I won’t allow Bon Bon to win!
…But how?
Her bonds with the most important people of the school was at its strongest. They trusted her, even Sunset, leaving my word worthless. Thunderbass, Soarin, Melody, and her most trusted and loved friend, Lyra, only knew the gentle side of her. Her good side.
But those who are on her bad side, the vengeful one, the rage that lies within her, the only thing that awaited for them is a possibly gruesome finale. I can’t allow that to happen to Sunset. I helped create this mess, and I must find a way to stop it.
Not only I had to worry about Sunset’s welfare but also had to worry about Twilight. I don’t know why, but I felt something terribly wrong happened to her. I called her before walking to the school but she didn’t answer the phone. It worried me that perhaps her headache became worst, just a feeling that my Sixth Sense gave me.
I’ll go to her home if she doesn’t come to school.
As I arrived to my locker, other thoughts came to my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about the abundance of space around me. It made me feel pretty lonely today, not having friends or allies to greet me. I once sang praises and joy when Sunset guided me here and told me that nobody wanted the lonely alley of lockers on this part of the school on the first day of classes, but today I had a rush of memories of what would have occurred if I was still in Crystal Prep.
I could hear Gilda’s snarky greeting while slamming my back with her hand, only for I to give her a bear hug. Reem and Blueblood would have some varying comments depending on their morning humor, and Sugarcoat would rush to the Champion Lounge and start yelling from inside out about our incompetence regarding our paperwork.
Even I could imagine the stupid insults of Lightning Dust, the sour and annoying face of Cinch, the silly coolness of Jet Set and his gang, the air of supremacy of Sunny Flare and Friends, the warm and friendly presence of Dean Cadence and Captain Armor, and when we were in better terms, I would have some sweets as quick snacks before classes with Sour Sweet. But… those fleeting memories transformed into the bitter reality before me; a lonely alley of empty lockers and I was its only citizen.
If it weren’t for Twilight… I would be alone now.
“Boss.”
Somehow that now-known voice worsened my very depressed mood.
“Bon Bon…”
“You look so lonely here. I have been thinking about changing my locker to one of these, but that would mean leaving Lyra behind. Perhaps I can convince her to join us as well.”
“I’m not in the mood right now. What do you want?”
“Oh, my. Someone didn’t sleep well. Want some an energy drink? It won’t hide the eye bags but will boost your strength for a bit.”
“No.”
“Suit yourself. Anyway, I have a big and spectacular surprise for you!”
“Not again. Look, I don’t have the time or energy to deal with your obnoxious little pranks. I really had a bad night.”
I focused my full attention to my locker, and footsteps echoed in the alley. I thought she walked away but instead, I felt a very comfy, feminine presence gluing in my back.
“…Hey.” Bon Bon talked very softly. “What’s wrong?”
“I told you, nothing.” I said very monotonously.
“You don’t deceive me, of course you are not right… Want me to fetch you a snack?”
“No. Give me this moment of respite before I have to fake a smile during school hours.”
“I know… I know that I have given you a hard time in crucial moments during the competition and it can be annoying to be left in the dark. If you want me to do something for you in-”
“A hard time!? Damn you, just leave.”
“Come on, follow me. There’s something I know that will improve your mood. Trust me.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I care for you even if you don’t believe me. Let me help you with your locker.”
“You… ah, crap. I’ll do it myself, just wait there.”
I rushed my business with my locker and walked swiftly behind her. Somehow, I had a really bad feeling of what was I about to witness. As we got inside the gym hall, I witnessed the passion of a few key students of the competition working on something new, leaded by someone I could have never imagined.
“I want those new portable sets finished by tomorrow evening! By my calculations, these ones can be reused for future plays that CHS may need, if well-kept of course!”
“Right away, Twilight!” A random girl said obediently.
“Try to not to cross the copper lines with the gold connectors while you are welding that old sound card’s transistor, Microchips! If you follow the blueprint I designed, we can make it far more efficient than a new one!”
“I’m doing my best, Twilight! You can count on me!” Microchips then continued his work joyfully.
“Twilight, I finished the arrangements for the flower distribution you asked for!”
“Excellent work, Dancer! These look very neat indeed! Go and do the finishing touches!”
“Right away! Come, Bulby!”
“Yeah, Choco!”
I was watching her from behind before calling her name, her long and untied hair reaching below her waist. When she turned around, my worst fears materialized in an unexpected way. My bad premonition took the form of a completely new person before me. Her hair still had a ponytail, but now it was on her right side, and she was no longer wearing the cute garments that Rarity made exclusively for her. Instead, she wore a very familiar choice of clothes, like if I was looking at myself in a mirror.
It gave a shiver on my spine.
“What do you think?”
“Is that who I really think she is?”
“Twilight, over here!” The new presence was closing the gap from us. “I will say it again, you look neat!”
“Thanks, Bon Bon! I know!” She was walking to my direction, a heavy presence pressing my inner peace, faster and faster. She felt mysterious, she felt prideful, she… “Hi, Nitty.”
Greeted me with her usual bubbly and somewhat dreamy smile… huh.
I looked at her wholly and asked, “…You are Twilight, right?”
“Why are you asking me that silly question? Of course I am Twilight!”
“I feel you are not Twilight I know.”
“Don’t be such a comedian now! I assure you that I am Twilight Sparkle! The one and only! Right, Bon Bon?” The girl in question answered with nod and a big smile with complete joy.
“W-what happened to your dress?”
“Oh? Rarity’s clothes? I wanted to change my look!” Said she to me with her usual practical tone. “Do you like it? The long shirt was unexpectedly nice, now I know why you use these most of the time! The pockets are very useful for key stuff I need!” She showed me a set of pens and small notebooks hidden on her inner pocket’s. The Rubik’s cube kept safe in the biggest one.
“I see… Sunset told me last night that you had a headache! I even called you earlier in the morning to see if you were fine.“
“Sorry about that, my battery died and I just turned it on just now. I’m completely fine now, look!” She spun several times and then stopped, saying, “TA-DAH!” In her usual very childish way. “See?”
“That was lame…”
But at the same time, it felt strangely normal… for now.
“Come on! Praise me, already! In any case, I hope you like what I am doing now!”
“I see you are doing a lot of busy work. Why?”
