Thousands of ideas exploding in my mind and shaking my imagination were one of the impediments that deprived me of sleep. But unexpectedly, I didn't feel tired. On the contrary, I felt livelier than ever, just like the rising sun that slowly dawned in my room, colorful shades of rainbow forming through the prism of my window. Spike was still asleep, and I couldn’t resist the need to scratch his ears. In his dreams, he was giggling and moving his body as I carefully pet him and put him in the middle of the bed.
“Keep dreaming, Spike. You still have twenty minutes left before breakfast.”
I got out of my bed and began my daily routine. I felt in the mood of taking a warm shower this time, it burned my skin a bit, yet, it bore in me the need to dance and sing. I felt happy, and somehow, I felt important. I couldn’t stop hearing them. Grateful voices giving me nice compliments because I could help them.
Yesterday, I was able to help a lot of folks in CHS.
Mom soon called me to join her, my time to go out of the shower ended quicker than I imagined. As I entered the kitchen, my breakfast straight from my mommy’s pretty hands was ready and it didn’t take me too long to sit on the table. My dad came straight from his room and gave me a good morning kiss in my forehead, then he flew to my mom and embraced her.
“Good morning, my sweet family!” Dad said with a joyful voice as he gave her a quick kiss.
“Good morning!” Mom and I said in unison, Spike barking with us.
Dad sniffed like a puppy and said, “Such delicious smell! Bacon and eggs?”
“And some cheese burritos that I wanted to try out from my new cooking book!”
“I have a great wife, that’s exactly what I wanted to eat this morning!”
“You always want to eat bacon every morning! That’s bad for you!”
“This father of yours has a good routine of training, young lady! Will you finally eat some bacon with me this morning?”
I normally don’t eat meat. It’s bad for one’s health! It’s…
‘But that was the way of thinking of the old Twilight! We are the new Twilight!’ A voice whispered.
“…Perhaps today I will have some with you.”
“Really!?” I nodded to him. “YES! I’ve waited to hear that from you for eleven years! I know being a veggie is healthy but sometimes give your old man a bit of happiness like your brothers does! Now I can really put more vigor to my evening jogging knowing that my baby is enjoying all what life offers!”
“Oh, please! The only jogging you do is with your fingers, and I don’t think signing your name in paper could be considered an exercise!” My mom said.
“My sign is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars! It’s very hard to sign those papers when the fate of a company lies hanging with my decisions! It really takes a toll in my body!”
“Good nutrition with a good intake of vitamin C scares the diseases away! I’ve made some orange juice with the fresh fruit I bought in yesterday’s market spree. Oh! That’s right! Speaking of good things! Twilight, your brother sent you something just for you!” Mom went to the living room and brought back a big parcel.
“A gift from my Big Bro?” I clapped excited. “Could it be that he sent me the schematics for the propulsion rocket that the army is researching this year?” My fingers were toying with the envelopment. “OH! It’s a jacket! Nice! And some schematics… of the old water pumping system of the city!!! YAY!!”
“So interesting, sweetheart!” Mom caressed my head.
“And also, your new jacket has your favorite star on the sides!” Dad inspected the jacket with his hands. “This is really well made. It will take a lot of abuse without deteriorating easily.”
“I rather try and keep it tidy… I’ll wear it today!”
“That’s the spirit! Now let’s thank for the food we got today!”
“Thanks!”
“Thank you!”
“Bark!”
Our breakfast was a nice as every other morning; comfy and fleeting. Once we finished, as I redressed myself and packed my tools and books, I reminded myself to brush my teeth before leaving for school. Up and down, up and down. All the scraps of food trapped in my teeth were removed in a swift. I grinned widely and I was met by a small shine coming from them.
“Perfect.”
‘Indeed!’ The voice whispered. ‘Are you ready to give us a chance for another day of leisure and guidance?’
I chuckled. “There’s only way to find out.”
…. ….
I was met by a lot of students seeking my guidance as I walked through the halls of CHS. Each of their problems became smaller and smaller as I gave them a bit of my help, realizing that with the correct scheduling of their tasks, everything would be finished before they realize it. I was met with praise, and it felt nice.
‘You deserve it!’
