📲 CALLING...
ABE
"Jack?"
After their jobs, Jack and W are now in the car again, about to go to Canterlot High. W fastens his seatbelt again after putting the bag with the forged papers on the dashboard. Jack observes him until Abe speaks on the other side of the phone. "Abe. We are now ready. We have the papers, the name, the other stuff... We were driving around and found out the school's open."
"Oh, yeah. Great... maybe they are preparing things for the course start."
"Yeah, we thought about making the move with W... is it OK? Doing it now?"
A second of silence. "Yeah... I don't see any trouble in that. If we have the forged papers already... if we do it right now it will be better for all of us... but the thing is... is he prepared?"
Jack doesn't say anything and only looks at W holding the wig. He looks at him back too and raises his eyebrows. "Do you want to talk to him?" asks the gangster on the phone.
"I would like to."
"What?" asks W. "What happened?"
Jack gives him the phone. "It's Abe. He wants to talk to you."
A surprised W grabs the phone and puts it on his ear. "Abe? Hi... What's the matter?"
"Uh... I just want to say... firstly, are you sure you want to do this right now? If you present to the principals with your name and your wig and whatever... there's no way back. We can't invent another excuse or any new character."
W swallows saliva. "I know... but yeah... I already have the wigs, the name, the papers... and maybe if we do things the faster, the better... it's like... getting things off your back..."
"Yeah, I think the same... which name did you choose?"
"Swift Arrow."
Jack raises an eyebrow. "Don't you dare to tell him the pun you told me."
"It wasn't a pun," W whispers to him, frowning.
"Very good. Good name... The wig? Which colour is it?"
"Black, dark hair. I've already put it on my head... it's kinda strange. I just don't recognize myself."
"Better... the least recognizable, the better. What about the contact lenses?"
"Jack has bought a box of them. They are dark too."
"Will you wear them?"
W blinks and looks at the bag over the dashboard. "Well... yes, I will."
"Look," he says before sighing. "I've already told you this and I don't want to repeat it to you again and again but... I just wanted to say... thanks."
W raises an eyebrow. "For what?"
"This... um... I'm sorry. I've been smacking your head too much these days, and I know this is like a bucket of ice right at your face... I'm sorry for putting you in that spot. I don't even know what I'm saying right now... but I'm so worried about Rarity, and I know this is something bizarre, out of the pavement, but the more time I spend looking up information about Cattle Prod... the less I like that kid... it looks like he actually hides something."
"You looked up information about him?"
"Yeah..." replies Abe. "But I couldn't find anything useful on the Internet. His social media accounts are all private but he does have a lot of followers... there are very few things about him besides that... and we know all of them. Name, city...."
W sighs. "Hmmm... well, the more I think about this guy, the weirder he gets..."
"Yes... it's not the best plan we have, but at least we have a chance to take a look at that guy... I want to remind you that you are not alone in this... we will be with you every time you need it..."
"Yes, I know, Abe... I know. Jack told me he'd often pass by here... he won't leave me on Canterlot alone."
"Me neither," he adds. "If I have a chance, I'll be there all of the time I can." Abe takes a breath. "Thanks, again... I'd do anything for you if this ends well... maybe we can talk about that Magnus Street house you asked for."
Suddenly, W's eyes widen and light covers his whole face. "Really?" he says, with a small smile trying to get hidden. "Uh, man... but I said that as a joke, dude... I mean, it's a dream for me but I don't know if it's the best for the busin--"
"We can easily afford a house in Magnus, W... that's our less important problem right now... and the business won't be affected because of a small residence..."
W nods his head. "Yeah, yeah... all of this if... this ends up well, as you said."
"Yes. We've got to focus on that... I wish you luck today... and remember, do your best to find out what's the matter with the guy, but I'm sending you there to protect Rarity... take a look at him but don't touch his nose, except if he goes for her. Remember Rarity is your first priority."
W keeps nodding. "OK, Abe... OK. Shall I pass you to Jack?"
"Please. Good luck, W... and thanks."
He makes a small grin while looking at Jack. "Thanks, Abe." He passes the phone to him.
"Abe?" says Jack. "Yes... um... any news about Patch?" Silence while Jack turns on the right, getting closer to the school. W feels a lump in his throat. "Damn... nothing. I also went to Hoppy's..." He raises an eyebrow. "Oh, you are with Dosh? Cool... you are now doing that? Say hi for me and W. It's almost 12, hurry up. I'll later tell you what happened... bye, bye... wish you luck with the thing... yes... bye."
Jack ends the call and gives the phone to W, which he puts in the glove box, along with the two CDs he saw earlier. "Dosh was there?" asks W. "Again?"
Jack raises his eyebrows. "Looks like he is more attached to us rather than Sabretooth."
The young gangster chuckles. "I wouldn't complain about having Dosh at the table."
"Me neither," replies Jack, also chuckling. "What did Abe tell you?"
W turns his head with his bright face. "Uh, yes... well..." He grabs the bag on the dashboard. "We talked about luck, warning, the same things... uh... and he said if this ends up well, we may talk about that house at Magnus Street..." Now he looks at the wig over his legs. He clenches the fist he uses to hold the wig. Presses it and puts it on his tummy.
It sounds like a stampede.
When they arrived at the school, they parked right in front of the entrance. Silverstorm thought about vandalizing the Wondercolts' Statue in the entrance, but Cattle Prod thought that was just childish stuff. In this place, they are known as the lords of Canterlot High, and anyone who has the holy blessing of Lord Cattle Prod can walk through the halls of the school with new air on his lungs. Special... protected... under the arms of the king.
