//------------------------------// // Chapter - 8 - New Friends And Old Enemies // Story: Let's Rock 'n' Roll // by Hawker Hurricane //------------------------------// Several days had passed since Forte and Sunset teamed up to identify Anon-a-Miss. Whoever it was had continued to post information about, not just their friends, but other students also. At one point Sunset assumed Trixie was behind it and confronted her in the hallway, but it was soon obvious Trixie wasn't Anon-a-Miss; despite her admission she wished she was. Secrets posted included the video of Rarity's slumber party which showed Fluttershy singing, along with a unflattering comment. The video was also from Sunset's phone, further giving the girls and other students, evidence that Sunset was Anon-a-Miss. The students would make hurtful remarks at Sunset whenever they passed her in the hallways, even when Forte was there. He did his best to protect her but he was vastly outnumbered. Given that he was still to be targeted, and that he was dating Sunset who the students believed to be Anon-a-Miss, students assumed they were working together; which was why there wasn't anything embarrassing posted about him. Why would Anon-a-Miss want to embarrass her boyfriend and partner in crime? Sunset and Forte were sitting together in the canteen having lunch. Neither were sitting with the others. For Sunset, it was obvious why, but with Forte; like the other students the girls believed he was working with Sunset and refused to speak to him. All around them students were arguing, their personal secrets exposed for all to see by Anon-a-Miss. "Anon-a-Miss has really set everyone against each other," said Sunset sadly. "And we're nowhere nearer to finding out who's responsible," Forte replied sighing. Sunset looked up to her boyfriend. He had risked a lot by coming to her side and defending her, even being targeted himself for abuse and backlash from the other students. She'd be forever grateful for his faith in her. Moments later, a student called out. "There you are you bitch!" Everyone looked to the canteen entrance and saw Gilda, accompanied by Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score. Gilda stormed up to Sunset and before anyone could react, clocked her square on the face. "You fucking bitch!" she screamed. "What do you think you're doing?!" Forte angrily demanded, going over to comfort Sunset. "Shut up dweeb, or I'll hit you as well." "Try it pigeon shit and I'll hit you back twice as hard!" "You wouldn't dare hit a girl," she taunted. Forte got right up to Gilda's face and with cold venom, replied. "Try me." Gilda huffed and backed away, not risking in calling his bluff, "Whatever dweeb, but this isn't over. That pony slut you love you sick fuck, posted pictures showing me skiving off school! MY PARENTS SAW IT AND GROUNDED ME!" "Sunset is NOT Anon-a-Miss!" Forte forcefully replied. Gilda scoffed, "Of course you'd say that." She looked at Forte and then down at Sunset with utter contempt, "Watch your backs, dweebs." Gilda and her trio of gormless morons left the canteen. Forte helped Sunset to her feet and looked at the damage Gilda caused. "That's a nasty bruise. We better go to the nurse's office and get it seen to." "I'll be fine," Sunset replied unconvincingly. "No you won't. You're going to the nurse NOW, I'll drag you there myself if I have to." Sunset giggled a little, "OK, I'll go quietly." "Good girl," he replied holding out his hand, "Shall we?" "Let's," she replied, taking it. A few minutes later they were in the nurse's office. Sunset was holding a bag of ice to her face to reduce the swelling while Nurse Redheart filled out the paperwork. Due to the nature of the injury, Principal Celestia would need to be informed. "Just keep the ice there for a few more minutes," Redheart said, "I'll be gone for a few minutes while I inform the Principal. Stay here until then, if you'll be late for your lessons I'll write a note for your teachers." Redheart walked out of the door, leaving Sunset and Forte alone. "You gonna be OK?" asked Forte. "I'll be fine, don't worry Pony Boy." Just then, both of their phones buzzed. They looked at each other and knew what it meant. "Let's see what she's posted now," said Sunset. She got her phone out and loaded up the MyStable page. She looked at the screen in horror. It was another photo from Sunset's phone, but this time; it showed Forte. In a very