Cherry and the Friendship Games

chapter 4

Atticus looked at the first class he had and rushed to find the room, when he got there, the lesson already started. The teacher sent him a glare and told him to sit down, not even bothering to introduce him. Cherry sat in between her new friends, the girl from earlier, and there was a girl with pale skin with slicked and slightly spiked dark blue hair with streaks in it. And where it seemed that Atticus was in the same class as her. He looked back to Cherry who still looked insulted.

"She's not happy with you, if I were you, I'd just turn away and give up trying to talk to her after what you did." the girl with white pigtails said to Atticus.

"Yeah, because I don't think she ever wants to speak to you ever again." The girl with pale skin with slicked and slightly spiked dark blue hair with streaks in it added.

"Cherry, I'm sorry!" Atticus begged for his oldest friend's forgiveness.

"Hmm..." Cherry had her hands together on her desk and didn't seem to really care about what he had to say.

'Come on, Atticus, you gotta think of something else, you gotta think of something that can show her that you really are sorry,' Atticus thought to himself. He then tried to focus on his new studies like the other students who were highly attentive, but not by Twilight standards, but still a lot more than public school students would. No one was asleep or letting their minds wander. 'This school is so strict, they only want perfection and nothing more.' the boy thought to himself while doing the studies.

The teacher assigned them very complicated math that looked like it belonged in a college textbook than a regular school lesson. Cherry bit her lip, that math was far too advanced for her. Maybe enrolling herself into Crystal Prep Academy was a mistake. But she saw that Atticus was doing rather well and didn't seem to have any problems with them. She leaned over, looking at his paper.

Atticus narrowed his eyes slightly to her. Cherry sat back in her desk and folded her arms as her brain was sore from attempting to solve these conbeluded math problems. He then allowed her to look over his answers in a way to show he was still her best friend. Cherry had a smile for a few seconds, but copied his answers, saying nothing as she returned a stoic frown.

Through the rest of the class, it had almost seemed like Cherry was forgiving him. She had mixed feelings, but they were better than nothing.

While they were at school, Teller was doing research on his computer about the magical world, seeing that Equestria was going to be hit by something very dangerous near the end of the Friendship Games.

"I was afraid that the near end of the Friendship Games would have an effect on Equestria and now the computer has just confirmed it." Teller sighed.

There was an incoming phone call coming from his partner.

Teller put his phone on speaker as he did work. "Penn, not now."

"But it's the kids, they miss you." Penn said.

"I don't care, I'm busy." Teller kept typing.

"All right... I give in, where are ya?" Penn demanded.

"Oh, go eat some fire..." Teller muttered as he did his Equestrian research.

"You tell me right now!" Penn demanded.

"I'm losing you, going into a tunnel, checking the mail, I'm in the bathtub!" Teller slowly moved his finger.

"Teller, don't hang--" Penn called.

Teller then hung up and went right back to work.

"Hello? HELLO!" Penn called through his phone. "That's it, I'm going over there..." he then got up from his chair and rushed to his bedroom to pack up while Emily was taking a nap. "I can't believe he's making me do this!" he groaned in anguish.

Emily sat up in the bed and rubbed her eye. "Penn, where are you going now?"

"Can't talk, I'm taking a plane out of here." Penn walked out of the room once he was packed up with a suitcase.

"Penn!" Emily rushed after him.

"This is man's work, Emily." Penn ignored his wife.

"Penn, why are you leaving?!" Emily asked.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Penn shut the door behind him, he then took out his phone, pushing a number on his speed dial. "AIRPORT, YOU, ME, RIGHT NOW!"

A limo then drove down his street. The driver took his bag and put it in the back and opened the passenger door for him in the back. Penn went over to that door and got in. Zolten and Moxie watched as their father was leaving.

"Shall we follow him?" Zolten asked his sister.

"You know it." Moxie smiled.

Zolten and Moxie then snuck out of the house and snuck into the trunk as the driver loaded the bags, not noticing them.

"They'll never notice us in here." Zolten whispered.

"Shush!" Moxie whispered sharply.

"You shush!" Zolten argued. "I'm gonna tell!"

Penn popped open a can of Dr. Pepper and poured it into a glass, sipping it. "Airport and now!"

The driver nodded and drove off after they were set to go and get out of Las Vegas.

"We're on our way to wherever Dad is going." Zolten whispered.

"Yeah!" Moxie cheered.

Zolten covered her mouth. "Shh, Dad..."

"Right..." Moxie whispered.

"Hmm, I could have sworn I heard my kids voices, but I must have just imagined it." Penn shrugged.

"Something wrong, Mr. Jillette?" the driver asked.

"Ah, just shut up and drive." Penn scoffed.

"Yes, sir..." the driver sounded frightened.

'Wow, Dad must be really angry about something.' Zolten thought to himself.

Teller kept doing his research as he sipped another cup of hot chocolate. "Oh, Celestia, Luna, please tell me there's a way to stop this..." he whispered, unable to find anything on his research.

He then saw something that just might help with the upcoming Friendship Games ending.

"Please, please, please..." Teller put his hands together in a praying position, despite being an atheist, and looked into it. He then got his answer. "Gotcha..." he smiled rather wickedly in victory.

After school, Cherry and Atticus were now on their way back home.

"So, who are your new friends?" Atticus asked.

"Their names are Sugarcoat and Indigo Zap." Cherry replied.

"Cool and Cherry, I truly am sorry." Atticus said.

"I guess I should be sorry..." Cherry shrugged.

"No, I'm sorry because any time we've been on an Equestria adventure, I've always been with Twilight and not with you or any of the rest of the Mane Six." Atticus told her.

"Hmm..." Cherry looked distant then.

"Oh, come on, what else do I have to do to show you that I'm sorry?" Atticus asked.

"Mm-mm..." Cherry shrugged.

"Well, I'll do it whatever you want me to do I'll do it." Atticus said.

"I'll let you know when I think of it..." Cherry stared at the floor. "Atticus... Why are we friends?"

"I've been wondering that too." Patch whispered from Atticus's backpack.

Cherry stared out the window as she felt emotionally distant. "We're too different... Maybe I would be happier if I were friends with other goths... At least they would understand me... Just wear black all the time and talk about pain."

"Uh-oh..." Patch whispered.

Cherry sighed, she then walked further along and said nothing after that. Atticus and Patch got worried, but they kept following.