Aria's Challenge

by Gear Works

Why Me and Not Them?

Author's Note:

This chapter involves flashbacks, explaining why Gears knew of the problems of finding a girlfriend from those that he knew.

The sunrise was coming through the blinds, waking me up. I noticed that it was a bit past eight, so I gently got out of bed, making sure I didn’t disturb Aria. I put on some morning clothes and went to the kitchen to fix up some breakfast. I went and grabbed the blueberry muffin mix and small milk and poured it into the bowl, mixed it up and poured it into the muffin tray. 15 minutes in the oven will do the trick.

While that was cooking, I grabbed the remote to find something on TV. Best I could go for was the nation news channel. I went to grab Sombra’s diary and added another note that came across my mind, something that Aria brought up back at Sugarcube Corner. I saw in the hallway was Aria, still looking sleepy with her hair down and still wearing my baseball jersey. I finished my note and closed the book.

“Morning Aria,” I said.

“Morning…Gears,” Aria replied, still feeling sleepy. “What’s for breakfast?”

“I hope blueberry muffins and orange juice will do,” I said.

“Works for me.” Aria went to sit on the stool next to the counter and saw what was on the TV. “Is that the best you can find on TV?”

“It’s not like it was around 20 years ago,” I said. “Back then, it was Saturday morning cartoons. But new educational standards changed all that. Now most local channels have to air anything that requires kids to learn, which pretty much kills the meaning of cartoons. Now most of the classics are on DVD.”

“Everyone has to be a critic about what kids should watch. At least you have a way to experience what your parents saw back then.” I poured a couple of glasses of orange juice for the both of us. “Can I ask you something?”

I gave her one of the glasses of orange juice, saying, “What is it?”

“This might sound…weird…but why do you think it might work for us? I mean I know you had a simple reason with Sunset and Adagio, and maybe with Rarity. I think you brought up Applejack as well. You think you can explain it better, since you know almost all of them.”

“Well, it goes back to the first day of the school year, when I transferred here.”

---

[Flashback: First Day of School]

Principal Celestia just finished up with her explanation of Canterlot High to me. We both went out of her office, where I was met with what looked like a blonde farm girl with a Stetson hat.

“Gear Works, this is Applejack. She’s going to show you around the school while I get your class schedule worked out before classes start.”

“Thank you, Principle Celestia,” I replied.

“Come on, sugarcube. I’ll show you how to get around this school,” Applejack said.

As we walked out of the principle’s office, she asked me, “So, where are you from?”

“Baltimare.”

“Sounds like a tough city to be living in. Any reason why you moved here?”

“Well, my parents went on a missionary trip, and felt like I would be safer attending this school.”

“From the sound of it, you must have been bullied back there. Parents can be over-protective when it comes to troubled cities.”

“Well, I did have some friends stand up for me in High School, but they didn’t want to take any chances. So now I’m finishing up my school years here. By the way, I’m surprised you caught on with my past problems.”

“Well, thanks partner,” she replied, blushing. “I hope I wasn’t getting into your space?”

“Oh no,” I said, waving my hands. “I’m glad you caught on. You have a way to size up theories from what you see or hear.”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that, but thanks again.”

As we were walking down the hallway, explaining the rooms, a pink, puffy-haired girl popped out of no where, saying, “Hello there, you must be new here, my name’s Pinkie Pie, what’s you’re name, where did you come from, why are you…”

Applejack placed her hand of Pinkie’s mouth. “Easy there Pinkie. This here’s Gear Works. He just got here. Think you can keep your cool?” Pinkie nodded her hand, allowing Applejack to remove her hand from Pinkie’s mouth.

“Nice to meet you, Pinkie. You can call me Gears, if you like,” I replied.

“Nice to meet you, Gears. Well, maybe we can talk later at Sugarcube Corner. I work there most of the time,” Pinkie said.

Applejack added, “Sugarcube Corner is a dessert shop that most of us like to hang out. You should think about going over there later today. Good way to make some friends while ya there.”

“Well, I need to greet more new students. Bye.” And Pinkie was off like a puff of smoke.

Applejack said, “Don’t worry. Pinkie’s like that all the time. Takes some time to get used to her.”

“I can see that,” I replied.

As we continued our tour, we come across another girl with fiery hair and a black leather jacket.

“Well, well, well. Does the farm girl now have a boyfriend, or are you just trying to protect him?”

“Sunset, why don’t you just bug off,” Applejack responded.

“Oh, I’m hurt.” Sunset replied sarcastically. “He seem weak to me, farm girl.” She walked up to me and tried to flip my head with her finger. “Talk about a loser.”

I yawned with my hand and said, “Is that the best you can do? Been there, seen that.”

Sunset started to get mad, saying, “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“I don’t know. Is it?” I replied sarcastically.

