I just wanted to go to Equestria!

Chapters

Prologue - The Boring Set Up
Meeting Pon-People
First Day Surprises
Clashing with the Sun
Places Exist Outside School!?
Deal with It
Part 1 Epilogue - Just What I Wanted?
Pinkie Promised
Magic Failure
A Hop, A Skip, And a Dash
Honesty is a Bitch
Scary Gift Candy Night
Spooky Street Chryssa Search
RE:Telling 1 - Sunny Side Up
Part 2 Epilogue - Tricky Wonderland
The More Things...
Shy of Kind
Flash-Back
Hanging Out
A Rarity of a Day
Singing the Blues
RE:Telling 2 - Lingering Thoughts
A Glimmer Left Behind
Home is Where the Heart is
A Slice of the Pie
Watching the Sunset
Part 3 Epilogue - Forget to Shimmer
Lemon-Free Pie for Everyone!
Perspective
A Colorful Reminder
A Colorful Result
Daily Dairy Dabbling
The Twilight That Comes
Break Down
The Fall Formal
Finale - Part 1
Finale - Part 2
Finale - Part 3
Finale - Part 4
Finale - Part 5
Epilogue

Prologue - The Boring Set Up

I have a confession to make…

I’m not a big fan of Equestria Girls.

Let’s just say, I despised the idea of humanized ponies as much as I despised the idea of Alicorn Twilight -which was a lot by the way- Normally, I wouldn’t have hated it if it wasn’t for my stupid friends wh-

Alright, I’m getting ahead of myself, I guess I should start from the beginning, right?

Ever heard of those basement dwelling bronies? Well, they exist, I was one of them, only temporarily, but still. Being forced to live in my parents’ basement while they went on vacation for who-knows-how-long wasn’t really my idea of fun, but they left everything paid, and all I had to do was take care of the house and some cleaning here and there while they were gone. Not a bad deal, I guess..

That meant more money for pony merchandise and maybe a drink or two.

On my third day there, I got on my laptop and logged onto facebook, as always, most of the statuses were unfunny jokes and picture sharing, I was about to log off when a certain image came across my field of vision; six humans that looked like the mane six, I would have just attributed it as just bad fan art, but it was placed on a rumor list that placed its existence in the realm of possibilities, and I hoped I was wrong.

But life sure loved to mess with me.

I heard the actual announcement early 2013, I mean, who would have thought that Hasbro would give the green light? Not me, that’s who. I disliked the idea from the get-go and avoided it like the plague, unfortunately, this plague was forcing itself onto me, and calling the cops wasn’t an option.

“Come on, it sounds like an interesting idea, Patrick!” said one of my annoying friends as we spoke one day at work.

“Ah… No. I like my ponies being… Well, cutesy-wubsy cuddle pies, okay? That‘s the way it was made,” I said with the most serious face I could possibly muster..

“Ugh, please don’t say it like that, ponies are manly!” I had to laugh at that, if there was anything unmanly happening then, it would have to be a pair of grown men talking about multicolored miniature equines.

I guess three men talking about it could have beaten it, thought.

“Well, regardless, I’m not interested, I love Twilight the way she is,” in retrospect, I could have worded that better.

“So, you still got a crush on pony Twilight, huh?” I groaned, here it was again, it wasn’t a crush as it was more of a slight attraction!

…

Alright, so if it wasn’t expected, I was a person on the weird side of the pony fandom, doing different things -like write about and draw ponies- especially for Twilight, of course. It didn’t help as I found myself falling for her and her Taralicious voice, mind you, it didn’t go quite as far as clopping.

Okay, maybe ONE time!

If that wasn’t weird enough, I found myself dreaming of going to Equestria quite often, one might argue that is bad, but my reasoning is correct because shut up.

All I want is to have an awkward new species situation, get to meet the rest of the mane six and learn of the magic of friendship while having slice of life adventures, maybe get to know friendship a bit better with Twilight if you know what I’m saying.

It’s that too much to ask?

Well, back on topic, my indifference didn’t last, I soon found myself wrapped up in my friends’ enthusiasm of the abomination that was Equestria Girls, not even the song parody could help me as e-mails, texts, facebook messages, videos for the trailer, it was all there to make me see it! This went on for months, my friends thought it was funny, but I sure didn’t, sure felt good to ignore even a simple plot synopsis, but my indifference had grown to full blown hate of the premise thanks to them.

And what luck of mine, one of my friends worked in a movie theater, and what did he have playing in there? Equestria Girls. Yeah, it had been long enough for the movie to be released and he called me to go watch it with him, of course, I replied with gusto.

“Fuck off.”

Patrick had spoken.

That night I wrote yet another chapter of my ongoing story, it was the part where I finally got to tell Twilight my feelings for her, figured I‘d given the story enough filler content… Yes, it was a self-insert human in Equestria story, sue me.

I finished the chapter after a few hours of work and shut off my computer, I laid in bed, and as always, thought about that one dream of mine. What dream? Well, the one dream many bronies hope to achieve but never would, and the one I mentioned earlier you forgetful mate: go to Equestria. Realistically speaking, what were the odds of that? It was -for the most part- common knowledge that the show was just that; a show, and the world, just a creation of the mind.

But, hey, a brony could dream… A brony could dream.

I turned off the lights and returned to bed, oblivious to the terrible calamity that was about to befall me.

~~~~~

I woke up the same way I always did; getting up from the right side of my bed, pulling my lowered shorts to an appropriate position, drop them once I made it into the bathroom anyway, and begin the process of showering after lazily removing all pieces of clothing.

This time, however, I was met with an obstacle, namely, my wall that stopped me on my tracks, and now, I wasn’t a genius or anything, but I was sure that walls didn’t just move on their own.

I turned my head around and noticed where I was… I was in my room. Well that was obvious, but it wasn’t just any room… It was my OLD room, the one that had been converted into a study by my dad once I moved out. I had to groan, the idea of a prank so damn elaborate was both amusing, and annoying, probably because I decided to not watch the movie with him. He needs to grow up.

“Well, nothing to do but go downstairs and meet the laughter of my so-called friends,” I opened the door of my room and found the rest of the house looking the same as always, well, at least I would only have to fix my own room.

“You finally awake, son?” I heard a familiar voice calling to me.

“Dad!?” I said loudly, before covering my mouth in an attempt to block my loudness but failing miserably. Dammit, now I was going to get it. “Y-yeah, it’s me…”

“What are you doing? Get down here, breakfast is ready!” I raised a brow in confusion, but hey, one does not simply ignore home-made breakfast -- worry and fear came later. I made my way to the kitchen where I nearly passed out at the sight in front of me.

Not surprisingly, mom was there as well, but that wasn’t the strangest thing of it all, not by a long shot. It was more on how they looked; dad’s skin was purple, while my mom’s was green, to say I was flabbergasted would be an understatement, this would have to be a joke, it just had to, right?

Unfortunately, the looks on their faces said otherwise, staring with worry over my own reaction.

“Are you okay?” dad asked me. 'Well, your skin is purple dad, what do you think? ' was a question I nearly asked.

“No, it’s nothing… I’m gonna have some late breakfast if that’s okay… I need to go… Shower first, yeah,” dad only grunted something about kids and their new ways, while mom gave me a hug and checked my forehead for a temperature, she was acting weird, she never did that stuff, she rarely did it when I was little.

Then she grabbed my arm and I finally noticed.

“Mom, I’m going to take a shower, be right back!” I didn’t wait for her reply as I rushed upstairs and headed to the second floor bathroom, I locked the door, and turned, glancing at the mirror there, it was taunting me, awaiting me to stand in front of it to give me a ‘surprise’.

It was 5 minutes till I decided to put myself in front of it and… Well, surprise, surprise, my skin was lime green, all while my hair had a rather horrid lemon green, I‘m surprised I didn‘t notice it earlier. “Ugh, I see what you meant by that comment in Boast Boasters, Rari… -ty.”

That’s when I made the connection.

“Oh, no fucking way…” I looked into the depths of my mind expecting the reasoning for this to spontaneously appear, maybe it was a prank, a BIG worldwide prank, and I’d fallen for it, ha, ha, ha! How eerily amusing.

But of course, it wasn't. Outside the obvious physical differences -seriously, how was it possible to exist with body parts placed so anatomically incorrectly?- I didn’t look that much different than before; my beard and the bags under my eyes were gone, my unkept hair was slightly overgrown, but outside of that looked normal… And green. And my skin? Well, it was flawless! It was almost as if I had traveled into the cartoon world itself. Eerie, if you think about it.

A knock from the door and the sound of my mom calling me interrupted my confused thoughts, it could have been comforting to hear her voice. Except that it wasn’t.

“Lemon Lime, are you okay, did something happen?”

‘Fuck me, fuck me to hell’ are the most accurate words I could think of the moment I heard the name. “Yeah mom, I’m fine, just a bit dizzy from waking up too fast, is all,” she gave me a few reprimands and left me to my own bearings.

At this point, I would have been at the very least, slightly suspicious about my current situation, but there was no need, I already knew what was going on, and while I didn’t know the -how- I knew the -is- which brought enough clarity in my mind as I showered some of my worries away.

Soon, I found myself back in my room where I plummeted on the bed, I turned on the tv and my suspicions had been confirmed; ~~colored people on TV~~ Multi-colored people on TV, everywhere from cartoons, to news.

So, if it wasn’t obvious enough, by this point, I had figured out 3 things:

First: My skin was green. GREEN. The worst part was that it was natural, if the forced scrubbing while showering didn’t show me enough.
Second: I had somehow become younger, probably between 16-18, I swear, I could feel the hormones jumping in excitement. Ha ha, double meaning.
Third: ~~I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him~~

~~~~~

“Okay, that was bad, even by my standards,” I say to myself as I cross out the last line, I had spend part of my day checking out my room, and outside some minor name changes and some more current posters of bands, I had successfully realized that the world wasn’t that much different.

How… Strangely convenient.

The rest of the day was spend writing about what transpired, something that I'm still doing, funny how that took a good amount of my time.

“Lemon!” calls mom while knocking on the door, ugh, I’ll never get used to that.

“Yes, mom?”

“Go to bed! Tomorrow it’s your first day of school at Canterlot High! You don’t want to be late!” I sigh at the mention of the school and go back to my notebook, I push my pencil after the crossed out blasphemy and write what was really on my mind.

‘Third: I was in the world of Equestria Girls and I was about to go to school there.’

I close the notebook and get on my bed, not even bothering to change clothes as I think on what I can do tomorrow. “Well, I was brought here by some magic, maybe there is some sort of magic in that school, it IS called Canterlot High after all,” I facepalm at the thought, but I can’t help but hope.

Well, I guess I’ll worry when I actually have to deal with high school all over again, that ought to be sarcastically fun. I close my eyes and fall asleep with one final thought.

Why couldn’t I have gone to Equestria instead?

Meeting Pon-People

Morning arrived far too fast for my liking.

I throw some clothes on and have some breakfast before heading to the bus stop near my house with a lazily made backpack in tow, at first, I panic over finding the stop, but as it turns out, at the very least, my whole neighborhood is exactly the same in terms of design, maybe I got lucky that I lived in the area where Canterlot would be in this alternate timeline.

Hey, why question what you can’t explain?

It’s not long of a walk when I realize something. 'What if none of the MLP characters are in this world?' I refrain from visibly panicking at my obvious dilemma, but that quickly solves itself as the bus arrives and I get on, as I find myself staring at an out of shape Soarin-looking person on the wheel. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad.

Well, that’s one positive for today… For me, not for Soarin.

I decide to ignore everyone for the time being and move to the back of the bus where I easily find an empty spot. I have to say, traveling via bus is horrible, I have to get my alternate reality parents to get me a car, hopefully I had a drivers license, who even wants to go through the DMV twice as a ‘newbie’.

“Hey there!” I snap out of my thoughts and turn my head to see the person talking to me, and I come face to face with this rocker-looking dude, outside his flashy blue hair, I have to say he looks rather normal in comparison to the others.

He looks familiar, thought.

“Hi,” I return his greeting, he seems to be taken aback by my simple reply, but not one to give up, he sits next to me.

“So, what’s up? I haven’t seen you around Canterlot High before, are you new?” I groan internally, I didn’t really want to mingle with these… People… More than I had to. I’m not here to socialize after all.

“Yeah, I’m new,” I reply anyway, making enemies seems like a dumb thing to do on my first day.

“Well, do you want to hang out? I’ll give you a hand in getting to know the school better and all that! Oh, but wait, I haven’t introduced myself,” after ignoring his obvious disregard for being a creep, he takes out a bass/guitar from his seat and strums it/shows off, making the familiar sound of said instrument. The big question here would be why it played without it being plugged into something, well, guess I’ll never know/care enough.

“The name is Flash Sentry, and what’s your name, man?” of course, I had to say my name… It would be something that I would have to do often. Positives? There is nothing positive about my name.

“I’m… Lemon Lime…” I blurt out in a very low voice, he raises a brow in response.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that, can yo- Woah!” he loses his balance and falls back abruptly.

“Flash! Get back to your seat, now!” calls Soarin from the front as the bus makes another stop.

“Oh… Whoops! I guess I’ll ask you later, let’s hope we have the same lunch!” he goes back to his seat with a few laughs following him, mine included, it was an amusing sight.

The rest of the ride remains uneventful, that is until I catch sight of the school; a rather grand building that might be old? I say that because it’s difficult to pinpoint its age, what with my vision being unable to make out a single thing wrong with the nearly perfect looking walls… It was eerie, I tell me what.

Then, a random thought hits me instantly, one that positively brightens up my day as I get off the bus.

If there is a Soarin, then there is a Spitfire.
If there is a Spitfire, there is a Rainbow Dash.
If there is a Rainbow Dash, there are other Mane 6 members.
And where Mane 6 members are, I’ll have… Twilight.
Not pony Twilight, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Maybe this won’t be too bad after all, besides, Twilight and I can socialize all she wants.
…
God, I’m sick, but I'm least I'm honest.

I begin my walk through the parking lot, passing a lot of people on the way, I find myself being pushed from side to side as I try to make my way inside the building, but the immense amount of freak-students makes it near impossible.

“I think you might need my help earlier than expected,” I turn to find Flash Sentry, holding his guitar/bass case with one hand, giving me an amused smirk. Just what I needed.

“Come on, I’ll take you to the Principal’s Office,” I reluctantly accept, and he walks ahead of me just as I try to keep up with him, we pass by the cafeteria and a few generic looking hallways until the number of students has thinned out, at this point, Flash deems it appropriate to talk to me again.

“So, I didn’t catch your name earlier, what was it?” I don’t bother to hide my groan this time, my new name is sort of a taboo thing for me. “Oh, if you don’t want to tell me that’s okay,” he replies a looking bummed out.

“My name is Lemon Lime, but just call me Pat,” well, he is helping, gotta cut him some slack. He seems surprised by my suggestion but doesn’t argue. Well… At the very least the name isn’t a dumb one in this world.

“Well, we are here, just go in and you can talk to Principal Celestia,” he tells me as we stop by a door that looks just like any other. Wait… Did he just-

“Principal …Celestia?” I exclaim unable to hold back my surprise, my jaw hitting the floor so to speak.

“Yeah, she is pretty chill, but watch out, she has a temper if you don’t behave,” a beep comes from his pocket and he brings out a phone, after checking it, he groans and turns to me. “Ugh, it‘s my girlfriend. Listen, I got to go, maybe we‘ll meet at lunch again, later!” by this point, I’ve stopped paying attention to him as my mind races.

I’m going to meet Princess Celestia… Okay, Principal Celestia, but again, I can’t really be a chooser, Celestia is Celestia, she’ll know what to do, I bet/hope.

It’s been five minutes until I find the courage to make my way inside, I decide to go for the bow, I’m meeting royalty and all that… Why isn’t she telling me to be at ease?

“Can I help you?” the voice is Celestia‘s alright, but it’s missing the regal tone it usually has alongside it. I decide to foolishly raise my head and come face to face with her, and pardon my French, but this is where I drop my cool.

“Holy you!? What’s wrong with your face!?” she looks at me, horrified at my words as she grabs her face and turns to a mirror behind her, and well, she should be, she certainly has the rainbow hair, but her face, man. HER FACE.

“Young man, are you insulting me?” she replies after finding nothing wrong with her face WHICH IS STILL THERE BY THE WAY. I try to compose myself with varying degrees of success, thankfully, her look of horror has become a look of worry. “Oh my goodness, are you okay?” she walks over to me and places a hand on my back, and sits me down on the chair in front of her desk, she closes the door to her office and sits on her own seat before resuming her worry over me.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine… My bad…” I apologize to her, despite her looks, she still seems to be a caring poneson at heart. She seems to calm down as well as she looks over me curiously… And I realize that I just made a term for them. Brilliant.

“If you say so, now, how may I help you?” she asks recovering her professional demeanor.

“Well, I’m a new transfer here and I’m here to enroll,“ she seems deep in thought for a second.

“Yes… I remember getting a call that we might receive a new student. I must admit, it’s strange to have a new one so late in the semester, especially for a Junior,” she reaches for a folder and opens it. “Now, what’s your name?”

By this point, I remember I have a package with info on me that mom gave me -avoiding the need to say my name with it is a plus- it would have been easier to have her here with me while I was properly enrolled, but noooo, she has a job, and she has no time for m- Oh God, here is my teenage body acting up.

“Oh yeah, I forgot, my mom told me to give you this,” I take the package from my backpack and hand it to her, I wait while she peruses the contents, and for some reason, her eyes widen occasionally while checking some of the stuff, but it doesn’t take long for her to file away the papers and turn to me once more.

“Alright Lemon, welcome to Canterlot High, I am Principal Celestia, and we are glad to have you onboard,“ she checks her watch for a second and frowns. “Unfortunately, I need to go to meet the superintendent, but I‘ll have someone here to help you,” she shakes my hand and walks to another room where she then comes out with someone else in behind her an- Oh God… I think I’m gonna be sick.

“Hello Lemon, I’m Vice-Principal Luna, it‘s nice to meet you, aaaand here is your schedule,” that’s all I manage to hear as I try my darndest to hold the bile building up in my throat while I grab the paper from her hands, I just can’t place it, she looks even worse than Celestia.

Hasbro, you monsters, what have you done?

“You okay?” she asks, placing a hand on my shoulder, this time it isn’t comforting though, but creepy. Thankfully she notices this and removes it. “Ahem… Well, I know you need someone to take you to class now, and I’d do it myself, but I’m far too busy at the moment,” eeyup, just like a real high school. “So I’ll have my student aid take you, if that’s alright,” she pulls out a walkie-talkie and talks into it. “Ms. Pie, can you please report to th-”

Out of nowhere, the door to the office opens and a familiar looking figure shows up.

Her skin is a light pink, while her hair is a brighter shade of the same color, she is wearing a simple pink skirt that would break tons of high school dress codes, and of course, a trio of balloons on the side, there is only one who would fit this description... Or I just need to meet more people.

“Pinkie Pie?” I say in amazement at the now human pony, but just like that, she is suddenly out of my field of vision, and before I know it, I feel myself being forcibly turned around, said Pinkie Pie staring me head on uncomfortably close… And while I‘m here, I have to say that the rumors are fake; she smells nothing like cotton candy.

“How did you know my name!? Are you psychic!?” Pinkie asks, her face looming closer to mine.

“Er… Maybe?” I respond without a second thought.

“Oh, oh! What else can you tell me!” she asks me excitedly while jumping up and down, releasing me from her grasp. Pinkie is Pinkie anywhere she is, it seems.

“Well… You work in a bakery, and you have a pet alligator called Gummy!” I realize that I’m probably overstepping my bounds with the guesses, but how can I resist this?

Wait, she is frowning.

“Wrong! He is an iguana! But I guess two out of three isn’t bad,” she says, suddenly shoving said pet in front of my face.

“Holy crap!” I fall back on the floor, horrified by the sudden appearance of the lizard, breathing heavily at the sudden scare, but there is no mistake it’s Gummy, if the eyes alone didn’t tell me enough.

“I’m guessing you have this under control," says Celestia in an uncharacteristically mocking tone. "I’ll return later, Luna. Good luck,” she leaves the room while Luna sighs in response.

“Oh sister, I swear,” she says in a barely audible voice before snapping back to us. “And Pinkie, what did I tell you about bringing Gummy to school?”

“But he gets lonely without me!” Luna gives her a deadpan stare that Pinkie quickly notes. “You are right, you can have him until after school, then!” Luna isn’t too happy about this turn of events, of course, as she visibly recoils at Pinkie’s backpack.

“Er… You can take him with you… But don’t let anyone see it! For our sakes,” I’m at a loss of words, at the scene playing out in front of me, it’s like watching the show, only 99% less pony.

“Okie dokie lokey then!” she dons her backpack once more and turns to me. “So you need to get to class, right?” I nod. “Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s a-go!” she moves to the door and opens it, we are about to leave before Pinkie turns to Luna with a huge grin.

“See you later, Lulu!” at which point we make our way out, Pinkie closing the door on the way, but not before hearing Luna’s complaint of ‘For the last time, Pinkie, don’t call me that in school!’ I would be lying if I said I wasn’t visibly laughing right now.

You know what? Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

…
And even as I say that, I can already hear Murphy planning his retaliation on me.

Author's Note

To Author Notes/Blog

First Day Surprises

Walking with Pinkie Pie is boring, where are the balloons and streamers?

Anyway, we make our way through the hallways, filled with countless amounts of lockers in each side with their perfect designs and their lack of imperfections -seriously, I’m not getting over that any time soon- I decide to look at the other students as we walk, and I have to say… They are exactly the same as they were for me in high school, except that the fedora rate has increased exponentially.

“So… What’s your name, new guy?” Pinkie asks me as she twists her body backwards while walking, I would make an indecent joke having to do with flexibility, but I’m better than that.

…

Shut up brain, no one asked you.

“My name is… Lemon Lime…” the name is starting to stick in, but if I don’t want to accept the life I’ve been thrown into, I must dislike it at every step. “Just call me Pat, though, okay?”

“Okay dokey lokey!” she says with enthusiasm. “But your name is cute, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to be called that.”

…

Oh, I... I think my brain just shut down for a second there, I think Pinkie Pie just called my name cute, and I swear I feel like I just reached enlightenment or something. And while it might have not been my real name, I’ll take what I can get.

“Here we are!” I look at the door she is suddenly pointing at and groan, the words ‘Geometry’ welcoming me with its hellish angles and variables behind it, I swear, I can smell the numbers from here.

“Okay then! Here is your schedule back!” she hands me the paper back and heads off, walking away, and leaving on my own, I wave her goodbye weakly and then turn to the door once more. I’m now gulping… This is gonna be terrible.

~~~~~

After two terrible classes and two equally terrible cases of ‘Idontknowanything-itis’ I walk the hallways, following one of my classmates while suddenly having a moment of useful thought; shouldn’t I be thinking of a way to get back home? Well, Celestia was obviously just a normal woman, and so was Luna, leaving me with nothing to go on … Well, that was short lived.

And despite all my rage, I’m still just a rat in a cage

Ugh, I’m not really a fan of the Smashing Pumpkins, but that line comes to mind, it really fits my current situatio- “Oof!” I fall to the ground, failing to notice the person in front of me.

“What do you think you are doing?” asks me an obviously female, yet tomboyish voice. I look up and I find myself with… Er… Dubstep pony? I think? I don’t know, I can’t be expected to remember all names all the time, but her blue hair, stylish clothes, and just generally cool look tell me enough.

“Um.. Walking?” I tell her. She removes her glasses an- HA, I KNEW HER EYES WERE MAGENTA-d gives me an analyzing stare.

“Right... To the girls bathroom?” I look to the side and find the symbol. Well, silly me, I'm not a girl.

“Sorry, I guess I was caught up in my own thoughts…" I explain. "I’m new here and I was trying to reach the cafeteria… So I followed the first pon-erson I came across!” she snorts and helps me on my feet.

“Alright, I’ll let it go new guy, but you better hurry, lunch service closes in five minutes, and you have a long run to make, all the way down the hallway and turn right.”

“What!? I’ve been following you for that long? I thought you were heading to lunch!” okay, I was now going from silly to dumb.

“I like to walk, less chatter and I can listen to music all I want without any interruptions… Or so I thought. You should hurry by the way,” I quickly get on my feet and thank DJ non-pony before running to the cafeteria for my lunch.

…

I arrive at ‘stock lunchroom design No. 117’ and wow over its genericness, but I suppose it gets the job done. I walk toward the line where I see a few trays, I eagerly grab one, and jump in, ready for some much needed grub.

And of course, I can feel my eyes watering as I stare at the ‘Closed’ sign in the line, I drop my tray and make a 180, bumping into someone before I can make sense of what to do next… I seem to be getting better at that.

“Ugh… Sorry, my bad!” I apologize to the bumpee.

“Ooh! Hey Pat! What are you doing on the floor?” I look up and find the smiling form of Pinkie Pie welcoming me.

“Oh, Pinkie… Well, nothing, I’m just checking how hard the floor is,” I am on the floor and she is asking me a stupid question, okay? And I may be acting sarcastically, but it’s better than my first thought of smacking her on the back of the head, but I don’t know her that well yet.

She gives me a quick look before asking. “Are you going back to class already? Have you eaten something yet?” she awaits my answer rather eagerly.

“Eh… Yeah, I have,“ I lie, while in response, my stomach growls. You shall pay.

“Liar! Someone hasn’t eaten yet!~” she helps me on my feet and hands me a tray. “Here you go! Some salad for you! So who are you sitting with?” she really needs to stop these quick conversation shifts.

“No one. I’m new here and stuff,” if her look of horror didn’t surprise me in the show, it certainly did now, I didn’t have time to mull over it, what with her dragging me across the place, taking me to an empty table.

“I’m eating with you then!” she sits right across me and instantly digs into her macaroni bowl. “Cmm un! Bur salad ish greting gold!” she tells me, pieces of the cheesy pasta dropping back on her bowl… Eww. And I’m eating a salad? EWW!

“Thank you, Pinkie Pie,” I dig in regardless, I can’t really look a gift horse in the mouth (ha!). I dig into the bowl and haphazardly eat it; I just found out that spoons were NOT made to be used on salads. Go figure.

“So I just remembered, you are new here! You deserve some welcome party or something like that!” Pinkie begins, and I can’t help but gulp at that comment.

“Party? Well, what are you gonna do? Introduce me to the rest of the school?” she looks up from her plate and smiles.

“Oh! Good idea!” she gets on top of the table and shouts. “Hey everyone! Let‘s all welcome the new guy, his name is Lemon! Whoohoo!” I expect them to burst into song, but I find myself surprised when I see a few of them lazily clapping while others roll their eyes in annoyance; I nearly want them to perform after such underwhelming performance… Almost.

“Ugh… Thanks, Pinkie,” I can’t help but feel embarrassed by the display, but no harm done, I guess. “Funny, I expected you to burst into song,” I tell her honestly.

“Well, I would have, but bursting into song at lunchtime is against the rules,” she tells me matter-of-factly while I do a spit-take with salad, pieces of it flying to her face.

She only stares at me, unaffected by my act. Okay then.

“Really?” I reply returning to the point, and well, I can’t help but finding that a tough point to believe.

“It’s true!” she says defensively. “And it wouldn’t have been if those basketball players hadn’t burst into song with all those... Basketballs! They made some real damage to the windows,” she gets up before I can ask anymore and waves. “Well, my job here is done! I’ll see you later!” I watch her walk away farther, and farther, and farther, and why am I not stopping her?

“Pinkie, wait!”

“Yes?” I jump out of my seat as she is now standing behind me. Accursed gypsy powers of hers! I recover quickly thought, second/third impressions matter.

“Er… Do you want to maybe… Hang out? I don’t know anyone here and well… You know?” I should get a price for eloquence.

“Oh, w-well,” I raise a brow, Pinkie Pie stuttering at the option of a new friend? “I mean, sure! Yes!” oh, never mind then. “I’ll see you later then! Oh! And check your pocket!” she runs out of the cafeteria while I do as she says, I find a piece of paper and unfold it; I find her name and a number written in it.

“… How does she do that?”

~~~~~

The last two classes of the day turn out to be remedial classes, and I’m thankful for that, otherwise I would just fail here. I make my way to the bus stop where I’ll have to board the school bus again.

Someone help me, please.

“Hey, Lemon!” I look behind me and find a strange red car. “It’s me!"

"Sorry lady, ‘me’ ain’t no name I ever heard of," I reply to the stranger.

"It’s mom!” well, that changes matters.

“Oh! Coming!” I make my way to the other side and enter the car, thankful that she decided to pick me up. “Hey mom, thanks for picking me up.”

“That’s okay sweetie, but you really need to remember what my car looks like,” my blush must be very visible with light skin, damn it.

“R-right.”

“So, did you have any trouble? What did you learn today? How many fingers am I holding?” the barrage of questions catches me off-guard, but I can only comply.

“Somewhat, well, things like math? And three. What is this? A pop quiz?” she sighs in relief and focuses on the road.

“Sorry son, just needed to see if you were fine, a new school can be very stressing!” I notice a hint of worry in her voice, but I suppose mothers are all like that.

“That’s okay, mom, I actually made a new friend today,” I have to say, this is nice, I talk to her about my day, I tell her about Pinkie and lunch -avoiding my incident with the Celestia- and how I need to get books of my own after some incident that needs no mention.

We get home and I find the table prepared, dad having cooked while mom was out, and I must admit it was… Peaceful. It has been ages since the last time I ate with my parents, and even if these people were colored differently, they are still the same people… With weird names. I’m too afraid to ask about that.

Hours later, I find myself in my room, staring at a cell phone that I actually have and forgot to pack; someone should revoke my teenager license, because I failed at obsessing over this electronic device.

“Wait a minute…!” I take out the paper Pinkie gave me earlier and I fiddle with the phone for a bit -touch screens are my worst enemy- and find myself typing a message. I send the message “Hi, it’s me, Pat,” and wait. Thankfully, that wait is short lived as I receive a reply nearly instantaneously.

“Hiyah!” I can’t help but crack a smile, texting with Pinkie Pie? Pinkie Pie lovers, eat your hearts out.

“So, what’s up?” I find myself looking at most of the messages as she sends me text after text in continuous manner, full with rambles about her day, but I find myself enjoying it, glad that she is this open with new friends, she is no Twilight, but it's a start.

“Wait..” my brain suddenly makes an idea, and I type the question and send it. “Hey Pinkie, you have other friends, right? Bet ya I can guess their names!”

“Ooh! You wanna prove you are psychic?” I write the names with ease, I can’t simply forget their names, not after uttering them more times that I could possibly manage.

“Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and -last and least- Fluttershy,” for some reason, Pinkie doesn’t reply right away, I feel like I may have overdone it, but thankfully, the little blinking light in my phone shines with a new message.

“Yes! You got them!”

“I’m just that good!” I reply proudly, whoever said that being obsessed over something is bad, has clearly not traveled to another dimension and met a being from said something.

The following text is unexpected, and I have to reread it multiple times before I can make it sink in, I shake my head in denial, it has to be a joke, right? I write an excusing text and send it to her.

“Hey Pinkie, I’m heading to bed, I’m tired. I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Goodnight.” she replies with a goodnight wish and dismisses herself. I get into bed myself and open the former message, I read it again and again, and it hasn’t changed one bit.

“But… Who is Twilight?”

The pony who knows everyone doesn’t know Twilight…
Crying myself to sleep seems like the right thing to do for me in this situation.

Author's Note

It's done, and I added some haphazardly made cover art to give it a bit more appeal -probably none but I put effort into it so hush, you- hopefully you can see how the story will flow, as before, I will try to make it appealing, blah, blah, blah.

I had fun writing this one, and I fixed it as much as I could.

You read it and you either enjoyed it, or hated it.
If you hated it, I hope you at least enjoyed doing so.

Clashing with the Sun

I guess the meaning of ‘crying myself to sleep’ has evolved into ‘stay up all night drawing cute pony Twilight’ and well, at least it helped with my depression.

I groggily make my way to the bus stop and force myself to get on the bus with yawn after yawn left in my path, just to come face to face with the charming bus driver Soarin, greeting me with his wonderful smile.

“Sit down, kid!” yeah… What a swell guy.

I go past the other freaks on the bus and head for the back, where unsurprisingly, Flash Sentry waits for me. Joy.

“Hey there, Pat,” well, at least he remembered that. “Um, you don’t look too hot today,” well, you don’t… Okay, you are moderately attractive, I can’t really insult you.

“Hey,” I sit down next to him with a yawn, getting an uncomfortable sigh from him.

“Bummer we don’t have the same lunch, huh?” if by ‘bummer’ he means ‘good‘, I totally agree.

“Yeah, well, at least we can still see each other on the bus drive here,” I tell him, adding a roll of my eyes to the mix.

“That’s right, we can!” ‘and sarcasm isn’t my strongest point, I suck!’ says Flash in my head.

“Well, who knows, I might get my own car at some point,” I say hopeful, I have to groan internally at forgetting to ask my second pair of parents about it, though, especially considering they aren’t picking me up again after yesterday. The mild horror.

“Well, so am I. I sort of began building my own car, actually,” okay, he’s grabbed my interest now. “It’s almost done, will probably have it by my senior year if I hurry!” he finally sees my amazed look and grins that perfect, totally dream- no, bad brain! That’s a no-no. “My dad is a mechanic, and he’s practically obtained every part since I was born, hoping that I would build my own… Guess he raised me just right, huh?”

“Sounds like a pretty cool dad,” I say honestly.

“Heh, well, you don’t have to sound so bitter about it,” he says looking uncomfortable on his seat, but balls to him, I wasn’t being bitter about it and he is crazy.

“Oh! Sorry… Don’t have to call me crazy, though…”

“That was supposed to have been said in my head… Ugh”

“Well, didn’t work, huh?”

“That was too! Gah!”

“Heh heh, you are an odd one,” well, you are a guitar player! Yeah, I can’t really insult him, my brain is doing weird things today.

“Yeah, go ahead and laugh some more!”

“Oh, I’m planning to. Ha, ha, ha!” … Not bad, pretty boy.

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“I know, but it was all over your face,” god damn this freak, he is goood.

The bus comes to a stop and I notice we have actually arrived at school, funny how time passes when you are having fuuuuuuersighta… That’s not fun… It’s the opposite.

“Well, catch ya later, Pat,” he waves me goodbye and walks away with his guitar/bass. I can’t help but wonder if he’ll make a fine addition to my freaks group... Maybe.

“Who is there?” someone says right behind me before covering my eyes with their hands. And since I really don’t know anyone, it’s probably-

“That’s right! Pinkie Pie! How did you know?”

“I didn’t say anything,” I reveal with an expressionless look. “Doesn’t matter. What’s going on?”

“Well, I just came to tell you that I’ll be seeing you at lunch late! So don’t leave before I get there! That way… Um, you don’t have to eat alone!” she rushes off, easily dodging the waves of students. I nearly regret not going with her… But not quite. “Damn… I forgot to ask her if Twilight came here…” I decide that the question can wait for lunch and head into the building.

I walk past the stream of kids in my way and quickly reach the most quiet parts of the school without problem, I look at my schedule and realize my next class is World History -nothing like learning about people who are dead to cheer me up- as I walk, the speaker blares to life with the voice of Vice-Principal Luna.

“Good morning, students. Remember, there are five days left for voting on the ballot for Princess of the Fall formal, remember to vote for one of our two participants before time is up, tickets to the dance are half-off to voters, don’t forget!” the speaker goes silent once more and I instantly forget what it even said… Something about ‘two’.

I stop my wondering thoughts once I arrive to the classroom, I check my phone and notice class won‘t start for another twenty minutes, so I make my entrance. No point in wasting time somewhere else.

Once I make it in, I find a surprise… A rather cute girl sitting all the way in the back, her fair yellow skin and long pink hair contrasting nicely, her hair covering her face in a very delicate way. I am currently intrigued at the rather odd choice of a white undershirt that wouldn’t look bad in a wet t-shirt c- Oh, she is flat as a board. Boo.

Dammit. I thought stereotype Fluttershy had big boobs… You lying pricks.

“Um… Excuse me, sir?” I shake my head rapidly at the sound of the voice and notice the same cute-yet-flat non-pony in front without my realizing it. Excuse me if falling on my ass was a bad response to that, I wonder, why is her skirt so short… DAMMIT, WHY DO I WANNA LOOK UP HER SKIRT!?

“Um… Are you ok-“

FLUTTERSHY IS WORST PONY.

“Um… Worse pony, what?” damn blurts! I blame my lack of sleep and I quickly get on my feet and bow to her.

“No, I did not. Sorry for worrying you, but you are cute and I got lost in your cuteness… “ wait… what? “I’ll go kill myself now,” blushing like a sailor, I move to the seat to the complete opposite of hers and sit down, knowing her, she probably passed o-THUD-ut… Ten points for Pat. I quickly run up to her softly pick her up. My advanced medical knowledge tells me that she is perfectly fine.

“What’s going on here?” I hear a voice and turn in time to see a teacher-like figure make his way into the classroom, his eyes grow as he takes notice of the situation, and while I prepare my alibi consisting of ‘No, I did not hit her. I DID NOT!’, he speaks.

“Darn it… You must be the new kid, right?” I nod cautiously, readying myself to run at the first opportune moment as he approaches the unconscious body of Fluttershy. “Fluttershy… Fluttershy, dear… Wake up!”

“Aah!” she jolts awake and looks around like crazy, making eye contact with me and… Furrowing her brow… Wait, w-

“That was a bad thing to say!” Fluttershy is angry, and her face is next to mine. Someone call 911 please.

“Um… W-whatever do you mean…” I say trying my best to avoid her icy stare.

“You know full well what I mean!”

“You are on your own, buddy,” the teacher says and walks away while I stare after him completely dumbfounded.

“Don’t ignore me, mister!” Fluttershy demands while I fumble with words, and I have to try my best to keep myself from looking at those eyes. “How could you say you’ll…” she hesitates for a bit. “Kill yourself…” she says in a very low voice, yet loud enough that I manage to hear… Why is that so adorable?

“Iloveyou.”

“What?”

“I said I was… Sorry! Can you forgive me?” she smiles instantly and nods.

“Oh, of course! Glad that you have learned your lesson. But I haven’t introduced myself! How rude of me! My name is Fluttershy… Nice to meet you…” I let out a breath of relief at her not noticing that I referred to her by name.

“His name is Lemon Lime, Flutters,” says the teacher from his desk, how dare he call her something so casual?

“I know her, kid,” he glares at me. God dammit, brain.

“Um… Well, nice to meet you, Lemon,” I help her get on her feet and she moves back to her seat, waving weakly as she sits down… Cutely… Don’t you worry, Twilight, you are still my one true love.

Minutes later, more kids start to show up, and not soon after, a bell rings, signaling the start of class.

“Before we begin class, we have a new student with us,” teacher calls me over and I introduce myself. The rest of the class goes through the procedure of reviewing about people that I have never heard of due to finals being close. I let out a few chuckles at quite a few of the names, though; I can’t really find respect on someone who is called ‘Sunshine Steps‘.

P. E class comes next, and it goes as fast as, well, any given P. E class. After that’s said and done, it’s time for lunch, and I find my stomach growling, in need of some food, so I rush to the cafeteria, vaguely recalling the path there. Luckily, it doesn‘t take me long until I‘m there, and early this time! I make it to the line and see some delicious looking food on the trays. Talk about good funding.

“Hello, dearie, would you like some soup?” says the lunch lady, and why, yes I DOH MY GOD. I see a familiar face in front of me, her green face says ‘Granny Smith‘… But she looks, well… Um… Endowed? Yeah, that’s the right word.

“Well, like what you see, son?” she winks at me, and what do I do? I blush. I can hear the laughter of the other kids and I can’t help but groan.

“If you are done hitting on the lunch lady, can you hurry up? Some of us are really hungry,” I turn to glare at the person talking to me, but before I can do that, I find myself pushed to the side, and I fall to the floor with a groan.

“Hey, what was that for!?” I look up and find myself face to face with… A rather cute girl. Her orange/reddish hair looks well with her jacket and miniskirt combo... I guess that's the girl's uniform. I would have admitted that she was quite the looker if she hadn’t pushed me to the floor right then.

“Well, isn’t it too bad you already did so?” note to self; go to sleep early tonight.

“What was that for!?” I repeat in a completely manly voice.

“You were in my way, squeaky,” she turns to the lunch lady and grins. “So, how about some of that soup, Smith?” the poor woman nods solemnly and gives the girl a bowl. “Now, from the look of things, it appears you are new, so I‘ll just say this once… Don‘t mess with me, kid,” did she just… Oh hell no.

I get up and head towards her as she walks away, I can feel the stares from everyone else in the cafeteria as I do what I do next; I push the girl to the floor -in a completely manly way by the way- causing her to land on top of her bowl.

“Hey! What do you think you are doing?” a student comes out of nowhere and pushes me to the floor with force, I look up, and see the guy who just pushed me giving me a disapproving glare.

“What kind of man are you? Pushing our future Princess like that!” I look at the guy’s shirt and see him wearing a pin with the girl’s face on it, I don’t linger on it too long as I get up and give the guy the most honest answer ever.

“A man who isn't sexi- Oof!” I‘m stopped by a hand that has just slapped me, I don‘t have to guess as to who that is, and I‘m staring at the orange girl, who now has a look of pure unadultered anger…. So, I slap her back. Equality, bitch.

The 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the present are somewhat satisfying.

“You son of a b-”

“Pat! What are you doing? Mister, you are in a lot of trouble!” we both turn and find Pinkie Pie who is now glaring at me. “You have to remember to take your meds! Otherwise you start acting up!” she takes out a container from her backpack and shoves two pills into my mouth. “I’m sorry about that, I had to do something and I left him out of my sight!” she bows, keeping her hand in my mouth. The girl fixes her clothes and gives us both a stare of pure contempt.

“Whatever… But this is the only time you get off the hook. And that goes for you too, Pink!” she storms off angrily, two guys following her. The lunchroom erupts into full noise once more once she is gone, I hadn’t even noticed it had gone silent until now.

Now I’m being dragged again. Wheeee.

Unlike last time, I’m forcibly set on the table, and this time, an angry look from Pinkie welcomes me, and I can’t really think of anything to say to her… “So… Did you get me a salad?” Genius.

“What did you think you were doing!?” she hisses in a low voice.

“Um, I was being a strong, independent man?”

“More like a ‘really dumb boy’!” I think my heart just broke there. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to say that! It’s just that you can’t mess with Sunset Shimmer!”

“Sunset Shimmer?”

“That girl! She is the biggest meanie in the whole school! She practically owns it!” I can’t help but sneer at the comment.

“Don’t sneer at my comment! I’m being super-duper serious!” she says, jumping over the table and pouting.

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry! I promise I won’t mess with her!” she dons her smile once more and jumps happily.

“Good!” she brings out a bowl from out of nowhere and drops it in front of me. “Now that the problem is gone, here is your salad!” I look back to the cafeteria and see the dreaded closed sign once more… Dammit. I remember the ‘medicine’ she put in my mouth and begin chewing… Hmm, Skittles.

“Thank you, Pinkie, you are a pal…” I dive into the salad with yet another spoon, trying to keep the earlier incident out of my head, and a certain twilight-based topic coming back.

“Hey, Pinkie… Do you remember when I guessed your friend’s names last night?” she nods as she dives into her soup and how can you be disgusting when eating soup?

“You mentioned some Twibright girl, right?” she cleans the dripping liquid from her lip with her shirt before turning her full attention to me. “I’ve never heard of her, and I’ve met each of the six hundred and thirty four students currently here at least once…” Pinkieism strikes again.

“I see…” I knew that was the case, but I had to make sure. I slowly eat my salad thinking on that fact. ‘Twilight isn’t in this world, it appears… No, that can’t be, even Fluttershy is here and Pinkie said they were all friends, which can also mean Twilight is here… Or I‘ll cry‘ I look towards the window, seeing the parking lot, and far off, I see the sight of a city looming on the distance.

I begin thinking of the obvious next step of going back to my own world, but what if… What if I went to Equestria first? Yes… That would be great.

“Whatchu thinking about?” Pinkie looks at me, holding her face with her palms.

“Oh, just Pat stuff,” I shove a spoonful of greens into my mouth while looking at Pinkie… The one thing close to a friend I have made here outside of that Flash fellow.

The bell rings, and we both make our way out of the cafeteria. As I walk, I think of the plan currently forming itself in my head: I want to go home… But not yet… If I was brought here by some sort of magic, then it must be real here in some form, and if magic is real and human versions of cartoons exist, pony magic can be real. Hey, I’m green, I don’t need any logic.

And if my human magic theory is true, then pony magic can be real…

“Bye-bye! I’ll see you later, Pat!“

Then maybe Equestria can be real…

“Hey, Pinkie?”

Meaning that I can possibly go there… Maybe. But…

“Yeeees?”

Maybe I could go on a little side trip first.

“Can we talk after school? I want to ask you something.”

I must meet Twilight Sparkle first, but it appears that I will need some help.

I also need a god damn nap.

Author's Note

And here is chapter 4.
I did more so-called funnies here and introduced Shimmer.

Next time: The Search. Will it prove succesful? I don't know, I actually haven't decided yet.

Don't look at me like that, this fic is random in the way I write it, if it wasn't obvious already.

Places Exist Outside School!?

“… Authorities have not found the perpetrator as of yet, once again, this mysterious robber leaves with no trace, you could say that such a clean steal makes a… Stainless steal!… Ahem… More at 11!”

…

“Wow, even news in this world are crap.”

I sigh and remove my eyes from the TV, focusing instead on waiting for my partner, who as it turns out, is late. Doesn’t she have a clock? Boy, she sure is grinding my gears… Damn it, I think that stupid reporter is rubbing on me, what a pervert.

…

Fuck.

“Hi Pat!” I’m spooked off my seat and land on my ass, I look at the frosty-looking girl in front of me and groan.

“You are late!” I say rather loudly, she flinches and looks ashamed, as she SHOULD be.

“Sorry! I just had a teeny-teensy-itti-bitty-little problem!” I raise a brow interested and ask the logical question.

“Are you hungry?” okay, my stomach took the reins that time, the next IS the logical question. “I mean, and what was that, exactly?”

“Oh, you don’t want to know,” I get close to her with reckless abandon. “Ooh! Are we playing the blinking game? I wanna play! One, two, three, go!” we remain like that for, well, minutes, but I can see her literally shaking in her boots -standing still and doing nothing for more than a minute seems to do that to a Pinkie- and as expected, she loses. “Um… You can stop staring now…” I feel like my eyes are gonna fall off, but I continue nonetheless.

“Not unless you tell me what took you so long…”

“Um… Okay dokey then!” she goes to my ear and whispers it all out.

“I’msorryyouseeIjusthappenedtohavemyperiodrightbeforecominghereandbecausesillymeforgotthepadsIhadtogotothestoretobuyoneandyoushouldhaveseenititwaseverywhereinmypantiesanditwasnastyandeverythingittookforevertogetthemcleanedupanddon’tevengetmestartedonmypu-”

“Okay, I’m sorry I asked! Oh god! Oh my god! AAAAAH!” I can’t think, I just yell out loud while Pinkie just stands there with a mischievous grin, people are staring at me like I’m insane, but THIS GIRL HAS NO SHAME.

Admittedly, it’s my fault for prying, and I’m being a hypocrite, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is her fault because of good reasons that I don’t have to explain.

“So! What we doooing?” she asks since I have managed to get the mental image out of my head.

“Well, remember what I said yesterday about wanting a tour of the mall?” I tell her, reminding her of what I asked of her days before, she nods rapidly with a stupid grin on her face and a marvelous squee.

“Of course! I wouldn’t forget!” she says excitedly, I raise my hand and stop her incessant jumping.

“Well, the truth is that I’m here looking for someone… Specific,” she frowns instantly and sighs.

“You mean that Twibright Spork girl, don’t you? I can‘t believe I got up early in the morning… On a Saturday no less!” I’m a bit surprised by her angry response, I had imagined she would enjoy searching new friends. “Mister, I don’t like being lied to!” well, I don’t like being poked in the chest for lying, but you don’t see me complaining.

“Alright, look… It’s imperative that I find her, she is… Somepony I’ve admired for a long time,” if only for my obsession for anything Twilight related and to give myself some closure, but I sure as hell ain’t telling her that.

“Um… ‘somepony’?” oh, shit. “Oh, you just flipped the ‘B’ backwards! You are so silly, Limey!” I ignore the seemingly odd name I am given if only due to her brain being random to my advantage. “Okay! I’m all up for it! And maybe I can give you the tour! It’ll be fan-tucking-tastic!”

“Fan-tucking…?”

“Well, I was going to say ‘fan-fuc-”

“Okay, I get it! Can we go?”

“Fine! But you owe me, mister!” she says without reserve, I can only help but wonder what she means by that.

“Sure… Let’s go.”

“Whee! We are gonna have SO much fun! Where to first?” she asks, merrily skipping around me, her purse bouncing off her lap as she does so, here is where I take notice of the clothes she is wearing… She looks so different! She opted for some skinny jeans rather than the skirt, and wore a sleeveless yellow blouse, and a gray jacket, which admittedly bring my plain jeans x white shirt combo to shame… Of course, I could be wrong, not being a fashion connoisseur myself.

“Well, first we are looking, then, we‘ll ha-”‘Sniff, sniff’ “What is that smell?” I say as I catch onto a rather sweet aroma.

“Oh, you noticed! It’s my new sweet ‘sweet’ aroma! You likey?” quite fitting, what with her looking like a sweet herself. Talk about eye candy… And the collective booing commences in my brain.

“Yes, it’s very… You!” she squee’s satisfied and walks alongside me with an even bigger grin than usual, we move through the mall rather quickly, as I already have a place in mind, I nearly sidetrack to the nearest game shop, but I manage to focus myself on the goal.

“Where to first?” she asks me, her eyes pleading for somewhere fun to go, I should humor her.

“Well, what do you consider boring?” she doesn’t think long as she produces a very small list from her luscious hair and hands it to me. “Um… Wait, you don’t like clowns?” she shakes her head terrified while I roll my eyes. After reading seemingly ridiculous dislikes, I come across the most effective one. “Aha!”

~~~~~

“Awwwwwwwwwww! Why do we have to search an abandoned building?” she says, fuming angrily.

“It’s not an abandoned building, Pinkie.”

“What’s the difference, really?” she says, walking ahead of me. Nice burn, as we are staring at what appears to be -or maybe just IS- a library. Interesting placing, seeing how it’s just across the mall, of course, Pinkie isn’t very satisfied.

“Come on Pinkie, it’s searching time,” she huffs with crossed arms and follows me in, all while mouthing words such as ‘ugh’, ‘argh’, ‘abuur’, and other such eloquent complaints. “Don’t worry, it won’t be that long, geez…” she seems to cheer up at the news, but still seems resentful. Eh, she’ll live.

After I tell her to go check the picture books in the ‘young adult’ sections of the place, I head to a near desk, I’m surprised to see none other than Mayor Mare in charge of said desk -it helps that she dons the glasses and the white hair- It honestly makes me wonder who the major in town is.

“Good morning, young man, may I help you,” she fixes her glasses slightly and smiles, a mechanical smile if I‘ve ever seen one, which I have.. “Well, I’ll be, you are a new face here,” she reaches out and shakes my hand in a very pleasant welcome. “So, were you interested in acquiring a library card?”

“Nah, I don’t re-” well, shit. “I meant to say, er…”

“Goodbye then,” worst librarian EVER.

“No, please! I need your help, I’m looking for someone, and I’m hoping you might have seen her in he-”

“Her?” she turns and gives me the most condescending look I’ve ever seen, her eyes reading me like an open book. “A girl, of course! If I had a dollar for every time I’m asked that.”

“Ooh! How much money would you have?” we both jump in surprise as Pinkie Pie pops up from behind me, Solid Snake has nothing on this girl.

“Oh, three dollars? I don’t know…”

“That‘s odd, why would you want to live on people asking that? Maybe you would have a better chance selling candy! Candy is good, everyone likes candy! Ooh! And I like candy! I‘d buy it in a dash!!”

“Um… Can I help you, miss?”

“Yes!” she takes out a book from behind her and shoves it in her face. “Do you have this on moving pictures?” non-mayor Mare grabs the book and closes it, looking at the title.

“This is one of those ‘manga’ you kids read nowadays… Ugh, it’s like you are all regressing to being plain children,” she fixes her glasses again and hands Pinkie the book back. “I’m sorry, miss, but we don’t have those… ‘anime’ things that correspond to this, and you, young man, I’m done talking to you!” she turns around and makes to leave, and I can’t let her do that! Otherwise society would crumble!… Okay, maybe not that drastic, but it would crumble MY dreams.

“Mayor, please!” I beg her, she stops instantly before slowly turning around.

“What… Did you call me?” I realize instantly that my mouth has fucked me over once more, and as I try to come up with excuses, she is already on me. “I haven’t been one in years,” I freeze instantly, and my mind is a blank.

“That IS odd, he’s only been in town for a week!” says Pinkie. Why did she say that. Pinkie, I’m going to slap you.

“Then… How do you know about me being ‘Mayor‘?” I look into her eyes, and I see it; A longing,, a hope… Something that she wants… Either that, or she is just bat-shit insane. One or the other.

“I’ve… HEARD of your…Exploits! Yes!” she releases my collar and backs away, a small smile planted on that old mug of hers. Time to take advantage of her… I mean ‘it‘. “Yes! And you’ve done so many wonderful things for the city!”

“What’s the best thing you think I’ve done?” I wanna cry now.

“Um… Well… The time that Town Hall’s roof was severely damaged, and you… TOOK from your own money to pay for it!” I say, coming up with the first incident that involved her in the show itself.

“Thank you… “ that’s all she says, I obviously just helped her self-esteem, what a nice guy I am. Also, what a lucky guy I am, because I just pulled that one out of where Celestia doesn’t shine.

“Yes, well… I’m still wondering if you can help me…”

“Of course! Anything for one of my fans!” ignoring her obvious ego, I realize that I can finally ask her about things.

“Right. I’m looking for a girl named Twilight Sparkle, she likes to read, so I was wondering if you’d seen her, since she loves to read,” did I mention she loves to read?

She just turned serious… I don’t like where this is going.

“Yes, I know her,” thank you, gods of luck! “Or rather, I knew her…” oh, screw you!

She dons a bitter face and sits down. “She was one of the regulars here, and well, she read everything… And I do mean EVERYTHING. Ever since a young age, she came to read here after school, she checked out so many books, we actually had to give her a special card for her alone,” that’s Twilight alright.

“So she doesn't come here anymore...?” she looks at me dejectedly.

“No, for she did something I never thought possible for anyone,” she raises her arms and makes circular notions. “She read it all.”

“You mean… All as if literally, or…”

“She read every book in the library, it was one of the biggest feats I’ve ever come across, and of course, since she read everything…”

“She stopped coming,” I finish for her.

“Woow! Pinkie says, still there, surprisingly quiet and composed, I might add. “She is such an egg-head!” she is being awfully mean now… Is she on her pe- Oh, wait.

“Yes, well…” she clears her throat and gets on her feet. “Anyway, is that all you wanted?” I look at her thankful for the information, and well, I can’t help but repay her the only way I know how.

“You can’t have fun without a library card.”

~~~~~

Minutes later, we find ourselves out of the place, both of us with a library card in hand.

“Siiiiiiiigh!” depression hits me instantly.

“What’s the matter? Pat my boy?” she says cheerily. Not helpful.

“Well, outside the obvious, this was the only lead I had on her…” she looks at me and grins, she obviously doesn’t know what a ‘sad’ moment is, I should have expected it.

“Um…” she grabs her chin and seems to be thinking about something, then, she snaps her fingers and reaches into her bag, taking out a pair of earphones.

“What are you do-”

“Hush!” she quiets me down, putting the earphones in my ears, she takes out what seems to be a music player, and turns it on, I’m not surprised when a track begins playing. “Yoink!” she grabs the other earphone from my ear as the music keeps playing, and I can see her start moving and… Is she?

“Pinkie, are you danc- Woah!” my question drops as soon as I’m dragged back to the mall. I take a gander at everyone else, as they are moved out of the way by the running Pinkie, we arrive at what seems to be a food joint and then-

“You know, who I am!
And what I’m here to doo!
A smile, a grin or a--ny----thing, to make you feel at ease!” is she singin- Woah! We jump to another table, her singing never faltering in the slightest.

“There is no need to fret!
There is no need to frown!
‘Cause the pink girl in front of you!
Will cheer you up right now!” I notice the music take a familiar tune, which instantly makes my inner fan boy squeal in devilish delight.

“Because Pi---nkie will make you, smile, or grin!
Either one!
It will fill her heart with joy that makes he---r thrilled!
Oh it does!” a cover of ‘Smile -Equestria Girls edition’… Am I dreaming?

“And sh--e will do her best to make it SO!” we falter a bit, as we trip and jump off the table, barely making it to the ground on our feet.

“Um, Pinkie? You alr-”

“aND When YoU feel SAD or LONELY!” Um…
“Pinkie Pie is here TO TELL YOU IT’S NOT THAT BAD!”

“P-Pinkie? What’s wrong? You are… Sweating a lot…” I say, noticing her trembling knees and her loss of the beat.

“Pinkie! I think you might want to go… Now,” says a voice out of nowhere.

“And one thing that makes me happy is t-that… I HAVE TO GO!” the music stops as the music player and headphones are taken alongside Pinkie Pie, leaving me with about as much understanding of the situation as I had back in Calculus… Which is none at all.

“My… The poor dear seems to have chosen a bad time to sing,” says a familiar voice next to me, I turn my head and notice the whitest chick I have ever met… I wish I was joking.

“Duh…” I say literally as I gaze upon the whitest white I’ve ever seen, I am simply lost in its whiteness, there could not be more white even if I tried… White.

“Are you… Alright?” she asks, noticing my subtle stare into the void that is her skin.

“U-um, yes! I am… Sorry,” I apologize.

“That’s quite alright, you aren’t the first one to gaze upon my beauty so awkwardly, “ yup, only one person -or rather, pony- would be so modest.

“I take it you are Rarity?” she doesn’t seem too surprised as I guess her name.

“I see you’ve heard of me, but I’ve heard of you too,” really...? “You were the guy who gave Sunset Shimmer that slap, correct? I saw that, and let me tell you that was brutally good! That vile woman deserved that!”

“Um, thank, I guess?” women abuse for the win? “So, what is up with Pinkie? She just stopped,” Rarity giggled openly, pointing at the nearest seat.

“Come now, sit down, no need to stand up waiting for her,” we sit down in the nearest bench, as Rarity brings out a few magazines and sets them by her side; a pair of fashion magazines, an odd ‘law’ in one of them sticking out. “Well, to explain Pinkie’s behavior, let’s just say she picked the worst time to burst into song, and leave it at that,” she brings out a bottle of water, pointing at it in hopes I get it.

“I… See,” I say, understanding the situation; Pinkie has to take a piss. Rarity would be so proud of my refined speech. “So… How may I help you?”

“I was just passing by, nothing important… But enough about me, let‘s talk about you, how long have you and Pinkie…?” my ‘awkward-o-meter' starts tingling;

“How long…?”

“Well, I won’t say it outright, but I hope you are treating her right, she is a delicate girl, you know? Even if she can be overly open and downright crude about some things,” Rarity explains to my ever increasing uncomfortable self.

“Rarity, we are-”

“Oh, and don’t forget to use protection with her! We are still in high school! You wouldn’t want the scandal to get her p-” THE NOPE TRAIN IS LEAVING THE STATION.

“Woah, woah, woah, woah… Woah! It’s not like that! What are you, a teena-” wait…”Anyway! We are NOT going out, geez… What would even make you think that…” she stares at me innocently enough, she smiles and nods in understanding.

“I see, well, forgive my assumptions…” she is smirking… I don’t like it when Rarity smirks. “In any case, it was a pleasure to meet you, Mr…”

“Lemon Lime, but call me Pat, should have said that earlier.”

“That’s alright, and… Cute name,” for some reason, it feels more diminishing when she says it. “I need to apologize for cutting this short, but I was in a rush already, pleased to meet you and… Can you tell Pinkie that I’ll call her later, please?. Ta ta!” well, that was cringe worthy.

Minutes later, the Pink Whirlwind returns.

“Baaaack!” I hear a voice, as I see a shadow over me, then notice the form of Pinkie land on the seat across me, perfectly balanced and without a single hair out of place.

The judges award it a 10/10/10

“Oh, hey Pinkie…” I greet her as she takes out her music player again, I put my hands over it and shake my head. “No, it’s okay, I feel better now. Thank you,” she smiles -a warm, and very sincere one at that- and puts the thing away, then looking at me apologetically.

“Sorry for leaving so suddenly… But well, when you gotta go, you gotta go!” couldn’t have said it better myself.

“I know, it's no problem," I remember my earlier meeting and decide to inform Pinkie. "By the way, Rarity was here, she says that she’ll call you later,” Pinkie looks around wildly, getting on top of the table and looking around as she spins on her heel. “She is gone, she was on a rush.”

“Oh… Did she say… Something,” she asks me, closing in to me, her eyes partly closed as if suspicious of something.

“She said… Hi?”

“… Okey, dokey, lokey…” she finishes, backing away ever so slightly. “So, wanna go have some fun now?” I stare at her as she jumps on her seat, and well… She actually cheered me up… What’s some fun going to do?

“Yippee! Let’s go!” she says, apparently reading my mind again. The wild Pinkie Pie ride never ends, it seems.

~~~~~

“Phew!” I’m now back in my room , as I look to the amount of stuff I bought on the edge of my bed, I sigh... Satisfied. Huh.

“You know? Even if I didn’t find Twilight, that was fun… I should do this more often,” I do feel a slight disappointment, but… Gotta suck it up, I guess. I lazily move towards my bed and worm my way into my covers, I don’t bother to undress as I slowly, fall… as…leep…

BEEEP!

“Fuck biscuits!” I get up instantly and reach for the source of the noise, I fall off my bed as I try to reach for my it, and I hear a noise as it collides with my head -ouch, by the way- I look at it and groan once I realize it turned off due to the impact and begrudgingly turn it back on. If there is something I hate, is the fact that phones like this take ages to load.

“Christ…” I go into the inbox and find an unknown number, I nearly send it to the spam folder for later, but I still open the message, and my eyes widen as I read the words.

“I know what you are looking for, and I can help you… If you are interested, meet me behind the bleachers after school on Monday.”

~~~~~~~~~~

In case you were wondering, the chapter ends here, however, I had another way for the story to progress, which is seen after this message that you are probably rolling your eyes to at this moment! But since you are still reading, give it a read anyway, it’s short.

Enjoy! (or not)

“Come on! I know how to cheer you up!” I’m suddenly being dragged back to the mall by Pinkie, I feel my head being grabbed, and then turned to the… Oh. My. God. The flashing, the chattering, the smell of sweat and lack of deodorant… An arcade!

“Pinkie, how did you…”

“Let’s go kill things!” no objections there, your honor.

We are soon driving around in some of the cabinets, as well as shooting mobs of zombies after zombies, it goes on as we keep enjoying different genres of games, until she beats me in the fighting ones… She has a mean fighting game ‘game’.

“Oh, let’s try this one!” she points to a Dance, Dance, Revolution machine.

“But I suck at this one!” she grabs my hand and pulls me on top, she inserts the coins and the song prepares itself as it loads. “P-Pinkie!”

“Don’t be embarrassed, I’m here with you!” I never thought that such simple words would help but… They did, I nod slightly more confident and begin the game, I’m soon following the on-screen instructions, dancing alongside her, I look towards her and see her smiling all the way through each step, her feet never missing a step, in my case, I’m awful, and I can hear people cheer for me despite my suckiness, as now a crowd has gathered due to Pinkie’s awesome moves.

The music dies down and I see the screen: Pinkie Pie with a Perfect score… And water is wet, I think it’s just something that just is.

“Wooh! That was tiring!” she says, huffing a lot, and I laugh, I had fun… I had fun. I guess she isn’t the element of Laughter for no reason.

“Thank you, Pinkie.

Author's Note

Sorry for the huge delay, but I've doing far more important things -namely, stuff you shouldn't care for- and I've have not been able to write as much as I wanted.

Anyway, this chapter may not be on par with the others in terms of quality (HA!), but it still is something that I hope you all enjoy.

And if you find something that may seem wrong, go ahead and criticize me, that way I can cry myself to sleep tonight.

Deal with It

“I know what you are looking for, and I can help you… If you are interested, meet me behind the bleachers after school on Monday.”

The message goes through my mind for the 1,338th time -not that I’m counting- I could easily ignore it, but its implication alone keeps me thinking.

“…And then I said! No, I don‘t have any, and then he said…”

Does this person really know where she is? They weren’t specific, but this certainly brings me hope, in a very slight way.

“… Pat?”

But how did they know of me? They must have seen me somewhere…

“…Paaaaatriiiiick!”

Ah, screw it.

“… Lemon!”

“Ah!” I jolt off my seat and see my bowl of soup fly upwards, only to land facedown on the middle of our table, I cover my eyes, and as expected, a huge amount of the food hits my face… While Pinkie retains the same posture and only glares at me with soup on her face and clothes.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been quiet, and YOU are not the quiet type at all, are you sick? Feeling bad? Feeling down? Do you need a song?”

“No!” I interrupt her before she begins dancing, I leave my hand up as I clean the mess of soup off my face and clothes with the other. “It’s just something from class and…” Oh yeah… “Something from class,” I finish, refraining from telling her about my meeting later… If I bother to go. I still don’t have a good idea of what it’s all about, in any case, getting Pinkie involved isn’t really in my bucket of ‘good ideas’.

“Um… Okay, but you better not be lying, mister! You know how much I hate lying!” and all I would get is a hole in my chest due to constant poking… On second thought, that doesn’t sound too fun.

“Yeah, yeah,” I reply nonchalantly, silently weeping for my spilled soup.

“Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you. What are you gonna do this summer vacation?” I jump a bit at the question, I hadn’t really imagined I would be staying here a week, much less actually a whole summer’s worth of break.

“I don’t know yet,” I admit. “I hadn’t really thought of it much… Why? Do you have something planned?” I ask already knowing the answer for it.

“Of course!” She takes out a huge list containing a whole line-up of things to do -involving things like swimming and going bowling- it’s quite an extensive one, after reading throughout the contents, there is a final line that seems slightly out of place.

“Huh?” I rub my eyes and read it aloud. “‘Would you like to come with, Lemon?’ Wait, what?” she puts her hand around my shoulder and pushes the side of her face against mine, a camera pointed at the both of us, the flash makes me momentarily blind while Pinkie releases pounds of confetti into the air… I feel sorry for the custodian who has to deal with that mess.

“Of course! I know we haven’t known each other too long, but you are a nice guy, I can see that, and you seem fun, even if you can be a grumpy Mc.. Grumping pants! And overly negative… And… Um… I think I was trying to say positive things…”

“Geez, thanks,” I say, playfully pushing her, she looks at me with a huge smile and nods satisfied.

“You are welcome! So, you wanna come with?”

It’s odd how this makes me think… From the first time I met Pinkie, I saw her as nothing more just a ‘friend-like’ figure more than an actual friend, but now I‘m not so sure…

“I’ll… Think about it,” she looks a bit disheartened by my response, so I quickly add to it. “Don’t worry, it’s really leaning towards me actually saying yes, missy.”

“Yay! I can’t wait for it!” she says excitedly. Her celebrations is interrupted by a bell, and the rest of the kids get up and start heading towards the next class. I watch as Pinkie grabs her bag and waves goodbye as she runs for her own on the opposite side of my own.

I begin my walk back to my own class with that same thought in mind… I’m not the deepest thinker in the world, but I think I should have someone to confide with here in… This bastardization of the Equestria I love… Or some other deep shit, I mean, it’s obvious she thinks of me as a friend, so… Argh!

Whatever. For now, I have some remedial classes to take.

~~~~~

“… Alright, but call me if you need a ride home, alright?” says the woman at the other end of the line.

“Yes, mom, thank you, I‘ll see you later.”

“And don’t do anything bad, that Pinkie girl sounds nice, but you are both still in High School!”

“Loveyoutoobyelater!” I say, hanging up before she can go on a tangent. I look in front of me and see the soccer field in its full glory, kinda weird how it’s a ‘soccer’ and not ‘football’ field, wait, what’s the difference…? Ugh, I was never one for school sports, much less ‘sport’ sports.

Well, no going back now… I must be brave, or just plain stupid… Probably the latter.

As I reach the field, I notice that there is no one there, probably due to finals being close, sorta begs the question of why I’m not studying instead of doing this. Whatever, that’s what summer school was made for. I reach the bleachers and decide to sit down, I gaze towards the school, bathing in its glorious perfection- Okay, I’m bored.

“I see that you came…” I hear a voice from under me, I run down and make my way around the seats, heading to the back of the bleachers, where I find myself with someone I didn’t expect to find.

“Aww! I thought it had been Sunset Shimmer!” I pout as I find myself face to face with Mr. Rocker himself; Flash Sentry.

“W-what? What’s wrong with me being here!?” he says obviously surprised by my very justified reaction.

“Whatever, I’m outta here,” I say without reserve, today was a VERY disappointing day… I at least give it points for the nice twist it threw.

“Wait! I’m here because I can tell you where you can find that, er, person, you are looking for!” I turn around lazily, noticing an odd pendant hanging from his neck, moving all over the place… It’s shiny… I like shiny.

“Hello?”

“Oh, er… I know you want to offer me something, but I don’t care, I’m not going to help you… Even if it means not being able to see her…” I respond with effort. This isn’t making me cry inside… Gotta keep telling myself that.

“Even if it means spreading the truth about your friend?” wait… What? “Oh? Caught your attention, didn’t I? Yeah… That Pinkie Pie girl… She hides a secret that you don’t even know about, but that I ‘may’ know,” he explains, wiping his knuckles on his jacket mockingly. I think there is something wrong with my vision, because Flash’s face has a target over it… I feel like punching it. “So… Is that a deal? And I’ll even throw my initial offer free of charge… What do you say?” well… I guess I can’t really let Pinkie’s secret -whatever it is- out.

“Fine… But why are you doing this, Flash? You don’t seem like the type of person who can be such a jerk…”

“Ugh… Things… Change,” he replies, holding his head as if in pain… Weird. “So we have a deal, then?” he continues as if the pain hadn’t been there.

“As I said, yes. What do we have to do?”

“I think you mean ‘you’, I’m not going, but don’t you worry, you aren’t going alone. Hey! Get in here!” he calls out, I hear the sound of footsteps, and soon, a pair of kids appear, falling on the floor after one of them trips on nothing, causing his companion to trip as well.

“Watch it Snails!” the chubby one says to the thin one, I don’t have to think long to know who these two are.

“Meet Snips and Snails, they are from the Middle School grounds, but they are willing to help out…” this isn’t going well, is it…

~~~~~

By this point, the four of us have moved to a better lighted area, as the sun has already gone down enough to bother us, we stop by a crappy-looking old truck which I assume belongs to Flash, but I refrain from commenting as he brings out a few things from it.

“Have you heard of the Fall Formal?” he asks as if I care to respond.

Or even 'know' for that matter.

“The look on your face says no… It doesn’t matter,” he takes out a picture and hands it to me. “Do you know who this is?” I look at the photo and see a female figure, she has mint colored hair and is wearing a similarly colored green dress.

“Yeah, I know her,” Lyra Hearthstrings stares at me from the picture, thankfully from my experience, she wasn’t any way like the fandom portrayed her, but she DOES sometimes spout nonsense about how the world is all just part of a story being created on the spot. That’s silly. She is silly.

“Good, this will make it easier on me… I need you to find dirt on her so we can sabotage her, she is one of the girls running to be the Fall formal Queen,” I slowly turn to him and shake my head.

“Are you serious? And why do you want to do that… Exactly?” he tosses a package on my lap and turns towards his truck.

“Need to know basis, all you have to know is that your job is to find dirt on her, Snips and Snails will be some help for you, that’s it,” he gets on his truck and starts it up, rolling down the window and staring at us. “And this has to be done today, or you can kiss Pinkie’s ‘social life’ goodbye,” I’m horrified as he drives away without another word, well, I have three words. What. The. Fuck.

“So, what do you want us to do, um… Lemon, mister, sir?” Snails asks me while Snips waits alongside him, I open the package and find a couple notes inside; practically enough for a stalking mission, I look at the top and read from the beginning, everything put into neatly aligned time notes: ‘Lyra is currently at school in preparation for tomorrow, I suspect she’ll leave at around 6:30 PM, she always leaves through the front by foot’ I look at my phone and see the time. “6:15... Alright, guys, let’s go to the front of the school to wait for her… And be careful not to let her see you,” I give them the instructions, and I can’t help but have this bad taste in my mouth… Dammit, Flash, what the hell, man?

~~~~~

Not five minutes later after the designated time, I see the target leave the school, she looks around frantically as if she knows she is being followed… Odd. She heads directly towards the road right ahead of her, and we follow, being careful to avoid her at all costs. As I tell the pair of idiots to keep an eye on her, I look through the file once more; ‘She is a self-proclaimed -hardcore- feminist, due to the naiveté of the morons at this school, that alone has given her the edge this year,’ I scratch my head at that, from the times I’ve talked to Flash, he never seemed like the type of guy to write this.

“Mr. Lemon!” Snips whispers, I find that we have stopped for some reason.

“What? Where did she go?” I ask, looking around in panic, we can’t lose her! I can’t afford to.

“She went inside that house… And for some reason he looked like me whenever I get a grade report back…” comments Snails, to what I guess to be him being a wimp.

“Shit…” I check the report and read her bio. “What? But this isn’t her house at all, what is she doing here?” I read on further and find that there is one thing that she has in common with fandom knowledge: she is in lesbians with Bon Bon -and publicly too- I turn the page and find Bon Bon’s own bio… And this isn’t her house either… Dammit, Flash, you had a single job and you couldn’t even do that right?

“So, now what?” I turn to the questioning Snips and just do the only thing I can think of; I sit down.

“Wait… And hope that she leaves that house.”

The minutes slowly pass as we wait on a good hiding spot. Five minutes later, I'm bored out of my mind, so I turn to the morons and start a conversation with them, might as well.

“So, why are you guys helping Flash?” they look at each other and shake their heads.

“Doh, we aren’t helping Flash, we are helpin- Ouch!” Snails complaints as Snips punches his shoulder.

“We are not supposed to tell him about her!”

“Her, huh?” they cover each other’s mouths rather comically and groan. Busted. “Well, can you at least tell me the reason why you would help this girl at all? And what does Flash have to do with this?” they only shake their heads. Stubborn little sh-

“Well, Flash was against it… But he suddenly changed his mind for some reason… Ouch!” this time it’s Snail’s turn to punch Snips as he realizes what he’s done.

“Stop asking us questions! Or we’ll abort the mission and get that, um, secret out!” dammit, I guess this girl was at least prepared.

“Fine… But can you at least tell me why you decided to help her… Whoever it is?” they look at each other once again and just giggle embarrased. “Could it be…” I make a circle with my thumb and index, then proceed to shamelessly violate it by inserting my other index in. A noticeable blush fills their faces… Well, I can’t say I blame them for trying, but I don’t think this girl will put out for them, specially due to them being… Er… Unspecified years of age.

An equally unspecified amount of time later, I check my phone. 8:30 PM flashes on the screen and then just fades, as the phone turns off on its own. Dammit, I knew I should have charged it.

“How long do we have to wait? I’m tired!” complaints Snips, yawning like the weak would.

“As long as we have to…” I respond fairly easily. I mean, it’s Pinkie who is in danger he- Wait… Why the hell do I care so much? Sure, she is friendly, nice, fun, pink, and other such nice things but… Ugh… Damn this teenage brain that damns me to think these things!

“Mr. Lemon!” Snips snaps me out of my thoughts as we look towards the house and I see Lyra with… With a guy? Guess they are friends, oh, now they are hugging, that’s nice. Oh, now they are giving each other a goodbye kiss… A long goodbye kiss… Oh… Ooooooh.

Hardcore feminist my ass.

“Snips, Snails, take a picture!” I hiss at them, they quickly do as I tell them, and after a few moments, we have several photographs of the pair, caught on the act.

“Hey!” we jump out and turn around as we see an old man call out from his porch -in retrospect, it might have been a bad idea to hide in someone else’s house just across- “Get off mah property!” we fall out of the bush we are hiding in, and we come face-to-feet with the pair across the street, who look at me horrified.

“Um… Man, what a beautiful night, to lay on the middle of the street?”

“No,” Lyra groans harshly. “Give me those phones… Now,” she demands realizing what‘s going on, slowly approaching Snips and Snails.

“Run, you idiots!” I shout as I rush to trip Lyra before she manages to get far, I watch as Snips and Snails run away and reach a crossroad where they turn a corner opposite of each other. I didn’t give the morons enough credit, but good job.

“What the hell, man!?” I’m picked up fairly easily by the guy who seems to be furious. “Oof!” ugh… Judging from that punch I say he is REALLY furious. “Gah!” my mind races as the rush of the moment kicks in, he tosses me to the ground and begins punching me.

“Stop right there!” I manage to hear a voice, which causes the kid to stop, I turn weakly and see him drag Lyra by the hand back into the house, while I lay on the ground, possibly bleeding… FUCK the pain is starting to accumulate, what a BLOODY mess… Ouch.

“Kid! You okay?” I manage to hear before I pass out.

…

I wake up finding myself in a strange house, an old tv right across my field of vision, everything around it looking like it belongs in the fifties. even the wallpaper has a sort of old feel to it, it doesn‘t take long until the events from last night come rushing and I get on my feet, only to fall back, howling in agony as the pain comes in, I glance to the side and see the old man, sitting there with an amused grin.

“I see you are up… That was a beating he gave you, heh heh heh..” you jerk. “Don’t look at me like that, you know you deserved that, considering you were spying on them,” he explains, and I guess that’s fair enough.

“What time is it…”

“Around 10:00, I put your phone to charge, lucky that it’s the same kind as mine,” I look to the table in front of me and grab it, turning it on and decide to call mom, I'm gonna be in trouble.

Before I’m able to, I receive a message.

“Good job… You did great. As promised, we will leave Pie alone, and well… You’ll get a little surprise in the next few days… Glad to have worked with you, Lemon…” I nearly toss my phone, but that’ll be as stupid as tossing two hundred bucks in a blender.

“You alright?” the old guy asks, looking a bit concerned, it takes me a few seconds to control my hands from their shaking and manage an answer.

“… No… I’m not.”

~~~~~

The next day comes without any sort of event happening, thankfully. I’m lucky to have managed to even go to school after somehow convincing mom that I fell down ‘some stairs’… Can’t believe that worked.

“You okay… Kid?” asks me Soarin as soon as I get on the bus, I think that kid might have punched me too hard. I nod my head and move through the bus, getting a few odd looks from the others, but reaching the back without trouble.

“Hey? Lemon?” I groan as I look to the side and see Flash with an apologetic look.

“Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t punch you in the face right now?” I whisper, he doesn’t seem too surprised, yeah, don’t feel good huh? Well, suck it Sentry.

“Look, I didn’t plan on this to happen, I don’t know why I helped Sunset!” HA! I knew Sunset Shimmer was involved! “For some reason, I just said yes and agreed… Did I say something wrong to you? Because I feel I did…” he asks me, looking confused.

“You don’t remember anything?” he shakes his head.

“Not much…“ Likely story.

“Well, I don’t believe you, and why would Sunset Shimmer want to do that?” he looks at me as if I’m some sort of idiot.

“Dude, she is running for Fall Formal Princess,” I face palm. World’s biggest idiot, and his name is Patrick/Lemon.

“Of course… That’s what I get for not giving a crap…”

“That’s why… I broke up with her,” I remember how he said that he had a girlfriend before, guess I know who that is now. Too little, too late.

“Well… It won‘t change the fact that you threatened someone,” he looks disturbed as he seemingly 'recalls' some of it.

“I know!” he hisses. “And I feel horrible for it… I don’t know how Shimmer made me do it!” I can’t help but look at him in disgust.

“Whatever. You can apologize to that girl that will have her life ruined for this crap,” I say angrily -for someone who doesn’t care for these freaks, I sure feel angry enough to tell myself otherwise- and move to an empty seat ahead of me, leaving Flash on his own as we reach the school.

~~~~~

Outside giving Pinkie Pie an excuse for my injuries -turns out she is too smart for my stair idea- classes go by fast, and lunch arrives and as expected, is a complete barrage of talk from the other kids about Lyra, as the pictures have now been leaked online for sure, news of her dropping out of the competition are already about as well, not that it matters, as she would probably lose anyway. I can’t help but groan and I leave the cafeteria in a fit of anger, I don’t care much to where I’m going, I just want to get away.

“You did a good job, buddy,” I stop as I go up some stairs, I look up and see a familiar face.

“You…” Shimmer is on top of those stairs… If it wasn’t her, I would be happy that I’m able to see up her skirt right now.

“Yeah, yeah, spare me the drama…” she walks towards me, and I resist the urge to push her down. “Here,” she shoves a piece of paper in my pocket and walks away.

“Shimmer! Why?” she turns her head slightly and grins… That bitchy grin of hers.

“Does it really matter? We both got what we wanted, and you get to meet that person you care for,” she says as if it she were right. Which she is NOT.

“Well, it does!”

“Yeah, yeah, I have to go, I have a coronation to prepare for,” I SWEAR TO G-

“Pat!” I see Pinkie Pie running towards me, passing Sunset Shimmer without even glancing at her. “There you are! I was waiting for you at lunch!” she tells me angrily.

“Oh, hey, Pinkie…” I watch as Shimmer disappears into a hallway and I sigh. “Sorry… Guess I missed lunch again?”

“Yes, but don’t you worry! I got you some food!” she takes out a bowl… Of salad. Oh, Pinkie.

“… Thanks,” right… It was Pinkie who I was doing this for… As I look at her, i can't help but wonder what sort of secret she could have that would ruin her life? Still, if it helped I guess it was worth it, wasn’t it? I mean, helped a friend.

Yeah… A friend

Author's Note

Whooh! New chapter out, as you can tell, it was serious in comparison, but I hope you can deal with it.

Anyway, I will be posting the rest in a sort of epilogue ~~tomorrow two days from today~~ sometime next week, yeah.

No, it’s not over yet, I still have quite a few things planned for good ol’ Lemon here, hope you are enjoying the ride so far!

Part 1 Epilogue - Just What I Wanted?

“Come on Pat! Where are we going?”

“For the 10th time, I told you I don’t rightly know! You told me you could take me there!”

“Oh yeah… Whoopsie~” right.

It’s been a couple of days since I was practically used by Sunset Shimmer, and while I’m no longer regretful, I’m still wanna rip her apart both metaphorically, and literally. Experts would say that isn’t healthy, but those experts can suck it.

“I spy with my little eye, something beginning with grey!” Pinkie says, looking out the window and pointing, but I quickly lose sight of it as the train speeds off… Like the couple of times before that.

“Pinkie, I told you we can’t play that on a train, ugh,” I groan, but I chuckle as well, it’s amusing watching her try so hard to entertain me… Ironic how her failing is doing it instead.

After a few minutes, we get out at Pinkie’s instructions, we leave the subway and go up into the city. The pollution, the constant chatter, the occasional ‘they stole my purse’.

Ah… Reminds me of home.

“Okey dokey! Now… We go south!” she marches onward for three seconds before turning. “The other south!” she marches once more without much a complaint. I suppose I shouldn’t kill her mood by telling her that there is no such thing as ‘other south’.

We turn multiple times, in fact, our walk taking us roughly thirty minutes, I tire fast, but it’s the sun’s fault rather than me not being in shape… That is my story, and I’m sticking to it.

“Ooh! We made it!” we stop, and I audibly gasp; a huge building, extending from side to side, looking much like Canterlot High itself, but about twice as bigger, the huge walls separating Pinkie and I from it being obvious barriers for us commoners.

“So… What is this place?” I look at the plaque at the front door and it all makes sense… It just makes me wonder how Sunset Shimmer knew of this place.

“Ooh! A plaque!” I allow her to read it aloud for herself. “’Equus Private School‘… Wait… Isn’t this that all girls school I’ve seen on TV before?” she is indeed correct, as I remember seeing the commercials occasionally myself. “So… We meeting someone?”

“Come on, Pinkie, I think you already figured out who we are here for…” she puts a hand in her chin and looks thoughtful, it doesn’t take her more than seven point thirty-three seconds for her to figure it out. “That Twibright girl! But, how?”

“Very carefully, now come on, let’s sit down,” we find a nearby bench to sit and wait, after a quick internet search on the web, I find out that they are still taking finals, unlike the rest of us, they go through a more rigorous assortment of courses… Which means this is the perfect place for Twilight to be in. And while I don’t feel like taking Shimmer’s help with this, I certainly can’t miss this chance.

DING, DONG!
DING, DONG!
DING, DONG!

Welp, guess it’s time…

“Oh! The bell rang!” thanks for the update, Captain Pinkie Obvious.

We see a good number of girls come out.. In uniform, oh myy- Er, I mean, they are not Twilight, I shouldn’t be looking at them.

…

“Yaaaaaaaaawn! Is that her?”

“No! Ugh, I know you are bored, but can we please wait another ten minutes? Please?” I plead Pinkie, she sighs and slurs back into the seat, while I can’t blame her after waiting for over an hour, I can’t go home empty handed.

“Well, that can’t be her,” Pinkie says quickly lowering her finger, I look towards the direction she is pointing out and my jaw falls.

“No waaaay…” I look upon the girl coming out on her own, but I still can’t believe it. She is wearing the grey uniform with a nice, short skir- FOCUS. She is wearing these huge glasses that practically cover her eyes, her hair is tied into twin tails that stick to the side of her head, and she is carrying a book as she walks. I would have probably thought it was someone else, but those colored lines upon her hair instantly tell me otherwise.

“Twi…Light…” she may not look the way I thought she would, but there is no mistake… That’s Twilight Sparkle in front of me.

“Wait, really? That’s Twilight? What are you waiting for! Come on, Romeo!” Pinkie pushes me ahead, nearly making me trip, I look back at her and she only urges me forward with her hand… Deep breaths, Patrick…

It’s showtime.

~~~~~

I looked at her with the most determined look ever, and with a formidable step, I approached her, cutting her path off in the most delicate way possible.

“Hello, my lady,” I said to her.

“O-oh… W-who are you?” she asked me, a noticeable blush in her face.

“I am Lemon Lime, and you are the most beautiful thing I’ve come across,” the blush intensified as she tried to find what to do with herself to respond.

“O-oh my… I don’t know how to, um…” she closed the book and quickly tried to fix herself, not that she really needed fixing.

“It’s okay,” I opened her book again, and placed it oh her delicate hands, I placed a comforting hand on her face and without another word, walked away, leaving her a blushing mess.

“Pat? But… Why did you just leave her…?” Pinkie asked me confused, I walked past her and looked back with a smile.

“I got to see her, that’s all that matters to me.”

And just like that, we left back to our homes.

The End

…
…
…

Hmm… Hmmm… HMMMM…

Pat! You are such a big liar, liar, pants on fire! You can’t ignore what really happened! That’s not healthy!

Okay, I know that I probably read this, but you left it on the table and I’m reallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreally sorry, but it caught my attention, and… I just couldn’t let it gooo!

Anyway! That’s not what happened!

First you went to her, and you were like “Oh, um, hi?”

And then she was like “Can I help you?” and you began blushing like a lot! You looked like a tomato! And then, she moved her glasses!

“Um, can I please go through? I’m trying to go home, I suppose that’s something you don’t seem to get…” then she looked at your clothes and went all “Do I… Know you?”

And then you went “Um I ur aggh, geez aah ariah”

And then her face scrunched and went all “That’s nice… But I’m not interested in some person who can’t even from a comprehensible sentence. Out of my way” and then she left, leaving you on your own and then you began whimpering and then went home! Yay!

I mean… Aww…

But don’t worry Pat! You still got me, right?

xoxoxo
Pinkie Pie
PS: Sorry
PSS: REALLY, REALLY SORRY!

Author's Note

And with this, the first arc is finished!

That's right, I said 'arc' This isn't the last you'll read from Pat, and I'll gladly bring more when I can.

I hope you enjoyed this, guys!

Pinkie Promised

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, WAKE U-

“Shut the fuuuuu…” I stop my cursing and groan, reaching for my phone and turning the loud as heck self-voiced alarm off.

After twenty minutes of extra sleep, I’m forcibly woken up by mom, I release a heavy sigh, and get up. I walk out of my room --dropping my pants and underwear as I go to the complaints of mom-- and get in the shower, after which I manage to wake myself completely, thanks to the deadly waters of Poseidon aka hot water aka hell in liquid form.

I make my way downstairs after having prettied myself up --or as prettied up as I will be with green skin-- and head into the dining room.

“Good morning, son,” greets me dad as I sit down to eat some cereal. “And no, we haven’t received a single call, don’t ask,” well then…

“How do you always guess what‘s on my mind?” I laugh, playing with my cereal and drowning it in milk. Die cereal, die

“I‘m your dad, I know things,” he says as if it were matter of fact, which I guess it is… Parents are scary. “Anyway, you go back to school, so you’ll stop bugging us, huh?” wow dad, very subtle.

“I guess…?” I eat breakfast quietly while watching the news, is not something I’d make a habit out of, but news here are just ridiculous at times in this place.

“And once again, two men were found by the police, tied up by a light pole just outside West’s Diamond Emporium, a bag of diamonds hanging from a thread, no clues were found about the one that caused this, but according to repo-” the news lady’s voice is shut as the mute bar appears on the screen.

“What the heck, dad? I was watching that!” I complain to my oppressing father, oh, this is SO going straight to the internet! Then we’ll see who is sorry.

“I know, but I want you to listen to me,“ he says looking nervous. “You know… This is your last year of school… You are a senior,” nope, I’m not having this talk.

“Dad, I know, and don’t worry, I’ll keep my eye on my studies, I mean, I got good grades in the end, right?” I tell him, reminding him of my efforts for the past three months of ‘break‘… Not a very fun summer, I must admit.

“That’s not what I mean,” he gets up and sits on the chair next to me. “I want you to not only study, but also have fun… And well, I’ll be frank, as this may sound bad; You might not get to see any of your school friends after you graduate.”

‘Of course, I know that. The same thing happened when I was a senior before, dad’ or so I wish I could tell him, but he would just think I’m insane or messing with him, which wouldn’t honestly be too farfetched knowing me.

“Okay dad, I will,” he pats my head and returns to his seat, he opens his newspaper and gives me one last look before returning to it. I guess that’s my cue to go venture into school again… Ugh.

“Be careful too, okay?” he says with worry… Ooookaaaaay then.

I drag my ass to the bus stop -- having not gone to school this early for so long makes it difficult-- habits are tough to break.

I get on the bus, ready to meet a sour greeting from Soa-Hellooo?

“Good morning, Lemon!” some random guy greets me, I feel like I’m staring into a familiar face, but I just can’t quite put my tongue in it… “It’s me, Soarin?” he says, but that can’t be! Soarin is fat and unattractive, this guy is well built and good looking. The world has gone mad, MAD I tell me.
…
“Naaah…”

“Yes, yes, you don’t believe it, well, believe it, as you see, the truth is that it’s a very long story…”

“Soarin!” we both jump as we are staring at this lady sitting behind him, her hair looks familiar… Nah. “What did I tell you about showing off?”

“Not to?”

“Good boy.”

“Okay… I’ll be on my way then…” I say leaving quickly to the back. That lady must have been the one who put him in shape, it just explains so much that I didn’t care about.

I go to the back and stop to look for him… He is not there. Good. Not like I want to see him after the shit he made me do… Besides, I got far more important things to deal with, namely a certain pink girl to talk to... I wonder is she is still mad about what happened...

~~~~~

'I failed… I failed… How did I fail so badly? I mean, Twilight was there! And I was there! It was perfect! Like destiny, or something!' These are my thoughts as the event of two days ago comes to mind.

“Lemon? Are you still sulking?” I look up from my ‘fetal position’ in the several chairs I carefully set up to hold my body, and meet Pinkie’s gaze. “Come on! It’ll be fine! Sure, you probably destroyed your one and only chance to meet the girl you’ve wanted to meet so bad, but at least you got me!” WOW. THANK YOU PINKIE, YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER.,WHAT A GREAT FRIEND YOU ARE.

“You are welcome!” dammit, Pinkie.

“You just don’t get it… It was a dream of mine, someone I’ve wanted to meet since April 2011...”

“That’s oddly specific,” she says with a chuckle.

“Shut it.”

“But, what’s the point? I mean, she obviously doesn’t care much for you, besides, she doesn’t look like someone that’s nice at all! She looked like a big meanie!” huh… That she did, didn’t she? “She just isn’t the Twilight you seem to want!”

Huh… Well buy me a soda and shoot my duck… She is right. This isn’t pony Twilight… This is just some imitation… Yeah… Well then, I guess that’s my depression gone right there.... Wow.

“Pinkie, have people ever told you how smart you can be?” I compliment her.

She grins, her cheeks showing a faint red.“Nope! But I’ve been told that I’m an airhead, but that’s just silly! My head would float!” it was good while it lasted. “Come on, Pat! Summer is around the corner! We all are gonna have SO much fun together… If you come, that is…” she finishes with a discouraged look, it would suck if someone- Oh, what the hell.

“I’ll be there, I… Pinkie promise,” she gasps as I raise my hand. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she gives me the hugest grin I could have ever seen on any anatomically incorrect face and a hug as reward, me awkwardly returning it.

“Oh, it’ll be so much FUN!” Pinkie assures me, and while I don’t really want to go, I guess I need some sort of relaxation after that disaster.

And hey, I’ll probably get to meet the rest of the mane six.

~~~~~

I quickly power-walk through the halls --turns out running is against the pesky rules as stated by Ms. Cheerilee “Buzzkill” Mc. Gee-- and reach Celestia’s office, I don’t even bother to knock; they know I’m coming, or at least that’s what I tell myself.

“Um, good morning, um, Mr. Lime?” greets me Luna with a tired look on her ugly mug, she yawns widely and returns to her form fixing. I know the feel, sister. And in front of me, sits good ol’ Celestia.

“Good morning, Lemon… How may I help you? Ouch! And Pinkie Pie isn't here!” she says, her face showing a pained expression.

I raise a brow. “Um… How did you know I was looking for her?”

“Pinkie Pie isn’t here!” comes a voice from under her desk, Celestia face palms and shrugs at me, I try to approach her but she only shakes her head. You suck, Molly.

“Um… Right… Well, I guess I’ll go then…” I say to the person under the desk, which I swear, if it had been somebody else besides me here, they would have thought something naughty was happening… Not that I’m thinking it myself, that is.

“And don’t try to find her at lunch! You two totally don’t have the same lunch!” the desk says, I look at Celestia again and she rolls her eyes, she writes on a paper on her desk and shows it to me. 'She does' written in big words. Good to know after the addition of a ‘C’ lunch.

“Okay, um, well… Since, um Pinkie is not here or, um, lunch, I’ll probably never go to lunch again, um, ever!” that came out so monotonous that even Jeff Goldblum would be proud. “Well, I’ll see you later, Lulu, Celestia,” I rush out and close the door behind me right as I hear the voices in stereo.

“It’s Luna/Principal Celestia!” ha… I’ve been meaning to do that for a while.

~~~~~

“What do you think of this one?”

“Pinkie…”

“Or this one! Does it look good?”

“Pinkie!”

“What?”

“Do I really have to be here? Why didn’t you ask your friends to come with you?”

“They were all busy! You said you weren’t, so now we are here! Oh, and you too!”

“Who is the other in ‘we’?” I ask curiously.

“Me, duh!” I groan, I’m not even gonna argue.

I sigh for like a minute as I stare at the nest pair of bikinis from Pinkie, she puts them over herself, openly imagining herself wearing them as she runs in the beach that she plans to go to get seashells and listen to the ocean twice… Or so she says.

“You know, it doesn’t really help when you are wearing the clothes, I mean, all I see is a bikini over plain clothes,” I say jokingly, and she seems thoughtful for a bit and nods.

“You are right!“ wait a second.. “You need to see me wearing then, come on!” wait, what? I’m dragged as it is now custom and set down on a nearby chair as she goes into a changing room

“Pinkie! This is now what I m-” my phone vibrates in my pocket in the most blissful way possible. “Um, Pinkie? I have a call from…” I check my phone and groan, I told her not to bother me. “Mom. Be right back,” I hear a whine and roll my eyes, walking outside hearing range and answering. “Hello?”

“About time! I’ve been trying to call you since you left!” she says angry, geez, sorry.

“Sorry mom, what’s the problem? I thought we said that you weren’t gonna call me?” she apologizes instantly, then returns to bitchy mode again.

“I got a call from school, and it’s about your grades,” oh, noooo. “I’ll get to the point; you didn’t pass Lemon, it seems you are going to have to go to summer school.”

FUUU”That’s okay, mom!” UUUUUUUU- “Yeah, okay, I get it…” UUUUUCK! “Alright, I’ll be home at the time I told you, yes, I love you too, bye…” I hang up and toss the phone in my pocket, I look back to the changing room where Pinkie is obviously waiting….This is gonna suck, isn’t it?

~~~~~

I’m thankful that the first week of school is always the simplest, as I exit my new classroom and head to lunch as to Celestia’s words. I’m glad that I’m not the idiot I was when I first started and I’m only slightly stupid now, easily making it to the cafeteria with only a single incident under my belt.

I rush through the tables and find Pinkie easily, her hair is very unique… And alongside her there is a hat wearing guest who needs no introduction.

“Um… Can Ah’ help you, pardner?” the unmistakable form of human Applejack asks, looking from me to Pinkie, I want to say she looks like the stereotypical cowgirl… But with a skirt… I’m pretty sure most cowgirls wear jeans. Eh.

“You can‘t, but that person next to you certainly c-”

“But I thought you said you weren’t coming to lunch ever again!” Pinkie says surprised… Why is she surprised?

“How do you know I said that?” I ask, playing along.

“I didn’t! I just guessed,” she harrumphs, crossing her arms and looking away from me… She must be really pissed, and admittedly, that kinda stings.

