Eight with fifty, that was what the clock marked.
Sitting in a bench with his legs lazily crossed, Nitpick Bittersweet was surfing the web on his just charged phone, waiting for the others to come to the point of reunion. There are people who loved to be punctual to a meeting, and although Nitpick wasn’t one of those, he at least liked the idea to arrive earlier so the right to leave earlier could be earned. It didn’t apply to fun activities, for obvious reasons. Even so, people arriving late and wasting his time enraged him red hot.
Nine o’clock, that was what the clock told him.
His temper started to build up inside of him, bitter and annoyed by this trend that his schoolmates had about time and compromises. Was it that hard to arrive earlier at anything for them? He soon focused his attention to the mountains near Ponyville, sighing in resignation that others didn’t share his obvious exaggerated ideals. He bit his lower lip and relaxed in his seat, hoping for the best.
Nine with thirty, that was what the clock mocked.
He now was furious, his face had undeniable assumed a bitterly expression, truly considering the idea of going home and sleep. A single message from them telling him that something would delay them or the meeting had to be cancelled for acceptable reasons would have sufficed to calm him down. But he checked his phone over and over with the same repetitive result. No calls or messages received in forty minutes. It didn’t help that two madwomen and his unusually lousy neighborhood made such ruckus in the middle of the night, depriving him of precious hours of sleep. Such rude behavior and lack of compromise was simply unacceptable.
“Fuck it, I’m out of here!”
He stood up, planning to walk back home.
“NO, WAIT!”
Fast footsteps suddenly could be heard with a pronounced and desperate tempo. When he turned around, the figure of Octavia Melody was rapidly growing in size until finally standing in front of him, tired and breathing exhaustively.
“S-so…!” She inhaled air heavily, trying to recover vital oxygen for her blood current. “S-so sorry for being this late! I-I sincerely overslept and came here as fast as I could!”
“At least you are being honest about it. Take it easy, let’s have a seat so you can take a breath.”
“You’re truly calm about it. If I were you, I would have been angry if someone arrived this late.”
“I can’t stand being late and waste people’s time either! But I can appreciate honesty when I see it.”
“You and me both.” She wholeheartedly nodded in approval.
“Where are the others?”
“I have no idea. Bon Bon told me that our meeting was at nine and here I am… a half hour late, embarrassingly enough! It’s strange, though. Lyra and Bon Bon never comes late to an appointment.”
“Now that you mention it, it’s true!”
“Should we call them? Perhaps we are in the wrong park.”
“No, she told me that this was the place.”
“GUYS!”
Both young teenagers looked at the horizon and saw an intense soar of electric blue flying to their way. Soarin was sprinting like if he was being chased by angry, savage dogs. Unlike Octavia, however, he didn’t show signs of exhaustion when he reached them both but his usual happy face radiated rays of light.
“Sorry for being late! I forgot that I had training with the rest of the soccer team for tomorrow and I decided to train by myself at dawn to compensate my absence with them!”
“Oh... Well, alright, you’re forgiven, sit.”
“Thanks, Bo- Nitpick!” He sat at his acquaintance’s right, much to Melody’s bad luck. “Hi, Octavia!”
“H-hi, Soarin! I hope we can enjoy ourselves today!”
“Of course we will! We’re gonna have a blast together! …Where are the others?”
“That’s a fantastic question Melody and I were asking to ourselves!” He said with a shade of mockery.
“How weird, Lyra and Bon Bon never arrive late to anything important!”
“That’s two, Bittersweet. We should call one of them now.”
“Maybe you are right.” He quickly dialed up to Lyra number, but to no avail. “Damn, it’s turned off!”
“Try calling Bon Bon!” Suggested Soarin.
He complied to his suggestion. “What the hell? Her line is not available!”
“What if something happened to them?” Soarin asked worried. “Where is Thunderbass?”
A furious roar echoed on their senses of hearing. Almost instantaneously, an attractive family van parked in the parking lot of the streets. Charmingly putting a quarter on the parking-meter, Thunderbass rushed to the side of his partners in fun.
“I’m so sorry for coming up this late! I was caught in a heavy traffic on the city while taking my brother to pick up our car from the workshop!”
“… Don’t… Don’t worry, we understand. Take a seat.”
“Thanks, Bittersweet!”
Soarin made some space for Thunderbass to sit down. Nitpick remembering the dilemma he had between the love triangle, chose to seat besides the soccer athlete so the guitarist could sit in the middle between him and Octavia. Much to his dismay, however, Octavia got closer to Bittersweet, giving Thunderbass the corner of the bench. He may be sitting beside her, but there was a somewhat big gap of several centimeters between the two, putting them in a dry mood.
“Where is Lyra and Bon Bon?”
“They haven’t arrived yet.” Nitpick said between teeth, steam almost forming on his breath.
“Weird. They never come late to a meeting!”
“That’s it! Does someone of you know where one of them live?”
“It’s something wrong?”
“THEY ARE LATE!”
“Chill down, man! Lyra lives nearby! Come, I’ll ride us there and see – Hey, look! Here she comes!”