unflattering light. Noting the expression on her face, he was curious to know himself what was posted. "What's she posted?" Sunset nervously turned the phone around and showed him. Forte froze at the sight of the photo. It was from the night of Rarity's slumber party when he jokingly said he was scared of the girls putting him in an outfit, which they did. But Anon-a-Miss, had posted the photo showing him in said outfit. A fairy princess outfit complete with a tiara and magic wand. He looked up to Sunset who's eyes were once again tearing up, "Forte, I swear I have nothing to do with this!" "I know, I wouldn't think for a moment that you would go behind my back. But why post something about me now?" "Maybe......maybe Anon-a-Miss is worried you're working with me to find them and they're trying to drive a wedge between us." "Makes sense, but it won't work," he replied, hugging her tightly, "It'll take far more than that to separate us. Far more." Sunset snuggled up to Forte, "We can't let anything separate us, especially now." "Do you think we'll be friends with them again?" "I hope so, they're the best friends I've ever had. They're the only friends I've ever had." A tear fell down her cheek. "They're like family to me." "Where's your wings Fairy Boy?" "You look good in a dress Tinker Bell!" The taunts and name calling went on for the rest of the day. Ever since the photo of him was posted, other students have been mocking him mercilessly. Name calling, wolf whistles, crude drawings of him in a dress. People could be arseholes when it suited them. He tried not to let it bother him though. He been bullied before so it's nothing new to him. He'd bare it for Sunset's sake. She needed him and he was going to be there for her. Fortunately though, the school day had ended and everyone was headed home. Forte was walking through the corridors when he saw Sunset at her locker. Some students were still giving her a hard time, some had formed a semicircle around her. "This doesn't look good," he said to himself. Going over as quickly as he could, he called out to the students. "HEY! Back away from her!" "Or what Pixie Princess? You'll wave your magic wand and make us disappear?" Forte grit his teeth in frustration and clenched his knuckles. "Oooooh, you better be careful," one of the male students taunted, "He looks like he might throw a temper tantrum and throw pixie dust at us." The students laughed and walked away, leaving a fuming Forte with an incredible urge to Glaswegian kiss someone. But unfortunately it's illegal to do so and a he'd have some explaining to do when The Old Bill came knocking. Looking at Sunset, he was hurt to see Sunset in tears again. "Come on Sunny, I'm here now." He helped her to her feet and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly, "You hungry, we could go into town and go to Nando's? Much to Forte's relief, a small smile formed on her lips. "That sounds great, maybe get some ice cream afterwards?" "Ice cream? In this weather?" he asked bemused. "Hey it's never the wrong 'weather' for ice cream." "No, I suppose not." Sunset got out her fiery red and yellow raincoat and put it on. "You look sexy in that." "Thank you, you're such a sweetheart," replied Sunset giving him a kiss on the lips. Forte looked like a rabbit in headlights, "You......heard that?" Sunset nodded, "Yep." Forte just stood there, poking the floor with his foot, "Well......you do......." Sunset giggled, Forte's awkwardness once again bringing a smile to her face. "I tell you what Pony Boy, since you said such a nice thing about me; Nando's and ice cream is on me." "Really?" "Really." Sunset tied the belt of her coat and put her hood up, sleet falling heavily in the darkness outside. "Shall we?" she asked, extending an arm to the entranceway. "Yeah, I'm starving." Sunset rolled her eyes, "Imagine my shock at that." The two held hands and made their way out of the school. Forte took out his phone and rang his mother. "Hey mum, it's Forte." "Hey sweetie, you OK?" "Yeah I'm OK, just letting you know I'm going to Nando's for tea with Sunset." "That's fine, enjoy yourself. Do you know what time you'll be back?" "I think between 6 and 7." "OK, have fun. Bye sweetie. "Bye mum." Forte put his phone in his pocket and turned his head to Sunset, "Come on my darling, deliciously cooked dead birds await." "Do you want to know the worst thing about being a pony?" "What?" "You