//------------------------------// // Break Down // Story: I just wanted to go to Equestria! // by Ditz //------------------------------// “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” and it turns out I STILL can’t believe it while I walk down the hall, observing myself being observed by the officers around me, if that makes any sense... which it probably doesn't. But yeah, did I mention prison? Never thought I would be coming here. I’m led into an empty room, and the officer accompanying me asks me to wait there, so I do as told. Taking a seat in what I can only imagine as an interrogation room… with drawers, and a coffee machine. I watch just about enough cop dramas to say I’m being dumb, though I guess it’s better than me knowing what the real deal is like, right? Though, I’m not able to take the sights for long as the door creaks open, and a familiar face enters the fray. “Morning, son,” Sunset's father greets me, holding a cup with the word ‘dad’ crossed out, instead stamped with a crudely written ‘Cap’n’ with a few hearts drawn around it. I avoid a comment about it as he beelines for the coffee machine, eagerly serving himself a cup. “Want some? You seem to need this more than me.” As if by command, I yawn, betrayed by my tired, sleepy body. “Maybe I can do one cup…” “Here,” he hands me his cup, and I can see even smaller letters reading ‘just kidding! You are stll dad #1!!’ and I can’t help let out a sad smile, ugh. I shake the thought away, focusing on the stream of smoke coming from the dark void that is the coffee, it’s almost inviting in a way. “Bottoms up,” I announce as I take a big gulp, and feeling like I just committed a terrible mistake as the bitterness of it attacks all of my senses, nearly making me spit it out. “Blech! This is not what I was expecting!” “Not even an ounce of sugar,” the old man says with a chuckle, grabbing the cup and adding a sugar cube to it. “Here, you can mix it up on the way. You don't want to be later for school, would you?” I follow after him, taking smaller sips from the cup. The taste isn’t quite as overbearing thanks to the sugar, but I have to admit the first gulp had the added effect of jolting me fully awake, though I’m sure this visit will do that just as easily… but, er, no more of that! I choose to keep my focus on the coffee, following Sunset's dad to the letter, keeping my eyes on the cup, watching the liquid slowly empty. Before I realize it, we come to a stop. We seem to be in a short hallway, doors serve as the only form of decoration. But none of them really matter more than the one right in front of me, and there is only one reason we’ve stopped here… I’m starting to regret the choices that brought me here. “We are here,” Sunset’s father says, validating my thoughts. “Now, care to tell me why you are doing this again? I appreciate all that you are doing for my daughter, but I feel an explanation is in order. Pulling more than a few strings just to do this.” I think it over for less than a second before I go ahead and say: “I can't, but if it’s any consolation, I’m really grateful for this.” He rolls his eyes. “You have five minutes.” Time is set, and I don’t waste any, heading inside before another exchange of words. The door closes right behind me, and I’m left on my own in the room. *Thud* *Thud* “Ah!” I flinch instantly, doing all I can to muster the courage to turn towards the noise. “I-I gotta do this, I’m on a time limit!” and just like a bandaid, I turn quickly, facing the source of the sound. Behind a glass window, I see the unmistakable shape of now ex-superintendent Chryssa, staring at me with tired eyes. She shows a Cheshire grin, pointing at the receiver on my end while picking up hers, and making a motion with her hands, pointing at a nonexistent watch on her wrist. “Let’s rip another bandaid,” I say as I sit down, hesitantly putting the receiver to my ear. She raises a brow as she begins to speak: “I expected to have visitors at some point, but never did I think I would be getting a visit from some kid,” her voice comes through the speaker. It’s clearly the voice I’ve come to occasionally remember, but I can’t help it if it sends a chill down my spine by just hearing it. “I-is that a bad thing?” I ask, managing to disguise a gulp. “Um,” she tilts her head, giving me a tiny smile. Her eyes look up as if thinking, her fingers playing with the phone, somehow able to twirl it between them with ease. Seconds later, she puts the receiver up to her ear again. “Not really. If anything, you are a more welcome visitor.” What does that even mean? Well, I might as well get the question out of the way now that she seems so friendly. “Tell me, do you know who I am?” Her smile disappears, exhibiting a more neutral look. “Of course I do, Mr. Lemon. There is no way I would forget one of the people responsible for my situation. Would you?” I nearly fall off my chair, her face having somehow appeared closer. “I, um, I guess not…” alright, she remembers me, though I can’t really say it's the same with her. That meeting is a blur to me after she tried to shoot me. Actually, Pinkie might be the only one able to tell me what exactly happened, given how most of what I know is from her. “Is that all you wanted to know?” Chryssa asks, looking bored. “I was woken up very early just to see you, it makes me wonder what sort of connections you have to get something like this done. Pretty impressive for someone as young as you.” “There is a reason I’m here!” I proceed to say. Surely, Sunset’s father wouldn’t be too happy if I ratted him out. “I’m here because I want to know…” the main question is in my head, but, since I have her in front of me now, I