Nitpick gazed upon the house of his source of frustrations with fierce determination and purpose. Such resolve, however, subsided every passing second as he acknowledged the inescapable dilemma he suddenly found himself into. Nobody was at home, and standing in front of her door made him look like a kind of a stalker.
“Good day, child.” A kind-looking elder woman greeted him from her house’s lane, and for some reason, Nitpick felt he had seen her before. “Are you looking for someone?”
“I’m looking for Bon Bon, she is a classmate from CHS.”
“Ah, sorry to say that Little Bon Bon went with Leafshard to the super market a very short while ago.”
“Oh, I see. Then I better go then.”
“Want me to deliver her a message?”
“No, it’s okay, Miss. I’ll talk with her tomorrow morning before school starts.”
“As you wish… Wait a minute! Where I have seen that peculiar hair before? Say, young one, aren’t you the son of Sweet Pastels?”
“Yes, that’s my Mother.”
“Hohoho! I knew there was something familiar about you! You may not remember me but you used to play in the Starry Mountains Park with a cute little girl with twin ponytails and big glasses! Glimmering Starlight was her name? I don’t remember well! You always bought from me cookies for her, your mom would encourage you to date her, and your dad would always complain about your expenses!”
“…Are you Mrs. Sugar Flour!?”
“Yes! I’m glad you remember me!” The old lady’s eye became vibrant with a shade of nostalgia. “How the years goes by, you were shorter back then... I’ll tell Little Bon Bon that you visited. Say hi to your mom from my part!”
“I’ll do. Tell Mr. Wrench that I hope that his cane wasn’t ruined by our accidental paint job.”
“Hahahaha! …You better don’t remind him of who you are if you see him on the streets.” She said with a mix of jest and concern. “He still hasn’t forgiven you for ruining his favorite cane. I still think that carmine pink suits it better though!”
“Glad he’s still alive… ‘I’ll die soon and you only sell those cookies instead of taking care of me!’, he would always say!”
“So you remember that as well!? Hehehe! I still sell those in the local ambulant markets on Fridays. In fact, I failed to sell one bag that day. Want the last one for old time’s sake? I’ll give you a discount for being practically two days old.”
“One with fifty then?” Nitpick smiled like if he just hit jackpot.
“One with ninety nine. Prices rose thanks to Filthy Rich’s unwelcomed meddling in this year’s quarter.”
“Curse that guy.” Nitpick remembered his face with animosity, being reminded that Raven was right about his evil business. “At what time do you sell your cookies?”
“During morning. Some grandparents buy my sweets and deliver them to their grandkids at school during break!”
“No wonder I haven’t seen you before during my buying spree.”
He paid for the cookies and went home… which was just three blocks away from hers, giving him cold shivers as he realized how close Bon Bon lived to his home. After he left his cookies on the kitchen and as he was about to reach his room, his brain had a sudden revelation, making him feel stupid. He had her phone saved on his contacts, the possibility of calling her at his reach. As he breathed patiently while dialing up her number, he decided to start the conversation with patience and serenity.
The safety of his bedroom would be a key factor to his delivery.
“Hello?”
“BON BON!!!”
“Oh, Boss! What a pleasant surprise for you to call me!”
“Where are you, you pain in the ass?”
“Tee-hee-hee! If this is for a date, I’m not available right now. Give me one or two hours and we can spend some time together!”
“Enough with your crap and tell me where the hell you are!”
“Doing the groceries.” When Nitpick calmed down a bit, he heard the sounds of the advertisement lady announcing the discounts. “Do you need something from me?”
“You screwed with Twilight! You befriended her as a part of your stupid vengeance! You knew that the brat from yesterday was in fact the other Twilight all alone!”
“So cruel! So mean! Why are you antagonizing me like this!?”
“You knew… YOU KNEW!!! You knew that I would notice right away the truth about her! You were certain that I would do something to further your purposes without you telling me! You fucking played me like a damn fiddle!”
“Tee-hee-hee! I was convinced that you would realize my intentions by tomorrow or later! Wait a sec, I’m gonna grab a pack of almond milk… Well, where were we…? Ah, yes! Look, Bittersweet. You must understand that as always, I have a purpose for every strategy I come up with! You see, telling you what was going on would have ruined your performance, and allow me to say that you were magnificent! I really had so much fun as well, Gilda was a pleasant match!” She was thoroughly honest and blissful with her words.
“My performance, you say!? I’m tired of your manipulations and scheming! You only want to have your stupid vengeance with Shimmer instead of working your ass to help CHS!”
“Oh!? Must I remind you that you too wanted to defeat her? CHS’s well-being wasn’t your priority at all before!”
“But not like this, and… Crap! I’m not gonna start rambling that I was misguided and I had a sudden change of heart or some shit like that! Yeah, I helped! Yes, I WANT to defeat her! But manipulating the honest guys that give their all is something that my conscience won’t allow me to do! I know too well the feeling of giving the best you can for something you believe in, only to fail because reasons! …You are getting close on going too far in using your friends!”
Bon Bon took a long while to answer, as if her breath had abandoned her for a long and cold moment. After a brief time of subtle and reflective silence, her breath came back to normal, only saying, “You may be right… …” She said incredibly gloomy. “And what are you gonna do about it? Tell Thunderbass and the others that the only reason why you started to have friendly relationships with them was because you lied to them and it was only for the purpose of defeating Shimmer?”
“Actually… That’s a good way to start to do the right thing!”
“What!? … … Well… Hey, hey, hey! Don’t need to be rash about it!”
Her voice sounded concerned and scared, empowering Nitpick drastically. “I’m self-aware that I may end up being despised by them, but if this is the only way to end your madness, then to hell with me, you bitch!”
“You're going to ruin everything, I kindly suggest you to reconsider!”