can't eat meat without being judged negatively." "That must be a bitch." "You've no idea. At first I was repulsed by the very idea of eating meat. But then.....after meeting with a Griffon, curiosity got the better of me and I tried a bacon sandwich." Sunset smiled and licked her lips, "There was no going back after that. I cried with tears of joy eating my first bacon sandwich." "Bacon is proof that we're meant to enjoy ourselves in life." "I agree........fuck me, I love bacon." The duo walked hand in hand to Forte's car and got in. He switched the engine on straight away so he could switch the heater on and warm themselves up. Sunset placed her hands over the heaters, the lovely warm air warming her freezing hands. "We can get some gloves before we go to Nando's if you like?" "Sure thing, my hands are freezing." Sunset and Forte arrived in the city centre at about 4pm. Forte had parked in the car park of the Downtown Shopping Centre and the two then went into the shopping centre itself. Their first stop was to get some gloves. Sunset quickly found a pair she liked. They were fluffy and red and fit like a glove. She found a pair for Forte as well in amber and black, tiger print style. They walked, holding hands, through the shopping centre. Browsing through the shops until it was around 5pm. They made their way through the busy streets to the Nando's outlet, snow still falling heavily. Going inside into the much warmer restaurant, they were almost immediately spotted by some familiar looking faces. "Well, well, well. Who do we have her?" Turning around to the source of the condescending tone, Forte and Sunset saw the sirens. "What are you three doing here?" asked Sunset. "For the same reason you are. For food. Now that we don't have our amulets we have to eat just like regular humans." "Like that's a bad thing," Sonata said excitedly, "I can actually eat taco's now!" Adagio groaned and rolled her eyes, "Calm down Sonata." There was a moment of awkward silence before Forte spoke up. "Do you want to join us?" All four girls looked to Forte. "What?" asked Adagio. "Why not join us, the more the merrier....right?" The sirens looked amongst themselves, having a silent conversation between them. "OK, we were coming here anyway," replied Adagio. The sirens walked forward to find a suitable table. Meanwhile Sunset turned to Forte, scowling and whispering harshly. "What do you think you're doing?" "Trying to mend bridges." "Do you remember what they did at CHS?" "Do you remember what you did?" Sunset reeled back as if struck. Forte immediately regretted his choice of words. "Sorry Sunset, I didn't mean it like that." Sunset sighed and looked a little regretful. Memories of the person she used to be still fresh in her mind. The dose of cold water, though unintentional, caused her to see the matter from a different perspective. "No, you're right. I was given a 2nd chance, the least we could do is give them one." The two hugged and joined the sirens who'd already sat themselves down. They sat down with Forte sandwiched between Sunset and Sonata. "Heya Forte, remember me?!" "Er yeah...Sonata isn't it?" "It sure is," she replied giving him a hug, much to Sunset's annoyance. Something Adagio noticed. "How's your relationship coming along?" "Excuse me?" "You and Forte, you're dating aren't you?" "Yeah...it's going great." The answer didn't inspire confidence in Adagio, Sunset to her didn't sound convincing. "What aren't you telling me?" "Excuse me?" "There's something else going on between you two." Forte and Sunset looked at each other, confused. Their relationship was going swimmingly as far as they knew. Unless Forte thought. "Well, there is a bit of trouble going on at CHS at the moment." Adagio's eyes lit up with glee, the sound of trouble delightful to her ears. "Trouble at CHS? Do tell deary, do tell," she replied, smirking gleefully. "Well, someone...we're still not sure who, began posting personal secrets of students at CHS. And my friends..." Sunset grimaced at her own words, "My friends think I'm responsible, and that Forte is helping me." Before Sunset could continue, the waiter arrived to take the orders. The gang gave their orders and the waiter left, allowing Sunset to continue the recalling of events. of the past few days. "It all started after a slumber party at Pinkie Pie's. Her little sister called her by a family nickname and the next day every