wonder… “I, um, want to know what you meant back then… yeah!” “Back then?” she questions, raising a brow. “Yeah, back then,” I dig deep, trying to recall the one conversation I had with her. “You mentioned ‘them’ whatever that vague thing means, and something about fifteen years ago!” “Nothing,” she suddenly says. “It means nothing.” “Huh?” I mumble, questioning what she is going for. “It was nothing. Did I stutter or something?” she asks me, daring me to question her logic. “What do you mean nothing? You almost shot me because of it!” I remind her, and angrily so. “A common misunderstanding,” she shrugs. “Come on!” whatever fear I may have had has now being replaced by downright frustration. “Please, Discord mentioned the same thing! It can’t be a coincidence!” For the first time since I entered the room, she gives me a shocked expression. “That name… interesting,” her brow furrows as she etches closer to the glass. “Alright, you seem to know more than you are letting on, but hell if what you find is what you may be expecting. Trust me, you won't get anything good out of this.” “Huh? So you DO know!” I state triumphantly, before realizing what she said. “Wait, what is that supposed to mean?” “Lemon,” she says my name calmly, in a noticeable change of tone. “It’s clear that you really didn’t know anything back then, so for all that’s worth, I’m sorry for wanting to shoot you. Now, all I’ll tell you is to stop whatever it is you are planning to do, it really isn’t anything you should concern yourself with,” she pulls herself back, sighing wistfully. “I’ve told my piece, now, have a good life—we’ll likely never see each other again,” before I can say anything in return, she puts the phone down, and walks off. “Wait, no! That’s not what I wanted to ask you about!” I shout, watching her being taken away by an officer waiting outside, even daring to wave me goodbye as she walks out of the room, leaving me truly alone, and lost. “I… wait, what did she mean by that? With nothing else to do, I’m promptly led out of the place. Sunset's father is telling me things as we walk, but I can’t really comprehend what he is saying, given how my head is filled with questions about this whole thing, though there is an obvious fact I can gather from all this: Chryssa knows who Discord is, and there is something more here that I’m not seeing. Just like that, I’m back outside and waving the guy goodbye, even if most of them are being dismissed by him reminding me not to talk about what he did for me (despite my best attempts at easing his worries) but in the end, he seems able to finally trust me, and I wave him a final goodbye, making my way back to the car waiting for me. “Hey!” I call as I get in the car, slamming the door shut for effect. “Ah!” yelps a surprised Flash Mac Driver, now conscious again. “Wha-I-No! I wasn’t sleeping! I don’t know what you are talking about!” “I didn’t say anything,” I shrug as I buckle up. “Huh?” Flash babbles, rubbing the sleep off his eyes. “Hold on, you didn't take a chance at a jab? Okay, what happened there? Did you find out anything interesting?” damn, he sure is perceptive. “Yeah, but…” I look at my phone, noting the time. “Maybe we should go, or we’ll be late for school.” “Who is up for another hour of driving? Not this guy,” Flash sighs as he starts the car. And as we drive back to the city, I tell Flash about Chryssa. This is the first time I even bother to tell anyone outside of Pinkie about it, but he seems to be taking it well enough given that the isn’t yelling at me, asking me why I hadn’t told him. But then again; he isn’t Trixie. “Guess that makes two lunatics who have attempted to shoot you, huh?” he laughs. Yeah, that’s about what I expected. “Didn’t get exactly the information you wanted, then?” “Certainly, I was expecting more than what I got,” I sigh, letting the seat back, and closing my eyes. Sleeping would be fine right about now, hell, it’s that, or looking out the window, but hell if I’ll see anything interesting in the indistinguishable fields of trees and grass. That being said, I don’t think I can even force myself to snore away right now. “So, that answers how Ms. Chryssa landed here,” he comments suddenly, likely addressing his own questions. “But did this even help you figure out the whole thing with Twilight?” “Twilight…” I say her name. A little angrily, I might add. He gives me a quick glance, something that I happen to catch as I open my eyes, right before he turns to focus on the road again. “You don't sound too thrilled,” he comments accurately, showing some surprise. “I mean, didn't you want to see her before? I never thought I would hear you talk about her with so much… disdain, maybe?” “You don’t know the half of it, Flash,” I comment, fuming at the mere reminder. “Exactly! All I know is that she is apparently a pony princess, and that’s literally it. That’s hard enough to believe, so you mind telling me what the heck is going on?” he finishes by asking... then again, he might be ordering me. “I mind,” I growl, putting the seat back in place. “But I figure I can tell you now, seeing how you did give me a ride all the way here.” He manages a laugh, shaking his head. “You are still paying me the gas, buddy.” Busted. “Well, anyway. It happened yesterday after we officially met…” ~~The day before~~ Disbelief is the first thing that fills my thoughts, almost by reflex. I mean, there is no way that this girl in front of me isn’t just Twilight, but THE Twilight Sparkle, right? But of course, I know it’s her. It helps that I’ve had to deal with weird shit for the past months (and I guess the talking Spike the dog doesn’t hurt either) “Ouch!” I hiss in pain, having pinched my cheek