“When I woke up earlier in the morning, I had a rain of ideas that I came up with! It only took me a mere two hours to do the necessary blueprints and checklists that we needed to follow and maximize our efforts! While I was reviewing Sunset’s methodologies with my trusty checklist, I couldn’t help but feel amazed by how wasteful her directions were!”
Sunset, being wasteful!? That name and those words shouldn’t be used in the same phrase.
“D-does Applejack or the others know about your plans?”
“Of course not! This came out of nowhere, to be honest! But I’m glad to see that some students willingly came to my aid! If it weren’t for Bon Bon, this could have never happened!” Her voice was strangely motivated.
I glared at Bon Bon with my gaze and she told me with her eyes, ‘You are welcome.’
“Right, good call. Say, I just noticed that you have a new pair of glasses! Where are your old ones?”
“I have them here with me!” She showed me a case that held them. “I will use them only during experiments and heavy work now. From now on, these ones are for more, shall we say, leisure situations, I guess!” She smiled… obnoxiously.
“It’s good that you have a positive mentality about it.”
“I know! I should have listened to Cadence long ago and used these since the day she gave them to me. At first, I was weirded out by my looks, but I found the transition was more intuitive than I expected. Say, I took the liberty to perfect most of your ideas as well, why don’t we review them in a more… private place?”
A rainbow of flowers manifested behind her, suddenly exploding in thousands red flags of existential doom before me.
“NO! I mean, before you do something hasty…” I passively took her notes from her. “Why don’t you finish first what you started now? You seem to be doing an spectacular job.”
“You think so!? Thank you!” She clapped her hands happily. “I knew you would see things my way! I will supervise things here for now, we still have twenty minutes before inorganic chemistry starts! Pfff, basic, petty subject!” She said with an unexpected tone of prepotency as she pushed me away to the exit. “Oh well, in any case, why don’t you go ahead and sit down and relax and wait for me in the classroom? You have sacrificed a lot for CHS and now is my turn to contribute with something meaningful! Bye-Bye!” The doors were slammed behind me, and Bon Bon soon joined me.
“Isn’t she amazing now!!?” She almost jumped as her body was trembling with euphoria. “She is absolutely incredible! Doesn’t that put a smile on your face!”
“Are you high on drugs!? That chick wasn’t Twilight!! Did you vampirized her or something!?”
“I see your blood flowing through your veins perfectly fine, if you ask me.”
“You know what I mean.”
“She IS the new and improved Twilight Sparkle, Nitpick Bittersweet! Behold, our new creation!” She began moving away and I pursued her. “I knew that with the right conditions she would change for the better!” She opened her locker and grabbed a small bag. “Someone stronger and far more efficient!” She then walked to one of the dispensers in the first floor and bought two mineral waters and put them on her bag. “I just didn’t expect these changes would come so soon! This is what we are fighting for! That kind of independence is our ultimate goal for CHS!”
“You want clones of that!? You’re insane!”
“You are so funny!”
“I’m not joking here!”
“Express quiz, what is the greatest gift that life bestowed to all living beings!?”
“The power of choice.”
“Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding! That’s right! When Sunset arrived to our school, she stripped away our freedom of choice! When you arrived and sided with me, we slowly started returning to everyone that irreplaceable gift! And she is the first saved victim! A work of art, if I may gloat about it!” She rubbed her nails on her shirt with a cocky glare at me.
“You practically streamlined the possibilities with your scheming! This is no different than Sunset’s plan to destroy the ‘incorrect paths’ in life and for only the ‘good’ ones to prevail!”
“Wrong! They were stuck with a limited path and then we showed them another with more possibilities and they started to appreciate it! It’s just a for a little bit longer what we need to struggle! Once everyone realizes that Sunset’s ideal is unnecessary and unneeded and she goes back to her homeland, I will have fulfilled my mission in stopping her magical rampage.”
“Get real! Sunset is no longer the enemy you want to destroy! She is different, better!”
“Even if that is true, some sins can never been cleansed! Soon, I will show you her real face!”
“Whatever she did in the past, it matters little now!”
“Second express quiz, what do you think of the saying, ‘My past does not define me, because my past is not today’?”
“I don’t share the sentiment behind those words.”
“Why?”
“What you did in the past defines you. Lessons, experiences, acts, decisions, all of that builds your character and personality. But… that doesn’t mean that it should hold us back for a new future, a better one. If you are guilty of something, you must find a way to compensate for it.”
“And what if such thing can never be restored or compensated? What if certain actions can’t bring back the lost ones?”
“You and your obscure facts are driving me insane!”
“Don’t allow her poisonous idealism to rub on you. Once a certain employee I hired for a certain task finish its purpose, my final plan will begin!”
“You are a fool to tell me this! I tried to tell Sunset about it, what makes you think that I won’t thwart your plans!?”
“Ooooh! You told Sunset about my schemes? Then tell me…” She stopped walking and smiled at me with an impish smile, her cold but sweet artic eyes reflecting my silhouette with an enchanting mysticism, and finally grabbing my shirt and closing my face to hers. “Did she believe you?”
“…No.”
“Just as I have foreseen. Nobody in CHS will believe you, and nobody of your greatest and most treasured friends can aid you thanks to Sugarcoat’s meltdown. What? Surprised? I’m aware of it too! It was easy to guess who was she yelling at by her voice’s tone and inner troubles! You are weaponless against me without them, and even if you find someone who would believe you or manage to get Gilda and the others back to your side, I don’t think they would be talented enough to outsmart me! I have carefully chosen every location to scheme, every word to sing, and convinced every person I needed to motivate to come to this point! You have made my victory and purpose a very possible reality!”
“You can’t keep this farce forever!”
“Oh, I know!” She released me after playfully slapping my cheek, and showed me her back, part of her face hidden in shadows looking at me. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t try keeping my secrets, for I protect what I treasure!” Her eyes glowed with the resolve of triumph, and sinful joy. “Besides some important things I promised to tell you later, I have not lied to you in the slightest! I have come clean to my Grandma – which she didn’t give me a choice - and you, and you, and only you! Unlike Sunset, who hides to you many magical secrets that she won’t share until she considers you and the rest of the ignorant people of CHS worthy of it, I speak to you with truth!”
