//------------------------------//
// The Dream Is Always the Same, Pt. 1 
// Story: Waters: An Equestrian Gangster 
// by King Genesis 
//------------------------------//



Jack's Car



"Do me a favour." Jack looks at W while pressing the cigarette end on a small ashtray in the car. He releases the smoke.

"Yes?" asks the young gangster. "What?"

"Look up for a mint in the glovie... this last cigarette was awful. Almost choked me."

He chuckles while opening the glove box in front of him. "You had them on a bag, right?"

"Yeah, a small one. It's plastic."

"Yeah, yeah, I found it," he says, but once he takes the bag out of the box, he finds there was something behind it. Something purple-coloured which he recognizes.

This.





Suddenly, his eyes widen. "Wait, what?" he lays his head against the seat headrest while Jack grabs a mint from the bag. "You... you have this CD on your box?" 

Jack raises an eyebrow and puts the mint on his mouth. "What? The Jeff Buckley one?"

"No, no, not that one... the... the purple one. Bloody Valentine?"

Jack smiles. "My Bloody Valentine. That's the name... and yeah, I was passing by here last week and bought it."

W looks at him and raises his shoulders. "What? You are kidding me."

Jack now chuckles. "No, I'm not," replies Jack. "I used to listen to My Bloody Valentine when I was young, you know? I was 17 years old when that CD came out. I remember when a high school friend showed it to me for the first time... it was... wow."

He chuckles while touching his hair. "I swear, Jack," suddenly says W, "I thought you could listen to anything, even rap... but My Bloody Valentine?"

"You clearly don't know me, then," he says with a smile. "And how do you know about the CD? You never told me you know that too."

W raises an eyebrow and bites his lips. "Well, William made me listen to it once... he said... um... he said mom liked that kind of music."

An uncomfortable silence appears in the middle. "Well," says Jack after sighing, lowering the car speed while approaching to a corner. "I remember your mother wanted to buy me a CD of this band on my 20th birthday... she told me that time she wanted to buy me this one, but it was so hard to get it, that not even the biggest record stores in Equestria had it," he laughs softly. "Goddamnit, those... those were strange, but oddly beautiful times... I miss them..."

W finds out, one more time, that familiar look of his partner. Jack is looking at the street where he is driving with a certain sparkle on his eyes. A melancholic feeling W recognizes. "Yeah, again," he says.

"What?" says Jack, confused before blinking. "Again what?" He blinks again.

"Um... you know, that sight of yours. That look. I don't judge you, though... I also have that look when I remember the past."

Jack chuckles. "You truly recognize my gestures... Do you know why did I buy it? I could have easily left the store with my hands empty... but I didn't." He finds an empty spot on a sidewalk and decides to stop right there, catching W's full attention. "You know... I've been looking for that CD for a long time because it was one of the last things I listened to before getting into the mob. Um... I remember listening to songs like Sometimes to overcome my father's fate, my father's death because of the mob... and my wish of avenging him, finding the one who committed such act... those days were the last days of an old era, W. My young life."

Silence in the car. Both men swallow saliva while W grabs the CD inside the glove box. "And... you never found it."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, sorry if I sound rude, but sadly..." he looks at the cover. "You never found your father's murderer."

Jack shakes his head. "Uh-huh... how crazy, isn't it? I never found him, or her, or whatever... not only because I didn't have a clue... but also, so many things happened in the middle, from Eye Patch to Abe, you, others... that I slowly forgot my father overtime. And now I consider that something else... something I just don't care about as before." W puts the Loveless CD in the glove box again and finds out there's another disc inside. He takes it out. "And the fact that I don't care about that now... scares me a bit."





W's eyes widen again. "Wait... I thought the Buckley thing was a joke. You still have it? Wasn't this scratched?"

Jack looks at the Grace CD from his spot and nods his head. "It's my four-leaf clover. It brings good luck to the car."

W raises his eyebrows, chuckling. "Uh?..." He lies his head against the car seat headrest. "A four-leaf clover... um..."

"Considering everything we had to deal with." Jack chuckles.

W bites his lips and nods his head after hearing that... He has something to say. "Man... um... I... you know... talking about this..."

"The CD?"

"No..." he shakes his head and touches his face. "You know... uh, I haven't mentally processed this yet."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "What?"

W looks at Jack. "I mean... the school thing..." he takes a breath. "Just by thinking about that... it's hectic as hell. I don't want to admit it but... I know, deep inside me, I'm the only one who can do this."