“Look, Pinkie, I know you are angry, but, come on! It’s not a big deal!”

"Hold on right there!" says Applejack as Pinkie is stuck in a motion with her mouth open, she moves from the seat she is on to the one Pinkie was on, and then moving Pinkie right next to me. “You may continue now,” what is that supposed to me-

“Not a big deal? NOT A BIG DEAL!?” I tremble as I see Pinkie’s eyes literally look as if on fire… Mommy? “You are… Um…”

“Unbelievable?” Applejack suggests.

“Does that sound bad enough?” she asks through gritted teeth, AJ nods slowly in confirmation. “Then it works! Ugh!” she storms off, leaving me looking completely miserable. What the hell did I do?

“She sure did a number on ya, huh?” AJ says with a smirk.

Whatever you say, hat pony. “Shut it, AJ,” she looks at me with a no-longer friendly mood.

“Ah’ take it you are Pinkie’s ‘psychic’ friend?” she says without reserve. “You know mah’ name, so how about telling me yours then?” using common courtesy against me? Jerk.

“Lemon Lime,” I reply with my shortly forgotten anguish over the name.

“Heh, cute name,” why does everyone say that!? “Anyway, I take it you want to get Pinkie to forgive ya, right? I think I can help with that.”

“You’ll help me? Even when I was being rude?” she nods.

“Well, she IS mah friend, and she is usually the one who cheers me up, so Ah’ think Ah’ can afford to deal with some rude fellow when it comes to her,” well, fair enough.

“Alright… You have a plan?” she grins.

“Of course Ah’ do! Just leave it to me!” well, she is the dependable one in the show… What could go w- I didn’t finish that! It doesn’t count!

“Besides, as you can see, she can’t do the angry girl thing, don’t worry, we’ll get through to her,” she says confidently.

“Alright, AJ; what’s the plan?”

~~~~~

We walk into the sunset --great, I can’t even say that without thinking of that bitch-- as we make our way home, thanks to Pinkie’s idea to stop for ice cream, we end up missing our bus after our ‘fruitful’ trip to the mall.

“Don’t be such a sour-puss! We can use the exercise!” walking five miles to reach home is five miles more than I care for.

“Yeah, sure,” I say with a weak response, it’s not like me to revoke weakly, but I can’t help it when the earlier phone call comes to mind.

“What’s wrong, Pat? You’ve been tree quiet!”

“W-what?” I ask her confused at the odd word in the middle.

“Oh! That’s even more quiet than ‘two’ quiet!” whatever you say, Pinks.

“Right… Anyway, don’t worry, it’s nothi-” she stops in front of me, holding a serious look. “What?” she grabs my hand and pulls me toward an alley close by. “Pinkie? What are you doing? This is too sudden!” she stops and crosses her hands, looking at me with a searching stare… I’m just going to pretend I didn’t say that.

“Talk, mister,” she demands calmly.

“A-about what?”

“I don’t know,” she says without any sarcasm --honestly, can she even sarcasm?--. “It‘s just like, like, a sixth sense!”

“A Pinkie sense, perhaps?“

“Don’t change the topic, buster!“ I keep forgetting that Pinkie can be quite perceptive… Damn it, it seems that I’m going to have to tell her, aren’t I?

“You are not gonna give in until I tell you, are you?” she shakes her head. Welp! “Alright, Pinkie… I might as well get it over with…”

~~~~~

I yawn, staring at my phone and checking the time, “4:57... Where are you, Applejack?” I growl, I’d been waiting by the front door for twenty minutes now, and I’m not having any fun.

BZZZT My phone vibrates, I take it out and read the message, that thankfully, comes from Applejack “Meet me in the gymnasium right now,” I can’t help but being a bit off by her calling it a ‘gymnasium', who even does that anymore?

I return the text and make my way to the GYM where she is waiting for me, holding herself against a door to a closet.

“Hey there, pardner,” she greets me, walking towards me and holding my shoulders. “She is right, whatever you did to upset her, she is right, got it?” I’m standing there in confusion, not knowing what to say… I guess I should find something to say.

“Um… Applej-Agh!” I’m pushed inside the closet before I’m able to say something, and I find myself looking at an unexpected guest; Pinkie Pie… Flattened hair edition.

“Oh, hey Appl- Wait, you aren’t Applejack! You aren’t even an apple!” that’s Pinkie alright. KLANG huh? What? I go to the door and try it… To no avail. It’s locked.

“Applejack, what the hell!?” I whisper through a crack in the door.

“Mah Granny used to do this to us whenever me and mah sis fought, trust me, she’ll want to talk after a bit,” well, I suppose that I should follow the advice of the elder.

“Um, Pinki-… Where did you go?” I look at the spot she had been standing on when I came in, forcing a sigh after finding a number of mattresses, equipment, and other such things surrounding the spot where she stood, I take a look around and see a couple of ball racks and other places where stuff is placed, but nothing else… At least until I finally come upon the sign in front of the pile that says in big letters ‘No Boys Allowed’.

…Really?

“Oh, come Pinkie Pie, that’s just sexist,” I say in a bit of a somewhat off comment, looking away shamefully as I do, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t trying to be one. “Oh…” I turn back to the sign and it now says ‘Nothing To Do With Acidic Fruits Allowed’ well, that’s much more specific.

“You know, I DID tell you to call me Pat, so technicall-eek!” I find myself staring at a glaring Pinkie Pie once I turn again, who I must say is looking specially scary today.

“What do you want, ‘Pinkie Promise Breaker?’”

“I just wanted to talk about, well… You know…”

“Nope! I don’t know! You are gonna have to be specific!” oh, come on!

“Well, first I want to start off with the fact that it wasn’t a big deal!” her glare only intensifies.

“Ha! I knew it! You just don’t get it, do you!” WHAT IS THERE TO GET! I APOLOGIZED!

~~~~~

“So, what is it?” I gulp, I can’t help but be utterly afraid of breaking a Pinkie promise after her reaction in that one Applejack episode.

“I… Well… “ well, better suck it up.

“Pinkie, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to go vacationing with you” / ”All I did was eat the last cookie! What’s so bad about that!"

“You know full well how much I wanted it! Besides, you Pinkie promised!” she says annoyed, but I just can’t understand her logic, I know it was slightly bad, but she is acting like a child.

“Pinkie! You had a better reason to be mad when I told you I couldn’t go to the trip three months ago,” her face softens a bit, but her glare stays.

“W-well, that’s because you told me it was about school! That meant it was important, and I mean, I even stayed so I could help you study when I was really looking forward to it! We went to the mall and everything to prepare!”

“You bought a bow,” I growl, watching her pet the newly added detail on her hair.

“That’s irrelevant, it still took me a while to pick, duh!” oh my god, I’m going t-’She is right, whatever you did to upset her, she is right, got it?’ dammit Applejack, Element of Honesty, everybody. I give the entrance a glance and sigh, she knew it was going to happen.

“What?” Pinkie says annoyed, her mane still a flat mess(?)

“You are right?”

“Huh?”

“You are right! I Pinkie promised that I wouldn’t eat the cookie, and I broke my promise, I mean, you helped me study during the summer, and that’s how I repay you?” huh, I’m making myself seem more guilty the more I go on, I’m even starting to believe in it myself.

“O-oh… Well, it’s okay…” she looks quiet for a bit and seems a bit off-put. “Thank you, it means a lot,” w-what? “I may have overreacted a little as well…” huh… Well, that’s a surprise.

“Um… Thanks, but I feel like I owe you something, but hold on,” I have been putting this up for a while now, I should really get it over with, it might as well be now. “Hey, AJ?” she opens the door a bit and looks at me with a smirk.

“What’s the matter? Y’all done kissing and making up?” Shut it.

“Can you unlock the door? We are good now, but I want to talk to Pinkie… Alone,” she seems suspicious, but thankfully, she doesn’t argue.

“Alright, but don’t go too crazy, ya hear?”

“You know it… And AJ? Thank you, this really helped,” she smiles and tips her hat before the sound of the door unlocking and her footsteps going away reach my ears.

“Alrighty…” I turn to Pinkie whose hair is now completely fluff once again… Wait, did she know this talk was happening? Nah.

“Oh, hey!” she says in her cheered up self, I’m actually glad she is back.

“So, about what I said…”

“Oh, come on, Pat! You don‘t really have to!” she says in a convincingly cheery manner.

“No, I have to do it… Not to mention is something I was supposed to tell you this summer…” I laugh awkwardly while she dons a serious face.

“S-so, what is it that you want to make it up with?” well, this is happening, so I might as well get it over with…

“Pinkie, what if I told you that I’m not from this world?”

Magic Failure

"Soo… What you are saying is that you a human but not really a human of here that comes from another world where there other humans that aren’t multicolored and in there I’m part of a TV show about talking technicolored ponies where I’m a pony myself? And you were brought here by magic but your world doesn’t have magic but since that other world has magic and this is a parallel of that one you think we might have magic to get you back?”

“Um, yes, that is exactly what I finished telling you like, thirty seconds ago, Pinkie,” I can’t help but being a bit harsh at her response, as her completely neutral face shows no sign or hint of what she is thinking… So just being herself, okay.

“Hmm…” she mumbles, abruptly turning her back at me, she seems to be thinking about my words, or at least I hope she is, much better than her thinking about how insane they are… Please be the former.

“Okay,” she says rather suddenly. I look to her with a doubtful eye.

“R-really?” I ask, and she only shrugs.

“Yeah, I don’t really get it, but you need my help, right?” she says nonchalantly, and well, it's better than what I expected, honestly.

“So… You’ll help me?” I ask, as she nods rapidly in response.

“Of course! Friends! Duh!” she reminds me, I keep forgetting that bit.

“But I mean, is this really what you wanna do? Doesn‘t it sound crazy, or anything? Not that it‘s a lie, of course!” WHAT AM I SAYING.

“Nah, I know you wouldn‘t lie, because FrIenDs Don‘T LiE tO eAch OtHeR YoU knOW?” she, um, responds, um... Why do I suddenly feel like pissing my pants? “So, I’m gonna show you magic to help you go back, right?” oh? That’s sweet! She is gonna find me ma- “So, I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch with the magic and such, Pat! I’m running late! Bye, bye!” ma- ma- ma- ma- ma- ma- ma-

“Magic?” I finally let the words out as I trace after the path the now gone Pinkie took. “She couldn’t have been serious… Right?”

I suppose I’ll just have to wait and find out, this is gonna bug me till then though.

~~~~~

Ah, a new day, and there is nothing like a good cereal killing to start the day right … And something is bugging me but I can’t care too much, I have terrible puns to make.

“What’s the matter, Lemon?” Mom asks me, looking over her shoulder as she makes herself a coffee, she is wearing a nice suit for work --the only difference between her and my actual stay-at-home mom-- and looking specially beautiful today… No brain, don’t go there.

SLAP

“What was that for…?” asks mom looking confused as I have just slapped myself across the face.

“Trust me, this fic was about to go wrong in MANY ways,” wait, did I say fic? I was supposed to say conversation… Huh, I need to get more sleep tonight.

“Sure… But no more random acts of violence on yourself, please," she reprimands me.

"I'm not making any promises," I reply truthfully as she chuckles.

“Well? Is something bothering you?” she asks once again, sitting down across me and eyeing me with worry.

“Well…” damn, moms are as scary as dads with how easy they can read their kids. “I guess I do?” I say, trying my best to remember the problem as she places her hand over mine and smiles.

“Go ahead, you know I’m always here to listen to anything you have to say… As long as it is within the next five minutes,” she says while checking her phone. Mom, never change.

Hmm… Oh yeah, I remember now…

“Well, it has to do with Pinkie Pie…” I begin, and she looks surprised.

“Oh! What? Did something go wrong when you tried making up?” she asks me already knowing about our previous incident.

“No, we did make up, but I sorta… Told her something that was supposed to be a secret an-” she puts her hands on my shoulders, her face now looking serious. “Mom?” I say with my voice totally not breaking. “You are scaring me…”

“What did you tell her?” she asks looking at me with an intense stare.

“Um… Something that is… Personal, but nothing too bad? Why?” she sighs in relief and hugs me. Geez, bipolar much?

“Nothing. I guess I was just worried over nothing,” she gets up and grabs her purse, she crouches down and kisses my cheek. “Have a good day, love you,” she says as she does that, she leaves the house leaving me with my now far too soggy cereal.

…

“Da fuck was that all about!?”

~~~~~

I arrive at lunch as usual, and I keep thinking over Pinkie’s words --does she really have a source of magic? Or not?-- and if those words are correct, does she mean she knows how to use it? Damn it, this is gonna keep my mind too busy to o -yay! Apple sauce!

“Hey Pat!” Pinkie calls over my shoulder sounding as overly happy as always, I turn around and find next to her a shy looking Fluttershy… Obviously.

“Hello…” Fluttershy greets me calmly.

“Hey Pinks, hey Shy, glad to finally be able to see you outside of Mr. Jerk’s c- Ouch! That’s my ear!” I complain as Fluttershy pulls my ear. A very rude thing to do ‘Ms. Kindness’.

“What did I say about insulting Mr. Clop?” AHAHA-OUCH! FLUTTERSHY IS PULLING MY EAR.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” I apologize and she lets go of my ear while I nurse it with my free hand. Fluttershy can be a BITCH when you get to know her, geez.

“Pssh, Pat!” both Shy and I turn to Pinkie‘s voice, is she attempting to whisper? “Can we taaalk,” geez Pinkie, way to be inconspicuous.

“I’m going to guess that she wants to talk to you alone, Pat," Fluttershy very astutely points out. "I’ll find a table and see you guys there, okay?” she smiles sweetly and leaves to find one. She sure is much more open now that she knows I’m friend’s with Pinks here.

“What’s the matter, Pinkie?” I ask, she looks around and turns to me again.

“Follow me!” she says much louder, grabbing my wrist and dragging me across the different tables, until we reach a sort of stage… Was that there before?

“What are we doi-” I’m hushed by Pinkie as she stares at the stage… But there is nothing there. “Pinkie, are you s-” this time, her whole hand covers my mouth, and I can’t help but sigh. Very well woman, you win, I will wait.

We sit in the table next to it for a few minutes while I eat my lunch in silence while nothing changes, and I’m about to give up… That is until the curtain rises.

“Ooh! It’s starting!” Pinkie says excitedly, I look at the stage and see smoke appear out of nowhere, is there a fire happening?

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! And welcome, to the best show that you have ever seen!” that voice sounds familiar… “Prepare to be amazed, as she, who is the granddaughter of Starswirl the Great!” nope, doesn’t ring any bells… “Will give you, the BEST MAGIC ACT EVER PERFORMED!” did she say magic? Oh cra-

“It is her! The Great, and Powerful, Trrrrixie!” I look at Pinkie who is now giving me two thumbs up.

I hate my life

I look back at Trixie who is wearing a blue hoodie alongside a purple skirt with a neat blue line that goes around and ends with it holding what appears to be a magic wand, she also dons the show’s cape and always iconic wizard hat.

… Not bad.

“Trixie will now show you the act, of disappearing! And she will do so with this toy!” she takes out a small dog toy that looks suspiciously like a Diamond Dog and puts a tissue over it. “Now… BEHOLD!” she waves her fingers over it and then picks up the sheet and… It’s still there.

“Um, Pinkie?” I call, but she is far too busy whistling to pay me any mind.

“Um… This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Trixie says quietly but loud enough for me to make out, putting the tissue on once again and moving her fingers over it once more, but with the same results.

“Get off the stage, Trixie, you suck!” says one the kids sitting close by.

‘If if didn’t work the past two years, it’s not going to work this one,” Trixie looks at the pair who just spoke up and growls.

“Quiet! You simpletons just cannot appreciate the complicated and amazing feats that magic can d- Eek!” a tomato hits her in the face as she retaliates, causing her to fall back on her bum. I give her bonus points on the outfit for those purple panties of hers.

“Magic isn’t real! It’s just tricks! Find something better to do!” several voices say to her, while she eyes the crowd with a desperate look, not knowing what to do to deal with it.

“Stop everyone!” Pinkie says, now on-stage, stopping further ‘Attacks by flying tomatoes from the cafeteria’ which I totally claim copyright for a movie title. “What is with this reaction? Come on everybody! Let’s just be supportive of our classmate an- Ouch! Hey! That wasn’t nice!” she complains as a tomato has hit her face.

“Shove off, Pinkie, we don’t care!” several cries of disapproval begin and I’m here wondering why the hell I haven’t interrupted yet. But this apple sauce is SO go-… Dammit, okay, I’m coming, Pinkie.

“We should go,” I inform her as I grab her arm and drag her away from the stage and its mess, quickly looking for a way out, thankfully, I find Fluttershy rather easily thanks to her noticing the mess.

“Oh my goodness! You guys okay?” she asks Pinkie and I as we sit down, she hands each of us some napkins to clean ourselves

“I’m fine… You, Pinkie?” I tell her, while Pinkie nods still a bit shaken up from the reactions. Geez, tough crowd.

“And you?” she asks someone who I didn’t notice on our rush; Trixie is sitting down, cleaning the mess on her face as well as clothing.

“Trixie is fine, she did not need your help, pink woman,” she tells Pinkie who is holding her hand, at least until Trixie decides that she wants it back. “She could have handled herself!” Pinkie looks at her apologetically and then smiles again.

“Oh, of course! You are pretty great and powerful after all!” Trixie turns to her with an amused smirk.

“Yes… Trixie sure is!” shut up, Pinkie.

:”So! I was wondering if the Great and Powerful Trixie could help us out!” Trixie gives Pinkie a condescending look and scoffs.

“Well, Trixie supposes that she CAN help one of her many fans… Of course, she will expect something in return for her services,” Pinkie, I swear to god…

“Whatever it is, Pat here will pay!” she says, pointing at me. “He needs magic of sorts an-”

“No,” yes, I just did that.

“Huh?” Pinkie looks at me confused and tilts her head, cleaning her ears with her fingers to see if she heard correctly.

“Don’t even bother asking, the answer is still no,” I continue, she gives me an angry stare, but fuck it if I’m letting her give me a talk. “Don’t start, you saw how useless she is in magic, she is worthless at it! She doesn’t have even a little knowledge of it, so don’t start. She is a fraud! Period. End of discussion!” I don’t notice that my voice has been raised by this point and I’m now literally screaming at Trixie while talking to Pinkie.

Huh, where did that anger come from?

“…” I look at Trixie who seems to be taking deep breaths, and her eyes are red. She gets off her seat and runs out of the cafeteria while I just realize what I’ve done.

“Um… Pinkie? Look, I can expl-” I stop as I see her and Fluttershy gathering their trays and walking away from me, the rest of the kids who were staring at us quickly go back to their own little groups, possibly whispering about what just happened.

“Argh!” I complain out loud and sit down with a groan. This… Is not my day.

~~~~~

After meticulous amounts of thinking, I realize that what I did was a huge mistake and I may have made some teenage girl go into depression… I blame my blatant dislike over original Trixie that brought the hate upon this tangible form of Trixie that is real.

I guess that just makes it less valid, huh?

“Dammit, what was I thinking back there?” I groan as I’m walking home from school due to my dumb donkey missing the bus, I’m thankful that phones have GPS. TECHNOLOGY IS GREAT. I minimize the app and move into messages, sending Pinkie one, in the hopes that she will respond.

… Damn, ten seconds and no response? I must have pissed her o-RIIIIIIING! I’m interrupted by the loud voice of Pinkie coming through the phone as it rings… When the hell did she put that in?

“H-hello?” I answer carefully.

“Hello! I hope you have a good explanation or I‘ll dislike you for infinitever!” comes her eerily ‘happy’ voice through the phone. Not the best way to open up my first phone call with Pinkie.

“Pinkie, I can explain…”

“You can explain why you broke the aspirations of a girl that didn’t really deserve the treatment when you’ve never met her?”

“Okay, first; maybe I can’t really explain, and second, stop using such big words! It’s weird!”

"But you said all those awful things to her,"Pinkie says through the phone, a sad tone easily read in her voice, even with the static-ky noise that should have been fixed forever ago. Step up, technology.

“Well…” I stutter, that’s not fair, her sad voice makes ME sad. “It couldn’t have been THAT bad, right?” silence follows my question and a beep interrupts my call, I check to find a message with a photo… A photo of Trixie’s hat and cloak in a trashcan… Ooooh, boy.

"I'm listening Pat, my boy," Okay, seriously, why do these girls have to be high school girls? Why couldn’t they be adults? At least then their emotions would be bottled up.

“Okay, I DO have a reason, it has to do wi-…” I stop. She’ll probably find it weird that I hated a character from a TV show with legitimate hate, or even worse, think that I only like Pinkie herself BECAUSE of the show… And while that may or may not be true, I can’t risk it.

“I… Was a racist where I came from… Yeah…” Lemon ‘Patrick’ Lime’s explanation of the year.

“Really? But racism for colors is dumb and bad and dumb!” strong argument, Pinkie.

“Which is why I was, um, trying to change… As you can see it didn’t go well when I met Trixie,” more silence follows after my words, it’s almost like she is building suspense.

“Well, it’s great that you wanna change!” she replies happily, I can’t believe that worked. “So, it’s time to apologize to her then! Meet me back at school in twenty minutes!”

“B-but I’m walking h-” CLICK “…”

No choice for Pat then.

~~~~~

After ten grueling minutes of travel on my trusty footmobile, I find Pinkie meeting me halfway there, with both cloak and hat in tow.

“Hey Pat!” she doesn’t sound mad, thank pony Celestia.

“So, what’s the plan?” I ask.

“You are going to her place! Here is the address,” she fidgets with her phone and I receive a text. “All you gotta do is apologize to her and everything will be fine!” she tosses the things in my hands and I look to her confused.

“Wait, you aren’t coming with me!?” I ask in horror/

“Nope! You are doing this on your own! Come on! It might help your quest for magic!” I vaguely remember that she had wanted to help me find a way home… Trixie is the closest thing to magic too… Ugh, I guess-

“I have no choice in this, huh?”

“Oh, stop complaining ‘Sir Complains a-lot’! It’s not far! Good luck, Pat!” she salutes me in a very respectful way and then proceeds to run away and leave me on my own… Wait, how did she even get her address? No… Don’t question her, it’s Pinkie.

…

THREE MILES IS NOT CLOSE YOU LYING PINK B-… Grr, I’m here already, might as well. I turn a corner and my jaw falls.

“Oh, come on!” I look upon the place and can’t help but being depressed as numerous trailers are before me… The area looking pretty run-down and practically dead. As I get closer, the place isn’t looking any better, with abandoned trailers and some animals here and there.

Where is the amazing clean look from school? This place could have used some of that.

I manage to find her place after some quick searching --amounts of signs with the numbers barely visible barely helping, useless things-- and after choosing between going back and staying for five minutes, the door opens, and an old lady finds me… Oh crap.

“Are you alright, young man? Are you lost?” she asks me in a very kind voice that gives me a Granny Smith vibe, and just like her, looks slightly… Full, but instead of being green, she is dark blue.

“No, um, it’s just…” I can't really find a thing to say.

“No, no, nothing! Come on in! Let’s talk,” she 'invites' me in, um, I need an adult?

Before I know it, I’m inside the trailer home, sitting in… A rather homely setting, I must admit. The lady brings a cup of tea and sets it on the table in front of me, as she then takes the seat across me.

“Thank you, ma’am,” I say, taking a sip of the delici- “Psst! Oh god! What is this!” I complain as the most foul tea I’ve ever tasted touches my tongue.

“Ah! I seem to have gotten the sugar with the hot sauce confused! I apologize, young man…” or so she says... She then puts her hands on her chin and looks at me with a powerful stare. “Now, would you mind telling me what you are doing with my Granddaughter’s magic outfit?” oh… I completely forgot I was carrying thi- Wait, did she do the tea thing on purpose!?

“T-this is why I’m here for, ma’am! To talk to Trixie about this, I found this in the trash and I came to talk to Trixie about it, because I know it‘s Trixie‘s!” the old lady seems understanding and nods, she grabs a cane close by and walks outside without looking back at me, closing the door on her way out… What?

“Dammit, Gran Gran…” someone says from further in the trailer.

“T-Trixie? Is that you?” a door further in opens and Trixie appears wearing a simple t-shirt and some jogging pants, her hair is a mess and her eyes look puffy… I may have had something to do with that.

“What do you want? I’m not in the mood,” she begins the conversation, thankfully.

“Don’t you mean ‘Trixie isn’t in the mood’?” I correct.

“The days of that Trixie are over, as those items in the trash would have told you, you made me see the truth,” she can’t be saying that she took face value to an opinion of somewhat she just me- Oh, right. Teenager.

“I was just… Having a bad day, and well, Pinkie said you could help me, but you didn’t make the best first impression on me either… Sorry, Trixie. But come on, you can get better!” phew, almost forgot that last bit.

She scoffs and walks towards me, grabbing the cloak and hat from my hands and looking at them with a stare that just oozes ‘longing’.

“You know, I wasn’t lying when I said Starswirl the Great was my Grandpa,” oh, so it’s backstory time, where is the popcorn when I need it. “These pieces of clothing were his first outfit when he started out, he had hardships, but he made it, and became the world’s most famous magician in the world… Until his death, of course,” she raises the hat to eye level and scans it. “All of his assets were taken, he had been tricked into giving them to his managers, and they kept the secrets, which they sold to other magicians who are now world renowned thanks to them,” she tosses the hat aside and sits on the couch her grandma had been.

“Wait, are you angry with him?” I ask, invested in her story.

“No. But I am disappointed that he fell for that… Which is why I made it my mission to invent my OWN assets, and bring the family name back into the world of magic,” she looks at me with a sad smile, that quickly becomes an annoyed frown.

“Back in school, that act, I heard you had done it before,” she rolls her eyes and crosses her legs as she visibly recoils at the event.

“If you must know, every year since Freshman year, I have tried to create an act… With basically the same results,” I can’t help but feel bad as her eyes start to quiver. “Ugh, why am I even telling you this!? You insulted my work!”

I look at her curious with the same question in mind… Maybe she is just stupid.

“I know I did, and I’m sorry for that, I’ll have to be honest… I really DO need your help, and it’s something that only you, and your magical abilities can do,” she looks at me puzzled as I walk towards the hat and the cloak and pick it up. “So, will you help me? I believe in your abilities,” I say as I place the items on her lap and put my hand over hers and sit next to her… Smoooth.

“Trixie SUPPOSES she can’t help to be so great,” she says, slapping my offending hand. “And she will begrudgingly help YOU,” she finishes by pushing me to the ground. That was fast. “But she will require some form of payment.”

I look in my pockets for anything to give her, in one pocket I find a small packet and take it out, I extend my hand to hers and place it on her palm.

“What is this?” she asks me not impressed.

“It’s peanut-butter crackers?” I say, reading the label on it.

“You cannot be serious.”

“Oh, come on! It’s all I have!” she scoffs and closes her hand on the treat.

“Very well, this will have to do, for now,” the way she tosses the last two words makes me a bit nervous. “Now, what is the grave matter that requires Trixie’s very valuable time?” geez, I didn’t know crying was a viable pastime.

“It’s something a bit odd, it’s something that I require more time to talk to you about, and it may be a bit tough to believe…”

“Oh, please, Trixie has seen all! There is nothing she doesn’t believe in!”

~~~~~

“Trixie doesn’t believe you.”

“Damn it all!“ I instantly cover my mouth as to avoid any from listening, in hindsight, making this meeting by the bleachers after school might have been a bad idea. “But Trixie, you told me there isn’t anything you don’t believe in!” I whisper.

“Trixie says many things!” I face palm at Trixie’s answer…While Pinkie who is also here eats a cupcake, I would make a joke about that but I have a bitch to deal with.

“I told you it would be something that would be hard to believe! But can’t be THAT hard! I mean, Pinkie believed me!” I say pointing at Pinkie while she stuffs her face with chocolates. “Okay, BAD example! But I’m not lying!”

“Oh, come on Trix!” Pinkie says while I resist the urge to laugh. “What do you have to lose! You are still going to get paid!” she scoffs and holds her chin in thought.

“The pink woman raises a very good point. Very well, The Great, and Powerful Trixie shall help you with your increasingly crazy thoughts!” thanks… I guess. “And in return, you shall become my life-long assistant!”

“What!?” Pinkie shrieks in surprise.

“Is there a problem, pink one?” Trixie asks with a raised brow.

“No, there isn’t. Right, Pinkie? Whatever it takes,” what is up with her?

“Oh! Right! No problem!” she pulls a zipper and closes it across her mouth, giving me a thumbs up in agreement.

“Right… So, do you have any ideas, Trixie?” she seems to mull over it, thankfully, she isn’t screwing around.

“You said that in this other world there are alternate versions of us, correct?” I nod. “Have you tried looking for powerful beings? Maybe someone who is skilled in the art of magic that is in that… Um, show? Maybe some dastardly creatyre who may have brought you here?” she seems reluctant as she explains, as she should be, I nearly think she is crazy herself.

“Oh?” I quickly recall some of the villains from the show; Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, Somb-Pfff and D- “So, what you are saying is that I was brought here by someone… Evil?”

“Yes… In theory! Not even a theory, there is no way that can be true!” I roll my eyes as she continues her disbelief, of course, I can’t help but find some true in what she says, it feels good to finally have some sort of goal in mind... Even if I should have thought about that myself, that was my bad.

Well, first order of business for Pinkie and I; Find the human version of the vi-

“Trixie will help.”

“What!? Why?” I ask, she whips her hair around at my questions.

“You would not understand the intricate thoughts of The Grand and Powerful Trixie! Trixie will help, and that’s final!” grand?

“Er, okay…”

So... First order of business for Pinkie, Trixie, and I; Find the human versions of the show’s villians… Fun, fun, FUN.

Author's Note

FINALLY FINISHED THEEEESE, as you noticed, you got two of them because I'm taking forever to write them.

As you can notice, a face joined the character tag! Yay

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these two chapters because you are going to wait a good while for the next one as I'm probably taking a break from writing for a bit, it has taken a HUGE toll on my creative juices, and I just need to stop for a bit. I was going to release one a day later but fuck that, you can have both now.

I WILL, however, release a blog post with some cut-out content from previous chapters that might be nice if you care for them.

Anyway, I'll get back to writing after Christmas, but I'll stick around if you guys have anything to say as well as to finally catch up on my reading.

Hope you enjoyed!

A Hop, A Skip, And a Dash

“Alright, Pat, draw your last pathetic card… Tee, hee, hee!”

I roll my eyes at Pinkie’s words, and draw, I look at the card, and I feel my poker face tumbling like a house of cards blown by wind... From an air blower.

“What’s the matter, Pat mah boy? Drew something you didn’t like?” she says mockingly. I groan at her competitive behavior, the show didn’t hint as Pinkie having any sort of competitive spirit, so this certainly comes as a surprise. “Come on, Lemon! Play your last pathetic card!” she says with a huge grin on her face. Begrudgingly, I do as she says, and lay down my last card… And lose. “Ha! And just like that, goes the rest of your life points! Mwahahahaha!”

“Dammit, Pinkie!” I groan. “For the last time we, are playing Blackjack!” I say, pointing to the cards on the table.

“What’s your point?” she asks, giving me the most innocent smile I’ve ever seen on her face.

“Ugh… Never mind,” arguing with Pinkie about logic is like having an argument on the internet; you just end up losing regardless of what you do.

“Okay, Trixie has had it!” a fist slams on the table, and both Pinkie and I- I mean, Pinkie, jumps scared, I only turn to the source of the noise with an annoyed glance.. Yeah.

“Oh, you scared me, Trix!” Pinkie says relieved, looking at Trixie whose left eye is now twitching… She should get that checked.

“No! Trixie has had enough! We have been doing nothing but screwing around at lunch, and you haven’t even tried to get your ‘villains’ as you call them!” she says, angrily pointing at me.

“Oh, come on Trixie! You know full well I don’t have any leads!” I explain. “Well, unless we count that one time…”

“For the last time, Derpy is just sick, there is nothing she is really hiding!” Trixie growls.

“Well, excuuuse me if I had to make sure!” I tell her, I mean, I just know Derpy is hiding something in those eyes, I just know it.

“Can y’all just please get a room already? You two are acting like a married couple,” Applejack who has been sitting next to Pinkie this whole time interrupts. “Besides, what is this ‘villain’ thing you guys are talking about?”

“None of your business!” both Trixie and I reply, at least she has that right.

“Geez, well, excuse me, Ah’ll just go back to mah lunch,” she finishes before turning her chair to her tray.

“Oh, come on you two, don’t be so such sourpusses, we’ll find something, you’ll see!” Pinkie Pie assures Trixie as much as she assures me. She has been good at doing that.

“Oh, come on! She doesn’t even have to help us! I'm not forcing her to help at all, makes me wonder why she is even going with us,” I groan Trixie gives me a glare before slamming her other fist down on the table.

“For your informatinn, all Trixie cares is to have you as her assistant, and there is no quest that you must partake that will let you get away from the deal!” she explains. Dammit, why did she push that stupid deal on me?

“Come on guys! Can you stop fighting? For good old pie?” Pinkie tells us, holding two pies in her hands.
…
Wow… That was so not funny that even Fluttershy would cringe. I turn to Trixie who is holding the same unamused look that is more than likely on my own face.

“… Oh, come on! They can’t all be winners!” Pinkie says defending her terrible joke, shoving one of the pies into her face. Well, at least I’m glad that I’m not alone on the occasionally unfunny society.

President Lemon Lime has spoken.

“Attention students, this is a reminder that you must all go to the gymnasium for today’s pep rally, again, report to the gym for the pep rally, thank you all,” says a voice from the speakers, I easily recognize it as Celestia’s..

“A pep rally, huh?” I say to myself, reminding me of my own back in my old school. Oh, yes, the cheers, the barely practiced routines, the school spirit. Aaah… “Well, I’ll be skipping this pep rally, have fun gals!” I say to the girls, turning around and heading towards the exit… Or at least I WOULD if my arm wasn’t being held by a hyperactive teenage girl with pink skin.

“You can’t do that!” Pinkie says, pulling me back to the table.

“Trixie must say she agrees with green boy. It‘s just a handful of students showing off and pretending they are better than anybody else! Disgusting,” Trixie gets it… While missing the irony from her statement, but let‘s not focus on that.

“Come on, you two have to go! Where is your school spirit!” Pinkie says excitedly, doing a cartwheel that somehow allows her to keep her skirt upright.

I shrug. “I probably dropped it somewhere outside the school, let me go fin- Ouch!” I look at my arm where Pinkie just pinched me… It was worth a try.

“Please?” she begs, ignoring my obvious pain “It’ll be fun! We’ll be happy, and loud, and we’ll see Dashie’s performance a-”

“Did you say Dash?” I interrupt Pinkie, holding her shoulders and forcing her attention on me.

“Nope! I said Dashie!” she says. I let go and facepalm.

“Whatever. Rainbow Dash will be there, right?” she nods in confirmation and I feel my inner fan boy come out, I've been meaning to at least find her in this world, but I hadn’t had the time… Nor the energy… Nor the drive. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” I say, marching straight for the door.

“Well, you are not leaving without Trixie, she is coming too!” the third wheel groans, walking right behind us… Dammit, why can’t she leave me alone for five minutes?

~~~~~

Ten minutes later, Trixie, Pinkie, Applejack -who had decided to stay silent during the whole thing- and I, are already sitting on the bleachers at the gym, the divider between the second and first gyms has been opened to allow more room and give the whole school a better view... This school has everything.

“There you are!” I pick up a familiar snobbish tone and turn to my left to find Rarity and Fluttershy making their way through the seats. “Hello there, Lemon, been a while, I must say,” she greets me, smiling with that white face of hers… I don’t think I’ll be able to get over that.

“O-oh, hey, Rarity, indeed it has!” I greet back, I look behind her and wave to that one lady with the yellow skin and the borderline annoying shy behavior. “Hey Fluttershy,” she avoids my gaze and continues on to sit on the far end of the seats… Guess she is still a bit sore over what I said to Trixie, huh?

“Hey there, y’all, ready for Rainbow’s routine?” Applejack begins, conversing with the other two girls. I must say, it's rather interesting to be sitting with the majority of the elements plus Trixie… Never thought it would be possible in my lifetime.

I look at the court where I see Celestia talking with the staff of teachers, and occasionally, pretending to fix the audio with Vinyl Scratch who is messing with the different controls, I look to the sidelines where I see the cheerleaders, recognizing the familiar faces of Aloe and Lotus. I can easily play “find the human pony” for a good while here.

“So, Pat? You excited yet?” asks me Pinkie who is sitting uncomfortably close to me.

“Yeah, sure,” I say lazily, wondering why I didn't just ditch them when Celestia walks to the center of the court with a mic in hand.

“Good afternoon to you all, and welcome to the Autumn pep rally, as every year, we’ll hav-” blah, blah, blah, other stuff. Get to the point, woman. “And now, without further ado, we move on to the annual appreciation of our students and to showcase what they can do.”

Ugh, this is gonna be boring.

The next hour is spend having a few students going to the middle of the place, talent show style, I finally get a glance of human Octavia who plays a magnificently beautiful melody on her whatever-is-called, as well as the cheerleaders who do a terrible dance to an equally terrible song… Just like any high school, alright. The rest of the performances are rather dull and I end up not remembering much of them as Celestia finally takes the floor again.

“And now, for our final number before the second part of our rally, the captain of the soccer, basketball, volleyball, and track teams, will now perform for us!” Celestia says, and I’m sorry, I had to clean my ears, but did she just say this person was captain of four different teams? “And here she is; Rainbow Dash!”

Okay, now I'm not so surprised.

I look at the court and see a bunch of kids coming out of the opposite doors, mixed in both male and female, I had heard that the teams were always mixed, but it’s sweet to see them for real. Lastly, I see the rainbow colored hair that I expected to see; she is wearing a blue jersey and a pair of blue shorts, she enters with a soccer ball in hand and walks towards the middle of the court, slowly putting the ball on the floor.

And then, silence.

“Um, Pinkie? What is she gonna d-” before I can finish, multiple pairs of hands pinch me, lightly slap me, and close my mouth… I feel violated…

Dash takes a deep breath and slips her foot under the ball, easily lifting it into the air, and without a second thought, begins juggling it. At first, the ball is being juggled here and there, but it doesn’t take too long for it to fall into a rhythm.

What is she attempting?

She turns around and faces the closest wall to her, she knees the ball harder, making it fly high -which is easy thanks to the huge ceiling of the place- and slowly, it falls. I feel myself following it, allured by the way it spins, and then… Rainbow kicks it with extreme force, the oddest thing of all, is when I hear the note of an acoustic guitar as she does.

“What the…” I lowly mouth, looking for the source, and finding none other than Flash 'I'm a jerk' Sentry sitting with said instrument, a microphone close by.

I don’t have time to focus on him though, as the ball returns and Rainbow juggles it once more, more notes being played by Flash as she does, I notice two other players approaching her, carrying two balls of their own and then, they toss them high in the air.

“No. Fucking. Way!” I say, I manage to see Pinkie holding my arm roughly as she stares at Dash, sweat falling down her brow, the other girls doing something similar with each other.

Then, the balls land by Dash and before I can fully comprehend what's happening, she smashes each, one after the other, just as Flash begins playing more complicated notes, I can’t help but stare with an open jaw as Dash kicks the balls to the wall, bouncing between them like a ballerina on ice skates, twisting her body in odd ways, never missing a beat, kicking the balls with different force, provoking a sets of rhythmic sounds that accompany Flash’s playing flawlessly.

“Get yourself, ready for thiis!” Flash begins, singing a rather familiar tune, Rainbow’s kicks never letting up.
“Wondercolts, taking over!
Giving our best, is our one task!
But only a way, we can do it~”

As he finishes the part of the song, Rainbow Dash opens her mouth. Oh, no way.

“Keep an, eye on the target,
It’s the path to succeed,
Rising, up to the challenges on our paaaths!
And all of, us Wondercolts,
Can beat the ones on the road
If we focus and keep o-ur eeeeeeeyes…~” As the part reaches that point, the soccer balls fly high into the air, landing into a straight line in front of Dash.

“On the taarget!~” Rainbow finishes, breathing with difficulty after the words leave her mouth, her chest rising and lowering heavily, looking at us, the audience, who all remain silent.

Not for long.

“Whooho! Go Rainbow Dash!” I shout loudly, the other girls look at me, breaking out of their stupor and joining me, soon after, the whole gym is bursting with shouts of excitement, and cheers. And I just, it was, oh god, well, I guess as Dash always says.

“That. Was. AWESOME!” I say the now familiar words, I turn to Trixie just to see her with the same stupid looking grin as the rest, she instantly composes herself and sits back down. D’aww, she looked kind of cute. “Ouch!” I say as she pinches me, what’s with people and pain inducing... Towards me?

“Wipe that grin off your mug, greenie!” she growls with arms crossed.

I turn right to see the girls rushing down the bleachers, I follow them but I stop as I see them give Dash a group hug, and I can’t help but stare at the warming scene… Which grows cold in like five seconds, but I don’t wanna ruin it for them.

“What are you waiting for? An invitation?” Trixie snarks, approaching me from the side.

“Nah… Just don’t want to ruin it,” I look around and see some people still on their seats. “By the way, why the hell is everyone else still here? Shouldn’t they be getting ready to go home?” Trixie looks at me, her eyes visibly questioning my questioning.

“There is a second part, the Principal said just as such… Wait, so have you not taken part on this kind of event before?” she asks me as if it were an obvious thing.

“If I said no would I sound less stupid?”

“Not at all,” shit.

“What is the second part all about anyway?” I ask her.

“If you must know, the superintendent will talk to the students about plans the school may have for the rest of the year,” she explains, and I guess that makes it easier to relay everything, but it’s still a pretty shitty thing.

“Ugh, that sounds annoying,” I say to her honestly..

“Indeed… Which is why Trixie isn’t staying,” I turn an amused glance towards her.

“You are skipping?” she nods.

“You may come if you truly wish it,” she suggests with a shrug.

“Tempting… But what about Pinkie?” .

“All you said was that you wanted to see that soccer diva, she’ll know. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?” … It was her who said it, not me!

“Well…“ I look at Pinkie who is happily jumping around, riding balloons, and popping out of illogically impossible to enter areas and I smile as I turn around, she should be fine without me. “Right, well… I guess it couldn’t hurt. Let’s go!” at that moment I decide to give the group one last look and I notice Pinkie staring at me, and for some reason, I find that the best action is to run outside the gym. Why am I… No time to think, keep running!

“What are y-” Trixie tries to complain, but I don’t allow her as we make our way to the double doors down the hall - and three hundred and seventy five steps from the weights room as stated by a sheet of paper on the wall- where we find ourselves outside where the soccer field is… I seem to end up here more often than not.

“Come on!” I don’t wait for a response as I lead us behind the familiar bleachers, sitting down behind them to take a breather… I seriously need to exercise more.

“Let. GO!” Trixie shrieks, taking her hand away from my sweaty palm, I hadn’t realized I had taken hold of her like that.

“Sorry, Trixie,” I lay down on the grass on the floor and breath easy, that was far easier than expected. “A successful escape, but…” I look around confused. “I don’t see any other skipping students.”

“That’s because everyone in this school is a goody-two shoes,” I can’t help but chuckle, didn't think Trixie was one for jokes.

A chill runs down my spine as I feel a cold draft hit me square in the face. “Brr.. October already, huh?” I say without even realizing it, and I unwillingly start to think of my time here… Four months now, one third of the year, around one twentieth of my total life spam so far… Not that it matters seeing how I’m like five years younger here.

Four months away from home... No, no! No sadness. Only indifference.

“Indeed… Winter is coming,” Trixie says in an off moment, I try not to snort and let the show-off have it. “So, what are we supposed to do here?” she asks, sitting down on her knees, as to get herself more comfortable.

“We can talk,” I suggest.

“That would imply Trixie, saying words, directed at you,” she shoots, taking out a book from her backpack. “I’ll just stick to my original plan,“ Well, fuck you too.

“Fine, you don't have to pull your hare out” I reply simply, making her snort.

“Really? Your response is a terrible pun?”

“Back off! I have more where that came from!” she rolls her eyes at my empty threat and returns to her book, leaving us in the silence of the field... Well, outside the occasional blaring sound of honks from cars passing by, and a few birds landing close by, but outside that it's very quiet.

“You know, I should be hating this spot…” I blurt out, instantly covering my mouth, Trixie gives me an intrigued look, putting her book down.

“Come now, do you think you can simply hide your secrets from the Magnificent, and Powerful, Trrrrixie?” there she goes again with the title change.

“Um, yes,” I simply respond, earning a frown in return. “But I will tell you that it has to do with a certain ‘Formal Princess’ and leave it at that,” I say, ending the conversation and returning my head to the comfortable spot on the ground.

I’m a bit concerned when I don’t get a response from her, but since me not raising my head to check isn‘t really getting me any results, I raise my head and see Trixie with a broken branch in her hands, her face showing a hint of red that I’m going to place twenty bucks that isn’t one of embarrassment.

“Um, Trixie? You okay?” I tentatively ask.

“That WHORE!” LANGUAGE, LADY!

“Woah, calm down! What about her?” I say, calming her down a bit, she takes deep breaths in an attempt to get out of bitchy mode, and after a few seconds, she seems much more stable. “I apologize, it’s just that Trixie does not really fancy Sunset Shimmer much.”

“You don’t say?” I prepare myself for an onslaught at my sarcastic remark, but it never comes, I open my eyes and see Trixie sigh wistfully.

“She was the first to make fun of Trixie’s attempts at magic…” she tells me with another very long sigh following it.

“Well, I made fun of it too…” I say, glancing sideways.

“Yes, but at least you apologized for it… In fact, you are the only one who has ever done that,” awwwww, she is having feelings again. “Not that it really matters in the long run with you becoming Trixie’s assistant in the future as extra payment,” woooow, way to kill it, Trixie.

The following seconds become excruciating as the conversation just dies. Being me, I instantly jump to the rescue.

“Soooo, wasn’t Rainbow Dash just amazing back there?” I say, remembering the excitement of it all, I can’t help but wonder how other people here can probably do better than that... It sends a chill down my spine.

“Ugh!” Trixie groans and slams her book shut, giving me an annoyed look. What did I do now!?

“What? What did I say?” I ask her, VERY carefully.

“Are you simply good at targeting what annoys Trixie or are you just stalking her?” I can feel a huge question mark on my brain at the question… What the hell does that mean?

“Huh?”

She sighs and holds her temples as if in pain. “Trixie tried-out for the spot on the pep rally, and she didn’t make it in… They didn’t see the magnificence of Trixie, of course,” she explains, adding her own mix to the explanat- Ooooh…. Shit, am I good at picking topics or what?

“Sorry… That was purely coincidental…” I apologize.

“Just like you two being here, right?” says a third voice out of nowhere, I turn and see a familiar woman with fiery looking hair.

“C-coach Spitfire! How?” Trixie says, looking straight at her, and not at me. So THAT’S why she looked familiar.

“Oh, you are one of the coaches?“ I say nonchalantly and extend my hand to her. “Well, it’s a pleasure to mee-

“Principal's office. Now,” she says curtly.

“… Yes, ma’am…” what can I say? She has a way with words.

~~~~~

“.. And furthermore, do you think this is right?”

“N-no…” I respond for the fifth time as Celestia is reprimanding Trixie and I for skipping, and I can’t really be angry… But I’m going to be angry anyway.

Thud, Thud! I hear the knock of the door -which coincidentally saves Celestia from an onslaught of anger from me. You got lucky sun-butt- and I look at the glass separating the office from the hallway, and I see her… Oh god, no way; the woman seems to be in her mid-thirties, and much like Luna and Celestia, she looks odd in comparison to the teens, her skin is a vibrant gray, and her hair a combination of both green and black strands, tied in a ponytail, donning a rather good looking dark suit with tie and all.

She looks slightly different, but her eyes alone say enough, those emerald green eyes of hers.

“Trixie?” I call to her on the seat next to mine, never leaving the sight of the woman.

“What?” she responds harshly in a subdued voice.

“Who is that?”

“Really?” she says looking annoyed. “That’s the superintendent Chryssa, why?”

…

Skipping made me miss seeing her in the rally... I want to scream but the words are stuck in my throat.

...

Time seems to slow down as I watch her shaking hands with Celestia then walks away, this is the point where I get off my seat and rush to the door, but I’m promptly stopped by a pair of hands holding me back.

“Where do you think you are going?” says Luna, the owner of said hands.

“Let me go! I need to talk to the superintendent!“

“Not on my watch you are not, you are in a lot of trouble,” why. Can’t. I. Get free!? Since when was Luna this strong?

"Aaaaah let me go!"

I only watch at the outside window as Chryssa enters her car and leaves the school grounds, I feel like crying now. Why did you stop me, Luna?

…

I knew there was a reason why I thought Luna was worst Princess.

Author's Note

The title has got to be the best part of this.

Really NOT my best chapter, I will admit, as this is more of a transition/introduction/Dash introduction than anything.

Still, hope you enjoyed the back-and-forth as well as the small story development I put, I tried my best here.

Anyway, next chapter should be more fun... For me, as I've been wanting to do it for a while now.

Right. Well, until the next update!

Honesty is a Bitch

“The voice in Lemon Lime goes whine, whine whine… Whine, whine, whine… Whine, whine, whine.
The voice in Lemon Lime goes whine, whine, whine, and he won’t stop until he is hooome~”

“Son, you know that I love you to pieces, but if you don’t shut up, I will make you pieces, capiche?” mom says, nicely giving me ammunition to use for child services.

“Mom, all you have to do is turn around and get me home,” I say with a smug smile as we turn in the road, a forest of trees soon appearing in the distance.

“No can do, mister, we both know you would just spend your whole Sunday sleeping,” she says, of course, she is wrong. All I wanna do is look for Chryssa… Okay, I would probably sleep too, but that wouldn’t be the focus!

“Why can’t you just be a normal mom, like, no TV, or no videogames for a week but with internet access, perhaps… That sounds better than you making me work on a farm!” I say angrily, reminding her of the place we are heading.

I was never much of a nature person; I couldn’t even take care of my goldfish when I was a kid, and I always forgot to water my birth tree -some tree mom planted when I was born, her mom did it for her, and so she did it for me- but what did she expect? I had more important things to do when I was six.

Namely, watching TV and playing video games.

“You know, maybe I should take you up on that offer,” she says with a devilish grin… I don’t like her grins. “Maybe I should ground you until 2014 instead, that oughta teach you a lesson, right?

“What!? But that is like… A lot of time! October isn’t even over yet!” despite my concerns, she continues grinning. She knows she has won.

“Oh? Well I guess that just means you’ll just have to suck it up and work, huh? And remind me to thank your friend for the idea, by the way, some hard work is all you need to get you to be more responsible,” she stops for a bit, an idea possibly popping on her mind by that Grinch-like smile that’s plastered on her face. “You know what? Maybe I’ll do the weekly grounding too, that should teach you to sass me, boy. How does that make you feel?”

“Depends… Will I be able to use the internet?”

“Of course not!”

“Then I feel very angry and I hate you… But not really,” she responds to me by shaking her head and laughing heartily.

“Maybe this will teach you not to skip at school,” she says now giving me a serious look.

“I skipped a pep rally…” I sigh. Dammit Pinkie Pie, you traitor, why would you even suggest this?

As it turns out, mom had to go to have a parent-teacher-like conference with Celestia over the 'incident, and Pinkie was helping out at the time… Talk about bad timing.

We continue the drive without interruptions, but in just a few minutes, we make it to a house, the usual farm fare -fire hazard, no pool… No pool- and we get out to be greeted by this green lad- Oh.

Oh yeah, I had forgotten about her.

“Well, well, y’all must be the people Principal Celestia was talkin about, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, where we harvest the best apples in town,” Granny Smith says with that booming voice of hers.

Mom walks over to her and shakes hands. “I’m Lemon’s mother, and why, thank you, Mrs… I’m sorry, I was given your name, but I forgot it, how embarrassing,” yeah, mom, embarrassing. You should be ashamed.

I’m still mad, okay?

“Well, where are my manners! Don’t you worry, child, you can just call me Granny Smith! That’s what everybody calls me!” she looks to her side and sees me, she grins when she does and winks. “I see you brought my boyfriend with you!”

“Boyfriend?” mom says with a raised brow and the grin back in full motion, turning to my humiliated form. “Lemon?”

“Don‘t ask, I mean, haven’t I suffered enough?” she shrugs and turns back to Granny.

“Well, he is all yours, I’ll be back at eight tonight after work, take care of him, and please, don’t let him slack off,” she walks to my only source of freedom and starts it. “Alright Lemon, do what Granny tells you to do, and no slacking, I’ll be back later, love you!” and with a wave, she drives away.

“You got it, Lemon’s mom! Darnwomancouldn’tevengivemehername So, ready for some good old fashioned work?” she says quickly, me barely able to comprehend what she is saying.

“Um… No?”

“Well, isn’t that a shame then? You are here to work, but how ‘bout some breakfast before that?” she invites me, as my stomach growls. “I’ll take that as a yes, come on!” well, I only ate a stack of pancakes this morning… Why not?

We walk into the house, an intoxicating smell of apples hitting my nostrils in full force… It’s deliciously beautiful… Delicioutiful.

“Now, why don’t you take a seat while I get you some apple pie and milk?” Granny says as she heads into the nearby kitchen.

“Yes, ma’am!” I salute, sitting down in the table where a few other apple related items sit. At least that’s what I imagine them to be according to dozens of fan fics I’ve read and the obvious smell emanating from it. I’m sure one of those is more correct than the other.

“Here you go, some warm pie and milk to get the day started,” I thank her and grab the piece of pie. Eat your hearts out, minuscule Granny Smith fandom.

“Gosh darn it, Granny! Ah’ thought Ah’ told you to wake me up early!” says a voice coming from upstairs, getting closer as it continues. “You know full well that Ah’m supposed to… Help…” the Apple stops as she reaches the kitchen.

Yeah, I’m staring at Applejack, normally that wouldn’t be a big deal or something unexpected. I mean, Sweet Apple Acres, duh.

Except that she is shamelessly displaying the goods, at least the top goods… Not bad goods if I do say so myself.

“Ah… Ah….” she tries to speak, giving me a blushing glare, realizing this isn’t the time to speak and it’s the time to put on a shirt, she runs back upstairs without saying another word

Granny Smith who is right besides me is attempting to find something to say to make the situation less awkward… Maybe I should break the ice.

“Why, this pie is DELICIOUS, Granny Smith,” I say after a bite, but I get no reply, I’m guessing she gets flustered by praise.

You know, thinking about it, if I get to see underage nudity and eat pie at ten in the morning, I think this place will be more interesting than bad.

~~~~~

The fresh smell of trees, the sun high in the sky, releasing an uncomfortably amount of heat, the beautiful sight of trees upon trees in the distance, and the finding of several -and I do mean several- people picking apples, meets me as Granny and I make our way to the forest of trees itself, which is admittedly bigger than I expected.

“Hey, Granny Smith, who are those people?” I ask curious.

“Huh? Why, they are our workers! What? Did you expect us to work such huge fields on our own? That’s crazy!” in hindsight, that should have been obvious.

“Heya, Granny!” calls one of the guys on top of a ladder. “How ya doing, boss?”

“Just fine, Autumn Gold. I hope you aren’t messing around as always, whippersnapper!” she says in mocking anger.

“Me? Messing around?” I have no idea what you are talking about!” he harrumphs indignantly and turns back to his apple picking.

“Heh, heh. We have some good people here, but you ain’t working with any of them, you’ll be working with my grandson!” I nearly squee out loud at that. “Come, he should be in the barn feeding the horses.”

Ah hah… Horse.

“Hey, Granny!” I freeze as Applejack comes right up behind us, now completely dressed.

“What’s the matter, child?” Granny says turning to meet her.

“Ah’ was wondering if you had something for me to do, maybe I can take care of Lemon for ya!” she says excitedly.

“Naah, that’s alright, Jack, why don’t you go hang out with your friends? I’ll get Mac to take care of him, go have fun,” Granny replies. Applejack grimaces at the response, but doesn’t say anything against it.

“Um… Alright, Ah’ll do just that…” she looks at me for a second, a look of resent, maybe? It happens so fast that the next thing I notice is her disappearing in the trees.

“Come now, time is a-wasting!” Granny says, resuming our trip.

I follow her for a while more, it doesn’t take long until we arrive at the barn, making our way in without delay, and it doesn’t take long to find Big Mac, if any time at all… His shirtless figure is pushing hay right in front of us, after all.

I turn to Granny Smith with some fear. “Um… I’m not gonna see you shirtless too, am I?”

“Heh, keep dreaming, boy!” she grabs me by my shoulder and takes me to him. “Although I would keep that event under wraps, wouldn’t want to upset him,” she warns, and judging how he is a head taller than I am, that’s the last thing I want.

“Hey, Mac, you wouldn’t mind some help, would you?” she says, pushing me towards him. “Give him something to make him sweat like a pig in a summer afternoon! Hee, hee,”

“Eeyup!” he replies in the way I expect him. Granny turns to walk towards the door, waving us both goodbye and leaving us alone.

“So… I think we are in the same class, huh? Big Mac?” I say, attempting to start a conversation, trying my best to avoid contact with those abs… He could grate cheese with those things.

“Eeyup,” he replies, handing me the pitchfork he had in his hands and moving to sit down on a chair nearby.

“You… Don’t talk much, do you?” I ask as he grabs a towel and dries his sweat, putting on a shirt that sits besides him.

“Nope.”

“You must be fun at parties.”

The next two hours are spend doing a roundabout of tasks, from feeding the few animals, to painting a wall, to help in raising a barn -I was heavily disappointed that Big Mac didn’t even attempt to start a song to make it go faster, the jerk- and finishing up with some plumbing in the house’s bathroom.

“Let’s see… Is this person… White?” I ask.

“Eeyup!” Mac replies.

“Um… Is it Rarity?”

“… Eeyup…” I fist pump. He may not be the best conversationalist, but he sure is easy to play twenty question with as we work… Well, ‘work’ is an overstatement.

“You know, for this being a farm job, I’m certainly not doing much of it,” I say not wheezing, because I haven’t been doing much to deserve such obvious sign of tired.

“Eeyup!” I SWEAR IF YOU SAY THAT ONE MORE GOD DAMN TIME I WILL politely keep it to myself because I’m too afraid of you.

“Mac!” a voice booms just from the door, causing Big Mac to jump surprised at the sudden call, making him hit himself in the bowl.

*Growl* he ‘says’. But is that all he is got?

Applejack appears on the doorway, eating an apple and looking at Big Mac nursing his newly acquired bump.

“Granny wants ya, apparently Autumn was messing around with a deer and the dumb fellow got himself bitten pretty badly, Granny wants ya to drive him to the ER, would you?” AJ informs Mac, who seems a bit conflicted as he looks from me to AJ, before leaving the room.

“What was that all about?” I ask AJ.

“Don’t you worry about it, just come with me,” she demands, leaving the restroom afterwards. I put the box of tools I’m holding down and follow.

“So, where are we going? You aren't mad at me for looking at you naked, right? Come on! It's not things that I hadn't seen before! I wasn't even attracted to the- I'm making this worse, aren't I?” she turns around with a glare, her left eye twitching.

Yep, I'm making it worse.

"Shut it!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

“Good. Now, Ah’ have a job just for you, buddy,” she says with a harsh tone, choosing not to anger Ms. Cowgirl Mc. Stereotype, I follow her.

For twenty minutes.

Up a damn hill.

Even my thoughts are wheezing in objection.

We finally arrive at what doesn’t appear to be, but IS a tree, bigger than any of the other trees planted, the apples easily hanging from it, these are probably the most delicious in the farm, but that’s as much of a guess as I care to give.

“Um… So, what are we d-”

“Punch this tree.”

“Pardon?” I say at Applejack’s request.

“Ah’ said. Punch this tree, did Ah’ stutter?”

“No, but…” a number of reasons behind the request pop into my mind, and after discarding the most ridiculous ones, I ask. “Are you okay? You know? In the head?”

“About as good as any other teenage girl is,” she responds, uninterested.

“That isn’t too comforting…”

“Just do it!” she growls.

I gulp, looking at the tree, its strong trunk nearly mocking me, it might just be. I raise my arm and taking a huge gulp of breath, I punch.

And as expected, I hear my bones pop as my fist makes contact with the tree, sending a chill down my bones and a concentrated amount of pain in my hand, the redness quite noticeable and skin looking torn in spots, I turn to Applejack with teary eyes while she shakes her head.

You know, this kind of thing wouldn’t have happened if I had hooves instead of hands.

“That’s what Ah’ thought,” she says, walking away from me. “What are y’all doing? We are leaving!” feeling emasculated and slightly terrified, I follow her.

The next six hours are somewhat of a pain in the ass as she makes me work in different farm tasks; from apple picking, fence fixing, and pest control… Mostly deer, there are a lot of those.

“Alright, you did an okay job, Ah’ think you deserve a break,” at her words, I plummet into the ground, breathing heavily, my body aching all over, I take out my phone and see the time; six thirty. It‘s almost over. “Come now, that was nothing! You should see what the others do ‘round here.”

“Well excuse me for not being physically fit for a job like this! I didn’t ask to be here!” I shout, thankfully, we are far off in the trees, so no one can hear us.

“Maybe you should try picking up some weights then,“ she jumps to me, looming over me on the floor, her face getting closer to my own, she hasn’t noticed, but she is spitting at me. “Maybe when you do, you’ll stop being such a pansy!”

That’s it!

“Oh, look Ah’m Appuljack and Ah’m a huge BITCH!” I mimic her, she turns to face me with a glare, I obviously struck a nerve.

“Well, ain’t you a mature one?” she says with a dignified tone.

By which I respond with a raspberry.

“What in tarnation is your problem!?” she shouts at me, now very furious.

I shoot her a glare of my own, anger over the work, this stupid attitude of hers, but more importantly, the event hours ago, the pain in my hand having caused me enough problems during the work. “Me!? What the hell is YOUR problem, AJ?”

“What do you mean?” she asks.

“Are you serious!? Well, you are being a… Jerk! I mean, you even made me punch a fucking tree!” I hiss, whatever ‘cool’ I had now completely gone.

“Y’all really wanna know why?” I nod slowly as confirmation. “Well, follow me.”

Confused, I do as she says, of course, I do so slowly as I can barely hold my own after all the work… This world apparently hasn’t heard of child labor laws.

After an unspecified amount of time -I just don’t care anymore- I reach the tree, Applejack is already there by it, eating an apple, the sight of the sunset right behind her, giving off a nice shadow effect which would totally look good in an episode.

God, I miss the show.

“So? What do you want to say?” I ask, staring at the tree.

Applejack nods and tosses the apple core aside, she raises her hand, and with a swift movement, punches the tree.

“What the hell are you…?“ I hear the sound of crunching wood as her fist leaves the tree, her fist now marked on its side, a few splinters falling off her knuckles, which weren’t even affected by the strength of the punch, to my amazement.

Which I didn’t show, because she fucking sucks. She looks at me for a few seconds until I realize; she is waiting for me to say something.

Oh, I got something to say alright.

“Okay, I notice that you punched the tree like the complete psycho bitch you are, of course, I’m thinking that you have a reason to have done so, so the question is here… What the fuck is your point?” she frowns at my attitude, but she knows I must be right with my question.

She sighs and plummets down with her back on the tree.

“I’m much stronger than Ah’ look, and that Ah’ have far more stamina than most. That’s my point,“ I try to open my mouth to reply, but no intelligent thought reaches my brain.

“And you couldn’t have just shown me this on your own because…?“ I ask impatiently.

“Ah’ was angry, alright?”

“That was pretty obvious, but about what?”

“Well… To be perfectly honest, this was the first real farm work Ah’ve actually done,” I try to process what she has said and just end up confused.

“What!? How!? Who!?” she chuckles as she hides her head on her knees.

“Ah'm good at getting things, at least when it comes to physical activities... Never was much of a book learner and all..." she looks at me for a couple of seconds before talking again. "So... Did Ah', you know?”

“Did you what, AJ?”

“Did Ah’ look natural doing it?” she asks, raising her head, looking hopeful. Whatever anger I happened to feel now gone.

Confound these human ponies, they drive me to actually care.

“Well… Yeah, I thought you actually knew what you were doing,” she gives me a playful glare.

“Couldn’t you have said that without the added stuff?” AJ says with a stifled laugh.

“What can I say? I can be a dick,” I say playfully, the atmosphere feeling much more subdued now that we are both calm. “But, can I ask you a question?”

“Why Ah’m not working in the farm?” AJ asks for me, I nod and she returns to her gloomy look. “Well, Granny Smith just wants me to focus in school, she won‘t let me do any sort of work here, and Ah‘ve tried to just do as she says and just hang out with mah friends, and Ah‘ do so a lot! And I love them to bits, but the thing is… Ah’ love working on the farm! Ah’ wouldn’t mind doing this, you know? For the rest of mah life, even!” she turns to the sun, now low in the distance, her orange skin fitting well with the twilight.

Of course, what she says seems to be missing something.

“Have you tried talking to her about it?” she looks at me as if I were insane.

“Are ya kidding me? She would never listen!” I feel like face palming, but I can’t really blame her, some kids tend to not think.

“Are you serious? She is a nice woman! Of course she will! Maybe she even had her reasons!” she looks at me as if she had just been betrayed.

“Are y’all saying she is actually right? Ah’ can’t believe this!” oh boy.

“AJ, all that I’m saying is that you two should talk, you know, be honest, you can do that, right? In fact, I can be there when you do it,” Ring! Huh?

“Well… Ah’ guess Ah’ could give it a try,” she says with some concern, she seems to be thinking it over more as the seconds pass, possibly finding my rather simple idea a masterful plan. “Thanks, Ah’ can see why Pinkie likes you… It couldn't be your sparkling personality for su- What are you doing?” she asks as I’m looking around.

“You… Didn’t hear that?” I wonder, still looking.

“No... But maybe it was Big Mac, or even Granny looking for us, it’s about time for dinner, after all..." her stomach growls at the mention of the food. "So, ready to go?” she asks, getting on her feet.

"Sure," I plummet down the hill, rolling down the grass which prickles my skin constantly as I increase speed, making me wonder why the hell I didn't think this through, all while I hear AJ's laughing in full volume, following behind me, and stopping once I stop.

"What was that?" she asks me, still laughing.

"I've rolled over and can't get up, carry me?" I joke in my sweetest voic- She is picking me up. “What are you doing?” I ask in monotone.

“Taking you to mah house, but since you are tired, Ah’m gonna carry you, besides, you are probably hungry,” she finishes, already starting to walk.

"I was joking," I sigh.

"Tough break, ain't it?" she shoots back with a snicker.

We walk for a few minutes in silence before AJ breaks it with a question.

“By the way, Lemon?”

“Um?”

“You did a really good job today, sugarcube, well done,” she compliments. Aww, why that's just sw- Wait a minute.

"Back up a second... Did you just call me sugarcube?" I feel her tense up at my question.

"Um... No!" she denies it instantly.

She totally did.

I'm so posting about this online.

Author's Note

... A LIFETIME LATER

But hey, I posted a chapter! Unfortunately, I'm not done with the last one, so this is here to hold you over., hopefully!

I hope you enjoyed, and I hope I didn't ruin AJ for you all. :fluttercry:

Other two chapters coming next weekend! I hope I don't shoot myself in the foot!

Also, check comments for a little surprise.

Scary Gift Candy Night

“…And after signing the Declaration of Liberation, our founding fathers added a new government to aid their frustrations.”

I yawn with the boredom that is expected from the average Joint States History class that I’ve grown to despise, ignoring the teacher has become a thing, since when I look at the notes on my notebook I see them as only a bunch of lines, nothing comprehensible… Why is talking in confusing rhymes permitted? This kind of stuff should be omitted.

… That rhyming was totally coincidental, something completely accidental...

Gah!

“Big Mac is your cue, a question just for you.” I raise my head at the mention of the name, and I look to my neighboring seat, seeing the guy with the reddish skin and the orange hair and the one who I met like a week ago, but that doesn't matter right now.

“Eeyup?” he replies, making me cringe. Damn, I hate that word now.

“I will give you an applause, if you tell me who one of our founding parents was,” 'hi, I like to speak in rhymes, and using too many syllables to do it is one of my crimes'. but to be fair, that must be difficult to do.

I'm getting off-topic.

All that matters is that he will finally talk, he’ll say something outside that annoying ‘eeyup/eenope’ combo of his.

Mac. Will. TALK.

“Eeey-”

“Good afternoon, students,” screw you, Luna. “This is just a reminder for you all to be careful, as we all know, tonight is that one special night of the year where many of you… Okay, not most of you. But some of you go out and get candy. *yawn* If you do, however, be wary of strangers, and most importantly, remember that it’s a school night. Don’t stay up too late. Thank you, and have a fun *yaaaaaawn* night.”

Luna's tired voice cuts off and the teacher sighs before turning to Big Mac once more .“Now to get back to business, as it‘s just a matter of minutes, can you answer my question, before the end of our session?” thank you, persistent teacher!

“Eeey-”

RIIIIIIIIIING!

OH, COME ON!

We all get our stuff ready and prepare to exit the class, as the final bell tells us to get the hell out at las- The building!… And while that’s not really the case, I always feel that I should be kicked out when it rings.

As I exit, I watch Big Mac walk away, his repertoire of words uninterrupted, and without a care in the world… “I’ll get you to talk one day… Just you wait and see, you punk…” I look to my side and see an eyebrow raised Fluttershy.

“Um…” she mumbles and stops her questioning look as she realizes that I’m now staring at her. “I’m sorry…” she apologizes. I can’t help but chuckle.

“What? You are gonna talk to me now? What happened to you ignoring me?” she flinches as I direct my words at her, but she doesn’t seem to respond. “So?” I await, and I see her lips tremble.

“Are you, um… Interested in, um… Big Mac…?” she asks, or at least I think so, she is being her annoyingly shy self once again.

“Well… I guess you could say that?” I reply, I guess a guy talking to the leaving figure of someone else must be interested in them in one way or another.

She gasps, her face turning a light red, she slowly backs away, and runs toward the opposite end of the hall, crashing into some random guy, then apologizing and running off again… That was weird.

Maybe she does have a crush on Big Mac and wants me to help her? Who knows? And honestly, who cares? It's time to go home.

I exit through the front double doors and find my eyes being covered by a pair of hands, but I’m not this surprised when this is a recurring thing.

“Pinkie Pie, I know it’s you,” I say with a sigh, I feel the hands dropping and the culprit turning around and facing me, I find myself surprised when it's Trixie and not Pinkie in front. Pinkie pops out of the stairs nearby and fist-pumps.

“Yay! Finally! I win this one! Pinkie one! Pat, fifty-eight!” she cheers happily, not noticing the fact that she has one fifty-eighth of the total number. The devil is in the details.

“Uh huh… So you helped her with this, Trixie?” I say with a smirk, she shrugs and gives me a smirk of her own.

“Trixie just wanted to see you lose, nothing you should be surprised about,” I should have figured that.

“Right, so, straight to business… What have you two found out?” I ask the pair, they look at each other and shrug. “What!? But how is that possible!?” I say as we walk down the steps and go towards the bus stop.

“Oh, wait, I DID find something!” Pinkie says enthusiastically. “No, wait, that was for my new cake recipe… Never mind!~” Pinkie says mockingly as she pounds the top of her head. How funny, I forgot to LAUGH.

“And Trixie has found nothing while practicing her magic,” she says while pulling her hat out from her backpack.

“Wow, Trixie, be careful, you might break a nail,” I let the venom in my words drip, Trixie grabs her hat and pops it open obnoxiously close to my face, donning it once more as we stop by the buses.

“Well, EXCUSE Trixie for having a very important hob- I mean, job! Besides, didn’t you look up anything yourself?” she gets all indignant on me and I almost let my rage smack her upside the head, but I remain from doing so, I don’t think cops would take kindly to the abuse.

“Trixie… I. Was. Grounded! Unlike you! No computer access at all, even my phone was taken till today! That’s why I asked you! And to remind you, this all happened thanks to you!”

“What!? First of all, Gran Gran sees Trixie’s grades -which are advanced placements grades, by the way- as a more important factor than a silly pep rally, that’s why she wasn’t grounded. And second, Trixie invited you, but she didn’t force you! Besides, she is still trying to figure out how coach Spitfire even got us! Trixie had never been found in that spot before…”

“Guys!” Trixie and I jump, as Pinkie glares at us, her mouth hanging open after her shout. “There is no need to fight! Come on! Let’s just forget that incident, what‘s the point thinking of the past when the present is happening… Ooh, now it‘s the past! And now it‘s the past again! And again! And a-…!” I want to say otherwise, but I have to agree… Pinkie has a point. Thankfully, Trixie seems to agree as well as she no longer has a single retort to give.

“Right.. Ahem! Well, um... You guys ready for tonight? Caaandy!” I say as a way to get on a less stressing topic… It doesn't feel like it's working with those looks they are giving me.

“Pat… We aren’t kids,” Trixie says with a dignified nod.

“Y-yeah… It’s for kids, yeah…” Pinkie says reluctantly… Oh, Pinkie.

“Pinkie Pie, do you wanna go… Um,” I stop. Is it Halloween? Or is it Nightmare Night? I can’t fuck it up… “Um, you wanna go get free candy while wearing costumes?” nailed it.

Pinkie looks shocked for a second before lowly mouthing words. “N-no! Rainbow Dash said it was lame, so, yeah, n-no, I don‘t!” she says defensively. “I’m not being defensive!” she retorts before I can say anything, she has the face of a junkie who has been off the drugs for a while. Kinda sad how others opinions affect the teenage mind like that.

“You know… I’m going to go get candy…” I say nonchalantly, slightly poking the ground with my foot. “It’ll be fuuun~” I add, and she seems to be holding herself back, breathing erratically at my words.

“B-but I’m already sixteen! I can’t be doing that, P-P-Pat…” she manages with some effort, it’s funny to see Pinkie say something like that.

You won't last, peer pressure works both ways, sister.

“Pink woman, just give in, he is offering you candy… If you want, Trixie will go as well… It will be a chance for her to show off her special outfit,” I look at Trixie after she finishes her sentence and leave my mouth hanging open. Who are you, and what have you done with Trixie?

“Guh…" she begins moaning, her whole body vibrating in a very erratic way, sorta like what static looks like on a TV.

I realize what's happening and take a couple steps back. "Trixie, you might want to step back a bit."

She looks at me as if I'm going crazy, shaking her head. "What are yo-"

"YEEEEES!” Pinkie shouts at full volume, jumping high into the air, then suddenly appearing behind me. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I thought I wouldn’t be able to go anymore! No one else wanted to go… But why do you want to go? You are even older than me!” Pinkie points out in one of her rather astute moments of hers.

"Well, I-"

"Oh, who cares! Candy is always a good reason to trick-or-treat!" Pinkie interrupts before I can put a word in. “Ooh! I can’t wait! And I already have the costume in mind! Okay, meet me at my place at seven! Ooh! This is gonna be fun!” before I have time to notice what’s happened, she rushes away, leaving a trail of smoke and a ghost of her behind that reflects her overly happy smile.

“Um…” Trixie begins. “She didn’t even tell us where her house i-” a ring from her pocket and a buzzing from my own stops her on her tracks, I take out my phone and see directions, signed off by ‘meet me here’ and a smiley face at the end, I look at Trixie who shakes her head in confusion at what I’m assuming to be the same message as mine.

“Well… I guess we have plans, huh?” I tell Trixie, holding out my phone, she only looks from her phone to Pinkie’s form in the distance.

“Trixie is wondering how she managed to learn her cell phone number,” she says confused.

“Oh, Trixie, don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” I say waving her goodbye and heading for my bus.

~~~~~

Lights.

Just about everywhere, passing like a flash as my ride continues, the different Nightmare night decorations strewn around the buildings -shoutout to internet search for telling me the name of the holiday- It’s interesting to see how much… Not different they are to my usual world’s arrangement… Wait, I meant to say ‘boring’ not ‘interesting’.

“So… Trick-or-treating?” dad says from the driver‘s seat, I expected this topic at some point.

“Yes, dad. Trick-or-treating, is there… A problem?” I reply in mock understanding, dad sighs as he pulls a stop and runs his hand through his hair in exasperation.

“It’s just that… Well, don’t take it too personally, but… Don’t you think you might be a… Little too old for this?” there it is.

“Look, dad? Pinkie, and I are just going t-”

“Pinkie? Oh, so you are going out with your girlfriend, huh?” he looks at me with a smirk and nods, he ruffles my hair and focuses on the road as the traffic lights turn green again

“Dad, for the last time, she is not my girlfriend!” it feels like we’ve had this conversation countless times before. Possibly because we have. “Besides, it’s not only us, it’s Trixie as well!” the GPS lights up as we reach our destination, the sign ‘Sugarcube Corner’ plastered on the outside window.

“Oh… Trixie, huh? That’s a new name.“

“Um, yeah? I guess?“ I say with a bad taste in my mouth.

“I like that name, sounds exotic… Reminds me of my school day-“

“Dad, I don’t want to know about your school days, please?“ he stops, bursting into laughter at my request, but nodding in acknowledgement.

“Well, well, looks like my little man is becoming a man, huh? Building his own harem of sorts?” WHAT!?

“Dad! Come on!” I growl as he lets the engine running and grins some more. “Seriously, it’s not like that!” he returns his hands to the wheel as I exit the car and slam the door shut, I turn and see the window rolling down and he sticks out his head so I can listen to more of his teasing words.

“Just call when you want to be picked up, just don’t be out too late… And don’t worry, son, I won’t tell your mom,” and with a final wink, he pulls out into the road and leaves.

…

“I’M NOT DOING ANYTHING LIKE THAT! ARRGH!”

“Anything like what?”

“Jesus!” I turn around at the voice, finding a fully coated Trixie, giving me the eye, and yeah, I mean that eye. “How much did you hear?”

“Pretty much all of it,” she says simply. Oh God.

“It’s not… What you think…” I try to explain.

“What do you think Trixie is thinking?” she asks with a shit-giving grin… That shit-giving grin… She is giving me the whole repertoire, dammit.

“Look, all that matters is that I’m here, and that my dad is a class A pervert, so can we just leave it at that and meet Pinkie?” her gaze doesn’t tell me much, but I can already feel her next insult coming to complete the train wreck. “Look, I don’t see girls that way, okay?”

“Huh?” she says, looking off-put. “Wow, um, guess you don‘t then…” she turns to the side, avoiding my gaze. “Um, could she have been right?” she whispers on her own.

“Who could have been right?” she yelps at my question and waves her hand.

“Never mind, let us go then,” she walks away from me, a conflicted look on her face… The hell was that?

Well, whatever.

I follow right behind her, approaching ‘Sugarcube Corner’ I feel a bit overwhelmed over the place actually existing, but not too surprised. Nothing can surprise me to that extent in this place.

“Sugarcube Corner, huh?” Trixie says, reading the name on the window. “Trixie has never heard of this place.”

“Funny, I’ve never heard of YOUR FACE!” I reply with a growl.

“What’s your problem?” she asks defensively. Whoops, fanboyism might have gone a bit higher than I expected it to.

“Sorry, just… Feeling a bit sore about earlier,” I say, the grin returning to her face. Heaven forbid she doesn’t grin.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!” says a recognizable voice whose figure I quickly catch. Mrs Cake, eeyup, definitively her by the looks of her blue skin, pudgy self, and pinkish hair. She is very much like I imagined her to be, and to be honest, so does the place; a couple of cushioned seats by the side, some tables here and there, a small bar with a window with a few of the products they sell. The usual bakery fare.

“How may I help you?” she says, giving us that smile that only a saleswoman like her would.

“Um, actually, we are here looking for Pinkie Pie, I think she works here, right?” my question asked, she gives me a more genuine smile, reaching out from the counter and running to us.

“Oh, you must be Lemon and Trixie! Yes, glad to meet you both! I‘ve heard about you!” we nod and she shakes both of our hands before taking us to a table. “Don’t worry, Pinkie is just getting ready, she’ll be out in a few minutes,” she runs back to her counter and goes to the back, leaving the store unattended… Not that it matters, seeing how empty it is right now.

“So… Where is your costume?” I ask Trixie while we pass the time.

“Why, here, of course!” she gets on her feet and unzips her jacket, letting it fall back, giving me a full view of her outfit.

And BOY, what an outfit.

“You like?” I manage to hear through my baffled thoughts.

It has the look of an RPG videogame battle armor, dark, and full of pointless add-ons like rings and whatnot… For females, which basically means it shows exposed skin in all the right places, after being here for months, I can safely say that I’ve gained appreciation for this place's female bodies… And BOY, is it a body, alright.

“W-wow…” I say with all honesty. I can’t really say something bad to that outfit, you win this round, Trixie.

“Trixie thought so,” she says happily, taking out an extendable baton from her pocket… Wooh! Is it just me? Or is it hot here?

“Wow, Trixie! You look stunning!” Pinkie’s voice says out of nowhere, I turn to meet her and my face stops as it takes notice.

A pair of pony ears, a fluffy tail behind her, and a cute little snout spouting out where Pinkie’s mouth used to be, she is wearing some sporty looking clothing that looks normal, but the additions are certainly noticeable.

“P-Pinkie?” I call, she salutes me and jumps, the added tail bouncing around with her very cutely.

“So? What do you think?” she asks me, getting closer, I can see the markings of the snout in her mouth, they are nearly indistinguishable from a distance, but now that she is close, I can see them, but still…

“I… I…” I mumble. “Why are you…”

“Oh! Well, I loved the idea of magical talking ponies so much, that I couldn’t help but try out a costume from what you told me! And it’s just so… Eeeeh!” a barrage of streamers exploding right behind her. “Sorry, Mrs. Cake, I’ll clean it up!”

“It’s okay, Pinkie, you look too great for me to be mad, I'll clean it up,” Mrs. Cake calls from the counter, smiling happily at Pinkie. “Come on dear, why don’t you give me a twirl?” Pinkie spins like she says, grinning like crazy as she does so, and, well, I have had enough and…

I dash in.

I'm now hugging Pinkie.

I'm now rubbing my cheek against her cute cheeks.

I just... My goodness she is just so adorable!

“Pinkie, you are SO cute!” I gush loudly at that anthropomorphic look of hers

What can I say? I love adorable shit like that.

“Um… P-Pat? You can stop now, p-please? Tee hee! Stop, that tickles!” Pinkie says, a noticeable blush appearing on her face… This just makes me want to hug her even more.

“Ahem… Trixie believes the pink one requires some personal space, Lime,” Trixie says, her voice being noticeably controlled, probably affected by what she is seeing.

Someone doesn’t like when others are the center of attention, it seems.

I let go of Pinkie, she jumping back a few feet, possibly thinking I would ‘attack’ her again. Smart girl.

“So… Ahem… That was a thing!” she says, getting her composure after my killer... Whatever I just did.

“Y-yeah…” I barely reply, a blush mimicking hers on my own face… Might have gone over a little bit there.

“So… Where are you kids going?” Mrs. Cake calls from the counter, scaring us all, gazing upon us and giving me an especially cold look. I had completely forgotten she was there.

“Um… You know? Candy and whatnot, nothing much!” I reply, she only nods in acknowledgment.

“… Okay then, have fun, you kids! Don’t stay up too late, and no shenanigans, you hear?” she says, her happy fake smile returning, her looking at me directly as she says that, returning to her precious counter.

We exit the shop and I manage a breath of relief after that awkward moment before, I look back at the place and a question comes to mind.

“Hey, Pinkie, so you live here?” I shoot instantly.

“Here? Of course not! Who would live in a bakery! Well, a lot of people would, but not me!” it’s a nearly instantaneous answer from her, but I suppose things from this place can’t really be the same as the show’s, I guess she just came here to prepare from her parent’s house… Great, NOW I want to see her parents… But candy is more important right now.

“Very well, Pink, where to?” Trixie asks, turning to Pinkie who seems awfully giddy all of a sudden.

“You'll see! Follow… Me!” we walk to a nearby car and I see Pinkie get some keys out of her hair.

“Wait, you know how to drive?” I ask her, she looks from side to side before looking at me confused.

“You didn’t think I knew? Well, I DO know!” she pouts before reaching into her hair again and taking out a permit with a picture of her and her large smile plastered on it.

“Well, proven wrong. Sorry, Pinkie,” I admit, and a grin from her is all it takes to make the awkwardness go away as seamlessly as rain in the fire... I think. Similes aren't my thing, really.

“It’s okay! It’s not my car anyway, it’s the Cakes’, but they let me borrow it, for emergencies and days like this, or things like that time I wanted to catch the ice cream ma-”

“Can we just go then!?” Trixie groans, her patience running thin. “WHERE are we going anyway?”

“To my Super Special Area of Getting Candy Goodness, of course! Or SSAGCG for short!”

Without any further stalling, we get in the car. After some momentarily awkward moment of seatbelts and misplaced items, we are ready to leave.

“Ready, guys?” Pinkie asks. We, as the passengers, of course, nod the go-ahead.

And before we know it, the car rushes out at the speed of sound.

“Holy shit!” I say loudly, getting a glare from the pair in front, and while that may have been uncalled for, it‘s much better than my first thought of ‘holy shit Pinkie, calm your tits!’ I really don‘t think that one would have boded well with her… “P-Pinkie? Who taught you how to d-drive?” I ask from the backseat.

“’Taught?’”? she responds, looking at me weird through the mirror.

“Um… So you went to classes then?”

“Classes? What classes?” she asks, making my concern grow ever greater. I’m afraid to continue but I press on.

“Um… How many tries did it take you?”

“First go, and the instructor looked so shaken! I think I amazed her with my driving! Apparently I can manage to remain at the limits of the law... Or something like that.” she says looking pleased with herself.

Wait, so does that mean...

"Red light!" shouts Trixie, Pinkie hitting the break full-force, making me for the first time in my over twenty years of life, be thankful for the existence of seat-belts in both universes. I look outside and see the car parked neatly, waiting for the light.

Pinkie CAN drive at the very limits of the law...

“Um…” I try to think of something to say.

“Green!” Trixie shouts cutting me short, the light turning green in front of us, coincidentally, Trixie is looking at me. Oh wait, I think she is talking to me.

“Y-yes, Trixie?” I ask with my fear still existent.

“S-shut up,” it’s much more a request than a demand, her voice shaky beyond what I would imagine.

She knows, and she fears.

“Yes, ma’am!”

We are so dead.

~~~~~

After ten horrifyingly terrifying minutes, we finally come to a full stop, I can barely feel what’s going on, I think Pinkie is telling me to get out of the car, I do as she may have said and fall to the ground after the door has been opened for me.

I wanna throw up.

Barely holding it.

My legs feel like jelly.

My life is flashing before my eyes.

911 someone please.

“Come on, Pat! Get up! Candy awaits!” I manage to finally hear Pinkie calling.

“Can’t I just die in peace here? Because I sure would love that right about now…” I reply, I feel myself being pulled on my feet, Pinkie cleaning the dust off my clothes once I'm up.

“Don’t be such a party pooper! Come on!” she stares at me for a few seconds, looking me up from top to bottom. “I just realized this, but you aren’t wearing a costume, Pat!”

“Of course I am! It’s the ‘I’m a rebel who wears no costume’ costume!” I reply with a serious face. Pinkie only delivers a flat look in return.

"Oh, then very nice costume! Very realistic!" she says her judging stare becoming bright eyed

“Right, so, anyway, where is Trixie?” I ask.

“Oh, she is over there by the bushes!”

“What is she doing in the bu-” ‘Gah! Burp, urgh…’ “Um... Never mind.” I guess she didn't manage to leave it in.

“So, are you guys ready now? Or how about now? Maybe you were ready ten point three seconds ago?” Pinkie asks, her fluffy tail raising itself on its own while she bounces around excitedly… I’ve learned to not question these things.

“Trixie is about as ready as she will be… You are lucky she didn’t get any bile on her costume!” Trixie returns from her ill-fated trip to tell Pinkie.

“Oh, you just have a weak stomach, Trix! Nothing that candy can't solve. Come on you two! Follow me!” I look at Trixie who in return looks at me.

“Don’t worry, I’m not either,” I say in understanding, while we both look towards the death trap that is supposed to be a car.

“Come on, already!” Pinkie calls us from a gate nearby.

We take the short walk to the place, the gate looks much bigger than it looks from afar, behind it, I see an array of houses that can only be classified as ‘rich fodder’, to the side of the gate there is a padlock, with a speaker installed, a bunch of numbers plainly set on it, and some sort of speaker phone of sorts to the side.

“Pinkie, what are we doing in a plainly richer neighborhood?” I ask her, as she presses numbers on the pad.

“Getting candy, of course!” once she finishes, the door slowly crawls open, allowing us a better view of the place. “Silly.”

“What are you…” I silently begin, questioning what she is doing.

“Rarity lives here! I asked her if we could get candy here, and she said yes, she gave me the number and ta-dah! Candy city!” she explains… Pinkie, you are a genius.

“Well, what are we waiting for? There is candy to get!” Trixie shouts excited. I give her an amused look while she clears her throat. “Ahem.. She means, um… Let us go get some sweets to enjoy, yes? Trixie needs to show off her costume.”

And without further ado, we rush in, ready for the sugar rush that is to come. Once inside, I notice the street dividing into three roads.

“Alright, everyone!” Pinkie shouts, and I’m suddenly dragged into what appears to be a huddle circle, Pinkie wearing one of those coach hats with headset and all over her fake ears. “Alright everyone, get ready to go, Trixie, you take left, Pat you take right, and I take center, we meet back in an hour, everyone ready? Hut, hut hut!” and without anything further, she rushes out onto her street, leaving a pair of dumbfounded friends.. Dumbfounded. Sorry, I’m far too dumbfounded to think better shit.

“Did you… Catch that?” I ask Trixie, who still seems a bit lost.

“Y-yes, Trixie understood, but… She thought we’d do it together…” Trixie says, zipping her jacket up.

“I did too, I imagined that was the point of us being here…” I look at her, noticing her shaking knees and wonder, “Are you okay, Trixie? Cold? Embarrassed, perhaps?” I ask, looking at her curiously, approaching her to look at her face to make sure.

“No!” she shouts, not after having slapped me. An obvious 'ouch' is in order, but I'm not giving her the satisfaction of my pain “In fact, she will get the most candy by using her feminine charms, just you wait and see!” and without another word, she rushes to her street, leaving me on my… Own. Huh.

About damn time I got some Patrick time.

I set off into the direction Pinkie so graciously chose for me and look at the houses… There is a LOT, and I do mean a lot… Screw going into all of them.

“Eenie, meenie, miney… Mo,” I say, pointing out to a non-specific house to my right, a sign post that reads ‘Spring Breeze‘ on it, and like a girl scout who wants to earn her next badge, I rush headlong to the place, I pass by a good number of kids and their mothers who give me an odd look, but screw their opinions, this is candy, bro!

Knock, knock! I knock loudly, taking upon the sights of the house as I wait, for some reason, the pumpkins in the front have hats on… Weird.

The door opens and I introduce myself, holding out my bag in front of me. “Trick or treat! Give me candy just to eat!”

“Pat?” the woman who opens the door says my name out loud… How does she know my name?

“Do I kno- aaah!” I yelp as I notice the person who opened the door; Rarity, wearing what’s probably a self-made dress, adorned with what appears to be pumpkins and some bones here and there. Pinkie DID say she lived here. Luck of mine finding her in the first house.

“Evening, Mr. Lime, how are we doing this fine evening?“ she greets me with a welcoming grin.

“Hey… Rarity, sorry, didn’t expect to see you here, ahem…” I say apologetically.

“Well, this IS my home, and my living residential area, and I’m pretty sure Pinkie told you about it when you came here… Speaking of, where is the dear? She was quite excited to be able to go trick-or-treating that I offered my neighborhood to her. Not to mention that I wanted to see her with the costume I made for her, don‘t tell me she already left!” she says looking slightly disappointed after explaining the hnngtastic costume Pinkie wore.

“We just got here, actually, and she took one of the streets, we separated because… Pinkie said so, I guess,” I say vaguely, can’t really explain what cannot be explained to begin with.

“I see…” she replies with interest.

“So, how come you aren’t up and about with her?” I inquire curiously.

“Well, I do wish I could, but someone has to give out candy, my dear, and with my little sister being out with her friends trick-or-treating, and my parents being out of town, I had to sacrifice my night to stay home, Pinkie understood,” she explains, looking at the ground guiltily.

In translation: “I’m far too old for candy, and this is just an excuse.”

“You mean Sweetie Belle, right?” I ask already knowing the answer, I hadn’t heard much of the Crusaders from either of them, so listening to Rarity talk about her is certainly interesting. Wonder what they look like.

“How do you know her?” she asks looking at me dubiously.

“I’ve heard of her from… Pinkie, yeah,“ I explain, looking to the side, avoiding her piercing gaze.

“I see…“ she says, pushing a bang of her hair aside. “Well, anyway, what did you think of the costume Pinkie wore, Pat? It must have been sexy, right?”

“Sexy? I tell you what it was, it was adorable, the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! You really did a good job with it!” I praise without remorse, she might get a big head, but hey, she already has one.

"Oh, um, why, thank you,” she says awkwardly holding her arm. “I guess she really was right after all… Poor dear.”

“Pardon? Right about what?” I ask, growing suspicious at her whispered words.

“O-oh, nothing at all! Um, here you go, candy just for you!” she says rapidly pouring a whole bag of the things in my bag. “Ta-ta!”

Slam!

“Goodbye…“ Was that rude of her? Probably. But who cares, there is candy in my bag. Generosity cures all. “Thanks for the candy… I guess!” I shout, waving to the closed door and skipping down the stairs. I guess the ride goes on.

I continue my journey with varying degrees of success, I don’t get quite as much candy as I did with Rarity, as people are just prejudicing me.

Can’t a high school student with no costume just get some good candy?

I make it to my tenth house and knock just like before, a man with purple skin meets me, and I gotta say that that shirt he is wearing does NOT go with that skin tone, nuh uh.

“Trick or treat!” I say forcibly, it gets old after a while.

“Aren’t you too old to be collecting candy?” he asks with a raised brow.

“Yes, yes I am.” I reply with my most serious face.

…

“Well played, kid,” he grabs a handful of candy and shoves it into my bag. “Have fun with your cavities,” he says smiling devilishly before closing the door.

I look at my bag and frown. “I don’t wanna eat candy anymore…”

Beep! JESUS! I reach into my pocket and see that fifty five minutes of my hour limit have passed, I shove the phone back and run towards the street where Pinkie went off to.

It takes me a while to look around, but soon enough, I see a familiar pink form in the distance, her pink skin, her fluffy tail, her… Long, straight, hair? Wait. Something is wrong, very wrong. I start running towards her, finding her staring at a door with her back facing me.

“Pinkie?” I call out to her, slowly making my way to her still form, I reach out with my hand, and place it on her shoulder, but she doesn’t budge, with some reservations, I make my way around her. “Did something ha-”

“Oh, hi Pat!” surprised, I fall to the ground with a pained rasp. I look up to find Pinkie smiling, her hair back in full force, however, I see a gleam coming closely from her eyes, a gleam that’s pretty obvious on what it is.

“Pinkie Pie… What happened?” I say, while I feel my voice becoming strained as I get on my feet, she looks at me oddly and reaches up to her eyes where she feels the wetness on her eyes, she closes her eyes and sighs wistfully.

“I-it’s okay, Pat, it was just some huge jerk that lives here, I’m okay now, really.” she says while drying her cheeks.

“Pinkie…” I begin, feeling angry for some reason. “Tell me now, who?”

“Pat. It’s okay, just calm down, please? For me, we have candy to get remember?” she says, attempting to calm me down… And I suppose I don’t gain anything with it… It’s good to have some adult mentality at times like this.

“Okay, fine… How about we stick together then, you know? The ORIGINAL plan?” I say reminding her of it. She gasps terrified at my words.

“By George, you are right!” she grabs my hand and drags me along, taking me to Trixie’s general direction, as she does, I look at the door behind; ‘1200, Bright Garden Street’ I'm coming back to this place at some point. A 'talk' is much needed, I think.

Nyah, nyah, ny- I hear out of nowhere an- Oof! I crash on Pinkie who is unfazed as she checks her phone, which I’m assuming is where the noise came from… I need to ask about that ringtone at some point.

“Pinkie? Something the matter?” I ask, looking at her face, stuck in a state of shock. “Pinki-”

“Oh no!" she shrieks, grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Ah!"

"Aah!"

"Ah! What!? WHAT!? WHY ARE WE SHOUTING!?" I shout confused.

"This isn’t good!” she looks at me terrified and grabs my hand once more, dragging me faster than she had been doing before.

“Trixie, Trixie,” she says to herself, I can’t help but feel a little lost.

“Pinkie, what’s going on?” I asks growing increasingly worried.

“There she is!” she says, pointing at Trixie… Doing magic tricks in a corner, a good handful of kids watching in awe.

“... And for her last act, she will now find a coin in one of the members of the audi- Hey!” she complains as we push her aside. “One does not simply steal the spotlight from the Splendid, and Powerful Trixie!” there she goes again, I’m hoping she runs out of synonyms sometime soon.

“But Trix, we have go, go, go!” Pinkie shrieks, jumping in the air with each subsequent word.

Trixie stomps in, her hands in fists. “Trixie has to finish the finale! You can’t really expect her to-”

Before we know it, Pinkie jumps in, she pulls out a quarter from a pocket and shows it to the kids, she flips her fingers, and just like that, it disappears, she shows her hands to the kids and leaves them out.

“Check your ears!” she calls, and the kids all do as she says, I’m awestruck to see when each pulls out a different quarter from the side of their ears, all looking amazed at Pinkie Pie and clapping glamorously. “Thank you, thank you! Now got to go, bye!” and without any further words from us, she grabs our hands and drags us away.

~~~~~

After a few minutes of running, we are standing at the entrance once more, Trixie and I breathing heavily, Pinkie not even panting, we turn to face each other, and the obvious question comes to mind.

“WHAT. HOW. WHY. EXPLAIN!” I say, gasping between each word.