The king of Canterlot High.
Cattle Prod opened the entrance door with a kick, letting everyone know who has just entered the zone. The king is back and wants to check out his lands, his town... to look up if any one of his citizens is getting out of control. All of the students who went there to help got scared just by looking at him. He buttons his big white shirt and shows his biceps and well-shaped body. He's warning everybody. He's strong. He knows how to put the fist in your face.
Silverstorm goes behind him and once they get in the halls, Snips and Snails stop walking and look at each other. They find out Cattle Prod hitting the locker doors of the hall with his hands literally sounds like a stampede. Then, the other half reencounters the man. Shouts are heard everywhere in the hall.
"Man!" Duke Starlight hugs Cattle Prod for a second and then Little Ace does the same. They begin to speak loudly for a couple of seconds while laying against the locker doors. Principal Celestia. Vice-Principal Luna. Shining Armor. No one is there to look at the spectacle.
Snips and Snails are frozen. They don't know what to do... if they escape from there, Cattle Prod will look for them again just to beat them up with his friends for running away. "I don't know what can we do," whispers Snips looking at his friend. Suddenly, someone else stops right behind him with a bucket of water. Both kids look at the shadow standing behind them and turn around to look at the mysterious man. He's a grey-skinned, skinny young man with short dark hair, yellow eyes and a tiny chin beard. He's looking at the kids too.
"What are you doing?" he asks the kids. "Standing like statues in the middle of the hall?" The voice of the man makes all of the bad boys turn around and look at him. They know that voice. He and the kids look at Cattle Prod, who points at them in silence after making an evil grin.
"Man!" shouts Cattle Prod, approaching the man. "My man, Dumpling! My favourite janitor... So long without seeing you!"
Dumpling's face is now serious while everyone behind him leaves the hall. Snips takes a step back and looks at the door, but Little Ace grabs his shoulder and crashes him against a locker door. "Not so fast, you prick," says Little Ace. Snails gets angry and tries to punch Little Ace in the face, but Duke Starlight kicks him right in the tummy. "You think you were going to run away so easily?"
"Cattle Prod," says Dumpling, looking at the king right in front of him while leaving the bucket of water on the floor. "Since when do you come here to help people? Do you actually help people?"
One of Cattle Prod's hands fastly attaches to one of the janitor's shoulders while his friends laugh. They are holding Snips and Snails like hostages in a robbery. "I wanted to start my thing a little bit earlier... you know? This may be my last year trapped in this stupid pigsty of a school... and I wanted to end it like only the best ones can do it." The other hand of Cattle Prod now touches Dumpling's other shoulder. The janitor's face does not change. He's serious. "Are you ready for another period of time along with your adorable and kind kids flying around the halls and your room? Breaking your mops?"
Snips and Snails now look at the janitor, who has now turned into the one standing like a statue in the middle of the hall. He doesn't even blink. He only squints his eyes and swallows saliva. "Let me grab the bucket."
Cattle Prod smiles. "Sure." He takes out his hands from Dumpling's shoulders and the janitor slowly grabs the water and turns around. He takes a look at Snips, being trapped between a door and a foot of Little Ace right in his tummy, pressing him against the lockers, and walks away. "See you later, honey." His friends laugh again and Cattle Prod turns around, finding something that surprises him for a second.
There's a familiar, silent figure slowly walking right in front of him, in the halls. She's carrying a small bag while holding a little white bunny in her other hand. Cattle Prod focuses for a second on her long pink hair which makes her recognizable to him. She's seen her several times but never managed to speak or even take a look at him. Then, his friends also take a look at her, Snips and Snails do the same and an additional stain of fear passes all over their bodies. "Have you ever listened to her voice?" asks Little Ace to Duke Starlight.
"Never," he replies. "Better for me, though. I really like shy girls."
The girl stops for a second and everybody shuts up. She heard that. Silverstorm, who was laying against a locker all this time, turns his head and snaps his fingers, trying to call her attention. Her body starts trembling and begins to walk faster while the bunny she's holding in her hands looks at them with pure despair. "The fuck..." whispers Silverstorm.
Cattle Prod, without saying a word, slowly touches Silverstorm's hand, which makes him stop snapping his fingers, only to let him go and slowly start to follow her. "What are you doing?" asks Duke Starlight in a lower voice. The big man doesn't stop walking but turns his head to look at his friend with a serious gesture.
"I think I know where is she going." Then he makes a small gesture with his mouth. "She will take me to where I want."
Fluttershy starts walking faster while her face is absolutely red. "Sorry, Angel, if I'm being too rude..." she whispers to her bunny. "I'm walking too fast."
She passes by a couple of people until she finds that, at the end of the hall, someone she knows opens a door. The door for her. Her beautiful indigo hair can even be seen from far away. She starts to trot and reaches the door while being observed, far from her, by the evil gang. The four guys look at how the door is closed while Snips and Snails are behind them, frozen in fear again. Snails caresses his tummy due to how painful the kick Duke Starlight gave to him. "What?" asks Duke Starlight. Cattle Prod only points at the door. "What's the matter?"
"My first part of the play may begin in that room," he stops pointing at the door with his finger and stretches his arms one more time. "Let's go."
He and his friends begin to firmly walk through the hall while people pass by them, confused and shocked. The red man starts clapping his hands and his friends start doing exactly the same while punching the lockers and windows. "Honey!" shouts Cattle Prod. Snips and Snails slowly walk behind them. "I'm home!"
