What Separates

by Zurock

Chapter 8: Division

An actual bed was a relatively low priority but probably something that should be invested in since James would be around for the foreseeable future. He was moving about some of the pillows he had been given, trying to adjust his makeshift bed. It wasn't the worse sleeping arrangement he has ever had to endure, but after that night in Canterlot he was reminded of how much of a relaxing pleasure a simple, well-made bed could be. Floors, chairs, couches, and piles of pillows can let you sleep, but there's something about good, soft beds that lets you rest.

During his shuffling, Twilight came over dragging along a stack of three books through the air. She set them down on a nearby table. "I brought a few books. I think these will be a good place to start as far as reading material goes. At least until I can make a more comprehensive list of books."

James set aside the pillow he was holding and picked up the small pile of books, looking through them. There was "The Tourist's Guide to Ponyville" and "A Brief History of Equestria" which both sounded pretty self-explanatory. It was the third book which stood out. The binding was different, being much more brightly colored in a warm red with a dusty golden design embossed on, far from the other tomes' plain brown and gray. The title was "Shadow of a Pony's Heart".

"It's a fantasy piece. A work of fiction," Twilight explained when she saw him studying it more than the others. "It's a few decades old now, but it's certainly a classic. One of my favorites. I've probably read it a dozen times." She shifted her voice into a grandiose narration, setting the stage as if it were a play. "A mysterious figure, the Dreadful Dark Stallion, is slowly consuming Equestria, town by town, in shadow. A young filly, optimistic yet clumsy, sets out from home against her parents wishes to try and discover why. She meets and befriends a whole cast of characters along the way to learn the truth and stop the shadow's spread." She returned to normal. "It's a really good story."

He rotated the books through his hands, looking them over again. "Alright. Thank you. I'll get started on them the first opportunity I get," he acknowledged, setting them back aside on the table. The reference books made a lot of sense but he wasn't sure what made her pick the third one. This wasn't a book club. Still, the library had a tremendous amount of reading material and he had no idea where to remotely begin so he was thankful for the recommendations. He turned his attention back towards his temporary bedding.

But Twilight didn't depart. "I thought... we might spend some time talking again," she said hesitantly.

"About what?" he asked, looking back at her.

Twilight wrestled with the specifics in her head before answering. "Maybe we could just pick up the conversation from last night. The casual side," she gently offered. There might be a time at some point in the future to revisit the more grotesque topics, but she didn't want to touch them right now. Besides, there were a few things she wanted to mention which she wasn't completely sure how he would take them.

For James, the first long discussion they had, particularly after breaking through the more stressful topics, had actually been very enjoyable. The nature of it somehow held that kind of relaxing charm which comes from meeting and catching up with an old friend you hadn't seen in some time, even though all they talked about revolved around ideas, experiences, and people (or rather, ponies) that were new to him in this world. It was edifying, in a way. However, their recent disagreement was still fresh in his mind. He couldn't help but feel like she might try to approach that again, and he didn't want to deal with it now if possible.

"Not tonight," James said. "It's been a long day. Besides, if we're going to leave early tomorrow to help Fluttershy, we shouldn't stay up."

"Oh," Twilight responded, greatly disappointed. She lingered a moment longer, unsure, before finally turning away. "Well, good night then," she said a little dismally, walking off.

"Good night." He was faint in his reply. When she had gone he looked back at the pillows and blankets but wasn't really focusing on them. He idly moved some about in a random fashion before stopping and sighing. He grabbed the books Twilight had set down and moved "Shadow of a Pony's Heart" to the bottom of the stack.

---

As Twilight, Spike, and James arrived at Fluttershy's cottage they could see two of the others had already made it as well. They were outside in front waiting for everyone to show up, already engrossed in conversation. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were hearing the story straight from the pegasus' mouth, which meant only Applejack and Rainbow Dash weren't present. After a mutual greeting between the respective parties of three, Pinkie Pie was quick to assure everypony that the remaining two said they would be coming.

"Hopefully they'll be here in a few minutes," Twilight said. "Once everypony is here we can talk specifically about what we'll be doing."

Flapping her wings softly to take off into the air, Fluttershy said, "I'll go get my little friends ready." She drifted away towards the new, freshly constructed pens where the displaced animals were staying.