“Oh, well… YOU. SEE. IT’S. A. LONG. ST-” Pinkie’s mouth is stopped as Trixie places her hand in her
mouth.

“Before you continue, Trixie must ask you… How did you accomplish that trick!?” she snarls at Pinkie, clearly forgetting the whole reason we were dragged here.

“Oh! Well, a magician NEVER reveals her secrets… But as luck would have it, I’m not a magician! So I’ll teach you my tricks later, okay?” Pinkie promises Trixie giving her a warm smile, while Trixie returns a half-smile of her own. She is obviously happy about this.

“Can we get to the point?” I ask Pinkie, who now focuses her attention on me… Or about as much attention as this girl can handle.

“Sure! The point is that I found superintendent Chryssa’s home! She lives here.”

…

“WHAT!? HOW. WHY. EXPLAIN!?” Trixie and I shout in unison.

“Well, you see, I know this guy, who knows this guy, who knows this guy, who knows this guy, who knows this guy, who knows this guy, who knows this guy, who knows this girl‘s COUSIN-”

“Pinkie!” I shout again, my thoughts a frenzy of emotions, I grab my head, and I feel a headache coming. “Just… Please.”

“I know a guy!” she says simply.

“What guy?” I ask, hoping for more.

“A guy, you don’t know him,” she replies holding a slightly dark look on her face… Woah, that was scary.

“Right, sure… Ahem,” I cough, attempting to get the conversation back on topic. “So, that’s great!”

“Well… That was the good news, I still have the bad news to give!” I feel a vein in my head, a rush of anger filling me, but I restrain my anger for the meantime, as I give her the go-ahead. “She is moving… To another state, Lulu told me all about it today,” okay… Anger returning.

“Okay… That’s okay, we have time, right?” Trixie asks for me.

“Well…” Pinkie, oh god. “My guy says she is moving… Tomorrow morning…”

“I… I think I’m gonna pass out…” I say, tumbling down to the ground. “Why didn’t you tell us?” I ask, hoping to know her reasoning.

“My guy just told me! I wanted to learn where she lived exactly and then surprise you another day, I didn’t mean to be too late!” she cries out, her eyes watering slightly.

“N-no, it’s okay, we can still do this, all we gotta do is… Visit her home, right now!” Trixie suggests. “That way Trixie can finally prove you both wrong,” always keeping your eye on the target, huh, Trix?

“Sounds like a plan! Road trip!” Pinkie shouts, grabbing our hands -as stated by no one in rule ‘whatever, article nth’-and dragging us along with her.

As we run, I start to converse with Pinkie. “Hey, Pinkie?”

“Yeeeeeeeah, Pat?” she responds gleefully.

“How did you get Luna to tell you?” she looks at me without blinking.

“I asked, silly!” thanks Pinkie, I didn’t expect any less from you.

After a plain five minutes, we finally arrive at what appears to be a cul-de-sac from afar, as we get closer, I see a car passing by us, it looks familiar, I fear what that car may be, and I’m afraid to turn… But I do anyways, and my fears are not unfounded as the car I saw just a week ago -you know? The one that belongs to her?- turns the street.

“No… No, no, no!” I shout, I run towards the street but I’m not able to find it at all, there is no sign of it. “Oh god… NO!” I pound my fist on the concrete, this isn’t some mild problem, this is some HOT sauce I’m in right now.

“What, what’s the matter, Pat!?” Pinkie asks me already in front of me.

“That car! That was her! Just now! I saw it when I was in Celestia’s office and just… Fuck!” I curse again, she might have been the culprit, or maybe not, but my chance is now gone if I don’t see her today. “Pinkie, you should have told us earlier! We would have been able to-”

“Woah there, Green, you know full well that this was an unknown factor, Trixie despises a man who pins the blame on others!” Trixie scolds… What does she know? She isn‘t the one trapped possibly forever.

“I-I’m sorry… I… I know! We can wait here!” Pinkie suggests in an attempt to make up for her mistake.

“We don’t know when she’ll return, Pinkie… It might be HOURS, hell, she might return until the morning, maybe she went out partying for the last time, or something,” Pinkie frowns and says no more. She knows I’m right.

“Perhaps Pinkie could call this… ‘Guy’ she has mentioned before, perhaps get a location?” Trixie suggests from the sidelines, with her phone in her ear.

“Oh, right! I can! Wait here!” she tells us and runs afar to make the call, while Trixie remains on her own phone, I stare intently wondering.

“What are you doing?” I ask confused.

“Calling Gran Gran. Seems to me like you two might follow Trixie’s suggestion and she will need a ride home,” she looks at what I can assess to be my bewildered look and she sighs. “Look, Trixie isn’t in honor classes for nothing, she has to keep up her grades if she is to continue her magical studies, and falling asleep in class won’t help her…” she gives me another quick glance and sighs. “Trixie doesn't wanna go, and Trixie isn't making a big deal out of this, soneither should you."

Well, I suppose that’s fair enough.

“Alright… We’ll tell you about it tomorrow, alright?” she nods once with some hesitance and leaves, probably heading to the entrance to wait. At least there wasn’t any unnecessary drama here, it’s the last thing I need.

"And, remind the Pink one to teach me the tricks tomorrow."

"Um, okay, got it."

"And... Take care, the both of you," and before I can say something sarcastic, she is gone... Was that the same Trixie?

“Got it! So I… Where is Trix?” Pinkie asks, coming back and looking for our missing party member who by now is gone.

“Gone. She doesn’t wanna miss school… And I suppose you probably don’t either,” I say. I can’t really screw with their sleep patterns, and much less their curfews and family being worried. “Let’s not forget this might be dangerous, we don’t know where she is heading after all.”

“Don’t you worry, Pat! Pinkie Pie can handle family, I can’t let you go alone, what kind of friend would do that?” sniff… I’m not crying, I have something in my eye!

“Ah, gotta love ya, Pinkie, you are the best!” I say, hugging the pink cutie. Not hard when she still looks like she does. She blushes as I 'do the do', but I don't care.

Affection.

“W-well, anyway, it turns out that she is downtown! Apparently went to some sort of… Oooooh,” Pinkie says looking at her phone in amazement.

“W-what?” I ask.

“Well, my guy says that she went to a club, in, one of the most dangerous parts of town.”

“Oh, which part?” I ask, fearful of what she might say.

"Everfree Street!"

...

It had to be named Everfree, didn’t it?

Author's Note

Part 2 Up Tomorrow! EDIT: Or today??? EDIT: Tomorrow EDIT: OKAY, OKAY, IT'S UP GO READ IT, I don't like leaving people hanging.

Spooky Street Chryssa Search

“… And then she called me ‘sugarcube‘! I was surprised!”

“Woah! Applejack only calls people sugarcube when she likes them! You must have done something right!” Pinkie praises me, I mean, it’s obvious she is, I’m just that awes-

“Aaaah! Pinkie Pie!” I shout as the car barely makes it through a harsh turn.

“Yes?”

“Could you not!?”

“Could I not what?”

“Oh, well, you know… DRIVE LIKE A MANIAC!?”

SCREEECH!

The car literally screeches to a halt right as the light turns red in the stoplight, making me once again thankful for seat-belts and their magical properties.

“Mr. Lemon Lime! Are you saying that I’m breaking the laws?” Pinkie asks, gazing upon me and talking in a mocking accent.

“Not necessarily, Pinkie… I ju-”

“No! We have to make it to her before she leaves, otherwise you might not be able to go back to your own world thingie and you’ll be stuck here, for like, forever!” she explains.

“Okay, first of all, I don’t need the exposition from you,” the light turns green and Pinkie seemingly floors it, as she checks her phone’s GPS. Yeah, technology. Anyway. “And second, I’d rather make it there, well, alive!”

Pinkie turns her head as she drives, frowning sadly. “So y-you think my driving is b-bad?” EYES. ON. THE. ROAD.

“N-no, of course not! Now can you please focus on the road!?” she smiles contently at my comment and turns to the front. I think I prefer Ms. Pinkie Knievel to Ms. Magoo.

“Don’t you worry, we’ll make it there in… Ten seconds flat!” I raise a brow at her comment and chuckle.

“Did you learn that one from Dash?” I laugh without holding back.

“No. The GPS says so!” I look at her phone as it counts down and see the one become a zero.

Well, I’ve been had.

You’ve arrived at your location. It says in a casually robotic voice. We park at the side of the road, where I see the street sign with that very name I have feared for the past forty minutes… Everfree. It actually looks run down and everything. It’s funny, as I see the streets and notice how clean in comparison that one very next block is next to Everfree, it’s kind of like it’s kept that way on purpose… Nah, I’m probably over thinking things.

“Well, we are here!” Pinkie points out. Thank you, I think I know that. “So Pat?” Pinkie says with some effort, turning off the car before turning to face me. “Are you ready to go back home?”

“W-what?” I ask momentarily confused before I can fully understand what she is implying… And well, it hits me. I might be leaving this world, my family, my younger self, my f-

“Pat? You there?” Pinkie calls to me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, right… Sorry.” I apologize while covering my face with my hands as I collect my thoughts. “You kinda put me on a bad spot there with your ques-… tion…” I look at her again, she has this sad smile on her face that I can’t help but feel bad as well. She realizes the full extent of what might happen. “Come here, you,” I reach out to her and hug her. A simple hug, one that isn’t like the previous hugs through the night, and she knows this, or she would have struggled to free herself.

But she doesn’t.

This is nice… Almost makes a man forget that he has to go through a dangerous alley where he might get killed by dangerous criminals… Almost.

“Well, ready to go, Pat?” she asks me, I look at her one more time and see her shuffling around a bit, she seems to be holding back something.

“Anything more you want to say, Pinkie?” I ask.

“Um? Well, if you really want to know, I was wondering; what if Miss Chryssa isn‘t who you are looking for? Or if she can‘t send you back home?” two valid questions.

“I’d rather not think about that,” I say simply. That’s a bridge I’ll cross when I get there, besides, home isn’t something I plan to go back to quite yet…

She doesn’t need to know about the details, though.

“Alright then~!“ she gets out of the car and locks her door. “Now, let’s get you back to your world!” she says putting on a headband. “Grrr!”

Well, she is ready and willing to help, so it wouldn’t be fair of me to stay behind like a coward… Which I can admit that I am, as I am trembling like you wouldn’t believe… I feel far more scared over what will happen after this is all said and done.

Maybe that’s why Trixie didn’t want to come… And I may not be able to ask her if that’s the case.

She took the easy way out, not like she would care to admit even if it were true.

… Alright, enough monologuing. Time to go.

~~~~~

I. HATE. THIS.

The place is dark, most lamp lights are out, there are lighted trashcans and shady people everywhere, each step feels like I’m stepping on broken glass and debris, the air has a tangy feel that makes me think of my old high school days -BAD high school days- and I think I saw some of them carrying a weapon, and worst of all, I forgot to bring a jacket! I'm freezing!

Meanwhile, Pinkie looks around with the sense of wonder that only a kid would have.

This is NOT funny. Why is Chryssa here in the first place?!

“Look, Pat! Those two are hugging!” Pinkie points suddenly, all giggly.

“Who would be hu- Oh,” I say as I turn to where Pinkie is pointing and I feel like my eyes are about to pop out after what I see. “Pinkie Pie, first thing, pointing is rude, secondly, I’m pretty sure you are old enough to know what the difference between hugging and hugging are,” I finish while quoting with my hands. “Right?” She stops to think for a second and I raise my hand. “Look, if you have to think about it, just don’t bother. Anyway, eyes on the price… Are we there yet?”

“Nope!”

“We’ve been walking for a while, why is it so far? I’ve had enough of this place already,” I whine in a hushed voice, because dealing with people with guns isn’t on my to-do list.

“Oh, Pat, it’ll be fine! I‘m used to places like this!” she jumps back, playing on her phone, after a few seconds, a familiar tune begins playing. “This is one that Granny Pie used to sing to me when I visited in Detrot!”

If this Detrot is anything like the city I think it’s based upon, I don’t think this song will really help much.

“When I was a little girl, an~ We are here!” she stops suddenly, turning my head rather forcibly and possibly nearly breaking my neck… I should be more concerned about that, but I’m more enthralled with the place I’m looking at.

‘The Hut’ it reads. Unlike the rest of the street, this place actually looks half-decent from the outside… I mean, it actually has a bouncer at the entrance… I dock it points for the guy being knocked out on the side, but that’s at least something.

“Hey, the big guy is taking a nap! Let’s go in while we have the chance!” Pinkie pulls me to the door and rushes through, the unpleasant tangy smell making way to the unpleasant tangy smell with booze.

“Ugh, that smells horrible,” I say as we get out of the small hallway connecting the entrance to the club itself, the terrible music that was audible from the outside now practically deafening me, I can barely HEAR MY OWN THOUGHTS.

“DID YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT SOCKS?” Pinkie shouts to my ear and I’m barely able to catch it.

“HOW DID YOU EVEN… WHATEVER, LET’S ASK IN THE BAR,” we make our way through the crowd, the seizure inducing lights flashing everywhere, making it difficult to keep a good eye, thankfully Pinkie grabs my hand as I lead the way to the middle. The place quickly reaches my view, a fake-wooden look, some odd masks hanging around the edge, some odd flasks in the back alongside the booze. Expected for a place like ‘The Hut”.

I, however, do not expect the person who I see as a bartender.

“HEY, YOU LOOK FAMILIAR!” Pinkie shouts right next to me before I’m able to say something myself, the bartender herself turns at the sound of her voice, and her eyes widen once she notices me. Her black and white hair let loose, her wearing a robe of some kind an- Oh, I’m just stalling; It’s Zecora, my English teacher who I never refer to by name in any way possible because I don’t care much for her.

But now I do, because she looks very attractive at the moment… I’m shallow, sue me.

She looks at us for a few seconds before turning to one of the bartenders next to her and after a brief chat, getting out of it, making her way to us “Follow me you must, things will be discussed,” before I can argue, she grabs both Pinkie and I and we are taken through the groups of people and lights to an office-looking room, locking the door as we go inside, being welcomed to the confines of a small, cramped office. I already miss the booze smell.

But if she is trying to scare me, she is doing a piss poor job of it.

“This isn’t a place for kids like you, so I will simply bid you both adieu, but first I must ask you why you are here, and make it good, because I won’t rehear,” she says with an angry grunt, one which makes me stand corrected.

“Um… What are YOU doing here?” I ask, in an attempt to shift the topic.

“I don’t have to answer that, do not try to start a chat,” she rhymes… She does that a lot.

“Hey Pat, look! It’s a plaque and it has a name!” Pinkie says, handing me the plaque from the wall, it is quickly taken by Zecora who shoves it under her arm.

“That’s not for you to see!”

…

Oh, no rhyme? Okay..

“I saw your name before you took it,” I lie, getting a sigh from her as she hangs it on the wall Pinkie possibly took it from. Thank you, lying, you have helped me once again.

“I did not think things through, now the truth is upon you two,” she walks over to her desk and sits down, pulling out a bottle from out of nowhere.

“A teacher owning a club? Oooh, that’s very anti-teacher behavior…y,” Pinkie finishes lamely.

Zecora looks at Pinkie for a good minute before bursting into laughter. “You WOULD like to know, to know about my woe, this is a tale of luck, but not for you to give a f-”

“Look, we won’t tell anyone, we just have a question for you, that’s why we are here,” I say, stopping her before she completely ruins my head canon of her.

“Listening, glistening,” she says, promptly following it up with a chug of her bottle. She is not even trying anymore!

“Right… Well, I’m looking for superintendent Chry-”

“EX-Superintendent Chryssa!” Pinkie corrects/interrupts/butts in.

“… Whatever. The point is that we are looking for her, and we got info th-” my hand is upon Pinkie’s mouth before she can say something. She didn’t say anything, but I know she will. She always does. "That she came here, yeah.”

Zecora looks at me with a hard to place stare, she sets the bottle down on the table and walks ever so slowly towards us.

“That’s a name I know, here she was not long ago,” she says, intriguing me instantly.

“You have!? Can you please tell us?” I ask in the nicest way I can. My hopes rest in this woman.

She crosses her arms, possibly thinking over what she should do, she frowns while looking at us, her eyes darting from Pinkie, to me, a bead of sweat falls and lingers in her cheek as she thinks it over. A similar thing happening to me as I stare.

“I decided that I will tell, but this might not bode well, this is important to you two, so I give this info to you,” she goes back to her desk and grabs a piece of paper, she writes down what I imagine is the address and places it in my hand.

“Thank you, really, as stated before, we promise not to tell anyone about this club,” she gives a disheartening smile and nods her head. Pinkie and I say our goodbyes and head out her office and into the club again.

For some reason, I can’t help but being worried… Why did she look so solemn?

~~~~~

After an easy leave of the club, Pinkie and I make our way to the streets again, once more being in danger of being mugged and/or killed… Why am I doing this again?

“Because you want to go back home, silly!” Pinkie reminds me after I say it out loud.

“I know, but… I’m putting you in danger, I know you said you wanted to come, but let’s face it, this could get ugly,” she shakes her head incredibly fast, stopping my words.

“But I chose to come, even if you tried to stop me I would have come. Besides, how would you have made it here? There are no buses running through this street,” she raises a valid point. “And look! We are here now!”

I stare ahead and feel confused; a building that looks a lot like a city hall looms not far off from here, it looks like this area has seen some SHIIIT. Lucky for us that Chryssa’s whereabouts are this close to the club.

“So… What’s this place’s story?” I ask Pinkie as my awe disappears instantaneously.

“Oh, some weird thing that happened twenty years ago or something along those lines, Granny Smith get a bit crazy when talking about it,” she explains briefly.

“Woah, really? Care to give me the details?” I ask intrigued.

“I could, but it would be rude to talk about that when we have company!”

“What do you…” I stop, looking around, a number of people popping out of nowhere, surrounding us rather nicely… How did I not see that coming?

We stop and allow the shady figures to approach us. Not because I’m scared, but more because I don’t want to deal with them all.

That is not an excuse.

“You!” says one of the guys wearing this dark leather jacket and biker pants… The classic tuff look if I may say so. “What are you doing here? And you better answer right, we don’t deal with strangers well around these parts,” he finishes with a threatening growl.

I’m thinking that they won’t respond well to sarcasm, so I choose to be nice about it. “I’m looking for someone… Her name is Chryssa, we were told she was here somewh-”

“Never heard of her, now leave,” he commands.

“B-but we were told she was here!” I shout to the guy, who in retrospect, wouldn’t take it well, as shown by the knife he takes out of his pocket.

“I said… Leave,” he demands again, leaving me with no choice but to d-

“Hey, cousin!” huh?

“What?” I say as this short red-haired girl comes from behind the guy and jogs to where Pinkie is.

“Oh!” Pinkie says in surprise, glowing bright at the sight of the girl. “Hey Babs!” wait what, brain taking long digest.

“Don’t worry Cuts, she is with me,” Babs says as she hugs Pinkie, the crowd noticeably losing whatever threatening stance they once had.

“But b-” ‘Cuts’ begins.

“I said, don’t worry, now go!” Babs growls. Thankfully, Cuts takes the hint and begrudgingly leaves, taking his posse with him.

“Babs, what are you doing here?” Pinkie Pie asks as soon as the crooks leave.

“That’s what I was going to ask ya, this place is hella dangerous, you could get hurt here!” she reprimands Pinkie, then turns to me. “So, who is this guy?”

“Oh, that’s just Pat! He is here looking for someone!” Pinkie explains as Babs eyes me from top to bottom and scoffs.

“Well, he has guts, I’ll give him that…”

Okay, ignoring the rudeness. “So, can you help me?” I ask her, and she seems thoughtful for a second before quickly nodding.

“I suppose, however, only you can come, Pinkie will have to stay behind,” Pinkie and I both ‘what’ over her request, but she instantly shakes her head. “Sorry, them is the rules, and if you want to have a chance to find whoever it is you are looking for, you’d have to talk to the boss, and the boss don’t like to talk in groups, you feel me?”

I ‘feel’ like you should stop using outdated terms.

Wait…

I turn to look to Pinkie, she is rubbing her arm awkwardly, looking to the side dejectedly, and I’m already aware of the reason why she is doing so.

“Pinkie, I…” her hand is upon my mouth, her fingers keeping my lips closed.

“Don’t say anything, it’s okay, we’ll… See each other once you find her, right?” she says with some strain in her voice.

“Pinkie, b-” I’m stopped once again, but this time by her now hugging me.

“Alright, don’t you go and disappear on me, okay?” she says, her hands moving to my face, we stay like that for a bit, looking at each other for what feels like an eternity.

For some reason, I feel that something else should be happening…

“I don’t got all night, chump,” the rather well-mannered Babs interrupts looking very annoyed. “Don’t ya worry, cousin, I’ll take good care of him,” Pinkie grins at Babs and nods, thankful for the comfort.

“Geez, sorry, yeah, I’m… Ready to go,” I mumble, following closely, helping myself to one look at Pinkie… Probably my last one. I notice that she is also looking at me, she urges me to go with a wave of her hand, a sad smile on her face.

It’s okay, Pinkie. I don’t want to say goodbye either.

“So, you two together?” Babs asks me, cutting the deeply emotional stares that Pinkie and I are sharing. Bitch.

“No, we are NOT together, geez, we are just friends, yeah” she chuckles at my response.

“I take it this isn’t the first time you’ve been asked, huh?” I don’t answer her, there isn’t much to say to that. Not that I would want to tell her to begin with.

“So… You two are cousins?” I toss my own question, attempting to change the topic. “Or was that just to get those guys off our backs?”

“Her and I aren’t, but she is my cousin’s cousin. You go to the same school, so I take it you know Applebloom, right?”

“I know her sister Applejack, actually.”

“Well, they are actually cousins, four times removed, but they treat each other like sisters, it’s both endearing and slightly sickening to watch at times,” she says laughing.

I suppose this isn’t a good time to say that I would love to see that sight, isn’t it?

~~~~~

We arrive at the city hall that I saw from afar earlier, and I stare at the entrance with wonder. 'Wonder' because I’m now wondering what the hell we are doing here.

“This is where the boss is, you don’t believe it?” she explains to me, and my answer to her question is, well, no. I don’t. How can this building be left over for no reason to be used by a mob boss, it just doesn’t make an- Okay, whatever. I might as well just get it over with.

“Right… Let’s go then,” I say, gulping a bit. Nervous of what I may find, I’m instantly stopped as Babs has her hand out, blocking the entrance.

“Before we do that, I must warn you… We go in, there is no way out until you talk, are you sure you are up to this?” she ends her question a bit awkwardly, causing me to raise my brow.

“Didn’t you say you’d take care of me?” I question her. She only shrugs.

“Well, I had to, or Pinkie Pie would have been more worried than before, she was looking at you as if it were the last time,” she says, noticing the ‘exaggeration‘ so to speak.

“Oh, right… Well, I’m ready. Let’s go,” I say without any confidence behind the words.

“Heh… You really DO have guts, I would ask you if you wanted to go out, but I take it you aren’t interested in me,” she says rather casually. If I could spit-take at this moment, I would.

“And… You would be right,” I struggle the words out.

“I figured you were one of those, what with what the Pinkie thing earlier,” she comments without explaining… Is today ‘secret hiding limey day’ or something?

After that awkwardness is over, we waste no more time and enter the building, finding it… About as broken and destroyed as it looks in the outside. Go figure.

“So what’s the story here?” I ask as we move through the shambles of the place, it’s kind of a tough time with the darkness around us, the moon being kind of not visible in the night is certainly not helping. Stupid moon, Nightmareween Night is supposed to have a full moon.

“Oh, nothing, just some weird thing from twenty years ago,” Babs says casually.

“Uh huh… Anything important about it you can give me?” I ask, wondering about details of such a ‘casual’ event.

“Um… Not really, I never cared much for it myself, you’d think it would be interesting but eh,” she explains with a shrug.

Fine, don't tell me, I'll do my own research... Or maybe not.

We continue walking, reaching a staircase which we promptly climb, as we reach the second floor, we go through a small hallway, finally reaching a door at the far end of it. Babs knocks on the door and after a ‘come in‘ we inside, revealing a… Surprisingly clean office.

“Babs, I hope this visit isn’t another one of your dumb mistakes,” the woman sitting in the desk right across us says, the back of her rolling chair facing us, still, her voice sounds familiar.

“N-no, ma’am! You see,” she begins, pointing at me. “This kid here is looking for someone, and I figured if someone knew how to find them, it would be you,” she explains, now becoming a nervous mess. Wish that had happened earlier.

“I see… Did you bother asking who he was looking for?” Babs clams up at the question instantly, not knowing how to respond. “I figured as much… You may leave. I’ll deal with the young man,” Babs pats my shoulder and with a silent ‘good luck’ leaves the office, closing the door behind her.

“Let’s be honest, it’s obvious who you are looking for,” she says, turning around and facing m-Oh. My. God. “Um, hello?”

No fucking way.

“Don’t make me use clichéd lines, please.”

“Um…” I barely manage to say, gulping nervous at the woman now walking to me. “You are…” she looks the same as she did back at school, for the exception that she is now wearing a black leather suit, which brings up her goods quite nicely…

Cut me some slack, I’m seventeen, and it’s ‘dress like a slut’ day.

“Yes, it’s me. Chryssa, the woman you are looking for, I take it, skip the pleasantries” she pokes my chest with one of her fingernails and moves back to her desk, sitting on it and crossing her legs. “So, what do you want kid? I don‘t have all night” she asks me as I stare at her rather closely.

“Duuuh…”

Smack. Okay, I totally had that coming.

“Ouch! W-what the?” I cry out, looking at the woman… She is much taller than I expected. “You know, for a superintendent you sure are really mean…” I whine without remorse… It hurt.

“EX superintendent, big difference, and that should teach you to stare…" she reprimands me.

Her pupils expand slightly once she gives me a good look. "Wait. I knew you looked familiar… You are that kid that was in Celestia’s office when I visited, weren’t you?” she circles around me, looking me over for a bit.

“Um.. Yes, I actually wanted to ask you, er, something, that‘s why I‘m here” I begin to sweat, just realizing I don’t have a plan for this point.

I guess I never thought I’d get this far to begin with.

“A question? Well, that’s a rather idiotic reason to look for me in this place, don‘t you think?” she scoffs. Charming.

“So... Boss? What are you 'boss' of?” I ask randomly, the first thing to pop in my head.

“Yes, I’m her boss... I honestly did not think anyone from that school would find me here… I need to hire some good security… Or rather, the new guy should, you being here makes me think you know of me moving.”

She sure likes to talk... It's Chrysalis alright.

“You… Quit your job… Why?” I ask, my curiosity having being piqued.

“The reason doesn‘t matter, it was simply a cover job. Of course, you being here means you knew that. Not that it matters much, this is my last night in town, and I’ll be gone by tomorrow… I do wonder how you learned of my whereabouts, though,” I feel a bead of sweat coming down my forehead at the mention of that, Pinkie quickly popping in my head. “Eh, doesn’t matter much, no one I care for will really believe you,” a breath of relief leaves me as she says this.

“Now, can you tell me, what is it you need and get it over with? Unless that last question WAS your question,” she says, smugly smiling at her ’smart’ point.

“No! it wasn’t… Okay, it’s a bit difficult to explain, but…” well, here goes noting. “You see, all I have to go on is that you are Chrysalis, and that you MIGHT be evil, and that’s all I can say without sounding that much more stu-…pid?” I finish in a lower voice. Many would too if they were staring at a barrel of a gun pointed at their face.

Oh fuck, fuck, fuckity, fucking, fuck.

“Chrysalis? W-where did you hear that name?” she asks me with effort. “Who are you? What do you want from me? Are you with themI? have nothing to say to the likes of them!”

‘Them?’

“W-what!? I have no idea what you are talking about, I-I just wante-Ah!” she pushes the barrel to my forehead, I crumble to the floor, my life literally flashing before my eyes, I think I’m gonna pass out.

“I told them fifteen years ago that I didn’t want to see them again, or there would be trouble… Guess they didn’t listen, did they?” she says, now her voice now carefully calm, as if even the littlest detail would make her explode. “And I told them I wouldn’t tell, didn’t I!? They said they would leave me alone!” she screams, her hair flowing wildly as she shakes with each word.

“T-this is a dream, right?” I say out loud in an effort to see what’s happening as a joke. I couldn’t be dying, could I!?

“A dream? Well, perhaps, the feel of the metal on this gun is but a dream?” she touches my forehead with the gun, causing me to shiver by the coldness of the metal… And the fact that it’s a FUCKING GUN. “Or maybe the sound of this is but a dream,” I hear a click, which makes me instantly whimper. That was the sound of the safety being turned off, wasn’t it?

“Please…” I begin, attempting to stop it.

“Shut up,” she growls, and before I can notice, I’m on the floor after a hit in the head by the side of her gun.

Is this it? Is this how it ends? I expected to have died alone in a couch with a bag of Cheetos… The perfect way to go.

Well… At least I’m going out with a bad joke, just like my mom would have wanted it.

“… -bye… you z” Huh? I hear voices, but I can’t place them.

“-ise! You j-” there is another voice, it doesn’t sound desperate, in fact, it feels serene in comparison…. Ugh, I can feel myself passing out, I guess… This… Is… It…

…

“-at! Come on, Pat!”

Is someone calling my name?

“Wake up!” slap Ouch!

With some effort, I open my eyes, my vision is a blurred mess, but I can manage to see a pink blob is in front of me, I know who it is, but why?

“Pinkie… Why are you here?” I blabber out, but the answer never comes as I’m instantly pulled up on my feet, and before noticing, I’m being pulled outside, thankfully, I recover a few seconds later and start running on my own.

I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m escaping death. I’m not going to question more than I have to.

Then, like a punch, musky air hits my face once we exit the building, Pinkie lets go of my hand and hurries me along.

We continue running.

We get out of this place.

Pass the Hut.

The debris filled streets.

And finally, we are at the entrance, both of us huffing in exhaustion, ready to get out of there. However, it seems the day is not with us, as we both notice the car is now gone.

Fucking dammit.

“I guess we are walking, aren’t we?” Pinkie says with a tired smile. How she can manage such a feat when she just had her car stolen? Fuck if I know, I’m too tired to concentrate on it.

“Pinkie… What happened?” I say wearily, numerous questions in my head that I honestly don’t want the answer to right now. But that I need to know.

“It’s a long story, but… It looks like we have time, I hope you don’t mind,” she says grinning, making my heart feel instantly much better.

Come on everybody, smile, smile, smile. The verse pops in my head for a second.

“Pinkie, I think you know the answer to that already.”

And we both laugh, no real reason but other than to release the stress of the day, even Pinkie seems to have needed it as much as I did.

~~~~~

I only listen in awe as Pinkie retells the events during my ‘near-passed out’ state.

Zecora becoming worried and catching up as soon as I left with Babs, her and Pinkie sneaking into the place, how she told Pinkie to call the police as she sneaked in, all up to the point right now… No, seriously, she actually continues it. What the heck, Pinkie?

“And Zecora?” I ask, interrupting her continued storytelling before she gets too meta.

“I don’t know…” she replies with worry, practically mimicking my own.

“I hope she w- Woah!” I fall back as something purple suddenly lands on me, I begin to panic… Until I feel something licking me.

I open my eyes and see a dog… A purple dog. It looks familiar…

“Spike!” I hear someone calling from behind, a familiar voice. “You stupid dog!” the man grabs the dog and then puts out his hand towards mine to help me on my feet. I graciously accept it and get up, meeting the man face to face.

Well I’ll be, it’s Shining Armor, at least I think it is, he sounds like him and has a Spike. He is also very white... Oh, and he has a name tag for some reason.

“Are you alright, kid?” he asks me, Spike the dog whining in his arms, whimpering.

"I'm Lemon... And I'm fine... Just a bit confused, is all. And that one over there is Pinkie Pie wh-"

“Aww, it’s a puppy! Can I pet him?” Pinkie asks out of nowhere, jumping between Shining and I. “Pleasepleasepleaseplease!” Shining looks at her confused, but complies instantly, giving her Spike, who instantly warms up to her by waggling his tail.

“Where did you even come from?” I ask him, as he scratches his head, looking embarrassed.

“Believe it or not, this little moron jumped out of my patrol car… Lucky that you were there to catch him, thanks,” he says with legit thankfulness. “But what are you two doing here? This late at night, and in this area, it’s pretty dangerous.”

“Well… Our car got stolen, so we are walking home,” I take my phone and show it to him. “And as you can see, no battery for me, and her phone was in her car, so, yeah.”

“Man, that’s rough…“

“Bark!“ Spike barks out of nowhere.

“That wasn’t a pun, you darn dog!“ Shining says flustered. He looks at us, conflicted for a couple of seconds, but after a shake of his head, he smiles assured.

“I’ll take you home, and I'm officer Shining Armor, by the way,” both Pinkie and I look at him happily, thankful for the offer.

“Really!? Wow, thank you, mister!” Pinkie says, jumping in excitement.

“Of course, you guys seem to need a break, don’t you? Come on, you two have to ride the back, Spike is too touchy about people riding in his spot in the front,” he walks to the car parked nearby and gets in, Spike jumping in the instant the door opens, growling a bit while looking at us and disappearing into the seat.

“Nice dog, huh?” I say with obvious sarcasm.

“You have no idea, kid,” he replies, giving me a blank expression.

I guess such sass runs in all dimensions…

“Well, let’s go! I am pooped!” Pinkie shouts, opening the side-door and literally, diving into it… You know, Pinkie? I share the sentiments.

I just want to sleep.

~~~~~

“I see… You can file a report in the morning, just refer to me so you don’t have to deal with the annoyance… You’ll have to tell the owners about it, though,” Shining says as we drive to the bakery.

“I know, thank you, Mr. Shining!” she says ignoring the potential problem she’ll be in. Now that’s courage… Of course, she also rescued me from a psychotic woman, so that’s something.

I have a lot to mull over tonight, it seems.

“Well, ‘Sugarcube Corner’, your stop, Pinkie,” Shining calls, getting out of the car and opening the door for her.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Shining!” she looks at the way to the bakery for a second before turning to me. “Hey, Pat?” she calls, her voice a low hum.

“Hmm? What’s up, Pinkie?” I reply, barely concentrating, there is a lot of things going on in my head…

What was Chryssa talking about? It's obvious by now that she wasn't the one who did it, or she would have said something. Why did this trip bring me more questions than answers… Answers that I might never be able to get the answer to, or heck, even if I can go b-Smooch-ack? Whaat?

“Pinkie?” I look up to her as she pulls back, I reach up and touch the cheek that she just kissed.

“I know this may sound selfish, but… I’m glad you are still here,” I… Pinkie, what can I… “Goodnight, Pat,” she jumps out and runs to the bakery, disappearing in the darkness of the now closed place

What… Was that all about?

“Talk about slow, if it were me, I would have assumed something,” Shining comments, closing the door, and then, um, he drives again… And we leave, towards my place now… Yeah.

Wait, why would people assume any... thing. Right.

This reminds of it earlier with Fluttershy, and Rarity, and T-...

Oh, again.

Okay, I have a LOT to mull over tonight.

Author's Note

IT IS DONE. OH MY GOD.

You guys have no idea how stressed I was for this two parter. It took a LOT of effort (the two were actually partially written before 'honesty is a bitch' so you can see how long I've been tinkering with them) and it feels GREAT to have this out, I've tried my best to have it be both funny (you know, MY level of humor) and adventure-y.

With that certain bit of development by the end, which I sincerely hope you enjoyed.

All in all, I'm happy with the final product, and I hope you guys were too, and if something seems wrong, blame my pre-reader (I'm just kidding ily Pinkie Pool)

Until next time!

RE:Telling 1 - Sunny Side Up

“I am the shadow on the moon at night, filling your dreams to the brim with fright.”

“Ugh,” I turn off the tv and drop back on the couch, sighing due to extreme boredom and lack of anything interesting to partake in. Yet another Nightmare Night to be part of. I would go out, but I run the risk of finding a kid in my path, and since candy is given out today, that’s very likely to happen.

No. Thank you.

Still, I could be out with my so-called parents during one of their parties.

Copy and Paste previous statement.

I get on my feet and walk to the window, I move the curtain slightly and glance outside where I watch the vexatious foals run by. Thankfully, most know not to even try to come ‘trick-or-treat’ here, not after the incident three years ago.

Admittedly, that was entertaining, thus, I can't complain.

After that pointless endeavor, I return to the couch and grab the blanket I was using to envelop myself, I reckon going to bed early might be my best choice at this point. Yes, that sounds rather enticing n-

“Ding, dong!”

Oh, of course, figures someone would come with such timing. Whoever you are, you picked the WRONG girl to trick-or-treat from.

But… Maybe this lucky person can make my night a tad less dull.

I walk to the coat hanger and wrap myself in my father’s coat before heading to the door, pushing my hair to the back to avoid any comments, I open the door and… What the…?

“Trick-or-tre…at…” I believe she says. I'm too busy staring at her outfit...It can't be! “Oh, um, hi! Happy Nightmare Night, Sunset Shimmer!” she greets me, the tail she is wearing lifting itself to the air, but, it can't be! There is just no w-... I should calm down and just let the question come naturally.

“Well, if it isn’t Pinkie Pie… Aren’t you a little too old for trick-or-treating?” she recoils at my words, holding her arm as if hurt. Grow up.

“Yeah, but I'm not here alone, and, um,” she continues awkwardly, not noticing how boring she is getting.

“So… Where did you get that outfit from? Never seen that before on TV,” her face lights up and she smiles again, holding her snout and ears.

“I’m dressed like a pony! And I have this thing I like to call cutie mark here, isn’t it cute? Pun VERY intend- oh, are you okay, Sunset?”

B-but how? How does she even know of it? There is no possible way! This knowledge should be reduced to a few… Did someone talk? If so, who?

“Hiiiiii.”

“Oh, um, what?” I ask, turning to Pinkie… She is looking at me as if I were crazy. Insolent girl!

"Are you okay?"

“Yes, yes, but anyway! So, where did you get the idea for the costume from, hmm? It looks rather well made,” now bite the bait, you moron.

“Oh, well, it came from one of my frien-” she starts, but suddenly stops… Don’t stop! Tell me! Who told you!? “Sorry, they told me to keep it a secret, I already said too much! They are being silly and, don’t want to be embarrassed by being found out that they like something so girly, tee hee, nothing personal!" she laughs it away, I want to punch her, but I can’t force it, or I would just look suspicious.

But who could it be? That jock Rainbow Dash? Or maybe that dumb hillbilly Applejack? Grr, if only you’d talk…

Well...

Since I'm not going to get any answers, I might as well have some fun, right?~

“I'll admit, I’m surprised, Pinkie Pie, what are you doing out without your parents? Isn’t it a bit late for you?" she freezes the instant I mention them. Good.

“Oh, um, they are okay, yeah…” she manages to say, trying to avoid looking into my eyes. Poor girl, she doesn't notice that body language tells all I need.

“Or how about your sisters? I have heard that they are rather fun! I would so gladly love to meet them if I have the chance!”

“Um… No,” she says, her voice now a low hum, her mane visibly deflating by the second as my research has shown. "They aren't here..."

Of course none of them are here, why would they be?

“Oh, I’m sorry! Is something the matter? Are you alright?” I ask, inching closer to her. She quickly shakes her head and backs away, attempting to separate herself from me.

“N-no, it’s okay… I’m fine… And I'm sorry, but I have to go, nice to have seen you, Ms. um, Shimmer,” she says, her words a slurred mess. This is just too easy.

“Well, if you do need something, feel free to knock, I have to head to bed, so I will see you at school, goodnight!” and without another word, I close the door, chuckling to myself.

This was just priceless, if only I could see that look in her face.

But... Wait. I believe there is a certain pony outfit I need to look into.

I take my phone out and set the dial, after the tone and a couple of seconds pass, the phone blares to life with two voices.

“Yes, Ms. Sunset Shimmer, ma’am!” both of them say instantly. At least they are good at something.

“I need you to keep an eye on Pinkie Pie and her other four friends whom I spoke of you previously, and as before, give me weekly reports on th-”

“Pinkie Pie… What happened?”

“That voice…” I open the curtain a tad and look outside, finding none other than mister relationship destroyer; Lemon. “Interesting… He is with Pinkie, huh?” I watch them interact for a while, and isn't that cute? Mr Lime wants to get revenge for Pinkie... Looks like a potent bond those two are sharing.

“Um, Ms. Shimmer, you there?” the voice of Snails reaches my ears, and I pick up the phone.

“Yes... And I'm adding someone to your list.”

“Oh, oh! Who would it be?” Snips asks with overbearing excitement.

“None other than your old crime partner Lemon Lime... But for now, sleep, tomorrow, I want you to keep tabs in all of them as well as you can, I will expect those reports on point by next Thursday.”

"You got it, Sunset Shimmer!" and after those words I hang up. There is no need for more to boggle their minds. Now, I believe I was heading to bed.

Now this WAS an interesting turn of events, but nothing that will really hinder my plans.

Author's Note

Aaaaand here is something extra which is all you get for a while.

I'm gonna be focusing my efforts on getting a new story drafted before getting back into this one.
I hope you enjoyed this, thought, guys!

Part 2 Epilogue - Tricky Wonderland

“Snow, the beautiful mantle that comes down from the sky, it brings with it the cold, yes, the cold which can instantly decimate your tender parts with its gentle touch.”

“Charming. You sure know how to appease to the ladies, you buffoon,” replies the voice from the speaker.

“You know you loved it, Trix,” I say with a proud stance, pushing my glasses up cockily, too bad she can’t see it, being talking on a phone and all, maybe I’ll send her a pic-

“No, Trixie didn’t. Now, can you tell her what you want? Or are you simply trying to annoy her?” she growls, geez, it hasn’t even being five minutes yet.

“Alright, alright,” I guess trying to ease her into it failed miserably, might as well get to the point. “Here goes then: have you heard anything about Ms. Chryssa?” a sigh is the response from the other side, I bet myself twenty bucks that was going to be he case.

“You already know what Trixie is going to say,” she says sounding defeated. “Trixie has checked this before, and she does not think she will find something more,” I hear typing in the background, and the sound of her phone being placed down. “There, it says ex-superintendent Chryssa is still in prison on the accounts of gang related activities’, happy? Although Trixie is pretty sure you yourself already know this.”

I sigh in relief, falling back on my bed. “Good…”

“Lemon… Will you tell me what happened? You know? That Nightmare Night? With her?” I roll my eyes, this isn’t the first time she has attempted to get that out of me, the fact that she dropped the third person act certainly says that she is that curious.

“There is nothing to tell, okay?” I lie, I mean, there is just no way I’m telling her about that… I get nightmare nights just thinking about it… I don’t care if it was a terrible experience, puns are always good.

“I’ve tried to remain from meddling, but the way you acted when you saw Ms. Zecora at school the day after was odd, you just shivered in fear, and you refused to talk to anyone, I heard you were even send home.”

Right… The day after the events, I was kind of a mess, I kept thinking that Chryssa would pop out on me, and Zecora… Well, she wasn’t much help, in fact, she just acted like she didn’t know anything… Suspicious much?

“Why? Feeling worried about me?” I say with a grin on my face.

“Wipe that obvious grin you must have! Trixie only cares to prove you wrong, you are no good to her when you are being a coward.”

Well, back to third person, I guess. “Right…”

“The thing is, you looked… Traumatized, but then, it just seemed to stop,” she explains, and well, I can say that the information of her being in prison did a lot to help me.

“Whatever! It’s over, can you please drop it? Besides, I… Just wanted to check, you know? I had a strange day today and a bit of good news was what I needed, I think?” I pull out a pendant from my pocket, the pink colored, crystal-like musical note glistening in the light of the lamp in the room.

“You do not sound so sure, but Trixie digresses… Can you at least tell her why you and Pinkie have been acting so awkward with each other lately? Or a better question would be why YOU have been acting so awkward around her? It‘s been like this for over a month now.”

Um…

“So Trix, how goes the magic practice! I haven’t been able to attend them in a bit and I thought it would be good for me to catch up on how much better you’ve gotten!” I hear the sound of a palm possibly connecting to the face as I wait for the response.

“Don’t you change the subject!”

“Maybe I can tell you another passage then? This one is about my p-”

“Okay, fine, she‘ll drop that too!” she goes silent for an awful long time, making me think she hung up. “Perhaps you’d like to talk about your ‘strange day‘, then? Who knows? Maybe Trixie will be willing to listen… If it is interesting enough, that is,” oh, it’s interesting, alright.

Hmm… Yeah, why not? “Sure…It might take a bit, thought, you willing to hear?” I warm her.

“It’s Saturday, Trixie thinks she can manage to waste some of her precious time,” I swear I can hear the sound of her tossing herself to her bed to get comfortable. Good teasing ammunition, not enough proof to apply.

“Well, if you say so,” I lay back on my own bed, putting the phone on my chest and turning on the speaker. “It was just today, in a forced appointment with the Optometrist…”

~~~~~

“Mom, I told you, I don’t NEED to go, I’m fine!” I whine.

-Wait, why would it be forced? Shouldn’t you be okay with going there? It’s your eyes after all.-

-Trixie! If you want me to tell you the story, you’ll stay quiet, and listen, capiche?-

-Trixie, um, ‘capiches‘,- good.

Now, where was I? Oh, yeah! “Son, you squinted your eyes just trying to watch TV,” she replies without a hint of humor.

“I got something in my eye! Is that so hard to believe?”

“Not when it happens when you attempt to read,” she counters not taking my word for it like a mother should, they should be trusting of their kids, dammit.

“Hey, you can’t blame me for that one! I was reading it from my phone, I mean, look at the size of it! They are tiny!” I explain.

“Son?” she says, placing a hand on my shoulder as we stop at a light, giving me a warm smile.

“Yes, mom?” I smile right back.

“Shut up.”

Oh. I guess the topic is closed, then.

-Trixie takes a liking to your mother, she doesn’t fall for your absurd comments-

-Will the peanut gallery shut it?-

-Trixie is only commenting.-

Soon after, we arrive at our destination, all while I give mom a harsh glare and a pout, which she returns in mocking fashion.

“Oh, come on, son, it’s not too bad, and here you go,” she gives me her credit card which I quickly put in my pocket, content that she’ll trust me with it, but a bit confused.

“You know I can pay cash, right?”

“I know, but Christmas is around the corner, so, might as well get that silly holiday shopping of yours out of the way while you are here, buy us, your friends some gifts, maybe get your sweetheart something special?”

-Don’t even bring it up.-

-Trixie wasn’t going to… Yet.-

“Dad put you up to this, didn‘t he?” I ask while in return all she does is give me an innocent 'hurt' look.

“Son, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about,” and with those last words, she drives off, leaving me to tend to the place which I’ve never attended before on my own.

Yup, just like my Earth mom. But I suppose I’ll just give her the benefit of the doubt.

I put my attention back to the store, discovering its name; ‘Flor‘-Mart… No relation to ‘Wal‘-Mart, I bet.

I shrug it off and go inside, heading directly for the eye doctor place -after going getting lost because my mom is dumb enough to not realize I haven’t been here before- thankfully, once I arrive, the place isn’t busy, so I easily manage to head inside for my apparent appo-

-Lemon.-

-Huh? What? Telling a story here.-

-Trixie is NOT interested on your appointment.-

-B-but this is the part where they check my eyes, and the doctor herself is nice, an-

-Trixie is hanging up.-

-Okay, fine!-

After the appointment -WHICH WAS VERY FUN AND INTERESTING- is done, and the money has been paid, I leave the place with spiffy new glasses of my own choice, paid -of course- with my mother’s money to boot.

She will regret letting me borrow the card, that’s for sure.

Business being done, I take out my phone, and get ready to dial mom's number... That is until I remember I have the time free to buy gifts and to look around the store. Neat-O. And as stereotypical females say in movies; 'let’s shop n’ shit!'

Accuracy may vary.

I happily stroll through the hallways, quickly realizing I’d forgotten the part in which the store is based on sells stuff dirt cheap, so I don’t find anything that girls of the standards of my friends would like… Heck, in hindsight, I don’t even know what they would want.

I am such a great friend.

“Grr…”

“Huh?” I turn around at the odd sound, but finding nothing. “What was that?” I say while I stealthily make my way to the source of the sound, and without any restraint, I jump in… Finding nothing, bar a few people who were looking at clothes who were now looking at me.

Boy, do I feel silly.

After that embarrassing display, I decide to give up and leave, maybe I can get mom to take me to a real mal-”

“You!”

I freeze at the voice, both surprised and slightly intimidated, and against my better judgement, I slowly turn around to meet the strange caller, ready to answer in a manner as respectful as them.

“Yep, meaaah!” my eyes widen once I take notice of the person… It’s a girl -obviously- with mint green skin and hair to match it. “…Hi, Lyra,” I say simply, the memories of half a year ago returning to me like the memories of a repressed memory… Which might or might not be one and the same, my brain isn’t exactly working correctly right now.

“Are you ready, punk?” she asks, slowly closing the gap between us.

“Ready for what?” I ask, unconsciously walking backwards. Away from the danger.

“For the beat down…” she pops her knuckles. “Of your life.”

“I should be running, shouldn’t I?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it, for you s-…” and as the instinct of survival that this world also thankfully has kicks in, I do anyway; “Oh, why doesn’t that ever work!” I heard her shout as she instantly takes after me.

Some may ask; why would I be running? And well, all I’ll tell them is that a woman that’s mad, is ALWAYS bad news.

Especially when they want to kick your ass.

“God dammit, stop, you punk!” she shouts, and frankly, her argument leaves a lot to be desired. As I lose sight of her, I quickly turn in the now found women’s clothing section and jump in, hiding in the midst of blouses and stuff.

‘She won’t find me here,’ I think to myself, gulping as her slow, careful steps come ever closer to me, and then…

-Then what? What happened?-

~~~~~

“Um…”

“Well? Trixie is waiting,” Trixie says with uncharacteristic eagerness.

“Well… she found me, and, um, beat me up quite nicely,” I struggle to say.

“Really now?" she says with a very apathetic attitude. "And how did you get away?” she quickly asks.

“W-well, an employee came by and we were send to their offices, where our parents picked us up, and then, well, I came home, we apologized to each other first, of course, and… That’s it!” I finish.

I hear a few sounds from the other side as she possibly gets off her bed, I can barely make out the footsteps as she moves somewhere else, not saying anything in the meantime.

“… Trixie doesn’t understand,” oh, oh… “Why was this woman after you? And isn’t this ‘Lyra’ the one who was involved in that odd scandal around 7 months ago?” she asks, reminding me of the event, I’m pretty sure EVERYONE in school at the time knew of it.

“Yeah, it was,” I say, already regretting acknowledging it.

Then, the longest silence every followed in the history of events that I care about took place.

“Trixie understands… That WAS an interesting story, Lemon, and Trixie apologizes for the shortness, but she must go. Goodbye, and for the record… Trixie enjoys jewelry.” and before I can get a word in, she has hanged up.

Wait... That's it? Did she really buy it? Am I in the clean? Why am I asking myself so many questions without a concrete answer? Oh, great, now this is going to bug me.

I get off my bed and decide upon a shower, something to gather my thoughts, maybe it can help me ease the feelings brought for being a lying SOB.

~~~~~

It hasn’t been more than a few minutes, but I feel like I’ve been hiding here for an eternity, the silky smooth feel of the clothes comforting me on my time of need, Lyra passes by, slowly and carefully looking down each aisle, thankfully, she doesn’t think to look do-

“Got ya!”-own… I look up, noticing the creepy smile on her face and gulp.

“Um… Hi?”

Time slows down as her hands reach out to me the instant I attempt to jump out, I can feel her fingers struggling to grasp me, a number of clothes flying as I try to get away, landing messily every which place while I run.

“Geez, what is your problem!?” I say out loud, watching just as she falls forward on the mess in front of her, her growls loud enough to bring other costumer’s attentions. “But seriously, what did I do!?" I hiss between breaths. "All I did was… Meddle in something that wasn’t my business and…” I continue on a low voice. “Ruined your life, and made you lose something you had worked on…” I click my tongue loudly and come to a halt.

“Huh?” I hear the questioning mumble of Lyra behind me, the sounds of her shoes coming to a grinding halt, just feet behind me. “Why are you stopping, are you going to let me beat you up?”

I turn -not before I roll my eyes at her comment- to find her ‘crossed arm and raised brow’ self, possibly awaiting an explanation.

“So? I’m waiting,” she starts, her tone growing impatient. "You have ten seconds."

"Wait, you aren't gonna attack me?"

"Seven."

“Okay! Look... Do you want to… Talk?” I ask simply, she looks surprised for a moment, but shrugs, turns around, and walks away. Oh.

“What are you doing?” she turns around to ask. “Come on, you wanted to talk, right? I’d prefer we did it somewhere private,” she keeps walking, leaving me with no other choice but follow.

She has spunk, I’ll give her that.

…

Seven minutes later -or 420 seconds later as my friends and I used to say in jest-, we are out to the side of the store, our backs against some poles, opposite from each other, awkwardness ensuing in the air.

I rub my palms together, the cold is really getting to me, it’s not making the situation any less uncomfortable, that's for sure.

“Will you freaking talk!?” Lyra shouts, making me fall back in surprise. “We’ve been here for five minutes!”

Whoops.

“Right, sorry… It’s just a bit difficult,” I say. It’s not an excuse, I swear.

She glares at me, her anger clearly measured by the amount of carbon dioxide leaving her nose by the second. Mother nature sure is helpful. “Alright, you see I a-”

“What is your problem!?” she shouts unexpectedly, causing me to flinch in response. I guess she wants to go first, then. “You ruined my life! Why would you work for that skank Sunset Shimmer? This was none of your business, and… And…” she stops, as a number of people have turned towards us, she is still breathing heavily, but she is no longer shouting, so that’s a plus.

Wait a minute.

“Wait, you knew I was working for her?” she gives me a look of contempt, her mouth open as she shakes her head as if she just figured something… Oh, crap.

“So you WERE working for her! Of course! There is no reason anyone but her would give a crap about what I do on my own time!” she paces back and forth on the spot, until she sharply turns towards me, grabbing me by the collar and… Lifting me off my feet HOLY CRAP SHE IS STRONG.

“L-Lyra? Please, calm down!”

“Calm down? Calm DOWN!? WHY SHOULD I!? I SHOULD BEAT YOUR FACE TO A PULP! HOW MUCH DID SHE PAY YOU!? HUH? WHAT COMPELLED YOU TO DO SOMETHING AS DESPICABLE AS TH-”

“Pinkie Pie!” I shout without really realizing it, yet, its effectiveness at stopping her barrage of words is noticeable. By now, there is a crowd around us, fixated on the scene. “Will you people fuck off!?” I kindly shout, still hanging by her monstrous strength. Thankfully, the onlookers take the hint, distaste clearly marked on their faces as they walk away. Boo fucking hoo, they’ll deal.

I turn back to Lyra, she is leaning on the wall, looking off to the side to nothing in particular.

I attempt to make communication with her, edging closer with a careful step. “Ly-”

“Pinkie Pie, huh?” I don’t say anything. “Isn’t that the weird girl from school?”

“She is not weird!” I say before being able to stop myself, noticing my defensive behavior… Geez.

“I see… Your name is Lemon, right?“ I give her a questioning glance and nod. “So you did this for your girlfriend then… Doesn’t surprise me then,” she walks to me, standing uncomfortably close to my face.

“Um, what?… She is not my girlfriend, she is just my, er, friend… Best friend,” I explain, feeling a bit flustered.

“Well, she should be, you clearly care for her, or maybe you have somebody else in mind,” lady, who the hell made you my relationship adviser.

“Who asked y-SMACK -ouagh!” I fall to the ground, the slap placed on my face catching me by surprise. “What the hell!?” I shout, looking up at her as she actually grins at my pain.

“There, that was my act of 'peace-back', you could say,” after a few more laughs, she helps me on my feet.

“Right…” I say, conflicted thoughts running through my head “Look for what it’s worth, I’m really sorry, I really felt horrible doing what I did… It just happened too fast,” she responds by punching my shoulder, causing me to keel over in pain. This girl is strong!

“You still going on about that?“ well, at least she moves on fast. “Hey, ice under the bridge, I already hit you, so I feel tons better,” she takes out her phone and checks the time for a second, she fidgets with it for a bit and puts it to her ear.

“What are you doing here anyway? Ouch…” I ask between cries of pain.

“Shopping, just like you, and be quiet, I’m on the phone,” I do as she says and wait, barely listening to what she is saying here and there. “Uh huh… Yeah. I’m ready… Okay, I love you too, Bon Bon,” she hangs up and WHAAAAT???

“Wait… Bon Bon?” I ask outright because screw tact. “I thought you… Well, you know?” she smirks at my surprise and gives me a peace sign.

“Aren’t you nosy? Anyway, all you need to know is that I made a mistake, and I went through my trials and tribulations, but I made up for it… Just goes to show what love can make you do, huh… Or some other cheesy thing like that,” well, she killed the mood of that pretty quickly. “You are a good example of that,” she reaches into her pocket, bringing out a piece of paper and a pen.

“What is that for?”

“My number,” she hangs me the piece of paper with the digits on it. “Cause you know, you may be a total pansy, a jackass, a smartass, an-”

“Lyra?” I interrupt.

“I‘m getting there! Geez!” she takes a breath of air. “BUT, you have a big heart. And that’s what I like about you, capiche?”

“Um, I guess…”

“Stop being such a sourpuss! Here, takes this,” she puts her hand over mine, letting something drop, when she lifts it, a small pendant rests there, shaped like a musical note, its pinkish transparent look shining in what little sunshine the clouds will let through.

“Okay, I’m not one to say ‘no’ to free stuff EVEN from strangers, but, why are you giving me this?” I ask her, holding the pendant at eye height, looking through it as I talk.

“Well, I just figured I’d play my part to help in this story, you know?” she explains… Not really well, she still seems to have that ‘we are all part of a story’ mentality. Freak.

“Right… Well, thank you, I appreciate it,” I thank her sincerely… I mean, she saved me -or mom- money on gifts.

“No problem, and remember to give it to one of them!”

“Sure... Wait, to one of them… Wait, what is that supposed to m-” I look back to where she stood, actually running away from me to a car parked not far from me.

“And you can pay me the money for the pendant at another date!”

"What!? Isn't this a gift!?" I shout, but she can no longer hear me. Or maybe she is just ignoring me.

I give the pendant another look and stare at it for a little longer… Pffft, I’m so not paying for it.

~~~~~

I toss the towel to the side alongside my dirty clothes, letting the heating in my room warm me up from the horrid cold that was the way to get here.

“Thanks for using up all the hot water ‘oh, loving parents’” I groan as I toss myself on the bed, hiding under the blankets to escape from the bitch ass cold.

BZZZ! I hear familiar sound of my phone vibrating, the sound coming from outside my comfort zone. Dammit. With reflexes that would make a ninja flinch, it’s already inside my blanket, opened, and ready to be peru… Oh.

3 missed calls, 1 message
-Trixie Ms Magic Girl

Oh boy, I’m going to get it.

Before I make the call, I open the message and read. ‘Don’t bother calling back, Trixie is already outside, get off your behind and meet her there’

Outside? But outside plus me plus cold equals a frozen Lemon!

Uuuuugh.

After a few grueling minutes of dressing up, almost falling down the stairs in my rush, and almost getting in an argument with mom, I’m outside, brazing the weather. The street is empty, except for the snow that threatens to freeze me to death if something unexpected were to happen. I walk to the street, and without fail I notice a crappy looking car, a girl inside it rubbing her hands together, fighting the terrible cold as I am.

Well, let's get this over with.

Why did I come to his house? I mean, is this really a good idea? I mean, I could just drive away and say that I was told to come home… Yeah… Grr, why is it so cold! My hands are fr-

Knock “Gah! What the!?” I turn to my window and see him there, Lemon‘s smug face waiting impatiently -as if he is one to complain- after fumbling with my keys for a tad, I get out of the car… It’s cold, oh, goodness, it’s cold.

“What took you so l-l-long!?” I shout, yet, he does not flinch. Darn it.

“So, what’s up? How did you find me?” humph! How rude! Ignoring my question. As payback, I simply close the door and start down the road.

“Follow Trixie, a talk is required,” I turn to say before continuing, his look of unease does not escape me, but he will soon understand.

We walk for a few minutes, I'm thankful that it has stopped snowing by now, and the streets are empty, as most residents are probably inside, enjoying the warmth of their homes on the weekend… Something that I wish to do, actually… T-this is a bad ide-

“Trixie, can you tell me what this is about?” he asks, interrupting my train of thought… Of course, he wants answers… Well, I should start somewhere.

“So… You worked with Shimmer?” I ask, turning dramatically and giving him my most neutral look. The look on his face says all I need.

“Huh? What? Where did you even get that from!?” he asks, blatantly confused. Come on, Lemon, it’s not rocket science. “Wait… I've only told one person.You know Ly-”

“-ra? Yes, Trixie knows her, she is actually an old friend of hers, in fact, she told Trixie about the event that caused her to change schools,” I finish. I sense the words coming out much colder than I expected to, but it can‘t be helped.

Pow, right in the kisser. Nana’s notorious phrase comes to mind, but it is not time for it. Not yet.

“Oh… But Trixie… We already made up, there is no longer bad blood between us,” he attempts to explain, fumbling with his words as he attempts to make a reasonable argument. A unneeded endeavor, in all honesty.

“Oh, yes, Trixie gets the point, she is not ignorant,” I explain. He is now looking partially relieved, that being said…

“Then, what is this all about? Is that the only reason I’m here?” he asks the question I’ve been awaiting.

“No, it’s not, Trixie is… No, I am here to talk about something else,” titles are not needed for what I am about to do. Thankfully, he notices the change and remains from saying anything. Good, he has come to know me better than I expected.

“What is it, exactly?” he asks in a tentatively, yet, curiously at the same time.

“You know, I found out about your deed with Shimmer nearly a month after I met you -you can thank Lyra for that- and I planned to get revenge for her all this time… Until today, that is,” I move towards him, slowly, and carefully. Don’t let your intentions be apparent as nana says.

“O-oh, is that right?”

“Indeed. In fact, my plans have been completed for a while now, and yet… I dared not do it,” closer, just a bit more.

“W-why is that?” he asks, now stopped by a car behind him, unable to walk backwards any longer.

"You are a smartass," I say without any humor, as it is the truth, of course, he doesn't take it lightly.

"Wow, thanks!" he replies indignantly.

"However," I continue, picking up his interest once more.

“Most of the time, you are a kind person, and I could not on good conscience, even attempt it, I was waiting for you to slip, to give me a reason, admittedly, that day you ruined my dream would have been a reason, if you remember.” I certainly do… If my shaking fist is any indication.

“Hmm, yes! B-but I said I was sorry about that, and can you stop this? You are creeping me out, Trixie, and trust me, I never expected those words to come out of my mouth. Ever,” he says, attempting to drift the conversation to a different topic. Typical.

“Yes, you did. And you did that and more by attending my practices, giving me support, being a friend, even treating me like one when no one else would, and…” my fist shakes, unable to control the amount of effort I’m placing into this.

“Wait, what’s your point?” he asks, now confused by my words.

“Right in the kisser,” I say simply.

“What are you ta-” before he can go in a tangent, I interrupt him.

Right.
In
The.
Kiss…Er.

Nana did always say there were more uses for the phrase.

~~~~~

As it were, currently, there are a number of things going through my mind.

Some of them go along the lines of ‘holy crap, it’s cold as shit’ or ‘boy, I sure do wish I were inside right now!’, and even that ‘boy, this sure tastes like berries!’ which is odd on its own.

Of course, the most prominent one is ‘IS TRIXIE KISSING ME RIGHT NOW!?’ a natural reaction if I do say so myself. And despite what‘s happening, I’m hoping that her blue skin makes her blend into the environment, because if my parents see this, I’m not gonna hear the end of it.

After what appears to be an eternity, she backs off a few feet, giving me a few precious seconds to asses the situation.

Trixie kissed me… Situation assessed.

“Trixie supposes you have questions, do you not?” she says, an irritatingly cute blush on her face to boot. I simply nod. An understatement if I ever heard one. “Well, to get to the point, Trixie did this due to Lyra… As she told her about your feelings for the pink one.”

Oh, well, that explains everything.

“WHAT… Wait, what!?” I shout, quickly covering my mouth after the stupid act. “There is nothing between us, okay?” I whisper.

“Oh, Trixie knows this,” she says knowingly. “In fact, she knows that Pinkie does not know of your feelings,” she says, completely ignoring what I just told her.

“You are missing the point, I. Don’t. Have. Feelings. For. Her. Nor. You. For. That. Matter!” I say reiterating each word, hopefully, she gets the message.

“Again, Trixie knows. And that is why she will attempt to win your heart, however, she will let the pink one.. No. She will let Pinkie Pie participate, you can call this a favor for teaching Trixie a new act," wait, wait, what?

“This… Is not happening.” I say out loud, sitting down on the car to gather my thoughts, but of course, its alarm activates at my touch. “Shit!” before I can get what’s happening, I’m running back home to escape the wrath of whoever the hell lives there.

“Lemon, Trixie knows she professed her love, but you sure move fast,” I turn to meet Trixie and realize I’m holding her hand, I guess I dragged her along as we ran. Brilliant move, Pat.

“I. Just. I don’t… Ugh!” I let go, and without another word, I run to the house, not bothering to look back.

“Lemon, hold it right there!” I hesitantly stop and turn around to see what she wants.

“You look cute with those glasses,” I feel my cheeks flush right away, and I can only wave at her as I attempt to make it into the house. “Trixie will see you in school Monday, call her!” she shouts as I make it inside, slamming the door shut and ignoring my parents’ complaints, just heading straight to my room and locking the door.

“W-what?” I say out loud, plummeting on the bed. “What even is happening?” I take off my glasses and softly toss them aside, covering my eyes from this… Maybe I’m just dreaming, I mean, there is no way Trixie fell for me… Right? I look aside and see the pendant Lyra gave me sitting there, where I left it in my rush, I suppose… ‘To one of them’ she said…

Oh, wait… So one of them is… That sneaky… I can’t really insult her, she must have known of Trixie’s infatuation… Which still feels surreal… Guess I gotta add that to the plate of ‘shit I should be concerned about’, whichI should be, obviously, I mean, she is underage, and I’m, well, twenty four on a seventeen year old body and what-not, but still an adult!

Adding this to what Pinkie might or not feel is making me feel bad, dirty even.

And yet…

I can’t help but feel happy about it…

Author's Note

I'm sorry plz don't kill me.

Well, there you have it, I did that. It was planned from the beginning, and I hope I don't shoot myself in the foot with it.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed this, tell me what you guys thought, and as always, until next time! For Part 3!

Also, title is a crappy pun of 'Winter Wonderland' and Trixie, I'm so creative right.

The More Things...

Ding….. Dong… Ding… Dong…

I look outside the window, thinking that maybe, just maybe, the view of nature will calm my nerves down… Of course, I had forgotten the simple fact that my room was placed right next the fucking ‘I do’ place.

“Geez, fucking thanks…” I groan.

Knock, knock

“Gah! Go away, I’m not ready!”

“Son, it’s me, your dad?” I quickly get off my seat and open the door to actually find my dad there, giving me a concerned look.

“May I come in?”

“Knock yourself out,” I say with a wave, sitting back on my ‘feeling sorry’ spot.

“Pat, you alright?” he asks, closing the door on his way in.

“I’m about as ‘alright’ as uncle Ben,” I reply.

“Wait, are you talking about the Spiderman Ben?, Or your uncle?” he asks confused, his knowledge of that stuff coming through.

“Well, both are dead, take your pick,” I groan. “Okay, that was a bit too much, I’m sorry,” I apologize for crossing the line.

“That’s alright, son,” he says undisturbed. “You are about to have some… ‘Great responsibility‘, after all,” he says with a grin.

“I set myself up for that one, didn’t I?” I say, bursting into laughter.

“Come on, son, you’ll do fine, if Peter Parker can handle saving the city, you can handle one person,” he says convincingly.

“I suppose,” he does raise a good point, I mean, it’s not like my life will be forever changed in an extremely radical way. “Thanks, dad.”

“No problem, son, now, go knock ‘em dead… Just make sure I’m not around when you knock her down,” he says with a devilishly look.

“… That’s so funny I forgot to punch you in the face to steal your joke…”

“Go get married, you idiot.”

Supportive parent for the win.

…

Several minutes later, I’m at the altar, completely dressed up on my brand new tux, my friends and family are sitting on one side; my mom is crying as expected, I see Paul giving me the thumbs up and Rick doing… A very unbecoming thrusting motion, ah, his girlfriend just slapped him for that. Well done.

And on the other side… My bride’s grandma. That’s it. A bit saddening.

Not for long, of course, if the sudden quieting is any indication.

The piano begins playing.

The door opens, revealing her… The bride, her face covered by a veil.

My bride.

She walks over to the altar in the manner that brides do whenever I see them in movies, but her? She does so with much more grace and finesse none of them compare. She soon reaches it, and the ceremony commences, I tune most stuff out because honestly I‘ve seen this in movies a million times, at least until the last point, which in all honesty, is all we care about.

“… may kiss the bride,” oh, yeah, the moment of truth! I reach to remove the veil an-- “AH! AH! HOLY FUCK!’

“What’s the matter, dear?” asks pony Trixie, standing on her hooves, and barely managing it. “Is Trixie wearing too much make-up?”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAA-”

“Hey, wait a minute!” I hear another voice call, until suddenly the door to the place slams open, revealing none other than pony Pinkie Pie. “What about me!? I wanna get married too!”

“I… What…” I mumble, not knowing what to say to the pair of ponies suddenly, and slowly approaching each other.

Trixie… Says? What?

The both of them leapt into the air, landing opposite of each other with… Skin tight outfits. That’s it, I’m going insane.

“Whee!” Pinkie cheers, suddenly drawing a BLADE and swinging at Trixie who now holds one with her magic.

“Guys?” I start, not even knowing how to handle the situation. “Please, there is no need for violence!”

“Hughds assjiisdld,” Pinkie says… Kinda hard to understand when there is a sword in her mouth interrupting her very speech.

“The pink one is correct! You must not get in the way!” she swings her sword once more while Pinkie does the same.

“Whoopsie!”

“Huh?” I look at Pinkie who seems to have let go of the sword which is FLYING TOWARDS ME. “AAAAA-

~~~~~

“-AAAAAAHH-” thump. “Ah, fuck! That hurt!”

“Lemon, watch your mout- fuck! Ah, that was hot!” I hear the sound of mom’s voice downstairs. Hello irony, nice to meet you.

“Sorry!” I shout without meaning it, the dream being the forefront of my thoughts. “Ugh, why do I keep having those dreams?”

Shrugging it off for the time being, the first thing I do is reach for my phone, it’s become a habit ever since Trixie… Well, confessed, as I always find some message from her, ranging from -to be fair- cute, to downright raunchy… But I can’t complain, as to be fair… I haven’t really stopped her.

Today is no exception as I find a message from her, surprisingly, the message is actually NOT sexually explicit this time, in fact, it’s not even cute either, and with good reason too.

“The Pink one returns today, do not be late.”

As if I would forget.

Pinkie had gone out the city with the Cakes, apparently, they invited her to visit some city with some theme park and whatnot. Needless to say, the winter break without her had been boring, and I’m genuinely happy she is back… Not the lovey dovey kind of happy, because that would just be silly. Ahahahahahaha…

“Oh yeah… “ I say, coming to an obvious realization. “School starts again today,” I guess that makes the whole ‘she is coming back today’ thing make more sense.

After less a minute of fancying, I run down the stairs with the thought of breakfast in my head, but I stop noticing my parents standing at the kitchen entrance, giving me the look of death.

“Um, mom? Dad? Something the matter?” I ask confused.

“Son…” Dad starts. “We wanted to talk to you about… “ he looks a me with a worried stare. Oh no. Are they getting a divorce? It’s all my fault isn’t it!? I didn’t mean to burn the carpet! I was playing around!

“W-what is it?“ I ask regardless, gulping in fear.

“Well… You see, since Trixie and you are a thing now an-”

Oh. “Dad, for the last time, we aren’t ‘a thing‘!” I interrupt relieved. I’d forgotten that ever since they ‘accidentally’ read one of Trixie’s texts, they have been all over me. And let me reaffirm this, but it wasn’t a simple text either.

Interestingly enough, they didn’t care much for the message itself.

“Son, let your dad talk,” mom reprimands me, giving me the evil eye.

“Fine, humor me,” I reluctantly give in.

“Alright…” Dad sits down and looks at me with the most serious stare ever.. “You see, when a man and a woman love each other very muc-”

“Done,” I finish the conversation, simply walking out of the house, the still cold wind of January hitting me in the face like that one analogy I keep using says. The wind itself has nothing on my parents whose laughter I can hear all the way out here.

“Dammit,” I groan. Their attitudes had significantly changed from when I first arrived here, kind of jarring when I think about it, but I must say I like it, they act like my friends, friends who feed me and give me money.

The best kind of friends.

I guess I should ask them about it at some point… For now though, I have a bus to catch.

Growl…

… Maybe some breakfast before that would be a good idea.

~~~~~

I arrive at school completely out of breath, having missed the bus does that… I shouldn‘t have been late, but... Breakfast though.

Wait… Why didn’t I just ask mom to take me to school? … Fuck you, hindsight.

Anyway, soon enough, I make it to the entrance, where I find some of the gals already waiting; Rarity, AJ, and… Trixie. Goodie.

“Hi, girls!” I greet them.

Or rather, I would greet if I hadn’t been out of breath, so it came out more something like. “HAAIGH GRULSS,” either way, it is promptly ignored by Rarity and Trixie arguing about something, if it isn’t evident enough with them scowling at each other.

“Heya, pardner!” AJ shouts amusedly. “Wanna join on the fun?”

“What are they arguing about?” I ask her with feign interest, looking at the angry pair besides her.

“Just something dumb, don’t you pay them any mind,” AJ replies rolling her eyes.

“Dumb!?” Rarity screeches, her face twisted with the fury of a thousand marshmallows. “I will have you know that FASHION isn’t something dumb! Figures someone like you wouldn’t understand it!”

“And what in tarnation is that supposed to mean, pastel butt?” AJ growls, pushing her forehead over Rarity with a scowl.

“EXCUSE ME!?” Rarity shrieks, aaaaand this is the point where I simply tune them out and turn to look at the statue in the courtyard as I wait for Pinkie to arrive.

Examining the way it looks, gauge the different details placed upon its tough exterior.

“It’s really tall,” Man, I suck at this.

“Hey there.”

“I guess it’s hard too? Heh, heh… Hard.”

“I think you are cute.”

“Yes, I’m immature, what you gonna do about it, statue?”

“Trixie will touch your butt if you don‘t turn around.”

“Huh? What?” I glance to the side annoyed, my attempted ignoring having no effect on the girl. Maybe she just doesn’t care.

“Hello, boyfriend,” she whispers again, softly laying it on my ear.

“I‘M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND!” I hiss through gritted teeth. “Shouldn’t you be arguing with Rarity, or something?”

“Well, Trixie was, but ’Pastel butt’ has sort of gone on another tangent with Apple girl there,” she explains, as I turn to find the pair colliding their foreheads and visibly fuming… They should get that checked.

“Well, could you stop calling me boyfriend? We aren‘t really dating, and I get a quite a bit of that with your messages,” I explain with a blush on my face. Her messages get that bad.

“As long as Trixie requires it… She will get you to admit your love for her,” she says, putting her head on my shoulder for less than a second before removing it, giving me the oddest smile while doing so, for some reason, it reminds me of a picture of pony Trixie touching horns with Tw-… Another pony.

“GUUUUUUUUUUYS!”

“Huh?” I turn my head around, looking for the source of the voice, but to no avail. “You heard that too, didn’t you?” I ask Trixie who simply nods.

“Guys, I’m over here!” the voice calls again, this time, the indistinguishable voice of Pinkie coming through.

“Over here where? Pinkie where are ya, girl?” AJ asks, finally returning from arguing.

The glimpse of a shadow catches my eye on the floor… Which seems to be getting bigger. In a quick take, we all turn our heads upwards, noticing just in time as Pinkie -Yep. Pinkie Pie- descending with a parachute. On another note, I am sad that she is wearing pants today and-Wait a minute is she aiming at m-

“Oof!” I moan in pain the moment her body hits my head on, knocking me to the ground, but before I can say anything, the parachute she is using lands on top us, causing about as much chaos as one should expect from this situation.

“Aaaah! Oh no! My hair!”

“Ah’ knew it! Granny said not to bring mah knife, and this happens!”

“Well, Pink girl certainly can make an entrance.”

I simply lay on the floor, completely fazed by the pink girl on top of me, being under the parachute helps me catch the strong smell of perfume combined with that sweat of hers as she sits there, simply looking at me with her big blue eyes, smiling and looking all kawaii as fuck, I see a-

“Hi Pat!”

… A face with a mouth.

“Heh, good thing Ah’ didn’t listen to Granny!” I hear AJ celebrate, and just as suddenly, hear the ripping of fabric as she probably cuts through the thing. Mere seconds later, the parachute is off us, while Pinkie is still on top of me, kneeling on my stomach

“You can get off me now,” her reply is a simple glare.. “What?”

“You didn’t’ say hi to me!” she huffs. I can’t help but laugh. “That’s not funny!” she looks around, noticing that she is sitting on me and giggles. “This is funny, though!”

“Hi Pinkie,” I say simply laughing it off. “I missed you too,” she smiles and gets off me, promptly helping me on my feet.

As soon as I’m up, the other two girls jump on Pinkie with their superior hugging capabilities, embracing the girl in a lustful search for friendship huggles… Of hugeness, or something or other.

“I missed you, girls!” Pinkie says happily.

Trixie is simply standing to the side, looking at the trio incredulously.

“So, is Trixie going to have to address the elephant in the room?” she asks, pointing towards the remains of the parachute.

“That’s true, dear, what in heavens were you doing with a parachute?” Rarity asks perplexed.

“Oh! Well, I always wanted to try parachuting, so I did !” she explains… And says no more.

“That’s it?” AJ asks.

“That’s it!” Pinkie replies joyfully. Well then, that‘s the end of that. “But wait! Someone is missing! Two someones!”

“Eeyup! Dash had to leave since coach Spitfire wanted to talk with her, and Shy is on the phone with the shelter people she volunteers with, you just missed them,” AJ conveniently chimes in.

“Oh no! But we were gonna have a ‘welcome back party’!” Riiing! “Maybe when we are off! Come on Trixie! You and I still need to have a welcome back hug!” Pinkie says, proceeding to grab the girl’s arm before subsequently dragging her away. I’m pretty sure this is how kidnappers start their careers.

“Wait, wh-” Trixie begins, but barely gets a word out before she is taken. “Trixie’s class is the other way!” I manage to hear her shout.

“Let’s meet after school!” I shout after the pair. Specifically Pinkie. “We need to catch up!”

“Of course we are!” Trixie responds instead, should have figured.

“Okey dokey lokey!” Pinkie shouts back right after her, flapping her hand rapidly in a crude goodbye motion before disappearing in the mass of students going inside the building.

“Yeah…” I simply say, a goofy smile plastered on my face… Just being friendly! No ulterior reasons!

“So, Rarity?” AJ starts behind me.

“Yes, Applejack?”

“How long do you think until Lemon ends with Trixie?” A good number of questions cross my mind at this moment, ranging from WHAT, to WHO, to WHY, and HOW.

“Gah?” I ‘ask‘, wasting no time to comment. “Excuse me! I’m still here, you know?”

“Interesting question, but I don’t know, I feel like he’ll end up with Pinkie Pie instead… They are rather close, don’t you think? Oh! Perhaps a wager of sorts will decide this,” Rarity says with a devilish grin.

“Rarity!?” I shriek, my voice breaking in a manly squeak.

“Oh, you are on, missy!” AJ grins confidently.

“I…” I barely blurt out as the pair goes into the building, passing the obvious miserable pile of misery that is me by without a word.

So much for the secret.

“I hate high school.”

Shy of Kind

The day goes by in the blink of an eye… If the eye belonged to Tank, that is.

Still, being the first day meant no real work, something that I-alongside practically everyone here- really enjoy. I mean, I only got Mr. C-pffft-Clop, angry once today, that's a good day on its own.

“Pat!” my name is shouted, I turn to face the caller and see their familiar pink form running towards me with a panicked look on her face.

“Pat!” says the person shouting once again… The pink person being Pinkie, of course. I mean, seriously, no other pink person calls me that. “Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat!” she ravages me continuously with her words once she reaches me in an effort to get my attention.

“Who?”

“Pat!”

“Fat? I am no such thing!”

“Pat?”

“Yes, I‘m jok-”

“Pat!”

…

Seeing how her barrage won’t stop, I decide for her to let it out of her system, and after a solid minute of silence with her simply staring at my pretty face, I allow the conversation to continue.

“Yes, Pi-”

“Pat! Come with me!” she interrupts, suddenly grabbing my arm and dragging me… I swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that her cutie mark here would be kidnapping… I wonder if this world has butt tattoos as well… I wonder if Pinkie has a butt tattoo…

After a few quick turns, we finally arrive at our apparent destination; Celestia’s office? We barge right in, and I‘m quickly placed neatly on a chair, staring at Celestia who simply looks flabbergasted. I have the feeling she is as surprised to see me as I am being here.

“Pinkie Pie reporting for duty, ma’am!” Pinkie recites, closing the door behind her and saluting Celestia in the most mocking form of salute. My military friends would have a field day with that one.

“Um… Yes, thank you, Pinkie…” Celestia thanks Pinkie, turning her attention to me and clearing her throat in an obvious attempt to get normalcy into the room. “I’m going to guess that you have no idea what you are doing here, do you, Lemon?”

“Not the slightest clue,” I reply amused. “But I take it I’m needed in some way, I‘m all ears.”

“Thank you, now…” Celestia sighs, eyeing the empty seat besides me. “Fluttershy, come on out, it was just Pinkie Pie.”

From the corner of my eye, I notice Fluttershy’s pink, flowing hair, she walks to the seat next to me and sits down, giving me a wary look.

“I-if you say so…” she says, holding her arm awkwardly.

“I‘ll make this quick Lemon. Fluttershy requires help at the rescue centre, there was an emergency and the place was left in her charge, normally, this wouldn‘t be something I allow, but she insisted on doing so, and I trust her. In any case, she couldn’t find any help so Pinkie went to get you, and that’s why you are here in a nutshell,” she finishes, leaning back on her chair.

“So let me get this straight… I have to work? Does this pay?” I ask quickly. One can’t have too much money.

“Well, yawn,” Luna’s voice starts, suddenly popping out from the next room over with a folder in her hands. “This is good for community hours that you need, whi-”

“Not interested,” I simply say, getting off the seat and making my way to the exit. I am NOT dealing with this… And the animals don’t sound good either.

“Oh, come on Lemon, please?” Pinkie pops in front of me, giving me the most adorable puppy dog eyes I’ve ever seen.

To her misfortune, I like ponies. I can take cute. “Pinkie, I just c-”

“Oh, pretty please! Think of those poor animals alone!” Fluttershy says, joining Pinkie on her puppy-like endeavors… No!

“Can’t… Resist… Two… C- Fine!” I groan annoyed. “I’ll help, but I better get something!”

“You‘ll get hours,” replies Luna simply, pointing at the folder.

“I’ll get triple the hours!” I barter, giving Luna a mischievous smile.

“Normal hours,” she simply retorts with a flat look.

“Double! That’s my final offer!”

“Normal hours and no detention for bartering with the vice-principal,” she says with a grin.

“Deal!” Damn it.

“Then it’s settled,” Celestia states satisfied, she reaches into her desk and brings out a sort of credential without a photo, which she promptly hands over to me. “This’ll show your position in the place, not that you need it, but just in case,” I half-heartedly grab the thing and shove it into my pocket, this’ll be useful. NOT.

“I still don’t get why someone else couldn’t do it…” I groan.

“Well!” Pinkie jumps in. “AJ has to pick apples after-school, Dash helps coach the elementary school teams, Rarity hates any animal that isn‘t her cat, and I have to work at Sugarcube Corner! Which by the way, I am late to! Bye guys!” Pinkie shouts, rushing out the door, leaving behind a trail of smoke shaped as letters spelling ‘bye’… Oh, sure, figures that she just came back and now we don’t get to hang out.

“Bye Pinkie! I‘ll see you tomorrow,” Fluttershy says, with a weak wave to boot.

“Well, now that that’s settled too, I suppose it’s time for you guys to go,” Celestia says, pointing us towards the door. I have the slight feeling she wants us out.

“Oh, yes! The poor animals await!” I groan sarcastically as Fluttershy and I exit the office and we head out the building, by this point is as empty as it can be, leaving only Fluttershy and I without any distractions to keep me from focusing on her.

. “So, only you and I will be doing this?” I ask.

“Oh, no, actually, someone else volunteered,” she explains as we reach the exit towards the parking lot, I notice a few cars, and … I’m going to assume the car with the ‘save the animals’ sticker is owned by Fluttershy.

“Who is it?” I ask curious, maybe I can get them to do all the work for me.

“I don’t know… But the Principal said that he would be waiting at the shelter, so we won’t be doing this alone… Thankfully,” she says relieved.

“What? You don’t think I can handle it? Could it be that you are still mad at me?” I ask in faux annoyance.

“O-of course not! I actually wanted to apologize to you for a while now, but I was to-”

“Too scared, I know,” I finish for her. She nods in agreement. It figures.

“Yes… There is usually two workers with one volunteer helping out, nothing personal… W-well, are you ready?” she changes the subject, quickly getting in the car. I simply nod, getting into the passenger‘s seat while she fumbles with the wheel awkwardly.

Let’s hope she gets me killed on the way there.

~~~~~

The drive doesn’t take too long, and we arrive ten minutes after our departure, we park on the far end of the building, and get out of the car, ready for a terrible day with animals… For me, at least.

“Oh, I can’t wait to see Angel again!” Fluttershy says while skipping, I gotta give her credit, she certainly is uplifting when it comes to animals. “Oh, is someone here?” she notices when we reach the entrance, easily opening the door.

Ring!

We make our entrance into the building, the first thing that comes to view is a simple looking front desk, which is nothing more than, well, a simple desk glued to the ground with a small door leading inside it, the desk is easily dwarfed by the high amount of space inside, and for some reason there is a HUGE hamster spot that literally encompasses an entire room.

“Interesting place?” I comment, looking around. “Looks better than any rescue center I’ve ever seen.”

“I know, right? We have our benefactor to thank for that! That is him on the wall over there,” she says excited, pointing to the far wall. “Hello? Anyone here?” she calls as she leaves her coat on a chair.

“Oh, really? Cool,” I reply, not even bothering to give the picture a glance.

“Oh, Fluttershy, you are here!” I hear a familiar voice calling her. We go towards the next room to meet the second person an- What the fuck!?

“You!” I shout once I take a good look at his face.

“Lemon!?” he asks just as surprised as me.

“O-oh… You two know each other?” Fluttershy asks stupidly.

“After a very unfortunate fashion,” I reply, my palms now folded into neat fists, scanning the guy to make sure, but there is no mistake; that’s Flash Sentry. With me. In a closed environment without anyone else outside Fluttershy.

“Lemon, calm down, there is no need for violence,” the coward says already knowing my plan.

“Sure there is! And soon, you are gonna be blue and blue all over!” I threaten him.

“I know what you are implying but that was terrible,” Flash groans, rolling his eyes, quickly getting off his seat and backing away.

“Coward! Why are you running away?”

“Because I’m holding you back, please, PLEASE stop!” Fluttershy begs, her hands around my waist as I stand with my fist raised. How did I not catch that? “You are here to help with the shelter!”

“I… Guess you do have a point…” I say disappointed. I wanted fisticuffs. “Sorry.”

“You do not apologize to me! You apologize to poor Flash for scaring him!” she reprimands me, pointing at that little s- “Lemon!”

“Yes ma’am!” what can I say? She made a compelling argument. “Um… Sorry, Flash…” I begrudgingly apologize, even thought he was a jerk first, but hey! She doesn’t know that! THANKS FOR ASKING.

“… It’s alright, no harm done,“ Flash finishes, waving it off. “But let’s not get sidetracked, we have a shelter to run, don’t we?” he says, looking towards Fluttershy. “We all already know each other so there is no need for introductions. Fluttershy, what do you have in mind for us?” Flash asks, turning his attention to her.

“Um…” she starts as expected, the argument quickly falling to the back of their minds… Not mine, of course, I’m not quite done with it yet.

Fluttershy takes a deep breath, looking behind us at a door, her eyes giving gleaming as something probably comes to mind.

“Come with me!” she orders us, rushing past us and going through the next door over.

With similar shrugs, we follow, making our way into the next room over, passing through another room before making our way into the shelter itself, where I can already see the animals and... Smell them.

“Holy fuck! That smells bad!”

“Lemon! Language!” Fluttershy shouts, giving me a disapproving look. “The animals don’t appreciate it!” she says, pointing to the numerous cages around, I simply stare amazed at the sheer number of them, to my surprise, everything looks relatively clean, the cages themselves looking reasonably well kept, and for some reason… All the animals are eerily quiet. To my side, only a table is placed by the entrance, with two picture frames and some keys placed upon it.

“Right…” I hear Flash say as he approaches Fluttershy. “Well, I do have to admit, this place smells rather bad,“ he agrees.

“It’s not that bad!” Fluttershy points out, taking a deep whiff of the place, the smile never leaving her face. “Is just animals doing what they think is natural in a place they aren‘t used to!”

Is safe to say that both Flash and I just gave each other an incredulous look.

Flash quickly intervenes. “Right… So what did you want us to do?” he proceeds, mercifully advancing the conversation.

“Oh! Well, since I’ll have to take care of the front, you two will clean the cages! Isn’t that fun?” she says with a rather overly cheerful vigor.

Hey, look! Flash and I are sharing that look again.

I clear my throat and continue for Flash. “It sure is… So how do you want us to go by that, exactly?” I ask tentatively. Whatever she answers with, I will probably hate it.

“Well, you simply ask the ani-” she suddenly stops, quickly covering her own mouth to stop herself from continuing. “I-I mean, you just need to take out one at a time and put them on a different cage we have for this in the meantime… They are nice critters, so you won’t have much trouble…” she finishes in a quiet voice, looking defectively to the side as she holds her elbow again. What is up with that?

“Well, don’t you worry, Fluttershy, ‘Brash' and I have this covered!” I say in an attempt to cheer her up.

“Wait, did you just call me Brash?” Flash asks confused.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” I reply before I turn back to Fluttershy and continue. “Anyway, Clash and I have this covered, so you don’t have to worry!”

“My name isn’t C-”

“Oh, that’s great! Let me show you how to do it,” Fluttershy interrupts, the sudden mood swing taking me by surprise.

Ten minutes later, we have learned what we are to do, but for some reason, I got the feeling something was up with Fluttershy as she explained… Or maybe it’s the burrito I ate. It honestly could be one or the other.

“And that’s about it! Remember, be mindful of the animal’s feel- I mean, good luck! I have to go! Keys are on the table!” and like a flash, she runs past us, practically slamming the door shut right behind her, leaving us in a confused state over whatever that was supposed to be.

“Well… That was weird,” I point out.

“You can say that again.”

“Well… That was weird.”

“It’s a figure of speech, Lemon,” Flash groans.

“Yeah, whatever, Trash, come on, let’s get to work,” I say, waving his comment away.

“Ugh… Okay, seriously, are you going to continue that name thing?” Flash asks annoyed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, is it bothering you?” I asks, giving him a look of guilt.

“Well… Yes, a bit, actually, can you stop?” he explains, his face mimicking the tone of his words. Basically, frustrated.

“Depends… Have I forgiven you enough for what you were trying to do to Pinkie last summer?”

“Seriousl- Okay, I guess somewhat? I mean, you are talking to me.”

“Trick question, I haven’t. Now shut up and let’s get this over with,” he groans, but to his credit, does as he is told. Needless to say; the next hour was pure hell. Fluttershy is a liar.

“This is terrible… How did Fluttershy clean this place herself?” I hear Flash mumble as he attempts to put a dog back in his cage..

“Through hard work and perseverance, clearly something you are missing, ‘For‘,” I shout an uninvited comment.

“That doesn‘t even rhyme… That‘s not even a name!” he nearly shouts, barely holding it in.

“Your face isn’t a name.”

“You are unbelievable…” I hear him complaint, sounding more annoyed than ever before.

“No, want to know what’s unbelievable?” I say, realizing something. “The fact that I didn’t call my mom before coming here, she‘s gonna kill me, so I’ll be right back,” I excuse myself, walking out of the room.

As I close the door, I managed to hear Flash’s voice..

“No one told me this would be hard…”

I know I shouldn’t, but I’m going to anyway.

“That’s what she said!” I shout through a small opening in the door before completely closing it. I’m surprised I can hear Flash’s cry of exasperation through it… As well as the sound of animals for some reason… Eh, it’ll be fine.

After that bit of satisfaction, I reach for my phone on my pocket to c-

“Ah, ah, aaaah~”

What the hell was that? Eh, whatever. Anyway, I reach for my phone a-

“I just want to-~”

“Okay, what the hell?” I ask, hearing the voice through the closed door. My curiosity piqued, I decide to investigate the source, opening the door to glance outside, just to find myself staring at an interesting sight; Fluttershy is singing, her arms opened wide as she reaches a high note, a couple of birds gliding over her as she seems to be finishing a song.

“Who. I. Rea-lly. Aaaaaaam~” she finishes, her eyes still closed, taking deep breaths in an attempt to recover her breath, her face red at her lack of breath.

“Fluttershy?” I call to get her attention, causing her to jump at the suddenness of my voice.

“Ah, Lemon!?” she yelps, looking frantically to the side and shooing away the birds over her shoulders. “H-hi! What are you doing here? Are you d-done?” she manages to stutter out, sweating like there is no tomorrow.

“Fluttershy? Are you o- Gah!” the words are cut short, as I feel a pain, an INCREDIBLE pain just under the belt, and before I know it, I collapse to the floor as the numbing pain reaches my entire body. With a wistful stare, I look up to the ceiling, imagining the sky right above me, the clouds gently floating over without a care... How lucky for them. I shake my head slowly and, with a high pitched tone, I cry out.

“God. Is. Dead…”

Looking to the side, I notice a familiar white rabbit, he gives me single glance, and proceeds to do some odd motions, pointing from me, to Fluttershy, to the door, and back to me again.

“Lemon, oh my goodness!” Shy says, looking at me terrified. “Angel! I am not running! And he is a friend, that wasn’t nice of you! You do NOT hit people! Especially there!” she carefully walks over to me and kneels down, reaching to help me up. “Can you give me your h-”

“No…” I stop her.

“B-but.”

“No, just… Leave me be for a few minutes. I must… Meditate.”

“Um… O-okay.”

And so, I do.

~~~~~

So! After that terrible event in my life is over, Fluttershy and I are sitting in the other room, all while I hold a bag of ice in my shineless spot.

“Again, I’m so sorry! I don’t know why Angel did that, please, don’t be mad, he is usually really nice!” she apologizes again while I deliver the occasional glare to the dumb rabbit. Excuse me for not believing you, sister.

“It’s alright,” I lie. “Just, what were you surprised about? And that song?” I ask, interested.

She gives me a thoughtful look, her eyes questioning my words for some reason. “Wait, so you didn’t think it was strange?” she asks confused.

“Um.. What was strange exactly?”

“Well, you know…” she starts, putting her face close to my ear. “Talking to Angel!”

“Why would that be w-oooooh…” I say out loud, coming to a realization.

Pony Fluttershy can talk to animals in a world of magic where it isn’t weird.
Human Fluttershy can ALSO talk to animals, in a world WITHOUT magic.
Meaning that if she were to be seen, she would be thought as…

“I don’t think you are weird, or crazy for that matter,” I assure her, knowing full well that the words would come from her mouth.

“Wait, really? But I talk to animals! That must be really strange!” she whispers, attempting to hide the conversation from the next room, where Flash is possibly still struggling with the animals, if the sounds tell me something.

“Well, I guess it is,” I reply honestly. “But come on, it’s pretty cool! Why would you NOT want people to know?” I ask, very curious of her answer.

“Well… It all goes back to whenI was little… It’s a dumb story, you probably don’t want to h-”

“Just spit it out, lady. Ouch!” I look down at my hand, noticing Angel finishing a barrage of kicks to my hand. “You little…”

“I’ll tell you my story!” Shy interrupts. “Just leave Angel, please, he doesn‘t know better, he can tell expressions but not what you say!” she explains. Not that I really care, I’m pretty sure he does know better.

“Fine… That’s a fair trade. Go on,” I accept, my eyes focused on the little shit in case something else comes from h- DID HE JUST TOSS ME A RASPBERRY, YOU LITTLE F-

“I was home schooled until I was seven,” she starts. “But because of some issues, I had to go to public school, and well, I didn’t have any friends… and one time at lunch, I talked to a squirrel, and… Here we are.”

“I see,” I comment, taking note of the ‘strange’ event. “So, did the squirrel talk back to you then?”

“Probably…”

“Huh?” I ask puzzled. “I thought you could talk to them.”

“Well, yes, I can talk to them and they actually understand me, but, I can’t really understand them… It’s like I got half of an ability,” she says with quite some sadness imbued in her words. “Anyway, kids saw me do it and made fun of me, saying stuff like ‘you are weird’ or ‘watch out, she is crazy!’ it was just awful.”

I can‘t help but wonder about it. Admittedly, it’s weird to hear the abilities their pony personas are able to do would bring issues to their human counterparts… I’m more surprised by the fact she has an ability to begin with.

“And so, I hid what I could do, but that didn’t stop them from teasing me…” she continued, but for some reason, a smile stays on her face.

“Is that… Good for some reason?” I ask noticing.

“Well… That’s how I met Rainbow Dash! Oh. Sorry, the girl at the pep rally,” she points out. “She stood up for me, and we became friends. So I can’t say I’m angry about being picked on… It allowed me to meet the rest of the girls!” she finishes with a cheerier tone.

“Wait, does that mean the others know about it?” I continue.

