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The Chance of a Lifetime1,907 words
A Day at the Doctors2,041 words
The Friendship Games2,609 words
Requiem for the Lost2,983 words
Confessions Favor the Bold2,042 words

The Chance of a Lifetime

“I’m starting to regret my decision to come to this.” I followed my friend through a crowd, hoping we could go somewhere less conspicuous. “Remind me did you talk me into this costume?”

“Because you promised me we’d go as a matching pair, Em!” Nicki’s squeal cut through the convention’s noisy babble like a hot knife through butter, and I smiled at her excitement.

“I know, I just wish this hoodie fit me better.” I pulled at the hem of the hoodie I was wearing, wishing yet again it reached to my shorts. My friend Nicki had gotten me it as a present a week ago, along with magenta hair dye and high laced shoes. And then she invited me to go with her to BronyCon.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the show, but I watch it more as a favor to Nicki than actual taste. I even have a favorite pony! Kind of.

So when Nicki sprung all this on me and I said I’d think about it, her drooping face felt like a punch to the gut. So I said yes. Stupidest flipping thing I’ve ever done. I didn’t quite understand the relevance of the other presents till she had me go get my haircut and dyed in Scootaloo’s style. That’s when I started wishing I could go against her wishes.

But the look on her face when I came back to the apartment we shared made up for the loss of my hair. She freaked out when I came out of my room with the whole outfit on a couple days ago, and we almost missed our flight due to her deciding we needed to have a photoshoot, and the ensuing argument.

I may be a girl, but I’m still not all that in favor of photoshoots. I’d much rather go out and hang with some friends, kick a ball around. Ever since we finished high school, I’ve found myself with a burning desire to do… something. As soon as I figure out what it is, I’ll do it.

Nicki pulled me deeper into the throng of people, and I lost sight of her, only knowing she was there by the grip of her hand. I threw out a few apologies as we squeezed through the people, pushing and nudging people to get through. When we finally made it to the other side, I glared at Nicki, bending over to catch my breath.

“We could’ve just gone around!” I gestured to the mass of people, then to the small isle to the side.

“Well, sorry! I just wanted to see where that cosplayer went!” She gestured towards nothing, and I looked for a second before turning my gaze back to her.

“What cosplayer?” She whipped around at my response, looking for the person she had seen before.

“No, no! He was right here! The perfect Applebloom to your Scootaloo!” I sighed, realizing my friend was yet again trying to hook me up with someone she saw in passing.

“Nicki, what have I told you about setting me up with someone you don’t know?” I watched in amusement as her head slowly turned towards me, the ‘deer-in-headlights’ look plastered across her face. When I thought the guilt had been sufficiently beaten into her, I allowed a smile to cross me face. “Don’t worry, Nicki, I’m not upset. This time.”

I almost couldn’t hold in my laughter, and a snicker escaped at the quick change to relieved and then horrified.

That was when I got bumped into her by someone from behind. I could feel my face flush as I got up off Nicki, having tipped over onto her as I tried and failed to get my balance in my high laced shoes.

I started ranting, not really caring if anyone heard me. “Stupid fricken boots laced up to my freaking knees, who even needs these?! Why do they exist in the world, they’re completely useless! And who in their right mind would bump into someone at a…” my words stopped coming when I looked up, noticing that the person who had bumped into me was crying her eyes out, as well as impeccably dressed in an Apple Bloom costume. She even had the right type of boots and her hair was perfectly recreated.

“Uh, hey, are you okay?” I said, getting up to go over to her. In response, though, she ran off crying, and I realized she must’ve been just a young kid, she seemed like she was even the same height as Apple Bloom! Not that I would know, I suppose.

“Well that was weird,” Nicki shook me out of my brief venture into the abyss of my thoughts, and I looked over to her, noticing another cosplayer coming up behind her, this one dressed as Applejack.

I noticed she was looking around for something, and as she walked by us she yelled, “Has anyone seen mah little sister? Answers t’ the name ‘Apple Bloom?’”

I looked at her for a moment before calling out to her, “Is she dressed as AB too? ‘Cause I just saw a young cosplayer that was the spitting image of her running that way.” I pointed in the direction the girl had gone off.

The cosplayer smiled at me, tipping AJ’s signature Stetson. “Thank ya kindly, sugarcube. By the way, yer Scootaloo cosplay looks great!” The farm girl took off towards the direction the Apple Bloom cosplayer fled to.

“That… was actually kind of cool,” Nicki mumbled to me as I helped her off the floor. “I mean, she stayed in character even when looking for her sister! If that even was her sister. Did you see how they totally fit the role, too? I bet it’s like an event or something!”

