Years have gone by, and as I grew, so did the wall.
Sunny continued her hilarious ways of trying to bring world peace. Each one more stupid than the last. But there was nothing as crazy as her attempts to break into the Canterlogic presentations. Every year, my mother would perform a weapons demonstration, to keep her power in check, and to ensure that the citizens would feel safe. However, Sunny and her crazy antics would constantly try to hijack the presentation with her motives and ideas. The major problem with our town is that after the pegasi attacked us about 15 years ago, everyone is so scared that Hitch and I are the only law enforcement. While Hitch was mostly able to keep Sunny under control, this was different. Hitch was off ensuring the performance went well, and he couldn’t keep his eye on Sunny. This led to constant attempts by Sunny to convince the whole town that pegasi and unicorns are our friends (even though I thought the bombing by the pegasi would make it impossible to agree with her). However, this didn't stop Hitch from making it his top priority to keep Sunny out before the show began, and he'd do a pretty good job at it. The last few years have seen the performance run smoothly and Sunny has been unable to break her way in, but that wouldn't stop her from attempting to spread her message of unity. Last year, she would sell ice cream pops at the entrance, and we let that slide, as it looked harmless. Little did we know that she hid secret unity messages inside the wrappers. As long as the presentation went smoothly, however, we could care less. This was just another failed attempt to try and convince ponies to let down our guard and welcome our enemies with open hooves, and it was pretty likely that no one would really pay it any mind.
This year, however, the presentation was going to be much bigger, and there was much more work to be done. Hitch was needed elsewhere, but before he left, he came to me at the station.
"I'm going to need you to keep an eye on Sunny today." He said right as he came through the door.
"Umm... alright, but why?" I replied.
"Your mom needs me at the factory to help set things up. This year's presentation is pretty massive, meaning that I won't be able to make sure she doesn't get into any trouble. You can do that, right?" He asked.
I hesitated.
"Umm... yeah! That's.. why I'm here, right?" I answered.
"Great! I'll be back in a few hours." He said before quickly running right back out the door.
A few hours. I can handle that, right? She isn't that fast. As long as I can keep her within my line of sight, then it shouldn't be that difficult. Maybe the only problem would be that she'd spot me first and try to find an alternate route to the presentation. The solution to that would be simple. I'll just have to go undercover. Once she enters the town square, I can just follow her from there. I entered the town square and sat down on a chair next to a table, acting like a normal citizen. Now all I had to do was wait.
And I waited. I waited for minutes. Minutes quickly turned into hours, and those hours felt like days. Sunny never showed up, and it looked like my job wouldn't be that hard after all. Hitch will be back soon, and he'll be able to keep an eye on Sunny. I felt a bit of satisfaction with myself, but then I considered another possibility. Maybe Sunny could've taken another way. What if she was expecting me? I was about to head towards the factory when suddenly, she speeds right by on roller skates with a container of smoothies. I gave her a grunt of dissatisfaction (that she probably didn't hear) and immediately raced after her. I was able to keep her within my line of sight, but she was fast, and I was unable to successfully catch up to her. It looked like she had a clear shot to the entrance, but luckily, Hitch was done setting things up, and managed to stop her right as she arrived. Hitch began to talk with Sunny. I was too far away to hear the first bits, but I managed to reach them after a few seconds or so.
"I did what you asked for, Hitch. She never left my side, not even once." I said, panting and wheezing.
"Oh, hey, Sprout. You OK? You seem kind of wheezy." Sunny asked.
"That's Deputy Sprout to you!" I quickly responded.
Sunny began to leave but Hitch quickly stopped her.
"Sunny, we both know how this goes. Every year you try to sneak in, and every year I stop you." He reminded her.
"You have nothing to worry about. I'll just go into the factory and deliver my smoothies-" She began before I interrupted her.
"Uh-uh! You can't even step a hoof in there! My mom had you banned!" I yelled.
Hitch sighed.
"I'm asking you as a friend, Sunny. Please try not to pull any of your crazy stunts today." He asked Sunny.
"Okay. I'll try." She happily replied.
Hitch then told her to give me the smoothies and go home. She looked like heading toward the factory, but I quickly turned her away, and she complied. With Sunny turned away from the presentation, it looked like we'd have another good year. Everything was prepared, everypony was taking their seats, and the presentation began. Some of my mom's finest new inventions were presented, and everyone looked on in amazement. Then finally, the big moment came, where these weapons would be seen in action, but just as the demonstration was about to begin, Sunny ran on stage, holding the same wings and horn sign she held at the school when we were children. She began to protest the presentation, and insisted on making friends with unicorns and pegasi (again). Unfortunately, she picked the worst spot to do so, as she was standing right where the presentation dummy was standing. The demonstration began, and Sunny would be at the center of it, Hitch tried his hardest to get the operators to shut it down, but they didn't have a clue on how to do so, and Hitch would have to shut it down himself. By the time it was over, Sunny was covered in slime, but this didn't stop her from attempting to get her point across.
"Aren't you tired of being scared all the time? The truth is we're not in danger." She stated.
My mom quickly responded, asking her how we should defend ourselves if we were to be attacked again. Many of us witnessed wars in the recent past and we've lost friends and family to the pegasi and unicorns. Sunny would try to explain the positives of friendship, but it wouldn't do her any good, since everyone was still worried that what happened before would end up happening again. If we were to put down our arms, then our enemies would be able to invade us and crush us with ease, and we may lose even more lives. Sunny would then walk out, distraught, and the presentation proceeded. However, as it continued, I couldn't help but think about what she said. That's when everything disappeared for the first time. I now see everything wither away except for the massive wall my mind has constructed. It's unfinished, and there's still some empty spaces, but it has grown. Many of the bricks recall memories of Sunny. Some recall memories of my mom, explaining the dangers of the world. Some even show Hitch, such as that day at the school. These bricks sometimes make me wonder: Who is it that I should trust? Then, another brick appears inside one of the spaces. It shows Sunny protesting over the crowd at the presentation a few minutes ago, being booed at. Sunny can't be trusted, and everyone knows that, but sometimes, the teachings of my mother, and the actions of others around me make me wonder if I really am alone. If there is anyone I can truly trust.
The events later that day would really test that thought.