//------------------------------// // Chapter IX. «Greensleeves» // Story: Shades of Other Realities // by Seluxity //------------------------------// A pleasant memory of childhood. I think when I was a kid, I used to buy sandwiches at a store near my house. They were cheap, delicious, filling, and cold as hell, but I didn't care too much. I liked to buy them after school, go home and chew them. Another piece of a long-lost childhood. A wave of pleasant nostalgia washed over me as I tried a ham and cheese sandwich in a cafeteria called Greensleeves. This, by the way, is the name of an old English tune that I even learned on the guitar, but I don't think I ever learned it completely. A nice place with cozy green sofas and a very tasty menu. I ordered a small sandwich, for I was not particularly hungry. However, it does not hurt to eat, there is a whole day ahead and another important task. We have already sorted out the purchase of things, a sporting goods store, as well as an amazing boutique under Rarity's command, provided everything you need. And for this, thank them very much. "Actually, I was going to go and play PlayStation," Rainbow Dash said as I chewed, savoring every bite of the most ordinary sandwich. "But I'll put it off for later. If you insist." The girl brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. A strand of rainbow-colored hair. It is necessary to be born with it. An indecent thought occurred to me, which I immediately dismissed as I looked away from Dash, who was sipping a milkshake from a chocolate-brown plastic cup. She didn't seem to notice how intently I was looking at her. She was busy looking at the menu on the stand, and then her speech. It's good. What would she think if she caught such a strange look? She would have asked what was wrong. What could I say to her? I'm very concerned about the color of your hair, and not just on your head. That would have been an honest answer, although she might not have reacted the way I wanted her to. Maybe she would have laughed, maybe not. In any case, this did not happen and I could safely enjoy the remains of a hot, please note, sandwich. And sipping coffee from time to time. In general, I rarely drink coffee. But the one here, according to Sci-Twi, was simply amazing. So I decided to check how it really is. It turned out to be really delicious, as the girl said. "Guys, it's only a little over an hour," sunset shimmer said, and turned to Pinky. - How long will the documentation take? Documentation, of course. Well, in a word. I wouldn't use that. They might get it wrong. "I'm not sure," Pinkie pie said. "I have to call Mad and find out." "Well, find out. - Well. Pinkie pie put down the spoon she was using to eat her delicious cheesecake and took out her mobile phone. I found my friend Mad chicken in my contacts. The phone rang. Pinky put the phone to her ear and waited for an answer. A few seconds later, a voice spoke. "Hi, Mad, it's me, Pinkie pie... No, not garden guy. Pinkie Pie! Mad chicken said something. Probably apologized for the mistake. "Nothing, nothing. I only remember your name the fifth time. Mad laughed, and so did Pinkie. It was almost impossible to make out what she was saying. So I didn't even try. I really wanted to see this Mad girl Pinky knew. If she can pull this off and does it, then she's cool. I've already sort of met someone here. "No, it's not about going to the cemetery... No, I'm not interested in Tarot cards. Although... Pinkie put the phone down. "Do you guys need Tarot cards?" They all shook their heads. "What about a book on esotericism?" "No, Pinky, no," Applejack said. "Aha." Pinkie Pie went back to the phone. "No, no one here is your esoterica not interested. Anyway, Mad, I'm here on business." Mad Chicken muttered something. "How long will it take to create fake documents?" The friend said something, and then Pinkie turned back to her friends and me. "Anyone interested in a sham marriage?" Rainbow Dash giggled, drawing the attention of other Diners at the Greensleeves cafeteria. Applejack stifled a chuckle, and Fluttershy grinned and immediately blushed. "Pinkie, come on," Twilight Sparkle said. "Get to the point." Pinkie went back to talking to Mad. While the pink-haired woman explained to her friend what we, or rather me, needed, I finished my coffee and looked at the shop window. A wide, light-filled street. Dozens of passers-by scurry back and forth every minute, vehicles in different directions. This city is full of life. Like mine, I guess, but I didn't pay much attention to it before. I wasn't up to it before. I was busy with my own reflections, which did not allow me to simply look at the world around me with a smile. But now everything will be different. Yes, it will be different now. I've had enough of these nagging reflections. Enough suffering in an empty place and searching for something inside yourself. I'm going to be myself. A happy sixteen-year-old, not a self-contained escapist. I'm on the right track. On your stairway to heaven. "We need to make an exchange student card from another country... Yeah, we also need a birth certificate. Can you do that?" The answer to the question seems to be Yes. "Thank you very much, honey. How long will it take?" I had to wait about a minute for an answer. "Thank You, Mad... All right, Mad, we'll look in on you soon. Wait for us." With that, Pinkie Pie hung up. Now we wanted to know what she had found out from a friend with the funny name Mad Chicken. "How long will it take?" Sunset Shimmer asked. "Mad said she had a lot of work to do, a lot of orders, so if we get there before five o'clock tonight, we'll get what we want by noon tomorrow." Wow, that was fast. To be honest, I expected to hear something in the region of one month. Or a couple of weeks, at least. But it turned out to be much better than I expected. Fortune favours me, as Elrond of Rivendell would say. "We have until five o'clock this evening to call on her." "Let's go right now," Rarity said. "Yes," said Rainbow. "Right now?" Pinkie Pie's eyes widened. "No, no, I'll finish my cheesecake and finish my coffee