so suddenly. “What are you doing? Are you okay?” Twilight asks, seemingly perturbed by the random action. “Why did you do that?” To see if I didn’t just die and go to heaven? Or at least that’s what I want to say, but that isn’t exactly something I want to have her know, that would probably raise questions in more than one way. “Just to see if I’m dreaming all of this, it’s a bit surreal to learn something like that out of nowhere, you know?” Twilight’s lips arch sideways in a show of disapproval. “I can understand that, but you really didn’t have to do it, you know?” “S-sorry…”I apologize, turning away, and hiding the blush on my face. She is worried about me! Aaaaaaah! “Ahem!” Rarity exaggeratedly clears her throat, calling for our attention. “I don’t mean to interrupt… whatever this is, but maybe you should explain what’s going on, darling,” aaaand there goes the moment. Thank you Rarity, thanks a lot. “Right,” Twilight nods and turns to me once again. ”Since you are friends with everypo- er, I mean, EVERYONE here, and all,” she corrects herself quickly (and very cutely, I might add) She goes on to tell me how she lost her tiara/crown and how she is on a mission to retrieve it. I can’t help but being awed as she refers to the princess (likely Celestia) and the other ponies so casually, I mean, it’s normal for her, but it sure as hell isn’t to me. “Well, I'll definitely help if it's as important as you make it out to be,” I volunteer. I mean, even if there was a multiple choice answer to give here, all of them would be variations of ‘yes’. “But something is a little odd. You mentioned friends; how come they didn’t come with?” I ask out of curiosity... though, not exactly the one she would expect. “Couldn’t they have helped you find it?” “Ha-ha, about that,” Twilight laughs awkwardly, doing this really cute thing with her hair which should not be as easy as it looks for someone who had hooves just a day before. “The Princess said that it was up to me, and I can see why; it would only cause confusion… I mean, it would probably be weird to have five more girls struggling in… THESE,” she says, pointing at her feet. “Struggling?” I ask, and can't help but grin. “Don’t worry about it!” she replies, noticing my smile and shaking her head quickly. “A-anyway! Fluttershy found the crown, and confusing it for the one in their annual dance, gave it to the Principal here.” “A-about that…” Fluttershy surprisingly joins in, and eyes are all on her. “Um, I mean, T-Twilight was telling us about this before, b-but she never told us how she, um, lost the crown…” we all look at each other, likely with similar thoughts. "Really? You haven't told them?" I ask curious. And here I was expecting them to have all of the knowledge. "I mean, wouldn't it have been easier to explain early?" “Good point,” Twilight says, nodding in agreement. “But not much to say, really. I can tell you that somepony entered my room and attempted to steal the crown. She would have gone unnoticed, but thankfully, she was clumsy, and tripped on Spike on her way out.” “All in a day’s work… or is that night?” Spike adds proudly, and given his track record, I’m going to let him have this one. “So we went after her! Which is when she apparently went through that one mirror. Right, Twilight?” “… Yes, Spike,” Twilight answers, smiling as she rolls her eyes. “That's why we are here. We tried looking around for clues since yesterday, but we didn’t get too far… Thankfully, Spike convinced me to ask for help, which is when the girls invited me to this place to meet up!” she finishes, nuzzling the lucky dog. Even as I imagine the possibilities in my head, I find it hard to see the five girls believing some random, crazy girl's story... but then again, we have a talking dog alone who would likely have done the trick. Also, they are teenagers—they will believe anything 'cool'. “So, ‘her’, huh?” I say with finger quotes and all. “You know, you mentioned this ‘her’ but from the looks of it, you haven’t told anyone about whoever the hell this pony is, have you?” is this me insinuating she forgot? No, not at all—I’m flat out stating it. “Sorry! I was trying to think of a good way to introduce her, and…” she looks conscious about the decision, and after looking us over for a few seconds, she sighs in defeat. “… And I could probably do that better by getting straight to the point. Right.” Fixing her hat, AJ steps forward. “Just the name would be a good start.” “According to the Princess, her name is Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight starts with an intense tone, saying nothing else as she probably waits for our respon- “What!?” we all exclaim out loud, a silence-breaking chorus of disbelief further aided by the confusion in everyone's faces, and I’m sure I’m no different. Even Pinkie Pie who has been quiet this whole time appears just as shocked. “Wait, you all know Sunset Shimmer?” Twilight asks, appearing to be as lost, at least in her own way. “How do you know her?” “You see!” I speak first. I really don’t want the others to cut into how I’m explaining this, I get the feeling they won’t be too fair on the whole thing, even if they want to be. “Okay, how about we trade stories, it seems we need to catch up on some things.” I let her talk first, and I listen with bated breath as she tells me the very short story of a Sunset Shimmer: a pony with similar characteristics to the Sunset I know (bar pony features, of course) who was a prodigy under the princess' tutelage before Twilight was even a factor in the show proper. A pony who had become arrogant, and had decided to escape Equestria, going through the very same mirror Twilight had used to get here. "I hope