The final bell rang for the last class, the classroom erupting into the chitter chatter and culmination of footsteps of Twilight's fellow classmates. The wave of students made their way out of the door, out into the hallway as the bell silenced, being replaced by the ambience of your usual school hallway. Twilight preferred not to get caught in the chaos of students rushing to get out of the prison they called "school," and normally waited for the chaos to pass to even get out of her seat. Thus why she was still rested in her provided desk with a gentle fake smile on her face and her arms out in front of her, her thumbs dancing in patience.
Once she was sure she was safe from getting caught in any storming waves of young adults, she stood up from her desk and made her way into the hall, still occupied by what she could estimate as close to half of the school's population of students. Twilight paid them no attention, and continued her usual pace to the closest exit. She wasn't really a social type of person, and didn't have many friends at all. It wasn't that she was incapable of making friends; it was because Twilight had never cared to have any. It was for that particular reason that she received weird looks and was labelled as an outcast or freak.
As she strolled to her cheap car across the parking lot, she just focused on watching for vehicles, seeing the road devil's of Canterlot High were not the wisest behind the wheel. Many had come close to being hit, but luckily there were no casualties on record. There had been vehicular-based accidents though. It wasn't necessarily the students' fault either, given that the parking lot wasn't very wide, which meant that there wasn't much room to back out without getting fender-bent. Twilight had figured out an alternative to this as well, and normally waited for all the reckless drivers to leave before even trying anything.
Twilight pulled out her keys and unlocked her driver door, opening it and setting her heavy luggage of notebooks and literature books in the passenger seat across from her. In the console, was her coffee from her nearest Starbits that morning. It had turned into a foamy mess over the school hours, and while she could've just tossed it away in the nearest trash bin, her insecurities said otherwise. Her house wasn't that far either, so she just shrugged away the thoughts, started the car, and let the AC bathe her skin.
The car was like a sauna, seeing it had sat in the heat of one of the hottest Summers on record for a good amount of time. The heat was affecting everybody; even the jocks. They tried to play it off like they're "stronger than the heat," but anybody smart would see that claim as a bunch of malarkey, especially considering they are covered in sweat by the end of the ordeal. Black leather attracts the sun like a magnet, so the fact that that was the jocks' choice of attire made them a bunch of imbeciles.
Twilight basked in the cool air for a few minutes before deciding the green light was set, putting the vehicle into reverse and very solemnly backing out into the middle of the compact parking space. With careful focus and her ace driving skills, Twilight eventually found her way out, and with a shift in first gear at the exit of Canterlot High's grounds, Twilight took the right turn and headed home.
During the small drive she turned her volume nozzle to twenty and was met with the casual garbage that was "music" in today's society. While she didn't care for the music playing, she listened to it anyways, keeping her eyes on the road. She wasn't in a good mood, especially after fourth period's events. She had butchered her mile run, which was no surprise; Twilight had never been the athletic type and was normally a sweat bag by the end of the session. That wasn't why she was in a bad mood; it was what happened in the locker room while redressing that had ruined her day.
The other girls that consistently liked to flaunt their bodies and talk about their fake relationships with their jock boyfriends decided to tone down their biased attitudes and had offered Twilight to come to a party that night. It was Friday after all, which meant no school the next day, or for the jocks and pretty girls, a day to get over a hangover before a pop quiz on Monday morning. Twilight wasn't stupid.
Normally, any other casual low-quality girl like her would freak out in joy over something like that, but Twilight wasn't like the other girls who bought into anything the pretty girls said. She knew better than to go into a hostile environment that was a perfect place for her to gain negative attention and be mocked in school as a laughingstock for weeks. Her already-awkward behavior was enough of an indication that she was just being led into a trap. The pretty girls of Canterlot High were only out to destroy easy prey, and she was on the dining list. The fact that those girls even had the nerve to try and lure her into their idea of a "social gathering," had put a sour taste in her mouth. It would blow over by tomorrow, and until that time came, Twilight planned to just watch movies or read her currently bookmarked novels. She at least smiled at that thought.