He finished the call mightily with a grin on his face. He finally found it! He at last acquired the answer to end her schemes. It was time to do the right thing and he went out of his house towards the school.
But… He soon realized that the probability of finding any of his acquaintances by sheer coincidence around town was way too low. Calling them out of the blue at seven in evening and meeting them at a random place was a bad idea, the act could be considered too cliché and awkward, at least, for someone like him. She may be doing some damage control as he wasted his time thinking about it. He shouldn’t have told her about his intentions.
Nitpick felt like a complete stupid.
He sat in the bleachers of the school’s field, the only available seats nearby him. He was becoming exhausted, the physical and mental activities of the last week finally catching on him. Lazily, he laid his body on the bleacher and put his arm over his head, trying to take a small nap before going home for real. The wind felt nice, blowing its kind serenade with a tenderness that incited him to journey to the Land of Dreams. Any moment now, he could lose the grasp of reality for several hours.
“What a surprise stumbling with you here, Nitpick!”
The remaining strength of Bittersweet got him up to meet the blissful Soarin, the blue sportsman commencing his warm ups in front of him; jumps, squats, and stretches included.
“I could say the same. Evening training?”
“Yes!”
“So…” He yawned as deeply as the deepest of rivers. “Lyra texted me that you won the tournament match of today. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be celebrating with your team?”
“Nah, I didn’t play that much and to be honest, it wasn’t a victory to be proud of… Also, I wasn’t feeling the mood to celebrate with them. I wanted to be alone for a while.”
“…How bad it was?”
“Bad, simple as that. We won with only just a goal of difference, but we barely survived the onslaught of pressuring tactics the other team had. If it wasn’t for Rainbow Dash and her top playing skills, we would have lost by a mile. Not even Spitfire managed to keep up the peace with her today and just stayed as a defender, meaning that Rainbow was practically our only hope.”
“What was the final score?”
“One-Zero.”
“That sounds troublesome.”
“Yeah, so I need to improve all I can before the next game! …Say, could you help me with some of my training exercises?”
“Sure, why not?” His eyes began to get teary and tired as he yawned again for the second time.
“Ok, I’m gonna do some crunches so hold my legs.” Nitpick held his legs firmly on the ground. “One… Eleven… twenty… …” He started to interval his movements, one crunch to the left, then other to the right. “…Fifty.” He groaned in exhaustion as he extended his arms on the grass, Nitpick releasing his legs.
“Spitfire would say that it wasn’t enough.”
Soarin laughed softly, “I had a match in the morning, be merciful!” Then smiled with a kind face.
“Fair enough. If I were you, I would be in the hospital by now because of exhaustion.”
“Being in an hospital is horrible. Last time I hurt my leg was a nightmare to be in bed doing nothing and watching the roof cracking… It’s frustrating.”
“Yeah… I can understand where you are coming from… It always smells like old medical crap there.”
“Another reason to take care of ourselves. Sleeping much more would be ideal in your case.”
“Heh, am I so transparent?”
“Sometimes. I wonder how you manage to work with Sunset with that lifestyle.”
“Do you think I’m not up to the task?”
“It’s nothing like that… it’s just that I never imagined that you of all people would do so much for us. I mean, your first impression was pretty worrisome, and sometimes I could see that you aren’t easy to approach!” He smirked softly with a bit of embarrassment. “But if it weren’t for Bon Bon, I would have never noticed how nice you are to be around with in reality.”
“Bon Bon… Bon Bon… …” He finally snapped out of his dreamy demeanor. “Soarin, I have something to confess.”
“Confess? What’s wrong?”
“Well, you see…”
No words were spoken afterwards, he stayed silent for a good couple of seemingly eternal seconds. A wave after wave of thoughts of ‘What if’ scenarios flooded his mind. What if he says straightly that it was Bon Bon’s idea to put them together for the sake of overthrowing Shimmer? What if he tries to says that it was an idea of both in the first place? What if he accepted full responsibility, leaved Bon Bon out of the equation and took the blunt of the hate?
After all, nobody forced him to work for her in the first place.
Soarin had trusted him some personal feelings regarding the competition, the soccer tournament, and even his deepest concerns about his friendships, no matter if it was just to a small degree. Telling him started to look like a bad idea. Whatever kind of opinion he had on him, Soarin no doubt started to get comfortable around him. Can he really do it? Can he truly confess what was just going on?
Could he really betray his expectations?
Yes, he did. He was tired of her. He was exhausted of partially being someone who he wasn’t in reality. His responsibility to help organize the projects he was in charge became a real concern to him, and his desire to surpass Shimmer was his motivation, his drive. Soarin heard his tale without flinching or disinterest, carefully listening Nitpick’s troubles and apologies to what he had done. But, whether he was caught in a moment of weakness and didn’t want to ruin her relationships or blaming her fully could be considered cowardly, he omitted Bon Bon from the tale.
In the end, he was responsible of his actions, and his failures.
When his tale was over, Soarin looked at him in the eye and said, “Heh, I knew it would be something like that! Don’t worry, no hard feelings!”
“What!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!?” He started to violently shake Soarin’s persona.
“S-s-s-slow d-down, buddy!!!” Nitpick released him from his grasp. “You know… I have known Spitfire for many years now. On one occasion she got frustrated at me, one of many. But that time was different from the others. I really screwed up. She put her trust in me to keep playing on her team and I simply didn’t have the courage to do so... So I ran from her.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because the only reason I was able to come back to the team was because of Rainbow Dash’s support. Say what you want about her, but she inspires dedication when she wants something done. And I learned that asking for help to fix a friendship through effort, or in your case, to make new friends, isn’t bad at all. I believe that when Bon Bon offered you to help your cause, she saw an opportunity to make things better, just like Rainbow did with me long ago.”
“Soarin, I believe you didn’t hear very well my tale. I practically used you to further my goals of crushing Sunset Shimmer!”