“Oh… No, actually. You are the first one who knows,” she says ashamed. “Don’t tell the others! If you do, I-I might lose them, and then they’ll make fun of me, a-” I stop her, pushing my hand against her mouth.

I feel Angel’s paw hitting my hand again, but with a quick swipe, I grab the little furball and put him in front of me. “No, she is going to listen to this, and you are going to let me tell her this, okay?” Angel simply gives me a doubtful look, and with a shrug, apparently accepts my terms (?). “Thank you.”

I turn my attention back to Fluttershy, and after a gulp of breath, I tactfully lay it on her. “You are an idiot.”

“W-well, I’m not the smartest, but, I’m not that bad, am I?” she asks, visually hurt by my words.

“No, listen. I didn’t meant it that way, you are smart! And you are a sweet and kind pony-”

“Pony?” she interrupts, giving me and odd look.

“T-that‘s what I call friends sometimes! It‘s a work in progress. Anyway! You are kind and a little shy… Okay, INCREDIBLY shy, but they like you! I mean, Pinkie likes me, and even Trixie too! We are good friends, and I’m a punk! Heck, I managed to get AJ to call me ‘sugarcube’! That‘s an achievement!” I rant rather easily… Who said I couldn’t make an argument? Okay, probably no one, NOT THE POINT.

“You really think so?” she asks carefully.

“Fluttershy, at the risk of sounding cliché; I fucking know so,” I reply, giving her a sincere smile. “And I’m pretty sure the animals would appreciate the kindness you can give them by not treating them the way you did when people show up, you know?”

“… It was really rude, wasn't it?” she looks to the side where the earlier pair of birds simply stare at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be mean,” she apologizes to them, causing the pair to fly to Shy’s shoulders and nuzzle her affectionately, the view actually warms my heart. “Thank you, Lemon.”

“Don’t mention, just… Don’t tell AJ about the ‘sugarcube’ thing, please?” I approach her ear and whisper it to her. “She’ll kill me.”

“We wouldn‘t want that! Don’t worry, that’s a Pinkie promise,” she says, doing the motions without fail.

Ring!

“And I guess there is someone out there, you should go check it out,” I say at the sound of the bell. “I should get back to work myself.”

“What sound?” she asks puzzled. “I didn’t he- Ring! Oh! I didn’t hear! Oh, I’ll see you later!” she says in a rush, leaving the room and going back to the front, leaving me completely alone.

“Phew” I sigh once the door is closed. “What a d-”

“Again, thank you!” she comes back out of nowhere.

“Go!”

“Sorry!” slam!

:”Phew!” I sigh again. “What a day… And for some reason it feels like I forgot something…” I pull out my phone to check for messages and… Oh, oh… thirty messages from mom…

“Crap.”

~~~~~

“Wooh! Finally!” I shout as I wait in the chilly night air. Time passes quickly when you are doing terrible work with no real pay.

“I’m sorry, was it bad?” Shy asks me, looking a bit hurt, all while Angel hangs from her shoulder giving me the evil eye.

“Nothing personal… Just animals not being my thing and all, you know?” I explain.

“I understand, but you two did good! Thank you so much for helping me!” she thanks me at least, jumping for a very unexpected hug and clinging to my body, which she notices right away. “Oh, sorry! Was that too much!”

“N-nugh,” I mumble incoherently. “I was just surprised, is all…A-anyway! How exactly were you allowed to take care of this place? Isn’t this supposed to be a job for a qualified adult?” I ask in a very obvious shift in topic.

“But I am a qualified adult… I mean, I took the test, and I did turn eighteen last week, and well… I guess having a sister with connections certainly helps the process.”

So Fluttershy has a sister… And wait, eighteen? Does that mean that she is legal... Oh, boy. “Happy late birthday, then,” I congratulate her, trying to get rid of the sick thoughts currently going through my head.

I am terrible.

“Thank you… Oh no!” she gasps very suddenly. “I just realized you don’t have a ride home, um, if you don’t mind, would you like me to take you?” she offers sincerely.

“Let’s see… Walking, or ride? I think I’ll take the ride,” with that settled, we proceed to the small parking lot, which by all accounts should be empty, but knowing my luck, that one last car there should belong to…

“Hey, Lemon! Want a ride?” … Flash Sentry.

“Um, no, it’s okay, Flash,” I attempt to wriggle my way out of it, I feel he has a revenge plan in store. “Shy is-”

“Oh, Flash, thank you so much for the help here! I really appreciate it, and of course, he needs a ride, h-he was going to walk, the poor dear!” Fluttershy lies..

Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Fluttershy?

“Fluttershy? You know my history with him,” I hiss in a low voice.

“Go with him, mister, you two need to bury the hatchet, it’ll be better once you do!” she tries to reason, while Angel seems to be snickering. I officially hate this rabbit.

“Look, I know what you are trying to do, b---ut I just don‘t… Think,” I look around, suddenly noticing I’m inside Flash’s car. “Flash?”

“Yeah?”

“How did I get in here?”

“You got in… She just looked at you silently for a second and you got it,” Flash simply explains as if it were obvious.

“Bye, guys!” Fluttershy calls, waving goodbye before running to her car.

What the hell just… Wait… Did she use the stare on me? WHAT THE HELL.

“Well, time to go, right?” Flash says, beginning the drive before I can argue. Damn it..

“Fine… Thank you,” I sigh in defeat. “But let me give you directions, otherwise you’ll just get lost…”

“Yep,” he says, listening to my directions and setting them on his GPS thingamajig before driving into the street.

Well, at last, time for home, I do feel kinda bummed out that I didn’t get to hang out with Pinkie, or heck, even Trixie, but maybe we can do that tomorrow, and maybe... Huh? ”Flash?” I call him, suddenly noticing him turning into an alleyway for no reason, driving to the far end of it and stopping once we are deep enough.

Click! I hear the sound of the lock. I knew it! He wanted revenge!

“Good, we are alone now,” he says with a serious tone.

“I-I think I need an adult…”

“It‘s all good, and Lemon?”

“Gah! Yes!?” I nearly shout, this is the complete opposite of good!

“Do you believe in magic?” he asks, the question comes in a sultry tone, as if the question itself were forbidden… Or maybe he is just insane.

“Um… No. Gah!” I yelp, noticing his hand suddenly on my shoulder.

“Don’t lie to me, Lemon…Or should I call you by your real name, huh? Patrick?”

“What are you...”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you know very well what I mean, 'pony boy'.”

Author's Note

And so, the plot thickens...

DUN, DUN DUUUUUN

I think.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the pair of chapters... Which in reality, it was one, but I split them because the thing was too long (I like having a 5,000 word limit to them, so people don't take forever to read them and can read such things at their own leisure yer welcome k thanx).

So, tell me what you think! And see you people next chapter!

Flash-Back

The alarm sounds, I get off my bed. I shower… The routine remains the same.

I look outside my window and see the cloudy morning sky… The gray clouds, holding water, repressing it in such a way that even a slight touch might make it burst open. How fitting. I change into my clothes and head downstairs to find mother, who like every morning, is making breakfast for herself.

“Good morning swe-… Um, Lemon?” she greets me awkwardly, watching as I sit down. “Ah… Are you okay?”

“About as good as I look,” I reply without much care.

“Uh huh… Son? What are you wearing?” she asks, looking at my articles of clothing consisting of black colored pants and shirt. I also have a beanie to boot. Black, of course.

“Clothes, mom. I’m wearing clothes,” I reply nonchalantly. Fighting the power.

“You sure are…” she shakes her head and returns to her own thing, before remembering that I am actually her son. “So, what do you want for breakfast, Lemon?”

“Coffee.”

“Just… Coffee?”

“Yes. But make it black… Just like my soul.”

“I…” she starts, scratching her head. “Know what? I’m not going to bother, it’s probably just a phase,” she grabs a cup from the counter and serves coffee from the machine and hangs me the cup. “Here you go… I guess.”

The rest of the morning kinda goes about the same way.

I feel my phone vibrate and notice a text… A text from him, great. I begrudgingly get off my seat and head outside, noticing a sports car awaiting by the entrance.

“Well, here I go,” I sigh, walking towards and car and getting in, Flash Sentry’s dumb figure sitting in the driver’s seat waiting for me.

“Morning Le-mon…” he mumbles, looking at me oddly. “What are you wearing?” he asks. “Nightmare Night was three months ago.”

I look at him from out of a corner in my eye and snorting. “What do you care? Just drive,” I reply with disgust.

He looks at me for a good solid minute and grins, shaking his head as if he just witnessed something funny. “You know, if you are trying to make me feel bad, you are gonna have to try better than that.”

“You don't feel bad? Not even one bit?” I ask expectantly.

“You are not the first to come up with that, dude,” he explains as he laughs.

“Oh, come on!” I growl, taking off the stupid beanie and tossing it aside. “Splash, can’t you just leave me be!?” I shout

“Hey! What did I say about the name switching,” he warns, waggling his stupid finger at me. “Also, you look dumb with that outfit.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not the one blackmailing people!” I retort, sitting back with folded arms, I look down at my clothes and frown. “And you are just jealous cause I make this look good!”

“… Patrick, we both know it didn’t have to be this way, but you brought it upon yourself, your attitude last night was not helpful in the slightest,” he explains, ignoring my final comment.

“It’s not like you kidnapped me, right? It’s not like you took me on an alley, huh? Remember? Huh? HUH?” I ask, with much, and I mean MUCH justification.

“Of course I… What are you doing?” he asks as I open the window.

“Quiet!” I shut him up. “ I’m having a flashback…” I say as I look outside, and remember the events from last night.

~~~~~

“P-pony boy?” I ask confused. “I have no idea what you are talking about AHAHA, AHAHAHAHA,” I laugh inconspicuously, trying my best to open the door.

“Oh, please, you know full well what I’m talking about,” he turns his eyes to the front and sighs, starting the car and promptly returning to the road. I guess he finally saw to reas-“Lemon… No. Patrick. I know about you,” he says with confidence, practically tossing my earlier hope out of the window.

“Wait, how? I knew it, you are stalking me, aren‘t you? CREEP!” I shout.

“I am… What. Did you really just ask that,” he says, not actually asking, but making a statement. “Whatever, hold on,” he reaches for his pocket and takes out his phone, after messing with it for a while, he flips it sideways and shows me a black screen.

“What am I looking at?” I ask.

“For something that might stop you from joking for a minute,” he replies, as a circle begins spinning in the middle of the phone's screen. Hey, that looks like a video loading.

Just as I finish thinking that, the video starts, and my mouth opens wide to what I am staring at; it’s Pinkie Pie and I, and we are in a place, but not just in any other place, we are in a closet… A GYM closet. The shaky cam isn’t hiding that fact.

I certainly remember that.

“Wait… When did you…” I start mumbling, pointing with a trembling finger.

“Keep watching…” he simply says, as my video counterpart begins talking.

‘But, like, I am from a world where there is this dumb kids show called my little pony, and you are in it! Well, not quite, but you are a pony in it! And you do pony things, but not too pony, er…’

I continue to watch my video self awkwardly explaining my story to Pinkie. An event that happened last year. I watch, shaking my head slowly in disbelief, after a few seconds of it, I am no longer listening to the actual conversation in the video, and I’m simply focusing on Flash instead.

“But… How?” I ask finally as the video comes to an end.

“You act really weird, even on terms of Pinkie Pie, and as you said, I‘ve been keeping an eye on you for a while, and while I may have not believed that you are from another world at first, I feel I should be open to the idea,” he explains nonchalantly, putting the phone away. “And before you try to assault me, the video is online in many forms, privately, but online nonetheless,” he adds, basically destroying my blossoming idea.

“What do you want?” I ask instantly. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I wanna help you go back.” he says, an- What.

“No,” I say instantly. “Out of the question,” I add. “Why would you want to help anyway!?”

“That’s for me to know and for you to… Not know,” he finishes awkwardly, scratching his head in shame at his terrible wording.

“Well, you are not helping. End of story,” I pull the door's handle and attempt to open the door of the car, even thought the car is still moving… I am stopping that. “Now let me out! Stopping the car first, of course… I’d much rather walk home than have a douche take me there,” I demand, noticing I literally just insulted the teenager that kidnapped me. I am totally dropping the ball tonight.

The car eventually, comes to a stop, making me notice we are actually at my place, as without my knowledge, Flash drove me home. I try to force the door, and I find that it opens easily...

For some reason, I don’t feel good about this.

“Lemon,” Flash calls me before I rush out.

“W-what?”

“Either we 'work this out', or this gets shown to the school counselor, and trust me, your little search won’t be easy with the school and your parents behind you,” he explains, grabbing his phone and flipping it in his palm.

I stare at him with the only question I can come up with at this moment. “Why?”

“Because I need you, and you left me with no choice. Now go,” he orders. “I’ll be here to pick you up in the morning.”

As I exit the car, I turn back one last time to face him. "If I were to tell people, you would be in trouble for spying, you know?"

Flash gives me an emotionless stare and simply nods. "That's a risk I'm willing to take," before reaching to close the door and driving off.

~~~~~

“And then, you picked me up in the morning,” I say out loud, suddenly noticing we are at the school’s parking lot. “... When did we get here?”

“Like, three minutes ago? You sorta lost track of time on your little reminiscing there, buddy” he explains with a smile.

“Not buddy, you see, I hate you,” I say instantly, making him drop the smile in his face. “I think we need to reiterate that.”

“Look, I will delete the video if you let me help you, just… Tell me what it is you are looking for,” he says, giving me a harsh stare, which totally tells me ‘help, or I’m giving that video to the counselor’.

“Fine,” I finally reply, rubbing my forehead. Hopefully I don’t regret this later.

I explain everything about my situation to him; where I came from, what my current objective was, and what I was planning to do. To help, I give him one of my drawings to show what my next target looks like on the show. Of course, 'targeting' Discord sounds like a threat to my ability of living, but that's what happens when you try to achieve something.

“Waiting. Seriously?” he begins after I explain. “You are going to wait for this ‘Discord’ guy to show up? That‘s your plan!?”

“Well, we couldn’t find him!” I attempt to explain. “There is nothing about him on the net, it’s like he doesn’t exist! We figured he would show up at some point and we could get something on him, sometime… You know, the more I explain, the dumber I feel this plan is,” I say honestly.

“You think? And what the heck is this!?“ he asks, holding out my drawing. “This looks terrible!“ he says, showing me my masterpiece.

“Hey! I only draw ponies and people, don’t start!“ I huff in defense.

“Whatever,“ he grunts, looking toward the school. “But… Hmm…” he mumbles, I look at him and see the extremely black gears of evil turn in his head. “I think I might have something… But that's for later, let's go to class now, I’ll get to you later when I get an idea, alright?” he says confidently, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Ah, ah, ah! Hate you, remember that,” I say, smacking his hand away. “But if this helps, I might reconsider forgiving you, pal,” I lie. Because I’m really not going to.

I’m terrible like that.

“Really?” he asks, smiling like an idiot. “Oh god… I’ve been feeling guilty all this time, and I thought you would feel contempt towards me, but I’m glad you understand! Thank you!”

"Um, sure," oh my god he fell for it.

We both get off the car, and go our separate ways, with me leaving confused on how this idiot managed to blackmail me in the first place.

~~~~~

After my third class is over, I head for the cafeteria, walking alongside the tons of famished students who didn’t have a nutritious breakfast. Counting myself, that is.

As I walk, I keep thinking over Flash’s words. What is he thinking? Why does he want to help me? Will he actually help me? Am I crazy for not telling Pinkie and Trixie about it? I suppose not, I mean, Flash looks like the guy who would go all narc on me the moment I do..

Talk about being crushed between a rock and a hard place. With spikes in the middle...

In space.

I arrive at the lunchroom and, yes, there she is: Pinkie Pie. She is sitting with a burger in her hands. No matter how many times I see it, watching her eating a burger both terrifies, and amuses me.

“Hey, Pinkie!” I greet her, sitting on the opposite seat of hers. “Where are the others?” I ask, noticing she is on her own.

“Hiya, Pat! And they had first lunch, so it's only us!” she explains. This only means that Pinkie and I have a lunch for ourselves for once. Eh, not complaining.

“Oh, well, that’s not bad, I mean, we still have each other, after all, ha, ha…” I laugh nervously, feeling words lost, jumble braiin. Duh.

“Yep! Oh wait, we also have Rainbow Dash!” she turns her head and raises her hand and waves it. "Hi Rainbow!"

Duhhhh… “What?” I ask, turning my head to where she turned hers, noticing her. Yup. The short shorts, the soccer jersey… The rainbow colored hair. That’s Dash, alright. Fuck.

Rainbow and I don’t really have the most stable relationship if that wasn’t too obvious.

“What are y’all gonna do this Christmas break?” AJ asks us, as we simply eat our lunches in peace. It was too quiet, and it helps me to avoid thinking of the cold. Stupid school's heater had to be broken in December, didn't it?

“Oh! I’m going out of town!” Pinkie quickly starts. “It’s gonna be a bit sad since I won’t be able to celebrate it with you guys,” she says with a sorry look.

“Oh, don’t you worry Pinkie dear, we’ll wish you a Merry Christmas when you return to make up for it,” Rarity contributes, at which point I decided to drop out of the eavesdropping. They are getting too mushy for my taste. Bleh.

“Rainbow Dash?” my selective hearing manages to hear AJ yelp in surprise.

“Yo, what’s going on, guys?” the rainbow haired Dash greets the group. Yup, that’s Dash alright.

“Having lunch, which Ah’m pretty sure you had an hour ago… Are you skipping?” AJ asks, giving Dash a suspicious look.

“I prefer the term ‘cold avoidance tactic’”

“Rainbow…“

“Come on! I mean, it’s snowing hard out there today! I wasn’t gonna freeze! And it’s not like I’m missing anything, really,” she comments, jumping over AJ and grabbing a slice of pie from her container. “Hmm… Granny sure knows how to make them!”

“Hey! Ah’ was eating that,” AJ scowls angrily.

“Sorry, my hand slipped,” Dash apologizes, eating the rest of the slice in one bite.

Without warning, AJ jumps over Dash and pulls a strand of her hair.

“Ouch! What was that for!? That hurt!” she complains, rubbing her head.

“Ah’m sorry, my whole body slipped,” she laughs with a satisfied grin.

“Daaashie!” Pinkie quickly jumps in, interrupting the argument the pair is having. “Great to see you here!”

“Oh, hey Pink, what are y- Woah!” Dash yelps, being suddenly dragged by Pinkie -- Towards me.

“This is Lemon, Dashie! Go say hi! He is a really nice guy!” I see Pinkie pushing Rainbow towards me with gusto, in an honestly overdue meeting. I suppose now it's about a good time as any.

“Um, hey,” she salutes warily, coming to terms to what‘s happening and waving her hand a in a rather lazy form of a welcome.

“Yeah, hi,” I reply, her lack of enthusiasm not being missed. “So, what’s going on?”

She squints her eyes for a second, and without warning, she reaches out and grabs my wrist, suddenly dragging me alongside her.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Pinkie asks for me.

“We’ll be right back, Pinkie! I just want to talk with Lemon for a bit!” she shouts, running with me in hand. Not that I could do anything, what with her grip practically crushing my wrist. This girl is not just a show-off, that’s for sure.

"Okay! See you guys in a bit!" she replies. Aaaand that's that. Guess it's up to me to get the answers.

“Dash, where are you taking me?” I ask confused.

“Shut up!“ no answers then. Also, Dash is still a bitch in this world.

I wonder why she is dragging me, though. Maybe she had her eye on me and she is going to profess her love for me? I honestly hope it’s not that one. That would make two in a month counting Trixie..

We finally arrive in an empty classroom, and Dash closes the door instantly, she locks it, and turns to me with an angry stare. Geez, she looks as if I killed her parents or something.

"So, you think I don't see your game, huh?” she asks.

“What do you mean?” I ask back, growing increasingly concerned for my well being.

“You know, with Pinkie Pie!”

“Wait, so you aren’t going to profess your love for me?” I blurt out. Because that’s what I needed to say at this very moment. Right?

“What!?” she hisses loudly. “So you want to go after me too you womanizing perv!?”

“I, uh, what!?” I ask in sequence. “Okay, I am completely lost now, can you explain?”

“Oh, so you want me to explain the fact that you have not only Pinkie over you, but that annoying Trixie being all over you as well?” she growls, stomping closer to me."And now you want to add me to your harem!?"

“I… I…” I honestly have no words.

“Yes, you!” she continues, driving me against a wall, and poking her finger against my chest. “I swear, if you do something to hurt Pinkie Pie, you are going to regret this, pal, do you hear me!?” she threatens, poking harder. It really hurts.

“I- Yes, I understand! Please don’t hurt me!” I cry out, which at this point is all I can do.

“Good!” she turns around, thankfully leaving me on my o- “Boo!”

“Aaaah!” I shout, surprised at her sudden scare.

“Humph!” she snorts. “What does Pinkie even see in you?” she asks, shaking her head before turning to leave. “Speaking of, I wouldn’t tell Pinkie about this if I were you,” she smacks her fist against her palm to make a wordless point.

“G-got it!” I say instantly, simply giving up to the fact.

“Good,” she finishes, opening the door and leaving me on the floor, breathing heavily, not to mention increasingly confused. “Lemon, what a stupid name,” I barely hear her before she is gone.

This was NOT the best introduction I’ve had for sure.

So, why am I having this flashback now? Because I have it each and every time Rainbow Dash is present… It is a curse I must live with.

“Limey boy!”

“Aaah!” I yelp, looking around confused. “What? Who died?”

“You, Pat!” Pinkie says, looking at me with huge eyes. “You were looking at nothing for like, twenty minutes!”

“He was probably fantasizing about improper things, leave him alone,” Rainbow says, eating a slice of pizza with gusto.

I roll my eyes at her comment -a rather common thing nowadays- and return to my mac and cheese. *Riiiing!* My spoon falls off my hand, causing a loud clank noise which goes unheard by the kids who are now walking out the room. Who on an unrelated note, are completely fed.

“That’s what happens when you don’t eat, buddy,” Dash looks me over for a bit and grins. “Nice outfit,” she comments, smirking as she walks past me and to wherever the hell she is supposed to go. Good riddance, I say.

“Come on, Pat! Let’s go to class!” Pinkie calls me, resting her hand on my shoulder. I certainly feel less prone to crying over wasted food… Oh, what the hell.

“Sure, let’s go,” I grab the plate and chomp on what I can as we make our way out, heading for our next class, thankfully, we both have psychology next, so we get to hang out. Speaking of. “Hey, Pinkie?”

“Yes?” she replies, looking up to me. I hadn’t noticed, but it looks like I’ve actually grown taller than her during the break, at least something of mine is growing.

“Do you wanna hang out after school? You know? Maybe we can go to your place,” I suggest without thought.

“W-what?” Pinkie replies looking around nervously. “I…”

“Something wrong?” I ask her curiously. What’s with the reaction? You'd think Pinkie would be okay with that.

“No, well, I…”

“Lemon!” a voice calls from behind us, making the both of us jump in surprise.

“What the?” I turn around just in time to see Flash Sentry stop in front of us, breathing heavily as if he had been running a marathon.

“Come on!” he grabs my wrist and begins pulling me, I quickly stop the act by slapping his hand away.

“What do you think you are doing?” I ask annoyed.

“Just… Come with me,” he simply says, looking towards Pinkie. “Can you cover for him,?” he asks, now talking to Pinkie.

“O-oh? S-sure! You got it, sen- I mean, Flash!” sen? What was she gonna say there?. “I’ll see you later then, Lemon. Good luck! Bye!” she waves and runs off, leaving me alone with Flash. I get the feeling she is hiding something.

“Pinkie, wait!” I shout after her, but she is already gone. “Seriously?” I turn to Flash angrily. “I was talking to her, you know?”

“You can talk to your girlfriend another time, just follow me already, Pat,” he demands, walking on ahead.

…

“She is not my girlfriend!” I hiss angrily, reluctantly following.

…

We, um, ’stealthily’ go through the halls, carefully avoiding any teacher in our way… At least I am, Flash seems to not give a damn.

“Dude, why aren’t you hiding?” I ask him as I push myself against a small opening by the vending machines.

“Off period,” he replies calmly. That would explain a lot.

We continue walking until we stop by the principal’s office. ‘Why are we stopping in the principal’s office?’ my brain asks.

“Good question, why are we?” I ask out loud.

“Why are we what?” Flash asks confused.

“Here. Why are we here!” I reask, staring at the door with Celestia’s name written on it.

“Because, Lemon,” he starts, donning a pair of gloves. “We are going in.”

…
..
.

“What!?” I hiss in a low voice. “Why?”

“Simple. You need to find that Discord guy, you said he might be involved with the school but he isn‘t here. What better way than accessing the files themselves? Trust me, the Principal will not let you touch them,” he reasons as he reaches into his pockets and takes out another pair.“Catch!” he says as he tosses the gloves at me.

"Just put them on and follow me," he says, opening the door.

“I… What,” I simply mumble confused.Flash only shrugs and heads in, with me following behind. Dammit, what am I getting myself into.

I close the door behind me and look around, the familiar office looks rather ominous when I’m illegally sneaking in along with the douche nozzle himself. It doesn’t help that the lights are off and the blinds are closed. Okay, maybe that’s why it’s ominous.

“Here!” I hear Flash whisper, as something touches my foot, I reach down, and after fumbling for a bit, I pick up what feels like a flashlight. *click* Yup. “And this too!”

“Aah!” I yelp, as something soft lands on my face, I grab it and feel it, noticing something familiar. “Wait, is this my beanie? I say, recognizing the shape, texture, and piece of gum that I never bothered to remove back in Christmas. Not a nice prank, dad.

“Yep, who knew, but your outfit fits our situation, don’t you think?” Flash says as he looks around.

I shake my head in disbelief at how easy he is taking this. “Flash, we are gonna be in trouble! What are you thinking! And how did you open the door?” I ask. Flash, uh… Flashes the… Flashlight, yeah, to reveal his face to me.

“Vice-Principal Luna is slipping lately, she keeps leaving the door open, and since I was a member of the student council last year, I visited their office on a regular basis, so you kind of learn… And since they don't really check the camera, no one will know we were even here, the Principal is too trusting,” he explains. “Unless we take too long, come on! You look on that cabinet, I’ll look here!” he orders, as he dives into one behind the Celestia's desk and begins searching.

I suppose I might as well.

I head into the cabinet next to his and open it, noticing the verily visible forms of a good number of folders, which I stare at in confusion. So I simply point my confusion towards Flash.

“They are arranged by years,” Flash says besides me. “Since no teacher has changed since my Freshman year, you can skip the past four years,” he suggests, before returning to his own file searching.

“Okay…” I answer, grabbing the flashlight in one hand and fumbling with the folders in the other. After a few minutes of searching, I manage an easy rhythm, which allows me to finally talk with ease. Something I wanted to do to ask what was on my mind.

“Flash?” I call to him.

“What.”

“What is with you?”

“What do you mean?” he replies without turning.

“Dude, you were such a goody-two shoes, and now look at you, breaking into the Principal’s office, blackmailing me… What happened?”

He turns to me, sighing as he shakes his head. “Stuff happened, that‘s what,” he closes the cabinet he was searching for and moves to the second. “I had to do this, I just had to."

“Well, look at you, going all mysterious on my ass,” I say. “Come on, just tell me, what happened?” I ask him, my growing curiosity nagging at me like Trixie whenever I pass out on one of her practices.

“I’ll tell you later,” he replies. “We should focus on this.”

“Or you could tell me now and drop the mysterious crap,” I retort. I never did like the secretive act.

“Well…” he stops, turning to me and smirking. “Know what? I think I’ll keep on the mysterious stuff, maybe I‘ll tell you when we are out, maybe not,” he says confidently, returning to his search.

“Dude!” I nearly shout. “Don’t leave me hanging!”

“That’s what she said,” he answers. Looking at me straight in the eyes, a victorious smile on his face.

That doesn't make any sel- Oh! “Dude! I think I found him,” I call Flash, pulling out a mug shot of the human Discord and showing it to him. Flash instantly recoils.

“Woah… What’s with the creepy yellow eyes?” he asks, looking at the shot, the eyes shining in the darkness.

“Weird…” I simply say, pointing the flashlight to the picture and noticing the yellow eyes becoming white again. “Somehow, I am not surprised, this guy is a sort of god, I figured something weird would happen,“ I say, as I search the rest of the folder, but all I find is a single piece of paper. “Huh, this is weird, this says that he hasn’t worked here for-” I pause, noticing the time. “Twenty years…”

That’s funny, that rings a bell.

“You know?” Flash calls, trying to get my attention. “There is something about this guy that looks very familiar, but I just don’t know why…”

“Seen him before?” I ask excited. This might just be it!

“Um… Damn it. Sorry, I really don’t know… But it’s something, right?” he says satisfied, going back to his own cabinet.

“I suppose,“ I say disappointed, putting the folder back in the cabinet. “What are you doing?” I question., watching as he fumbles with more folders “We found what we were looking for.”

“No. YOU found what you needed, I still need something else,” he explains rather cryptically, returning to his search. Curioser and curioser.

I pull out my phone and take a picture of Discord’s photograph and of the form itself, I hope this can be useful.

“So, where are Celestia and Luna anyway?” I ask, walking towards the door to check-up on any unexpected authoritative figures that might pass by.

“The meeting room. The teachers have this certain ritual where they have a small welcome party the first week of the semester for the teachers who are done for the day, a time to relax,” he explains easily, not even bothering to turn to me.

“I suppose that makes sen-”

*Rustle, rustle* I heard a sound, I turn back and stare at the door. *Rustle, rustle* I see the handle move.

Oh no.

“The one time I remember to lock the door,” comes the sound of a frustrated Luna on the opposite side.

Without thinking, I switch off the flashlight and run towards Flash, I grab him by the collar, and pull him alongside me under Celestia’s desk, as we slide in, I feel a sharp, agonizing pain as something stabs into my hand… Which I can’t move due to my current tight fit with Flash under here, we look at each other timidly, and I see sweat beads drip from his brow, which I’m sure are dripping down mine.

What the hell was I thinking!?

The lights flare to life, and the footsteps of whom I assume to be Luna can be heard as she heads into her office across the desk we are in, speaking of, I can barely hold my cries of pain as the stabbing thing pierces deeper into my palm.

“Son o-” I nearly curse, but thankfully(?) Flash’s hand quickly covers my mouth, he silently shushes me as we wait for Luna to exit the room.

“Why is that open?” Luna says… Oh no… We didn’t close the cabinet Flash was searching! I watch as Luna bends down, her damn ass facing us both as she closes the cabinet, and -by the sounds of it- locks it. As this is happening, I’m going through breathing exercises, as to calm myself down, and also forget the pain of my bleeding palm. Did I forget to mention my hand is now bleeding? BECAUSE IT’S NOW FUCKING BLEEDING.

To our fortune, she stands up once again, and returns to her office without much of a clue of two students under her sister's desk. “Um… Yes, here we go. I really need to stop bringing this thing to school with me,” she says, sounding rather cautious. I would wonder what it is, but I have to reiterate that I am under a desk, stabbed by something, and Flash is here too. Sorry if my priorities aren’t set correctly.

I hear a few more sounds, and after a minutes, the lights shut off, and the door is closed, the sound of the locks reaching our ears. A welcome blessing.

“Ooouuuch!” I cry out silently, wasting no time and pointing the flashlight at my hand, I easily notice a fucking paperclip stabbing deep in my perfect skin. “Son of a bitch!” I curse, removing the thing and shoving it in my pocket to avoid leaving evidence. “Flash, we have to get out of here,” I turn, warning him as I suck on the wound.

“But… I didn’t get what I came here for…” he replies weakly, looking at the now locked cabinet.

“Tough shit! We can’t be caught here! Let’s go!” I tell him, dragging him alongside me before he can complain further.

…

So, our escape was successful, as proof of us now sitting inside Flash’s car, catching our breaths.

“We… Made it…” I finally say, as we have both been silent since we got in.

“Yeah… I guess,” he groans, looking at me annoyed.

“What?” I ask, acknowledging his angry stare.

“What do you mean what? You… Phew… You know full well that I was looking for something, Patrick!” he shouts, banging his hand down on the horn, the blaring sound, making me jump in panic.

“Hey, I don’t owe you anything, pal! If anything, what you helped me do here at least puts you on my ‘okay’ list in my book!!”

“Wait… Really?” Flash asks with a genuinely surprised stare.

“I guess I do. Huh,” I reply just as surprised. “You helped me find something about Discord, that counts for something, you know?” I look at the photo of human-cord on my phone. His eyes are all white again -- must have been the camera’s flash.

“I guess I did,“ he responds, and I don’t know why, but the mood has taken a very different feel… I am not sure if I like the way he is staring at me. “Pat…” UM.

Trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation, I switch to the messages app. Oh, I have an audio message from Pinkie Pie, it seems. I simply press on the message, and the audio begins playing.

“Hello! I don’t know what you are doing Pat! I bet it’s baaaad, but I wanna wish you luck… With a song! Ahem…”

“~Do what you must and don’t get caught,
Don’t let your efforts be for naught!
An-~

“Pinkie Pie! We are in the middle of class! Give me that phon-” and just as suddenly, the message cuts off.

I can’t help but burst into laughter, she always has the right thing to ease me.

“Eeyup. Thought so,“ Flash says, I turn my head to see him grinning.

“Ah ha… What are you grinning about, pretty boy,” I ask him, the smile still on my face.

“You SO like her,” he says, shaking his head, but keeping the cocky smile.

“Well I do, we ARE friends after all,” I answer him, just as I feel my face flush with embarrassment at his TOTALLY baseless accusation.

“Right…“ he finishes, practically stating ‘you are full of shit’ dammit. “So, Patrick?” he calls my name. “I…”

“Dude, stop with the crap, just say what you gotta say!” I groan. I’m pretty sure he is doing the ’slow heartfelt’ thing on purpose now.

“Patrick, I was simply letting the warm moment settle in! You can’t blame me for trying,” he replies, barely managing to hold a serious face. I knew it!

“Well, you better tell me, or the only ‘warm moment’ you’ll feel will be the blood that will be dripping down your nose!” I threaten him, making him freeze up.

“Geez, fine! I'm simply easing you into it,” he clears his throat and stares me down. “First; I was after Sunset Shimmers documents, I was trying to find out where she lives. Second; you have been followed by Snips and Snails for a few weeks now.”

“See? That wasn’t so h- What,” I cut off my own sentence, giving Flash a stoic stare.

“Yup, they have been following you since November, I think,” he answers, knowing what I meant.

“But. How do you…”

“Been following you since the start of the year, you get good at noticing things. And trust me, I’ve been trying to keep them away from you, because honestly, you can be really dumb,” he insults me for no reason.

“What? What are you talking about!?” I growl, baring my teeth. Which in all fairness isn’t too threatening.

“How do you think I learned of you, your world? I’ve been listening to your conversations with Trixie and Pinkie, heck, YOU talk out loud to yourself,“ okay, I might have probably dropped the ball on that one. “I have been the only one who has been paying attention to your ramblings due to what Shimmer did to me… But hey, you don’t believe that as stated before, why am I even telling you this!?” he sighs irritated.

“Flash,” I start, holding my forehead as the familiar headache returns. “I believe you.”

“R-really?” he asks, hopeful.

“I mean, what kind of person goes through all of this crap just to find out about his ex-girlfriend… Unless you are the crazy ex-boyfriend but we both know that the crazy one in the relationship was Shimmer.”

“Woah. Thanks man, I appreciate that you finally believe it…” he scratches his head, looking at me embarrassed. He reaches for his pocket, and takes out his phone, showing it to me. “See this?” he asks, showing me the phone’s screen.

“Yeah?”

“Video is gone,” he explains. “Sorry for the kidnapping, and, well, the blackmail thing,” he apologizes, putting his head down on the wheel. “Guess I was just too keen on getting to her, you know?”

“Yep. At least I know that you chose me because of my situation and not just because you hate me.,” I point out realizing the fact.

"Also, you slapped her," he adds.

"Oh, yeah! That was fun," I say, reminiscing on the fond memory.

"Back when I dated her, you are lucky I didn't know, or I would have punched you," he half-laughs. I get the feeling he would have.

"Speaking of, you know, if you were dating her, wouldn’t that mean you have been at her place before?” I ask, hoping for some reasoning on that bit..

“Patrick, I couldn’t even get to third b-” he stops, covering his mouth.

What.

“Forget it! Irrelevant point!” he says, looking to the side with an embarrassed blush. That’s almost adorable.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” I say dismissively. “So, I see we have a common enemy, huh?”

“We do h- wait, are you saying what I think you are saying?” he asks. Please, as if he didn’t know what I am going to say.

“Yes, I mean, you already know about me, and it might prove useful to have you help us, since you are the popular guy in school, you have connections and whatnot…” I feel him grab my hand and shake it with his own, his own grip tightening around my poor wounded palm. RIP. It had no chance.

“Ugh, whatever, you are in, congratulations,” I say unimpressed.

“Oh, don’t worry Lemon, I promise to stay away from your girlfriends.”

…

“For the last time, they are not my g-”

*Be*Beep*eep* two sudden noises cease my own mouth noises. Strange, it came from both mine and Flash’s phone.

“Hey, it’s from Fluttershy,” Flash says surprised. I grab my phone and check it. Yep.

“Me too, actually,” I inform him. “She wants to meet us both at the front of the school…”

“Any idea as to why?” he asks me.

“Don’t know, haven’t seen her all day… What if she makes us go do more community service, though?”

We turn to look at each other, our gulps of fear a telling sign of our worry.

~~~~~

Flash decides to drive to the front, where everyone is already leaving, we park in the front and walk the rest of the way to the entrance, where Shy’s trademarked pink colored hair with a flower is already waiting for us alongside the rest of her body.

“Hey guys!” she shouts. At least I think she does by the way her mouth moved without a sound.

“Hey Fluttershy, “ I greet her. “Just came to tell you that I’m really busy today, and I have homework, an- Ouch!” I let out a pained yelp as Flash pokes my ribs. WHY IS EVERYONE MEAN TO PATRICK.

“What he means to ask is that we’d be glad to help again,” he answers convincingly. Very good liar for sure.

“O-oh, there is no need!” Fluttershy who is now best girl says. “It was a one time thing, I actually called you guys here to give you this,” she reaches into her backpack and retrieves a folder, where she takes out what appears to be…

“Photos?” I ask, staring at the pictures, I notice that it’s a photo taking place in the shelter main room, with Fluttershy and all the other animals posing for it. Kind of surreal, in all honesty.

“Yes! Just the animals and my own way of thanking you two for the help, it was really appreciated! And look at the back, there is an inscription for each of you!” she says, turning both our photos.

“Thank you for everything!”
-Fluttershy and Friends

“Shy? What’s this?“ I ask, pointing at a big smudge that is set all the way to the bottom under her name in my own picture.

“O-oh! That was a typo on my p-part, sorry…” she stops, the place taking an awkward silence. “Gotta go!” she dismisses herself, running past us and into her car which is parked close-by.

Huh, I wonder, could this smudge have been her… Nah.

“Well, we got off the hook this time, didn’t we?” I ask Flash, who is giving me a look of disbelief. “What? Something the matter?” I ask him. Is he jealous of my picture smudge, perhaps?

“Lemon… See that frame in the back, behind Fluttershy?” he asks, pointing it out in his own photo.

“Huh,” I look at the photo and notice a framed picture with the mug of a bluish skinned bald man. “Yes, I do, what about it?”

“That’s him! That’s who it reminded me of, well, you know?”

I glance at the man for a second before turning to Flash again. “Dude, are you blind? Because this guy looks nothing like him.”

“Okay, look. When I was let into the shelter, the lights were off, and when I went in, I saw this weird yellow pair of glows, at least until I turned on the lights, and I turn it was just a trick so I forgot until I saw it again. Do you see where I’m going with this?” he asks.

“But the eyes aren’t glo- Wait…” I stop, coming up with something. No freaking way.

I put the photo on the balcony to the side, and lower myself, putting my hands around the picture, blocking any source of light and…

“Flash?”

“Yes?”

“Do what I’m doing and stare at the picture.”

“Okaaaaay,” he says with a questioning look.

As he does, I take out my phone and look at the picture, I put my phone down next to Flash and do the same. I’m sure we are getting weird looks, but we are doing research, dammit!

As it turns out, I was right, I stare at the photo of my phone, and a slight yellow glow shines on Discord's face through the flash of my camera.

Both Flash and I slowly raise our heads, and we turn to each other with the same look of disbelief.

“Duuuude…”.

Author's Note

Ta-daaah? Plot progression. Flash. Other things including RD!

I enjoyed writing this one, and the story is waaaay past its halfway point now so huzzah!

I look forward to your thoughts!

Note to self: Title is terrible, change later. Don't forget you dumb. Edit Note: Fixed. Thank you brain

Edit added: Thanks to FanOfMostEverything for the tidbit reminder.

Hanging Out

*Beep*

“Hmm… Hit me.”

“Alright, you asked for it.”

…

“Fuck!” I curse out loud, tossing the ‘twenty-six’ of cards in my hand. “Fuck this game!”

“You are such a sore loser, Lemon,” Flash laughs, picking up my cards and putting them away in his pocket. “I’m still not sure why you told me to bring the cards for anyway.”

“Flash, it was a figure of speech, you know? Basically a way so we wouldn’t get bored?” I explain instantly.

“We are in a room full of computers with access to high-speed internet,” he laughs more.

“Shut up!” *Beep* “Have I mentioned how much I hate that digital clock?” I say, pointing at the accursed thing on the wall behind me. “Because I really hate that digital clock.”

“Only practically every minute we’ve been here,” he sighs. “That being said, we could’ve held this in a place OTHER than the public library, you know?”

“Hey! It‘s just a minor thing!” I retort with a huff. Of course, I was regretting it due to that clock alone, but I couldn’t really say that to him. “Besides, this place is perfect.”

And ‘this place’ had been graciously offered by Miss Mare, turns out that she picks favorites when people refer to her as Mayor. In any case, this place does the job, especially with Sunset Shifter keeping tabs on the girls and I for some reason.

“Speaking of, where ARE the girls,” Flash asks once I relay the thought to him. “I thought you said they would be here after classes today.”

“Yeah, well, Trixie had to stay to finish some project in school, and Pinkie wanted to pick some stuff from home before coming here, a- Wait, why are you asking me for? I don’t keep tabs on them!”

“Well, I would imagine you would keep tabs on your waifus,” he says mockingly.

“They are not m- did you just say waifus?” I ask perturbed by the words coming out of his mouth hole.

“Er… Yeah, I have a friend who is into some weird stuff, it was an inside j-… Forget I said anything.”

“Forget you said what anything?”

“Good man.”

*Knock, knock, Beep*

“Can I please murder that clock?” I ask annoyed.

“Do you have money to pay for it?” well, now that he mentions it… “Didn’t think so. Now calm down and let me answer the door,” he heads to open the door, revealing behind it none other than Blue Magic Woman.

“Nice, you practiced the apparition trick,” I say with a laugh.

“This had better be important, Lime!” the specimen known as Trixie huffs right away, ignoring my obvious taunting, showing its most common behavior before continuing. “Trixie had to f-f-f-… You!” the Trixie shouts in a rather unfitting fashion, pointing at Flash -a member of the Pompous Asshole family, more on him later- who stares calmly, still holding the door handle.

“Afternoon, Trixie,” Flash greets her still smiling.

“Wait, you two know each other!?” I ask him. “You could have informed me that this was a thing!”

“You never asked,” he shrugs. Should have seen that one coming.

Trixie shakes her head with a look of disgust. “If he is here… Wait, he knows!?“ oh oh… “Lime! What is the meaning of this! What happened to secrecy!?” um, the observer is in danger! Cut! Cut the rolling! “Aah!” I yelp as she gets close to me, grabbing the collar of my shirt. I knew I shouldn’t have worn a polo today!

“He is here to help!” I quickly try to explain, the anger in her eyes is REAAAAALLY rubbing me the wrong way… Heh heh, rubbing… I couldn’t help it. *Beep* “You stay out of this, clock!”

“And why would he help? What is he getting out of this?” Trixie asks, just as I feel myself being picked up. Why are all girls stronger than me!?

“I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart, is that not enough for you?” Flash answers with a very obvious mocking smile. You are not helping, Sentry!

Trixie snaps her head towards Flash and glares. “You are lying you f-”

“Hey, not fair! The celebration started without me!?” I hear a cry of foul behind Trixie. Doesn’t take a genius to know that it’s Pinkie, who soon after appears within my line of sight. “Don’t worry guys! I’m ready for this! I brought Gummy!” she exclaims with a ‘stern’ stare, flipping her backpack upside-down… And slowly -much like a roll of dough coming out of a tube- the familiar shape of the iguana Gummy pops out, landing on the floor without much of a reaction, remaining unmoving as if it were horrifying toy.

The room remains silent, whatever tension that had been in the air becoming plain old awkwardness… So basically just Pinkie being involved is all.

“Pinkie, we are in a library,” I explain, giving her a flat stare. “Don’t tell me this is why you went home.”

“Uh huh!“ brilliant. “And it’s okay,” she whispers. “Gummy can do silent partying too.”

“So… I’m going to close the door now,” Flash says slowly, doing so just as slow, carefully spinning the handle in place to avoid making unnecessary noise. “Now, how about we all calm down, there really is a reason I’m here, Trixie and I just want to help.”

Trixie narrows her eyes, giving Flash a venomous look. “Is this true, Lemon?” she turns to ask me.

“Yes, it’s true… There are a number of things that happened, and I want to explain,” I say with vagueness, just to get her curiosity going. “But maybe you want to talk about this anger first?”

She rolls her eyes. “What are you? Trixie’s psychologist? It’s not necessary. Trixie understands and will deal,” she stands down, sitting down in a chair next to me, unnecessarily close to me, I might add. “However, Trixie will be watching him.”

“Fair enough,” Flash shrugs not taking notice, sitting on a chair opposite of her.

Pinkie looks at us with a frown, with Gummy now in her hands. “Wow, this party needs you more than ever, Gummy.”

And so, Flash and I begin the annoying task of relaying information, giving the pair the details of our discovery which takes around twenty minutes. I really wish there was a way to let them know what we have to say without actually telling them, skipping the annoyance of saying what I already know, kinda like what books do with transitions… Yeah, that would be nice.

“And that pretty much answers your questions… Right?” I ask hopeful. Turns out that questions increased the time by fifteen minutes. Go figure.

“Yep!” Pinkie says ever so cheerily, spinning on one of the chairs. “Wheeee~”

“Trixie?” I ask tuning to the blue girl, who is currently checking her laptop. “Did you get it all?”

“Yes, she did…” Trixie replies slowly, looking at me thoughtfully . “Just to be sure, thought, if I heard correctly, you say that this Discord character is actually this philanthropist person who each year donates money to places including, but not limited, to the animal shelter which Fluttershy volunteers at?”

“You said you were done with the questions, you liar!”

“And you said you found out that said philanthropist is actually an old teacher in Canterlot High, who by the way looks NOTHING like this man," she says, pointing at the picture I took. "And you are basing this on the fact that both their eyes ‘glow’ in the dark. Correct?”

“Well, when you say it like that it sounds really stupid…”

:”That’s because it is,” Trixie deadpans, turning her laptop around and showing me a picture with Fluttershy and to-be Discord -who looks like any adult, only blue and with a moustache- arm in arm with huge smiles on their faces… Guess even worlds apart they are still friends. “Now tell me, Lemon; is that really the face of a man who is focused on chaos?”

“Maybe he is like Chryssa!” Pinkie rolls in on her chair with Gummy on her head. “She was really a meanie!”

“Chryssa?” Flash asks. “Isn’t that the old superintendent?” I had forgotten to tell him about that ‘little’ incident.

“She is irrelevant right now!” I halt the thought, noticing Trixie about to bring the topic up again. “The point is that he is all I- I mean, he is all WE have, and we should meet with him… If we find out how that is.”

Trixie continues her skeptical stare, but sighs. “… From what I read, they are actually rather close,” she explains. “Maybe Fluttershy can grant us an audience with Harmonious Heart.”

"Hopefully, a-" wait. “Harmonious Heart? Seriously?” I ask annoyed. He just made this too easy.

“Yes,” Trixie replies. “And I know what you are thinking, but it could be just a coincidence,” she counters in her serious voice.

"I... You... Ugh!" That‘s like a person called ‘bad guy‘ disguising themselves as ‘good guy‘ but I am not in the mood. “Whatever! We’ll find out soon enough! In fact, I’ll just text Fluttershy an-”

“A problem,” she begins, raising her palm in a stopping manner.

“Sigh… Isn’t there always?”

“He is currently out of the country, we will have to wait for him to return to even get to talk to him,” she explains.

“Well… So we stand down for now?” Flash asks.

“It appears so,” I concur with a sigh. “Fluttershy is busy anyway, something about talking with the Principal to organize some event, anyway, we are done,” the group nods in agreement. “Just remember to each keep tabs on ‘Heart’s’ location, should be easy with the power of journalists,” bless your soul, you intruding pieces of trash.

“Does that mean it’s party time!” Pinkie asks, holding Gummy in front of her.

“As much as Trixie is looking forward to the amount of insanity that will unfurl, I have to ask,” Trixie halts the pleasant mood. “Why couldn’t we do this during lunch today? You were really dodgy on the fact, and Trixie does not see the point of coming to a secret library meeting all the way downtown.”

Huh… I knew I was forgetting something.

“Actually, there is a reason for that too, believe it or not,” I say with a sour tone. It’s not really something I like, which I make apparent as I explain it to the pair.

“That dirty Shimmer!” Trixie growls, kicking a nearby chair. “Trixie knew she was terrible, but stalking us? That’s low, even for her!”

“We can't say for sure,” Flash says calmly. “In any case, we have to be careful of what we say and do, at least until we find out where she lives… And we talk to her.”

“Trixie fails to see what that could do,” Trixie says skeptically.

“Let’s just say that I get the feeling that she might be more dangerous than the overly bitchy high school girl she appears to be,” Flash says matter-of-factly.

“… Whatever, just don’t involve Trixie in your dumb plans, Flash,” she huffs with crossed arms.

I look at the pair and I have to wonder -what’s their story? “That aside, this will be our new meeting spot from now on, and nothing about this is to be spoken via call or text, are we clear?” I ask, turning to each one of them.

“You got it, buddy.”

“Fine. But you will pay for Trixie’s gas money, Lime.”

“…”

Wait a minute... “I am not paying for your gas!”

“Trixie has spoken!“ Trixie shouts with finality. I hope mom will increase my allowance.

Wait another minute… “Pinkie?“ I call to her.

“…”

I thought so. She is suddenly looking down on the floor, hugging Gummy much like a teddy bear, and if I didn’t know better, I might have assumed he was one.

“Earth to Pinkie? Are you alright?” I call, softly shaking her shoulder to get her attention.

“H-huh? Sorry! I spaced out a bit!” she apologizes, looking up with her trademarked smile returning as if nothing had happened.

“You sure? You seemed a bit quiet,” I ask concerned.

“W-well…” she begins hesitantly as she pats Gummy‘s head.

“Come on, Pinkie, it‘s okay, we are all friends here,” I assure her, rubbing her shoulder in a comforting manner.

“Okay. Actually… It’s just that you guys shouldn’t mess with Sunset Shimmer! She is sneaky, and she is like, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, rea-”

“Pinkie!” we all shout.

“Sorry, I’ll give you the short version,” she pouts. “She is really times sixty-four mean!” we all stare silently with raised brows. Coming up next after our show; water is wet and later, the sky is blue.

Trixie scoffs loudly, shaking her head. “Trixie could have told you that in one word; Sunset Shimmer is a total fuc-”

“We will deal with her, don‘t you worry Pinkie,” I interrupt, giving Pinkie a comforting pat on the head, which earns me a smile, and her awkwardly placing her hand over mine, and… I. “H-how about we just wrap up and go? We are all under stress and we should just head home to relas,” I finish hastily, turning to Trixie who is currently putting away her laptop. Dodged a bullet there.

“Okay, dokey, lokey!”

“Trixie does have homework…”

“Seriously?”

“Now what?” I ask, turning to meet Flash who has a very disapproving look. “What do you mean ‘seriously‘?”

“What I mean is that we drive half an hour downtown, and all we do is have a meeting in a library? Do you just meet up to talk about this? Is this what you guys usually do?” he asks incredulously.

“W-well, not really, I mean, we sometimes go cheer Trixie on her magic training when she has some,” that counts as doing something, right?

“You mean 'criticize' Trixie’s training!” Trixie annoyingly butts in.

“Here we go again! Trixie, it was one time!”

“It was really nasty criticism!”

“You almost hit me with a knife!”

“You were interrupting Trixie!”

“Oh my god.”

“Besides, you dodged.”

“OH MY GOD.”

“Enough!” Flash cuts the conversation short. “Pinkie, is this really what you guys usually do?”

“Nah!” Pinkie answers. “Sometimes we just have ice cream before the argument!”

“Hmm…” Flash hums thoughtfully as he stares at us. “This might seem random, but what do you guys say to going to the mall? You know, to have some fun.”

“We like that idea!” Pinkie cheers, holding Gummy over herself.

“He’ll have to hide, thought, or bad things will happen,” he warns, receiving an aww in response.

“What? Why? What are you plotting, Sentry?“ Trixie asks suspiciously.

“Nothing! Just have a couple of friends, have some fun, you know? Things teenagers will do without a second thought?“ Flash explains with disbelief. “You would think this would be a natural fit for you.“

“Pleeeease!” Pinkie asks, clasping her hands together.

“How about it Lemon? Trixie?” Flash asks, holding out his hands to both of us to hold.

“W-well… Trixie doesn’t oppose to the idea… As long as any of these two agree,” Trixie points to us both, but looking at me with a flustered stare.

“I suppose that couldn’t hurt… I did tell mom I’d be out for a while…”

“Cool,” Flash answers lazily.

“Yay! We are gonna have so much fun!” Pinkie cheers loudly, launching the no longer bagged Gummy into the air, stopping suddenly as Flash gave her a disapproving stare. “Ha, ha… Sorry.”

“Know what? You guys are getting me excited too. Let‘s go!” I say with a smile on my face. Who knows? This might turn out to be a fun d-*Beep* “I’M GONNA KILL THAT FUCKING CLO-

~~~~~

After profusely apologizing to Miss Mare for five minutes -again, that transition could have been useful- we get into Flash’s car to drive over to the mall across the street -Trixie didn‘t want to waste gas, blah, blah-. Wonder what we are gonna do?

“I have nooo idea!” Flash answers with a smile.

“This was your idea, Flesh boy,” Trixie growls.

“Oh, you are doing that too,“ Flash comments annoyed. “And yes it was, but I’m letting you guys choose to do something, I don‘t know you well enough to choose what you might enjoy, do I?” he explains with a raised brow.

“Well… I suppose not,” I answer. “Hmm… How about a movie? Outside the fact that it isn’t freezing cold in there, I think the last time I came here with my parents was when I was like nineteen.”

“Your parents, huh?” Flash asks randomly, giving me an inquisitive look. “Wait, did you say nineteen?”

“Thirteen.”

“That makes much more sense!” Pinkie says. I agree Pinkie.

That decided, we park in the theater nearby, heading to the ticket booth, and by popular vote, choosing the stupidest named movie of the bunch; ‘Weird Happenings’. Some found footage movie.

After getting some popcorn, and some soda -Flash got diet cause he is on a diiieeett- we head into the room playing the movie, ready to sit down for the next forty-five minutes of trailers.

“Oh shut up,” Flash groans as I mock him for the seventh time, as he lets Trixie pass to a seat before he himself heads in.

“Psh! Dude!” I whisper to him. “Remember? Trixie hates you… We don’t want to get on her nerves, you know?”

“Oh… Good call, Lemon, go ahead,” he whispers back, letting me go through. In the end, I end up sitting down between Flash and Trixie, I wish I could’ve been between Pinkie too, but sometimes sexual jokes don’t get to exist to my convenience.

“I heard it’s a horror movie… Don’t be scared, Trixie, I‘m here for you,” Flash says playfully, looking over me to Trixie, who doesn’t even dignify him with a response.

“In a world…” welp, movie is off to a good start, time to watch, I guess.

…

Well, our time watching it has been… Interesting to say the least. With us here, it was just a matter of time.

I mean, Trixie is currently criticizing pretty much everything that’s happening in the movie, eating mouthfuls of popcorn while doing so, I might add.

“Trixie does not understand… Why is this person holding a video camera everywhere they go?”

Pinkie on the other hand, is practically ignoring the mood of the movie, pointing things completely irrelevant to the movie, all while drinking her third cup of soda, which by the way is Flash‘s -mine was the second casualty.

“Woah, I like that hoodie! I want one of those!”

Flash, well… “O-oh no… What’s happening now! I can’t watch!” let's just say I’m surprised his body hasn’t already vacated either the popcorn or the soda by now.

And me? Well, a yawn just escaped me, just as I am holding my head with my arm in an attempt to keep my eyes, and by extension, my attention, otherwise I would have passed out by now.

“Ugh… Huh?“ my complaining is suddenly replaced by curiosity as a blue colored girl appears onscreen, giving the camera a sultry look. Wait… This looks familiar.

“Come on… I’ll show you my room.”

“Hello, obvious death scene!” that’s it, I’m checking out. “I’m going to the restroom,” I say resigned, moving past Pinkie and Wussy Sentry to the hall outside, and to the restrooms all the way down the hall. Stupid inconvenient bathrooms.

…

“Aaah,” I sigh in contentment, letting the relief out. I have to say, sitting in this toilet is my favorite part of the movie by far… Dammit. Maybe we should have chosen that one movie about the time traveling phone booth.

*Slam* The next stall door slams shut, bringing me back from my internal monologue.

“Hey, watch it buddy! You are gonna break that door off its hinges!” geez. These people!

“Sorry!" a familiar voice replies to me. Huh, that guy sounded like a girl. “Hey! You sound like just like a guy!” wait a minute...

“Please don’t tell me it’s Pinkie Pie in the stall next to me…”

“Wait… How did you know my name? Are you psychic!?”

“Yup, it's you… Pinkie, it’s me, Lemon.”

“O-oh…” she acknowledges my comment. “Phew! Here I thought you were just a very manly girl!”

Oh my god. “Not the point, Pinkie!”

“That’s true!” she agrees, much to my surprise. “What are you doing in the women’s restroom! That’s very naughty of you!” aaaand there it is.

“Pinkie, you are in the men’s restroom,” I explain annoyed.

She remains silent for a few seconds, until finally. “Ooooooh... Whoopsie! I guess I really had to go bad!” gee, I wonder.

“Pinkie, j-just finish and get out,” I tell her, blushing immensely, getting out of the stall and waiting outside Pinkie’s. “I’ll wait here and give you the heads up in case someone comes, just hurry!”

“O-okay!” she tentatively agrees as I wait outside.

Now, I’m not going to archive this into my brain, but let it be known that this experience is one of the most embarrassing I‘ve gone through, and I’m just going to say that my imagination ran wild from the sounds that were made in there.

“I’m done!”

“Okay, just hurry!” I say as I hear her messing with her… Clothes, and soon after, the lock open-”

*Creak* the bathroom's front door suddenly creaks.

“Shit!” I cry out, instinctively pushing Pinkie who is currently on the progress of getting out… Not anymore! I slam the door shut, and quickly lock it without a second thought.

“Lemon?” Pinkie calls behind me.

“Shh!” I quiet her.

“Why do we have to go to the bathroom at the same time again?” a voice outside says sounding annoyed.

“Look, we are just emptying our bladders before the movie, now shut up and pee,” another replies.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever!” the first one retorts.

"Okay, just remain quiet," I whisper to Pinkie, who nods, as shown by her long hair moving forward over my face.

“Huh?” the voice says, suddenly walking towards our stall. “Weird.”

Shit! “Pinkie!” I whisper. “Get on the toilet!”

“What?”

“Do it! Get on it and crouch, put your arms around my neck if you need to!”

She does as she is told, getting on the toilet, I grab her hands and place them around my neck, allowing her to get some slightly less dirty hold.

“Dude, what are you doing?” one of them asks his friend.

“Huh? Nothing… I thought I saw two pairs of feet in that stall. Weird.”

“Hey, pal! Are you spying my stall? That’s illegal or something!” I suddenly say, causing the guy to stop and back off.

“S-sorry!” he quickly apologizes, heading to the urinals alongside his friend.

“Well… Phew,” I exclaim calmly, awaiting for the pair to finish while trying to keep myself calm. It’s kind of hard, what with Pinkie crouched behind me, pressing herself against me, I mean, I can feel the very soft front part of her body rubbing against me! Her heartbeat very clearly beating at an increased pace; knowing Pinkie, this is probably exciting to her.

After what feels like forever, they finish and head out, not before apologizing one last time for their very creepy observation of my stall, that being said, I’m just glad they are gone.

“Okay Pinkie, let’s go before someone else sees us,” I quickly advise, making out way out the of the stall.

“Phew!” she finally speaks, her face reddish and dripping wet of sweat “That was a close one!” *creak* we both hear the sound, and turn to look towards the person who just entered.

I smile and gulp. “Oh, hello person wearing a red vest! Aha...” crap.

~~~~~

Well, guess who is checking ‘Getting kicked out of a theater’ off their bucket list? Answer is THIS. FUCKING. GUY.

“That was fun,” Pinkie says. The weird part of it all is that she is being legitimately sarcastic.

“Nah, I think you enjoyed that, Pinkie,” I say with my own sarcasm thrown in for good measure.

“Lemon, that wasn‘t funny!!” she pouts, crossing her arms angrily. “It was embarrassing, and I could’ve gotten in trouble!”

I stare at Pinkie, blinking rapidly in my stupor. “Really? Didn’t know the cheery Pinkie Pie could get embarrassed,” I exclaim surprised. She responds by harrumphing while her cheeks light up even more; probably a combination of anger and embarrassment that shows I crossed the line. “Sorry, you didn‘t need that.”

She looks over to me, sighing. “It’s okay, it was my fault anyway,” she answers, scratching the back of her head. “Sorry about that.”

“Nah, it’s okay, I’ve had my fair share of bathroom incidents back home, I‘ll live.”

“Ooh, really? Anything like this?”

… “No,” she must never know. “A-anyway, we haven’t been here in a while, huh?”

“Oh yeah! Hey! Remember the time I sang here?” she asks, bringing to mind that trip we had last year. “It was only the two of us back then!”

“Yep. Funny how that changes, huh?” I answer, turning to look at the busy road in the distance; there are numerous shoppers walking by with bags of unnecessary commodities and such other things. Ah, rich people.

“Yeah, it sure is," she replies with a neutral look.

“Yep…” Okay, that turned slightly awkward there... “A-anyway, I haven’t been here since then,” I turn to say in a feeble attempt to revitalize the conversation.

“I have!" she yelps suddenly. "I come here all the time with the girls! But next time we come they’ll probably want to ask why I’m not allowed inside the theater anymore…” she says pursing her lips in a thoughtful manner. I’m relatively sure that those pictures they took of us are going to be used for something else, thought. “I’ll just tell them what happened, they’ll understand!” she recons.

“Yeah, but we better not tell Flash and Trixie…” I warn her.

“Hmm? Why?” she asks, looking intrigued.

Outside getting an overzealous Trixie and more ammo for Flash? “Well, let’s just say that they might get the wrong idea,” I whisper to her.

“Oooooh,” she mouths silently in understanding. “Wait, but I hate lying!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something to tell them… In the meantime, how about we message them to get their asses out here?”

And so, we message Flash and Trixie, hoping for them to come out to meet us, but as it turns out -something we discovered once they were done with the movie- they both turned off their phones. I mean, seriously? The one time they could’ve been irresponsible!

“Shut it, Lime,” Trixie negates my truth. “Trixie was far too busy picking apart that abomination of a movie! It is her job as a critic!” funny how she didn’t get kicked out for being obnoxiously loud.

“I thought you were a magician,” Flash says offhand.

“Trixie can multitask, Sentry!” she retorts angrily. “In fact, she can even play guitar if the opportunity ever arises!” she says proudly. And I played the violin in high school, big whoop. “But don’t avoid the main issue here! Why didn’t you two return?” she asks, promptly targeting us.

.“I… Didn’t like the movie, and Pinkie decided to come with,” I lie easily.

“That sounds like a lie,” dammit, she knows!

“Nah ah! You can’t prove it!” Pinkie says, much like a child would. I’ve taught her well.

“…” Trixie stares silently and waves her hand dismissively. “Whatever, Trixie doesn't really care,” she sighs. “Now, do you have anything planned this time, Flash? Or will you make us decide again?”

“Actually… I had two stops in mind; if we go this way,” he starts, pointing East. “We’ll be at the local games store, but if we go this way,” he points North. “We’ll be going to the candy store.”

“Candy! I’m really hungry!” Pinkie predictably replies.

“Pinkie, you work at a place that sells sweets,” Trixie points out.

“I know! But the Cakes won’t let me get close to the good stuff!” she explains looking disappointed.

“Well, Trixie wants to go to the game store. Right now,” Trixie says in a demanding tone.

“B-but!” Pinkie pouts, looking like she is about to cry. “Candy?”

“Now, now, no need to cry, Pinkie, how about we split up?” Flash suggests. “I’ll take Pinkie to the candy shop, and you take Trixie to the game store, how does that sound, Lemon?” Flash asks me, and as a matter of fact I don’t ag- “Great! We’ll meet back here in thirty. Later!” he rushes off with Pinkie in tow before I get the chance to reply. Dammit, Flash!

“Hmm,” I mumble turning to Trixie. “Guess we are checking video-” Trixie suddenly walks off without a warning. “-games… Okay then,” resigned to whatever she has planned, I run and catch up to her.

Maybe she’ll realize we are going the wrong way at some point.

We walk through the theater’s parking lot and into the mall area proper, she doesn’t say a word as we pass store after store, the silent is legitimately creeping me out at this point, but I’m honestly unnerved to interrupting in on the account of Trixie doing the magicks on me. By the magics I mean her magic. By her magic, I mean beating me up.

I’d rather wait.

Finally, after a day, -or maybe just ten minutes- of walking later, we arrive at the far opposite part of the mall, unlike the rest of the place, there is nary a car here, only one of those bike racks that people barely use anymore; which is coincidentally the place Trixie finally decides to stop in, resting on the edge of the rail without much of a complaint for the cold. I follow suit and do the same on the opposite end, where I turn to watch into the empty lot… My bum already regrets leaning on this.

… Screw this. “Trixie? What are we doing here?” I finally ask. What can I say? Patience is not my virtue.

“Lemon, tell me. How dumb do you think I am?” she turns to ask with a serious stare.

I turn to the side, maybe I‘ll find the hidden camera. “What are you talking about?” I ask confused.

“I saw it, Lemon.”

“S-saw what?” I ask rhetorically. I get the feeling that she is referring to what I think she is.

“You and Pinkie Pie being kicked out of the theater, that’s what!”” she nearly shouts. “Why would you lie about that? What happened? Pinkie Pie looked distraught. Are you two in trouble?” s**t.

“Er… Well… The truth is… Dammit,“ I give up. I end up giving her a summary of the events, knowing her, this will be enough to send her into a ra-

“I see. That’s an unfortunate thing to have happen to you.”

Huh. “Wait, what? That’s it?“

“What do you mean?“ she asks incredulously.

“Hold on a sec, aren’t you mad?” I ask surprised.

She suddenly glares, opening her mouth and baring me her teeth. “Why would Trixie be mad?”

Oh, oh…”I didn’t mean that like, um…” help?”

“What? Did you expect a stern talk? Or maybe a jealous tirade!?” she asks irritated, standing fully in front of me. “Maybe I’ll give you one, but for a complete different reason!”

“Okay, I’m sorry! What are you even mad for!? It was understandable, wasn’t it!?”

Trixie looks at me indignant, opening her mouth as if to say something, but unable to make a sound.. “Lemon, you aren’t my property, and it isn‘t like we are even together… Why would I be mad at you? Especially over what was clearly an accident.”

“I… I don’t know! I just… Didn’t want to make you think Pinkie and I were doing stuff, I guess?” I try to explain. This conversation went south pole FAST.

Trixie tilts her head to the side awkwardly, giving me a weird look. “So why?”

“Huh?”

“Why didn’t you just let me believe that?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why didn’t you let me think you and Pinkie were doing ‘weird things‘? I would have left you alone if you had, right?” she asks, beginning to circle around me like one of those private investigators… Or a hound.

“Well, yes, but… Er…” I’ll be honest, I can’t really come up with an explanation.

“Huh… Maybe you like Trixie. You like me,” she says matter-of-factly, sitting down right next to me, placing her soft, soft hand over mine with a vicious smile.

“I…” suddenly the cold is the least of my worries.

“Well? Say it is not so,” she pleads, her face coming dangerously close to mine, so I back off a bit, last time this happened I got kissed against my will.

“Trixie, look, er…” I begin, but she suddenly places a finger over my lips, stopping me from continuing my speech. She sighs, and looks up where the sun is currently setting.

“Lemon, you don’t have to say anything, it’s obvious you are conflicted,” she begins. “Look, I won’t pressure you into making a decision, but you shouldn’t have to think you have to hold stuff like this back because you think I’ll explode in a fit of rage.”

I don’t say anything as she stares into the sky, donning her hoodie as a particular strong gust of wind hits us and she doesn’t even flinch. This girl was made for the cold. I wasn’t. I wish I’d brought my jacket.

“Remember what you asked about Flash earlier?” she starts again as she keeps her face hidden behind the hood.

“Trixie, you don‘t have to say anything about that.”

“Now that I’m being direct with you, I feel I need to clear something up,” she begins.

“You sure?”

“Yes. I won’t go into any details, but I just want you to know that Flash betrayed me; and before you even guess, it was not romantically. Hope that gets your curiosity filled.”

Not really, but I suppose it could be worse. “Alright, fine… And thanks, there goes my second guess about it.”

Trixie sneers in response. “What was the first?”

“That he never paid you back.”

“You are an idiot.”

“Yup…” I reach into my back pocket, feeling the familiar note shaped form of the pendant Lyra gave me. “Hey, Trixie? You are being honest with me right now, so it’s fair that you know, b-” she pushes her palm over my mouth, silencing me.

“Quiet. You don’t have to say anything; the Great, and Humble Trrrrrrixie has already heard one truth out of you, and it wouldn’t be fair if Pinkie didn’t know what you wanted to say too,” she states. “Besides, you can always save it for when you choose the best girl,” she says, giving me a quick wink.

“Wait, I thought you weren’t pressuring me to be with you,” I groan, giving her the biggest pout I can.

“Trixie promised to not pressure you into deciding, that doesn’t mean she’ll stop her supreme flirting,” she explains. “Huh? Oh gosh, your face, haha,” she says, losing her cool and suddenly bursting into laughter, and not a maniacal one too boot! …What? It is legitimately that rare.

“Ha, ha, ha get it out of your system, jerk,” I growl, crossing my arms angrily.

“Ha, ha…” Trixie finishes, wiping tears from her eyes. “You are quite dumb… Anyway, what do you say to going back, Lime? It’s almost time.”

“I suppose we should… I don’t know how long until Flash goes nuts being alone with Pinkie in a candy store,” I agree relieved, remembering the pair.

“They’ll be fine, Flash has the patience of a saint, he has that going for him,” Trixie promptly explains absentmindedly as we start the walk back.

Flash and Trixie, huh…? “Speaking of Flash, you said that you guys weren’t together at some point, right?”

Trixie raises a brow, and shows me a wry smile. “Trixie never said that.”

“Um… So… Did you?”

“Why do you ask? Jealous?”

“Of course not!” I quickly reply.

“Then Trixie supposes you wouldn’t mind if she were to flirt with him too,” she says, just as she starts running off.

“Trixie? Wait, I didn’t say that! Wait!” I shout after her, already running out of breath. Who would have thought that never working out had a drawback! “Trixie wai-Oof!” I whine as I crash into Trixie’s back, falling back on the floor while she remains on her feet. Of course that actually happened.

“Whoops, Trixie forgot she still has homework to finish,” she says, and turns to me to offer her hand, helping me back up. “I have to go, seems I can’t deal with your cute jealousy today, Lime.”

Ugh. Dammit.“S-sure…” I agree hesitantly, covering my flushed face.

“Good. But can you do Trixie a favor?”

“I suppose… What is it?” I ask begrudgingly.

“Can you tell Flash that-

~~~~~

“… and at least that’s what she told me,” I tell Flash, whose mouth is agape in disbelief.

“Wow, what a jerk!” Flash groans, punching the horn of the car, thankfully, no one is in front of us as we pull into the street I live.

“Yup! And it’s funnier when it doesn’t happen to me,” I reply, still laughing at his stupid face.

‘Why did she say that for anyway?”

“Well, she said, and I quote: ‘Flash, mind your own business and buzz off’” I say in what I like to call the acting of the year. I’ll be waiting for my award to arrive in the mail.

Flash’s frown turns a complete 180, accompanied by a chuckle and his head shaking. “Of course!”

Of course? “What?”

“I should have known!”

“Should have known what?” I continue asking.

“She totally saw through it!”

“Flash, I will punch you.”

“Alright, here are the sick facts, yo!”

“Don’t ever talk like that again. Now, what are those facts!?”

“Remember when you stopped me from sitting next to Trixie in the theater?” he begins.

“I do, actually... Your point?"

“I was counting on you to say that," he says smugly.

"I instantly don't believe you," I instantly say.

"Or how about me being scare and saying I would protect Trixie? Don't tell you believed that?" he asks.

"Wait a minute... Noo…” I mumble, shaking my head in denial. “You really can’t be serious.”

“And remember when I left with Pinkie to the candy store in a rush?”

“You did that on purpose too?” I growl. “You suck!”

“I was being your wingman, it’s the main reason we even went to the mall,“ he explains.

“Seriously?“

“Yes, you obviously didn’t take advantage of it.”

“I didn’t want to take advantage of it, you idiot! Dammit!” I shout, reaching for the handle.

“Hey Lemon, hold on!” he calls me again.

“What?” I reply, my hand inches from opening the door.

“It’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, actually,” he says, turning serious.

“I guess," I accept intrigued. “But this better be good.”

“It’s actually about what you said earlier, about your parents, remember?” he starts.

“W-what about it? It was just a fact, ahaha…” I say awkwardly. Did he catch onto my mess up?

“Well, yes, but it made me think about things, or rather, made me think more about them,” he explains.

“Care to explain in a way I don’t have to solve a riddle?”

“Right, sorry!” he apologizes quickly. “It’s just that I’ve been thinking how weird it is to, you know, having someone from another dimension here an all,.” I give him a blank look, surprised at his comment, I turn away from him not even realizing I just have.

“Um… Well, to be fair, I really haven’t though about it, feels weird that you are,” I say honestly.

“Weird enough. I would think that you might be more surprised about this, I mean, you told me that this world is part of a TV show that you like… And you are in it! Isn’t that kind of cool?”

“Well, in my world this place was part of a movie that had nothing to do with the actual show, I think? Never bothered to know about it,” I explain. Honestly, I wish I had, would have given me some fucking clue about the place when I got here at first.

“So it was just the horses then?”

“Ponies, to be exact.” I correct.

We stay silent -seems like I’ve done that a lot today- looking up at the night sky. If there is anything that hasn’t changed with the dimensions, it’s the sky… I can feel the pretentiousness intensifying immensely.

“So ever thought of going?” Flash suddenly asks.

“Going where?”

“You know? To that world? What was it called again?”

“Equestria,” I quickly reply. It’s been months since I’ve said that out loud… Five months to be exact.

“Fitting,” he notes with a nod. “So, have you?”

I turn to the front again, biting the inside of my lip nervously. I have to be honest; it wasn’t the first time that thought had come to mind. Back when I first arrived I knew that the place existed, I mean, it would have to if this place does. The thought is still with me, but, we-

“Pat!”

“Huh? W-what?” I answer, jumping in place. “Geez, don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry pal,” he apologizes. “You were kind of lost in thought for a while there.”

“My bad, it’s just that you made me think about… Well, that,” by which I refer the going to Equestria thing.

“So would you want to go, then?” he asks again.

“Honestly? Yes, I would!” I reply honestly.

“Is it that cool?”

“Dude, it’s magic.”

He twists his face as he goes into deep thought, possibly coming up with something more. “So?”

“Hush, it’s magic.”

“Would you go even now?”

“No. Wait, yes? I mean…” I struggle to find the words. ”What was the question again?”

“You aren’t planning to go to Equestria, right?” he asks me, looking surprised. “I mean, like now? You are going home, right?”

“No, I mean, I did…“ wait, if I told him, what would he think of me? Heck, what if he tells Pinkie! An- fuck this. “I got to go!” I yelp, opening the door and slamming it shut behind me. “Sorry!” I apologize, running towards my home’s door.

“Lemon, wait!” Flash shouts after me just as I slam my front door shut, apologizing to my parents in a rush before doing something similar on the way to my room, locking the door. “I won’t have any dinner tonight, mom!” I shout, jumping on my bed and hiding under my blankets.

…

Oh god what have I done.

A Rarity of a Day

“… And so, I go back inside and I’m just thinking like, what is up with this guy? I mean, I’m just concerned of what he will bring up, and is it bad? You don’t think so do you?” I ask, giving her a pleading look.

Rainbow Dash blinks once… I think that was a yes… Or was that a maybe? I didn’t really think the reply system through, and outside the other kids having conversations with each other, I get the feeling that this one conversation is very one-sided.

“Look, buddy,” Rainbow finally decides to join in. “Remember when we signed that little contract of ours last year?”

“Contract? You mean the one in which you pinned me to a wall and terrified me to the point of tears?” I ask with a cynical tone.

“Of course! That one,” she replies without any hint of mocking. “And if you remember, there was something under subsection two, right?” she asks me. Of course, I have no idea what she is talking about, but I’ll bite.

“Enlighten me, Dash.”

“Well, it’s the section that hereby says ‘I don’t like you, I don’t give a crap what you have to say. Stop. Talking. To. Me’ I hope my reading was clear enough for you,” she finishes sarcastically, taking a bite of her sandwich.

“It was indeed enlightening,” I sourly reply.

Loudly masticating, she continues. “Beshides, I don’f even fink I herd u ab all anyway.”

“You not hearing was what I was counting on,” I reply, feeling satisfied by the unamused look she gives me, just as Pinkie arrives with a small box of cereal and some chocolate milk haphazardly stored in her hair.

“Hi guys! What did I miss?”

“Nothing riveting,” I quickly reply before Rainbow has a chance to do so. Our one-sided conversation was between me and your lack of interest, Dash.

“Oh! Poor river,” Pinkie replies, having me confused for a second until I finally get it.

“Wow Pinkie,” I groan, while she giggles on her own before chucking the whole carton of milk into the bowl. “Wow,” I add once more for good measure before going back to my lunch to eat in peace.

“Pssh! Lemon!”

Well, that lasted like three seconds.

“What is it Pinkie? Kinda busy here,” I ask, taking a sip of my orange juice.

“Are we doing something related to you-know-what today?” she whispers.

“Pinkie,” I reply calmly. “It hasn’t even been a week, we have nothing but free time, or some says our educational system.”

“Do you just say things to sound smart or what?” Rainbow asks, giving me an amused look.

“I am indigenous, I don’t need to sound smart,” I reply, and ignoring her confused stare, I turn to Pinkie. “Why are you asking anyway, Pinkie?”

“Oh! Because I have to help Rarity today, she has to do something very super top secret for the school!” she explains before digging into the remnants of her now soggy cereal.

“Really? What is it?”

“I just told you it was a secret! Back away, buster!” she yelps, poking my chest for a second before quickly removing it. “W-well, maybe if you wanted to help you could get in on it…” she lets out, looking to the side innocently.

Hanging out with Pinkie? Always good. Hanging out with Rarity? Huh… “Yeah, I’m afraid I have to decline, I have homework I’d rather be doing.”

“Well, at least Rarity is safe,” Rainbow once again jumps in, delivering backhanded comments.

“I thought you didn’t care what I said, Dash?” I ask with gritted teeth.

“What can I say? I love to talk at your expense,” she finishes, taking the last of her sandwich and shoving it into her mouth. “Later Pinkie, I have to go, if I’m late again coach Spitfire will pair me up with Derpy again… I don’t want another concussion like last time,” she says, waving Pinkie goodbye, and me… Well, not. What a bitch… Ugh, insulting her doesn’t bring me joy anymore.

Anyway, the rest of the day goes by on a blur, or rather, I don’t really think much about it at all, funny how some stuff just becomes so repetitive that it just blends in.

And just like that, the last bell finally rings, bringing me out of my hypnotic stupor, and the eager teens rush out the classroom. Me? Well, I wait for a bit before I feel it has been long enough a wait, and I walk to the door, looking to both sides for signs of him.

“Let’s see,” I open my phone, noticing a predicted text message.

‘Lemon, will you reply already? We really need to talk. I’ll meet you after school by the front’

“God dammit, Flash,“ I groan, locking the phone. Ever since that Friday talk he has been trying to expand on it. Of course he does. “Not gonna happen, ‘pal‘,” I say, walking to the back of the school, choosing to exit via the parking lot. “Ha, he is gonna be very dis-” I turn a corner and stop instantly, noticing none other than Flash himself staring at me right there.

“A-ah…” It was all a ruse! I turn to the side, noticing the front door off in the distance.

“Don’t even think about it, Lemon,” he warns, taking a threatening stance. “You may not agree, but I think our Friday conversation needs to be expanded upon.”

“Um…” I mumble, gulping in panic. What do I do… Wait… It’s her! “Yo, pass it!”

Flash looks momentarily lost. “What are y- ouch!” he groans, falling to the floor as a ball rolls to the side. It worked!

“Sorry!” apologizes Derpy who looks very distressed as to what she did.

“Nice shot! I mean that!” I shout approving, noticing a grin from her as I turn to run in the opposite direction.

“Lemon!” I hear Flash’s pained shout behind me. “Wait!”

“Aaah!” I shout, running faster. “Fuck… Ugh… Tired,” I wheeze heavily. “I. Hate. Running!” I bust through the front door, just to notice my bus leaving alongside any hopes of escaping. “Aaaaah! Why did I wait so long!” I shout, continuing my run past the statue… Seems that I’ll have to lose him on the streets… And he has a car. I’m so screwed.

*Screech* a car suddenly halts right before me, the sound of the door unlocking. I stare at it confused, and jump back when the back door opens slightly. “What the…”

“Lemon!” I hear a shout from behind the statue. Doesn‘t take a genius to know it‘s Flash. “I told you to wait!”

I look at the statue and to the car repeatedly conflicted. “Grr… I’m sorry mom, I am about to disobey the number one rule!” I apologize, quickly jumping into the strange car and slamming the door shut “Go, go, go!” I order, and thankfully, the driver does as they are told and drives off, with the voice of Flash quickly lost in the distance. “… Oh, thank God,” I sigh happily with my eyes closed.

... I am going to be molested, aren’t I?

“Well, howdy there, Lemon!” greets me a stereotypical accent. Aah! I’m going to be molested by hillbillies!

“Is he okay?” another voice asks… Wait, that sounded familiar.

“Fluttershy?” I say surprised, opening my eyes to see a familiar yellow leg right besides me. And now that I’m able to see my surroundings carefully, I seem to be sitting in sort of limousine style car of sorts, what with two girls sitting both to my left and right with copious amounts of space in between. “Girls?”

*Flash*

“Ah!” I yelp, suddenly blinded, I rub my eyes rapidly, and notice a familiar pink face.

“Hiii, Lemon!” Pinkie greets me, suddenly laying down to my right with a camera in hand.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Taking pictures, silly!” she explains, quickly getting back on her seat. Okay.

“H-hi,” Fluttershy joins the greeting, waving her fingers weakly in a similarly weak attempt.

“Well, isn’t it nice of you to drop by,” Rarity unfortunately says from my right. “It’s actually nice, we never get to hang out.”

Ugh. “I’ll try to not make it a habit, trust me on that,” I reply. I’d much prefer to be free of the constant teasing, thank you very much.

“Well, I’d much prefer you to not make a habit of laying down the way you are when four girls are wearing skirts,” she says with a gruff tone, making both AJ and Shy blush with varying degrees of embarrassment on their faces.

“Wait, wh- Oh!” I quickly realize what she means, sitting down on my knees. To be fair, they should’ve been wearing something that does not bode well in the cold. How do they resist this cold with bloody skirts!?

“Miss Rarity, is he giving you trouble?” comes a funnily familiar gravely voice from the front.

“No, everything is alright, just keep on driving, dear,” Rarity replies with a dulcet tone.

“Y-yes ma’am!” the driver replies with a stutter. Wow, Rarity has this guy on a leash, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was someone from school who is driving her to…

Wait.

“Where the hell are we going?” I ask with very valid concern.

“Lemon! Such language!” Rarity groans. Bite me. “But if you really want to know, we are taking Applejack and Fluttershy to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Winona has been looking a bit sick, so Ah’m having Fluttershy here have a look,” AJ explains, with Shy nodding her head in agreement. “Good thing Granny let me off today, so we’ll even be spending the night at my place so she can be up and about bright and early!”

“Um, cool?” I reply confused. Who wants to get up at an ungodly hour. God created clocks for a reason, you heathen!

“What isn’t ‘cool’, Lemon, is you being on the floor and not on a seat,” Rarity complains. “If we get a ticket, you are paying.”

“Nope!” I quickly sit next to Pinkie who seemed to had lost interest in the conversation ages ago and taken upon the window seat. Something worth mentioning is that I wanted the window seat.

We arrive at the Acres fifteen minutes later, stopping by the house so the pair doesn’t have to walk.

“Bye girls! See ya tomorrow! I’ll bring cake!” Pinkie waves accompanied by Rarity who doesn’t say anything and lets her own wave do the talking. Translators note says it means ‘bye‘.

“Ah‘ll be looking forward to it, Pinkie!” AJ replies before turning to Fluttershy. “Ah’ hope you can manage to find out what’s wrong with the old girl!”

“Don’t you worry, I’ll make sure to ask thoroughly,” Shy replies just as the car’s door closes, but not before I can manage to notice a very lost look from AJ. Good to see Dr. Dolittle accept her ability like she has.

“… If you may,” I hear Rarity finish saying to the driver before we pull back into the street.

Speaking of.

“So, where are we going now? If you don’t mind my asking?” I ask as politely as I can manage.

Rarity takes notice of this and nods approvingly. “Well my dear, we are going to my boutique, oh, sorry, my mother’s boutique… The way I handle the place just makes it appear mine,” she laughs in a dignified manner. Gag.

*Flash*

“Ah! Pinkie!” I groan. That’s starting to get annoying.

“Sorry!” she apologizes with a knowing squee.

“Anyway, where is ‘stop at Lemon’s house on the way’ part in that line, Rarity?” I ask her.

Pinkie looks at me confused. “But I thought you came here to help!”

What. “When did I say that, Pinkie?” I ask concerned.

“Rarity said so! That‘s why you were so eager that you jumped on the opportunity! Right?” Pinkie explains while I turn to give Rarity an incredulous look, one she doesn‘t bother to return since her face remains like the Swiss - neutral and out of the topic.

“Pinkie, I didn‘t,” I stop, realizing what I am about to do… Yeah, it would lead to questions I am not willing to answer. “I… Didn’t want to let you know about it, surpriseee…” ugh.

“I knew you’d come!” Pinkie shouts excitedly, proceeding to crush me with an affectionate hug. “We are gonna have sooo much fun!” she says, pointing the camera away and to our cheek touching faces, bringing upon me another round of momentary blindness.