I shook my head and smiled at her enthusiasm. “I’m sure there’s something happening. At least they’re not singing off key.” I motioned towards the crowd of people we had passed through as they started the next verse of Let the Rainbow Remind You. “I’m pretty sure that’s their fourth time singing that song.”

Nicki snorted and grabbed my hand, pulling me through the convention again. I let her lead the way, as this was something she had invited me to. We stopped the first stand she had chosen, having made a list earlier today of the places she wanted to hit first. We stood in line for what felt like an hour, though only turned out to be twenty minutes. Still a long wait, in my opinion.

I stood there, whistling to myself as she gushed over some fanmade toys, looking around for something interesting. I noticed that a stand further into the convention had pretty much nothing, which, from what I could tell from here, was a little strange. I looked over at Nicki, noticing she was still absorbed in the stand.

“Hey, Nicki, I’m gonna go and look at that stand over there.” Nicki grunted at me, and I took it as an ok for me to go. I meandered over to the stand and started perusing, not noticing the merchant staring at me.

“Is there something that looks interesting, young lady?” I jumped in shock and turned to look at the guy who had walked up next to me. I did a double take, then looked again. “You’re dressed up as the Merchant from Resident Evil. Don’t tell me you’re pretending to be that Merchant guy everyone's talking about.”

“Oh, they talk about me, do they?” He cackled, putting on a great impression of a madman.

With the best timing ever, Nicki ran over, bending over to catch her breath as she came up beside me. “Emily! Don’t go running off without me! We both know your sense of direction is terrible, and I have the only map!”

“Sorry, Nick,” I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, before pointing at the stand. “Hey, look at this stuff! It’s incredible!”

Nicki took the bait, looking over, and I could swear her eyes got as big as dinner plates. “Oh my God. What is this place?”

“Just a humble merchant’s stall, young lady.” The guy from before casually butted in, and I glared at him, before blinking and turning to look beside me at where he just was.

“What the hell…” I muttered.

Nicki pulled me yet again from my thoughts with a squeal. “Look, Em! It’s Scootaloo’s scooter!”

I followed her gaze and looked at probably the least impressive thing in the stall. The scooter looked rickety, old, and worn, definitely not something i’d get at a store anywhere. It looked like it belonged in a garage sale.

“Uh… ok, it’s Scootaloo’s scooter. Big deal. It’s all run down, and looks more like a kid’s used scooter than anything.” I didn’t bother to mention the fact that I was never going to buy it. I decided I’d take the initiative and get out of there. I was never one to listen to rumors, but this time it seemed like a good idea.

“Wha, Emily!” Nicki protested, pulling back on my grip.

“Nicki, this guy gives me the creeps. We should go.” I pulled again, only to find Nicki had slipped out of my grip and stood there fuming. “You know what, fine. Buy something. I’ll be sitting over here minding my own business.”

I stalked over to the wall a distance away, leaning against it and snorting in frustration. I watched Nicki carefully, waiting for something bad to happen, but after a minute she traded money for the scooter, and trotted over to me, bouncing in glee. At my look she rolled her eyes, and loudly proclaimed, “you don’t have to ride it, worrywart, I only want you to try on the helmet that came with it.”

I mumbled out a ‘fine,’ and snatched the hemet from her grasp, placing it on my head. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly, and I buckled the strap under my head. “There, you happy?”

She giggled. “Yes, very much so.” She grabbed my hand again and we took off past the stall, passing by a young man in a black tank top bartering with the merchant for a rainbow wig.

As we got to the food court, my legs started cramping, and I pulled her hand, effectively stopping us. She glanced at me curiously, and I motion her over to sit down at a table. “Leg cramp.”

She nodded in understanding and we sat down. I massaged my legs, muttering about the stupidity of getting a cramp at a convention, not noticing my lower viewpoint until I stood back up and turned towards my staring friend. “What?”

My hands flew towards my throat as a young scratchy voice came out, and I looked over at Nicki, my eyes wide. I had a sudden urge to run, and I grabbed the scooter, quickly pushing off and riding into the convention’s crowds.

I ignored my friend’s calls as I raced past the people, bumping people out of the way on my way to the bathroom. When I got there, I cut in front of a man just about to enter, and zoomed into the room, barely breaking in time. I tumbled over the edge of the scooter, flipping it, and caught myself on the sink. Unfortunately, I forgot about the scooter itself, and I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, then blackness.

Author's Note:

As a collab with others goes, I think this worked out pretty well. Of course, I’d love to here what you think too. Did I fail epically? Did it end up okay?

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