A deep sense of satisfaction dwelled inside of me.
Suddenly, I received a cozy hug from behind, my ear eaten by a playful bite. “Twilight, good morning!” A friendly voice spoke to me.
“Good morning, Bon Bon! Hehehe, no, stop, that tickles!”
“My bad!” She released me and then we stood in front of each other. “Say, I noticed that you are busy but, can I have a moment of your time?”
“But of course! I’m not busy anymore, to be honest.”
“That’s great. I just want to talk with you before classes start.”
“Alright, let’s… what happened to your head?” I put my hand on her head bandage, a small bump could be felt on the surface.
“Oh, this?” Bon Bon kindly put my hand away. “I had a small sword play practice with my Grandma, but I got sloppy because of my own carelessness and this happened.”
“You must be careful when doing that…”
“Don’t worry, I will! Lyra said the same thing too, so I’ll be extra careful for the sake of both of you!” She winked at me.
I followed her to the benches of the school’s field, and we sat a bit close to each other. She offered me some fruit but I declined the offer, expressing that I was already full because of my breakfast. As she ate her apple, I let Spike out for a bit before I had to put him back in my bag inside the school. By the way he was moving his tail, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“So, Bon Bon, what’s this about?”
“Well, I just wanted to know if you were doing fine with your new position as an advisor.”
“You mean the tips I give to everyone around? Yeah, it doesn’t feel as tiresome as I as thought it would.”
“Everyone thanks Twilight when she gives them her awesome help.” Spike said.
“Oh, please! Don’t flatter me!”
‘Once in a while doesn’t hurt, though!’
“Nice, nice! I was just worried that you didn’t know how to react to all this but suffice to say that I am glad that my worries were for naught and you managed to do all that work pretty effectively.”
“Thank you for worrying about me!”
“We are friends, and we must look out for each other!”
I couldn’t help but blush a bit. “Yeah… We must help each other.”
“Yeah, that’s what friends do! Just like Sunset and the girls!”
“Of course, Spike… Sunset and the others… Hmm, say, do you remember the girls that are the owners of the Dazzles? The ones who attended us last time we went there?”
“Adagio and company? But of course! They are always really nice to me!”
“And they always give me delicious food!”
“Oh, I see. I have some bad news that could change your opinion about them…” Bon Bon’s face became distressed.
“Did… did something bad happen?”
She shook her head in negation. “But perhaps this may be more terrible than we imagined. What do you know about the Dazzlings?”
“You mean The Sirens? As far as Sunset told me about them, they were the evil singers that enchanted most of the school during the Battle of the Bands.”
“It seems that those girls from the Dazzles are indeed those Sirens! In a way, it’s so obvious! I cannot believe I didn’t notice it before!”
“What!?” Spike and I shouted.
“How could this be!?”
“That’s impossible!”
Bon Bon took out her phone and showed me some pictures of three pretty girls that had an aura of power and allure. The last shot was blurry but still unmistakable; three girls with draconian wings floating on the stage with red pupils and imposing presences singing with power, Adagio and company being worshiped in their own spectacle.
“No! This must be a mistake! They couldn’t… they aren’t the evil Sirens! Adagio and her sisters are one of the nicest people Twilight and I have met.”
“I’m afraid that this is the truth. I was lucky to find this picture on my phone while I was deleting useless photos, but that time I saw them in the restaurant gave me a familiarity that didn’t want to escape my mind. Now with this, there is no way we can’t deny it. The Sirens are back!”
“But they are supposed to be evil, and the Adagio I know has always given me words of strength and self-approval!”
“They were able to enchant the whole school, Twilight! Silver tongues and enchanting motions are their weapons. You must threat with care around them from now on!”
“…No! I believe in them!”
“I’m with Twilight! There’s no way they are bad anymore!”
“What!? Didn’t you hear a word of what I just said? They are dangerous! You could be under some kind of wicked spell as we speak!”
“If they were dangerous, they could have done something bad by now! I mean, with their successful business they have earned money and a reputation! If they wanted to harm my friends, they would have done so by now by using bribery or something awful! But they haven’t, have they?”
“Perhaps they are waiting for the right moment to strike! Maybe they are doing their next move as we speak!”