“If there is a shed of conscience in you, please stop chasing an old grudge! It could end you!”
“End me? Love, please, you don’t know anything about ‘An end to all things’ principles! Even so, you and I are not that mismatched, we just approach things with a very miniscule subtlety!”
“I’m not like you and I will stop you!”
“My, my! Such scary and determined eyes you have! Lovely resolve, but pointless determination! I will give you some tips because I feel so infatuated with you today! If I should lose, better be against someone who I like. Don’t try to record our talks with your phone, I will no longer speak of these things unless we are in my home and your device in my hand! Don’t try using Princess Reem’s camera devices either, I know how they look and how they work, thanks to her instruction manual! Don’t try to make people hilariously try to spy on us, for I will notice as well! And… we’ll continue this later. People are coming and by that kind of footsteps, one of them is certainly Fluttershy! Bye-Bye!”
She casually walked away from me and I noticed that a big group of students was coming from the other side of the hall. Fluttershy appeared on sight a few moments later, and she was carrying her backpack in her usual delicate manner. When she saw me, she gave me a cutesy little smile and greeted me with a hand wave, and I returned the gesture in kind.
But how the hell did she know it was her?
…. ….
During my walk to the gym hall…
“Nit-Nit, hi!”
“Lyra, ready for the routine again?”
“It’s not a routine if you love what you do!” She made a short, compact, and energetic dance around me. “But, I have a question for you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Don’t you think Twilight looks… weird today?”
“That would be an understatement.” I opened the door to the gym hall for her.
“Thank you.”
“Hey guys!”
“Thunderbass.”
“Hey, there, Thunderbass!”
“What are you talking about? Can I join the conversation?”
“About Twilight and her new image.”
“New image? Oh, yeah! I looked at her in the morning. To be honest with you, she feels… off today, I guess? I don’t know, like if she was another person.” Thunderbass said with a thoughtful expression. “Could she be Princess Twilight in disguise? She is acting like a leader, just when she united us during the Fall Formal. Perhaps she is disguised as our Twilight today because a friendship problem arose!”
Could they not know about the disguise incident?
“I doubt it. The Princess couldn’t feel this… different.” Lyra said. “Besides, I don’t think the Princess could do such a thing. At least, not this awkward like last time.”
“Like last time?” Thunderbass asked confused.
“Hehehe! Joking! Princess Twilight couldn’t do such a thing, right?”
That smirk! SHE KNOWS! But I’ll deny it until I’m proved otherwise.
“In any case, Twilight feels odd now. Nit-Nit, can you feel it? I don’t know how to put it into words but something tells me this isn’t our real Twi-Twi.”
“Maybe she woke up with the wrong foot today and we are just in edge. Let’s focus on our task at hand.”
“Right.”
“Gotcha!”
Thunderbass and Lyra joined their respective groups and I walked to Sunset who had a peculiar face since she saw Twilight in the morning. I didn’t know if she was happy, or worried. Even so, I wandered with her around the school to oversee our progress, and after doing our quick inspection, we came back to the gym hall. There, we saw the anomaly doing her business with a fervent pace.
Twilight… was Impeccable.
“Sparkle!” Spitfire rushed to her and faced her. “I need Rainbow Dash and Soarin for a quick strategy meeting for the next game now!”
Sunset and I were about to step right in like we always do but…
“I’m sorry but I have a need for them in this moment.” Twilight spoke while standing her ground. “Can’t it wait until sports’ class hour?”
“No! I can’t waste precious time explaining new tactics at that time when we could be using it for training!”
“Oh, please! We already know that the only winning tactic your team needs is to pass the ball to Rainbow Dash!”
“I’m totally okay with what Twilight says!” Rainbow exclaimed arrogantly while moving a box of materials with Applejack.
“I don’t know, this isn’t the Rainbow Dash show! Perhaps Spitfire came up with something that will make the Wondercolts score more goals during the next match!”
“That’s right, Applejack, thank you! Rainbow, Soarin, follow me!”
“I’m sorry, Spitfire. I still need them here! Those items will not move by themselves and the heavy lifter students are already busy cleaning the fields in this very moment. A petition that you asked to Principal Celestia, if you remember correctly.”
“Wait a minute, where did they get those extra materials?” I asked.
“ Twilight asked the Diamond Dogs to dismantle the old works in the morning for three pure silver pieces.” Sunset answered.
OUR TEAM’S PROGRESS WASTED!?
“We need the fields ready to practice my strategies! Besides, the school personnel in charge of that are very few to do it quickly and they needed help from us.”
“So it’s fair that both of them stay here! As I said, they are needed in more important stuff.”
“Are you opposing me?”
“Me? Of course not. Listen, how many games have you won until now?”
“All of them.”
“You see? Relax, Spitfire!” Twilight approached the soccer’s captain in a very suave way. She put her hand a little below her shoulder and naturally forced her to walk with her in an oval trajectory. “Look around you, see the burning desire to win? This is not different than your fervent wish to emerge victorious on the soccer tournament! We all want to defeat Crystal Prep! Do you want CHS to defeat that school?”
“Heck yeah! They are our mortal enemies!”
“Indeed they are! If we let one single resource go to waste, we could lose the edge! They are already in disarray thanks to a minor disjoint they had recently! If we push harder and take advantage of their new weakness, we WILL win! I AM RIGHT, OR I AM RIGHT, EVERYONE!?” She shouted with vigor, the hall soon filled with positive answers of assured victory.
“I suppose… I could focus a bit on the competition.”
“Good! I knew you would see reason! After all, someone with your leadership skills and who has won all the soccer matches clearly sees the bigger picture! What can I say? The Wondercolts’ soccer team triumph is inspiring!”
My jaw dropped to the floor with that demonic, unholy praise. And that ‘Inspiring’ remark is patented… PATENTED!
“Of course!” Spitfire expressed cockily. “Alright, I’ll help a bit around here. But once I’m done, I need my players back, alright?”
“That sounds like a fair trade. Deal.”
They shook their hands firmly and proceeded to finish quickly their new objective. Once done, Soarin and Spitifire went ahead to where the rest of their team were, and Rainbow Dash, before joining them, said to Twilight, “You were awesome! I knew deep inside you were a kind of a leader like the Princess!”
