Chapter 95 - Can be deceiving...
The mountains of Freshtop town were the greyest that the country of Equestria had in its land. In its base, a seamless river of blue emerald crossed the area, the sun creating tiny dots of crystalline light on its surface. If you walk close enough to the flora that surrounded the town and its modestly high mountains, you could hear the fauna coexisting peacefully nearby the human settlements.
The town, rustic as it may look, had a competent water and electricity service, more than enough to satisfy its population and visitors. It even had a generous space for tourist who wished to spend quality time near nature, having permitted spots to start a camp fire or the likes. For most youngsters, however, the lack of a reliable internet connection was a bummer to their social needs.
But not for Bon Bon.
It was a beautiful morning, the vegetation brown and red with aromas that could sooth your sense of smell and bore in you a need to fall asleep under the shadow of the comfiest tree you could find. The mountains called her name, urging her to climb them and make her sit on its peak. They were summoning her, wishing for the Owl Lover to stand proudly above them and witness the true beauty that the world can offer.
Such wishes and desires wouldn’t be met for her that day.
When Bon Bon took back Twilight to her house the last day after the Princess Incident, she was greeted by Twilight’s parents, Mrs. Twilight Velvet and Mr. Night Light. They both offered the girl to stay and enjoy the party with her daughter, but Bon Bon politely declined, stating that she had a planned trip to the mountains with her grandmother.
The Sparkle family, including uncles, cousins, and elders, were thrilled with the idea of camping in the mountains instead of partying at Twilight’s home. They even offered the artic eyed girl to take her and her grandmother with them, every single one of them giving her a reason to say yes to the offer… Bon Bon soon was left without options of escape.
Swift, tidy, and efficient, the whole family packed everything they needed and at eleven in the night they were in their rooms at a cozy motel. Bon Bon had a calm and serene aura during the journey but, deep inside of her heart, was horrified with the driving speed of Mr. Light.
Now at eight in the morning on the most relaxing Sunday yet, as Twilight Sparkle was helping her female family members prepare the mat and plates for the picnic while her male family put the grill and prepared the meat for breakfast, Bon Bon felt like dying of boredom while helping her grandmother unpack the rest of the goods.
“Child, why the long face?” Her grandmother asked with a pleasant tone, a visage calmer than a sea without wind was all that you could see from her. “We should be grateful that Budha has dawned on us kind people that drove us all the way here, saving us money we would have used otherwise on bus tickets.”
“This should have been a trip of leisure, grandma.” The Owl Lover said in defeat. “Oh, I can hear the songs of those beautiful birds sleeping inside their tree nests!”
“We are in a leisure trip, child. We even slept in a comfy motel with a great view on the mountains instead of camping in the forest.”
“Which would have been so much better!” She said a little defiant.
“But you are spending time with people as a compensation.”
“I spend time with people too much in CHS. I only ask of this trip to let me climb challenging mountains.”
“You really inherited my son’s obsession with climbing mountains.”
“That son is my Father, isn’t he? You were the one who taught us to climb ever higher, strive even stronger.”
“There are times where you must rest body and soul, and right now it is the time to do so. Besides… each time we come here, climbing mountains isn’t the only thing you do.” Her grandchild looked with a somber aura to a building far from their position, her motions turning clumsy at the sound of the last words spoken. She then noticed that Twilight’s mother waved her hand at her. “Oh, it seems that Mrs. Sparkle has finished her task. Now go. Join the other child and have fun with her while we prepare the rest. One hour and half you will have if I am right.” She looked at the male members of the family still struggling with which sauce and fuel they would use.
“Climb the mountains with her, you said?” She said with a certain bright on her eyes.
“You can climb a tree, but climbing the mountains with her is forbidden. If something happens to her, you’ll regret it. Now go you must.”
…. ….
On the mountains’ forest, two young girls and a purple puppy were walking on a path of leaves and branches.
“This place is so beautiful!” Twilight said, breathing deeply the fresh air around her. “I have seen these forests on books but seeing the real deal in flesh is far better!”
“Indeed!”
“Bon Bon, I’m curious about your granny.”
“About what, little dog?”
“What’s wrong with her eyes?”
“SPIKE!” Twilight became embarrassed.
“Hehehe! It’s okay. You see, Spike, in this world there are many kinds of ethnicities that makes human beings’ facial traits different. Nipponese people, and some countries of the east as well, have smaller eyes and body complexions. There are exceptions, of course, some men and women can have eyes almost as rounded as the people from the western countries, like here, in Equestria!”
“Oh! So your granny isn’t injured in her eyes!”
“Of course not.”
“Wait a minute, if she is Nipponese, and she is your granny, then why your eyes aren’t small?”
“Spike!”
“It seems that you haven’t teach him stuff other than science related topics, Twilight.”
“More or less.” She giggled awkwardly. “Spike has seen many entry level documentaries recently but none of them were filmed with eastern collaboration. Those are advanced topics for later.” Twilight commented with excitement.
“Yeah… As I told Twilight the other day, my Father is from Nippon, and Mom was born here in Equestria. That’s why I have eyes considered normal in this country. But I could have got smaller eyes if genetics deemed so during my birth process.”
“But sometimes you have these weird eyes in certain angles! Are they normal as well?”
“Mmm…” She rubbed her chin and stopped her pace, eyes looking at the branches covered with leafs that refused to fall with the others. “Maybe they aren’t, Spike.” She said in reflection. “Anyway, let’s go! Your Mom said that breakfast would be served at ten, and it gives me plenty of time to take you on a quick tour. Say, I’m surprised to see a family that wakes up so early to execute their planned picnic effortlessly.”
“My family likes to make things at the appointed hour they agreed to, they say that doing so respects everyone’s time!”
“Then I believe your family and mine will get along just fine.”
