A Pony's Guide to Gunpla

by Mystic Sunrise

Ch. 3

Pearl carefully pulled apart the tape around the box, her excitement rising as she lifted the lid off the box itself and began to pull bag after bag of runners, before finally reaching the instructions.

Twilight took each bag and set them on the table carefully. Not sure which order to go in, she set them out as they came out of the box. “There are a lot of runners. Spike’s models don’t have near this many.”

Sunset nodded. “Most High Grades don’t have near this many unless it’s a two in one kit.”

Pearl gave her a look. “A what?”

Twi smiled. “Two kits in one package. Usually, because they can be combined into one. Those usually require a bit more experience since you typically need to parts form them.”

Pearl scratched her head as she looked through the instructions. “I’ll take your word for it,” she grumbled as she took it all in. “Good grief. Did I pick a complicated one? Look at all this.”

Twilight looked over her student’s shoulder. “I have to agree. This seems rather complex for something that is supposed to be beginner-friendly. Even when there are no stickers.”

Pearl nodded. She had been surprised to see no sticker sheet of any kind. Didn’t they all have one? Apparently not as she grabbed the F2 and D runners. “So where do I start?”

Twi’s smile grew as she ignited her magic. “It’s usually easiest to go in the order they present to you. There are some places where nubs are visible. I can clean them up for you.”

Sunset could see Pearl wanted to argue that and interjected. “Pearl. Look at it this way, If you screw up nub removal, there is no easy fix for that. Let someone who knows how to do this do it.”

Twilight nodded, placing a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “They are right, Pearl. Spike can tell you how tedious a process this is. If you ever do more, we can teach you.”

Pearl wanted to argue, wanting to do all of this herself. But a part of her knew that they were right. What did she know about a lot of this? Nothing, she sighed. “Fine. You win.”

Twi giggled as Pearl snipped out the first pieces. In this case F26 and D5and D6. Luckily, none of them needed much work, just a quick sanding, and Pearl found it surprisingly easy to slide the two smaller pieces into the large one. Next came F25 to click into the back.

Pearl smiled as she set the beginning of the torso down and went for the next pieces. The hoses, however, required a bit more work to get them to align properly, but they too soon went in.

Sunset had kindly already cut open all of the runner bags, so she didn’t have to fiddle with the hobby knife to get them open and risk cutting herself. Next came the C1 runner.

This time, though, things didn't go as smoothly as before, and the pieces she assumed formed part of the arm connection refused to go into their slots. “Come on,” she grumbled. But no matter how hard she pushed, they didn’t align properly.

Twilight watched with growing concern, sharing a worried look with Sunset and her counterpart, before shaking her head. “Pearl. Calm down and think about it for a second.”

Pearl shot her a look. “Like what?”

Twilight put on her best teaching smile and pointed to the instructions. “Think about it for a moment. If they don’t line up, try turning the top piece so the flat surface faces outwards.”

Pearl blinked, before trying her teacher’s advice. Once she did, she tried the pieces again, and this time, they slid home perfectly. “... Oh,” she blushed, as the others chuckled.

Twi rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, Pearl. Very few people get everything exactly right the first time. At least you didn’t break anything.”

Pearl nodded, as she grabbed runners G1 and G2. That was true of course. Assembling the neck area was more fidelity because the pieces were smaller now, and the first inklings that this might not be for her entered her mind. But she would see this kit through, no matter what.

What came after that? She didn’t know yet.

Adding the venting and the final armor piece on top of that felt like an accomplishment for Pearl as she sat back for a moment, letting her fingers rest. “I don’t know you do this, Miss Sparkle.”

Twi blushed as Sunset snickered. “Please don’t call me that, Pearl. I’m the same age as the princess.”

Pearl shook her head. “Well I can’t call you Princess Twilight now can I? You’re not the same, and it isn’t fair to treat you two the same.”

Twilight smiled proudly. That was very mature of her student. And it was true. It had been a sticking point between the two of them for a time after the Friendship Games.