that gives you an idea of who Sunset is," she says, taking a breath. I nod. "It does, but you see, here is the thing..." I follow up by telling her about Sunset. Being fair, I start off by telling her how she was the worst here in the school, how she apparently used others to do her bidding. Some of the girls almost jump in, but I cut through what they have to say by being louder, and further explaining how much she has really changed, and how much nicer she is. I'll end up regretting that later, but it'll be worth it. And as I finish, and the room is filled with the now recurring silence, I speak up first: “In other words, Sunset didn’t do it.” “Huh?” Twilight blurts out, probably taken aback by the quick response. “Excuse me?" “Come on! You really can't say she did it, she is a changed girl! I don’t know what you saw back there, but there is no way it was Sunset Shimmer—that’s what I’m saying,” I reiterate. "Besides, couldn't it have been a different Sunset Shimmer? I mean, you are standing in a room with different versions of your friends, right?" Her brow furrows, and she moves closer to me. “I’m sorry, but I’m certain that the Princess of an entire country wouldn’t be wrong about a student of hers like that. Much less when she looks like Sunset does! Besides, you just explained how she used to be mean spirited before. What makes you think she wasn't the same? What if she was lying?" Applejack nods. "And Ah' can't say I've seen, much less met a gal that looks like her at all," she adds further, then turning to the other girls. "How about y'all?" to my chagrin, everyone shakes their heads. “W-well...” I reply poorly, trying to form an argument. ANYTHING. Make Twilight understand. “I mean, that may be. But what if you are wrong? What if CELESTIA is wrong? She is always wrong!” Twilight shakes her head in disbelief. “What!? Are you actually ser- wait, what was that name you just uttered?” Oh, fuck. “Um… i-isn't that her name? I was just guessing! T-that’s what I mean! And I mean, I'm probably wrong, er, just like Sunset! Who changed, and got better!” um, why isn't she laughing?! Oh god I don’t think I got brownie points out of that. “Alright you two, cut that out!” Applejack butts in, pushing us away from each other. “You two just met and are already going at it like a married couple!” she turns her back to me, facing Twilight. “Tell me, are you sure that the person you saw is Sunset Shimmer?” “Yes,” Twilight replies without hesitation, her eyes still focused on me, her mind clearly racing to find out what I’m hiding—knowing Twilight, that’s probably what she is thinking right now. "Whatever the case, the Princess referred to her by name alone (and some pictures certainly helped) so I'm willing to suspect she might be the one." “B-but, it can’t be her! As someone who has been around her as much as I have, I can say that can’t be true… can it?” dammit. Even when talking, I’m doubting my own words. But there is no way in hell I’m backing down from this now. It just can't be true. “Lemon, darling,” Rarity speaks, softly rubbing my shoulder. “I won’t lie and say that I haven’t seen a change in Shimmer as of late, but you can’t possibly rule out the possibility, can you?” “You too?” I ask almost in disbelief, but looking over to the others, they seem to share her thoughts, turning away from me as if to avoid giving me an answer. Well, all except for Pinkie, who is just looking down instead, avoiding everyone. “Okay, let’s just for a moment say that I believe you. What’s the plan for Sunset, and to get the crown back for that matter? Do you even have one? I bet you don't!” “Rarity, Rainbow Dash and I will be entering to compete to become the princess of the fall formal,” Twilight gets right to the point. "It's not a perfect plan, but between the three of us, I'm sure we'll have a chance." Dash then, grinning like the cocky jerk she is, literally jumps in between us. “And Sunset? She will come to us since she LOVES to win these things. She’ll probably show up to the formal to try to steal the crown, and we’ll get her!” she explains, pounding her fist against her hand, unable to read the current mood, clearly. Nodding, Twilight gives me a look. “Satisfied?” “I…” I want to argue, but that plan isn’t half-bad. “Well, fine! Er, maybe I can help! I can probably get Sunset, and we can ta-" "No," Twilight wastes no time in cutting me off. "Don't worry about anything, we won't be needing your help for this plan. “What!?” I ask the most valid question ever. “You said literally minutes ago I could help!” “Correction,” she speaks nearly instantaneously. “You offered your help, but I never said it was necessary,” "I mean..." h-hold on, is she trying to keep me out of this? “And you can go, we can handle it from here," she totally is! “I…” I’m out of words to say. She probably thinks I'm with the 'Sunset' she is looking for! They all probably do. It’s clear that whatever trust Twilight had in me is pretty much gone, though at this point, I’m really not in the right to think she isn’t allowed to, given my slip-up… but that doesn’t mean I have to like it, or for that matter, like her. Never expected to think those words before. But even as the other girls seem to doubt me, I know someone who always has my back... and it's probably a good time to finally talk to her. “Pinkie Pie! Do you think we can ta-” “I said you can go,” Twilight interrupts, giving me the most unapologetic glare ever conceived. “Is there anything else you need?” “I’m talking to my friend, if that's alright with you, ‘your majesty!'” I answer without holding back the anger in my voice. We stare into each others eyes for a moment before she simply turns away, talking to