“Where are your parents?”
“Father is in Nippon attending his curio shop and Mom is still working in the capital for a hush-hush government agency.”
“The way you said… She must be an evil tax agent, right?”
“That’s right!” Bon Bon answered assertively. “Grandma Leafshard is the old… huh, lady, who lives with me. My Granddad… you could say he passed away. And my other grandparents died many years ago as well. Don’t worry, I never met them so it doesn’t bothers me at all.”
“Well… It’s so nice to hear that you don’t live alone at least.”
“Oh, but I live alone sometimes. Last month, grandma just came back from her trip to visit the cla… family. Funny enough was that she sent me some medicinal plants through a shipping service but she ended up arriving much earlier than she expected, making her shipment hiring entirely unnecessary.”
“At least she didn’t have to bring more luggage with her during the trip back here.”
“You actually make a good case. Oh, here it is.”
Twilight and Spike were marveled when they saw the river up-close. Mountain rosefish were swimming and jumping through the water body, dancing with the rest of the pack like an aquatic spectacle from a marine zoo. But it was a work of nature itself, making the moment even more special. Twilight filmed a short video with her cellphone.
Bon Bon crossed the river, and Twilight looked at how she easily walked through it, like if water was nonexistent to her. The Owl Lover told her that the secret was carefully looking on the surface for any stable rock body she could find. The Scientist, having a good eye in analyzing something that interested her, found the path that Bon Bon used and carefully walked on it. Unlike the artic eyed girl, however, she was clumsy and slow.
At least she didn’t get herself too wet to be concerned about getting a cold.
“That was fun.” The Scientist said, satisfied with her little feat of strength.
“Indeed it was.” Bon Bon said with a pleased smile. “Let’s get going.”
“You know… I wish we could go camping with the rest of the guys! It would be nice to do many things like this!”
“Then you should go to Greenroads Town. It’s another pretty place where people go to camp, and if you think that Freshtop is a mountain town, oh boy, that place is practically a true town in a mountain forest.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of that place before! Isn’t where Camp Everfree is located?”
“Yes, Camp Everfree is around four hours ahead of here, to the east, seven hours away of Ponyville by bus. Five or less by car. I overheard from Principal Celestia a few days ago that maybe we’ll have a winter camp there. Something about the owners of the camp trying to make extra activities besides their traditional summer camps.”
“Sounds like fun!”
“Indeed, there is a lake where you can fish legally in certain months, vast landscapes full of foliage with tall and robust trees, and Owls! Beautiful, majestic, and gorgeous Owls!”
“You like owls?”
“I love them! In these very mountains exist the prideful Great Horned Owls! It’s a species that love forests like this one, but you can also find them in some desserts and tropic areas, depending on the season! They are large, have golden-yellowed eyes, with a particular song that sounds like-!”
‘Hoo-h’Hooooo’
“Did you hear that?” Spike’s ears rose high. “It came from behind.”
The artic eyed girl rushed to the noise’s direction with excitement and put herself on her knees when she found a peculiar tree. Twilight followed, but Bon Bon made a hand gesture to be quiet on her approach. When she was beside her walking companion, she sat near her, Spike soon followed.
“Look over there.” Bon Bon whispered. “That’s a nest of the owls I was talking about. Look at how that particular owl is scouting around. Normally, they are nocturnal birds, hunting during dusk little mammals like mice, and from time to time… others owls… such a tragic faith.” She said with great sorrow. “Unless they are partners, adults rarely, if ever, stick together with other owls, besides migration, of course. Solitary creatures they are.”
“You really know about owls! But say, can you tell me their binomial nomenclature?”
“Bubo virginianus!”
“You really know about owls!”
The Owl Lover welcomed the compliment with a smirk. “Owls of this kind tend to breed during the last weeks of winter and their younglings learn to hunt during autumn. If they’re strong, they’ll survive winter… I hope they become strong fast enough.”
“She looks terrified.” Spike noted. “I can feel it.”
“Probably you can sense and understand what they say because you are a noble animal in the end, your magical abilities must have given you an extra edge besides being able to talk. And you are right, that owl is a she. Males of this species tend to produce deeper hoots or squawks, not to mention that females are a bit larger. Whatever she is stressed about, there’s nothing we can do to help if we don’t know what happened. If only Fluttershy were here… Let’s continue our journey and hope nature smiles upon them.”
They eventually came across the wall of the mountains, rock structures defiantly facing the trees below them. The artic eyed girl climbed some ledges of the natural structure and sat on the edge of one of them, she then closed her eyes, her breath slowing down.
A perfect imitation of the song of the male great horned owl echoed across the forest.
‘hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo’
In response, a weak, similar song echoed nearby, and soon, an orchestra of squawks and hoots swarmed across the forest. Bon Bon rushed down to the ground and ran to north were the first sounds was heard until she arrived to a small tree. The song was heard again, and she looked around with urgency and stuck her hands inside a ground hole. When she found what she was looking for, she withdrew her hands from the black spot with a puffy owl trembling in fright.
“Owww! What a beautiful juvenile owl you are! You finally tried to leave the nest, little adventurer? What happened to you, cute little thing?” She inspected the owl with overzealous care. The small creature pinched her hands with all the strength he could muster. “Don’t be afraid.” She wasn’t bothered by the attack, still looking on him at anything suspicious. She spotted three nasty but non-fatal wounds on his right side under his wing. “Oh, so you put a big fight against a big wild predator? Did you kill the stupid enemy?”
A big shock-wave of horror was heard on the forest, the critters whistling and mumbling with curiosity.
“What is it, Twilight?” Bon Bon asked casually.
“There is big bird over here!” She babbled breathless. “Oh, poor little thing. W-what happened to… Is that blood!? Ugh…” She almost threw up.