As she pulled into the driveway of her house and turned the key to off, she took a moment to sit back in her seat and take a deep breath. She let the breath out slowly then collected her school luggage, making her way out of the ancient relic that she called a vehicle, and shut the door with a loud creak. The keys jingled in her fingers as she walked up to the front door and unlocked it, walking in and being greeted by her everyday living place. The only thing running was her air conditioner, while the rest of the house was draped in darkness.
She quickly flicked on some lights and sat her school things down on the kitchen counter. Twilight wasn't surprised in the slightest. She was used to being home alone, which was part of the reason she carried a can of mace in her purse. The other reason was due to an assault in her past, nearly being sexually violated, until she pulled a good fashioned strike to the groin and escaped to the nearest gas station where she called the police. The perpetrator has never been caught, but Twilight made sure to always have her weapon of defense at hand in any situation.
Her parents had jobs that barely allowed them any time with their daughter, which is why Twilight was so used to their absence. At first, she found it very hard to get used to, but now it was second nature, even if she was affected by the lack of her parents at home. She understood why they had to do what they did, but just like any child, she wished she could've seen her parents for at least an hour of the day, but she had to be a big girl.
She decided to cook herself some leftover chicken strips she had made the day before, seeing it was better than peanut butter sandwiches; she was practically burned out on those, and even the sight of them made her want to puke. The microwave dinged after two minutes, and Twilight took the plate of leftover poultry up to her room, where she planned to occupy herself for the rest of the night. No weekend partying for her.
She put headphones on and drifted away to the beats of Countess Coloratura as she ate her dinner slowly. She had made sure to lock her bedroom door and window before she took refuge on her comfy bed, not wanting history to repeat. Just in case, Twilight kept her purse close and the weapon within reach, and once she gobbled down the chicken strips, passed out into the warmth of her bed and the music massaging her senses.
All she saw before she passed out was the photo of her and her parents from years ago on her nightstand. Then with two gentle flicks of her eyes, she was lost to her dreams.
Four bangs on the front door brought Twilight out of the short dream she couldn't even remember. She slowly came out of the daze and debated on even answering the door, but after hearing the voice of one of her few friends, Serena, call from the door, she felt compelled to answer; she didn't want to be unintentionally rude or get an earful of it Monday morning, so she dragged her body out of the bed, unlocked the door, pulled her half-awake body downstairs, and opened the front door to her giddy brown-haired, green-skinned, and pink-eyed friend, her somewhat-decent car running on the curb.
"You look terrible, girl," Serena stated. "Did you just wake up?"
Twilight yawned and wiped her eyes before answering. Serena immediately knew that her assumption was true.
"As a matter of fact, I did," Twilight clarified in the best happy voice she could muster in her sleepy demeanor. "What's up, Serena?"
"Didn't you get the memo today at school? There's a party tonight and everyone is invited!"
Twilight wanted to grimace at the one thing she had not even wanted to think about for the rest of that day, but for Serena's sake she just played nice.
"Oh, right," Twilight replied dazily. "Yeah, I'm not really interested. Besides, I look like a mess, my hair's all messy, and you of all people should know that parties are not my jam."
"You look fine!" Serena countered. "Besides, there's no dress code, and you know as much as me that the majority of them are probably going to be drunk by the time we get there! Just spray some perfume on you and you'll be set for the show!"
Serena was heavily persistent, so Twilight just tried to express her thoughts on the whole idea through an expression that spelled annoyance and distaste. Serena had backed off just a little, but her persistence didn't give in.
"Tell you what," Serena proposed. "We'll go for one hour, and if you're still not up for it, we'll leave."
Twilight still didn't like the idea, but one hour didn't seem that bad. One hour usually flew by anymore, and if it would get Serena to stop her surprisingly-efficient persuasion, Twilight was open.
"I really hate you sometimes," Twilight stated to Serena very groggily, not actually meaning it. "Give me five minutes to get somewhat-freshened up, but remember, one hour only."