“If you really wanted to use us, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now! I don’t know… Your story seems off.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you got sick because of us, you found some band members for Octavia’s group even when that was optional, you always listen to my troubles, and you speak your mind with sincerity. I don’t think someone like you could be bad.”
Nitpick’s gaze was first of shock, then a darkened glare was looking at his listener. “And what if I did all that to further my goals? What if I didn’t care at all about all of you? What if I staged my own sickness to make you feel sorry and trusty at me, eh!?”
“You haven’t done anything to harm us in purpose. Not to mention that I already told you that I didn’t like Sunset that much before, and more importantly, what are you doing is not humiliating her at all or make her feel bad. You are just doing your job and giving a message to all CHS that anyone can help in this, and trying to beat Shimmer with teamwork is a bonus!”
“But even so… Listen, Soarin! People shouldn’t shit like this!”
“And I will say that I don’t think you did something wrong! If Sunset was like you three years ago, maybe…” Soarin’s phone rang from his sports bag and quickly answered it. “Mom? …Already!? Ok, I’ll go back and have dinner now!” He finished the call. “Wow, dad came back earlier from work. I have to go now!”
“Sorry for wasting your time and denying you training time.”
“To tell you the truth, I’m glad I had this little pep talk with you instead.” He grabbed his stuff and started walking to his home. “It feels like years since I just talked my mind like this… Thanks for trusting me with your troubles, and believe me, your concerns aren’t a big deal to worry about! See you tomorrow!”
“Later.” When Soarin disappeared from his sight, Nitpick sat back on the bleachers and scrambled his head furiously. “What the hell just happened!? Did that really happen!? How could someone say shit like that after hearing my crap!?”
“Heh, maybe because it isn’t a big deal, Bittersweet.”
Nitpick was in stupefaction when he saw the silhouette of Thunderbass appearing from behind of the bleachers. His cool aura and easy-going nature was all that you could see from his posture. He sat down at a generous distance away from his acquaintance.
“You… How much did you hear?”
“Everything. I arrived here when you shared your tale to Soarin. I decided to stay out of sight and not interrupt.”
“Why didn’t you come and say hi?” Nitpick said with subtle hiss.
“To tell you the truth, I was hoping to talk to Soarin in private, knowing that he would be here around this hour.”
“Why? If I may know.”
“Because I wanted to do something similar to what you did, but on another whole subject.”
“… …Melody. Look… I’m sorry to shatter your dreams but-!”
“Octavia likes Soarin? Yes, I know.”
“Since when?”
“During the soccer match of last time, I could see the passion in her eyes as she was talking about him. Heh, I almost felt bad for trying to win her heart.”
“You did nothing wrong.” Nitpick reassured him with drowsiness. As far as I know, you haven’t cheated your way to win her heart... yet.”
“I practically forced you to get me some musicians when I could have done it myself. All for the sake of pleasing her and not appear like a yes-man.”
“It was a favor in the end, and she wanted to make this little concert a reality. I couldn’t deny her dedication.”
“Just like we tried to put all of our hopes in you.”
“Great. You don’t think I am a backstabber guy either.”
“Before Bon Bon’s compliments, I thought you were a kind of a giant dick, but I never hid that fact from you, if you remember.”
“Yes, we being not normal friends to our corresponding friendships…”
He looked at him with a small smile and straight eyes, then his gaze focused on something else. “Oh, what a pleasant surprise.”
Thunderbass pointed out with his finger to the other side of the street. Innocently walking with each other, Big Mac and Cheerilee were going towards the other side of the town, each holding a big cone of ice cream. It was too afar for the young guys to hear her words but her hand gestures told them that she wanted a bit of Big Mac’s ice cream. With a natural maturity- and glimpse of embarrassment from both parties- the Farmer allowed the Sunflower Teacher to taste a bit of the sweet. After the act was complete, a dim expression of enjoyment and fulfillment filled in red the cheeks of the beautiful teacher. Both resumed their paths and eventually disappeared.
“I envy him. They may not being an official item just yet but they are so close… so close.” Thunderbass’ voice was filled with melancholy, and regrets. “You know, if I were man enough to ask her directly instead of delaying the inevitable, I wouldn’t have taken so many long routes to approach her.”
“Love is a long road for the adventurer, for such exquisite emotion can harness the most daring facets of humanity. Love is a harsh path for the inexperienced, for it can betray the sanest of men, the holiest of saints, and the evilest of tyrants. Love is a great chasm for the coward, for it can fill who is unworthy with terror to jump and risk it all. Don’t despair if you fail in love, for the most crushing defeat is to never desiring it. Love is one of the few treasures in life that can’t… …”
“Why did you stop?”
“Because it’s boring crap.”
“No, it’s not.”
“It’s boring crap, an old poem I wrote for… I know what you are feeling, and I think now I know why you want to talk with Soarin. You wished to know if he had any interest in Octavia and give an end to your quest if he said yes. If the answer was no, you could still try. With my first crush I did something similar… I wonder if Sunburst is treating her well.” Nitpick said with hope and good wishes.
“Hehehe… hahahahahaha! You saw right through me! Not even Flash has done It before!” He then released a louder and honest laughter. As he calmed down, he relaxed his position and gazed to the starry sky. “And this is why I support Soarin’s statement. If you were truly someone horrible, you wouldn’t have spoken to me this honestly.”
“Words mean nothing.”
“Wrong, whether it’s a long speech or a short verse, if the feelings are there, words are everything. If it’s filled with true compassion, words can heal, words can mend. Otherwise, words can hurt, and words can kill. It depends what you say, when you say it, and how you say it. It is the difference between you and the old Sunset Shimmer. You are combination of those, with one exception.” He looked at Bittersweet with a serious and stern face. “Yours don’t kill hopes and dreams.”
