//------------------------------// // Chapter 65- A time with strangers! // Story: The normal life of Nitpick Bittersweet // by Ryusun //------------------------------// Time was flying slower than ever for the young Scientist when she was tapping the keyboard from her luxurious laptop. She wished that any of her friends were working with her right now. Perhaps they would have given her a moment of sporadic fun while doing the duties with her. But it wasn’t possible for today. Applejack was having a business transaction with her relatives from Applelossa on her farm. Rarity had an unexpected emergency visit from the pop singer Sapphire Shores. She needed a new dress for a coming concert and it seems that Rarity was the only one on the world who could understand her nitpicky tastes. Fluttershy had an especial training program on the shelter that she always wished to assist to. Chief Hugger loved to nurture the true potential of the young Veterinarian when possible so she didn’t waste this rare opportunity from her mentor. Rainbow Dash was dealing with some internal troubles with her soccer teammates with Soarin. Something was odd for Twilight when she saw them together during practices the past few days ago. Pinkie Pie was the only one who was working on the orgs… but she was having trouble dealing with the Crystal Students’ brutal way of doing things on the orphanage. Bon Bon and Lightbulb had to join her to maintain peace with their rivals. The only source of comfort right now for her is that moments ago, she received a message from Sunset Shimmer that she and Nitpick had been offered an incredibly opportunity to grow as professionals students with the Mayor of Ponyville. She was happy for them… but she needed someone to be with right now! Especially when her current teammate for today was none other than Sugarcoat herself! “Doormat.” Sugarcoat said half-hearted while working on her desk. “Yes, Sugarcoat?” Twilight was anxious. “I have noticed that you have become more assertive recently!” “Really?” Twilight suddenly glimmered with enthusiasm by that comment. “Yes! You look more competent than before!” ‘Is Sugarcoat really giving me a compliment right now?’ Twilight blushed with a smile while tapping even faster. “Yes! Normally, you would be lamenting your life when we worked together in the past! Now you are truly invested in something outside your little science world! I’m impressed! But you suck at socializing so keep improving!” The dream didn’t last long. “Oh… Thanks… I guess?” “Also, have you given a call to the number I gave to you last time?” “The number you gave me…? You mean the card with the delicious-looking cookie you gave me during the bowling match?” “Yes! That crispy looking cookie softly bathed in melted chocolate and – what I’m saying now?” “Cookies, Sugarcoat!” “Your state of the obvious is inspiring!” “Hehe! That something that Nitty would say!” “Pff!” “What?” “May I ask of you ‘Pff’… EHEM! What did you say?” “Nitty?” Silence. Twilight looked at Sugarcoat’s face, observing that her muscles were forcing themselves to not make brusque movements. The Champion turned around, put her arms on the table and rested her head on them. She slowly started to make subtle movements, small noises coming from her direction. Twilight was curious about that. “Are you okay, Sugarcoat?” Her partner only raised a thumb. Seconds later, she sat correctly on the table and started working as diligently as before. Twilight, seeing that the conversation ended, followed her footsteps and continued her labor. …. “Aff… I’m tired, Spike!” “You tell me! Being stuck there for three hours wasn’t the most pleasant experience! Sugarcoat is still very strict with you!” “I know and I’m sorry for putting you in places like this! …Sometimes I think she hates me!” “That’s not true! I don’t think anyone could truly hate you! Besides! As long as you need me, I’ll be with you as much as I can!” Twilight caressed her loyal assistant’s nose. “I’m glad that you are part of my life, Spike!” “Yeah! I don’t know what you would do without me either!” “You just ruined a good moment, my loyal assistant! Come! Let’s go join Pinkie on the-” “Grrrrrr!” Twilight suddenly sensed what her assistant was seeing behind her back. She moved quickly before anything bad would happen to her. She hasted her steps more and more to the point of almost running from the place. Twilight didn’t notice that she was headed to a dead end. Now she could her some steps approaching. Louder… Louder! “Spike!” She whined in fear. The assistant jumped to the ground. “Stay behind me!” His teeth were visible to the naked eye, showing fierce determination to protect his master to the end. The noises stopped all of the sudden. “What are you doing here?” “Ah… Hi, uh, Gilda, right?” Twilight and Spike put themselves on the wall and peeped on the corner. On the corridors, a mighty figure was looking down to a young rocker that was crossing his arms, ready to start a parley. “Sentry, you don’t belong here on this day! Nit told me to keep an eye on you in case you tried to slack off!” “I’m not slacking off!” Flash exclaimed. “Tell me what are you doing here?” “I don’t know. Perhaps the trash bags in my hands could tell you the answer!” She made a small hump with her arms carrying the filled bags. “Oh… OH!” “Go back to where you are supposed to be before I report