“…But… they were shot by the Elements of Harmony, right? All who have been blasted away by them have become good and caring. Sunset was hit… I was hit. Then they must have been given a chance for redemption as well.”
“Twilight, you…” Bon Bon thought of something for a moment as she turned around, giving us her back. After what it seemed like a long a while, she finally faced me and said, “Perhaps you are right. It’s just that I have become a bit wary of these things because of the magical craziness that I have experienced so far. I wish I had your optimism about these situations.”
“I’m still not that confident about some things regarding this subject. It’s just that I know that they can’t be evil anymore. Perhaps, one day, we all can become friends with them!”
“Now there is something that I can say for sure about you.”
“About me?”
“Yes, it was surely a slow process, but there is no mistake now.” She smiled at me and took my hands. “You have become really empathetic and thoughtful about others. Perhaps you are becoming a better representation of friendship in this world than the Princess.”
My world changed with just a few simple words. The leaves of this ever-changing autumn flew across the wind as her words slowly sowed themselves in one corner of my consciousness. Like flowers that bloomed in the gardens of spring, like the blue sea waving across the skies of summer, Bon Bon always found a way to make me feel special.
“Twilight.” She softly spoke to me. “I have the feeling that if Sunset knows that Adagio and company are nearby, she will try to accuse her of the bad things that happened before. You know, old grudges are hard to forget. Just like the incident with Crystal Prep during the beginning of this competition.”
“I don’t think so! Sunset is someone who will see right away that Adagio has changed!”
“Yeah! She is like a walking friendship machine! She will definitely notice!”
“Indeed she will, Spike!” She patted his head with a smirk. “Indeed she will.” A short laugh then was exhaled. “But… what if you are wrong? Sunset has her impulsive side as well. She can be really reckless and stubborn sometimes!”
“There is no way we can be wrong about Sunset. Right, Spike?”
“Of course, Twilight! You’re never wrong!”
‘Who is a smart little fellow? He is our smart little fellow!’
“…Indeed!”
“… …Twilight?” Bon Bon looked concerned all of the sudden.
“What is it?”
“You looked pale for a moment… And your eyes…” She inspected my face and then chuckled. “And nothing, it must be my imagination.” She clapped her hands and continued, “In any case, thank you for hearing me out. You really helped me by listening to my worries.”
“I’m glad I could help! Call me again if you need anything! I’m sure I will give you an answer to your problems!”
“Let’ see how long your helping spree last. Now, let’s go or we’re gonna be late.”
…. ….
While I was walking to the cafeteria, I noticed that there was a commotion going on.
“Ohhh! Is this what I think it is!?” A student asked with a high pitch.
“Yes! It’s that time of the month!” Granny Smith shouted with great energy. “Baked potato cakes with cheese for today’s menu!”
The student’s roar thundered inside the cafeteria, I too joining the wave of hungry people's march. What could be better than cheese and potatoes!? I did my best to get a nice spot on the line but I couldn’t manage to even get in. No! There wasn’t even a line anymore!! Even Rarity wanted one of the packs before the supply got emptied. In a way, this was a war for a big, single, delicious looking slice of cake.
“Come on, Thunderbass! Don’t lose the pace!”
“Man, this is madness!”
I saw my friend, Thunderbass, and Soarin trying to surf their way through the nonexistent line of students with much trouble. The trio of guys made a triangle formation, Nitty taking charge as the tip of the spear, and opening the way across the frenzied population.
“I will get that discounted potato cake!” His money-saving powers manifested through his relentless march, scaring the students that became aware of his presence.
He gave me a sign to get behind Soarin and I followed his lead like the rest, and after a few insane minutes of intervals of stopping and moving forward, we finally managed to get in the serving table. We were lucky, as there were seven packs left of food. Nitty, Soarin and I bought ours while Thunderbass got two; one for him and the other for Octavia. We escaped safely from the horde after buying our lunch.
“Alright, everyone!” Applejack shouted. “The last two are sold out!” Lyra and Bon Bon were the lucky ones. “We still have freshly baked hotcakes available for all, y’all! Come get yours!”