Meanwhile, Rarity was choking with embarrassment upon seeing James again in her incomplete work. She couldn't shut off the creative part of her brain that was endlessly streaming out ideas for what it should look like, but having had the work cut out from under her had demolished most of her drive to start at it again. Maybe time would give her the initiative to begin anew after awhile, but right now it was just a reminder of the unsung possibilities.

Bounding with energy and bearing a knack for goat getting, Pinkie Pie of course wasted no time asking about it. "I like your clothes!" she told James merrily, immediately following with, "Where'd you get them?"

He pointed at Rarity with one hand while holding the bottom of the shirt out a little to show it off, praising the quality her work. However, when the seamstress saw him pointing in her direction, she knew immediately she was being fingered as the guilty party in this criminal display of unfinished fashion. Pinkie Pie's chuckling just sealed the deal. There would be no escape from this tragedy.

"This is really different than most of the other stuff you've made that I've seen, Rarity," Pinkie Pie said, giggling at the contrast which stuck out in her mind. "But I like the green a whole lot. And the gold! And the sapphires. And the-"

"Okay, I get it, Pinkie," Rarity gratingly responded.

"Just wanted you to know!" the effervescent pony sang out before going quiet and smiling intently.

Fluttershy was kneeling down low to the ground, speaking softly to the host of animals she had gathered. James was curiously watching the way she seemed to directly speak to the animals and also the way the animals in turn seems to almost respond back to her. These were some of the wild animals that lived in the outskirts of the forest? A special talent for working with animals, that's what Twilight had said... this scene added a lot of color to the image she had been trying to paint before. About how ponies and animals can work together. He had never seen a person really commune with animals this way. Even with his own rabbits which he had gotten close to, you had to occasionally drag them kicking into something they didn't want to do and no amount of calmly talking to them changed that.

Turning to Twilight, James asked, "What's the basic plan?"

She tensed up. "We really should wait for everypony to arrive before we discuss the plan of action," she said evasively. "No sense in explaining it twice. They'll be here soon I'm sure."

Spike cackled, "Are you sure Rainbow Dash will be here and isn't sleeping in right now?"

"Please, Spike, Rainbow knows how important this is," Twilight reproved him. "She'll be here."

Rarity couldn't dismiss Pinkie Pie's smile as it gleamed continuously in the corner of her vision. Every time she tried to just ignore it she would only wind up thinking about more ideas for her abandoned work. When she moved to block that, her friend's pressing smile took stage again. And no matter what, Pinkie Pie wouldn't stop complementing the stupid clothes. "Whhhhaaat, Pinkie?" Rarity grumbled.

"It looks really nice!" the pink pony reiterated. "Maybe you could make one for me!"

"Erk! No, Pinkie, no," Rarity snapped in agitation. "I'm not going to make anot-" A different and more pleasant mental image immediately hooked her. "Well, you would look rather striking in the right shade of green. I could maybe add epaulettes to accentuate the c-" She suddenly slapped a hoof across her face and shook the train of thought from her head. "Ugh!" she cried out in exasperation.

Blissful and unaware, Pinkie Pie continued to cheerfully smile.

"Pinkie, darling, you're starting to step on my nerves a little," Rarity politely told her.

"Oh? I am?" She checked under her hooves, just in case.

"Yes," the tired unicorn complained. "Could you be a considerate dear and maybe just be a little teensy bit more quiet? I would really appreciate it right now."

Pinkie Pie gave the matter some serious thinking. "Hmmm, I don't know," she said. "I've been feeling less animated and more wordy lately. It might be really hard to not talk!"

"Oi..." Rarity sighed in submission.

---

After she heard somepony call her name, Applejack looked up to see a rainbow streak diving out of the sky. Rainbow Dash swooped in low, eventually slowing to a gliding pace alongside Applejack's steady trot, both on their way to Fluttershy's cottage. The farm pony had felt she had gotten a late start but from the dreary look in Rainbow Dash's eyes it was clear that everypony's favorite flier had just woken up and blitzed out the door. That speedy little pony had practically slept in as late as she could!

"Excited to get some work done, huh?" Applejack teased.

Rainbow Dash shook off the drowsiness and pulled some airborne stretches. "I'm awake!" she insisted. "Getting up early is nothing. Besides, this is going to be a flight in the park. I could do it in my sleep."