“Twilight! Are you okay!?” Spike ran to her.
Bon Bon looked with pride to the little bird. “You cuuute and mighty little thing!!” She delicately stood up and took Twilight far away from the petty and worthless dead goshawk. As the Scientist’s revulsion disappeared, the Owl Lover was caressing the little creature. “I bet you that this owl belongs to the nest of before. Isn’t he cute!?”
“…Yeah. He looks kinda funny.”
“Want… to walk him to the tree? He has acknowledge me as an ally and won't hurt us if handled correctly.”
“I would like to.”
“Careful, it’s heavier than he looks and even if he isn’t an adult yet his claw are not to be messed with.”
The Owl Lover put tenderly the ‘little’ nestling in the care of Twilight Sparkle. As she grabbed the winged creature, Twilight’s eyes and his locked in an infinite loop. Something unknown but familiar made a click on her soul, looking at the creature with immense admiration. The owl returned the gesture, confidently strengthen his grip on her hand, carefully avoiding piercing her skin.
The mountain forest sang with a breeze.
“Somehow I feel that I know you since forever…!”
“Hoo-h’hoo.”
“He thinks the same, Twilight!” Spike remarked.
Bon Bon was fascinated. “And his gaze turned livelier. Perhaps this one will survive winter!”
“I’m sure we’ll see each other again… Right?" Twilight petted the noble bird.
“Hoo!”
…. ….
Moments later, at the nest tree.
“There we go.” After placing the fledging on the nest, the father flying back to his pack and joining them inside the hole, Bon Bon fulfilled her self-imposed mission, a satisfactory conclusion that filled her with overwhelming energy. “Another job well done!”
“Wow! You climbed the tree like it was nothing! Wait! Let me take you a quick picture!” She inspected her pockets but her device wasn’t on them. “Oh, no! I dropped my phone!”
“Don’t worry, Twilight! I’ll look for it!” Spike quickly tracked back in search for the phone.
“It would be quicker if I use my phone to make yours ring!” Bon Bon jumped to the ground. “The owl will live if nothing goes south for at least two weeks and that’s all that matters to... What?”
“You just made a seven meters jump!” She was baffled.
“…No! I didn’t do a three meters jump!” Bon Bon said assertively.
“YOU DID A SEVEN METERS JUMP!”
“Let me see your glasses. Oh, aha! Look! They were dirty!” She fogged them and then cleaned them with her shirt. “Now see the tree again! It’s just THREE meters long!”
“It’s seven! This isn’t the first time I measured something without tools!”
“Three it is! Hey, you are sweating! Do you feel tired? Are you thirsty by any chance?”
“A little but don’t change the subject! I know what I saw! Human legs break when falling in heights that surpasses twenty foot or SIX meters long! And you did seven. SEVEN!” Bon Bon had a deadpan expression when she put her hands on the shoulders of the Scientist, slowly approaching her neck. “You must be injured! We should check – Waughgurrr…”
Everything vanished for Twilight Sparkle.
…. ….
A quick, urged gasp was heard in the forest, a swift and forced awakening for the Scientist it was.
“Twilight, you finally awakened!”
Her head felt dizzy, her throat ached, and arranging her glasses and caressing her forehead felt like moving sturdy iron. “What happened, Spike?”
“You fell asleep while sitting under the shadow of this proud tree, Twilight.” Bon Bon gave to the Scientist her bottle of water. “You walked too much, and although you have a slightly better physical threshold thanks to our school P.E. class, walking and jogging in the mountains is far harder than doing it in a town or a gym. Obviously you became tired.”
“That… makes sense.”
“Besides, did you sleep well during the night?”
“Not really… to be honest.” She flushed a little. “I really was curious to see what’s this about! Daddy was excited to come here!”
“What you remember before passing out?”
“…You jumped from a tree to the ground!”
“Oh, that tree!”
Twilight looked at the tree, some pairs of glowing eyes could be seen inside a hole. She remembered that there were more but came to the conclusion that the young ones finally went to sleep. She inspected the tree closely and it was just around three or four meters long.
“I could swear it was bigger! At least twenty two feet long!”
“Perhaps you were too exhausted to make a coherent calculation.” Bon Bon rested her hand on her waist. “The important thing is that the owl is safe and you are alright. Spike even found your phone. You dropped it near the dead squirrel.” She put it on her hands. “Let’s go back! It’s almost breakfast time!”
“…Wait.”
“What is it?”
“I… I want to climb a tree.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to tire more.”
“Yes, I feel fine now… I always wanted to climb a tree, you know? Shining Armor always carried me on his back… and I want to try it myself!”
Bon Bon couldn’t help but smile dimly at her. “Come. I’ll teach you how it’s done! This one looks great for a beginner. Hmm, good branches to support our weight up there as well. Okay, put your hands over there, on the sturdiest bumps you see above your head. Now put your feet right there, don’t be afraid. Now, go up! Yes, that’s it!”
“Uh, I feel like my feet will slip away soon.”
“Only if you lose focus and courage. This tree isn’t that hard to climb because it isn’t completely straight, and even if you fall, I’ll be here to catch you! Now keep going, Twilight!”
The Scientist kept climbing up the tree, but she halted in a certain point. The long, thick branch that was her objective was too far away from her reach. If she tried to pull herself up, she would fall to the ground.
“I can’t reach it!”
“You can do it, Twilight!” Spike cheered.
“Listen to the puppy, you’re almost there! It’s closer to your hand than you imagine! Muster your courage!”
Twilight’s eyes glimmered, finding bravery to continue. “I can do it!” She pushed herself upward. “I will do- Waaaah!”
