The struggles of any kind of students cannot be measured in how many subjects they ace in a constant manner. To think that a score is the absolute determinant to point out who is better suited for success would be a terrible ideology. Determinants beyond common knowledge played an important role too. Wits, quick-thinking, and common sense sometimes surpasses raw talent.
Not everything is dependent on good notes alone.
It was November 3th, Monday. A new week of classes dawned in the life of the young future of Equestria. The students of CHS were earlier to the installations, having in mind a common goal, an agreed objective. Triumph against the invincible Crystal Prep was a fantasy held by several student generations for twenty-four years now, and the idea of such long streak of defeats coming to an end was a fervent catalyst to hasten their steps to bring a triumphant victory to their loved institution. But… there were always fissures in the ideal of how to achieve their so longed goal.
There were always people who were put to the test and must overcome the adversities of life.
Sunset Shimmer walked in the halls of CHS with a smile that shinned brighter than the Sun of Spring. Princess Twilight’s visit not only saved them from a desperate situation, spending time with her mentor and treasured friend gave her energy that filled her from the inside out, all of it visible in the form of her shimmering eyes. It was hard to think in negative thoughts to keep in check the magic surge.
The Magic of Friendship desired to be unleashed from within her.
The girls and her were a little saddened that Princess Twilight had to return to Equestria after the match of soccer ended the last day. But the duties of a royal princess comes first, and those days they spent together filled her with overwhelming optimism. She barely slept those days, but yet, not a single trace of sour eye or tiresomeness were apparent in her figure.
Not a single glimpse of hopelessness tainted her spirit.
“Shimmer.”
“Good morning!”
“Hey, there!”
“How is it today!?”
“Looking good, huh!?”
Greeting after greeting, Sunset returned them with a warm gesture. She came a long way since her days of terror. It was like they were now just a memory used to give her courage to fight any odds against her.
“SHIMMER!”
“Huh!?” She finally noticed the man walking behind her. “Oh, Bittersweet! Good morning!” She said in a fresh mood. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes. I have something to ask of you.”
“Sure, go ahead!”
“I told you before that I wanted today for rest but I wish to change my free day for Thursday, if possible.”
“But of course! Now, let’s do a quick visit to Principal Celestia! I believe she has something for us!”
They paid a visit to the Principal’s office. Her younger sister, Luna, was elaborating and approving several documents regarding the school’s payments for the new security system and other menial investments with her elder sister. They both halted their obligations for a moment to attend the young ones, expression how they were pleased with their progress. Principal Celestia gave them a folder filled with the copy of Twilight Sparkle’s data. Nitpick gave a look to the information.
“Why the hell someone would use floccinaucinihilipilification in a report like this, Midnight…?” He mumbled dryly.
As they got out of her office, two police officers entered inside the room. Both assumed that they were there to discuss the missing money and school equipment with the school authorities. Thankfully, the projects were a concern that was taken care off thanks to the Princess’ efforts, putting Nitpick somewhat at ease.
Sunset was pleased.
….
Classes were smooth, not having a single moment of dullness or drowsiness. Even Mrs. Harshwhinny’s teachings proved to be incredibly entertaining for once. During breakfast, Sunset and friends were at their usual spot besides the monument of the school. Although it was still weird that the statue hasn’t been fully repaired by now, it didn’t stop them on having a good time of respite on the picnic mat, courtesy of Rarity.
“Granny Smith outdid herself this time, Applejack. I don’t remember her doing the meal of the day so tasty.” Sunset expressed in compliment.
“Well, thank you! I’ll tell her later when I’m back on the farm! And I don’t know about you, but everyone’s dedication is increasing by the minute, y’all!”
“I know! Even the corridors of the school are more shinny than ever since the students started cleaning after calling it a day during their daily activities!”
“Not to mention that our morale increased when Princess Twilight aided us with her magical spell!”
“Speaking of that, Nitpick looks fine now.”
“Soarin and several other guys said that he was pretty busted.” Rainbow commented.
“I saw him in a recent photo with Lyra, Thunderbass and Octavia on MyStable and his eye bags were very marked, and he doesn’t look that better today. I don’t think he should be helping us for a few days.” Rarity was concerned.
“He is a sturdy fellow, so it was obvious that he wouldn’t throw the towel easily. I’m glad that he has a sense of responsibility.”