“But you just said a key difference. The old Shimmer could kill with words. The new one can’t kill nor hurt.”
“Are you so sure about that? If I tell you that her magical talent put the rest of us in the shadows, wouldn’t her words hurt us more because she speaks for herself? Even if she has faith in us, everyone are born with different potentials. In the long run, Sunset hurt us more than she can even imagine... Not all of us have the Magic of Friendship, and some people feel useless during school activities.”
“You don’t need magic to be somebody. And besides, magic is only a combination of cheap tricks for shows and entertainment in real life.”
“Pffff! So you still don’t know! Perhaps it’s because you don’t know that you are able to be yourself when working with her!”
“…What are you going to do now?”
“I won’t give up thanks to you. If I do so, I would never achieve anything, but if I give my all and still fail, then at least I gave it a shot, right?”
“What do you see in Melody? She’s gorgeous and unexpectedly charismatic, I’ll give you that. But you and her are very different.”
“Because every time I hear her music… It’s an indescribable feeling, you know. I don’t play music for the people to acknowledge me or play cheap love songs for the girls. I play because it fills me with passion. It makes me free. I play for myself, and if someone likes what I play, I don’t mind the public… Just like her.”
“But there’s more to that, I assume.”
“People say that I’m one of the popular guys, and I don’t care about that. I just want a simple high school life, friends, and a healthy relationship. Octavia may say things bluntly but never with a pinch of nastiness. She is dedicated, nice, smart, and also… you could say that I like genuine. That’s why I won’t stop playing in the concert she has in mind, even if she ends up with another… I almost forgot how I love playing the acoustic guitar.” His arms were comfortably resting on his legs, but his hands were shaking with relentless passion, as if his fingers were trying to grab something unobtainable. “I want to be free and be myself again!!” He stood up with a pronounced smirk. “Later, Bittersweet.”
“Yeah, sure.”
He waved his hand as he walked to the parking lot of the school, his lonely car waiting for him. As for Nitpick, with a small sense of confusion, it was time to go back home.
…. ….
He just barely took a quick shower before he reached his bed, trying to find the sweet spot and fall asleep. Barely able to comprehend the recent events, he asked to himself again and again why the hell the guys gave him such an easy pass like that. They should be furious, or at the very least, disappointed.
Anything would have been better than the expressions of empathy he felt back then.
“Was this part of your plans as well?” His tone was drowned and tired. Suddenly, his phone rang. Wanting to end it quick, he answered the answer button. “What?”
“Hey, hey, hey! Who do you think I stumbled with when I was walking back home? If you want to know more, please come to my house!”
“Bon Bon…”
“Did I wake you up? … …Anyway, come to my house and bring your school bag, we may have different teachers in some classes but our itinerary is practically the same. Help a poor and desperate teenager to finish her homework.”
Her mockery was enough to make Bittersweet sat down on his bed. “You really have a twisted sense of humor.”
“It’s almost nine o’clock so don’t be late. I know that you know where I live, thanks to Mrs. Flour. It’ll be a long night for us.”
…. ….
At the doorstep of her home, Nitpick knocked the door.
“It’s open!!” Bon Bon’s voice resonated from within the house. “Lock the door when you enter!”
As he entered, to his surprise, the floor was of pleasant and well-constructed wood, masterfully glazed to avoid the pest of ants and termites. Just like a standard documentary explaining the costumes of each nation, Bon Bon’s home was almost an exact replica of the Nipponese style. There was a stand where you put your belonging and a step where you placed your shoes. The walls were almost white, with strangely fitting decoration hanging on them.
Most of such embellishments were owl-themed, ranging from the cutest variant to the most fiercest figure. Putting his shoes on the appropriate place and following her indications of locking the door, the only words he could muster after being filled with the Nipponese vibes were, “Ojama shimasu.” Meaning ‘excuse me’ in the Nipponese dialect.
“YOU PRONOUNCED IT HORRIBLY!” An enraged Owl Lover yelled from the room at his left. “Why everybody makes emphasis on ‘Shi’ instead of just saying the damn thing quick? IS THAT MUCH TO ASK!?” Her footsteps became pronounced, her presence almost revealed to him. “And you only say it after I say ‘Douzo oagari kudasai’, you stupid cultureless Equestrian!”
“EXCUSE ME FOR NOT BEING A NATIVE SPEAK-!!! …Gah!!”
He was baffled as her host stood in front of him laying her back on the wall.
Nitpick admired beauty. Never denied it before, never will. But there were times when certain women flips his switch and made him think that the admiration he felt were none other than his basic desires. There she was, standing proudly and dignified, like a unmatched woman who knew too well what were her fortes. Bon Bon was only wearing simple short shorts and a sleeveless shirt that only reached her belly button.
It’s been a while since a woman caught him off guard with such earthly and proportioned figure, not even Sunset coming close to that standard. Then again, he has never seen Shimmer or Sonata wearing that kind of outfit clearly meant for sleeping purposes before.
Adagio was right, he was a fickle man, and Nitpick will always regret admitting the truth… sometimes.
“And what I said means, ‘Please come in’, so please come in!” She grinned.
Nitpick’s cheeks were reddened and he closed his eyes to avoid more admiration. “Y-your clear word redundancy to stomp my pride is inspiring.”
The Owl Lover guided him inside the living room. It was a spacious room, same white walls, without any furniture however, with only a curious clock of an owl hanging near the entrance. If you stood in a particular directions towards it, its gaze seemed like he was watching its victim, sending shivers to the spine. There was a surprisingly big TV on the wall with various pillows and mantles in the floor at a considerable distance from the screen. There was a little table nearby that had some notebooks on it, appropriate for small snacks and glasses. Finally, a fan was there as well, connected to a power extension cable to minimize its distance to the user.