"Gotcha," Serena complied. "Now hurry! We don't want to wait around too long!"
Serena's last statement had ended in a happy dance and joyous stroll back to the car. Twilight just turned back into the house and rushed back upstairs to clean herself up. Now she had wished she asked for ten minutes than five, considering she was rushing as if she had slept in on a school day.
She changed her clothes and brushed her hair to where it was decent, then, as Serena had suggested, sprayed herself down with her usual perfume. It was a strong perfume that her mother had gotten her for Christmas the previous year. Twilight wasn't usually the type to wear a perfume, so when she had opened the gift that morning, she had been surprised to say the least. She smiled at the thought, slipping on her casual tennis shoes and grabbing her purse. She double-checked that everything was locked before leaving, then ran out of the house to Serena's car.
Serena was texting upon Twilight's arrival, opening the passenger door, taking a seat, and shutting the door behind her. Serena slipped her phone back into her jacket pocket and stated a few things before driving off.
"Good timing!" Serena congratulated. "Thirty seconds to spare! Shows how you've managed to hold the perfect attendance record!"
Twilight immediately changed the subject.
"Remember, the deal is one hour," Twilight clarified. "Once the time is up, if I'm not in on the party like everyone else, I want to be brought back home."
"Absolutely!" Serena confirmed with sincerity. "Just try to have a good time. I know it's not your thing, but please try to engage. If anything goes wrong, you have my number."
Twilight nodded as an answer, then Serena respectfully drove out of the curb, taking her vehicle in the direction of pretty girl, Bella's, house on the far side of town. The drive mostly consisted of Serena's karaoke skills, occasionally bumping Twilight's shoulder to join in. Twilight just made the excuse that she didn't know the song by shrugging her shoulders, but Serena's spirits weren't dashed the slightest, continuing to sing to her heart's desire.
Twilight merely admired the night's sights, from the street lights to the passing cars on the main highway they had to take to get to Bella's abode. Aside from the blaring music coming from Serena's stereo, the darkness was calm and quiet, almost too quiet for Twilight. She couldn't explain it, but even at their current speed of 70 MPH, something seemed ominous; abnormal even. Isolating herself from the music and Serena's singing skills, she focused on the quiet of the darkness cast on the open highway. No other car was in sight, and the only light sources cast upon the open road were the headlights of Serena's car and the moon high in the sky.
The humming of the engine cast a slight-eeriness to the atmosphere currently enveloping Twilight's senses, sending her into a somewhat-calmness, the car continuing to tread along in the dark night. The road seemed to turn into a desert of black sand with the moon accompanying it's horizon like a calming essence. Twilight almost felt mesmerized, continuing to stare at the moonlight in the distance, and as the ride continued, she had noticed that the hum had turned in a familiar rhythm.
An old song that her mother had sang to her when she was young to help her sleep.
It fluctuated perfectly, note for note; pitch perfect. It was haunting, but at the same time, Twilight took delight in it's calming rhythm, memories of her childhood flashing before her eyes in the calm; Her mother coming into her room after waking up in tears, having woken up from a vivid nightmare. She'd run her soothing hand through Twilight's hair and calm her with that same melody. The rhythm of the short melody would put her mind at ease, then her mother would kiss her forehead, shut her lamp off, and return to bed.
Twilight hadn't realized that she had dozed off until she was shaken awake.
Upon turning to Serena, the giddy girl eyed Twilight with worry.
"Are you okay?" Serena gestured with concern.
"Yeah? Why?" Twilight said in return.
"Then why do you have a river of mascara down your face?" Serena questioned.
Twilight jumped. She knew immediately that Serena wasn't joking; her expression was as true as the blazing heat wave Summer that was currently limiting outside activity. She pulled down the upper console mirror, and was met with two streams of black below both of her eyes.
It looked like she had cried a storm.