Now the gangster takes a breath and bites his lips. "And what about Calc? Can he help you?"

"Nah," W replies. "He didn't want to go to school with me, and it's OK, not only for him..." he surprisingly says. "... but also for me. If that Cattle Prod sees Calc next to me we may be fresh fish instantly. He's like that typical nerd everybody beats up on movies."

"Nah... I don't think he's that punchable."

"You say?" W raises an eyebrow. 

Jack nods his head and gets a cigarette out of his pocket. "Well... he's busy at his job, I know, but I was saying... he can help you while working, maybe he can counter back those guys with some kind of techy idea but..."

"No. That's what I don't need... I mean... we are talking about big bullies, Jack. This Cattle Prod... you know, if he wants to kick your ass... he won't do it online or through text messages, man... you know what I'm talking about, right?

Jack nods his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean."

"And besides, now... at this moment... we have only two days... but now I'm feeling this like an eternity. A decade."

He raises his eyebrows and stretches his arms. "Well... look at us now." Then, he puts his hands on the steering wheel, not before getting a cigarette. "This, I think, is a bit of free time," Jack puts it in his mouth. "Maybe the school is open today, but I'm not sure. We can check it out now if you want to get into this safely and quickly. Sure it will be open on Sunday, to get ready for the new year..." he smokes. "Calc said those papers were going to take an hour."

W stretches his legs. "Damn," he says. "When was the last time I've heard those two words?"

"Which ones?"

W nudges Jack's shoulder. "Free time, man."

Jack raises his eyebrows when he hears that. "Well, you know... Nowadays those two words hardly come out of someone's mouth." He gets a lighter out of his pocket. "We've gotta celebrate we have this piece of free time... you know, working in this business..."

Jack makes a small smile, but W doesn't. He only raises his shoulders and grabs his head. "Yeah. The oath. No way to say stop. To retire."

Jack sighs while taking out of his pocket the car keys. "You know that... This place, this business is like a door. You open it, you enter, but when you want to get out..." Jack stretches an open hand which W looks at while crossing his arms and laying against the seat. "Boom. There's no handle. You can't leave. It's a stain that attaches to you and there's no way to get it off your skin... and even if you escape, it will still be with you... You die or get jailed. There is no way to retire."

"Hm-hmm," emits W before turning his head to look at Jack. "But... didn't you tell me there were some who actually did say bye?"

He only chuckles and turns off the car with the keys. "W..." he says. "Those who said bye, bye to everyone... They had your age... 22, 23, 24... I don't know how did they get in here but they did... and they left. They told their bosses... I'm out, that's it... and boom. Next day..." Jack's open hand is closed, turning into a fist. "Ran over the oath? Dead in a bodybag. All of them were cleaned."

W's eyes widen again and bites his lips. "Yeah, I know, it reminds me of..." There it goes. That song which gives him goosebumps plays again in his head. "Remember what I told you last month? I mean, it's something I thought about when I was 15 years old... and I wrote it on a notebook, found it last year and has been replaying over and over in my hea---."

"No, no, no," interrupts Jack. "If it's what I'm thinking, no... that's not a way to get out! That's not even a way! It's an idea! A fantasy... don't begin with---"

"Jack," W replies to him. Jack facepalms. "How many times did Abe say he wanted to get out of this shit? And you? And me? Even Eye Patch said it once... to get out of the mob, of this business, you understand? Ran over by the oath of staying here forever... The dream is always the same. However, if we do that, Father, his son Bloodswan and all of his guys may bury us alive even before we touch the door... so, how can we do this without being caught by the family of Bloodswan?"

"No, no... that's suicide!" shouts Jack. "You literally wrote on that notebook we had to kill the boss to get out! Do you know how insane and senseless sounds that? It's not only impossible but a completely stupid idea!"

W raises his hand. "Wait... I never said we had to kill Father and his family..."

"And what did you tell me a month ago?"

"But that's because I was just telling you what I read in that notebook! I wrote that when I was 15 years old, but I didn't mean it at the moment I told you that! I grew up, you know?" He scratches his hair. "Maybe we can... have a meeting?"

Jack's eyes widen and laughs. "Do you know what you are saying? Are you conscious of what you have just said? Firstly, the Family never has meetings unless he makes them. Secondly... how do you think they will react if we go to his house and tell him we are out?"

