//------------------------------// // Changes Happen // Story: Kiwe's Journey // by Mocha Star //------------------------------// Kiwe played on the playground, oblivious to the happenings at the party area until a filly called his name and he followed her foreleg, pointing down the path to Mist and two mares wearing dresses, all their manes were done very nicely. He looked around and found his parents talking with another group of adults. With a heavy sigh he slid down the slide he was on and trotted to from the playground with Jade and Violet by his side. “We’re here for you, Kiwe,” Violet said softly as she walked. “Yeah, if she’s gonna be mean she can taste the frog of my hoof.” Kiwe glanced aside at Jade. “No, violence solves nothing and brings only pain. We will talk and if she is still mean she can leave,” he said as he reached the road and quickened his pace to meet his parents before Mist and her mothers arrived. “Our son, is all okay? You do not look tired of your play.” “Mother, she’s here.” His parents’ expressions mellowed and they stood side by side behind Kiwe. “Lead us, and we will follow you, our son.” Kiwe swallowed nervously, turned around, and moved to the edge of the party area. Mist snorted when she got close enough for him to hear and her mothers lifted their snouts. They approached too quickly for Kiwe’s nerves and his legs shook slightly. “Kiwe,” Jade brushed his shoulder against Kiwe’s, “I’m here, too.” Violet copied the action and they waited as the trio stopped paces away. “Mist, are these the… troublemakers that have been bothering you so?” “Yes, mother. That’s the zony, Kiwi and his little herd of meanies.” “Hey, you’re the bully! You’re mean to Kiwe for n-” Jade exhaled sharply and looked at the striped foreleg that had struck his chest and silenced him. “Mist and her parents, it is nice to finally meet you all. I am Azikiwe and these are my parents,” he turned slightly and gestured to them, “Nangila and Peanut Butter Crunch.” “It is nice to meet you, perhaps you are pleased to meet us too?” The mares looked at each other and sighed. “I am Blossom and this is Red Punch.” That was it, the only things they’d said so far and all the adults, even the ones that were pretending to not listen in, already had a bad view of them. “Blossom, Punch, would you like something to drink? We have a whole selection from-” Punch spoke finally in a soft but firm voice. “Nay, we’ve drunk water to prepare for this. So, where’s the apology?” “Apology?” Crunch and Nangila asked. “Yes, for your son,” Blossom narrowed her eyes at Kiwe for a split second, “getting our daughter in trouble today, and so many times before.” “Woah, hold on,” Violet glared at Mist, “I know what’s going on and Mist is fibbing. She’s always been fibbing and lying and,” she hesitated at the death glare Mist sent her way. A brush of a soft furred pony beside her steeled her nerves. “And I know because we planned to bully Kiwe until he left school.” Kiwe looked aside at the filly he was supporting surprised as she hung her head. “Miss Blossom, everything we ever said about him and his family wasn’t true. None of it. Mist asked us to lie for her and we did and,” she sighed and looked up at Blossom, “it was wrong and I’m sorry.” The mares looked between each other and frowned at once, dropping their gaze to their daughter. Mist looked back and turned fully to her parents and cowered, tail tucking between her hind legs and ears pressed to her head. Without a single word both mothers burned a hole through the filly’s defenses until they crumbled like an uncared for thousand year old masonry wall in a tornado. Mist broke instantly once she knew she was caught and tears streamed down her cheeks as her pleading and excuses fell on deaf ears. Everything from it being a prank, it was another filly’s idea, and the best one that earned her frowns all around was when she turned it on her mothers and their comments about zebra’s. “Spray Mist?! You have… you’re so, when we get…” Red Punch growled loudly to the sky and stomped her forehooves on the ground. She turned slowly, kicking dirt up and grumbling to herself while Blossom watched, turning her hard gaze back to Mist. “You lied to us. You misled us. You bullied a colt and convinced us that he was a zebra, that he was pestering you. You and your friends,” she let her gaze leer on Violet for a few seconds before she looked around at the crowd and stood tall. “Spray Mist, apologize to the colt you’ve been so mean to.” Mist frowned. “No, he’s dumb and a zebra and shouldn’t even be here!” She turned to point at him. “He and his parents should go back to wherever they-” she turned back and was slapped with the backhoof of Blossom. She collapsed to the ground, blood forming at the side of her muzzle. “You will not say another thing about them!” Blossom raised her hoof to stomp the filly’s leg but was tackled by Crunch. They tumbled once stopping with him over her, sitting on her side as she looked up at him with surprise. “You don’t hit foals! What’s wrong with