"Ha!" Applejack snorted. "I don't doubt we'll find you sleeping at some point during the middle of all this."

"What? No way," the pegasus confidently returned fire. "Looking for a few animals, roaming around the Everfree Forest. This is fillies' play. I could handle it all myself if I had to."

It was the usual bluster, but it kept Applejack upbeat. With Rainbow Dash that cockiness was typical so it was usually when she wasn't self-assured that you knew there was something to worry about. "Sure. Whatever you say, Rainbow," Applejack remarked with amusement.

The trail continued alongside the edge of the forest. They weren't very far from the cottage and they were moving at the brisk pace of a morning jog. A few more minutes and they would be there, provided there was no lollygagging on Rainbow Dash's part. They still slowed down a little bit, mutually realizing that they were probably going to be the last the arrive anyway.

Rainbow Dash decided to put a question out to her friend now, before the other ponies where around to hear. "Hey. I want to ask you something," she opened up in a sober tone.

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"Did you see that thing Twilight was dragging around yesterday?" Rainbow Dash asked. "The one in the stupid looking clothes."

"You mean Beanstalk?" There really was only one thing Applejack imagined she could be asking about, but it never hurts to be sure.

"Was THAT its name?" Rainbow Dash asked in surprise. It didn't ring any bells in her head, although she was sure she had heard Twilight mention a name. Maybe she missed it.

"Well, no, but see he's all up and no-" Applejack suddenly discarded the digression. "Look, what did you want to ask about him?"

Rainbow Dash harrumphed. "Him. Right. What do you think about him?" She stared off ahead, talking over to Applejack. "I don't know if I trust it. Him. Whatever. I don't know if I trust him being around Twilight like that."

"Well..." Applejack said in a long, drawn breath. "I reckon there's plenty reason to be suspicious and all."

"Yeah, I'll say!" the pegasus interjected in agreement, swinging a hoof to the side.

Applejack immediately cut back in so she could finish her thought. "But... Twilight did say that Princess Celestia has him staying here. And the little miss herself didn't seem so worried about it." She tried to make a coherent analysis of own her stance from that. "So... I guess I'm not too worried neither."

"Seriously?" her friend asked skeptically. "I mean, yeah, it looks like Twilight seems okay with it. But really?" Rainbow Dash shook her head in uncertainty. "You saw what happened back there in the field. That's what staying with Twilight. What if-"

"Oh, I saw it alright," Applejack hastily replied, withdrawing partially into her thoughts. "That's not the kind of thing that falls out of your head easy. I don't know if I'll ever forget it," she said in a low voice. "But still," she reasserted herself, "we can't really say we know a darn thing about him or what was going on. So maybe... maybe if Twilight's giving him some time to explain himself, we can too."

Rainbow Dash stared at Applejack for a moment, still slightly caught in disbelief, trying to gauge the sincerity of the pony's statements. Looking ahead and grunting again, Rainbow Dash unconvincingly mumbled to herself, "Yeah. MAYBE."

The orange mare wasn't sure what more she could tell her companion. "You're gonna have to make up your own mind, Rainbow. But give'm some time. There could be more to the stranger than we've seen."

"That's what worries me," Rainbow Dash grimly answered.

---

At Applejack and Rainbow Dash's arrival, everyone gathered in the cottage yard where several animal houses and pens were kept. Fluttershy was herding an assortment of creatures with her; the animals who had lost their homes in the disaster. They were mainly a wide mix of birds and small mammals, suited for forest life. The avian critters ran a rainbow of colors and a scale of sizes, from a hefty brown owl to a tiny red robin. The mammals were mostly a hodgepodge of rodents: chipmunks, squirrels, badgers, porcupines, and the like. Nestled amidst the mane on Fluttershy's head was the little young flying squirrel who couldn't find his parents, still lost and confused, clinging dearly to his only source of comfort. All of the animals were dutifully following her instructions and preparing themselves for the task ahead.

"Alright," Twilight confidently said, surveying the area. "Since everypony is here, Fluttershy can explain the situation in detail and lay out what we're going to be trying to do." She nodded over to her friend and stepped back to give the focus over to Fluttershy.

