I know that that saying's cliche, but it's not any less true. It has it's ups and downs and curveballs, but it's the only form of existence that we know of-- so we just have to make the best of it. That's something I haven't been doing in the past years, but I had a wake-up call... and it's time I adapted to the war around me...
After a rude awakening from a cold sweat at 5 in the morning, I decided to get dressed and laid in bed for an hour, trying to get back to sleep. I was always used to the annual "Collared-T-Shirt-and-Jeans" dress code, but when I learned that CHS barely had a dress code, I decided to get my Walking Dead shirt-- don't worry, it only was an overshot of The Prison. I was about to get breakfast when my mom came in with a bag in her hand.
"Here. I got you something." She said.
I wasted no time unwrapping the wrapped sandwich in front of me, along with the hash-brown. After finishing the fast-food breakfast and getting ready for my first day, I noticed it was 6:50. I told my mom and I grabbed my bookbag. I began walking out when I saw a bus drive up. I quickly ran after it and caught it in time. I took an empty seat in the front row and pulled out my phone. I started some free game I downloaded and played it until I looked up and saw a large building with the words "CHS" hanging down on a flag near the doors.
I was put in CHS mid-year. So I'll have to catch on pretty fast around here.
I walked in and then, as I looked around, a girl in a leather jacket too short for her size came towards me.
"Hi! Are you the new kid I'm supposed to show around?" She asked.
"Yeah. I'm Jason." I said to her.
"I'm Sunset Shimmer, it's nice to meet you." Sunset said with a small smile on her face.
We walked around the school as she pointed out the classes, library--it was huge--, auditorium, gym, and the office. I found the locker they said was mine during the orientation. I put my combination in and placed my bookbag inside. I grabbed my schedule and found my first class. I walked in and took my seat near the back. I took note of the people walking in. A slightly chubby kid with a black T-shirt with scissors, a tall kid with a sweater vest with a snail on it, and several others. I then saw the teacher walk in-- with a semi-big smile on her face.
"Hello, class. I would go on with today's lesson, but today, we have a new student." She said looking at me.
As she looked at me, so did the class.
"Would you like to say anything about yourself?" The teacher asked.
I stood up and started speaking.
"My name is Jason. I'm from Pennsylvania." I lied.
They can't know about me-- no-one can...
"How did you come here?" The teacher asked.
"Well, we moved from school to school, then we moved here. I was told of this place from an old family friend who's granddaughter comes here." I said.
"And who is that?" The teacher asked.
"Uh, her name's Applejack-- our families knew each other and when we moved, we decided to move around here." I said, happy enough with my fabricated story.
"Do you keep in touch with your old friends?" The teacher asked.
Probably best if they didn't know the truth...
"Well, I didn't have much of any friends but I keep in touch with the ones I have." I said.
"Thank you, Jason. I'm Cheerilee. I think you'll love it here at Canterlot High." Cheerilee said.
The first day wasn't much of anything. Just talking about the schedules and the layout of the school. As the day passed, I felt like... something was odd about this place. Most of the seniors and some of the juniors were all whispering about one of the students-- Sunset Shimmer. Later, I saw her down the hall; I waved and she waved back. I soon felt poking at my shoulder. I quickly jolted and turned to see a person I was all too familiar with.
"Hey, Applejack!" I said.
"Jason! It's been a while!" She said with her southern accent.
"So, how is it at Sweet Apple?" I asked her.
"Things have been going alright. I see you found a friend already..." AJ said-- clearly talking about Sunset Shimmer.
"Well, she didn't laugh at my face, so yeah." I said.
"Trust me, you won't see much of that here." AJ said, clearly reassured.
You're probably wondering why we were able to chat like this. You see, CHS had this "Free-Time" concept. Basically during the last hour and a half of the day, the students are allowed to walk around the school, chat with friends in separate grades, and things like that. I was using this time wisely and looking through yearbooks they stored in the library. I saw photos of the "Canterlot Fall Formal" from other years. I noticed something they all had in common: They all had Sunset Shimmer on the "Fall Formal Princess" column.
'I didn't think she was a celebrity...' I thought to myself.
But what really confused me was the photos with the "In your face" kind of vibe. From what I've seen from her, she's nothing like that at all. It might be nothing, but at the same time, the students were muttering about her like she was a burden...
I think something's wrong here... and I'm going to figure out what.
I woke up the next day with a thrill of excitement. I actually have some real friends in a new school. Canterlot seemed different than any school I've seen. Also this "Free Time" scheme drove me nuts. What other school gives you over an hour of time to socialize at the end of the day? That's definitely better than Senior Salute...
"Honey! Time to get up!" My mom called.
"I know. I'm already up." I said pouring a box of cereal.
"Really? You must really like the new school." Mom said.
"Yeah... It's not that bad, actually." I answered.
"Well, I hope you have a good day." Mom said as she got ready for work.
"I will." I said.
The house we live in isn't far from Sweet Apple Acres and we live barely into the city. My mom and Granny Smith talked on the phone yesterday and said that I can get on the bus with the other Apples if I wanted. I said yes on the spot.
I saw the farm and I kept walking. I was on the driveway when I saw AJ and Apple Bloom near the bus stop.
"Hey guys." I said waving.
"Hey, Jason! I didn't know you moved!" Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah. We came here a week ago, you didn't see us?" I asked.
"We had a lot of work this summer. We barely left the farm for much." AJ said.
"Well, here it is." I said with the bus rolling up.
We went on and I took a seat. Apple Bloom sat on the seat next to me. Her friends hopped on and had her stuck on the window. I turned my head and saw Apple Bloom being squished against the window.
"You okay?" I asked her over her group of friends.
"Yep. This happens every day..." Apple Bloom said annoyed.
"So, who are you?" One of her friends asked me.
"I'm Jason." I said.
"I'm Scootaloo. This is Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo said.
"Hi!" Sweetie Belle said.
"So, uh... you always squish her like this?" I asked.
"No. We're not--" Sweetie Belle turned around and realized she was compressing Apple Bloom.
"Yeah, you are." She said.
"Sorry. I'm just so excited today!" Sweetie Belle said.
"What's today?" I asked.
"Today, we're goin' to honor the Fall Formal." Apple Bloom said.
"I heard about that. Sunset Shimmer won every year, right?" I asked.
"Ugh! Don't even say her name." Scootaloo said.
"Why, what's wrong with her?" I asked.
"Well, it started when the--" The bus stopped and the doors opened.
"Tell me later!" I said to her as I walked out of the bus.
Well, the rest of the day wasn't important, so I'll tell you about my mom's connection to the Apple Family. My grandmother grew up with Granny Smith back when they were kids. When Granny's daughter and son in-law died, my mom was there for her kids. AJ was a baby when it happened, and Big Mac a few years younger than me. When I grew up, AJ was like a sister to me. Me and Apple Bloom figured out we existed a few months ago when we came for a visit and she was helping set up some plan with her friends. We got along fast, and we came close. I won't say I have a crush on her, but--
"Okay, class. It is now Free Time." Cheerilee said suddenly.
I was digging through the library, looking for answers, when all of a sudden, I heard a thump from behind me. I turned around to see a girl with a tiara on her head and a giddy-looking girl with glasses on her head.
"What?" I asked.
"Who are you?" The girl in the tiara asked me.
"The name's Jason." I said.
"Well, just know who I am. I am Diamond Tiara, and just know that I am in charge here." She said as she walked away.
The girl with the glasses just stayed, staring...
"Dang it, Silver, let's go!" Diamond said as she grabbed her friend from behind and pulled her.
Just my luck. I leave Trail and there's still a selfish little prick who thinks she's in charge of everyone else. People like that are the reason I convinced my mother to pack up and make us move out of Trail. It was our luck that Granny Smith said that CHS wasn't that far away from where we lived.
I stayed searching for answers when I heard someone digging through books behind the shelf I was looking through. I thought it was this Diamond girl and I shouldn't bother, when I heard a familiar voice.
"Gosh darnit, Rainbow! We don't need to worry about her! She's perfectly safe with Flash!" AJ said.
"Then how come she had those bruises last week?" A scratchy, female voice asked.
"They must've been attacked. Flash said so himself." A quiet voice said.
"I know. But what if... HE attacked her?" The scratchy voice said.
"Rainbow! He would never!" A different voice said.
"How do you know? He could've... y'know, touched her for all we--"
"Don't you even SAY that, Rainbow! We may not know Flash but he would NOT do that. Not with Twilight to think about." AJ said to "Rainbow".
I probably should've shown myself, but I stayed quiet and listened more.
"Listen, Jason seems to be okay with her, I'll ask him tomorrow." AJ said.
"The new kid?" "Rainbow" asked.
"Yes, the new kid. If there's anyone I can trust with her, it's him." AJ said.
"But what if they're attacked?" The quiet voice asked.
"Jason's a Blue Belt in karate. I trust him to protect her." AJ said.
Wait, who? Before I can walk out, the bell rang. I waited until the 4 girls left. I was about to walk out when--
"Whachu doin'?!" A loud, giddy voice asked as my vision was covered by a girl with big eyes staring at me.
"Holy--" I said as I leaped back.
When I stopped panicking, I saw a girl with a pink shirt and a blue skirt with 3 balloons on the side.
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie and you must be the new kid. Jason, right?" The girl asked.
"Yeah. Sorry, you just scared the crap outta me." I said.
"Sorry. I usually know everyone here. Anyway, what did you see? What did you hear? What do you know?!" Pinkie asked hopping up and down.
"Look, I'd love to tell you, but if I don't pack up, I'm gonna miss my bus." I said to her, hoping to talk about the scene tomorrow...
I was walking to the bus when I saw AJ standing alone on the bus stop.
"Where's Apple Bloom?" I asked.
"She's sick today." AJ said.
We stood waiting for a few minutes when I decided to talk,
"So, who could've raped Sunset?" I asked.
What I got was a jolt from AJ and I turned to her.
"I was at the library. Who could've raped her?" I asked.
"No-one. Rainbow was just overreactin'." AJ said.
"You want me to protect her? Protect her from what?" I asked.
"Well, back in the year, she was a bully. The biggest one, in fact." AJ said.
"But she's better now?" I asked.
"Yeah. But others don't believe it." AJ said.
"And they're trying to hurt her?" I asked.
"Yeah. I wouldn't be asking, but can you, I don't know, walk with her when she goes home?" AJ asked.
"When?" I asked.
"We could start this Friday." AJ said as the bus drove up.
"Sure." I said.
My third day was when things started going academic. We started talking about what we needed in class. Notebooks, textbooks, the works. The Free-Time was short, with Apple Bloom gone and all. Remember when I said I didn't have a crush on her yesterday? Weeell I kinda lied.
Okay, okay. So I had a crush on her since 6th grade, so what? What else can I say? Spend about 7 years with someone of the opposite gender and you'll understand. After the day, I decided to walk over to AJ's house.
"Hey, Big Mac!" I called.
"Hey, Jason!" Mac waved back.
Me and Mac were friends since middle school. We got along well, despite him being 9 years older than me. He was always looking after AJ and Apple Bloom so much, I wonder why he wasn't chosen to guard Sunset, or any other one of the seniors. I decided not to ask.
"Hey, Jason." AJ said.
"Hey, AJ. How is she?" I asked.
"Sunset's okay. She's at home taking care of her bruises, last time I called." AJ said.
"And Apple Bloom?" I asked.
"She has a sore throat. She should feel better by the end of the week." AJ said.
End of the week?! Sure, she was sick, but these things usually go by the end of the day. I clearly was mad about this, but I hid it.
"Really? That long?" I asked.
"Yep. She said so, at least. But I think she'll be okay sooner."
Oh, thank God.
"Sooo, how is she?" I asked.
"She's okay. There wasn't much damage to her, just some cuts and scrapes. Nothin' that she can't fix." AJ said.
"So, I think we should meet sooner. You know, just so I can get to know her." I recommended.
"I'll see what I can do. Maybe tomorrow's Free-Time could do." AJ said.
"It's a deal. Tell Apple Bloom I said... 'howdy'." I joked.
I got a chuckle as I walked out the door. I walked home and my mom shot me a worried look.
"What?" I asked.
"Celestia gave me a call. I don't approve you guarding a complete stranger." Mom said sternly.
"Mom..." I said.
"You know what happened last time." Mom said.
"She'n not a stranger! She won't be by tomorrow. AJ planned a meeting for us. I don't wanna do this either. But Sunset doesn't seem like the person who deserves things like this." I said.
"That's what they show you, but they make you see it when it's too late to turn back." Mom said.
"Mom, Sunset's not Dad." I said.
"... I know. I'll talk to Celestia about it tomorrow." Mom said.
I couldn't beleive this. I won't let my mother compare Sunset, one of the kindest people I've met in a year, to my father, a drunken idiot who hurt her.
I woke up after 5 hours of sleep, as usual. I got dressed and I packed my bags. My mom then came out.
"Be safe." She said as she kissed my forehead.
Be safe? She never said that before. I shouldn't worry about it right now. I got on the bus and AJ told me about Sunset.
"She's nice, but de-la-cate. Whatever you do, do NOT mention the Fall Formal." AJ whispered.
Fall Formal? Didn't she win that 3 years in a row?
"Didn't she win those?" I asked.
"Yeah, but she..." She leaned into my ear.
"She won them by force."
The bus pulled to a stop along with my shock. BY FORCE?! How can you win a school competition by force?! I decided not to worry about. Yet. The day went by slower as we started taking notes today. When it ended, I went to the library and found AJ, her friends, Pinkie, and Sunset on one of the tables with Celestia. I took a seat and waved.
"You must be Jason. I'm Rainbow Dash, this is Rarity, Fluttershy, and--"
"Pinkie Pie. She's the one who nearly gave me a heart attack yesterday." I said.
"Yep! That's meeee!" She said jumping at my side and back to the seat.
Best not to question her.