“Oh, I plan to become better than that, if you don’t mind!”
“Sure, you can try if you want!! Well, gotta go, see ya later!”
“Darling, I was meaning to tell you since the beginning that your outfit...” Rarity was inspecting Twilight upside down with a reluctant face. “Are you sure this suits you?”
“Yeah, I find it practical and useful for my stuff!” She showed her the hidden pockets. “You don’t find it appealing?”
“Well, it’s just that I thought that you would like something more… joyful, I guess.”
“Oh, nonsense! I’m fine!”
“As long as Twilight feels amazing, I don’t mind the new change!”
“Thanks, Pinkie Pie!”
“I have a more important question to ask you, how did you manage to gather the courage to face Spitifire like that?”
“Well, Sunset, when you have good teachers in friendship…” Twilight gathered the rest of her friends and made them do a group hug, which they welcomed fully. “Everything is possible! The magic of friendship and a bit of reason can do wonders, right?”
“You are right! We can do anything with our bonds of friendship!” Fluttershy cheered.
“I suppose… No, you are right! You are definitely right!!” Sunset expressed with a gentle smile.
“Since everything is practically under control, why don’t we have breakfast now? The rest of the guys are leaving already as well.”
“I believe that is a fantastic idea. Fluttershy and I’ll go ahead to put the mat near the statue, y’all!”
As I saw them leave the hall, Sunset stayed beside me with her hands on her hips. Her face was mellow, a tiny grin painted on her face, and her deep but shiny cyan eyes had an air of nostalgia, and innocent pride.
“It feels like years since we met her during the games, but it’s only been a few months in reality. To think that she was once insecure and reluctant… and now… She is taking the lead as if it’s meant to be.”
“Sunset, I don’t think that is the Twilight you wished for.”
“Isn’t she? Perhaps you are right… No, she is! I wished for her to still be my student of friendship… but she has started to surpass me… Just like her. It seems that it runs… in the family, I guess.” She patted my back and smiled at me wider. “In a way, she is our victory. Maybe… not getting along from the start was for the best.” She left my side and disappeared through the door.
“No, Sunset. If she is better than before, it’s your triumph. If she becomes a fiend, it’s my fault.”
Just before I walked for my lunch, then to my spot, I stumbled with Rarity face to face outside the hall, the shadow of concern bathing her visage.
“You don’t think this is normal. Right, Darling?”
“Huh.”
“Please, don’t play dumb. This is about Twilight!”
“I don’t know what is normal anymore today.”
“By the handwork of the fashion gods, dummy, she was emulating you!”
“Are you serious!? That wasn’t like me at all!”
“Because clearly the clothing, the smart-talk, the double meaning praise, including the ‘Inspiring’ part of her speech isn’t you!”
“A-a coincidence! I do things far more smartly than that!”
Between intervals of coughs, clearing her throat, and mumbles, she blatantly mumbled, “Fluttershy, the Apple Fair boxing, your fights with Sunset, fashion choices, gossips.”
“Ok, I get it! Fuck!”
“Your lang-! What do I bother? As I said, it’s subtle, but it is definitely you lurking in her shadow!”
“No, it can’t be!” I was perplexed. “She should be herself, not a cheap imitation of someone else!”
“At this rate, you will become the cheap imitation, and very soon. That’s a no-no in my books.”
“Are you saying that I am lame?”
“What!? Darling, no! You are unique, and I want you to be the one and only Nitpick Bittersweet… But I don’t think Twilight should follow your way of life to the letter.”
“Agreed.”
“I’ll see what I can investigate about this anomaly and tell you about it later. She didn’t say anything, but Applejack noticed as well. I know what her frowns really want to say.”
“I don’t know what good will that do but I appreciate the gesture. Perhaps she just got good with dealing with people and we may be overreacting.”
“Let me assure you that I don’t think that is the case… I know the answer but still, I’ll ask. Want to join me and have breakfast? I have to fix a quick disguise for the play and I won’t be able to join the girls right now.”
“I’ll join you as your five minute boyfriend.” I said sarcastically.
Rarity looked at her phone and said, “Your five minutes start now. Be a good lover and bring my gear over there!”
She pointed out to a pile of ungodly boxes filled with fabrics and crap.
“Just for once I wish I could have a lover in my life that would say, ‘Love, let’s have a lovey-dovey breakfast now. Let’s kiss until we see the stars in the sky now! No strings attached!’ or something.”
“Four minutes, if you don’t hurry up you won’t get breakfast or lip kisses.” She countered me with a lady-like sarcastic remark.
There was breakfast, but no kisses. At least, not in the lips.
Pity…
…. ….
No matter how much I thought about it, every one of my counterattacks lead to a checkmate against me. I didn’t have tools, people, ideas, not even a damn juice to enjoy while I was sitting on the public bus’ chair towards the city. I wasn’t sure if what Bon Bon said to me was to scare me away, or a genuine warning to not do something foolish against her. Then again, I was stupid enough to open my mouth and told her again about my failures. I was too emotionally disturbed to even think about something worthwhile.
I think that crushing me mentally was part of the plan all along. The only thing that relaxed me a bit was the passing buildings that the bus leaved behind. It was like a slow flash of colors passing before me and being replaced by new, yet identical tonalities. I sighed deeply as I tried once again to think outside the box. But I was so tired, whether it is my health, or my conscience, or my lack of sleep, something always gets in the way of my rest.
“What are you thinking, Bittersweet?”
My heart jumped when I heard that soft voice at my side. “Melody, w-when did you get here?”
“I was here all the time. Remember that I am your partner today.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Something tells me that you are distressed.”
“More like my head is in the clouds.” I said with a bit of self-sarcasm.
“My thoughts are on the clouds when I’m playing my music. Always trying to imagine a new tune. A secret of mine is that sometimes I dream that I am a famous and sophisticated musician in another world!”
First Lyra and her hooves thing, now Melody and her artistic delirium. CHS gals have psychological problems.
“How are things going on with Soarin?” I tried to change the subject.
“Good. In fact, today he felt a bit needed and happy, thanks to Twilight’s organized workload. We even had a small talk before heading to our classes.”
“Twilight, yeah… She has changed a lot in a couple of days.”