“Yeah… Fun,” I say in monotone, giving the window reflection of Rarity a very angry stare while she looks out the window… With a small hint of a smile on her face. She soo planned this, didn't she? Or maybe it’s just the fact I took off my glasses and that I’m partially blind… Either way! I do wonder what the hell she is up to with this.

~~~~~

Forty five minutes later, we finally come to a stop by this gaudy looking shop. I take it this is what passes for Carousel Boutique in this place, so I give it a glance while Rarity dismisses our driver, and I have to say… Yep, still gaudy.

“Alas, we are here! Lemon!” she nearly shouts, turning to me in a dramatic fashion. “Welcome to the boutique!”

“Cool,” I groan unimpressed. Let’s just get this over with.

Losing the chance to see her indignant face, we make our way inside, passing by numerous girls looking at very normal looking clothes. Not an extravagant business when everyone wears clothes, huh? We keep walking and we go through another pair of doors by the back, arriving at an area that looks far more akin to Rarity’s Ponyville workshop -- which admittedly, feels like a very surreal experience here.

“And this is where the magic happens!” Rarity yells out much louder than earlier, spinning with her arms open to make her point.

“I see,” I reply mechanically, giving the place a more throughout look, as it doesn’t look quite pony as I thought, what with the mannequins being actual people sized, and the changing room actually being a separate room and not just a stand in which to present yourself, and what appears to be a stick flying straight towards m- “Aaah!” I yelp mid-thought, jumping to the side in order to avoid the object which smashes against the wall behind me before flinging down in front of me.

In case I repress this memory later on, the thing that almost killed me is basically a stick. If the multiverse theory is real, that is a sad way to go, alternate me.

“Oh no! I’m sorry!” shouts a very familiar voice, followed by a number of footsteps.

“You okay there, Green?” another voice asks very nonchalantly. I can’t see them, but I already have a good idea of who they are.

“Name is Lemon, thanks for not killing me by the way.” I say sarcastically, looking up to find the three girls I expected to see; the cutie mark crusaders… Or in this world, probably just crusaders.

“You are welcome,” Scootaloo replies. See? This is why you were never my favorite. “Cute name by the way, heh,” you did not just say that, welcome to my shit list, now you get to join Rainbow Dash in there.

Rarity looks at the group furiously, unable to find the right words. “Scootaloo! Applebloom! What are you doing here!?” she shouts at the pair before looking at the third girl. “What are you all doing here? Sweetie Belle! You know mom said you aren’t allowed in my work area!”

“Sorry!” the obviously-older-than-she-should-be Sweetie Belle replies. “We were just doing what y- I mean, we were making… Something, but we didn’t know where else to do it but here! Please don’t tell her!”

Rarity sighs, shaking her head. “Dare I ask what for?”

“Well…” Sweetie Belle begins reluctantly, looking at the murdering stick at my feet.

“I changed my mind, I don‘t want to know…” Rarity says dismissively. “But I’ll be generous and let you use the materials you may need… As long as you don’t interrupt our work, understand?”

“Yes, ma’am!” she salutes Rarity before turning to the others. “Come on, girls! Um, we have work to do!” the group runs back the way they came, leaving us on our own again.

“Bye girls, good luck! Break a leg really hard!” Pinkie shouts after them, much to my amusement.

“Don’t encourage them, Pinkie,” Rarity sighs. “That little sister of mine can be such a disaster, she is lucky I’m letting her use my stuff.”

“What are they doing anyway?” I ask. “It’s not like they are trying to get their cut-” I cough instantly, stopping myself before I give myself away. Close one there.

Ignoring my cough, Rarity sighs wistfully, walking to the middle of the room where a mess of different clothes related items are strewn randomly about. “It’s going to sound very silly, but they are trying to become internet famous, and their attempts so far have been… Lackluster at best. In any case, we have our own work to worry about!”

Speaking of work.

“So, care to tell me what this ‘work’ we are doing actually is?” I ask annoyed. “Neither of you have filled me in on the details.”

Rarity laughs and fans her hand in the air. “Oh Lemon, those are but silly, silly details.”

“Rarity…” *Flash* Camera! God dammit, Pinkie!

“Lemon, I merely jest! No need to get so huffy, now!” I promise I won’t be once I shove my foot up your pasty, white as- “In any case, we are here to prepare.”

“Prepare for what? Will you just cut the details and give it to me straight.”

“You lack so much imagination,“ she sighs disappointed. “For the talent contest, of course!” she replies as if it were the most obvious thing. It isn’t.

“Um…“ I turn to find an answer from Pinkie wh- *Flash* Sigh… Riveting, Pinkie. “I take it back, some detail might be nice,” I groan growing more impatient by the second.

Rarity nods. “I figured you‘d want to. You see, the student council a-”

“A-and me! I‘m taking pictures to save the memories!” Pinkie jumps in eagerly.

“Of course!” Rarity agrees. “Anyway, it was decided to have an event for some friendly competition! Maybe make some money for the school, and Pinkie here is in charge to overlook and help its preparations since we are being sponsored by Sugarcube Corner,” Rarity continues.

“And the camera!” Pinkie adds to the conversation, taking a picture of Rarity who seems annoyed at the action. Glad to see not only I will suffer.

“Right…” I nod, understanding well enough. “Still it’s weird, I haven’t heard of it at all till now.”

“Of course you haven’t, it’s only January. The contest proper isn’t for about another three months,” Rarity explains.

… Huh. “I’m sorry, what?” I ask flabbergasted. “Then care to explain why we are here now!?”

“It doesn’t hurt to prepare early, Lemon,” she replies. “I had time, so I told Pinkie we should get some preparations out of the way just in case.”

“I…“ I feel I am at a loss here. “Well, you obviously don’t need me then, why, you are so prepared! So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going,” I say with a groan.

“Oh, come now, Lemon. Is that the way to treat me after I helped you?” I hear Rarity say, stopping halfway to the door and slowly turning. I knew it, she did have a plan.

“Lemon? I thought you would stay to help,” Pinkie says looking at me, holding the most adorable puppy dog eyes… Both in her face, and in a picture she just took with the camera. Dammit.

“What Rarity means is that she helped me decide to come here… I must have forgotten that,” I say between gritted teeth, turning back to whitey.

“Excellent! So how about we get to it, girls?” Rarity states satisfied. I swear, she is totally fucking with me, isn’t she?

“Woohoo! It’s work time! Come on Lemon!” Pinkie says, acting specially grabby and pulling me to a table nearby, completely ignoring the fact that Rarity just indirectly blackmailed me, but hey, it’s clueless Pinkie today.

…

So.

For the next hour, we spend the time brainstorming for ideas, with Rarity politely cutting in whenever Pinkie and I -mostly Pinkie- say something that won’t necessarily work/is stupid -- again, mostly Pinkie, of course.

“For the last time, we are not using gems! Are you insane!?“ Rarity asks me astonished after I give my idea… For the third time.

“I just thought…”

“You obviously didn’t! Do I look like I’m made of money?” she is baiting you dude, don’t answer that. “Honestly Lemon!” she shouts at me without restraint. God, I feel like I fell in an episode of the Weird Zone.

… Hey, I said it was mostly Pinkie who says stupid things, just not the stupidest!

That aside, we actually have a fun time -outside you know; blackmail- as we humor each other while we work, and outside the very expected teasing from Rarity, it all goes surprisingly well, heck, Rarity actually lets me have some fun with this. Go figure.

… Buuuuut even if, I’m lazy, so. “So, why did the Cakes choose you to do this, Rarity?” I ask as an excuse for a break, drinking from my cup of cocoa with Rares putting down her pen to talk. Hooked.

“I’ve done this before,” she begins. “I’m actually part of the student council and I take my job seriously! Although I’ve helped Pinkie plan numerous events before I ever was one. The fact that the principal is lenient enough to let us have creative freedom certainly tosses some incentive for me to try.”

“Rarity actually planned the first Falling formal three years ago!” Pinkie chimes in, taking a very awkward sip of her own cup and splashing her blouse. How she can organize anything is beyond me.

Wait. “Falling formal?”

“Oh, sorry! I meant Fall formal! The other name didn‘t really catch on,” Pinkie explains. Well, that certainly explains the past formal taking place in the Summer and not the Fall, been wondering about that.

“Oh, right, that…” Rarity sighs. “It’s the only event I haven’t been involved in for a while, unfortunately,” she says very dispirited. “A-anyway! What about some more cocoa! I will be back!” she dismisses herself grabbing my half empty cup, ignoring my look of distraught and walking off.

“ I want ten marshmallows, please!” Pinkie shouts as Rarity turns a corner.

“What was up with that?” I whisper annoyed. “I mean, she sure left in a rush when you brought it up,“ I explain before she turns my question into a joke.

“I can’t really say,” she looks at me instantly sad, seemingly uncomfortable with my question. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up to begin with, I Pinkie promised not to tell anybody, but it really hurt her,” Pinkie explains vaguely. “I can‘t say any more than that.”

“It’s okay,” I say understanding. “Call me crazy, but I have a feeling a certain orange girl was involved,” I say very sure of myself, not that I’m right, but I did see three pictures of Shimmer as Fall formal princess in Celestia’s office… Kinda easy to fathom a guess.

“And you would be right,” Rarity says as she returns with the drinks. “Oh, come now, don‘t give me those looks. I was ten feet from you,” she says rolling her eyes, placing the cups down before crossing her arms annoyed.

“I’m sorry Rarity! Please don’t be mad!” Pinkie apologizes quickly, looking devastated. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.

“No Pinkie, it’s alright dear, you didn’t do anything wrong. To be honest, I would have just ignored it if Lemon hadn’t brought up the ‘orange girl’ bit,” she says, soothingly stroking Pinkie’s head.

Intrigued by her wording, I decide to ask. “Is it tragic story time then?” Hey, she blackmailed me, she had that one coming.

“It was nothing that dramatic;” Rarity shrugs. .“It’s just that Shimmer sabotaged my chances to become Fall formal princess, that’s all there is to it… But I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was very disheartening, so much so that I didn't plan another one again.”

Losing something that you want. Yeah, if she hadn‘t been blackmailing me, I would relate. Hard… Never mind that. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Rarity giggles and places a hand on shoulder. “Thank you, that’s very kind of you, it’s almost like you are a different person, Lemon,” she laughs. “Don’t worry about me. Anyway, how about we continue a little bit more before calling it quits?”

“Um, of course,” I say without thinking, getting back to our task.

... That being said, I can’t focus much, as Rarity’s words float on the forefront of my mind… Funny words coming from her.

“Lemon!” *Flash*

“Ah!” I yelp, surprised out of my thinking stupor by that stupid camera. “Sorry, what is it?”

Rarity eyes me suspiciously before speaking. “It seems that your mind is on other things… But it’s alright, brainstorming brought some interesting ideas for us to work with, so we can call it a day,” she finishes, closing a notebook she had been using and getting up. “We did good here.”

“It was fun to do it with you guys!” Pinkie states, happily optimistic and about as physically huggable as always.

“Indeed,” Rarity says, turning her head and looking thoughtful. “This is sudden, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check on the girls… I hope that they haven’t started a fire, right Pinkie?” she winks at her before quickly walking to the other room.

"R-right!" Pinkie replies, looking surprised. WInks embarrass her? Who knew?

Minutes pass with -a surprisingly silent- Pinkie and I staying on our seats, so I take out my phone, just to realize I’ve been here for little over an hour, huh, it certainly felt both shorter and longer if that makes sense… It really doesn’t, but who is gonna correct me? Not you, brain.

“Hm, Lemon…?” Pinkie calls me in a low voice, I almost confused her for Fluttershy there.

“Huh? What is it?” I reply looking at her curiously, as she is shaking for some reason. “Um, you okay there?”

She nods giving me a wordless yes.

“You sure? You are shaking,” I note, watching the movements of her body.

“Hmm…” she mumbles, her face looking noticeably flushed.

“Wait, do you have a fever?” I ask, walking towards her. “Are you sick?”

She shakes her head slowly, certainly urging me to think otherwise. She must have caught a cold, I knew wearing a skirt this time of year was bad news! Well, she probably just started feeling the effects of whatever because… Reasons. I don’t know, I’m no Doctor Fluttershy.

“Here, put this on,” I say, grabbing my jacket and placing it around her shoulders. “Geez, take care of yourself,” I say annoyed. A sick Pinkie is not a happy Pinkie. And Pat likes having a happy Pinkie.

She looks up again, looking into my eyes with a stare I just can’t place. She has to be sick, she has being acting weird all day, and since this is Pinkie of all people, that’s saying something.

“Lemon, I…” she finally starts.

“Yes, Pinkie?” I ask.

“I wanted to say…” she continues, struggling to get the words out.

“Yes, come on. Say it…”

“…”

“… Are you going to s-”

“CORN IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE FOOD FOR BOWLING!”

“…” Wait.

“…“

“What.”

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle’s voice reaches my ears, thankfully breaking whatever the hell just happened. “Give me that!”

Rarity herself comes out of the room, holding a folded roll of fabric. “N-now, now, Sweetie Belle, you need to learn to share.”

“Ironic coming from you! You promised to let us use things!” Scootaloo ‘retorts’ sounding about as emotional as a cardboard box.

“Yeah!” the other two girls echo angrily.

:”Oh, really,” Rarity says rather smugly. “Well, I did promise I wouldn‘t tell mom, didn‘t I? It would be a shame if she were to somehow know.”

“What!?” Sweetie yelps in a very obnoxious and cracking fashion I might add. “You wouldn’t dare! You promised you wouldn’t!”

“Yeah, I ‘did’,” Rarity replies, quoting with her fingers. I should get her a ‘Number One sister’ tea cup for her birthday. She deserves it.

“B-but…” Sweetie mumbles unable to come up with a response.

“Psst, Pinkie!” I whisper. “Say something!”

“Um…” Pinkie mumbles, looking unsure. Oh, right, sickness. Guess she is out of commission for the day, meaning… Fuck.

“Rarity!” I interrupt their ongoing discussion. “Can I talk to you real quick?” Rarity turns swiftly, ready to respond, but I quickly intervene. “Alone.”

She gives me a sour look, but nods. “Very well, we can chat in the next room, but this isn’t over, girls,” she says to the group before we move into the previously occupied room, which is apparently only a storage shed. How did they work here?

Getting off topic here.

“Rarity,” I think that’s a good start.

“Yes, that’s my name. What do you want to say, Lemon?” she asks straight to the point.

“Well, I guess I want to say ‘what’ and ‘is’, and maybe add ‘wrong with you’ to the mix!” I growl.

“Whatever do you mean?” she asks innocently.

“You know? Being a jerk to Sweetie Belle, and after you so ‘generously’ let her use your things only to take it away for no reason, maybe? Who does that!”

She looks at me surprised, her eyes scanning me as if I were some sort of foreign object. “Lemon…” she begins with a look of disbelief. “Do you have a crush on my sister?”

“What?“ Oh my god.

“Because if that is the case, I honestly don’t mind.”

“Oh my god. No! It’s not that at all, it’s just about you being, well, a jerk!”

“Again, what do you mean?”

“You know? You let your sister do a thing, and you just take it away in a flash just because? You did the same thing with me, doing a generous act and basically asking for something out of it! That’s not being generous at all!” I explain. She is the damn element of Generosity. This conversation shouldn’t even be taking place.

She tilts her head, grabbing her chin with her hand. “Do you even know the details of what happened?” she asks.

“I don’t have to, “ I quickly reply. “It’s just mean spirited. Both situations are.”

She shakes her head, sighing. “I suggest you just stop,” she begins. “Otherwise I might let a certain something slip up, maybe Pinkie will hear.”

I feel my eyes widening at the threat. Would she really do it?

“I would certainly do it,” she says as if reading my mind.

“W-well…” I struggle to respond. Is this really worth it? I mean, it’s just a sister’s quarrel and all, right? I shouldn’t get myself involved.

“I suppose this conversation is over then,” Rarity says smugly, heading for the door, with me letting her get away with her crap.

…

Yeah, fuck that.

“Rarity!” I shout, stopping her in her tracks.

“Lemon, I already said th-”

“No, you listen to me!” I interrupt her, making her back away from the door. “Who do you think you are? Making others do things you want under the guise of being nice! That’s guilt tripping for your own necessity, a-and…” I stop, taking a breath of air. “And is that something you want your friends to know you for? Because if so, go right ahead and say it! I hope you get just exactly what you deserve for it!” I finish, breathing heavily.

Wooh! Is it just me or is the oxygen in the room thinning… I think I’m gonna pass out.

“…” Rarity stares silently, her mouth hanging agape in surprise.

“Um, I mean…” okay, I may have gone a itty bitty tiny bit too far.

“Lemon,” she is gonna hit me! “I…” she is gonna punch me! “No one has ever spoken to me like that…” she walks towards me, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Just… Wow.”

“Sorry,” I apologize instantly, the destroyed look she is giving me certainly cut me down to size -- which just means she is going to hit me.

“Don’t. I certainly needed that,” oh no, here it com- Wait, what?

“Huh? Really?” I ask. “Aren’t you gonna hit me or something? Not to give you ideas, or anything…” Crap! Idiot!

“Hit you? I certainly would not!” she says surprised. “Lemon, you just opened my eyes to something I wasn‘t even aware off… I‘m thankful to you.”

“Oh… Then you are thanking me… ON the guise of being nice before you hit me, aren’t you!?”

“Lemon, I am not going to hit you, I am thanking you,” she grins as she shakes her head.

I nod in understanding. “So… No hitting then, huh?”

"To reiterate once more; I. Won't. Hit. You," Rarity smiles, placing her arms around me in a very brief hug. “I’m glad that you aren’t the jerk I expected you to be.“

“What? Is that supposed to be a compliment?“ I groan.

“Of course, was that not to your liking? “ she laughs.

“I honestly don’t know what I was expecting, well, outside the punch,“ I say honest. This took a weird turn real fast.

“Well, how about this?“ she says, reaching out and kissing my cheek. “I say this counts for both a compliment, and of course, a thank you, don‘t you think?”

I can‘t help but stand, um… Where am I? “Duuuhh…” what was that about pancakes?

“And Lemon?”

“W-what?”

"Pinkie won't know a thing,” she states, doing the familiar Pinkie Promise motions to my relief.

“Er… Thanks, I appreciate it,” I reply awkwardly, the feeling of the kiss still on my cheek. Not gonna forget that for a while.

*Ring*

“Ah!” I yelp as the sound gets me out of my stupor. “U-um… I think the girls might be causing some trouble out there…” I point out, whatever the case, I just don’t want to be alone with her in here any longer.

Rarity looks at the door and nods. “I may have been the cause of said trouble… Let’s fix this mess, shall we?” she says cheerfully, reaching for the handle.

I smile and nod back “Of course, and hey, I’ll take a humble Rarity any time of the day!”

She turns her head back, giving me a sultry smile and a wink. “Oh, I promise I won’t make a habit out of it.”

And so, with that we arrive at a happily ever after, right? Well… Not quite. After they all made-up, Rarity left with Pinkie, possibly to give her some medicine or something or other, promising me a ride home once she was done giving her something.

That was an hour ago.

“Argh!” I groan, having laid down on the floor for several minutes as I waited for them to return, hoping to annoy her for a bit once she returned. Funny how that worked out.

“Having fun down there?” I hear Rarity’s voice behind me.

“Depends… Is this annoying to you?”

“Not particularly,” she shrugs.

“Then no, I’m not,” I sigh, arching my head backwards to get a good 'look' of her, to her credit, she kept herself far away enough to avoid such a thing. Clever. “So, ready to give me a ride home? I seriously have homework that I need to be do- Fuck.”

“Huh? What’s the matter?” she asks confused.

“I forgot to grab my books on the way out thanks to freaking Flash S-” I stop myself, realizing what I’m saying. “Never mind.”

“Flash, huh?” fuck. “I noticed you two have started hanging out.”

“I thought you wouldn’t ask about the issue,” I groan annoyed. This is the last thing I wanna talk about.

“I am not. I’m simply stating a fact,” she explains. “It’s just surprising, I never thought I’d see him and Trixie together again.”

“Huh?” I mumble surprised. “What? You knew about that?”

She nods. “Of course. I went to middle school with them… I wasn’t really part of their little trio, but I certainly saw them around,” she explains.

“I guess that makes sense…” it certainly fits with what Trixie sa- wait. “Did you say ‘trio’?”

Rarity frowns, her eyes shifting strangely. “Of course… They were inseparable…”

“Would you tell me about it?” I ask eagerly. Anything to help against Flash and his shit.

“I’m… Sorry Lemon, but if they didn’t tell you anything about it, it is not in my place to intervene,” oh, now you decide to be all noble!

“Ugh, whatever,” I groan. “So, how is Pinkie? Is she better?”

“Pardon?”

“You know? Pinkie? Pink girl, very off-the-wall and cute?” I explain.

“I know who Pinkie is!” she pouts, groaning annoyed. “But what do you mean by sick?”

“Well, she was shaking and was all red earlier, isn’t that why you left with her after apologizing and whatnot?” I ask. I mean, what else could it have been?

“Oh! Of course!” she exclaims, loudly face palming. “Sorry, I was a bit lost, ahaha…” she laughs awkwardly. “Ahem… She is currently resting in the shop’s upstairs room, I‘ll wake her up later.”

“Isn’t she leaving with us?”

“No. She is staying. That way we don’t have to have many trips tomorrow, Applejack would’ve come too, but Winona got sick, and then this happened,” she explains with a groan. “Sometimes life tosses us some strange needles!”

“Uh huh…” I murmur. “So, what’s the deal with that? You know? Staying over.”

“Oh! Didn’t you hear? Rainbow Dash is in the hospital!"

"You don't say," I sigh, stiffing a chuckle. I am horrible.

"I do say! She had a minor concussion done by one of her teammates… I just don’t know what went wrong!” she says worriedly.

I might know a thing or two. “So, how is she?” I ask.

“Thankfully, she is alright, but visits weren‘t permitted today due to further tests, so we decided to see her before school tomorrow,” she explains. I guess that answers the waking time thing.

“Well, that’s nice, you are cool friends,” I say without sarcasm. Hey, I can be nice when I want to be!

“Thank you. Mayhap you would want to come along?”

“Um… No, thanks,” I decline quickly. “We aren’t really ‘close’ if I have to be honest…” I’m also not waking up at six in the morning for Douchie Mc. Gay Parade hair.

“Don't be that way, Lemon. She can be a sweetheart once you get to know her! Not to mention you get to stay over! I’ll let you bunk with Pinkie Pie~” she teases, winking at me.

“Are you still going on about that?” I groan. It’s like she doesn’t learn. “You know? You would think that by now you would be over that. I’ve said before that’s not the case, didn’t I?”

Rarity rolls her eyes, huffing out loud. “Honestly Lemon, you really need to cut the act.”

Oh, oh. “Um, what act?”

“Lemon!” she yelps. “Honestly, I’m not an idiot. I can see the way you look at Pinkie.”

“I am looking at her the same way I look at you Rarity,” I retort. “Except she is much nicer, cuter, and just fun to hang around with.”

She smiles, shaking her head amusedly. “You know, you are trying to insult me, but you are just helping my argument.”

“Rarity…”

“You are in love with her. Admit it!” she says with a satisfied smile plastered on her smug face.

“There is NOTHING to admit, okay!?” I nearly shout, she is certainly getting on my nerves. “And I don’t want to hear this from a girl who just blackmailed me just an hour ago!”

“Lemon!” she shouts clearly hurt. “That’s irrelevant to this! Besides, there was more to what happened than what you think.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask confused.

“Again, irrelevant,” she replies. “The point we are making is that you hiding your feelings isn’t fair for Pinkie, is all! What’s stopping you anyway?”

“Er…” I freeze up at the question. My head fills up with the memory of that Nightmare Night, my intentions, and that kiss Pinkie gave me after it all failed… Then Trixie’s confession… Both of them showed obvious infatuation, but… Do I even deserve such a thing after lying to them about my motivations?

“So? What do you have to say for yourself, Lemon?” she asks angrily. What is she? My mom?

“Shut up!” I shout, catching her off-guard. “Jesus! What do I need to tell you to make you see that I don’t like her! I never have, and never will! So get off my back already and put a sock in it!” I finish, breathing heavily, suddenly realizing what I just said. “Woah… That was far more intense than I meant it to be…”

“Lemon…” Rarity whispers *Slam* “Huh? Did you hear that?”

Actually, yes. "What was that?” I ask.

“It sounded like the back door… I’ll be right back. We aren’t done here yet,” she says, going back inside and leaving me on my own.

“Just stay out of my business,” I sigh, sitting down on a chair feeling suddenly exhausted. Who would have thought that I would find myself in this situation? Even so, how would it work if I were to be with any of them? I mean, I’m a man, and they are women -- we are just too different.

“Oh no!” Rarity’s shriek comes through the door, I hear her stumping downstairs, and pushing the door agape, revealing a terrified expression behind it. “Pinkie!”

“Do you want me to say that bit again, or what?” I ask annoyed.

“No, you idiot!“ she shouts out of her usual composure. “S-she is gone! Pinkie is gone!” she shakes her head, her eyes shifting side to side as her mind races to find an answer to the problem. “Lemon… I think she heard what you said.”

“What?” I gasp, a feeling of dread instantly seeping into my body. “S-she couldn’t have, I mean, even if she did, I still think she is awesome! She should know, r-right!?”

“She isn’t exactly in the best position to be sensible…” she explains. “If only I hadn’t been so pushy…”

“What?” I ask quickly. “What are you going on about?”

She looks at me, struggling to find the words. “It doesn’t matter right now. We have to find her!” she tosses me a jacket, and she grabs one of her own. “I’ll go through the front and ask around, you check the back, door is open!”

“Wait, n-now?”

“Of course 'now'! Go!” she orders, and unable to think of anything, I run out the back, hoping to find Pinkie, and hopefully apologize.

Apologize before I fully regret it.

Singing the Blues

“Pinkie!” I shouted the moment I went out the door, hoping for an instant response.

As expected, I get none, just my luck. “Please, reply!” I shout once again, running through the surprisingly clean alley, moving onto the main street where numerous cars and pedestrians pretty much block my view of the one pink thing I am looking for. My luck just keeps getting better.

Okay, think; if I were Pinkie, where would I go?

I walk slowly through the street, looking around for any signs of her pink hair through the crowds of people, I can already feel my aggravation increasing. Dammit! Why did she have to hear?

“Lemon?” I hear my name being called. Hoping for Pinkie, I turn around only to find the three crusading girls intently staring at me, each holding a cup of some sort of warm liquid, as shown by the steam rising from them and why am I wasting time describing their drinks in my head when I could be asking them for information.

“Girls!” I suddenly start. “Have y-”

“Where is your ‘Sweetie Pie‘?” Sweetie Belle suddenly asks with a sultry tone.

I blink once in confusion. “My what now?”

“Pinkie Pie, duh,” Scootaloo tactfully explains. “Pie? Come on, dude,” she rudely breaks down for me.

“Yeah! Shouldn’t you two be off smooching somewhere?” Applebloom follows looking annoyed.

“What are you three on about?” I ask. They look at each other surprised and smile mischievously.

“So, trying to keep your new girlfriend a secret, huh?” Scootaloo says, putting her hands in her pockets in an attempt to look cool. Maybe. “It’s alright, we can respect that.”

“…” I am confused beyond belief… But I think I’ll bite for now. “Okay, you got me! But… What do you girls have to do with that? How did you know about my, um, girlfriend?”

Sweetie Belle looks around for people for some reason, then closes into my ear to whisper. “Don’t tell Pinkie, but Rarity told us to get into a fight to rescue her.”

“Rescue her from… What?” I ask intrigued.

The three look at each other for a second, sighing simultaneously and shaking their heads in disappointment.

“Dude,” Scootaloo begins. “She tried to confess. Duh.”

“She looked sick just trying!” Sweetie Belle continued.

“Then she shouted something about corn,” Applebloom finished puzzled.

The moment pops into my mind. “Yeah, but what do you meaaaaoooh boy…” I trail off. Oh my god, no way. “Girls, sorry to change the topic, but have you actually seen her? She went out, I think.”

Sweetie Belle scratches her head. “That’s not changing the topic, thought…”

“Not the point! Have you seen her yes or no?!” I shout, getting the desired effect.

The moment the n-unciation leaves Sweetie’s mouth, I’m already out of there, and ignoring any further questions, proceeding to jaywalk.

Now, I would care that I‘m crossing the street this way, but learning that Rarity and company had some sort of plot to get me and a supposedly lovestruck Pinkie together less than a minute ago has my brain far too occupied to care about some ‘law’.

*Beep* I hear the a honk, and tilting my head slightly left, I notice a car heading towards me.

I regret every life decision I have made to this day! “Aaaaaa-”

…
…
…

“A-am I dead? I don‘t wanna be dead…” I say out loud, looking around. It is dark. Very dark. “W-where am I?” I ask in sudden realization of my own consciousness.

“If you opened your eyes, you would know,” a familiar voice suggests.

“Oh,” I do as I am told and open them. From the looks of it, I appear to be in some sort of vehicle… Wait a minute, I’ve been in this car before… “Fuck,” I curse, noticing Flash Sentry sitting to my left.

“Hey Pat,” yep, that’s Flash himself greeting me from across the now familiar seat. It would be a comforting sight if he wasn’t the last person I wanted to see.

“Is death still an option?” I ask hopeful. His intense stare tells me otherwise.

“Patrick, I almost ran you over because you decided to cross the street without looking both ways, you are lucky the girls were there and convinced the crowd we were friends, and… I‘m getting off topic,” he states, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry but, did you skip kindergarten or something?”

I give him an emotionless stare and sigh. “Is that supposed to be a trick question?” I ask… His glare tells me otherwise.

“You could’ve died!” he shouts. “What were you thinking!?”

Thinking? Thinking… Thinking! Pinkie! “Pinkie Pie!” I say out loud, reaching for the door’s handle. “How long have I been out!? Let me out, I have to go!”

“Only a few minutes. What’s the matter with you? Go where?” he asks quickly, I must’ve caught him off-guard.

“Pinkie Pie! I don’t have time to explain, I have to find her!” I reply as I attempt to find the lock. Stupid new cars!

He remains silent for a few seconds before suddenly starting his car. “We’ll be able to find her if we use my car to drive around the block, but maybe you can explain what’s going on?”

“I…” huh, wait, that’s actually a good idea. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll give you the details as we look around.”

Flash’s eyes narrow as he starts backing up his car. “If you are actually willing to tell me, this must be serious.”

With the idea settled, we drive out of what I now realize is the mall’s lot. As we look around the nearby blocks, I tell Flash details about what happened. Thankfully, he remains silent which is something I can appreciate.

“Yeah, that certainly seemed like a confession,” he points out once I tell him about the confession. And he was doing so good too.

“Great, we’ve stated that I’m oblivious. Thank you for making me feel worse, Flash!”

“First find Pinkie, feel as bad as you want to later,” he says seriously, looking out his own window as we drive on.

After I finish my telling of the events, we stay quiet as we continue searching for Pinkie for another hour… Unfortunately, luck doesn’t appear to be on our side this time around. We stop at a nearby park, deciding to take a break before going back. Pinkie, where the hell are yo-

‘Ping’ my phone beeps, making both of us jump in surprise. Annoyed, I open it to find a text from Rarity.

“Maybe she found Pinkie?” Flash asks, once I inform him.

“I can hope,” I reply as I open it.

“found pinkie she is at hoem,” the message sloppily reads.

“Oh thank god,” I sigh relieved, I quickly close the messages and go for Pinkie’s phone to attempt a call. ‘Ping’ “Huh?” I check the messages again just to find another message from Rarity. “What does she want now?”

“don’t call her please let her let off some steam.”

“What!?” I yelp in disbelief, gawking towards Flash and pointing at my phone. “She doesn’t want me to call Pinkie! Why!?”

Flash places his hand over my phone, blocking the screen. “I would take what she says seriously. Pinkie must have been distraught from what she heard… Trust me. Don’t deal with women when they are overly emotional.”

I click my teeth annoyed, and with a grunt, put my phone in my pocket… This is bullshit. “Dammit!” I growl, kicking the floor of the car.

“Woah, watch the car, Lemon,” Flash warns.

“This is all Rarity’s fault!”

“What?”

“If she hadn’t planned some stupid ass matchmaking game we would have been fine!” I shout truthfully.

“Don’t start with the blame game, Rarity was only trying to help,” Flash replies in her defense.

“Yeah, because you aren’t one to blame! You kept stalking me because you wanted to talk to me, if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have even gone with them!”

He glares with an annoyed look. “Oh yeah? Then how about the fact that you shouted that to begin with, huh!? Or how about I blame you for becoming friends with Pinkie in the first place, right? Isn’t that fair?“ he states angrily. “Don’t be an idiot.”

Breathing heavily, I turn my head to the side. “Whatever…”

We remain silent, to my fortune, Flash isn’t giving me his familiar shi-

“… Look, Lemon?”

“Nope,” I respond, reaching for the handle and finding the car has been unlocked, reasoning aside, I open the door and jump out just to be slapped by a cold breeze which leaves me breathless for a second. Annoyed, I slam the door shut behind me. “I already went through your stupid talks twice in less than a week, I won’t be having a third time!” I shout at Flash before walking away. Where? I don’t fucking care at this point.

I hear the opening and then the slamming of a door, signaling Flash getting out of his car, the sound of faint footsteps through the grass I‘m walking pretty much showing he is following me. I could be running away from him, but at this point it doesn’t matter, because I just really don’t care.

“You know? You should be happy,” Flash says out of nowhere.

Intrigued, I turn around to meet him. “What are you on about?” I ask.

“I mean, you are finally free,” he says with a serious tone.

“What are you implying?” I ask, closing in on Flash, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

“Do I need to spell it out for you?” he asks with a mocking tone.

“Probably, I am very oblivious after all,” I reply.

He narrows his own eyes, snorting amused. “Tell me, isn’t it good that Pinkie hates you now?”

“What!?” I growl. I knew he was implying that, but I didn’t expect him to actually say it out loud.

“Sorry, did you not hear what I said?” he replies. “I said th-” he doesn’t get too far in his talking, as for some reason my fist seems to have connected to his face in a strange turn of events. "Oh dear, did I do that?” I say with gritted teeth.

“Why the anger?” he asks, I notice his face is pulled back from the force of my punch, but he doesn‘t seem to have flinched otherwise, he tilts his head towards me again, a small red spot from where my knuckles hit noticeable on his cheek. “Doesn’t this leave you scot free?”

I back away, shaking my head. “Shut up! N-no! I didn’t want to make Pinkie sad, I didn't want it to be like this…”

“Don’t you want to go home, though? Isn’t that your goal after all? Wouldn’t being close with Pinkie - or for that matter Trixie - be a terrible idea?” he asks, crossing his arms and giving me a penetrating stare.

“Obviously! I mean, I want to go ho-…“ I stop, unable to finish my sentence. "Home... Right?"

“Who are you asking?” he asks, unfolding his arms and staring eagerly. "Me? Or yourself?"

“I mean… I do want to go home, but…” as I question what I’m saying, I look at Flash, he nods his head, as if urging me to go on. “Wait… You knew?”

“You know what you want,” he says calmly.

“… I don‘t want to leave the gi- er, my friends,” I let out a long sigh, realizing what I said. “Huh…” I mumble. Sitting down, and letting myself lay down on the grass, looking up to the grayish sky. "Dude..."

Flash sighs, giving me a fatigued smile. “Close enough,” he extends his arm, which I take it is a helping hand. Cautiously, I accept it and get back on my feet, and suddenly a damp feeling creeps up my back… I instantly regret laying down.

“You alright?” Flash asks, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“I said something so dumb that Pinkie is furious at me, and I‘m wet to boot. Other than that, I'm just peachy," I sigh sarcastically.

“Come on! You discovered something about yourself, isn't that a good thing in and of itself?” he shrugs. “Come on, we should head back.”

“I guess,” I sigh, following him back to the car.

“Geez…” Flash suddenly complains, rubbing his cheek. "Not gonna lie, you did a number on me."

“Er, sorry about that,” I apologize. “You kinda got me angry… I guess this kinda makes up for your stalking, right?” I say jokingly, getting a glare in return.

“Tell me Patrick. Do you even know what I wanted to ask you about?” he asks.

“Well… That if I really wanted to go to the place with the magical horses? Maybe? Although at this point I assume you already knew,” I huff. “Great. The moment Trixie knows of this she’ll probably hate me too, and Pinkie will possibly murder me!”

“I did know,“ Flash laughs, shaking his head amused. “But what’s the worry? I mean, you aren’t planning to go there anymore, are you?”

“… Not really,” I reply weakly. Not that I really know when I came to that conclusion.

“There you go! I don’t think they’ll be too mad. Girls love honesty,” he jokes patting my back rather forcibly, nearly knocking my glasses off. “Not that they have to know to begin with, you know?”

“Is that from experience?” I chuckle as I fix my glasses.

“Don’t ruin the moment,” he jokes, elbowing my arm.

“Whatever,“ I push the topic aside, something coming to mind. “So Flash, can I ask you something?”

“Yes?” he asks as we reach his car once again.

“What do you think is going to happen now?”

He opens my side of the car before turning with a frown on his face. “Sorry Pat, that’s something you’ll have to find out on your own.”

~~~~~

Just a few minutes later, we pull into Carousel Boutique, where an angry -and cold in more ways than one- looking Rarity waits out the front door.

“About time you got here!” she growls, shivering between words. “Although I assume I can’t be too mad, seeing the company you brought.”

“Geez, sorry, I was looking for Pinkie, remember?” I reply in my defense. What’s with her?

“I wasn’t talking to you, Lemon,” she says. What.

“Sorry Rarity,” Flash says. “I had a… ‘run in’ with Lemon on the way here, and we had a good talk,” he explains, pointing at the red spot on his cheek. Well, he can explain to me, because I’m confused.

“I can see that look of confusion on your face, Lemon,” Rarity says noticing. “The one who was going to take you home was this idiot here,” she says, pointing at Flash.

Ignoring Flash’s complaint over being called an idiot. “W-what!? Why?””

“We are popular Lemon,” she explains rather arrogantly. “Don’t you know the rules of high school?” obviously, I didn’t.

“Oh my god,” I groan.

“She is joking, Lemon,” Flash intervenes.

"Of course, I knew that..." I laugh nervously.

A few minutes of back and forth banter later, Flash goes in his car, leaving me alone with Rarity. Not gonna lie, I’m feeling slightly self-conscious right now… I should say something.

“Rarity?/Lemon?” we say in tangent, surprising each other.

“Er, ladies first?” I suggest.

“Thank you,” she pauses, and takes a gulp of air. “I want to apologize for, you know, you probably didn’t know, bu-”

“I know,” I interrupt. “The girls kinda let it out thinking Pinkie and I… Well,” I trail off.

“Ugh, those three,” she complains, shaking her head. “I can’t blame them, though, I have a perfect matchmaking record, after all.”

“Rarity…” I roll my eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’m just trying to lighten up the situation,” she says, turning serious. “Seriously speaking, Pinkie sounded very sad when I talked to her, it seemed like she had gone into one of her, er, ‘moods’”

“Oh,” I mumble, feeling awkward. Yeah, I know the ones. Thank you ‘Party of One’ “Right, I’ll try to talk to her tomorrow then.”

“Please do,” before I can realize it, she has enveloped me in a hug.

“What was that for?” I ask perplexed.

“For good luck, you might need it,” she says, giving me one last look before heading back inside the boutique.

I look upon the building silently. “Thanks, I’ll probably nee-*whoosh* Fuck, it’s cold!” I yelp, instantly running to the warmth of Flash’s most magnificent heater.

~~~~~

“I hate everything.”

I curse, as the final bell signals the end of yet another school day. Why am I cursing, thought? I mean, I should be happy, right? Well, the reason starts with a ‘P’ and ends with a ‘inkie where the fuck are you!?’

Okay, I should back up a bit.

I arrived to school early, hoping to find Pinkie Pie to apologize to, however, I was not able to see her, heck, even going to Celestia‘s office wasn‘t any luck, I wanted to try asking the girls but… I get the feeling that outside Rarity, they wouldn’t be too happy to know that I made Pinkie cry, especially Dash. Oh god, especially her. Needless to say, it has not been a good day.

Why am I reiterating this to myself? Even in my head I’m sucking. Mental bitching aside, I exit the school through the back, heading to the buses, the peeling yellow paint mimicking my mood like, er, something. Even my analogies fail me!

"Might as well..." I take out my phone and send Rarity a last ditch text. Maybe she's seen her today? I wait no more than thirty seconds until I get a reply, and nervously, I open the text.

cant talk sorry

"Of course you can't," I groan, pocketing the phone. God, just strike me down right now... Actually, just strike Pinkie a bit to hold her in place for me, please?

“Going home?” a voice calls to me.

Pinkie!? I turn to meet them, and oh... I see Trixie greeting me with a small smile.

“Oh, Trix. You know it,” I reply, feeling a smile of my own creep up my face. It might not be Pinkie, but it’s good to see a friend when I’m feeling down.

“Hmm, what’s the matter?” she asks. “You seem down.”

“D-do I? Nah,” I say, waving the issue away.

“Come now, Lime, we may only know each other for a few months, but you are very easy to read,” she says with arms crossed.

“So I’ve heard,” I groan. “Look, Trixie it’s… You know? Actually, I’ll tell you. I need to talk to you anyway.”

“Really?” she asks, arching a brow.

“If you have the time, that is…” I say looking at the buses. “I mean, it’s a bit long and you might not want to miss your ride and all…”

“That’s fine, Trixie brought her own ride,” she states proudly. “Come, we can talk by the bleachers, not many hang out there with this weather,” she says, a sudden gust of wind blowing by her hair. Fitting.

And so, we head to the bleachers, coincidentally, we actually made it to the ones were we hanged out back in the day of the pep rally… Can’t believe it’s been months since then.

“So? What is the matter?” she asks, sitting down on the grassy field, patting the grass for me to sit down next to her.

“Alright…” I say, tentatively taking a place next to her, feeling the cold moisture of the grass seeping up my skin. Shivering for a bit, I smile awkwardly. This is not going to be too fun.

And so, I let her know of the events that took place yesterday, well, parts of it rather. I figured that taking a bit of Flash’s suggestion of ‘what they don’t know won’t hurt them’ might be a good idea.

“Seems like you had a busy day yesterday,” she points out once I'm done, looking strangely distant.

“What’s wrong?” I ask confused.

“Well, other than the fact that you didn’t mention Trixie at all, I suppose nothing,” she harrumphs.

“I said I wanted to tell you about my issue, geez…” I sigh. She is a HORRIBLE listener.

“Trixie would be much more sympathetic if what happened hadn‘t been due to your own stubborness,” she boldly points out, making me flinch. Ouch…

“Wow, you don‘t hold back punches,” I complain.

“Trixie likes to tell it as it is,” she snorts. “Besides, you pretty much told her that you admitted to having feelings for that Pinkie!” she points out annoyed.

Now it‘s my turn to turn to be coy. “That‘s actually the thing I wanted to talk to you about, I wanted to admit something...”

“Yes...? What do you admit?” she asks, a vicious grin forming on her face.

“That…” crap, I bet she totally saw this coming. “I admit that I have feelings for… You…”

“Ha!” she fist pumps. “Trixie knew it!”

“But!” I interrupt her celebrating. “You can’t really mean something by it, right?”

She stops abruptly, narrowing her eyes suspiciously “Do you doubt Trixie’s intentions?”

“No… No! Look, you know I might be going back to my world, right? Maybe forever!” I say it rather easily. It had been something I was going to let out tactfully with Pinkie, but it seems that Trix needs something to calm her down.

“O-oh,” she replies, looking taken aback. “Honestly, Trixie hadn’t thought of that…” she admits. “W-well? How about you? Will you be fine with it?” now it’s my turn to be taken aback, as she shoots her own retort. “Having two girls who actually like you and not going for it?”

“W-well, I-I totally could!” I shout unsure.

"That is not the voice of a sure man," damn it! “And do not doubt Trixie, she could go out with you regardless of what might happen!”

“Oh yeah? What about Pinkie, huh? Didn’t think I might choose her, huh?” I retort.

“Well, Trixie saw her in school! So she is obviously ignoring you!” she shouts, looking angry. “Trixie is actually here listening to your complaints!” she continues, getting on her feet and towering over me.

“She is at least nice!” I shout back, growing suddenly impatient and getting on my own. Ha! I’m taller than her!

“Trixie reiterates! At least I care for you and I'm not ignoring you!” she says again, stomping her feet angrily. “Where is your precious Pinkie Pie now, huh!? You are acting as if you don’t care for Trixie!”

I begin breathing heavily, momentarily lost for words. “Don't give me that crap! You know I do care! I fucking love you, you blue haired hussie!”

“Trixie loves you too, you imbecile!” she shouts, stomping closer.

“Well, I love you more you freak!” I retort, pushing my forehead over hers.

“Do not!”

“Do too!”

"You do not!"

"I do too, dammit!"

With a furious scowl, Trixie launches herself to me, interrupting our childish back and forth, it’s not what I expect as I fall flat on my back with her on top of me, staring silently.

"Prove it," she hisses softly, giving me an intense stare.

Feeling my blood boil, I softly hold her face, and without a second thought, we lock lips in a passionate show of tonguesmanship.

This has got to be the world’s greatest and most powerful make out session ever.

~~~~~

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3... this isn't a recorder.

RIGHT, so, hi ~~diary~~ journal, been months since I last wrote in you, so, yeah...

It's been a long, weird month for sure. I'm actually dating Trixie now! Even a month later, I can't believe it!. That being said, one thing led to another and we just sorta made it official after we got caught making out in school grounds. Best one week detention. Ever.

... Sadly, I haven't seen Pinkie since then. I tried talking to Rarity to see if she knew anything, but she has been rather uncooperative as of late, maybe because I'm dating Trixie now. Speaking of, the relationship in general has been... Nice. It doesn't feel any different from what we did before, well, outside the constant kiss-fests we tend to have, we also have some pet names once in a while... Well, most of ours consist of 'idiot' and more 'idiot', I say that counts though, right?

But I have to be honest, as it hasn't been quite the perfect ride for me, I've felt quite guilty, I mean, we just sorta got together, admitting our feelings during a fight, and then we let our emotions run wild, and... Honestly, I can barely recall the moments leading up to the kissing. Maybe of what happened with Pinkie I acted out of anger, or sadness, maybe both.

... I suppose that I can't really complain too much, I'm content with Trixie after all.

And hey! Flash and Trixie now actually talk to each other with 30% less insults from Trixie! So that's a plus!

In any case, the main reason I'm writing this is that, well... I finally got the message from Fluttershy

'Mr. Heart says he'll be able to see you this Saturday!' her text said.

Well, I may not be sure as to what I may want to do, but hey, might as well get this over with.

It shouldn't be worse than with what happened with Chryssa... Right?

Author's Note

WOW I'M ALIVE! Sorry about the huge delay! Having no internet, and being sick, and other such life things I was unable to post what I had. :unsuresweetie:

I worked hard in these three chapters, so if you enjoyed them least a little, that's good enough for me. :pinkiesmile:

RE:Telling 2 - Lingering Thoughts

2 Weeks Earlier...

"... So, tell Trixie, what’s the answer, Lemon?”

“…”

“Lemon?”

“… Hmm…”

“Will you pay attention!?”

"To what!?"

"I asked you a question!"

“Geez, I don’t know? Seven?”

Trixie smacks her forehead, rubbing her temples in the universal telltale sign of annoyance. “Lemon, we are doing history, not pre-cal.”

I groan. “Sorry, guess I’m a bit distracted.“

Trixie gives me an angry scowl. “Trixie is helping you, do not waste that chance!“

I mimic her as I don my own mask of frustration “Look, this is nice and all, but I just can’t concentrate, okay?” I retort with very gritted teeth.

She shrugs. “Well, you have the beautiful Trixie with you, so she supposes that she can let it slide,” she says proudly as she bounces off her bed.

“Trixie? Dear?” I begin calmly. “Not to diminish your statement, cause trust me, you are pretty,” I say, making her blush slightly as a result. “But if I’m distracted, it’s because your grandma is still pointing a gun at me!” I growl, pointing at her grandma who sits right outside Trixie’s room.

“Don’t mind me sonny, just don’t do weird butt stuff with my granddaughter and we’ll be fine.”

I give her vacant stare in return, attempting to process what she just said. “Butt stu- Trixie!” I shout at her.

“Don’t be such a baby, Gran Gran would never shoot you,” she says with disinterest. “Besides, she wouldn’t want to get blood on the covers.”

“Trixie!” her grandma says loudly. “He doesn’t have to know that!”

“Aah…” I mumble, giving Trixie my best puppy eyed stare.

“Sigh Lay off him, Gran Gran,” Trixie groans, doing an exaggerated eye roll “Besides, we’ll be taking a break. Wanna go to the store, Lemon? Trixie requires a snack,” she suggests.

“Yes!” I agree instantly, grabbing my jacket off her bed and running past Gran Gran in a flash, stopping by the door. “What are we waiting for!? Let’s go!”

~~~~~

“Why do we have to do this again?” I complain as soon as we leave the trailer park behind. I feel I’m far enough to talk without any fear of being shot... Possibly.

“Because your grades tell Trixie you need it,” she replies clearly, fully unfazed by the cold. How this girl can go out in the cold without a coat when she ACTUALLY needs it is beyond me. Maybe her blue skin? Or maybe I'm stereotyping? Not that it matters since everyone is every color of the rainbow here.

Guess racism isn't an issue here.

“What I meant to say is why we have to do this at your place?”

“What’s wrong with Trixie’s home?” she asks, clearly displeased by what I may be implying..

“Butt stuff,” enough said.

“Lemon, Trixie is not doing this in your home,” Trixie says angrily. “Your parents are nice, but…”

“What is wrong with them?” I ask, feeling insulted for them. I got your back, mom and dad!

Trixie gives me a cold glare, and then clears her throat. “Lemon, she is adorable! Oh, she is a riot! Trixie, please tell me that you made Lemon use a cond-”

“Point taken!” I interrupt quickly. “Sorry, I guess I got used to it since my parents are just so weird all the time…”

She places her head on my shoulder for a second, giving me a pout. “It’s okay, they really are nice,” she responds cutely.

“They sure took a quick liking of you,” I point out. “Must have been since I told them so much about you and Pinki-" I stop abruptly, feeling the brash weather suddenly hit me like a brick.

Trixie seems to notice as her eyes widen for a second. “It’s alright, Trixie doesn’t mind. If anything, you should be the one sad about it… I mean, forget I said anything,” she says dismissively. “Sorry, I’m not helping with that comment.”

I smile sadly at her, putting an arm around her, both for comfort, and to escape the sudden cold. “No, it’s okay, really…”

“Do you think this was a mistake?” she asks suddenly, keeping her face down as she does so..

“Huh?” I try to look at her face, but she turns farther to avoid my gaze before quickly pushing me off. “Trix? You okay? This is very unlike you,” which is a lie, as I've seen her looking this sad before - the day we met comes to mind.

“I’ve been thinking…” she begins, stopping before we manage to cross the street.

I think I need to stop this. “Let’s just go to the store, maybe buy your Gran Gran a huge coffee cup! If i'm lucky, she'll hold it with her trigger hand!"

“Patrick,” okay, she is serious. “I’m not joking about this, and besides, her gun doesn't have any shells.”

“Oh, okay,” I say a bit taken aback. “Okay, maybe we should just focus on what's worrying you, okay?" I suggest.

“It’s just… That maybe this, as in ‘us’ is a mistake,” she says in a hurt voice.

“Trixie…”

“Shut it, Lime,” she orders, bringing my incoming speech to a grinding halt. “Look, I baited you into this relationship when you had just upset Pinkie, which made you upset as well. I took advantage of that… It wasn’t fair of me to do. I’m sorry,” she finishes in a whisper, turning a full one eighty away from me.

"I see," I imagined this talk would come… But I expected to have done this myself, and not quite as soon. Guess I didn’t read her as well as I thought. “Look, Trixie? You are right, it did happen that way, and I kind of wish that it would have gone some other way, but it's done, and I accept that."

"You truly don't mean that," she says softly, negating my words.

"You really shouldn't assume things, Trixie," I say, feeling undermined.

"Shut up, this is different!" except for the part when it's not.

"What can I do to make you believe... Wait," I reach into my pocket, finding a certain something. “Here, I want you to have this.”

She stares curious, watching the pendant in my hand with bright eyes. “… What is this?”

I place the pink note shaped pendant softly in her hand. “I was supposed to have given it to you when we got together. I know, it’s been like two weeks now, but I just gotta let you kn-” I suddenly stop talking as Trixie gets a well placed kiss on my lips. “Oh…”

“Shut up,” she says, her face twisted in one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen on her. “Trixie theorizes that this is that thing you were going to be honest about back at the mall, is it not?"

"Yeah, but how did you know?" I ask impressed.

"Based on the conversation we had, and the fact that you reached into the same back pocket as then, it wasn't too difficult," she says looking happy about her deduction. "But really, thank you,Trixie appreciates it."

“You should thank Lyra, she was the one who gave it to me,” I say. Gotta thank Lyra for the assist.

“Well, you gave it to Trixie, so she supposes the thanks go to you,” she says, gving me a sultry wink. “She will have to get a chain for this, sad that you didn’t get one yourself."

“Hmph,” Everyone is a critic.

“But, what about you?” she asks concerned. "Will you be okay?"

“We can only wait and see," i say sadly. Hiding it isn't easy.

"Maybe Trixie can talk to Pinkie," she suggests.

"Wait, really?" I say with more excitement that I should be showing. "Are you sure?"

"If it'll get you to stop being mopey? Of course!" Trixie with the moment ruiner.

"Then yes, thank you," I say truthfully, giving her a big hug. "But how about we focus on other things for now? Like, you know? Going to the store?"

“Sure,” she shrugs, lifting the pendant to eye view and giving it a throughout look. “Wait... Is this that thing that Lyra said you owed her money for?”

Um... “Ah-ah-ah! Come on, we could be doing more important things right now than talking about this!” I say, totally not in an attempt to change the topic.

She grins evilly, raising her brows. “Like…?”

"Like..." I say, copying her grin.

“Butt stuff,” we both say before bursting into laughter.

What do you know? Maybe this can work out after all.

Author's Note

A small chapter to hold off the big one which should come out tomorrow.

Or the day after.

That last one should be true.

I suck at scheduling my writing okay

A Glimmer Left Behind

“… Strikes again. This time, the police found the robbers tied inside the safe, and some strange object was said to be found nearby by a witness, but we were unable to get a word on what it was. We will update as more details arise.” the reporter says with the professional neutral expression they usually carry. “Now. Onto mo-

A hand suddenly pops up, grabbing the phone off my own hand, and closing the screen that was playing.

“Hey, I was watching that!” I cry foul, pouting to the mean blue lady.

“That news network is trash,” Trixie replies as she shakes her head. “You’d be better off listening to a raving ‘end of the world’ lunatic,” she says, placing the phone back in my hand.

“But there is nothing to do here!”

“We are in a library,” she responds blankly, pointing outside the room we are in where numerous shelves of books are visible through a small glass partition. "Books."

“… But there is nothing to do here!”

“You are unbelievable,” she huffs, rolling her eyes.

“You love it,” I laugh.

“Trixie does not,” she replies, turning away from me. “But if that’s the way you want it, perhaps we can use our time in… Other ways,” she says, turning back to me, donning a grin that would make the devil proud. “We are alone after all.”

“Umm…” so, yeah, we are in fact alone. In a public library’s private study room no less. “Er, we are supposed to be here for business, not pleasure…”

She rolls her eyes, tossing her jacket with an exaggerated motion. “You worry too much, your Discord isn’t going anywhere.”

So, if it wasn’t clear, we were having a meeting in the library after having received Fluttershy’s text days prior. Needless to say, I instantly told the guys… Well, all but one.

Speaking of.

“Not to burst this ‘lovely‘ idea of yours, but… Did you happen to tell Pinkie about it? If you didn‘t that‘s okay!” I ask cautiously. Trixie hasn’t really been too happy with Pinkie related stuff lately.

“Tell!?” Trixie snorts expectadly, the look on her face changing about as dramatically as a burned out light bulb. “That pink girl won’t even acknowledge Trixie! Trixie tried, you know?!” she growls defensively for what is sadly not the first time. “Great way to kill the mood!”

I simply stare in silent, holding back my sigh. I have to admit that I’ve been content going steady with Trix despite our differences, but to say that I didn’t feel guilty over Pinkie would be a lie. If Flash’s reports of sorts have been correct, Pinkie has been in a dark mood ever since then, donning the brony trademarked ‘Pinkamena’ cut all this time. I have yet to see it, of course, since she has somehow perfectly avoided Trixie and I without fail whenever we try to find her. Still, it would be a lie to say I wasn‘t worried. It would also be another reason for me to feel bad about the whole situation, so at the very least I’m glad I’m not that much of an asshole.

“Lemon!” Trixie calls, suddenly standing close to me with an indescribable pout. Wait, I think that counts as describing it “Please, do not be disturbed by such events, the pink one is purposefully avoiding you, you tried what you could,” she says before shifting into a worried gaze. “Besides, Trixie is here for you… Is that not good?” she asks with a tiny smile.

“Of course it is,” I smile back, softly caressing the side of her face. Glad that I can count on her to cheer me up nowadays. Now, I may be feeling guilty about Pinkie, but that doesn’t mean Trixie has to get the shaft for this… Or maybe she does…? I’m missing the point… Or am I?

“Stop thinking,” Trixie orders, possibly noticing my puzzled look, placing a surprise kiss upon me and ‘sneakily’ sitting down on my lap. “You know… We are alone right now…” she reiterates, an idea forming in her mind. I can see it, she can see it, and if the planet were sentient, it would get a first class seat to the action... It would probably have better things to watch, but I like to think we are the best it can manage.

“Geez, have you always been this perverted? Are you sure you aren’t some sort of sexual deviant?” I ask jokingly… Well, mostly.

“Will you be quiet and kiss me?” she asks in an annoyed tone, closing her eyes, and inching closer to my lips.

“If you can’t beat them…” I mumble under my breath, simply giving into her clutches.

“Just finish quickly, please,” a voice calls outside the room, making me jump, which in turn makes me fall from my chair with Trixie who had been in my lap right behind, forcing a certain body part of hers to land on my face. Which one? Well, imagination is a precious thing.

Needless to say, we both yelp in surprise.

Though to be fair, the only angry one here is Trixie.

After getting her goods off my face, I attempt to console her as best as I can before I head towards the door and open it to reveal the owner of the voice behind it - It’s Flash. And the sky is blue, water is wet, and the internet is made for porn.

“Sorry, did I interrupt something?” Flash asks me with this puzzled, innocent look that I can guarantee is fake. The little bastard enjoyed that.

“Nothing at all,” Trixie replies between gritted teeth, a very faint blush showing from those blue cheeks of hers. She is so cute… Better make sure she doesn’t hear me say that, I like living far too much.

“Good,” he replies satisfied. “So, how about we get straight to the point?” he states, closing the door behind him.

“Er…” I interrupt. “Shouldn’t we wait just in case Pinkie shows? Maybe?”

“Lemon,” Flash says my name in a serious tone, with Trixie unsurprisingly looking annoyed once again. “You already know the answer to that,” he says without any sign of doubt.

“Tsk…” I mumble annoyed. I can’t say I didn’t expect it.

“Anything else?” he asks as if hurrying me up. You jerk, you are the one who got here las- Wait… Oh crap.

“What’s with that look?” Flash asks, noticing the change in my expression.

“Well, actually,” I begin awkwardly.

“What’s the matter, Lemon?” Trixie follows-up with a troubled look. She must feel my hesitance.

“Well, someone hasn’t arrived yet, er,” I say, growing increasingly nervous as I continue.

“It has already been established that Pinkie won’t come,” Flash intervenes.

“I know! It’s not her!”

“Will you spit it out?” Trixie barks, issuing the supreme order I had been expecting.

“Alright, alright! It’s Fluttershy…” I say, feeling the regret oozing as I finish saying the name. “She will be coming with us…”

…

“What!?” the pair yelps with similar looks of shock.

“Maybe I should turn back a bit…”

~~~~~

I release a sigh as I reply to Fluttershy’s message.

‘So whats the address?‘ my message asks as I press the ‘reply’ button and send it on its way.

As I wait for her own reply, I begin to feel the closeness of the situation, making me nearly over-ventilate. I mean, how will I deal with this? Should I ask outright? Should I be subtle? Hell, should I do it at all? If he can somehow take me back home, will I actually do it? Should I go to his place, period? Everyone will be there after all…

Gah! I shouldn’t over think it.

*Beep* well, there it is.

I check the message with a pen in hand, but find myself surprised when I see something I didn’t expect.

‘Actually, I wanted t-’ the message cuts off suddenly, much to my surprise. I ready a reply, but just as I‘m about to type, my phone rings, easily scaring the crap out of me. And I have a good feeling on who the caller is.

“Hello?”

“…” silence from the other end.

“Um, hellooo?” I say again, but no voice comes through. “That you, Fluttershy?”

“Eep!” a meekly voice comes from the other side. That’s her alright. I wait for her to gather herself, and after an embarrassingly longer time than it should have been, I hear her voice again. “Y-yes, it’s me.”

We have made contact. “What’s wrong? I received an unfinished message,” I say straight to the point.

“…” More silence. I can’t even bring myself to be sarcastic.

“Flutt-/ I- Eep!” we begin talking at the same time. Dammit.

“Get to the point!” Trixie growls.

“Fine, fine!” impatient much?

“So, what’s the matter, Fluttershy?” I ask, having succeeded in finally starting a proper conversation. “And if you don’t mind, could you get to the point?” I add impatiently. Sorry Fluttershy, no more meandering.

“W-well… I was hoping that I could come with you all… If that is okay with you.”

I nearly click my tongue in annoyance at her request. Much like an older brother who has just heard their younger sister say they wanted to come along to the party. I don’t have any siblings myself, but I have the feeling that those who do must have felt similar things. I feel you, bros.

“What made you decide on coming along now?” I question, hoping I didn’t sound suspicious at all.

“The truth is, I haven’t visited Mr. Heart in a while… I was hoping he and I could catch up, is all… Is there a problem?”

You bet there is!

“Nothing. I was just curious is all,” I reply instead. How I wish to be able to answer with anything but that.

Setting the library as the meeting place, I finally hang up, releasing a wistful sigh.

“Trixie is SO going to be mad.”

~~~~~

As I finish the story, the group remains silent

"And you didn't think about telling us this beforehand!?" and of course, Trixie is the first to break it.

"It slipped my mind! I'm not perfect!" in my defense, that's a perfectly valid argument.

"What about what Trixie said about assuming things about her?” she asks with a piercing stare that would make the toughest person in the world bow down to her.

“N-not to?” I reply awkwardly. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have finished the story with that last bit.

“So," Flash interrupts. "What you are saying is that Fluttershy will be coming then?”

“Y-yes!” I reply. Based Flash coming to the rescue! I could just kiss you… Er, I mean, I would if I were a girl… If Flash were a girl… Great, now I’m imagining Flash as a girl… Damn it! Even when comparing him with me in my head she is hotter!

“That‘s a terrible plan, Lemon,” Trixie says, having fortunately been taken by the derail.

“Sorry Trix,” I apologize. “It was all I could do, what if I had said no and she had gotten suspicious? She might not even give me the address.”

“You have a point,” she agrees, her pursed lips showing her discomfort. “Trixie will have to apologize.”

Well, glad that having her as a girlfriend has the perks of her being nicer to me.

“Trixie supposes.”

… Relatively speaking, that is.

“So, when is she getting here?” Flash asks, getting back to the topic at hand.

I take out my phone and check the time. “Well, she should’ve been here by now… She shouldn’t be long.”

“Is that so?“ Trixie asks with a snort.

“Um, yes?“

“In that case, Trixie is going to the bathroom,” she states, heading for the door.

“Just don’t take long, alright?” I suggest. “Fluttershy might get here soon.”

“Well, maybe Trixie will. Fluttershy can wait just as I did,” she finishes, looking back at me before slamming the door shut behind her. Okay, I deserved that.

“She is a bucket of sunshine, isn’t she?” Flash says sarcastically, taking the seat she had just occupied seconds before.

“Give her some credit, she’s gotten better,” which she has. She hasn’t really shown too much of what she was before, by which I mean the 'me being her assistant’ thing. Of course, that was probably just an act now that I think about it… God, I am oblivious.

“She really has…” he says simply, showing a tiny smirk. "What a surprise."

“Don't give me that crap, you of all people should notice, you knew her before me,” I remind him.

“Yeah… So, how are you? About Pinkie, I mean?” he asks in a jarring change of topics that nearly makes me tumble off my seat.

“How the hell do you think I feel, you idiot?” I growl in response.

“Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to strike a nerve,” he says apologetically with hands raised and all. Yeah, I don’t believe that.

“Whatever! How would you feel if I pestered you about YOUR relationships, huh?” I ask on a whim.

“W-what?” he replies with an astonished look.

“Yeah, you know?” I wonder... “Yeah… Why don’t YOU tell me about your relationships? Like…Yeah… Why don’t you tell me about Sunset, Flash?”

He scowls, growling in a low voice. “Tread carefully, Lemon.”

“Oh, shut up, you know an embarrassing amount of things about me, so how about you tell me a bit about your own, huh?” in all honesty? My argument is full of shit, but it’s worth a shot.

“Well,” he starts, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. That’s a first. “What exactly do you want to know about us?” … I can’t believe that worked!

“What are you willing to tell me?” I ask, growing increasingly curious. I know curiosity killed the cat, but cats have nine lives, so I’m sure a cat can spare one of those for me, right? “Maybe just about how you two met, maybe? And remember! You know an embarrassing amount of things about me, so don't skip any details!"

“I heard it the first time," he says annoyed. "Though to be fair, you are the one always blabbering about it…”

“I don’t have the time for your logic! Get on the topic!”

“Fine! It's a bit of a tale, but I'll attempt to be concise,” he takes a deep breath, and begins. “It all started in Freshman year…”

I turn around quickly, trying my best to run through the hallways, my guitar case heavily weighing me down. Stupid case!

…

I don’t mean that, baby.

“Geez! Ms. Learned is going to have my butt on a platter if I’m late again!” saying the words out loud act as a motivator, as my feet begin moving faster, I ignore the voices from the monitors who absentmindedly call after me before returning to them pretending to do their job.

“Ha! Not this time, Ms. Learned!” I shout in triumph as I make the turn to the hall in which my class resides. A month of getting lost is finally paying off!

“Woah!” a girl screams, and before I can gather what’s going on, I crash into something, and I’m flung backwards, painfully landing on my behind. “Hey! What’s the big id- Oh!”

“Huh?” I mumble, opening my eyes to see the complainer in front of me. “Huh...”

In front of me is the cutest girl I’ve ever seen number thirty-five, the first thing I notice is her beautiful hair, which shines brightly with an orange and yellow palette resembling the sun… ‘Sunset’ comes to mind when looking at her.

“Really Flash? Really?” I interrupt.

“If you want to hear the story, you’ll hear everything I say,” he says simply.

“Alright, fine.”

“O-oh my goodness! Are you okay?” she babbles, helplessly looking around between a book, me, and my case, not knowing what to reach for. Cute is certainly up there when referring to this beauty.

“Oh my gooood…” I groan. The cringe this is causing is immense.

“If you don’t want to hear the story, I can stop right now,” Flash warns.

“Alright, I’ll be quiet!” geez, touchy, touchy.

“It’s alright,” I say dismissively, getting on my feet and offering my hand. “Are you alright?”

She looks up, tentatively looking between my hand and hers before finally reaching out to mine and getting on her feet.

“T-thank you,” she says simply, accepting the book I hand to her. “A-and thank you again… For the book! That’s what I mean, and, oh…” she blushes, lowering her gaze and hiding behind her book. “I-I got to go! I’m sorry!” she dismisses herself rather loudly, running the opposite direction and disappearing in a classroom.

“Wow,” I say simply with wide eyes, my heart pounding loudly against my chest, signaling that I live and that what I saw really happened. “That girl… She will be mine!” I announce with gusto to the ceilings over me.

*Ring*

“Oh no! Class! My butt!” I yelp as I run for class, knowing full well that I am doomed.

“Dramatic much?” I say, holding back a laugh.

“It was a very stressing morning, get off my back, man,” he explains.

“So is that’s how you two met then?” I ask, getting myself comfortable in my chair. If there is anything that libraries are good for, is good comfort. How else would I sleep in one?

“Pretty much. Are you satisfied?”

“Hmm…” I tap my cheek in mock thoughtfulness. “Not really… That Sunset Shimmer sounded, what’s the word…? Well, nice. And actually cute! Are you sure this is the same Shimmer?” if there is anything I know about her, is that she is a manipulating, heartless bitch, not an adorable Fluttershy-like cutie.

Last year’s events say just as much.

“People change, Lemon,” he replies darkly, lowering his gaze. There is obviously more for him to tell here.

“So… How did you two hook up?”

“Now, now, you are getting ahead of the story,” he says, waving his finger in a disgustingly smug manner. “Let’s start with how we became friends first, alright?”

“Psh, whatever.”

“I appreciate the enthusiasm,” he tilts his head back, and twists his mouth as he recalls the next part. “I actually saw her again a month later…”

I eat my bowl of cereal without much of a complaint, cereal has always been my go-to food in school… It’s the only item that isn’t touched directly by the school staff, so it is at least guaranteed to be edible.

Ahahaha... Geez, school is boring.

“Yo, Flash,” Ringo calls, very annoyingly poking my shoulder.

“What?” I reply annoyed, as a mouthful of spoon rests in my mouth.

“Sun set alert at 6’o clock,” I immediately drop my spoon and turn a complete 180 to check; double tinted hair. Check. Bashful, yet proudly presenting of herself? Check. Number thirty-five? Hell yeah. That’s her alright.

“I didn’t know she had our lunch break!” I reply, watching as she walks. A good surprise indeed.

“Go talk to her, man!” Brawly urges, pushing me off my seat with that brute strength of his.

“Woah! Hold on! I can’t just ’talk’ to a beauty like her! I mean, just look at her!” I say, as she goes to sit down on her own on a seat off in the distance.

“Bro, she doesn’t have any friends… I say you can easily be the first to do so,” Ringo states with his usual smugness, pointing at the empty table.

“Unless you want me to give it a shot, bud,” Brawly says with a confident grin, standing up, licking his hand and pushing his hair back much like that old movie cliché. Didn’t know people actually did that.

“Woah!” I intervene, standing in front of him. “First of all! That’s gross man,” I complain, pointing at his still dripping hand. “And second, I am going to do so… Right now! Just watch me!”

“Woah, woah, woah, woah… Woah…” I interrupt, holding my hand up, while staring at Flash in disbelief.

“What? What’s wrong?” he asks eyeing me worriedly.

I take a breath, a feeling of unease surging inside me. “Who the hell are ‘Ringo’ and ‘Brawly’!?” I ask in my bewildered state. “I’ve never heard of those two!”

“They are my bandmates and friends, Lemon, I’m sure you’ve seen them before,” he points out irritated.

I scratch the back of my head, trying to comprehend what he just said. “You have friends outside of us!?”

“I’m just going to continue now.”

I walk through the lunch room’s aisles, watching the mysterious girl eat from afar. At least I assume so, as she has her back turned.

“Hello, did you drop from heaven… No, that’s stupid, er… Hi! I saw you from afar, and… Ugh, I can’t come up with anything!” I whisper to myself, coming up with things to start a conversation. It’s going terribly.

Before I realize it, I’m standing right behind her, her hair facing me with its full lusciousness. Come on, Flash, say something to that hair!

“Hi t-Woah!” I yelp, as the moment I take a step, I trip, looking in horror as I head towards the girl. “Watch ou-”

…

“And then? What happened?” I demand, jumping on my seat. “Come on, Flash, you can’t leave me hanging, man!”

He scratches his head, looking confused. “The thing is, the rest is a bit fuzzy.”

I stare with mouth agape, shaking my head in my confusion. “What? You were there!”

“I was, but… I think I passed out.”

“… What?”

He snaps his fingers, smiling triumphally. “Oh wait, I remember!”

I open my eyes to a tiled ceiling over me.

In a panic, I stand upright, getting a sharp pain in my head, my eyes going momentarily blurry as I try to get my bearings.

“W-what’s going on… Where am I?” I suddenly recognize the feeling of what I’m resting on - a bed. A curtain surrounds me, and I quickly realize where I am… “But… Why am I in the infirmary?” good thing I was here once before, otherwise I would have freaked out. I’m not one for waking up in a completely different place without my knowledge.

“Because you tripped, of course,” a voice says suddenly.

“Huh!? Who is there? Nurse?”

“O-oh no! I’m not one!” the voice says again. It’s female alright… Also very familiar. Wait!

“You sound familiar… Sun set?” the curtain suddenly opens, revealing the surprised face of the person I imagined.

“How... Did you know my name?” she asks innocently.

“Wait, what? Did that really happen?” I ask with doubt. “It all seems a bit…”

“Unlikely? Far-fetched?” Flash finishes knowingly. “Trust me, I know.”

“I was going to say ‘out of some Oriental crap’ but that can summarize it nicely,” I explain with a nod.

He rolls his eyes, not giving me a retort. “I’ll just continue, but I think I’ll skip the awkward part of it, if you don’t mind.”

“So yes, I’m not sure how it happened, but you fell so hard that you actually managed to knock me out…” Sunset explains, looking embarrassed.

“I don’t know why you are embarrassed about it, I was the one who fell on you! I’m so sorry!” I quickly apologize. If dad knew about this, he would kill me… Or even worst, not give me my car!

“N-no, it’s fine!” she says, waving her hands cutely. “Actually, it’s kind of good, in a weird way…”

“What do you mean?” I ask puzzled.

“Well…” she fidgets, looking to the side as she plays with her thumbs. “You see, I’m new in town, I moved here from another state, and I’ve had difficulty making acquaintances, much less friends,” that would explain the lone eater thing.

And it’s the perfect chance! “You know, I’m not a person who pushes a struggling new student away. So what do you say to hanging out with me and my buddies? There is no membership to join… Ahaha…” Idiot! You blew it!

She gives me a wide eyed stare, blinking rapidly, before she begins shaking, and without notice, she bursts into a giggling fit that I would call cute, but I’m far too occupied thinking of ways to off myself right now.

“No, please! Don’t take this the wrong way!” she says, possibly noticing my misery. “It’s just this whole situation is ridiculous… I would be happy to!” she says, grinning ear to ear.

“O-oh? R-right! That’s great!” phew! Thank goodness she said yes!

“But if you don’t mind, may I ask you what your own name is? I don’t have the psychic prowess you possess to guess yours.”

“O-oh! Right,” quickly drying my sweaty hand, I extend it to her. “The name is Flash! Flash Sentry! It’s great to meet you!” I say with an honest grin.

Sunset smiles back and extends her hand in return. “Sunset Shimmer. I hope we can be good friends!”

“Wow,” I simply say. There really is nothing I can say outside that… Oh, wait. I can! “You didn‘t say how you got together!”-

Flash laughs. “Come on, Lemon, did you really expect it to be a quick process?” he points out. “You can’t just get into a relationship so easily, these things take time.”

Tell that to my middle school classmates. “Fine, what happened next, then?”

“Well, it’s the only logical next step!”

“Ringo. Brawly. This is my new friend Sunset Shimmer.”

“Hi…” Sunset says with a small finger wave, and both greet her with a blank stare, their mouths hanging wide-open.

“Um… Flash?” Ringo calls me with a quiet voice.

“What?” I reply, approaching him curiously.

“Did she get brain damage? Or did you pay her to hang out with us?” he whispers with an apparent mocking tone.

“Shut up!” I groan, punching his shoulder, receiving a satisfying ‘ouch!’ as a reward for my effort. Ignoring the following complaints, I invite Sunset to sit down, which she graciously accepts as she places her tray down.

“So, Sunset, huh? Flash actually guessed your name right,” Brawly says. Much to my hand's dismay, which feels like punching him right about now.

“Guess?” Sunset says confused. “Flash, I thought you said you actually heard it from someone,” she says, turning towards me.

“Um, I, er…I felt it would be kind of creepy, you know?” ahahaha… Oh boy…

“Creepy?” she asks with a chuckle. “That’s actually kind of a cool guess,” she says with a smile.

“I totally thought that!” I say with a grin on my face.

“Suck up,” both Brawly and Ringo say in motion. You guys are terrible wingmen.

“Hah, hah,” Sunset giggles cutely before bursting into full blown laughter.

“Huh?” we all turn toward her questioningly.

“S-sorry!” she says in an odd attempt of an apology, holding her stomach. “You are guys are just funny, you are all obviously friends!”

“We are also a band!” Brawly states proudly. “I play the drums,” nice segway.

“Because that’s such a popular instrument,” Ringo points out.

“Look who is talking Mister-I-Play-Not-Guitar,” he shoots back.

“It’s called a bass! And it’s certainly more popular than drums!”

“Well, at least it isn’t constantly confused with a guitar.”

“Why, I oughta!”

“Don’t mind them,” I interrupt their arguing. “They are idiots.”

“Hey!” they protest as Brawly holds Ringo’s glasses out of reach.

“Cool! You guys any good?” she asks excitedly, ignoring their struggle. She is practically part of the group now.

“Er…” I accidentally let out the answer with that simple reply. “W-well, we are still not great, if that’s what you are asking, we are still getting started, since we just made the band like a month ago and all…” I explain. I wonder if any rock star started answering this question at some point in their early careers.
-
“Oh! Do you th-” she stops suddenly. “Never mind, forget I asked!”

“Huh?” I arch a brow curious. “What is it?”

“N-no, it’s nothing!” she waves it off. “I just met you all, it’s not cool of me to ask.”

“You are with friends now, girl,” Ringo says with a grin. “Shoot,” Brawly and I nod in agreement to that statement.

“Alright…” she stops, taking a deep breath. “You guys need someone to sing for you? I mean, I know it’s out of the blue, I’m sorry for asking!”

“A vocalist?” I say intrigued, the gears turning in my head. “Wait, you can sing?”

She nods slowly. “I was in a choir for three years, but I never really sang for a band, I would love to give it a try if I were to be able to… It’s okay if you don’t want, of course…”

We all look at each other, sharing the same grin before looking back at her. “Sunset, you are welcome to give it a shot!”

“So, just like that?” I don’t mean to be a negative person without reason, even towards Flash, but this sounds like it was made up.

“What can I say? We were all sorta infatuated with her… Not that the other two would admit it.”

“It still sounds pretty made up, if you ask me.”

“Well, I may be romanticizing bits and pieces,” he explains, turning his head to the side innocently. “But it’s pretty much how it happened.”

“Fine, whatever,” I scoff the dumb issue aside. “In any case, what happened next? Was she good at it?”

Now it’s Flash’s turn to scoff. “Lemon. She had the most beautiful voice I had ever heard.”

“Really?” I say without a hint of surprise. I mean, it’s pretty much impossible to find someone who sucks at singing in this universe… Unless your name is Scootaloo, that is. “Hold on. Are you saying she joined the band!?” I exclaim in surprise.

“Indeed. Heck, we joined the first talent contest as a full band with Shimmer as our vocalist,” he tells, looking up to the ceiling fondly.

“Wait… Did you win?” I ask impressed.

“Nah, some violinist chick did. But we played with heart! And we didn’t go in for nothing,” he says, finishing with a jarring somber look.

“What do you mean?” I ask. His darkened mood quickly getting to me.

“Well, I guess you could say that this talent contest was the catalyst.”

“The catalyst of what?” I ask feeling nervous.

He looks at me with a frown, shaking his head sadly. “The catalyst of the Sunset of today… But that wasn’t really your question, was it?”

Then why bring it up? “I suppose not,” I say slowly.

“Well, the girlfriend thing happened the following semester, on a day close by, actually.”

“Wait… You don’t mean…”

“Eeyup.”

Valentine’s Day.

Ah, yes. The day when many give their loved ones gifts… In between other things.

I have been waiting for this day since the last semester, I’ve been practicing this for months, and I am not to screw this up. It is time.

“Why are you staring at the statue, Flash?”

“H-huh?” I turn around, watching Brawly and Ringo giving me confused stares.

“I didn’t know you were one for art,” Brawly laughs, patting my back. “Nervous?”

“O-of course not!”

Ringo comes up from behind, he pushes his glasses up, and looks me over. “Nice jacket. The eighties called, they want their jacket back."

What he is referring to, of course, is the black leather jacket I’m currently wearing. “Bite me.”

“I was simply joking,” he says with mock regret. “Trust me, you’ll be fine! This was some time coming.”

“You really think so?” I ask feeling hopeful.

“Well, if I had to say something, I would be the one doing this.”

“Wow, thanks 'bro',” I groan sarcastically.

“No, no, let me finish,” he says defensively, raising his hands. “But seeing how you are my pal, I’ll be supporting you, as will Brawly.”

“Yep!” Brawly says, coming in the middle and putting his huge arms around us. “And if you chicken out, just know that I’ll kick your ass, bro!” he states cheerfully, holding the most honest look I’ve ever seen on him.

“R-right…” I mumble, gripping the package under my arm. This is stupid... Ugh, I can only hope I don’t get cold feet before school is over for the day. It’s going to go by very slow.

And the day did go by as slow as my brain could manage, the feeling of butterflies in combat never leaving my stomach as three thousand years pass in a crawl, the numerous people being disgustingly lovey-dovey in class didn’t help my situation. Thankfully, school was out before I knew it.

And Sunset waited for us where she always did by the front door.

“Sunset!” I call to her, running to catch up with her.

“Hey Flash!” she greets me with a smile. “Nice jacket! Ready to go home?”

“Thanks, but what about Brawly and Ringo?” I say noticing their absence.

“Ringo said practice was cancelled for the day,” she points out. “Did that change?”

“What? I di-” wait… Oooh… You clever jerk. “Right! It is, but, er, can you come with me? I forgot something by the gym… Lockers. Yeah.”

“Oh? Sure, but we better not take long, my dad will be coming to pick me up today,” she warns.

“Trust me Sunny, there is no way I won’t take a cop seriously. Come on,” I hurry her, and quickly, we make our way to the gym lockers, staying eerily silent on the way. Whether she didn’t want to talk or maybe I was simply not listening, I do not know, but we make it relatively quickly, and I stop by a random locker.

“So, where is it? I didn’t know you had a locker here,” she says casually.

“I… Actually don’t,” I sigh. Welp, it’s out.

“What do you mean? Why are we here then?” she laughs awkwardly. “A-are you going to pull a prank on me?”

A way out! No, wait! “No!” I yelp loudly. That is the last thing I want. “I would never!”

“Woah… What’s wrong? You are sweating, Flash. And dare I say acting jumpier than usual,” she says, noticing the mess I’m in right now.

“Sunny… Sunset, I… Want to tell you something.”

“Oh!” she reacts quickly, putting her hands to the side and cute/awkwardly staring back. “W-what is it?”

“W-will…” I reach towards my backpack and bring out the package, I swiftly open it, and reveal it to her.

She stares blankly, looking at the contents of the package - a black leather jacket.

“What is this?” she asks, holding the jacket in front of her. “Is this for me?”

“W-well, yes, I mean, it used to be my mom’s, but I'm giving it to you, and, er, well…” I stop. Gah! This is ridiculous!

“Your moms?” she shakes her head confused. “But why are you…” she halts, her eyes widening. “Flash… Are you?”

“Dad said that’s how he met mom… And well, I’m sure you know my question, right?” I say lamely. Yep, hope is lost!

“Well, I’d like to hear it out of you, if you don’t mind,” she says with a serious face, loosely hugging the jacket.

This is it, Flash! Tell her! Let it out!

“I…”

Dude!

“Well, you see…”

Go, damn it!

“The truth is…”

Brawly will destroy you!

“Argh! Will you be my valentine!” I say quickly, bowing and leaving my eyes closed. Did I screw up? Damn it! Not again, not ag-

“…I will.”

“Huh?” I look up, and with widened eyes, I grin, as I see Sunset with the jacket snugly on her It fits her. “R-really?”

She returns the smile and nods slowly.

I go towards her, and…

“Welp, that’s about it, hope you are satisfied,” Flash says with finality, fully stopping.

“Wait,” I say taken aback. “And what? What!?” I yelp. “What happened next?”

“I’m sure you know what happened next, there really is no need to go into the nitty-gritty, is it? Wouldn't be too concise,” Flash chuckles. “Your question has been answered.”

“Hmph! Killjoy,” I sigh. But admittedly, that did answer my question, so I suppose I can’t really complain. “Although I’m curious about something else.”

“Do you mean the ‘catalyst’ I brought up earlier?” he guesses correctly. “Yeah, I figured I might as well tell you how that happened.”

I look up thoughtfully. He set it up this way knowing I would ask, so I might as well hear him out. “Seeing how the Sunset of your story acts, I feel that something must have happened.”

“Well, listen, and maybe you’ll figure it out. But I’m sure you know of a certain event that you and I were involved with last year,” he says simply. And of course, I know what he means - we both meddled in things that weren’t our business.

“Well, let’s hope Trixie does the women stereotype justice and takes ages. Go for it, Flash.”

He nods. “Understood. And it is what you think - I mean, what else but that dance…”

“Fall formal P-Princess? Me?” Sunset asks looking embarrassed. “I couldn’t!”

“Are you kidding?” I say, sloppily passing her the event’s flyer. Dumb windy day. “You are one of the most popular girls at CHS now thanks to your voice! I say you have a chance at this.”

“But… Isn’t that Rarity girl participating?” Sunset points out. “She is the most popular girl at school… I don’t have a chance against her!”

“I say you do,” Ringo says knowingly. “Your popularity is higher than what you’d expect thanks to the talent contest.”

“And why not give it a shot?” Brawly agrees. “I say you have charm as an advantage.”

“W-Well… Can I have time to think about that? I have to ask… Er, well, you know?” she says timidly.

“Sure Sunny,” I say, putting my arm around her. “Only if you really want to, there is no rush, okay?”

“O-okay, thank you Flash,” she says, placing a small kiss on my cheek.

“Hey Sunset,” Ringo calls, stopping us by the school’s statue. “Are you alright?”

“…”

“Sunny?” I call to her, noticing her lack of a response.

"..."

"Suns-"

“What!?” she snaps, making us all jump in surprise. “Oh! S-sorry, is something the matter?”

“Well.. For starters, what was that all about?” Ringo asks giving her a worried look. “You’ve been acting kind of odd for the past few days,” sadly, I have to agree. Sunset hasn’t been her usual cheery self for a bit.

“… Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind,” she says in a serious tone, holding her head. Just as a familiar cop car pulls up.

“If you are worried about finals, I can get Ringo to help,” I suggest as she walks towards the car. “Just no touching, you hear?” I joke, grabbing him and ruffling his hair, much to his delicious discomfort.

Sunset tilts her head without turning back and nods. “I’ll… Keep that in mind. Thanks,” and without another word, she boards her father’s car, and drives off.

“So she started acting weird… Did you guys not see that?” I ask a bit perturbed.

“Yes, but we thought she was only having one of those sudden girly moods… You know?” he says, dropping very obvious hints.

“Please don’t,” I say, palming my face. I’ve had enough about ‘girly moods’ for a year.

“In any case, the first real change happened a day after.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…”

“I’m entering the Formal,” Sunset says with a determined voice.

“You sure? You didn’t look too hot about it yesterday,” Ringo says worriedly. “Are you really up for it?”

“I already said I was. Are you doubting my ability to do this?” she growls, giving him a venomous look.

We look at each other, sharing similar looks of distraught that must be on my face as well “A-alright, we’ll do what I can to help you.”

She smiles and rests her head on my shoulder. “Thank you, because I already have a plan."

I stare at her form, a wave of dread washing over me. What's going on?

“Woah… That sounds like the Sunset I know,” I say surprised. “But you don’t need to go into more detail. I already know what happened.”

“Do you now?” Flash says, his words oozing with confidence in my words. Hey, I can be sarcastic too.

“Yes. Rarity told me about it,” I say with a grin. “Don’t doubt me.”

Flash continues staring at me, blinking occasionally… It’s kind of unnerving, really. “Tell me. Do you know how Sunset won it?”

… “… Yes…?”

He turns his back to me, letting his head down on the desk. “She won by default. The same way she won last year, and the year before that…” he turns back to me, giving me a familiar look of regret. “I’m sure I don’t have to explain it to you, do I?”

I choose to remain silent - I’ve given him too much shit about that situation already.

“So… Why did you let her do it? Why did you help her exactly? I don’t think I ever asked you about it,” I sure he feels bad about it, but I think it’s a fair question after what he did.

"You mean we, we all did it,” he looks up smiling sadly. “And would you believe me if I said that I just loved seeing her smile?”

“Are you two done babbling?”

“Woah!” both Flash and I yelp, looking to the source of the voice.

“Hmph!” Trixie harrumphs loudly as she enters the room. “Didn’t take you for being such a sap, Sentry,” Flash remains silent, only the sound of his breathing in the room… Well, mine and Trixie’s too, but I like being dramatic.

“How much did you hear?” he asks.

“Trixie only heard your sappy finisher, don’t worry your pretty head about it,” she turns to me, sitting down on the chair next to me. “So, where is Fluttershy? She should’ve been here by now.”

I simply nod in agreement. “Yeah, she should, let me shoot her a text.”

“Sure,” Trixie agrees, kissing my cheek awkwardly. “If you need Trixie, she'll be checking the books... Like one is supposed to,” she says before walking out of the room.

Flash follows suit by getting off his seat. “I need some air, I’ll be outside checking for Fluttershy.”

I look up from my phone, remembering something that stuck out from his story. “Flash?”

He stops, and weakly turns to me. “Yeah?”

“You said you gave her a jacket… Could that jacket you gave her be…?”

Flash looks down a , telling me all I need to know. “As you know, we broke up near the end of last year, she actually moved during summer break, so I don’t know where she lives… And that jacket is the reason why I want to talk to her, I need to know, well, you know?”

I nod once. “Yeah, I believe I understand,” I say, which he takes as a signal to leave.

I look at my phone silently, sighing annoyed. “Living the life, huh?” I say, writing the text and sending in on its way.

‘Beep.’

“Woah, that was fast,” I say as I check the phone.

‘Sorry. I won’t be going today,’ the message says. Which despite bringing up some questions, it also brings a sigh of relief.

“Phew… At least that’s one good thing,” I send a reply to ask for the address, and calmly place the phone down. Maybe, just maybe things are starting to look up for us.

‘Beep.’

“I like her consistency,” I grin happily, opening the text and r- “What!?” I yelp, reading the message over and over. No… Come on!

‘I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I can tell you that’ it reads, despite my best efforts to make heads or tails of it.

...

Me and my big mouth!

Author's Note

CHAPTER FINISHED. Apologies if this isn't what you guys expected, but here it is anyway.
Hey, it's better than me updating four months later am I right or am I right?

I liked writing this one, it was sort of a chance I shot for when doing the breaks, and I hope they aren't a jarring change when the switches happened, but if they were, my apologies.

Anyway, not gonna spoil the next one, but I'll say that I'll put in someone who I've wanted for a bit, so I'm excited for that!

Whether positive or negative, tell me what you thought in the comments! I'm always looking forward to your input!

Until next time!

Home is Where the Heart is

“Fluttershy… The fuck!?” I growl, putting the phone up to my ear, the dial tone buzzing in my ear only increasing my annoyance. I impatiently tap my foot, hoping she replies. “I swear, if she doesn’t answer I’m going to st-”

“H-hello?” answers Fluttershy’s familiar sweet, caring…

PIECE OF TRASH, LYING, SUCCUBUS FUC- okay, okay. Focus. “What the hell, Fluttershy!? We are here at the library as we agreed!” I waste no time getting to the point, yelling at her without restraint. That’s right! I yelled at Fluttershy! What you gonna do about it?

“L-Lemon!? Um… H-hi!” she replies surprised. Praise private number option.

“Less hi, more answers!” I shoot back.

“Please don’t be mad!” she pleads in return. “I’ll tell you, just p-p-p-please stop yelling!”

Wow, that sure was easy… And anti-climatic. “Good! Now, go ah-”

“I don’t think so!” another voice joins in, I can hear the sudden sounds of a struggle in the background as something keeps rubbing against the speaker.

“Um… Hello?”

“… No! …-at!… Flutters-” voices collide on the other side. Sounds like a catfight… If I weren’t so angry, I would wish I was there to see it.

Priorities, though. “Fluttershy? What’s wrong?’

“…”

“Flutters-”

“Nope!” a completely different voice says, very smugly I might add. “I don’t think you are getting what you want, jackass!’

“What? Who is this?”

“You really don’t know? Come on, you can't be THAT stupid.”

Wait… Smug tone, tomboyish voice, sounds like Ashleigh Ball… “Applejack!”

“… Getting warmer. Idiot.”

Oh, wait. “Rainbow Dash!”

“Waiting for something?” she laughs, pretty much proving my theory.

“Stay out of this, Dash, this is none of your business,” I say, which in this case, it translates to ‘buzz off, you insufferable excuse of a walking gay parade’ as far as I am concerned.

“Good luck doing your thing without Fluttershy helping, you cheater!” *click*

I blink rapidly, the realization of what just happened hitting me in the face like the fact that I just lost the only way I know of getting to Discord.

Oh, wait. It’s just exactly that!

“... The fuck!?”

~~~~~

Twenty minutes later, me and the others are standing just outside of the library. Annoyingly, I tell them what happened.

“What. The. Fuck!?” Trixie shouts at me.

“Woah, Trixie! Language,” I say to her disapprovingly. Some people.

“Well, that’s certainly not good,” Flash says, adding absolutely nothing to the conversation. “And I get the feeling that looking for his number on the phone book isn’t an option, huh?”

“Don't be ridiculous!” Trixie snarls. “He is a public figure, and he avoids most media outside of events. For that matter, we don’t even know where he could be staying here!”

“So basically, we are drowning up in shit creek… I need to sit down,” I sigh, taking seat on the stairs. “This is just, I don’t know… We have nothing!” I put my head down, hiding my face. “This just can’t get any worse!”

I feel Flash take a seat besides me, and he pats my back. “It’s okay, Lemon. It literally can’t get any worse.”

I shoot him a venomous stare in return, if I’m lucky, maybe it’ll actually poison him.

“I’m simply stating a fact,” he sighs, noticing my annoyance. “Let‘s face it, there is nothing we can do here. Maybe we should go home and rethink our plan?” he suggests.

“What!?” I turn to glare at Flash in disbelief. “Are you crazy!?"

“Unfortunately, Trixie has to agree,” Trixie says with a wary look. “I’m sorry Lemon, but without anything to go on, we’ll have to try some other day he is in town.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “ I… Who knows how long that might be! Dammit, Rainbow Dash!” I storm off, heading straight back to Trixie’s car. Screw this! There is nothing we can do her-

*Screech*

“Woah!” I yelp and fall back in surprise, as a small minivan pulls up right next to me. I bolt upright instantly, quickly smacking the glass in anger. “Hey! What’s the big idea!?” I shout at the driver. I am NOT in the mood right now! The car’s window slowly rolls down, revealing behind it a young woman who stoically stares at me… And that’s it. She says nothing in any way or form related to apologizing, she doesn’t move, actually.

She just stares. Emotionless.

“Lemon!” Trixie rushes by my side. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” she asks, checking me up for any injuries.

“Aww, that’s sweet, but don‘t worry, I‘m ok- Ouch!” I yelp as she pulls one of my ears. “What the heck!?”

“Do not run off like that without looking at both sides of the street! Did the incident with Sentry not teach you anything!?” I, uh, okay, I deserved that one.

“Maybe we should focus on our guest?” Flash says, giving the girl a suspicious look. “I don‘t mean to be rude, but you nearly ran over our friend here.”

The woman simply stares at Flash, in fact, if she hadn’t been blinking, I would’ve thought she just died on the spot, or something.

“Trixie thinks we should just ignore her and go,” Trixie suggests. I’m willing to agree to that.

The woman creepily turns her head slightly towards Trixie, staring at her momentarily before turning to me again. “Get in.”

“Aah!” we all yelp surprised as she suddenly talks. Wait. “What did you say?”

“Get in,” she repeats. I honestly cannot tell if this is a request, or a demand.

“Excuse you?” Trixie asks incredulous. “But Trixie thinks you might have something wrong in the head if you think he will be going anywhere with you.”

The stranger simply stares at Trixie, her half-open eyelids eyeing her with disinterest. “No.”

“Um…” Trixie mumbles at a loss of words. “What?”

“Who are you exactly?” Flash asks. “Do we know you?” the woman turns to Flash this time, staring passively before shaking her head very slightly in response. “Okay? Then why do you wants us to get in your… Van.”

She stares at Flash, but doesn’t answer.

“Look, if you want people to go places with you, communication is a must,” he explains.

“… I’m here to pick up Lemon Lime and company.”

“Okay… That’s a start,” Flash nods satisfied. “Now, care to tell us the reason for that, maybe?”

“…” the girl says nothing, instead opting for her now renowned silence.

“Look, we can’t progress this if we don’t know why you want Lemon to go with you, please?” he asks politely, courtly motioning for her to answer.

She closes her eyes momentarily. “I’m here to take him and his friends to Mr. Harmonious Heart's location.”

I feel my eyes widening at her words. And let me tell you, with eyes as big as ours, that’s big. “R-really? No shi- Woah!!” I don't get to finish my sentence since Trixie has just turned me around. "Wow... You have strong hands."

“Lemon, you seriously don’t believe her, do you?” she asks.

“I have to agree. This is far too good to be, well, good,” Flash agrees, giving the woman the occasional stare. “This is an obvious setup.”

“Look,” I start. “She knows that we want to see Heart, without us telling her anything… Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”

“Yes!” they both reply. Well, at least they can agree on SOMETHING.

“Okay, my point is that a chance just dropped on us out of nowhere, are we going to miss it?” I reply in defense. “Besides, other than Sunsass Shitter, who else is really after us, huh?”

*Sigh* Flash sighs, shaking his head. “Lemon…”

“Well, I‘m going,” I say without faltering. I did not come this far for nothing, and not specially when I may have a chance to see him.

Flash shakes his head disapprovingly. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“What!?” Trixie shrieks. “Please don’t tell me you are going to agree to this!”

“I don’t agree with it,” he sighs. “But there is no way that I’m letting him go on his own with this stranger. ”

“You two are being complete imbeciles! Just… ” she stomps her foot, taking a deep breath and turning to me. “Grr! Fine! Trixie will go, she won’t allow herself to miss it after last time.”

I grin contently. It’s good to know that she has my back. “Thanks Trix.”

“But if Trixie dies, we are SO breaking up,” she huffs.

“A-alrighty…“ okay, how do still I not see this coming from her every time?

…

And so, several minutes later, Flash and I are riding in the back of a strange older woman‘s car -there is a molestation joke in there, but that's beneath me- with Trixie following right behind on her grandma’s car by her own suggestion. Good idea, although it might just be her wanting to sit with me and have Flash drive, but she only ended up screwing herself over since she didn’t want Flash to drive her Grandma’s car.

I’m just guessing, of course. It’s a really boring car ride.

“Lemon,” Flash whispers.

“What?” I reply with a whisper of my own. “And why are we whispering?”

“Say something!”

“What? Why?”

“To avoid suspicion? She might find it odd that we don‘t say anything, don‘t you think?” he asks.

“I guess I do,” I mumble, trying to think up of something to say. “Alright, well, how about his then Flash? Who do you think would be hotter if we were girls. You? Or me?”

Flash tilts his head slowly, giving me the world’s most confused stare. “What the fu- Lemon!”

“What? You said to say something,” I shrug.

“You could be talking about actual important stuff. Preferably to her instead of me!”

“Then just say what you mean!” I huff, turning to the woman who continues driving while ignoring our drivel. Points to her for that.

Although, I guess Flash has a point.

“So… Care to fill us in on who you are, my lady?” I ask respectfully.

“…” she doesn’t reply. Totally didn't see that one coming, insert sarcasm backlash here.

I feel a smack on my arm, and with a pained look, I turn to Flash who has his hand up, clearly not feeling guilty about what he did. “What the hell, Flash?”

“My lady? Seriously?” he asks in disbelief.”What is this? The eighteen hundreds!?”

“Hey! It’s not my fault that I don’t have a fedora to help!” I reply in defense.

He stares at me with his mouth agape in disbelief. “… What!?”

“Mud,” the driving girl says suddenly, startling us.

“Excuse me?” I ask lost. “What are you talking about?”

“That is my name,” she replies quick and mechanically, never wavering from her driving.

“Um, okay, Mud?” what a weird name, but who am I to judge how much her parents didn't love her for giving her that name? “Care to tell us how you know about us? Maybe show us that you aren’t actually kidnapping us, or something of that magnit- Ouch!” I turn to Flash whose elbow is raised. Is it ‘hit Lemon day 2 - Electric Boogaloo’ or something?

“What is with you today!?” he growls under his breath. “Stop spewing stupid things!”

”Sorry! I’m just nervous, okay!?” I snarl, letting myself rest on the seat. “Look, I just don’t know what’ll happen today… Especially after last time,” yeah, I'm very nervous.

Flash gives me a brooding gaze. “What happened last time? You’ve hinted at it before, but you haven’t really told me about it.”

“Never you mind,” I reply quickly. “We have to focus on this.”

“Fine…” he looks ahead, his brows suddenly arched in surprise. “Anyway, where do you think we are going? Seems that getting it out of Mud here won‘t do us much good,” he doesn’t bother to say it in a low voice -- she obviously doesn’t care.

I sigh. “I’m as sure of our destination as you are. Guess we’ll find out soon enough, right?”

…

Why? Just… Why?

I shake my head as we approach a fancy looking fence in the distance, I look around, hoping for another road to take, but there doesn’t seem to be any as it is a straight road to the place.

I ask again. Why? Why here of all places?

“Interesting place for Mr. Heart to be in, huh?” Flash comments looking surprised, although I can gather it is for very different reasons.

“You are telling me,” I sigh, as the fence of Equus Private School comes to focus, and a sense of inferiority seeps into me. Well, I also feel a torrent of memories hitting my brain like a stream… From a firefighter hose... Off a lava lake.

Stop hating me, world.

We park right outside, the empty weekend lot allowing us to stop near the entrance.

“So this is the place?” Flash asks, looking out the window.

“Yes,” she replies.

“Is Mr. Heart really here?” Flash continues his interrogation as we exit her van.

“Yes,” she replies. Eloquent woman, isn’t she?

“… So, why don’t we drive inside?” I ask. “Would make it easier, right?“ it’s not like I dislike walking, or anything…

“Use the intercom,” she says simply. “Goodbye.”

“Oh, okay… Wait, what?“ she says nothing more, as she raises the window of her car before driving off. “Wait!” I shout as she slowly pulls out, but she doesn’t listen. She just drives off, leaving us on our own, and I only watch as she disappears in the distance. “… Bitch tricked us!”

Flash comes up next to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s just try using the intercom. Besides, worst case scenario; we end up using up Trixie’s gas.”

“That better not be a double entendre,” Trixie says, coming up behind us. “And care to explain what just happened?”

I stare at her confused. “What? Didn’t you see what happened? It happened right now!”

“I… Trixie must have not been paying attention… I was busy with the car!” she says defensively, looking down for some reason. “A-anyway, what is this about an intercom?”

So, I explain to her what happened. Thankfully, it’s not a long process, and we are standing around the intercom soon enough, staring at it as if it was a dead body... Wait, let me try that again.

“So… What now?” Flash asks.

“We use it?" I guess.

"Obviously, but maybe we should have a plan before we do,” Flash suggests.

“For crying out loud!” Trixie growls, pressing the button labeled ‘call’. “Just do it!”

“Trixie!” I gasp. “What the hell? Don’t be dumb!”

“Excuse me?” a voice comes up from the speaker. “Who is there?”

“Ah, um… Hello?” I reply awkwardly, not realizing that I need to press the button again. “H-hi!”

“… This isn’t a prank call, is it?”

“No!” we all shout at the same time. “We are here to, um, see someone! Yes!” I wait for a reply, hoping that was enough of a reason to get her attention… I think it’s a her at least.

“Are you related to one of the students? Or perhaps a teacher?”

I think about it for less of a second before I reply “Um, not really, I me- Ouch!” I turn to Trixie who has now completed the cycle of elbowing the Lemon. I really hope this doesn’t become a tradition.

“In that case, have a good day.”

“No! Wait!” Flash talks this time. “We are here to see Mr. Heart!”

“Like I said, good da- Wait, did you just say Mr. Heart?"

"Yes!"

"Um, I see… Please, wait a moment,” the speaker goes dead, but mere seconds later, it comes back on once more. “Excuse me, is there a ‘Fluttershy’ with you?”

“Fuck! Mud didn’t say anything about Fluttershy!” I gasp. And at this point I’m grasping at straws. And I’m all out of straws!

“Move!” Trixie groans, pushing me out of the way and pressing the button. “I’m Fluttershy,” she says in a soft, sweet voice. “I a-am sorry, we don’t mean to impose, we can come back some other time… If that’s what you wish.”

“… That sounds shy alright. Very well, please, hold on a few minutes, I will send someone to take you to him,” the woman says, and the call is cut.

I turn to Trixie, smiling like an idiot. “Trixie! You! Love you!”

“Yes, Trixie knows she is the best,” she smiles triumphant. “Now, let us finally meet this Mr. Heart, shall we?”

And so, we wait. I grow anxious as we stand around in the silence of the lot. I look inside the place at the well kept grounds, only a few girls seem to be walking around. Guess that weekend studying does that… But why are they all girls? Not that I'm complaining, or anything.

“It’s a girls only school,” Trixie says knowingly.

“That explains it…“ I say, noticing her stare at the school with a downcast look. “Hey Trix? You okay? You look a bit off,“ I say a bit worried.

"It's nothing," she waves it off, hardening her gaze. I manage to notice her steal another glance towards the school before turning her back to it.

"Trixie, let's just cut the crap and get to the point, alright? We both know that we are gonna argue, and I'm going to find out what it is after badgering you for a few minutes, so let's not, alright?" I suggest.

She frowns, shaking her head. “Grr, yes, Trixie knows this," she runs a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her eyes. She doesn't think I see it, but I can see her pupils turning towards the school. "Trixie, by which I mean I, was supposed to come study here, is all.”

“Oh,” well, I imagined as much, what with the weird look and those grades of hers too. “But wait, how come you didn’t?”

“Trixie… Had her reasons,” she says awkwardly. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’d rather not talk about them.”

Hey, at least she was direct about it. “Well. look at the bright side! If you had come here, you wouldn’t have met me, right?” I say, placing my hand around her.

She snorts, shaking her head. “Jury is still out on that one.”

I chuckle amused, turning to the school behind the fence. I haven‘t been thinking much about it, but Discord might actually be inside this place... Might as well get it out right now. “Trixie?”

“Hmm?” she hums quizzically, looking up with her big, blue, cute, beautiful e- Argh! Focus!

“Well, we are here and you know, if I end up being right about what I said before, and a way to go back home is there, well…”

“Enough,” she stops me, placing a finger over my lips. “Trixie believes we already had this discussion before, no?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“No buts! Trixie will deal with what happens as it comes. Understand?”

“But, what if I end up g-”

“Do you want another ‘debate’?” she smirks, licking her lips in a very suggestive fashion. “Trixie is very up for it.”

“I, er, well… I understand,” I nod weakly. I’m sure that a pair of teenagers making out at the entrance of a private school is a total no-no. “Although if it does come to that, I’m a bit sad that I won’t be able to say goodbye to Pinkie.”

Trixie snorts loudly, pushing me away. “Pinkie!? Psst! She decided to be missing, this is all her own doing. You shouldn’t be feeling bad about it.”

Woah, complete mood change much? “Trixie, she was my first real friend here.”

“And look who isn’t here now!” she snarls back. “Not that it matters, Trixie already knows how this will turn out."

“I, wait… What is that supposed to mean?”

“Let’s just say that Trixie knows the current you well enough and leave it at that,” she says vaguely… What is with you and the vague crap today!?

*Creak* the big, fence door suddenly roars to life, making me remember we are here for a reason. I turn towards it, and watch as it mechanically slides open. Behind it, I notice a girl standing righ- OH, COME ON!

I... Ugh.

The girl simply stands there, with her hands in her pockets of a lab coat which looks like it could use a wash, I could say the same about her hair, which is tied in a lazy attempt at styling. And her glasses? Broken through the middle, and held by a dirty looking tape -- This is a girl who shows lack of interest in her own appearance, at least at this moment.

Because despite the way she looks today, the girl standing there is the human Twilight Sparkle I met months before.