And the rabbit's been caught. Duke Starlight is the first one to take a look at the room through the entrance door's window. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy and also Sunset Shimmer are there, organising the tables for a new classroom. However, there is someone else in that room, someone that completely catches Cattle Prod's attention. He sarcastically knocks on the door, making all of them react in a specific way. Fluttershy hides behind her friend Dash, who stops doing her task and clenches his fists along with Applejack and Sunset Shimmer, and Rarity also stands up, with his open, bare hands touching her arms. Cattle Prod knocks one more time and everybody is in silence until he opens the door with a kick. He and his friends enter the room and sit on the clean tables, clapping his hands, while Snips and Snails hide outside. "Hello. Good morning... I'm back..." says Cattle Prod.
Sunset Shimmer covers Rarity and stands against the club of men. "If you want to argue, this is not the right moment. I suggest you leave."
The friends of Cattle Prod start laughing until he speaks in a serious tone. "No, I also don't want to argue... I just..." he looks at one of his hand's nails and flexes his arm, showing his bicep, demonstrating his strength. "I just want to say hi. We are about to start our new year, and this might be the last time we will be together inside the same room, so I want things to change a little bit... I want to end things like only I, the real principal of this nasty place, can do. I'm getting tired of the same shit, showing ourselves how much love we give to each other..." he shows a smile to all of the furious girls. "Isn't that true, Rarity?"
Dash puts her fist on a table but Rarity stops her, touching her shoulder. Rarity, now passing by Sunset Shimmer, gets nearer her ex-fiancé. She crosses her arms and looks at him right in his eyes. "You are speaking pure rubbish."
Cattle Prod raises an eyebrow in silence. His smile drastically disappears and everything is pure tension for seconds. Suddenly, he can't hold it anymore. His serious gesture, who's trying to fight against her furious face, gets destroyed by a chuckle and lets out a laugh. "Me?" So I am the one who is speaking pure rubbish now?"
Duke Starlight gets in the middle and touches Cattle Prod's shoulder. "...darling?" All of the friends laugh at that imitation.
"This is enough!" shouts Sunset Shimmer. "We've already pushed out you of our way and I won't do it again this time. You spent the last three months of our previous year trying to intimidate us and play your games only because you were dumped by her... could you stop acting like an immature child and accept she does not like you at all? We are tired of this!"
Little Ace stands up to confront her, but Cattle Prod raises his hand. Like a dog looking at his owner, he sits down again. Now, Cattle Prod's face doesn't show any joy. He's getting serious this time. He bites his lip and squints his eyes while looking at Sunset Shimmer. "You, really? You are going to tell me I have to stop acting like this?" He gets out of the table he was sitting on and stomps the floor with strength. Fluttershy jumps in her shock. "You are the less indicated to tell me that, girl... because of you Canterlot High had to pay a lot of money to rebuild the school front..." he raises his finger and slowly moves it in the direction of her face. "Because someone who could never accept a stupid crown was not meant to be in only one girl's head destroyed it."
Sunset Shimmer whispers near his face: "At least I admit my mistakes and try to do something for the better of everyone... what have you done besides creeping us out and bullying everybody with your group of friends who act like dogs?"
"I didn't like that!" shouts Little Ace, standing up. "Didn't Rarity tell you what I told her? You dare to call me--"
"Did anybody 'round here call ya?" now Applejack gets in the middle. "Ah guess nobody, sugar cube."
"Oh, you don't dare to shut my mouth up, you cowboy mockery!" He grabs a chair but Cattle Prod touches his shoulder, calming him down. Rainbow Dash and Applejack freeze in their places.
"Leave this aside, I need to take charge on something else now," says Cattle Prod, looking at Sunset Shimmer. "You wanna know what have I done besides that? I bet I'd done more things in a day than you in your whole life."
Suddenly, somebody quickly opens the door. A tall man cleaning his sweat on his white t-shirt, followed by Snips and Snails, who hide again outside the classroom. He gets angry and snorts once he looks at that group of men. "What's going on here?" asks Shining Armor. "What are you doing here, Cattle Prod?"
Cattle Prod now changes his sight and looks at Shining Armor with resented eyes. "Hi, Armor."
"Preceptor Shining Armor for you, Cattle Prod," he instantly replies. "May I know what is happening in this room?"
"He came here to creep us out," says Rainbow Dash, without taking his eyes off Cattle Prod. "With his group. It's not the first time and you know that."
Shining Armor sighs and closes his eyes, angrily. "Another time? We are doing this again?" The group of friends stand up while Cattle Prod remains silent. "Do we have to expel you one more time, before the first day? When are you going to behave like a conscious person, Cattle Prod? Aren't you tired of eating the mind and the heart of others?" Little Ace smiles at that and Shining Armor finds out. "Why are you smiling? What are you laughing at?" Shining Armor fastly closes the door, slamming it on Snips' and Snails' faces. "You think this is funny? Think this makes me laugh?"
"He doesn't," replies Cattle Prod, approaching the preceptor once his friends make a gap for him to get out of the tables. "He does not think that."
"I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to him."
"He doesn't need to talk..." Cattle Prod gets nearer Shining Armor. The girls slowly get nearer them in case something happens. "Listen... last time you shouted at me I told you something... Do you remember that? The guy I told you about last year?" he whispers in Shining Armor's ear. A drop of sweat slowly slides over his face. "The one who tried to blackmail my brother?"
