//------------------------------// // March 28: And You Can't Change the Way She Feels // Story: 7DSJ: Protection // by Shinzakura //------------------------------// Derpy adjusted her glasses, then checked the carrot cake she was making just for her and Carrot. Tonight’s going to be a blast, she thought to herself. It was the weekend now, and next week they’d have to go back to school. That in itself kinda sucked; Derpy liked the education but she wasn’t too thrilled about some of her fellow so-called students, though she’d learned to deal, but at least there was this weekend to enjoy the fun and the last days before the return to school. Her laptop chirped; she hit the spacebar, bringing it out of hibernation. She’d received an email from Sunset, asking if she could do some digging for her on an individual named Musica Allegra. Derpy paused for a second, wondering why Sunset wasn’t doing it herself; the girl was no slouch in the Google-Fu department, and furthermore, she could probably get someone like Compass Rose to do it; Rose had the hots for Sunset so bad she’d probably enslave herself to the school’s former alpha-bitch just for a kiss on the forehead. And, unfortunately, I owe her a few favors. Derpy had done some digging and found that Sunset had been central to the whole Vibe case; that had been backed up more by admissions from Minuette and a few other people who suspected. How a teenager suddenly cracked a case that adults hadn’t was probably surprising to the normal teenager, but after looking at what evidence had been made publicly available, Derpy figured that she could have solved the case. But I didn’t – Sunset did. And my best friend suffered because I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. Plus, Sunset had been kind enough to make up for her misdeed years ago. Derpy had forgiven her for that; this added burden was, admittedly, not much of one. Derpy smiled; maybe it would even be the beginning of a friendship between her and the flame-haired girl; Derpy knew her circle of friends was small to begin with. After a quick check on the cake once more, she plopped in front of the laptop and started searching. What she came up with, at least as far as Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo was concerned, was almost nothing more than historical facts. Is this the Musica Allegra that she’s searching for? Derpy looked at the Wikipedia article about a female musician who seemed to come from nowhere, married a nobleman, and charmed pre-unification Spain – and to boot, it was believed that Musica Allegra was a Moor, an Arab – practically a death sentence in Christian-era Iberia. And yet she was beloved and was even granted a title – “La Musica”, Spanish for The Muse, if Derpy remembered anything of the required Spanish she had to take – by the Court of Aragon. That’s all well and nice, but I wonder why Sunset’s doing the search. Derpy made a note to ask her later. Right now, the oven was beeping, and that meant it needed to come out and cool for the next step. In a room in a home not too far away, the air was permeated with the stench of sex and fear. Clearly in her element and in charge, Other Carrot slithered over Carrot, both nude bodies seeming to intertwine. “You know what you have to do tonight, don’t you?” the doppelganger cooed, looking at Carrot with eyes that spoke of pure and unbridled hunger. “No….” Carrot said in a weak voice, trying to fight it with whatever willpower she had left. “No…. It’ll hurt Derpy….” Other Carrot nibbled on the girl’s ear; heat arose from Carrot’s body as she became aroused by her own delusion. “It’ll hurt more that you’re still ugly. Trust me, after we’re done, she’ll be appreciative. After all, you know she’s dating, right?” “Derpy’s dating?” Carrot said, suddenly sitting up. Other Carrot pushed her down gently, punctuating it with a string of kisses along her cheek. When she was done, she asked, “You didn’t know? I thought she was your best friend – aren’t you two supposed to be like sisters?” “She would have told me,” Carrot mourned. She’d talked to Derpy about all her dates, and she knew Derpy used her as a sort of encyclopedia on guys. If it was true that Derpy was dating, did it mean she had no need of Carrot anymore? “Of course she wouldn’t have told you,” Other Carrot said in-between kisses that traced a trail down Carrot’s chest. “She doesn’t trust you to tell her the truth anymore, because you’re ugly with that scar. If you were beautiful, maybe you could earn the trust of your best friend again.” Other Carrot sat up and pointed at a mirror. “Because otherwise…she doesn’t need you anymore.” Carrot looked at the mirror and Derpy having sex with Forward Pass, the varsity Football team’s star quarterback. Carrot had a thing for him, and Derpy had once commented that Carrot “was too good” for a moron like him. But if this image was true…. Derpy and Pass went faster and faster, their moans and rhythmic moving bordering on more than just two people having sex. It was like something beyond Carrot’s reach, something she could never achieve…. Carrot