The sun was shining brightly on the Golden-Eyed Girl as she was walking at a snail pace towards her friends. Looking fresh, smooth and relaxed, eating a big-sized yogurt with oats, Lyra Heatstrings became the embodiment of simple bliss and happiness on that morning. Nitpick clenched his teeth, eyes turning small and fiery.
“Good morning, everyone!” The girl smiled to them, roses and glimmer almost appearing on her face.
“YOU ARE LATE, HEARTSTRINGS!”
The girl flinched, then she stepped forward in confusion. “It’s something wrong, Nit-Nit?”
“You told us to come here at nine and it’s almost ten in the morning!”
“But I sent you a message that we changed plans and we would see each other here at ten!”
“Forgive me, Lyra, but we didn’t received such message.” Spoke Octavia.
“That’s true.” Added Thunderbass.
“What? I’m sure that… oh, wait.” As she checked her cellphone, she noted something unexpected. “If you have one, can you please lend me a spare battery charger?”
Thunderbass gave her his portable battery. “Here.”
“Thanks… Oh, well…” She gave away a chuckle with embarrassment. “It seems that my battery died before sending the group message. I’m sorry, guys!”
As her device turned on, four ringtones sounded in crescendo. When Nitpick opened his phone, he noticed that he had a new, unwelcomed chat group on his screen. As he read the message from Lyra, adorned with thousands of disgustingly cute emojis, rage and reason were clashing inside his head. In the end, reason won and the young man swallowed his anger, coming to the conclusion that it was an honest human error, remembering that he has committed tons of those as well before.
Besides, Lyra was cute, he couldn’t stay mad at her for more than three minutes.
“Nit-Nit, will your friends join us? Tell me that Reem will come!”
“I’m surprised that you have managed to withstand Reem’s crude behavior this far. And the answer is yes, but they’ll come far later if they have the chance. Too busy with studies right now.”
“Bummer. But oh well, almost everyone is here from CHS. The last members should join us soon!”
“Are there other people coming with us?”
“Yes! Don’t worry, it’s just one more besides Bon Bon! They shouldn’t take that long!”
With a natural knack for making people get along nicely, Lyra made her friends sit down on the bench once again. Placed in an new order, Lyra, Soarin, Octavia, and Thunderbass were talking about random topics. From Soarin’s training to Octavia’s performance, the conversation was lively within the group. Bittersweet on the other hand, sitting besides Lyra, looked at them in defeat, thinking to himself that the group slowly sailed away from their original purpose to hang around.
“This was a mistake…” He whispered weakly.
As he was about to lose himself to the view in the sky, his head turned to the left when a certain shiver traveled on his spine. On his field of vision, two feminine figures were walking calmly to the group. One was Bon Bon, who, like Lyra and Melody, was dressed in a very appealing way. She brushed her hair again, lips subtly painted with a cute tone of pink. Her legs were a kind of a view for him, making him realize that perhaps Adagio was right about him.
Fickle people are as voluble as women, who are as voluble as the sky of autumn.
When he snapped back from his illusion of an innocent and pure Bon Bon, he looked to her right and there was a light purple girl wearing her usual nerdy glasses, hair messy, and her clothes were plain and simple. The rest of the group noticed them and greeted them warmly, smiles and good vibes reigning on the spot. Nitpick was looking at her dubious, curious, and amazed. When purple girl stood in front of him, Twilight Sparkle said, “Hi, Nitpick!”
“What the…” He mumbled.
“Ready to have some fun?” She exerted an aura of vibrancy.
“Yeah.”
…. ….
Inside Happy Sweet House, one of the most popular breakfast diners in Ponyville.
“These sandwich taste so good!”
“I’m glad you like it, Twilight!” Lyra said.
“Indeed, Twilight. I’m surprised that you didn’t ask for cheese in the stuff.” Nitpick commented with a gentle smile.
“It taste better like this, right?”
“Right.”
“So what are we going to do next, Lyra?”
“First we’ll do some shopping in the Chocoratte Plaza! There are some things that we need to buy for our planned activities!”
“Please elaborate.”
“Don’t worry, Octavia. Nothing fancy or outrageous! Thunderbass, can you take us there?”
“That’s what the van is for. My old bro was surprisingly kind to lent me his ride.”
“Oh, siblings always help each other!” Bon Bon said sarcastically. “What did he want from you?”
“Take him to the city and clean his drums. It took me all night to do so. It was worth it, though. Now I’ll get to use it all weekend!”
“That’s sounds nice!”
“Yeah! So, any of you want dessert? Octavia, do you want a parfait? My treat!”
“No thanks, Thunderbass. I’m full and I rather be light by the time we hit the arcades. There is a certain game… I want to play badly against someone again.”
“Cool! What game?” Soarin asked.
Melody’s cheeks got a subtle shade of red. “…Whack-the-mole.”
Lyra giggled. “Really? I never thought you would like that one!”
“I played with Bittersweet last time. It was fun… and exhilarating.” She clenched her fist.