“It’s just me and Grandma here, if you are wondering.” Bon Bon said while putting herself comfortable on the floor. “Don’t be shy and take a seat.” She threw at him a pillow. “Did you bring your notebooks? I need physics and trigonometry, please.”
Reluctantly, Nitpick took them out of his backpack. “Here you go.”
“Ok, let’s see… Oh, so this is how it’s done.” It took her a few minutes to analyze and write something on her notebooks. When all was set and done, she gave back his notes and excused herself to put away her stuff in her bedroom. Once she came back and sat down once again, she asked, “Did you have dinner already?”
“Don’t waste my time and tell me what I need to hear.”
“Right! When we were done with the groceries, Grandma and I were walking back home. In that moment, we stumbled with Soarin and she went ahead to grab her baggage since she had to catch the night’s plane to the capital to meet with Mom, so… we are alone now. Anyway, he mentioned what you said to me, that cute boy always being so innocent. And that’s when I knew that you did as I expected.”
“What did I do?”
“A simply confession. No drama, no tears, just a straight explanation from the heart and admitting that you were doing some nasty things!”
“You must have talked to him before hand to make him more forgiving! There’s no way any person would forgive such acts!”
“And how would I know that he was your first choice to confess to? I don’t think anyone could have freed their time to meet you somewhere and talk on phone doesn’t have the same impact… Ah! I see it in your eyes that you know I am right! So keep using that head of yours! Find the answer!”
“You sent a group message and explained that I had something to confess and it wasn’t a big deal!”
Bon Bon laid her body comfortably on the floor, a pillow bellow her head and her hands rubbing her toned belly. “Again, you wouldn’t give me much time to explain if you had called someone first to fill the gaps… Hehehe, even so, it wouldn’t have worked in the end.”
“…You… You knew they wouldn’t believe me from the very start!”
“BINGO!” She jumped and clapped wildly numerous times. “DING, DING, DING, DING, DING!!! We have a winner, ladies and gentlemen!”
“H-how!? No!! WHY!!?”
“Think about it. Think really hard about what have you done so far during your time on CHS!” Nitpick was silent, his face in shock and his hands gripping his legs. When Bon Bon saw his state of mind, she continued. “Okay, here’s the over simplified list from the very beginning! You were unfriendly to all and got into to trouble with Spitfire. You ended up proving that she was wrong and you were right about her training methods. You had a fallout with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and most of it was your fault and you apologized. You had a chance to screw Rainbow’s career during the Wind Rider incident but you helped her in the end!”
“I did it to save my ass and Gilda’s!!”
“But you couldn’t let Rainbow be blamed for something unfair, isn’t that right? And you know what? Thanks to the gossips on the school, they all know about your deeds and righted wrongs!” Nitpick became nervous for a moment, and Bon Bon continued. “Then you had your issues with Shimmer and that’s where the main turning tide comes to the equation. In the beginning, there was chaos! Shimmer’s reputation was in shambles thanks to Crystal Prep’s video providing proof that she cheated during the games.”
“Which it happened! CHS cheated!”
“She did! CHS didn’t!”
“It’s the same thing!”
“No, it’s not! I wasn’t part of her magic show, that applies to the school as well! Anyway, at first you held her back, checking that she didn’t do anything suspicious and make the competition more fair, but as the time went by, you took more seriously your position, damn, you even went the extra mile to give us a better fighting chance at the cost of your health! That obviously would motivate people to work harder, make things better, be friendlier to you… and be more forgiving with certain flaws!” She giggled with mockery, covering her mouth with her fingers.
“You… You don’t mean…? You knew this was going to happen!” He said weakly.
“And this couldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for your conscience and your small yet prevalent sense of duty! You danced in the palm my hand and did what I hoped you would do! Being a good-hearted asshole that had a sense of morality!”
“Thunderbass said something similar…” He mumbled.
“What did you just say!? You spoke with him today as well? This is perfect!!! I was hoping for Soarin to share the tale with the others but now that Romeo knows the story as well… Oh my gosh, this is going far better than I expected!”
“C-come to think of it? How did you know I would stumble with Soarin!?”
“I didn’t know that you would do it today! Imagine my surprise when I stumbled with Soarin and he commented about what happened earlier, realizing that you ended up omitting my part in the tale and not mentioning that Princess Twilight was the one who accompanied us all along!” She said with immense pleasure. “Why you didn’t do it is a mystery to me still.” Her tone was of reflection.
“I forgot completely about that brat. And about you, I…” Nitpick got quiet and stopped looking at her in the eye, choosing instead to look at the side of the floor. His face slowly revealed his discomfort, embarrassment, and disappointment. Like he had hoped to achieve his release, and maybe, just maybe, believe in another outcome.
Bon Bon saw through him. “Aaaaah…!” And cherished the revelation with joined hands. “You wanted to preserve my friendships with the guys!” When Nitpick flinched, she got near him and caressed his face. “You are such a good boy.” Then, she hugged him tightly, whispering to his ear, “And you still think that you could get rid of me? You are so naïve and incredibly stupid in these matters.” She blew in his ear with a soft and intoxicating aroma of sweet cinnamon.
“There must be a way…”
“There isn’t. Even if you end up divulging that Princess Twilight was with us, I would save her and say that it was all Sunset’s plan, because you know what? It was her plan in the end, and Twilight would testify about it. Nobody would hate the Princess because of it, but their distrust for Shimmer would increase. Because everybody likes when someone tries to deceive other people, right!?” She said with sarcasm. “And let me tell you a little spoiler of what the people would think of her; It’s not very good!” She was way too cynic in her answer.
“You made me look like an antihero so everyone could empathize with me and distract the rest from the real mastermind; YOU!”
“IT’S NOT VERY GOOOOOOOOD!” She sang with overwhelming joy and walked to the kitchen with a sugary mood. “We must celebrate! Let me make you dinner as a little prize. Do you like Kokun Ball C? Dad sent me the recent movie with subs from Nippon. I wanted to see it with Lyra but she doesn’t like the series that much and I can’t see her to the face right now.”