"Every time you don't know what to say you bring your brother to the conversation," replies Shining Armor, not even looking at him. "You are just acting like a spoiled child, and do you know something, Cattle Prod? You may get that special help, but the day your brother stops helping you... you're gonna fall like glass to the floor."
Cattle Prod gets a bit shocked at Shining Armor's words... not even his friends make a move. The girls are all static. However, once Cattle Prod moves his head and slowly gets his head far from Shining Armor's ear, he smiles. "Sometimes I have that childish attitude, I admit it... like Sunset Shimmer admitted her mistakes..." He turns around and winks an eye at her. "But there's something in what you said that it's absolutely wrong... I cannot fall..." He puts a hand over Shining Armor's shoulder. "Not even Principal Celestia can remove my ass from my seat and you know why. The day I fall, the day this whole place dies. I am the King."
"The King of Toilets," replies Shining Armor, breathing in his face. "You think you are the king, but you are just a bully who tries to play like God."
"You wish you were the king of toilets..." Cattle Prod squeezes Shining Armor's shoulder with his hand. "Because you think you are the one who rules in this room, but both of us know you are just a little rat who tries to be a king." All of his friends laugh at Shining Armor and start shouting because of how rude sounded, and Cattle Prod approaches Shining Armor's ear. "I don't even have to ask you to know you remember every detail of what I told you about my brother. The guy who tried to blackmail him is now fish food in the sea."
He lets the shoulder go and walks away from the room, being followed by his friends. Shining Armor doesn't do anything. He's now frozen, looking at a fixed point, lost in reality. He slowly touches his shoulder and sits at a table. The girls don't even say anything because of everything that has just happened and Shining Armor doesn't even want to look at them because of how shocked he is. How can he be so evil?
At the same time, a car casually arrives at Canterlot High and parks on the opposite sidewalk. W swallows saliva when observing the enormous purple building on his eyes. His pupils shrink and he squeezes the wig against his chest. "Shit and fuck," he says. "I never thought it was such a big building..."
"Don't be scared," replies Jack. "The school is big, but you won't walk around the entire place... once you learn which is the way where you have to be... it's just that way."
W turns around. "And what if that way is the whole school?"
"For a couple of days? I don't think so... besides, you are in a college course, not in a school year... things may get much more simple..." Jack takes a breath and stops his eyes on a beautiful car. "Holy... look at that car."
"What?" W also takes a look everywhere until he stops in the black car on the opposite sidewalk, right in front of the building. "Holy shit..." he puts his head against the window. "That is a special one."
"A sports car... I don't know the model but is an expensive one. Few people can actually buy that vehicle."
"And it's black... it clearly gives it a touch. Unique."
Suddenly Jack turns his head to look at the entrance door and finds out something that widens his eyes and makes him touch W's shoulder with his hand. "Stay out of the window," he tells W with his eyes widened like a reptile. The young gangster raises an eyebrow.
"Why?" W also takes a look at the front door and understands what's going on. "Oh..."
Four big boys get out of the school, running and jumping to the car. One of them actually stops and kicks the big statue with a horse that stands in the middle of the courtyard. "Take this, fucking horse!" he shouts. However, all of the attention of both gangsters focus on just one of the four men. The biggest of them is a red-skinned man, who Jack points at.
"Silverstorm! You asshole!" he shouts. "I told you kicking that statue was stupid! Come on!"
"Come on, Cattle Prod!" he shouts. "It's just a statue! They'll fix it again!"
"And the only thing that won't get fixed is your face if you don't come here, you dumbfuck! Come on!"
Silverstorm immediately goes to the car while another man looks at Cattle Prod. "You should have punched that guy right in the face, Cattle," he says. "It would have been perfect... it may have changed everybody's minds in that room... Shining Armor, Sunset Shimmer, even Rarity... are you sure you don't wanna go back to that freaking classroo--?"
Cattle Prod puts his hand over the other guy's face, shutting him up. "I can wait until Monday... I had enough. Let me go to the bar and have a fucking beer, Ace. OK? I've just been ten minutes in that place and my patience was gone after looking at that stupid blue-haired Rarity and that shining asshole face from Armor." After that, he opens the black car door and turns it on. Everybody else gets in the car and goes away at an incredible speed, ignoring other drivers and almost crashing against another car on a corner.
W and Jack are in silence for a couple of seconds. "Shouldn't we follow them?" asks W, turning his head to Jack. However, his partner shakes his head.
"No. It's too late now." Jack lowers his window. "Those guys really like speed. Besides, he said he got out of the school after looking at Rarity, so she may be inside. Remember you have to protect her... we'll later take a look at that boy." He sighs. "That kid is Cattle Prod, then..." says Jack. "Spoiled child, I see."
"And he even has that car..." adds W. "That means..."
Jack bites his lips. "Rich family, maybe... or it is robbed... or laundered money, I don't know, but he has the car." Now he looks at the young gangster one more time, and then at his hand holding the wig. "Don't forget the papers. Are you sure you're ready for this?" Then he opens the glove box and gets out the bag of sweets.
W remembers something. "Wait, before... Can I leave my phone in the glove box?" asks W. His partner raises an eyebrow.
"Which one?"
"The one with the contacts, you know... just in case."
"Which contacts?"
W raises his shoulders. "You, Abe, Eye Patch, Snowblind..."
Jack bites his lips and makes a decision. He nods his head. "OK," he says. "But do you have another phone?"