A saddened, “Awww”, was heard from the remaining multitude. Some bought the hotcakes, and others tried to get a pinch of the potatoes from the lucky people. I saw Rainbow Dash trying to have a grab from Pinkie’s, but somehow it was funny to see her fail.
No… That shouldn’t be funny…
‘But look at their faces! So silly fighting for a cheese chunk!!’
Ahahaha, yes, it was funny.
I wanted to sit with the girls but it seems that they were going to have breakfast inside the cafeteria, and to be honest, I wasn’t in the mood to stay in such cramped room. I didn’t see Sunset with them, perhaps she was busy with something else regarding the school committee. In any case, I decided to follow my new party group, and I saw the leader with a strange mood.
“Weak!” Nitty said while seeing the unlucky students who failed with a stern look. “They didn’t want the potatoes hard enough.”
“I like Granny Smith’s monthly specialties as anyone else but you are exaggerating, man.”
“Shut up, Thunderbass. Only the strong got on their hands this tasty looking meal of desires.” He walked away to his spot, and before arriving there, he turned around and asked, “Why are you following me?” He said in hiss while frowning a bit tired.
“Because we eat lunch with you, remember?” Octavia said, who joined us with Lyra and Bon Bon when we passed the entrance on the school.
“Because we are your friends!” I said.
“Because the weather is really nice this morning to eat outside!” Soarin added.
“Because we like to be with you!” Bon Bon winked at him.
“Because we learn something new about each other every day!” Thunderbass amicable snapped his hand and pointed his finger at him.
“And because you must remember that your spot is now our spot of friendship and sweet memories!” Lyra grinned with rejoice as she sat on the floor, leaving Nitty raging in silence.
When we all sat down, and just after I put Spike’s meal on his plate, Bon Bon asked, “So far, how’s school for everyone today?”
“Nice. Spitfire is in high spirits because the school fields are ready to be used for practice.”
“My day is going great as well. Octavia, Bulk and I finally managed to perfect the fifth section of the song we are practicing for the concert.”
“There are still little details that must be fixed but changing some of our old and busted strings in our instruments will do the trick.”
“Well, Bon Bon and I just got into a quarrel.” Lyra crossed her arms and looked away.
“Here we go again.” Bon Bon rubbed her eyes.
“Whatever the problem is, the answer is ditching her. She is a pain in the ass.” Nitty received a painful pinch from her. “ARGH! Fuck you! I’m helping – No! Stop!”
“That’s for being mean.”
Thunderbass chuckled extremely entertained. “I could watch this all-!” He received a pinch from her as well, making him cry in pain.
“And that’s for laughing at other’s misery! Learn from Soarin! He’s always so nice and peaceful with everybody!”
We looked at him and we noticed that he was enjoying his potatoes in his private own world. Like a little kid enjoying his favorite hamburger on the corner of the table.
“You look so sweet!” Octavia said with tenderness.
“Hmm!?” His cheeks looked like filled balloons as he was aware again of everyone’s presence. “Did something happen?”
“Oh, nothing.” She blushed a bit. “Keep eating.”
He swallowed his food and said, “Don’t mind if I do.”
“In any case, what we were talking about?” Lyra asked.
“About your problem with Bon Bon.” I answered.
“Oh, yeah! Guys, which looks better from these two?”
She showed two pictures of them dressed in two different ways. In the first one, they were wearing flashy disco clothing, and in the second, they were using business suits. Both of those styles suited them nicely but...
“I like the suits.” Octavia said.
“Both look great.” Thunderbass added.
“The disco clothes look radical!” Soarin raised his hands up.
“My vote goes for the disco as well.” I said. Spike, on the other hand, chose the suits with his paw, leaving Nitty amazed.
“If only the dog could talk, I bet he would say something interesting.”
“Ah… yeah, Nit-Nit, if only Spike could talk, right, Twilight?” Lyra looked at me with skepticism, and I told her with my eyes that he still didn’t know. “Anyway, what looks better on us?”
“Your smile in your face.” Nitty dryly remarked with a chuckle, earning him another pinch. “Argh! That hurt! I don’t know who is worse, Dancer or you!” He sighed a bit troubled. “I’ll choose the suits just for the sake of giving my answer!”
“Why the suits and not the disco style?”