“Whatever.” Nitpick began to rub his face in defeat, no longer knowing what to think anymore.
From the kitchen, Bon Bon asked, “What do you want to eat?”
“Whatever is the less troublesome to do.”
“I can make white rice or sandwiches… Oh wait, you don’t like sandwiches. Rice will be.”
“Your sandwich… the one you did wasn’t that bad.”
“…I see. Do you… do you want a sandwich of mine?”
“I’m just a guest, do as you please.”
About twenty minutes later, the food was served; two big sized cups of rice and a sandwich cut in half looked cutely on the table, the drinks being simply apple juice. Bon Bon looked at her owl clock and noticed something strange. When she inspected it, she realized that the batteries died out and the hour was frozen at nine with twenty. She swore to buy new batteries tomorrow as she turned on the screen and played the movie.
Strangely enough, it was a silent meal, Bon Bon had lost her upbeat mood and looked… depressed. Both were looking at the action packed movie but without truly seeing it. They slowly emptied their plates and by the half of the movie, their meal was over. They paused it to wash the plates and leave them in the dish racket, her kitchen being surprisingly tidier and more efficient than her living room.
When the movie ended, they noticed that it was already midnight, the streets only illuminated by public lighting. With only a few words and not wanting to cause ruckus or began a discussion, Nitpick agreed to sleep in the living room for that night, not longing resisting the urge to rest. Bon Bon, unexpectedly for even her, brought her pillows and mantles from her room and joined him in the unplanned sleepover.
In a matter of minutes, both fell asleep… Far away from each other.
…. ….
He woke up abruptly, a drowned gasped echoing in the room. He started inspecting his phone to notice that it was barely two in the morning of November 10th, Monday. His body was facing the wall, almost losing himself to the shadows of the room.
“Cannot sleep?” Bon Bon whispered, her voice weakened by her tiresomeness.
“No.”
“Me neither.”
“Why?”
“My conscience, I guess.”
“You know what is that?”
“Of course. It’s a human emotion that gives judgment to the actions of one self! It’s what differentiate us from the wild beasts, whether they are animals or human scums!”
“…I knew you were a rotten bitch. Even your definitions are sneered.”
“Perhaps I am… … …Have you ever felt that you must do something through any means necessary?”
“Not to the point of using people…”
“Hehe, I see…”
“…Is this about Lyra? Why can’t you see her in the face?”
“Perceptive. It’s because… You weren’t wrong with what you said during our phone call. I indeed used my friends… I don’t have the guts to face her right now. Worse is that on Saturday she identified Princess Twilight and told me when I escorted her back home. I told her that she wanted to join us because a friendship mission and crap was needed to be done… Her eyes told me everything… She believed me from the bottom of her heart… ” Her mumble had a degree of discomfort.
“Have you considered –“
“I will not stop until I get rid of her. I have faith that all will end well for us once she is gone, she will only bring us doom from her land. And Twilight is important for this to work.”
“I won’t allow it.” He yawned, drool almost leaving his mouth. “You won’t use her.”
“You can’t stop her growth now. You swore to make her a better person at the cost of yourself, right? Let me tell you something, then. I’ll share with you the burden of her eventual anger towards you. Be patient, and let us see what kind of woman she is from the bottom of her heart.”
“You… we won’t make her a misguided brat like us.”
“You haven’t seen the darkness hiding behind her beautiful purple eyes. You’ll never admire the real demon that other one was once. But even with her negative feelings dwelling in her spirit, I have complete trust that our Twilight will forgive the outlandish Princess of the Fall Formal and become an example to all of us. I have faith that Twilight will triumph over her rage and understand that forgiveness is the answer sometimes. I believe in her capability to embrace her own power and reject her inner demons using her own strength of will and resolve without the need of the so called ‘Magic of Friendship’. Shimmer’s careless ideals and dangers must die with her leave.”
“What did Shimmer do to make you this… vengeful?”
“… …I promise I will tell you one day… When I’m ready.” She said melancholic, tiresomeness pummeling her constitution. “But please… let me sleep. I don’t want to think anymore right now.”
“Can you give me clue? … …I guess not.”
“If… If told you that magic exists in this world since ancient times… that Sunset is from another dimension, that a secret organization exist to hunt evil magic users, and my name isn’t Bon Bon… would you believe me?”
“No.”
“Tee-hee-hee, that was crazy, right?… Who would believe that crap? Nobody is that stupid… … Can I… can I sleep now?”
Nitpick thought in his mind that if the possibility of her giving him permission to make her feel guilty was happening. She wasn’t pressuring him to shut up, nor she showed true desire to end the conversation. In the end, as his eyes started to close, he managed to say one last thing, “I’m starting to believe… that you are just a whiny teenager like me… …”
“I really like you… Good night, Sweet…”
“Good night, Bon Bon...”
The Dust of the Stars guided them to the Land of Dreams.
…. ….
The apple tree of the Apple family were spreading the song of the wind. Branches clashing, leaves dancing. It was three in the morning, and the stars were opaque for some reason to Twilight Sparkle as she saw them shining faintly in the sky. It was a very strange time for her indeed. After leaving her friend behind with new found motivation to become stronger, she was sure that she could speak her mind to her otherworldly self and bestow divine judgment.
Nothing was ever easy for the Scientist.
When she joined the Element Bearers, they were drowned in the sweetness of triumph, making Twilight doubt if it was really the best time to fulfill her desire. Rainbow and the Wondercolts were still partying spectacularly in Sugarcube Corner as the soccer team’s morale increased with their victory. The only member missing was Soarin, but it seemed that nobody put much thought on him, giving Twilight a very slight sense of unfairness from their part.