"I have another one in my trenchcoat." He takes a phone from a pocket on his jeans and leaves it inside the box. Then, he gets out another cellphone from his trenchcoat and shows it to Jack before putting it in his pocket. "So... the wig, the bag, the name..."
"Take a breath. Take a long breath... Firstly, last time I ask you this... are you sure you want to do this now?"
W raises his shoulders again. "Well... uh, now that we have everything we need, I just, you know... Abe said the faster, the better. Right?"
"There's no way back once you get out of this car with that wig. It will be the first day of Swift Arrow."
W takes his first long breath of the day as Swift Arrow. "Yes, I know."
"You also said we had two days to make this... a lot of time for you. You don't want to revise something again?"
"No, Jack, I mean..." he stutters. "We have the wig, we have the name, we have the lenses, the papers... what else do we need? And I just... I'm feeling this shit like an anvil... I want to get it off my back, OK?"
Jack nods his head. "Well... put on the wig, then. The transformation begins."
W nods back and puts the wig on, looking at himself through the rear mirror. "Don't laugh, OK?" Jack chuckles while looking at him. "I'll beat you up if you do it."
"I won't." He chuckles and raises his eyebrows after W puts on the wig. "I don't recognize you with that. At all."
"Me neither," he says while scratching his neck. It's a bit uncomfortable but he will get used to it. "Okay... I'm feeling nervous. I'm feeling like a gothic teenager."
Jack tries to comfort him. "Calm down, calm down, you know we've done this a couple of times before. Take a breath... close your eyes..."
"That's what I'm doing, man!" he says. "Think... I have to think about good things, um... things that I will get as a reward..." He closes his eyes while trembling. "Uh... the Magnus house, and a nice bathroom with a nice shower and a nice fridge... uh... and this school... this place is enormous but I've seen bigger things, right? Buildings... big buildings..."
"Butter Valley," says Jack.
"Yes! That's right!" shouts W, pointing at his partner. "Butter Valley is the biggest place I've ever seen... and it's way, WAY more dangerous and hectic than this simple, purple, happy little school."
"Yes, yes, yes... The bags? The wig? You got 'em. I'll help you with the lenses..."
W swallows saliva. "Yes... don't be rude, please... I'm--"
"You're scared."
"I'm not scared of them!" he shouts. "Come on! Help me to put those shitty lenses on my eyes!"
At the same time, two sisters are observing the Wondercolts statue in front of them. The lower part of it has now a couple of scratches due to Silverstorm's kicks. Both of them don't even make a comment until Luna breaks the silence. "I've already warned them. Two of them... Duke Starlight and Little Ace. They were talking to Flash and the girls... but it seems they didn't understand what I told them once Cattle Prod arrived."
Celestia, crossing his arms, takes a breath while now looking at the stairs below them. "We are about to fall into this game again, and I just don't want to go through the same thing over and over..." she sighs. "And the year... hasn't even started."
Luna approaches her sister, frowning. "I still don't understand why don't you confront them and definitely expel them from the school. I know, sister, that the envelopes of threats written by Cattle Prod's brother are explicit and dangerous, but everybody has a limit... and mine is about to break."
"Mine too," replies Celestia, "but I always remind myself of how deep goes Cattle Prod in this... I don't want to have the meeting we had two years ago."
Luna's eyes widen. "You mean... wait... the man with--?"
"The man with two different eyes," she says. "Heterochromia. That's the name of his condition... besides, he was with another man who I think it's Cattle Prod's brother. You remember them, don't you?"
Luna, in silence, nods her head. "Of course."
Celestia, on the other side, shakes her head and covers her eyes. "Yesterday I received the first envelope. I haven't opened it yet... but I know it will be a threat to let Cattle Prod be in here."
"And this is completely unfair, Tia," she raises her tone. "We have to look at the kid breaking everything around us and that's it? Behave like spectators in a play? Didn't you say your limit was about to break into pieces? I swear I'm gonna call those men and I--"
"We don't even have a phone number." Celestia looks at her sister with a cold sight. "We don't even know how are they called or where do they live... but they know everything about us and this school." She puts a hand over her sister's shoulder. "Tell me, Luna... what can we do against them if we don't even know where we have to send that envelope back?"
"We have to talk to Cattle Prod."
"And how many times we tried to and didn't succeed?"
Luna doesn't know what to say. She puts a finger over her mouth and blinks. Then, she sighs. "You're right... but, if we do it again..." Her sister only swallows saliva while looking at her. "Oh... oh. What can we do... what can we do."
W looks at himself in the rear mirror of the car one more time. He doesn't even look like himself with the dark contact lenses and starts blinking non-stop. "Don't blink too much, just in case." Jack looks at his face one more time. "My God... I don't recognize you."
W, now as Swift Arrow, shakes his head. "Me neither... I look like I post depressing shit on social media."
Jack chuckles for a second. "Do you remember what you have to ask?"
"For a scholarship."
"Good..." he says. "Ask me."
W gets confused for a second. "What?"
"Ask me for a scholarship."
"Wha... what..." The young gangster squints his eyes. "Why would I ask you for a scholarship?"
"We are practising, W."
"Man," he raises his shoulders. "Relax. I feel ready. You said it..." he points at Jack. "You said we did this a long time ago, but the difference is... well, it's the first time I do this in Canterlot and... this place is, you know, huge and I, well..."
"And you said Butter Valley is way bigger than Canterlot High... and if you do this, you may have your Magnus House and I swear if you come back with everything done and great... I'll pay for our lunch at Sugarcube Corner."