Timidly and with her head lowered, the pegasus came forward and began, "Well... three days ago, when that weird thing showed up in the fields where the river gets close to the forest... and it started going crazy... um..." She took a moment to observe all the displaced animals she had around her. Most looked at her expectantly and with hope, believing in her to make things right again. Fluttershy picked up her head and continued, "Whatever it was doing, it wrecked the edge of the forest around it and destroyed these poor creatures' homes. Now they have no place to live, and some of them have said their friends are still missing too. We need to search for spots in the forest where they can build new homes. Places where everything they need will be near and which also don't intrude on the nests and dens of other animals already living there." Several of the creatures moved in close to her, circling around her and creating a large group hug of faith and support. She shifted her eyes up as far as she could to try and look at the young one in her hair, not forgetting the other big responsibility they all had. "We also need to search in and around the forest ruins to try and find any of the lost animals and make sure they're not hurt."

Twilight moved back in to continue, "So, we're probably going to have to break into teams. Some of us will look for the missing animals and some will help the other animals get settled in new places." The gathered ponies, and dragon, and person, all looked at each other. Rainbow Dash especially stared at James with a discriminating eye. Twilight examined them all, considering how precisely to break things down. "I'm not sure how exactly we're going to split apart just yet. I'll spend a few minutes figuring that out. In the meantime, Fluttershy can tell you the specific details about the animals who are missing and what you'll want to know about the habitats we'll be looking for."

"Right," Fluttershy responded. She thought quickly to try and recall the most important details to deliver to her friends.

James looked over at the tree line of the forest. They wouldn't be entering here but presumably heading over to the original site of his dimensional entry first. The forest was still dark and foreboding, a stark contrast to the inviting, warm design of the cottage right next to it. What really waited in the forest, in the wilds of that place?

Spike was attentively listening to Fluttershy when Twilight pulled him aside. She whispered to him, "Spike, could you stay here instead of going with us? If we're going to be splitting up then someone should remain here to serve as a point of contact. You could also watch over Fluttershy's animals while we're out."

"Oh. Okay. Sure, Twilight," he replied. He was willing to go into Everfree Forest with them, but he wasn't particularly keen on the idea. It was relieving to have a good reason not to go.

Next, she went over to James to drag him aside. "Can I talk to you about something?" she asked. Her was voice was shaky and her approach slightly apprehensive.

He nodded, wondering what was on her mind that was making her uneasy. She lead him off to the side, out of earshot of the others.

"I meant to talk to you about this last night, but we didn't get a chance," she started. She nervously stole glances to the side. She knew exactly what she was going to say and and she also knew that he probably wouldn't like it. "I don't want you going into Everfree Forest. I'd rather you to stay here at the cottage. It's too risky going in."

"What?!" It hit him with surprise. She had made the danger sound fairly significant before and had said he shouldn't wander in there but that was before they found out about Fluttershy. He thought he was ready. He had to be. What sort of risk could it pose to him that he hadn't been in before? Threats to life and limb weren't new. Besides, what did it matter? What did he even have to lose? That's right, it didn't matter. He was taking responsibility and he had every right to help them fix the situation, whether they wanted that help or not. If a bunch of childish horses can handle whatever trolls and goblins were in there, he would probably be able to take care of himself. "I'm not afraid of some stupid forest!" he said angrily.

"I-it's not about that!" Twilight said as she winced. "You're just not familiar enough with things here. There's too much risk."

"Forget the risk," he said callously. "I can handle myself and help fix this mess."

Twilight tensed up. The memory of when she had first seen him, when he fought with the other man, flashed in her head. This hard edge really bothered her. They had spent time talking to each other and learning about each other but now she felt again like she didn't understand anything about him anymore. She shouldn't have let that conversation opportunity slip by last night. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Maybe this could have been solved then, without being so close to the moment now. Maybe he would have been more reasonable. He could be reasonable. He was before. For some reason he just wasn't being so right now. Maybe then... just maybe, being reasonable isn't the way to go in order to handle this...

She steeled her nerves and stood solidly. "You're not going," she said definitively. "Princess Celestia put you in my care and I'm not going back to her two days later to tell her that I let you get burned by a Fire Ant. You'll stay here and watch over the animals at the cottage with Spike. And that's that." She stamped a hoof hard against the ground and tried to hide a nervous swallow.

James grit his teeth briefly before breaking off and walking over to a pen where some rabbits were kept. He threw a hand on top of a corner post to lean on it and squeezed it to wring out his frustration. The rabbits all darted away to the opposite corner of the pen or inside one of their warrens.