"So, you asked me to protect her?" I asked.
"Yeah. Applejack said we can trust you. Where are you from?" Rarity asked me.
"Um... Pennsylvania."
"What?! How did you end up here?!" Rarity freaked.
AJ put her hand on her shoulder and shook her head.
"Umm... hehehe. Sorry." Rarity said.
"No, it's okay. I came from... another school up there, which was hell for me." I lied...
"Well, from Rarity's words, how did you end up in the big city?" Celestia asked.
"Applejack's grandmother, Granny Smith, is an old family friend of my mother's. She told her to move here." I said.
"Nice." Rainbow said.
"So, you're Fluttershy?" I asked the girl biting her hair.
"Yes, my-my name'sFluttershy."
"I'll take that as a yes. So, Sunset, right? You need a bodyguard?" I asked.
"Bodyguard's a strong word, more like 'one of several escorts'." Celestia said.
"You already have people?" I asked.
"Yes. Big Mac and Flash Sentry applied for the job. Now Rainbow wants to join and Applejack said you should too." Celestia said.
"Okay, and who you have isn't enough?" I asked.
"Flash has a questionable history with her." Luna said.
"Questionable history?" I asked.
"Flash is her ex-boyfriend." Rarity said.
"...Oh." I said.
"We don't trust him around her alone yet. We need you to go with them this Friday and keep an eye on him. Look for signs that he should be removed." Celestia said.
"Okay, now I wanna know why we're doing this." I said.
Everyone fell in silence before Celestia stood up.
"Sunset wasn't always the nicest student." She said as she and Sunset walked away.
"I'll contact your mother later into the day." Luna said.
I nodded and the Free-Time continued normally. I found Sunset sitting on a table and I sat with her. We said nothing for a while until I decided to speak.
"Look, I'm sorry if anything I said offended you. It's just... you know, being from where I'm from, I know the difference good people from bad people." I said.
That one wasn't a lie... I do know that difference well because I've been both, before.
"It's alright. You wanted to know." Sunset said.
"So, you weren't always who you are now?" I asked.
"...No, I wasn't. I was rude, arrogant, and ten other things I can't say." Sunset said.
"Look, I don't care what you did before, in fact, I think it would be best if I didn't know." I said.
"What are you saying?" Sunset asked.
"I'm saying if you wanna forget it, that's fine by me." I said as I got up to the bell ringing.
I was walking Sunset back home for the first time. She lived in a small apartment by herself on some street near the school. I didn't understand who could approach her out here. I then saw someone our age walk into a door in Sunset's apartment and stopped when he saw her.
"Hi, Sunset!" He said.
"Hey, Oz." She said.
"You know this guy?" I asked.
"That's my roomate. He moved into the city a few weeks ago. I told him what he needed to know about me and he accepted." Sunset said.
"And he couldn't do this?" I asked.
"He would, but he has a leg injury, he can't walk straight." She said.
"Ah, I see. I guess we're here." I said.
"Yeah. Thanks, Jason." Sunset said.
"Of course." I said as I walked down to my house.
I unlocked and opened the door and saw my mom working on some college homework.
"You decided to try again?" I asked.
"Yeah. I hope I do good this time... Applejack said you should go over. Something about a meeting..." She said.
"Okay..." I said.
I made it to AJ's house and took a seat inside.
"What's the problem?" I asked.
"It's about Flash. Rarity went to talk to him and she's STILL not back. That was an hour ago, and she's not back." AJ said.
"Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?" I asked.
"Either they have loooonng talks, or they're together." Pinkie said.
"And you're telling me this because...?" I asked.
"Because if this is true, Flash kinda already has a girlfriend." Rainbow said.
This is when I have a minor freakout.
"What?! Who?" I asked.
"Her name's Twilight. She's... not from around here." Sunset said from the door.
"Sunset?" Rainbow asked.
"Yeah, I'm here. I just saw Flash and Rarity in some food joint down the road. They were talking about Twilight in pretty good detail." Sunset said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
Then, Oz walked in.
"They were talking about how they would like to date, but they're worried about Twilight." He said.
"And who are you?" Rainbow asked.
"I'm Oz. I'm a friend of hers." Oz said pointing at Sunset.
"Well, what do we do? Do we tell this 'Twilight'?" I asked.
"Well... about that..." AJ said.
"She's an in and out student." Sunset said.
I gave her a glare hopefully letting her know that sounded wrong.
"An in and out student?"
"I- I mean she's barely here!" Sunset said blushing.
"Barely here? Why, is she a transfer student?" I asked.
"No. She... um... Trust me, it's REALLY hard to explain." Rainbow said.
"Can you give it to me in a nutshell?" I asked.
"Okay: Twilight and I are from anot--"
Rarity ran in.
"Hello." Rarity said panting for breath.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yes. I'm just exhausted." Rarity said.
"I could see." Oz said.
"So, what is everyone talking about?" Rarity asked taking a seat.
"Is Flash outside?" Sunset asked.
"Now, why would he be?" Rarity asked chuckling nervously.
"Rarity, we know about you and Flash. Look, I don't know who Flash is, but I think you two should talk to this 'Twilight' first." I suggested.
"Wait, this was between two weeks..." Sunset said.
"Yes, it... it was in between that timeline, darling. I talked to Flash and helped him when you... He doesn't know what he and Twilight have yet." Rarity said.
"Rarity... I think you should wait." Sunset said.
"Wait for what?" Rarity asked.
"For Twilight! Talk to her whenever she comes back." Sunset said.
"She's right. You don't wanna start this and see Twilight devastated if this is what Sunset says it is. And that's best case. She could KILL you, Rarity-- and I mean KILL you." Oz said.
"Look, we aren't dating. I'll take your advice, okay? But I just need time to THINK." Rarity said.
"Can... can you let him in, Jason?" Sunset asked.
"Sure." I said walking up to the door.
I opened the door and I saw Flash, a kid with a jacket similar to Sunset's, blue, spikey hair, and a worried look on his face.
"Can the rest of you please go upstairs?" Sunset asked looking down.
"Sunset, I don't--" Oz started saying.
"Oz! Please, all of you." Sunset said sharply.
We went up and I listened from the staircase.
"Sunset. I know how you feel about this. Please know that--"
"I asked for it. I was a monster-- to you more than anyone. I don't blame you for talking to her. But Flash... you KNOW how Twilight feels about you. It'll break her." Sunset said.
"Wait, you're not... mad?" Flash asked.
"She didn't say it, but I know that's why you dumped me, and to be honest, I expected it. Back then, I was mad, but now I get it. You need to let that go, Flash, I'm not mad, but Twilight WILL be." Sunset said.
I heard Flash sigh.
"Look, I know that I wasn't exactly the best boyfriend either, Sunset."
"It wasn't you. You were right to dump me." Sunset said.
"Yeah, but what I said--"
"You had to say them. I'm not mad, and I never will be." Sunset said.
I was getting dressed for school a day after the Flash-Rarity metting.
"Have a good day!" My mom called out.
"I will." I replied.
I walked to Sweet Apple Acres and saw that Apple Bloom was coming back (thank God).
"Hey, Jason!" Apple Bloom said with that smile she had.
"H-hey, Apple Bloom." I said.
"How was the meetin'?"
"You heard?" I asked.
"Yep. I also heard 'bout Flash and Rarity. How could he do that?"
"They said it was before this 'Twilight' showed up. Maybe they'll do something about it..." I said.
"Maybe." Apple Bloom said.
The bus rolled up and we went on. We saw as the others were picked up from their homes and that Apple Bloom's friends almost crushed her in a CMC Sandwich. We rolled up to the school soon afterwards. We went out and I saw Diamond get out of some limo down the road. Her bag was thrown at her from someone inside. Diamond was holding the bag, barely on her feet. All I could do was try to understand what happened when Snails nudged me.
"You comin' man?" He asked.
"Yeah, just give me a minute..." I replied watching as the limo speeded away and Diamond was walking up the sidewalk to the school
"I'm gonna have to talk to her later..." I thought to myself.
The day went on normally when I saw Diamond and Silver Spoon talking on a bench. I noticed that Diamond had a black eye... I was browsing the library when she confronted me.
"What?" I asked.
"Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?" Diamond asked.
"What are you talking about?" I asked annoyed.
"I know that you know something. What is it?" Diamond asked.
"Look, I really don't mean to offend you by saying this, but it's honestly none of your business." I said.
"Excuse me?! Who are you to say what is my business or not?!" Diamond asked.
"Look, I know you're rich, and your father's famous, but that doesn't mean you can just stomp on everybody else's business." I said.
"Do you really want to say that?"
"Yes, and I did." I said.
Apple Bloom came out behind me.
"Back off, Diamond." She said.
"What are you two dating?!" Silver asked.
"Wha-- No! He's been a friend longer than you've been comin' here, Silver!" Apple Bloom said.
"Apple Bloom! I got this." I said.
"But she--"
"I said I got it." I said.
Apple Bloom sighed and walked away. Looking at Diamond, I knew she had no more insults.
"What about your eye? Is that anyone else's business?" I asked.
Diamond gasped and glared at me.
"What, did I say something?"
Diamond took a step closer to me.
"What are you talking about?" Diamond asked coldly.
"Your eye. You have a black eye; your left eye." I said.
"What?!" Diamond pulled out a mirror and saw the eye.
"CRAP! When dad said it was bad, I didn't think it was... damn you, mom!" Diamond muttered.
That got me by surprise and she bolted before I could say a word.
Is she being abused?
The day was over and I was on my way to my aikido training [which was also in the school] when I saw Diamond walk down to the sidewalk and I saw her place makeup on the black eye, trying to hide it. She noticed me looking at her and pulled out a whiteboard. She wrote in black marker:
WHY DO YOU CARE?
I grabbed my whiteboard and wrote back.
BECAUSE IF IT'S WHAT I THINK IT IS, WE'RE THE SAME.
She wiped away the whiteboard and she clearly wanted to write more, but her limo pulled up. The after-school bell rang and I went grabbed my bo staff. I would describe the class, but I doubt that you wanna hear anyways...
I went home and I decided to call Applejack.
"Yeah, sugarcube?" She asked.
"We need to have a meeting. All of us, ASAP." I said.
"I- I'll give 'em a call." AJ said.
"You think WHAT?!" Apple Bloom asked.
"Come on, Apple Bloom. You SAW that black eye, I know it!" I said.
"Look, we can't jump to conclusions." Rainbow said.
"What else can it be?" Rarity asked.
"Maybe she bashed into something? I don't know!" Rainbow said.
"Why do you even CARE, Jason? Why even bother?" Apple Bloom asked.
I looked at her with a stare hopefully notifying her why.
"You know why, Apple Bloom. You know why too, AJ. It's why I'm here, and not back there, or dead in a hospital with a shotgun shot!"
No words were said by anyone.
"Wait, what are you saying?" Sunset asked.
"I'm saying people like that don't deserve to be parents. My father is behind bars right now because of what he did: beating my mom, coming out with a shotgun, and shooting my hip!" I said sternly.
No words were heard for the next few minutes.
"Look, I know what happened, and I know what you think it will lead too, but Diamond's not like that." Applejack said.
"Did you ever meet her father?" I asked.
Granny Smith came in.
"I met him. I don't know how far the apple falls from that tree, but he'll never do that." She said.
"Now, how about her mother?" I asked gravely.
This was when everyone got silent.
"Actually, no. Not that I recall... Do you, Granny Smith?" AJ asked.
"I met her once, just before you were born. She wasn't exactly the kind woman... Oh, no."
I was waiting outside the school for Sunset. I saw her walk by with pepper spray in her pocket.
"Relax, it's not for you. It's just in case." Sunset said.
We started walking when Sunset's phone went off. Sunset checked it and gasped.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Oh, some guy in a show I watched. They made it look like it was dead and now they're showing him alive."
"Hey, the same thing's happened in a show I watch..." I said.
"Really? Well, I doubt it's the same one. My show has some pretty violent stuff."
"So does mine." I said.
Sunset looked up.
"Mine has zombies..."
"...So does mine."
"Mine has a town that had walls..."
"So does mine..."
"In the show they call them Walkers..."
"So does mine!"
"Oh, my God! You watch The Walking Dead too?!" Sunset exclaimed.
"Yeah! Ever since I got out of the hospital, I learned about the show from a buddy of mine. He said that the guy was shot like I was and woke up in the zombie apocalypse. It sounded good and I decided to watch it. After a while, I was hooked."
"I was scrolling through channels when I saw a trailer for the show and I decided to watch as much as I could. Are you caught up?"
"Read the comics and everything."
"So you know about Negan?"
"Like the back of my hand."
"Oh, my God, this discussion is NOT over!"
"No, it's not..."
After class ended the next day, I decided to visit Sunset again and talk to her about The Walking Dead some more.
"Wait, so what did Axel look like in the comics?" Sunset asked me.
I was able to pull up a photo online of Axel.
"Oh, my good God."
"I know, right? Wait until you see the Governor."
Before we could keep talking, I saw some guy come up behind me.
"Hey man, Celestia wanted to see you." He said.
Me and Sunset went to Celestia's office until we were stopped by two students.
"You're not going anywhere..."
I saw a student pull a knife and I told Sunset to run and get someone. As the student swung the knife at me, I dodged it and kicked him back.
"Stop." I simply ordered.
The other student grabbed a fire extinguisher and swung it. I barely missed it and punched the extinguisher out of his hand.
"Just stop..." I said again.
"No." The student with the knife said.
He swung it again, but I blocked it. I grabbed his knife hand and slightly twisted it. The student squealed in pain.
"Stop... now."
The student dropped the knife. I looked up and saw Cheerliee with Vice Principal Luna.
"Three of you, in my office, now." Luna said.
We got up and Luna grabbed the knife.
We were in Vice Principal Luna's office and we waited for her.
"Who sent you?" I asked the knife student, who was now tied up with his friend so they wouldn't attack me.