“You look sexier in it. The disco clothes looks nice as well but a slight classy style is better for me. Leaves more to the imagination.”
“Any example?”
“Just look at Melody. She reeks of sensuality with that tidy bow tie and sleek dress pants. Those hips are the real deal, lady.”
Octavia charismatically cleared her throat and told him, “I’m going to pretend that I didn’t hear any insidious remark coming from your mouth, Nitpick Bittersweet.”
“You too? Fuck it, who understands women? You help them, they pinch you. You insult them, they pinch you. You praise them, they make a fool of you. Men will never please them at full with that attitude!”
We all laughed at his cynicism and then continued eating our breakfast. We exchanged some minor talks here and there but we just enjoyed this fleeting, comfy time together.
It was a pleasant morning.
…. ….
Fifteen minutes before the school’s bell rang.
“We better get going. We can practice at least two times the song before break ends.”
“Agreed, I’ll look for Bulk while you prepare the room, Thunderbass.”
“I better join Spitfire and study for a quick test that our teacher made for us.”
“Bon Bon and I will reinforce our suits for dancing standards.”
“I knew I would win with our clothing decision.”
“Shh.”
“And I’ll study a bit in the library.”
After all was said and done, we were about to leave, but like if our minds were connected by a sheer curiosity, we all looked at Nitty, who fell asleep with his arms crossed. We somehow felt that something was wrong.
“He normally doesn’t talk much when we gather together but… he was more quiet than usual.” Soarin said.
“Now that I am giving him a better look, he looks worn out.” Lyra said with worry.
“Bittersweet…?” Octavia caressed his face. “Hey, Bittersweet…” He slowly regained consciousness. “Are you okay, my friend?”
“Yeah, I was asleep.”
“You can’t do that now, it’s almost time to go back inside.”
He looked at his clock and noticed the hour. “You are right…”
“Do you have a problem? Perhaps we can help!” She helped him get up.
Problem!? Help!? I can solve it!
“No, I’m fine.” He cleaned his jeans with his hands and threw his trash in the bin. “Even if I had a problem, I don’t think you could help me.”
“So you have a problem.”
“I don’t, Melody. Let’s go.”
“Don’t be stubborn and let us help.”
“We can help!” I said.
“It’s not a big...” He yawned so deeply that he shared his drowsiness with us. “I’m fine.”
“Suit yourself. We’ll be in touch if you need anything.” Thunderbass patted his shoulder and they all went ahead to their destinations.
“You can trust in me!” I said while standing in front of him. “Come on, you can tell me! We are best buddies, right!? I can help!”
“We better get moving.” He passed besides me.
“Hey, wait! Tell me what’s wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong.”
“But-!”
“There you are!!” Sunset ran towards us, panting in exhaustion and looking uncool. “I f-finally had time to find you!”
“Slow down, take a breath. What’s the issue?”
“Nitpick, and Twilight… We need to talk.”
“I don’t think I like where this is going.”
“Do you remember about the time I talked about the Dazzlings? The group of girls that were great but mean singers?”
“The Dazzlings? … …Now I definitely know where this is going.”
“Good, I’ll cut to the chase. Has Adagio and company told you bad things about CHS?”
‘She can be really reckless and stubborn sometimes.’ Bon Bon’s voice echoed in my head. But Sunset knows better than anyone else about redemption and forgiveness… She couldn’t possibly start discriminating them out of the blue.
“Yes.”
Sunset’s eyes opened widely in shock, then her expression became stern. “Whatever they have told you about us, they are all lies.”
“I know. Remember that I told you that it was my mistake for listening to ill advice.”
“You never told me that you have spoken to them before.”
“Does it matter? As long as I strive to help you, it should be enough for you.”
“No, you don’t understand! Adagio and her sisters are people you can’t trust in anything!”
“They have been nice to Gilda and the rest so I don’t think your experiences apply to me.”
“He is right!” I intervened. “They have been really nice with me and Spike and have never done us any harm!”
Her face became pale. “You have spoken with them before?”
“Yes! And they are really amicable!”
“H-how? W-when? …WHY YOU DIDN’T TELL ME, TWILIGHT!?!” She shook me from my arms!