“Yeah… I’ll win this time.”
“I don’t think so, but good luck, nonetheless.” She politely said with a challenger aura.
“It smells burnt around here!” Bon Bon patted Nitpick’s shoulder. “I also wish you luck when we face each other again, Boss.”
“Shut up…” He hissed.
“That sounds fun to me!”
“Isn’t it, Twilight?” Lyra gave her a big smile. “Come on, everyone! Let’s finish breakfast and enjoy our day of leisure!”
They cheered to that, and their plates were emptied eventually.
…. ….
Inside one of the sport stores in the Chocoratte Plaza…
“So, what are we going to buy?”
“Gloves!”
“What for?”
“Have you ever played bowling before?”
“Not really.”
“Then I’m pleased to be your first! The guys have always been nice with us and I planned to buy the gear for them as a little gift!”
“You always plan the sweetest things, Lyra! And… I like the idea!”
“I know, right? Sometimes it’s a mystery how Bon Bon deals with me!”
“It’s more of a pleasure, really. You really take me to experiences that I will treasure for years!”
She blushed reddish with a wide grin. “S-so, what glove size would you be?” She took a pretty set of dark purple gloves for Melody to try out. It fitted her hands perfectly. “Medium size you are. What about you, Bon Bon?”
“Already found mine and yours!” She showed her a beautiful pair of matching gloves. “Like them?”
“Love-Love-Love them so much! And for Twilight… you have been really quiet today. It’s something wrong?”
“Oh no, it’s just that seeing your interactions warms my heart! You are really friendly to each other!”
“That’s right! CHS has one of the friendliest bunch you will ever meet in the state! All thanks to your… cousin’s efforts!”
Bon Bon looked at her best friend with a very subtle glimpse of suspicion.
“Tell me, Twilight. I’m curious about something. Nit-Nit told Bon Bon that you wouldn’t come today with us because you had a family party. What made you change your mind?”
“Oh, the party starts way later so I decided to spend time with all of you… if that’s ok with you!”
“But of course that‘s ok with us!” She gave her a pair of small sized pink gloves. They fitted perfectly on her hands and she loved them as well. “Let’s have a blast today! Now, Tav-Tav, what glove size do you think is for Thunderbass?”
“I don’t know, perhaps large.”
“Are you sure? I think he is extra-large size!”
“Doubtful, Lyra. I challenged him to an arm wrestling game last year and his hand was large size indeed, barely bigger than mine… He was pathetic.” She whispered to herself.
“Really? Large size it is.” She chose a deep blue set. “What about Soarin?”
“Large size.”
Lyra looked at Melody with skepticism at how fast she answered. “Are you sure?”
“Definitely. He told me about it when we finished a music session some time ago. Spitfire, being the obvious, undisputable strategist she is-” Bon Bon detected sarcasm and giggled to herself. “-told him to try being a goal keeper. It didn’t work.”
“Then large it is! What about Nit-Nit?”
“He definitely is extra-large! I overheard Gilda talking about their time of fencing sparring or something with Prince Blueblood and complaining that their gauntlets were too small. Mmm… I believe these are nice for him!”
“What do you think, Twilight? Are these grey gloves suited for him? As one of his close friends, you should know!”
“I believe they will look nice on him!” Twilight smiled with a bit of reluctance. Thousands of variables traveling on her head as she realized that she didn’t studied him well enough.
“Or maybe…” Luckily, Bon Bon gave her some help. “He is wearing his favorite Tac-Shirt. I believe the black ones will combine better with the grey of his outfit. You know, make contrast with the white of his t-shirt.”
“That definitely sounds more logical! Rarity would agree as well!”
“I knew you would say that, Twilight! Then our shopping is over! Let’s go pay these and join the guys. I can see that they’re dead tired already.”
The girls looked through the window and small, innocent grins appeared on their faces when they spotted the guys. Thunderbass was asleep with a tired face and his hands lazily put on his side pockets, Soarin was napping blissfully with his head hanging on the upper cap of the bench, and Nitpick’s arms were crossed, his face looking down and giving the impression that he didn’t even know what was human interaction.
The girls paid for their presents and bought some juices to share with them.
…. ….
Steven Magnet was always delighted to receive customers to his bowling center. More delighted was when people arrived at the opening hour at eleven in the morning. Since there was seven people and only two teams could be formed, he decided that the four girls would be team one and the team of boys would take turns on who would make the fourth shot in each session.
As he prepared the tables and machinery that his first clients of the day would use, he arranged once again his flamboyant hair and mustache. Steven’s charisma filled the air with intensity and good juju, traits necessary for the smalls competitions all his clients came up with from time to time. The last one he helped realize was to help Flash Sentry in his quest to get closer to Twilight Sparkle, plan that Thunderbass remembered bitterly as he put his designated shoes.
As he looked at the Scientist’s Impostor, believing that she was indeed the real deal from this world, he couldn’t help but feel pity for her. A pity and shame that such endearing teenager was caught in a selfish but inescapable struggle of feelings that his friend had. It seemed like ages since he and Flash were driving on a car, singing songs of youth and wild dreams. But at the same time, he grow weary of that style, wanting to try something fresh. Something different.