Twilight felt a chill go down her back; she hadn't cried in her sleep since she was nine, and she hadn't even recalled falling asleep. She decided to just shake it off, not wanting to freak Serena out any further.
"Oh, this has happened before," Twilight slightly lied. "It's no worry, Serena. However, what IS a worry, is going in looking like this."
Serena just bought it, smiling as confirmation.
"Don't worry, Twi, I got some spare napkins," Serena clarified.
Serena quickly gathered up some napkins from her side door, handing them to Twilight. Twilight smiled, using her small mirror to wipe away the black streaks from her face. After a good ten minutes, Twilight's face was finally clean of the mascara, and the two girls finally exited the car to what seemed like a maze of vehicles to a standard two story house. Twilight was relieved to see no police cars in the vicinity, as she and Serena found their way through the practical car sale lot to the entrance of the house.
After four knocks, they were greeted with Bella in the open doorway, her sapphire-blue eyes and blonde hair being a dead giveaway as confirmation.
"Seems Twiggy and pink-eyes made it after all!" Bella greeted. "Come on in! The party's just getting started!"
While neither Twilight or Serena appreciated the greeting, they took it with a pinch of salt. Walking into the crowded house, Twilight immediately spotted what she had expected; littered red solo cups, empty beer cans, dancing drunks, and sober partygoers chatting on the very spare furniture. It was literally like any party description in any book or movie she had put time into, word for word. She immediately knew to avoid the second floor at all costs, because if her analogy about this party being like any she had read about or seen in movies was true, she knew exactly what was going on up there, and she wanted no part of it.
"Just keep your phone on you, and call me if you need anything," Serena advised. "Meet me back here in that one hour limit if you are up to leaving. Just try to have a good time."
Twilight nodded, grabbing her phone and setting an alarm for one hour from the current time of 11:23 P.M, then watched as Serena disappeared into the sea of young adults.
As a good start to what would most likely be an hour of loud music, endless chatter, and a gagging smell of alcohol lingering amongst the large crowds of partygoers, Twilight poured herself a cup of the only thing that seemed like a non-alcoholic beverage, smelling it as an additional analysation. Upon one sip, it was clear that it was just regular fruit punch, relieving Twilight, walking deeper into the house and trying not to puke from the heavy scent of alcohol.
She found no reason to stay in the house, so she decided to just go back outside onto Bella's back porch. It took her a little bit to find the easiest way out, but once she did, she found herself taking a huge breath of fresh night air, being thankful nobody else had been outside and had seen her do so. The light of the large back porch greeted her with it's calming light, and the quiet had seemed like a blissful remedy to the inside atmosphere of the party. Twilight walked to the porch's edge, guarded and barricaded by a wooden gate, sitting down her cup of punch on the flat top of the gate and letting her arms hang over the side.
She felt so alien there, and really had no reason to be there except for bragging rights Monday morning. She wasn't one to brag about "hanging with the cool kids," and treated something as such like a fluke. She could care less about being popular or looked at as a "loser." Her past was enough to speak for her strength. She didn't need beauty or an expensive car to flaunt herself. She was Twilight, and that was all she was.
"Tough party?"
A male voice interrupted her train of thought.
She turned her sights away from the darkness of the night to one of her fellow partygoers. The stranger was someone she didn't necessarily know well but had seen wandering the halls of Canterlot High occasionally. He was mid-length in height with spiky black hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and gray shorts. His name was the only thing that Twilight was clueless about.
"Twilight, right?" he guessed, surprising Twilight that he knew her name.
"Uh, yeah...and you are…
"Oh, sorry. I forget that you're not really the social type," he apologized. "My name's Brandon. My gym classmates talk about you a lot, so I know you based off description."
"Right…I suppose it's nice to meet you, Brandon…
"Hehe… I can understand why you'd be all weirded out by it. Some guy joins you on a balcony and tells you he knows who you are from talk in a locker room. Hehe, trust me, I'm not like that. Believe it or not, I'm actually a lot like you, just more outgoing."