She fell, but it didn’t hurt. As she opened her eyes, she didn’t see the foliage of the tree upward her head, nor felt the fallen leaves on the ground. She was on Bon Bon’s arms, and that girl was looking like someone different. The artic eyes weren’t there anymore, replaced by shiny blue auroras that resembled her Mother’s own eyes. A wide grin could be seen in Bon Bon’s face, her tooth almost hidden, trying to show itself to the young Twilight Sparkle.
“Well done.” She praised softly. “You almost reached your goal. Want to try again?” Twilight didn’t answered. She just nodded confidently with a blissful face. “Good girl.” Bon Bon finally smiled.
This time, slowly but diligently, Twilight reached the branch and sat on it, a personal milestone that filled her with indescribable satisfaction. Bon Bon soon joined her with Spike firmly held in her right arm, and once she reached Twilight, she put the dog on her lap.
“We can’t see the mountains from here!”
“I know, Twilight. But… it isn’t that bad at all. Satisfied?”
She blushed and looked down the earth. “A little.”
“This is your own victory. I guided you to reach your goal, but you ended up doing the feat with your own hands. Remember this feeling. If it feels empty, then you did something wrong, morally or physically.”
“That sounds easy enough…”
“Personal achievements are easier than the ones that require people around you. Speaking of people… What happened to the slumber party?”
“Well, since my family decided to come here, there was nothing I could do about it, right?”
“Did you call Sunset back?”
“…Yes.”
“Twilight…”
She sighed with tiresomeness and looked to the light that the trees allowed to pass. “Okay, I didn’t call her. I was angry with her!”
“That wasn’t so hard, wasn’t it?”
Twilight brushed her untied hair, a very weak breeze made it fly for a moment. “It’s not fair…”
“Come on, master! I don’t think that Nitpick could have done something like that! If what you told me yesterday was true, he would have called you by now! Or Sunset would have told you with a message that Princess Twilight had developed a crush with him and told you about it!”
“Because she clearly told me that they were going to do something like that, my loyal assistant!” The Scientist crossed her arms with a shade of indignation.
“But what if Spike is telling you the truth, Twilight? I must confess that our Boss and Master of the Thanksgiving event acted weird during our day of leisure!”
“Pffff, oh please, Master of the event!”
“Was that sarcasm from your part?”
“…Maybe.”
“Heh… hehehe… ”
“Hee hee hee… ”
After a brief silence, they shared a long, innocent, and vivid laugh. At the end of the exchange, Twilight rested her head on her shoulder, eyes almost closed, her body relaxed and caressing Spike’s head.
She felt that she could stay like that for a long time.
“Twilight…” Bon Bon mumbled.
“Yeah?”
“Blueblood mentioned during the meeting that you read a story for the girl of the orphanage. Meg, was it?”
“Yes. What about it?”
“Read her the story of The Timeless Warrior. The writer that wrote Bluewall made an adaptation of an old Nipponese legend about a woman who gave up her honor for the sake of saving his friends. I’m sure you can find a bit of reflection in that tale and satisfy the imagination of Meg. Don’t worry about the dragon thing the little girl had. Now she wants stories with knights! Ask Reem about the card and she will give it to you! Well, she asked the other one first but you know what I mean.”
“…I’ll think about it but I believe I’ll do it.”
“Do whatever you desire to do, this task is optional after all. Remember, in the end that will be your choice!”
“Choice, huh? Everything ends up being a choice… I wish doing the right thing was easy.”
“Why do you say that? If every choice you make was the right one, if all could be fixed in an instant, if the world itself could be mended with a snap of our fingers, then what good is having a free will and being able to choose what to do? If life’s answer was magic, then we would be better off being machines, programmed to do no wrong and just live… until we die.”
“Either way, hard work hasn’t given me a reward that I like yet… Everything I do falls short recently.”
“Twilight, and Spike, everything you do has a reward, no matter how minuscule it may be. Every choice you do has a punishment, no matter how minuscule it may be at first. Sometimes there is there is a long term reward, and sometimes you never win. But that’s life, and life is meant to be unfair. And it should be like that.”
“That doesn’t sound that hopeful.”
“No, but life only rewards those who fight for their dreams, no matter the morality compass one may possess. Good, neutral, and evil are subjective. What is black to some, is grey to others. What is white to some, for others is black. Just like what happened yesterday with Princess Twilight disguising herself as you. For her, trying to reinforce friendships is white, but what about you?”
“…I believe it’s black, because they didn’t trust me enough to tell me… They… she could have ruined the friendships I have now with the others... Perhaps she already did.”
“For me is grey. They chose to lie about it and execute their plan, whatever their circumstances were. But their intentions were in the right place, so it’s just perspective.”
“Have you ever done something that you end up regretting? Or… that in the future you’ll regret it?”
An abnormal, strong breeze flew through the forest, Twilight and Spike covering their eyes as the wind subsided. When the forest stopped whispering, Bon Bon just said, “Many times.”
“…”
“Uh, forget what I said. I’m hungry and I say weird stuff because of it.”
Twilight giggled somewhat innocently. “I’m hungry too!”
“I for one I’m starving!” Spike’s stomach growled and he smiled embarrassed.
The girls laughed and Bon Bon quickly climbed down with Spike to the ground, then she instructed Twilight how to get down, thing that was easier to her for some reason. Before they could get out of the forest and join their family for the picnic, Bon Bon faced Twilight and grabbed her hands.
“Twilight, you shouldn’t let what you saw yesterday bother you.”
“Why are you saying that all of the sudden?”
“Because you must believe in what your friends are capable of doing, and I believe…” She shook her head. “I know that he was able to see through the deception! But for now come, and let us eat with the rest!”
“…Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Why do you love owls so much? If you don’t mind telling me.”