W bites his lips. "... Well... it will definitely not be the best reaction but..."

Jack's concern is getting bigger. He even puts a hand over W's shoulder. "Listen... You know who do we work for, right? We work for Eye Patch, but, at the same time," the young gangster wants to talk but Jack stops him by raising his finger. "We work for Bloodswan and his family. They are the bosses of Eye Patch and everyone who dares to carry the nickname of gangster on this country... We are business for him, and if we get out, that means... a part of their business, a part of their money and power also gets out. We'll end up dead even before we arrive at that house," Jack grabs the Loveless CD from the box and opens it while W gets silent. "Look at how you make me mad, man... I have to put this to calm myself down."

"Hey, don't get so angry," he says. "I'm not planning to make this true... I only told Abe, Eye and you this to find out what you thought about what I wrote..."

"And you know what we told you, what I've just told you... no." He shakes his finger. "No. No. Never. Never Ever... and I find out you are trying to do that with Snowblind..."

"Uh, come on, Jacky!" he shouts. "You think I'm going to do that with Snowblind and his friends? Of course not!"

"I expect not to come across those junkies trying to go to Manehattan, then," replies Jack while getting the CD out of its box and turning on the player. "Need a bit of this to relax..."

"Relax?" replies the young gangster. "Man, the whole album is literally an explosion of guitars."

The player registers the CD.





"I know... but it takes me back."





W sighs and looks outside. "So... we'll take a look at the school?"

Jack raises an eyebrow. "Well, I don't know if it's open, but if you want..."

W shakes his head. "Uh, well... just to take a look... if we still have a free hour..."

Both gangsters look at each other and Jack raises his shoulders. "Ok, then," he says while chuckling. "Let's go."

He turns on the car.






Now Playing: Track 1 - Only Shallow by My Bloody Valentine








Canterlot High



A rainbow-haired girl arrives at the place where she wanted to be after so long. A sigh of relief gets out of her when she looks at the enormous purple building she sometimes hates to be in due to the amount of homework she gets every day but loves because of her friends and kind people inside. There's no better place to socialize and make friends than Canterlot High.

"Hey, Dash!" she turns back to look at the one who said that. A rarely-seen Shining Armor wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt. "Thought Twily would come with you."

"Uh, hi, Shine!" Rainbow Dash waves her hand and hugs Twilight's brother, better known as one of the school's preceptors. "Are you sure is this you?"

Shining Armor, surprised by that question, raises an eyebrow and looks at Dash in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... it's the first time I look at you wearing normal clothes, dude."

Shining Armor laughs. "I'm doing the hard work now, Dash," he turns around and points at a pile of gym mats. "I have to carry those to the school gym now. They have just arrived, a couple of minutes ago."

"Oh, no problem! I can help you with that," Dash stretches her arms. "You know I'm the one for carrying these things."

"Do you mind if I help you with that?"

A feminine, cosy voice sounds behind her and Shining Armor makes a smile. She turns around and looks at a chuckling Rarity, always wearing her purple skirt and boots, and light blue shirt, always with her beautiful purple hair. She lets out a sigh of relief when she sees her friend. After what she has been dealing with due to that failed relationship with that bastard named Cattle Pr... no, she doesn't even want to spell that name on his mind.... finding a Rarity who is not shocked or completely paranoid on this day is something good, magnificent. "Hey, my favourite fashionista." 

Rarity and Dash chuckle and then hug each other. "Good morning, Dash."

"Good morning..." then she looks at her face. "I was going to carry the mats with Shining Armor to the gym..."

"Sure, I will help you," replies Rarity without letting her finish. "How many of them are there?"

"Um..." Shining Armor scratches his hair. "I think there are ten, fifteen, but I don't know if there's more... Cel told me she bought even more because there were almost no mats... although those pads we always had on the gym are still standing. If I were her, I'd still be using them."

"Those pads? The blue ones? How long have those pads been here?" Dash asks him while getting nearer the mats. "The ones we always used in the gym..."

Shining Armor chuckles. "Uh... I don't know... they have been here for a couple of years but they're not so old, Dash!"

"And are you sure about that? Hahaha!"

She's hiding it again. She shouldn't be doing it.