turned away from the mirror, ignoring Other Carrot’s snickering. Her heart felt as though it has been ripped out of her. She wanted to feel anger and jealousy towards her best friend, but Derpy meant too much to her to do so. It was clearly one-sided, however. Other Carrot reached around and cupped Carrot’s breasts. Nibbling on her neck, she said, “You know what to do to be perfect. You can be the envy of everyone alive, if you’ll just listen to me.” Whatever was left of Carrot’s willpower shattered that moment. “Yes,” she said in a defeated tone. “Good,” Other Carrot hissed as she slid down towards Carrot’s womanhood. “Then this is what we’re going to do….” Carrot uttered a sound somewhere between a moan and a plea for mercy. A second later, there was a knock on the door, and Carrot opened her eyes just as her mother opened it. “Golden, almost time for you to head to Derpy’s. Are you going to drive or walk over?” Carrot sat up. She wore her favorite camisole and capri pants; a part of her mind had told her that she’d been dressed the entire time she’d encountered Other Carrot, but that hadn’t been possible. Other Carrot had finally shown her the way. A broken smile came over her face; Other Carrot had been right. Carrot needed to purify herself. “I’ll walk, Mom,” Carrot said in a soft voice. “I don’t think I’ll be needing my car anytime soon.” Meanwhile, on the other side of town, two people were discussing the plans of one of them – or rather, one of them was discussing. The other one was heavily trying to dissuade him from committing what she saw as an epic-level mistake. “Notes, this is a stupid idea,” Sunstone told him, for once unable to hide the worry in her voice. “This is going to bite you in the ass like you won’t believe. I really think you should reconsider.” “Look, I’ve made up my mind, Stony, and I’m not changing it,” Noteworthy told her. “This will win her heart, I’m sure of it. Aren’t you always the one who’s telling me that I need to stick to my guns?” “Not if all you’re going to do is make an ass of yourself! She doesn’t like you, she won’t like you, and you’re going to end up getting the cops called on you, if not worse!” She gasped, throwing her hands up in frustration. But he stood his ground. “She will. I’m completely sure of it.” Sunstone walked over towards Noteworthy, looking him eye-to-eye. “Please don’t do this,” she implored. “I’m begging you not to.” He looked at her with mild surprise: She’d never been like this before, and she was nearly always in his court, even when others weren’t or logic dictated otherwise. But if she was balking at his plans, did he actually stand a chance? He thought about it, then shook his head. No, normally he would listen to her counsel. But this was love – he couldn’t afford to give up. Packing up his acoustic guitar in its case, he said to her, “Why? You haven’t cared about my romantic life before, Stony. Why now?” Tell him! Sunstone’s mind practically screamed at her. It’s now or never, Stony! Tell him how you feel! Her mind swam – if she followed her heart, she would take him right now, rip off his clothes and do what came naturally, then put him in her car and head down to Vegas as fast as doing multiples of the speed limit would allow. He’s yours, and you deserve him, not Colgate! Prove it, you coward! And yet she stood there, looking at him with eyes that implored, but never explained why. She couldn’t seem to get the words out, couldn’t provide clarification to her urgency. She tried to open her mouth, to process sounds that would turn into a language he would understand. But it just wouldn’t happen. “Fine. If you’re not going to tell me, I’m going,” he said. “I just….” He looked at her. “Your word means a lot to me, Stony. We are friends after all, and we’ve been together since we’ve been kids. It’s just…if you know something, please tell me.” She folded her arms and no utterance came from her, even as she stood there with those eyes. “Look, either you can say something, or you can leave. But I’m not changing my mind.” Finally, she managed a word: “Noteworthy…please don’t do this to yourself!” He glared. “Get out,” he told her. She looked as though she’d been slapped. Wordlessly, she left the room, calmly walked out of the house and made it as far as her car before getting in, gunning the engine and rushing down the street as the tears finally flowed. In the receding distance she could see Noteworthy chase after her, only to realize she was long gone, but by then it was too late. If he’d only chased after me before…. If I’d only let him know I wanted him to chase me. But it’s too late…too. Damn. Late. Her phone went off, and she knew immediately who it was. Reaching over, she hit the DECLINE TO ANSWER button, sending his call to voicemail before throwing it in the glove compartment. Her heart was broken, and she broke it herself. She couldn’t add insult to injury. Standing there watching her car disappear into the horizon, Noteworthy hung up the phone and promised to make it up to Sunstone later. Once again, he knew he’d stepped hip-deep into shit – he’d never talked to her like that, never. He had to make it up to her when this was all over. He wasn’t sure how, but maybe he could meet her for lunch tomorrow after telling her about his successful venture. But for now, he had to plan a successful venture. And the only way that was going to happen was if he made sure everything went according to plan. Alone in his room, Noteworthy read over the notes that he and Pencil Code had jotted down together. One way or another this was going to work, and this was for love – there wasn’t going to be a single thing on Earth that would stop him. Waterfire and Ground Pounder inspected the small copse of trees that bounded the area behind Minuette’s backyard; just beyond that, there was a slight drop that ended in the Canterlot River, a small stream that fed into the Sacramento River downstream. It was the perfect place for Noteworthy to try his stunt, Waterfire concluded…and the perfect location where to put a cold stop to it. Looking around, however, Ground Pounder had a different opinion. “Listen, Cookie, are you sure about this? From what it sounds like, nothing’s really going to happen.” “And while that’s the best case scenario, I know that’s never going to happen,” Waterfire told him. “Poundy, this guy is bad news, and he needs to be taught a lesson.” She sighed. “Look, I’m sure what’s most likely going to go down is that you’ll scare the hell out of him and he’ll go away for good. I just want to know what will happen if he tries any shit?” Pounder punched a fist into his other hand for a response. “Then I’ll finish it. I’ll do just enough to make sure that it’s self-defense, but that’s it – bruise the fucker, but not hospitalize him. You going to be ready with the camera just in case?” She nodded. “Of course – I want this asshole dealt with, not you in trouble. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that I get everything on video. I promise.” “Okay, I’m counting on you, Cookie.” “Oh, don’t worry,” Waterfire said, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek…but closer to the lips. “I definitely want to make sure you’re around and available.” Meanwhile, in her room, Minuette sat with her two other friends, Evening Primrose and Autumn Leaves. “I thought Wai was going to be here a while ago,” Minuette asked. Primrose looked over at Autumn, then gave Minuette a shrug. “Maybe she’s just running late, Minnie?” Primrose stated. “Primmie, this is Wai we’re talking about – when has she ever been late for anything?” Autumn piped up. “Look, Minnie, there’s been a guy as of late that’s got Wai’s eye, and I think she’s chasing him hard. So go a little easy on her right now? Yeah, I know that what happened to you sucked, and I’m not disputing that. But Wai’s in love, and if this guy’s as sweet on her, they’ll be okay.” Minuette nodded. “Yeah. I don’t think she’ll make any stupid mistakes.” “Trust me,” Primrose told her friends. “She’s making all the right moves.” Despite what Chantenay thought, neither Derpy nor Carrot had any plans to drink. After all, Derpy’s father was an Army major, and her drinking could affect his career, so she didn’t push anything like that. Furthermore, drinking wasn’t really in Derpy’s character. Sure, she’d probably have a glass of champagne at New Year’s or something ceremonial, but Derpy confessed to not really liking drinking for reasons she never really admitted to. It was, admittedly, one of the things that Carrot admired most about her best friend; underneath her shell of snark and attitude, she could be a really sweet girl…and Carrot was probably the only one that noticed that. I’m going to miss you, Carrot thought. Once she succeeded in her plan, she’d never see Derpy again. Never hear her laugh, or her jokes or the general positivity the blonde showed in those unguarded times when the two were together. But was it worth the price of reaching perfection? Carrot looked at her reflection in the glass she was drinking from and saw Other Carrot instead, holding a pistol in her mouth and nodding with approval. Carrot herself winced and looked away, instead focusing her attention on where it had been all night: the direction of Derpy’s father’s room. She hoped she wasn’t being too blatant about it, but Derpy was extremely perceptive, and – no pun intended – she practically had eyes everywhere. There wasn’t a thing that the young computer whiz didn’t seem to know, and she had a network that appeared to rival Sunset’s at times. “Carrot? You okay?” She finally heard Derpy’s voice, and turned to see her friend looking at her with worry, tortilla chip dribbling nacho cheese and jalapeno slices back towards the plate. It would have been comical if Carrot could see the humor in it. “I’m…fine,” Carrot said, curling into a ball on the couch. “I’m just…. Look, Derps, I really don’t want to talk about it.” Derpy leaned back. “Carrot, please don’t shut me out. I’m trying to help.” “I know, and I appreciate it. I’m just…I’m just going through a rough patch right now, okay?” The lie made her sick inside; she knew what she had to do, and it tore