“She doesn’t feel like Twilight to me. But perhaps I am not used to the change. It’s weird, to be honest. Everyone is still surprised about her attitude.”
“I think the same thing. Somehow I feel I created a monster.”
“Monster? You exaggerate. But if you are right, I don’t think you created it. Perhaps the monster was always there, but we didn’t notice it. The wisest thing we can do in this world is be weary of the beast that lies within the so called weak people of character.”
“That’s a very wise counsel, indeed.”
We stayed quite for a moment, and Melody started playing with her fingers for a bit. Then she asked, “…Want to talk about your problems with me?”
“Why do you think I have a problem?”
“Because it’s painted over all of your face.”
“I’ll seriously leave my hair grow and let it hide my face. Look, I’m just facing some inner demons and trying to make things right. I don’t want to screw things around anymore.”
“Is this about Sugarcoat?”
“…Why are you worrying for me?”
“Because you are a my friend.” Her face became welcoming.
“I… don’t know about that.”
“Are you tired?” She gently guided me near her. “Here, put your head on my shoulder. There’s a bit of time before we arrive to our destination.”
“Melody, no.”
“Why not?”
“It’s weird, people will say that we are an item, and you smell so nice that I could fall for you.”
She gasped surprised and I took the chance to get away from there. Her cheeks were pink reddish and her expression was of embarrassment. “That’s something you shouldn’t say in public, Nitpick Bittersweet.”
“I know.” I put myself comfortable as humanly possible in the bus chair. “I know.” And I shut down my eyes and tried to nap for a bit.
It turned out to be impossible, obviously. The window wouldn’t stop hammering my head at every bus stop, and even if it was stable, my thoughts wouldn’t stop thinking about Sunset’s happiness. I cursed my stupid life decisions and this was karma at its best. If this was punishment for plotting to ruin an innocent life, then I am burning in justice.
“Closing your heart, closing your eyes… It’s not an answer worthy ofyou…” A soothing voice was brushing away my troubles. “Open your heart, and listen to me… it’s time to let your troubles to rest.” I gazed at Melody and she started singing in a very relaxed position.
“Melody…” I tried to ask something, but I got silenced by her song.
‘Open your heart, while closing your eyes!
May Cupid bless the love of our kiss!
Drifting in sleep, and drifting in stream!
Let’s journey to the land of our dream!’
Slowly but surely, I was guided back to her side, my strength subsiding at her will. She continued singing for a brief moment, but I couldn’t listen to the rest of her lullaby. I succumbed to my slumber when we were crossing the suburbs.
…. ….
My inner clock kicked in and awakened me from my sleep. I noticed that we were about to arrive to the nursing home’s park and I tried to stand up, but failed. Melody was sleeping soundly on my shoulder, her face undisturbed by any kind of worries. I poked her face and she eventually yawned while waking up. She rubbed her eyes like a little, pure child and I told her it was time to call our stop. Moments later after going down the bus, I broke the silence.
“Was that song of your creation?”
“Yes… your poem inspired me.” She hide her face for a bit.
“P-p-poem!? Did someone told you that crap to you!?”
“Of course.” She smiled freshly. “You are far more romantic than I thought.”
“That was a private piece of melancholy and childish love!”
“Don’t worry, I promised Lyra that I won’t tell anyone! But Thunderbass says that he is writing a new song now, thanks to it!”
“Nou!” I whined. “My private life ruined!”
“Well, I shared with you a new song. It was a bit embarrassing to do so. You are my first audience...”
“I accept your feelings… and your dreams”
As we walked through the park, we watched with a bit of amusement that some children were playing with capes and sticks and paper planes. A rarity to be sure, for most kids of this age play with their smartphone or other stuff at home. That kind of energy reminded me of the three peculiar youths.
“Say, besides my class with Cranky Doodle, I haven’t seen Applebloom and company lending us a hand.”
“Oh, about that, since the incident from last time, the girls haven’t come to aid us because Applejack and company scolded them harshly.”
“But we came to the conclusion that they didn’t make the mess, didn’t we? Haven’t they apologized?”
“If by apology you mean a few words that include, ‘Just don’t get in trouble’, or, ‘Next time be sure to be around us’, then yes, they apologized.”
“What a sarcastic remark.”
“Thank you.”
“Seriously, that’s not fair.”
“I know. If you don’t mind, could you try and convince them to lend us a hand instead of them? I know that you have much on your shoulders but those girls have had a very hard time recently.”
“Why do you think I may do a difference?”
“You treat people well when you want, and besides, you could talk to them. Maybe they can help you with your accounts and paperwork. Or at least comfort them as a former villain to little troublemakers!” She smiled widely, fully aware of her words.
“Very funny, Melody.”
She giggled vigorously. “I’m sorry!”
“You are nasty. The next Evil Sunset Shimmer!”
“Ah! You dare!?”
“Of course I dare.”
She hummed in a dignified manner and crossed her arms. “So uncivilized.”
“You deserve it.”
“This is more fun than I expected, I’m glad you are like this. Very few appreciate sarcasm.”
“To be honest, I consider you an amateur in the subject.”
“I prefer to say that I know my limits and don’t like to insult people, thank you very much.”
“Right, right. I hope you have good fortune with whoever wins your heart. If you are like this, they will experience hell with the real you.”
“If my love belongs to you, then I could be living my own little piece of nightmare as well. Such a Dante’s Inferno that would be.”
“You, Lyra, and Bon Bon are the same! You abuse of my gentleness and screw me at every turn!” Melody smirked abruptly. “WHAT!?”
“You are gentle, indeed.”
“If my face is an open book, you are a reality show made flesh.”
I enjoyed my walk with Melody towards the orphanage under the shadow of the trees of autumn.
…. ….
Trying to forget for a moment about Bon Bon and Twilight, I decided to take Melody’s suggestion and convince the Crusaders to come back to help us. I came with a job position they couldn’t reject and I know they would like it… Or so I hoped. Applejack told me that the Cutie Crusaders would be staying at Scootaloo’s home watching some movies of horror and other kind of cheap flicks. The way she said it to me was weird and forced, nevertheless, The Sheriff has been acting strange around me since Apple Fair ended. Perhaps she was still a bit thoughtful about my fight with Braeburn and my horrible beaten.