Twilight's insecure thoughts started to fizzle, starting to feel a little more comfortable in the company of Brandon. Regardless, she kept her concealed mace within reach, knowing just how easy a nice face can shift in a matter of seconds.
"I'm not the partying type of guy and prefer to just enjoy the quiet, not to mention the scent of drunk people isn't the most pleasant."
That comment caused both of them to laugh shortly, as the conversation shifted to Twilight. Once the two finished their laughter, Twilight's happiness seemed to dissipate like embers of a dying fire. This caused Brandon's mood to change as well.
"Many don't know this, but the reason I'm just quiet, shy, contempt Twilight is because I just don't have anything to say," Twilight started. "There's nothing interesting about me. I'm just a regular 17 year old girl with hopes and dreams that probably will never come true. Just like everybody else here."
Brandon unfolded his arms and inched a little closer within a distance he knew Twilight would find comfortable.
"Right now, I just feel like there is no reason to talk or associate with anybody. My life is really dull and blank; it feels like it's just going nowhere. Ever since my parents started working again, I've felt alone and lost, and nothing I do seems to fix it. It's like I'm comatose, but I'm awake and wandering endlessly looking for happiness to fill the void I'm in again."
Brandon approached Twilight even more, a look of sympathy on his face. An approach that Twilight allowed, feeling sadness come over her slowly. Her new party friend put a hand on her right shoulder, taking rein on the conversation.
"Listen, I know that it's something you don't want to do, but the best way to combat this sadness you are feeling is to talk and associate with people more," Brandon proposed. "I've actually seen the effect it's put on you over the past couple of years. I know we don't know each other, but a lot of people do care about you, even if it seems like they don't."
"Like who?" Twilight countered. "Everyone sees me as weird, awkward, and a loser, so who would ever care for me; a mess?"
"Well, there's that girl who brought you here, your parents, a majority of the school staff...me."
Then Twilight did something that even she didn't expect to do that surprised both her and Brandon; out of nowhere, Twilight kissed Brandon, closing the remaining distance between them. Brandon knew it was just a desperate kiss and nothing serious, so he just waited for her to finish up. After a good ten seconds, Twilight pulled away with a hot face.
"I'm sorry…
Brandon just patted Twilight's shoulder and chuckled. Twilight didn't know what to think.
"Don't worry about it," he replied simply. "Come on. Second punch is on me."
He reached out one of his big hands, and while Twilight hesitated at first, she eventually took it in kind.
However, just as she took it, Twilight muttered a tiny squeak of pain and suddenly collapsed to the porch's wooden surface. Brandon unfolded his large hand, allowing the rest of Twilight's small body to collapse. The center of his hand was now occupied with pale spines, some of the tips now occupied with her blood.
"Sorry honey, party's over," Brandon stated, walking toward her unconscious body, and picking her up gently.
He held her firmly as two wide wings manifested from his upper back and he prepared to take flight. His current position wasn't wide enough for his wingspan, so he folded his wings just enough to turn around. However, right as he turned, he was met with an immediate searing pain to his eyes, breaking all of his concentration and dropping Twilight again. Brandon screamed from the agonizing pain, trying his hardest to get the mace out of his eyes. The collapse had caused Twilight to come to shortly, her gaze meeting a blurry picture of a demonic version of Brandon screaming like a banshee, and another figure standing above her. They were gripping the pepper spray can, and working quickly to get the situation under control.
Twilight didn't even have time to react and passed out again. However, the unknown savior of Twilight reacted fast, grabbing Brandon by one of his arms and taking off into the sky like a rocket.
The screams of Brandon had alerted the party guests closest to the porch door, and a mix of sober, drunk, and high young adults had come to the scene of Twilight's unconscious body. Serena was among the crowd and, at first, freaked out in horror, but eventually calmed after first aid was applied and was relieved that Twilight had a pulse. Someone had called an ambulance unbeknownst to Bella's knowledge, and while the result wasn't so good for Bella, Twilight would receive proper medical attention. Serena took charge, but little did she know that Twilight was very lucky to even be alive and that the real person to thank was Twilight's secret savior. But who had saved Twilight? Only Twilight could answer that.