her up just uttering the words, much less who she told them to. “Still dealing with everything from my injuries.” Derpy shook her head. “I thought I told you to forget about that. Nobody cares, okay? So you’ve got a minor limp.” “Minor limp? Derpy, I walk with a cane now. I may never be able to walk unassisted ever again!” She nearly glared at her friend. “You know I was thinking about being a model – how am I supposed to walk the runway if I’m using a cane?” “So what, you’re saying that nobody does modelling when handicapped? Carrot, you’re crazy – nothing can hold you back if you’re willing to fight for it. Trust me on that, okay?” “Yeah, okay.” Carrot realized it was probably the worst thing to say to Derpy, given her eyes. Granted, when she wore her glasses her strabismus went away, so, it was hard to forget that she had a birth defect. But if there was anyone who embodied what she’d said, it was her. She’d even surpassed her ugliness; the glasses she currently wore were extremely fashionable and something she probably wouldn’t have chosen on her own. It was likely Dinky who helped her choose; Derpy’s sister already at her age had a great eye for style. “Sorry.” Derpy smiled. “It’s okay. Believe me, sometimes I forget that I have the same issues. I mean, I wear my glasses all the time so I don’t have to be reminded about it, and yeah, I used to be sensitive about it, but I’ve gotten over it. So believe me when I say that you’ll be fine. Besides, your legs probably need strength training – have you considered asking someone on the track team, like Spitfire or Rocketfuel?” “No, and besides, have you seen their leg muscles? They’re almost thicker than my waist! I don’t want to look like that!” The blonde rolled her eyes. “Way to see the forest for the trees, dipshit.” Carrot looked at Derpy with sad eyes. Under normal circumstances, she probably would’ve shrugged off Derpy’s comment. But the tone underneath it just underscored the truth: even Derpy thought she was worthless now. Carrot wanted to cry at that point: she’d lost her last friend, and now her uselessness was complete – Other Carrot had been right. But if you’re going to succeed, Other Carrot seemed to say in her ear, you know what to do. Drinking the last of her soda, she looked at her friend. “Hey, I’m going to go get another soda. You want one?” Derpy picked up another nacho, then reached for the remote control. “Sure, and I’m going to throw Netflix on. Anything you want to watch?” “Just pick anything,” Carrot replied. “I’m okay with whatever.” She then headed for the kitchen, but not before Derpy caught her attention. “Carrot…I promise that everything’s going to be okay in the end. You know I wouldn’t lie to you about that.” “I….” Carrot didn’t know what to say. She knew in her heart of hearts that Derpy would never lie to her, but…was everything Other Carrot said a lie? Could she really be— You know you’re useless and ugly without what you really need. Don’t listen to her lies – listen to me. Going into the kitchen, Carrot grabbed a couple of sodas out of the fridge, and then reached under the cupboards where she knew Derpy’s father kept the sprits. Fortunately, Carrot’s own father knew more than a few drinks over the years, and his daughter had learned how to make them by dint of watching. One of those drinks was a “Malpractice”, an alcoholic drink that tasted exactly like a Dr. Pepper. Since Derpy had a preference for Dr. Peppers – she picked up the habit ever since she saw an anime where it was referred to as “the intellectual’s soft drink” – and if Carrot mixed it perfectly, her friend would never know. With Derpy out of the way, Carrot would have enough time to get into the gun safe, especially since her father had insisted Carrot know the security codes in case of a break-in. Now, those codes would be used – but not for the original intent. She really didn’t think about much as she mixed the drink. She mixed a few more, then put it all in a bottle to go into the fridge, so it would chill and give Derpy no reason to wonder why her fridge-cold soda was lukewarm. After that, she grabbed a Coke for herself, then walked into the living room, passing the spiked drink. “So what did you find?” Carrot asked. “French film that I’ve been wanting to watch for a while. It’s about a girl who gets into a car accident and is blinded by it. But she’s a world-famous pianist, and she’s afraid she’ll never play as good as she used to. She seeks help from a guy she once met in New York, and to her surprise, he’s…well, I don’t want to spoil the whole thing for you. You up for that?” Carrot plopped on the couch and curled into a ball. “Yeah, sure.” She glanced briefly as Derpy took a drink from her “Dr. Pepper”. She had no reaction, then set it down and drank again, this time getting the whole thing. “Wow, that was good. Think I’ll get another.” Carrot sat up. “Tell you what: let me get it, okay? Also, if you want, I’ll get us more nachos.” “Thanks, Carrot,” Derpy said with a wide smile. “Sometimes, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” The words and