student at CHS knew about it. We had a second slumber party at Rarity's. I took some pictures with my phone and........later in the week, those same photos appeared on her profile page. Because the photos came from my phone and because the profile page colours match my hair style, they assumed I was Anon-a-Miss." The three sirens listened with surprising interest. Being no strangers to causing rifts between people themselves. "We have an idea who may be responsible, but nothing concrete." "Who do you think is responsible?" asked Adagio. "Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell are our two top suspects. Apple Bloom, being Applejack's little sister would have known about her nickname before hand. And Sweetie Bell was present at Rarity's slumber party, and because at the time I didn't have my phone securely locked...she could've snuck in when I was sleeping and downloaded them." "It sounds like you've already worked it out," Aria stated, "Why haven't you confronted your friends with it?" "How can we?" asked Sunset, "We can't prove it and if we go back and accuse their sisters of being the culprits they'll say we'll say anything to deflect the blame onto others." "Unfortunately, I think you're right," Adagio replied bluntly. "How can we prove it though?" asked Forte, "Have you girls any ideas?" "Unfortunately, no. Even if we did, who'd believe us?" "Sounds like we're all in the same boat," Forte commented. The next few minutes were spent talking about the sirens and what they'd been doing since the Battle of the Bands. Apparently, they'd managed to get a small detached house about a ten minute walk from the town centre. Job wise, Sonata working at a taco takeaway, much to her delight; Aria got a job at an electronics store and Aria worked as a taxi driver. They earned enough between them to make a comfortable living, but still felt like they were missing something in their lives. Forte told them a bit about his new car, or more accurately he went into excessive detail about it. The meals finally arrived, much to everyone's delight. Forte nearly salivating at the sight of his boneless chicken thighs. Watching Forte and his chicken caused Adagio to laugh. "You're like Sonata when she has tacos." "I'll take that as a compliment," replied Forte. "You should. What about you Sunset, what foods do you like?" "I particularly like pasta." "Aria likes oriental food." "Sure I do, I love chicken curries. There's nothing better in my opinion." "We still have Taco Tuesday at CHS," Forte said, looking at Sonata. Sonata grinned like a Cheshire cat in delight, "That's so awesome! I might just enrol so I can experience Taco Tuesday." Adagio and Aria groaned and face palmed in unison. "You work at a taco takeaway, you experience Taco Tuesday every week," Adagio said. "Yeah but this is Taco Tuesday somewhere else!" The other two sirens once again facepalmed at their eccentric sister. "Why don't you?" asked Forte. "Why don't we what?" queried Adagio. "Enrol at CHS." The sirens burst into laughter, the notion of joining the school for learning being absurd. "You're funny," Sonata giggled, "We don't need to learn, we already know loads of stuff." "But-" "Look sweetums," Adagio said, "We know you have a crush on Aria but there's no reason for us to enrol at your school." There was silence from Sunset and Forte whilst the sirens continued to laugh. "Come again?" said Sunset, "Since when has Forte had a crush on Aria?" "Oh, didn't you notice the sneaky little looks he made when she was around?" asked Adagio. Sunset looked to her boyfriend, "Forte?" A nervous Forte very deliberately avoided eye contact with all of them, deciding to eat his chicken instead. "Forte?" Sunset repeated. Knowing he couldn't keep ignoring her, he looked at her, "Yes?" "Do you have a crush on Aria?" Forte looked between Aria and Sunset, "No." "Liar. You totally do have a crush on her!" Sonata exclaimed. Forte blushed profusely while Aria smirked. She had noticed Forte sneaking a few peeks at her, not that she minded. At least it showed he knew good girls when he saw them. "But we weren't dating then." Almost immediately he realised his inadvertent admission. Cue a face palm. "Oh my, such a sweetheart!" Adagio teased mockingly, "It may be worth going to CHS just to see you get all flustered and googly eyed every time you see Aria." "Don't worry about it Forte," said Sunset, "You're a guy and your