She got into my face and said, “I’m watching you,” and started to walk by me. I slightly slid my foot out, causing Sunset to lose her balance for a moment.

“Might want to watch it there. Floor can be slippery at times.”

She marched off in anger.

Applejack said, “That’s pretty gusty you did there. That Sunset always wants to cause trouble.”

“All I do is not give in to them. That’s what makes them weak,” I said.

[End Flashback]

---

Aria was in shock. “Damn. I never figure you do that to her.”

“Well, that was the old, she-demon Sunset I faced. When I went back to the principle’s office, I had my class schedule. Applejack noticed that I didn’t share any classes with her, but wouldn’t mind seeing me at Sugarcube Corner one day. I rarely get to see her around. And I was curious of her.”

“And why was that?” Aria asked me.

“I first found out on the first Wednesday of school.”

---

[Flashback: near the school statue, first week of the school year]

“Come on, Fluttershy. Who wants to help out at some pet shop?” Sunset asked.

“Um, it’s an animal shelter,” Fluttershy replied quietly.

“Whatever.” Sunset said, scaring Fluttershy. “Why don’t you just give up and go back to the hole you came out of.”

“What’s wrong? Scared that you’ll get your pretty face scratched up?” I responded.

She turned around to see me, saying, “You! Why should you care about this little baby over there?”

I just stared at her.

She said in an angry tone, “Stop staring at me.”

I kept staring at her.

Her tone went up. “I said stop staring at me.”

I still kept staring at her.

She yelled, “I said…”

“Make me,” I replied with a smile, cutting her off.

She got furious and stormed off into the school.

“See you in first period,” I yelled to her. I looked at Fluttershy as she was trying to pick up some of the falling fliers and decided to help her. “Everything OK?”

This spooked her for a moment before she could respond. “Oh, sorry. I’m…a little sensitive…around others. I’m…Fluttershy.”

“Name’s Gear Works. But you can call me Gears if you like.”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh, you’re the one who stood up against Sunset on the first day, right?”

“How did you know?” I asked.

“Applejack told me about it. I’m one of her friends. I’m surprised that you did so again today.”

“Well, someone has to.” I had most of the fliers in my hand and gave them to her. “Here you go. I need to get to class.” I started to head into the school.

[End Flashback]

---

“I was surprised that the school knew of what I did,” I said. “But no one knew whom I looked like unless I said my name. I also sat in the front of the classroom next to the door in every class, so this made it hard to really see my face. I did help out at the animal shelter one weekend, where I met Fluttershy’s friend, Rainbow Dash. She was surprised about me in the same way. And it was the same with Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner. She was the one who kept me up-to-date with what was going on around.”

The oven timer went off, so I went to take out the muffins and fix them up with some butter in them. I placed them on a plate and took them to the counter for us to eat.

As Aria was grabbing one of the muffins, she asked, “And what about Rarity? You did say that she was in one of your classes.”

“Now that was the most interesting part. She was in my history class and sat behind me since the first day.”

---

[Flashback: History Class, early in the school year]

I was busy looking over some of my lesson notes from the day before when she walked in with her friends. Rarity. With that smooth purple hair, gorgeous looks, and those sparkles in her eyes, you would think she was a goddess. But I know I would never stand a chance to get a date with her. I know that girls like them are way out of reach in my book. And while she decided to sit behind me, she never bothers to talk to me unless she forgot any school supplies that she needed for class.

“Come on, Rarity. It’s like shouldn’t be a problem to decide which design to work on?” said one girl.

“That’s right. Any one of them will work just fine,” said another girl.

Rarity responded, “Dear, this is Mr. Fancy Pants we’re talking about. He expects the best for his stores, and I will not let Suri get the best of me. It must be the best one to stand out. I don’t have time to design all four in a week.”

Another reason she’s out of my reach is that she’s a teenage fashion designer, hoping to be the best out there.

“Maybe you should ask a guy to get their point of view,” the first girl recommended.

Rarity responded, “You’re right. Since he is a gentleman, I need someone who could come close to him. Um, excuse me?” I felt a tap on my shoulder and noticed that she was talking to me. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but can you help me out, dear. I’m trying to decide which design I should work on that can impress a gentleman.”

She showed me four dress designs, each one a different color: red, blue, yellow, and purple. I looked at each one as they had a different design, but was having a hard time deciding.

“I’m not sure which one catches my eye,” I said.

“Oh dear. Forgive me. I’m sorry that I wasted your time on making a silly decision,” Rarity replied.

“No, it’s OK. Maybe you can give me a reason on why you have to decide on what you’re doing. Then I can have a better idea on what’s going on and maybe make a decision,” I said.

So she quickly gave me an explanation on the dresses and what was working on. After hearing all that, I was able to make a logical decision.

“I think you should work on the fiery red dress. And if you do have time still, the midnight blue dress should be the next one to work on,” I said.