"...No-one."
"So, why did you attack her, then? Someone must've sent you, who?" I asked.
"...He said no-one. We were saving you, from her. Then you got in the way..." The other student said.
Before I could ask more, Luna walked in.
"...You two, you're parents and the authorities have been contacted. You are no longer welcomed to Canterlot High and are under arrest for attempted murder."
Then, two officers came in and took the two students away. Luna then turned to me.
"As for you, we informed your mother about your self defense. What you did was brave, defending Sunset Shimmer. You were a good choice for a body guard." Luna said.
"It was aikido. The fighting style I used, it was aikido. I take it for after-school and as a summer school." I said.
"How did you do it? Fend them off?" Luna asked.
"Easy, a few counters, and a arm grab." I said.
"We informed the authorites that you defended her. They wanted to ask you a few questions." Luna said.
I got up and went outside. An officer approached me and asked me what my name was.
"Jason. Jason Adams." I said.
"Any relatives we could contact?"
"We have an uncle, Henry Williams. He owns the orphanage near Crystal Prep." I said.
"Of course, and your number?"
I gave them my mother's phone number and the cars were pulled away. I think I'll see those kids again... in court.
When school ended, Sunset caught up with me.
"What was that?" Sunset asked.
"That fighting style Morgan uses, it's that." I said.
"Aikido?" Sunset asked,
"...Yeah." I said to her.
"Anyway, thanks for that. Protecting me." Sunset said.
"Well, that's what I volunteered to do. It'll be kinda bad for business if I just let them kill you." I said.
Sunset chuckled and thanked me again. She went back to her home with Oz for today and I walked home. My mom instantly started asking
"What the hell happened?!"
"We were attacked, I fended them off. I told you aikido would protect me." I said.
"...I know, it's just... after what happened with you getting shot--"
"Mom, that was years ago." I said.
"--I just don't want anything else to happen." Mom said.
"Nothing else is going to happen. I promise." I said.
I then placed my bags down and got my homework out. Time to start studying...
A day after the assault, school was off for investigation. I decided to go to Sweet Apple and see if they needed any help.
"We're not doin' much, just talking about Flash and Rarity." Applejack said.
"Are they here?" I asked.
"Eeyup." Big Mac said from the barn door.
I asked for where they were, and I saw them.
On the porch.
Making out.
"Jason! Did ya see a ghost?" AJ called out as she jogged my way.
She froze when she saw the sight.
"Yeah. Who wants to tell Twilight?" I asked.
"Ah... ah don't know. She was here a few days ago, but just on a visit." AJ said.
"What, and he didn't SAY anything?" I asked.
"N-no. In fact, he wasn't around to see 'er." AJ said.
"Well, what do we tell her?" I asked.
"The truth, I guess." AJ said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you insane?! We can't just go on and say 'Your boyfriend's cheating on you with one of your best friends, sorry'!" I said.
"Well, what else can we do?!" AJ asked.
"We... we just ask her what she and Flash have. If it's nothing, we tell her." I said.
"What do we do about... them?" AJ asked, pointing at Flash and Rarity.
"What CAN we do?" I asked her.
"The first thing we can do is give them some, um... alone time." She said.
I quickly understood her meaning and we both walked back to the barn. When we came in, we were greeted by the others, who were now curious as AJ shut the barn door behind us.
"What is it?" Fluttershy whispered.
"You said Twilight was here?" I asked them.
"Yeah, why?" Rainbow asked.
"Did Flash talk to her, at all?" I asked.
"A little. Why?" Rainbow asked.
"Because Flash and Rarity are up at the house, right now. And it seems like he talked to Twilight." I said.
The others were confused, then shocked beyond all belief.
"How is that possible? She was only here for half an hour!" Sunset said.
"So, either Flash talked to her and she accepted it, or he... he didn't tell her at all." Oz said.
"No. H-- he's not like that. There's no way he and Rarity are..." Sunset started.
"See for yourself." I said, opening the door and pointing to the house with the lights turned on in some room upstairs.
As I expected, no-one moved an inch near that house. AJ was angry most of all, maybe because--
"That was my parent's room..." AJ said with her face turning red with anger.
One thing I learned about Applejack in my years of knowing her and her family: no-one screws around with her deceased parents.
And I mean, absolutelyno-one
In the end, we let them do their thing and we all went home. After the meeting, I saw that my phone had a text from a new number.
Hey it's me, Diamond. Jason, right?
I was startled at first, how did she get my number? Then I remembered, rich parents.
Right.
Yeah.
I waited a few minutes for a response. I was starting to think that one wouldn't come in when my phone finally gave out that annoying vibration it always gave out.
Next Free-Time, in the library. Be there.
K. I texted back.
The school bell finally rang, knowing that Free-Time had started. I remembered the meeting with Diamond. I figured it'd be a trap, or some trick, but might as well do it. I went into the library, slowly took a seat, and waited. Eventually, Diamond showed up around the corner.
"Um... hello." She said.
"Hey." I said.
She took a seat and we were silent for a few minutes.
"So..... what did you want me in here for?" I asked.
"Because, I think you can help me." Diamond said.
"Help you how?" I asked.
...
"My mother would kill me if she saw me talking to you." She finally said.
"Boys?" I asked.
"No, the commonfolk, or as she calls them, commoners." She said.
Commoners? Sounds arrogant enough.
"So, why are you talking to me?" I asked.
"Because, like I said, I think you can help me get away from her." Diamond said.
"How can I do that?" I asked.
"Because people listen to you and you can defend yourself. I heard about that." Diamond said.
"Okay, what happens if they say no?" I asked.
"Ask someone else." Diamond simply ordered.
I can't beleive I'm following orders from her, but better me than someone else who probably doesn't have the full story.
"Alright. Fair enough." I said.
"Any ideas?" Diamond asked me.
"I could ask my uncle, Henry. He owns an orphanage near Crystal Prep. I'm sure that doesn't sound as good, but trust me, that place is probably as good as that mansion of yours." I said.
"Sounds like we have a deal." Diamond said holding her hand out.
I rolled my eyes, but took it in a handshake. I got up and left the shelves of books.
Only to see Apple Bloom glaring dead at me.
"Why the hell are you talking to her?" She asked, with her air leaving her nose like a bull.
"Look, Apple Bloom, I can explain." I said calmly.
"Explain what?!" She asked.
"Apple Bloom, calm down. Please..." I begged.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Apple Bloom cried.
"Look, she... you know her mom, right?" I asked.
"Granny does. Why?" Apple Bloom asked.
I went up to her ear, so no one else would hear.
"I think she's being abused..."
Apple Bloom's face changed.
"What d'you mean?" She asked.
"I don't think like I was, but it's bad, Apple Bloom. As far as I heard, she's being used by her mom for God-knows-what. I think I can help her, and I want you to help me." I said.
"How?" Apple Bloom asked.
"For now, just keep it to yourself. When this thing kicks into gear, we both can help her. I don't know how, but we can." I said.
Apple Bloom was about to say something else, but the final bell rang.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow at Sweet Apple, okay?" I asked.
"Fine..." Apple Bloom said.
After Apple Bloom calmed down, we went back home. I walked in the door and saw my mom.
"Hey mom." I said.
"You know Diamond?" She asked suddenly.
"What?" I asked.
"Diamond Tiara. Filthy Rich's daughter. You know her?" She asked.
"Yeah... why?" I asked.
"...Remember when I worked at that mansion for a living?" Mom asked.
"Of course I do. You hated it there..." I said.
"Jason, I didn't want to tell you this, but Filthy Rich was the owner." Mom said.
I was silent for a minute.
"Did you know her mom?" I asked.
"Yeah. She was-- and I don't have any other word-- a bitch. She treats Diamond like a machine. She's using her for a form of propaganda. Like-- like 'Hey, everybody! Look at me, I raised my daughter to be a slogan in my name! Oh, your royal son needs a date? I have just the emotionless thing!' It was a nightmare to see a child like that. That was why I quit, I couldn't help her..." Mom said.
I took a minute to take this in. Here was my mother, telling me the full story. She wasn't being abused...
She was being controlled.
"What if there was something you can do?" I asked.
"W... what do you mean?" Mom asked.
"We can call your Uncle Henry. He has connections with this kind of thing, he can help plead our case, he can take her in." I said.
"Oh, my God, why didn't I think of it sooner?!" Mom grabbed her phone and dialed the number.
"Henry? We have a problem..." She started.
"He did WHAT?!" I asked her.
"I tried to talk him out of it, but he said it was the right move." Mom said.
"Great! I thought he'd do something, ANYTHING else, but a LAWSUIT?!" I asked.
"Look, I knew your uncle even when he was someone you wouldn't recognize. I trust him-- now more than ever. So should you." Mom said.
"Fine. Now, how do we tell Diamond?" I asked.
"Don't bother." Diamond said behind us, leaning on our doorframe.
I jolted and turned around. She was cleaning some dirt out of her fingernails as she looked with her eyelids half-open.
"She already called me." She said.
"God, Diamond... you scared the crap out of me..." I said, panting for breath.
"Sorry. I wanted to make an entrance without a dress." Diamond said.
"Well, you did it." Mom said.
She went to Diamond and held her in an embrace.
"It's good to see you again!" Mom said.
"Good to see you too..." Diamond said as she closed her eyes and relaxed her head.
They broke the embrace and Diamond started looking at me.
"Well, you already met my son." Mom said.
"Wait, he's your son? I thought that he was... the guy who sued..." Diamond started.
"That was my brother, Henry. He runs an... um..." Mom started.
"Orphanage?" Diamond asked.
"Y... yeah. He said that he could take you in, if that's what you want." Mom said.
Diamond didn't say a word. I could see why she was so hesitant. From a huge mansion to an orphanage with children and homeless people?
That'll be a big culture shock.
"...I'll have to think about it..." Diamond said.
"Well, like I said, you're allowed to stay here until you've made up your mind. There's a spare room near the end of the house, Jason will show you." Mom said.
She walked over and I knew what room my mom was talking about.
It was for my dad, before he was arrested.
"If you need anything, my mom's room is right down there." I said.
"Thanks." Diamond said.
I started walking back into my room.
"Why do you care?" I heard her ask.
I turned around.
"Because no-one deserves to be treated like that. Not even you." I said as I went into my room.
I locked the door and started to change. I saw the scar from the shotgun blast stand out as usual. I still remember when he did it-- just took the gun, aimed it, and shot me beside the stomach. I was in a coma for about 3 months. It was horrible, as far as I remembered, I was 10 when it happened.
Speaking of which...
I checked the schedule and found that it was 1 more week until my 17th birthday. I finished changing and laid my head on the pillow. It took longer than usual, but I soon closed my eyes.
I was outside the court room with Sunset and Apple Bloom.
"How's it goin' in there?" Apple Bloom asked.
I took a peak and saw Spoiled, pleading for Diamond to stay with her.
"Not good." I said.
"Wait, so Henry's your..." Sunset started.
"Uncle." I said.
"You bet I am." A voice said behind me.
"Hey, Uncle Henry." I said, turning around.
"Good to see my nephew again. Oh! Apple Bloom, right?" Henry asked.
"Yep." Apple Bloom said.
"I don't think I got your name..." Henry said, looking at Sunset.
"Sunset. Sunset Shimmer."
"Well, it's nice to meet you." Henry said.
"Is Kyle here?" I asked.
"No, he's back at the orphanage with Jane and the others. Your Aunt Beth's here, though. She's going to make a case soon, if you hurry, you could meet with her." Henry said.
"Nah, I'll save that for after the trial." I asked.
"Suit yourself. I gotta go, they're asking me up too." Henry said.
"Maybe after the trial today, we can all go see Sanctuary Orphanage. Diamond should know where she's going to." I said.
"Sure, I'm in." Sunset said.
"Can't. Got a meetin' with my friends." Apple Bloom said coldly.
"Look, I know you have a grudge, and I accept that. But I think if you two tried to get along, you could." I said.
"Jason, I hate doubting you because most of the time you're right, but you're wrong on this one." Apple Bloom said.
"If that was true, why did you even show up? They didn't ask for you, you chose to come." I said.
"I wanted to see her mother. She's the head of the school board, you know." Apple Bloom said as she got up to use the bathroom.
"Yeah, I know." I said sadly.
"You okay?" Sunset asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... we've haven't been the same since I talked to Diamond. I get that she bullied Apple Bloom, but it seems like the other way around, you know?" I asked.
"Yeah, it can look that way." Sunset said.
"It's just... everytime we had a fight like this, it ended quick. This hasn't. It's been one week and she won't even talk to me." I said.
Sunset started silently laughing.
"What?" I asked.
"I know you like her." Sunset chuckled.
I went slightly pale and mostly red.
"Was it that obvious?" I asked.
"No, I don't think anyone else knows except for who you told." Sunset said.
"Can you make sure it stays that way?" I begged.
"Of course." Sunset said.
We heard a flush and Apple Bloom walked out, rubbing her hands together.
"I'm back." She said as she sat back down.
After the trial went no-where for the day, we were sent home. I asked Henry if I could show Sunset and Diamond the orphanage.
"Of course! You're Diamond Tiara, right?" Henry asked.
"Yeah..." Diamond said.
"Ooh, some attitude. I like it! I see your name's purpose..." Henry said, pointing at the tiara on her head.
"Yeah. My mother gave it to me on my 13th birthday. One of the only times she was nice to me..." Diamond said.
"Yeah, I'd bet. A woman like your mother... Jason's mother told me all about that woman. I like to say that she's one of the many reasons children can grow to be deranged, aloof-- is that the word, dear?" Henry asked Aunt Beth.
"Well, I have no idea, and I highly doubt that Kyle does, considering that you homeschool him..." Beth said.
Kyle, my 13 year-old cousin. He turned 13 about a few months ago. He was like a little brother to me, to be honest. As a sidenote, my mother, Jess, is Henry's brother. I don't want you thinking that he was on my father's side of the family...