Something that made him feel new.
Flash and he slowly drifted apart in style… and maturity. But, he didn’t want to think any more of it for the moment. As he looked at the gloves that Octavia Melody gifted him, he found himself smiling on the inside, wearing them proudly without hesitation. Part of him wished to talk with Lyra on her own, see if there was any opening he could try out to get closer to her crush.
But Thunderbass was more down-to-earth than his friend, coming to the conclusion that playing nice and simple would be ideal, while giving small, subtle advances on her. After all, what woman could love a man that gained her friendship, only to realize that her supposed ‘friend’ wished something else from her all along?
He took the ball with his gloves well put and made the first strike of the morning.
“Hehehe. Beat that, Heartstring.”
As for Lyra Heartstring, after responding in kind with a giggle to his declaration of war, she quickly got ready at the same time as her friend. She looked at her companions of fun and wished for all of them that a good time could be achieved today and forever. The Golden-Eyed Girl wasn’t as energetic or charismatic as Pinkie Pie, but some people liked a more lay-down ambient, traits that worked charms for her.
When she looked at Octavia applauding sweetly at Thunderbass’ efforts, she wished for both to find happiness in any way they could. And even if fate deemed that they weren’t made for each other, she was willing to try and help them as best as she could. After all, good deeds are repaid in kind, and Lyra hoped for… wished for someone in the sky to notice them and grant her the wish that she desired and deserved. She looked at the Princess, and just gave her a gentle smile. After all, she was here for the fun.
But it wasn’t the time to think on trivialities. She stood up with fire in her eyes and launched the ball like a missile to the pins, marking the first strike for her team.
“HA! Almost too easy! It’s your turn, Soarin!”
“I’ll give it my best shot!”
Soarin could be considered the calmest member of the bunch, barely getting angry at anything and being a voice of tranquility to those willingly to listen. He was enjoying the company of the people surrounding him, perhaps a bit too much. But… that wasn’t a bad thing at all. It’s been a while since he just… had fun doing something. He never played bowling before, and his first shot was a testament to it, barely pushing down 3 pins. But nobody on his team gave him the bad eye or made him lesser. On the contrary, they motivated him to make a comeback.
It seemed like years since someone just pushed him forward without forcing him to do so. In the morning, before he joined the group, part of him was feeling guilty at the thought of forsaking team training before the big gaming of tomorrow. More so was his worry to hear Spitfire’s yelling and scolding for doing so. But those feelings slowly faded away as the minutes passed, having enjoyed his breakfast, receiving a nice little present from the girls, and now, trying to put down more pins for the team. He launched the ball and he managed to score eleven pins in total. The girls clapped vividly, and the guys gave him two friendly thumbs up.
Perhaps Bon Bon was right during their last conversation. Perhaps it was time to make new friends.
“That was a fantastic effort!”
“Thanks, Octavia! Here, it’s your turn!”
As Soarin delicately passed her the ball, Octavia Melody’s heart jumped sky high. She managed to control her feelings as her crush smiled to her and sat down on his seat. As she stood in front of the lane, Steven changed the music to something smoother. Octavia soon fell in a deep pit of melancholy… and longing memories. Techno music wasn’t her style to choose when creating music, but she came to appreciate the different kind of results and sounds that the art could produce. Vinyl Scratch, for the better or worse, became her source of inspiration during her most rosy experiences and darkest moments.
A big part of herself wished for her friend to throw away her projects and perhaps create a bizarre but entertaining piece of music together. But Octavia Melody was too proud, and too self-aware, to ever make such demands. It was so easy in paper, really. All she needed to do was ask her for the chance to make something like that a reality, and Vinyl would definitely say yes. The problem was the Rainbooms themselves. Her friend would suggest to make a collaboration with them since she has developed a partnership with the group, and most of her efforts have been focused on the Magical Girls of the school.
The fear that she would be an afterthought frightened her. After all, Vinyl was her only friend after the club of jazz was disbanded thanks to Sunset’s fiasco many years ago. That name filled her with an uncharacteristic rage for someone as calm, elegant, and well-spoken as her. Or maybe it was jealously that the person that gave her such a bad time now was hanging out with her best friend like if nothing happened.
No… deep inside, Octavia knew that the real answer was something far worse. It was something that she needed to end. And the answer to eradicate, to destroy, to erase that negativity in her spirit, was something that Bon Bon told her a little while ago. Vinyl has been her only friend all these years…
So maybe...
With a gentle touch, the ball rolled on the lane and struck down seven pins. She got excited when the people behind her chanted encouragement to her, and her second attempt resulted on all twelve pins struck down.
“I DID IT! OH, I DID IT!! I mean… It’s your turn, Bittersweet.”
“Already? Damn.”