God, just… Shoot me now.

She looks at us with an examining gaze, almost as if she were studying us -I wouldn’t put it past her, being Twilight and all- her face remaining neutral and emotionless. “So, you three are Mr. Heart’s guests?” she finally asks, her tone completely neutral, clearly showing she doesn’t remember who I am… I don’t know whether to be happy, or cry uncontrollably.

“Y-yes,” I barely reply. Crying it is. “I mean… We are,” I say, wiping the incoming tears away.

“I see,” she replies, not noticing my reaction, she instead looks over to Flash and Trixie who remain silent, staring back at her… Aaaand still staring a good few seconds. I’m starting to feel like a fourth wheel. “Very well, follow me,” she finally says, urging us to follow.

We walk the unknown roads of the school grounds, taking the chance to partake in an indirect tour, I look around with awe, as everything looks akin to a small fancy college -which it could also be- there are only a handful of girls walking around, so I guess Saturday school for a private school isn't a recurring thing.

This is completely irrelevant to the situation at hand, but I am far too nervous to say something to Twilight… I should really say something.

“Um, so, Ms. Twilight, do you work here?” I say that’s a good question to start with, right? And she won't be suspicious!

She turns around, holding a glare. “How did you know my name?”

“Um,” oh wait! She didn't tell us her name! Oh god, oh god, um, think, think! “I saw your… Name… Tag?” I squeak, holding my best pokerface.

She -holy shit- looks down at her coat, and right there, to my insanely lucky ass, is a moderately visible nametag with picture and all, her name plastered big enough to be readable. “Ugh… How did I forget,” with a grunt, she pulls on the tag, and haphazardly shoves it into a pocket.

“Um, sorry?” I apologize.

She sighs and turns to me. “If you must know, I’m here furthering my studies, and to that extent, doing this is taking my valuable time, so let’s just get this over with,” she groans, continuing the walk.

“R-right,” we turn and follow a smaller road, climbing a couple of stairs leading up to a bigger building in the back, with Human Twilight silently muttering the rest of the road. Complaining aside, we make it there easily enough. “Here you go, he should be inside.”

I thank her, and watch as she instantly turns to leave. “Wait!” I call for her, stopping her.

She turns around with a scowl and crosses her arms. “What now?” I'm now questioning my brain.

“Um, well, you... Said! That's right! You said that you didn’t wanna waste your time, then how come you were the one to show us here, huh?” I ask. Lemon Lime is best liar.

She smirks amusedly and shakes her head slightly. “Probably so I could get some air… Teachers don’t like me staying inside twenty-four/seven,” she puts a hand through her hair, sighing. “Is that all? Or are you going to continue your interrogation?”

I slowly nod once, and she turns around and leaves without another word. I just watch as she slowly makes her way down the road and disappears behind a building. Huh, It’s strange, I mean, I should have been more nervous after seeing her again, but for some reason I don’t… Maybe it's just that human Twilight is a biiiitch.

“Lemon!” Trixie calls. And by call, I mean, she pulls on my ear. Hard.

“Ouououououch! Geez,” I push her hand away, feeling the tears brimming in my eyes. “Come on! You interrupted my mental introspection! It was smart and all that jazz!”

“It looked like you were staring at Twilight rather than us,” Flash laughs.

“Yeah, well, I was talking to her, you guys didn’t say anything… Speaking of, why didn’t you guys say anything?” I argue back.

They look at each other, and without wasting time, they reply. “No reason.”

I roll my eyes, and wasting no time, I head for the double doors. “Let’s get this over with.” I slowly push the doors open, revealing a huge lobby behind, the first thing I notice is the front desk, which happens to be empty right now. Then, the rest of the building becomes apparent as rows upon rows of books are around... Geez, not even Golden Oaks had this many books.

“What is is with you people and libraries,” Trixie notes, pointing at the numerous bookshelves set around. “Not even Trixie would hang out in a library on the weekend.”

“Well, my dear, some of us are just boring like that,” a voice says loudly, breaking through the silence of the library, I look around, and from one of the halls, a person comes out with a book in hand, his balding blue scalp shining in the bit of light entering the windows.

“You…” I say, breathing becoming suddenly difficult. That voice… That’s John Dewhatever's voice for sure.

“Correct, I am me. Although I’m sure that’s obvious,“ he starts, chuckling at his own 'jpke'. “But if you were referring to whom I am, that would be Harmonius Heart, yes,” he looks at us his lips twisting into a smirk. “I can gather that you three are the ones looking for me?“

“That would be correct,“ Flash answers.

“I see. But I believe there is a certain young lady missing… I thought that Fluttershy would be here,” he says with a disappointed tone.

“Unfortunately, she isn’t here, sir,” Flash explains.

“Dude!” I hiss, taking the opportunity to get some payback with my elbow. “Da hell?”

“Do you really expect him to believe us?” he explains. “We might as well be transparent about the issue.”

Heart grins amused. “Well, I can respect honesty, but the fact remains that I’ve been already lied to.”

Before I can say anything, Trixie quickly steps forward. “It was T- I mean, I pretended to be Fluttershy. I’m sorry,” she apologizes with her head down.

“Hmm… I knew you looked familiar, well, well, if it isn’t Trixie Lulamoon,” he notes, to Trixie’s surprise.

“How did you…”

“You are one of the highest ranked students at Canterlot High, I've heard of you, young lady. You are quite the studious one,” he notes.

“Oh, t-thank you, sir,” Trixie says with a blush, looking down like a tomato… Wait, let me try that analogy again…

“Which means that you must be Lemon Lime, correct?” he points towards me… Wait.

”Huh? What? How would you know who I am?” I ask concerned. I get the feeling that it wasn’t just a guess.

“Well, Fluttershy told me quite a bit about you in her latest letter, more than enough, in fact,” wait, was that anger in his voice? “In any case, she doesn’t usually talk about people other than her other four friends… And animals, of course,” he laughs. “And this is out of the topic, but she has been rather happy lately thanks to you, whatever it is you did, you helped her accept something about herself, and for that, I thank you,” he thanks me with a bow and all that jazz.

“U-um, you are welcome…” geez, I’m not THAT great…

“And you… Pardon, but Fluttershy didn’t speak of another male friend of hers, unless you happen to be Pinkie Pie,” he suggests, chortling weakly.

“No!” I cut in quickly. “For one, Pinkie is actually cute, er, I mean, he isn’t Pinkie, she is, um, occupied, yeah…” whoops, I can already feel Trixie’s gaze piercing a hole on my head.

“Um, no sir, I’m Flash Sentry,” Flash says unfazed, stretching his hand to Heart.

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sentry,” Heart says, returning the handshake.

“See? He isn’t bad like you said,” Trixie whispers. “Are you ready to accept that this person isn’t who you believe he is?”

“No! Not yet,” I reply. “We need to talk to him some more!”

“Well, since dear Fluttershy isn’t here, does that mean there is something I can help you with?" he asks, eyeing us curiously.

I quickly notice Flash and Trixie staring at me attentively, as if waiting for something. Heart himself catches on and stares too, and I feel like I am being thoroughly violated right now. “… What!? What are you all looking at?”

“What do you mean what!?” Trixie growls. “You said you wanted to speak with him! Well, speak!”

“Um…” I freeze. I scratch my head awkwardly, not knowing what to say. “Is it a bad time to say that I didn’t really plan to get this far?”

…

Silent stares are the only response I receive.

Heart lets out a brief laugh, nodding his head. “Well, if that’s the case, what if you think about it over some tea? I do have some in my room,” he suggests.

I give him a questioning look. “Wait… Aren’t you going to kick us out? Since we lied to get he-” I come to a grinding halt, as Trixie -take a guess- elbows my ribs. “Ouch, my god! Again with the hitting! Stop with the hitting!”

“What Lemon means to say is that we would gladly take you up on your offer,” she says in a calm tone. “Thank you.”

“Of course! Follow me, we’ll have to walk a bit, but nothing too bad,” he says, passing us as he heads to the exit.

“Hmm,” I stare at him unconvinced. “I don’t buy it, he has to be hiding something.”

“Lemon,” Flash appears next to me, rolling his eyes. “Just give it up, or at least let him gives us some tea first, maybe you’ll find out that he isn’t that bad!”

“… Fine, let’s just go.” And so I begrudgingly go along with the crowd, walking outside again to a darker outside, the sun beginning to set in the distance, marking the end of the daylight. This feels very ominous.

Not to mention I’m STILL walking.

“Mr. Heart,” I call, getting the attention of the old man. “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but how come we weren’t driven in here by that woman? I mean, she did drive us to the entrance. It would have made it easier to reach you.”

Unexpectedly, he gives me a quizzical look, and scratching his head, he shrugs. “Whatever do you mean? Your visit was a surprise, so I didn’t send for anyone to pick you up, and for that matter, who is this woman you speak of?”

Flash and Trixie turn their eyes to me, giving me looks of concern. “I see… I really don’t know what to tell you,” frowning, I look back into what happened, and I have to ask -- if she didn’t work for Heart, then who was she? And why did she bring us here?

Welcome to the list of things that don’t make any sense to me, maybe it can work with Chryssa’s sudden, maddened rage to figure each other out, Celestia forbid it would do me a favor.

A few minutes later, we enter an old looking building near the back of the campus, I guess it’s a dorm of some sort, but outside its decrepit state, this looks like every other building here.

“This used to be a dorm for the teachers who first began passing their knowledge here over four decades ago,” Heart explains as we stop by a random door on the second floor. “It isn’t used quite as often nowadays, so it’s a perfect place for me to stay,” he opens the door wide, and points inside. “And so, I welcome you all to my temporal abode!”

“What,” I mouth off in disbelief. What outside looked like a low rent living apartment has a feel of a very stylish office on the inside. “How even…?”

“Well, I have been using this building for a good time now, I have added my own touches through the years,” he says, putting his book on a shelf by the entrance. “Come now! Sit down, I’ll go ahead and make us some tea!”

We do as we are told, sitting on a couch in the middle of the room. And as Heart i- Oh, screw it, I hate that name. As DISCORD goes to the next room to make tea, I use the time to examine the place, noticing another door. “Why is there a door leading to the next room over?” I quietly ask the pair sitting to each side of me.

“Trixie believes that maybe the room has been expanded to the one over. There is no bed after all,” she explains, pointing at the room we are in. “Mr. Heart seems to have made this his home in the city.”

I groan audibly. “Real talk? I don’t really like the ‘Heart’ name he seems to have given himself, it’s just too weird after knowing him by something else.”

“What are you babbling about?” Trixie questions. “What else would you know him for? You don‘t mean that ‘Discord’ name, do you?”

“Of course I do!” I mean, what else would I know him for? “Besides, Discord sounds much cooler than Harmonious Heart, right?”

“Which has yet to be proven! Trixie would prefer you called him He-” *Crash* “What was that!?”

We all turn our heads quickly to the source of the noise, and notice Discord picking up a broken cup from the floor.

“Oh, pardon me, I seem to have dropped a cup,” he apologizes, quickly picking up the remains.

From that point on, our conversation dies, and we simply wait as he brings out the tea and sits with us, and… Okay, I hate to admit it, but he is a rather pleasant man, we speak of trivial things for the following hour, and he listens to us intently, adding his own thoughts every once in a while. To be honest, nothing I ask him brings a sense of impending chaotic doom, so I'm soon out of any subtle ammo against him.

Phenomenal...

We continue conversing, and we would have kept going If my phone hadn't beeped, signaling a message from mom and pretty much marking the end of the visit.

“Well, that’s too bad,” Heart says with a sad tone as he leads us out. “Are you sure you’ll be fine going back on your own?”

“Yes sir, we saw where we came from and we have our own vehicle, thank you,” Flash reiterates.

“Ah, very well, it was nice to meet you three, have a pleasant trip!” he pats my shoulder rather hard, nearly making me trip. This guy is strong for his age! … Whatever that may be. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

And so, we say our goodbyes, and before we know it, we are back in Trixie’s vehicle, driving down the highway.

“Well, what do you have to say, Lime?” Trixie suddenly asks with a satisfied grin.

“Fine, fine,” I begrudgingly give in. “He was really nice! You were right!” I groan annoyed. Trixie doesn’t notice it, but it’s starting to hit me that maybe, just maybe, there isn’t a way back to my own world. “Just drop it, okay?”

She rolls her eyes annoyed. “No need for the attitude, Lemon.”

“No n- No need!?” I say in disbelief. “Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t know that with my last hope gone my attitude wasn’t warranted!”

Trixie shoots me a quick glare, quickly returning her sight to the front. “It isn’t Trixie’s fault that Mr. Heart wasn’t this ‘Discord’ person, don’t take it out on her!”

”Hmm?” Flash hums from the back, patting my shoulder.

“Flash! The adults are talking!” I grunt, pushing his hand away.

“Talk? You are just shouting everything,” Trixie continues as if uninterrupted.

“I’m still talking!” I shoot back. “See? My voice isn’t shouty, or anything!”

“Guys?” Flash calls again.

“Shut it, Sentry!” Trixie says this time. “And it's called a hyperbole, don't argue that with Trixie!”

I bare my teeth at her, hoping that the image isn’t as ridiculous as it is in my head. “Joke’s on you, I don’t even know what that means!”

“Wouldn’t be the first thing!”

“Why do you always have to argue with me!?”

“Shut up!” Flash shouts, submitting us into a surprised silence. “Will you just listen!?”

“What!?” both Trixie and I say in a normal, but irritated voice. No shouting!

“Just… Look,” he sighs, handing me a piece of paper.

“What is this?” I ask, looking at the paper.

“Just read it!” he orders.

"Psst, rude," I turn the paper around, noticing a couple written words on it. After fumbling around with it for a couple of seconds, I notice a message.

…

“Wait, what?”

Trixie turns her head to me in confusion. “What’s the matter? Trixie is confused.”

“Let’s just say that we are taking a field trip before going home, get ready to change directions,” I take out my phone and load the map app.

“What? Where to?” she asks, shaking her head in confusion.

I can‘t help but grin as I turn to tell her. “Rainbow Falls park, this day isn‘t over yet.”

~~~~~

“Fine, alright, I get it. You have to help Trixie. Just please promise me you’ll come right back, alright?”

I sigh in relief. “Yes mom, I will.”

“Oh, an-” she cuts off, her voice sounding far off. Possibly conversing with dad. “And don’t forget to use protection! Bye!” *beep* I… God dammit.

Flash watches me as I put my phone away. “So, what did they say?”

“They are okay with it,” I say, giving him a thumbs up. “So now all we have to do is wait,."

Trixie remains silent, tapping her feet impatiently. “Trixie doesn’t like this… What if this is a trap?” she says with a quiver in her voice.

“Trixie, we are in a public park,” I point out, noting the trees surrounding us, although I have to admit that the twilight is rather gloomy as the sun fully sets in the horizon. “Besides, we are both here!”

“Is that supposed to make Trixie feel better,” shs huffs, turning her face away. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but having Pinkie here would have made it more bearable.”

“Yeah…” I can’t help but agree. She was always trying her best to cheer us up.

“Psst, you would like that,” she harrumphs annoyed.

"Here we go again!" I snap with increasing annoyance. “What is that supposed to mean?”

She steals a glance for a second, but she doesn‘t keep it, simply choosing to remain attentive of my good looks. “Trixie wonders that herself…”

*Rustle*

Flash bolts coolly into action, stepping in front of us both. “Alright guys, look sharp.”

We stare at a pair of bushes rustling, I gulp as it continues moving, whatever it’s behind taking its sweet time, until finally, a person bursts out of it.

“Accursed bushes,” complaints the indistinguishable form of Harmonious Heart, who quickly proceeds to clean slivers of grass from his suit.

“Mr. Heart,” I say his name, moving in front of Flash. “Hey again.”

He nods respectfully. “Greetings, I figure you got my message?”

I reach into my pocket and take out the note, holding it in front of him. “Meet me at Rainbow Falls park in an hour. All of you should come. Signed, Heart,” I read the note out loud for him to hear. “Yes, I say we did, what is this all about?”

He nods. “I will get straight to the point,” he begins pacing around, holding his chin thoughtfully. “Young Trixie referred to me by another name earlier, did she not?”

“You mean ‘Discord,’” I say out loud to get to the issue. “Is that it?”

“Hmm…” he stays serious, turning his back to us. “I see, so I didn’t imagine it then, did I?”

“No sir,” Flash joins, appearing interested all of a sudden. “Is that important? Maybe you could tell us what that’s all about, please.”

Heart begins laugh in a low voice, shaking his head. “I’ll start by saying that I can’t believe I would hear that name again, it’s been long, I must admit.”

This time Trixie bolts upright, pushing herself to the front. “So you really are…?”

Heart continues in a low voice. “You are all good kids, you know that?”

I get a sudden tingle in my back at his words, and hesitantly, I ask. “Why are you saying that?”

He turns around slowly, his face showing a disconcerting smile, but most terrifyingly, is his hand, which brandishes a small handgun now pointed at us. “Because we are all going to regret what’s going to happen here, of course.”

We all freeze in place at the sight of the gun, but I can’t help but let out something as I stare at the barrel of the gun.

“Arr, I fucking called it!”

*Bang*

Author's Note

*logs in again after forgetting author's note*

OkAy! This chapter went through MAJOR changes as I wrote it. It was meant to be a single part, but due to some ideas that came to my noggin last minute, I decided to tie this with the following chapter.

Gonna be honest, it made finishing this hell... Comparatively speaking, of course.

That being said, it's better than what I had originally planned. But as always, I hope you enjoyed this, and tell me what you think! I always welcome any nice comments and criticism!

A Slice of the Pie

*Bang*

“Ah!” I yelp in utter horror, looking down and seeing a small trail of smoke rising to the air where the bullet just hit the floor. “W-woah!”

“Lemon!” the others shout worriedly, running to my side.

“Whoops! My finger slipped,” the one whom I will now simply refer to as Discord says, laughing like a kid who did something silly. Yeah, silly you. Firing that gun and nearly killing me. You silly, silly cunt.

“You sure did,” it slips out of my mouth. Sometimes I just can’t stop myself.

“Oh, I am serious,” he laughs again. “I was aiming at your foot,” he finishes glaring at me, causing us all to take a simultaneous step back. Fear? Yes, I am actually afraid right now. “But enough playing around,” he says, looking at Trixie. “Now tell me, where in the world did you hear the name of ‘Discord’ um?” he asks with a low growl in his voice, as he moves towards us and easily pushes Flash and I aside.

“W-well, I mean,” Trixie mumbles nervously. “Tr-I-I just heard it! I don’t know when! I-I…”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Discord waggles his finger, pointing the gun at her. “Lying again? I wouldn‘t suggest that,” he says with a disapproving glare.

“Mr. Heart!” Flash jumps in the middle of them. “Please! Is this what someone like you is supposed to do? What would Fluttershy think?“ he says with desperation.

Unexpectedly, Discord‘s gaze softens as he backs away from us. “F-Fluttershy,“ he whispers softly, holding his head.

“Wait, what?” I ask in total shock. Whatever, I’ll take it!

“No!” he suddenly shouts. “Come on! Are you honestly going to fall for something so obvious?” he says to him… self. What.

“Is he talking to himself?” Trixie asks, repeating the question we all have.

“But… They are just kids!” he continues as if uninterrupted. “We can make them promise to keep quiet!” he suggests. I like that! Let’s do that! “No! “ he quickly replies, dashing my hopes away. “Do you even think you can trust them? Specially when it’s obvious they are just liars… Isn’t that right, Ms. Trixie?”

Trixie merely gulps nervously. Honestly, I don’t think anything she says at this point will help her. We are running out of time.

“… I can’t do this to them!” he continues with whatever struggle he has with himself. “Why is this happening? They said we’d be able to forget that name! I was promised this fifteen years ago!” Discord says again to himself, looking conflicted.

“Wait,” I mull to myself. “Fifteen years?” I look up, seeing Discord suddenly standing in front of me “Ah!”

“Oh, yes. Fifteen years ago… It was certainly a funny thing…” he says while he glowers at me with those… wait, did his eyes turn yellow? “But I’ve never met you before, how is that any relevant to you?” well, guess that he wasn’t the one who brought me to this world then -- although at this moment that isn’t one of my main concerns.

“Um, I learned it from a certain woman,” I reply as honestly as I can without sounding fake, I don’t think lying outright would help me at this point.

“A woman, huh?” he looks thoughtful, holding the gun as if it were a mere toy, tapping it against his chin. “Didn’t know that using a kid was something she would do.”

“Oh?” wait, does he actually know Chryssa?

“Guess this’ll be a good message to deliver to her, don‘t you think?” he continues, suddenly aiming his gun at me. “Sorry kid, nothing personal.”

So great! Now I’m staring down the barrel of a gun, what could possibly be the last thing I might ever see. I would scream, but I’m far to scared to do it, so I just close my eyes, I‘m just gonna let this happen. Now, I wonder… will I dream?

…

Will I?

…

Maybe I would find out if he didn't take so long!

Slowly, I open an eye to check, seeing the silhouette of someone next to him. “Huh?” I mumble surprised, noticing someone I never expected to see suddenly in front of me. “Y-you?”

“That’s not very nice,” says none other than Mud herself who has pushed Discord’s gun holding hand from me.

“Wha-” Discord starts surprised, but is unable to act as Mud suddenly lifts her foot and kicks the gun away, sending it flying towards the nearby bushes. “What!?” noticing his sudden disadvantage, he proceeds to attempt to punch Mud, but she easily jumps away from it.

“Lemon!” I hear Flash call behind me, grabbing my arm and dragging me away. “Come on!” I turn to meet him and notice Trixie standing with him, looking as confused as I am.

“So I figure you guys have no idea what’s going on, do you?” I ask, and the shaking of their heads is very much an expected answer. “Thought so.”

We turn to watch Discord and Mud, who seem to be having an epic stare-off of sorts, simply standing a few feet apart of each other, trading expressions… Or in Mud’s case ‘an’ expression.

“Well, this is too bad,” Discord says calmly, taking a deep breath.

“Stop this,” Trixie says, popping up next to me. “You’ve already lost.”

“Ugh, how I hate clichés…” he gags, shaking his head. “But you are right, I can‘t see myself getting out of this one, meaning I don’t have anything to lose anymore,” as he says this, he turns to us, and without notice he begins running… directly to us!

“What?” I yelp, managing to notice Discord reach into his jacket as he runs, taking out what is very clearly a switchblade.

A VERY pointy switchblade.

“Stop!” Mud shouts, running right after him… Yeah, she isn‘t reaching us in time.

“Run!” I tell the others, although I’m sure that they don’t need me to tell them to run from the crazed man with a knife.

“Nothing personal!” I hear him laugh right behind me, and my mind suddenly goes blank as I feel something suddenly that begins poking into me. So this is how it ends…

… But to my surprise, I find myself simply tumbling forward, falling to the ground as someone pushes me away.

“Aah!” I cry out as I fall flat on the rough ground. “W-what just happened?” I ask out loud, turning quickly, I check my body for signs of any damage but I find none. “How?” Confused, I look up, noticing someone I never expected standing in front of me.

Right there, stands the unmistakable form of Pinkie Pie, her hair is Pinkamena straight as I had heard before, but I recognize her usual outfit. It’s really her!

“Pinkie!” I hear Mud and the others shouting out, their voices sounding hoarse and terrified, and I quickly notice why.

“W-what?” I see a small trail of blood falling from her, and my eyes quickly follow it, arriving to where it’s coming from; a knife which is stuck in her. “P-Pinkie Pie!?”

She turns her head slowly towards me, smiling weakly. “L-Lemon,” she manages to say before her eyes roll back, and she begins to tumble to the ground.

“Pinkie Pie!“ wasting no time, I bolt upright, carefully catching her in my arms. As she lands, I feel her body shaking, her breathing coming out in rasped breaths, and I see the knife clearly piercing some part of her stomach. “Oh my god… Oh my god!”

“P-Pinkie Pie?” Discord mumbles in disbelief. “Y-you are Fluttershy’s friend! I-I didn’t mean t-” not noticing it, Mud manages to come up from behind him, punching him square in the face and sending him flying to the side, where he lands already unconscious.

“Pinkie…” I mumble, grabbing her hand. “How? Why…”

Despite her condition, she slowly opens her eyes, breathing heavily. “L-Lemon,” she says again, smiling weakly before she slowly closes her eyes again, and moves no more.

I feel my heart sink as her hand goes numb in mine. “P-Pinkie? Pinkie!”

~~~~~

The past several hours have been a very inconsistent blur.

Next thing I know, I find myself in a hospital lobby, looking at the clock over me which ticks, ever so slowly moving forward, with the last consistent memory left in my head being that of my parents leaving me here with some words by mom before she headed off.

Don’t lose hope.

“Hope is all I have,” I sigh, looking up to the clock for what feels like the umpteenth time, unable to tell how long it has been so far The fact that no doctor has come to tell me in a while doesn‘t help. “Dammit!”

“Lemon?”

“Ah!“ I look up at the voice, finding a serious looking Applejack standing in front of me. “Oh, great,” I groan. “What do you want? Here to berate me? Blame me for what happened? I figure you already know.”

“Nice to see you too.”

“Whatever.”

She sighs, taking the seat next to me. “Look, Ah’ don’t even know what exactly happened last night, and Ah’ don’t plan to ask you, the story will come at some point, it’s not what matters right now.”

“So it happened last night, huh?” I mean, of course it did, but it sure feels like it happened days ago."

“Of course it did… Are you okay?” she asks me worriedly.

“Oh right, sorry,” I laugh miserably. “To be honest, everything is a bit fuzzy since, well, I mean, I don’t know why Pinkie was there, I don’t know why Dis- I mean, Heart, tried to… You know?” I turn to her nervously, but she doesn’t seem to mind my small mess-up. Thankfully, the others aren’t brain-dead like me to mess that up when they talk to the police, and I’m sure they are smart enough not to let something slip-up about his name. Good thing I wasn't in the best position to talk.

Not too sure about Discord himself, but he can just go die. I hope he does.

“And the doctors? What have they said about her condition?” she asks with a careful tone.

“I think she is still in intensive care… I recall one doctor saying they would inform me if anything were to change, but they wouldn’t let me in… Her family is with her right now though, or so they say,” I vaguely explain. At least things seem to be coming back to me in random bursts.

“Good to know! We’ll get to talk to her later, and she’ll be her cheery self again, we can ask her all we want once she is out, alright?” she says, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “She will be fine.”

I turn to her with a sad smile. “Yeah, I really hope so.”

We remain silent after that which I am thankful for, I do feel a bit awkward sitting with AJ after having her ignore me for the past month or so, so I turn my head away to the window, stealing a glance outside and noticing the sun setting… Wait, it‘s rising. “Hold on, shouldn’t you be in school?

“Was,” she replies. “Usually hitch a ride to school early with Granny since she serves breakfast, Flash and Trixie found me and Ah’ was the first one to be given permission to leave.”

“So that’s where they have been…” I mutter to myself. They could‘ve used a phone, but I figure they wanted to tell it live. Whatever. “Where are they now, then?”

“Before we came in, Flash was headed to inform the Principal about the issue, apparently Pinkie‘s family didn‘t do that.”

“Understandable. And Trixie?”

“She went looking for the others,” she said, checking her phone. “Ah’ figure they’ll be here any minute now.”

“What do you mean I can’t see her!? I’m her friend!” we hear someone shout down the hall.

“Speaking of,” AJ mutters. “Sounds like Rainbow Dash is here now.”

“She doesn’t sound too happy,” I note, although I figure she wouldn’t be. I know I’m not.

“Fine! Be like that! I‘ll wait!” we hear her shout again, followed by her probably stomping her feet by the sound of it, and seconds later, we see hear appear from the corner, noticing us instantly. “You!”

“Huh?” I mumble confused, and before I can ask whom she is referring to, she is on me, grabbing the collar of my shirt and lifting me up easily.

“You son of a…” she groans, staring angrily. “You did this!”

“Rainbow! Put him down!” AJ orders, attempting to break Rainbow’s grip, but failing miserably. “Darn it girl! You are making a scene!”

“Oh, I’ll make a scene alright!” she growls, pulling me closer to her. “Why didn’t you protect her!? I thought she was your friend!”

I clench my fist, glaring at her. “Let. Me. Go!” I order her with gritted teeth.

“I will,“ she whispers. “Right after I beat you up, buddy!”

“I said to let me go!” I shout, tilting my head back before slamming my forehead on hers with a terrible attempt at a head butt. Everything goes dark for a second, but it seems to have worked, as I tumble back, landing on my ass, feeling the pain of the hit as I do. “Aaargh…”

“Cut it out!” AJ says disapprovingly. “You are both acting like children!”

Rainbow hisses too, her hand holding a reddish spot where I assume my head collided with hers. “Whatever! He knows what he did!”

“Yes, I know, okay!?” I shout at Dash, who leans back clearly taken aback by my outburst. “I know that this wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gone there! It shouldn‘t have… but it was her… it was her! And I just, I…” I stop, turning my back to them and running away.

“Lemon, wait!” I hear AJ shout after me, but I ignore it.

Running is all I want to do right now.

…

I stop running five minutes later, having gone far enough to leave the hospital behind. “Oh god,” although the fact that I’m coughing uncontrollably certainly helped to that.

*Beep* “Ah!” I yelp, noticing my suddenly beeping phone, the small light bulb showing a message having come through. “Who?” I open the phone, noticing the message symbol with Applejack’s photo. “Whatever,” I roll my eyes. “She probably just wants me go back.”

Or maybe…

“Maybe…”

Or maybe it‘s about Pinkie…

…

“No!” I pull back my arm, tossing the phone to the ground and watching it shatter into pieces. As I stare at its remains, I can only wonder. Why is this happening? This was never supposed to happen! We were just hanging out! We were just trying to get me back! This all had been only me trying to go to Equestria! Then home! “Where did I go wrong…?”

“Mr. Lime?”

“Fuck!“ I curse surprised at the voice, looking up quickly for its source. “What…?” Vice-Principal Luna stands nearby, giving me a very serious look. “L-Luna?”

“Morning,” she greets me with a simple wave.

“H-how long have you been there?”

“Long enough,” she says as she opens the door to a car next to her and waves me in. “Come.”

“What…” I don’t like where this is going, I already had to fight a fucking psycho, but now I have Luna who might be evil too. What if it is just a façade? Just like with Dis-… Him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t take you back to the hospital if you don‘t want.”

“That isn‘t really the issu-” wait, what am I doing? Do I really have anything more to lose by risking it? At this point at least I‘m not putting others in danger.“… Alright, whatever.”

So, I do as I’m told, getting in the car and driving away with Luna who remains silent as we head to, um, places? I don’t know. But she kept her promise, not even bothering driving close to the hospital, so I suppose that’s a good start to her not being inexplicably evil. This happens for what feels like hours, which it probably was, and makes it long enough for me to ask a question after so much uncomfortable silence.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” I ask in a feeble attempt at conversing.

“Funny question coming from you, Mr. Lime,” Luna chuckles, keeping her eyes on the road. “Don’t you worry, we got the call from your father, although we were never told what had happened until Mr. Sentry informed us earlier today.”

“Is that why you were here?”

“Yes,” she sighs sadly, dropping the smile in an instant. “I was shocked when I heard it, so I asked Cele- I mean, the Principal, to let me come see her.”

“That sounds like something against school policies,” I point out.

“Screw the policies,” she growls, surprising me, and herself for that matter, if the look of disbelief tells me what it‘s showing. “Goodness, I’m so sorry, that is very unbecoming of me!”

“Don’t apologize, I could say the same thing, honestly,” I agree. “If I wanted to go back, I mean.”

“Lemon!” she says disapprovingly, but quickly sighs. “Are you afraid of what might happen to Pinkie?"

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Lemon.”

“Drop it.”

“If you are scare-”

“I say drop it!” I shout at her, but get no reaction from her other than an apathetic stare.

“You can’t run away from this, you know?” she says calmly. “You will have to find out.”

“I know!” I shout, just as I feel my eyes quivering and the hot feeling of tears streaming down my face as I try to respond further. I feel a torrent of emotions run through this stupid teenage body, one that despite having been able to control emotionally before, I can’t seem to control now. “It’s all my fault! I-if I hadn’t gone to meet Heart, she would be okay! She would still be her cheery self! It should have been me! And she woul-”

“Be in your situation right now,” she cuts me off.

I look up surprised, blinking at what she just said. “W-what?”

“If you want to find out what I mean, you need to ask Pinkie yourself,” she says simply, looking out my window. “All I will say that Pinkie Pie is… Not quite the girl she always appears to be, just remember that.”

“I don’t understand, what are you saying?”

“There is a reason why she avoided you all this time, what reason that is? I do not know, but I’ve known her for a long time, I can read her as a book,” she continues. “I know she’ll be fine, and you will understand.”

“A long time? Wait, did you know her before high school? And understand what?” the questions keep piling up, and confusion seems to be my only response. It’s become a trend at this point.

“Now please, promise you won‘t tell my sister,” she says out of nowhere, and for some reason, she is placing her hands on me in a creepily bad tou-

“Whoa!” I yelp as she pushes me out of the car into the pavement, and with great confusion, watch her drive away. “Huh? What? When?” I look around, realizing that I’m sitting in the hospital’s parking lot. “You bitch! I’m so telling her! And how did she open the door!?”

“That would be I,” I turn to meet the voice, noticing Trixie standing with her arms crossed. I’m caught off guard by her rather casual outfit, forgoing her usual jacket and skirt combo for a simpler blouse and a pair of skinny jeans.

I’m really not sure why I’m focusing on her clothes right now. “Trixie? What are you…”

“Come on,” she says, promptly helping me on my feet and grabbing my hand. “Follow Trixie.”

“Wai-“ she pulls my hand without bothering to listen, dragging me back into the hospital and getting into the elevator. “Wait… Where are we going?“ I ask fearfully, feeling a sense of dread at her stoic demeanor. “I-is Pinkie…?”

“Pie? Fine? She is. In fact, we are going to visit her right now,” she replies, the feeling of dread now replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling and a stupid smile to accompany it.

“What about everyone else? Are they in the room?” I ask, recalling what Applejack told me.

“All downstairs.”

“Why?”

“You would know if you had answered your phone, Applejack tried to call you, but you never replied,” she reprimands me.

“O-oh… well, my phone is a little out of commission,” I explain.

“Out of commission?”

“Out of commission!”

“Hmm…” she mumbles, clearly questioning me, but not pursuing the matter any further, thankfully. “Well, in any case, Pie is fine, we are nearly at her floor, actually.”

“Why do you keep calling her Pie?” I ask just as the elevator stops. “Hey, we are he-”

“Shh!” she quiets me just as the elevator’s door opens. “Come on!” she hurries me along, grabbing my hand and rushing through the halls while I’m barely unable to keep up her pace.

“What’s going on?” I whisper in confusion, nearly falling down more than I care to admit. “Why are we running?”

“I said quiet!” she orders me, and before I can correct her on what she said, we stop near a room. She looks around for a few seconds and whispers. “Psst, we are here!”

I raise a brow in confusion. “Who are you calli-” just as I say that, I notice the familiar slender form of yellow quiet pop up from out of nowhere. “Fluttershy? What are you doing here? What’s going on?”

“Redeeming myself after being so rude, now hurry!” she says quickly.

“Hurry what?” I ask utterly lost. “Will somebody explain?”

Trixie puts her hand over mine. “All you need to know is that she is behind that door, go for it!“ she urges me with a smile before suddenly walking away.

“Wait, what?” I mumble in puzzlement, looking down at my hand and noticing a familiar pink pendant. “Wait a minute… Hold on!”

I stretch my hand, taking hold of Trixie’s shoulder, she attempts to violently shake it off, turning to me with a scowl, baring her teeth in a seemingly random display.

“Let go of me, Lime!” she orders, suddenly angry.

“Not until you explain this,” I note, holding the pendant close to her. “Isn‘t this yours?”

“Um, guys?” Fluttershy calls quietly, but she can wait.

“It doesn’t matter,” Trixie harrumphs.

“Or course it matters! I gave this to you!”

“You should go in there now…” Fluttershy continues. Ignoring you.

“And Trixie is giving it back, it’s ugly, she didn’t want it!” Trixie replies.

“What? But you liked it! Trixie, what’s going on?”

“I’m sorry!” Fluttershy apologizes, and before I can take notice of what’s happening, she has pushed both Trixie and I into the room, closing the door and heading outside, I mean, what the heck was th-

“Fluttershy? I heard voices,” some strange woman behind the door says. “You know no one can go in, the patient needs rest,” well, that explains that.

“Damn it, Lemon!” I look to my side, noticing Trixie whispering angrily. “Why didn’t you just come in on your own?”

“After you gave me the pendant? I don’t think so,” I whisper right back. “Besides… Oh,” I stop, looking right behind me, noticing the pink figure laying on a bed “Is that?”

“Pie? Yes,” Trixie says, getting on her feet. “Still asleep as you can see.”

I let out a sigh of relief before turning to Trixie. “If that’s the case, maybe you can whisper what’s going on with you,” I recommend. I don’t really know how shot up in medical drugs Pinkie is, but if she didn’t wake up to door slamming, I figure it’s enough so that we can hold a conversation without interruption.

“Do you really want to do this now?” she groans.

I walk past her towards the door, locking it. “I think it‘s a good time.”

“Stubborn,” she sighs ironically enough, slumping down on a chair near the entrance. “But Trixie figures she has no way out,” she rubs her forehead and shakes her head, giving me a sign of ‘not’ good things to come.

“So…” I began, hoping ot start something here.

“I’m breaking up with you,” well, that was certainly a ‘not’ good thing.

“Oh,” is all I manage to say in my surprise. I feel a tinge of dread in my chest as I replay the words in my head, a familiar sense of disbelief that I’ve gone through before… At some point. “I-I see. Care to explain why?”

“Because, Lemon,” she starts, chuckling to herself. “I just can’t continue living a lie, especially now that we know for a fact that Pie doesn’t dislike you as we originally thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yesterday all you did was worry about her, continuously wondering, and I won’t lie; I was irritated,” she continues.

“Isn‘t that the effect I usually have on you?” I joke half-laughing, but getting no reaction from her. “Sorry…”

“You thought she disliked you, and yet, you continued worrying about her… It was eye opening to say the least,” she explains, easily ignoring my comment. “And last night’s incident made that more apparent. I’m sure you can recall.“

I wince as the image of the knife stuck in Pinkie returns to my mind, gulping in fear as I recall the blood, and her body turning limp as the life began leaving her body, and then... “I don’t remember much afterwards, but I do remember the, um, ‘event’ itself. I am not forgetting that.”

“Try to remember what happened next,” she suggests. “Naturally, I still recall the events.”

“Alright…” I mumble, closing my eyes and thinking back to it, something seeping into my head. “Well, Mud made a call, I figure it was to the hospital.”

Trixie nods. “She did. And how about Flash and I? What were we doing?”

I close my eyes again. “Well… You two simply stood in place, looking panicked… That’s about it.”

“Indeed. We were terrified,” she points out casually. “Now, do you recall what happened after the ambulance arrived?”

“The ambulance?” I ask surprised, I don‘t really recall the ambulance. “The ambulance…” I hum, closing my eyes once more.

“No! Get your hands away from her! You’ll hurt her! Pinkie! Pinkie!!!”

I open my eyes instantly, turning to Trixie. “D-did I say that?”

“Do you mean the overreaction to the people trying to save Pie? Yes, you certainly did,” she says, easily guessing what I meant. “Which was something that helped me realize how much you really care for her,” she says, getting off her chair and resting against the door.

“You are exaggerating,” I chuckle. “Maybe I was just worried about Pinkie, didn’t you think of that?”

“Of course I did,” Trixie responds, turning and blinking slowly to me. “Which is why I’m going to make this an easy thing for you.”

“H-how do you mean?” I ask feeling nervous. There are many reasons why I should be nervous right now and I will embrace them like a crazy jacket.

“Currently, you are standing right between the bed and I,” she begins. To my surprise, she is actually correct. How the? “The nurse and Fluttershy just left, so we can sneak out without any problem, we could return in a few hours and Pinkie would be none the wiser.”

“Hours?” not gonna lie, I don’t think I have the patience to wait that long. “And I’m confused, how does Fluttershy factor into this? Being outside and all.”

“She volunteers in more places than you think,” she explains quickly. “That’s besides the point! Let me finish!” she hisses angrily.

“Sorry…”

She clears her throat quickly, keeping an ear on the door before she continues. “As I was saying, you can do the former, or you can stay here with Pie and be the first to talk with her without interruptions from anyone, myself included,” her gaze softens, and she smiles. “The choice is yours.”

I stare at her partially shocked, realizing the implications of her words. “Trixie, you can’t be seriously be implying what I think you are implying… And now?”

“You can say it, I’m selfish,” she shrugs. “But I feel this is a good place as any to make you see, and figure out what will happen from here on now,” and with her piece said, she speaks no more.

And so, it’s come to this. As I stand in the middle of the room, I turn to Trixie, who just stares at me without a show of emotion, then I turn to Pinkie Pie, who sleeps, snoring peacefully, all while my mind begins to wond-

“Lemon?”

“Ah!” I yelp in surprise as Trixie breaks my internal monologue. “What? I thought you wanted me to decide!”

“There is no need anymore,“ she shakes her head, smiling sadly.

At this point, my confusion has become a labyrinth that I cannot get out of. “Why!?”

“The fact that you have to think about it at all tells us both enough, don’t you think?”

“Oh,” I mumble, realizing what she means. I suppose being torn over whom I love the most when my current girlfriend is asking is very telling. “I can explain?”

“Lemon,” she says with a serious face.

“Right…” I murmur in a low voice. “I guess this is it then, huh?”

She chuckles to herself, shaking her head. “We argued a lot anyway.”

“Y-yeah…” I agree half-heartedly, but... “Look, I’m sorry, I didn‘t want it to end this way Trixie, an-”

She shakes her head. “Save it, I’ll see you later Lime,” that’s the last thing she says before calmly, walking out the room and leaving me alone (or as alone as I can be with an unconscious Pinkie) I’d like to think that Trixie’s attitude is showing that she will be okay with whatever happens, but I get the feeling that might not be the case.

Call me sexist, but I feel some stereotypes exist for a reason.

Doing my best to ignore what just happened, I put the pendant in my pocket and take a seat next to Pinkie’s sleeping form, unbelieving of the fact our ruckus didn’t wake her up. I simply stare at her, feeling much like a creep, but the happiness I feel over her chest going up and down and showing she is still here certainly helps counter that and the fact that Trixie left me… Mostly. Although I have to admit that Trixie might be right -- I'm way too happy seeing her right now.

Gently grabbing her hand, I chuckle to myself. “Geez, you sure are a heavy sleeper, aren’t you?”

Without warning, Pinkie Pie bolts upright, eyes wide open and staring ahead. She blinks momentarily, turning to the left, and then, turning to the right, where she comes across my face.

Surprised, I greet her with a little wave. “H-hi.”

“Hey,” she replies, looking very surprised, and we just remain silently staring at each other. It must be the fact that I haven’t seen her in a month, but I feel overjoyed to have this awkward stare-off of sorts… It’s also really rare to see Pinkie quiet for more than a millisecond.

*Creak*

Wasting no time, I drop off the chair, leaning back on the overly tall hospital bed. Thank you technology, you have saved me once again.

“Ms. Pie! You are awake!” a nurse’s voice says surprised.

“Y-yeah,” she replies awkwardly. I wish I could see what she is doing, but I’m currently hiding from a freaking nurse.

“I'm Nurse Redheart, I will be your nurse! Would you like to see your family and friends? They are eagerly waiting to see you awake,” the nurse quickly suggests. I already hate you.

“Um, n-no, that’s okay,” Pinkie thankfully replies. “Actually, can you not tell them yet? I’d like some time alone to get my bearings, please?”

A few seconds of silence later, the nurse replies. “Very well, when you are ready, just call me, alright?”

“Yes, thank you,” Pinkie thanks the nurse, and a few seconds later, the door clicks shut. “She is gone,” she whispers moments later.

"I heard," sighing in relief, I relax, letting my feet stretch on the ample floor. Resting against the side of the bed I tilt my head upwards to talk. “So, how are you feeling?”

“I think I'm okay,” she replies, keeping her voice serious… Weird. “And you? Are you hurt?”

“Thanks to you, I’m not,” I say with gratitude. “And not to sound ungrateful, but… Why would you get in the way like you did?”

A few seconds of silence later, she replies. “Cuz.”

“Cuz? Pinkie, a person doesn’t just save another by risking their own with just a ‘cuz’.” I groan at her nonchalant response.

“Because you are my friend, dummy, I had to save you somehow,” she says as if it were a mere fact.

“Odd, last month suggested you hated me,” I know I shouldn’t pressure her, but it's now, or never.

“I-I,” she stutters. “I don’t hate you!” she complains, her tone returning to the Pinkie one I know of. “I just wanted to give you and Trixie some space, that’s it!”

“Ugh,” my relationship wounds, they ache. “W-well, I really wasn’t with her when you ran out of Carousel Boutique, I’m sure you know that, right?”

“… Duh,” she says in a non-playful, defeated tone. “I know that.”

“Then why?” I ask once again. "Why would you even run to begin with?"

“Because,“ I feel her hand pat my head while she continues. “I was being selfish.”

Her answer makes me get on my feet to stare at her in disbelief, unable to see her eyes as her hair fully covers her face. “Pinkie, you are the least selfish person I know, I mean, other than Fluttershy maybe.”

“But I WAS being selfish,” she continues. “Because I didn’t want to see you go!”

“Pardon?”

“That day in Carousel Boutique, when you said you and I could never be together. I realized that you wouldn’t stay here forever, that you would leave, back to your own world,” she says in a low voice, taking deep breaths as she lets the words out.

And I now understand why she did what she did.

“Pinkie, you didn’t have to do that,” I say lamely, being the first thing that comes to mind.

“Didn’t I?” she asks, stifling a laugh. “But I still did! Because I could just pretend you were always there, that you never left, and even if you did, I could say that you just moved somewhere else, o-or that you just decided to hate me and never hear of me again! At least I wouldn’t have to say goodbye!”

“Pinkie, please stop that,” at this point, I’m giving Pinkie a horrified expression, catching catch the hint of a smile behind her hair… But I know Pinkie, and that smile is not a Pinkie smile.

“I-I just can’t say goodbye… I-I can’t do that again! I won’t let it happen!” at this point, she has turned to hysterics, shouting out loud everything she is saying. “Mom… Dad…”

Okay, I’m at a loss. Attempting to do my best to calm her down, I simply place my hands around her, enveloping her in a hug. “Pinkie, please, calm down!” I whisper to her ear. “Please…” thankfully, this seems to do the trick and her shaking stops, turning instead to sobbing silently.

“P-please don’t leave…” she whispers, weakly returning the hug.

Oh, Pinkie.

Just then, the door to the room slams open, revealing the two familiar faces of Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

“What’s going on here!?” Mrs. Cake asks in a demanding tone before noticing me. “You! Get your hands off Pinkie Pie!”

I quickly do as I’m told, I am not up for a conflict. “No, please, I was just…”

“Getting out of here, that’s what!” Mr. Cake says this time, stomping towards me and roughly grabbing my arm.

“Ah! Stop! You are hurting me!” I try to say, but the way he is dragging me nearly makes me trip.

“Dad, let him go!”

The room seems to freeze at the sudden voice, and I feel Mr. Cake’s grip loosen, letting me fall to the ground, grabbing my pained arm, I look around confused… Did the Cakes have a kid that could talk?

“Pinkie…” Mrs. Cake whispers, looking at her, turning to see what she is looking at, I notice Pinkie staring back.

“Don’t be mad at him, mom. He didn’t do anything,” Pinkie frowns, looking at Mrs. Cake sadly.

“Oh, Pinkie,“ I can’t help but let out a smile at Pinkie interfering an- “Wait a minute, did you just call the Cakes ‘mom’ and ‘dad’?”

"Pinkie Pie."

"Ah!" I yelp, noticing Mud suddenly standing right next to me. "How long have you been there? Where did you even come from!?"

"You don't get to ask that!" Mrs. Cake growls, grabbing my other arm and pulling me on my feet. "Out!"

"Don't hurt him!" Pinkie jumps to my defense again, but she instantly pulls herself back, hissing in her pain. "Mud, please!"

"Pinkie," Mud repeats her name, nodding once and tilting her head towards me. "Follow me," she says simply, walking out of the room to the sheer confusion of all present.

"Should I..."

"Go," Mrs. Cake says, letting my arm free. "Just leave us be," and with a parting glare, she walks towards the bed and sits next to Pinkie, whom I steal a last glance from before leaving the room and closing the door.

~~~~~

So, it’s been twenty minutes since we left the room, the two of us have been sitting in a thankfully lone area of the floor, but the silence has been so deafening, well, kinda. Point is that it’s getting awkward.

"Um, Mu-"

"You must have questions."

“Ah!” I yelp caught off-guard by her cutting me off, her voice nearly making me fall off my seat. "Well, I suppose. I wasn't expecting it, but I guess we can start with you. Who even are you?"

"I'm Mud."

"Yes, I know that! I mean like a surname, or something! And what is even Pinkie Pie to you anyway?" I ask all that in my sentence.

"Pie."

"Huh?" I hum confused. "What about her?"

She shakes her head. "It's Pie. My full name is Mud Pie, and Pinkie is a literal sister to me," she answers all I need to know in her own sentence.

Ignoring the obvious joke of ‘Mud Pie’ that comes with the name similarity (har, har) I now ask for permission to freak out. "You are her sister!? Pardon if this sounds insulting, but you two are nothing alike."

Mud doesn't appear fazed, staring with that same vacant look she always seems to have. "She used to be like me, but then she wasn't," wow, very riveting, Mud.

"I... see," I lie, but knowing her personality (or thereof lack of) I'll probably have to fight to get anything less vague out of her. No thanks. "Earlier she called the Cakes 'mom and dad', she didn't call them that before, but now she did. Why?"

She looks at me silently, blinking once. “I don't know, I believe is her own way to cope. Pinkie isn't exactly the girl she always appears to be."

I nod. “So I heard from Lu- um, I mean Vice-Principal Luna,” I say, which just makes the whole thing curious. What does Luna know that I don’t?

"Luna? I see," she nods slowly.

“Huh?” I say with very valid confusion. “You know her?"

“Luna and her sister took care of Pinkie and I before the Cakes,” she explains. “Celestia cared for us until she became the Principal a few years back."

“The principal took care of Pinkie?” I question once, but at least that answers how Luna knows. That would certainly explain the nickname thing they have going.

"Correct, she took care of us both after..." to my surprise, Mud actually stops mid-sentence, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "After our parents and sisters died."

"I'm so sorry," I say sadly, but her words pretty much confirms what was already obvious to me -- Pinkie’s family is actually dead in this world.

"It's alright, I've already come to terms with what happened back then," she says, taking a deep breath. "But Pinkie certainly hasn't."

“If you don't mind me asking, how did it happen?” I ask quickly. Tact really isn't my forte.

"Car accident," she says straight to the point. "Just some stranger running a light and hitting us," Mud closes her eyes before continuing. "Only Pinkie and I survived that," I just stare at Mud with a solemn look, to my own distaste, I expected some extravagant story, but now I realize that was very prudent and assholish of me.

"I see why she doesn't like goodbyes now, but..." still , as she tells me this, something doesn‘t make sense. “But I don’t understand, why me? Why are you telling me this? You weren't this talkative yesterday."

To my surprise, she smiles briefly before answering. "Because I love Pinkie Pie, and from what I can see, so do you. I trust you'll be able to help her."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I thank her awkwardly. It's a bit daunting knowing that her sister approves of me so easily.

"I would just hurt you otherwise," she threatens. And what do you know? Even with the lack of emotion, the threat was very effective.

"S-so, now what?" I ask awkwardly. Threats just happen to be very effective mood killers

"You get the rest out of Pinkie," she says, walking away. I figure she expects me to follow her, so I do. And now, I can’t help but mull over the questions that popped up over what she said. What does she mean by ‘rest out of Pinkie’? And what am I supposed to say? Well, those are the only questions I can mull over, because we make it to Pinkie’s room in no time at all.

“Carrot? Cup?” Mud calls the pair, who seems to be holding Pinkie’s hand at the moment, all while she remains motionless, staring away from the door. “I need to talk to Pinkie."

"Wait, you actually mean right now?" I whisper, but she ignores me, keeping her attention on the three in the room. "Crap."

Mr. Cake turns to look at her wife for a second before turning to Pinkie and then her wife once again. "Pumpkin?"

"If Mud is okay with doing this, then we should let her," Mrs. Cake says before turning to Pinkie. “It’s okay sweetie, we’ll be back later,” she says warmly, going over her and placing a kiss on her forehead. Of course, Pinkie doesn’t react at all.

They stop on their way out, looking at me in a way I don’t think I can ever place, just to walk out and leave together, leaving just Mud and I standing by the door alone.

“Go ahead,” is all Mud says once they are gone, standing to the side, leaving me staring at the unmoving form of Pinkie from the entrance.

"A-are you sure? I could do this another time, Pinkie doesn't seem to be in the best position," I ask her, I really don't want to push it.

"Go ahead," she repeats, saying nothing else.

“Okay? Well, here goes nothing,” I whisper under my breath, taking in a mouthful of air before going in and closing the door to the room, I slowly approach her, taking in the barely noticeable movements of her body. She is really a mess.

“You must think I’m awful,” she says suddenly, remaining as she is. “That I’m a huge weirdo,” she continues, attempting to curl into a ball, but hissing as the pain from her wound prevents her from doing so.

“I don’t,” I reply truthfully, taking a seat where Mr. Cake had been. “If anything, I understand why you acted like you did, I wouldn’t want someone I loved to leave, you know?”

"The Cakes didn't say anything about that," she says to herself, turning slowly, eyeing me sternly. “Did Mud tell you about our parents?”

“She only affirmed what I knew,” I tell her honestly. “And you just called them 'Cakes' instead of mom or dad. Why the change? Especially now?”

She chuckles at my question, attempting to sit as best as she can, clearly not forgetting her injury. “It’s silly, but when I do that, I feel as if they are just somewhere else, as if they aren’t really gone, you know?”

“Pinkie…” I feel a figurative punch to the gut at her words, and trying my best to not just get up and hug her, I simply swallow what I feel.

“I know, it’s sad. You can say it,” she sighs, turning away from me. “You wouldn’t get it, you still have your parents.”

“Actually,” I begin, getting off the seat. “I think I kinda do.”

She turns to face me, frowning at my response. “How would you know that? Your parents aren’t gone.”

“Well, maybe not my parents in this world, but the parents I knew before I got here? I may never see them again,” I explain to her, feeling the weight of something that I had not thought of for the past hours coming back to me.

“Your world?” she asks with a skeptic stare. “Aren’t you going back?”

Now it’s my turn to chuckle. “Pinkie. Discord was the last person I had in mind, if he didn’t bring me here, I don’t know who would have… Well, I might know someone else, but I can’t do really do this anymore.”

“What do you mean?” she asks, looking surprised by my change of tone. Not going to lie, I feel awkward as I am coming to this realization, one that I really wish I didn’t have to accept, but one I will accept regardless. “If you can still do it, why wouldn’t you keep trying?”

“Pinkie, you can’t be blind to the reason, just look at you! You are in the hospital! I was nearly shot. Twice! And I made it out both times! And third time might just be the lucky shot,” I finish in a whisper, slumping back down on the chair. I need a moment.

“Are you afraid to try?” she asks, giving me no time to do as I wanted. Typical Pinkie for sure.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t. But I’m more afraid to get everyone hurt,” I swallow once again, ready for what comes next. “To get YOU hurt.”

“Me? But I’m no one important!” giving her no time to react, I get off my seat and smack her upside the head. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Because I know you well," I explain. “Pinkie, if the past month has taught me something, it is that you are actually important. To me. And more than you think you ever were.”

“R-really?” she struggles to say the words, looking starry eyed. I notice her hair gain some color, surprisingly. I think it’s working.

“Yes! If anything, this has shown me that I really don’t want to abandon the people I met, people like my fake parents, Trixie, the other girls, heck, I even care about Flash! Not that I’ll ever tell him, but I do,” I continue, letting my emotions run wild on Pinkie.

“You’d do that for us?” she says with a look of disbelief.

I smile at her, placing my hand on hers. “Not gonna lie, I would do it mostly for you.”

“W-what are you saying?” she shakes her head, her face glowing brightly thanks to her pink skin. “I thought you and Trixie were together!”

“We aren’t anymore,” I admit quickly, ignoring the fact that we just broke up like an hour ago.

“But you were dating for like three chapters!”

“I.. Huh?”

“Three weeks!”

“Oh, it was actually about a month, but that’s not the point!” I say, now grabbing both her hands. “Pinkie Pie, I like, like you! Not just like, like you, but like, like like you! Like, you know what I mean?”

She stares blankly at me for several seconds, but before I know it, her hair explodes into a frenzy of pink hair, which goes every which way, fully taking on the look that I saw her with before this all started.

"Like yes I do!” she bawls, her eyes tearing up, and before I can gather my thoughts, she pushes her face forward, planting a kiss on my lips, lingering for a few seconds until it’s too late, by which point I realize it’s already over.

And a lingering taste of cotton candy remains in my mouth… Take that, Pinkie lovers?

Of course, as my head has this moment of triumph, my reactions isn’t quite as composed as her own.

“Duh, um,” I attempt to clear my throat, taking in the fact of what just happened. “W-wow, that sure was a thing that just happened!” I say out loud, laughing awkwardly.

“Do you really mean it? Do you really like-like me? Do you really want to stay with me? Do you really want to give up on looking? Oh, oh! Do you really want to kiss more!?” she asks in an overly excited manner.

“Answer is yes to all of those, even the added one,” I chuckle. I must admit, being in a relationship with Pinkie right after Trixie is a very scummish thing to do, but I suppose I will nuke that dark tunnel when I have to cross it. “Although, can you promise me something?”

“Hmmm?” she hums happily.

“Can we, um, keep this a secret? People like Rainbow Dash aren’t exactly happy with me over what happened to you, so we should give them time to calm down, you know?” I suggest, mostly for Rainbow Dash.

“Okie, dokey!” she says without questioning me. “I’m just glad we can finally put everything behind! But sorry about not being able to send you back,” she apologizes sincerely, looking only partially dejected over the prospect. Can’t blame her, really.

“It’s okay,” it’s really not, but adjustments will happen with time. “If there is anything that I’ll leave unfinished will be getting Flash the address in which Sunset Shimmer lives,” I say half-jokingly. "He wanted that when we met."

Pinkie scoffs loudly at me “Don’t be silly! I know her addr-” she quickly stops herself, putting her hands over her mouth.

“Pinkie?”

“Um… Tee-hee?”

I move next to her, slowly removing her hands from her mouth. “Pinkie, I think you need to tell me a bit more about what you just said.”

Author's Note

Chapter is finished! This one was a toughie, as I needed to get some things done here with life, and most importantly. TECHNOLOGY ISSUES that made it impossible to post this on Sunday like I had originally planned.

Phew! Anyway.

This is probably the most serious chapter of the bunch, and it won't likely be repeated to this extent in future ones, since I plan to going back to more lighthearted stuff like before, but I needed to get this out of the way for sure, I did try to add some usual fare, but it was difficult to keep it that way for obvious serious reasons. Needless to say, this one took much longer than others.

Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoy this for what it is, I rewrote this thing numerous times, but I'm just happy to have it done for you to enjoy, I mean, my pre-reader says it's his favorite, but who knows.

Until next time!

Watching the Sunset

“I finally decide to come over, and you take me to the one place in your home that stinks, Flash,” I complain, looking over the rather disorganized garage, noticing car parts laying around, possibly helping that awful odor.

“Sorry. I figured that there isn't a better place to keep secrets than my garage. Dad doesn't bother me when I'm in here, after all," Flash apologizes, much to my ignoring.

“I like it!” Pinkie says... Yeah, she just says, I'm sure she doesn't mean it. “So what do you do here? Wheee!” she asks, just as she takes seat on a spinning chair.

Flash says nothing, simply pointing his hand at the remaining husk of a car before turning his attention back to me. “In any case, it's strange that you decided to come visit. What's the catch?”

"Does there need to be a catch?" I ask, hurt. Very much so.

"Of course not, but knowing my luck, it usually is," he shrugs.

"Tell him, Lemon!!" Pinkie suggests while still spinning. Skills.

Might as well get it over with. “To get to the point, we came to tell you about Shimmer's place, seeing how you wanted to know, and all. Also, you se- Flash?” I cut myself short, looking at Flash who just stares wide-eyed, looking at nothing in particular. “Hellooo? Earth to Flash!” I call again, but get no response from him. “Okay, then.”

So, I simply wait for him to react, taking in the smells of the make-shift workshop. The addition of shelves with a random assortment of tools helps add to the atmosphere of 'smelly car jock', which I don't particularly care about, but I can only be so entertained by Pinkie Pie cutely giggling as she spins on her chair.

But to be fair, it DOES do wonders to my heart.

“What!?” Flash finally screams, in a very uncharacteristic show of raw emotion, breathing very heavily I might add.

“What's wrong?” comes the voice from his father, who enters the room looking worried. That is until he notices Flash’s reaction, and slowly backs away. “I’ll just leave you kids to talk it over,” he says, slowly closing the door behind him.

Well, he wasn’t any help.

”I repeat, what!?” he growls the moment he is gone.

“That ‘what’ is going to have to be specific, Flash,” I fill him in.

“You knowing about Sunset’s address! That!” he says through gritted teeth.

“Oh, right, that! Must have slipped my mind,” I lie. I’ve never seen Flash this angry, and I am going to enjoy the ever-loving crap out of this moment while I can. "I mean, I did just learn of it a week ago."

He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Please, put your idiotic tormenting aside. You just said you knew of this for a week, why did you wait to tell me till now?” he asks, barely containing the anger in his controlled voice.

Bah! He is no fun. “Calm down, we are here to take you there! Besides, Pinkie made me promise her to not tell you until she was out of the hospital, and better fit for it!"

“A Pinkie promise, if you will,” she cuts in, wriggling her nose, just as visibly bothered by the smells as I am.

Flash blinks in his surprise, shaking his head while attempting to say something, which ends up making his mouth clear entry for any insects. “It was you?” his eyes widen, and he scowls at Pinkie. “Just how long have you known?”

Pinkie, of course, tilts her head, realizing what the implications to her answer might be. I certainly would fear them. “Well, actually, that’s the funny thing…”

“She learned about it when we weren’t in speaking terms,” I cut in. The last thing we need is anger amongst… more anger. “Just lay off her, Flash.”

He walks back and forth, intensely shaking his head and fuming, which is shown by his exaggerated breathing exercises and low muttering. “But I don’t get it, why did you have to wait a week? Why until today?”

“Because we are going!” Pinkie answers with a drawn look of determination on her face. “I can’t let one of my friends go alone to meet her! It could be dangerous!”

“It’s just Sunset’s home. I’m sure nothing bad will really happen, Pinkie,” Flash explains, actually rolling his eyes at her. Man, it really is a day of new happenings.

“That’s what you guys thought when you went to meet that Heart person, and look what happened!” she gives us a good point, pointing at hers—

“Pinkie, put your shirt down!” I order in a hurry, as I watch her lift it over her head and leave us with a ‘top’ show. Well, at least she has a bra on.

“Pinkie!” Flash mutters flustered, keeping his eyes covered. At least he has the decency to cover them.

“This is why I’m coming!” she states, lowering her shirt as if nothing had happened.

“Alright, alright! Just don’t do that again, please,” he pleads, putting his hands down in relief.

Moving on from that little moment of embarrassment, there is something that genuinely confuses me now that I think about it. “But Flash, why does it matter when I tell you about Shimmer? We were planning to tell you anyway,” I explain. “We just waited one week. What’s wrong with that?”

He wastes no time and glares at me, his embarrassment replaced with what I can only guess is anger . “Because I've waited lo-” he stops abruptly, shaking his head. “Point is, Shimmer is still out there, and she is probably going to continue doing what she wants around school.”

“To be fair, we’ve been doing well staying away from her, and normally, I’d keep it that way, but...” and just like that, I feel anger rising in me. Much like a volcano. Except volcanoes aren’t alive… anyway. “Let’s just say that I have business with her as well and leave it at that,” I mention, looking back at Pinkie who avoids my gaze by looking at the side dejectedly. "So trust me, I had patience as well."

Because as it turns out, Shimmer — spoiler alert — was the one who made Pinkie cry last Nightmare Night. Pinkie didn’t tell me what she did, but that will lead to a stern talking to at the very least.

“Whatever. But I’m going to be the one doing the talking,” he states with a commanding tone, opening the garage door.

I nod to him. “Alright, sure. But I’m getting on this after you are done with her.”

Ignoring the sexual euphemism that would have come from my sentence, we walk out, quickly spotting another car parked nearby, one that looks surprisingly familiar.

“Trixie is coming too,” says the obvious girl who shares the same name and won‘t ever stop talking in third person. I mean, seriously, who else could it have been at this point?

“Trix!” Pinkie calls out happily, skipping thrice to reach her and wrapping her in a tight hug. “Finally! where have you been?”

Trixie looks at Pinkie silently, revealing the smallest of smiles while returning the affection. “Trixie has been around.”.

“Hey, Trixie,” I greet her awkwardly. I’m just surprised to see her here, she hasn‘t really been seen much for the past week, and sadly, I can say I know why… That being said, I wonder how she has been avoiding me for a whole week like that. Maybe she learned to teleport?

“Afternoon,” she replies coolly, releasing Pinkie and walking towards Flash and I. “Ready to go?”

Flash and I look at each other, I can only imagine what he is thinking, but I get the feeling it’s similar to my train of thought. “How did you know we were doing this?”

“How else?” Trixie shrugs, pointing behind her to my overexcited girlfriend.

… Which just reminds me. “Trixie? I wanted to talk to you a—

“Can it, Lime,” she shuts me up. “Trixie is not here to begin a petty argument over old news. What’s done is done. We simply move on.”

I say nothing, briefly stunned by her response. “Wow, Trixie. That’s very mature of you to say.”

“Are you still talking? Shut your trap and let’s go already!” she shouts, turning away from me and walking off. “Pinkie, you are riding with Trixie.”

“Ooh! Ooh! Does that mean we are partners today? Do I get to talk in third person!” Pinkie asks excitedly. “Pinkie wants to drive!”

“Um, h-how about Trixie lets you ride shotgun instead?” Trixie suggests, in a clear interest of her own life.

“Pinkie is okay with this choice, yes!” Pinkie giggles, jumping into the passenger seat and looking out the window. “Come on, guys! Let’s go!”

I sigh, looking at Flash who appears unfazed as he speaks. “Not over it, it seems.”

Why aren't break ups ever easy for me?

~~~~~

So now, once again, we —well, the three of us who were here last— stand in front of this gate. The place which houses that rich community that once gave us candy is now going to give us… Shimmer? Well, I’m not particularly okay with that gift, but it’s not for me to worry about for one reason: this just happens to be Flash’s ordeal, not mine.

We are here to help, but it feels good to not worry about something this time around.

“Are we sure this is where she lives?” Trixie asks, doubtful.

“If Pinkie says this is the place, then I’m not correcting her,” I say, confidently turning to Pinkie. “Speaking of doubting, do you have the code?”

“Yep, yep, yep!” she responds, running to the padlock nearby and inputting the numbers. “Got it from Rarity earlier!” on cue, the door slowly bursts open, letting us into the neighborhood behind. It sure has been a while, but I have a vague recollection of it all.

“Good,” Flash says, keeping his serious tone. “Lead the way, Pinkie.”

We follow quietly, all except for Pinkie who seems to be humming something under her breath, all while Flash continues to stare ahead very, very hard. I'm sure he'll destroy Shimmer.

Now THAT one was sexual euphemism.

“Pinkie?” Trixie suddenly calls for Pinkie, catching up to her. “Could Trixie ask you a question?”

Interested, I keep my ears open as Pinkie surely answers. “Sure! What is it?”

“Well, Trixie has been wondering how you found us in that park a week ago, Trixie didn’t want to ask for details when you were still hospitalized," ah, of course. I'd forgotten she wasn't there when Pinkie explained it all.

“Oh, yeah! I haven't told you yet, have I?” Pinkie hums to herself before answering. “I called my sister to take you guys to Mr. Heart. I actually hid with her, and we followed since! I’m just super surprised you guys were convinced so quickly.”

Trixie snickers in amusement. “It’s a good thing that Lime took the bait, then.”

“You can’t argue with results!” I harrumph, resentfully. Even if the aftermath of that wasn’t what I thought it would be, but results were a thing!

Trixie nods, having taken in what she said, or something. “Understood. But if anything, Trixie is curious to know how you learned of Discord’s address. Wasn’t Fluttershy the only one who knew?”

Pinkie nods rapidly. “She was, I was actually there when Lemon called, so I got it out of her by asking nicely,” she steals a glance inmy direction, I take it she is still mad towards my attitude to Fluttershy with that phone call. I regret nothing.

Trixie nods, taking it all in. “That explains why Mud came up at such an opportune moment… If circumstances had been different, we might not have gotten out of there alive. Thank you, Pinkie.”

“Oh, it’s nothing! I couldn’t let my buddies get hurt!” Pinkie says easily. Really, with this girl, nothing else needs explaining.

“Is this why you aren’t afraid that we are going to meet Shimmer?” Flash asks, deciding to finally join us. “You weren’t too keen on even talking to her before.”

Pinkie shakes her head before stopping and turning to us. “Well, I am afraid, but being with you guys, I feel like I can do anything!”

Was that the corniest thing ever? Of course. But it brings a smile to our faces… But not Flash‘s, he is far too cool and collected to care about us CLEARLY having a moment. Seriously, is this guy Mud today, or what?

But soon enough, we arrive at the address Pinkie gave us, and we stare at the front door, which possibly separates us from possible mental scars, if Shimmer's seeming track record is anything to go by.

Pinkie approaches the house and gives it an intense stare. “Just look at this place, it just oozes with evil!”

“Pinkie, it’s just a door,” Trixie sighs.

“It’s an EVIL door!” she retorts, poking the door very slightly.

“Pinkie Pie,” Flash comes up behind her, grabbing her shoulder and softly pulling her away. “I’ll handle it from here.”

“Oh, okay,” Pinkie mumbles, looking at his face, noticing his clear lack of emotion and taking the hint.

At this point, I have to bring this up. “Alright, is it just me, or is Flash acting weird today?”

We are taken out of our Flash pondering as we hear someone messing with the locks on the other side, and I actually tense up. I feel my hand suddenly grabbed and I look over to notice Pinkie’s hand. I glance over to her, showing her a smile which I hope tells her that I believe everything will be just fine.

Not that I’m that optimistic myself, given MY track record with this crap.

“Huh?” a voice mumbles from the other side, and we notice the devil herself opening the door. “W-what?”

Unlike the cape and evil queen crown I imagined her wearing, she is actually dressed in simple looking pajamas. I suppose she isn’t really a fairy tale villain, but boy, would that have been funny.

“Sunset,” Flash says in his most dramatic play actor impression. “Hey…” one that would land him squarely in an elementary school play.

“Flash?” Sunset mutters, arching a brow as she moves to look at the meddling bunch encompassing Trixie, Pinkie, and I, standing right behind him. “And you…”

“Can we come in?” Flash quickly intervenes, very ‘inconspicuously’ putting a foot in to stop the door in case of possible closing.

Shimmer’s look of confusion changes to one of annoyance, boosted by the classic arm crossed tactic. “I know it’s only been a few months, but you know I prefer visits that aren’t a surprise, Flash.”

“Well, that’s a bit hard when you changed your address and phone number, Sunset,” Flash says with a frown.

“Fair enough,” Shimmer shrugs. “Come on in, parents aren’t home anyway,” she says as she looks over Flash’s shoulder, specifically, to our general direction… oh god, please. “Pinkie Pie, glad to see you are feeling better.”

Oh, thank god.

“Oh, and you.”

SHIT.

“Trixie, been a while, hasn't it?”

Oh my god, thank you.

“Oh, and hey Lemon, long time no see.”

FUCK. “I-I...”

“These three are just accompanying me,” Flash very rudely points out. “I’ll be the only one doing the talking.”

“Are you, now?” Sunset grins, keeping her eye on me for some reason. “Alright, I suppose we’ll be catching up on what you’ve been up to since you helped me win the Fall Formal, Lemon. Cool?”

"Huh?" oh, no, she did not.

“Wait, what?“ Pinkie asks in her confusion, switching her attention between Shimmer and I.

That reaction tells that Shimmer totally did.

“Come on, Flash, we’ll be able to talk privately over this way, you three can wait over the living room to the left” she says, waving me goodbye and leaving with him to another room.

Meanwhile, I’m left here with Trixie, and more dangerously, Pinkie.

…

Maybe if I don’t move she’ll forget about me.

“Pinkie Pie, take his left, Trixie will take his right,” Trixie orders.

“Okay,” Pinkie accepts without adding a single joke to her sentence. Oh god.

Before I know it, I’m forced to sit down on the next room while they stand over me. Trixie doesn’t appear particularly affected by it since she knows, but Pinkie doesn’t look fazed at all, which only makes me think that she must be hiding some sort of unbridled rage.

Maybe I should try to appease to her. “Pinkie?”

“Pat, what did Sunset mean by helping her with the Formal?” Pinkie asks, struggling to keep a straight face. “She was lying to us, right? Right?” she says, in the hopes that I’ll deny it.

"Dammit all," talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. “Pinkie, just sit down, and I’ll tell you everything.”

For the next few minutes, I give her the short version of the events that transpired last year. I didn’t think it would be something I would be doing now, if at all. I actually expected this to go with me to the grave, but here I am! Retelling everything. So much for this trip not being about me.

But go figure, I’m actually relieved to be telling this.

“So, you guys knew?” Pinkie asks, looking to Trixie who has been just listening without uttering a single word.

“Yes, Trixie knew,” she replies calmly. “Trixie is friends with Lyra, and she keeps in contact with her.”

“And in Flash’s case, he helped her do it, but he says that he wasn’t himself… Which I figure is the reason why we are in Shimmer’s place right now, to find out,” I explain, looking over where Flash and Shimmer went in case they return.

“Oh,” Pinkie hums, attempting to follow what we are saying. She sits down next to me, staring into my soul with her giant, blue eyes. “So, you did that for me?”

“Yeah, although to be fair, I didn’t know what was the secret she would bring up,” of course, I’m fairly certain now that what she was keeping secret was going to be related to Pinkie’s family. I can just imagine how she would react to the whole school knowing her past like that.

High-schoolers tend to be a bit lacking when it comes to someone else’s feelings.

“Why would you do that for me, though? You got hurt!” she says, looking as if she actually did something bad by me doing something bad… I think?

“I don’t know! Why did you get stabbed?” I blurt out without thinking. “I mean to say, you were a friend! I couldn’t let Shimmer hurt you, and I cared, well, I still care about you, oh… ah, I‘m sorry! I screwed up!” I sigh, looking away from her.

“Trixie doesn’t think so,” Trixie says, nudging her head towards Pinkie.

“Huh?” I turn back to Pinkie, just in time to see her on her knees. bawling like I’ve never seen her before, her eyes literally letting out tears by the second. “P-Pinkie?”

“I-I-I didn’t know you cared so much about me!” I think she says, as to what I can translate from her mumbled sobbing.

I do my best to hold back a laugh before I reply. “Pinkie Pie, we’ve been over this before, I DO care about you.”

“B-but I didn’t know you cared THAT much for me!” she continues, keeping her head down as she wipes her eyes. “You took a beating from that boy! You even helped Sunset Shimmer! Why would you do that?”

I shake my head, and gently pat her head. “Pinkie, we are currently dating. I’m sure that’s as much proof that tells you the 'why' of it all. Otherwise, I don’t know how to make it more clear,” at least without bringing my reaction to the stabbing up again.

“I have an idea!“ Pinkie looks up again, a devious idea clearly in her mind.

“Does it involve something that won’t make Trixie want to punch me in the face?” I say, looking over Trixie whose left eye seems to be actually twitching.

“T-Trixie is fine,” Trixie is not fine.

“Point taken!” Pinkie says acceptingly, going for a hug as a substitute. “And if Lyra forgave you, then so do I!”

I let out a sigh in relief. “I’m glad. Just wish that Sunset hadn’t made me do that to begin with,” still, time to finally leave that incident behind.

“Come now, Lemon, you did me a huge solid,” we all turn at the same time, noticing Shimmer standing right there, now wearing her usual outfit. I guess she isn’t making me forget quite as easily.

“Did I, now?” I ask her, doing my best to hold my fist from connecting with her face. I've hit her before, I'm not afraid to do it again.

“Of course! I became princess, you got to keep Pinkie’s pointless secret. I say we both won here, right?” she says as nothing more than a fact.

We stare at each other, me with my glare, and her with her smug look, giving not even one sign of shame towards what she did. “No regrets, huh?”

“Where is Flash?” Trixie asks, trying to look behind Shimmer, but seeing just as much as I can.

“Don’t you worry, he is still here,” Shimmer shrugs. “Give him a bit, I think I might have laid it on him a little too hard.”

Pinkie scratches her head confused. “Laid it on him? What does that mean?”

On cue, Flash appears right behind her, looking more miserable than I have ever seen him. He doesn’t bother saying anything, just sitting down on one of the couches.

What the heck happened back there?

“Now, if you are done talking behind me in my own home, I believe it’s my turn to have a talk, don’t you think?” Shimmer begins, looking over us like a predator would its prey… if said predator was a leather clad girl.

“W-what do you mean?” asks Trixie with a very timid tone, she must be feeling as threatened as we are.

“So Lemon, care to catch up? I would be so happy if only us two caught up,” Shimmer says, making me want to lobotomize myself instead of having to deal with whatever it is she has to say. “Unless you want me to call the cops and tell them that you forced yourselves into my own home, is all.”

“What!?” we all yell in disbelief. “But that didn’t happen!”

“Didn’t it?” she asks smugly. “Well, tell that to my dad, who just happens to be the current chief of police. And I have him on speed dial, so I‘m sure that my lack of response will be more than a little suspicious if you were to act upon it, don‘t you think?”

“I…” so, remember that part about being caught between rocks and hard places? Make that two hells in this case. “Alright, alright! I’ll talk, just don’t do that, please!”

Shimmer chuckles satisfied. “Come on, we‘ll be taking this somewhere else.”

I follow without a second thought, only looking back to nod to the others to keep them quiet, before I follow Shimmer up some stairs, and I'm led into a normal looking room, which for some reason, only has two chairs. I hear a strange sound, and turn around to notice Shimmer locking the door behind her.

“Why did you lock the door?” I ask, feeling more than a little unnerved.

“I‘m covering my bases, obviously,” she says, rolling her eyes at me.

“Um…” you know? I want to say that I’ve watched enough indecent material to know where this is going, but that would imply that I’ve watched any… Okay, I’m clearly lying, but I’m far too nervous to come up with something better.

“Don’t give me that look,” Shimmer scoffs with disgust. “You may have gotten those two to fall for you, but don’t you think I’m on that same boat.”

Funny, I‘m getting flashbacks to when I talked to Rainbow Dash. “Then why? Why are we here? Why do you want to talk to me alone? And why do I feel like I'm about to take part in a weird snuff film?” I ask questions. All of them valid questions that I’m sure she will answer.

“Cute. Turn the chair around, and sit down,” she says, pointing to one of the chairs.

“Okay…” without questioning it, I do as she says, taking a seat.

“Hands on the chair,” I resist the urge to roll my own eyes and continue to follow, despite my annoyance.

“Thank you,” she says, before quickly pulling out a pair of handcuffs and cuffing me to the chair.

“Wait, what!?” I ask, quickly moving my hand in an attempt to pull it off, without much success. “Shimmer, what are you doing!?” while I move, I look at the handcuffs, noticing a small pendant hanging from it… looks surprisingly familiar, and why is it cracked?

“Making sure,” she says in a low voice, quickly flipping the other chair over and sitting down as well.

I look at the cuffs curiously before talking again. “Um… Are you sure you sure this isn't part of a snuff film?”

“Shut up.”

At her order, my mouth closes shut, and having not been the one to force it, I turn to Shimmer for answers. “W-what’s going on?”

“Now, what’s your name?”

I blink once in my confusion. “Excuse me?”

“I asked what your name was.”

“You can‘t be se- My name is Patrick,” wait, what did I just say!? Why did I say that!?

“Patrick, huh?” she notes with a smile. “Well, Lemon, which is it? Is it actually Patrick?”

I-it is! It really is! “It is, but also it isn’t,” ah! Why is my mouth saying these things!? A-and why does it feel g-good…

“Whatever it is, it seems you are willing to talk, aren’t you, Lemon?” she asks me with a grin. You know, I’m glad she is on a grinning mood, I don’t know why, but she seems really nice now… I can’t remember why I was mad to begin with.

“Yes, of course, Shimmer.”

“Oh, and call me ‘Miss’ Shimmer, please,” she orders me.

Huh, I don't see why not. “Of course, Miss Shimmer.”

She gets on her feet and begins pacing around me. Of course, all I can do is stare ahead at the blank walls and closet doors… They are nice, and empty.

“Now, tell me. Why are you really here, Lime?” she asks me with a serious tone, and I can’t let Miss Shimmer get too serious, or she'll be unhappy!

“We are here so Flash could talk to you, which he already did, actually,” I tell her, and she reciprocates by smiling amusedly.

“So, that was really it?” she bursts out laughing. “Man, what a waste… For you at least. You being here was something I didn’t expect, but I suppose I can take advantage of this, can't I?”

“Whatever do you mean, Miss Shimmer?” I ask curious. Wonder what she is talking about.

“You are going to keep an eye on those three, I get the feeling they'll try to get in the way of me becoming Fall Formal princess this year, and you aren't letting that happen, are you?” she asks me, lifting my head up with her hand.

“I wouldn't dream of it, Miss Shimmer,” I say honestly. I feel so important right now.

“Heh, who would've thought you would come to me on a silver platter! Hearthswarming Eve came early, it seems,” she says before turning her back to me, and bursting into laughter. Yeah... Hearths-

“Wait a minute,” I say, feeling a tad lost. “Don't you mean Christmas?”

“Huh?” she turns around, looking lost for a moment before showing me a look of realization. “Oh, right! Of course! I-I don't know why I said that.”

“It actually sounds... familiar,” I say, feeling as if I've heard that somewhere before... Ugh, my head is all fuzzy feeling.

“Familiar?” she asks, giving me a worried glance. “Wait a minute...” her eyes widen which helps her shocked expression. “Stop!” she orders, reaching for my cuffs and trying to grab the gem. I look down, and notice a crack on it. “Don't look! And stop talking!” she orders, noticing my gaze.

“But Miss,” ugh, why am I calling her that? “But Shimmer, that's not a real holiday, I mean, the only place where that would be is... What is it called again?”

She looks up with a horrified expression. “You know...” she whispers, before reaching into her shirt and fumbling with a key, which she then drops in her rush. “Darn it!”

“That's right,” I say, the word easily coming to mind — alongside other not so nice things — which give me some interesting thoughts about Shimmer.

“Shut up! And stay put!"

“You know about Equestria?”

“No! My g-"

…

Ouch?

Huh?

What's going on?

What just happened?

Author's Note

My god, was this one fun to write. Not easy, but sure fun.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this, there is a short followup coming in the next few days, but I felt this was a good stopping point for now.

I'll read you guys later!

NOTE: This chapter has been finished since Friday, but my videogame lust led me to play vydia nonstop, including, but not limited to a game called Undertale, all for the majority of five days. Apologies, if only because I feel so dumb for having gotten addicted like I did.

Part 3 Epilogue - Forget to Shimmer

“Are you sure you don't want anything? I can get you a burger.”

“Mom, stop being so stubborn...” I groan, gripping my phone a bit too hard. “I'm in the hospital, and if they didn't let me eat Applejack's pie, I'm sure they won't let me eat what you bring me.”

“Please, Lemon, you aren't allergic to anything. You are bedridden, and you need to eat!” mom continues. “You are pretty much skin and bones.”

“I don't NEED to be bedridden, mom. I told you already, doctor says I'll be able to go home once you are back,” I say with a roll of my eyes. “And besides, I've been eating with Pinkie whenever we hang out, if anything, I'm probably gaining weight.”

I get silence for the following seconds, until my mom finally speaks again.“A salad it is, then!”

“I'm hanging up,” I say, and with a swift swipe, I cut the call. “I swear, for someone as smart as her, she can have her silly moments.”

“Problems with the parents?” I hear a voice, which makes me turn my face to see Flash, coolly standing by the door for no reason.

“Oh, hey, Flash,” I greet him as he enters the room, keeping my eye out for the girls behind him… but they aren't there. “Huh...”

“It's only me, Lemon,” Flash explains, catching my gaze.

I give him a disapproving look. “I'm sure you caused that, how did you even get rid of them?”

Flash smiles, pushing the room's door closed. “Pinkie is currently at Sugarcube Corner, baking you a 'get well' cake, and get ready, it's going to be big.”

I chuckle. “Of course, but that begs the question of how you got rid of Trixie,” I ask him intrigued. “If anything, she would be very suspicious if you tried coming here on your own.”

He smiles again, pointing out the window of my room.

I raise a brow. “Yes, that's a nice window.”

“She is at the children's hospital, putting on a show for the kids,” he explains, which could have been a good thing to say BEFORE his dramatic pointing.

“Well, she certainly has improved,” I note.

“Yeah, the videos you sent me suggest that, her magic act has gotten much better.”

“Oh, Flash,” I look over to him with a knowing smile. “That's not what I meant.”

We stare at each other silently, feeling the tension of the sudden quietness. If someone were to look at us now, there would be thoughts of sexual tension. Maybe that's just my brain thinking dumb stuff.

“So, why the hell are you here on your own then, Flash?” I ask, straight to the point.

“You sure are direct,” he takes a deep breath. “But I'm sure you already know why I'm here, don't you?”

“Of course I do,” I sigh. No breaks on this train.

“I know it's bothering you, but I told the cops you and Sunset were talking while we waited downstairs, and since I didn't know what to add, I think you should fill me in as to what happened.”

“If you lied, I could see them taking you into custody,” I laugh, trying to gather my thoughts. “Well, buckle up, bud, because it's a bumpy ride of a story.”

I tell him as much as I can remember, but it doesn't take me long, finishing my tale in three minutes or so, since parts of when I talked to Shimmer are a little fuzzy. I get the feeling his questions will take much longer to answer.

“Equestria...” Flash says, looking thoughtful.

“What? Don't you believe me?”

“Well, Sunset was never known for her 'magical prowess' or anything of the sort, you know? She's just normal!” he hangs on the final word, again, looking thoughtful. “Actually, something that you said sounded familiar...”

“Was it the part where I was answering her questions without any sort of resistance?”

Flash looks surprised. “How did you know?”

I knew it. “A guess, based on what you told me when you dated her. I'm sure you haven't forgotten, right? That was the reason you broke up with her.”

“R-right,” he smiles very suddenly, giving me a wide eyed stare. “So does this mean you finally believe me about what happened before?”

I shrug. “I moved on from that months ago. You need to stop living in the past, Flash,” I say teasingly. “But forget about that, I would like to know something, too.”

He looks at me intrigued. “Yeah?”

“What was your deal?” I preface by reminding him of how he acted today. “You were kind of a jerk when we visited Shimmer. Care to elaborate?”

He snorts. “There is nothing to elaborate on, I just wanted to talk to her.”

“Doesn't explain the attitude, buddy,” I continue, pointing to the dodged question.

He shrugs. “Bad day?”

“Flash.”

“It doesn't really matter now, does it?” he groans in a low voice. “Besides, what does it have to do with anything? And what do you care?”

I shrug back. “Guess I'm just worried about you, man,” I say without realizing it. “Um, I mean...”

“Huh?” he looks at me as if I went insane, blinking repeatedly. “You? Worried about me?”

Um… Dammit.

“Yes! I saw how you ended up after Shimmer talked to you, and I just wanted to give you someone to listen to, okay?” I say without holding back. WHY am I not holding back!?

“You mean that?” he asks, staring at me like I'm some sort of stranger.

“W-well, I mean, it's not like I hate you, or anything!” oh my god, did I just sound like one of those anime archetypes?

This is the tipping point, as he bursts out laughing on the spot, covering his mouth to avoid being too loud, holding his stomach with the other. “Lemon, do you realize how sappy you just sounded?” he says, breathing heavily, barely unable to hold it in.

And I can't say anything, so I simply lay down on my bed, and pull the covers over me. Maybe I'll die forever.

“Oh, don't be like that,” he says, still chuckling.

Oh, I'll be that forever.

“Lemon?”

No, just go away.

“… Lemon, I was asking her why she broke up with me.”

I process what he just said, but I remain silent, hoping for him to continue.

“Yes, you heard that right, she was the one who broke up with me,” he adds, ending with a sigh. "The worst part is that I didn't even learn why."

At this point, I abandon my covers to look at him. “Then, why did you lie about it back then? What was the point of it?”

He chuckles amused. “Come on, would you have believed me about what she did if that had been my go-to explanation?”

“Huh...” come to think of it, I don't really think I would have done that (anger being my primary emotion at the time) I probably would have told him to buzz off, or maybe I would have punched him in the face. “I guess not, but was that really all you asked? You guys took some time.”

He sighs again. “No, it wasn't.”

…

Okay… “Flash, I don't mean to be rude, but was there another reason?”

“Damn it,” he curses, kicking the floor. “I was trying to see if Sunset, at least as I knew her back then, was in there somewhere, and if what we had meant something — I'm sure you can guess what happened next.”

“Oh...” an 'ouch' would just be rude at this point, so I decide to change up the conversation. “You know, there is one thing that really confuses me about what happened back there.”

He seems to recover from his slump, and looks over to me curious. “And what is that?”

“Where did that fire come from? It had already started the moment I woke up,” we share a similar expression of 'thoughtful hand on chin' as we try to think up of ways the fire could have started, but we both end up coming up short.

Short enough to simply be shoved aside for the time being.

Unless… “Flash, you know how Shimmer is doing, right?”

“Why do you ask?” he asks, looking suspicious.

It's my turn to eye him weirdly as I reply. “You know why.”

“Lemon, you...” he bites his lip, and takes a long gulp of air. “Can you walk?”

I easily jump off the bed, ignoring what little pain I'm in, and grab my phone. “Can you remember the room?”

He holds back a laugh. “You sure you wanna go while wearing that?”

I look down at myself, realizing that I'm still wearing the hospital gown, and show my irritation towards it, but I'm not gonna let it stop me. “Just take me there.”

We head out the room together, only briefly stopping by the floor's counter to talk to the nurse that had been in charge of me, who seemingly playfully asks Flash to keep an eye out on me, being surprisingly lenient on letting us go.

Sometimes this world has its advantages.

Walking the down the hall, it doesn't take more than a few seconds to reach the hall which Flash suggests to have Shimmer's room in… except it turns out that her room is apparently protected by the tallest son of a bitch this side of a Big Mac.

“Shit… Well, we are out of luck,” I groan annoyed. “Why is it always when the answers to questions are so close, something keeps popping up to stop me from getting any... answers?”

“Don't overreact,” Flash scoffs. “I'll go distract him, and you can go talk to her, alright?”

“Huh, that actually sounds like a good plan. But wait, don't you wanna talk to he-” I try to say, but he is already gone, and talking to the man who smiles at him the moment he notices him… Do they know each other? “Whatever! I'll just wait for him to take him away, they should be done at SOME point,” I whisper, and as in by my word alone, they finally move from the door, leaving it open for the… opening. That was terrible, even for me.

But no time to dwell on my failure! Because instead of going away like he suggested, they are both coming towards me! What in- “The fuck, dude?” I say out loud, as he and the old guy stop right by me.

“Lemon Lime, correct?” the old guy says to me.

“Oh, great, and he knows my name too!” I say, looking to reprimand Flash. “What, did you also tell him my favorite type of ice cream? You snitch!”

“Lemon, shut up, and listen,” he orders, to my shock. “Sir?”

“Son, if you want to see Sunset Shimmer, you are welcome to. Follow me,” he says calmly before turning away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I need to back this up a bit here. “Just like that? Don't I need permission from the parents or something like that?” I ask, following after him.

“Don't you worry, you have permission to talk to her,” he replies, pointing at the door.

I give the door a wary look before turning to the guy. “Okay, what's the catch?”

“That you tell me what happened, you are the person who was with Shimmer when it happened, or so I'm told,” he answers, looking at Flash, who in turn, stares at me.

Talk about being on the spot.

“Well...” I think of telling him the truth, but then, I figure that telling him that a girl who might know about some sort of alternate universe about talking ponies was able to make me say what she wants by using something that closely relates to magic before I simply passed out and woke up to a fire greeting me wouldn't be such a good idea.

Yeah, screw that, I'll just let Shimmer handle the heat. “No, sir, I don't believe I can recall, my mind is really fuzzy on that end. I just remember sitting down, and nothing after that.”

He gives me an unnerving stare, but thankfully, sighs in defeat. “I see, well, I appreciate you at least trying.”

“I still don't understand why you are letting us see her, then,” I tell him, more than a little curious to the question.

“You'll find out the moment you enter the room,” he explains, opening the door, and pushing me inside. "I'm hoping you can have an effect on her."

Effect? "Ah, hey! Watch it!” I complain, as I'm pushed inside. Hoping to see Flash say something, he instead stays outside. “What about Flash?”

"He said he'd rather stay outside," the guy answers quickly. "Sunset?"

“Huh?” the sound of a familiar voice reaches my earholes, and it's no surprise, I guess, seeing how Shimmer is sitting on the only bed in the room with a book in hand, looking at me with a puzzled expression, which I wouldn't fault her for. I would also be surprised to see me if I was an evil asshole.

“Sunset, this young man here would like to talk to you,” the guy tells her, closing the door and sitting down on a chair near it. Okay, he is staying, so this means subtle Patrick will have to do.

“W-what? Why?” Shimmer asks, looking scared. What's with the timid schtick?

“Don't worry, he isn't going to hurt you,” he says, giving Shimmer a patient smile.

“Is he a cop, too? I just don't get it...” she whispers, shivering, and dropping the book she has in her hands. “Who is he, dad?”

“Dad...” I whisper. Guess that answers the question about the permission, but it just leaves the one still unanswered one open for picking, because it's bloody obvious as to what it is. “You don't know who I am? What?”

Shimmer's dad sighs, struggling to find the words. "Lemon, it turns out that Sunset is suffering from some sort of amnesia."

And you are going to suffer from a very mental 'you are full of crap' look. “What? Are you serious?” in my disbelief, I turn to Shimmer herself. “Come on, you really don't recognize me? It's me, Lemon Lime!” seriously? How much more cliche can she get!?

She replies with a very subtle shake of her head. “I-I'm sorry, I just...” I'm caught off guard by her overall demeanor, as she hides behind the covers of her bed, looking more than a little unnerved.

“You...” I can't help but being angry. This isn't fair! I was finally going to get some answers! I was finally going to be able to learn what her deal is! Why she did all that she did! How she knows about Equestria! After the crap she pulled last year, to nearly killing me today, and all the stuff she has pulled to get her way, she is going to get away with a supposed memory loss?

And no, I'm not falling for this one.

“Well, it seems you didn't have an effect on her,” her dad sighs wistfully. “Thank you for trying, though.”

“Sure,” I answer, barely holding a shout, stealing a last glance at Shimmer before walking off. What a waste.

“Wait!” she calls after me. “Please, Lemon?”

I turn, curious as to what she has to say. “Yeah?”

She plays with her fingers, trying her best to say what she is trying to say. “I- I was wondering… Are you my friend?”

“Friend?” the question feels wrong, coming from her. It's like a fish telling me how to cook him for the best taste, it just doesn't happen.

“A-are you?” she continues, urging me to respond. “I mean, if you know me, you have to be, right?”

“Um, I mean,” I freeze on the spot, not knowing what to say. It feels like I'm talking to a completely different girl here.

“I-it's okay if you aren't,” she says in a low voice. “It's just that I haven't been visited by anyone. Dad told me that I went to school, but none of my school friends have come to visit me, and I just thought...”

…

God, damn it. “Sir? Permission to do something out of the ordinary,” I look over to Shimmer's dad.

The guy nods. “Sure, just don't step out of the line.”

Taking a huge breath, I walk over to Shimmer, and kneel down. “Hey, Shimmer?”

“Huh?” she mumbles, looking down to me and giving me the cutest expression.

“I'll be honest, we weren't friends before all of this, but,” I pick up the book, and hand it to her. “That doesn't mean we can't start now, right?”

Because I'm going to keep an eye on you... You are not getting away with this.

Author's Note

Did I say a few days? I-I meant to say several days! Ahahaha...

In any case, I know what I did this chapter will make some groan, but there was a reason for it! I had this planned WAAAAY before Rainbow Rocks was even a thing, so that's years of that! I can even say that finally writing this feels so weird after having had it in mind for so long.

It also shows me that I am slow as hell!

To be honest, it's not quite exactly like I planned it, but it's here anyway, so yeah.

In any case, hope you guys at least got some enjoyment! And now, it's time to set this story on the path to end, because it's almost there! And it feels surreal after so long, but there is no stopping now!

As for the delay itself? Working on this new computer has thrown off my writing mood. Don't know if this is a thing, but I'm sure someone will tell me if it is. That being said, I'm doing better now on that department, so writing should come back to normal now.

Lemon-Free Pie for Everyone!

*Rin-* “Nope!” A fraction is all you are getting to be loud, mister!

Having turned off the bother of my alarm, I jump on my bed and spring straight into the closet, landing on my pile of dirty clothes! Hmm… maybe I should wash them when I get back home.

“No, focus! There is something important happening today!” I tell myself, I mean, it's not like I marked the days down since it happened, or anything. I look at the calendar, and notice the circled date. “One month! I can't believe it's been one month!”

“Breakfast is almost ready!” comes the voice that pulls me out of my excitement.,, not! It really didn't! And no one said that I can't be DOUBLY excited! “Coming!” I shout, quickly getting myself ready for the day of today, even running down the stairs three steps at a time instead of two.