It'd kinda ruin the whole Humble-deal he has.
"Well, here we are." Henry said.
We hopped out of the car and Sunset and Diamond were in pure awe.
I was just letting out the smug grin I held off ever since I told Diamond about the orphanage. She thought it was a normal, plain old orphanage.
What I didn't tell her was that it was a former mansion. It had a farm a few feet away in the backround.
"Wh... Uh..." Diamond was at a loss of words.
"Looks good, huh? We found the place rundown and abandoned. Such a nice place, left behind. We got some family together, paid for a mortage, and built it back up. Most of our family works construction on skyscrapers and other buildings. This was no big deal to them." Henry said.
"Jason never told us about this..." Sunset said.
"I'd never see the awe-struck look on your faces if I did." I said.
"Wanna see the inside?" Henry asked.
"Yeah!" Diamond said.
We opened the gates and went inside. I saw Jane run by.
"Hey, Jason!" Jane said.
"Hey, Jane!" I said.
"Um, who's Jane?" Diamond asked.
"Oh, she's one of the workers here. She might be 15, but you'd be surprised at how well she works. I helped fend her from..." Henry started.
"I don't think you'd wanna hear that now." Henry concluded.
We went on with the tour until we saw nearly everything in the place.
"Wait, there're only 20 orphans here. Jason said you had a son?" Diamond asked.
"Oh, Kyle. I think he's upstairs, probably working on homework. Jane, when she comes home from school, always brings an extra sheet for him." Henry chuckled.
"So, are he and Jane..." Sunset started.
"Oh, no! He's just a friend of mine. Everyone's a friend here, and that's it, as far as we know." Jane said.
"How about the rooming?" Diamond asked eagerly.
"Oh, here comes my favorite part." I said.
"Come with me." Henry said.
We followed him out the mansion and out the back. We were confronted by at least 30, maybe 40 cabins.
"Wha..." Diamond started.
"We bought a LOT of bedding, and the orphans only stay so long. Some of them ask to be removed off the adoption list and choose to live here. Of course, we let them. We've been expanding ever since." Henry said.
"This is amazing... why did you choose this career?" Sunset asked.
"What, something wrong with saving young people's lives? This generation's running out. We gotta make sure that the next generation'll be better than the last. There're some people out there who don't see that. I learned that the hard way... When I was considered "the next generation", I was, well, worse off than you are, my dear." Henry pointed at Diamond.
"I was 11, maybe 12. I learned what happened when the next generation has to be better the hard way-- I learned when I murdered Trevor McKinnley. I was troubled as a kid, mistreated. I know first hand what mistreatment does to a child. We were... me and my friends of mine were beating down our main target, when this-- this kid RAMS us with his bike. We avert our attention to him, I pulled out my switchblade, just... just to scare him. But instead, my friend shoved him into me, into the blade. I learned later that I killed him. I accepted any punishment they gave me, and I went with my friends to pay our respects. You see, Trevor was a very special person. Ever hear of Pay It Forward? He inspired the idea into an action, for a 7th grade project." Henry chuckled.
"And after I killed him, I was-- I don't know how else to say it-- broken for many years after that. I went to church for a long time, but I never quite forgave myself. I was in a bar one night, drinking as usual. Then, these 2 gangsters came in, grabbed the woman next to me, and started beating her down. I saw my chance to redeem myself, and I took it. I beat those gangsters down and called the police. Guess who that woman was..." Henry said as his wife came up.
"After we fell in love, I told her about what I did. She accepted it, and we both went back to that school, back to that town to say our final goodbyes. We were met by his mother, Arlene. She saw me there, and she forgave me. That was nearly the same as HIM forgiving me. A few years later, me and Beth got married and had Kyle. I already told him, and he accepted it. He's a good kid, and one day, I have a good damn feeling he'd be the man I never got to be... 12 years, wasted in a bar, or on the streets... that's the life I don't want those children to have." Henry said.
After he let that out, Diamond slowly took a step back mid-speech.
"He's fine, Diamond. He does this every time a new child or parent ask that question." I said.
The trial was off for the day after I showed Diamond the orphanage. We were at home, where I wanted to grab something.
"What is it?" She asked.
"You'll see." I said as I rummaged through an old box.
I saw photo albums, fliers, and other various objects.
Then I found it.
"What is that?" Diamond asked.
I pulled it out of the box. It was forever ever since I used it, but I decided she could use it.
My Bo Staff.
"If we win, it doesn't mean your mom won't come back. She will, and she'll be violent. You need to protect yourself." I promised.
"And you want to teach me?" Diamond asked.
"I can't, but I know someone who can." I said as I grabbed a flier and handed it to her.
"It'd be better than hoping you can fend her off..." I said.
Diamond was struck by this. She looked at the flier and looked back.
"I'll think about it." She said as she put the flier in her pocket.
I felt a grin form on my face and I took the staff to my room for the time being. I noticed that it was about 6:00, and since Diamond was staying home, I volunteered to stay with her.
"Thanks." Diamond said as she went back into her room.
I went to the kitchen to cook something Apple Bloom had taught me: Apple Pancakes.
"It's easy: When you're makin' the batter, pour some apple sauce in it. It really makes it more fillin'"! She told me about 2 years ago.
I don't know why she's been so distant lately. Is it Diamond? Is it something I did?
Was it my past?
Before I could think on it, I had to be sure to make these right. I waited until it looked like-- and this is what Apple Bloom said-- Granny Smith's back.
Never thought I'd be waiting to picture that...
After I made them, I called Diamond out and I set them up. I didn't expect her to be impressed, you know, with her having butlers her whole life. She took a bite and...
"Hey... this is... good. Jason, how did you make this?!" She asked in awe.
I was suprised, but I was able to speak.
"Easy. The normal batter, and some apple sauce." I said.
"Well, I guess I'm starting to see how the Apples make their living." Diamond said.
"Oh, they don't make these. At least, they don't sell them. We've seen them with everything else, though. Apple cider, apple jam, apple pies... you name it, put 'Apple' in front of it, and they have it." I said.
"Well, this is good. Did Applejack teach you this?" Diamond asked.
"Actually, Apple Bloom did..." I started.
"I know she's been distant to you lately. And I know it's because of me." Diamond said.
"Okay, she has some problems with you, but I bet she can forgive if she tries. And she will try, I'll make sure." I said.
We were silent as we ate. Diamond finally looked up.
"I've thought about the flier. If you know someone who can teach me... tell them I'm in." Diamond said.
I was relieved.
"I'll give him a call." I said as I grabbed my cell and looked under S.
Sensei Jack.
We went in the door of the dojo. I saw him training some other students with orange belts. He saw me and told me to follow him into the back.
"Nice to see you again. I see you have a visitor." Jack said.
"Yeah, I was wondering if you can train her Aikido. She's having some legal trouble with her mother right now, and I think she'll need to defend herself." I said.
"I am sorry, but the dojo roster's full. If anyone should train her, it's you. You were one of my only top students with a Bo Staff-- if anyone can train her, it is you." Jack said.
I nodded and we went out the door and started walking back home. As we went back, I saw two people standing in front of our door.
One of them had a switchblade.
"Diamond, go get help." I said as I got ready to fend them off.
The man with the knife charged. I jumped sideways, and he fell flat on his face. I attacked a pressure point and he was incapacitated. I took the knife and put it in my pocket as evidence. The other man pulled out a handheld cattle prod and came at me. I dodged it and I kicked him to the ground. I took the taser out of his hand and held it to his shoulder.
"Who sent you?" I asked him, moving the taser.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" The man asked as he held out a badge.
RICH INDUSTRIES.
I jabbed him with the taser, knocking him out, and I took my phone and called the authorities.
"I have two men here. They were sent by someone involved in a abuse case with their child. I subdued them and I am near Samurai Jack's Dojo in Canterlot City." I said.
Diamond came out.
"How did you do that?" She asked.
"Aikido. Taking them down, but caring about their wellfare. I don't use the staff, but I doubt you'd want to be in hand-to-hand." I said.
"Can you teach me anyway? Just in case?" Diamond asked.
"Of course." I said as a police car rolled up.
An officer came out and took one of the men by the shoulders.
"Pressure points... smart." He said.
I read his badge.
Shining Armor.
"Wait... weren't you involved with the Adams Case, back in 2013?" I asked.
"Yep. Good to see you learned self defense. Good way to avoid a gunshot." Shining said as he loaded the other man.
"I also have a piece of evidence." I said as I handed him the switchblade.
"Thanks." Shining said as he got in the car and drove off.
We decided to train near the big tree at Sweet Apple. I always thought it had a sureal atmosphere, and I think that's what Diamond needs right now.
"Remember. Aikido is about holding them off, but caring about their wellfare." I said.
"Okay... and what if they have a weapon?" Diamond asked.
"We'll get there. First, let's work on the swings." I said.
What I saw next nearly made me die with laughter. I saw Diamond hold it as if it was a sword and try to swing it.
"Easy, it's not a sword. You need one hand on the bottom and another hand about... here." I repositioned Diamond's grip.
She adapted and started swinging slightly.
"Come on, you think the attacker's gonna stop from rubs?" I asked.
"I'm trying to get the feel of it! Geez, no-one's that good at first..." Diamond said.
"I remember my first time wielding a Bo Staff. I couldn't quite master the grip until I saw The Walking Dead explain it. Wait... I think TMNT helped me use the staff, now that I think about it." I said.
"Well, I have some binge watching to do." Diamond said.
I chuckled and saw her start to get a grip. I looked up and saw Apple Bloom glaring at us from the farm.
"What is it?" Diamond asked as she looked at what I was.
"You like her, don't you?" Diamond asked.
"I... don't know. Ever since I came here, she's been getting more and more distant." I said.
"Well, some friends are like that. They bounce away, but they always bounce back." Applejack said behind me, jolting every bone in my body.
"Don't panic, I always knew that ya liked her." Applejack said, rolling her eyes.
I felt an inch of relief and noticed that Apple Bloom was gone.
"When you see her again, can you ask her what it is that I did wrong? Or at least tell me?" I asked her.
"Sure. I hate it to see her like this." Applejack said as she went back to the house.
"Wait, so... your family has been friends with them for how long?" Diamond asked.
"To be honest, I think since my mom was my age, maybe younger. She met Applejack's mom in school." I said to her.
"I never met their mother." Diamond said.
"Well... there's a reason for that." I said.
"Did they... um..."
"Pass on? Yeah. They were in a car accident when I was really young. The last I heard, the other driver was under the influence of something, drugs, maybe..." I struggled to remember.
"Damn... how about the others? Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo?" Diamond asked.
"I don't really know them. I know that Sweetie Belle's related to Rarity, but I don't know anything about Scootaloo." I said.
"Me neither. I heard she was adopted, but we don't know." Diamond said.
"We can worry about that later, right now, we should get back to training." I said.
After the day was done, I took Diamond back home with me. I could've sworn that I saw Apple Bloom nearby...
"I'll be right back." I said.
Diamond nodded and went inside. I went to where I thought I saw her, but I didn't see anything. Until...
"Hey." Apple Bloom said behind me.
I jumped and I saw her sitting on some bench nearby.
"Jeez, you scared the crap out of me!" I said.
"I know. Applejack talked to me."
"Why didn't you just knock?" I asked.
Apple Bloom didn't answer, but she didn't have to.
"This is all about Diamond, isn't it?" I asked.
"You don't know who she is, Jason, you don't." Apple Bloom said.
"I do. You know, I do." I said.
"Jason, I know that your dad hit you and all, but this is different. She--"
"She was forced to live a life she didn't want. At least partially. She came to us, Apple Bloom, that has to mean something." I said.
"Jason, she ruined the school newspaper..." Apple Bloom started.
"...She came back..." I countered.
"...She openly mocked me in front of the entire school..."
"...She regrets it..."
"...She insulted Scootaloo's medical condition..."
"...She apologized to her--"
"FOR LANDS SAKES, JASON! SHE. BLACKMAILED. US!" Apple Bloom blurted.
"She. Regrets. It!" I said.
"URGH!" She got up and stormed away.
I did the same and went back inside.
"Jason, what was that?" Mom asked.
I couldn't answer, not now.
"Jason, wait!" Diamond said as she ran in.
"What was that?!" Diamond asked.
"Look, it was nothing, me and Apple Bloom just had a fight, that's all." I said.
"About me. Right?" Diamond asked.
"Diamond, she hates your guts." I confirmed.
"And she should. In case you didn't know, I wasn't exactly the best person to her." Diamond said.
"Well, of course, I knew that. But she seems to be bullying you." I said.
"She hasn't done anything drastic. That's what matters." Diamond said to me.
"I know. But... I hate to see her like that, acting like she's someone who she isn't. You should apologize to her tomorrow." I said.
I know what you're thinking: Wow, Jason! What a nice friend and secret lover!
The only thing that I didn't say was that I invited her and Diamond here to talk, but Apple Bloom didn't know.
I shut the door and Diamond came out behind a bale of hay.
"What's she doin' here?!" Apple Bloom quickly said.
"I invited you two here to talk. Take a seat." I said, pointing at a small table with three chairs set up.
Two on different sides, and mine on the top side. I set it up so I would be able to speak to Diamond and Apple Bloom, but they could just see each other.
"What's this about?" Apple Bloom asked sternly.
I whistled and Applejack came from the other door.
"Look, I get that you two are at odds right now, but Apple Bloom, when was the last time Diamond mocked you?" I asked her.
"What does it--"
"When?" I asked, slightly too loud.
"...Last month." Apple Bloom said.
"And when was the last time you isolated her more than she already is?" I asked.
She wouldn't answer, but I knew.
"Exactly. You two are tryin' to avoid each other, why?" Applejack asked.
"Applejack, ya'll know why!" Apple Bloom whispered sharply.
"Stop." I said.