brain's hard-wired to look at sexy girls. And you're right, we weren't dating then; so it's not like there were any restrictions on you." "Yeah," was all he could say, sheepishly. The girls all burst into laughter again. A few other guests looked their way but just saw some friends having a good time, so went back to their own business. "Sunset's right," Adagio said, "You are cute when you get all flustered." Forte just poked his chicken and felt Sunset kiss him on the cheek. "Don't mind us Forte, we're only teasing you." Forte smiled, "I know." He turned to the sirens, "Does this mean we're friends?" The sirens looked amongst themselves, having another silent conversation. "Yeah, why not?" replied Aria, making a kissing gesture to Forte. Not for the first time that evening, he blushed and the girls laughed. "Like you said," Aria continued, "The more the merrier, right?" It was nearing 6pm. Forte had text his mother telling her he was on his way back with Sunset. Forte was walking with Sunset and their new siren friends towards the shopping centre car park. Rain was still falling and there were far fewer people out, most having gone home to get out of the biting cold. "So, I guess this is where we say goodbye," said Adagio. "Yeah, it's been a nice evening together," replied Sunset, hugging each of the sirens. "Let's hope to see you all again sometime," Forte added. "Yes. Let's hope we do," replied Aria, looking specifically at Forte like a Vulture about to strike.. Strutting over to Forte, she wrapped her arms around him seductively and kissed him on the cheek. "See you around Cutie. You'll have to give me a ride some time." "Was that......was that a double entendre?" asked Forte. "My my," replied Aria gleefully, "You have a dirty mind." Strutting back to her giggling sisters, an blushing Forte felt Sunset take his hand. "Come on Forte, we better get going before Aria runs off with you and let's you ride her...I mean let you give her a ride." "She wouldn't take me with her," he said before looking to her for confirmation, "Would you?" Aria didn't answer, she just smiled seductively, "Good night Forte. Have fun with Sunset." "Bye Forte!" yelled Sonata, hugging him tightly, "Drive safely!" She and Pinkie would be a very dangerous mix. Rolling her eyes at her sister's antics, Adagio took her turn to say goodbye. "See you guys later. Maybe at CHS, if we decide to enrol." Adagio walked off and caught up with her sisters, leaving Sunset and Forte. "Shall we?" Forte asked, motioning with his hand to the car park. "Yeah, the sooner we're out of the cold and snuggled up in bed together the better." The duo walked to the car but before they could make it to the car park, their vision went black. The first thing Forte became aware of was how bitterly cold it was. Feeling like he'd been hit by a bus, he tried to get to his feet, but he realised very quickly he couldn't move at all. His arms, legs, waist.....he couldn't move any of them. What made him even more alarmed, and a little scared, was that he knew he'd opened his eyes but his vision was still black. He tried to call out for help but that was when he realised something else. He was gagged. His attempt to speak ended up in nothing more than murmuring. If this is a kinky game by Sunset we're seriously going to need to discuss boundaries. "Looks like someone's finally woken up." That voice......it's Gilda. Suddenly he felt a very hard kick to his abdomen. Considerable pain shot through his body, the hard kick making him want to throw up. "So, you gonna spill the beans on why you posted that shit about me?" Forte didn't answer. He couldn't. His silence earned him another kick to the stomach. "ANSWER ME YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Forte groaned loudly in pain, the gag muffling most of the noise. "Er Gilda?" Forte heard another student speak. "WHAT?!" "He can't answer you, we gagged him remember?" Forte heard Gilda laugh, "Oh yeah, silly me." Gilda walked over and removed Forte's gag and blindfold and slapped him hard across the face. "ARGH! YOU FUCKING BITCH! WHAT THE FUCK'S YOUR PROBLEM?!" Gilda slapped his other cheek. "HEY! DON'T SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT DWEEB!" She violently grabbed his hair and pulled him as close as his bindings allowed. Since they were tight, it resulted in virtually no movement and a fair amount of pain for Forte. Getting right into his