Sunset pinched her nose. “We’ll be here all night if we get started on this conversation, and I’ve had to listen to it before. Never again.”

Pearl rolled her eyes as she grabbed the next runner, and blinked in confusion as she looked at two H1 runners. One clear, and the other green. “Why are there two of them?”

Twi shrugged. “One clear so you can paint the eyes and head cameras yourself if you want to. Green will give you the right color from the start. And this is one of the few kits where there are no eye or camera stickers.”

Pearl was thankful for that at least as she snipped off the green piece before Twi carefully sanded away the marks. She wasn’t sure what to do with the clear. But there was something.

There had to be, as she the green piece to F2 7, before grabbing runner B. If the parts before were small, now they were really small, as she even more carefully snipped out the mouth vent.

How did people work with such small pieces, as she fumbled it, but luckily caught the piece in her other hand. That was too close. She would never find it like this.

Luckily, the sides of the head were much bigger and easier to hold onto and clip together. The head crest came next, and finally the v-fin and a small attachment on top of it. One quick click, and now the head and torso were starting to look like something.

Pearl sighed as she sat back and let her eyes rest for a moment. “How do ponies do this?”

“People,” Sunset corrected.

Pearl rolled her eyes. “Whatever. My point is, how can people do more than one of these? I’m already losing interest, and I’m not even halfway done yet.”

Twilight was worried as she placed a hand on her shoulder. “Do you want to stop, for now, Pearl? No one is making you do this. This is up to you.”

Pearl wavered for a moment. A part of her did want to stop. But another part of her felt that if she did, she would never be able to get back into it, and the kit would never be finished. “Maybe I’ll just take a small break for now. I need some air.”

“Good Idea. it’s best to take a break.” Sunset smiled as Pearl got up, give her pj’s a quick brush down her then walked out onto Twi’s balcony.

Pearled sighed as she stood there leaning on the railing and looking out over Canterlot city. Sci-Twi certainly has an amazing view. Looking up the hills to the east she saw a rather impressive house that would be more at home in the Far East than here. “I wonder who lives there?”

“My family.” A voice came from above causing Pearl to twist around and look for the source. Looking up she saw Kohaku sitting there on Twi’s roof. He had traded his jeans and tank top for a short silk kimono, loose kimono shorts, and a pair of geta’s

“You? What... how?” Turning around, Pearl looked over the railing and back up at Kohaku. “We’re on the third floor, how did you get up there without anyone seeing you?” Blinking she saw that in his hands was a multi-colored block that was 7 high and 7 long. His hands idly worked it as he looked at her.

“Eh, wasn’t hard. Just shimmied up the drainpipe and flipped myself up onto the roof.” he chuckled to himself. “It’s a lot harder to get onto Pearl’s roof than Twi’s. Not by much though.”

Pearl’s brain already felt dizzy from working on her model kit. Listening to this boy already had her seeing double. “Okay. I’m too tired to argue with you on that. Why are you here?”

“Well, let's just say I have a vested interest in what Twi was up to. Especially with a doppelganger of Pearl in tow.” A smirk crossed his face. “I’m basically just looking out for my friends.”

Pearl blinked and tilted her head. “Uh okay. I can understand that.” Pearl sighed and turned around again. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Kohaku land effortlessly on the edge of the railing and stand lightly walked over to her. “I want to say thanks again, for buying all that. I’ll pay you back I promise.”

“Forget it. Oh here’s your receipt and rebate slip.” Kohaku handed her two slips of paper and chuckled. “So whatcha doin out here? Usually, my Pearl doesn’t leave her room for days while putting together these model kits.”

“Well, it’s my first time doing these. It got... Boring.” Pearl sighed and leaned into the railing, slumping down till her head rested on her arms.

“Yeah, I can understand that.” Kohaku jumped up and landed perfectly on his rump on the rails, keeping perfect balance much to Pearl’s semi heart attack that he would fall. “I tried putting one of those things together once. Almost lost my mind.”

