//------------------------------// // Chapter 69- A time in a new place! // Story: The normal life of Nitpick Bittersweet // by Ryusun //------------------------------// “Bittersweet and the others are inside. He is probably stressed by the recent of events of this competition.” “Then we should help him out, Sugarcoat! Let’s give him some words of comfort! Right, Spike?” “Waffff!” Spike’s tail moved energetically. “Right… You are going to do more than comfort him, Sparkle!” The Crystal Champion made a big, grim smile. “Indeed you will! For now, let’s get inside!” The quartet of girls and Spike got down the vehicle and started walking toward The Dazzle’s family restaurant. Twilight saw the building in dread. The place looked shady, the walls were crumbling and the neon lights in the form of the name’s sake of the place were barely functional. All of her fears disappeared when she got inside the place. Her breath was taken away from her as she was marveled by the exquisite furniture that emanated a sense of royalty. The soft but glamorous lights coming from a lot of beautiful candles were welcoming to her amethyst eyes. The smell of sweet cuisine perfectly combined with the soft essences of candles was relaxing. By curiosity, she even touched the wall to see if the construction was stubborn enough to be safe to be in there. “This is real red brick!” She mumbled in awe. At the service table, there was a barmaid who was serving three young men glasses filled with an unknown beverage to her. Gilda walked toward his friend, put her arm around his neck and pulled him to her chest. “Fear not, for Gilda has come!” “Uuuuuurghh…” Nitpick’s negativity suddenly filled the place, making everyone around him depressed in an instant. “Is it me or the coldness of your stupidity froze the air, Bittersweet.” Sugarcoat hugged herself. “…” “Does anyone of you know what’s wrong with him?” The barmaid spoke. “He’s been scaring customers since his arrival!” “He finally saw the Truth!” Lightbulb calmly drank what was apparently juice. “I told you she was trouble. But noooo!” He faced his friend. “I can beat her! She is naive!” He said with mockery. Bittersweet looked at him with tiresomeness. “Oh, this about her! I told you she was too annoying to deal with, Nit!” “The most boring kind!” Sugarcoat added. “I haven’t deal with her, personally!” Blueblood said. “But then again, I don’t deal with lackluster plebeians!” “My beloved friend, do not lose heart!” Reem put her tender hands in his shoulders. “You have faced many troubles before in Crystal Prep, and you can do it again in Canterlot High! With the power of our friendship-!” “DON’T… say Friendship!” Everyone quiet down when Nitpick interrupted the Victorian Noble. “My beloved friend…” She put her tender hands in his shoulders. “Are you ok?” “NOU! I’m tired of her!” He grabbed Gilda’s shirt. “TIRED!” “Then deal with it, you shit!” “I have done it too many times already! But she doesn’t stop!” His eyes turned hostile. “SHE DOESN’T STOP!” He faced the table and drank his whole glass. Twilight has never seen him so impatient and mad before. He looked depressed, half-hearted, tired, and most importantly, his eye’s twitch was giving away his inner anger. She got closer to him from behind and rubbed his head with great care. “Everything is going to be fine, Nitty!” Twilight whispered. Nitpick nearly threw up his beverage. “TWILIGHT! W-what are you doing here?” “Miss Reem invited me to a meal! And when I heard you had a bad day, I wanted to come and cheer you up! This was all Sugarcoat’s idea!” She put a big smile. “Really…?” He looked at his friend in question with dubious eyes. Sugarcoat gave him a big smile and raised a thumb. “I don’t know who were you talking about, but she sounds like a real meanie!” “You don’t have any idea, Sparkle!” Gilda grinned. “She must be the worst!” “It could be.” Blueblood ordered a second round. “Maybe a bully!” “Perhaps.” Lightbulb calmly drank from his glass. “We must tell Sunset Shimmer immediately!” She started to write a text message. “She will know what to do to help him on school.” “Sunset Shimmer.” Nitpick laughed troubled. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Twilight!” “Why not?” Twilight stopped texting while looking at him tenderly. “She will definitely find an answer to your problems! I bet my glasses on it!” Sugarcoat tried so hard to not laugh. “Eh… Ahahaha! You really shouldn’t do that!” Bittersweet put a hand over her cellphone. “You can trust in her!” “I don’t think she should involve herself with my troubles, Twilight!” “She’ll definitely help you in the end! Even if you don’t tell her, she’ll notice eventually!” “But she is REALLY busy with the Thanksgiving stuff!” “When it’s about a Friendship Problem, she’s never busy!” “But she is a pain in the ass…” He mumbled lowly. “I’m so sorry, Bittersweet! What was that? I believe nobody hear you! Could you please repeat what you said?” Sugarcoat said while raising her ears with mockery. “Shut your mouth, you stupid little troll!” He hissed. “Language!” “UMM!” “Well, the message is ready!” “NO! Please… don’t send it…” “But why?” The scientist was confused. “Just don’t… please.” Twilight looked at him a little skeptic. Her heart was in the right place, but something told her that complying to his wish was for the best. “All right!” “Thank you!” “So… You must be Princess Twilight’s cousin!” A voice was heard from behind the purple haired girl. Twilight Sparkle turned around to see that the barmaid was in front of her, inspecting her figure from head to feet. She walked in circles around her, giving her a moment of uneasiness. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, they were facing each other, and the owner of the place gave her a confident smile. “My name is Adagio Dazzle! Welcome to The Dazzles’ family restaurant! Please, by all means, have a seat on one of the main tables and enjoy your time in this warm and friendly place! Oh! Before I forget! Normally, we don’t allow pets in here! But I will make an exception this time just for you! I have some spare croquettes for you dog that I’m sure he’ll love! Just make him sit in that corner over there and we’ll call it a day!” The Scientist reluctance ended when Adagio’s attitude turned welcoming and charming. The young students decided to sit in one of the biggest tables. Spike’s new spot was beside their location, so Twilight’s fears subsided entirely. She looked at him eating a mountain of his favorite croquettes served by a blue haired girl, giving to the place and its attendants extra points in her favor. All of the sudden, Twilight was stopped from the arm. “Ok, Sparkle! I want you to sit beside Bittersweet!” Sugarcoat grabbed her from the hands. “Why?” “Because right now, he needs the warm and comfy feeling of Friendship at his side! I’m SURE it’ll come in handy to smooth his bad humor!” “Wow, Sugarcoat! That’s so considerate of your part!” “He IS my friend after all! I’m just trying to make him feel cool-headed again! Thinking of his troubles has made me stressful and bitter than ever!” “That’s… so nice of you! I didn’t know you were so kind!” Twilight smiled. ‘Even if you tried to kill me a while ago!’ She thought while widening her mouth. “Thank you, Sparkle.” She pushed Twilight to her seat. “Now, let’s go and enjoy ourselves!” Comfortably in their seats, a parley started. “So, Bittersweet! I heard that you were accepted to be the apprentice of Mayor Mare with Shimmer at your side! How does it feel to belong among the Elite of your school?” “Great, Sugarcoat!” Nitpick said between his teeth. “Oh!” Sugarcoat put an amused face. “You seem to be still in a REALLY bad mood, even when your newest friend is at your side!” She quickly gave a stare to Twilight with a warm, comforting and hypocrite smile. “As one of your best friends, I’m happy to say that we are here to hear you out! Tell us ALL of your problems” “Your lack of sincerity is a pain the ass.” “How could you say that, Nitpick? Sugarcoat’s intentions are pure!” The Scientist crossed her arms. “Also, Language!” “Now, now! Don’t need to be angry, Sparkle! This isn’t the first time this has happened, right?” Her friends nodded in agreement. “All of us when in bad mood tend to be really aggressive! And Bittersweet! You are safe here! No one here is going to neither complain with you nor give you nonsense lessons!” Sugarcoat clapped. “Vent away, my brother! Let the hate flow out of you!” “Suddenly I want my hate to flow through me.” “Oh, don’t be such a party-popper!” “What did you say, you stupid little troll?” She just smiled at him, giving him an open invitation to verbally attack her so she could retaliate. He didn’t take it. Instead, he spoke to the barmaid. “Adagio, we are ready to order!” “Of course! What do you wish to order, my favorite patrons?” “I want the Royal Salad with steamed chicken!” Blueblood said. “And three jars of lemonade for all of us, please! My treat!” “I kindly desire the Spaghetti a la Duchess! No meat, please!” Reem said. “BBQ steak without the bones!” Gilda said. “A classic Dazzle Hamburger with lots of fries!” Lightbulb said. “The Queen Potato Cake with extra white cream!” Sugarcoat said. “Tacos! Let Sonata surprise me once again!” “She’ll surely be delighted to hear that, Young Nitpick! And what about you, Miss Sparkle?” “Quesadillas!” “What specialty? “Natural! With lots of cheese!” “Ah… ok! I’ll see what I can do!” She made a reverence vow. “Please have a nice time while we prepare your orders!” And she left to the kitchen. “Wow! Adagio is so elegant! She almost sounds like Rarity!” Everyone laughed. “What?” “Nothing, Twilight! Just don’t say that in her face! She hates to be compared with people she doesn’t know!” Lightbulb expressed. “It’s of bad education as far as I know!” “I didn’t know about that! Thank you, Lightbulb!” “You’re welcome!” He looked at his friend with an impish glance. “So, how was the experience in working with the most popular and smartest girl on school, Bro?” “I can safely say that he had a great time with Sunset! You know how loved is she by everyone on the school! Everybody would feel blessed for befriending someone like Sunset Shimmer, the best girl in CHS!” Twilight's hands trembled with excitment. "She is so smart, nice, and gentle! The greatest friend of all!" She embraced his friend with