At that moment, W raises his eyebrows. "No shit... you are gonna pay me the lunch?"
"Yes, if everything comes out good... You've got to get out of this car as Swift Arrow, not W... pretend to be a new kid, lost in the city, looking for a place to study and stay."
"Yes, yes..." He touches the car door's handle. "I'm about to come out... and once I come back I'll specifically ask for the most expensive shit to eat." W takes a long breath and opens the door, but suddenly his sudden burst of adrenaline drains out when he hears something:
"Wait," says Jack. "Don't come out with that trenchcoat."
W remains immobile for a few seconds until he turns his head to look at Jack. "What?"
"Firstly, nobody is going to accept you with that trenchcoat. You've gotta send it to laundry, at least... and secondly, every gangster recognizes you because of it. Everybody knows where that trenchcoat is from. You can't use it."
W is open-mouthed. "Uh, man... this trenchcoat is like... this trenchcoat is like a freaking kidney, you know? I've always used it. Always."
"But you are not going to come out as your real you, we have just talked about this. You will have to pretend to be another guy, someone who does not use that trenchcoat. Trust me... I'll take care of it, give it to me."
The young gangster bites his lips while slowly unbuttoning his trenchcoat. "Man... it feels..."
"Remember that it will be just for a week or two... not only do you have different eye colours and a wig but... you also don't wear the thing that gangsters recognize you with."
"You will take care of it every time I don't wear it," he orders his friend while taking it out of his body like ripping off his own skin. It's too valuable for him.
"Of course, I will take care of that, W," replies Jack while grabbing the trenchcoat and slowly putting it on the backseat. Then, he smells something strange and looks at W, confused. He opens the glove box in front of him and grabs a small perfume. "Put this under your armpits, at least."
"Uh, come on..." replies W after looking at himself in the mirror with dark hair, dark eyes and a white t-shirt. "Do I smell that bad?"
"Sweat, blood, smoke... I don't even know what to add to your actual smell."
"Uh, come on..." W sighs. "Give me that." He grabs the perfume and sprays it all over his torso and armpits.
"You're gonna wet the white t-shirt."
"Come on... it's not water or soda. It's just a drop of perfume..." now W grabs the car door handle and takes a breath. "OK... I go. I will go there..." then he looks at two figures at the entrance door. "Wait, there are two women at the entrance..."
Jack looks at the courtyard too and his pupils shrink. He bites his lips and points at the sisters. He knows. "Oh my... I can recognize them from here with those hair colours... I still can't believe they are natural."
"And who are they?"
"They must still be the Principals of Canterlot High, W..." he grabs his young partner's head to turn it around. "Those women are Celestia and Luna..." he nudges W's back. "Then it's your perfect opportunity to present yourself, alone, with the two main authorities of that school talking to you, W... don't waste this one, go, go!"
"OK! OK!" he holds the handle and opens the car door, but doesn't get out of the vehicle. "Wait... let me take a breath."
"Another one?"
"Well... I need to think about what can I say!"
"W, you have to ask for the scholarship... It's the perfect opportunity! Remember that if everything comes out good I'll pay for the lunch for you, you may have your house at Magnus... think about it! Think about that house, W! A house in Magnus Street for you!"
W loudly breathes and stretches his back before grabbing the bag. He's ready. "OK. OK! Wish me luck, Jack. I'm going there!"
"Good luck, W..." he says to his friend before putting a hand on W's shoulder, stopping him from getting out. He slowly turns his head around to look at Jack who takes a breath. "And remember... You're a brave man." A moment of silence where W as Swift Arrow freezes in the middle of the street until Jack shouts at him. "Now go!"
The silent sisters, looking at each other while thinking about the problem with Cattle Prod, suddenly get distracted and surprised when a mysterious boy who came out of nowhere changes his direction on the sidewalk and starts walking on the left side of the courtyard, heading to the Wondercolts Statue. He gets into the square, looking at the women. Dark hair, a white t-shirt, jeans, brown shoes and a bag in his hand. He's going slowly, with his other hand in his pocket. Luna raises an eyebrow and looks at her sister. "Do you know him?"
Celestia shakes her head and moves from her place. "No." She walks downstairs while her sister Luna follows her from behind. The mysterious boy stops, next to the Wondercolts Statue. Both women walking right towards him make him feel much more nervous than he was before. He holds his head still and crosses his arms while they stop walking a few metres from him. Luna lays against the statue, covering the scratches Silverstorm did to it, and Celestia doesn't take her eyes from the boy, who she hears is swallowing saliva and scratching his neck. However, a second later, the boy's back gets firm, pumps up his chest for a second and flexes his crossed arms. "Hello..." she says, raising an eyebrow. "Can we help you?"
"Uh..." Swift Arrow smiles, trying to make something in his head. "Yes, I... I, uh..." he slowly scratches the wig. "I've been looking for a scholarship for... um, this course... um, its name is... the College Course, isn't it?"
Celestia and Luna look at each other, surprised. Swift Arrow clenches his fists due to his nerves, squeezing the bag handle. "Um," says Luna. "I'm sorry but... the school year's about to begin in two days... isn't it a bit late to ask for a scholarship?"
Swift Arrow, while trying to come up with an idea, shakes his head while pumping up his chest again. "Yes, yes, I know. I'm sorry," he says. "I tried to enrol in another school in... uh, Baltimare and I planned this the entire last two months, but... two days ago I had some problems with that place and..." he raises his shoulders. "They have never answered me again. I tried to call for help from the school staff... but they told me I couldn't be in because of a couple of issues and... well, I'm with no course."