The only one who was as lost as her was her otherworldly self. She was smiling, shaking her body to the rhythm of the music. But something seemed off for the Scientist. She could feel the gaze of the Princess, but it wasn’t focused nor she exerted a confident aura. It felt distant and hopeless, as if her sweat wasn’t really a product of her effort from dancing. Then, Twilight understood, for she has smelled that aroma before within herself.
The stench of fear wasn’t unfamiliar to the young Scientist.
Sometime later, after an emergency delivery of books, spare clothes, and a sleepy Spike to the Apple’s household, Sunset and Friends organized yet again another sleepover. Princess Twilight and Applejack had to go on foot to prevent that Twilight’s mother sees an exact replica of her daughter in the world.
When they gathered together in the farmer’s room, the girls didn’t lose time and began their activities. All but Twilight shared the notion of having a moment of quality together. She could feel Sunset’s charming aura trying to fill her perturbed mind to join her world. The beauty of her presence seducing Twilight to let go of her inner, newfound purpose.
But Twilight Sparkle couldn’t let go so easily now. A dim but growing presence whispered in her ear to not lose focus. Trying to silence the voice, she tried to blend in the ambience and join the fun. After a few hours of make-up, card games and apple pies, Sunset commented about the experiment she had in mind to restore the red diamond that Twilight had for science purposes. Since the Princess of Friendship approved of the idea, none of the girls questioned any further.
‘It’s always the Princess who has the final word, isn’t it?’, The inner voice spoke, making Twilight give an unconscious glare of despise towards her otherworldly self.
They tried to perform the spell together inside the garage, but once again, Twilight couldn’t make synergy with her friends, leaving her for the second time out of the equation. At the second attempt, the spell was a success… but not as Sunset hoped. Various artifacts, hardware and tools of Applejack’s family whose life utility were long gone were partially restored to their former glory, giving the Sheriff an immense sense of bliss. She felt her fingers becoming stronger as she grabbed a hammer that was restored, the signature of her father in mint condition once again on the sturdy metal.
As for the red diamond, it became just a memory, much to Sunset’s frustration and sadness. Princess Twilight comforted her that she will find a way to complete her research, giving hope once again to Princess Celestia’s old pupil.
The girls went to sleep, and fell deeper and deeper to a sweet slumber. When Twilight noticed that everyone was lost in their dreams, she sneaked her way out for fresh air. The breeze of Ponyville always calmed her down. When she looked at her phone, she saw the hour.
It was three in the morning, and the stars in the sky were obscured by the clouds.
“Sci-Twi…” A weak voice squeaked from behind.
“Oh… It’s you.”
“I’m glad that… you decided to join us.” The Scientist didn’t look at the Princess in the face, continuing to watch the stars instead. “It was somewhat tragic that the spell didn’t work, right? I mean, I had a theory that it would overload the chunks of your diamond and turn it into dust, but a good scientist tries to experiment with what she deems worthy, right?”
“It was just a cheap trinket that I won during a trip. Nothing special.”
“In my world they are rare and very expensive.”
“As I said, it was just a cheap trinket. Its value doesn’t matter to me.” She said extremely cold, dawning to Princess Twilight a moment of silence.
“Sci-Twi… ... …I need to talk with you about something that happened on Saturday.”
The moment that Twilight desired came to her doorstep. She… didn’t know how to start the conversation correctly, however.
“Y-you mean the mess you did on Saturday, right!?” The Scientist asked weakly.
“Oh, so it is as I feared…” The Princess rubbed her arm with remorse emanating from her heart.
“Tell me what is what you feared that happened.”
“Well… That Nitpick called you to see what’s going on about… Sci-Twi, I swear it was an accident!”
The Scientist immediately knew what was she talking about. Princess Twilight didn’t suspect that everything was a silly joke. She thought that using the opportunity to know the reason from her mouth would make her have an easier time to come to a decision of what to do next.
“Answer me something with all the honesty you can muster. Why did you really do it? And most importantly… Why you didn’t tell me?”
“I just wanted to help Sunset to make a new friend. I didn’t mean to hear more than I needed, and I should have been more conscious about what I was getting myself into!”
“And you didn’t tell me because…?” She was waving her hand with a bit of annoyance.
“I didn’t… To tell you the truth, I didn’t think about i. It wasn’t my intention to make you look bad or ruin your friendships! I am so sorry, I won’t give long excuses for what I did for I know it was wrong. Forgive me.”
In the deepest recess of her mind, the human girl called Twilight Sparkle was thinking that the words of her otherworldly self were filled with truth and deep regret, longing for forgiveness. As she was about to let it go and forgive her, something unexpected happened. As she gazed upon the nightly sky, a shiny and burning star glimmered with an unmatched power, paling other stars around it. Not even the moon could compare to her beauty. It was calling to her incessantly, and when Twilight focused only on the Supreme Star, her eyes became blank, a deep trance invading her senses.
She wasn’t in the Apple farm anymore, instead, she found herself in the middle of nowhere, dark echoes filling the air with haunting words. A male, familiar voice resonated across the dark realm and said with tenderness, 'Don’t make the same mistakes as me… If they end up hating me, it doesn’t mean that they must hate you as well! Just because I do wrongs doesn’t mean that you must follow my example! Learn from my mistakes!'
A second voice, female this time, managed to say with wisdom and reassurance, 'Everything has a purpose. Everything has a varying degree of morality. What is be grey for you, it will be black or white for others. But remember, do the right thing when you can and don’t hurt anybody! If the circumstances aren’t favorable, then do the less harm you can manage to do! Always think of everybody’s happiness!'
A third voice, another female, spoke to Twilight from behind her. This time, however, the tone and the presence weren’t warm or comfortable. This aura was wicked. The darkness deepened, any presence of light soon was swallowed without mercy. That voice whispered in her ear, "Don’t be a fool! Make her beg!” She said filled with poison. “She thinks she is so high and wise! Let US teach her a lesson she will never forget! Vengeance, Twilight! Grant us vengeance! …GRANT ME RELEASE!”