Nodding softly Pearl understood that now. It was so slow and tedious. One small part after another after another. How could her double assemble many models when she couldn’t even finish her first. Looking back over at Kohaku she watched his hands effortlessly twist and turn that multi-block device. “What is that thing?”

“A Rubiks Cube. Pearl bought it for me today. I finished the last puzzle she gave me.” Kohaku kept his eyes steady on his work in front of Pearl. “She usually buys me something like this or an actual puzzle. Nothing less than ten thousand pieces of course.”

Pearl’s eyes widened as she looked at him. “You seem like a rather hyperactive individual. How can you stand to sit still and work on something like that?”

“Oddly enough, it’s relaxing. I find it’s a great stress relief from the day. Taking hold of something like this and putting everything else out of my mind.” Stopping he placed his Rubik's Cube down and leaned back on the railing. “It can be rather stressful being the child of a rich family. So much is expected of me. When the time comes I'll take over my father’s position. Do you know what that’s like? The kind of stress it can leave on someone?”

Pearl blinked and leaned back, turning around she pressed her back against the rail and looked in at both Twilights and Sunset. All three engaged in a conversation she couldn’t hear. “Yeah, I can. Back home my mom is big in the banking business and my father owns the largest shipping company around. Both have plans for me in one or the other.”

“Wow, you and Pearl share a lot more than just your looks.” Kohaku quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah, these things can be an escape. Not just model building but how about diorama building. Taking those models and creating scenes with them. Something of your own creation. Did they tell you that you can also combine models together and create something original?”

Pearl blinked and shook her head. “No. They haven't.”

“It’s called Kit Bashing. It’s challenging and not for amateurs. But once you get started. You're not limited to just what you can buy, but only by your imagination.”

Pearl smiled. Looking back at her model kit she saw flashes of what could be. She saw the box top of what the finished model was to look like and wondered how much better it would be if it had large wings and an impressive horn rather than the V-shaped fin. Or if the color was shaded in hues of purple.

“You see, you're already picturing it in your mind. But every journey starts with a single step. And right now. That step is in there waiting for you to finish up.”

Pearl looked at Kohaku and smiled. “Thanks. You're not half bad.”

“You're welcome. Now since I can see that nothing other than an innocent association is going on. I’ll take my leave. OH and tell Twi that her and Pearl’s reservations at their favorite restaurant is set for next Saturday.” With that Kohaku backflipped himself off the railing.

Pearl almost shrieked when she saw him flip down. Looking over the rails she blinked to find that he had completely vanished. Nothing but shadows and grass below. “Nothing like a heart attack to get a girl's blood flowing. At least now I have the energy to finish.” Still looking pale and shaken she pushed open the sliding door and walked back into the bedroom.

Twilight gave her a concerned look. “Are you alright, Pearl? You know you don’t have to finish this tonight.”

Pearl shook her head as she sat back down. “No. If I stop now, I don’t know if I’ll ever finish it. And I hate leaving anything unfinished.”

Twilight smiled. But she could also see that Pearl’s interest was waning fast. A look both Sunset and Sci Twi could see as well, as they all shared a worried look. It was out of their hands, however.

Pearl shook her head as she grabbed the C2 runner and set it next to its twin. Now she came to a part she always hated. Doing something twice. Great, as she began to snip out the pieces she needed for the arms. “Is it normal to dread having to do double of anything on one of these?”

Twi nodded. “Yes. I know I did it for the first time. One thing I found that helps is to keep them separate, so you know which arm or leg you’re working with. It’s easy to mix them up.”

Pearl nodded, as she began assembling the pieces. It seemed pretty straightforward, she thought. Up until she came to making each assembly either the right or left arm. And the only difference there was which hands she used. “Um. How do I know which hand to use?”

Sunset chuckled. “Depends on if you want them to be able to hold the weapons. If you want him to hold the Beam Rifle and Beam Tomahawk, then you need certain hands. Just flip the page.”

