//------------------------------// // Episode 12: An After School Special // Story: Life of a Wanted Changeling Season 4: At Luck's End (Comment Driven Story) // by BrownDog77 //------------------------------// Puzzling Frost’s Comment As you nervously stand there you think, Oh crapbaskets! I forgot she saw my ‘totally natural’ freak out when I arrived. And by ‘totally natural you mean over the top migraine inducing insanity? Selena snarks. That’s putting it mildly, Sombra grumbles. Shut Up, you were fanfillying it up when we first arrived Zamboni, and I’m not that crazy Selly...right? You ponder for a second only to realize you’ve found yourself in another stare off. You stare, human Twilight stares, this goes on for an eternity and only a few seconds. Before you can slap yourself Spike decides that enough is enough and jumps out of Twilight’s arms and into yours. “Gah!” You yell fumbling your arms to catch the dog. Spike then starts to lick your face. Get him off. Get him off. Get him off!! Sombra yells in disgust and anger. What’s the matter afraid of a dog? Selena laughs cruelly. Yeah what gives? I thought you loved fuzzy things, you add. For your information this dog is this world’s version of that Welp who kept blasting me with fire! If it weren’t for my intangible situation, I’d gladly pay him back! He growls. Oi lay off or it’s back to druggy town for you, you warn as you peel Spike off your face. I mean, if Real Spike ever does try anything with Nightshade, maybe you and I can work something out… We most certainly will not. Nightshade has warned you of that countless times,Selena chides. …But this dog has done nothing wrong, so calm down…Yeah… You taper off to the former tyrant as you pet the dog with your hand to calm him down and he pants. “Um good boy?” You say in confusion and he happily wags his tail. This feels weird, I’m petting another world’s version of Nightshade’s friend, you think as he licks your hand. Twilight snaps out of it and grabs him from you, “Sorry about that. Spike never does that to strangers, he’s only ever done this to me and my family,” she says sheepishly. “It’s no problem,” you grunt as you wipe dog slobber from your face. “He’s probably just happy he’s not being held by those mean fil-Girls!” “Yeah, he probably is,” Twilight nods as she brings the puppy’s face up to hers. “Don’t you go running off from me again Mister!” she chides and the dog licks her nose. Twilight brings her pet to her chest and hugs him gently. “I’m glad you’re alright Spike…” This is kind of…odd. You think rubbing the back of your neck. I mean, Spike said his relationship with Twilight was complicated, but I always thought they were kind of siblings. Does real Twilight see real Spike as a pet? The teenaged human then kisses the top of the puppy’s head and places him in her backpack before looking to you. “Thank you Mister. I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to him,” she says gratefully. “Yeah, uh, no problem…Hey shouldn’t you be getting to class?” You inquire. “Oh no I have an off period right now. I was heading to the library when you saved Spike and I from those bullies,” Twilight says with a sigh. “D-Don’t worry about that,” you hand wave. “Anyling would do the same. I’m surprised Rainbow didn’t show up and kick their flanks.” “Rainbow?” she asks confused. “Ya, or even the AJ, but they weren’t in site so…” you trail off with a shoulder shrug. “Who are you talking about?” Twilight asks in confusion which makes you raise an eyebrow. “Umm…your friends?” you venture and she looks even more flabbergasted. “I…I don’t have…” and then she looks down in sadness. What the buck? She’s not friends with Rainbow or Applejack in this world? Come to think of it, we haven’t seen them at all in these halls, nor the other three. Selena muses. Well yeah, it’s a big place, I just figured we didn’t see them, you reason. Really? The fact that the Pink one didn’t suddenly appear didn’t tip you off? Sombra mocks. I…Wow…Does that mean there’s not Deadly 6 in this universe? On one hand, good for me, but on the other… Twilight looks downcast over the admittance of not having friends. …Dang it! I can’t help but feel sorry for her! Stupid relatable problems! “Oh, Uh, never mind that, I was just thinking that…seeing a Rainbow and some a nice cold glass of Orange Juice would cheer you up,” you lamely lie. “Wha…?” she quirks a brow. “It’s not supposed to rain this week and Orange Juice’s abbreviation is’'t AJ it’s-“ “Anyway! Why don’t we go to the library together in case those whorses try to come back? I need to clean that area anyway,” You interuprt with a smile. Twilight seems nervous about that, but she nods and starts walking with you following her. After going down a few hallways, she speaks up again. Kichi’s Comment “Thank you again for what you did…but you really shouldn’t have in the long run.” “Huh? Why not? Those little punks had it coming. It’s not like I could have left you like that,” you admit with pride. "No really, you should be careful,” she warns you sounding a bit sad. “Why do you think no one else did anything but watch?" "Because they’re filthy human jerks?" you guess. "Ummm...” she trails off a bit confused by your wording. “They’re not really jerks, but more practical. Those girls back there are part of the popular crowd and-“ "Let me guess,” you interrupt, “No one wants to stand up to them because of those buckers’ status? They’re probably