A heart monitor is what Twilight awoke to, a groan following upon sitting up. Wiping her eyes free of her drowsiness, she yawned and suddenly jumped when she came to full realization on where she was. She was in a hospital bed in a hospital gown. Twilight rubbed her eyes again, only to be met with the same view of the large hospital room and the smell of disinfectant, but caught something else she hadn't noticed before upon rubbing her eyes again; her right hand was bandaged.
"What… what happened?" she questioned.
She took a moment to reflect on what had led her here of all places. It all culminated like a rush of emotions. The party, Brandon, the sudden pain, the other person who had saved her from Brandon's betrayal.
"Was that all a dream?" she questioned again.
Then another culmination followed; the car ride. The strange hum that resembled her mother's melody, the ominous nature of it, the tears.
Dear God, Twilight. You are a mess.
Her self-rant was interrupted by her door opening, entering her parents. Upon seeing their daughter awake, they rushed over and embraced their daughter in a flood of hugs and kisses, as much as tears and concerns.
"Thank God you're okay!" her mother, Twilight Velvet, shrieked at a reasonable volume for a casual hospital visit. "We came as soon as we heard!"
"How did I get here?" Twilight said drowsily, keeping the other details she knew of to herself.
"Oh honey. You were rushed here after you were found unconscious by your friend, Serena," her mother explained. "The doctor's found a mild venom in your bloodstream, but they were able to clear it out before it could do any damage."
"Venom?" Twilight questioned.
"Yes. It was administered through your palm, and that's supposedly what made you pass out."
Immediately, all of the events of the party came back to her, flashing like a strobe light. She was completely baffled.
It wasn't a dream…
"Why don't we let Twilight rest up some more," her father, Night Light, interrupted. "She's going to need to speak with the police about it, and-
"The police are involved?!" Twilight exclaimed louder than she had intended.
"Calm down," Night Light quickly capitalized. "We'll go over everything later. For now, just try to get some rest, honey."
Twilight nodded.
"Very good," her father replied with a smile.
Another bunch of kisses and hugs was received, then she was left alone with only the ambience of the hospital to keep her company.
The next few hours had consisted only of shock, breakfast, vitals checking, and more shock. The one thing Twilight couldn't decipher was two things; why this all had happened and who had saved her on the eve of her potential-fate. She had recollected her thoughts so many times that she'd lost count, trying to figure out what could've led to all of this and who would've bothered saving her. The porch had been occupied by only her and Brandon, and the door to the porch hadn't opened the entire time. It also couldn't have been someone sneaking from the second floor, because the back of the house was flat; nobody could've intervened, so who saved her?
Maybe the punch was spiked? Did I even drink enough to start seeing hallucinations?
She gave up after her frustrations started to affect the heart monitor's rhythm, and spent the remainder of her time watching television, but upon turning the tv on, she stared in horror. On the news was a story involving a train hitting something abnormal. One look at the grisly scene and seeing all-too-familiar wings in the wreckage, she knew now that what she saw was real. That meant her theory of the spiked punch was debunked.
Her parents returned at lunch that day with the police, reading out Serena's witness statement and allowing Twilight to give her account of things.
"Ms. Sparkle, I need you to try and remember everything that happened prior to passing out," the police officer informed. "Please give us an account on everything you can remember to the best of your ability."
"Yes, officer," Twilight agreed.
She kept out all of her unusual happenings, seeing they would not have believed her or thought that she was drunk during the entire series of events, and just told them word for word what had happened the previous night. It was the same song and dance that she had gone over multiple times earlier, up until the officer asked her one question that made her remember one specific detail about the assumed girl that had saved her from Brandon.
"Can you recall any specific details about the person who helped you?"
It clicked. There was one specific detail about the person that she remembered in the faint time she had been conscious at their feet.
"They had long fiery hair."