one of the girls. I don’t bother to listen as I carefully drag Pinkie outside the room, going far enough from it that I’m sure enough that Twilight can’t hear us. “I’m sorry for dragging you like that, Pinkie, I just…” I fumble with my words, I wasn't exactly thinking when I did this. "Did I hurt you?" “You said we were just friends?” she finally speaks, though the question wasn’t one I expected. Or even really needed right now. “I’m sorry!” I can barely think, forcing the words out. “It's weird enough as it is, I didn’t want to make it weirder by her knowing that I’m practically dating one of her friends!” “Ok,” she replies, nodding once, keeping to herself (or as much as she was back inside) From the looks of it, she doesn’t seem to have gotten better since this morning. It just KILLS me to see her like this, unable to run her mouth like she always does, and happy and worry free as Pinkie Pie should always be. “Pinkie, look,” I try to say, grunting as a headache is coming up. “I’m still fuzzy on this whole thing! It happened way too fast… c-can you come with me? I need some air. Maybe we can talk better outside.” “I can’t,” she replies sadly. “I can’t just leave my friends alone in my room… but, maybe we can tomorrow? We can probably talk all we want, right?” I'm not sure if her words are a suggestion or a question, but she grants the tiniest of smiles as she says it. “Tomorr- oh!” the Formal that had since slipped my mind returns with full force, it's happening tomorrow! “Of course we can! Even at school I-I’ll be all ears. And let's not forget the Formal! We'll dance until I actually learn how to!" Pinkie Pie doesn’t reply, letting her nod say all that she needs to convey. She forces another smile and plants a short kiss on my cheek, walking off and back to her room. She turns towards me again for a second before heading back inside, slowly closing the door, what feels like an eternity having passed when it finally clicks shut. … “What the fuck just happened?” Pained, angry, confused; it’s all in the mind. I want to scream out loud as I leave the place without even a goodbye. Then again, I’m sure it would have been awkward as hell for both of those things. “… And now, I have to walk home, ugh…” I complain. Even in my worst of days, walking is still the one that really shines through even the worst of the crap pile. “I can change that,” a voice calls, making me turn to see Flash standing on the other side of the street, waiting outside his car. “You up for a ride?” “Fucking… yes!”I chuckle, nearly thanking whatever holy being is watching over me. I say nearly, because its track record hasn’t been too great. Try harder, asshole. Flash joins me, quickly starting the conversation alongside his car: “You don’t look too hot buddy, something wrong?” “Too difficult to even start, maybe later,” I struggle to respond, but not because I don’t want to tell him, it’s mostly due to the jumbled state my mind is in. I can barely even concentrate on it. “I understand,” he says with a few nods, thankfully not delving into my weird day. “So, actually!” I begin, trying to keep the mood from getting all awkward. “How did you find me? I don’t think I told anyone I would be coming, did I?” “You didn’t,” he responds without effort. “I was here to, um, buy a shake!” he continues with much less finesse. “Actually, you were inside, so… did you see Twilight there?” “… Yes,” I reply, resisting the urge to lie, I mean, it’s not like anything strange actually happened! “And it just turns out that Twilight is a pony princess from another world, so, how was your day?” yup, nothing strange. The car quickly comes to a stop, and Flash wastes no time by giving me a perplexed look that’s enough to give me the chuckles. “Don’t laugh! I… what?” he babbles, trying to form a coherent sentence. “Y-you aren’t kidding, are you?” “Nope,”I shake my head.“And I don’t want to go into a full summary here, but I’ll tell you later for sure.” “I..." he gulps a mouthful of air, breathing in and out for a couple of seconds. "Of course y-you are!” he seems perturbed, possibly struggling to digest my words. “I-I don’t know what to say.” “How about ‘I don’t believe you?’” I suggest. “Seriously?” he asks, his voice deepening into a harsher tone that I don’t hear often. “Lemon, there is around a year in high school that is difficult to remember when I dated Sunset, then a man tried to shoot us when we said ‘Discord’ at him before he went into some random debate with himself... I’ve dealt with my share of strange things, but this one seems to take the cake,” he ends with a forced, but clearly friendly grin. I grin right back, thankful for that. “Glad you do, but there is something that bothers me.” “You mean other than the fact that there is a pony among us?” Flash asks, clearly goading me into telling him. Nice try. “No. I just thought about this, but I still don’t get why none of you could recognize Twilight, she looks exactly like our Twilight minus the glasses," and the ponytail... why is that my first thought about it? “C-couldn’t tell you,” he answers, suddenly nervous for some reason. What’s with the change in tone? “So, what’s our move, then?” “… Frankly? I just want to go home,” I say honestly, feeling my headache pulsating without remorse. “I’ll think about it later.” “Fair enough,” he thankfully agrees, starting the car again. “Thanks,” I close my eyes as he drives, trying to push everything aside… but miserably failing. Well, fine! My brain thinks of the Twilight I met, the jerk who tried to blame her missing crown on Sunset, and the one who for some reason, everyone else failed to recognize! It’s weird! And it shouldn’t have to be weird! If only there was