“You almost said it with praise, Applejack!” Rarity gave her an impish smile.
“No, I’m not!” She turned her head to the side. “It’s just something that, uh, Cous’ Braeburn would say, y’all!”
“Whatever makes you sleep at night, darling!”
The girls just shook their heads in amusement, no strangers to the usual bickering of those two. In a quick fashion, The Sheriff noticed an anomaly in the group.
“Twi…? What’s wrong? You have been looking down since yesterday.”
“Oh? Nothing, I’m just in deep thought right now. Thinking things that happened recently…”
Sunset pulled her tenderly to her side. “I know that you miss her already as much as we do, but try to keep a straight face, Sci-Twi!” Twilight violently clenched her hands inside her skirt. “Her royal duties and the Cutie Map keeps her busy and she can’t be here all the time!”
“It must be pretty cool to be called to different parts of the world to solve Friendship problems!” Rainbow Dash gave a quick bite to her apple. “I mean, how awesome it must be having wings all day and fly everywhere to save the day!” She put herself comfortable on the mat. “I wish that we could have adventures all the time!”
“We may not have adventures everyday but we can have fun together! She will visit us this weekend too after she finishes some Friendship Missions that the Cutie Map has for her!”
“NICE!”
“AWESOME!”
“WOW!”
“Yeah…” Nobody but Spike noticed the Scientist’s dark mood.
….
The Element Bearers walked their separate ways to grab from their lockers the notebooks for their respective classes and work on their individual businesses until lunch break ended. As she was on her own, someone poked Twilight Sparkle from the back, politely grabbing her attention. As she turned around, a group of students were watching her with a friendly gaze. Several of them were familiar faces to the young Scientist, putting her at ease.
“Oh, hi Dancer! Everyone!”
The students waved their hands in a welcoming motion.
“Twilight, can we have a moment of your time? We need to ask you something regarding the report of the progress you made recently!”
“Of course, what do you need of me?”
“Let’s go to an empty classroom so nobody can hear our questions… they are a little embarrassing since I don’t understand some words. What is floccinpilification or something?” Some of the students’ cheeks blushed a little with silly embarrassment.
“It’s floccinaucinihilipilification, and I’ll be glad to help you in any way I can!”
“Thank you!”
Quickly grabbing her belongings from her locker, Twilight followed Dancer and company with a merrier expression. She felt that she could be… useful to somebody on her own. The farthest classrooms in the corridor was the selected destination. Once inside, the group proved to be attentive. Every question they asked, a simple but concrete answer came from the Scientist mouth. Spike looked at her in delight inside the backpack as his owner slowly started to get in a better mood, just like before Princess Twilight appeared altogether.
“Hey, Twilight!” One random student said. “We have a question regarding your cousin! We weren’t at school when she came since we had several compromises on our homes or jobs so we didn’t have the chance to meet her and ask her something!”
“Oh…” That made her feel moody. “What is it?”
“Well…”
“You see…”
“We heard that she is… nice…?”
“Guys, we need to be honest with her.” Lightbulb said straightforward.
“Honest?”
The surroundings became gloomy. A dark presence slowly emerged from the shadows of the room.
“Twilight.” Dancer carefully grabbed her face, giving her a serious gaze. “What exactly happened on Saturday?”
“She is asking about the incident regarding our projects, Twilight.” Lightbulb said.
Twilight’s innocent gaze looked at the group. “Well, nothing. Everything is fine now. Except for a few missing equipment and money that was stolen.”
“It’s all over her face that she doesn’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Let me start with a simple question. It’s true that a lamp fell down to the floor during the party?”
“Yes.”
“Why you didn’t stop the party? It was dangerous to keep it going if there was a danger that another lamp could fall!”
“Because we made sure that the structure was in good conditions.”
“How?” Lightbulb’s face became analytical.
“…How?”
“Yes. How? When a bulb of the ceiling breaks, the ladders needed to reach those heights are brought by an external company. Unlike the bulbs from the stage, you could never have reached that high without the company’s stairs or by flying on your own. And that is impossible, as we know.”
Twilight remembered that some still didn’t know about the magic in the school.
“Uh… yeah. Applejack and Rainbow Dash managed to put together the ladders that we have in the gym’s locker! And then we made sure that nothing was wrong with them!”