“Because I identify with them so much. And my family has venerated owls for generations, a vigilant animal spirit they are for us. You see, owls aren’t smart like other birds like grey parrots or ravens, but they possess sharp senses, overcoming dangerous situations with survival instincts rather than intelligence. There may be exceptions, of course, and owls with heightened intelligence must exist around the globe.” She chuckled. “I say that I identify with them because my notes on school aren’t the best, but I manage to get decent scores with enough effort.”
“I see. I don’t think you are stupid… I mean, I didn’t want to say that you were stupid or… wait, let me rephrase what I said!”
“Shh! Relax, I know what you meant! Come!”
They walked to the picnic area and noticed that everything was ready.
“Did you have fun, sweetie?” Mrs. Velvet asked to her daughter.
“Yes, Mom! I climbed a tree!”
“Oh! That’s wonderful! How high?”
“About four meters long! I saw some owls as well and petted one!”
“That’s my daughter! Big brains and good athlete, just like her old timer!” Mr. Light bragged.
“Ehem!”
“Your inherited many good traits from your mother as well!” He quickly added.
“In any case, let’s start our picnic! Silversun, you want some help with the eggs and bacon?”
“Dust Star and I are doing just fine, auntie!”
“You two may have a doctorate in sciences but you are terrible cookers!”
“AUNTIE!” Twilight’s cousins yelled in unison.
“Who was the young man that ruined your granddad’s supper?”
“Dust Star was at fault! I told him to cook it with the low fire setting!” She said.
“Traitorous witch!” He said.
“Now, now!” The granddad said. “At least you are better students than your sweet, little mother!”
“Father! Not in front of the guests!”
“Ohohoho! Young lads, do not worry! I’m not particularly good with modern laundry, and you should see my child’s obsession with mountains! My grandchild here is an horrible cook and an average student at best! She barely knows how to make a simple sandwich!”
Bon Bon’s cheeks blushed furiously. “GRANDMA!”
“Elders are so unfair!” Dust Star put the cooked meals in plates.
“The young and prosperous should stick together! Right, Twilight?”
“Of course!”
“We better not involve her with anything! Shining will rush here to punish us if we do so! Besides, he has the coolest job ever!”
“Oh come on, Swift Blow! You should stop licking Shinny’s boot once in a while! If I were you, I would-!”
The youngest members of the family sit together after helping their parents and uncles distributing the food. Cadence was near her future parents-in-law and grandma Leafshard, talking about random topics that got them a few long laughs to share. From salads and sandwiches to bacon and chicken, each member chose freely their food of choice. Twilight grabbed salads, eggs and sandwiches, sticking with her semi-vegetarian ideology of not eating meats. Bon Bon on the other hand chose a healthy mix of all. She… enjoyed the chill company of the Scientist’s elder cousins, wishing that at least Lyra was there as well.
In the end, family and friends had a nice time together for a good couple of hours.
Before they prepared to leave the town, Bon Bon separated from the group and went inside a long and quiet cabin from afar. Twilight was going to follow her but grandma Leafshard stopped her, telling her that she should leave her grandchild alone for a moment.
…. ….
One hour later after arriving to the city around four with eighteen in the afternoon, the Owl Lover and the Scientist roamed around the parks of the suburbs in search for something sweet. Although the morning dessert was good, it wasn’t caramelized enough for Bon Bon’s standards. They ended up sitting in a park, Twilight’s feet finally succumbing to exhaustion.
“My feet hurts!”
“You’ll get used to it, but you should have stayed with Spike in your home. This is why I told you to call it a day.”
“I couldn’t possibly leave you alone…”
“That’s another way to say that you don’t want to be alone and think about what Shimmer will tell you when she calls you eventually.”
Twilight’s eyed opened widely. “I knew it.”
“…”
“Why are you so scared, Twilight?”
“I don’t want Sunset to be disappointed with me…”
“Why?”
“Because even after what happened… Sunset is my first friend.”
“Being a first is meaningless, what matters is the trust you have with her. Call her.”
“…I’m scared.”
“Call Rainbow Dash instead then. Ask her how she fared on her match of today!”
“Oh no! The match! I promised Rainbow that I would go and watch her win!”
“Heh, Lyra texted and told me the result a while ago.”
“And who won?”
“Call. Sunset.”
“Don’t be cruel with me.”
“I’m not being cruel, I’m just trying to make you more secure. This isn’t a delicate matter or a life-death situation, it’s just a simple phone call. If Sunset answers you in a cold tone, then you will know that you friendship won’t last. Trust, Twilight. Trust in the ones who would trust you with anything.”
After a long, quiet moment of reflection, the Scientist did what she was asked for, fingers trembling and sweat drops falling through her skin.
“She is unavailable , but I’ll call her la-!” Bon Bon respectfully grabbed Twilight’s phone and pushed the call button, when she heard Sunset’s phone dialing, she returned the device to her. “…Sunset?”
“Sci-Twi, hi! Are you doing well?” Sunset asked with a lovely tone, a soft and catchy background music could be heard on her end.
The Scientist was astonished. “Yeah, sort of…”
“I saw the pictures you uploaded to MyStable! That place looked gorgeous! And the people around you were friends?”
“Cousins. Just a few years older than me, and the rest of the family are there in others photos as well. We even took Bon Bon and her granny with us since they were heading to the same town as well.”
“You really look like your mom! Are you still there?”
“I just arrived from there… … … …You aren’t angry with me?”
“Why I should be angry with you?” Sunset’s voice was concerned.
“Because she didn’t come to see my victory!” She overhead Rainbow Dash’s loud voice through the phone.
“You won!? That’s great!”
“Of course we won! We are awe- HEY!”
After a brief commotion, Sunset retook control of her device. “In any case, I’m glad that you had a pleasant time… Say, are you available later? Twilight wants to talk with you about something. And she said that she can only talk about it with you.”