As for Nitpick… he was still unsettled by his lack of sleep, barely controlling his bad temper. The screams of the women that perturbed his deep sleep were going to pay. He didn’t know who they were, and he didn’t care… but he will find them, and he will kill them. He finally launched the ball and performed a slow strike.
“Hehehe! I haven’t lost my touch! So… Twilight! It’s your turn! I hope you remember ALL that I have taught you so far!”
“O-of course I do! Watch and learn!”
The thing that Princess Twilight didn’t want to happen came to be. She was hopeful that Bon Bon would work her hardest to avoid this kind of situations. Her failing was that she lost herself so much during the nice and fun talks she had until know that she lowered her guard horrible. She was lucky to have eaten in a human fashion correctly, part of it was for her food to be easy to eat with hands, but sports? Totally different.
She did a bit of progress on her quest of Friendship by realizing that everyone just had bad days recently. All of them were moody and somber in very tiny lapses when talking about certain activities regarding Sunset. Perhaps her student was overlooking something that she may be able to grasp during her time with them. For now, she tried her best to imitate Lyra and Thunderbass’ movements, and with the luck of the ancient ponies of Equestria, she managed to make a miraculous - never again to be repeated - strike.
“YES!”
“Well done!” Bon Bon clapped. “So, who will make the fourth shot in your team, Thunderbass?”
The Acoustic Guitarist gave her a confident, contained laugh. “We will decide the fate of our team with the only possible solution.”
“Rock-Paper-Scissor?” Soarin asked.
“Exactly!” The trio played the game three times and the winner was decided. “Don’t screw up, Bittersweet!”
“Not again.” He said with laziness. He launched the ball and took down eleven pins. In his second attempt, the ball was this close to strike down the last one but it fell to the hole. “Damn, that was close.”
“Good! It’s my turn now, Boss!”
“Shut up the fuck, Bon Bon. We aren’t in school.”
“So cruel! So mean! Why you always treat me like this!?” She acted in a funny way for the group, making them laugh and have a good time.
“Because teasing you is my only way to show you that I have a big crush on you and I love your slender, athletic legs! Let me sleep on them later because they look comfy as hell! If Lyra gives me grapes while at it, the better!”
Bon Bon flinched furiously as most of the group exploded in laughter when seeing her reddish face. She quickly gave Bittersweet a vengeful glare, and he returned it with a grin full of mockery. After thinking multiple ways of murdering Thunderbass on his sleep for poisoning their minds with the idea of a romance, and quickly coming to her senses that she mustn’t do it, she meditated internally fast enough to walk straight to the lane and obliterate the pins with a single, swift and savage canon ball. Her team was winning, but it left a bitter taste on her mouth.
Princess Twilight noted her anger. At last, she was doing some real progress, and thankfully it was an easy problem to solve... on her point of view. Perhaps the guy didn’t realize how that kind of jokes could harm people’s feelings, especially for females. After all, love is a picky subject. There was a catch, though. The Princess of Friendship didn’t knew the whole story from HER perspective, unknowingly walking to a sweet, silent trap.
…. ….
After finishing the competition, they went to the arcades of the Maximus Plaza in the city, hundreds of games to choose from. Reem Oakwood and Arbelth Blueblood were the first Crystal Students to join with the group. She hugged her beloved first, and greeted the rest with a curtsey and a short, pleasant smile. The rest returned the greeting in kind.
Arbelth on the other hand just shook his friend’s hand and greeted the rest with a simple, “Good afternoon, fair citizens.” Now used to his weird demeanor, the CHS gang returned the gesture politely. Princess Twilight quickly assumed that this Blueblood was the same as his counterpart, except for one difference.
She didn’t remember that her world’s version had a sister. When Sunset mentioned it to her, she searched on the castle’s archives and Prince Blueblood was the sole offspring from the Royal Family. Perhaps it was another difference in her world from this… it didn’t remove from her the feeling that something was different, and wrong, with Reem. It was strange, but terribly familiar.
Before she could start asking questions, a well-dressed man came to them in a delighted manner. He was the owner of the local and was checking his installations that afternoon, but when his eye caught their particular group, he quickly recognized the daughter of the Oakwood Lineage, much to Reem’s discreet dismay and her brother’s indignation of being ignored. Her mother’s company makes thousands of useful products for different areas and Mr. Sharpbronze was a loyal customer from her Electrical Necessities branch, having bought the emergency power generator for his business with a pleasant discount last year. Device that saved his business three times during its service.
In return for such generous gesture and excellent customer service, he asked his employee to give to each of them a Gold Card Membership with an expiration date of three years, granting them access to the most popular areas without having to wait in line, and a generous discount of thirty percent in the buy of currency.
Reem put her hands behind her like a lady and clenched her fist with fury as she was smiling widely to Mr. Sharpbronze. Her brother on the other hand was mostly pleased that their status granted them things that they mostly deserved. Mindful, nevertheless, he paid for two extra cards for Gilda and Sugarcoat, not wanting to leave them behind in their eventual coming.
After the sir was gone. “But…” Princess Twilight spoke with a clear voice. “We should at least give him something in return! Perhaps buy something at full price!”