"But--"
"I said, stop. This isn't you, ignoring someone like this. Applejack knows it, I know it, and so does Diamond. That's why I brought you here." I said.
The room was silent, and I felt like one of the biggest douches in the world. I just hate it when I boss people around, it just makes me feel crappy.
"Okay, fine. Talk." Apple Bloom said to Diamond.
"Look, I know that you're mad, and you should be; but Apple Bloom... you can't keep avoiding this." Diamond said.
"Oh, yeah? Watch me." Apple Bloom said as she got up to leave.
Applejack went to the front door and I went to the back.
"Get out of the way, Jason." Apple Bloom said.
"No." I said.
She started pulling me out of the way, but Applejack came in and pulled her off.
"You two are talking through this." Applejack said.
Apple Bloom then did something I didn't expect.
She kicked Applejack in the shin and ran out the unguarded door.
"Crap..." I cursed as I ran into the house, right behind her.
"Don't. She can't talk 'bout it yet. Ow..." Applejack said as she checked her shin.
"Sorry. I knew that it was a bad idea." I said.
"You tried, at least. I'll talk to 'er later." Applejack said.
"Thanks." I said as I went to grab Diamond.
I went into the barn and I whistled. Diamond got up and we started heading back to our place.
"Why did you do it?" Diamond asked as we went to the driveway.
"Because I know that she isn't acting right." I said.
"You still like her?" Diamond asked as we went to the porch.
I put my hand on the doorknob.
"...I don't know, maybe. But... maybe not." I said.
We went inside, and I noticed my mom removing stitches.
"Still can't beleive Spoiled sent those bastards on us." I said.
"It's been a week since then, and it still burns..." Mom said.
"We should get it looked at tomorrow." I suggested.
"We could do that, but I think I should see if I've been studying first..." Mom joked.
I completely forgot that she was doing online college for becoming a doctor. She wanted to do it since...
"Seems like a good time as any." I said.
"Yeah... so, how did the meeting go?" Mom asked.
"Not so good. I think it's best if we keep our distance from Apple Bloom for a while. Just until she wants to talk about this." I said.
"Alright. I talked to Granny Smith, Applejack told her everything, and she told me." Mom said.
Diamond chuckled and we went in the living room. I turned the TV on, and I noticed that Discovery Channel was on.
"I got it." I said as I was about to change the channel.
Diamond grabbed the remote and saw what was on.
"Dual Survival. Put it down." Diamond said.
"You like this?" I asked.
"Sounds good enough." Diamond said.
"Yeah, it's a good show." I said as it came back from a commercial break.
I could've sworn that my hand suddenly felt warmer as the show started.
Another commercial started.
"I don't get it! Why can't they just go down more?" Diamond asked.
"Because they can't move much in that altitude." I answered.
"Well, I'm not looking away now." Diamond said.
Before any of us could move, I finally found out what the warmness was. We looked down and realized that our hands were together. Diamond's face turned red, and I felt my face give heat. We moved our hands and continued to watch, trying to forget the moment.
So... that was awkward.
"Sorry, I didn't notice." I said.
"No, I'm sorry. I let my hand down." Diamond said.
We stayed silent as the show came back on. As time went on, I felt my eyes get heavier.
"I think we should turn in." I said.
I was only answered by the most faint snoring. I turned and noticed that Diamond fell asleep. I grabbed a blanket and placed it on her. As I turned to go to my room, I saw my mom at the door, having a funny look on her.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. You two just seem well together." Mom said.
"Mom, I know what you're thinking, and that's not happening. She's just a good friend, that's all." I said.
"A good friend who's been living with us for the past month." Mom said.
Before I could answer, the phone went off.
"Hello? What happened...? Oh... I'll tell Jason." Mom hung up and put her hand over her eyes.
Henry's funeral was short. Diamond decided to come and we were at the cemetary as they lowered his casket to the ground.
"...And may God have mercy for the sinners that caused this tragic meeting today of Henry Williams, and 20 young lives lost to the flames. And may they see light, in the heavens." Frank, the preacher, said as they closed the casket.
We were driving home from the cemetary after the funeral.
"I'm sorry about your uncle, Jason. He seemed like a great guy." Diamond said.
"Yeah, he was." I said.
Mom didn't say a word, but I knew that she was upset by the look on her face. I noticed a tear fall off her face from the car mirror, but I didn't say anything.
The rest of the car ride home was silent for all of us. We went inside and went to make lunch as Mom went on the phone with someone.
"How did Henry get the money for the orphanage?" Diamond asked.
"It doesn't matter now." I said coldly as I put a frozen pizza in a fridge.
"It does. He had a mansion, and about 50 cabins behind it, right?" Diamond asked.
"80." I corrected.
"How could he just... afford all of that?" Diamond asked.
"He didn't. He fixed the mansion up, and built the cabins himself. Can we just not talk about it?" I asked.
"Alright, sorry to bring it up." Diamond said.
The conversation completely stopped, and was followed by an awkward silence. Luckily, it only lasted 2 minutes, as my mom came inside.
"Is there any chance you two can stay at Applejack's for a while.?" She asked.
"Of course, why?" I said.
"Thank you. I... I don't think I can do this alone. I'm going to therapy tomorrow, just like Spoiled should've done..." Mom said.
"Okay. Okay." I said as I held her in an embrace.
We told Applejack about our situation, and she talked to Granny Smith about it. I couldn't help but notice that Diamond was worried.
"Hey, it's going to be alright. Mom's going to get help, she'll be back as good as new in no time, okay?" I asked for reassurance.
"Yeah, I know. It's just... I wonder how my dad's handling all of this." Diamond said.
"You wanna stay with him?" I asked.
"We've been in touch. It looks like he's been staying home for Rin and Len." Diamond said.
"Who're Rin and Len?" I asked.
"My half-siblings. One night, my dad cheated on Spoiled for a maid of ours, and..." Diamond said.
"Your father sounds like a good man." I said in seriousness.
"Yeah, I always held it against him, and stuck to my mother's side, but... I was wrong. I wanna give my dad a chance. Thank you, Jason. For making this possible." Diamond held me in an embrace as the same limo from when I first met her rolled up.
The window was lowered, and I saw Diamond's dad, Filthy Rich, looking in a smile. Not of joy or love.
But of sympathy.
"You can share the bed with me. It's big enough that you'll never notice me." Applejack said.
I felt my face start to light up slightly. School was off for a week, so I had time to adjust.
And it sucked.
I already know the place like the back of my hand, why would I need a reminder? I decided not to ask and roll along.
"What happened with Rarity and Flash? I hadn't heard about them for a while." I said.
"That's the thing, neither did we. I think they decided to 'seperate'. Not that they were a thing at the first place..."
"Did you talk to Rarity about your parents' room and it's... you know... involvement?" I asked.
"Yep, she said they didn't use the bed..." AJ gagged.
I understood the awkwardness. The room is right next door.
"I could just take the couch in here, you know. I don't mind, it's not like this is permanent." I said.
"What, with your ma in therapy? I give it 3 months, at least. Please, make yourself at home." AJ said.
I ignored her, and folded the bed out.
"I can't wait 'till Apple Bloom learns you're here for a while..." AJ said.
"Funny." I chuckled.
"You still like her?" AJ whispered.
"I've thought about that..." I whispered back.
"And?"
"I'm done hoping she'd notice me. It's a pipe dream; I'm done. I'm over Apple Bloom." I whispered seriously.
I noticed how AJ's face changed, from one of curiosity, to...
I was with Applejack in her room. Yes, she did win in the end and we shared the bed...
What? That was all that happened, I promise!
"Hey, Jason." Applejack said.
"Hey." I said.
The awkward silence set in.
"So... how did you sleep?" AJ asked.
"Good, you?" I asked back.
"Fine. We should, um... head down an' eat before Apple Bloom wakes up." AJ said.
"AJ, I know that she'll learn I'm here sooner or later." I said.
"I know, I'm just... worried about how she'll react. You know, after... recent events."
I knew that she had a point that I wasn't taking this seriously. For all I know, she might try to choke me or something.
"Look, I know that girl. She'll be a little mad for a few days, and it'll slide." I said.
"Okay..." AJ said as she headed downstairs.
Before I could even change, the door opened, and I saw Apple Bloom.
"Hey..." I said awkwardly.
"Hey." Apple Bloom said as she headed back out.
That was weird...
We got changed and I headed down to the dinner table.
"Mornin', Jason." Big Mac said.
I had a feeling he wasn't so comfortable with me and AJ sharing the same room, let alone the same bed...
"Morning." I said.
We sat down as Granny Smith brought out breakfast-- yes, an apple pie.
But not just any store-bought apple pie...
Granny Smith's Traditional.
Trust me, the stuff was perfection.
"Y'all should get ready for the trip today." Big Mac said.
Trip?
"Wait, what trip?" I asked.
"To one of our neighboring schools." Apple Bloom said.
Neighboring schools?
Oh, no...
"Don't tell me..." I started.
"Euyep." Big Mac said.
I looked to Applejack.
"Dimmsdale." AJ said, rolling her eyes.
I was dead...
I was so, completely dead.
We were at the bus pickup, and I was pacing about going back to that hellhole.
"Hey, look on the bright side. You'll be able to see Tim again." AJ said.
"Tim transfered to military school this year, AJ. The only person left to see is..."
I couldn't even say her name. Not after all this time, I just... can't.
"Don't worry, just stick close to us." AJ said.
"I intend to." I said as we saw the bus roll up.
I went on the bus, and tried to get as much sleep as I can.
"Okay, everyone. Remember, best. Behavior. Especially you, Snips and Snails." Principle Celestia said.
"Come on, what did we do?!" Snips asked.
"Remember the Fall Formal?" Oz asked, staring them down.
They instantly shut up and gloomly walked toward the doors as they opened.
Take a deep breath, Jason.
In...
We started walking in.
Out...
I took my first step inside the building in a year.
In...
I saw Chad and the others.
Out...
I saw...
Her
In...
Out...
"Jason?" She called.
AJ noticed, and put her hat on my head, shielding my identity.
"Jason? I don't know anyone named Jason. This is... um..." AJ started.
"Carter." I said, lowering my voice about an octave.
"Oh, really...?" She tipped the hat up and saw me.
"Okay, Trixie, it's me. Happy now? Wanna go get Chad while I'm here?" I asked.
"She doesn't need to, Smalls." The all-too-familiar deep voice said.
"Hello, Chad. It's been a while." I said, turning around to face him.
"It's been a while, indeed. Boy, you've seem to grow." Chad remarked, noticing that I was at least a foot taller than him.
"And who's this?" Trixie asked, pointing at AJ.
"Someone who doesn't have anything to do with this. I'm just here for the day, and you'll never see my face again." I promised Chad.
Chad took this under consideration. He always was an ass who thought ahead.
"Alright. You win. Get you and your new girlfriends outta my sights." Chad said.
I grabbed AJ's hand and I raced to catch the others.
"Who were those people? You told the others that you went to Pennsylvania!" Rainbow said.
PA, located on the east coast. I came up with a cover-up story from an old friend of mine who I kept in touch with via Skype.
"I lied, I had too. I needed to put this place and everyone in it behind me. Are there any more trips here at all?" I asked.
"No." AJ said.
"Good." I said as I handed her hat back.
I bolted to the auditorium without waiting for Applejack. When I went in, I saw Sunset and the others save seats for us with our names up. I paced to mine and pulled my name down and ripped it up.
"Well, somebody's upset." Rarity said.
"Today, my name's Carter." I said.
"What? Why?" Fluttershy asked.
I saw AJ take her seat and begin explaining my situation when Celestia came up to the podium.
"Everyone, welcome to Dimmsdale High, the... um... *ahem* lowest rated school in the Canterlot District." Celestia tried to mutter under her breath.
The auditorium was silent except for the Dimmsdale side faintly clapping.
"So, um... welcome to the stage, Mr. Crocker, one of the teachers here." Celestia said.
Denzel Crocker, this should be good.
"Thank you. Ms. Celestia. Hello, students, and hello those of you whose parents couldn't afford Canterlot High."
I saw Celestia roll her eyes in disgust.
"Today, we have these students visiting our humble dwellings, possibly looking for..."
Uh, oh...
"Cover your ears." I whispered as I saw Crocker swell up.
"Why?" Rainbow asked.
"Just trust me." I assured.
We covered our ears just in time.
"FAIRY GODPARENTS!"
I heard people strain their ears with frustration and confusion.
"Okay, let's uh... give it for Mr. Crocker, everyone!" Celestia nervously chuckled.
It was over. I'm out on the bus, and I saw hell start to leave my view.
"Thank God that's over..." I said as we went on the highway.
"We need to have a talk when we get home, Jason." AJ said, giving me the stink-eye.
I nodded gloomly, knowing it was going to be a long talk.
It's been a week since I began staying with AJ. We managed to make room for a bunk bed by one of the edges of the room.
"You sure you want the bunk? Thought you liked the bed." AJ flirted.
I chuckled, seeing this as one of her many jokes she's been pulling lately. Apple Bloom, however, has been different. She's been sneaking out at night, coming back with cuts...
"What is it?" AJ asked.
"I've been thinking about Apple Bloom." I said.
"What 'bout her?"
"Where does she go at night? How does she have those cuts?"
"I don't know. She probably goes to see her friends at night and gets cut or somethin'."
"Well, I wanna be exact. I'm gonna follow her tonight, see where she goes." I said.
"Suit yourself." AJ said.
As if on que, Apple Bloom came through the door, with a fresh cut on her cheek.
"You alright?" I asked.
"I'm fine, Jason. This is the seventh time you've asked me the past week."
"Okay, just wanted to make sure." I said.
AB scoffed, and we went to wait for the bus.
"You think Spoiled's case went well?" AJ asked.
"Well, she wasn't pleaded guilty, but she has to keep 15 feet between her and Diamond, so I'm happy enough. I don't care whatever she does next, just as long as it doesn't involve her." I said.