When I found Scoot’s home, the building wasn’t different than any other house from Ponyville; Middle sized, comfy looking, and with a good view to the mountains. As I pressed the doorbell to summon them, I could hear the cheap effects of Nap Away Camping coming from the second floor, a hideously hilarious ‘horror’ movie from the eighties. The over the top and fake screams of the protagonist was unmistakable… it reminded me of Reem when she fakes a scream.
I could hear several weak steps coming from inside, and at a snail pace, the door opened weakly. Three pairs of eyes looked at me with different expressions, ranging from curiosity to confusion.
“Bub-in-law.” Applebloom opened the door. “What are you doing here?”
“I came here to talk to you, Crusaders.”
“Oh… Come in, then.” Scootaloo said softly. She made me sit in the living room and she asked, “Do you want some ice cream?”
“Or maybe some chocolates?” Sweetie Belle added.
“Perhaps some fizzy apple cider?” Applebloom concluded.
“The cider.” I commanded. The little farmer delivered to me the cold and tasty elixir of mortal pleasures and I drank it to the bottom. It’s not the Gold Brand… but it was damn good. “Crusaders, I have come to take you with me and give you a new task for the competition.”
Their face became moody, a depression as bleak as my luck surrounded us.
“I don’t think you really want our help, Bub-in-law.”
“We don’t want people to think that we create problems.”
“Yeah, it’s not fun…”
“But some people really miss your energy, like Melody and Soarin. Say, why don’t you become my personal assistants? I was thinking that I need manpower to become a quality supervisor, and someone must take my notes or observe things from a different angle! Since Twilight is doing… stuff, I need someone thoughtful-!” I pointed out to Sweetie Belle, “efficient,” I pointed out to Applebloom, “and brave,” And finally I pointed out to Scootaloo, “to do so!”
“Are you serious!?” Scootaloo asked far more excited and less depressed.
“What is a quality supervisor?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Quality supervisors ensure that a quality standard is properly followed during tests of products for defects. In this case, I wants to ensure that whatever the students do are what CHS truly needs!”
“Oh! That sounds like a super important job!”
“And you want us to help you with that!?”
“Of course! If you work under my supervision, your sisters can’t tell you that what you do is wrong! As a matter of fact, think about it! You do a fine job under my wing, and you could prove to the school that you are useful and needed instead of little troublemakers! Clean your names with me, Crusaders, and together, we can make CHS stronger as Master and Apprentices!” I extended my hand to them.
“Say what?”
“Sorry, got carried away, Padawans!”
DAMN!
“What?”
“It means apprentices.”
FUCK!
“Ooooh!” The trio exclaimed in awe.
“Is that from Star Kret?”
“I’ll rip the life out of you, Sweetie Belle…”
“Did you say something?”
“No.”
The three of them looked at each other and Applebloom said, “Give us a moment.” And they got to the other room and talked in secrecy. Minutes later, they came back, serious faces were formed, straight eyes were born, and cute silhouettes were shown. Their answer was...
“WE’LL DO IT!” The three orchestrated while jumping and high fiving to each other in front of me.
Somehow I felt that I signed yet again another impossible task to worry about. Wonderful.
“This will be fun!”
“At last someone trust in us, y’all!”
“We won’t disappoint you, Nitpick!”
“I have the formats you need to follow in this USB. If you have a laptop, bring it here so I can give you the file!”
“Bring your lap, Sweetie Belle!”
“Right away!” And seconds later. “Here!”
Her desktop was a fucking mess! I couldn’t identify what was a folder from a file!
“Uh…”
“I know it’s a bit messy but you’ll get used to it!”
“Hey! Will this take long to explain? Maybe we can bring some donuts from Sugarcube Corner for snacks!”
“No, I’m-“
“Great idea! Wait for us here, Nitpick! We won’t take long!”
“Girls, no, wai- And they’re gone… Nice.”
I sighed depressed, thinking that perhaps I indeed made a bad move. I plugged my USB with fear of getting it infected by malware or worse. Luckily, her antivirus system was from a premium and respectable company so I didn’t fear for long. Now, I just needed to find some place to leave the file safely. Her desktop was no good, so I instead chose to open her documents folder. Surprisingly, it didn’t have as many archives as the desktop. Perhaps Sweetie was just a casual user like Reem.
The door opened half an hour later, “We are back!” And Scootaloo threw me a tasty looking chocolate donut at me.
“Thanks!”
“Anytime, Boss!”
“Don’t! …Don’t call me Boss. Call me whatever you like but not Boss.”
“Got it, Supreme Leader!”
Was that from the trailer of Force Awakens? Nevermind.
“Come, I’ll explain this to you, it’s easy to fill once you understand the mechanics!”
“Right! We’ll pay you full attention, Bub!”
…It was a nightmare. What was supposed to be a ten minute explanation ended up being a two hour voiced manual. Was it really difficult to fill an inspection report?
“We get it now!” Scootaloo expressed. “So here we must put our thoughts on the progress the guys have made, and here we must put how many things they need to complete it, right?”
“Yes!” I said tired. “That’s the basic idea!”
I regret everything.
“We can do this, y’all!”
“Easy, cheesy, makey, pleasey!”
“Yeah! With him helping us, we can’t fail as hard like Bon Bon’s gardening club or Principal Celestia’s donut picture from before!”
“What was that?” I asked curiously.
“Sweetie Belle!” Scoot’s and Applebloom scolded her.
“Oops.”
“Was there a gardening club in the school?”
“Ah, there were so many clubs before you came to CHS. Before Sunset came, that is.”
“…Can you tell me about it?”
“Why do you want to know about that?”
“I’m curious, I guess.”
It could be my only lead to Bon Bon’s secret reasons of why she was doing this social war.
“Don’t think that is a good idea, Bub-in-law. Most of those secrets are from when we were Anon-A-Miss.”
“Scootaloo!”
“Sorry!”
“We don’t want to repeat that mistake ever again, remember!” Applebloom said with concern.
“I see. It’s just that… well, I was curious about that gardening club. I didn’t know Bon Bon liked that kind of stuff!”
Or did she? I don’t remember!
“Wait a minute!” Applebloom’s face turned hostile. “I know what’s this about!”