It's not the first time Rarity gets stuck in her thoughts after what happened with Cattle Prod. She doesn't even know why did she fell into his game. She doesn't even know what did she see in him to do that. She doesn't even know why didn't she tell her friends about that at first. She wasn't sure of it in the first place and still feels guilty, despite their friends having already accepted her apologies for keeping it a secret. They went on for a few odd dates where he wanted to take control of everything they were doing together until, on their last date, she said no and left. He told her something was going to happen to her on the first day of the College Course. Something bad. What was he talking about? He's capable of everything.

She tried to dodge that and hide her feelings but looks like it's going to explode again. Despite not showing it, she's clearly worried and needs a shoulder where she can talk and be safe. She has already talked to her grandpa, but Abey is far from Canterlot and is busy on that car store he always talks about. Her parents... Dad is also out of town and Mom is always busy working on the Carousel Boutique. She didn't even tell them both too much, she feels a bit ashamed for not doing it.

She looks at Dash from behind. 

She was always a good shoulder to stay on.







Car



Only four persons are inside that car and the ambience is tense. Speedster is driving, Sharp Baton is on the passenger seat, and Snips and Snails are in the backseat, looking at each other. "Well, as I told you before... this world, this place, this job..." he begins to move his hands while explaining. "It's kinda dangerous, I'm not gonna lie. It's rough, tough... A rusty one. Isn't it, Speedster?"

"Yup," he only replies. Sharp Baton turns around and looks at both children.

"The scarecrow was just the beginning... we have a long way to walk together... and despite it's a cruel place to stay... it gives you easy money. A lot... We just pretend to be like normal people, but, in fact, we are ten times wealthier than Canterlot's Mayor."

Snips and Snails feel goosebumps while hearing that. "Is that true?" asks Snips. "Are you that rich?"

Sharp Baton and Speedster laugh. "Sure we are," says Baton, chuckling. "Think about it... we are the only ones in the country who can save your booties and give you easy money. You said you had a scholarship and lived in a cheap motel, right? And now look..." he touches the car's roof. "Look at you now, inside the car which belongs to the cream of the crop and protected by my brother in every place of your school."

Both little boys tremble a bit when they hear that word... brother. They almost forgot this guy is the brother of a bully... and being protected by that guy, despite sounding like something cool and safe, is not that nice in real life. The big bully and his friends consider both kids as boulders, obstacles, things that only interrupt their path. They kick them around, shout at them. They don't see Sharp Baton too often, and when they try to tell him how his brother behaves with them, he barely gives them an answer. Just one phrase: "He's not bad. He just wants you to do what he tells you to do." That's what he said, and the bully dared to kick them both on their booties and put them to do his homework... He wants to let them know who rules, not only in that room, in that relationship, but also in the whole school, in their new home.

The car suddenly stops in a small park located in one of the main squares of Canterlot. "I'm afraid we'll have to leave you here," replies Baton. "But don't worry... my brother will look for you and will pick you up for school... he has to do something there, he told me. You just have to wait for... a couple of minutes, nothing else."

No. What they just don't want is them inside the car of that guy. "Um, sir..." suddenly interrupts Snails, getting between the front seats, looking at Sharp Baton. "It's no problem. We can go to school on foot."

Speedster and Sharp Baton laugh at the same time. "Oh, come on!" shouts Sharp Baton. "We're being gentle! Don't forget you are entering the world of fantasy I've been telling you for weeks... and in this world of fantasy everything goes by car! Never on foot! Walking is for normal people!"

A tense silence appears in the car. Snips and Snails get confused at the use of the word normal. "I mean," replies Speedster. "People do often walk and go on foot to several places, but we don't, because everyone has their own car... you know why?" Speedster suddenly gets his hand in his pocket and gets out a $50 bill. Snips and Snails look at it with bright eyes. "Because we have enough money to buy a car for everyone. Enough money to not walk... Do you want this one, boys?"

Snips nods his head. "Oh, we do." Speedster slowly moves his hand onto them, but when Snails is about to grab the bill, the gangster suddenly gets the hand out of there and keeps the bill in his pocket again. 

"No, no! This is my bill," shouts Speedster. "If you want to get yours, you've gotta learn what we taught you this day... OK? Now get out... Sharp Baton's brother may be waiting for you."

Snips and Snails still don't like the idea of being in the car of a bully. "Oh, we want to go on fo-"

"No!" suddenly interrupts Sharp Baton. "We told you that in this world of fantasy we go to the places we want by car... the foot is for those who don't do the hard work we do... and you've got to understand that. I want my brother to take you to the school by car... OK?"