athletes or the “hot” ones and all you shallow teenagers can’t see past it, and they get to do whatever they want right?” "Ummm...Yes, in laymen’s terms. How did you know?" she asks. "All High Schools are the same. High School…High School Never Changes…" you mutter as flashbacks of getting beaten and the dance flash through your mind. Thankfully, Selena smothers those images. There’s no need to dwell on that whorse’s betrayal Bugze, you’ve moved past it, she encourages. Nodding, you look back to Human Twilight beside your cart. “And since you look like one of the smart ones, I’m sure they single you out, but even then taking a dog away is a bullspit move.” She quirks an eyebrow at you again for some reason but she continues on. “Yes, today was a bit rougher. I didn’t expect Spike to bite at her new shoes and…Never mind,” she shakes her head. “The point is, you should be careful. Even if you made it look like an accident, Principal Cinch could’ve still fired you if they had actually been hurt.” You two reach the entrance to the library and she turns back to you with sad eyes. “Thank you again Mister, but please don’t go losing your job over me. It’s not worth it.” Down With Chrysalis’s Comment She says it in such a hollow, placid voice, and it all but makes your heart sink. Her sad resigned eyes make you flashback once again to your own past, to when you didn’t have a friend in the world, to when you were bullied constantly, and had given up that it would stop. She’s…she’s just accepting it like it’s normal and that she can’t stop it, Selena observes. She knows not yet that there are ways to prevail against your tormentors, Sombra surprisingly adds, thinking about his own childhood. She’s given up…you frown. No! Buck this! I can’t-No, I won’t accept that bullspit look in her eyes! On some level this girl is Twilight Sparkle, and even if it’s bullspit she’s evolved into her second god tier form, I still respect the bookworm on some level. Yes, but she’s a completely separate being without her comrades. You’ve saved her, and she wishes no more help, so there’s not much else we can do, Selena informs. Sure there is! I’m the wise and kindly janitor Goramnit! You think in determination as you flick Twilight on the head with one of your spindly fingers. “Ouch!” she responds and holds her head. “What’d you do that for?” “Because you’re a smart person saying some pretty dumb crap Bookworm,” you scold. “Bullying isn’t something anyone on any world should overlook, especially when you add puppy endangerment to the mix.” “But-“ “No buts!” you interrupt. “Those skinny fillies back there don’t have any real power, and the only reason you think they do is because you and all these spectator humans let them.” You then place your hand on her shoulder. “I know, because I went through the torment of high school. Tartarus, I went through a lot more than what those jerks are dishing out, and I know that every day the sadness tries to take a hold of you. You try to bury that sadness in videogames, or movies, or setting things on fire…ok maybe not everyone does that last one, but the point remains! I’m sure you burry yourself in studies and books right?” “Y-Yes, I spend a lot of time in my lab,” she stutters. “Yeah see, there you go. Though you’re probably learning a lot more, you’re letting that sadness control you because you hide behind something and let them win. You let that sadness win,” you mentor. “But…but I can’t stand up to them,” she admits. “I’m not a fighter, I’m a thinker and…” “Hey, hey, hey,” you stop her. “Standing up to someone doesn’t necessarily mean you physically fight them, it took me years to figure that one out. And it’s a good thing that’s not your first instinct because it shows you’re a far better person than them morally on any given day, but at some point you’ve got to stand up, in your own way.” “And…and what way is that?” she asks actually taking your advice. “That’s up to you to find out kid, but you’re smart, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. But if I did have to give any tips, I would say some healthy revenge pranks do the body good,” you smirk and twirl your keys in front of her face which actually brings a smile to it. “Just remember, you’ve got a friendly janitor with access to everywhere on campus if you need any help in that endeavor.” You then pocket your keys and take your hand off her shoulder. “I…Thank you Mister,” she says gratefully. “I’ll…I’ll take that into consideration.” Smirking now that her spirits are lifted, Selena speaks up. That...was deeply inspiring and well handled my bug. Good job. Thanks, I just spoke from the bottom of my artificial magic heart and it just kind of poured out, you snark and she chuckles. It’s a great start, but advise her to learn her enemies’ weaknesses and to strike with extreme preju- Nope! Not taking it that far Simba, you cut him off and look back to Twilight. “Now, you go and enjoy your library time, and I’ll clean these floors for like the fiftieth time.” You then push your cart down the hallway away from her and she speaks up. “I’m Twilight by the way, Twilight Sparkle,” she introduces herself. Oh…right. She doesn’t know I know who she is, you think feeling awkward. “Nice to meet you Twilight, the name’s Bugze. You may see me here some days with a beard and some without, but that’s normal.” “Huh?” she says taken aback. Randomfastreader’s Comment Just_another_guy’s Comment “And in answer to