“Hey, stop! That hurts!” She quickly put away her hands off me. “I didn’t know they were the same Dazzlings that tried to conquer the world through their songs!”
“Now you know! They are dangerous! You can’t trust them at all!”
“Why not? They have treated us great so far and if they had any wish to harm us, they would have done so by now!”
“They are being careful now that they have lost their powers! You must trust me! If Princess Twilight were here, she would tell you the same thing!”
“Adagio and company were hit by the Elements of Harmony! They have changed and are really nice people!”
“No, they must be plotting something! I spoke with Adagio yesterday and she hasn’t changed one bit!”
“I… I don’t believe you!”
“What!?” Sunset was surprised with my answer. “Twilight… You know I would never speak ill of someone unless they are evil! The Sirens from our… my world, are creatures of greed and vanity! They won’t stop until they fulfill their need to receive worship and praise!”
“You were blasted by the Elements and changed, and I got saved by you with the help from those same powers! They too have become nicer as a result!”
“Tyrek, a powerful centaur from my world, was also hit by the Elements and they weren’t able to reform him. Not everyone can be turned good with their power! It’s a decision we must make by ourselves… It took me a long while to realize I was wrong and come to the good side.”
“But… what if they became good as well and they still don’t realize it? We must give them a chance!”
“That… I’ll consult it with Princess Twilight. She will know what to do.”
‘She will rely on that buffoon’s opinion when she has us!?!’
“Argh, you are wasting your time! She’ll just come here, inspect them, and realize that there is nothing wrong with them! I can feel it… I believe it!”
“We must be sure that what you feel is true. For now I’ll write in my journal and ask her to come to this world when she can. We also…”
Then it happened. We dread in our hearts we both realized what we just talked about all this time. She and I were scared, scared to look at his face. What were we thinking!? She will know the secret now! Or worse, he’ll think we are insane!
“Nitpick, this is not…” I was surprised to see that he wasn’t here anymore.
“He received a call from Reem and left before you mentioned the magic issues.”
“Phew, close one… I better talk to him and warn him about them too. I’ll see you in class in a moment.”
“Sure.” When she left, I turned to my Faithful Assistant and said, “Did you see that? Why didn’t she believe me?”
“I don’t know! I have never seen her so paranoiac before! It’s just like Bon Bon told us in the morning!”
“Bon Bon? That’s it! She will know what to do! We must catch with her before classes start!”
“Catch me for what?”
I turned my sight to the staircase of the school’s entrance and she was coming our way quickly.
“What an opportune coincidence! We were about to look for you!”
“Oh? What for? I just came back to grab my backpack. I forgot it in his spot.”
“You were right! Sunset didn’t believe us about Adagio! She came here and started to say mean things about her! Worse, she insist that Princess Twilight must come here instead of hearing my opinion about this matter! That somehow makes me… Hmmm… angry!”
“Woah, woah, woah! Relax!” She rested her arm on my shoulders and pulled me to her. “She still doesn’t trust your advice because you haven’t show your real worth yet.”
“But I have helped every student that have asked for my aid! That must count for something!”
“Yeah, and all of them are grateful to you. It’s just…” She rested her hand on my heart. “You haven’t helped your main friends.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“As you know, Princess Twilight ‘saved’ CHS by defeating Sunset, and during that process, she rebuilt the friendships of Applejack and the others. You must find a way to naturally help them. What I mean is, don’t create a problem for them that only you can fix. When they have a real problem they can’t fix on their own, you must come to them and offer your sincere aid. No strings attached, a selfless helping hand!”
“But that could take a while!” Spike said. “Adagio and the rest don’t have that much time and Sunset and the girls might try to do something against them!”
“My, my! You are becoming smarter each passing day, but you over-thought the situation, little buddy. Remember, Sunset won’t do anything careless until she is sure that she can do something about it, and she will wait for…?”
“Princess Twilight.”
“I bet you that she will come during this week, maybe tomorrow if she is desperate! You may not have the opportunity to help your friends right now, but if they ever try to incriminate the Dazzlings, you must stand your ground and show to them that you are right and they are wrong with facts! Quick quiz, do they have an honest business? The Dazzles, I mean.”