Speedster and Sharp Baton look at both kids with cold, bitter eyes. The two boys look at each other, not before swallowing saliva. They feel observed, intimidated. "Uh... OK," replies Snips.

"And what about you?" asks Speedster. "The orange one..."

"Yes, yes," replies Snails, scratching his hair, while Snips opens the car door, desperately. Snails comes out after him but doesn't close the door. He looks at his friend Snips, who is standing straight in the middle of the open park sidewalk, looking at the green field, benches and people having a good time on a Saturday morning. "Um..."

"I have a--"

"I do have--"

Both kids interrupt each other and look at each other in silence. Looks like both of them have a question for the two grown men. Speedster lets out a laugh. Sharp Baton turns around. "What?" he asks. "We don't have much time."

"I have a question," fastly responds Snips. "You said we were going to do something else with the gun and... uh..."

"The scarecrow," replies Snails, looking at his friend. "So..."

Silence for a second. "What..." asks Snips. "If we won't do the... well... what would we do with the gun, then?"

The kids expect a quick answer from them both, but surprisingly the gangsters look at each other in silence. Speedster raises an eyebrow at Sharp Baton and then bites his lips before looking at the kids. "We don't have time now. We'll tell you about that tomorrow. See you." Once he finishes that sentence, the car is turned on again and leaves the park, leaving both children alone.





Both gangsters are now in silence. Sharp Baton looks at the lost kids looking at the car, through the rearview mirror. "Well... this was pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. I want to ask you a serious question," speaks Speedster. "What the hell did happen?" Sharp Baton laughs, which also makes Speedster laugh. "Firstly, how did those kids manage to talk to Cattle Prod and you?"

Baton bites his lips and gets out a cigarette from his pants' pocket. "Well, I think a classmate told them Cattle Prod gave easy money to anyone who dared to do things for him and looked they were desperate for it and bit the bait. Besides, my brother told me they liked acting as minions. They helped another girl called Sunset... Sunset something, to do something bad on their school. A rascal thing, maybe."

"And why in the hell did your uncle let them in?"

Baton smiles at Speedster. "Well, my brother told my uncle these minions thing both of them had and made him laugh, and you know that my uncle never misses the opportunity. He told Cattle to take them to the Dead House, then he called me..." Baton laughs again. "You know my uncle doesn't reject anyone. Any new guy that wants to work... come on in! Welcome to the society!"

Speed shakes his head while Baton grabs a lighter from his pocket. "That's something.... uh... I mean, everyone can be on the table but... two kids that seriously don't look like they were involved in a gang?"

"Oh, Speed... Don't be so rude! Not being in the world as a child, like you and me, doesn't mean you can be a bad gangster... Not all good boys are born in the mob..." Baton lights the cigarette with a lighter and puts it in his mouth. "My uncle told me that, you know?"

"I know he told you that," replies Speedster. "But tell me..." the traffic light is now red. The car stops. "Answer, Sharp... your uncle literally ordered us to bring that stupid, idiotic scarecrow to the Dead House. We never used that piece of wood from the garden to help any new rookie... How long do you think those kids will last on this?"

Baton maintains the smoke for a second and then releases it, not before taking the cigarette out of his mouth. He opens the car window and gets his arm out of the car. Then, he nods his head and looks at Speedster. "Well, it's kinda hard."

"Kinda hard?"

"Well... nobody knows what will happen on the day of tomorrow, Speed... I'm not a time traveller or a---"

"I know, I know... but... from what you've seen today... from that scarecrow we used... how long would you think they  will last?"

He chuckles. "Come on... it's literally their first day."

"I know, but... I told you... the scarecrow thing, the minion behaviour you told me about, these are facts we cannot deny... and I know that you are not ignoring them... not at all."

Sharp Baton's smile fades while he raises an eyebrow. He feels exposed. "Now? If I've got to be honest?"

Speedster nods his head. "Yeah."

The traffic light is now green and Speedster crosses the street. Baton takes a breath. "Well, I don't know... their faces, their attitudes, their use of words... I'm sure they may change their behaviour over time but... if I've got to send them to work with those faces... even with what they've seen today." he denies his head. "They wouldn't even last ten minutes."

Speedster nods his head. "You see?" he bites his lips. "I do think the same... and I know it's their first day, we don't know the future, blah, blah, blah... but there's something about these kids... that makes me think they will never survive in this world. They just can't be part of this, man."