smile cut Carrot to the quick as she picked up the plate and entered the kitchen. Minuette looked at Primrose. “Primmie, why are you looking out the window into the backyard with binoculars?” “Um…birdwatching?” she said in a weak voice, while Autumn just rolled her eyes. “Okay, I think I’ve had enough. First it was Wai saying she couldn’t make it tonight, then you doing…whatever it is that you’re doing.” She then turned to Autumn. “And you kept saying we shouldn’t go out tonight, that we should just order pizza and watch TV in my room and stuff. Well, we’ve done that, I’m bored – no, scratch that, I’m fed up – and I think I deserve an answer.” The other two girls looked at each other, before Autumn sighed and said, “Look, Minnie, we’re just looking out for you.” “Looking out for me? Why on earth would you need to look out for me?” Primrose waved her over and handed her the binoculars. “Because of Stalker Boy there.” Minuette looked through the binoculars, and just beyond the fence and towards the wooded trail behind the house’s perimeter, a boy began to set up with what looked like an acoustic guitar. He had a lantern of some kind flashing a light onto him so he could be clearly seen, and as she noticed him, her heart fell. Noteworthy…. She’d forgiven him for what he did, mainly because he’d shown contrition and was willing to help Sunset take down The Club. But now he was here – how did he even know where she lived? – and her mind went into a panic, backing away from the door. Primrose immediately moved to Minuette’s side and enveloped her in an embrace. “Don’t worry, we’re here to protect you, Minnie. And as for dickwad there, well….” Autumn looked at her friends and smiled. “Wai’s got something planned – that’s why she’s not here. Because she wanted to make sure you were protected.” He doublechecked the lantern to make sure that it was workable and that he wouldn’t be sweating underneath it – that would probably attract mosquitos, and he didn’t want to deal with that right now. He then checked the strings on his guitar; playing where he was, it would be just enough to get her attention; apparently from what he could tell, her parents were out of town for the weekend. Hopefully she wouldn’t have any of her friends over, because that could be a problem, but he could live with the embarrassment. Hopefully also, her neighbors would appreciate the gesture for what it was, and not freak out about this old-fashion serenading. It suddenly dawned on him that maybe there were a few more variables to consider than he actually did, and that made him briefly pause. But then he steeled himself; he’d come too far to back out now. Slipping on his guitar, he strummed it once before a voice shouted, “Hold it right there, dirtbag!” He looked over to see Waterfire standing there, arms crossed and the look on her face as glaring as her day-glo orange hair. “You interrupted me,” he told her simply, not sure of what else to say. “Yes, I interrupted you, the stalker, from harassing my friend, the one who was victimized by you and your asshole buddies. It’s clear why you joined The Club, and while the others at least had the balls to try to go after the girls they wanted, you just wanted to wait until Stylin’ was done with us, you asshole!” “Stylin’? I didn’t even—” “LIAR!” Waterfire screamed. “IT’S YOUR FAULT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AND MINNIE AND ALL THE OTHERS!” She then narrowed her eyes in utter hatred. “But I’m going to end it.” She then, to Noteworthy’s surprise, ripped off her top – literally ripped off her top – handing him the remains. Then, with her top exposed, she fell back, screamed and cried, “No! Stay away from me!” As if on cue, a small mountain disguised as a human rushed out from behind the trees. Noteworthy had always wondered what it would be like to be like Bulk Biceps, the PE Teacher; or Iron Will, the School Counselor, both of which came from professional sports backgrounds to become school faculty. A new question was added today: what happens when you meet someone bigger. The man stood well six-and-a-half feet, and looked like there wasn’t anything on his body that wasn’t muscle; he didn’t wear clothing so much as it appeared painted on. Moving to Waterfire’s side, he took off his shirt and gave it to her. “Are you okay?” Tears rolled down her cheeks, though from his angle the man couldn’t see the wicked look in her eyes. “I’m fine, now that you’re here.” As she slid on the shirt, the mountain turned to Noteworthy and gave him a furious scowl. “What. Did you. Do. To her?” “I didn’t do anything!” he answered, and it was the truth. Though when the man glared at the wad of cloth that used to be Waterfire’s shirt, that was nestled in Noteworthy’s hand, he suddenly realized anything he had to say looked very, very wrong. “Wait…I can explain!” But Waterfire’s words damned him: “He said he was going to do to me what he wanted to do when he was with The Club,” she lied, though her acting was well enough to make it convincing. Seeing Waterfire like this, Pounder gave her a calming look. He never wanted her to be in danger, and even though confronting this twerp with the guitar had been her idea, seeing what this jerk was like clearly underscored the danger that she was trying to prevent – the same danger that she was now in. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal with this,” he told her, giving her a glance to indicate that she needed to get out of here. He then flexed his muscles and snarled, “And now to deal with you.” “But I di—” The answer came immediately as Pounder swung his fist, putting enough force behind it for Noteworthy to know it was going to hurt. He dodged, and the punch hit the tree behind him. The tree cracked, and while it wasn’t enough to snap it in two, the top half of it fell over, clear that it would be decapitated by the next strong wind that blew by. “You got lucky,” Pounder growled, “but that won’t happen a second time.” Noteworthy immediately turned to run, but he found that his options were limited: he could head into the trees, but the guitar would slow him down. Trying to run out of the path of the man was out of the question, and running down the opposite end would do no good; this guy was likely to catch him as he was in far better shape than Noteworthy (who wasn’t in bad shape, but not an athlete.) The answer was taken out of his range of choices when Pounder started throwing a flurry of punches, and Noteworthy did the only thing he could think of, buoyed by instinct, to protect himself. Fists hammered against the acoustic guitar, reducing it to strings and broken wood in a matter of seconds. When the strings snapped, they lashed out and cut Pounder, briefly driving him back. Though the blow staggered Noteworthy, it left him mainly unharmed. Noteworthy looked at the destroyed remains of his guitar and had an idea. It was a stupid one, he reasoned, but it was the only chance he had and swung the remains at the guy’s head. Maybe if I knock him out, I can get away, the teen thought, not realizing that his attacker had already recovered. However, the punch to his stomach, driving the air out of him, was a good indicator, as was the follow up to the face. And as Noteworthy crumpled under the punches, he could barely hear the enraged screams of the man above him, now kicking him as he fell to the ground. All he could see was the self-righteous and smug smile on Waterfire’s face as she laughed at what was about to happen to him. And his vision tunneled as he could see the backdoor open, with Minuette and the others coming out of the house… …but he wasn’t sure of what else to think about as he blacked out from the pain of the repeated blows. “Oooooh, my head….” Derpy opened her eyes to a blistering headache. The first reason was that she felt like shit, but she wasn’t sure why. The second reason was because her glasses were off, and so her vision was blurring and splitting as it did whenever she didn’t have vision correction. She found that she was lying on the couch, with her drink spilled and everything all a-buzz. I vaguely remember drinking a lot of Dr. Pepper and laughing a lot at a drama film and…. Her brain screamed and she closed her eyes, wincing. Maybe it was too hard to think about things right now. Right now all she wanted was water. That and maybe some Advil or something…. Her mind changed when she heard the sobbing. “Carrot?” she called out in as soft a voice as she could; she felt noise would probably not be best for her at the moment. “You there?” But there was no answer, save for the sobbing and a voice that murmured, “I’m so scared.” Derpy took a quick, bleary-eyed look at the TV, which simply showed the Netflix menu, waiting for a command to be put in and a new movie to be started. So that wasn’t the location where the voice was coming from. Instead, Derpy painfully moved her eyes as much as she could in unison to focus on her father’s bedroom door…which was open…and a shadow that Derpy didn’t like reflecting off the wall. Oh, no! Whatever was happening to her seemed to snap off in an instant, mentally; however, she was still incapacitated by whatever was happening to her body. God, I feel like I’m drunk…. Clarity suddenly settled in. Wait, Carrot was getting all my drinks tonig…son of a bitch! With a scream she nearly bit off, Derpy forced herself to her feet and lurched into her father’s bedroom. “CARROT!” she roared. Carrot held the gun in her hand. It was a 9mm, or maybe a 45, or a 3XS…she didn’t know much about guns, other than what she saw on TV and movies. Guns were more Derpy’s territory. Still, from watching said movies and TV, she did know how to load a gun and to her luck, the gun safe had been wide open, with the locking mechanism in various pieces, the apparent result of Derpy’s ongoing attempt to fix it, as she’d mentioned offhand earlier in the night. Regardless, the guns were now available, and Carrot wasted no time in loading one. And yet still, she paused. She knew what she had to do…yet she committed to no such action. “What are you doing?” Other Carrot screamed at her. She was nude, and looked as though she was a vibrant goddess, as