tenderness while looking at everyone else. “Right, Nitty?” “Riiiight…” Twilght shuddered. “I suddenly felt that we aren’t in the same frequency!” “How could you tell that?” Reem said surprised. “I don’t know! It sounded… spooky!” Gilda and Lightbulb hid their chuckle with their hand. “I’m sure it’s your imagi- pfff - Imagination, Sparkle!” Sugarcoat smiled strangely. “Mmm… you are right! I have seen Nitpick and Sunset hanging around in a friendly manner this past week!” Twilight made a troubled face all of the sudden. “Nitpick, could please give me passage? I need to use the bathroom!” She whispered the last. He stood up quickly. “Thank you!” Twilight soon was in the bathroom. “THIS IS SO DELCIOUS!” Sugarcoat laughed while hitting the table. “What are you planning, brat!?” “I want you to be yourself around your new friend, that’s all!” “Or force you to do it!” Blueblood smiled while waving his hand. “Twilight needs a different approach!” “Sparkle needs to see the real you, Nit! It’s not enough for you to be honest with her when you can barely be yourself around her!” Gilda crossed her arms. “Sooner or later, you’re going to explode and make a bigger ruckus than the last time with Dash and that Spitfire girl!” “B-but-!” “Listen, Bittersweet! I grow sick and tired of your recent attitude by the minute! They are trying to make of you a goody-goody when you actually are-!” “A pain in the ass.” Nitpick completed. “An asshole would be more accurate.” Sugarcoat bluntly said with a dead pan expression. “But you must have seen her eyes! I can’t possibly act like my usual me around her!” “Then I’ll enjoy every single minute of your frustration when we talk wonders about Shimmer, while you, deep inside, burn in your inner, hellish nightmare!” Sugarcoat put her hand in front of him. It started to tremble in excitement. “I hope you dread! I hope you suffer!” She violently made a fist while chuckling with evil. “I hope CHS burns in hell!” She suddenly made a bright smile. “Also, I fulfilled my promise and told her the many times you and Heavensbane threw me in the trash bin!” “YOU ARE LYING!” “Nope, she is telling the truth!" Gilda added. "I also told her my little tale of how we met! She really was scared of what I said!” “I wonder if you’ll testify the truth of your past to her, Bittersweet! Will you deny your acts and be a goody-goody in her eyes?” She chuckled malevolently. “OR YOU’LL BECOME THE SCUMBAG I LOVE SO MUCH!? BWAHAHAHAHA!" She calmed herself quickly. "Also, Oakwood’s turn to tell her tale is next!” “Not you too, Reem!” Nitpick dreaded when the Victorian Noble nodded with a bright face. “You’ll pay for this, Sugarcoat! If words spread of this…!” “Oh, please! Sparkle won’t say a word because of her nature and we don’t backstab ourselves unless a good reason comes! Besides, who’ll sell us out to Shimmer? The silly dog who is staring at us with a curious look?” Everybody saw Spike with great curiosity. “Not happening!” Everybody said. “Shh! There she comes!” Lightbulb said. “This is why I don’t drink pineapple juice…” Sparkle said after taking her seat. “Miss Sparkle, I heard that you are intrigued to know about how we became such a group of diverse individuals!” “You way of talking is so lame!” “Stop your barking, griffonian commoner!” Gilda cracked her fists. “You really have a death wish!” “HMPH!” “Eh… right! Nitpick! Is it true that you threw Sugarcoat to the trash bin?” Everyone looked at Nitpick with curiosity. “…Ahahaha!” She patted Twilight several times on her back. “Gily and I were very childish back then! We somewhat regret doing that!” “Not really.” Gilda bluntly said. “EHEM! The point is that we are better than ever!” “And is it true that you were in a street fight?” “GILDA!” “What? I couldn’t leave out the important details! That day was cool and good for stress relief!” “I don’t think a good person would feel good about that! You really regret that, don’t you?” He clenched his teeth, made several spins with his head, and after several seconds of inner turmoil, he finally spoke. “NO! I enjoyed every moment of it!” Gilda smiled at his honesty. “What!?” “What my beloved friend is trying to tell you is that during that stage of his reckless life, he enjoyed that! Past tense! But no more, for you must glance at him for what he is today! The pinnacle of a good friend! Well, at least for me that is true!” Reem said calmly, much to Sugarcoat’s displeasure. Nitpick thanked her with warm eyes. “Yes! Just as Reem says!” “With that, my turn has arrived, Miss Sparkle!” The doors of the kitchen opened. A little cart with the meals for the seven clients was served in an instant. Aria Blaze served the glasses filled with cold lemonade to each customer, giving a small grin while at it. “Enjoy!” She made a reverence and leaved to the kitchen. Blueblood took a bite of his meal. “Magnificent!” Everybody started to dig in, enjoying every single moment of their meal. “So ’Nom Nom’, Miss Reem! How did you become friends with one another?” The Noble stared at the candles of the table, their light enlightening her mind, sailing to the deepest recesses of her memory. “It was a pleasant evening, much like this one!”