you to Bon!” Flash, defeated for today, walked away, giving a mean look to the griffonian who was walking to the exit. Or so it seemed. “Sparkle, you can get out of there. The creep has gone already.” Twilight, carrying Spike on her arms, got out from her hiding spot. “How did you know I was here?” “You suck at hiding. I saw you running like a mouse trying to escape from a hungry cat! Anyway, you should join Bon on the hall! She finally finished her task on the orphanage! I never thought that someone would actually put down Blueblood besides us!” ”Us?” “I mean Nit, Sug, Oak and me! Now shoo! SHOO! Before the little troll starts complaining about something else with me!” “Gilda!” She stopped the griffonian before she could leave the scene. “Thanks for helping me out…” “Yeah, well…” Gilda looked at the Scientist’s eyes and lost herself within her childish presence. Something felt… off. “Uh… If you don’t want to join Bon, you should come with me in case he decides to come back!” Twilight and Spike only answered with a sweet grin. …. “Here.” She didn’t know how, or why, she ended up in the park while been giving a juice from Gilda herself. She drank it, nevertheless. On one hand, it would be rude to reject the offer, even if pineapple wasn’t her favorite flavor. And on the other hand… “Oh! We are supposed to be in autumn! This feels like summer!” Twilight was using her neck’s shirt as a sort of fan. She took half of the bottle in one go. “OH! This is so cold and good!” The heat overrode her distaste for pineapple. She let out Spike to rest beside her under the shadow of a tree. While she was drinking the remaining of her juice, Gilda watched her with curiosity. How did she end up inviting Twilight Sparkle to rest with her was beyond disbelief for her. “I know!” She decided to add something to her comment. “This sucks! I could be training, or playing games, or doing something better than being stuck in this shitty competition!” Gilda took a deep sip from her bottle. It seems that it was a special kind of beverage, giving the heavy consistency it formed on the container. The young Scientist looked at the griffonian with dubious eyes. She looked peaceful, relaxed, and in a strange way… friendly. “You know… After what happened earlier, I don’t think you are as bad as Rainbow told me before!” Twilight said. The whitish girl’s face suddenly turned hostile. “BAH!” She crushed her bottle. “Rainbow Dash! That brat isn’t capable of seeing what’s good or bad, even if you try to explain things to that thick skull of hers!” “Hey! That’s my friend you are insulting!” “And what are you going to do about it, Sparkle?” Gilda raised her right first to her face. Twilight just stayed there. Quietly. She was afraid of being beaten up to a pulp. “…You know? I’m starting to see why Nit is concerned about you!” Gilda sheathed her fist on her jean pocket and threw the broken bottle like a basketball straight to the trash bin. “You’ll always be a pushover if you start being more aggressive!” “I’m sorry…” “And definitely stop being a wimp is a must! Even if you were to be beaten by me for real, you should have defended Rainbow Dash from my insults! What kind of friend allows someone to insult her friend so freely? You must stand your ground and defend your friends’ honor!” She made an swift uppercut to the air. “Violence is the answer sometimes!” She winked at her. “I don’t think that’s my style… but you… defend my friend, huh?” “Standing by your friends is the ultimate expression of loyalty, Sparkle! Real friendships start from that!” “I know about loyalty! Rainbow Dash has taught me everything I need to know!” Gilda rolled her eyes and laid back on the grass. “Let me guess.” She expressed uninterested. “Being faithful to the cause, to your friends, your family, and the people who trust you no matter the circumstances is what loyalty is all about! And if a friend hurts one of your other friends for no good reason, then that’s no friend at all!” Gilda looked at Twilight with her left eye calmly closed. “Or something like that, right?” “That’s exactly what Rainbow Dash told me before! How do you know that speech?” “I was ‘friends’ with Dash long ago! I was childish and weak when I was under her wing back then, even when I was the older one of the two! Fluttershy was part of the gang as well! Everything was fine until Pinkamena Diane Pie showed up and fucked up eve-… No! That day she showed me her true colors and I didn’t look back! Hypocrites those two!” “I don’t believe that!” Twilight protested. “Pinkie and Rainbow are the friends anyone would wish to have!” “HA! Tell that to Nit! He hates Dash’s guts and dislikes Pinkie’s company!” “WHAT!? That’s not true! Nitty has been getting along with them just fine!” “Pfffff! Excuse me, what did you call him?” “Nitty?” “…” Heavensbane’s face had a deadpan expression. “Pffff!” She was trying so hard to not move her face’s muscles. “BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!” She submitted to her feelings. “IT’S FUNNY WHEN YOU ACTUALLY SAY IT! BAHAHAHAHAHA!” She was rolling on the grass. “NO MORE! No more… Ehem! I’m fine!” She got back to her relaxed position. “What’s so funny about it?” Twilight was starting to feel annoyed. “It’s a great nickname!” “It sounds like Kitty, Sparkle! The poor bastard must feel embarrassed every time you call him like that!” Twilight made