Aphrodite herself. “You know what you have to do.” Carrot lifted the gun towards her head, holding it to the side of her face. She could feel the coolness of the barrel against her skin, could feel the weight of the weapon in her hand as she tried to hold it steady. Her finger wrapped around the trigger, and all she had to do was to pull it to be beautiful forever…. No…this isn’t right…. a part of Carrot cried within. Begging her to stop. Reminding her who she would be hurting: the ones that loved her the most, who wanted her in their lives regardless of what she looked like or whatever her standing was amongst the world’s beauties. That her parents would be devastated. That she would be dying in Derpy’s house – and what would that do to said best friend, who couldn’t protect her. “DO IT, NOW!” Other Carrot ordered. “Don’t you want enough dick and pussy to keep you forever fuckable?” She looked Carrot in the eye. “You do this now, and you can have me all you want, and I’ll do whatever it takes to please you.” Other Carrot snaked forward kissing Carrot as erotically as she could. “You know you’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to taste yourself, huh? Here’s your chance. Pull that trigger an—” “CARROT!” “Oh shit, here comes the retard,” Other Carrot said. “She’s gonna—” Carrot pulled the gun away from her face, and there was anger in her eyes. “Don’t you ever call her a retard, you bitch,” Carrot seethed, anger climbing onto her face. “You can call me whatever you want, but the moment you start hurting her that’s a line you don’t have the stones to cross.” “So brave. Well, let’s see if you’re brave enough to make yourself perfect.” With that, Other Carrot vanished just in time for Derpy to stumble into the room. “What the fuck are you doing?” Derpy asked, leaning against the doorframe both for support and to stop the room spinning. “Derpy…I can’t take it anymore,” Carrot admitted tearfully. “I can’t stand being ugly and crippled. So…I want to end it. I’ll be beautiful that way.” “What? Seriously? What the fuck are you talking about, Carrot? You won’t be beautiful, you’ll be dead! I think you’ve seen enough horror films to see what happens to the dead, or do I need to break out the scientific explanation?” Carrot gulped, raising the gun to her head. “My mind’s made up, Derpy. I’ll be beautiful this way, perfect in everyone’s minds. They won’t remember me as a violated waste of a girl, but as someone bright and wonderful. It’ll be better for everyone. My parents won’t be stuck with a crippled child. You…you can get a better best friend. You’ll be happier without me.” “What. The fuck? Carrot, please put down the gun!” “No! Everything will be okay – all I have to do is just end it, Derpy!” Whatever hangover Derpy had – and now she realized it was just that; clearly Carrot needed her out of the way so she could do this stupidity – was completely gone, taken over by a mixture of cold panic and burning anger. The former because she was genuinely afraid of what Carrot would do to herself; the latter because she was stupidly vapid enough to think she could get away with this. Think, Derpy, think – use that Goddamn brain of yours! Time seemed to go in slow motion, syncopated by the panicked breaths Carrot was taking while the two stared at each other. The blonde’s neurons fired into overdrive, blazing past the ethyl alcohol molecules in her system, rushing to the answer and bodyslamming it right into her mind. It’s so stupid, it just might work. Tamping down her fear and worry as much as she could, Derpy forced herself to calm down and look at Carrot – both of them, as far as her vision went right now – as calmly as she could. “Is this what you want?” “I….” Derpy casually sat down next to Carrot; part of her wanted to grab the gun away, but she knew better. She had to trust that she could get through to the other girl. “Fine. I won’t stop you. In fact, you’re more than welcome to do it – after you take care of one little detail, first.” Carrot looked confused. “What?” Derpy put on a lazy smile. “Well, you’ll have to murder me, first.” She pointed to her heart. “Right here should do it, don’t forget to double-tap.” Carrot looked at her best friend as if she’d gone insane. “No! Derpy, I’m not going to kill you—” “Yes, yes you are. Because you’re killing me now. We grew up together, we’re practically like sisters – the moment you kill yourself, I’m dead already. So if you’re going to kill yourself…put me out of my misery now.” “Derpy, why would I—” Tears started to stream down Derpy’s face; if nothing else about this plan made sense, at least those did, mainly because they were real. “Why on Earth would you ever think that any of us – any of us – would be happy without you? Your parents love you. Dinky looks up to you as a role model. And you’re my best friend! I don’t care about that cane, I don’t care about that scar – I care about you! And if you kill yourself…what kind of value do I have? The kind of person that can’t save her best friend…I’d be worse than shit.” She wiped her eyes; those, at least weren’t acting. “You