It was several seconds before Twilight finally let go of the breath she was holding. She watched his back for a short period longer before turning around to go join the others. He hadn't answered with a "yes" or "no" but he seemed resigned to her decision. She hoped he was anyway, as she was too hesitant to try and talk to him again. Regardless, she really wanted to try and trust him. That's what she had told him back at the market. Trust has to begin somewhere, and you have to believe in it. She hoped this was the case here.

Although he couldn't hear what they had said, Spike had seen them talk to each other. As Twilight returned to the ponies, he went over to join James. "So, I guess she has you staying here too, huh?" he said as he approached. The dragon grabbed the wiring to the rabbit pen while he looked at the bunnies inside. He could feel the steady vibration of James' squeeze on the corner post.

"Yeah," James answered wearily. He released his grip and started rubbing his temples with his other hand.

"Just be glad you don't have to go into the forest. You really don't want to go in there unless you absolutely have to," Spike said.

But James was unresponsive.

Undeterred, Spike simply tried again, guessing at what was bothering him. "I wouldn't worry about the girls. They'll look out for each other."

Dropping his hand, James leaned on the post again, more calmly this time. What a chipper little dragon. "Well, that's good," he said, slowing and controlling his breathing.

Satisfied with the slight improvement in response, Spike let up with that line of discussion. This whole scenario was going to provide him with the opportunity to finally get to know the new guy and there would be plenty of time to ask questions as they deal with Fluttershy's animals. However they're even supposed to deal with them, that is. "So... how much do you know about taking care of these animals?" he asked his partner unsurely.

The rabbits in the pen trepidatiously began moving again. Caring for rabbits James remembered. He looked around at the rest of the small zoo that was present and all the breeds of animals he didn't have any personal familiarity with. "Uh... a little bit," he answered.

Fluttershy finished dumping all the essential information she could think of as Twilight returned, catching the tail end of it. She wasn't about to ask the poor pegasus to repeat herself, though. Amongst the faces of her friends, she didn't see one who looked truly unprepared to get going and lend a hoof. Although Rainbow Dash did seem mildly distracted by something.

Rarity was carefully going over herself, uneagerly anticipating the ruinous effect the job ahead would have on her mane. "I suppose we have our work cut out for us," she moaned. "This isn't turning out to be my week at all."

"Aw, don't be such a grumpy-puss," Pinkie Pie chirped in lively fashion. "It looks like a great morning for a walk through the forest!"

"I doubt any morning would be rightly great to go for a walk in there," Applejack said, "but it's good to have your optimism behind us anyway." She steadied her hat as she turned to face Twilight. "Well, I'm thinking we're prepared as we're gonna be. Now how's this going down exactly?"

"Oh, right!" Twilight realized. She had more or less figured out how she wanted to divide the group beforehand and rapidly matched up some pairs. "I think we should split into groups of two. Fluttershy and I can look for the missing animals." Pairing off with her would compensate for having missed the crash course. "Rainbow Dash and Applejack can go with the birds who are looking for new places to nest and help them find somewhere to settle in. That leaves Rarity and Pinkie Pie to look for homes for the ground animals."

They all were in agreement. Mostly. Rarity gave some resigned griping about her chosen partner and Rainbow Dash still seemed somewhat distracted. Finally the pegasus spoke up, pointing over to James. "What about him?" she asked.

Twilight glanced over at Spike and James, who were curiously observing the behavior of some chinchillas. "They'll be staying here at the cottage," she explained. "Because we'll be splitting up, I think it's a good idea to have them stay here to act as a center of information. In case anybody has to come back for any reason."

Rainbow Dash became scrupulously objectionable. "You're leaving him here alone with Spike?"

Looking at the man and the dragon again, Twilight squinted at them, unsure what precisely Rainbow Dash was seeing that she was apparently missing. All she saw was the two scratching their heads over a small herd of some big eared, fuzzy critters. She turned back to her protesting friend, saying with ambiguity, "...Yes?"

Applejack knew what was going on and rolled her eyes. "Quit your worrying, Rainbow. She says it's fine."

"I don't want him coming along," Twilight elaborated. "He's too new and not familiar enough with the potential dangers of the Everfree Forest."

