore the mental question, but her eyes stayed on her hooves. The rough sides often felt too hard on her sensitive place, which was always part of the reason why, when she did give in to the strange feeling that warmed her nethers and demanded she rub them, she always did it slow and gentle.

Eventually, they’d get just wet enough to feel smoother on her.

Thinking over it more, she thought of her bed and the warm linen sheets that Applejack would sometimes tuck in around her before saying goodnight. They were very soft, and when the itch inevitably came, as it did every night it seemed, rubbing on those sheets and her mattress could feel better than her own hoof. A lot better.

No! Gotta stop thinkin’ bout this-

It was too late, and Apple Bloom became very still at her desk. The itch was there, throbbing, just a little. Enough to be noticed—enough to make her squeeze her thighs together as discretely as she could. The hoof she had been inspecting felt drawn to the center of that itch, but she purposefully put both front legs on the desk, where they would behave.

Why is this happenin’ to me? I shouldn’ even be thinkin’ bout this at school, or at all! Touchin’ down there is—

“—Wrong.”

Apple Bloom froze, her heart tightening like a vice before she turned to look at who had spoken as she returned her attention to the class. To her surprise, she saw to her right the usually sleepy and unattentive Snails looking wide awake and serious. Other students in the class had also stopped what they were doing to turn in their desks, casting looks of surprise at Snails.

Taking a look to the back of the class, Dinky Hooves was the only student who not only didn’t seem surprised by Snails speaking up in class; she hadn’t even bothered to look up from her desk. Miss Cheerilee also didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

“Well, there really are no wrong answers to how a pony can interpret a piece of literature, but please elaborate on why you disagree with Silver Spoon’s claim that the pauper was happy to be the prince.”

Apple Bloom turned her attention back to her neighbor, seeing Snails shrink a little to find himself the focus of the entire class. She took a quick glance to where Silver Spoon sat next to Diamond Tiara, one row from the back. The look Silver gave Snails could have curled the back of his mane.

“Um… well… it’s just…” Snails sputtered, and looked to be sweating. Apple Bloom’s heart went out to him. He almost never spoke in class and it wasn’t exactly a secret that everypony else thought he was slow. To see him speak up and actually have an opinion on a lesson was the very thing Apple Bloom needed to get her attention off the annoying need to rub between her thighs.

“It’s just… he couldn’t be happy because he wasn’t being himself. I know the pauper was away from his bad father and got treated like royalty, but he was forced to pretend to be somepony he wasn’t.”

There was a pregnant pause before Snails spoke again, and it struck Apple Bloom that his normally dopey sounding voice sounded softer, more emotional.

“How can anypony be happy if they can’t be who they are?”

No pony spoke. Snails sank a little in his chair, looking to Apple Bloom as if he wanted to melt into the floor.

“That…” Miss Cheerilee started to say, as if she needed time to gather her thoughts, “that is a very deep and profound observation, Snails. I’m really very glad that you brought this up. And I will say that you and Silver Spoon both have valid points. The pauper started off poor and carefree, making do with what he had, only to become rich and isolated.”

The bell above the school house rang at the moment. The sound of chairs and hooves scraping over the floor was enough to drown out the soft curse from Cheerilee as she spoke up loud enough to make sure her students could hear before they could flee. “Don’t forget there is a test tomorrow! You can bring one page of notes! Snails I need you to stay after for your make up quiz.”

Apple Bloom was one of the many students who already had her saddle bags on her, ready to leave and set out for what she really needed to do. Looking to the back of the class once again, she was shocked to see that Dinky was already missing from her desk.

Oh no! She ain’t escapin’ me!

In her rush to find Dinky, Apple Bloom spotted Sweetie Belle reaching the door first, waiting off to the side as students eagerly trotted out towards freedom.

“Did ya see her?” Apple Bloom asked, not even waiting for a full reply before she was out the door, looking in every direction for Dinky’s yellow mane and gray coat.

“See who?” Sweetie asked as she came up to Apple Bloom’s side.

“Dinky! She must’a left soon as the bell rang. Consarn it all, ah wanted to stop her and get sum straight answers about Scootaloo.”

Apple Bloom looked genuinely upset while the rest of her class left her and Sweetie behind outside the school house. “She couldn’t have gotten far, and even if she did, ah got a hunch she’ll be at the library. We can get some answers from her there.”

“Actually, I can’t.”

Sweetie Belle gave an apologetic look to Apple Bloom before she continued, “I promised Rarity I would come straight home today. I sort of forgot about it until after lunch. Sorry, you’ll have to go to the library without me.”

Well that’s just dandy, Apple Bloom thought to herself with a hint of annoyance. “Alright then. Ah’ll be sure to let ya know what ah find out.”

“You really think Scootaloo and Dinky are hiding something?”

Yes, Apple Bloom thought, but held that answer back, knowing she had no proof to back up her suspicions.

“That’s what mah gut is tellin’ me. Scootaloo likes being secretive to start with, and Dinky definitely has somethin’ to hide. You saw how she could barely look us in the eye when she was telling us about how she couldn’t help or anythin’. That filly knows somethin’ important and is too afraid to say what.”