Rarity replied, “Oh that’s brilliant. Thank you for telling me this. Now I know what I need to do. Thank you, mister…um…I don’t think I remember your name before?”

“It’s Gear Works. But you can call me Gears if you like,” I said.

“Well…Thank you…Gears,” Rarity hesitantly replied.

[End Flashback]

---

“So you first talked to her because of a fashion problem she was having?” Aria asked.

“I know. Weird, isn’t it. A week later, she congratulated me for helping with her decision. Not only did she get the first choice done, but she also had enough time to finish the second choice. And both of them were selected over what Suri had with her. But there were times when she was hesitant to talk to me. It wasn’t until she asks me if I could tutor her for her Geometry class. I asked if we could go to Sugarcube Corner so I can help her study, which she agreed.”

---

[Flashback: Sugarcube Corner, after school.]

We walked in to Sugarcube Corner with our book bags and approached the counter.

Pinkie waved and said, “Hello there.”

“Hi Pinkie.” We looked at each other, realizing that we said the same thing together.

Pinkie responded, “Oh, did you finally get yourself a date Rarity?”

“Oh no, no, no, no. This is a study session that we’re having, Pinkie,” Rarity replied.

Pinkie asked, “So, the usual?”

“Yes.” We noticed that we replied the same time, again.

“Coming right up,” Pinkie replied.

We sat on the stools in front of the counter, when Rarity asks, “So, you come here often?”

“Every now and then,” I replied.

Rarity asked, “So what’s the usual for you? Oh wait. Why don’t we guess what it is?”

“OK. You go first,” I said.

She thought for a moment before making her guess. “Let’s see. You like to have…a white cake with icing, and a…chocolate shake. Now you guess mine.”

So I took a moment to think, and then had a guess in mind. “You like to have…cheesecake, and…let’s see…cappuccino. That’s my guess.”

We our orders came out; we were close to our guesses. She had a cheesecake with strawberry topping and mocha latte. I had a white cake with white icing, and a vanilla shake with no toppings.

“I was expecting colored icing, but didn’t expect white on white,” Rarity said.

“And I didn’t expect that you use strawberry toppings on your cheesecake,” I said. “But I guess we could have done better on our drinks.”

“That’s true. At least it’s not wintertime. That’s when Mrs. Cake brings out the hot chocolate,” Rarity added.

So we went over where Rarity was having problems in her Geometry class while having our treats until she started to understand it better. After we finished our study session, we left Sugarcube Corner so she could to talk to me about a few things.

“So, you know Pinkie, right?” she asked me.

“Since she popped out of no where on the first day while I was given the tour of the school,” I said.

“Then you must know Applejack as well. And you also met Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, right?” Rarity asked me.

“That’s right,” I said. “Are they all friends of yours?” She nodded. “So I’m guessing that you’ve heard about me before, right?”

“I have, dear,” Rarity replied. “I’m just surprised that you would stand up to that girl. She once dated Flash Sentry, but later broke up. Now she acts like she owns the school. No one has ever stood up to her the way you did. I just hope you don’t regret what you have done.”

I said, “Well, she does sit behind me in my first period English class. But she’s given up on bothering me a couple of weeks ago. She must now think I’m a waste of her time. But there is something that you could help me with.”

“I’ll be happy to help,” Rarity said. “What do you need to know?”

“Since you know Applejack, I was hoping you could tell me more about her,” I asked. “I’ve been curious about her since the first day of school. Does she have a boyfriend?”

“Oh, she doesn’t have one. Maybe it has to do with the loss of her parents,” Rarity said.

That’s when Rarity told me about how Applejack loss her parents when she was young, and how her grandma had to help take care of her and both her older brother and younger sister. That would make me think that she doesn’t have time for a boyfriend.

“Well, thanks for telling me about this,” I said. “I can understand about her better, since I don’t see her a lot around school.”

“Not a problem, dear. I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” Rarity said.

[End Flashback]

---

“So you decided to give up on Applejack because of the loss of her parents? I don’t even understand why that should be a problem,” Aria said.

“Sunset said the same thing. I told her that back at my last school, I came across various excuses on why any girl doesn’t want to date me. I needed to find one girl who I believed wouldn’t have an excuse to date me,” I said.

“Then tell me why you thought you would get rejected by one of them,” Aria asked me.

“Applejack would say that I deserve someone better, because of the baggage that she has to carry since the loss of her parents. Rarity would expect high standards in a guy, which I wouldn’t come close to expect as a friend. Fluttershy is timid and would have a hard time trying anything. Pinkie Pie is just hyper and weird that I have no idea how to deal with her. And as for Rainbow Dash, another guy in my Algebra II class has an interest in her, but doesn’t know how to tell her about it, so I don’t want to get in the way between them.”