“Yo, Pinkie Pie.”

The sound of the voice makes my excitement drop for a second, just like I am right now because I tripped, and am on a one-way trip to to ouch central.

“Pinkie, watch o-”

Other than the voice, the whole falling thing is kind of a blur, but gotta live in the present, because it feels like I'm on top of something. I do the thing with my eyes and look down, where I instantaneously recognize Lemon, who is looking at me with a very grumpy expression that he usually has, but totally doesn't mean.

That he totally pushes away because he smiles at me. “Morning, Pinkie. Parents dropped me off...”

Which I return, of course! “And a good morning to you, Lemon. Thank you for coming!”

“I hope I'm not interrupting something,” I hear mom say in that tone of voice that she only uses when she doesn't like something… maybe I shoul- “Whoa!” I yelp, falling on my butt because Lemon pushed me off. “Rude!”

“S-sorry about that, Mrs. Cake!” he apologizes to mom. “Pinkie was falling down, and all I could do w-”

“Don't worry, son, it happens more often than I care to admit,” she laughs. “Come on, you and Pinkie can have some breakfast, I need to go help Mr. Cake with the early rush.”

We sit down together as mom heads down to the store, and Lemon and I stay alone. It's perfect!

“Pinkie, I know that grin, in fact, I've tasted it, because that's usually where it ends up,” he says.

“That's not it, silly!” I say mostly truthfully. “Don't you know what today is?”

With a cinnamon roll in his mouth, he answers. “Tuesday?”

“No, you Mr. Forgetson! It's our on-” *Beep* “Huh?”

He takes out the phone from his pocket, suddenly looking very serious while he reads what might be bad news! That, or he got one of the stale pieces of bread. It happens.

“Sorry about that, Pinkie, I,” he says nervously. Why is he suddenly nervous-ly? “Hey, you think we can finish quickly? I have somewhere to be today.”

“Oh, well, if you have to, sure!” I agree for him, but I can't say I'm too happy with the timing of that phone.

I'm watching you, mister.

Minutes later, we are done, and well on our way to school by foot. I AM still grounded from the car for the next two-thousand, seven hundred and thirty one days, after all.

“Pinkie?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Why are you leaning over my shoulder like that?” he asks, putting the phone in his pocket.

“I was watching your phone, of course!” I point out, since he hasn't stopped texting since we left my house! And I happen to find that very suspicious… that phone is up to something!

“I'm now going to have to ask you to respect my phone's personal space,” he says, putting the phone in his pocket. Darn.

But no time to pout! Because we actually get to school sooner instead of later. Because why would we get there later? We would be late to school!

“Come on, Lemon! It's time for class!” I tell him, grabbing his hand and gently pulling him with me.

“Geez, chill!”

I give him the stink eye, and say. “Lemon, I thought I told you my name wasn't 'geez'! I don't like this nickname you keep giving me.”

He rolls his eyes (as Lemon tends to do) and pats my hand. “Pinkie, I really do have to go somewhere right now, do you mind going to class on your own today?”

“Oh, well, don't you want me to go with you?”

“No!” he answers loudly really quickly. “I mean, er, since you are MY FRIEND,” he continues a bit louder. “I'll tell you that it's a personal matter. You understand, right?”

Hmm… not suspicious at all! “Okie dokey! See you at lunch?”

“See you at lunch!” he smiles, and nearly gives me a goodbye kiss, but stops when he nearly does it and walks inside while I follow right in and head to my locker. I wonder why he is in such a rush? Maybe he has to go to the toilet.
It's still a bummer! But at least I'll show him after school.

“Boyfriend problems, Pinkie?” I hear Rarity call behind me, and the odds were with me because it's really her when I turn around! “Does he still think he is actually keeping it hidden from everyone else in school?”

“He says he is keeping it secret from Rainbow Dash, but I don't know why he would! Dash is awesome!” I blurt out with Applejack level of honesty, and I'm not just saying that like she tends to do out of nowhere.

Whoa! And speaking of out of nowhere Applejack blurting. “Ah don't mean to meddle with this fine conversation, Pinkie, but is this the same Rainbow Dash we know?”

“Audible gasp! How could you say that? Rainbow Dash is one of the most understanding girls ever!” I tell them.

Both Rarity and Applejack look at each other for like a second, and Applejack looks like she is trying to say something. “Um, well… you see, sugarcube. Dash is…”

“She can be a bit problematic, darling,” Rarity continues instead. “Specially after you two had been having problems! You know how she is with grudges, right? I'm quite certain Lemon knows this too, and he wants to slowly warm up to Dash in his own way. Surely, I don't need to remind you what happened when she learned you two were still friends, do I?”

“Hmm...” I think thoughtfully, but I can only remember growling from Dashie… maybe that bowl of macaroni over Lemon's head knew something! It seems the inanimate objects are conspiring against me!

“Personally, Ah honestly think he just wants a bit of space to do his own thing, so just give him some, there isn't a need to be jealous,” Applejack says, and she said she was honest!

That means I have to be honest in return! Except about the jealous part, I am not! “Okay, you are right… but enough about me! Let's get some breakfast!” I say, ushering them towards my favorite place in school. You can't worry on a half-empty stomach.

~~~~~

And then lunch happened! And I ran through the halls! And I made it to the cafeteria! Wow, thinking about things as you do them makes them really pass by fast!

“Heya, Pinkie Pie,” Dashie greets me when I reach the table, looking super cool while sitting down because she is Rainbow Dash.

“Dashie!” I reply back, hugging her tightly. “So, where is Lemon? He said he'd be here.”

“Ugh, he isn't here yet, I'm sure he'll arrive soon enough,” she says, looking distraught. She must be sad he isn't here yet, too. “Wait, didn't the bell ring literally two minutes ago?”

“There is no time for time! He should be coming right about now!” I tell her, eagerly staring at the entrance. Oooh, I wonder what he'll say when he gets here? My bet is on 'hi'.

...

Yep! He'll get here soon!

…

Aaaaany minute now!

…

“Why isn't he here yet?”

“Pinkie Pie, you've been staring at the door for three seconds,” Dash intervenes.

Bummer… “Well, I guess I'll have to give it… time,” you win this round, mister!

And just like that, I wait. I mean, I'm not totally against waiting, but waiting is hard! You have to stay totally still and just let it happen, and you can't make it happen yourself! It's almost as if it was meant to be. As if my life is led on by someone I can't see and is just making me sit still!

“You do know you can talk, right, Pinkie?” Rainbow laughs. “You don't have to just wait.”

“You are right! That would be silly anyway!” I reply, jumping on my feet. “Besides, if you can't talk, how can you eat pizza?”

“Um, Pinkie, I thi-”

“To the pizza!” I'm sure he'll be here later.

~~~~~

'I'm really sorry I wasn't at lunch! I was busy. But I'll totally meet you at the bus stop, though!'

Yep, yep! That's what the text says… well, I guess everyone has reasons to not show up to places, right?

I mean, I was a bit angry when he didn't show up, but it's not like I would think he was doing something else, or anything, he has his own things to do! And now that we are going home, I can see him and finally tell him about—

*Nyah nyah nyah*

“Text! I bet it's from Lemon!” I yell out, taking out my phone. And I read it!

'I'm so sorry, something came up so I can't be there!'

…

I wish I hadn't won that bet.

I stare at my phone, and I don't know what to think… did Lemon just lie about being here? Why didn't he just tell me he'd be gone before? Why lie? And why do I have the sudden urge to eat a bunch ton of ice cream?

“Hello, Pinkie Pie…” a very soft voice calls to me, so I can't be thinking too much anymore, because that voice is clearly Fluttershy calling me!

“Fluttersh—” I turn around and gasp in surprise. “Rainbow Dash!” a surprise friend! The day is already better!

“Heya, Pinkie, what you doing just standing here?” Dashie asks.

“I was going to go me—” no, wait! I can't tell her I was going to do something with Lemon! “I was going to walk home with Lemon like the friends we are!” that should do it!

“Ugh, you mean that huge di—

“Didn't he already leave? He seemed in a rush,” Fluttershy finished for Dashie, she is so helpful.

“Yep! He send me a text saying he had to go, so it's okay,” it totally is, it's not like I'm hurt by it. Everyone has things they have to do without giving the other person a heads up, right? I'm not jealous!

Dashie then runs up super quick and is right next to me with a big scowl! “So, you are telling me that the idiot just ditched you? AGAIN!?” she asks me looking super grumpy.

“He didn't ditch me, he just had things to do so he choose not to show up and only decided to tell me last minute, that's all!” I explain.

But for some reason she still looks pretty mean-e. “That's what ditching means, Pinkie Pie! How can you ta— *Nyah nyah nyah* Huh? What the heck was that?”

“My phone senses are tingling!” I quickly take my phone and open it. “And they are Lemon flavored!”

“Him? Probably making more dumb excuses… as usual.”

And suddenly Fluttershy! Who comes up to us and actually drags Rainbow away. What a twist! “Rainbow, that's no way to talk about someone else's friends! Let Pinkie check her phone without your rude commentary. Besides, Lemon is a really sweet guy.”

I hear Dashie scoff, but I can't focus on that right now, there is a twenty-five second old message I need to read!

'At mall, if you have ride we can meet there at sox'

Sox? Oh, does that mean he wants to have a sock puppet party? Maybe he wants me to take extra socks? Sounds fun!

*Nyah nyah nyah*

Oh, another text!

'*Six'

Oh, that sounds less fun, but I'm sure it'll be fun too… But how do I get there now?

~~~~~

And so, at the speed of a transition, Dashie and I are on the road! Heading straight for the mall in which Lemon resides. At Dashie's request, we are traveling there earlier to surprise him. It's a good idea that I can say is good because it's actually working!

Dashie looks at me weird, and says. “Um, Pinkie, why are you narrating?”

“Oh, you heard that? I must have forgotten that I wasn't using quotation marks!” silly me, that's not how mental monologues work.

“Right… anyway, we are here now, so let's look for the idiot.”

Dashie then parks the car, and we are on the way to look for Lemon. It's exciting! I haven't been in this place since we were banned from the theater. I wonder if they got over that?

“Hey, Pinkie?” Dash calls me. “Did Lemon say why he wanted you to come here at six?,” she asks.

“Nope! But I bet he is buying me a present! Oooh, I bet it's ice cream!”

Hmm… I don't think I agree with that look of doubt on Dashie's face. “Pinkie, even if he was, I'm sure only ice cream wouldn't be a good present.”

“It would if it was a LOT of ice cream,” and Pinkie Pie thinks that is a good guess!

“I suppose… Anyway, where did he say he would meet you, again?”

“Donuts!”

“Huh?”

“He said he'd be over the donut shop! And you know what they have at the donut place?”

“Um… Donuts?”

“Ice cream! I bet he'll be waiting with a huge scoop in hand! I just knew there was a reason he was acting strange,” I'm excited, so I shout it out with just as much excitement!

Dashie gives me a serious look. “Yeah, I hope that's the case,” she looks worried, but I bet she is just exaggerating, I know Lemon, and he won't mind that I'm here early at all.

It's not long till we make it to the place with the donuts, and ooh, I can smell it already! And it's not only because we are actually there, but, like a figurative smell… that smells like reality!

“Um, Pinkie?”

Wonder what flavor he got me?

“Pinkie.”

I bet it was chocolate!

“Pinkie!”

Ah! “Whoops, sorry Dashie! What's wrong?”

She grabs my head and turns it towards the shop. “That!”

“Huh?” I'm looking at the glass that separates us and the rich goodness of food. But wait! There is Lemon, sitting at a table with… “Dashie?”

“Yes, Pinkie, that's Sunset Shimmer sitting down with Lemon,” she replies calmly.

“Oh…” I observe her carefully, noticing that hair of hers. I feel hungry as the reminder of bacon comes to mind. Though, I don't think I can really eat anything right now...

“Let's go, Pinkie,” Rainbow says, grabbing my hand and pulling me away with her. “It's clear what's going on here.”

“It is…?” I whisper. But, is it clear what's going on? Is Lemon taking part of a super secret meeting that I wasn't supposed to know about? Is this why he's been acting so dodgy today? Are they actually together? Was I wrongly accusing his phone for lying?

Rainbow stops pulling me to say. “Of course it is! Why else would he be there with HER of all people? Don't tell me you actually think he has a good reason?”

“Well, he did kinda lie to me...”

“There you go!”

“But I don't think it's fair that we say things about him without a reason! What if he had one?” yep, yep! That's it! He must have a reason to be in there with the most meanest of girls ever.

“Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow sighs, rolling her eyes. “He is-”

“Nope! I'm going back!” so I run away from Dashie, getting back to the store and going inside without even bothering to look at the menu. There is no time for eating!

“Pinkie Pie!?” Lemon calls my name. It appears that senpai noticed my entrance! “Y-y-you sure came early, ahaha…”

“I sure did!” he is trying to move the conversation away! Nice try, but I'm a very focused gi- “Hi, Sunset Shimmer!”

“H-hi,” she replies. That's weird, Sunset's greetings are usually ruder. And more long winded.

“Lemon? What's going on, huuuuh?”

He looks over to Sunset and sighs, before getting off his chair and grabbing my hand. “Pinkie Pie, you and I need to talk.”

~~~~~

“So, what you are saying is that Sunset Shimmer might have lost her memory during that fire last month, and after you found out about it you decided to become friends with her and help her get back on her feet?”

Lemon sighs for some reason, then says. “Pinkie, do you just enjoy repeating the important things I tell you?”

Who even does that? “Of course not, silly! I'm just happy, is all.”

“Happy? About what?” he asks looking confuzzled. “Wait, were you actually jealous?”

Oh! “Um, well...”

“Pinkie?”

“Well, maybe a little. I just felt left out of whatever you were doing, is all,” I tell him. And that's the honest truth.

“I guess that's on me,” he says, scratching his head. “I was just trying to now worry you, but the truth is that I've been hanging out with Sunset for the past week.”

“Oh, really? I bet it was fun!” I say, softly patting his back.

“Ouch! Geez, I'm sorry about that, you don't have to hit me, you know?” he says, and I have no idea what he is talking about. "Besides, I DID say we would hang out at six, didn't I?"

"Whoopsie, I forgot about that!" wait, is he going to tell me about it? "Does it mean you have something for me?"

"Yeah, actually," he smiles, reaching into his pocket and taking out something which he then hides in his fist.

"Oh, what is it? What is it?" I can't wait, I have to see!

"Here," he says, placing his hand on top of mine and dropping something. "Happy first month anniversary, Pinkie."

He actually remembered!

I open my hand and see a pendant, it's pink (yay) and shaped like a music note. "Is this really for me?"

He nods. "Yup, how about you try it on?"

"Like, of course!" I put it on quickly and let it hang from my neck, watching it shine in the lights of the place. "Wowie, thank you Lemon, I love it!" I tell him, hugging him the best hug I've given all day.

No hard feelings, Dashie!

But wait, there is more! "So, did she really lose her memory, then?"

He nods! Oh no! “I didn't believe it at first, which is why you see me here, but she really seems unable to remember anything at all.”

“Really?” wow, not remembering who you are must be so sad.

“Yeah, I come here to chat with her since she doesn't have anyone, heck, she hasn't been able to do much without friends, so I've been keeping her company," he explains. "And I haven't learned that much from her, really, and at the very least, it seems like she is retained most of her school knowledge, but...” Lemon pauses.

Oh, a Lemon pause! That must mean something huge! “Yess?”

“Well, you see, she is going to go back to school, and I kinda, sorta agreed to be her guardian when she does return..." he finishes, whispering so long that I nearly confused him with Fluttershy.

“Really? You'd actually do that for a girl who hated you?”

“Yeah…”

“Someone who thought you were beneath her?”

“Um, yes?”

“A girl who blackmailed you?”

“Okay, I get the picture! I'm dumb, but I wanna do it!”

I can't help but just smile, he is so cute when he thinks he is dumb for trying to take care of a girl who used to be his enemy. That's a classic! “Are you kidding? That's a super nice thing to do!” I tell him, leaning forward and sneaking a surprise kiss. Got him!

“What the hell!?”

We jump at the sound of the voice! Oh no! I think I know who that is…

“Pinkie!” Dashie calls my name. “What the heck is going on here? Why did you… and him…” she looks at us separately, keeping her eyes on Lemon's for a little bit before she storms out, she even ignored Sunset Shimmer.

“Pinkie Pie?” Lemon calls.

“Yeah?”

“Dash gave you a ride, didn't she?”

“Yup!”

“Oh my god.”

Suddenly, we hear laughter. “That looked like a nice friend, um, Lemon,” Sunset suddenly says.

She smiled! “Tee-hee, she sure is,” hey, what do you know? She seems like a nice girl!

...

I wonder if she likes ice cream...

Author's Note

It's done! I hope you enjoyed this prologue for this final part of the story. I decided to change the view to Pinkie Pie for this one to sort of give it an outside perspective. Hope I did Pinkie some justice here!

And hoooly crap, this chapter was hard. And I don't mean hard in terms of what I usually write, but hard in terms of ANYTHING I've ever written. Period. Getting into Pinkie's head was just something that was very difficult, but I somehow managed it, even if not as successfully as I would expect.

In any case, till next time!

Perspective

I can't believe I'm doing this.

I am easily able to find a nearby parking spot. Arriving at school an hour earlier may be a factor in this situation… no, its definitely the reason, because I'm at school an hour earlier. What the hell is he thinking making me wake up so early?

Walking through the school grounds, I make my way to my destination through the northern part of the area. I am made aware of other students who have clearly been here longer, given the lazy stares they spend on me before returning to what they are doing. Can't say that I blame th-

“Good morning!”

Them… “O-oh, er, good morning.”

…

A-anyway…

What I can do is blame that idiot for choosing the farthest area of the school from a parking lot to make me look like a fool. I swear, I'm going to cave his head in.

Speaking of empty spaces, I arrive at the appointed spot where I see no one around. Because it's obvious everyone is going to be late, and I just didn't see it coming… just like the top of my head, as I soon realize when I reach for my hat.

“This is all your fault, Lime! You made a fool of Trixie!” I say loud enough in the hopes that he catches my words in case he just happens to come from around the corner. But as if happens, that's not really the case. “… Figures.”

I make the full trip back to my car, and straight back to the meeting spot, which now happens to be occupied by both Pinkie Pie and Lime himself, who has an annoyed, tired look on his face.

“Well, look who decided to show up,” he says, and while not biting my tongue and resisting the urge to punch him now is stronger, I feel I should get on with it.

“You better have a good reason for this, Lime,” I demand, straight to the point. I'm sure that this is something simple that didn't require me to abandon my beauty sleep.

…

“What!?” I ask, doing my best to hold myself from strangling him, even in front of Pie. He cannot be serious.

“He said that Sunset Shimmer is coming back to school and that he is in charge of taking care of her while she tries to get back into the mood of things!” Pinkie summarizes. “I hope you heard it this time! It's not that complicated!”

I take it back, I'm going to strangle him, and do it while staring directly into Pinkie's eyes.

“Pinkie! Not helping!” Lime quiets her, attempting to diffuse the situation. “Trixie, I know it sounds like crazy talk, but there is a reason why I'm doing this!”

I take a deep breath to regain my senses. I should humor him. “Fine, Trixie is listening.”

“You see, it turns out that Sunset has a case of amnesi-”

Trixie isn't listening.

“Are you out of your god damn mind!?” I shout, looking around for support from that idiot Sentry who isn't here. “Wasn't Flash supposed to be here!?”

Lemon then answers with an informative. “Yes.”

“Then, where is he?” I ask.

He looks around, and then replies. “Not here.”

“…”

“… Ha?”

“Trixie is going to pinch you.”

“Don't pinch me br-ouch! Dammit, that hurt!”

I simply walk away. This idiot has no tact whatsoever!

Ignoring his calls, I make it to the front of the school, where I notice, and recognize Flash, back against the wall, much like one of the many stereotypical teenage archetypes that never seem to die. But enough of that, I'm sure he can vouch for my opinion.

… Or he would have if he hadn't just walked away.

“Flash! You get back here! Trixie has to talk to you!” I call to him, but he just ignores it and continues on. “What is wrong with everyone today! Ugh!” Whatever, I'm going to the library. Maybe the books will make more sense than my so-called friends!

As I head there, I suddenly take notice of a girl talking to this older man by the principal's office. The man himself isn't anyone familiar in the slightest, but the girl… of course, that hair is a very apparent telltale sign of who it is. Though, the short hair catches me by surprise.

Yes, that is Sunset Shimmer in the flesh.

This is my chance! I should head over there and give her a piece of my mind! Of course! I would tell her of her truths, and she wouldn't make me fall under her control, because her words have zero effect on me! Then, she would get a piece of the Great, and Powerful Triii-

“S-sorry? Can I help you?”

“What?” I exclaim out loud, realizing the unforeseen close distance that now separates both Shimmer and I.

“Sorry! I was wondering if something was wrong, you just suddenly came up to me, and, well…” she babbles on weakly.

“No! The Great, and Powerful Trixie does not require your help, Shimmer!” I exclaim loudly to assert my dominance over the conversation.

Shimmer looks surprised, and actually smiles as she says. “Wait, you know my name? Oh my goodness, then maybe you can help me, Ms. Trixie!”

“WHO TOLD YOU MY NAme…” I am unable to halt my words in time, and I cringe intensely as I realize the question that I just asked. Oh my god… “W-what do you want?” I mutter in defeat.

She appears taken aback, but that is only little retribution to what I'm still feeling right now.

Shimmer fidgets in place, visibly struggling to let the words out. “Well, I was wondering if you could help me find a person.”

“Help you?” Hmm… help you. “Of course! Trixie's magnificent sense of direction and memory will not only attempt, but commit to help you, Shimmer!”

She abruptly grabs my hands, and says. “Thank you! I'm looking for my friend Lemon Lime. Do you know of him?”

“I…” I pull my hands away slowly, feeling bile building up in my throat. “Er, Trixie does, and being as great as I am, I will take you there for no charge!”

“You charge to help find other students?”

“Let us go! So Trixie finds Lemon for you,” … yeah, that isn't gonna happen. This act of hers is pretty convincing, but there is no way Shimmer could just suffer such convenient amnesia! And even if by any small iota of a chance she did, I will make sure she remembers who I am.

We walk through the halls, empty as they are, they help combat the uneasiness brought about by walking alongside Shimmer. Whatever her condition is, it doesn't change the fact that she was a rat before. Caution is advisable.

“Huh?” she suddenly hums, taking a detour towards the school's trophy case, where her eyes gaze upon the numerous prizes and pictures that hang there. “Is that me?”

“You?” I ask to myself, while staring to check what she means, finding the answer very quickly in the form of a picture frame with a photograph of her singing back in the first grade alongside Flash. The first place plaque shining brightly right besides it after she neglected to take the prize back then.

… Or at least that's what I've heard. There is no way Shimmer would just willingly give up anything that bereft her of a shiny number one trophy.

“Ms. Trixie? Did I win some sort of contest?” she asks. I give the picture another look, which in turn brings back a memory from back then.

“Yes, that's you back in first grade, but Trixie wasn't a student here then to know more,” I explain quickly, turning my face away in disgust. “Weren't you looking for someone?”

“Right, sorry!” I hear her apologize.

Dammit. “Whatever,” I sigh annoyed. From the way she is responding, it appears that she is really as clueless as Lime said. Maybe…

No! That won't change a thing. Not one.

The destination already set in stone, I walk. Shimmer clumsily follows behind as she tries to keep up with me, while at the same time, avoiding to get too close to me. Seems she already noticed my attitude.

Good.

“The gym…? Um, Lemon didn't seem the sporty type,” Shimmer correctly questions as we arrive.

“Indeed,” I answer as she watches me reach the handle and push the door open. I peer inside, and stare at an empty gym. Good, it appears that luck is on my side. “Come.”

“O-okay,” Shimmer gingerly does as she is told, still very naively, I might add.

“See that stage over there?”

She quickly turns to look at it, and her pupils dilate as she realizes what she is looking at. “I-it's that the stage that was in the picture? The one I was on?”

“The very same,” I exclaim, watching her run up on top, and her eyes widening with awe as she stares over the empty area.

“If only,” she whispers, frowning as she takes seat on the edge. “Stupid brain! It's not triggering anything!”

“Trixie understands,” I climb the stage, taking the spot she had just stood on seconds before.

She jumps down and backs up, curiously glancing up towards me. “Are you going to perform a trick, Ms. Trixie?”

“No,” I state flatly. “I'm simply going to reenact a certain event,” I note as I close my eyes, and let my mind wonder to that day nearly a year ago.

“What event is that?” Shimmer incorrectly asks.

“The one in which you nearly ruined my future, that's what,” I growl.

I nearly grin when her face fills up with realization as to what I mean. “W-what? But, I didn't really do that, did I?”

“It happened last year. it was talent contest time. Of course, being a freshman, Trixie was a nervous wreck, so I was allowed to have a practice run,” I commence, grabbing my hat. “The first thing on the list was to pull off the simplest trick in the repertoire to get the audience into what I was capable of doing by pulling a rabbit out of my hat,” I continue, pulling out a rope instead. “Of course, Trixie doesn't have the rabbit on her at this moment… or the hat used in that contest.”

Seemingly confused, Shimmer is slowly shaking her head. “But I don't get it, what exactly does this have to do with me?”

“Then,” I carry on, ignoring her question. “As it turns out, there was no rabbit in Trixie's hat, no," I tell her, showing her the hat. "No, instead, what happened next was my old hat, catching on fire."

Shimmer now stares silently, she knows where I'm going with this.

“I quickly tossed the hat to the floor… right where you are standing now, actually,” I point, making her back up from the spot. “And then —coincidentally enough — you came up with fire hydrant in hand, ready to put out that fire before it spread.

At this point, Shimmer can't hide her discomfort while she struggles to say. “S-so I helped you then, r-right?”

Clearing my throat, I say. “Oh, looks like someone isn't even cut out to be a cheap parlor trick. How about you just get off the stage and out of the competition and just avoid me the trouble, 'Trixie',” I mimic, easily recollecting the words said back then. “Trixie figures you can guess who uttered the words, can't you? It's just exactly the person you are."

“I am? Who I am…” Shimmer whispers, covering her ears as if trying to block out the words. “But why!?”

“Are you truly asking why?” I return the question amused. “Simply, it's because you were a terrible person, and guess what?” I ask, jumping back down and running up to her. “'Forgetting' doesn't change who you truly are!”

At this moment, Shimmer is hiding her face behind her hands, shaking uncontrollably.

“Why…?” she asks again, uncovering her face, showing me a slow stream of tears that run down her cheeks. But why what? What the heck does she mean? She shouldn't be crying, this was her fault! “But why!?” she asks again, much louder, and looking up back to the stage, softly adding. “Why can't I ever remember the terrible things that I did?”

The anger in me seems to pipe down, as the wording of her sentence makes something very clear. “You already knew, didn't you?”

Shimmer responds with a slow nod, and adds. “Lemon told me about it… he told me that I wasn't a good person before, but, I never imagined that I was so terrible! Just from this I sound awful… I mean, what else did I do!?”

I'm watching her break apart in front of me, letting herself fall to her knees as she takes in what she learned. She is not bawling, but I can see what the effect of learning what she did to me is doing to her. Something that I had been wanting to see for a long time. It's poetic justice.

And yet, even as I stand here, finally watching the girl who nearly ruined me get a taste of her own medicine…

“Shimmer!” I say loudly, surprising her out of her fit, and forcing her to blankly stare back at me. “Look, I, er, Trixie may have to reconsider her stance.”

“H-huh? What do you mean?” she asks in a throaty voice, shaking as spasms of her previous tearing remain.

“Trixie went too far, I'm sorry!” darn it, this is far more difficult to say than I expected it to be. “So please, just stop already.”

Shimmer shakes her head, looking confused. “But why? I-I mean, what you said, and th- eep!”

She says nothing, simply letting my hands join behind her back. We sit on that floor silently for what feels like hours, and my mind wonders as to what her thought process is, what she could be thinking. Lemon could have been right, or maybe I fell into her trap like he did? Well, whatever that is, there is something that's perfectly clear; I cannot stoop to her level.

~~~~~

Minutes pass, and she has since calmed down enough to speak clearly again. “Do you really mean that? Are you sure you can just forgive me for what I did?”

“Quiet,” I shut her up, feeling suddenly irritated once again. “Trixie said her piece, and is willing to give you a chance at friendship! Just keep in mind that there will be others with events along the weight of my own, so be prepared to deal with it.”

“R-right…” she nods with a tiny smile. “Thank you, Ms. Trixie.”

“And just 'Trixie' is fine!” ugh, she reminds me of that Fluttershy girl. *thud* “What the…?” the sound was very brief, but that definitely came from the gym's entrance… I wonder. “Hmm, it's not very nice to spy on two lone girls, don't you know?”

A long sigh reaches my ears, and Flash Sentry reveals himself. “Crap, was I too obvious?”

I shake my head. “No, Trixie simply guessed,” I explain honestly. It's surprising how often that trick works.

“Right,” he mumbles just as he reaches us. His attempts on trying to keep his focus on me instead of Shimmer being the most obvious thing I've ever seen.

And Shimmer is staring at him with a very intrigued look of her own. "Flash?" well, perhaps her murmuring is more of an obvious telltale sign of that.

I think I have a plan. “Well, Trixie was not able to find Lemon Lime, so figures that the task has to fall to you, Flash Sentry. Count this as payback for ignoring me earlier.”

“What!?” they ask in stereo, but I no longer care, and I simply walk out the door and say nothing more. Those two have some issues to resolve anyway.

And as return to my original library plan, I think of what transpired. It's apparent that Sunset Shimmer doesn't seem to recollect anything from her past, so it wouldn't be fair of me to treat her like the old Shimmer.

“But…”

I'm sure that it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out on her, just in case.

“Trixie!” I call again, hoping that she'll come back, but the thunderous echoes of the door slamming shut reaches my ears, telling me that isn't happening. She is gone. Now all I can do now is stand in place, gulping. Having the vaguest hopes that she isn't looking in my general direction, suddenly going...

“Um, excuse me?”

“Aaah, she is!”

“Sorry?”

“Er, I mean…” did I say that out loud!? It's okay, it's only uphill from here! “Yes?”

“Why were you following us?” she asks... slowly tripping.

“W-well, you see, I wanted to talk to Trixie, and well, I saw you two come here, and then, well… I'm sorry!” I apologize. That's literally all I can do at this point.

“N-no! I didn't mean anything by it, I just… I'm Sunset Shimmer, n-nice to meet you.” she greets me, stretching her arm carefully, looking as nervous as I am. “I hope we can be good friends!”

I falter in my response as that moment back at the infirmary all those years ago comes to mind, but I thankfully manage to recover fast enough to reply. “Flash Sentry!”

Sunset actually giggles which really helps lighten up the mood after that whole ordeal… I'll probably need to talk to Trixie about that later.

“Hmm...” she hums to herself, looking at me curiously.

“Y-yes?” I ask carefully. She could be thinking up literally anything.

But this turns out false when she shakes her head and says. “No, it's nothing, sorry.”

“Right!” that was too much to hope for, I guess. “Well, I'll help you find Lemon. It shouldn't be hard to do it,” I quickly jolt down a text and send it to Lemon, one that he is fast to respond to, given the near instantaneous buzzing of my phone.

'Wait, wat!??? Im on the lunch, i'll be waiting here with pinkie.'

Expected response noted, I return my phone to the darkness of my pocket, and to inform Sunset. “Well, he is waiting in the lunch room, are you ready to go meet him?”

“Of course! Thank you so much!” she thanks me, sending my heart aflutter, and into near shock. Oh boy, this isn't going to be pretty...

Anyway! We set off to the cafeteria where Lemon waits. Just the two of us. Alone, except for Sunset who is with me… What? Nervous? N-not at all!

“Mr. Flash?”

“SUNSET! Er, I mean, yes?” totally not losing it, dude… “I mean, please, just call me Flash, it's weird to be called mister by someone who is probably around my age,” I explain, since to be fair, she never called me that before the event… that sounds much more cryptic when it's really not.

“Right! And well, you see, I-” she stops partway through her sentence, shaking her head. “No, it's nothing. Never mind.”

“Ah, okay,” that was weird, if not a little bit suspicious. Wonder what she is thinking about… maybe she is wondering who I am, maybe she is thinking I'm cute and she will profess her love to me, which will then turn into a friendly relationship that will lead to us becoming a couple again, and we can return to how we were back then, yes! And the-.

“Flash?” she calls me again, cutting my thoughts short…

… And that's a good thing. “Yes? Did you remember what you wanted to say?”

Closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath, she says. “Tell me, do we know each other? Have we met beforehand?”

“Excuse me?” I ask to halt for time and think. Are her memories returning from just hanging out with me this short time? “W-what do you mean?” I ask to make sure.

She scratches her cheek, looking away bashfully. “W-well, I was wondering if you knew me, that's all. I mean, I figure you know about me if you know Lemon.”

“Ah,” this brings back what I spied from the meeting Lemon had called earlier today. I couldn't believe what he had told Trixie! I mean, how could Sunset change? But after watching her just for a bit, I saw the difference. She really isn't the Shimmer the school has come to know.

“Is something wrong?” she asks, bringing me back down to earth.

“N-not at all!”

“You must think I'm terrible, don't you?”

“Huh?” being lost to the question is an understatement. “No! Why would you think that?”

She shrugs. “Um, well, you've been acting weird when talking to me! And I thought that I had done something wrong! And I mean, if I did, I didn't meant to!”

“What? No!” crap! Okay, that might have been my bad. “You see, I was acting weird because this is, um, how I act with people I haven't really met! Yes! I don't dislike you, I actually like you!” great, why don't you just propose your undying love to her now, idiot!

“So we haven't met then…” comment aside, she seems to smile regardless, looking relieved. "T-thank you, I'm glad you don't think I'm some weirdo!”

I try to ignore her increasingly glowing smile, trying to think of something to ask her. Anything to get off this topic! “I, er, Sunset? I know this might be weird, but I do recall having seen you around school with a leather jacket… any idea where that went?” OH NO, WHY DID YOU ASK THAT!?

“Jacket?” she notes her clothes, taking a good look at herself and shaking her head. “Sorry? I may have, but given the circumstances, I probably lost it in the fire, or maybe it's in storage at the moment with the rest of the stuff that survived… Why?”

… Mom is going to kill me. “No reason at all! I mean, it was just strange to see you without it, is all, ha ha…”

And now she seems confused, laughing awkwardly after my stupid question. “I see, um, well, I hope that my fashion state doesn't affect us being friends, huh? Well, at least it doesn't affect your sense of direction, I think we are here!"

“We are?” I look at her finger pointing towards the cafeteria entrance, noticing the other students trudging inside, lazily dragging themselves to eat lunch, dreading the hours of the dungeon they are forced to attend.

Funny, I'm feeling something similar right now.

“There he is!” Shimmer literally points out.

“Oh,” directing my line of sight to where she aims at, I do see Lemon, who sits looking about as annoyed as he usually tends to be.

“Come on!” Sunset says, tugging at my jacket. “You need some breakfast too, right?”

“You want me to go?” I ask surprised. "You are being more friendly to me than I thought," I state directly. She wasn't being this nice to Trixie... though to be fair, it WAS Trixie.

“Yeah… I mean, I know I'm going to sound weird, but I don't feel nervous around you,” she stares right to my eyes, that look I saw before! The one which she had before…

… Before.

“Flash? What's wrong?”

“Sorry, I, um, just remembered I have something to do right now. Hope you understand.”

She appears disappointed with my response, but she nods, and gives me a tiny smile. “Of course, I wouldn't want to trouble you any further. Thank you for helping me!”

And just like that I watch her head to the lunch room, waiting until she reaches the table with Lemon and Pinkie before walking off.

“Damn it!” I can't help but curse audibly. Being close to me is clearly starting to affect Sunset, maybe even bringing her memories back. But, what if the memories that return aren't just the ones I hold dear? If staying away can help keep her being the new transfer student I met before, I think I can do just that.

Just do it for her, Flash.

Author's Note

HELLO EVERYONE, WELCOME THE HIATUS CLUB

Three months since the last post... I'm sorry?

Okay, apologies can't do much, but what I can do is say that all this time hasn't been spend wasting time, I've been actually writing notes up the wazoo for a lot of stuff, including future updates for this, so it shouldn't be quite the long wait from this to the next one. Hopefully!

Anyway, this one was a tough one as usual, since I'm using characters I haven't really focused on in terms of narrators, but I think I did a decent job of it.

So, read on, and tell me what you liked or disliked, and I'll read you guys next time!

A Colorful Reminder

“And stay out of trouble… that goes for you, Mr. Lime. Don't think that this is permission to do whatever you want.”

Shimmer and I both nod, with my nod being more of a shrug than anything, but Celestia seems to take it as is, and returns to her so-called work just as I close the door to the office, leaving me alone with Sunset for pretty the first time in days.

“Well, might as well not leave long legs down and give you the full tour, right?” I give my thoughts. It'll be long enough to avoid ONE class period, so who am I to complain?

“Okay!” Shimmer agrees with a ve surprising chipper attitude. “I just can't believe the principal let us take off for the first hour!”

I shrug. “It's nothing that some good ol' nepotism can't fix, now, how about we get to it?”

A vague path planned out in my mind, I begin showing her around. It doesn't turn to be much of a drag, since Sunset is always eager to listen to my voice, so that's a plus… and that's not really a thing I ever expected to think of her, especially after meeting her that first day.

“R-really?” Shimmer's hand shakily reaches for the book, slowly gripping it (and boy, do I mean slowly, my hand is starting to ache) before softly hugging it near her chest, giving me a look that suggest her being happy about it… yeah, not falling for it, Shimmer, even if you are on that bed.

Shimmer's father slowly approaches me, the stern look now replaced by a soft gaze. “Lemon, would you be willing to do that for her?” I turn back and forth, back and forth, looking at both of their damn faces. Can I really say no now that I'm in this position?

“Eh, why the heck not?”

“… And finally, we are here at the gym, the place where you sweat, where you jog… where you jog as you sweat!” I explain, the thoughts of very sticky aftermaths hunting my memories. “We should be done after this, really…”

“Um, Lemon?”

“What is it?” I reply just a bit peeved. I just lost a joke, and for that, she must die… or at least be reprimanded.

“Sorry! It's just that I already know of the gym, I mean, Ms. Tr- er, Trixie already showed me the place, yeah!” she explains with a bit of a shaken tone — then again, it's Trixie.

“Then the tour is done, and that just means we have… like thirty minutes till next class. Wow,” and hey, my phone hasn't let me down before, so why should I doubt it now? “Well, how about we go relax before I show you to your class?” I suggest. As any good leader would know, if you don't abuse your power at least once, you are doing it wrong.

She accepts the idea quick enough, and we are well on our way out a nearby door, coming out to the soccer field where the woman's team seems to be doing their own thing. We make a beeline towards the nearest bleacher, where we sit do to watch them do their thing, and just plain relax before class.

“Um, Lemon?” Sunset calls, pointing to a teacher who is fast approaching us.

“Lemon Lime,” coach Spitfire says my name with the intensity of a snitch catching someone on the act… what act? Heck if I know, it's the first thing that came to mind. “I hope you have a good reason for being here, because if you don't…”

“Here,” I waste no time, reaching into my pocket and showing her the permission slip specifically written by Celestia, which tells her it's enough. Maybe. Her snorting can mean so many things.

“Let me see that!” Spitfire says, snatching the note from my hand and giving it a good look before giving it back. “Fine, it checks out, but I'm watching you!” she walks a few steps, stopping near Sunset. “Sunset, I'm happy to see you back in school, if you need to talk or anything like that, you are always welcome in my office.”

Sunset nods slowly, giving her a weak grin in return.

“W-what?” yeah, no way I'm going to believe that was Spitfire. The real one has been kidnapped, and I'm okay with it.

“What am I doing?” Sunset whispers, if by whisper, I meant loudly states. I'm only saying so because she appears surprised that I heard her. “I-I'm sorry! I was just thinking out loud!”

My eyes couldn't roll any harder. “Sunset, what's wrong?”

“No! I…” she stops, sighing in defeat and effortlessly giving up. “I'm not sure if coming back was a good idea.”

Here we go. “Sunset, we talked about this, you gotta face this!”

Her hands move about, showing her exasperation. “Well, I'm not sure if I want this when people like Trixie and Flash act so strange towards me… especially Trixie,” she slams her hands down on the seat, taking a deep breath, what did Trixie do? “And then I was getting looks, and from the few people who weren't in class! H-how will it be when I have to be on my own? Are they going to run? Are they going to retaliate? What?”

Oh boy. “Sunset, you are probably the nicest I've ever seen you be, you aren't a jerk anymore.”

"I'm not nice..." she turns away, slowly muttering. "Besides, how am I supposed to show that I'm better when even your friends were doubtful?"

I place a careful hand on her shoulder, softly rubbing it. “You'll just have to do it, but hey, you won't be alone! I'll be there as long as you need me, remember most of our classes are the same.”

Quick to move, she wraps herself around me in an awkward hug. “Thank you, I mean it… other than my family you have been the most helpful and understanding despite everything. I can't believe you would trust me just like that."

… Right, just like that...

“Maybe I shouldn't be doing this… or maybe I should. I shouldn't be here! Oh man, what am I getting myself into!?” I look at the door again, the door that may change my life, the door that holds th-

“Oh, Lemon! I'm glad you came,” greets me the formally dressed figure of Shimmer's father, suddenly opening the door. “I knew I heard something out here.”

Shit. “Y-yeah! I'm here, sir!”

“Come on in!” he invites me in by using his bear-sized hand to force me into the cave of his home. The fact that this is a hotel room doesn't make me any less fearful.

He wastes no time showing me through the lavish room, down the hall of the surprisingly big space where various boxes lie, they probably have whatever items were left from that fire which still happens to be an enigma… one of those lying behind the door we just stopped at, I take it.

His fist stops near the door, hovering in place as he turns towards me. “If you do something to her, remember that I'm a cop,” he whispers before knocking on the door as if nothing had happened.”Honey, you have a visitor!”

I hear rattling in the room, suddenly joined by a brief 'ouch' before footsteps run near the door, and lo and behold, there is Sunset Shimmer in her pajamas... okay wait why is she in her pajamas.

“Alright, play nice you two,” the man says before leaving, though I'd swear I saw a threatening look somewhere in that face of his as he closed the door. I think I just got bad cop'd'.

Putting that aside for the moment, I take a seat on the comfy carpet, getting a look of the silent Shimmer innocently sitting on her knees, and... is her hair shorter? I hadn't noticed because she had bandages all over before, but she must have cut it. Ah! Why should I care? Let's get this over with. “Hey, what's up?” I start simply enough to kick up a conversation.

…

…

…

Oh my god. “Sunset?”

…

“Oh,” I mumble, noticing Shimmer's face which just happens to be glowing red, sweat falling down profusely and her mouth twitching very slightly, almost as if it wanted to move. To add to the sight, her hands are just as damp, clutching the knees of her pants. Okay, she isn't fooling me, but I give her points for authenticity.

“Ouch!” she cries out, unexpectedly falling to the side.

“Shimmer!” I am quickly on top of her, trying to find out what the hell she is tricking me with. “Hey, what's wrong!?”

“I-I…” she tries to say, but she is barely able to.

“Go on, tell me!” I hurry her. I'm actually starting to get worried here.

“I got a..." she mumbles into silence, making it impossible to understand.

"Care to run that by me again? This time with audio," I suggest.

"I... I got a cramp!"

“Wait, what?” I look at her face for confirmation, looking possibly redder than before, squinting in the agony that cramps actually bring.

“Ouuuuch…”

“… Oh my god,” I blurt out before bursting into full blown laughter, unable to hold back after this ridiculous farce.

“D-don't laugh!” she whines, trying to awkwardly push me. “Whoa!”

“Oh crap,” I blurt out as she ends up pushing harder than expected, falling back with me, and awkwardly ending up on top of me. “Geez, Sunset are you…” I shut my mouth, suddenly feeling the shaking of her body. Carefully, I look up, noticing Shimmer's tightly closed eyes tearing up. "S-Shimmer?"

Instead of replying, she mutters to herself. “I messed up nonononononononono.”

… Oh god, she is actually…

Letting go of my doubt, I let my hand fall on her head, patting it in a clumsy attempt at comfort. I have no idea what I'm doing, but it seems to actually work when her body loosens and she just lays down there. On top of me. Sunset or not, but boobs, man.

Man, wouldn't it be funny if her dad suddenly c-

“Honey? I heard something. What's wr- WHAT!?”

OH FUCK OFF!

“Oh great, it's you,” I hear someone say, so I look to the side to find, well, who else but sporty, sweaty Rainbow Dash giving us the sting eye. “Looks that I can't avoid your face even when I'm practicing.”

“What do you want, Dash?” I groan, refusing to roll my eyes because she doesn't deserve the luxury. She isn't worth listening to.

She shrugs, edging closer to us. “Oh, I don't know… maybe I'm just wondering what you are doing with this bitch at your side.”

Ignoring the fact that she just did that, she did it! She got my attention. “Dash, I suggest you shut up,” I growl, looking towards Shimmer who seems clearly affected by Dash's words.

Dash scoffs. “Or what? Is she going to screw up my life? Is she going to look dirt on me like she did with Lyra?” hold on, how does she even know?

“Bet you didn't know I knew, huh? Did you think people wouldn't suspect you?” she continues, now turning her focus on Sunset who looks down to the floor, just to avoid Dash's piercing glare. “Why aren't you saying anything, damn it!?”

“I-I'm sorry, I don't know what to say…” Sunset replies calmly.

It is at this moment that I notice the other girls stopping their sportsball to stare, talking amongst themselves in low voices, something clear due to the numerous unintelligent murmurs that reach my ears. Dash turns to momentarily glare to the crowd before returning to Sunset, growling with pitiful annoyance. “How about you drop the innocent act!? You aren't like this! You never were! You are a terrible person!”

I jump on my feet, stepping between them. “How about you back off?” I ask, poking her shoulder before I can even notice what I'm doing. She doesn't take it well as her sudden shoving suggests, she was thankfully not too forward because I at least avoided to trip.

“Don't touch me, you two-timing creep!” she shouts, raising her fist with a very clear intent to connect with my nose.

“Stop! Please, don't hurt him!” Sunset jumps in, holding back Dash's arm.

“Enough!” Spitfire shouts, popping out of the wall of girls. “I will not tolerate this attitude in my class! Lime, Dash, to the principal's office!”

Both Dash and I turn to her in shock. “What!? But…”

“No buts! Both of you, now! And no funny business Rainbow Dash, or no amount of excuses will convince me to avoid benching you. Understand?” she goes straight for the ultimatum. “Now go! I'll inform her that you will be showing up.”

Using Spitfire's focus on Dash, I turn to Sunset, who watches the events unfold with a shocked expression, so I pat her shoulder, getting her attention. “It's okay, I'll see you in class later today, I promise.”

She smiles briefly, nodding quietly before Spitfire pushes both Dash and I into the building, and together, we walk down the hall in complete silence in what feels like a hundred minutes march, arriving at Celestia's office to wait for what feels like… waiting for to be called by the principal on opposite sides of the door? I don't really know, I'm way too angry to even think of something clever.

“What is your problem?” I ask Dash as quietly as possible in my frustration.

“Your face.”

“Yeah, mature,” I snort back.

“No, literally your face is my problem. Looking at it makes me sick!” ouch… I mean, I hate this Dash with a passion, but wow, that really stung.

… Now to hope what happens next is just words. “Just why? Whenever we talk you are always giving me crap for no reason. What gives? What am I doing wrong?”

She stares into the distance, answering without looking at me. “You want to know why, huh?”

Reluctantly, I nod.

“Ha, I bet you forgot how you made Pinkie Pie feel when you hooked up with Trixie, didn't you?” she starts, going straight for the low hanging fruit.

Groaning, I jump on my defence. “First of all, there was more to it than that, okay? And second, you hated me months before that!”

She groans back, deciding to finally look at me as she talks. “Whatever, I already knew it was going to happen anyway, because I knew you had a thing for both."

Her words manage to get a blush out of me as I ask. “W-was I that obvious?”

“The whole school knew! So what makes you think I didn't?” ignoring the urge to retort with something hurtful, I let her continue. “Besides, I already knew you two would totally end up together," she shrugs.

Okay, now I'm confused. “What do you mean 'you knew'? How would you know that?”

Just then, her face contorts into a scowl, her anger further emphasized by her clenching fist. “Dude, do you think you are the first person Pinkie Pie got attached to? Just how vague are you?”

Her words nearly make me trip in place. It makes sense! But I never thought about it, I mean, even as cute as she is, in the time I've known her, she has never shown any sign to have had any other ones… no, wait, there is a time! It's small, but I recall it...

“Er… Do you want to maybe… Hang out? I don’t know anyone here and well… You know?” I asked.
“Oh, w-well,” I raise a brow, Pinkie Pie stuttering at the option of a new friend? “I mean, sure! Yes!”

A later memory resurfaces, the image of a despaired Pinkie Pie on that hospital bed, practically begging to not be left alone… could that be why she really depends on others as well?

“I bet you feel like an idiot now!” Dash talks again. “And guess what? I know it'll happen with you too! You are totally gonna get with Shimmer and abandon Pinkie Pie, just like you did with Trixie! And you are going to hurt her again!” she finishes, barely holding back the anger in her voice.

“Who do you think you are?” is my response, which I continue because she is not stopping what I'm about to say. “I don't owe you an explanation! I don't owe you anything!” I cut the distance between us, standing uncomfortably close to her. “I know you don't think I will, but know that I really do care, and I promise you that I'll do anything to not make her sad,” I finish, extending my hand to her. “Can you at least trust me on that?”

Rainbow gazes silently for a few seconds, then suddenly, raises her hand.

I can't help but smile. “Thank you, I'm glad you und-” I stop short, as her hand swiftly smacks against my shoulder, forcing a pained grunt out of me. “Aah! What the…?”

With a wry smile of her own, she says. “So what? You thought that was all you needed to do to gain my trust? As if!” she remarks just as Celestia's voice calls her to enter. “You are gonna have to do better than that to trick me like you did my friends, idiot,” she whispers as she heads inside.

I watch the door close after her, and I sigh, letting my body slide down to the floor with one thought in my mind.

“For a second there, I was kinda hoping it would be.”

Author's Note

Two weeks! Man, does it feel good to actually have something out relatively soon.

Being said, hope this can be enjoyable for you guys to read, and till next time!

A Colorful Result

Studying

Of course, what else would be the bane of my existence as finals are fast approaching, leaving me with the countdown that is preparing for that ticking bomb with the material I may or may not have.

“This is fucking impossible!” I gracefully shout, letting my head carefully hit the table with enough force to bring me pain. Ouch.

I feel a completely different pain as someone pinches my arm, which makes me look up to see Trixie holding her plate in one hand, the other guilty hand raised near my shoulder. “If you are going to complain about your ignorance, at least do it in a table Trixie isn't eating at, Lime.”

“Shut up, I'm suffering,” I grunt, looking at Pinkie giggling and Sunset smiling similarly right across me… though, I guess I'm glad I can see Sunset smiling even if it's only my suffering, I mean, it's not like everyone has been piquing on her, but there are some people who aren't quite as believing of an amnesiac girl, Rainbow Dash notwithstanding.

Honestly, I'm just glad we can finally eat lunch in a place that isn't Celestia's office, I say that was punishment enough.

“You know Lime,” Trixie jumps into the conversation again. “Trixie does not have the same classes you do, but she might be able to help you study anyway… if you were to beg her,” oh yeah, there is always a catch, isn't there?

“Um, actually,” Sunset mutters next to me, I didn't even see her get up . “Can I sit?”

“I don't see why not,” I shrug, opening a spot for her. “What's the matter?”

“Yeah, can't you see Trixie is working her magic?” comes the peanut gallery performance by Trixie. Feel free to avoid tipping her.

Waving her away (to my own satisfaction) I turn to Sunset again. “Ignore her.”

Nodding quickly, Sunset reaches into her bags, taking out a notebook. “W-well, we have the same math class, so we can compare notes, and maybe I can teach you some of the things you are having trouble with.”

“I…” God, if you are up there in the heavens… I wonder what color you are in this dimension. “Thank you! Yes! Let's do this!”

“Okay!” she answers content, opening her notebook and starting into an explanation… and… well, one that keeps going. She is, um, talking about x? Wait, what is that about the leftover values? “… And finally, you subtract what's left, and that's it! Easy, right?”

“R-right, easy…” I mutter without any attempt at hiding my discomfort. I look over at my yet-to-be-eaten lunch and think over just ditching this stupid studying thing and going for it, I mean, if even an amnesiac girl can easily deal with math problems, I must be stupid. Then again, maybe I was too focused on going home to bother…

Crap, here I go again. I'm not even sure why, but for some reason the exams have brought memories of my home, well, my ORIGINAL home. I guess it's just sunk in that I'm stuck here, never to go back... just the more reason for me to memorize it! I'm not Patrick anymore, I'm just a sour fruit left behind... or something deep like that.

*Slam* is the sound that a hand makes as it is suddenly dropped on the middle of the table, rudely leaving behind what appears to be a flier of sorts, one which we all stare at and say nothing to. I would welcome it, but fliers are too rude to respond back.

“Hello, random flier!” Pinkie welcomes it. What a trooper.

“You were supposed to ask what it was,” complains Rarity; white hand owner extraordinaire.

“Is it the solution to my lack of studies?” I ask in vain hope.

“Pinkie Pie, I'm sure you recall what the Fall Formal is, don't you?” she asks Pinkie, ignoring my desperate plight for help.

Pinkie gasps dramatically, looking at the flier with intense shock. “Of course I do! And I just remembered I didn't help you with the talent contest! I was supposed to take picturesss!” she cries out, swinging the camera that I'm already sure she didn't have, but hey, who am I to judge such random crap with her anymore?

“Come now Pinkie, it's quite alright,” Rarity asserts, patting the head of the saddened Pie. “You've had a rough couple of weeks, and I really didn't feel like bothering you. Besides, that's all in the past! I only look forward to what the future will bring, hence why I'm here!”

Taking this as a cue, I promptly shove my property into my bags and attempt to walk away, only to be stopped by the white hand of doom herself.

“Where do you think you are going, Lime?” Rarity asks, the feeling of her presence overwhelming me back into my seat. “Good! This means you have some interest in helping me, don't you?”

“I knew it,” I should have known from the moment she got here.

Ignoring me once more, Rarity continues. “So, does this mean you'll help out, Trixie?”

I nearly fall off my seat at the sound of her words, looking over where Trixie sits, expecting annoyance, but getting more of a flustered reaction instead. “I, er, Trixie did promise she would… and she always fulfills her promises, I guess…”

“Trixie…?” I mutter, shifting my view to Rarity. “Do you two even really know each other?”

Looking as if I asked a very dumb question, she scoffs. “Lemon dear, Trixie was one of the girls who helped out with the talent contest! Though, I must admit it came off as a surprise…”

“Quiet!” Trixie growls. “Trixie was only helping because you seemed to be doing most of the work on your own! Don't think it was a friendly move or anything!”

“Duly noted,” Rarity giggles. “In any case, does this mean I can count with your support as well, Lemon? There is only a week left, and my hands are rather full!” she explains, dramatically crossing her arms. “Besides, with my influence, you could get some tickets to take Pinkie Pie to the Formal!”

“Wha-” I barely manage to respond, spitting out the drink I had just picked up. She planned this!

“Trixie believes that Lime is already choking to the idea,” Trixie chooses to comment with the perfect addition. I can't even be mad.

“Rarity, I…” dammit, I really don't want to, but… maybe I can get something more out of this. “Okay, how about we make a deal then?”

“Interesting,” Rarity hums. “What kind of deal?”

I look over to Pinkie, recalling the stuff Dash had told me. “I'll tell you about it later,” I reply as Pinkie just waves me hello for no apparent reason.

A thoughtful look later, Rarity nods, shooting me a wink. “Of course, I fully understand!”

She totally doesn't understand. “Right, and we'll even get help from this one here to boot,” I say, pointing at Sunset who only bothers to look in my general direction for a second before going to back to looking at my notes, pencil in hand.

“Lemon,” Rarity whispers to me, looking over to Sunset, who seems too occupied erasing bits of my notes and jotting in her own. “As much as I appreciate the help, are you su-

“It's fine, trust me,” I whisper right back.

“Very well,” she replies with a very resigned sigh. “Sunset Shimmer, are you available to help us? I wouldn't want Mr. Lime here to force you into doing it, after all,” she asks with a very unnecessary addition.

Sunset looks up, quickly forgetting my poor notebook, which is promptly tossed aside. “I, no! I mean, really? I w-would love to help!”

“Good, I'll see you there!” Rarity nods and smiles, which then fades into a more serious look towards me, whispering to me again. “Speaking of, will I be seeing Flash there? I have not seen him for days now.”

“Sorry, I actually haven't seen him either,” I shrug. “The last time I even heard of him was when Sunset told me he helped her get to me weeks ago.”

“I see…” Rarity hums thoughtfully for a second, at least until she doesn't, waving her hand as if pushing the issue from her mind. “In any case, I expect to see you all there. If you get lost, message me!”

Aaaaand she is on her way. Well, this should be a little bit fun, hopefully nothing stupid happens.

~~~~~

“This is fucking stupid,” I groan.

“Don't be such a butt butt!” Pinkie reprimands me (I think?) instantly, skipping into the gym with Trixie and Sunset right behind her.

“My butt has all the right to be a butt! How come there is only three of you?” I point out to not the two principals Luna and Celestia, but to the help that encompasses just Rarity.

“More people will be here soon, Lemon,” Rarity points out, calmly jotting something down on her notepad.

“Lulu!” Pinkie suddenly shouts, running past us and towards the two adults, one whom appears to be taken aback by the nickname, as usual. “You guys didn't tell me!”

The principals shrug at each other before Celestia replies. “What are you talking about, Pinkie?”

“The talent contest! Big, huge, duuuh!” Pinkie explains. I do recall her crying about it earlier. “I could have been so much help!”

Luna smiles, simply replying. “Excuse us, Pinkie, it's just that you didn't bother asking.”

“Hey, Rarity,” I whisper, pulling her aside while Pinkie distracts the others with her unjustified rage. “I wanted to ask you something about Pinkie.”

“Pinkie?” Rarity asks intrigued. “Whatever would you ask me about your girlfriend that you wouldn't know about?”

“Well, actually…” I up and tell her about the stuff Dash said to me, I don't bother going into full detail, I don't need more drama over it. Besides, Rarity's usually composed demeanor seems to deteriorate as I continue.

“It wasn't Dash's place to say,” Rarity shakes her head, groaning annoyed. “But yes, what she said about Pinkie is true. Though, I'm certain it wouldn't be strange for Pinkie to have had other partners, I mean, would you find it strange if Fluttershy didn't have someone she cared about that way before?

Not even touching that one. “All I want to know is if Pinkie has been led on before. Is that true?”

Rarity nods solemnly. “Sadly so, Pinkie trusts others far too easily, and it has been a subject of her bouts of depression, at least the years I've known her. It's almost as if she is part of a different world, somehow trapped in place where someone like her can't flourish.”

Boy, you can say that again. “So that's why Dash is so protective…”

“We all are, it's just that the rest of us aren't quite as apparent,” Rarity explains, giggling to herself.

“For being someone so protective, you sure are okay with telling me this stuff, I mean, why?” I point out.

“Isn't it obvious?” she asks, lightly tapping my head with her notepad. “I trust you.”

Notepad pain aside, this brings out a smile. “Thanks, glad to see you do.”

“No problem at all,” she states, returning to her pad. “Now, let's not waste anymore time, we have work to do.”

“Actually!” I stop her, feeling suddenly nervous. “I wanted to ask you something else as well…”

“Honestly Lemon, we really need to get started,” Rarity sighs, smacking the notepad lightly against her palm.

“No, it’s just…” I try to think of the words to use. “This is going to sound weird, but, have you ever felt homesick?”

“Homesick?”

Dammit, I knew it! “It’s nothing, just forget I asked, okay?”

She shakes her head, still smiling. “It’s not a problem, I understand what you are feeling full well.”

She does? “You do? Why is that?”

Rarity giggles, glancing aside in a way I can refer to as melancholic. “I was actually born outside the country and raised there until my parents moved here when I was still in middle school, losing a few friends in the process, of course. The family business always came first after all,” she explains before I can even ask. “Do you have something on your mind?”

“Well…” okay Lemon, just go for it. “Do you miss it? If you were given the choice to go back there, abandoning all of the friends you met here for the ones back home and your old life… would you do it?”

“Hmm… that’s a rather specific question, are you moving by any chance?” she asks, looking worriedly over to Pinkie for a second.

“Moving? No! I’m just wondering, I mean, I haven’t been living here quite as long, but I still like the people here… it’s just a weird feeling I have, you know? Am I being an asshole by not moving on already? Just, and, um, does that make sense?” it totally doesn’t.

“I see what you are trying to say, but whatever brought this up?” she asks.

“Exams… thought it has been something that has been plaguing my mind on the occasion,” I reply quickly. It’s not like I’m lying about it, thinking about studying literally brought it up. Education bringing misery confirmed.

Smiling, Rarity places a comforting palm on my shoulder. “... I’m sure you’ll come with the answer to that at some point, don’t worry too much about it.”

“Um… okay…” not gonna lie, that felt like a total copout. “Wait, you didn’t answer my question! What would you do?”

She stares silently, turning away from me. “I told you not to worry too much about it.”

“Um, okay,” so, yeah… with THAT abrupt end to our chatter, we return to the group to find out we have a couple more faces joining us in the form of Fluttershy who seems ready with scissors in hand, and of course, Rainbow Dash, who appears about ready to kick my face in, if the look she gives me isn't clear indication.

Annoyance aside, Rarity gives a short speech, proceeded by assigning us into groups, go figure that no one else showed up. Applejack of all people didn't, actually. “She is taking care of food already, I'm not making her work more than she has to!” is Rarity's explanation, I mean, whatever helps her sleep at night.

The focus then switches to Pinkie.

“Can I take pictures, please?”

“Save budget by using a digital camera and you are in.”

“Yay.”

Issue quickly resolved… guess Rarity really knows how to deliver the tasks in a way that satisfies everyone.

“What!? Why does Trixie have to handle such a menial task!” complains Trixie, having been given an unsatisfying task and being the mistress of always proving me wrong.

“A-actually, I'm doing it too,” Fluttershy tries to explain, showing that her name was not false advertising by shying hard enough to be barely audible. “I-I could do it alone, too…” I mean, is that what she said? I don't know!

Rarity is quick to give her word, walking up to Trixie with a smile. “Trixie, I wouldn't let just anyone deal with such a 'menial task' as you call it, decorating requires an eye for detail! I'm certain that a magician of your caliber would be best suited for such a task, don't you think?”

Trixie retorts with her cutest frown, puffed cheeks and everything. “Fine! If only because I'm the best for the task! I-it's not like Trixie wants to help you, or anything! Idiot!” she replies, realizing moments later as to what she said, and angrily storming with Fluttershy in tow.

Boy, am I teasing her about it later.

“Don't laugh, it's your turn next,” Rarity chuckles before her face contorts into a worrisome look. “Oh my...”

“What's with that 'oh my'? Something wrong?”

She shakes her head. “Not quite a terrible thing, it's just that I just realized we are a bit short on materials and we'll need to get more, but the store isn't what I would call close.”

“Shoot, I don't know,” I shrug. “What do you want me to do? Heck, Sunset doesn't have a car either, so that's out of the question already,” I point to the poor, ignored Sunset by my side.

“Oh, of course!” Rarity then smiles, the seeds of a devilish plan hiding behind that grin of hers – no wonder she can handle Trixie.

Well, might as well ask. “Okay… what do you have in mind?”

~~~~~

I am a stout believer that as the world turns, there are possibilities for numerous different events, with every possibility confined to its own limits, which are in turn usually confined to the very event, obviously. Example? Take Sunset and I going to the store; just us, walking together in order to gather the materials that Rarity needs using money given by her, and that would be that.

However, I've learned that every possibility can come with an anomaly, an unseen (totally not forgotten!) value that drastically changes that possibility. What's an example of that? Well…

“Shut up!”

How about an angered Rainbow Dash who drives her car with a clear show of anger, having both Sunset and I in the back saying absolutely nothing since we departed, and yet, Dash continues telling us both to be quiet. My dumb analogy aside, I would be lying if I said I wasn't having some fun with her raging, but I'm not exactly happy to be here with her.

Honestly, I'm only here because of Sunset, weird that she wanted to come after Rarity practically forced me into helping Dash with this.

Complaints aside, we arrive at the place without any real issues, haphazardly parking into an empty spot while barely avoiding a cart that stands nearby because no universe is holding daredevil Dash in check.

“Out! Now!” Rainbow sweetly suggests, tapping her foot not even a second out of her car. “Hurry up! I don't have all day!”

“Um, Lemon?” Sunset calls, tugging at my shirt.

“It's okay, we'll be fine,” poor Sunset, she is probably terrified of the jerk.

“Hey, idiot! So what are we getting?” Dash demands to know.

“Hold on,” I groan, reaching for the paper with instructions Rarity gave me, only to suddenly have it snagged away forcefully by the girl with the highlights… no, wait, let me try that again.

“Stop standing there and let's go! I'm not leaving you alone in my car,” says Rainbow, walking ahead and leaving us back with the car.

“Come on!” Sunset hurries me along, pulling and tugging at me to the store where Rainbow waits at the entrance, silently… her eyes glued to Sunset's hand currently holding mine.

“Dash, it's not what it se-”

“I don't care! Just stay out of my way and shut up! I'm doing this alone,” she shouts, grabbing a cart nearby and stomping her way into the store while Sunset and I try to keep up with her quick step.

This is the worst field trip ever.

Finding myself frustrated and with nothing to do anymore, I turn my eyes to something to entertain myself, though nothing really appeals to me, seeing how this place is nothing but a place for party supplies. Pinkie might be a fan of it, though.

“Stupid, dumb markers! Where are you!?” Dash growls, keeping her voice low and searching quickly through the shelves. I would comment something to make fun of her, but that’s probably not a good idea with her in this mood.

"Oh!" to my surprise, Sunset walks ahead to talk to Dash. “I know where they are! I'll help you find them!”

“W-what?” Dash asks just as surprised, just before showing her 'fuck off' face. “I-I thought I told you to shut up!” she hisses.

Never backing down, Sunset speaks up again. “I-isn't this this place big? I mean, we can probably split up and look for the stuff! I'm sure it will be fas-”

“I said shut up!” Rainbow says again through gritted teeth, pushing the cart past Sunset to look ahead.

“Sunset,” I speak up, grabbing onto her shoulder and stopping her. “What are you doing?”

Without turning, she tilts her face to look at me, giving me a very determined look. “Please let me do this.”

“Sunset…” I whisper, barely helping the smile stuck on my face, gotta admire her determination. “Alright, go for it,” I say pointlessly, she was going to go anyway. Now I understand why she wanted to come with.

Opting for the ‘never give up’ move this time around, Sunset catches up to Dash again, the words already leaving her mouth before even passing her. “We should ask someone! It'll make this so much eas-”

“Just stop!” Dash suddenly shouts, pushing the cart with enough force to make it fall over. “Just shut up, shut up, shut up! I don't need help! I don't need your help! I… I…” she trails on, still staring at Sunset before she runs off, pushing the passerby who had decided to stop to stare at the outburst. I seem to be involved in those more than I care to admit.

“Dash…” Sunset whispers, looking defeated. “Oh no, did I go too far? I just wanted her to like me… I have to go find her!”

“I'll go,” I say before she tries to run off after her. “I'm sure at this point I have a better chance to talk to her than you.”

“But…” she tries to question, but seems to get my point when she resorts to just nodding. “O-okay, I'll wait here then.”

Having successfully stopped her from possibly getting a beatdown, I go to get Dash in her stead, running out of the store expecting her to have run off, just to find her right outside the store, chewing on gum… a LOT of gum if the bajillion wrappers on the floor say as much.

“You are here,” I say, struggling with the fact that I have no idea what to say. While I had the best intentions to come out and find her, I was too focused wondering if I would succeed, and didn't really think up of something to say. “Hi?”

“Go away, idiot,” she responds appropriately, I totally deserved that.

“Right, so, what’s the deal with all the gum and stuff?” I ask, careful to not get too close to her grabby hand; if that thing can lift me so easily, its punching power must be off the Rainbow charts.

“I chew gum when I’m stressed, that means I’m stressed, in fact, I feel like chewing even more gum right now,” she says, shoving a handful of it into her mouth as if it were nothing. “Healthiest choice I have other than, well… stuff.”

Huh… huh. “Right, well, maybe I should go straight to the point, shouldn’t I?”

“Are you for real?” she asks, chewing even faster. “I thought I already told you, idiot!”

“I’m not bringing up myself, I’m bringing up Sunset whom you left back there, feeling like she is a terrible person,” I explain, feeling almost like a stern parent talking to a child who can actually hit me back super hard.

She sighs, dropping down on the floor like a rock. “I hope I’m starting to sound like a broken record, because I’m sure I already told you why as well.”

“Well, I’m sure I’m side b of that record because I told you as well, but you just won’t believe me! I mean, if the others trust me, why can’t you!?” I ask her, feeling the desperation in my voice, and saying something out loud that I'll probably regret forever. “Stop being such a stupid asshole!”

She shoots me a look that somehow encompasses both surprise, and pure anger. “What the hell did you say to me, punk?” she growls, quick to jump on her feet and lifting me up much like before. “You wanna know something? No matter what you tell me, I’ll think you are full of crap, and just because you think Sunset is good, that doesn’t mean I’ll ever think that! Because she won't change, she won't ever be good! She’ll be back!”

“Shut your mouth!” I shout, and without thinking it over (much like everything else I ever seem to do) I launch my foot forward, managing to land a blow to Dash’s stomach, forcing her to stagger back and hold her stomach in pain while I drop to the floor like a rock.

We say nothing, the sound of our breathing being the only thing that I can focus on as the reality of the situation sinks in.

“Oh my god I just kicked Rainbow Dash,” I exclaim out loud, I’m way too panicked. What if I hit her so hard that she is bleeding internally? Oh god, what if I broke a rib or something? I just gave her and STD! AH! I’M PANICKING OVER HERE.

“You son of a…” Rainbow says through ragged breathing.

“Dash, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do that, I was just…” I try to come up with something, but there is nothing I can say, I mean, it’s one thing to slap a girl because she is the biggest jerk, but kicking her!? I’m so screwed.

“Okay, I believe you now,” she replies, laughing while she gets back on her feet. “Not gonna lie, I was SO not expecting you to fight back.”

… Huh?

“What? How? Why do you believe me now!?” I do my best to return to the event in the back of my head, trying to recall something I said to guarantee the reaction, because I’m pretty sure a kick to the ribs wasn’t fucking it.

“No, you idiot,” she groans, tossing a packet of gum at me. “Don’t you even see it? You punched back!”

“Kicked!” I correct. “But what does that have to do with anything!?”

“You stood up to me,” she replies calmly. “No one other than my friends do that! It’s like, did I step out of line? It’s okay! Did I push someone and caused an accidental foul? They didn’t see where they were going! My friend’s boyfriend is hitting on me!”

“Um…”

“Shut up! I kicked that guy’s butt for even trying!” she replies. I’m pretty sure that last one isn’t something she should be telling anyone.

But no time to judge! Use it! “So what you are saying is that you believe me? Really?” I ask in disbelief. Have I finally gotten through to her?

“Eh? Kind of,” she shrugs.

“What do you mean ‘kind of’?” I ask even more confused.

“It means that I trust you, but that doesn’t mean I trust Shimmer,” she says simply, standing back against the wall with a serious look. “Cheating her way into being boss of others, even ruining lives in the process! I mean, you can’t really believe that I would trust her just like that, do you?”

“I guess looking over Sunset didn’t give me any points, huh?” I begin, feeling more at ease now. “You know, I felt the same way in the beginning, but trust me when I say she is different! Why do you think I’m still trying!”

“And do you think you can actually do it?” she asks, frowning while she does it. “Do you actually think she changed for good?”

“Well, I changed, didn’t I?”

“That’s not even what I asked,” she replies. “That isn’t even related to what we are talking about!”

Okay, attempts at misdirection didn’t work. ”Good point… but if you can't trust her, can you believe in the you that believes in the me that believes in Sunset to change?”

Dash chuckles, shaking her head amused. “Dude, I have no idea what you said, but whatever.”

*Ding*

“Phone!” I yelp, quickly reaching for my pocket to look for it, only to realize I don’t even have it on me. “Huh? That was weird, did my butt hit the floor too hard?”

“H-hey!” I hear a voice, and turn to see Sunset standing near the entrance.

“What are you doing out here, Sunset?” I ask her, looking at both girls, expecting some sort of attack from Dash. “You should go wait insi-”

“I came out here to a-apologize to Rainbow Dash!” she cuts me short, fidgeting nervously. “I m-m-mean, I know you don’t wanna be friends with me, and I respect that, but I needed you to know that I didn’t mean any harm by what I did… that’s all I needed to say, I’ll get out of your way now.”

Dash doesn’t say anything, walking back to the store, stopping by the open doors. “What are you doing just standing there? I thought you were going to be helping me.”

Sunset’s mouth hangs open, she blinks rapidly while processing what Dash said, I mean, I know I still am. “O-of course!” she laughs, running back inside and past her, already pointing out things.

As the door closes behind them, I swear I could see Dash giving me one last look before following Sunset and leaving me standing out here on my own... surrounding by another crowd. “What? Show's over, how about you guys fuck off!" as the crowd dissipates, I drop to the floor, sighing in relief. "I can't believe that worked.

“Neither do I.”

“Aah!” I yelp, noticing Rarity standing where other people were watching.

"Hello," she waves briefly before approaching me.

Questions need to be asked. “What the? Where did you come from? What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been watching you guys from afar,” she answers calmly.

No shit! “But why? Weren’t you supposed to be helping out with the preparations?”

”Well, I realized that it might have not been a good idea to have let you and Sunset go with a person who seems to hate you, but it seems like my worrying was unwarranted,” she explains as she shakes her head with disappointment. “Still, while you clearly brought about a change to Dash’s opinion of you, I was expecting you two to fight it over with words, not fists!”

“Technically speaking, it was feet… and mostly mine,” I correct once more, to Rarity's clear disapproval.

“I can’t really fault you too much, Rainbow Dash is very hotheaded as you already know, frankly, it was the correct path despite my complaints,” she sighs, coming to terms with that fact, thankfully.

“All’s well that ends well?” I shrug.

“Perhaps…” Rarity mumbles, looking over the distance with some sort of interest.

“Something up?” I ask, calling to her attention. “What you looking at over there?”

“Um… have you seen Flash today?” she asks instead, while I look over to where she is looking over to, but seeing nothing. “No, never mind. I’ll just let you guys finish, so please don’t forget anything.”

“Dash has the list,” I point out. “And Sunset is helping, so I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

“Of course,” Rarity nods, looking just a bit uncomfortable – guess RD isn’t the only that needs to get used to Sunset. “And Lemon?”

“Huh?”

“The reason I didn’t answer your question earlier is because it wouldn’t do much,” she explains suddenly. “And to be perfectly honest, it’s not an answer I’ve really thought of; you really sprung the question on me.”

I suppose that explains that attitude change earlier. “Sorry about that, didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”

“It’s fine, but if I had to tell you anything, I would tell you to do what you think is right,” she answers, giving me an embarrassed look. “I know that’s the most generic thing to say, but it’s the most I can really give you… though if I were to weight in my two cents, I’d much rather have you around.”

“Input is welcome,” I reply with a legitimately smile. It’s just good to know that I’m not just wanted to keep Pinkie happy, though that’s not really a complaint.

“In any case, I should go, Pinkie must have filled the camera by now,” she explains, turning to leave. “But before I go, I must warn you.”

“Warn me?” what is that supposed to mean?

“Rainbow Dash isn’t one to let something like that kick of yours go, so expect her to retort without warning,” she explains as she walks off.

“I…” slowly, I follow behind her, a fear suddenly rising up within me. “Y-you are just joking about that, right?”

~~~~~

Holding my aching arm, I enter the gym, barely holding onto the multiple streamer packets with one hand, struggling to even make it to the table at the other side of the gym, which is just there, taunting me. “Screw this,” I groan, dropping them halfway there.

It is I who will have the last laugh.

“Lemon!” Pinkie calls me, welcoming me with a wonderfully painful hug, but it’s totally worth it. “Here you go, dummie! You forgot your phone!”

“Thank you, I kinda missed it,” I exclaim, happily returning it to my pocket and feeling complete once again. Aaaah, dependence on technology is the best. “Ouch!”

“What’s wrong with your hand?” Pinkie asks, unable to ignore the obvious telltale sign I’ve shown. “Come on, mister! You are totally sitting down,” she orders me, grabbing my other hand and making me feel important. “I need to take a picture of you while sitting!”

Oh. “R-right, I do need to take a little break anyway,” I reply, letting myself fall on the cold metal.

Wasting no time, she takes the picture she coveted, taking a seat next to me right after. “Sooo, how did it go? Did you and Dashie make the friends?”

“Huh?” I hum utterly confused. “How did you know?”

Pinkie shrugs. “Dashie doesn’t look so grumpy anymore! I mean, she may seem grumpy, but she totally isn’t! She is usually calm and understanding!”

“Right,” yeah, that conversation doesn’t need to happen. “Anyway, I wanted to ask you something, Pinkie.”

“Yes, I do!”

“Pinkie, I haven’t asked you anything yet.”

“You don’t need to, silly, I love that kind of frosting!”

“Um…” I better get this back on track. “I just wanted to know if you liked to dance, is all!”

Her face seems to light up instantly, eyes shining brightly as if I had just hit the jackpot. “Boy do I looove dancing!”

“Well, I don’t,” I quickly reply, getting her hair to visibly deflate in front of me. “No! I mean, I don’t really, but I would love to do it if it were with you!” I waste no time reaching into my pockets and taking out two tickets. “Pinkie, would you like to go to the Fall Formal with me?”

Pinkie holds her hands over her mouth, her eyes tearing up. “WELL DUH, I WOULD!” she shouts, getting the attention of everyone else in the room just as she dives into my lips for a full blown kiss. “I’m so happy!”

I smile in return, turning to Rarity, Fluttershy, Sunset and Trixie, the latter of which simply nods, while the rest of the girls actually clap (including an especially excited sounding Shimmer). On the other hand, Rainbow Dash just shrugs, walking on without much of the angry reaction I expected. It’s a start.

You know? Sitting here, I look over them diligently working, helping Rarity as best as they can with everything she needs, it just occurred to me… they care for each other, and heck, they probably care about me too. I mean, they visited me in the hospital, so that has to count for something, right?

Hell, in retrospect, what am I so worried about exams for? I’ve dealt with worse crap with things like teen drama to fighting outright criminals – thought that last one has been mostly me.

I still miss my real family, but is there anything I can really do to at this point? I really don’t think so. Maybe it’s for the best, since finding trouble seems to be easy when you are actively looking for it.

Besides, a suit isn’t gonna find itself, is it?

A few nights later, a shadowy figure stalks the school grounds, looking up to the silent building.

“Canterlot High…” I can’t help but laugh as I look up to the empty place, the darkness of the night revealing how pathetic it really is. “But that’s not quite fair, it’s not completely useless.”

I turn my attention from the building, focusing instead on that OTHER thing in this stupid place, namely the statue that stands in the middle of the entrance grounds.

“Hello, old friend,” I’m not one to talk to inanimate objects, but I feel this time it warrants it. I look up to the sky, watching the clouds float away, revealing the full moon’s light which then shines down upon the statue. “Oh, yes…” I reach into the statue, and watch as my hand easily fazes through it, filling me with a very nostalgic sensation... it's time.

“Hello Equestria, hope you missed me, because Sunset Shimmer is back.”

Author's Note

Hello guys! Being sick sucks! Because that happened and made me unable to do anything at all, with headaches and the whole shebang.

But enough about my pain! As you can tell, it's getting there, and I'm ready to start this baby down the ending path!

As always, hope you enjoyed! Till next time!

Daily Dairy Dabbling

“Date… something. Year… whatever. Day of the week… geez, you can’t expect me to know everything! Has it really been that long?”

I look at the pages of my long forgotten first journal, noticing the last bit of anything actually written being nonexistent since last year, well, except for Pinkie herself (who did her best to cheer me up after my failed attempt with… that girl I wanted to visit. I’m sure it’s been long enough that even Pinkie doesn’t recall her too well, not that it has anything to do with it, but this gets me head off that topic)

Anyway, here I am writing on it once again, almost as if I were begging it to take me back, but I know full well that’s it’ going to take what I’m going to say without a complaint. Yeah, you better take it… notebook.

“So…” I mutter, hovering my pen over the textless sheet, recalling today. I mean, it wasn’t a particularly interesting day, in fact, most of my recent days have been boring and practically drama lacking… okay, at least in terms of crazy crap, but still.

I mean, something DID happen today, but who says that has to be the reason for it, other things did happen! I'll show you.

“It started off much like a normal day…” see? I even know how to start an entry!

~~~~~

“Hiyah!” cries out Pinkie once. “Take that!” she shouts next. “Got you!” she continues, remaining oblivious of her own huffing and puffing as she uses the tennis racket to return the ball to the attacking 'tennis machine' or whatever it's called with loud enthusiasm.

Though it doesn’t compare to my own, and seven in the ungodly morning didn't help as I struggle to keep awake, all while she continues being the sport she is as I watch her jumping, huffing, sweating… jumping… let it be stated here that I am not being a creep.

“Morning, creep,” greets me Trixie, completely ignoring my previous paragraph and sitting next to me while needlessly asking if I was ‘enjoying the view’. Jerk.

Besides, I could always enjoy… okay, wait, telling her that would be the opposite of a good idea.

“What a surprise to see you here, and isn’t it a little early to be getting jealous?” I needfully add.

“Shut up! You know Trixie texted you! And you told me to meet you here of all places,” she shouts, shooting an unnecessarily violent punch in my general direction, and it must be stated that in my weakened position, it hurts, but just a little bit! *sniff*

“Ouch! I know!” I lie, rubbing my pained arm. “It was a joke, geez…”

“Whatever, just shut up and take this,” she mutters, suddenly dropping a book-ish thing on my lap.

“What is this?” I ask, curiously looking over the thing, noticing its notebook like shape after barely coming across Trixie’s name stamped in the cover. I almost missed it, given how it was written in a contrasting color, fancy handwriting, and a huge, noticeable font.

“Trixie knows it’s been a while, but you were curious about the fall formal and its story before, right? Constantly reminded that the event would be happening in just a few days, Trixie made this to satiate that curiosity,” she explains before I have a chance to ask, and strangely turning her face away.

“Man, I had totally forgotten abo- wait! How did you know I was curious about this?” I panic instantly. "I never told you about that!"

“Pinkie Pie did a while back,” she replies. “However, she didn’t inform Trixie of the reasoning.”

Well, that’s a relief. “Even without knowing it all, and after all this time, you still did it?”

She nods. “It was delayed, mind you, but we have been occupied with other things as you know, not to mention Trixie has her own problems, so don’t expect it to be proof-read… and please, bear with it, it's not quite what you might expect, given the research I put into it..."

“Really?” I ask, opening the notebook and glancing at the pages, looking at Trixie’s sizable, neat handwriting. “Did you really do this for me? Wow,” I turn to thank her literal back, given how she was already well on her way to leave. Luckily, I have an idea to tell her to do the exact opposite of that, and she sits back down.

“There really is no need, so Trixie doesn’t see why she should stay. She would just be getting in the way of your ogling, wouldn’t she?” she states once more with her BOLD FACED LIES.

Lies or not, her response saddens me, and looking over to the still energetic Pinkie for a second, I go and say: “Look, I am really, REALLY sorry about what happened, you know? Between us. I really wanted to make it up to you somehow…”

In response, Trixie chuckles, giving me an amused grin. “Lemon, Trixie has clearly accepted this. And this ‘us’? It wasn’t real. It was basically living a lie, we were only a thing because Pinkie Pie wasn’t around! Now you are taking her to the dance, and you two can be happy together!”

So, yeah, I have to stop her right there and there, given her response is enough to fluster me. “Yes, maybe you are right! But that doesn’t mean what we went through was lies, and all! I don’t regret our time, and you shouldn’t either!”

She recoils, looking suddenly flustered. “Perhaps? L-look, Trixie is just trying her best to… cope!” she shoots, looking down at the floor with wide eyes. “I DO treasure what we had, but I’ll admit, sometimes I feel sad and a little angry about the whole thing, and I may, well, occasionally, somewhat, just a little bit, take it out on you directly!”

Did she really just say that? “Well…”

“Don’t you start!” she nearly shouts. I do see her take a deep breath to continue. “Look, the point is that Trixie is okay with this! I care that we are still fr-, a… group! That we do things together, even with that Sentry involved at times. Just know I’m okay even if you and Pinkie do lovey-dovey things since you are both happy, and all that junk…”

“Oh my gosh!” then comes the shout of Pinkie Pie, who turns out isn’t deaf; hallelujah. She wastes no more screams and approaches us. “I love you too, Trix!” she yelps, engulfing us in a wide reaching hug. “I knew you weren’t just a grumpy-puffy-huffy!”

“I didn’t say anything about love! S-stop it!” Trixie demands, sliding off Pinkie’s grip with a clear, purple-ish blush. “And of course I’m not… whatever you said! I-I only hate you two platonically!”

Turning to Pinkie, I meet a similar look to mine, because even that sounded weird to her, and that’s saying something.

“I-in any case, Trixie doesn't think you should be stressing yourself like you were, given your condition, lady!” Trixie comments for some reason to a surprisingly silent Pinkie Pie. “Alright then, be Trixie's guest," she shrugs to end that comment.

To say I am a little lost would be a lie, but that thankfully is answered for the moment I see Pinkie reach for her stomach, likely recalling that night when Dis-… yeah. And I’m only taking part of the blame on the account that I didn’t remember—I don’t wanna remember.

“Anyway, now that Trixie is watching you two closely… why are you wearing those tennis outfits?” Trixie asks quite clearly jealous of my nifty pair of short and shirt combo, and while she is clearly just trying to avoid her earlier nonsense, it was a valid question.

“We are testing these for Rarity!” Pinkie replies instead, pointing at her top (and very shamelessly lifting the front part of her sports skirt, I will add) to show it off. “Well, actually, I would be testing both pairs, but Rarity said that I couldn’t test men’s clothes because she needed a man to do it, but then she said Lemon was close enough, and he tried!”

“Uh huh,” Trixie utters, turning to me instead. “Meaning…?”

“Rarity wanted to test the clothes out in their ‘natural habitat’ and we were ‘readily available’,” I explain, but not without further adding. “Then Pinkie came up with the idea to test both pairs of clothes on her own after I got tired, but I wasn’t too keen on ‘naked time’ as she then tried to ta-”

“Okay, this is stupid. Shouldn’t have asked,” Trixie sighs my explanation short, shaking her head. “Honestly, Trixie was just curious as to how you two got into the tennis court. Isn’t this usually reserved for the team to practice?”

Good question. “Hmm… Pinkie would know,” as it turns out, I really didn’t ask about that little nugget of information. “Hey Pinkie, how did you get permission from the team to do this, anyway?”

I get a bad feeling the moment Pinkie tilts her head with a confused brow raise. “Permission?”

Then, as if struck by some sort of timing god, the voice of a girl booms behind us. “Hey! What do you three think you are doing here!?”

Nothing else really is said as we run the hell out of there, looking back only to shout out apologies for the intruding, and it’s not much longer till we make it back to the school proper. So, yeah, that happened.

Oh god, I hope Celestia doesn’t call us in, I nearly expect her to have a long speech against me, but not before gluing me to the chair and showing me my file which would just be the worst... yeah, I have a very specific fear, what about it? Potential outcome aside, Trixie doesn’t waste time to complain after we change, all while Pinkie puts the clothes in her back without even reacting, so that just shows how used she has gotten to all of this.

That being said, I just have to ask her the obvious question: “Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t get permission from the coach, Pinkie?”

Focused on her packing, she doesn’t even acknowledge the question until she is done, turning with a thoughtful gesture, tapping a finger on her cheek. “Hmm… I forgot! But Dashie was okay with it, so I’m sure it’ll be fine!”

Trixie and I bond further by incredulously looking between each other and Pinkie. Clearly, I shouldn’t wonder what friendship could be, because the answer was really right there in that dirty hallway all along.

“Enough of this,” Trixie says, probably having had enough of us. “Trixie needs to go, there are things she needs to deal with!”

“Oh, me too!” Pinkie announces, skipping towards Trixie, further proclaiming that she has to go return the clothes, then turning to me, eagerly awaiting to grab my hand so we can skip together towards the sunrise.

Knowing her, she was probably thinking just that.

“Actually, Trixie believes it best if we were to leave him be, surely, he has some reading to catch up to, don’t you Lime?” Trixie says, giving me this weird look that can only be described by looking at it, but I can assure that it was a look for sure.

“Y-you got it!” I answer expertly realizing her plan, though turning to her and seeing a scowl wasn’t the acknowledgment I was expecting to receive.

“Yeah, very convincing, Lime,” she states with oozing distaste, sarcastically even.

“I agree!” Pinkie nods satisfied (clearly falling for my great trickery) grabbing Trixie’s hand. “Come on! We gotta go see Rarity!”

“H-huh?” Trixie squeaks out, suddenly grabbed and pulled by an overenthusiastic Pinkie Pie. “W-wait! Trixie has somewhere to be! Aaaah!” I wave the pair goodbye with a satisfied grin that Trixie doesn’t look too happy about, but I’m sure a human can’t have a look as bad as the one she gave me earlier, so I bet she is okay with it.

Once they are gone, I sit down in a nearby bench, taking in the silence that I’d been left in now that they are gone. Not gonna lie, it’s refreshing to be early at school and not have some person randomly cut my thoughts sho-

OH CRAP I ALMOST FORGOT!

Reaching into my backpack, I take out the notebook Trixie gave me earlier, giving it another look over for a couple of seconds, while feeling as if something were weighing down on my shoulders… I still feel like the damn thing is mocking me with the full blunt of its inanimateness. “Do I wanna tempt fate? What would be the point? I mean, I’ve pretty much resigned myself to just living my life.”

Such thoughts run amok in my head, but…

“Wait, what is this?” I say as I notice some barely visible words that read ‘The Falling’ right under her subtly written name. “Huh, that sounds ominous enough that I NEED to look into it!”

In hindsight, it isn’t the best of reasons to look into it, but I am going through the most ostentatious, full of it prologue to get to a part that actually matters, so I’m not stopping now.

… and according to Gran-Gran, the events that occurred nearly twenty one years ago are strange, and yet, no one speaks of them. For some reason, the whole thing is shrouded in an air of mystery, to the point that even she was unable to recall much.

I recall Pinkie having said something among those lines. Not to mention the timeline is surprisingly similar to what was mentioned when I met Chry- er, those two.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, I’m too curious to turn back now.

There is a part in the city which remains in ruins to this day, “Everfree Street” as it is usually referred to by the signposts. Normally, this would be a terrible thing to leave unattended, as there are dangers to leaving rubble around, but given its existence for as long as it has been, it's clearly a nonissue. Still, this was to remain a landmark of the city, and one that remains largely ignored, save from some thugs that seem to laze about there.

Reading just confirms it's the same place (having met Babs who was with those ‘thugs’ there) but this just feels like pointless buildup, I guess she did say it required proofreading.

At this point, you must be growing exhausted of my meandering, but Trixie promises she is getting there, so stop your dumb complaints, and continue reading.

Okay, it’s scary how well she knows me at this point.

According to grandma, there was a struggle between two groups dealing with another that brought about some of the worst type of disaster around… and yet, all of it congregated into that area. She continued explaining that the riots involving the three sides were strange, as they usually led to the rubble that’s there, and yet, there were no explosions or anything of the sort, and she says there were no crowds bringing about the destruction. She reiterates that her memories on the matter are just fuzzy for some reason, though, I can’t understand why that’s the case.

“Who? What? Why? What does this even mean?” okay, this sounds super weird, even by the shit I have gone through. But that’s to think later because I’m going back in!

To this day, the cause of these events has yet to be found, the culprits were never captured, and the source of the destruction never even caught on film… It became one of the strangest non-describable things to ever occur in the history of this town, and as such, remains a subject of intrigue; or it would be, if anyone would show any, given how other people I've questioned haven't done so.

For whatever reason, no one has investigated the issue, not even I have… it is strange, I have felt the need to know more, and yet, I keep making promises that remain empty. Why is this the case? I honestly can't tell, but what I can affirm that something big definitely transpired twenty years ago, and there isn’t anyone out there who seems to know, or even WANT to.

… It's a bit terrifying to think about.

The rest of the notes simply relay information about the area regarding history, surrounding areas, and population (basically filler material that she felt would be useful, bless her dedication). Wait, what the fuck do I care? I just read this entire thing and got what sounds like an attempt at writing a spooky story.

“So, what now?” I groan as I lay my head back on the bench, my mind wondering to the words in the notebook. Would Trixie lie about such things? Probably not. And I’m sure it must have taken some effort to ACTUALLY write what she did down, given how ridiculous and little information she managed to get.

I suppose the next step involves me finding out more, though I’m positive that simply going there won’t do me any good. Well, I do know of someone who could help, a certain woman. She pointed a gun at me that one time…

“Oh, look, it’s getting late! I should totally go find Sunset right now!” I-I’ll just think about this later. Much later. Another time… much another time.

Making my way into the lunch-cafeteria-food-room place, I notice what I believe to be the strangest forms sitting together in my usual eating spot, so I edge closer, noticing Trixie and Flash sitting. Together. TALKING! This is either the biggest face, or heel turn ever.

As I move closer, I can listen to the hushed sounds of their voices, so yeah, that’s suspicious enough to call my attention and ask them what they are secretly talking to each other about, maybe I can get in on that action.

“Nothing!” they reply simultaneously. Damn, third wheeled in one fell swoop.

“Alright! Geez…” I take a seat, looking at Flash who actually decided to show his face for once, but then I remember I was doing something else, so I ignore him completely and turn to Trixie. “So, just wondering, you seen Sunset?”

“Sunset?” she replies, humming to herself. “Well, Trixie believes that if she isn’t around at this point, then that means she is probably not here at all and actually somewhere else, don’t you think?” she explained like a jerk, though I figure that’s just her being super mad because I laughed at her earlier.

“Gee, thanks… but that’s weird, she is usually here around now,” worried, I take out my phone and send a text her way. REALLY hoping Sunset isn’t the one turning heel.

But my worries seem unfounded when a text ring just seconds later with her response: ‘with dad will b late’

“Is that her? Is she alright?” Flash surprises by asking me so suddenly. Yes, I’m FINE thanks for asking.

“Yeah, she is alright, just doing something,” I explain grudgingly. “Meaning I wasted my time, so I’m going to go wait for her in class. Later guys, don’t be strangers… that goes double for you, Flash,” he just shrugs, and I walk away. Fighting back would only make him stronger.

Well, at least he seems to be fine, and things will just fall back into place as usual when I get to class. At least I’ll have a story to tell Sunset when I get there.

…

“Where is she?” I ask the seat next to me, half-expecting a response. Half a class has passed, and Sunset still hasn’t shown up, and the worst part is that texting is impossible because ‘school is for learning’ and Mr. Cranky Doodle said I was being a slave to the phone demons, but I don’t have a problem, I can stop anytime I want!

“Stop daydreaming, Mr. Lime!” he calls me out, forcing me to focus on his boring class again.

“Sorry, Mr. Doodle,” I apologize, getting resounding giggles from the other students in the class.

Flustered Mr. Teacher-man isn’t taken that sitting down, so he gets up. “It’s Doo. Doo! Honestly, this is not the attitude a graduating student should have,” he states, giving the room a sweep with his bored, almost lifeless stare. “You all need to be ready for finals coming up, ready for what the future will bring! You don’t get to do high school all over again.”

“Patrick did,” I whisper without realizing it, catching myself by surprise.

Huh, I hadn’t really thought of that much, but I’m totally getting a second chance at an education, a second chance at a different future for that matter. But is it an opportunity for ‘Lemon’ to make something of himself? Or really, just ‘Patrick’ getting a second shot? Have I changed enough that I’m having doubts on who ‘I’ am as a person? I have been referring myself as Lemon more often than not…

Bah! I don’t need to have this quarterly-life crisis now, Sunset needs me… or at least I hope she does.

The moment class ends, I rush out the classroom, phone in hand. Hopefully I can bump into her before next cla- “Aaah!” I yelp, noticing Sunset in front of me, barely managing to stop before crashing straight into me.

“I’m sorry!” she quickly apologizes, looking up to notice my face. “L-Lemon! Oh no, it’s class already over? I’m so sorry, I was with dad, and then I w-”

“Quiet,” I stop her by placing a hand over her mouth, sighing a breath of relief. “I’m sure we can figure it out, so how about we get to class?” thankfully, she gives me a quick nod and we are off.

Guess I was worried over nothing, huh?

"Huh..." I hum, trying my best to recall anything else to write about. I mean, stuff happened! Like, um, er... "Oh! I know!"

“The gym is looking awesome!” is the first thing I’m met with when I make it to the lunch room with Sunset, that thing being Pinkie spouting words loudly and without any care to how she looks, and that look being her talking with her mouth full. “Oh, and, and there was this girl…!”

“Girl, yeah, good…” I slowly respond as I sit down. “Maybe you should try swallowing before talking, Pinkie,” I eagerly recommend.

“Qight!” she continues on, swallowing the mess in her mouth rather easily. “So, there was this girl who entered the Fall Formal to compete with Rarity! Oh, an-”

“The Fall Formal?” comes the interruption of Rainbow Dash. “That contest is sooo dumb! I bet I could give Rarity some good competition by entering it!”

I feel my eyes straining as I hold the urge to roll my eyes too far back. “Right, sure… Pinkie, could you just tell me later? I’d rather save me the ego trip.”

This isn’t taken well by RD, who…

~~~~~

“Well, crap. I guess that’s really it,” I realize, putting my pencil down. “Nothing really interesting happened after that.”