“So… you’re going to force her to talk?” Sweetie asked.

Apple Bloom stopped to think. She had been so excited to get Dinky alone that she didn’t think about possibly making her even more reluctant to say what she knew. She grumbled and rubbed the back of her head, wondering now what she would do if Dinky really didn’t want to say anything to her.

“Well… no, ah wouldn’t make a pony do nothin’ she didn’t want to. Ah ain’t no bully. But ah’m sure ah can convince her to trust me enough to share what she knows.”

Hearing that made Sweetie Belle smile with relief. “Great. Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning for school. If you do see Scootaloo, give her a whack on the head for me?” Sweetie gave Apple Bloom a knowing wink, the both of them sharing a laugh before Sweetie left Apple Bloom’s side.



Can I trust her?

Dinky Hooves frowned as she watched Apple Bloom and Sweetie while doing what she did best—hiding in plain sight. It was no different than spying, but it also was the only way Dinky felt comfortable to even consider reaching out to Apple Bloom in the first place to tell her what she knew, and what she suspected about Scootaloo.

She might not believe me. I wouldn’t have believed it too had I not seen it with my own eyes. But if I can reach out to her… maybe I can reach out to Scootaloo too.

She sighed to herself, watching as other students in her class passed her by, never knowing she was there. It often felt too hard to make friends. Even learning from the princess of friendship herself didn’t make the process of actually befriending other ponies any easier for her. Trust was something hard to come by, more so when she knew how ponies could be so nice one moment, and then be utterly cruel when they thought your back was turned.

Maybe I can test her… make her prove that she can be trustworthy. I bet the princess would agree with me… I really want to talk to somepony about this.

It was at that moment that Dinky saw Sweetie Belle trot away from Apple Bloom, giving Dinky the chance she needed to approach her. The sounds of her classmates had gone, and only she and the farm filly were left on school grounds, with the exception of Snails, who was still in the schoolhouse with Miss Cheerilee.

Snails. Of course! Dinky smiled to herself. She knew just how to test Apple Bloom.
With her plan in mind, Dinky quietly approached Apple Bloom, trotting to catch up with her. Her heart felt heavy in her chest as she took the first step toward trusting somepony who wasn’t her mother or her princess.

“Wait, Apple Bloom!”

Apple Bloom jumped mid-trot, looking behind her in surprise. Then to her left, her right, circling around herself; she couldn’t see Dinky.

“Dinky? Hello?” Apple Bloom called out.

Oh, right…

Dinky concentrated, feeling the magic build up in her horn as it started to lift from her body. She heard Apple Bloom gasp before opening her eyes, seeing the shocked expression on her classmate. She could feel that her plan wasn’t going off in the best way possible.

“Dinky? Wut the hay? We’re you… invisible?”

Here we go.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Dinky spoke softly, looking away from Apple Bloom. “I do that… sometimes. Princess Twilight taught me how. It helps me relax.” Dinky chose not to mention that casting a spell to turn herself invisible helped her relax when being around other ponies.

“That… that’s so cool!” Apple Bloom squealed, immediately going behind Dinky, her eyes going right for the school filly’s flank. “How can that not be your special talent? No unicorn in class can do fancy magic like that!”

Dinky felt herself blushing, starting to lose her nerve to even do what she had intended, but pushed on, knowing how important this would be for herself.

“That’s not important right now,” Dinky said, forcing herself to make eye contact with Apple Bloom. “I said earlier that I couldn’t help you with Scootaloo… but I want to. I just need to know that I can trust you.”

That statement brought Apple Bloom’s full attention to Dinky as she looked concerned. “Is somethin’ wrong with Scootaloo? Ah mean, ah guess there must be if she’s startin’ to cut school and all. Whatever it is, ya can trust me.”

Dinky hesitated, almost telling Apple Bloom that she couldn’t trust her. “No. I mean, Scootaloo is happy. But if I told you why, you might not agree. You might think something completely different, in fact. So, I want you to prove you’re somepony who doesn’t judge others when they find out something they never expected could be possible.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at Dinky, wondering why she would even think that Apple Bloom was the kind of pony to make judgment calls on others. “Ya don’t see a tiara on mah head, do ya?”

Dinky looked confused, eyes going up to Apple Bloom’s head, then back to her face before it dawned on her. “Oh, that was a joke.”

“Apparently not.” Apple Bloom sighed and shook her head. “Okay, so wut do ya want me to do to prove ah’m trustworthy?”

Okay, here it goes.

Dinky took a breath, bringing her hoof to her chest, mimicking the same calm breathing technique she had seen Twilight do often. Her horn began glowing, yellow magic spiraling along the grooves of her horn from the base to the point, gathering in a small star that was too bright for Apple Bloom to watch. Dinky shut her eyes as she poured double the magic she normally used, feeling the strain building in her head. She heard Apple Bloom say something, but a ringing had formed in her ears as her magic gathered and grew, demanding her full attention as she struggled to maintain the spell she was building until it was just strong enough that she released it with a sharp pop around her, blinding herself and Apple Bloom as they both disappeared.