“Yes.”
“Do they pay to their employees well?”
“As far as I know, yes!”
“Aren’t they hard workers now?”
“Yes! And good cooks as well! Especially Sonata… her tacos are great!”
“And we can say good things about them on and on! You see my point? You must show that the Princess doesn’t have to come here as long as you exist! Once they see that you are worthy in giving advice about forgiveness and friendship, the Princess’s dependence will slowly die away.”
“That makes sense! You are so brilliant!”
“This is the obvious scenario, no need for praise. Come on, now! Don’t lose hope! You are already doing great progress, just don’t be greedy and do it at a normal pace! No crawling, and no running, just walk! Do that for me, pretty please!”
“…Alright! I’ll do it for you!”
“Great! You are a nice friend!” The bell rang and she ran away. “I’ll grab my bag and see you later!”
“I’ll go ahead then! Come, Spike! Go inside the bag!”
“Aww…”
…. ….
“What do you mean Cranky Doodle will not come!? He always comes late and now this!?”
“Mr. Bittersweet, please stay calm and listen! The professor will arrive shortly with a new video that the school wants you to see! So wait here for him, and that goes for all of you as well.”
“Yes, Mrs. Harshwinny!” The rest of the students said as she leaved the classroom.
“Fine. I’ll take a nap until he arrives.”
“No, you won’t. We need to-!”
“Not now, Sunset. I didn’t have a good night rest so at least give me some minutes of leisure while there is no class to disrespect.”
“But the Dazzlings-!”
“I won’t hear you anymore.”
“Nitpick!”
“… …ZzzzZz…”
“Ah…” I inspected him and I was surprised by what I found. “He really fell asleep.”
“I can’t believe this. Why doesn't he listen to my warning?”
“To be honest, it’s not as bad as what you think it is! He says that they aren’t evil, and I think the same way!”
“You say that because you don’t know what they are capable of.”
“We know their current selves, that’s the only thing that matters.”
“They could be lying as far as we know.”
“Why are you…? … …You once said that your past doesn’t define you, because that is no longer your today. What happened with that? Is there a special rule that doesn’t apply to some people? It is because they aren’t ponies like you?”
Her expression changed into a pit of shock and surprise. “Tell me… you didn’t just say that, Twilight…”
“Well, I did, so?… You know what? I don’t want to hear another word about this topic. It’s clear that you don’t trust my opinion so I won’t bother anymore. Let me study at peace while the teacher arrives.”
“Twilight!”
I put my book in front of me and never laid it down until the professor arrived. Even when the video was extremely fascinating, and Mr. Doodle was giving his best class so far, Sunset had this… aura of wariness and worry surrounding her.
‘So annoying!!’
“You wouldn’t have those ill thoughts if you listened to me…” I mumbled.
…. ….
Another day of school ended, and it was my duty to pursue someone who clearly needed my help.
“Nitty!”
“What?” His voice was stern.
“Why are you avoiding me like this? I just want to help you!”
“I know!” He sighed. “Crap, I know, Twilight…”
“…Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why haven’t you called me with the special name you thought for me?”
“…I’m sorry, Midnight. Perhaps I am acting more distant than usual.”
“We are worried about you. Tell me the truth, do you have a problem?”
“Yes.”
“So…?”
“You can’t help me at all.”
“Try me!”
“I won’t tell you.”
“Why not!?”
“Because it’s personal. My problems, my show, I will solve them on my own! Well, not on my own but most of the heavy lifting will be done by me. At least understand that if I knew you could help, I would look for you.”
“Seriously?”
He put his hands on my arms and had a very soft expression. “You are growing far more quickly than I thought. Hell, at this pace, I don’t think my tips about friendship will do you any good soon.”
“Don’t say that.”
He poked my nose and smiled at me. “I already told you before that we aren’t meant to be in the same social circles. And with this sudden chance of yours, it seems that you finally found your true self. I was scared of you, you know? When I saw you yesterday with your new look and imposing presence, I felt weird. Really weird. But once again I just overreacted at something petty.”
“You…”
“I should go. I need to-!”
“BOSS!!”
“Those voices!”
Like a burst of mayhem filled with relentless energy and innocence, The Cutie Crusaders ran around us with jumps and spins.