have so much more to live for, Carrot – why give up now?” “Derpy, I….” “Give me the gun, Carrot. Please. If you love me as much as I love you, please, don’t abandon us.” The look in Derpy’s off-centered citrine eyes were one of love and strength. “We can make it through tomorrow and all the days after.” Carrot held the gun to her head. It would be so easy to pull the trigger, so simple to end it all. She’d be perfect. She’d be free. And Derpy was in no condition to stop her. “Make yourself perfect….” a voice called out in her mind. “We can do this together,” Derpy said, offering her hand. “Please, give me the gun.” “Derpy, I’m afraid,” Carrot confessed. “Then we can be afraid together…because right now, I’m terrified,” the blonde admitted. She held her hand out, and interminable seconds passed. “Free yourself!” Other Carrot shouted. “Trust me,” Derpy pled. Carrot murmured, “I’m so, so sorry….” She handed Derpy the gun. Derpy took the gun, checked the safety, then safely set it aside so that no one would see any harm. She then rushed over and enveloped Carrot in a hug as both girls broke down crying. Carrot lost it right then and started bawling hysterically while Derpy cradled her head, giving her kisses on the forehead and saying, “It’s going to be okay, Carrot. It’ll be okay. I promise.” Ground Pounder kept kicking the stupid little fuck that hurt Waterfire. Clearly she was right about him and his actions proved it. He was going to hospitalize this punk and hopefully, that would teach him a lesson. Minuette finally raced out of the house. “Stop! You’re going to kill him!” Pounder didn’t know who she was, other than probably one of the girls that Waterfire had risked herself to protect. “Stay back,” he ordered. “This asshole’s going to get what’s coming to him.” “And about time, too,” Waterfire said. To Minuette’s shock, she had a gleeful look on her face that seemed diabolical to her. “What did you do, Wai?” Minuette asked. With an angry look, she said, “Making sure that monsters get what they deserve. I don’t care if he didn’t actually ‘partake in the wares’ – it’s people like him that are the reason you, me, and so many others we know got raped.” Minuette pointed at the beatdown going on. “And how does that make us better than him?” “Because there’s such a thing as justice,” Waterfire said coldly, “and I’m going to watch it happen right now.” And she did. Just not how she expected. Pounder picked up Noteworthy, whose face was a swollen mass of bruises. By some miracle, his nose was still unbroken, but he’d be in the hospital for a few days. “And now to teach you why it’s not nice to pick on those who can’t help themselves.” “Indeed,” a voice hissed from behind the boxer. The next thing he felt was searing pain as two violent blows hit him in the solar plexus, followed by one in the chest and one to the chin. He dropped Noteworthy and automatically slipped into a defensive position for a second, before sensing his opponent was there and throwing the hardest punch at his disposal. He heard the slap of flesh against flesh, and a split second later felt a strong hand envelop his own. He looked at his attacker: a young woman, not much older than Waterfire, with long turquoise hair, lilac eyes filled with rage, and a scowl that seemed to rival his own. He suddenly wondered if there was more to the story that was going on, but it was far too late to ask. “What?” he said aloud. “A lady? I don’t hit ladies!” “Too bad for you,” Sunstone barked, “I’m not a lady.” And with that, she swung hard, hitting him in the crotch has hard as she could. As he went down, she grabbed the sides of his head and with a scream of rage, smashed his head down on her knee, delivering a crushing blow. The next thing Ground Pounder knew was the darkness of loss. “Oh, he’s got a thick skull,” Sunstone winced, feeling the pain of contact in her knee. She then looked at the girls assembled, and Waterfire in particular. “You have a lot of explaining to do. A lot.” Waterfire looked at her with a scowl. “What the fuck are you doing protecting this dirtbag, Sunstone?” she cried. “He tried to—” She shook her head. “Next time you film something? Make sure you don’t drop your camera.” Sunstone held up a GoPro, and Waterfire blanched. “Wai, what’s going on?” Minuette asked. “Yes, Wai, tell them what’s going on,” Sunstone sneered. “Oh, and if you’ll excuse me, I need to get Notes to the hospital. You might want to call an ambulance for this guy. Oh, and you might want to tell him the truth, too – he deserves it for being your patsy, you cunt.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Waterfire said, turning up her nose at Sunstone’s suggestion. “Oh, I’m sure you will,” Sunstone said as she gently scooped up the unconscious Noteworthy. “And on Monday, I’ll make sure that the whole school knows.” “Who’s going to believe you?” Primrose said. “You’re backing up the school outcast! That makes you just as guilty!” But then Sunstone said the three words that put fear into the hearts of Autumn, Primrose and Waterfire as she left: “Sunset Shimmer will.”