"What? I mean, no, of course he shouldn't come along. Who said he should?" Rainbow Dash uncoordinatedly rambled. "That's good thinking. But, I mean, you're leaving him here alone with Spike?"

Groaning, Applejack brushed the babbling aside. "We're wasting our time with this. Let's get a move on."

"Uh, right," Twilight said. But she couldn't break herself off completely. "Listen, Rainbow Dash, they're just going to stay here watching Fluttershy's animals while we're gone."

Fluttershy tried to gently intercede. "They should be alright. I've done all the morning chores already. For the most part all they need to do is watch the bowls and troughs and keep them filled with food and water. All the bags are labeled and I keep them stored in..."

Twilight looked again at the two they were leaving behind. They were still puzzling over the chinchillas as if they were the most mysterious thing in the world. "Uh, Fluttershy?" she interrupted, "Maybe you should give them some quick instructions before we go. You know. Just in case."

"Oh. Right. Okay," Fluttershy quietly replied, lifting off and floating over to them.

Rainbow Dash glared intently at James, watching as Fluttershy showed him and Spike where to find the different foods and hays. Maybe the suspicious pony didn't have a lot to go on but there wasn't any telling what the risk to her friends was, and that was unacceptable. Twilight's nonchalance wasn't cutting it, or if that girl knew something she hadn't been revealing it yet. Looks like it would be up to the great Rainbow Dash to keep a very close and careful eye on this new guy, least danger stalk in close where none of her friends could see it.

Once Fluttershy had finished giving her instructions, the ponies departed with the swarm of displaced animals tagging along with them. The group would make their way along the river until they got close to the original site of the destruction and spread out from there. Rainbow Dash flew along, her head turned back to watch the cottage as long as she could spare. As the hoof beats and skittering of the animals faded, James sat down on the grass of an easy slope to think things over. Was he taking orders from ponies now?

Comments

[LayDownHunter]

Bah ha ha ha, being bossed about by Ponies. Rainbow Dash is very suspicious of him though, but that's to be expected from her. Sought of. The interactions between Rarity and Pinkie Pie are quite funny, then them being paired up, that was even funnier. James definitely got a stern talking to from Twilight, at least she cares.

[SirShadestrider]

Good chapter! There were a few typos, but nothing major.

It wasn't the worse sleeping arrangement he has ever had to endure, but after that night in Canterlot he was reminded of how much of a relaxing pleasure a simple, well-made bed could be.

That should be "had".

He pointed at Rarity with one hand while holding the bottom of the shirt out a little to show it off, praising the quality her work.

There should be an "of" in between those words.

They still slowed down a little bit, mutually realizing that they were probably going to be the last the arrive anyway.

Replace with "to"

Applejack immediately cut back in so she could finish her thought. "But... Twilight did say that Princess Celestia has him staying here. And the little miss herself didn't seem so worried about it." She tried to make a coherent analysis of own her stance from that.

Switch places of "own" and "her".

"You saw what happened back there in the field. That's what staying with Twilight. What if-"

This should be "what's".

Next, she went over to James to drag him aside. "Can I talk to you about something?" she asked. Her was voice was shaky and her approach slightly apprehensive.

Extra word.

[Zurock]

7805711

Thanks!

This all joins the long list of To-Be-Fixed stuff if I ever go back to clean up the story, heh. Sweeping out typos is probably something I should do someday. Thanks again for cataloguing.

[SirShadestrider]

7806582 No problem! I'm loving this story!

[EnderHooves]

"It's a fantasy piece. A work of fiction," Twilight explained when she saw him studying it more than the others. "It's a few decades old now, but it's certainly a classic. One of my favorites. I've probably read it a dozen times." She shifted her voice into a grandiose narration, setting the stage as if it were a play. "A mysterious figure, the Dreadful Dark Stallion, is slowly consuming Equestria, town by town, in shadow. A young filly, optimistic yet clumsy, sets out from home against her parents wishes to try and discover why. She meets and befriends a whole cast of characters along the way to learn the truth and stop the shadow's spread." She returned to normal. "It's a really good story."

Sooo, pretty much the Season 7 Finale? Minus the parents part, but it does have a substitute. Its funny how that was written several years in advance.
This chapter was nice, I'm loving the story so far. A little bit of a sour note at the end, but all the best candies have multiple tastes.