“Crusaders, stop that! Get in line!”
The trio formed a line and saluted like little soldiers. “Sir!”
“You little creatures of the lord…” He mumbled while rubbing his face.
"We have it!" The trio shouted.
"Really!?"
“Of course! We worked all night for this!” Sweetie Belle showed him an USB, putting him in a better mood.
“We are ready for action!”
“Easy-peasy-gaming-kissey!”
“We’ll see yah in the tree house, y’all! We got everything ready thanks to Big Mac!”
“Ugh… eeyup.” Big Mac came from behind with pronounced eye bags.
“Sorry for the trouble.” Nitpick said apologetic, the older Apple sibling just waving his hands, saying with them, ‘No problem’.
“Crusaders, let’s roll out!”
“I’ll see you in a bit, I need to go home quickly for something I forgot.”
“We can take you there, Bub! Right, big bro?”
“Eeyup. I’ll start the engine and wait for you on the parking lot when you finish speaking with Twilight.” Then they left us alone.
“…So, what was that all about?”
“My salvation in the form of three cute, little brats.”
There was a kind of irony in his words that made me laugh. Said irony slowly turned into skepticism… and then in deep boiling… anger.
“Are… are you saying that those children can help you… but I can’t?”
“Yes.”
“The Crusaders can help you, but I can’t.”
“They have certain perks that no one else have.”
“Like what?”
“I can’t tell, sorry. I should go.”
“Alright, alright. Take care. Call me if you need anything!” As he leaved my side, there was only one thought crossing my mind. “It’s not that I couldn’t possibly make his life easier, although obviously I can but… but… … …”
‘What’s wrong with him!?!’
“I know, right!?! What the hell is he thinking!? How did he arriv to the idea that I am useless compared to those little brats?”
‘Stupid fools! Both of them!’
“He’ll realize that he is wrong about them! Just like Sunset and her wrong ideas about the Dazzles!”
“Twilight, there you are!”
“Oh, Spike! I told you to wait for me inside!”
“Actually, he didn't have to wait if I could help it, y’all!”
“Applejack!”
“Hey, Twi! …What’s wrong?”
“Huh!?”
“You look…” She arranged her hat and suspiciously said, “Angry.”
“Me?” I laughed at her remark. “I’m not angry! It must be your imagination!”
“Are you sure about that? I can tell something is wrong with you.”
“Of course! Trust me, I would be the first to know if I was angry! Never mind that, tell me, what do you know about what the Crusaders are going to do later? They spoke about a reunion in a tree house of sorts.”
“Oh, shoot! Not this again!”
“What happened?”
“Those three and Big Mac were fixing the tree house all night long! I barely managed to get some sleep!”
“You and Granny Smith looked fine a while ago during the sale.”
“Granny doesn’t hear that well anymore so she was spared the noise. Me on the other hand had to stand their insufferable hammering and screams all night! Poor Winona was as tired as a log in the grass, y’all.”
“Now that is what I call to be angry.”
“Me, angry? Hmm... Yeah, maybe you are right…”
“They are just children, Applejack. Let them be while they still can.”
“…I think that is fair. I mean, sometimes I had my moments of impulsiveness when I was a younger. They’ll learn someday to be a little more serious when it matters.”
“You just needed to talk about it to relax. Better?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Anytime, glad I could help.”
“You always help me out one way or another, Twi.”
“Great! But just to be safe, we should see what they will do. You know, see they don’t get in any trouble.”
And research what they have that I lack!
“I can do that, but I don’t think you can.”
“What!?” My fist clenched all of the sudden. “And why not!?”
She pointed with her thumb backwards and I noticed that a small group of students were waiting for us to finish our conversation.
“There is a certain Scientist that has been helping a lot of folks lately, y’all! Could it be that you know who she may be?” She winked at me while playing with her hat and putting my backpack in front of me.
“Oh~!” I grabbed my belonging and pulled out my trusty check list. “I think should get started right now!”
That’s right, it’s like Bon Bon said! I must prove myself that I am fully capable of helping them before they start trusting my word completely. Just wait, everyone! I won’t disappoint you!
‘We won’t disappoint you!’