your question earlier, yes I am absolutely that guy you saw screaming the other day.” Bugze, I think you’re letting your mentoring and trust go too far, Selena warns, but you continue. “I thought so. Why were you screaming if I might ask Mr. Bugze,” she questions. "Well, when stressed I suffer from brief periods of insanity, which tend to make me shout random things,” you admit. “So in the future, if you see me seemingly talking to myself or shouting angrily like, I HATE THIS BUCKING WORLD!” You give for emphasis which startles her, “Don’t think too much of it.” And cue a massive facehoof from Selena resounding across your skull. "Ooookkkkkaaaayyy…” Twilight says more than a little disturbed. “So what you’re saying is you suffer from Tourette's?” "….Yeah that I have tourist'se,” you agree because it sounds like some weird human condition. "Tourette's," she corrects. "That’s what I said." "Well, thanks for sharing that I guess,” she says as she slowly opens the library door. “Really you should just ignore it. Though my cursing could probably teach you humie kids a thing or two, just like my baby.” She pauses at that. "You swear to your baby?!" She asks in shock. "She uses them in the right context and doesn't say them in EVERY bucking sentence" you counter. "Oooookkkkaaayyy…I’m just gonna…Bye Mr. Bugze,” she says as she enters the library hurriedly. You hear a very stressed sigh let out in your head. That was a very nice moment before you went and bucked it up at the end, Selena says in disappointment. Hey, I’m the friendly janitor, not guidance counselor, I have to be mysterious and contradictory, you counter, trying to hide the fact that your own stupidity is really to blame. And with that, you get back to work. Later As the day went on, you found yourself cleaning up countless other messes that these filthy humans kept making, but nothing else major occurs. Thankfully you didn’t run into any more cases of bullying, or even run into Human Shining Armor, but at the same time you have yet to find signs of the portal. “It’s gotta be there somewhere,” you grumble as you head around to the back of your abandoned library hideout. The problem is, it probably doesn’t look exactly like a giant horseshoe in this dimension, Selena adds. “Yeah…Speaking of horse shoes…” Fireheart1945’s Comment “What the Tartarus was with that flyer for the rodeo at that bus stop?” you shudder. Since you had to ride the bus, again, you had tried to calm yourself at the smelly bus stop, and you saw a flier for an upcoming rodeo. On it was a human dressed in usual western attire, but the most horrific thing about it was… “I mean, that human was RIDING a horse! There are horses here and the humans RIDE them! What sick world is this?” It’s suggested in human mythology that equines were used as beasts of burden for them, though the show never went into- “Oh Gods! That’s terrible! Add speaking to a pony of this world and getting their thoughts on the matter to the list,” you say in fright. You then enter the library and see your counterpart on one of those small plastic screen things that every human seems to have. “Oh hey, you’re back,” he sits up and looks to you with a smile. “So, how was the first day?” “Your people’s teenagers are filthy horrible creatures,” you groan as you sit across from him. “But other than that, it was alright.” “So pretty simple huh? Just scrubbing floors and everything?” he asks in preparation for when he takes a shift. “Eyup…also, I stopped a girl named Twilight Sparkle from being bullied and kind of hinted that I’d help her get prank vengeance. Also, she thinks we have tourism, so be sure to shout once in a while.” “Tourism?” he asks in confusion. “Or something like that, some weird human disease.” “Okkkaaay…well, did you have any luck finding the portal?” he asks. “No,” you slump your shoulders. “That place is huge, and those teens kept me on my *Gag* toes. There’s so much I haven’t explored. Least we have a map.” You hand him said map with your notes and he looks it over and whistles. “Wow, this place is pretty big. Heck, helping that Sparkler girl get vengeance has so many possibilities…” “I know right?” you agree and start eating a bag of chips. “Well you may not have had any luck on your end, but I think I might have found a lead on your Ancient Sea Horse Monsters,” he says handing you back the map. “You have?” you ask excitedly. “Yep,” he presses on his screen and the light flashes. “By the way, I got you a phone too at the mall so we’ll be able to keep in contact,” he says handing you a similar looking screen. “This is a phone?!” you ask in surprise. “Where is the rotary and the chord?” “…Dang, you guys are really behind in horse land,” he says with a shrug. Cell Phone Added to Inventory “I’ll teach you how to use it in a sec, but here, check out what I found,” B2 says as he turns his phone around to you and you read a news article. “Supposedly there has been sightings of a giant lake monster up in the woods for years, might be one of your Siren things.” You look at a photo on his phone and see a blurry black and white photo of something with a long neck in some water. …Were sirens that big? From what I remember, they could grow to size rivaling some dragons, Selena muses. Hmmm, then I guess we have our first lead then, you think with a smile. “Alright B2, where’s this lake at?” “It’s about a three hour drive north near a place called Camp Everfree…” WHAT DO YOU DO?