"Alright, whatever." AJ said.
"What? You don't like that?" I asked.
"No, it's just... We're redoing the Musical Showcase, and me and my friends have to work on posters later today. I know music ain't exactly your thing, and you have that visit with your ma, and I--"
"Don't think about it, okay? I just wanna see if she's holding up, ask a few questions..." I lied.
I was going to visit her, but what I didn't tell AJ was that we were also going to visit my father in jail.
"Have fun." AJ said.
"You, too." I said as the bus rolled up.
I arrived at the desk.
"Hi, Jason Adams for Jessica Williams." I said.
"Yeah, she'll be here shortly, please have a seat." The receptionist said.
I took a seat and pulled out a pamphlet I found on the side. I read through it and it had a map of California. I decided to look for my mom's hometown. I looked down south, and the word "Gardenia" rose up. I've never been there, but I heard stories about the town...
"Jason, your mother's ready." A doctor said.
I got up, turned to the source of the voice, and saw my mom, with her strange tattoo showing from her neck.
"Hey, mom." I said as I held her in an embrace.
"Hi, Jason." Mom whispered.
"You two are allowed to be at your visit until 6, and she needs to be brought back." The doctor said.
We nodded and I saw the taxi that brought me here drive off.
"We close?" I asked her.
"Yeah. We should be there by 4. One hour of him, another hour of divorce papers." Mom said.
I looked up.
"Divorce papers?" I asked with joy.
"Yeah. You're never going to see him again, and neither am I." Mom said.
We entered the room, and my mom went out. I saw him sleeping in a corner of the room. I banged on the glass, and he woke up.
"Oh, hi, son." He said.
"...Hi, Dad." I said.
"Oh, please don't call me that. I signed the papers."
"I never planned to call you that." I said.
"Oh, good. Saves the reveal." Dad said.
"What reveal?" I asked.
My dad got closer to the glass, and brought his voice down to a whisper.
"I'm not your father. I never was."
I can't say I was shocked as much as I was confused.
"What the hell does that mean?" I asked him.
"Ask your mother, ask her about that brand on her neck." 'Dad' started chuckling.
"No, you tell me." I said.
"Sorry, but I have a lady coming soon tonight. What's her name...? Oh, yes..."
Now he really got close to the glass.
"Apple Bloom"
That got me, I almost fell out of the chair as I sprung up, punched the glass, and got close.
"Where ever you end up, where ever you go, I will be watching you!" I said as I ran out the door.
"Start the car." I said to my mom who was questioning my burst of energy.
"What's going on?" Mom asked.
"I'm done with him. I heard enough." I said.
"WHAT?!" AJ screamed.
"She's off with my father. I don't know how she does it, but she gets in. She must think she's in love or some gross shit like that." I said.
"Where is she now?" Big Mac asked.
"I checked her room, she's gone. I'm going after her." I said.
"No, let her go. She'll be back..." AJ said.
I couldn't let her go, but I gave in to reason. What was I gonna do, shoot up the station and rip her out of his hands?
"Fine." I sighed.
We were all silent as we waited for her to come back through the door with a fresh cut.
It was an hour after AB returned home with a cut across her chest.
"DO Y'ALL KNOW WHAT HE DID?!" I heard Applejack scream from the other side of the house.
"OF COURSE I KNEW! HE'S MORE THAN THAT!" AB said.
God, I can't sit through this.
I grabbed my phone and decided to give Diamond a call.
"Hello?" I heard Diamond ask.
"Hey, Diamond." I said.
"Hey! How're things?" Diamond asked me.
"Good, how about you?" I asked her.
"Great! My dad's been home more. Say, you should come visit some time." Diamond said.
"Sure. To be honest, I need to get off of the farm, AB's having some problems." I said.
"Really? How bad?" Diamond asked.
"Like... 'Harley Quinn' bad." I said.
"Well, we do have some free time right now. Why don't you tell Granny Smith?" Diamond asked.
I agreed and hung up. I noticed that the argument's died down and Applejack was out in the kitchen.
"Hey, AJ." I started.
"Yeah?" She asked.
"How is she?" I asked.
AJ sighed and took her hat off and set it on the table.
"It's bad, Jason. She thinks she's in love with him or somethin'. I've never seen her like this, Jason, never." AJ said.
I sighed, realizing I had to leave.
"I'm thinking on visiting Diamond today." I said.
"You should do that. Check on her, you know?" AJ said.
"Wanna come with? I kinda need a ride." I said.
AJ snickered and grabbed her truck keys.
We arrived in front of the mansion.
"This place is impressive..." I reminisced.
"Yeah, it is..." She said.
"What is it?" I asked her.
"Nothin'. Jus' nothin'." AJ said.
"Wanna come in with me? I'm sure Filthy won't mind." I said.
AJ nodded and we rung ourselves in. As soon as we did, the giant gates winded open and we entered, careful not to touch the grass. We approached the door and I knocked using the giant handles. The doors opened and we were greeted by...
"Mom?" I asked.
"Jason! Uh, um..." She nervously said.
"What're you doin' here? I thought you had therapy!" AJ said.
"That's done. I've been staying here for the last few days. I was going to tell you, but..." Mom started.
Our conversation was stopped by Filthy coming to the door.
"Jason! How've you been? It's been years!" Filthy said.
Filthy Rich has been more of a father to me than Gaverial's ever been. I knew him for many years, but not his daughter...
"Hey, Filthy." I said.
"Yeah, uh... Diamond's in the second room on the far right." Filthy said.
I nodded and me and AJ started heading for the room Filthy mentioned. When we found it, we decided to knock first.
The door was opened and I was met with the same girl who I saw back when me and Diamond first met.
"You here for Diamond?" She asked.
"Yeah." I said.
"She's not here right now, sorry." Silver said.
She started shutting the door when another hand held it open.
"Hey, Jason!" Diamond said as she held me in an embrace.
"Hey, Diamond." I said as I returned it.
I heard a scoff and the door slam and lock.
"Sorry about her, she's just... different lately." Diamond said.
I chuckled.
"I know how that feels." I said.
"Yeah, I heard about Apple Bloom, I'm so sorry, Jason, that must be devastating." Diamond said.
"What about it?" I asked.
"How you worked so hard for her to notice you, only to lose her to your own father. Especially him." Diamond said.
What followed was a long, awkward silence. It lasted for what seemed like hours until I heard Filthy call for us.
"We should go see what he wants." AJ said.
We went to the source of sound-- the kitchen-- where we saw Mom, Filthy, and two other kids our age who I've never met.
"Please, sit down, Jason." Filthy said.
I took a seat and Diamond and AJ followed.
"So, Applejack, what happened at the Musical Showcase 3 months ago?" Mom asked.
"Um.. well..." AJ started.
"Invaders? Magic?" Mom directly asked her.
AJ's eyes grew to the size of saucers as she gently nodded.
"Wait, what? Magic?" I asked.
"Jason, you missed a lot 3 months ago. Bad things went down." AJ said.
"What happened?" Mom asked.
"Well, see, there were these three girls, and then--"
Mom jumped out of the seat in such a hurry that she almost broke it.
"Come on Jason. AJ, go home, keep your family safe. We don't have much time." Mom said as she grabbed her car keys.
"Where are we going?" I nervously asked.
Mom took a sigh and turn her head slighty. I was able to get the best view of her tattoo.
I never noticed that it now was a perfect "V".
"Gardenia. Filthy, tell the butlers this is Code T-R-1-X." Mom said.
"You got it, Jess. Come back safe." Filthy said as he paced to another side of the mansion.
Code T-R-1-X?
Who were those two kids we saw?
Why was mom so suddenly triggered?
Magic?
What the hell?
We were driving in my mom's minivan. AJ drove back home to watch Apple Bloom.
"Mom, what the hell's going on?" I asked.
She didn't answer. She just looked at me, sighed, and turned back to the road.
"Mom. What's Code TR1X?" I asked.
Mom sighed before answering.
"You'll see soon enough."
Sure enough, a sign for Gardenia came into view.
Gardenia
A place of magic.
"We're almost there. Here, put this on." Mom said, handing me a straw hat.
"Anyone looks near you, tip it down." Mom said as she but on a bandana.
"Mom, what did you do?" I asked.
"Jason, please." Mom begged.
I hesitated, but put on the hat.
"Okay, here are some rules. Anyone asks you a question, ignore it. Anyone follows you, lose them. Anybody calls you "Witch", keep walking. Got it?" Mom asked as we pulled over near what seemed like a clear path into the city.
I nodded and we started walking. I took note of the city, it seems more like Metropolis than anything else. The city was on the far cide from where we were entering.
"Stay close to me." Mom said.
I nodded and we started walking down the streets. People seemed rather friendly. Mostly smiles all around, most of them were looking down at phones, but as for the rest, they were just... talking.
"How long was it since--"
"I'm not saying they're dead, it's just--"
"After what happened with the Trix, no more--"
"I heard that group at Frutti Music--"
"Bloom was great! I swear, it's as if she isn't even human--"
That last one got her. She picked up her pace as she seemed to change directions.
After almost an hour of walking, Mom came up to one house and knocked.
"Who is it?" A man on the inside asked.
"Mike? It's me." Mom said.
"Who's 'me'?" Mike asked.
"It's... Jessica." Mom whispered.
The door swung open and we were greeted by a man in his early 50s, blonde hair, a blue collared shirt.
"Jess! What are you-- come inside! Quick, Bloom's not back yet." Mike said.
We came inside and Mike shut the door and started shutting the sheets.
"Who's this?" A woman, possibly Mike's wife, asked.
"Vanessa, it's me." Mom said.
"Jessica?! Oh my, I'll call Bloom, tell her to stay out longer." Vanessa said.
"No. In fact, get her here. I need to talk to her immediately." Mom said.
"But the Headmaster--" Vanessa said.
"I know. I'm willing to face whatever punishment as long as this gets out." Mom said.
A short silence followed as everyone collected their bearings.
"I'll give her a call." Vanessa said.
Vanessa went in another room, which let us with Mike.
"So, this must be Jason." Mike said with a voice of what seemed like sorrow.
"Yes. Jason, meet Michael Peters. He's... an old friend." Mom said.
"Nice to meet you, Jason." Mike said as he held his hand out.
"Nice to meet you, too." I said as I took his hand and shook it.
"Look, what has your mother told you about your father?" Mike asked.
I hesitated, remembering what Gaverial had said.
"I'm not your father. I never was."
"...Nothing." I said.
"Really? Nothing?" Mike asked, looking up to Mom.
She shook her head.
"I hoped I'd never had to." Mom said.
We were stopped by Vanessa on the phone.
"Yes, I know she was exiled. She says she needs to talk to you." She said.
Mike cleared his throat.
"So, let's start this with a question. Do you beleive in magic, Jason?" Mike asked.
"Wait, what do you mean 'magic'?" I asked him.
"I'm not talking about cards or shows. I am talking about the pure word 'magic'-- science we do not understand, something we can't wrap out heads around. Do you, Jason, beleive in magic?" Mike asked.
I never really asked myself that. I never got involved with anything related to any form of magic. Yeah, there were some of the shows I watched, but other than that...
"I never saw a reason not to." I shrugged.
"Oh good, no pure opinion. I guess the reveal won't be hard then." Mike said.
All conversation was stopped by the door quickly opening and shutting. We all looked up and saw a red headed girl, close to my age by the looks of it.
"Where is she?" She simply asked.
"Right here." Mom said.
The girl turned her head to her, than to me.
"Hmm. I didn't expect them to send a rookie." Mom said.
"I'm no rookie. You wanted to send a message, now send it." The girl said.
Mom cleared her throat.
"We have reason to believe that three more witches are in Earth." Mom said.
"Wait... witches?" I asked, totally confused over the past few hours.
A silence followed as the sun started to slightly set.
"You must be Jason." The girl said.
"Yeah, but... how do you people know my name?" I asked.
Mom sighed.
"Remember those stories I told you as a child? About magic and witches?" Mom asked.
"Y... Yeah?" I asked.
"Well... they were real. Every. Last. One." Mom said.
It's been a week since the "Field Trip" to Gardenia. My mom's been staying at Filthy's house while I've been staying with Applejack. Apple Bloom moved away with her cousin Braeburn at Appleloosa, Texas. I can't say I miss her, but it isn't the same without her; Applejack's more distant, Big Mac's been working harder, and Granny's been looking at old photos of the Apples back when they all were alive.
I've been helping around the farm since then, trying to take over Apple Bloom's chores. I was feeding the chickens with Applejack when I decided to start a conversation.
"It's been a rough time, huh?" I asked her.
Applejack looked up at me and back down.
"Yeah. It has." She said, her voice cracking.
I noticed how saddened she was. I took a breath and began forming my words.
"Look, I know that Apple Bloom was my fault. I just want to say that right from the get-go." I said.
"No. No, it wasn't. It was always there... I should've seen it. I did see it, we all did last christmas." Applejack said.
"Yeah, I heard about Anon-a-Miss. I'm surprised you didn't punish her more." I said.
"I felt sorry for Scootaloo. They dragged her into it because they were her friends. Sweetie Belle helped, but... the rest was Apple Bloom. She did the hacking, she wrote the blog, and she posted it. I was so stupid, Jason. I was..."
Applejack held me in an embrace, in which I gladly returned. She started crying slightly as she nuzzled into my shoulder.
"You should head inside. How many chores do you have left?" I asked.
"I... I gotta clean the yard for Winona, feed the cows... that's it." AJ said.
"I can do that. You go inside and blow off some steam, talk to your brother." I suggested.
AJ nodded and kissed my head, held me in a quick embrace, and headed back inside.
I'd be lying if I didn't say I felt my face warm up.
I then noticed that chickens were closing in on AJ's feed bag. I managed to grab it, while being pecked at, and set it out of the coop.