“That is a magnificent, wonderful idea, Miss! Rosaline! Buy whatever snacks you wish to eat for you and the rest of the maids and butlers!”
“Of course, My Lady! Thank you!” The maid said with dreamy eyes, looking straight to the chocolate bear on the stand.
“But Sis-!”
“Silence, we should not abuse our status in little things like this. Father gave your monthly income today, did he not?”
“Whatever. I’ll buy us snacks as well.”
It was a slow burn, but eventually the fun rose to the sky. All of them shifted partners to spice things up on each game they played. Even the annoying Blueblood found entertainment in the crane machines and competing against Lyra in a game of ping pong. Surprisingly to her, she was losing ever single match, making her competitive spirit burn her eyes into tiny suns. The Prince being too used to sports that required finesse, and his body strengthened with Gilda’s gruesome tortures, didn’t feel the pressure in Lyra’s attacks.
Bon Bon was having too much fun crushing Bittersweet's pride to the point of almost making him feel like trash. She wanted to mess with him so badly after the humiliation of earlier, and she laughed with a tint of rose at that idea. Maybe she lost herself in the moment, but physical contact between the two increased significantly. That could have led to something more intimate if the former wasn’t focused on exacting revenge and the later trying to formulate a plan to win at something.
Fate may have deemed that it was for the best to never develop something more with them.
Soarin, Thunderbass, and Octavia were playing Whack-the-mole and lost themselves in the lust for victory, leaving behind any personal preference they had. To their surprise, and humiliation, Octavia was crushing them down, forcing the boys to team up and defeat her… Their struggles and efforts were pointless, though, as her pretty but overwhelming laughter of victory echoed inside their heads.
As for Princess Twilight, her turn to play the games came when Reem offered her to play air hockey. At first, they both were terribly pathetic, but after getting used to the motions of the disc, they got better at it. The Princess was losing many times fold thanks to her lack of control on her still alien hands, but that didn’t put her down. She instead fought back every time that Reem gave her words of encouragement in each round.
Then the others joined them and played against Twilight, Bon Bon’s suggestion. The Princess couldn’t help but enjoy her time with them as each adversary gave her a fair fight… except for Blueblood, who crushed her to a pulp. The ambient was lovely, fun, delightful, and Bon Bon waited so long for this moment. Eventually they went to another game, and another, and another, even Gilda and Sugarcoat finally made their appearance, giving Reem an excuse to film the fun they were having with the HD custom camera that her mother gifted in her birthday.
Bon Bon sent to the real Twilight Sparkle several photos of Princess Twilight and company having a blast of a time, making sure that the one with Nitpick was the cutest of all… She had a big, dark grin on her face when she pressed the send button.
…. ….
Since eight in the morning, the Scientist Twilight Sparkle has been going from here to there, buying tons of stuff for the big party that her family planned for the day. From the indispensable vegetables to the most colorful sweets, shopping with her Mom and Cadence and aunties and grannies was immensely fun and wild, at least for them. Her Dad, uncles, granddads and elder cousins were buying the macho stuff like meats, charcoals, woods, and figuring out what kind of sauce they’ll prepare and use for the big day.
It was a sad thing for her that Shining Armor couldn’t assist because his military duties and studies demanded his presence, but he was sure to sent her younger sister a message that he would give her a big surprise in the coming days. Twilight will have to live without her brother during the party, and that would feel awkward for her. At least Cadence was there, and that was great enough for the young teenager.
The ladies prepared the salads, the sandwiches, juices, and created succulent pieces of sweets for the evening. One of her grannies was teaching her how to make a fruit punch with an explosive and refreshing flavor, the other taught her to prepare the meals they were making in a homely way. One of her aunties joked about that those lessons were for conquering a man’s heart, making Twilight blush in agony.
Cadence wasn’t any better, teasing her future sister-in-law with pinches on her cheeks, much to her embarrassment. Other auntie suggested her niece to be careful of wolves, giving echo to what Cadence said not long ago after Flash’s incident. At any rate, they all came to the conclusion that their beloved, little Twilight would become a beautiful woman like her mother… Perhaps even more so, and told her to be selective withe men.
Twilight just expressed, “Arrrrghhh.” And her family laughed at that innocence.
Sometime later, the clock marked five in the evening, three hours away for the party to start. All her family returned to their homes to get dressed for the big night, Twilight being the first to take a shower and refresh herself on her home. Her loyal assistant, Spike, enjoyed his time watching any documental that his master had in her laptop while he waited for her return. As she entered the room and put her a large, fresh cotton blouse, Spike walked to her feet and caressed her leg with his face.
Twilight sat on her knees and patted his head. “Did you miss me?”
“A lot! But I wasn’t bored thanks to all the videos I saw on your laptop!”
“You can use it any time as long as you don’t do bad things with it!”
“Thanks! Oh, right! You received tons of messages! Your phone wouldn’t stop ringing for one full minute!”
“Oh, I knew I had forgotten it here! It must be Sunset and the girls. Perhaps they are asking me to go to the slumber party of tonight.”