you?” He managed before Red Punch rammed him from the side and he slid several feet across the gravel. Nangila was ahead of him as he slid to a stop and held his head in her hooves. “Husband, are you okay? Would you like for me to make them pay?” He rocked to his belly and shook his head to clear it from the stunning blow. He looked over to the mares caring over each other. “No, they’re fine. Check on Mist, she’s hurt,” he looked at the filly and smiled as he saw Kiwe helping her to her belly with a paper napkin in his magic, offering it to her as his horn sputtered out. “Nevermind, I think he needs this moment.” Kiwe looked at Mist as she held the napkin to the small cut on her muzzle, real tears in her eyes now. “Mist, you didn’t deserve that strike. What can I do to make it right?” He hesitated and felt his heart ache. “If you wish, I will leave school and go to another. You don’t deserve to have such hatred in your heart.” “I, don’t hate you. Dummy,” she looked at the napkin and frowned at the red as she pressed it to her wound again. “I don’t like you, but…” “But what? Why?” She sniffled and her lips trembled as seconds passed. “Because when you first got to school you were quiet and I liked you that way, you were different but nopony cared. But then you started talking and everypony loved your voice and accent more than anything,” she squeezed her eyes shut, the murmuring of adults and her classmates behind her struck her like punches to her gut. “My, accent? The way I speak is why-” “You don’t understand, Kiwe. All my friends left me for days and talked about you when they started hanging out with me again. They didn’t want to play with me, or dress up, or sing, or dance, or have sleepovers without talking about you and,” she blubbered as he looked at her, as everypony looked at her, “I’m so sorry, Kiwe. I was jealous and all this is my fault. I know what I did was wrong but I couldn’t stop it when I finally got them back. I didn’t know how and I lied and made them lie and ponies believed me and-” she froze for an instant as a brown foreleg extended to her and a black hoof arced up after having booped her nose. “You think too much. Can we be friends now, or do you have to-” Kiwe managed before he was glomped by Mist, who was still crying. Parents moved to interject, first reactions being concern over fighting until they saw the two hugging on the ground, Kiwe smiling as he petted Mist’s mane. “It’s okay. I’m not mad anymore. Mist, you’re with friends and I forgive you.” Mist tucked her head under his chin, pressed herself close to him, and growl-screamed a lung’s worth of air. She moved and in a split second was on her hooves, looking at her mothers. “I’m a bitch! I’m a horrible pony and a bully and I lied to you! I don’t care if you strike me, I deserve it.” Kiwe got up and moved to stand between the filly and mares but was blocked and shoved back, barely keeping his hoofing as Mist continued. “I have to make up for everything I did to this pony and until I do I’ll never,” she hiccupped, “never, h-ha-have an-a-a-any friends.” Her mothers pouted and moved toward her as Mist held back tears, barely.  “I don’t deserve them, any of them. Kiwe’s the kindest zony and I’ll do anything to make it up to him.” Kiwe was the first to hug her, followed by her mothers, then her group of friends. A few seconds later the massive hug broke up. “Mist and her mothers dear, would you like something to eat from here? We have much food and drinks aplenty, so help yourself if your stomachs are empty.” Mist snickered and through her teary eyes happiness shone through. “Are y-you a singer?” Crunch barked a laugh that got him a sharp glare he didn’t notice. “She can’t even sing in the shower, don’t encourage her. Ouch, beloved, that hurt,” he grinned through the pain throbbing in his upper foreleg, “it was worth it.” Mist sniffled and exhaled a giggle. “Y-you’re silly,” she turned to her parents just a hop away.  “Mom, Mama, I’m sorry. I, don’t know what’s wrong with me.” “Mist, my darling little filly,” Blossom looked at her lover and following a nod she gestured for Mist to follow them. The party watched them move away and have a quiet family talk and in short order the party resumed, even Kiwe and Jade had gone to get a drink, talking amongst themselves about their favorite drinks, just brushing over the recent events. “Excuse me,” Red Punch was heard saying to Nangila, “we’re sorry about all this and what our daughter has done to your son and how we reacted to her. We have some things to talk about as a family.” “Thank you for coming and clearing this up, please, when you go take a cup,” she gestured to the table with juices and with a hesitant motion, Red Punch licked her lips and moved. She noticed Kiwe and offered a nervous smile. He nodded back to her and returned a genuine smile as she bumped into a stallion and quickly offered an apology. Just like that the entire event was over and the party resumed, children played, conversations were had, and much food was consumed in good spirits.