"Speed... I think this is normal, man. You were born and raised in the family... you had a different kind of innocence in your childhood that these kids may never have had... Relax, turn on the radio." 

He keeps smoking.







Jack's Car



"Don't you dare to begin with that dream thing again..."

Jack took off the Loveless CD out of the player and put it on the glove box. He just wasn't in the mood for that, so he decided to just turn on the radio and keep breathing while driving to Canterlot High, the place where they have to work.


And now, in Canterlot FM... the best hits of an old era everybody wants to go back... ladies and gentlemen, a song from the '80s... Billie Jean by the absolute King of Pop, Michael Jackson..."


"Is Billie Jean your lover?" jokingly asks W to Jack. "And is that kid your son?"

"No, and no," boringly answers the man. "I ain't got no lovers and sons... I don't even have time to make a cup of coffee to myself."

The young gangster sighs. "Uh, man, I was being funny... don't ruin it so harshly..." W scratches his hair. "And well... I mean, I honestly knew you were going to answer that... you were never a big lover, isn't it?"

"Uh... no... and from what I remember, neither you," replies Jack. "From what I know you never had a date on your whole life."

"Yeah, but I'm 23, I'm still young," he says. "You are like 45... and you never... you know, even had a crush on someone, man?"

Jack laughs. "How many times I've got to tell you this, man? I don't have time to have a crush on someone, W. I've been working for Patch, for Bloodswan and his family. You also work for them... tell me, when was the last time you had a crush on somebody, uh?"

W raises his shoulders. "Well, um... remember that time I was in love with one of Seductive's adoptive daughters... uh... what was his name?"

"I think... uh..." Jack bites his lips. "Adagio Dazzle?"

W stretches his arms and claps once. "Yes! There it is! That name!"

"Adagio Dazzle... you were 8 years old when you fell in love with Adagio, W... you are 23 now. No other crush has been on your mind since?"

He bites his lips. "Well... honestly, I don't remember. Maybe I talked to some girl who thought I was hot and ended up in bed... but nothing else after that. It was just..."

"...sex," he replies. "Yeah, reminds me of the old me. My young me."

W raises an eyebrow. "Your young you? Were you young at a time?" he chuckles. "Just kidding."

Jack doesn't even laugh but makes a small, almost invisible, smile. He just looks at W. "Yeah, there was a time where I was a young douche wearing silver earrings and rock band t-shirts, just like you."

"Hey!" shouts W, offended. "Firstly, this earring," he says, pointing at his earring. "...is steel, not silver. I'm not that rich, you know... and secondly, I don't wear rock band t-shirts..."

"And what are you wearing now?" asks Jack. "Under that trenchcoat..."

W unbuttons the trenchcoat and reveals the white t-shirt he's using is completely plain. "See? It's plain. No rock bands. See it?"

"Yeah, I'm not blind, I do," he replies, chuckling. "Well, you don't always wear rock band t-shirts but you used to..."

"Yeah... in the past," he replies. "I used to wear t-shirts of bands like... uh... I don't know... remember when I was using that black Slipknot t-shirt every day?"

"Oh, damn, don't remind me of that."

W laughs. "Man, I was a stupid teenager kid at that time but... now I've got to admit I even wanted to be buried with that t-shirt... It smelled so freaking awful."

"You smelled awful..."

"Yeah, how many times did I take the shower per week? Um..." Suddenly, the young gangster looks at that enormous purple building, that always called his attention but never cared of finding out what it was, from far away. "Man... that building is big as shit."

Jack smiles. "It's the building where you will stay."

What? Now W's eyes open widely and feels all of his hair getting spiky. They told him it was a big place, but not that it was in that building is specific. "That one?"

"Yes."

He scratches his hair. "But... is that a school or a freaking country?"

"We told you it was a big place. It has dorms, classrooms and whoever knows who. It's one of the biggest schools in the country."

"Dko told me it could be the biggest one in the country."

Jack bites his lips. "I'm not so sure if it's actually the biggest one but... I don't think she's wrong. It's a pretty huge place."

"Man, but you didn't even show me a picture of the school! I thought it was just a little pla-"

"But Abe did show you a picture, didn't he?"

W's face is now blank. He gets pale while laying his head against the car window. "Did he?"

"Yeah, I think he did. I wasn't with him when he talked to you for the first time... I think I found out later when he told me..." Jack frowns and lowers the car speed. "You're always as distracted as a fly."