first!" The customers glanced at Pinkie, who actually said the last sentence louder than necessary. People looking at us probably think that a group of young people is planning a bank robbery. I was reminded of the opening scene from Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. All we needed to complete the picture was a conversation. Yes, talk about something. "Guys," I said, and everyone turned to look at me. "Give... let's talk. Tell me about yourself." "Only if you tell me about yourself," Rainbow Dash said with a smile. "Well of course. You know, I'm just here with you, but I want to get to know you better. And, of course, I want you to get to know me better." I really wanted to talk. I really wanted to know more about them. No, I certainly knew a lot from cartoons and books, but I wanted to hear from their own lips. To hear what I knew and what I didn't know yet. And at the same time, tell them more about yourself. What do they know about my past? Nothing, practically. They know what happened to me recently, but not what led to it. They don't really know me, even though they love what they've learned and seen. And I want my best friends to know me. "All right," Twilight said, a smile on her lips. "We are not in a hurry here, in principle." "Then... who will start?" The girls stared at me. They want me to tell them about myself first. But I had another plan. "Let me tell you about myself at the end." My offer was accepted quite easily. Rainbow dash corrected her voice and settled back on the cushioned sofa, saying, "Then I want to be the first." No one seemed to mind. There was really no need to hurry; our time was up until five o'clock, as mad chicken Pinkie Pie kindly informed us. "Hi, everyone, my name is Rainbow Dash and I'm an athlete, a guitar player, and just a great girl. Guys, it's like I'm at an alcoholics anonymous meeting." I tried not to laugh, but I could tell I was ready to laugh. "Come on," Dash said to me, and leaned back on the couch. "Here all yours." I was panting with suppressed laughter. "All... yours..." I don't know why this joke got me so hooked. Probably because that's what my idea looked like from the beginning, and Dashi just voiced my idea. I thought of that, too. "Well, I'm going on. I was born on July 20, 2001, I am sixteen years old, I go to Canterlot School, the best school in the world, thank Celestia! Rainbow held out her hand, which reminded me of an Austrian artist's gesture. If their world didn't have the same history as mine, they shouldn't even know what it meant. "But if seriously, I have been interested in sports and music since childhood. Especially football. You know, I didn't do it somewhere in the sports sections. I played myself and played well. I always wanted to do something... cool. I always wanted to surprise people with something. I played soccer and other games." "Once on TV, when I was eleven years old, I saw a concert by the rock band Skillet. That's when my passion for music and rock music in particular awoke. I wanted to be like them, also perform on stage and be a star. I've seen how much joy music brings to people. How much joy it brought to me. I also wanted to give people joy with my music." "My parents gave me a guitar. First, the usual acoustics. I studied independently at first, and then my parents found me a teacher, with whom I studied for about six months. When I played more or less well, my parents gave me electro. I've been playing electric guitar ever since. Dash fell silent. I think that's all she wanted to say. "Great," I said, looking at Rainbow. She nodded at me. "Then I'll be next," Applejack said. We prepared to listen. "I was born on my family's farm. My parents were Pear Butter and Bright Mac. But they were killed in a car accident shortly after my little sister, Applebloom, was born." Applejack's voice never wavered. Apparently, she had long since come to terms with the loss of her parents. "I was six years old when Applebloom was born. My older brother, Macintosh, is ten. We were actually left in the hands of our Granny Smith. She took care of us and raised us. Applejack paused for a moment to catch your breath. "I've spent most of my life working hard on the farm, making sure it thrives. After all, the farm is, first of all, a memory of parents." "I went to Cantelot's School and met my future best friends there. The girl put her hand on the shoulder of rainbow dash, who was sitting next to her. I really liked the short story Applejack. Especially the last part of it. About how she met her future best friends. People were coming in and out of the cafeteria. They were always carrying trays back and forth. They talked and laughed. I felt very comfortable in such an environment. "May I?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Like Applejack, I was born on a farm. On A Stone Farm. Not in the sense that it's all made of stone, it's called that. The Stone Farm." Pinkie took one last sip and drained her cocktail glass. "When I was about five, my family moved to Canterlot. We've been living here ever since. My parents often had a rather difficult financial situation. There were four of us, me and my sisters. My parents were often sad. So I did everything I could to cheer them up. I always wanted to make them feel good, to cheer them up. So I started to get interested in baking, and when I became older, I started organizing holidays for acquaintances." "Gradually, my desire to cheer up my parents, and not only them, but also my sisters, turned into a desire to cheer up the people around me. Make them happy, give them a holiday." I stared at Pinkie Pie. I certainly didn't expect such a deep and adult story from her. Probably, it is impossible to evaluate a person, even by his actions. After all, he may try to appear to be something other than what he really is. Can try to hide themselves behind a mask and not show themselves present. And the real pinkie pie was not what It seemed at first glance. "Now let me do it," Rarity said. "Everyone seemed to like my idea of a little story about myself. My mother and I went to Manehatten once when we were kids. We