face, she snarled angrily. "In case you haven't noticed, you're the one tied up and we're the ones who could beat the crap out of you if you don't answer our questions." Forte tugged at the ropes in a vain attempt to free himself. Gilda laughed at his pathetic attempt. "Pull at the ropes all you want, you won't free yourself. Those knots are for making sure people remain tied up." Forte ignored her and continued to tug at the ropes, but each movement seemed to make the knots tighter. Looking down at his body he could visually conform what he felt earlier. He was tied up at the ankles, knees and tied to some piping by the waist and around the chest. His wrists tied together behind the pipe. Damn these knots are tight. Whoever did them knows what they're doing. The bitter cold didn't help. His hands were freezing, having not put his gloves back on after leaving Nando's, making his fingers go numb and unable to properly grab anything. "Where are we?" *SMACK* His cheek was slapped hard again, eliciting a groan of pain. "WE'RE ASKING THE QUESTIONS DWEEB! YOU GOT THAT?" Forte nodded vigorously. "Good. Have a few minutes to make yourself comfortable. You won't be leaving here any time soon." Forte watched as Gilda and her accomplices, who he could see were Hoops, Dumbbell and Score amongst a few others, left the room. "Oh but before we go, I want you to see something," Gilda said walking over to another part of the room. Forte watched as she walked over to see a white sheet covering something. Pulling the sheet off revealed a horrifying sight for Forte. Underneath was Sunset. Tied up in the same manner as him, but sporting far more bruises. Even with her blindfolded and gagged, he could clearly see her with a black eye and a busted lip. Overcome with blind, inconsolable rage, he unleashed all the anger and fury he could muster. "YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU'LL FUCKING PAY FOR THIS! YOU AND YOUR IDIOT FRIENDS WILL NEVER SEE THE OUTSIDE OF A PRISON CELL EVER AGAIN!" Gilda and her friends all began laughing. "You are in no position to do anything. We're in an abandoned factory miles out of town, no-one except us knows you're here. Mummy and daddy aren't coming to rescue you, and we certainly aren't going to let you go any time soon." Gilda walked up to Forte and forcefully put his gag back in, fastening it tightly behind his head. "You're gonna be spending, at the very least, the entire Christmas holidays tied up in this room. And if you want feeding and visits to the toilet, you better be a good little boy and do as you're told." "Fuck you bitch!" That's what Forte tried to say, but with the gag back in it was nothing more than mumbles. Laughing like a hyena once again and one more kick to Forte's abdomen. One of her friends approached with something in each of his hands which he handed to Gilda. She took the items and held one of them in front of Forte. "You know what these are? We thought since you love wearing them so much and since it's Christmas, you could wear them." She then held up some industrial strength super glue, "Permanently." Forte watched as she took the pony ears headband and, on the inside of the headband, squeezed a very generous amount of super glue onto it. She then, with a devilish grin, pressed it firmly into place on Forte's head. The quick setting super glue almost immediately did it's job. Giving the head piece a few firm test tugs, Forte's muffled screams of pain let her know they had set firmly in place. "Don't you just look the cutest little pony in those," she mocked without mercy, cackling like a madwoman along with her friends. Gilda put up his hood and popped the buttons into place before leaving the room with her friends. Switching the light out on the way, leaving them in the dark. Gilda spoke one last time. "We'll be back later, and you better have answers we want to hear." Hearing the door shut and what sounded like it being locked, the very seriousness of the situation he was in began to dawn on him. He and Sunset had been kidnapped, taken to an abandoned factory out of town, locked in a room, tied up and beaten. With no-one knowing where they are and no way to call anyone.......Gilda was right. He and Sunset would be spending quite a while in their tender loving care. And to make things worse, there was nothing he could do to protect Sunset. For the first time in a long while, Forte burst into tears.