“Well, the Apple family is indeed resourceful in that department so it is likely that that happened. Although I don’t buy altogether whatever way you used to make sure that everything was alright.”
“What does this have to do with the projects?”
“They say that it was the Cutie Crusaders, but the janitors and other personnel arrived a bit earlier than them. It was impossible that the stuff was broken that quickly when everyone came a bit later. What we mean to say is… that the stuff was already broken on Friday night during, or after the party.”
“But the stuff were broken because thieves got inside the school! They may have ruined our works during their wake!”
“Twilight… the money and the missing equipment was never missing, at all.”
“What!?”
“Bulby and I decided to eat with Nitpick when our lunch break began. When we were about to go out to his spot, Vice-Principal Luna stopped us. She informed him that the police came to make an investigation and just when they were about to leave, one of the officers found the missing stuff inside one of the lockers from the band room, safely packed in a sturdy box. This all happened before school break began. He is going to spread the news later in a formal way.”
“We decided to ask you straightly and let him distract himself on his spot with his 3SD. I managed to get a rare copy of Shinobi Gaiden: The Owl Sword for the original SD just for him. That’ll definitely give him some needed stress relief before today’s work!”
An agonizing scream of frustration was heard across the four corners of the town. Lightbulb could almost hear the endless button smashing that certain guy was doing not so far away from them.
“…Perhaps not.”
“Anyway, we believe that it was Sunset who did all this.”
Sparkle and Spike’s eyes widened in shock. Their consciousness were filling with thousand ideas of how that notion was simply ridiculous. The others students’ expressions darkened. Not at her in particular, but Twilight was slowly beginning to analyze people’s… changes.
“That is impossible! Sunset is the nicest girl I have ever met! She couldn’t possibly do something like that!”
“You are pretty new in this school but by this point, you must already know her previous reputation… Some of us still harbor… doubts with her change.”
“No! I know that whatever happened back then, it wasn’t her fault! She says that she has changed from her past ways and I believe in her!”
“Twilight, it is all too suspicious to take the news that your cousin came to rescue us in a time of direst need at the exact, convenient, needed time that we were desperately screaming for help!”
“Nitpick may put a strong face and be too rude from time to time, but Bulby and I know him since middle school. He hasn’t changed in his core virtues and he takes his duties and friendships at heart. We are concerned for him and we want to know what happened in reality!”
“And it isn’t just that, Twilight.” One of the other girls said. “When we got the news that our labor was broken, we had the fright of our lives and rushed to the school to help in any way we could. But when we arrived, everything was fixed, and your cousin and Sunset were suddenly giving us orders on how to make our jobs properly!”
“They did it to keep a peaceful work environment!”
“Then how do you explain that our effort were broken, and then fixed in an instant!?” Another guy asked. “We are not the only ones who think that Sunset has something to do with all of this! Is not the first time she has done something behind our backs!”
“Hey! Don’t raise your voice to Twilight like that!” Dancer expressed angered to him. “She is at fault at nothing!”
The guy acquired a regretful silhouette. “You’re right, I’m so sorry.”
“Twilight, if we put in order how everything happened, all points out to her! Think about it! Why the strange incidents happened when your cousin arrived? Why our efforts were ruined during the time when your cousin was here? Why it was fixed immediately after Nitpick felt sick? Why the things that were stolen were found in a place that would be easy to find by her or the authorities? It was on the band room, for Pete’s sake! It’s just a fantastic, timely coincidence that the one who fixed everything was her.”
“But the Magic of Friendship-!”
Lightbulb sighed. “Please give me a break.” His calm voice couldn’t hide the small headache manifesting in him. “We have heard time and time again that there is a so-called magic that can fix every social problem we had here before. And some of us are tired of hearing rumors of mystical events that Sunset and company so happen to be the heroines in the tale. Besides, I saw the video that Sugarcoat made that proved that we cheated during the games and it is hard to deny those solid facts!”
“Coming back to the lamp, if it was broken, how did you fix it in less than a day? It’s impossible to repair steel and electrical cables in less than a minute. Unless it was never broken in the first place and it was just a trick, just like it happened during the games.”
“That video that Crystal Prep is… Sugarcoat sometimes is mistaken on things!”
“Twilight, it’s okay. Perhaps you were forced to do it because some of the guys of Crystal Prep are… uh, meanies. Cheating in the competition to help CHS may have been your way to have a little payback at them!”