“And you wanted Sunset to help you find one, but the ones she knew were not an option. Why not ask Sunset on a date. You became one of her friends after the Fall Formal. Why not take it to the next level?” Aria asked me.

“It goes back to after the Fall Formal.”

---

[Flashback: Outside the school, Monday after the Fall Formal]

I came across the school to see the entrance destroyed and a crater-size hold between the entrance and the statue. I saw Vice Principal Luna looking over the area, as Sunset and two guys were working on the school entrance. She told me that school would be closed for a week until the repairs have been made. So I decided to go to Sugarcube Corner, where several of the students were there, talking about the Fall Formal. I asked Pinkie what happen, and her story was so odd that I couldn’t believe it. How Sunset turned into a she-demon, taking control of the school, and how Pinkie and her friends “Pony Up” with a new girl name Twilight Sparkle.

After having my usual, I decided to take a walk around the park to clear my head. The sun was starting to set when I started to head back home. When I came across the damaged school, I saw Sunset sitting next to the statue.

She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “So, you want to pick on me now? Go on ahead. I deserve it after what I did to you and everyone else.”

“I only stand up to bullies. I don’t act like one towards them,” I said. We were silent for a moment before I asked her. “So, is it true that you turned into a raging she-demon?”

Sunset replied, “Yes, I did. I put on a magical crown and it showed me who I became. This statue here is actually a portal to my home world, Equestria. And I’m not an actual girl, but a magical unicorn pony from that world.” I looked at the statue to see where the portal was. “Don’t bother finding it. It’s now closed for another 30 moons, whatever that is in this world. It was only open for a few days, which allowed me to return there to find out that another alicorn princess held the Element of Magic. I figure that if I had it, I can finally take an army of humans and conquer Equestria before the portal closed.”

I reached for her hand and asked, “Perhaps it would help if you told me from the beginning.” She slowly reached for my hand, and I pulled her up.

She started to tell me about her time in this magical world called Equestria and what led her to escape to this world the past few years. I took everything into account and believed in what she was talking about.

“Sounds like you were on a destined path, but decided to go and take your own path. And it looks like this Twilight Sparkle decided to take the same destined path that you were on and made it to its goal that you failed to noticed,” I said.

“Strange isn’t it,” Sunset said. “And it was thanks to that crown to show who I really was.”

“Well, it looks like you have been given a second chance to redeem yourself,” I said. “And if it’s a friend you need, then I’ll be happy to be your friend.”

“Really, after all I did?” I nodded. Sunset reached out to hug me, saying “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you. If there’s anything you need me to help you on, just let me know.”

“Well, there is one thing I could use some help on. I’ve been having a hard time finding a girlfriend. And it’s because I keep coming across every kind of excuse that they give me, even since I was at my last school.”

“And what kind of excuse have you come across the most?” Sunset asked me.

“What if I asked you to be my girlfriend?” I asked her.

She took a moment to think about it before she knew why I was having this problem. “I see. They would think you deserve someone better because of the baggage they carried. Not as much as I have, but something like that. And I have a lot to patch up, which isn’t going to be easy. So don’t expect me to be your girlfriend, since I dated Flash just to become popular.” That sentence hit her so hard that she covered her face. “Now I really feel bad for how I acted.”

“It’s not your fault. We all make mistakes. We just have to learn from them,” I said.

“Then I’ll do what I can to help you, but I don’t know how I can help at this time,” Sunset replied.

“Maybe in time, you will be able to help me with this problem.”

[End Flashback]

---

“So when she brought up the rest of the Rainbooms, you told her the reasons it wouldn’t work, just like you now told me,” Aria said.

“Yep, and while the students have forgiven her after your defeat, I never really felt like asking her again. I knew there would be some patching up to do, and she’s just like Twilight. Maybe one day, she would like to go back to her home world, now that the portal can be opened at any time.”

“But look at us. I’m a siren and sea pony, and she’s a unicorn. Wouldn’t that be the same thing?”

“I think whatever siren powers you had are now gone,” I said. “So you could be just as human as me. And if that’s the case, if you went through the portal, you may or may not turn into a sea pony. You could become an earth pony, which proves that all your magic powers are gone.”

“Maybe, but we may never know,” Aria said. “And since I plan on staying here, I guess we could give it a shot. I just hope they don’t regret not taking a chance with you.”

“Then would you like to go on a date with me…today?” I asked her.

She stared at me and her cheeks started to turn red. “Seriously. Like, right now? Um, I…I guess so. This would be an actual first date, right?”

“I think so,” I replied.

“Then you wouldn’t might if we go back to my place so I can get some fresh clothes to wear?” she asked me.

“Sure. I need to return Sombra’s diary back to Sunset anyway. She’s going to want to know what we discovered last night.”

So we went and finish up our breakfast before getting dressed and leave my apartment.