Pearl did so and smiled. “Oh, now I get it. So do I just hold onto the other hands, then?”

Sunset nodded. “It’s easy to swap them out. They’re all on a ball joint.”

Pearl nodded, clipping off the pieces she needed. Getting the fingers to line up so one went through the trigger of the beam rifle was tricky, but it was worth it as she turned it over. “Oh yeah. Beats out empty hands all day.”

The other giggled, and even Pearl began to brighten up a little as clipped the hands into the wrists, before very carefully pushing the entire arm and shoulder into each socket. Both fit perfectly.

Twi, though, noticed something. “You forgot something, Pearl.”

The youngster blinked. “I did? Where?”

Twi turned the model around. “Look at the backs of the arms. They’re hollow. They’re not supposed to be. There’s a spot for the Butterfly Edge to go in each slot.”

Pearl blinked, before looking back at the instructions, and blushed. “Oh, yeah. I wondered what those were for.” It was a quick fix, however, and both slid home easily.

Now came the part she dreaded the most. While the feet and legs came together easily, it was fitting them to the waist that worried her. Those connections didn’t look very sturdy.

Twilight was having the same thought, and while Pearl put the waist together, she leaned over and whispered to Sunset and Twi. “How are those going to fit? It doesn’t seem like they can.”

Twi nodded. “They will. You just need to be careful, or it’s easy to break the connection somewhere. And that is not a simple fix. That is not what I’m worried about though.”

Twilight blinked in surprise. “Then what is?”

Sunset sighed. “It’s the Psycho Plates that go on the back. They look cool as hell. But they weigh so much they’ll throw off the balance it’ll never be able to stand up on its own.”

Pearl heard much of this, as she very carefully pushed the upper body down onto the ball joint on the waist. The Moon Gundam was able to stand on its own when she took her hands away, but it looked rather dull just standing straight as it was. A little repositioning of the legs fixed that. “But those are the main reasons I bought this kit.”

Twi nodded. “I know, Pearl. Luckily, Bandai seems to have known this could be a problem and gave you a solution.”

“What do you mean?” Pearl asked, not seeing anything that could help her in this.

Twi smile grew as she pointed out a certain piece on the D runner. “Simple. Use piece D21 in place of one of the arms they say to build on the backpack. It gives much better support.”

Pearl didn’t see it herself but decided that it wouldn’t hurt as began assembling the backpack. And as she slotted in the thrusters, her smile just got bigger and bigger. Now came her favorite part.

Grabbing the I1 and I2 runners, she began to snip at a rate that surprised the others. Where did this come from? Pretty soon, Pearl had all the pieces laid out that she needed.

She sighed, making herself calm down before she got down into the nitty-gritty, and soon enough, the Psycho Plates began to come together into a half-moon shape before her. In her mind, Pearl imagined what this could look like if there were more than just these eight.

Twi watched with an open mouth. Where did this burst come from? Pearl looked almost ready to quit only a few minutes ago, but now? “Pearl. Where did all of this energy come from?”

Pearl just smiled. “A little fox gave me a pep talk. One that I needed.”

Twilight and Sunset shared a confused look. “But we’re on the third floor. How could one get up here?” Twilight asked.

Pearl just smiled. “Guess this one’s better than most.”

Twi sighed and groaned a bit. “Of course he is. I should have guessed he’d show up.”

Pearl just smiled wider, as she slid plate H into plate G. Now came the hard part, as she very carefully connected the Psycho Plates to the Moon’s backpack. To her surprise, it fit easily.

But would it stand up with the added weight? Letting go, Pearl watched in mounting horror as her kit fell backward, only to be caught by a purple glow of magic.

Twi sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of. It’ll never stand on its own like this. It needs support.”

Pearl gave her a worried look. “Where, and how? You can’t do this forever.”

Twi nodded as she looked down at an unused runner. “No. But I don’t need to. That runner you haven’t touched yet is an Action Base. It will hold this just fine.”