were walking along the street, and we were met by Lyceum students from the local Lyceum. They were all in identical uniforms, red and completely tasteless jackets. And only one girl dressed in a beautiful skirt, not like the other students' uniforms. For this, the teacher severely scolded the young girl. Then I was indignant, but I couldn't do anything. You can't drive everyone under a single template! Each of us is individual and unique in its own way, everyone has the right to choose what to wear." "I decided that I will create beautiful clothes so that they can emphasize the individual qualities of people and just make everyone better. I wanted to bring more bright colors to everyone's life." I listened carefully. Nicely said. Her words can make you think about many things. I could feel how much was in that girl's head. So many beautiful and wonderful thoughts. "Flutty, you're next," Rarity said. "Good. I have been very fond of animals since I was a child. They are so cute and so defenseless. One day I was walking down the street and saw some bad boys making fun of a poor old cat who was barely breathing. I chased the boys away, took the cat and took it to an animal shelter. Soon I returned there and was surprised to find that the cat was alive and well. I thought he was going to die soon. Care and care even from an old decrepit cat made a cheerful and beautiful creature. Then I realized that no matter what each of us is, we all need a little bit of goodness. In a little bit of care, love and support. All, without exception." I felt a little sad at what Fluttershy had said. Yes, she was absolutely right. It is a pity that many do not understand this and do not want to understand it. Sorry. The only other storytellers left were Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer. "As for me," Twilight began. "I wasn't born here. She didn't live here for a long time. My family moved to Canterlot just a year ago and it happened after the Friendship Games. At my old school, Crystal Academy, I had no friends, except, of course, spike, my faithful dog. Before, I didn't value friendship, I thought that studying was more important than anything else. I've been doing great ever since I first set foot in school. I grew up with everyone, moving from one class to another. We grew up, my classmates became friends, spent a lot of time together, had fun. I've been busy studying all this time. Study and only study. That was until I was fifteen. There were Friendship Games between my school and Canterlot's. It was the first time I took part in them." "I met some cool girls here at this school. Their names are Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity. They were the ones who showed me what true friendship is. I transferred to Canterlot High, and my family bought a house here. That was almost a year ago." Even though I knew it, it was priceless to hear it from Twilight's own mouth. I listened carefully to every word the girl said. Now it was Sunset Shimmer's turn. And she pushed her plate a little away from her and began to tell the story. "And I-" the girl smiled. "I'm not from here at all. Not from this world." She looked in my direction. Yes, just like me. "I was born in Equestria. Became a pupil of Princess Celestia. I was a diligent student, but the Princess always noticed that I had problems with... friendship, oddly enough. I didn't know how to make friends, I just didn't know how to do it right. The Princess tried to help me, but I did... I just ran away. I didn't know what they wanted me to do, I didn't know what I had to do to make her happy. In the end, I could not stand it and decided to take a desperate step - run. I learned that the castle of Canterlot holds a magic mirror through which you can travel to another dimension. And left through it. And then I was here, in this world. "I was so stupid. I thought that only power over other people would give me what I wanted. But I was wrong. I was wrong until then, until they came Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. She came here for the crown I stole from her. It was only thanks to Princess Twilight that I finally realized what true friendship is. And these girls became my friends. Sunset finished her story. Now, apparently, it's my turn. The girls stared at me, waiting for me to start. "My name is Joshua Walker," I smiled. "I'm an exchange student from Eastern Europe, but I'm actually from another dimension, and I got here through a portal between universes just last night. No, not even tonight." I paused for a moment. "In General, I have been self-contained since I was a child. I used to have friends, as a child, but then... As it happened, I didn't have any. At some point, I was all alone. I was a teenager yearning for something more than what I had. I was interested in many things: movies, books, animation, music, football, and more. All this has always helped me fill my inner loneliness." I didn't know what else to add. "I've been waiting for this moment. I waited for what I was dreaming to come true. I was hoping for. I believed. And when Twilight came for me and held out her hand, I knew I had to go. I realized that this is the best moment of my life. I realized that this is what I was waiting for. I took a deep breath and fell silent. The girls looked at me, then Twilight Sparkle took my hand and said: "We knew you were coming with us." "I couldn't help going. I couldn't... Friends." "Yes... We are your friends now." I saw the smiles on each of the girls' faces. Smiles that made my heart flutter and fill with warmth. It was a good idea. *** It was almost two o'clock when we finished. There was another important thing we had to do. And we were going to do it. Cars drove, people hurried about their business. The city of Canterlot was bustling with life. He was full of it and filled me with life. I took a deep breath and looked at the Greensleeves cafeteria sign. This place is sure to be one of my favorite places in the whole city. But in order to understand this, you need to see the entire city. And I'll have plenty of time to do it. All the best is ahead.