"Oh, please!" he shouts. "I just... don't remember about that. Maybe I was..."

"Distracted."

"I'm not always distracted! Sometimes I am, but other times I do forget some stuff because my week is filled with... other things."

"Such as watching fights to the death with Snowblind and his group of babysitters?"

"Oh, shut up, you know that's not the only---" Suddenly Jack stops the car and W turns around to look what's behind him. There are a couple of young boys and girls carrying things to the school, entering by the main door. "It's open."

He turns his head to look at Jack. The old man is silent until he says: "Yeah."

"Um... what... should we enter, as we said..."

"Right now?" he raises an eyebrow. "Weren't you telling me that you weren't sure and we had two days to think things?"

"Yeah, but... what else do we have to think?" says W. "The name? We finally said it's Swift Arrow. The papers? Calc is forging them... what else? Um... maybe a wig or something to change my face?"

"Yeah, you're right," Jack replies, nodding his head. "We can get that on Hoppy's."

W raises an eyebrow, confused. "Hoppy? The guy from... but he is a gun seller, Jack."

"Hoppy's like a treasure chest, W..." he replies while stepping on the clutch. "Everything you want, Hoppy has it twice."

"Well, I expect Hoppy to have two buckets of fried chicken at the moment we arrive." W laughs and Jack lets a small smile, but suddenly the young gangster's laugh slowly fades out. "Uh, man... am I literally the only one who can do this?"

Jack bites his lips while turning on the left corner. Canterlot High is now behind and W knows that while turning his head around and observing a purple wall with just a plain glimpse from his eyes. A giant purple wall surrounded by a green field. Looked like a pitch. "Sadly yes. You literally told me that minutes ago. Snowblind and his group of friends? No. Just no. Dko? She's not a gangster and her father also doesn't let her. Calc? He's working... is there any other young gangster who can do that work?"

W scratches his hair. "Well... if you want to put Sharp Baton on the list--"

"Any other young gangster on Maretreal..." interrupts Jack. "And besides, Sharp Baton would never do something for us. Even buying groceries."

"Well, on Maretreal..." Seconds later, W shakes his head. "No. I think I'm the youngest dude in our place."

"... 23 years old. And besides, not only you are the youngest of all of us, but also... I think there's no other guy better than you at dealing with assholes. Even I..." a second of silence. "Even my young me... I didn't have the tongue you have."

W gets surprised at those words. A compliment? From Jack himself? That was so unexpected for him that he even blushes a bit. "Oh... didn't expect that to come out of your mouth."

"Oh, come on," he roughly says. "I'm not that rude. You know I'm very kind to you, but sometimes you make me mad. You are like a bright rose covered by rocks."

"Uh..." W gets confused again. "That was... an odd saying. Was that a compliment or--?"

"A compliment of my style," replies Jack, turning on the left. "We are going back to Maretreal for Hoppy. He must have something to cover your face..."

"What time is it?" asks W. Jack checks his watch while stopping the car in front of a traffic light.

"Almost 11," he replies. "The kids on the school were carrying things. They might be helping the staff for the new school year. I don't think they'll close soon, they may be there the whole afternoon."

"Yeah," W opens the glove box. "But we should come back here the faster we can... just in case." He looks at the Loveless CD one more time.

"Yeah, of course." Then he looks at his partner, who is observing the pink CD. "You can play it if you want. From here to Hoppy's may be only 15 minutes by car, though."

"No, thanks," replies before chuckling. "Man, I still can't believe you used to listen to this... I never expect you to be listening to My Bloody Valentine..."

Jack makes a small smile. "Younger ages, kid."

"Man, that makes me think... I never asked you about your younger self. I mean, I always looked at you like someone older than me, even I mocked you with your age a minute ago, literally... but seriously... I never thought about you at my age, or even younger than me right now." 

Jack takes a breath and chuckles. He never thought about that (for a long time). "Me? When I was younger?" The traffic light goes green. "Well, I was like you, I used to wear stupid earrings..."

"... and stupid rock t-shirts, yeah. You said it." W chuckles, also Jack. 

However, the old gangster's eyes get lost in something for a second.

Memories.

Old memories.







1991




Everton High



A young, blue-skinned boy is looking at himself in the mirror of a bathroom. He washes his face several times before looking at himself again. His eye bags are big. Everybody notes them, he didn't have the best night of his life.