Luna squints her eyes for a second. "We're sorry for that," she says. "However, there's something I don't understand... Mister... um..."
A moment of silence between the three. Swift Arrow blinks for a second, shakes his head and understands the thing... "Oh, my name?" he says. "Swift Arrow."
"Swift Arrow," says Luna, nodding his head. "Um, there's something I want to know... Baltimare is almost six miles from here. Are you currently living in Baltimare?"
Swift Arrow shakes his head. "No. I... well, I'm planning to move here, to Canterlot." He looks around. "It's safer and it's nearer the capital city, Manehattan. I've been also planning to look for a job there..."
Luna nods her head. "A job in Manehattan, right? And where do you live?"
"Yes, miss, yes..." Swift Arrow feels his legs trembling while taking a look at the ground. He remembers he has a bag of forged papers with good marks. "Oh, and yes... um... I lived all of my life in... uh, Manehattan until last year. I did Elementary School and High School in Everton. Here are my transcripts and my diploma from Elementary---"
"Yes, yes," interrupts Celestia. "We're glad you brought your papers to us, but... Canterlot High's new year is about to start in two days... the scholarship offers have been also closed on August 10th, so you are not in the best moment to ask for it. We're deeply sorry."
Swift Arrow's eyes shrink and he feels an anvil coming right at him from the sky. He blinks and lowers his head. "You are right," he says. "Um... I... I shouldn't have come in here because well, it's too late, I understand..." He softly snorts with his nose. "I... the one who has to apologize here is me... I came here too late, I recognize it." He turns around, surprising both sisters. "Thanks, anyway... I appreciate it... I'll maybe look for something else outside the school... go back to my home in Canterlor..." he walks away while whispering... "How stupid I am."
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. He is still walking away. The sisters look at each other. Four seconds. Five seconds. Six seco--
"Wait," suddenly a woman's voice is heard and Swift Arrow stops. "Can I take a look at your transcripts?" He makes a small smile while looking at Jack's car in the distance. He stays frozen for a second and turns around.
Luna is shocked and looks at her sister in silence, her eyes completely widened, while Swift Arrow turns around and raises a shoulder. "Um... yes?" he asks.
"We have just seen our faces for the first time..." Celestia checks her watch. "A minute and a half ago... you seem to be a humble boy, and one of the things I hate the most is when humble people don't get the chance to experiment with the beauty of education and learning, especially in new phases of life, such as the College Course."
"Uh..." says Luna. "Huh?" she approaches her sister. "What in the world are you talking about?" whispers.
Celestia raises a finger and slowly touches her sister's back with it while asking: "Can you give us your last school year's transcript, please?"
Swift Arrow realizes something weird is going on. Luna looks at her sister, visibly confused, while Celestia maintains a serious face while straight looking at his eyes. He feels intimidated by her and slowly opens the bag to look for it. He grabs the first transcript he finds and gives it to her, with his hands trembling. She and her sister look at the transcript in silence for a second. However, the vice-principal says: "This is Junior. Not Senior."
"Oh." Swift Arrow feels his spine is a frozen ice bar now and doesn't even blink. "Wait... I'll give you---"
"It's OK." Both sisters look at the marks, surprised. Celestia raises an eyebrow, almost making a smile. Things are getting weirder. "It looks like you were brilliant in Everton... but didn't they also offer college courses for their students to get well on with university ambience? Did you look that up?"
Swift Arrow's pupils shrink and he feels a waterfall of sweat coming out of his wig. "I asked for them but... um... I found out at that moment there was... uh... a number limit for students... actually few can enrol in the Everton College Course..."
Celestia closes her eyes for a second, trying not to talk. "Oh, really?" Luna raises an eyebrow while speaking. "They actually put a number limit? I thought they didn't have one in Everton... Didn't Mayor Mare tell you there was no limit in it?"
The man thinks he has screwed it already and swallows saliva, but Celestia saves him on time when she grabs her head: "Um... let me think, Luna... I don't remember it so well now..." Her sister raises now both eyebrows, surprised while grabbing the transcript from her hand. She sighs and keeps reading the transcript where she finds something.
"Mmm... an A in Maths?" she chuckles while looking at Swift Arrow. His eyes shrink and his teeth grind. Motherfucking Calc... Why did he put an A in MATHS? "Not too many students can flaunt that..." She looks at her older sister now, who looks at her back with serious sight. "So... what are you thinking?" she whispers. "Why that face?"
Both sisters look at each other in silence... and Luna squints her eyes, blinking. Celestia crosses her arms, frowning, and looks at Swift Arrow. "Would you stay here? We need to talk in private for a minute."
Swift Arrow bites his lips and slowly nods in fear of his wig coming out of his head. "Yes, yes... no problem... thanks. Thanks." He keeps nodding while both sisters walk away but not taking their sight off the young man... Jack, looking at everything from the car window, raises an eyebrow and slowly grabs the car door handle for a second, but decides to stay in silence and keep observing.
While standing in the courtyard's staircase, Luna looks at her sister in shock while holding Swift Arrow's transcript. Both of them can't stop looking at him... but Luna, for a moment, looks at her sister in pure confusion. "What are you doing?" she asks her. "You were the one who always told me we couldn't give any scholarships to students who asked after August 10th... and now you are asking for transcripts from someone that hasn't even sent us a request letter?"