someone I could ask about this stuff. Someone who didn't fit the mold! Someone who is strange, even in terms of this world alone. But who? Who could it b- “Oh my god!” I scream, jumping on my seat and bumping my head on the ceiling of the car. “Ah! Fuck! Grr…” I curse, but I put aside the need to nurse it to turn to Flash. “Flash! I-I have an idea! It’s a stretch, but I think I know someone who might have some answers!” “O-okay,” he falters, trying to answer in spite of my possible pained look. “What is it?” “Tell me… you ever wanted to go to prison?” ~~Present Day~~ “I still hold that that was a stupid way to ask me to take you,” he states while I finish. Ouch, by the way. “It’s all I had,” I answer sadly, running my conversation with Chryssa in my head over and over. I didn’t only learn nothing of what I wanted, but she acted super cryptic, not to mention she seemed worried. But why? Why would she have to be? Does it have something to do with that event that happened twenty years ago? Why wouldn’t I like what I find? “Damn it! What the hell does it all mean!?” “I don’t know,” Flash sighs, suddenly turning the car into the school’s parking lot. We seem to have made it on time, with a good chunk of minutes to spare. “Having a pony-girl is one thing, but two? And Sunset being suspected as one of them? And then we have next to nothing in information… so what's our take? What are you planning to do?” “Huh?” I ask, looking confused at Flash’s question. “What do you mean?” “I mean, is this it? Was Ms. Chryssa the only person you could have asked for info?” he rephrases the question. "Is there someone else we could talk to?" “Well, the only other person is Discord, and…” I shake my head quickly, pushing that idea out for the mere stupidity of the mention. “No. Even if we could, he would likely not tell us anything—he wasn’t exactly stable.” Flash turns off the car, turning to face me with a serious, yet worried stare. “Are you going to give up, then?” “Give up,” I repeat. Like, the thought had entered my head. The fact that Twilight is even here is something I haven’t come to full terms with. And sure, Sunset is being somehow involved in this, I can't really say she is innocent: my last meet-up with her before we became friends was more than a little confusing. If only... “Oh, wait!” “What?” Flash asks, looking hopeful. “Did you think of something?” “I have Sunset’s number!” I state, pulling out my phone. “I can just as easily call her! And even watch her, you know? For something suspicious and all that.” “Right…” Flash says slowly, and his tone doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. And regarding Flash? That’s saying something. “What? Got something to say?” He shakes his head. “Nothing bad, I swear! But wasn’t the reason you didn’t even call her because you were suspicious?” “I, um…” was that the reason? I mean, I trust Sunset, right? But if I really did, why didn’t I reach out to her? Maybe I was being a total jackass? Or… “I think it just, er, slipped my mind while I was thinking about this mess? Ha-ha…” “Mhmm,” Flash snorts, holding back his laughter. “G-go for it, call her” he urges me, holding his hand over his mouth. Never have I felt the urge to punch myself in the face as much as I do now. “S-shut up! I’m on the phone!” I tell him with fruitless results. So I turn away to focus on the call. She should be picking up anytime no- ‘I’m sorry, I’m currently not available. But, you can leave a message after the be- *beep* I hang up. Worry intensifying. “She didn’t answer…” “Is that bad?” Flash asks hesitantly. “You could just call her again, right?” “She always answers,” I reply, because that’s no exaggeration. She has always been able to answer my calls without fail, and sure, it can be a coincidence, but I can’t help but have a bad feeling given the circumstances. “Come on, maybe she is inside. And if she isn’t, I’ll just call her d-*Riiing* Hello!?” I answer instantaneously. “Lemon, right?” Sunset’s distorted voice comes from the receiver, and I nearly drop my phone in my intense relief. I’ve never been so happy to hear her voice. “Hellooo?” “Yes, it’s me! Are you alright, Sunset? Did something happen?” I ask quickly, Never have I held my phone so hard before. She is silent for a second before responding: “Y-yeah! I’m doing well. I dropped my phone and missed your call! Is something wrong? You sound fatigued.” Of course that’s what happened. I nod at Flash, hoping my vague message reaches him while I’m on the phone. “No. Nothing! I just wanted to know if I would see you at school today! Is all…” I explain weakly. More silence before she even speaks. “… Don’t I always?” Good point.”Right! We do! I was just worried, I guess.” “Riiight… Oh! And I’ll be a little late. I’m going to a doctor’s appointment with dad,” she explains, awkwardly fidgeting with the device, if the sounds I hear are to be believed. “Another one of those, huh?” I proclaim, feeling a bit annoyed. Doctors always make me feel uneasy. But, I wonder why her father didn’t say anything? Would have expected him to tell me since I was there. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be there by second period, okay?” she assures me, and from there, the call goes off without a hitch. After a few more pleasantries, it’s all said and done, and I hang up with a sigh of relief, letting the world know everything is still okay. “I assume everything went well?” Flash chuckles. “Yeah,” I answer wearily. “But…” of course, not everything is alright. I mean, sure, there is the pony Twilight that I should be thinking about, but I honestly can’t care about that as much, given there is one other thing that I’m more concerned with: finally talking to Pinkie Pie. … Fast-forward to lunch, and classes definitely happened in the interim. Maybe? They sorta flashed by. They lose their importance when you have a lot of things on your mind, so I’ll just say I was there. But more importantly, it all goes to the backburner when you have to go talk to your seemingly depressed girlfriend about potentially bad stuff. “Lemon?” Sunset calls me, walking alongside me to the lunch room. Thankfully, she seems to be okay and not the evil bitch that Twilight had pointed her out to be. But hey, I already knew that. “Have you had any luck?” “… No,” I answer defeated. And wanna know what’s worse than having to have a talk with your seemingly depressed girlfriend? Getting no response from said girlfriend. So, I keep looking at my phone, checking through the multitudes of messages I’ve send to Pinkie since this morning for something I might have missed, but no luck. “Aargh! If only she’d tell me what’s her deal!” “I-I’m sorry?” Sunset mutters weakly. Damn it, I’m not doing anything, and even Sunset is reacting poorly! Can’t I catch a break? We arrive at the lunch room an- “Fuuuc-, I mean, friiick?” I curse loudly at the sight of seeing Pinkie Pie not on her own in the usual spot, since Trixie, Rarity, Dash, and the unwelcome inclusion of one Twilight Sparkle are sitting with her. I think I almost popped a blood vessel with that, ugh… Ignoring the onlookers (as well as the teachers who happened to see my near slip-up) I make my way through the rows of tables, keeping my eyes on Twilight who doesn’t even acknowledge me, but that might be since she is talking to the others; including one Trixie who sits awkwardly across her, lazily poking her food from what I can see. What’s Twilight planning? I arrive at the table with lunch in hand, and we finally lock eyes. Our feelings towards one another haven’t changed if her stare is anything to go by, her eyes glimmering in her focus, much like a flame. But I don’t let that faze me as I sit next to Trixie. “L-Lime!” she swiftly whispers to my ear. “She i-” “I know,” I whisper back to her. “I’ll explain later, okay?” she appears to take my word for it and visibly relaxes. “Very well, but Trixie expects answers,” she whispers before getting up. She steals a last glance towards Twilight, and she is off. “Hmm,” Twilight hums to herself, watching Trixie be on her way. I guess it’s strange to see a ‘nice’ Trixie, even after her so-called redemption in the show. Wait, there is no time to waste on thinking that! Whatever Twilight has in mind is none of my business. So I shift my focus to Pinkie Pie who sits at the opposite end of the table, who badly enough, still holds the saddened face she has been showing since yesterday. I gotta ta- “I’m sorry if this is out of left field, but, do I know you?” Sunset suddenly asks Twilight, catching me completely by surprise. Crap! I had forgotten that Sunset was with me! This is a ‘my bad’ of epic proportions! I gotta st- “Maybe?” Twilight responds innocently enough, looking between me and Sunset. “I’m sorry, I nearly forgot to introduce myself,” looking at her hand for a second, Twilight extends it towards her… … While I watch Sunset reciprocate with a smile in return. Oh no, I got- “Nice to meet you,” Sunset says nicely, shaking Twilight’s hand… what do I do!? They are going t- “I’m Twilight Sparkle.” “Sunset Shimmer!” “Ah!” I yelp, putting my head down. Doing the best to avoid the explosion that’s to come. … Um… any minute now. … Right… now! … “Okay, what?” I raise my head in annoyance, wondering why there hasn’t been an explosion... just to see everyone staring at me with weird looks on their faces. “Um… what are you looking at?” “You. Idiot,” Rainbow says, arms crossed and the whole shebang. “What’s with the girly scream?” “I-I…” I turn to stare at Twilight, expecting to see the suspicious look I had come to know her for these past hours. But instead, I’m given nothing of the sort. She only stares, a surprised expression in return for my worries, all while Sunsets gives way to troubled eyes, looking back to mine. “I’m confused…” “Lemon?” Sunset calls my name, placing her hand over mine. “Are you alright?” “I am, well…” it’s all I can say in return. My brain hurts. “Whatever is the matter, Lemon? You don’t look so good,” Rarity asks as well. Not helping! “Nothing! I’m alright,” why didn’t Twilight say anything? Why isn’t she freaking out? Why isn’t she trying to probe Sunset, or whatever magic thing that horse people can do to find out she is supposedly lying? Anything! “You need to calm down, grumpy-pants!” the voice is enough to garner my attention, and I turn to look at Pinkie Pie, who gives the gift of smiles in my general direction. “Someone is looking a little sick! You need someone to take you to the nurse, Mr. Patient!” “I-I guess I do, huh?” I answer, taking the bait gladly. “Who knows? Maybe I just need to rest…” as I get up, I remember Sunset, who would have to be left behind with Twilight and the others. “Sunset! I…” “I’ll be fine, go get yourself checked,” Sunset answers confidently. I can't help but feel a little proud about that. “Feel better, okay?” “Y-yeah,” is all I can bother to say while Pinkie grabs my forearm and leads me away and out of talking range. I keep my head down, avoiding everyone’s looks as I’m led out of the room, and then into the hall. This is all done while in complete silence, I must add. We turn into a dead-end hall. I notice the lights on the ceiling flicker constantly, the bulb above us struggling to stay on, but failing in doing its job and flickering off, back in its cycle. “We made it,” Pinkie says as we come to a stop, letting go of my arm. “T-thank you,” I take a