“Ah, you do?”
“Yeah, y’all! You are cheating on mah sister!”
My brain stopped functioning for a second.
“What!?”
“I can’t believe that the rumors were true, Nitpick!” Sweetie Belle said in amazement. “You are dating Bon Bon when you already have another love interest!!”
“ME DATING BON BON!? ARE YOU INSANE?”
“Tell me the truth! Do you have another love!?”
Bookfull Sporty.
“Yes- NO! I’m not dating Bon Bon!! I-it’s complicated!”
“COMPLICATED!?” The trio shouted in awe.
“Girls, then it must be Sugarcoat!”
“What the hell!?”
“Only lovers would fight like that, Nitpick! You were doing a triple cheating dating under our noses!!”
“You are like that five time cheater Roland from that new sitcom from Star Channel that my sister watches now!”
“Is it good?” Applebloom asked skeptic.
“Kinda.” Sweetie smiled a bit slyly.
“Then it’s not good.”
WHAT THE HELL KIDS ARE WATCHING ON T.V. THESE DAYS!!? I couldn’t even cheat with even one, even if the universe depended on it! I never had a formal girlfriend to begin with, fucking damn it!
…That was a sad realization.
“Sugarcoat is simply one of my best buddies and we got into a fight for personal reasons! And Bon Bon and I are just co-workers, as a matter of fact, I don’t like her! Too bossy and a double faced brat!”
“You lie, Bub! You spent a lot of time together on school! I saw you walking with her many times before, just like today!” Applebloom clenched her fists and put them on her waist. “Come to think of it…” She looked at me in the eyes and closed her face to mine. “You are awfully close together most of the time, y’all.”
WHY I AM BEING INTIMIDATED BY A CHILD!?
“The hell are you talking about!? I just need to know about that history to help Sunset!”
“Say what!?” The trio shouted.
“What do you mean by that?”
Part of me was indecisive about what I should do. Lying to them and saying that it was just a little mistake from my part wasn’t too hard, but my pride told me that I shouldn’t give up. I mustn’t!
“Look, girls… As you know, Sunset has been having a hard time because of me before. We didn’t get along well and I tried to, uhm, let’s say I wanted to keep her at bay with her supposed ‘magical powers’!”
“Supposed magical powers? …Oh! Right! The Friendship Games!”
“Exactly! To make the story short, I want… I want to know about the people that Sunset wronged in the past and perhaps help her to make her peace with the students easier. You know, mend old wounds and, ah, unite CHS!”
“Oh! That’s nice of you! But, why would you do something like that, Bub?”
“As I said, I judged Sunset badly and I want to make up for it. You know, good deed to pay the wrong deed. Also…”
“Yeah?”
I wasn’t sure of if what I was about to do was right. Tragedy in life normally comes with betrayal and compromise, exchanging your integrity for a petty way to get out of your problems. In a sense, that’s a undeniable failure for people like me who try to live their lives with the most prideful and honest principles possible. But there are times where one must dirty their hands to remove the filth you brought to yourself. It wasn’t a solution, but there is no other choice in my dilemma.
I failed my principles by joining Bon Bon, and Sugarcoat stroke the right tones on how I did it. Now, I must do it again to fix my mistakes. One way or another, I must get information about the reasons Bon Bon hates Sunset. Even if it ends being the most insignificant and silly reason imaginable, people as kids are far more fragile to accept certain things like bullying and humiliation. It’s horrible, sure, but you must grow up and learn to overcome it.
So, finding the root of all evil will allow me to save Sunset, and if possible, help Bon Bon. Otherwise, stopping her is my most important job right now. Partially lying to the Crusaders and making them work for me could be key to success.
Perhaps I am worsening the situation, but what choice do I have now?
“Here’s the other reason why I need you. You know Sunset, at least a bit more than I do, and I know that you could tell me the possible list of people that won’t lend her a hand during the competition, so I was hoping to-!”
“You were hoping that we would know about the people that dislike her and help you make everything better by dissimulating that we aren’t helping you but we are helping in making those guys Sunset’s friends, right!?”
“…Clever girl, Sweetie Belle!!”
“Thanks!”
That was surprisingly unexpected. But the amazement didn’t last long. We stayed quiet for a moment, Applebloom had a stern face, arms crossed, and an aura of deep thought. She then crossed her arms and sighed with a new found resolution, looking at me and saying with an honest tone, “I don’t know what to say, Bub-in-law. Are you sure this isn’t a cheating situation? I may be angry at her, but Applejack is still my sister!”
“You can be sure of one thing, and that is I don’t know what are you talking about…. I’m not forcing you to do it! You can reject the offer if you want!”
“What? No! It’s nothing about that but… look, Bub-in-law, there are still many, many, many students that hate Sunset a lot.”
Even though Bon Bon told me so, I couldn’t help but ask her, “Really?” with amazement. “I mean, Sunset is friendly to all, right? She and other guys have told me that she was nasty, but to take the hate this far?”
“When we had our gossip network, we…”
“Scootaloo!”
“Sorry!”
“The Anon-A-Miss thingy you mentioned?”
“Aye.”
The Cutie Crusaders had an unsure expression, and Applebloom asked me with a reluctant tone, “Can you promise us that you won’t say anything of what we will tell you now to anybody?”
Those girls were about to trust in me, I couldn’t fail their expectations. “I promise!”
“Okay… Here we go!” Applebloom breathed deeply and began the tale. “Sunset has many enemies in the school that lurk in the shadow. Have you noticed that some people are cold towards her sometimes, even in public?”
Now that she mentioned it, Thunderbass and others have said to me before that they don’t like her that much. Dancer still hates her and Lightbulb may… Could it be that Bon Bon’s warning were about that? She said that she handpicked the best candidates for her plan to work. It is a possibility that those guys may have joined forces with her… I can’t believe I was starting to doubt on even my old friends.
It felt wrong.
“Yes, I noticed.”
“There are guys that have been planning to ruin Sunset for years now. One was Trixie, who tried to sabotage the fashion show that Rarity was organizing a few months ago.” Scootaloo informed. “She is on friendlier terms with her now, at least.”
“I have never met that girl before.”
“Wow!! Are you blessed by God himself!?” Applebloom asked in awe.