The inner darkness freed her, and Twilight recovered her sense of self, once again standing in the fabrics of reality. The wind of the Apple farm gracing her silhouette, her hair dancing with the breeze. Suddenly, Princess Twilight’s chest hurt a little, feeling a terrible darkness coming from her otherworldly self. It felt very different than the dark presences that she battled before like Tyrek or King Sombra. Then, Twilight turned around, facing the mirror, observing her twin, her delicate countenance engulfed in shadows.
“Sci-Twi?” The Princess tried to reach her, walking forward without hesitation to her friend. “Sci-Twi, are you ok!?”
The dark presence that bothered Princess Twilight dissipated with each step she gave, only a big smile, soft and tender eyes, and a welcoming expression, was seen from the Scientist, putting at ease the mind of the Princess.
“Twilight… Tell me what did you hear, please.”
“Ah!? Oh… … Well…”
“Twilight…” The Scientist got closer to her and caressed her cheeks and squished them gently. “What. Did. You… hear!?” Her hiss was cold bur strangely soft.
“That… That Nitpick and you were a kind of an item. And that you didn’t like Flash Sentry.”
“Oh!!! So that was your reason in reality!” Twilight said triumphantly, scratching super playfully the Princess’ cheeks with a smirk. “You weren’t aiming to help Sunset. Oh no, no, no! It wasn’t your desire to fulfill your duty as a Princess of Friendship and make the school unite even more! YOU wanted to know if I had any romantic interest for your unrequited love so you could make your move on him!”
“What!? No! That is insane!”
“That’s why you didn’t tell me, right? You were hoping to ruin my life so you could get a free pass with him!”
“Sci-Twi, what are you saying? I swear that-!”
“Quiet!!” Twilight was griping firmly the shoulders of her otherworldly self, her pajamas’ fabric becoming messy. “For all you seemed to care, you never trusted me, did you? I was just an afterthought, wasn’t I? An inconvenience, a burden that got in your way to get what you desired. I trusted you, Twilight… But it seems you never trusted me at all. Is it because I can’t Pony-Up? Or perhaps is because I can’t make a single group spell? Oh, I get it. I’m incompetent when it comes to friendship, and that’s why I’m always on the sidelines.” Twilight’s voice had softened as her speech went on and on, becoming weak and mumbled. She finally whispered in the Princess’ ear, “I’m always the last option to be asked an opinion, aren’t I…?”
‘Ruining a life could not be more easy! It is a good thing that you would never disguise as your cousin and hear things you are not supposed to know. It is a good thing that you would ask her first before doing anything harsh. After all, you are family… right?’
Princess Twilight’s eyes diluted in horror as Reem’s words resonated in her mind continuously. Was this a punishment for abusing of her Princess’ status? Was this her guilt trying to give her a message? Or perhaps it was remorse? Perhaps the dark presence wasn’t even there in reality. Perhaps it was pure fright at thinking that she could be terribly angry at her. A was a combination of those feelings and more were eating her slowly, tears flowing from her cheeks, her sorrowful eyes getting heavy.
“I’m so sorry…” She sniffed while looking to the floor. “I didn’t mean to hurt you…”
The Scientist looked at her without a shred of remorse, or pity. Her lips lacked expression, her breath absent of warm and love. But her eyes were dismembering her from inside out. A cold grin forming on her lips at last.
Then, it was warm again.
“But… What use is the Magic of Friendship if I don’t learn to forgive!?” She raised the chin of the Princess of Friendship and cleaned her tears with her own shirt. “I forgive you, Twilight.” She hugged her and patted her head, slowly and gently. “Let your weeping cease. After all, we are like family, right?”
Princess Twilight instantly returned the affection, her arms almost squeezing the Scientist’s back. “Oh, thank you! Thank you, Sci-Twi!”
“Promise me you won’t do it again…” She said sweetly.
“Yes, I won’t do anything like that again.”
“Do you promise to keep all what you heard an absolute secret? Even to your friends from your world?” She said comfortably while exploring her back upside down.
“Yes, I promise.”
“And promise me to stop leaving me behind when it comes to your sleepovers and planning.” She said while rubbing her cheek on her neck.
“Yes, Yes, Yes! A thousand times yes!” The Princess hugged her firmer.
“Don’t betray me again.” She locked her eyes with hers. “I don’t think I can forgive you twice. You… understand what I mean, right?” Weakly, the Princess nodded with agreement to her words. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, Twilight. It’s just that… you know. I feel that sometimes we must let go of what we think so one can move on, right? It’s not abuse if you end up mending your wounds, right? What we did was strengthening our bond… right?”
The Princess’s sniffs were subsiding, her brimming nature surfacing once again. “Of course… This proves that I still have much to learn as a Princess of Friendship! I mustn’t overestimate the trust that was bestowed and blessed to me.”
“Indeed you have, Twilight. Indeed you have. Remember, if you have a question from this world that not even Sunset can answer, you can always come to ME first, understood?”
“Yes… As a matter of fact… what is a CUDA and a GPU? Reem asked me, well, you, to make a computer of sorts.”
“Oh, that’s an extensive subject, and a very interesting one as well! I’ll explain it to you another day! For now, let us go to sleep! I have classes tomorrow and you must go to your royal duties as well in the morning!”
“Hehe, you may be right.”
“I am right. I’m you, remember?”
They both laughed and went back inside, welcoming the Land of Dreams for another night. In the sky, the Supreme Star gleamed with happiness, the heavens bending to its will. The critters of the town trembled in fear while looking at the celestial body, howls and squeaks of terror silenced by an unspeakable shadow originated from its perverted glimmer.
It was the coldest night of the year in Ponyville so far.