The Scientist’s eyes broadened. “I don’t know… I don’t really know.”
“Oh… I see. Well, if you want to join us, we are in Sugarcube Corner celebrating with the soccer team members. Come if you want.”
“I’ll think about it… Later.” Twilight finished the call and rubbed her face with a bit of stress. “She isn’t angry. She isn’t sorry. What does she think of me!?”
“A friend, but Sunset is not very good at it. Sometimes I think her way of friendship is for people of her world, not here.”
“I can forgive her for that, but the other me is another story! ...Nitty.”
“You know, I believe I know where to enjoy a good sweet.”
“Where?”
“Have you heard of the Dazzles? Lightbulb told me about it and said that the food there is good!”
“Good? It’s incredible! The Dazzle Sisters are so nice with their customers!”
“Then let’s go there!”
…. ….
Bon Bon became bewitched by the harmonious decorations and aromas that The Dazzles’ family restaurant had. The sheer elegance of the barmaids, combined with a welcoming sight coming from them, made her take a seat instinctively.
“This place is nice.” She said to herself while catching one of the gorgeous barmaids that was looking at her. When she noticed her client’s gaze, her face reddened but didn’t lose her prideful aura, sending a kiss to the artic eyed girl, flirting was her main purpose. Bon Bon hid her face for a moment. “Not again.”
“Did you say something?”
“Tell me your recommendations.”
“The cakes are good according to Gilda!”
A young woman subtly walked to her clients.
“Can I take your-? Oh, Twilight! Welcome back!”
“Hi, Adagio! Good to see you again!”
Bon Bon looked at Adagio with an emotionless face, eyes opened wide but relaxed. The owner of the restaurant felt her gaze and both locked their attention to one another. She remembered her face. She recognized her traits. She imagined a red amulet now missing from her neck.
She… just smiled.
“I haven’t see you in school lately.”
“Well, I knew I had seen you before. I decided to make a little business with my sisters. As you can see, it ended up being more profitable.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“Now, what do you wish to order?”
Bon Bon’s phone rang loudly, giving away to her that it was her Grandma. “… … …What did you say!?” Her face became shocked. “I’m on my way.” She finished the call. “Sorry, Twilight. I have to go home.” She withdrew eighteen dollars from her wallet. “Give her this strawberry cake. My treat.”
“As you wish!”
“What if we take the slice of cake with us and eat it together in your house?”
“My house!? Nonononono! Another time, Twilight! Not today! But… yeah, I’ll invite you to my house sooner than you expect! Expect Lyra to join us! And Octavia as well.” She said with a glimpse of truth. “Later!” She disappeared in a hurry, never to be seen again by the Scientist for the rest of the day.
“… So… What do you wish to drink with your cake?”
“A peanut butter ice cream milkshake.”
“We only have two flavors left; vanilla with caramel and pistachio. The sales have been very substantial recently and we ran out of other flavors last morning.”
“Cheeseburger. I’ll settle with vanilla, then.”
“Oh, you will love it!” Sonata Dusk appeared before them besides Aria Blaze.
“You bet she will. My ice cream desserts are far more popular than yours.” She bragged, putting Sonata on edge.
“Nah-ah!”
“They are!”
“No way!”
“Quiet, you two!” Adagio scolded. “You are annoying our customer! Speaking of customers… Say, I thought I would see you with Nitpick and company!”
“Oh, him… yeah. He probably is with the other one!” She said brusquely.
“The other one?” The Siren Leader’s mind quickly reasoned who she was talking about. “Did… something happen?” Adagio asked with curiosity.
Twilight, not knowing that she was dealing all this time with the Sirens who almost beat Sunset and company, trusted Adagio and her sisters with her tale, while omitting the magic world in vain, much to the Dazzlings’ pleasure. As the short tale progressed, the Bartenders enjoyed the failures of their nemesis deep within their mind. Adagio quickly came up with a plan, a brilliant idea to create cracks on the floor of Sunset’s relationships.
Everyone has a moral compass. A point where the line between what’s good and what’s wrong becomes blurry. Adagio Dazzle just needed to push Twilight to her side and slowly bore in her the idea that Sunset Shimmer, her most hated mare in the cosmos, was in fact an hypocrite.
Deception was easy for a creature that fed of strife and corruption like her.
“And that’s all what I saw and know.”
“Oh, how could they do such a terrible thing to you?”
“So cruel!” Sonata added.
“Not cool!” Aria concluded.
“I don’t think it’s terrible because they did that… But the things they said before is what hurts me the most.”
“What do you mean? You can trust us!”
“Trust us!” Aria and Sonata said in duet.
“When I enrolled to CHS, I was told that I was special, unique, and that I was meant to be helpful to the school. But the more I tried to live up to their hopes and expectations, the more I fell to an endless hole of insecurities. I wasn’t competing really against myself, but against Twilight Sparkle, Princess of the Fall Formal, Heroine of the Battle of the Bands, and now, The Princess of my…” She became silent, an unnatural shadow befalling on her face.
“…I see.” Adagio said a bit uncomfortable, Twilight’s tone filling her with a strange feeling.
“You know, it’s funny if I see it in another way. You said that you were singers, didn’t you? Perhaps you could empathize a little with me in this. One day, lovely people come and say that you were special, and you believed that you could be the star that your new friends wanted you to be, you think that you could soar high in the sky and become the shining light that they wanted to see, only that there was already a shooting star far brighter, smarter, and beautiful than I in their hearts already. They told me and told me that we both were similar but different but equally special, a play of words perhaps but the message was clear, but I came to realize that no matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, I will always be the second one… In the end, I can’t become a shooting star because the truth all along was that I… wasn’t a star to begin with…”
The store became quiet, and only ghostly whispers were dancing around the table.