Clear the yard of drops, give the cows hay bales, shouldn't be so hard... I thought to myself.
I was so, so, so wrong about the yard being easy.
The yard smelled like a landfill, flies were scattered everywhere, and there was a big trash can filled to the brim of multiple bags of Winona's waste. I managed to clear... most of the yard and move the bag out to the road.
After that was done, I went off to find hay bales. As I closed in on the barn, I saw Big Mac over the side, chopping firewood in obvious frustration. I decided to check in on him while I could.
"Hey, Big Mac." I said, taking a step closer to him.
Mac swung the axe down, splitting the wood log in two. He dropped the axe and wiped his forehead.
"Hey, Jason." Mac said as he grabbed a bottle of cider from a cooler near him.
A short silence followed as Mac grabbed the axe and another log.
"Hey, there's, uh... something I should tell you about Apple Bloom." I decided.
"What, that you liked her?" Mac asked as he chopped the log in half.
I felt a bead of sweat fall into my eye as I thought no-one else knew.
"...Yeah." I said.
"Don't be so shocked. Everyone knew you liked her, even Apple Bloom herself." Mac said as he grabbed another log.
What?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked in total confusion.
"She... talks about how you help her, care about her. She took it all for granted, Jason. She knew you loved her, but she never loved you back." Mac said as he chopped the log.
If someone told me this 5 months ago, I would be in total shock and denial. But now...
"Makes sense. No offense." I said.
Mac stuck the axe into the chopping block and looked back at me.
"What're you doin'? Apple Bloom's chores never involved the barn." He said.
"Applejack wasn't looking so good, I offered to do her chores for her. I just gotta feed the cows." I said.
"Don't bother. I did it a while ago." Mac said as he grabbed the cooler and headed on back inside the house.
"You comin'?" Mac asked.
I looked at the barn and back.
"Yeah, just... give me a second." I said as I headed off behind the barn.
I went around the barn, and saw a large apple tree around back. I remembered that tree, me and Apple Bloom used to hang out under it back when we were kids. I went up to it, laid my back into the bark, and lowered myself to the ground. I tried not to have flashbacks, but I did.
"Come on, Jason! You should've caught me by now!" 7-year-old Apple Bloom said, skipping around the big apple tree.
"Come on, Apple Bloom! You know I'm not a runner." I said as I tried to catch her.
We jumped, and skipped, and ran until we ran out of energy. We then took a seat next to each other against the tree.
"We're going to be friends forever, aren't we Jason?" Apple Bloom asked me.
"Of course we are, Apple Bloom. What can happen?" I foolishly asked.
"What... what do you mean you're leavin'?" 10-year-old Apple Bloom asked.
"I'm sorry, AB. Dad's got a new job in a city on the other side of the state." I explained.
"Gaverial? He hates you! Why do you have to go?!" AB cried.
"I can't leave mom and live alone, Apple Bloom." I responded.
"Then stay with us! Please, Jason don't go!" AB said as she held me in an embrace, and starting to sob.
I quickly wrapped my arms around her and rested the top of my head into hers. She began trying to speak through the sobs, but failed.
"I'm so sorry, Apple Bloom. I'm so sorry..." I said as I began running my hand through her hair.
I was getting off the bus from Dimmsdale High as I heard yelling from outside the house. I went inside, expecting a normal argument...
But saw the end of a shotgun barrel.
"Gaverial! Get that gun out of his face, please!" Mom begged.
"Move over, bitch!" Gaverial knocked her in the face with the shotgun stock, knocking her to the ground.
"Stop!" I said as I threw a random punch at him.
I missed, and Gaverial grabbed my arm and twisted... hard.
"You don't get involved!" Gaverial hollered as he then grabbed my shoulders and threw me into the granite table, cracking my spine.
I began to attempt getting up, but failed. Mom started getting up, just as Gaverial got ready to shoot me, grabbed a glass jug, and swung it against his head, knocking him to the ground.
"GET OFF MY SON!" Mom screamed as she began to pound and bite him.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Gaverial screamed as he grabbed her throat and smashed her head into the table, cracking her head.
"NO!" I screamed.
"And now... you." Gaverial said as he pointed the gun at me, took the safety off...
And was stopped by a cop tazing him.
"Sir, are you okay?" The cop asked as I say mom get raised and set on a stretcher.
"I'm... fine." I managed.
BAM!
It felt like an intestine burst. I looked down and saw a large, bloodied hole inside my stomach, tiny bits and chunks of... something scattered around the carpet. Things began getting blurred as I turned to see Gaverial, shotgun in hand, and smoke coming out of the gun.
And a look that I'd never forget. A look of...
Accomplishment.
Everything went dark
All a lie...
It was all a lie.
I felt the tears stream down my face as I leaned my head into the big tree, alone. I felt more tears come down as I pulled out a locket I had on my neck. I opened it, and saw an old photo of me and Apple Bloom, back when we were kids. I tossed it to the ground and began sobbing, not even caring if anyone sees me.
I continued to sob until I felt a warm hand touch my back. I looked up to see Applejack, with tears in her eyes as well. She came down to my level and held me in an embrace. I continued to sob as Applejack joined me as well, tears coming down from her face into my neck and down my shirt.
"Shhh, Jason. It's okay... it's okay." AJ said as she ran her hand through my hair and down my back.
She kissed my head again and began to lower herself.
Was she enjoying this embrace?
Instead of breaking away, I adapted to her movements, slowly lowering myself in rhythm to Applejack, until she was completely on the ground, and I was leaning into her stomach. Soon, I felt my eyes grow heavy, from either Applejack's stomach oddly feeling like a cloud, or Applejack running her fingers through my hair. I soon shut my eyes and waited for sleep to come.
Instead, Applejack slowly moved me off her stomach and left for a second, only to come back with a pillow and blanket and lower them over us. Applejack soon wrapped her arm over me and her breath got really close to my face. I couldn't resist, I wrapped my arm around her back, which triggered a gasp, and simply a gentle moan, as she actually got closer to me.
Then sleep came, with the farm girl I knew for about 8 years right next to me and us embracing each other.
"Now, remember, Jason. Push gently on the pedal, first. Don't stomp it." Mom said to me in the passenger seat.
I obliged and lowered my foot onto the pedal. The car me and my mom picked out slowly started to move around the test track.
"A little more." Mom said.
I pushed slightly harder and we started reaching the speed limit.
"Now keep an eye on the road, not just the bumper." Mom said.
I looked toward the next turn and made it.
"There you go! Nice." Mom said.
"Thanks." I said.
"Thank Rich, for letting us borrow his track." Mom said.
"Sure thing." I said as I exited the car and my mom started parking it.
I headed back up to the mansion where Applejack, Diamond, and Filthy Rich were waiting.
"Well, how did you do?" Diamond asked.
"Good. I didn't wreck it, at least." I joked.
Applejack chuckled and held me in an embrace.
"Yeah, thanks for letting us use your track, Rich." I said.
"Oh, please, don't mention it. I built that track when Diamond hit 15. I'm glad it's getting early use." He said.
"No kidding." Mom said, coming up behind me.
"Yeah, did you check the radio yet? I think I wanna start setting some presets." I said.
Mom nodded and we headed back to the car to pick out the stations.
But something else picked up.
"This is an Emergency Broadcast. News of a Rabies strain in Russia capable of regenerating dead brain cells have been confirmed by the President just hours ago. This virus is able to bring back the dead and cause them to attack. This is a prerecorded message, and will repeat."
We were awestruck. We ran back up to the others to tell them what we heard.
"What? What do you mean zombies?" Diamond asked.
"It just said on the radio, the President confirmed it." Mom said.
"Are we sure it just isn't a hoax? This sounds too much like the 'War of the Worlds Hoax'. How do we know this isn't fake?" Filthy asked.
I decided to try something.
"We should check the T.V. See for any news." I said.
We all agreed and we all paced inside to the nearest T.V screen.
"...Recent reports of a Rabies outbreak have been confirmed. Rumors are floating about over what caused this. ISIS, Bio-weapon, or random mutation. The CDC and WHO are currently conducting experiments with their Rabies samples to see what could've caused this pandemic. Meanwhile, all airports have shut down any reservations for anywhere in Russia." Some news reporter said.
"My God..." Filthy said.
"We'll... it'll be fine. I'm sure the government's planning something right now." I said.
What I said seemed to help, as the others started calming down.
"Me and AJ should go. Thanks for the help, Rich." I said.
We went out the door and into Applejack's truck.
"You sure that they got this?" AJ asked me.
"Yeah. But if not... Mom knows people." I said.
"Define 'people'. Those stories she told you?"
"That's all I have to go on, I need more information. But let's not worry about that now. Right now we need to prepare, just in case this fails." I said.
"So what so we need?" AJ asked.
"Knives, ammo for the shotgun, food, water, and clothes. Other gear here and there, but these are the most important. How much do we have to spend?" I asked Big Mac.
"Roughly $2,300. Maybe less, but it should do." He said.
"We'll also need wood. 2x4s, nails, a hammer, some metal sheeting... We'll need a lot." I said.
"We have some lumber on the farm, but we need scrap metal." AJ said as we drove to the nearest deparment store.
"First on the list, sturdy nails and metal sheeting. Next, shotgun shells." I said.
We also saw about 40 other visiters, possibly after the exact same thing we are.
"Shit..." I muttered.
"No-one said this would be easy." AJ said.
"Euyep." Mac agreed.
We decided to wait for an hour or two until most of the customers were gone. That's when we parked and headed inside.
The place was a wreck, barely anything left. We managed to grab a few boxes of nails and we decided to ask for scrap metal.
"Whatever's left is in the back... it was chaos. They flooded the stands, some just straight-up looted... I better get a raise for this." The clerk said.
"Thank you." I said as we headed for the back.
We found enough sheeting to cover the farm, paid, backed the truck up, loaded it, and headed to our next destination.
"What kind of rounds does it take?" I asked.
"Shells." Mac answered.
I nodded as we headed to the sporting goods department, which wasn't doing much good, either. In fact, we saw holes in the building.
"Stay close." Mac said as he grabbed the shotgun out of the back.
I opened my mouth in protest, but AJ gave me a silencing look.
"Open Carry." Mac implied.
We headed inside where we saw only one clerk left behind.
"Take what you want! Just don't shoot!" He begged.
"Relax, we're not... we're not here to steal." I said.
"We just need some shells. Are there any left?" AJ asked.
Upon hearing this, the clerk seemed to regain his nerves.
"Yeah, around back. I'll show you." He said as we all headed out back.
We headed to the back of the store where there were boxes upon boxes of ammo.
"What do you need?" The clerk asked.
"Just shells." Mac said as he grabbed a handful of boxes.
"I'll, um... Need to see your ID." The clerk said.
Mac nodded and reached out his driver's license. The clerk inspected it, nodded, and handed it back.
"You can pay upfront..." The clerk said, slightly shaking.
We went upfront, paid, and headed back to the farm.
"So there've been looters?" I asked.
"Sound's like it. The others wanna have a meetin' tonight about what we can do. Wanna join us?" She asked me.
"Wait, why me?" I asked.
"'Cause, like it or not, you're family." AJ said.
"Eyuep." Mac agreed.
I nodded and we went back to the farm. We started heading inside, when I saw Granny Smith look at an old picture again. I decided to ask her about it.
"Um, Granny Smith, you okay?" I asked nervously.
She looked back at me, only to glance at the picture again.
"You ever lost someone, Jason?" She asked me.
"Yeah, I've lost people. I've lost my dad, um..." I started.
"I mean someone you love, Jason, someone you knew." She said.
"Well... No." I sighed.
"Well, let me tell ya this. Nothin's worse than outliving your own child, Jason. Nothin'." She said.
I knew she wasn't going to say more, so I left to help Mac fortify the fence.
"Need a hand?" I asked.
"I could use help cutting those 2X4s to length. There's a hacksaw in the barn." Mac said.
I nodded and headed to the barn.
Only to be greeted by Applejack.
"Hey, AJ. You alright?" I asked.
She didn't say a word. She walked past me and shut the barn door.
"Applejack? What's wrong?" I asked nervously.
She went up in front of me, stared me dead in the eyes, and held me in an embrace.
But this one was more forceful.
She pinned me to the ground where she had her hands holding mine down as she lowered herself only centimeters away from my face.
"Shhh..." She whispered as she locked her lips onto mine.
All I did was embrace it. She removed her hands so she could hold my face. I used the freedom to wrap my arms around her waist. We held the kiss for several minutes until we both needed to breathe.
Only to kiss again. And this time, much, much harder.
Me and her were in the barn, sitting next to one another, me still thinking on what to say. I started forming my words when there was a knock on the barn.
"AJ? Jason? You here?" Oz asked.
We got up and opened the barn to see Oz and Sunset.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked them.
"I need to pick up my brother. The juvenile schools are either evacuating or locking down. Lucky for us, my brother's complex is releasing their students. We need a ride, Sunset's car isn't large enough, and I can't drive." Oz said.
"Sure thing." AJ said.
So me, AJ, and Oz went into AJ's pickup-- which, yes, had four seats. Sunset had to stay behind, due to a seat being needed for Oz's brother.
"I'll show you the way." Oz said, pulling out his phone.
Oz showed us the location, and AJ marked it on her GPS. We started driving out of the barn and entered the highway out of the city.
"So, your brother, huh?" I asked.
"Yeah. Our parents aren't so... well, bright. I told them that military school was probably the worst idea for him, but they didn't listen..." Oz said.
"Wait, who were you're parents?" AJ asked.
Oz was silent, clearly not wanting to answer the question.
"Okay, sorry to ask." AJ said as she kept driving.
"It's alright, it's just... We've never talked for a few years, and... now I need to make room for my little brother. Well, 'little', he's about Apple Bloom's age." Oz said.
AJ had a sudden look of shame.