Celestia stays in silence for a second while not taking her sight off Swift Arrow. "You are right, Luna."
Luna raises both eyebrows. "And why are you doing this?"
"I'm trying to do something. There's something about this Swift Arrow... that I don't like."
Luna chuckles. "Now you say that? Me neither, Tia... I didn't like this kid since the first moment we saw him. Why are you suddenly letting him in?"
She blinks. "No, sister, no..." she puts a hand over her sister's shoulder. "I'm not thinking about letting him in... Now that we are once again being chased by Cattle Prod and his family... I..." she rubs her hair, looking at her sister. "I know there's something here that... I, we... need to scrape. There's a spark in me that's getting tired, that wants to dig this. The only thing we don't need now is much more mystery."
"And... you think this kid has something to do with Cattle Prod?"
She bites her lips. "Not sure but... once Cattle Prod left this place, this boy magically appeared out of nowhere in the courtyard, specifically asking for a scholarship when the course is about to start in two days." She puts a finger over her chin. "Besides, he asked for a Canterlot scholarship after being rejected from a Baltimare school... while looking for a job in Manehattan? Why did he choose Baltimare? And if he's living in Manehattan... why would he choose here instead of Everton?"
"He even said he had a house in Canterlot... did you hear that?"
"I did... maybe it was a mistake from him, but..."
"And you said you didn't remember if there was a limit for those courses in Everton."
Celestia shakes her head. "There isn't." Luna's eyes widen again. "I talked about that with Mayor Mare days ago, before the final day of scholarships in Canterlot High. There are no limits for students."
"So..." she blinks. "He's lying."
"Maybe..." Celestia moves his head. "Maybe he is."
"We should get him out of here, then... I don't want a liar in the same halls as our students."
However, Celestia raises her hand and touches her sister's shoulder. Her serious face doesn't change. "Me neither, but..." she says. "Let me do something... tell him to come to my office with you."
"What?" Luna shockingly asks. "You literally said..."
"Trust me," she says while getting her cellphone out of her jacket's pocket. "I'll call Mayor Mare while you do that... I have some questions."
"You're going to tell her about this?"
"I'll ask her if she knows him." Celestia opens the entrance door while Luna takes a breath and approaches the lost kid. "Tell him to pass by my office in a minute. I'll go for Shining Armor."
"And what if he has...?" Luna stays in silence for a minute and does a gesture with one of her hands. "You know... something... that may harm... don't you think you are trapping yourself?"
Celestia stays still while holding the entrance door. Suddenly, a couple of students appear at the end of the hall and walk to her. "Miss Celestia... we've just finished with the lab room... is there anything where we could help?"
Celestia swallows saliva and looks at her students with firm but confused eyes. "Um... let me tell something to my sister and then..." he puts her hand over her face.
"Are you OK, Miss?" asks one of the students but the principal smiles back.
"Yes, I am..." she replies. "I think I haven't seen the students who went to the IT Room... could you check out if they are OK, please?"
The students nod their heads while going there. "No problem, miss," replies another and everybody walks away. Once she looks at them going far from the door, she looks at her sister again.
"You said you were tired of being the spectator of Cattle Prod's disorder, sister... and despite I don't show it so much like you do... I feel much more tired over time because of this situation we don't deserve, neither us nor all of our honourable and respectable students... I just..." she bites her lips. "Want to know something. Besides," she raises her finger. "I've got the pepper spray on the office in case things get bad." She makes a small grin with her mouth while checking her phone.
"And you think that's enough?"
Celestia puts the phone over her ear while biting her lips and taking a long breath. "It will be more than enough if we are together, sister."
Meanwhile, Jack is looking at his partner, who is in the courtyard, staring at nothing for a second until he slowly approaches the car. He stops right at the sidewalk when Jack lowers the passenger seat's window. He shows his blue face through there and raises his eyebrows. W, in response to his gesture, only lifts his shoulders while observing the sisters. Now they're not looking at him, so he takes a look around the street and raises a finger, about to take a step into the pavement, getting near Jack, but the older man shakes his head, stopping the fake man from moving. He bites his lips while something starts vibrating in the car. Jack feels it's coming from inside the glove box and decides to open it. Right there, W's cellphone is vibrating and has a call...
Who is it now? At this right moment? He grabs the phone for a second and the name automatically appears on the screen.
📲 INCOMING CALL
SNOWBLIND
He looks at W but suddenly the situation changes. The woman he recognizes as Luna is now talking to his partner while walking away from there... he is out of the conversation and is left alone with the call... however, once he is about to answer, Snowblind hangs up.
He is left blank with the cellphone's block screen and a notification of a missed call. "Fucking junkie..." Jack sighs while holding the cellphone. He starts speaking. "W, you need to really think about your friends' mental sanity..." he says to himself before laughing. "Including myself, too."
New message from Snowblind: yo
"Uh, come on, Snowblind..." he says. "I won't answer you." When he's about to leave the cellphone in the box, the cellphone receives another message.
New message from Snowblind: got newz bout dream raider thing
Suddenly he stops doing what he's doing and looks at the phone screen.
Dream Raider.
New message from Snowblind: answer me when u can dubs
Dream Raider. That friend from W.
Jack's arm starts shaking while unconsciously reading that message. He, along with Abe and Eye Patch, told him not to mess with what he was thinking. Dream Raider is a stupid child, now jailed because of the unbelievable and overly stupid decision he made.
The thing Jack wants the least is W being inside a stupid plan to get this asshole out of the jail.