There are many things that annoyed Adagio Dazzle. One was stupidity, the perfect example being her sisters when they started a silly discussion in her presence, and the other was empathizing with people outside her silly, bothersome but loved family.
As Twilight finished her last words, an aching memory crawled its way to Adagio’s eyes, replacing her current reality with a memory from the distant past. She wasn’t transformed in a weird creature with cumbersome sticks glued on the floor and walking on the filthy earth. She was instead a prideful Siren, floating on the ground, and even flying when she wished to, all birth gifts she and her sisters possessed.
Their most remarkable trait were their voices, and soon all transformed into a stage for her. As their band battle against Starlight the Bearded rose on musical heights never met before in Equestria, the trio suddenly were transported to another world, another dimension.
She was defeated, and they weren’t the stars of the show.
A millennia later, a second chance to defeat the inheritors of the magician appeared before them. They were so close, so close to achieve the most needed desire to win. And then, history repeated itself once again, with worse consequences than ever before. Their pride shattered, as their birth amulets were on the ground.
She wasn’t the star that she and the rest were meant to become for a second time.
Every time she explores her neck, she could swear that her diamond was still in one piece, showing its light prideful and unmatched to the eyes of its admirers. When Twilight asked if she had a sense of empathy towards her, in a way, the answer was yes. And Adagio Dazzle found it sickening… but strangely welcoming. She had ambitions, and she definitely was aware that she has crushed her opposition for the sake of them, but it didn’t mean that there wasn’t a heart or soul within her. After all, her younger sisters were a nuisance when they lost their powers. But she stick with them, because they were all that she had from her old life.
She stick with them, because they were family, and that family was thinking the same thing in a moment of weakness.
Adagio shook her head weakly as she tried to pull herself together. She just needed to use her natural charisma to seduce Twilight to her good side, ruin Sunset Shimmer’s reputation, and she would achieve a victory against her, no matter how small it may be. But, is a small, petty victory enough for the likes of Adagio? Is a short-lived triumph worthy of the Sirens’ reputation?
“No.” Adagio said defiantly.
“…Excuse me?”
“Twilight, sweetheart, you ARE a star! It’s only that you haven’t been polished to shine as you are intended to! My standards won’t allow me to befriend losers who give up that easily! You must not fall!” Adagio’s pupils burned with passion.
“You must be more aggressive and straightforward with what you desire!” Aria’s eyes were burning as she gripped Twilight’s shoulder.
“Some days will be very bad, and you will feel that you are in a trash yard! And we know about trash yards!”
“SONATA!” The sisters yelled.
“And you don’t belong in a trash yard! No way! You must battle like a girly girl would do!” Sonata’s glare was like blazing flames.
“But I don’t-!”
“No buts! Forget about them! They don’t appreciate potential when they see it! They are, how should I say this? Restricting you! Yes! Holding back your real talent!” Adagio said seductively while touching the Scientist’s fair skin, exploring cheeks and chin smoothly. “Your real beauty is not found when people tells you what to do exactly. You could hear suggestions from competent and trustworthy friends like us from time to time but if that doesn’t make you happy, then you are doing something wrong!”
“Bon Bon said something similar in the morning… If it doesn’t feel right, then it’s of not use…” Twilight was starting to rationalize things in her own way.
“Exactly! Winners do what they want, sweetheart. Remember that. Losers just follow others, and become unsightly boot lickers.” The Siren Leader grabbed Twilight’s shirt and pulled her towards her aggressively. “And in my eyes you aren’t meant to be a boot licker, nor nobody’s fool!”
The Scientist was in baffled at her words. But something within her was speaking to her. Something echoed inside her head and told her that Adagio was right. Something… wanted to become much more inside of her.
“You are right! I’m nobody’s fool! I have value! I am somebody!”
“YES, YOU ARE!” The Dazzlings chorused.
“Aria!” Adagio snapped her fingers powerfully, assuming a very imposing position. “Our client wishes her milkshake and cake. Could you kindly please go and bring it to her?”
“Give me a moment, my client, and all will be ready soon!” And she went to the kitchen with newfound motivation.
“As for you, Sonata…!” The front door opened and a familiar young man got inside. “Why you don’t take Twilight to our private restroom and help her wash her hands and face? Premium treatment to our newest friend!” Those words gave a big smirk to the Scientist.
“Come with me, Twilight! We have bubbles!”
“Don’t sputter stupid nonsense to our customer and go quickly!”
“Geez! Don’t yell!”
When both girls disappeared from the scene, Adagio slowly walked towards the man in question. Whether she felt a certain kinship with Twilight or the Scientist summoned her overprotective sisterly instincts, she had a need to have a civilized discussion with Nitpick Bittersweet.
“Hello, my patron. If it isn’t a bother, we need to have a conversation immediately!”
…. ….
A few minutes later.
“Heh… That was… intense!” Twilight said embarrassed.
“What happened in the bubble room, stays in the bubble room!” Sonata winked at her with crimson red cheeks.
“I’m hungry for my dessert now, want to eat it with- Nitty!?”
She stopped when she heard Adagio Dazzle and Nitpick Bittersweet exploding in laughter very close to each other. The Siren Leader’s eyes were swarming with tears of joy as she tried to don’t choke with them.
Twilight… was extremely confused.
“And they say that I’m cruel! You, sir, are pure evil!”
“Admit it, she deserved it!”
“Indeed she did!”
“Say, is the private room available? The gang wants to eat some good food and we want to use the TV to watch the movie.”
“I have a better idea! We are going to close earlier today since this morning the place almost exploded with clients and we ran out of key ingredients to continue giving a proper service, so why don’t we watch the whole video together? We’ll give you good snacks for free!”
“Are you sure?”