Pearl blinked and looked down. She’d forgotten about that one. Working quickly, she snapped out the base, before turning to the support arms. Seemed simple enough, she thought.

Sunset, though, saw where this might go. “One thing to watch out for, Pearl. You see that little tab on the side of the arms?” She nodded. “That will lock it into whatever position you want. So if you want one in particular, make sure you lock it down so it doesn’t move.”

Pearl hadn’t thought of that, but it made sense. As she played with different positions, she could also see why this was a thing. It was much safer this way. Finally finding a spot she liked, she locked it down, before slipping the other half of the arm over the first one.

Next came support in a notch between the two arms that would hold the upper one up at all, and with a bit of work, Pearl finally got the connector into a slot she liked. Now came the hard part.

Twilight, though, was still concerned. “Where is it going to connect to? There’s nothing I can see that would work.”

Twi nodded as she turned the model around so Pearl could see the back. “Lift up the rear skirting armor. There should be a hole for it to connect into.”

Pearl did as she was instructed. Sure enough, there was a hole for the piece on top of the arms to connect into. “Are you sure about this, Miss Sparkle? That’s a really tiny hole and no room for error.”

Twi nodded, her smile softening. “Give me some credit, Pearl. I can hold it steady while you attach the base. You’ve got this.”

Maybe it was because she was so much like Princess Twilight, or maybe it was because it was so late, but Pearl believed her, and as she saw the princess and Sunset giving her encouraging smiles, she went for it.

Gulping, she very carefully picked up the Moon Gundam and gingerly pushed it back onto the peg. Not until she felt there was no way to go further back did she stop.

With a sigh, Pearl watched as Twi cut off her magic. To her great relief, the kit stayed where it was meant to. But it looked rather boring just floating there like this.

Gazing down at the last page of the instruction manual, though, Pearl found something that would fix that. If this didn’t scream action pose, she didn’t know what did.

Very carefully, she pulled the right leg back into a bend, while swinging the left leg out. Then she swung the left arm up, while also swinging the right arm up, and turning the head so that it looked like the Moon Gundam was looking down the Beam Rifle’s barrel.

When she got them to the positions she liked, Pearl pulled her hands away slowly. Thankfully, the connection was still secure, and the pose held perfectly.

Letting out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, Pearl finally relaxed, all but plopping down on her pillow with a sigh.

Twilight pulled her young student into a hug. “I’m proud of you, Pearl. I know you were ready to give up. But you did not. That takes real heart.”

Pearl managed a smile. “Thanks, princess. Who knew this could be so tedious?”

Twi chuckled. “Most people who do this would say otherwise, Pearl. And you did this much better than I did with my first one.”

Pearl gave her a look. “Where are yours anyway? Didn’t you say you have some?”

Twi nodded. “I do. But I’ve put them away for now. With all the magical disasters going on, and me still learning magic, I didn’t want to take the chance I’d do something to them.”

Sunset nodded. “We really don’t need the kits coming to life. Goddess above forbid if their weapons start working as they do in the anime or manga too.”

The two shivered at the thought, while Pearl only shook her head. “Well, I don’t know if I’m ready for another kit or not. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

Twilight looked down at the manual once more, Two more were shown, supposedly the development cycle for one in particular. “What about these two?”

Pearl blinked and sat up. “Oh yeah. What are those two anyway?”

Twi’s smile grew. “They’re the development cycle for the MSN-04 Sazabi. You can get him in every Grade but Perfect actually. The AMS-123X Varguil, unfortunately, is Premium Bandai only.”

Pearl scratched her head. “A what?”

Sunset sighed. “Kits you can only find online at their website, and not in stores. Once they sell out there, though, you’re lucky to find them again. Except at marked-up prices.”

Twi nodded. “And they’re very rarely ever reprinted. Unless it’s a huge fan favorite. The Varguil came out several years ago. I haven’t seen it in stock since.”