breather, able to finally relax after that weird fucking scene. But more importantly; finally having some alone time to talk to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie! Finally, we’ll be able t-” my attempt at interrogating is quickly interrupted when I see that her mood has shifted once more to full sadness. “P-Pinkie Pie? What’s wrong?” My heart breaks, her face momentarily hidden by the flashing lights, making it difficult to distinguish. From what I can gather, it’s almost as if Pinkie is almost unable to hold herself together. “Lemon… do you like me?” “L-like you?” it’s a question that catches me by surprise. Not to mention it's a question that I didn’t expect her to ask after what we've been through. I almost trip by the mere mention. “W-what do you mean?” I ask, in the hopes I didn’t hear her correctly. “Do you like me?” she repeats the question. Okay, I definitely heard that. “Pinkie, look,” I feel like I’m treading on old grounds here… at least it’s what I want to say, but that would be belittling her issue. “Of course I do! You are Pinkie Pie! I love you! You know that, right?” To my utter distraught, her expression doesn’t change any. To make matters worse, she closes her eyes as she tries to speak: “Lemon, I…” “Found you!” Pinkie and I both jump in surprise, noticing Trixie, who has appeared at literally the worst of possible times. “Finally! Trixie takes her eyes off you for a second, and you disappear. Now, can you explain what’s going on? Twilight didn’t recognize me! And Trixie isn’t backing down until an explanation is heard!” “Trix!” Pinkie utters excitedly, her earlier facade back on—because clearly, that’s all it is. “Trixie…” I feel like screaming, but that would be a jerk move. It’s not like she did it on purpose. “Okay. See, here is the thing…” even with my mind in shambles, I proceed to fill Trixie in as to what’s happened, trying my best to be concise. That being said, the process leads me to tell her about my visit to prison, and me and Pinkie’s, well, ‘escapade’ during Nightmare Night last year. “What!?” Trixie responds, reaction expected. Though I have to give her credit for waiting until I finished explaining. “I can’t believe I missed that! I would have helped you! And why if you got hurt!?” “Spilled milk,” I answer. It seems to be enough to let her back off, but I feel she will bring it up if we are ever alone together. “Trixie still can’t believe this Sparkle is a completely different person! How could I (being me) be fooled by her act of misdirection!” Trixie exclaims in an exaggerated way. Well, at least she isn’t mad anymore. “She wasn’t trying to,” I say, annoyed that I have to defend her. “But I am confused as to why Twilight didn’t react to Sunset’s name…” “Trixie would have!” Trixie cuts me off. “I knew that giving Shimmer a chance was a terrible idea!” “Trixie!” I cut her off. “We still don’t know if Sunset was really the one who made this all happen. What if she was being set-up? Again, the whole issue involves Twilight.” "Then we'll ask her!" Trixie tosses the idea... ...which I quickly catch by the sleeve. "If she were lying, she wouldn't be telling us anything by even asking her. Besides, it doesn't solve my question regarding Twi-" “She knows,” Pinkie speaks up. “Sorry, what?” I turn to her, my attention intrigued. “What do you mean, Pinkie?” “Twilight…” she tries to say, but clears her throat loudly before continuing with a louder voice. “Twilight knew! She saw Sunset Shimmer earlier today and I told her who it was!” “You did!?" I ask confused. "But if you did that, they why..." wait a moment… what did Rainbow say yesterday? “And Sunset will come to us since she LOVES to win these things. She’ll probably show up to the formal to try to steal the crown, and we’ll get her!” “Lime?” I feel Trixie poking my shoulder. “Did you discover something?” I nod, the thought slowly taking shape as I prepare to speak. “Twilight is doing it on purpose! She wants to catch Sunset stealing the proverbial crown!” “Ding, ding, ding!” Pinkie chimes in. “You got it!” “Hmm,” Trixie hums, playing with her hair as she mulls over my words. “Alright, but why?” Good question. Why? “Ah, well…” alright, so, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Okey dokey!” Pinkie exclaims loudly. “Boy, am I still hungry! Who is up for more food? Pinkie Pie is!” she says, doing a 180 and walking off. “Pinkie, wait!” I call out, though she seems to ignore me. I rack my brains for something to say but nothing… wait! “Pinkie! Will you still go to the formal with me?” it’s a last resort, but given how she has been doing her best to avoid being direct, that’s the best I got. “I…” she turns a little bit, and nods once, before suddenly running off. “I’ll meet you there, o-okay!?” I shout after her. Now, all I can do is expect her to have heard, and prepare before then… “Dammit! Why does today suck so much!?” I feel like I’m at my limit. The combination of crap things happening at the same time just making me want to just tell everything to fuck off. “Lime,” Trixie whispers, holding my arm with her own. It’s a strange show of sympathy that she doesn’t show too often, but… I’m really thankful she is doing it. “What do I do, Trixie?” I ask, though I expect no response. I feel like my world is crumbling, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. "Pinkie is just..." Trixie tries to speak, but doesn't get too far. Of course, she really has nothing to say, and she simply lays her head on my shoulder; a welcome gesture that replaces the constant worries in my head, even if a little bit. But just then, the lights flicker rapidly, until unceremoniously, they go out in a fizzle, and flicker no more.