“Dead sure! In fact, I’ll tell my employees to pack things up and close right now! We already called to our providers to bring us more ingredients tomorrow morning so it’ll be quick!” Adagio stood up and walked to the kitchen while Nitpick texted to his friends, but before going inside, she spotted Twilight, only telling her, “We overthought everything, sweetheart!”
The Scientist’s milkshake and cake were in his table, not giving her any options to avoid direct contact with him. To grab them and go to another seat would be very rude, and it may start a heated talk between the two. She decided to sit there and tried to be brave, to be strong and defiant, as many people has told her to do so. But when the moment of truth arose and she sat in front of him, her spirit dwindled, and she became scared again.
It was too hard of a feat for someone of her character.
“Oh! Hey, Midnight! Fucking surprise to see you here!” He said with an overly happy tone.
“Hey there.” She responded dryly.
“What’s wrong? You sound depressed.”
“Perhaps I am depressed.”
“…Did something wrong happen?” Now he was truly concerned, putting aside his phone.
She thought that how he could be so heartless and uncaring to her. After what happened yesterday, how he dared to act like that?
“I had a very bad day yesterday. Well, just a terrible afternoon.”
“Want to tell me what bothers you?”
“No, thank you very much.” She said cuttingly.
“Twilight... Tell me what's wrong.”
“Oh, forget it! … …What did you do yesterday?”
“Well, you know, I hanged up with Lyra and the others, had a pretty awesome time. Messing up with your cousin was, pfffffff, pretty stimulating, to be honest!” He tried so hard to swallow his chuckle.
“Really?” She grew angered. “…So you didn’t miss me?” She mumbled with a tint of discord. “If you enjoyed messing up with my cousin so much, THEN WHY DON’T… you…?” Twilight’s brain came to halt and rebooted to process his words. “Did you say… messing with my cousin!?”
The main door opened and Gilda Heavensbane rushed to her buddy’s side. “YOU KNOW I DON’T LIKE PRANKS!”
“Oh, come on! We discussed this since yesterday during the afternoon, during our sleepover in your home, in the morning during breakfast and every single time I have told you that the little piece of shit deserved it! It was divine punishment, a little payback for her trying to mess with us!”
“Yeah but it doesn’t mean I must like it! Not my style and you know it!” She said with her pride on the line.
“Come here! You know that’s not my way either… but you must admit though that the boxing match was funny!”
“Well… I’ll give you that, and you may be right, asshole.”
“Boxing match!?” Twilight asked confused.
“It was indeed exhilarating.” Reem commented as she, Blueblood and Sugarcoat joined the rest of the gang. “Oh, Miss Twilight! What an unexpected but certainly welcomed turn of events to find you here!” Reem made a curtsey with a blissful voice.
“I must say that the original is far better indeed!” Blueblood tried to give to the Scientist a red rose, only for Reem to put it away on the vase where it came from.
“Sparkle!” Sugarcoat put her hands on her old schoolmate’s arms. “Just when I thought there couldn’t be a more pathetic girl than you, your cousin comes to my life and commits unbelievable stupidities that simply blew my mind away! Congratulations, you are no longer a doormat in my eyes! YOU have been promoted to Doorwoman!”
“Oh, thank you, Sugarcoat!!” She became mesmerized by hearing those words. “I’m so happy to hear… wait… can someone tell me what’s going on?”
Sonata came out of the kitchen with two big bowls of nachos. “Here are the snacks, everyone!”
“And here are the sodas, and tea for Miss Oakwood.” Reem smiled at Aria’s efforts. “Also, everything is ready for tomorrow morning with the delivery, Adagio!”
“Excellent! I better lock the door and put the sign of closed before we get started!”
“Wait.” Twilight said.
“Where is the TV connector?” Reem withdrew from her bag a very high tech camera recorder.
“Here, let me help you!”
“Moonlight, this is going to be awesome!” Sugarcoat sat down and rubbed her hands.
“Wait!”
“I want to see the arm wrestling match with Bon Bon again to discover her secrets!”
“She obviously is stronger than we imagined, Gily!”
“This is the second time that she beats me! I must find a way to destroy her next time!”
“You sure will crush her next time!”
“WAIT!” Everyone were astonished with Twilight’s yell. “Can someone tell me what’s going on!?”
“Hasn’t your cousin told you what happened yesterday?”
“I haven’t talked with her, Sugarcoat! I’m mad at her for something that she did recently!”
“She disguised as you without your consent, right?” Nitpick asked with a frowned expression.
Twilight just nodded weakly with a bit of surprise. “But how do you know that?”
“Please, it was stupidly obvious! And you see…? YOU SEE, EVERYONE!? I knew we did the right thing!”
“Don’t worry, Miss Twilight! God himself allowed us to punish your cousin’s treachery with swift justice!” Blueblood spoke mightily.
“Why do you not take a seat and watch with us the movie?”
“Movie?”
“Aye!” Reem answered. “A home video of the events of yesterday, by yours truly! And some advanced technological video recordings!”
The Noble started the movie with a swift push of a button. Twilight started consuming her beverage and cake while watching the monitor with newfound thrill.
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That CWC-tier cover art sent my sides into the stratosphere.
7984888
I don't have any idea what that means, must be something bad though by the last expression.
7985058 The artwork looks like something Christian Weston Chandler (a Sonic fan) drew up.
Does your "OC" also go "super-fast"?
If you say the last word out loud it sounds like, virgin-I-anus.
7985610
It's an one month late reply because of reasons but f you are insinuating that he is a Gary Stu because of what I researched about what you posted, then no, he doens't go fast. But I must assume you disliked the story for that fact already and that's okay, so let's carry on and thank your for my drawing evaluation. Will improve my writing and drawing eventually.
8043963
That comparison wasn't intended!