an uncomfortable expression. “Really?” “Yeah! But in a way, it’s fitting for him, to be honest! His Celtic Zodiac sign is the cat after all, much to his dismay!” “Why?” “He rarely likes animals, but he hates cats above else! As her friend, you would know that, wouldn’t you?” “Ah… yeah! Of course I knew that!” She didn’t knew about that. “And you know that Rainbow’s favorite snack is peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich, right? And Fluttershy’s dream vacation is to have a shelter on a tropical island where all her friends could visit her whenever they want, right?” Twilight was astonished with that information. Thinking back on all of her lunches on school with her friends, Rainbow always had peanut butter and apple jelly as dessert. Fluttershy’s dream, if Gilda was saying the truth, actually made sense to a certain degree. “How do you know all that?” “I may not look it, but I pay attention to all my friends’ likes and dislikes! And having Nit and the others share that kind of thinking with me is so damn cool, Sparkle!” “Why do you hate Rainbow and Pinkie? I-if I may know, of course!” “Long story short: I hate pranks! Pinkamena played on me an awful lot of them when I met her for the first time and I tried to bring her down when I lost my cool! Rainbow didn’t like it! She jumped to defend her without asking me what really happened! We fought and the friendship was over! Done!” “I know Pinkie can make a lot of pranks but I know they are harmless! She did some to me a few days ago and they were funny!” “She put a damn bucket filled with paint on the door! When I opened it, I was bathed in rainbow! She also used a shocking pen when I tried to write my phone number on a piece of paper for Dash! ARGH! One day I will put my hands on her neck and-!” She bumped her fists together and breathed heavily. “Look, Sparkle! I know that Nit is trying to make you of stronger character! But you’ll never achieve anything if you don’t start to think by yourself! People can give you hundreds of tips, but without a strong will from your part, their lessons will turn worthless in the end!” “My mighty friend, I believe Miss Sparkle isn’t ready to impose her will as you do, yet!” Twilight looked behind to notice that a sophisticated girl wearing the formal Crystal Prep uniform was standing really close to her. “WAAAAHHH!” Twilight and Spike jumped to the tree with fright. “Gracious heavens! I am so sorry if I startled you!” The lady said apologetic. “W-who are you!?” “I beg you forgiveness for my lack of modals! I’m Reem Oakwood, at your service!” She made a gracious curtsey. “I’m so glad to finally meet you in person, Miss Sparkle!” “You know of me?” “Who doesn’t know about you in both educational institutions by now? A brilliant scientist! The bane of Crystal Prep! One who challenged her fate and stabbed in the back her old nation and journeyed to a faraway land to satisfy her heart’s desires! I’m so envious of your actions, to be honest!” Something perturbed Twilight with the way she spoke of her past actions. She looked… impressed. Her eyes had a beautiful shine on them that reflected the figure of the young Scientist. As if she had seen something beyond the realms of beauty from this world. “Thanks…?” Gilda chuckled. “You always pull from your ass a lot of fancy stuff to praise people, Oak!” “Hee Hee! Thank you!” Reem said gently. ‘So this is Oak!’ Twilight thought. “W-well… I gotta go! My dog is hungry and he gets moody when he doesn’t eat his meals. Isn’t that right buddy?” “Bark!” “Ahahaha! What a beautiful puppy! I could almost feel that he could speak to me in any moment now!” Twilight started to sweat drops with each passing moment. Not only she didn’t feel her presence moments ago, or she spoke in a normal way. Something was really ominous with this Reem Oakwood. “But enough of praising your spirit guide. Tell me, are you curious on how my beloved friend has a sibling-like friendship with my mighty friend?” “Who?” “Forgive me! I’m used to call Nitpick Bittersweet and Gilda Heavensbane like that! It’s a way to differentiate the common filth from my greatest treasures!” “Ah…” “Forgive me! Not to mean that you are filth yourself!” She quickly corrected. “I mean, you are incredibly talented as a scientist as far as Principal Cinch says! Even if you are the most hated person on all Crystal Prep, you really shine in betraying people’s expectations and… AH! My mighty friend! Please aid me in this!” “Why? Calling Sparkle filth is so you! Heh heh heh!” “This is not laughing matter! What will Miss Sparkle think of me with this shameful, first impression of mine?” The word ‘weird’ would be a massive understatement. Reem cleared her throat and sat nearby her friend. “Anyway…” She rested her head on Gilda’s arm. “You are curious, are you not? How this apparent menacing High School student could have wonderful friends at her side? Do you want to know why? Do you feel like your inner curiosity is manifesting inside of you?” Truth to be told… Yes! How could possibly be that the meanest girl on Crystal Prep could befriend one of her current friends? Twilight, on impulse, needed to ask. “Do you remember how you two became friends?” Gilda stared at her for a moment before looking at the sky. The dying leaves of the tree gently caressing their silhouettes with the tempo of the wind. “Yeah… of course!”