Pearl sighed. Darn it. “What about Sazabi? I think I might have seen one like it at the store. And I do love red.”

Twi pinched her nose. “You more than likely did. Or the alternate universe version, the Nightingale. Depends on how much room you have. Real Grade is size friendly, but the Master Grade is great if you want it to stand out in your collection.”

Twilight also pinched her nose. “One thing at a time. I will need to place magic on this one to make sure it doesn’t fall from your room, Pearl. And I know your friends will see it as well.”

Pearl gulped. She’d forgotten about that bit. How was she going to explain this to Cloud and Red, and not sound crazy? “Good thing I have you for that then, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight didn’t look too happy to be put in that spot, but her student was right.

Sunset shook her head. “Let’s save that for later, shall we? It’s late, and just watching this has made my head hurt. Now I remember why I’m not into it.”

Everyone giggled, but one look at the clock showed that it was late, and everyone was too tired to do anything else.

Pearl stretched a bit when she remembered her moment on the balcony. “Oh, Twi. before I forget. That fox-boy we met today. Apart from helping me see what this modeling could be. Said something that I found a little confusing.”

Twi smiled as she slipped into her bed. “He’s always confusing. Best just not think too much on it.”

“Good advice. But he told me to let you know that the reservation at your favorite restaurant for you and Pearl is set for next Saturday.” Pearl blinked in shock as Twi coughed and choked on the last bit of her soda.

“He… what?” Twi blinked and looked at her friends nervously. “Uh…”

“I knew it,” Sunset giggled as she leaned against the bed after pulling her blanket up a bit. “I have to say. Good job keeping it to yourself all this time.”

Twilight and Pearl blinked as they looked at each other. “Are we missing something?” Pearl asked as she looked at Twi and Sunset.

“It’s nothing. Really,” Twi slumped down in her bed and groaned. She envied Pearl and her patience with that boy. She could strangle him at this moment.

“At least now I know why you didn’t want to run into her with this Pearl,” Sunset chuckled and laid down giggling.

“Are you two going to explain? Or do I have to issue a royal decree?” Twilight smirked and crossed her arms.

“Fine. if you have to know. The Pearl of this world. Well. I’ve been dating her for the last six months. I wasn’t aware that HE knew, but it shouldn’t surprise me. He always seems to know what’s going on at any given time,” Twi flopped down and covered her face with a pillow.

Twilight and Pearl looked at each other with a blush as they crawled into their sleeping bags.

Author's Note:

Alright. Could I have gone into painfully intricate detail about the build? Yes. But does anyone really want to read that? No, really. Does anyone? I don't see the point. There are videos out there that do it much better than I could.

Night_Moon60606 gave me a good idea for a future kit, so thanks for that. So did Charlie_K. Even if I don't think he meant to. He's also right about just getting one Zaku Mine Layer or GM Command variant, or Rick Dom. And the next thing you know. You have dozens of kits in your backlog. If people have kit suggestions, I'm open. No SD kits though.

Comments

[Charlie_K]

I can sympathize with Pearl's dislike of repeating her work when it comes to the limbs. I did that once with one Master Grade kit, before deciding "fuck it" and I started building both arms and legs simultaneously.

And if she thinks she's frustrated now, she should be thankful she didn't pick the Master Grade Strike Freedom Gundam. Motherfucker that was a pain.

The part about the hips/legs not supporting the weight of the psycho panels, I felt that. I felt that hard. When I got the Mark 2 versions of the MG Zaku units, the new system of joining the legs to the torso sucked. I could never get the hip pegs to go into the rubber fitting. I don't know if they were defective, or I simply didn't push hard enough, but I never could make them work. So I'd have to dremmel out the pegs and run a chopped finishing nail through so they'd have something to hold onto.

[Mystic Sunrise]

11121885
Ouch 😞. Pearl does eventually get the Strike Freedom (it's mentioned in A Twilight Rose Love, which is a sequel to this story). Just not sure in what Grade yet.