“I don’t believe in gods. Please continue.”
“YOU DON’T-!?”
“Applebloom! That’s not important now!” Scootaloo almost barked. “In any case, when we spread their secrets, most of them were frustrated at the idea that we ruined their opportunity to strike back at her. But some took the chance to blame Sunset and made the students believe that it was her. Nobody, not even our sisters believed her that she was innocent.”
“They were planning to humiliate Sunset in public and do more and more meanie gossips, y’all. When we noticed what was happening…”
“We couldn’t allow her suffering to continue.” Sweetie Belle concluded.
“We hurt her, but she still forgave us after giving her a bad time… Unlike mah sister and the others, recently.”
“When we confessed, my sister forgave me later when Vice-Principal Luna gave us our punishment but…” Sweetie Belle words were sunk with anger and frustration. “Now she blamed us for something we didn’t even break! So much for that family speech she gave me that Christmas!”
“And Rainbow Dash was so mean as well! I couldn’t believe she didn’t gave us a chance to prove we were innocent!”
“But they still think that we did it! A while ago, mah sis even told me that what’s done is done and we should go on, that made me so angry at her! She thinks we did it and she believes that kind of apology is enough for me!”
“Could it be that you were set up by one of those students as part of the plan to ruin Sunset?”
“Maybe we were set up! It was too… uhm…”
“Staged? Scripted? A weird coincidence?”
“All of those!”
“It’s no wonder that some guys were desperately trying to find a culprit! We were set up from the very beginning!”
“Perhaps by one of the guys that want to destroy Sunset’s good will!”
“Yeah! Just like during the games! After the Anon-A-Miss incident, other guys tried so hard to ruin Sunset’s school life at school!”
“Girls! We can’t allow that to happen anymore!”
“No way, we won’t let them!”
“We must stop them!”
“What kind of girl was Sunset before to earn such hate?” I asked.
“The kind you didn’t want to mess with, y’all! You must have heard the tales of her old self by now, but I assure you, Bub-in-law, that whatever story they have told you before… it has been completely watered down at best!”
A thunder roared in the sky out of nowhere, a short lived rain came to Ponyville.
“Wow, that was spooky!” Sweetie Belle said with surprise.
“Yeah!” The trio then giggled.
“I need your help. I must clean those old grudges so Sunset can finally earn her peace!”
“But Nitpick, there are at least one hundred students who could be plotting against her! Even if we find the leader, if there is one, you would still need to deal with the rest of the guys who hate her!”
“And you need to save her before Thanksgiving Day, that’s the day they’ll probably do something extreme! We don’t have much time to act.”
“We!?”
“We’ll help you, remember!?” The trio chanted.
“…Thanks.” I couldn’t hide the fact that I felt grateful. “From the bottom of my heart, thanks…”
“Shoot, if only we still had those Anon-A-Miss archives to give you a full list of the people that might hate her!”
“I believe I have a copy on my laptop!”
“Sweetie Belle! I told you that you must delete the file many times before!”
“But since we need them, it’s a good thing I didn’t delete them, right!?”
“Arrrgh! Alright, you are right! You are lucky that we need the files now!”
“Sorry!” Sweetie Belle made a cutesy pose while winking and showing her tongue.
“Just one thing, Bub-in-law! We don’t want to blackmail people!”
“What I want to do is to help to fix their problems and frustrations… What I am saying? This is no different than putting my nose where it doesn’t belong!”
“But if we see what guys hate her, and you ask Sunset about it, maybe she will tell you about the case! That way if you try to help the guys who hates and they ask where did you hear the tale, you could say that Sunset told you and we could be safe!” Scootaloo said.
“They could hate Sunset more if I say that!”
“Then omit that part and help them without mentioning her. When all is said and done, tell them that it was Sunset’s idea and you just helped!”
“You… are a genius, Sweetie Belle!”
“Thanks, I saw it in a soap opera show!”
WHAT THE HELL IS T.V. TEACHING TO THE KIDS THESE DAYS!?
“What’s the difference with what Sunset has been doing this whole time and that?” Asked Applebloom.
“Sunset wants to appeal to everyone at the same time, and for the most part, it works. But not everyone wants that kind of apology, at least, that’s what Rarity would say. Maybe if he approaches the problem more personally and make Sunset the good girl, they will be more willing to forgive her! I bet my ribbon that the guys that hate her must like you a lot, Nitpick!”
“Destroy the source of poison instead of slowing its spread in general…? It makes sense, Sweetie Belle.”
“Thanks! Finally, someone acknowledges my genius!” Three smirks echoed on the living room. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“Anyway, if it still exists, we’ll find the file in my lap and make you a presentation with the best detail we can give you about the most important people you need to switch sides to Sunset’s favor.”
“Maybe we can come up with a plan for each of them to make a reality your idea to shatter old grudges and make Sunset’s friendship circles expand!”
“This could get you into a lot of trouble if something goes wrong.”
“If this means helping Sunset, we’ll do it, y’all!”
“Yeah!”
“Agreed!”
This little girls… have more conscience and sense of justice than I had during my time with Bon Bon’s affair. I feel humbled and ashamed before them.
“Help me, Cutie-Wan Crusaders! You are my only hope!”
“You don’t need to ask for it! We’ll do it! We’ll save Sunset and clean our names in the process! The Cutie-Wan Crusaders are back in business, y’all!”
“Aren’t we just the Cutie Crusaders?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Yeah, it sounds weird when you put Wan in it!” Scootaloo added.
“I don’t know, I like the sound of it!”
“Why don’t we call ourselves the Caped Crusaders? We made awesome capes, remember?”
“Or perhaps the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”
“But what kind of marks are we going to use?”
“Our capes, of course!”
“It doesn’t even fit, our capes are our symbols, not marks!”
“A mark is a kind of symbol, Sweetie Belle.”
“Oh, right.”
“Maybe we should use again our club house near the farm.”
“Yeah! We can have a command center to do our secret meetings to help Nitpick save Sunset!”
“Let’s use our old tree house then! We can revive it after classes with mah brother’s help tomorrow!”
“YEAH!” They jumped and high fived at the same time.
Looking at those girls, something told me that hope has finally showed itself before me from Pandora’s Box in the form of three cute, innocent, annoying little brats.