"Shoot, I'm sorry, I didn't meant to--"
"We're here." AJ said.
Oz looked up and sure enough, there was a large complex with fences all around. Oz quickly opened the door and started attempting to run, almost falling at doing so.
"AJ, you stay here." I said as I went out to help him.
"Thanks." He said as we started heading inside.
When we entered, we saw about 30 children behind a booth. All Oz did was stumble forward.
"Name?" The guard asked.
"Oz." He said.
The guard went through the list to see nothing.
"Try my legal name." Oz said as he handed the guard his registration.
The guard glanced at the card and handed it back. He then got up and went to the booth.
"HEY, TURNER! YOU BROTHER'S HERE!" He hollered.
Turner?
Tim...
Sure enough, the first thing I saw was that iconic pink hat as he paced forward with a satchel, his buck teeth gone.
"Tim. Nice to see you again, man." Oz said.
All Tim did was walk by.
"Tim!" I called out.
He stopped and turned around.
"We went out this way, my... girlfriend's waiting with her truck." I said.
Tim looked at me like I had 2 heads.
"Shit, not Trixie, I promise!" I said.
Tim seemed to calm down and we all headed out to the truck, Oz still falling behind. We opened the door and saw AJ, looking at Tim in confusion.
"Applejack, meet Timmy Turner. Tim, meet Applejack." I said.
Tim nodded as he hopped in the back. Oz went next to him, and I rode shotgun, next to AJ.
"Where're we droppin' y'all off?" AJ asked.
"My place, I already talked to our parents, they said I could watch him." Oz said.
She nodded and started heading off.
The awkward silence quickly fell, as me and AJ started blushing whenever we glanced to say something to each other, Oz had no clue what to say to Tim, and Tim seemed either too traumatized, or to broken to say anything. I decided to attempt a conversation.
"So what's gonna happen now?" I asked anyone willing to answer.
"We bunker down, me and Sunset're stocking up right now. How're you two preparing?" Oz asked.
"We're fortifying the farm." AJ said.
Oz chuckled.
"The whole farm? Hmm. Right out of the Walking Dead's pages." Oz said.
We kept driving until we reached Sunset's house. The two then exited the car. Oz limped to the window.
"Thanks." He said.
"Sure." I said as AJ started the engine.
"The military won't handle this. The whole farm is too much to handle. Just the four of you on that large farm?" He asked.
"We'll make it work, it's her family." I said.
"How about your's?" Oz asked.
We didn't say a word as Oz headed inside and me and AJ drove off.
"He has a point, Applejack. You, me, your brother, defending the farm alone?" I asked her.
"We'll make it work, Jason." AJ said.
"I know, it's just..." I stopped.
"What is it?" AJ asked.
"Turn the truck around." I said.
"What, why?" AJ asked.
"There's something I gotta do before it's too late." I said.
"Jason, what is it?" AJ asked sternly.
I stopped, took a breath...
"We need to go to Gardenia." I said.
"Whoa, whoa, there. Your ma doesn't want you there." AJ said.
"I know, but this might be the only chance I have to knowing what my mom's been hiding from me." I said.
"Jason, I wanna help you, I do. But your ma has her reasons, some I don't know. But have you ever considered that maybe the truth might just be too much?" AJ asked.
"AJ, you never told a lie in your life, and I'd take the cold truth over a lie." I said.
We were still driving back to the farm.
"I'll talk to my mom, okay? I'm sorry, I didn't want you to get invol--"
We were stopped by a car parked outside the farm.
We parked and quickly ran down to see the red-haired girl from Gardenia with my mom alongside her.
"It's alright, my mom knows her." I said, trying to calm her nerves a bit.
She nodded and we started coming into their view. By the time we made it down, the sun was starting to set.
"Hey, mom." I said.
"Hey. I don't think you two properly met. Bloom, this is Jason. Jason, Bloom." She said.
"Nice to meet you. Mom, we gotta talk." I said.
"Yeah, we do. But not about whatever you're think about." Mom said.
"What do we have to talk about?" I asked them.
Bloom steeped aside.
"We're offering you a place at Red Fountain, a form of training camp. We're long prepared for an attack like the one that's coming." Bloom said.
We were all in AJ's truck, Mom was driving. We were starting to travel to Gardenia for a chat with Red Fountain's "Headmaster". Mom looked back at me.
"Jason, are you sure about this? This could determine everything that you do going forward. Doing this could mean life or death. Can you handle that?" She asked me.
"I don't even know if I wanna join, this is just for curiosity." I said, slightly hinting about my mother, which she acknowledged.
Mom then turned to Bloom, who was riding shotgun.
"So, what've I missed? Who's in charge of Alfea now?" Mom asked.
"Faragonda." Bloom answered.
"Still? She was in charge when I was there..." Mom said.
"How long ago was that?" Bloom asked.
"17 years, a year before I had Jason." Mom said, with slight sorrow.
"Man, what is this month turning into? First, we have zombies, now fairies. What's next, aliens?" I asked in pure confusion.
Bloom looked back at me.
"Look, I know how hard this is to wrap your head around. Just don't think about it. Roll along, and it'll all start to make sense sooner or later." She said.
"She has a point, you know." Mom said as she started entering the city.
"So, where're we going?" AJ asked.
"Ocean Gate. It's just by the bay, right?" Mom asked Bloom.
"Yeah." Bloom said.
"And from there, we go to Red Fountain in Magix-- another dimension full of people like Bloom." Mom said.
I decided to do what Bloom recommended: Roll along.
"Sure..." I said.
Bloom acknowledged that I was taking her advice, and nodded.
"AJ, how easy is this on you?" I asked her.
"Doin' alright. I already knew about Twilight and Equestria, but this... This is somethin' else." AJ said shaking her head.
"You know about Equestria?" Mom asked.
"Yeah, we have a friend who's from there, says she's a princess." AJ said.
"Celestia?" Mom asked.
Principal Celestia?
"No, her name's Twilight, she's a new one." Bloom said.
"You know her?" AJ asked.
"Not personally, but me and Celestia have chatted several times." Bloom said.
"So Equestria's in Magix?" I asked.
"Yeah, or at least on the outer rims." Mom said.
We decided to stop talking and absorb the scenery of Gardenia. It was a beautiful city, honestly. People seem decent, architecture's amazing, and to top it all off, my mom seems different here, more... authoritive. Maybe she was always like this and covered it up?
My train of thought was derailed when I felt Applejack's hand on my thigh. I decided to hold her hand as she looked at me and smiled.
"So, you and Applejack, huh?" Mom asked.
"Y... yeah. I was gonna tell you, but all this happened, and--"
"It's okay. I know it went so well last time, and I'm glad you're happy." Mom said as she looked up the mirror at us.
We were followed with an awkward silence as we finally arrived at the bay.
"So, what now?" I asked.
"Don't worry, I got this." Bloom said.
To be honest, I was to confused to remember how exactly we got there, but we arrived at a form of futuristic building, matching Seattle.
"We're here." Mom said as she went to the entrance and rung us in.
"Saladin? It's me, we were told that you wanted to interview Jason." Mom said.
In a matter of seconds, 5 students came out holding spears and maces. I took it as an attack and got into my fight stance, but Mom put her hand on my shoulder, assuring me that they were innocent.
"Hello. I am Headmaster Saladin. Welcome to Red Fountain." An old man said from the entrance.
None of us responded, mostly because of confusion.
"Oh, this. Right... Fall back, men. They are allies." Saladin said as his students fell back.
"Sorry about that, precautions for what will come next."
"It's alright. As far as I see it, everyone's got precautions." Mom said.
"So this is Jason, then? Taller than I imagined." Saladin said in a jolly manner.
"Um... thanks?" I said/asked.
"Anyway, let's not drown in small talk, let's take you guys around the building." Saladin said.
"You know where Sky is?" Bloom asked.
"In his dorm as usual, Bloom. I'll have someone help you up." Saladin said.
"I'm good, I know this building like the back of my hand." Bloom said.
With that, Bloom entered the building, out of sight.
"Who's 'Sky'?" I asked.
"Her fiance." Saladin said.
"Uh, fiance? Isn't she our age?" AJ asked.
"Yes, but she is also princess." Saladin said.
"Um... princess?" I asked in more confusion than ever.
"Yes, Princess of Domino. I guess the plan to marry once they hit proper age." Saladin said.
I didn't know either to be flattered, or confused. I guess I was both in that moment.
"Wish I knew that earlier, never called her Your Highness." I said.
"It's... quite alright. She doesn't quite enjoy that spotlight." Saladin said as we decided to enter the building and explore.
"What happened to the castle? That was a better environment than a flying tower." Mom said.
"It was lost during battle." A student said behind us.
"Oh, Riven! I don't believe you've met Jessica yet." Saladin said.
"No, I can't say I have." Mom said as she shook his hand.
"This is Jason, we requested him after it was learned of his, um... origins."
What was that supposed to mean?
Saladin observed the look on my face.
"You haven't told him..." Saladin said.
"I... I couldn't bring myself to. I hoped I'd never have to." Mom said.
Was this about my father?
There was a short silence before Saladin cleared his throat.
"Anyway, let's worry about that at a later date. Let's show Jason what he'd be getting into."
Mom nodded and we continued.
"This is the Forge. Most of our weapons are made here, melee, of course." Saladin said as we watched two students forge a sword.
"Next up: the Armory. We keep our firearms, along with munitions in this room. We use them for training, a weaker form of blast, of course." Saladin said.
Laser weapons?
"Finally, the classes. Jason, here you will learn how to fight more than the average gangster. You will learn to fight monsters. Your mother was one of the first females we had at Red Fountain. However, the co-ed experience was shut down after..." Saladin clearly looked at Mom with a look of guilt.
What did she do?
"Anyhow, today was just a tour. Tell me, what do you think of Red Fountain?" Saladin asked.
I could barely speak.
"It... it's amazing. Complex, and clearly some things I need to learn, but this... this is amazing." I said, breathless over what I saw in the past hour.
"So, I know the orientation was fast, it's just... we need people ASAP, you know? Zombies?" Saladin asked.
"Yeah." AJ said.
"We would offer both of you to come, but..."
Wait, AJ can't come?
Bloom said something about a dorm.
This is a boot camp?
"I understand you have second thoughts. Think about it for a while, and your mother can call me once you've made up your mind." Saladin said.
What?
How can I leave AJ?
"Sure." Mom said as we headed out for the truck.
"Mom, it is not happening!" I said as we went into the truck.
"How hard is a few months without us?" Mom asked.
"What if something happens and I'm not there? What if Russia falls and we get hit next? How would I find you, how would I find Applejack? Mom, this is not happening." I said.
We were silent until AJ held my hand. I saw that her eyes were sparkly.
"Okay." Mom said as we drove off to Ocean Gate.
"So what're you going to do?" I asked her.
"Filthy's considering buying Camp Everfree, but the jury's still out. Once we buy it, we're turning it into a spa, but it'll really be a safe-zone. We'll have concrete walls, food, water, and medicine. We'll be lying, but it'll keep us safe. Me, Filthy, Rin, Len, and Diamond are all headed there, if your family's interested, AJ." Mom said.
"Y-- you can't tear down Everfree! You just--"
"I know it's wrong, but we don't have much of a choice. Don't tell your friends, just play along AJ, please." Mom begged.
AJ nodded, but I knew she didn't like it.
"We can talk about it later." I told Mom as I held AJ's hand.
We went back to Sweet Apple Acres where me and Applejack discussed what to do.
"I already told Mom about Red Fountain. I'm not going. We have enough going on as it is." I said to Applejack.
"I still disagree 'bout them buyin' Camp Everfree. We have childhoods there, Jason!" AJ said.
No, me and Apple Bloom did.
AJ quickly realized this and her pupils dilated. She gasped slightly as she immediately ran to hug me. I returned the embrace as she started sniffling.
"Shh, it's alright. I get it, it's hard to get used to." I said as I ran my fingers through her blonde hair.
We stayed in this position for a few minutes until we realized we had to keep talking.
"Anyway, I know it seems wrong, but it'll get overrun otherwise." I said.
AJ was silent for a second.
"Alright, I can get behind that. But we have classes after we get back from Everfree, and I just..." AJ started.
"I'm staying with Mom and Filthy at the mansion. I'll call you when you make it to the camp." I said as I went for her cheek.
She stopped me and held my face in place with her hands. She went for my lips and I embraced it. We held the kiss for a minute until we heard Big Mac call out.
"Stay safe, AJ." I said as I kissed her cheek.
"You too, J." She said as she grabbed something out of her closet.
Her second hat.
"I was savin' this for Apple Bloom, but... Now I want you to have it, in case this ends the way we think it will." AJ said as she set it on my head.
I felt more honored than I've ever been in my life. AJ doesn't just go handing her hats around to everyone.
"AJ, I... thank you." I said.
"Of course." AJ said as she gave me a peck on the lips and headed out.
"I love you." I said to her.
She stopped at the doorway and turned her head.
"I love you, too." She said as she headed out.
I went out to the front to see Mom with Diamond riding shotgun in the truck. I headed out to the truck and took my seat.
"Hey." Diamond said.
"Hey." I said back.
"Diamond isn't staying. We're dropping her off at the school." Mom said.
Even Diamond's going?
"Alright." I said.
Here we were, at CHS dropping Diamond off. I came to accept Diamond Tiara as a sister of sorts. Sure, we got off to a rocky start, but when she needed help finding herself, we were there. Mom and I went out to bid Diamond farewell since this might be the last time we see her...
"Stay safe, hon." Mom said as she gave Diamond a hug.
I then went over to her and held my hand out for a handshake. Diamond studied it for a second and set it down. I saw this as a message to not say goodbye.
But then Diamond nearly tackled me in an embrace.
I accepted it and she quickly jogged inside the building without saying a word to me.
"What now?" I asked asked Mom.
She was silent as we got back into the truck, and we drove off.