“Will we go?”
“I don’t know, Spike… You know.”
“Yeah… but they are good people, right? I know our other us want to be our friends! Isn’t that what the Magic of Friendship is all about?”
The Scientist breathed deeply and then gave him a little smile. “You’re right, my assistant. We won’t get anywhere if I start questioning Sunset’s intentions! She knows what she is doing and… perhaps it’s not that bad as I think it is! Maybe… maybe becoming friends with my other self could be fun!”
“Yeah! It will be fun!”
She picked up her phone and opened the messenger “I’ll tell her right a- … ...!”
“…Twilight? Twilight, what’s wrong?”
Dusk and cold arrived at Twilight’s footsteps as she saw the photos that were sent to her. She was there, laughing with the people she has known so far. She was there, enjoying life with the people she has made a connection with so far. She was there, hugging her best male friend with an energetic face and being raised to the sky like a princess.
She was there… but it was not her.
The Scientist quickly dialed to Bon Bon, and thank goodness when she answered the call immediately.
“Hello, Twilight.”
“Bon Bon? Where are you?”
“What do you mean where I am? I’m already on my way home! I just left Lyra on her home sound and safely! Did you receive the pictures by the way?”
“Yeah, about that, I, well, I don’t know what to say, somethingisterriblywrongand…” She gasped for air, trying to clear her throat and keep talking.
“Slow down, Twilight! Tell me what’s wrong!” She made a short pause. “You can trust me!”
…. ….
They were on the parks of the suburbs, that’s what Bon Bon said. She didn’t know why her otherworldly persona tried to impersonate her and at that moment she didn’t care. The only thing that hammering her mind was the idea that something horrible would happen for her.
She was Twilight Sparkle, born in the Capital City of Equestria and raised in Crystal State, student of Canterlot High School in Ponyville. They may have similar origins, similar antics, similar bodies, but there was one thing she certainly had that her otherworldly self didn’t.
“Nitty, where are you!?”
Running like if her life depended of it, Twilight tried to increase her speed, but she quickly became tired for the exhaustion of that day's activities. She received a quick message from Bon Bon with vital information for her. Thank goodness that she volunteered to help with the search of the Impostor. The park she was going to was the one where her helper believed both were. A desperate, powerful surge of energy rushed from the deepest both of her heart and she reached speeds abnormal for her.
She arrived to the park… and her world came to a halt.
Expectations had a tricky meaning. It was a word that was simple in significance, complex in the life of the people. More than anything else, that strong belief that something will happen in the future is welcomed by some, terrifying for others. It’s a little pressure that slowly turns into your world when you allow it to dominate your ideas, your strength, your passions.
Your life.
Kneeling in front of her doppelganger and caressing her hand like a lover would do to her beloved, Nitpick Bittersweet was looking at Princes Twilight directly at the eyes. The Scientist wasn’t close enough to witness what kind of look the eyes of his friends had, but her counterpart’s were dreamy, cheeks as pink as the arrow of Cupid. She tried to escape from his touch, but he span her body to his. He lowered his leg to match her height, closing his face to hers.
It didn’t take too long for Twilight to walk backwards to the nearest bus stop. She was imagining things. She didn’t see anything. It was simply a product of her imagination playing her a joke of bad taste. It wasn’t happening. It didn’t happen. It couldn’t have happen.
“Liar…” She mumbled.
Her speed movement increased as her vision became blurry and grey. She ended up in a dark alley, no one near her surroundings. Not even the wind was touching her anymore. She laid her forehead on the wall, her hands reaching her pockets.
“Where is it? Where is it!?”
No matter where she searched or where she touched, her Rubik cube wasn’t in her possession. She remembered. It was in her room, inside the skirt that Rarity made exclusively for her. Her fingers felt funny, slowly shaking in front of her sight. The vision of her world turned big, expanding endlessly, her surrounding enlarging to the point of she becoming a tiny dot. What was her purpose in life? To be someone’s shadow? To be an afterthought? To fight harder and harder and realize that her efforts were meaningless? To be an expectation doomed to fail?
To be replaced for someone far better?
Tears felt from her cheeks as her irises diluted, slowly acquiring a darker tint, a black aura engulfing her body. A turbulent sea shook Twilight’s spiritual sanctuary. Each wave was red, with shades of black and dark yellow. A tempest of endless emotions and thoughts darker than the blackest night merged her dreams with her reality. A river of tears with pigments of blood were falling through her shadow. In her surroundings, objects levitated to the sky. Twilight stopped focusing on the wall, and looked below on the dirty floor with seven cracks on the stone. Now eight, then nine...
The place where she stood crumbled.
“She must… That Twilight… That thing must di-…”
Suddenly, she felt a presence touching her hands from behind, then her body was hugged and she felt the softest kiss she has ever had on her neck. She gasped, and her normal persona retook control of her life. Everything coming back to normal. Twilight faced the person who was behind her and it was none other than Bon Bon, with eyes far different from other occasions. They were of a vivid aurora blue, warm as a majestic sun on winter.