“But CHS didn’t cheat!”
“Then what happened, Twilight? What destroyed the statue? What was the real reason that made you come to this school? Was it truly to make friends? Or it was Sunset’s influence that convinced you in the first place?” Dancer asked with a straight face.
She thought on telling them the truth. Convince the girls of transforming in front of them and make them understand that magic existed. It failed the last time when she tried to do it with Nitpick and company on her own, but if she quickly brought Sunset with her and took the lead, she could… She could…
“… I’m sorry… perhaps… there were some alterations to the games that I made… behind the scenes.”
Dancer and several students’ faces assumed a semblance of satisfaction after their version of truth was confirmed.
“So it was true then… Poor, little sweetie.” Dancer caressed her cheek with a mother-like nature. “You must have been so desperate to make friends that you felt that Sunset was your only, real option.”
“That’s why we also wanted to speak with you in private regarding her. We can’t force you to stop talking to her, but at least try to heed our warning; A snake never changes of shape, it just changes the skin when the old one is no longer sleek enough to hide within the trees and grass.”
“Even so, you must believe me when I say that she is innocent in this! I swear!”
“We trust in your innocence, Twilight. But perhaps what you think is the truth is a mischievous, fabricated lie.” Lightbulb said. “Not long ago, I didn’t care if Sunset changed or not. As long as she didn’t caused more troubles, I was fine if she even find her happiness on the road ahead. But my friend was affected by this, and if she has something to do with it, I would never forgive her. Not anymore.”
“But she couldn’t have done all this! For what purpose she would do something like that?”
“Total control of the school. Still be someone that everyone can depend upon.”
“What!? That’s insane!”
“Don’t you remember that Dash was mad at him because he was making minor complaints with the soccer team? Complaints that some of the students agreed with them wholeheartedly?”
“Yes.”
“And when he became a representative of the school during the start of our second competition with Crystal Prep, didn’t Sunset got angry with him when he antagonized her with several good reasons concerning the ‘mystical magic’ she has?”
“…Yes.”
“And I’m sure I don’t need to mention other instances like Pinkie’s incident, or Fluttershy’s, and I’m sure they must have had a lot of infighting behind the scenes. At first, we thought that most of it was his fault! But… when we thought about in detail, he had a good point in all those instances! Taking in account her past behavior before becoming ‘reformed’ with the one she has now, to be honest, the only thing that changed was her focus. It wouldn’t be strange to rid of the competition so she can shine again.”
“Choco, this is enough.”
“…You’re right. We should be complaining all of this with Sunset and not you, Twilight… but… some of us may still be afraid of her and her charisma to make things her way a reality… I’m sorry for putting all this baggage on you.”
“We all are sorry too, Twilight.” The students’ faces fell in depression. Powerless. Fearful.
One by one, they left the room and eventually reached their classroom to beat the teacher. Lightbulb stayed behind, trying to come up with any wisdom he could share.
He was never the outspoken type.
Twilight felt that she needed to say something to make Lightbulb trust in her words. That they were wrong about Sunset. That she was innocent and would never do actions like that. That she was also willing to help Nitpick as well because he was someone important to her. That she would try to cheer him up and make sure that everything was just an accident.
She never spoke her mind, and they both went their separate ways.
….
In the bathroom, cleaning her face with fresh water, the Scientist’s eyes were reddish with tears of impotence…
“Twilight!” The young girl blinked several times. She concealed her frustration with the soap and water. “You don’t really believe in what they said, right?” Spike spoke from inside the bag.
“Of course not!” She dried her face with her handkerchief. “But… I don’t know what to do.”
“You should tell Sunset what is happening! Perhaps she can find a way to prove that she didn’t ruined anything!”
“There is nothing to prove, Spike! She is innocent! But… perhaps it would be a good idea to tell her their feelings.”
As Twilight walked to her next class, she saw two familiar figures walking ahead of her. Lyra and Bon Bon were sharing another moment of sweet friendship with one another, holding hands as they joked together about silly movies they saw last week. Lyra noticed that the amethyst eyed girl was there, and she quickly smiled upon seeing her.
“Hey, Twi-Twi! Come and join us!”
“Uh… sure!”