His father, Mr Edinburgh Tyler, was always a strange man. A criminologist who is known for his articles about the Equestrian Mafia. He received several threats, warnings about them, and even survived two murder attempts planned by gangsters to take both his and his partner Glasgow Parsons' heads for being sneaky rats smelling their business and telling everyone about it, but, despite all of that, he always kept walking. That was something that always caught his son's attention. Despite all of the hatred and havoc from those men around him, he, as a civilian and criminologist, ignored all of the curses and keep writing. Not any man or woman could do that.

However, sometimes you've got to pay the price. His father was a brave man, but also very reserved and overprotective. He hardly came out of his house and spent all day and night reading, writing and talking to his friend Mr Parsons by phone. His only son, Jack, was his only connection to a real person. He is the only one who can feed his own father by buying all of the groceries due to Edinburgh's denial to come out of the house. He always said... "Who knows if someone can recognize me in the streets?"

Jack is now a big boy. He's 17. He has his tastes and dreams about, one day, travelling to somewhere that isn't the house or the school... but his father can't accept that. He just doesn't want to... he tells him to stay home, to don't risk his life at getting further from his hometown, Manehattan. He told him the city of the mane is the core of the mafia and the wolf's mouth for everyone. 

They had a discussion last night. Jack wanted to go outside... he told his father he was a prisoner. A prisoner in liberty.

A phrase that has shocked him.

"Dude," suddenly says a friend, bringing him back to reality. "And what are you going to do with the Iron Will thing?" asks the pale kid with pink hair. "He is still mad because you didn't help him for the Maths test. He promised he will beat you up sooner or later."

Young Jack takes a breath. "Whatever he does or whatever I do, whether he beats me up or not... I am right," he replies, touching his face. "It's not my task to help him on a test. If he didn't study for it, it's his fault. Not mine..." he clenches a fist. "My God... I had the worst discussion with my father in months... and you think I'm worried about some douchebag with muscles?"

"You know he's not an easy guy to deal with. Iron Will has that mood, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know, Bunny," he replies to his friend. Now he lays his back against the bathroom sink. "I know."

Suddenly, a third kid enters the school's public bathroom and both Jack and Bunny get out of there.



Everton High Hall



Both teenagers get out of the bathroom and began to walk to their classrooms in a narrow hall filled with students. "Hey," whispers Bunny to Jack, almost near his ear. "Did you listen to the cassette I borrowed you like... three days ago?"

Jack raises an eyebrow. "You mean... Loveless by uh... this band's name was..."

"My Bloody Valentine," replies Bunny. "It's loud stuff, I know, but once you get used to its sound... you'll find out it's gorgeous... odd, but beautiful."

"Um... well," says Jack, looking at him. "I'm afraid to tell you I couldn't finish it... it was... something strange... I heard noise, whales and a small, petite voice I couldn't manage to understand... it sounds oddly nice, although I literally have no idea about the lyrics and what is the singer saying... besides, my walkman broke after listening to a part of it."

Bunny's eyes widen. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah," he replies. "It was time. I had it since 1985..."

Jack and Bunny find the entrance door for their classroom and Bunny are about to grab the handle, but somebody else opens the door: A tall, thin girl with purple hair. The brightest purple hair anyone has ever seen, which perfectly matches with her pinkish-white skin tone. Her purple eyes look at them both, feeling like stars.

Despite everything he does to hide it, Jack can't take aside his feelings for her. She is, for him, the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, and he's been thinking that since she entered this school in Sophomore Year, but could never manage to talk to her due to feeling inferior. He is the son of a criminologist and a late mother whose husband even admitted to him that she was just a transient, temporal love. On the other side, this girl is the daughter of a father who is a prestigious educational supervisor and a mother who is an excellent lawyer, according to what the rumours of her spread by lots of students have said. He will never, ever be at her league. Not miles, but lightyears ahead of her.

She makes a small smile, almost a grin, to them. Jack's pupils dilate while blushing. Bunny, on the other side, smiles and scratches his neck. "Hi, Celestia," he says. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she says. "You want to enter? Come in."

Gosh, she's so humble. Bunny thanks her while stepping into the class, and there's an odd moment where Jack and Celestia look at each other for a second. A second which he feels like an eternity. The boy puts his hands in his jeans' pockets, makes a small smile and nods his head while fastly entering the room without saying anything.

Then she closes the door... "That eye contact felt like something else," he thinks.