…. ….
Bon Bon bought her cup of chocolate and gave it to Twilight’s weakened hands. She made a small bump on the bench and put herself comfortable on her seat, enjoying an ice cream milkshake for her alone.
“Want some?”
“Thanks… but I rather have the chocolate only… Thanks.”
“I’m here for you.” She took a sip of her shake through the straw. “Did you find them?”
She drank from her cup and breathed weakly. “Yes…”
“And?”
“… I saw something I wish I didn’t see.” She sniffed. “I still think… that it didn’t happen.”
“… … Oh.” She put her arm on her shoulder and slowly put her head on chest. “It’s ok, not everything is what it seems to be at first. There must be an explanation to-”
“What is there to explain!?” She burst into tears. “You were right!” She sniffed loudly. “You were r-right all along! P-people lie!” Bon Bon removed her cup from her hands and tenderly made Twilight’s body rest on the bend, her head well placed on her legs. “He told me that he would recognize me from her, that he would differentiate who was who, and he didn’t! He didn’t!!! …It’s not fair! He lied!”
“So they didn’t told you, did they?” Bon Bon said heavily, disappointed.
“W-what do you m-mean?”
Bon Bon told her everything. The planning, the ideas, what Princess Twilight and Sunset wanted to achieve, not leaving anything to the air, not even her involvement. At first, the Scientist was in denial, shaking her head in negation and trying to come with a more logical conclusion. There must be a better reason than that. There must a far better explanation than what she just heard from her.
And then, the owner of the artic eyes asked, “Then why don’t you call her? To be honest, I thought she would tell you before all this happened.”
Not wasting any more time, Twilight dialed up to Sunset’s number.
“Hey, Sci-Twi! What’s up? Will you come to the slumber party after your family reunion is finished?”
“I don’t know, Sunset… it depends on your answer.”
“…It’s something wrong?”
Twilight made the question without hesitation, and Sunset answered. She said it was for the best, she told her that it was a great idea on paper, she told her that she and Princess Twilight wanted to mend and improve things around the school. Part of Twilight’s brain told her that such idea was the stupidest thing she have ever heard in her entire life… But other part told her that Sunset had the best interest for her, and so did the other Twilight.
Then why? Why did she feel still empty when she forgave her internally? What bothered her deeply wasn’t the act itself, but the way Sunset told her about it. Her voice lacked any remorse or pity, like if what she came up with was truly the best route for them. Then in a casual manner, she asked her again if she was going to assist to the slumber party. Something about wanting to use the Repairing Spell on the diamond from her device.
Twilight just said that she would tell her the answer later and abruptly finished the call, a familiar sensation rushing to her senses, her white and perfect teeth clenching with fury. As she drank all of her cup in one go, she faced Bon Bon, and depression dawned on her again. She asked, “What must I do?”
“First off, you must calm down and chill.”
“How can I do that? Even when her explanation made sense… for her, I still feel… …”
“Betrayed?”
“… Yes…” She said with a somber tone.
“Oh, Twilight… Come here!” The Scientist willingly rested on her chest again. “There are times when people lie or hide truths to make things better in the long run. It doesn’t mean that doing that is the right answer. Truth to be told, those do more harm than good if you are not careful enough. You must know when to lie, when to avoid saying something harmful, when to be direct, and most importantly, when to forgive.”
“Why were you part of this?”
“I didn’t think that she would really do it. I thought they were joking and I fell for the moment, thinking that the other one would show her true colors instead of disguising as you. When I saw her dedication, though, I just did what I thought was right and aided her in whatever she needed. You know, the Princess of Friendship always has a reason to do something here… But seeing you like this makes me regret what I did… Forgive me…”
Twilight smiled when she apologized and hugged her tightly. “At least… you are sorry about it.”
“Of course I am…” She sighed heavily, preparing herself for the next step. “You know, we don’t have the closest bond, you and I, but perhaps we can start over and… be friends, I guess, if you want.”
She was too nice in reality, that was what Twilight thought. In the past, she considered that Bon Bon was just nice with the people she called friends, especially to Lyra, and was mean and cruel to others, giving them cold glares and unfriendly advices. Now, she saw her in a new light, capable of showing regret and compassion to help others. Perhaps she wasn’t one of the wolfs that Blueblood told her to worry about. She was just another lamb trying to find her place in the world.
Just like her.
“I… I think that sounds nice! After all, everybody can start over again… Everybody deserve a second chance!”
“Of course! And I’m glad to hear that from you, Twilight! You and I have so much to learn! And I will teach you what I know, like a good friend would do!” They shared a long hug, the Scientist finding comfort and warm that she desperately needed. She felt nice in her arms. “Don’t worry, I'm sure that what Bittersweet did has a reason to be. Trust me!” She said while caressing her head, kissing her on the forehead and giving her the best smile she could form. “Everything is going to be just fine!”
She returned her smile with a pair of glimmering eyes. "I'm in your care... friend."
Bon Bon’s plan was a success.