“Nice! Perhaps you can help me with my-!” Lyra inspected her backpack and assumed a face of horror. “Homework!!! I forgot my notebook in the library!!!” She disappeared in an instant from their sight.
“Tee hee hee! Lyra is always like that! So, how was it?”
Twilight felt off when Bon Bon talked to her, still embarrassed for leaving her behind the last time.
“Excuse me?”
“I know you are there, Spike. Hi!”
“Hey there, Bon Bon!” Spike took out his head and waved his paw.
The girl looked at him with soft, caring eyes, caressing his jaw in a tender manner. Spike felt a comforting feeling on his nerves.
“Good, guardian puppy. Always doing a good job in taking care of your master!” That compliment made Spike’s eyes glimmer. “Anyway, I saw you walking with Dancer to a classroom. Tell me, what happened? She usually drags people to a quiet place when she has a delicate issue with somebody. Which is almost mythical, by the way.”
“She just mentioned… that she was worried about Nitty.”
“Ah, such a good friend she is. Great girl, and somewhat proud, but very protective to even strangers that she feels that are saintly, even after being horribly humiliated by Sun-“ She stopped immediately with troubled eyes.
“What were you going to say?” Twilight’s eyes twitched in distress.
“Nothing! Forget what I said… One more thing!” She stood in front of the Scientist. “I hope that you didn’t mention her the magic issue. Sometimes we need to hide things from others to protect their moral integrity.” She suddenly closed her face to her side, her lips almost kissing the soft skin of the Scientist’s ear. “Everyone lies, Twilight. Even you.” She mumbled in an almost unperceivable voice.
Cold.
A freezing shiver traveled through Twilight’s spine. Her breathing became heavy as her eyes diluted with doubt, denial, and weakness. An impotence possessed her body, making her almost fell to the ground. She was afraid to look at Bon Bon in the face. She finally remembered. The cold eyes that she saw last time during her date with Flash Sentry were looking at her again. It was a good thing she didn’t make direct contact with them.
Her mental fortitude would have been savagely shattered at the first glance of those arctic irises.
“Twilight… Have you thought about what I said to you last time?”
She was afraid… but something inside her mind hungered from knowledge. She didn’t moved her neck, only looking at the endless hall. “About your teaching offer?”
“Of course.”
“…Yes.”
“And?”
“Please… Give me more time to think about it.”
Bon Bon softly kissed Twilight’s cheeks. They felt like snow petals. Freezing… but immensely nice.
“Good girl. Keep lying about the truth for your friends’ sake.” She whispered, making sure that Spike couldn’t hear it, even with his heightened sense of hearing.
“I’m not… a liar.”
“Be careful, Twilight. If Sunset is going to the orphanage, you better go to either the retirement home or the nursing housing. If she stays at school, you better go to the city with the others. I don’t want you to witness a side of CHS… a side of the students that you haven’t seen at its fullest yet.” Her concealed voice was like needles of shadow piercing her spirit. “And you should take care of the boss.” She spoke in a normal, friendly tone. Her eyes were welcoming. “I saw him struggling a little and it may be wise to convince him to not do a lot for today. After all…” She walked towards the stairs to their next class. “You must remember that not all of us are magic batteries!”
She didn’t know why, but Twilight felt from the bottom of her heart that she must heed her warnings.
“Oh, and one more thing! Remember to keep you friends’ secrets for you alone, Twilight and Spike! Unless it is something nasty and it is imperative that you must tell information to right the wrongs, you don’t need a Pinkie Promise to respect the trust and empathy that was dawned on you… even if they were declaration of hate! I heard a rumor that Sunset was the culprit of the broken stuff, so be careful of what you say to anyone!”
Twilight froze in terror. Sweats traveled on her skin as Bon Bon winked at her ominously sweet.
“WAIT FOR ME!”
With incredible speed and a masterful foot-working, Lyra made a jump of several rungs above the stairs and joined her friend’s side, walking cheerfully together. Bon Bon’s eyes were vibrant, pure, and full of life when she was at her side. Their eye colors were a contrast to each other’s… but when together, it was like seeing the dawn gracing the fields of cold cotton and silver.
Like a sunny winter that you wished to be living forever.
As for Twilight… not even her loyal dog mentioned to Sunset the revelations trusted upon her master.
….
With the exception of Sunset who remained at school and Rainbow Dash who joined Spitfire in the training for the next match, The Rainbooms, Twilight and Spike went ahead to the city. Shimmer had a long a long list of ideas on how to improve the quality of their teamwork, taking in consideration the stolen money and equipment. Not even the most complex physics problems from Mr. Bridge could delay her brilliant mind's brainstorming. The multitasking prowess of the young mare went beyond her already immense limit. Just like Rarity, the Magic of Friendship overwhelmed her with super human energy and efficacy. She was filled with the stimulus to make everyone’s dreams a possibility.
She was willing to give her all to make the school’s ideals a reality.
Her steps sped up. Her face took a serious, passionate expression. Her eyes were burning with undying resoluteness. The gym hall’s doors were in her sight. Her hands reached the handles and opened the entrance to the hall filled with… …. …
Not everything in life is easy.
There are times in your living presence on the world when you are put to the test in an unexpected manner. Adversities are unavoidable. No matter how much you try, no matter how much you dedicate yourself to foresee mistakes to prevent them, there will be always something – from the most catastrophic accident to the pettiest stupidity - that will get in your way.
And it won´t even matter if your intentions are pure or wicked, for luck was something beyond us.
Restrained emotions could be felt. Suffocating atmosphere engulfed the light. Eyes filled with muddled and rancor perceivable to innocent.
Something was wrong in the air.
“Uh… Hi, everyone!” Sunset composed herself.
“Hey there… Sunset.” Norman said dryly.
“Ah… Are your ready to keep fighting the good fight!?”
“Of course we are ready. Just making sure that nothing breaks this time.” Cherry Crush said straightforward.
“Yeah… Alright! Let’s get going!”
The community resumed their functions. Sunset walked from group to group, asking if they needed something else in particular. Dry answers and cutting words were the only thing she received from them. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but the indifference suddenly increased.
“Shimmer.”
The mood was depressing, her energy slowly began to drain from her body. It was an abnormal, but yet, familiar situation. She was no stranger to unwelcoming eyes. During her reformation days, she wasn’t the most desired presence in a social group. This time, however, a silent rejection surrounded her senses.
Old fears… slowly emerging like…
“SHIMMER!”
“AH, UH!?” She faced the source of the voice. “Oh, Bittersweet! What are you doing here? Isn’t this supposed to be your rest day?”
“I told you in the morning that I asked to change my free day to Thursday, remember?”
“Oh, yes… I forgot.”
“Seriously, you have been in the clouds all day.”
“Hey, Boss! How are you!?”
“Are you sure you should be here, Boss?”
“Want us to get you some Fizzy Apple Cider?”
“I’m not that pathetic to ask you to do menial tasks for me, but thanks for your concerns.” He said a little humbled. “I have important news, everyone. The stolen items have been found, including the lost money!” The students made a thunderous scream of rejoice as the good news were the kind of thing that they needed to hear. “But!” They suddenly calmed themselves, listening attentively to his voice. “It was found inside the band room. The police think that vandalism occurred inside the school by some of the students. Perhaps some sort of prank. I heard that the Cutie Crusaders were the primary suspects, but after reviewing the data, the officers assured that they couldn’t have done this. The only conclusion is that everything happened during the party or afterwards.”
“Who do you think could have done this, Boss?”
“I don’t know. I was in the Town’s Hall working for the Mayor trying to secure us a kind of back-up plan. Shimmer was with me but she left earlier to assist to the party. But… it doesn’t matter now. Whatever happened on Saturday is in the past now. I heard that Twilight’s cousin came to fix things up quickly and that’s all that I care about. So, without further ado, please resume your roles. Shimmer and I will be around to aid you in whatever we can. If you have any questions, please ask.”
“Roger!” They shouted.
“Noisy. When did they started to be this friendly with me?” He mumbled bitterly.
The mood quickly changed to a brighter and welcoming one. More students appeared to help their companions and friends to complete their part of the job of today. It was like all the bad vibes that the people had disappeared with the news of everything coming back to normal. Bittersweet was attentive to the needs of the community, not wanting to screw things up, and several students asked for Sunset’s aid, expecting her to find solutions to their problems.
“They were just angry for the inconveniences…” Sunset said to herself, regaining part of the good humor she had in the morning.
She joined Nitpick’s side and no further mishaps happened for the rest of the day.