Looking back into it, I guess it was mostly just a normal day, I mean, Trixie’s notebook brought up some weird stuff, but otherwise? It was just there, doing normal stuff that I figure a kid that age would do.

“And who cares about Everfree Street? It’s not my problem anymore!” I declare with ease, jumping on my bed without a care. I mean, sure, it’s weird, but why do I have to deal with it? All I have to do is ignore it, and figure out myself.

Huh, that was surprisingly easier to accept than expected.

*Beep* Phone noises fill the room, taking me out of my newfound ease in not giving a crap. I pick it up, and see ‘Ponka’ as the recipient. Little late at night, but that’s a person I actually care about.

‘hiya!!!’ reads her message.

‘Sup pinkie’

‘send you an email with pics of the gym! Dont you think it looks super cool and awesome?? (ˆ⌣ˆ)/ ’

‘kk i’ll check them out,’

‘i hope you like it because I wanted to put more balloons but rarity was like no and she took down some of them be-’ the text is cut short for some reason, but a smaller response comes seconds later, reading: ‘cake dad caught me gtg bed, love you goodnight!’

‘Night, love you too,’ a smile creeps on my face as I send the message. “Yeah, I think I’ll be fine not giving a crap about Everfree.”

Figuring that looking at her pictures wouldn’t be a bad way to end the night, I open the email, and sort through the pics send; the pictures are just as crazy looking as they would be, given who was taking them, though I have to agree… that’s a lot of ballons.

“What the…?” I stop, noticing half a face caught in one of the pictures that seems familiar. “No, it can’t be,” I quickly open the picture and zoom in, looking carefully at it once again, noticing the purple skin, double colored hair, and overall face look. “Twilight…?”

Checking it numerous times, I easily realize it is her, well, minus the shriveled, tired look, glasses, and coat. What is she doing here? Why now?

I take out my phone, ready to send the others a few messages, a thought running in my head plain as day : I guess the ride isn’t quite over yet, is it?

Author's Note

So, here it is! New chapter. Not gonna lie, this one one of those that I feel aren't strong for numerous reasons (most of that being what I already wrote about) but this was already set up with future events, so I went ahead with it anyway!

I hope you can enjoy it, but if not, that's alright. We are getting into some stuff from here on.

The Twilight That Comes

Everything was silent. Well, not quite silent, as the muffled sounds of the few vehicles hum from outside, unaware of our existence as the drivers delved into their issues, separate of our own. Wonder what they are thinking about? What’s the context in their situations? Maybe I know one of them! Maybe…

“Will you freaking say something!?” Trixie calls out loudly from the front, breaking me out of my deep, inspiring thoughts with such language. “When you told us to come meet you, you never said it would be to ponder quietly for five minutes! Trixie is missing essential sleep!” she complains.

I can’t help but sigh with disappointment. “Trixie, Trixie, Trixie. You of all people should know of dramatic tension!”

I can almost feel her frustration building up, but Flash decides to talk. “Lemon, you said this was important, you really shouldn’t be joking, considering you woke us up this early.”

I nod, grudgingly agreeing with his comment. “Sorry, I figured this was early enough that Sunset wouldn’t be here yet,” to be honest, I’m not even sure I want to bring it up. Would they believe me? I wasn’t even totally sure about the whole thing. I frown as I look at their faces peering to the back seat, and move to Pinkie, who sits silently by my side, asleep, totally unaware of the commotion as she can apparently sleep like a rock, which just surprises me, given how she usually is.

Funny how the more time I spend with these people, the more I learn about them.

“Good morning!” Pinkie speaks up, suddenly wide awake, almost as if she hadn’t been asleep milliseconds before. “What did I miss?”

“A good question,” Trixie points out, leering at me as if I were her worst enemy. Given the situation, I have the feeling that’s exactly her thoughts. “Well? Are you going to talk?” she asks, the look of a kidnapper expecting answers out of her hostage.

“Yeah, I am,” I sigh in defeat, taking out my phone, picture at the ready.

“Hey, that’s one of the pics I send you!” Pinkie says excitedly, recognizing it at a mere glance, while the two in the front look at each other, likely confused.

“Just look,” I explain, zooming the picture to the spot I found before. They all huddle closer, intently investigating the image that’s probably just nothing. Ugh, I already regret everything.

To my relief (and horror given how close she is to me) Pinkie gasps. “Hey, that’s the girl I was talking about! She looks sooo familiar! But also she doesn’t! But if I met her, I should remember, I never forget a face! Is she someone you know?”

“Don’t you remember? That’s… Twilight,” I remind her, and the memories of that fateful day come flooding back, filling me with sadness, regret, and more sadness, though, it’s strange Pinkie doesn’t remember her by looks alone, given she was there with me when we visited Equus Academy way back when.

“Oh! Twilight,” Pinkie repeats the name, falling suddenly silent.

As she thinks over it, I turn to the other two. “What about you, Trixie? Flash? I feel you rememb-” I stop short, noticing the blank looks they give me. “Um, guys?”

They look at each other momentarily before turning back to the picture. Could it be? “You… guys saw her, didn’t you?” I ask. They nod without a word. “Where?”

“I saw her yesterday morning,” Flash speaks up first. “She bumped into me during the first period change, though she didn’t say much,” he explains with a worried—dare I even say downcast—look.

“Trixie did too,” Trixie sighs, almost in defeat. “Twilight seemed to be trying to buy a snack, and Trixie bought one for herself before leaving her be. That is all,” her explanation sounded like it was leaving something out, but the way she is struggling to even tell me that, I’m sure it’s not too important.

That being said…

“What’s with you two?” I ask them, more questions popping into my head like kernels in a microwave. “You acted the same way when you saw her back at Equus, and you are doing it again now! Are you avoiding her? Do you even know her?” I ask, doubtful.

To my utter shock, they both nod. Even Pinkie seems surprised at this new information.

“Long story short, we went to middle school together,” Flash speaks with a solemn tone. “We were an interesting group back then, given how I was a third year, Twilight was a second year, and Trixie…”

“Was a first year, yes,” Trixie finishes the sentence for him. “We were inseparable back then, but things happened, and that’s all you are getting out of us.”

Flash seems to confirm Trixie’s statement with a firm nod of his own, bringing a low growl out of me. What the hell is their issue!? It could actually be something related to why Twilight was here! “Come on! Don’t you have anything else? Some weird crap, maybe?”

Flash puts a hand to his chin, looking thoughtful. “Well, Trixie and I talked about this yesterday, I guess I can admit that was what we hid from you,” he says, answering that little dilemma. “We talked about having seen Twilight, but we found out we didn’t really recognize her, at least not until you referred to her by name just now, but I can’t be too sure, seeing how she didn’t recognize us either.”

“Huh?” the kernels were then swept away by an ever increasing torrent of more questions. How did they not recognize it was Twilight? Why didn’t Twilight herself? Come to think of it, how didn’t Pinkie? Wasn’t she good at remembering people? Maybe that’s why I was having doubts about it?

“Lemon?” Pinkie calls out my name, staring with a worried gaze, caressing my face with her soft, pink hand. “You need to relax, Lemon,” she says softly, placing a kiss on my cheek, making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Then, she moves to my… oh my.

“I cannot believe this!” Trixie growls, jumping out of Flash’s car.

“Trixie!” I call out, carefully pushing Pinkie from going further down my face. Now, I’m up for that sort of thing in private, but here? Now? What’s she trying to do?

“Lemon,” Flash calls, pointing towards the stomping Trixie outside.

I nod back in agreement, but before I follow, I turn to Pinkie, who is now pouting with a guilty look. I pat her head, and give her a kiss, which seems to be enough to bring out a smile out of her. “Love you, we’ll talk later, alright?” I say, looking at her silently for a few seconds, expecting some response, but she says nothing. “Alrighty then…”

After that… awkward silence, I run off, my questions regarding Pinkie left behind for the moment as I make it down the empty lot to catch up to Trixie. It doesn’t take long till I see her form in front of me, her stomping now reduced to a sluggish step on the grass leading to the school. I guess it’s difficult to stomp on grass.

“Trixie, wait!” I call once, surprisingly stopping without a second thought, and turning around, seeing an expression far beyond the fury that I expected her to be in. “Trixie?”

“Lime,” she whispers my name with a frown. “Why did you follow Trixie? You should have stayed behind with those two.”

“I couldn’t just let you go like that. I mean, I know it was weird, but what was up with that?” my question seems to hit its target, as a scowling Trixie huffs, crossing her arms in what I see as a short fit of anger.

“I…” she clamps her mouth shut, taking a breath of air. “Look, Trixie said that she was okay with you two, but some things just are… a bit much, you know?”

“I know,” I reply understanding. “I don’t know what happened, she has never acted like that in public,” she raises a brow, and I cough once. “Er, the point is that she has never done that stuff out here, and, well, I don’t know what’s with her!”

“Pinkie Pie is, just… never mind,” Trixie says, ending whatever that line of conversation was heading towards to. “Look, Trixie has to go help out Fluttershy with something she was forced into anyway, so I have to go. I’ll see you later,” and with her piece said, she walks off.

I watch her leave, but I don’t bother calling out her name again; the feeling that it’ll turn violent churns in me, and I like my body not being violently hurt, so I simply stare—at least until she makes it inside and I’m left truly alone.

“What is wrong with people today!?” I nearly shout. I pass a hand through my sickly green colored mane, feeling each strand as I do before they meld into the blob of color that passes as my hair. It’s funny that only things like that make me remember that I’m stuck in a cartoon world, because I would argue otherwise with the crap I deal with.

I’m starting to get a little tired of it, if I have to be honest.

“Bah! I don’t need that! I’ll find out on my own!” I exclaim to no one at all, anyone’s validation be damned! Though I’ll be lonely doing this, having Flash, Pinkie and Trixie not following me would make talking to Twilight a far easier task, and we would be able to have a possible conversation, and we’ll become friends, and we’ll frolic through flower fields and… er, well, I’m doing this just to learn why she is here, obviously.

My mind made up, I head into the school building, hoping I don’t bump into Sunset. Really wouldn’t want to get her involved in this.

Having a set task in mind, I’m able to focus on certain things, like, how strange it is that Twilight is here: for one, WHY is she here? Does she know we are here? Then again, she didn’t last time. So, is she in cahoots with Discord, maybe? And how come she is actually wearing different clothes? No one ever does. Honestly, I don’t really have the answer to these questions.

Though were I asked if she looked better with her hair in a bun, I would be the first to answer with a very biased yes.

I arrive at the library, which is open early as usual, catering to those students who rush to finish forgotten homework... and of course, I figure it’s the one place I can get leads from, if not outright find Twilight. I mean, worlds aside, these people are the same characters, I’m bound to get something. I go straight to Cheerilee, who stands by her counter, scanning books with a strangely annoyed look on her face; better thread lightly.

“Morning, Ms. Cheerilee.”

“Morning! Um, Lemon, right?” she replies, her mood doing a 180, much like a professional would and showing me a big smile. “Sorry, I was dealing with some books. How can I help you?”

“Actually, I was wondering about you, ma’am, you look a little down,” I point out, straight to the point.

She gulps. “W-what do you mean? I’m perfectly… ” she slumps down in her seat, giving out a long sigh. “I just can't. Is it that noticeable?”

I nod once. “It is… is that bad?”

“It’s absolutely fine!” she says quickly, a clear attempt to stop me from blaming myself for it. “You see, I had to deal with some things the moment the library opened, is all. I’m just trying to forget about her!” she finishes through gritted teeth, scanning another book from the pile, and tossing it aside, where it will wait for until its shelved, and the library cycle begins anew.

Wait…

“What do you mean by ‘her’?” I ask curious.

Her tired face transforms into a frown, the reminder of that ‘her’ bringing her dark mood back. “I know I’m not supposed to do this kind of thing, but… one of the students was using a computer, and, well…” she trails off, and suddenly shakes her head quickly. “What am I doing? I can’t put one of our students in such a position. I’m sorry, Lemon.”

“T-that’s fine, just checking you are okay...” I hold back the urge to scream. It was going so well without even trying! Though, maybe… “Well, do you know where that girl is?

“Lemon!” Cheerilee exclaims indignantly. “I know you are young, but you really shouldn't be chasing girls like that,” I gawk at the implication of her words, but I hold back all my words regarding the absurdity of it as she continues. “In any case, I’m sorry to say I’m not sure where she currently is, but I did see her walk towards the lunch room.”

“Thank you!” I say quickly, promptly pacing towards the exit as to avoid another strange lecture.

“And Lemon?” she calls back suddenly, and I turn back, nodding with feign interest. “Thank you for letting me vent a little, it’s rare for any of the students to ask about my well being,” she says, giving me a sincere smile.

“Y-you are welcome!” I reply, holding back a sudden blush (among other mental images) and heading off towards ye olde lunchroom, trying to put aside the thought.

I arrive quickly enough, noticing the cliques of students already there eating, talking, or both. I do notice some lonely people on their own, but no Twilight. Crap.

“Yo!” a voice calls to me, so I turn to face a sweaty Rainbow Dash, who wears her usual sporty getup. Guess she is off to practice this morning.

“Dash! Hey!” I greet her as she ‘nums’ on a granola bar which currently hangs in her mouth, she expertly twirls it around, and pulls it inside. That’s some mouth expertise right there. “So, what’s up?”

She gives me a bored look, pointing a finger at my pocket for some reason. “Check your phone, idiot,” she says suddenly.

“Huh?” confused, I do as she says, and pull out my phone, only to see various texts; all from Pinkie. “Crap…” I scold myself, having forgotten to raise the volume after our little meeting. “Damn! Thank you, I must have forgotten about it!”

“Yeah, so, I’ma head off now,” she says without much care for me. “Just make sure to not forget her again, I have practice to do,” she walks away, leaving me with the option to say thank you, but she is still a jerk so screw her.

On the opposite end of that spectrum, I check the Pinkie messages, noticing a very similar pattern of ‘text me back’. Surprisingly, all of them lack her usual spunk, which only serves to worry me a bit. But as my worrying seems to be on top form, one more message buzzes through. But unlike the last dozen ones, this one reads differently.

‘not gonna go to lunch and gonna be busy sry, love you! i’ll see you tomorrow!’

I swallow nervously by the end. Could she be angry? No, that can’t be, Pinkie Pie wouldn’t get angry just like that, that’s not how she works, not to mention that last message didn't seem too angry. She is probably with Rarity, planning for the Formal tomorrow… “Oh, right,” I had nearly forgotten that was tomorrow… that couldn’t be it, could it?

A text from Sunset suddenly vibrates into existence, informing me that I’m almost out of time. “Well, that was a pointless search! Dammit! I should have asked for help,” I look at my phone, opening Pinkie’s messages again. “I should’ve gone back to them after I talked to Trixie. Maybe I have time to-”

*Riiiing*

“… Time to go to class and do this after school. Ugh.”

~~~~~

Ten minutes. TEN minutes, and I already wanna die.

But it would be wrong to say that’s how long I’ve been actually walking this damn street. Time has lost all its meaning as the sun; bright, and embracing (particularly the latter) shines down on me with the intensity of… well, more than one sun. Call it exaggerating, I will call it honesty.

Because unlike its morning brethren, this one had no mercy.

I wouldn’t be in this predicament if ‘daddy dearest’ had been able to show up to give me a ride, but as it turns out, he had to cancel due to him suddenly getting a flat tire while with mom! I mean, what kind of crap is that? What kind of timing? I don’t think he lied about it, but honestly, sometimes it feels like they don’t exist at all.

Bitching aside, I finally make it to Sugarcube. Murmurs get louder as I head closer, the sounds of people enjoying a milkshake right after school reaching my ears, and given how early or late I’m usually visiting, it’s an atmosphere I’ve been actually missing. Maybe I’ll buy a milkshake and have an impromptu date of sorts with Pinkie. I’m sure she’ll love the added surprise of seeing me so suddenly there as well.

I wipe most of my sweat, attempting to at least seem tiredly cool when I make my entrance. I give it my best smile as I enter the building, and notice the surprise appearance of the mane six, who happen to be there, all huddled up in a booth: Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershiiiiiit… WHAT!?

“Huh!?” my eyes widen, my heart races, my legs ache (okay, that was likely from the walk) but that’s her! That’s Twilight! I mean, disregarding the fact that she is wearing a simple blue blouse, and her mane is let loose—but very subtly moving with each of her movements. But then the way she is smiling, the way she laughs… it’s Twilight, that’s for sure, but something is clearly different about her.

Anxiety wells up inside me as I make my walk to the group, you could say it’s a spark of the feeling I used to have towards her. Things have changed since then, of course, but even when Twilight wasn’t exactly nice before, there is still some hope in me that she might be this time, I mean, she is sitting with the others with a friendly demeanor. Maybe my suspicions about her are wrong. Maybe she isn’t here, trying to get close with my friends to get to me.

Maybe I can go ahead and make a good impre- “H-h-h-h-hi, Twilight! R-r-r-remember me?” DUDE WHAT THE FUCK!? WHY DID I SAY THAT!?

The worst part is that no one said a thing. Instead, everyone just stares, giving me the strangest looks, like everyone in Sugarcube has their attention on us. That, however, doesn’t last, as the usual whispering invoked by the sight of a nervous teenager talking to another girl invokes whispers, small conversations. I see rumors in my future.

“So, Twilight… you know Lemon, huh?” Rainbow Dash speaks up, cutting the silence short, and snapping me back to the terrible reality where I see the other girls giving me surprised stares. Well, all except for Pinkie, who seems to be more serious about the whole thing... but why didn't she tell me anything?

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight finally speaks, despite having met her twice before, it still feels surreal to hear her talk at all. “Do you have a place where we can talk in private?” Pinkie stares at Twilight for a second, back to me, then finally, nods.

With the eyes of about a dozen or so others behind us, we head back outside, and up the familiar stair path to the Cake domicile. It goes by in silence, bar a few coughs from some of the girls. Pinkie opens the door and invites us into her room, and we all head inside, ready for what will likely be a calm, and very collected conversation.

“Alright, buddy, how do you know Twilight?” someone says. I say someone because none of their lips have moved. “Down here!” the voice speaks again. I look down, and see Spike the dog, baring his teeth, much like an angry pup would… wait, did h- “Yes, I’m talking to you!”

“Spike talks? What the hell!?” the voice of Cathy fills my thoughts, and I nearly tumble backwards, but Rainbow Dash and Applejack catch me easily. “T-thank you, girls,” despite my thanks, they say nothing and continue holding me, which only confuses me. “Um, girls? You can let me go now…” they look at each other, and instead of doing what I told them, they toss me on the bed. Great, now I’m confused, AND partly aroused.

I lay there in even more silence than before, this time with only Gummy, who slithers around without a care, much like a Gummy would… okay, no one is saying anything, I should probably speak up now. “What’s going on, here? Why are you doing this?”

“Lemon, right?” Twilight says my name, walking near the bed with folded arms, giving me what’s basically a perpetually angry stare. “You knew who I was, and you knew who Spike was. And given how I’m sure you didn’t follow me from home, you have some explaining to do.”

“Huh?” is the only thing I can respond with. “What do you mean? W-we’ve met before, right? And I’ve met Spike too!”

Her eyes narrow. "I've never met you before! I'm not joking here. Who are you, really?"

I'm at a loss for words. "B-but it's true! We've met before, really!"

“Darling,” Rarity speaks up. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I don’t believe he is lying.”

“Will anyone explain what the hell is going on here!?” I say as loud as possible, avoiding shouting in case we get unwanted visitors. “You ARE Twilight, right? I mean, you don’t have the shriveled look you had before, and I don’t recall Spike being able to talk before…” hold on, could she possibly be…

“Oh dear,” Twilight gulps. “I’m so sorry!” as she apologizes, I’m let go by the monsters holding me. “I thought you had followed me from Equestria! I can’t believe I didn’t think it was that you met an alternate version of myself! Why didn’t I think of that!?”

“E-Equestria?” I can almost feel my irises shrinking. I look up to her face again, my excitement increasing faster than I can manage it. I mean, could it be? Is this person who is standing here Twilight Sparkle? THE Twilight?

Twilight lets out a tired sigh, then gives me a tiny smile. “Aha… I’m so sorry about how I reacted earlier!” she apologizes, bowing awkwardly.

“I-it’s okay!” I reply back just as awkward, barely able to hold myself back anymore. “S-so, can you tell me who you a-a-are, then?”

“Ah, of course!” she replies quickly, kneeling down and grabbing Spike. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is my assistant Spike! And well, I guess I'm kind of a princess from another world... heh, heh...”

Author's Note

Let's just say that moving sucks, coupled with computer problems that suck more (boy do I mean that one) but I'm here, posting this chapter around two weeks later than I should have.

Still, as you can see, things are starting to happen! And now, I can finally say that the journey is almost over for sure.

Man, it feels weird, given how I started writing this almost three years ago... ANYWAY I hope you enjoyed it, and read you all next time!

Break Down

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” and it turns out I STILL can’t believe it while I walk down the hall, observing myself being observed by the officers around me, if that makes any sense... which it probably doesn't.

But yeah, did I mention prison? Never thought I would be coming here.

I’m led into an empty room, and the officer accompanying me asks me to wait there, so I do as told. Taking a seat in what I can only imagine as an interrogation room… with drawers, and a coffee machine. I watch just about enough cop dramas to say I’m being dumb, though I guess it’s better than me knowing what the real deal is like, right?

Though, I’m not able to take the sights for long as the door creaks open, and a familiar face enters the fray. “Morning, son,” Sunset's father greets me, holding a cup with the word ‘dad’ crossed out, instead stamped with a crudely written ‘Cap’n’ with a few hearts drawn around it. I avoid a comment about it as he beelines for the coffee machine, eagerly serving himself a cup. “Want some? You seem to need this more than me.”

As if by command, I yawn, betrayed by my tired, sleepy body. “Maybe I can do one cup…”

“Here,” he hands me his cup, and I can see even smaller letters reading ‘just kidding! You are stll dad #1!!’ and I can’t help let out a sad smile, ugh. I shake the thought away, focusing on the stream of smoke coming from the dark void that is the coffee, it’s almost inviting in a way.

“Bottoms up,” I announce as I take a big gulp, and feeling like I just committed a terrible mistake as the bitterness of it attacks all of my senses, nearly making me spit it out. “Blech! This is not what I was expecting!”

“Not even an ounce of sugar,” the old man says with a chuckle, grabbing the cup and adding a sugar cube to it. “Here, you can mix it up on the way. You don't want to be later for school, would you?”

I follow after him, taking smaller sips from the cup. The taste isn’t quite as overbearing thanks to the sugar, but I have to admit the first gulp had the added effect of jolting me fully awake, though I’m sure this visit will do that just as easily… but, er, no more of that! I choose to keep my focus on the coffee, following Sunset's dad to the letter, keeping my eyes on the cup, watching the liquid slowly empty.

Before I realize it, we come to a stop. We seem to be in a short hallway, doors serve as the only form of decoration. But none of them really matter more than the one right in front of me, and there is only one reason we’ve stopped here… I’m starting to regret the choices that brought me here.

“We are here,” Sunset’s father says, validating my thoughts. “Now, care to tell me why you are doing this again? I appreciate all that you are doing for my daughter, but I feel an explanation is in order. Pulling more than a few strings just to do this.”

I think it over for less than a second before I go ahead and say: “I can't, but if it’s any consolation, I’m really grateful for this.”

He rolls his eyes. “You have five minutes.”

Time is set, and I don’t waste any, heading inside before another exchange of words. The door closes right behind me, and I’m left on my own in the room.

*Thud* *Thud*

“Ah!” I flinch instantly, doing all I can to muster the courage to turn towards the noise. “I-I gotta do this, I’m on a time limit!” and just like a bandaid, I turn quickly, facing the source of the sound.

Behind a glass window, I see the unmistakable shape of now ex-superintendent Chryssa, staring at me with tired eyes. She shows a Cheshire grin, pointing at the receiver on my end while picking up hers, and making a motion with her hands, pointing at a nonexistent watch on her wrist.

“Let’s rip another bandaid,” I say as I sit down, hesitantly putting the receiver to my ear.

She raises a brow as she begins to speak: “I expected to have visitors at some point, but never did I think I would be getting a visit from some kid,” her voice comes through the speaker. It’s clearly the voice I’ve come to occasionally remember, but I can’t help it if it sends a chill down my spine by just hearing it.

“I-is that a bad thing?” I ask, managing to disguise a gulp.

“Um,” she tilts her head, giving me a tiny smile. Her eyes look up as if thinking, her fingers playing with the phone, somehow able to twirl it between them with ease. Seconds later, she puts the receiver up to her ear again. “Not really. If anything, you are a more welcome visitor.”

What does that even mean? Well, I might as well get the question out of the way now that she seems so friendly. “Tell me, do you know who I am?”

Her smile disappears, exhibiting a more neutral look. “Of course I do, Mr. Lemon. There is no way I would forget one of the people responsible for my situation. Would you?”

I nearly fall off my chair, her face having somehow appeared closer. “I, um, I guess not…” alright, she remembers me, though I can’t really say it's the same with her. That meeting is a blur to me after she tried to shoot me. Actually, Pinkie might be the only one able to tell me what exactly happened, given how most of what I know is from her.

“Is that all you wanted to know?” Chryssa asks, looking bored. “I was woken up very early just to see you, it makes me wonder what sort of connections you have to get something like this done. Pretty impressive for someone as young as you.”

“There is a reason I’m here!” I proceed to say. Surely, Sunset’s father wouldn’t be too happy if I ratted him out. “I’m here because I want to know…” the main question is in my head, but, since I have her in front of me now, I wonder… “I, um, want to know what you meant back then… yeah!”

“Back then?” she questions, raising a brow.

“Yeah, back then,” I dig deep, trying to recall the one conversation I had with her. “You mentioned ‘them’ whatever that vague thing means, and something about fifteen years ago!”

“Nothing,” she suddenly says. “It means nothing.”

“Huh?” I mumble, questioning what she is going for.

“It was nothing. Did I stutter or something?” she asks me, daring me to question her logic.

“What do you mean nothing? You almost shot me because of it!” I remind her, and angrily so.

“A common misunderstanding,” she shrugs.

“Come on!” whatever fear I may have had has now being replaced by downright frustration. “Please, Discord mentioned the same thing! It can’t be a coincidence!”

For the first time since I entered the room, she gives me a shocked expression. “That name… interesting,” her brow furrows as she etches closer to the glass. “Alright, you seem to know more than you are letting on, but hell if what you find is what you may be expecting. Trust me, you won't get anything good out of this.”

“Huh? So you DO know!” I state triumphantly, before realizing what she said. “Wait, what is that supposed to mean?”

“Lemon,” she says my name calmly, in a noticeable change of tone. “It’s clear that you really didn’t know anything back then, so for all that’s worth, I’m sorry for wanting to shoot you. Now, all I’ll tell you is to stop whatever it is you are planning to do, it really isn’t anything you should concern yourself with,” she pulls herself back, sighing wistfully. “I’ve told my piece, now, have a good life—we’ll likely never see each other again,” before I can say anything in return, she puts the phone down, and walks off.

“Wait, no! That’s not what I wanted to ask you about!” I shout, watching her being taken away by an officer waiting outside, even daring to wave me goodbye as she walks out of the room, leaving me truly alone, and lost. “I… wait, what did she mean by that?

With nothing else to do, I’m promptly led out of the place. Sunset's father is telling me things as we walk, but I can’t really comprehend what he is saying, given how my head is filled with questions about this whole thing, though there is an obvious fact I can gather from all this: Chryssa knows who Discord is, and there is something more here that I’m not seeing.

Just like that, I’m back outside and waving the guy goodbye, even if most of them are being dismissed by him reminding me not to talk about what he did for me (despite my best attempts at easing his worries) but in the end, he seems able to finally trust me, and I wave him a final goodbye, making my way back to the car waiting for me.

“Hey!” I call as I get in the car, slamming the door shut for effect.

“Ah!” yelps a surprised Flash Mac Driver, now conscious again. “Wha-I-No! I wasn’t sleeping! I don’t know what you are talking about!”

“I didn’t say anything,” I shrug as I buckle up.

“Huh?” Flash babbles, rubbing the sleep off his eyes. “Hold on, you didn't take a chance at a jab? Okay, what happened there? Did you find out anything interesting?” damn, he sure is perceptive.

“Yeah, but…” I look at my phone, noting the time. “Maybe we should go, or we’ll be late for school.”

“Who is up for another hour of driving? Not this guy,” Flash sighs as he starts the car.

And as we drive back to the city, I tell Flash about Chryssa. This is the first time I even bother to tell anyone outside of Pinkie about it, but he seems to be taking it well enough given that the isn’t yelling at me, asking me why I hadn’t told him. But then again; he isn’t Trixie.

“Guess that makes two lunatics who have attempted to shoot you, huh?” he laughs. Yeah, that’s about what I expected. “Didn’t get exactly the information you wanted, then?”

“Certainly, I was expecting more than what I got,” I sigh, letting the seat back, and closing my eyes. Sleeping would be fine right about now, hell, it’s that, or looking out the window, but hell if I’ll see anything interesting in the indistinguishable fields of trees and grass. That being said, I don’t think I can even force myself to snore away right now.

“So, that answers how Ms. Chryssa landed here,” he comments suddenly, likely addressing his own questions. “But did this even help you figure out the whole thing with Twilight?”

“Twilight…” I say her name. A little angrily, I might add.

He gives me a quick glance, something that I happen to catch as I open my eyes, right before he turns to focus on the road again. “You don't sound too thrilled,” he comments accurately, showing some surprise. “I mean, didn't you want to see her before? I never thought I would hear you talk about her with so much… disdain, maybe?”

“You don’t know the half of it, Flash,” I comment, fuming at the mere reminder.

“Exactly! All I know is that she is apparently a pony princess, and that’s literally it. That’s hard enough to believe, so you mind telling me what the heck is going on?” he finishes by asking... then again, he might be ordering me.

“I mind,” I growl, putting the seat back in place. “But I figure I can tell you now, seeing how you did give me a ride all the way here.”

He manages a laugh, shaking his head. “You are still paying me the gas, buddy.”

Busted. “Well, anyway. It happened yesterday after we officially met…”

~~The day before~~

Disbelief is the first thing that fills my thoughts, almost by reflex. I mean, there is no way that this girl in front of me isn’t just Twilight, but THE Twilight Sparkle, right? But of course, I know it’s her. It helps that I’ve had to deal with weird shit for the past months (and I guess the talking Spike the dog doesn’t hurt either)

“Ouch!” I hiss in pain, having pinched my cheek so suddenly.

“What are you doing? Are you okay?” Twilight asks, seemingly perturbed by the random action. “Why did you do that?”

To see if I didn’t just die and go to heaven?

Or at least that’s what I want to say, but that isn’t exactly something I want to have her know, that would probably raise questions in more than one way. “Just to see if I’m dreaming all of this, it’s a bit surreal to learn something like that out of nowhere, you know?”

Twilight’s lips arch sideways in a show of disapproval. “I can understand that, but you really didn’t have to do it, you know?”

“S-sorry…”I apologize, turning away, and hiding the blush on my face. She is worried about me! Aaaaaaah!

“Ahem!” Rarity exaggeratedly clears her throat, calling for our attention. “I don’t mean to interrupt… whatever this is, but maybe you should explain what’s going on, darling,” aaaand there goes the moment. Thank you Rarity, thanks a lot.

“Right,” Twilight nods and turns to me once again. ”Since you are friends with everypo- er, I mean, EVERYONE here, and all,” she corrects herself quickly (and very cutely, I might add) She goes on to tell me how she lost her tiara/crown and how she is on a mission to retrieve it. I can’t help but being awed as she refers to the princess (likely Celestia) and the other ponies so casually, I mean, it’s normal for her, but it sure as hell isn’t to me.

“Well, I'll definitely help if it's as important as you make it out to be,” I volunteer. I mean, even if there was a multiple choice answer to give here, all of them would be variations of ‘yes’. “But something is a little odd. You mentioned friends; how come they didn’t come with?” I ask out of curiosity... though, not exactly the one she would expect. “Couldn’t they have helped you find it?”

“Ha-ha, about that,” Twilight laughs awkwardly, doing this really cute thing with her hair which should not be as easy as it looks for someone who had hooves just a day before. “The Princess said that it was up to me, and I can see why; it would only cause confusion… I mean, it would probably be weird to have five more girls struggling in… THESE,” she says, pointing at her feet.

“Struggling?” I ask, and can't help but grin.

“Don’t worry about it!” she replies, noticing my smile and shaking her head quickly. “A-anyway! Fluttershy found the crown, and confusing it for the one in their annual dance, gave it to the Principal here.”

“A-about that…” Fluttershy surprisingly joins in, and eyes are all on her. “Um, I mean, T-Twilight was telling us about this before, b-but she never told us how she, um, lost the crown…” we all look at each other, likely with similar thoughts.

"Really? You haven't told them?" I ask curious. And here I was expecting them to have all of the knowledge. "I mean, wouldn't it have been easier to explain early?"

“Good point,” Twilight says, nodding in agreement. “But not much to say, really. I can tell you that somepony entered my room and attempted to steal the crown. She would have gone unnoticed, but thankfully, she was clumsy, and tripped on Spike on her way out.”

“All in a day’s work… or is that night?” Spike adds proudly, and given his track record, I’m going to let him have this one. “So we went after her! Which is when she apparently went through that one mirror. Right, Twilight?”

“… Yes, Spike,” Twilight answers, smiling as she rolls her eyes. “That's why we are here. We tried looking around for clues since yesterday, but we didn’t get too far… Thankfully, Spike convinced me to ask for help, which is when the girls invited me to this place to meet up!” she finishes, nuzzling the lucky dog.

Even as I imagine the possibilities in my head, I find it hard to see the five girls believing some random, crazy girl's story... but then again, we have a talking dog alone who would likely have done the trick. Also, they are teenagers—they will believe anything 'cool'.

“So, ‘her’, huh?” I say with finger quotes and all. “You know, you mentioned this ‘her’ but from the looks of it, you haven’t told anyone about whoever the hell this pony is, have you?” is this me insinuating she forgot? No, not at all—I’m flat out stating it.

“Sorry! I was trying to think of a good way to introduce her, and…” she looks conscious about the decision, and after looking us over for a few seconds, she sighs in defeat. “… And I could probably do that better by getting straight to the point. Right.”

Fixing her hat, AJ steps forward. “Just the name would be a good start.”

“According to the Princess, her name is Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight starts with an intense tone, saying nothing else as she probably waits for our respon-

“What!?” we all exclaim out loud, a silence-breaking chorus of disbelief further aided by the confusion in everyone's faces, and I’m sure I’m no different. Even Pinkie Pie who has been quiet this whole time appears just as shocked.

“Wait, you all know Sunset Shimmer?” Twilight asks, appearing to be as lost, at least in her own way. “How do you know her?”

“You see!” I speak first. I really don’t want the others to cut into how I’m explaining this, I get the feeling they won’t be too fair on the whole thing, even if they want to be. “Okay, how about we trade stories, it seems we need to catch up on some things.”

I let her talk first, and I listen with bated breath as she tells me the very short story of a Sunset Shimmer: a pony with similar characteristics to the Sunset I know (bar pony features, of course) who was a prodigy under the princess' tutelage before Twilight was even a factor in the show proper. A pony who had become arrogant, and had decided to escape Equestria, going through the very same mirror Twilight had used to get here.

"I hope that gives you an idea of who Sunset is," she says, taking a breath.

I nod. "It does, but you see, here is the thing..." I follow up by telling her about Sunset. Being fair, I start off by telling her how she was the worst here in the school, how she apparently used others to do her bidding. Some of the girls almost jump in, but I cut through what they have to say by being louder, and further explaining how much she has really changed, and how much nicer she is. I'll end up regretting that later, but it'll be worth it.

And as I finish, and the room is filled with the now recurring silence, I speak up first: “In other words, Sunset didn’t do it.”

“Huh?” Twilight blurts out, probably taken aback by the quick response. “Excuse me?"

“Come on! You really can't say she did it, she is a changed girl! I don’t know what you saw back there, but there is no way it was Sunset Shimmer—that’s what I’m saying,” I reiterate. "Besides, couldn't it have been a different Sunset Shimmer? I mean, you are standing in a room with different versions of your friends, right?"

Her brow furrows, and she moves closer to me. “I’m sorry, but I’m certain that the Princess of an entire country wouldn’t be wrong about a student of hers like that. Much less when she looks like Sunset does! Besides, you just explained how she used to be mean spirited before. What makes you think she wasn't the same? What if she was lying?"

Applejack nods. "And Ah' can't say I've seen, much less met a gal that looks like her at all," she adds further, then turning to the other girls. "How about y'all?" to my chagrin, everyone shakes their heads.

“W-well...” I reply poorly, trying to form an argument. ANYTHING. Make Twilight understand. “I mean, that may be. But what if you are wrong? What if CELESTIA is wrong? She is always wrong!”

Twilight shakes her head in disbelief. “What!? Are you actually ser- wait, what was that name you just uttered?”

Oh, fuck.

“Um… i-isn't that her name? I was just guessing! T-that’s what I mean! And I mean, I'm probably wrong, er, just like Sunset! Who changed, and got better!” um, why isn't she laughing?! Oh god I don’t think I got brownie points out of that.

“Alright you two, cut that out!” Applejack butts in, pushing us away from each other. “You two just met and are already going at it like a married couple!” she turns her back to me, facing Twilight. “Tell me, are you sure that the person you saw is Sunset Shimmer?”

“Yes,” Twilight replies without hesitation, her eyes still focused on me, her mind clearly racing to find out what I’m hiding—knowing Twilight, that’s probably what she is thinking right now. "Whatever the case, the Princess referred to her by name alone (and some pictures certainly helped) so I'm willing to suspect she might be the one."

“B-but, it can’t be her! As someone who has been around her as much as I have, I can say that can’t be true… can it?” dammit. Even when talking, I’m doubting my own words. But there is no way in hell I’m backing down from this now. It just can't be true.

“Lemon, darling,” Rarity speaks, softly rubbing my shoulder. “I won’t lie and say that I haven’t seen a change in Shimmer as of late, but you can’t possibly rule out the possibility, can you?”

“You too?” I ask almost in disbelief, but looking over to the others, they seem to share her thoughts, turning away from me as if to avoid giving me an answer. Well, all except for Pinkie, who is just looking down instead, avoiding everyone. “Okay, let’s just for a moment say that I believe you. What’s the plan for Sunset, and to get the crown back for that matter? Do you even have one? I bet you don't!”

“Rarity, Rainbow Dash and I will be entering to compete to become the princess of the fall formal,” Twilight gets right to the point. "It's not a perfect plan, but between the three of us, I'm sure we'll have a chance."

Dash then, grinning like the cocky jerk she is, literally jumps in between us. “And Sunset? She will come to us since she LOVES to win these things. She’ll probably show up to the formal to try to steal the crown, and we’ll get her!” she explains, pounding her fist against her hand, unable to read the current mood, clearly.

Nodding, Twilight gives me a look. “Satisfied?”

“I…” I want to argue, but that plan isn’t half-bad. “Well, fine! Er, maybe I can help! I can probably get Sunset, and we can ta-"

"No," Twilight wastes no time in cutting me off. "Don't worry about anything, we won't be needing your help for this plan.

“What!?” I ask the most valid question ever. “You said literally minutes ago I could help!”

“Correction,” she speaks nearly instantaneously. “You offered your help, but I never said it was necessary,”

"I mean..." h-hold on, is she trying to keep me out of this?

“And you can go, we can handle it from here," she totally is!

“I…” I’m out of words to say. She probably thinks I'm with the 'Sunset' she is looking for! They all probably do. It’s clear that whatever trust Twilight had in me is pretty much gone, though at this point, I’m really not in the right to think she isn’t allowed to, given my slip-up… but that doesn’t mean I have to like it, or for that matter, like her.

Never expected to think those words before.

But even as the other girls seem to doubt me, I know someone who always has my back... and it's probably a good time to finally talk to her. “Pinkie Pie! Do you think we can ta-”

“I said you can go,” Twilight interrupts, giving me the most unapologetic glare ever conceived. “Is there anything else you need?”

“I’m talking to my friend, if that's alright with you, ‘your majesty!'” I answer without holding back the anger in my voice. We stare into each others eyes for a moment before she simply turns away, talking to one of the girls. I don’t bother to listen as I carefully drag Pinkie outside the room, going far enough from it that I’m sure enough that Twilight can’t hear us.

“I’m sorry for dragging you like that, Pinkie, I just…” I fumble with my words, I wasn't exactly thinking when I did this. "Did I hurt you?"

“You said we were just friends?” she finally speaks, though the question wasn’t one I expected. Or even really needed right now.

“I’m sorry!” I can barely think, forcing the words out. “It's weird enough as it is, I didn’t want to make it weirder by her knowing that I’m practically dating one of her friends!”

“Ok,” she replies, nodding once, keeping to herself (or as much as she was back inside) From the looks of it, she doesn’t seem to have gotten better since this morning. It just KILLS me to see her like this, unable to run her mouth like she always does, and happy and worry free as Pinkie Pie should always be.

“Pinkie, look,” I try to say, grunting as a headache is coming up. “I’m still fuzzy on this whole thing! It happened way too fast… c-can you come with me? I need some air. Maybe we can talk better outside.”

“I can’t,” she replies sadly. “I can’t just leave my friends alone in my room… but, maybe we can tomorrow? We can probably talk all we want, right?” I'm not sure if her words are a suggestion or a question, but she grants the tiniest of smiles as she says it.

“Tomorr- oh!” the Formal that had since slipped my mind returns with full force, it's happening tomorrow! “Of course we can! Even at school I-I’ll be all ears. And let's not forget the Formal! We'll dance until I actually learn how to!"

Pinkie Pie doesn’t reply, letting her nod say all that she needs to convey. She forces another smile and plants a short kiss on my cheek, walking off and back to her room. She turns towards me again for a second before heading back inside, slowly closing the door, what feels like an eternity having passed when it finally clicks shut.

…

“What the fuck just happened?”

Pained, angry, confused; it’s all in the mind. I want to scream out loud as I leave the place without even a goodbye. Then again, I’m sure it would have been awkward as hell for both of those things. “… And now, I have to walk home, ugh…” I complain. Even in my worst of days, walking is still the one that really shines through even the worst of the crap pile.

“I can change that,” a voice calls, making me turn to see Flash standing on the other side of the street, waiting outside his car. “You up for a ride?”

“Fucking… yes!”I chuckle, nearly thanking whatever holy being is watching over me. I say nearly, because its track record hasn’t been too great. Try harder, asshole.

Flash joins me, quickly starting the conversation alongside his car: “You don’t look too hot buddy, something wrong?”

“Too difficult to even start, maybe later,” I struggle to respond, but not because I don’t want to tell him, it’s mostly due to the jumbled state my mind is in. I can barely even concentrate on it.

“I understand,” he says with a few nods, thankfully not delving into my weird day.

“So, actually!” I begin, trying to keep the mood from getting all awkward. “How did you find me? I don’t think I told anyone I would be coming, did I?”

“You didn’t,” he responds without effort. “I was here to, um, buy a shake!” he continues with much less finesse. “Actually, you were inside, so… did you see Twilight there?”

“… Yes,” I reply, resisting the urge to lie, I mean, it’s not like anything strange actually happened! “And it just turns out that Twilight is a pony princess from another world, so, how was your day?” yup, nothing strange.

The car quickly comes to a stop, and Flash wastes no time by giving me a perplexed look that’s enough to give me the chuckles. “Don’t laugh! I… what?” he babbles, trying to form a coherent sentence. “Y-you aren’t kidding, are you?”

“Nope,”I shake my head.“And I don’t want to go into a full summary here, but I’ll tell you later for sure.”

“I..." he gulps a mouthful of air, breathing in and out for a couple of seconds. "Of course y-you are!” he seems perturbed, possibly struggling to digest my words. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“How about ‘I don’t believe you?’” I suggest.

“Seriously?” he asks, his voice deepening into a harsher tone that I don’t hear often. “Lemon, there is around a year in high school that is difficult to remember when I dated Sunset, then a man tried to shoot us when we said ‘Discord’ at him before he went into some random debate with himself... I’ve dealt with my share of strange things, but this one seems to take the cake,” he ends with a forced, but clearly friendly grin.

I grin right back, thankful for that. “Glad you do, but there is something that bothers me.”

“You mean other than the fact that there is a pony among us?” Flash asks, clearly goading me into telling him. Nice try.

“No. I just thought about this, but I still don’t get why none of you could recognize Twilight, she looks exactly like our Twilight minus the glasses," and the ponytail... why is that my first thought about it?

“C-couldn’t tell you,” he answers, suddenly nervous for some reason. What’s with the change in tone? “So, what’s our move, then?”

“… Frankly? I just want to go home,” I say honestly, feeling my headache pulsating without remorse. “I’ll think about it later.”

“Fair enough,” he thankfully agrees, starting the car again.

“Thanks,” I close my eyes as he drives, trying to push everything aside… but miserably failing. Well, fine! My brain thinks of the Twilight I met, the jerk who tried to blame her missing crown on Sunset, and the one who for some reason, everyone else failed to recognize! It’s weird! And it shouldn’t have to be weird!

If only there was someone I could ask about this stuff. Someone who didn't fit the mold! Someone who is strange, even in terms of this world alone. But who? Who could it b-

“Oh my god!” I scream, jumping on my seat and bumping my head on the ceiling of the car. “Ah! Fuck! Grr…” I curse, but I put aside the need to nurse it to turn to Flash. “Flash! I-I have an idea! It’s a stretch, but I think I know someone who might have some answers!”

“O-okay,” he falters, trying to answer in spite of my possible pained look. “What is it?”

“Tell me… you ever wanted to go to prison?”

~~Present Day~~

“I still hold that that was a stupid way to ask me to take you,” he states while I finish. Ouch, by the way.

“It’s all I had,” I answer sadly, running my conversation with Chryssa in my head over and over. I didn’t only learn nothing of what I wanted, but she acted super cryptic, not to mention she seemed worried. But why? Why would she have to be? Does it have something to do with that event that happened twenty years ago? Why wouldn’t I like what I find? “Damn it! What the hell does it all mean!?”

“I don’t know,” Flash sighs, suddenly turning the car into the school’s parking lot. We seem to have made it on time, with a good chunk of minutes to spare. “Having a pony-girl is one thing, but two? And Sunset being suspected as one of them? And then we have next to nothing in information… so what's our take? What are you planning to do?”

“Huh?” I ask, looking confused at Flash’s question. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, is this it? Was Ms. Chryssa the only person you could have asked for info?” he rephrases the question. "Is there someone else we could talk to?"

“Well, the only other person is Discord, and…” I shake my head quickly, pushing that idea out for the mere stupidity of the mention. “No. Even if we could, he would likely not tell us anything—he wasn’t exactly stable.”

Flash turns off the car, turning to face me with a serious, yet worried stare. “Are you going to give up, then?”

“Give up,” I repeat. Like, the thought had entered my head. The fact that Twilight is even here is something I haven’t come to full terms with. And sure, Sunset is being somehow involved in this, I can't really say she is innocent: my last meet-up with her before we became friends was more than a little confusing. If only... “Oh, wait!”

“What?” Flash asks, looking hopeful. “Did you think of something?”

“I have Sunset’s number!” I state, pulling out my phone. “I can just as easily call her! And even watch her, you know? For something suspicious and all that.”

“Right…” Flash says slowly, and his tone doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. And regarding Flash? That’s saying something.

“What? Got something to say?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing bad, I swear! But wasn’t the reason you didn’t even call her because you were suspicious?”

“I, um…” was that the reason? I mean, I trust Sunset, right? But if I really did, why didn’t I reach out to her? Maybe I was being a total jackass? Or… “I think it just, er, slipped my mind while I was thinking about this mess? Ha-ha…”

“Mhmm,” Flash snorts, holding back his laughter. “G-go for it, call her” he urges me, holding his hand over his mouth. Never have I felt the urge to punch myself in the face as much as I do now.

“S-shut up! I’m on the phone!” I tell him with fruitless results. So I turn away to focus on the call. She should be picking up anytime no-

‘I’m sorry, I’m currently not available. But, you can leave a message after the be-

*beep* I hang up. Worry intensifying. “She didn’t answer…”

“Is that bad?” Flash asks hesitantly. “You could just call her again, right?”

“She always answers,” I reply, because that’s no exaggeration. She has always been able to answer my calls without fail, and sure, it can be a coincidence, but I can’t help but have a bad feeling given the circumstances. “Come on, maybe she is inside. And if she isn’t, I’ll just call her d-*Riiing* Hello!?” I answer instantaneously.

“Lemon, right?” Sunset’s distorted voice comes from the receiver, and I nearly drop my phone in my intense relief. I’ve never been so happy to hear her voice. “Hellooo?”

“Yes, it’s me! Are you alright, Sunset? Did something happen?” I ask quickly, Never have I held my phone so hard before.

She is silent for a second before responding: “Y-yeah! I’m doing well. I dropped my phone and missed your call! Is something wrong? You sound fatigued.”

Of course that’s what happened.

I nod at Flash, hoping my vague message reaches him while I’m on the phone. “No. Nothing! I just wanted to know if I would see you at school today! Is all…” I explain weakly.

More silence before she even speaks. “… Don’t I always?”

Good point.”Right! We do! I was just worried, I guess.”

“Riiight… Oh! And I’ll be a little late. I’m going to a doctor’s appointment with dad,” she explains, awkwardly fidgeting with the device, if the sounds I hear are to be believed.

“Another one of those, huh?” I proclaim, feeling a bit annoyed. Doctors always make me feel uneasy. But, I wonder why her father didn’t say anything? Would have expected him to tell me since I was there.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be there by second period, okay?” she assures me, and from there, the call goes off without a hitch. After a few more pleasantries, it’s all said and done, and I hang up with a sigh of relief, letting the world know everything is still okay.

“I assume everything went well?” Flash chuckles.

“Yeah,” I answer wearily. “But…” of course, not everything is alright. I mean, sure, there is the pony Twilight that I should be thinking about, but I honestly can’t care about that as much, given there is one other thing that I’m more concerned with: finally talking to Pinkie Pie.

…

Fast-forward to lunch, and classes definitely happened in the interim. Maybe? They sorta flashed by. They lose their importance when you have a lot of things on your mind, so I’ll just say I was there. But more importantly, it all goes to the backburner when you have to go talk to your seemingly depressed girlfriend about potentially bad stuff.

“Lemon?” Sunset calls me, walking alongside me to the lunch room. Thankfully, she seems to be okay and not the evil bitch that Twilight had pointed her out to be. But hey, I already knew that. “Have you had any luck?”

“… No,” I answer defeated. And wanna know what’s worse than having to have a talk with your seemingly depressed girlfriend? Getting no response from said girlfriend. So, I keep looking at my phone, checking through the multitudes of messages I’ve send to Pinkie since this morning for something I might have missed, but no luck. “Aargh! If only she’d tell me what’s her deal!”

“I-I’m sorry?” Sunset mutters weakly. Damn it, I’m not doing anything, and even Sunset is reacting poorly! Can’t I catch a break?

We arrive at the lunch room an- “Fuuuc-, I mean, friiick?” I curse loudly at the sight of seeing Pinkie Pie not on her own in the usual spot, since Trixie, Rarity, Dash, and the unwelcome inclusion of one Twilight Sparkle are sitting with her. I think I almost popped a blood vessel with that, ugh…

Ignoring the onlookers (as well as the teachers who happened to see my near slip-up) I make my way through the rows of tables, keeping my eyes on Twilight who doesn’t even acknowledge me, but that might be since she is talking to the others; including one Trixie who sits awkwardly across her, lazily poking her food from what I can see.

What’s Twilight planning?

I arrive at the table with lunch in hand, and we finally lock eyes. Our feelings towards one another haven’t changed if her stare is anything to go by, her eyes glimmering in her focus, much like a flame. But I don’t let that faze me as I sit next to Trixie.

“L-Lime!” she swiftly whispers to my ear. “She i-”

“I know,” I whisper back to her. “I’ll explain later, okay?” she appears to take my word for it and visibly relaxes.

“Very well, but Trixie expects answers,” she whispers before getting up. She steals a last glance towards Twilight, and she is off.

“Hmm,” Twilight hums to herself, watching Trixie be on her way. I guess it’s strange to see a ‘nice’ Trixie, even after her so-called redemption in the show.

Wait, there is no time to waste on thinking that! Whatever Twilight has in mind is none of my business. So I shift my focus to Pinkie Pie who sits at the opposite end of the table, who badly enough, still holds the saddened face she has been showing since yesterday. I gotta ta-

“I’m sorry if this is out of left field, but, do I know you?” Sunset suddenly asks Twilight, catching me completely by surprise. Crap! I had forgotten that Sunset was with me! This is a ‘my bad’ of epic proportions! I gotta st-

“Maybe?” Twilight responds innocently enough, looking between me and Sunset. “I’m sorry, I nearly forgot to introduce myself,” looking at her hand for a second, Twilight extends it towards her…

… While I watch Sunset reciprocate with a smile in return. Oh no, I got-

“Nice to meet you,” Sunset says nicely, shaking Twilight’s hand… what do I do!? They are going t-

“I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“Sunset Shimmer!”

“Ah!” I yelp, putting my head down. Doing the best to avoid the explosion that’s to come.

…

Um… any minute now.

…

Right… now!

…

“Okay, what?” I raise my head in annoyance, wondering why there hasn’t been an explosion... just to see everyone staring at me with weird looks on their faces. “Um… what are you looking at?”

“You. Idiot,” Rainbow says, arms crossed and the whole shebang. “What’s with the girly scream?”

“I-I…” I turn to stare at Twilight, expecting to see the suspicious look I had come to know her for these past hours. But instead, I’m given nothing of the sort. She only stares, a surprised expression in return for my worries, all while Sunsets gives way to troubled eyes, looking back to mine. “I’m confused…”

“Lemon?” Sunset calls my name, placing her hand over mine. “Are you alright?”

“I am, well…” it’s all I can say in return. My brain hurts.

“Whatever is the matter, Lemon? You don’t look so good,” Rarity asks as well. Not helping!

“Nothing! I’m alright,” why didn’t Twilight say anything? Why isn’t she freaking out? Why isn’t she trying to probe Sunset, or whatever magic thing that horse people can do to find out she is supposedly lying? Anything!

“You need to calm down, grumpy-pants!” the voice is enough to garner my attention, and I turn to look at Pinkie Pie, who gives the gift of smiles in my general direction. “Someone is looking a little sick! You need someone to take you to the nurse, Mr. Patient!”

“I-I guess I do, huh?” I answer, taking the bait gladly. “Who knows? Maybe I just need to rest…” as I get up, I remember Sunset, who would have to be left behind with Twilight and the others. “Sunset! I…”

“I’ll be fine, go get yourself checked,” Sunset answers confidently. I can't help but feel a little proud about that. “Feel better, okay?”

“Y-yeah,” is all I can bother to say while Pinkie grabs my forearm and leads me away and out of talking range. I keep my head down, avoiding everyone’s looks as I’m led out of the room, and then into the hall. This is all done while in complete silence, I must add.

We turn into a dead-end hall. I notice the lights on the ceiling flicker constantly, the bulb above us struggling to stay on, but failing in doing its job and flickering off, back in its cycle.

“We made it,” Pinkie says as we come to a stop, letting go of my arm.

“T-thank you,” I take a breather, able to finally relax after that weird fucking scene. But more importantly; finally having some alone time to talk to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie! Finally, we’ll be able t-” my attempt at interrogating is quickly interrupted when I see that her mood has shifted once more to full sadness. “P-Pinkie Pie? What’s wrong?”

My heart breaks, her face momentarily hidden by the flashing lights, making it difficult to distinguish. From what I can gather, it’s almost as if Pinkie is almost unable to hold herself together. “Lemon… do you like me?”

“L-like you?” it’s a question that catches me by surprise. Not to mention it's a question that I didn’t expect her to ask after what we've been through. I almost trip by the mere mention. “W-what do you mean?” I ask, in the hopes I didn’t hear her correctly.

“Do you like me?” she repeats the question. Okay, I definitely heard that.

“Pinkie, look,” I feel like I’m treading on old grounds here… at least it’s what I want to say, but that would be belittling her issue. “Of course I do! You are Pinkie Pie! I love you! You know that, right?”

To my utter distraught, her expression doesn’t change any. To make matters worse, she closes her eyes as she tries to speak: “Lemon, I…”

“Found you!” Pinkie and I both jump in surprise, noticing Trixie, who has appeared at literally the worst of possible times. “Finally! Trixie takes her eyes off you for a second, and you disappear. Now, can you explain what’s going on? Twilight didn’t recognize me! And Trixie isn’t backing down until an explanation is heard!”

“Trix!” Pinkie utters excitedly, her earlier facade back on—because clearly, that’s all it is.

“Trixie…” I feel like screaming, but that would be a jerk move. It’s not like she did it on purpose. “Okay. See, here is the thing…” even with my mind in shambles, I proceed to fill Trixie in as to what’s happened, trying my best to be concise. That being said, the process leads me to tell her about my visit to prison, and me and Pinkie’s, well, ‘escapade’ during Nightmare Night last year.

“What!?” Trixie responds, reaction expected. Though I have to give her credit for waiting until I finished explaining. “I can’t believe I missed that! I would have helped you! And why if you got hurt!?”

“Spilled milk,” I answer. It seems to be enough to let her back off, but I feel she will bring it up if we are ever alone together.

“Trixie still can’t believe this Sparkle is a completely different person! How could I (being me) be fooled by her act of misdirection!” Trixie exclaims in an exaggerated way. Well, at least she isn’t mad anymore.

“She wasn’t trying to,” I say, annoyed that I have to defend her. “But I am confused as to why Twilight didn’t react to Sunset’s name…”

“Trixie would have!” Trixie cuts me off. “I knew that giving Shimmer a chance was a terrible idea!”

“Trixie!” I cut her off. “We still don’t know if Sunset was really the one who made this all happen. What if she was being set-up? Again, the whole issue involves Twilight.”

"Then we'll ask her!" Trixie tosses the idea...

...which I quickly catch by the sleeve. "If she were lying, she wouldn't be telling us anything by even asking her. Besides, it doesn't solve my question regarding Twi-"

“She knows,” Pinkie speaks up.

“Sorry, what?” I turn to her, my attention intrigued. “What do you mean, Pinkie?”

“Twilight…” she tries to say, but clears her throat loudly before continuing with a louder voice. “Twilight knew! She saw Sunset Shimmer earlier today and I told her who it was!”

“You did!?" I ask confused. "But if you did that, they why..." wait a moment… what did Rainbow say yesterday?

“And Sunset will come to us since she LOVES to win these things. She’ll probably show up to the formal to try to steal the crown, and we’ll get her!”

“Lime?” I feel Trixie poking my shoulder. “Did you discover something?”

I nod, the thought slowly taking shape as I prepare to speak. “Twilight is doing it on purpose! She wants to catch Sunset stealing the proverbial crown!”

“Ding, ding, ding!” Pinkie chimes in. “You got it!”

“Hmm,” Trixie hums, playing with her hair as she mulls over my words. “Alright, but why?”

Good question. Why? “Ah, well…” alright, so, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Okey dokey!” Pinkie exclaims loudly. “Boy, am I still hungry! Who is up for more food? Pinkie Pie is!” she says, doing a 180 and walking off.

“Pinkie, wait!” I call out, though she seems to ignore me. I rack my brains for something to say but nothing… wait! “Pinkie! Will you still go to the formal with me?” it’s a last resort, but given how she has been doing her best to avoid being direct, that’s the best I got.

“I…” she turns a little bit, and nods once, before suddenly running off.

“I’ll meet you there, o-okay!?” I shout after her. Now, all I can do is expect her to have heard, and prepare before then… “Dammit! Why does today suck so much!?” I feel like I’m at my limit. The combination of crap things happening at the same time just making me want to just tell everything to fuck off.

“Lime,” Trixie whispers, holding my arm with her own. It’s a strange show of sympathy that she doesn’t show too often, but… I’m really thankful she is doing it.

“What do I do, Trixie?” I ask, though I expect no response. I feel like my world is crumbling, and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

"Pinkie is just..." Trixie tries to speak, but doesn't get too far. Of course, she really has nothing to say, and she simply lays her head on my shoulder; a welcome gesture that replaces the constant worries in my head, even if a little bit.

But just then, the lights flicker rapidly, until unceremoniously, they go out in a fizzle, and flicker no more.

Author's Note

Man, am I sorry this took so long. :fluttershysad: But being the adult that I am now, life has been hectic. Even more than usual, so take that as you will. Either way, enjoy my sweat, blood, and tears that come from this chapter's numerous additions and removals.

SO, this is basically a double chapter (hence the length) And this is pretty much the last chapter full of setup and whatnot. It has been painful to get everything together in order to make it all make sense, but I feel I did a decent job, given that I started this whole story on a bloody whim.

Speaking of, it was this story's third year anniversary just a few days ago! Streamers everywhere! :pinkiegasp:

I have come far (comparatively speaking) since not just the day I first posted this, but the day I began writing (2012 seems so long ago...) and I've learned a lot, which has helped me get out of the many corners I placed myself in since then.

But hey! Enough of that, the story of Pat/Lemon finding himself in the world of EQG is coming to its end soon! And it only took me the combined time of four movies!!! :pinkiegasp: :pinkiehappy: :pinkiecrazy: :pinkiesad2:

The Fall Formal

“I’m moving away, Lemon.”

I say nothing in response. I CAN’T say anything as my brain struggles to catch up, almost as if the words were a high maintenance program, slowing down my thought process… but I know that isn’t the case. It’s a simple fact.

“I’m moving away, Lemon,” Pinkie’s words replay in my mind as I look at her. I try to focus on the barely audible sounds of music, trying to pick up something to distract me, something to keep the knot in my throat from preventing me from replying. I have to say something! Anything!

Pinkie’s face through this whole thing remains unfazed. In fact, she just proves my fears correctby turning away and opening the door revealing the show of colors that encompass the gym tonight. “I’m going back inside,” she says through the midst of my silence.

“P-Pinkie!” I finally manage to call out, reaching out to her and grabbing her arm. “W-why tell me here!? Why would you tell me in something like this? I just…” I can’t even finish my sentence. I fall to my knees, with my hand still attached to her still arm. “Why now…?”

“Lemon,” she says my name, kneeling to my level, and giving me a big smile. “We are here, son!”

Wait, what?

“Son! Wake up!”

“Ah!” I scream as loud as my lungs would let me, my eyes opening widely, seemingly closed. “I, what, how?” I look around confused. Breathing heavily, I take my surroundings, recalling nearly instantly where I am: I'm in a car with father right now, on the way to the dance.

“You okay there, Lemon?” dad calls me. I turn to face him, and I catch that paternal look of worry, very becoming of a father who cares. “You know, it was just a twenty minute ride. Did you have a bad night’s sleep?”

The yawn I let out gives away my response better than I ever could do it myself—guess the insomnia finally let off. “Yeah, I did. Guess I was nervous, is all…” I laugh it off with an indirect half-lie.

He laughs right back, playfully punching my shoulder. “No need to be nervous about a dance! It can’t be worse than how I met your mother, huh? That day was h-

“Hot, wet, and you didn’t even buy what you wanted from ‘Bed, Bath and Beyond’ yeah, yeah,” I complete for him, reaching critical mass eye rolls. I recall having had this story told many times before when I was younger; I could never forget that so easily.

“Bed and what now?” dad asks seemingly confused. “You mean ‘Quills and Sofas’ right?” he shakes his head, chuckling to himself. “I'll be! Guess, I don’t tell you that story as often as I thought, huh? Don't worry, I'll make sure to change that."

“Wha-” I catch myself trying to question what he is saying, but just then, I remember that was told to me by dad: my other dad… but wait, how would this dad know about it?

“Lemon?”

“Dad!” I shout in response. Lamely. “S-sorry,” damn it, what does it matter how he knows? I have far more important things to deal with… no offense, dad.

“I told you not to worry!” he tells me again, ruffling my already messy hair. “Come on, I even let you borrow my lucky tux!” he wastes no time in reminding me of the old, gray thing that passes for a tuxedo.

“You are right, dad,” I decide to humor him, allowing me to finally leave his car.

“Remember to protect yourself if you bring Pinkie over!” he shamelessly shouts as he starts the car again, and I stand embarrassingly silent while watching the old man drive off, leaving me alone on the sidewalk. I keep up my smile, silently waving at him with the one finger that counts, until he finally turns in a corner, and is out of sight.

“I really don’t know what to say,” I mumble as I turn around, and I’m faced with the well acquainted Canterlot High School—but it feels different—there is something about staring at the school during nighttime, the moon shining behind the building, giving it a more foreboding appearance…

… Or maybe, it’s the fact that I’m standing here, ready to head into a budget school dance in a gym. I’m going to place bets on the latter because I am big dick man who is afraid of nothing.

I’m moving away, Lemon.

Nothing, dammit!

I finally force myself to walk to the entrance, passing a good amount of couples on the way. I’m sure I should be regretting it now, but I never paid particular attention to most kids in the school, and watching them walk hand-in-hand all prettied up gives ye olde ‘shipping machine’ gears some oil to go around for a bit. Some of them feel WRONG together, but I’m really not here to pair them correctly, am I?

“Oh,” I exclaim out loud, noticing both Flash and Trixie waiting by the entrance steps… together… again. “Hey!” I call at them, waving vigorously to catch their attention.

“Lemon!” they both respond in unison.

“You two,” I come to a stop near them, the words already coming out of my mouth. “Are you two here… together?”

It’s somewhat of an amazing sight when their faces go from confusion, to understanding; then, switching from disgust, to indignant, and finally to hate as they join together in saying the one simple word: “No!”

“Alright, geez! No need to shout,” I chuckle, slowly backing away.

It’s then that I can appreciate their own outfits.

Flash (much like me) is wearing a tux—but his is black, and shiny, and better than mine in every conceivable way... ANYWAY, we also have Trixie doing the opposite by wearing what’s probably an old and simple, but very fitting and relatable blue dress. “You two look, um, good.”

“And you look almost acceptable, Lime,” Trixie replies, reaching over my shoulder and fixing the neck of my suit. “You appear to have done a bit of a messy job with yours, as expected.”

“N-no! I was just doing some, er, homework!” right. My mind wasn’t exactly focused on perfect attire etiquette.

“Trixie caught me up with everything that happened earlier,” Flash speaks up, quick as always to point out the obvious. “How are you holding up?” he asks, voicing his clear concern from behind Trixie's busied body.

“I'll answer that when tonight is over,” it’s all I really want to say and do at this point. “Forget about that, is Sunset here yet? She said she would be coming.”

After a moment of silence, I then hear Flash mutter in a low voice. “Wait what?”

“Waiting for me?” speaking of the devil, Sunset Shimmer appears. Strangely enough, she wears a very simple white dress of her own, which makes her seem very plain, and we ARE talking about Sunset ‘Bacon Hair’ Shimmer here.

“Glad you made it!” I greet her, and I do mean that in more ways than one. When I met this new version of her, she had started off being very shy and reclusive, but she has really come out of her shell in the past few weeks; today being a special exception in which she actually offered to come, to my delight. “And hey! The four of us get to finally hang out together!”

“Huh?" Sunset asks with a questioning stare, looking us over with a confusing demeanor. “Really? Who else is coming? Are they late?"

Silently, I turn around to look at… Trixie. She also turns her head and stares at the empty spot behind her that Flash occupied no more than a few seconds ago.

“Right, sorry… I meant three of us,” I answer dryly; I don’t want to question this right now. “Come on, let’s get this night on the way.”

I'm thankful to the pair when they don't ask about it, but it really helps to walk through the mostly empty halls. It's a liberating feeling to traverse freely without constant pushing and shoving of the other kids trying to get to class. I guess that’s another way of seeing this night as something special.

Maybe.

We get to the gym entrance in a matter of minutes, having been led by the increasingly louder music which now booms loudly behind the door... and I just stand there.

"Are you alright?" Trixie calls, naturally enough, noticing my hesitation. Feeling their stares digging into the back of my head, I take a deep breath before I impulsively push the door wide open, heading inside before I can think about it any longer.

“Whoa,” awe is my first reaction as I take in the sight of at least fifty kids on the dance floor. “Crap…” annoyance is my second reaction. I look up onstage, and catch a glimpse of Vinyl, DJ’ing her heart out while bopping her head alongside the music—I'm guessing child labor isn’t too far for discount dance central.

Saying nothing, Trixie suddenly dives through the crowd of dancers as Sunset and I watch with utterly lost expressions.

“Wh- hey, wait!” I call out with Sunset in tow, poking our way through the packed dance floor and finding our way through the erratic showcasing of hands and legs. It’s almost as if we were trying to swim through a ball pit as I carefully try to not touch something I shouldn’t be in here.

“Ow!” I groan as I inevitably bump into someone, falling down in surprise. “Damn it, that hurt!”

“Oh, Lemon! Ms Shimmer,” shouts vice-principal Luna, a strange sight to see in the middle of the dance floor considering she is wearing her usual work clothes amidst the well-dressed… with the distinct difference of a powerful perfume aroma that I swear I smelled the moment I crashed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there!”

I shake my head, doing my best to look behind her as I do. “No problem! I was in a rush, and, er, have you seen Trixie? She went through here, and I think we lost her.”

She commits to her best impression of me and shakes her head in response. “I haven’t, sorry! I’ve been too busy keeping an eye on everyone here, what with my sister suddenly going on into dealing with something ‘more important’” she says with added finger quotes which I'm assuming are sarcastic as all hell.

“Thank you!” I thank her and walk off with just a little bit of guilt. I bet she wanted to somehow dump some of her woes on me through the loudness, but we have our own stuff to worry about.

I notice the first sign of freedom when I see the snacks table in the distance, and make a beeline towards it. Fortunately, the first thing I meet when we get there is Trixie, ‘coolly’ taking a sip from a cup, eyeing us with that smug look of hers.

“What took you so long?” she utters, raising her nose in an especially smug show.

“What are you doing?” I ask without delay. “Why did you run-off like that?”

“You,” she confusedly answers. “Trixie isn’t blind! I can see how worried you really are. And Trixie is definitely sure you will do your best to procrastinate the issue somehow.”

“What the hell are you getti-” she interrupts me and her confusing point by, well, ‘pointing’ over the other end of the snacks table. “What are you... oh,” anxiety then fills every fiber of my body when my eyes suddenly spot the Mane 6 standing together, drinking some punch.

‘I’m moving away, Lemon,’ the dream runs through my head again. I think of everything that could go wrong the moment I approach them, or heck, to even think of potentially approaching them, what with Twilight’s magic that could maybe read minds or something.

“And there she is,” Sunset comments, likely talking about one, and ONLY one person; Pinkie Pie.

Trixie stands in front of me, blocking my view and giving me an intense glare. “So, what will you do, Lime?”

“I, well,” what can I even do? Should I go for it? Would they walk away from me the moment I get there? Outright ignore me? A combination of the both? They could even get Rainbow to beat me up if they wanted: the possibilities are endless.

“Look at her Lime,” Trixie whispers into my ear, pointing towards Pinkie.

That one look was all I needed.

“Screw it,” I don’t waste a single second as I walk past Trixie, insecurities be damned. There is no need to specify what they are doing here or what they will think as I approach them. All that matters is the pink girl with the cute dress and the tiny hat who seems like the most miserable person in the room… and that’s just not the Pinkie Pie I know.

“Pinkie!” I call loudly when I stop in front of them, not that they would be missing me obviously going towards them.

“Lemon? What are yo-”

“Don’t,” I interrupt whoever said that. “I’m just here to dance with my girlfriend.” I don’t bother to look over Twilight’s reaction to the casual confession as I instead focus on Pinkie. “Er, will you?” her face lighting up with a brief smile coming into existence is all I need. “You smiled! I’m taking that as a yes!” I grab her hand without further questioning, and I pull her to the dance floor, and... well I admit I have zero idea what I’m doing as I pull the vague memories of ballroom dancing I did one time from the depths of my brain, putting one hand on her waist, and wrapping her hand with the other.

“Lemon?” I catch Pinkie’s low voice through the loudness of the music, and surely, it’s clear that she is confused by what I’m doing if her face is anything to go by, but she hasn’t said anything against it. I’m more surprised by this as the other kids who were doing their own thing catch sight of it, and proceed to to stare and probably judge not just me, but Pinkie, harshly… oh god, what if this was a mistake?

My thoughts are cut short at the sound of a record scratch, and suddenly, the previously fast-paced dance track turns into slow, more soothing music.

“What the?” I look over to the DJ podium, noticing Trixie standing next to Vynil, giving me a wide smile and a curt nod; never in my life did I think I would call Trixie a bro… er, sis. “Whoa,” I feel Pinkie’s hair suddenly poking my skin, and notice her head resting on my chest, fulfilling the highest amount of cliches I have being involved with in just one day when the smell of her cotton candy-like perfume reaches my nostrils.

To prove me wrong and increase my record further, more couples join us on the floor, taking their significant others and dancing as well, joining us in this very cheesy bandwagon of sorts. But really, nothing else matters. All I need to care about is the fact that I’m dancing my messy dance with my girlfriend—my best friend Pinkie—and if we don’t think about it too hard, the world around us could just disappear and everything would be okay.

“Lemon?” it feels like an eternity later when Pinkie finally speaks, breaking through my trance. I look at her face and she looks back, an unexpected second eternity passes as we stare into each others eyes, and she gives me a wide smile. “Lemon, I…”

“Go on,” I encourage her. Here it comes.

She nods weakly, struggling to speak. “Um, well… hey, what is that!?” she shouts suddenly, pointing behind me.

“Wha-” I turn around without thinking about it, only to find other couples still dancing. “What? I don’t see any-” as I say the words, I turn back around just to find an empty spot where Pinkie was just milliseconds ago. “W-what?” I look up quickly, managing to catch Pinkie Pie leaving through an exit nearby. “Hold on, P-Pinkie…?” I don’t run after her. After that, I really can’t. Confusion over the whole thing leaving me instantly drained.

Hold on, what? What just happened? Why did it happen? Why did Pinkie do such a thing? Is she playing with my emotions? Is this one of her ‘Pinkieisms’? Did I do something wrong? Danced particularly badly? Did I…

“… happened? What happened!?” a voice calls, becoming instantly clear. “Lemon!” the voice calls again, and I recognize Flash’s face as he shakes me wildly. It’s a strange feeling as I find myself laid back against a wall, not even realizing I was moved. “Lemon! What was that all about? Why did she run off?” he asks again.

I open my mouth to say something to reply to his question, but nothing really comes. There is no response I can give to explain something that not even have an answer to.

And to be honest…

“Do you know?” Flash asks again. “Why did s-”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Huh?”

“It doesn’t matter!” I shout, making Flash back away in surprise. I push myself against the wall and slide down to the floor, letting my drained body rest. “It’s over.”

“Trixie calls out your obvious foolishness,” Trixie clearly speaks up, arriving on the scene. “You can’t just give up! You have to go after her!”

“Did you not see what happened!?” I shout once again, this time catching the attention of others nearby. Though Trixie remains unfazed. “She literally played a trick on me to run off. It’s literally worthless.”

Trixie struggles to speak, trailing on the first word while she tries to find a way to say anything. “Pinkie Pie is… she must be dealing with whatever she is going through in her own way, is all! Trust Trixie! You just need to be patient and have a talk!”

"She is right, Lemon," Flash agrees with her.

I turn to Flash, and I can't help but feel a burst of rage as my mouth starts moving: "Seriously!? You of all people? The man who literally runs away when he is near Sunset Shimmer? What would you know? You are god damn coward!" I breathe heavily as I finish, looking at Flash's stoic face, unflinching. I know what I said.

"Lime!" Trixie calls out, looking enraged.

“Shut up! Just leave me alone!” I shout, running off. I dive through the crowd once again, zigzagging through everyone to keep myself from being found, doing my best to keep my brain from exploding from everything. After a few minutes, I run for the nearest door and slip out, making sure to carefully close it behind me, and… and… “Nothing. That’s it, I’m done.”

I sit down by the wall.

I huddle up, and I think nothing… because nothing is better than anything else now. It’s just me sitting here.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

…

*Creak* *Thunk*

…

*Step* *Step* *Step*

…

*Thud*

…

*rustle* ... *rustle*

…

...

“She doesn’t really hate you, you know?”

“What the?” I look up, my silence broken by the surprise appearance of Twilight ‘The Worst’ Sparkle sitting right next to me, watching me with a solemn expression and pretending that she cares. “What are you doing here? What are you talking about?”

She doesn’t answer right away, focusing on finding a way sit on her legs comfortably. “I’ve known Pinkie Pie for a few years, you know? And whenever she feels sad, my friends and I were usually able to figure it out,” she begins speaking, taking a deep breath. “And yet, somehow, I couldn’t even figure out why she was sad today. Not this Pinkie Pie, at least. I thought trying to cheer her up as usual would work, but it didn’t.”

“Why are you telling me this? I thought you hated me,” I ask confused. Is she trying to instill a false sense of security in me? Maybe she wants me to tell her something about Sunset, and this is how she’ll get it out of me.

“Trust me, this doesn’t have anything to do with Sunset Shimmer,” she replies, somehow able to decipher my thoughts. “And contrary to your own belief, I don’t hate you.”

“Well, you definitely turned on me the moment I defended her,” I scoff in response. “And you weren’t exactly nice about it either.”

“That’s not…” she trails on, instead taking a deep breath. I sit there in the awkward silence, listening to the music in the gym as a way to distract myself from the horse woman right next to me. “You know, this body is really strange.”

“Excuse me? Seriously?” I manage a laugh at the sudden change of topic. “Wow, that’s not exactly what I was expecting you to say, I’ll tell you that much.”

“… Lemon, I don’t know what I’m doing,” she turns to me, giving me a saddened look. “I told everyone that I was a princess in another world, but I’ve never done any princess work, and much less something like this! Princess Celestia send me to solve something that I had no idea about! I tried to be serious and harsh because I had zero information, and I was going into this without a solid plan. I almost want to turn my focus away to studying this strange new body instead… just to forget about all of this for a moment,” she finishes softly, raising her hand and observing her wiggling fingers.

Ignoring the obvious euphemisms to what ‘studying’ and her wiggling fingers bring to my mind, I ask: “Okay, now, why are you telling me this?”

She clenches her hand into a fist, and quickly raising it, she punches my shoulder. “Because I want you to know that I do trust you.”

We stay silent, her hand still hanging on my shoulder… awkwardly. “Twilight?”

“… Er, I, um, it’s one of the things that this world’s Rainbow Dash would do a lot,” she whispers embarrassingly, pulling her arm away and hiding her face. “This is one of them, I mean! Er, s-sorry…”

I do my hardest to hold my upcoming laughter, and I shake my head to show my still-very-clear lack of understanding. “But why? Why now? Why do you trust me so easily after yesterday? I just don’t get it!”

Twilight shakes her head, giving me a more stern look. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still watching Sunset.”

“Then wh-!”

“But!” she interrupts. “You don’t seem to be lying about her; you don’t seem to think you are, at least.”

“What’s your poi-”

“The point!” she sternly interrupts, doubling down and jumping on her feet. “The point is that when you asked her to dance, she actually smiled—just like that!” she slumps back down, sighing for the umpteenth time. “And the way you reacted to her running off! If that isn’t a clear sign you aren’t at least a decent guy, then I don’t know what is.”

“Then why?” I sigh, laying my head back on the wall. “Why would she actually run off like that?” it’s the question I should have asked first, but I guess I was too angry to do it? Ugh. Is that even a good excuse?

“My best guess is that she is afraid of something,” she comments, wrapping my shoulder with her strangely clumsy hand. “Tell me: do you want to find out?” she asks, staring into my eyes, as if trying to read an answer out of my expression.

It's pretty obvious at this point.

“I have to go,” I stand up quickly, my mind made up. “But Twilight?”

“Just go; she left through the door right across,” she adds, thankfully giving me some clear direction. “I have to get back, and you need to find your girlfriend… I’m still wrapping my head around that revelation.”

Funny enough. I’m still doing that myself

“But thank you, Twilight. Really,” I smile and bide her goodbye, heading into the gym to jump into the crowd once again.

As I move through everyone, I have to think, to wonder what the deal with Pinkie is. I probably grew even more frustrated as she continued thinking stuff on her head, but how was this affecting her, exactly? What is her mind going through, and why won’t she just tell me? That’s an answer I have to find sooner rather than later.

“… Thank you all once again for coming; it is now time to announce the winner of this year’s Fall Formal Crown!” Luna’s voice booms loudly, not only stopping the music, but garnering everyone’s attention.

“Thaaaank you!” I say silently, running the new clearing and into the parking lot at the other side of the door, leaving behind the cheery atmosphere, and entering into a dark space with an almost eerie silence. “Pinkie Pie!” I waste no time shouting her name towards the car-filled lot. I instantly regret not having asked what car they rode in here.

“Huh?” before I can even think of a plan, a familiar aroma fills my nostrils. “That’s… cotton candy!” Doing my best to follow what could very well be her crouching behind a car, I call out, expecting to see her pink hair jump into view before running off again, but that doesn’t happen even as the smell gets stronger, and- “Oh.”

I resist the urge to groan as I come across a car with stickers on the side: rainbow colored, lighting stickers, to be exact. It doesn’t take a genius to know who the vehicle belongs to.

“What the?” I mumble, catching the sight of something sticking out besides the car. “What is that?” I cautiously take out my phone to shine a light on the thi- “Oh god, no!” I call out in a panic as the light shines down on the immobile body of Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie? Are you okay!? Pinkie!” I call out her name kneeling down to try t- no. TO wake her up! She is okay, damn it!

Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain as something hits me over the back of my head. I fall to the floor, with my glasses flying off my face, landing safely for the sound of it to my passive relief. But what’s going on? What was that? I try to look around, breathing heavily, trying to look over my now blurred vision, not used to having glasses off my face after months of wearing them.

“That felt good.”

I frantically look around for the source of the voice, and stop as I notice the shape of someone in front of me. “W-what are yo-” my words stop as the figure moves again, an-

*thunk*

…

“What!?” I ask, opening my eyes to the blurry world around. “Aah!” I hiss next as a sharp pain makes my head hurt like a bitch. “Fuck! Ah! W-what the hell just happened?”

“You are okay!” I feel the embrace of someone jumping on me, and I recognize the previous sweet smell without fail

“Pinkie… Pinkie!” I shout, wrapping my arms around her, the memory of her on the hard ground flashing momentarily, sending a chill down my spine. “Y-you are okay! You are, right?”

“Yep! I just woke up from a nice nap! But my cookies didn’t make it!” she states, reaching into her hair and taking out what is possibly crumbled cookies. “Oh and here you go!” she goes on, handing me what feels like my glasses. “Lucky you, they didn’t break!”

“T-thank you,” I put them on quickly, and my vision soon adjusts back. I look around quickly, finding I’m still in the parking lot (what will all cars and whatnot) but that alone makes me come to a realization. “Pinkie?”

“Yeah?”

“Why is it so quiet?” I ask, failing to listen to the muffled sounds of music in the distance. If the cars are still here, then why is it that the music stopped? Something is wrong.

“That’s the right question,” a different voices says. I jump up, and appear face to face with none other than Principal Celestia herself. “Good to see you are alright.”

“M-Ma’am!” she is the least likely person I expected to see here of all places. “What are you doing here?”

“Molly!” Pinkie gasps happily, reaching out to hug the giant woman while I hold a laugh at that name.

“Come now, Celestia. You are wasting time, here!”

I look over to the newer voice, and I almost reel back when I see none other than human Discord right behind Celestia, casually talking to her as if it were nothing.

“Pinkie!” I jump up in front of her, my mind rushing for ways to fight him. How the hell did he get out? How did h-

“Lemon!” Celestia cuts in front, holding my shoulders forcibly. “I know this looks bad, but trust me when I say he won’t hurt you. Trust me.”

“What!? Are you seriously defending that asshole!?” What the hell is up with her reaction!? Maybe I just went nuts! Yeah! Someone hit me over the head and I’m currently dreaming nutty stuff! What other explanation could there be?

“Lemon! That’s no way to react to Mister Heart!” it feels unreal to say this, but it was Celestia who answered… yep, I’m still looking at her. She did it.

“What the hell happened when I was out!?” I ask to the night sky. It makes more sense than anything here right now.

“I told you not to mess with stuff you didn’t understand,” yet ANOTHER voice joins the fray; it’s Chryssa, freaking Chryssa!

I stare at the unlikely pair completely dumbfounded, and then, just turn and walk away. “Okay, I’m going home now. I’m clearly hallucinating this all.”

“You aren’t!” Celestia shouts from behind, catching up and stopping in front of me with a worried stare. “This is real, and a very serious thing!”

“Yeah, it is! Just the fact that there is two convicts in a school parking lot! What the FUCK are you doing, Celestia!?” I shout at her, dropping any pretense of respect. Hallucination or not, this has gone way too far, and I’m not going to let it slide. “And one more thing! I j-”

"This isn't about us!" she cuts me off, her shouting catching me by surprise. "The world needs help, and you are the only one we can ask!"

"I, wait, what?" I try to response in turn, but words no good now. "W-what do you mean?"

"What happened to our friends?" Pinkie speaks up, looking downright miserable as she does. "No one is in the gym!" she continues to explain. In our discussion we must have missed her going back towards the school to check.

"Taken to Equestria," Celestia speaks, a sentence I never expected to hear from this version, at least. "And if we don't get them back soon, the world might be in danger."

"You know?" I ask, feeling defeated at the sudden revelation. "Okay, anyone else want to add to the pile? I'm waiting!" I challenge, awaiting the next development. It can't get any worse than this.

"Screw this," Chryssa speaks up, walking to the forefront of the group, stopping near me, and crouching to be at eye-level to say: "Tell me kid, what would you say if I told you the world was only twenty years old?"

Author's Note

Hello everyone, here we are once again.

In any case, let's just say I WORKED my ass off for this chapter. It was a tough one to try to get together; getting every plot point in place, and bringing back elements that I set up (that's not even counting spelling and other such things) but even as I say that, my heart beats in fear of thoughts towards this one. I honestly hope everyone can enjoy it. :fluttershyouch:

Either way, the finish line isn't far off, and I look forward to finishing this sooner rather than later. :moustache:

I hope you enjoyed this, I honestly do. :twilightsmile:

Finale - Part 1

“Don’t let go!” I shout out, hoping my voice somehow carries to Pinkie in here. It’s a strange feeling as our bodies seem to spiral and stretch in an unnatural way, yet, I can’t seem to be able to feel my body breaking in anyway; and it’s FUCKING terrifying to have a visual for something I can’t feel.

“Whee~” and Pinkie’s seemingly nonplussed demeanor doesn’t help.

“Huh?” I mumble, happening to look up and catching a glimpse of light on top of me, looming closer by the second. “I-I think we are almost there!”

“Did you say something about cake?”

“I did not enunciate anything remotely close to that!” I shout in vain, just as suddenly feeling the grip with Pinkie slipping. Wait! “Nononononono! Crap! Pinkie, hold on!” I try my best to keep my hold on her, but against my best efforts, her hand begins to slip off, as my fingers somehow stick to the palm of my hand.

“Oh! Oh! I see something shiny!” Pinkie shouts as she flies ahead, still unfazed by my own fear. Unable to fight it,I follow her lead. I look up to what she points to, catching a glimpse of a light in the distance.

~~~

“Hey! Wait up!” I call, running after Chryssa. Her giant steps making my comparatively short, stubby legs have to walk at a brisk pace just to keep up. “Come on! You dropped a bomb on me and now you are leaving me short? What gives?”

She turns around abruptly, glaring at me. “You literally answered with, and I quote: ‘I don’t believe you. You are crazy’.”

“What did you expect me to say? That came out of nowhere!” it isn’t a lie. While that is substantial info drop, it’s literally the least likely thing ever. But outside the obviously logical questions, the time frame fits into what I know of them… and it puts forward the question; why are they so open to telling me this now.

“Does that mean you believe me now?”

“… ‘Believe’ is such a strong word.”

“We would want to do nothing more than explain, but we don’t have the time,” Celestia points out, bringing forth the laziest excuse in the book. Was she serious when it came to all that junk regarding the students? This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been knocked out.

“What the hell!?” I shout the moment we turn the corner, looking at the giant hole where the entrance to CHS used to be. Even Pinkie’s mouth hangs open as she stares at the debris laying on the previously pristine floor inside, a disastrous view that neither of us ever expected to see here of all places. “W-what happened here?

“Celestia’s student happened,” says an unknown voice, supplemented by an old man stealthily emerging out of the shadows behind the statue, because apparently that’s where we are right now. “What took you three so long? We have to hurry!”

“You are…” I give the guy a good look, rummaging through the lexicon of horse characters in my head for anything remotely similar to this guy… Nope. “Who are you? And what do you mean about Celestia’s student. Are you talking about Twilight?”

“Bah!” the old man scoffs at me before seemingly losing all interest and turning to Celestia and the two clearly insane attempted murderers who approach him without hesitation. “Haven’t you explained it to him yet, Celestia? We are wasting time!”

I nod. The inconspicuous old man I’ve never met before has a point. “Yeah! I followed you three, and now we have a nameless old man, a blown up school, and a missing Twilight Sparkle! Also, WHY is he asking about Twilight?”

The old man scoffs again, shaking his head in clear disapproval. “Nameless? Uncultured morons! Of course a kid wouldn’t know about Lord Tyrek. What a terrible world we live in…”

“I don’t care!” I shout at no one in particular, demanding answers. “Please, could you just explain what the hell Chryssa meant? Or are you going to wave that aside now? Because that blown up building behind us isn’t exactly easy to miss."

“Well,” Discord speaks, seemingly mulling over my demand. “To be concise, it really has something to do with this world’s existence. Specifically that portal over there,” he says, pointing towards the side of the courtyard statue.

How did no one ever fall through.

" So is that where Twilight came from?” I ask, recalling Twilight’s explanation. “But why do you people know? What’s so special about you?”

“I’m sorry!” Celestia interrupts, before turning her attention to Pinkie and I once again. “You two must listen; there isn’t a lot of time, the world really is in danger! And if we don’t stop Sunset Shimmer, sh-” *Boom* a loud explosion-like sound cuts Celestia’s explanation short, followed by the ground shaking and tripping us all with ease and did she just say Sunset Shimmer?

“Talk about loud! That was no party cannon!” Pinkie shouts sounding between fear and excited emotions over the possibility of a real life giant party cannon.

Chryssa is the first on her feet, and as her face shifts to a terrified expression, my confidence matches it by slipping even further down as she then shouts: “It’s already happening!”

I watch as she points to the distance, my jaw dropping at the sight I see: homes turning transparent before disappearing without a trace, engulfed in some strange darkness as far as I can see. A chill is send down my spine as I take my surroundings, noticing the same in every direction… and it all seems to be heading back here!

“I-I-Is someone else c-c-cold? B-B-Because I s-s-sure am!” Pinkie mumbles through, suddenly shivering, attempting to protect herself from a sudden cold, and falling to her knees, breathing heavily.

“Pinkie!” I run over, holding her as best as I can. I give her a glance, and notice her skin turning pale, to my utter shock. “W-what’s happening to her?” I ask, turning to Celestia for any answers.

“Celestia, I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but maybe we should get to it!” Discord says with a clear panic in his tone. Somehow, I don’t think this is going to bode well.

“As we practiced!” at Celestia’s orders the four form a square around the statue and raise their arms towards it. I’m only lost for a second when their hands all glow with a white light that then shoots out, hitting the statue with an overbearingly bright light. Moments later, the light seems to diminish, focusing on the tip of the statue, and shooting up towards the sky before coming back down, and engulfing us in a strange fieldof sorts.

“Cold’s gone!” Pinkie suddenly shouts, getting on her feet as if nothing had happened. “Boy, that was weird...” she trails on, her eyes shining as she sees something. “Wow! That sure is weirder!”

“Huh?” I look to where she points, and my jaw drops when I see it: there is humans where Celestia and company stood. And I don’t mean ‘humans’ in the way this technicolored people world is, but in the way that humans actually look in my old world, with skin tones that I hadn’t seen in over a year—real life humans. “What the actual fuck!?”

“Lemon!” one of the women calls me in a strangely similar voice to Celestia’s. “I’m sorry we can’t explain this right now!, But what you want to know will be answered by Princess Celestia. She knows about the two worlds becoming one!” she takes a pause, looking around frantically. “But there is no time, you must go! You are the only one who can do this, Lemon! We have to keep the world intact, so you two must go alone!”

"Wait, what the hell am I supposed to do?” I demand to know, looking at the light that shines from the statue, and noticing some strange figures in it that bring more questions than anything else… I think I just saw the shape of a horse in there.

“Oh my god!” the other woman, who by process of elimination could only be Chryssa groans. “Princess Celestia will answer all your stupid questions later! Go!”

Instinctively, I grab hold of Pinkie’s hand, holding it tight in my own as I try to process everything. B-But…”

“Enough of this pointless meandering!” shouts the short old man impatiently. “You have about half a day! Now get the hell in there!”

“O-okay?” slowly, I move towards the statue, standing between the photo-realistic humans to my side. “I don’t get it, am I supposed to just jump insi-oh, okay,” I mumble as I try to touch its surface, only to find my hand phasing trough it. “So… jump in, huh?”

I look to my left, and I’m met with Celestia’s(?) panicked gaze. “You must find your friends, they will be the key to saving everyone.”

Before I can ask how she would even know that, I feel the push of a really strong kick pushing us into the statue, and then…

~~~

“Ooooouch,” I groan, suddenly face down on a cold, hard floor. I was not expecting a rough landing. “Did we…?” I utter in a low voice as I look up to find my new surroundings. I already question where I am, what with the paintings that hang on the walls suggesting big rich status, with the walls lined with ornaments that would seem tacky in any normal home, not the least of them being a tall set of double doors probably leading out that suggest importance (or at the very least money). Also, the floor is like a freaking mirror. How rich are these pe-

“Lemon!” I jump at the abrupt call, turning to the voice to find myself staring at what seems to be the one pink horse I know of.

“P-Pinkie?” I utter in disbelief, closing my eyes, and opening them again just to see the same shape of the pony version of Pinkie Pie in front of me, and there is zero doubt in my mind—I’m in Equestria. “Oh my god.”

“I know! Isn’t it great! Look, my tail is SO soft, and fluffy, and soft, and very easy to bit- Ouch!” she yelps in pain after showing her short lived tail-biting skills, and… something is different.

“Wait,” I hold back my surprise when my eyes land on her rump, noticing the possibly trademarked cutie mark that she is so well known for having… which is not there. “No cutie mark. Of course! That means you are Pinkie Pinkie!”

“Obviously!” she snorts. “What other Pinkie did you think I… was…” she seems to have picked up on what I meant, but not in the good way, as shown by her complete turnaround of her mood. “Oh! Anyway! Glad you are okay! We are okay, right?” she asks unsure, turning to me with a very fake smile.

“Pinkie? Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry! I didn’t me-”

“Come on! We have to find the others!” she cuts me off, turning serious and skipping straight to the big double doors in the most baffling of tone shifts.

“Pinkie, wai- whoa!” I yelp, somehow tripping on nothing. “What in the hell?” it is here that I discover I’m not a very observant person; or rather, pony. Given that my body seems covered in hair all over, it pretty much suggests what I think it is. “Oh my god.”

I stare back at the bizarrely-polished-to-a-mirror floor, taking note of my own body which I can describe with the single sentence of the ‘fuck off’ variety. I could live being a green earth pony, yes (I’ve thought about it, honestly) but it’s an issue when my stock body seems to look more like that of a mare than a stallion in the show despite being clearly a guy.

I finally get an old wish, and then the universe screws with me somehow. Typical.

“It’s clear,” Pinkie comments as she proceeds to look out the room. “Those bizarrely-polished-to-a-mirror floors sure are a good lookout!”

“Pinkie,” I call out her name, slowly getting used to my new body. “Listen, I just want you to know that whatever I said, I meant nothing bad abo-”

“Shh,” she cuts me off, shoving her hoof in my mouth. She takes a deep breath, and says: “We’ll talk later, alright? W-we just need to make sure we find everyone, and go back safely. Okay? We really, REALLY have to!” I’m taken aback by the way she makes the request, maintaining her well known cheeriness while still commanding a very stern tone, somehow.

What’s going on in her mind?

“O-okay,” I agree, despite my doubts.

“Let’s go,” she says seconds later, and we are well on our way to… wait.

“Where are we going, again?” I ask confused, looking around as if expecting someone to randomly ambush us. “Come on, we haven’t really come up with ideas,” or an actual plan for that matter.

Without turning around, she says: “We are going to find our friends! Just like the principal said!” she then stays quiet for a second, before she continues: “And Sunset, too!”

“… Oh,” the way she ended that rubs me the wrong way, but I can’t really argue. Whatever happened, we were put here, and Sunset Shimmer is involved for some reason by somehow kidnapping everyone. I really wish Celestia had explained more about that and the twenty years thing, but it seems that we are only going to get answers by finding everyone, and saving the free world or whatever.

Oh, and we are on a time limit! Wonderful.

The more I actually think about it, the more I want to curl up and die, so fuck it! I’m going with the flow, and hope for the best—the most I can really do at this point.

Thankfully, walking the halls serves as a good distraction, the sheer size not only impresses me, but terrifies me. There is something strange about the crystallized columns and the pearly white walls that bring me some discomfort, and for some reason, the thought of a haunted hospital. But unlike a crappy scary movie, we haven’t come across someone yet—we are totally alone.

“Hey, Pinkie?” screw it. If I’m going to be ignoring everything else, I might as well clear things up. “Liste-”

“Oh! Over here!” she says suddenly, running in the complete opposite direction.

“What? The heck you talking about? Wait!” I awkwardly run after her, and though she gives me enough lenience to catch up, she takes off once I get too close. On the bright side, it’s helping me get used to running in this body, I guess. But before I can decide whether the bad side is her trying to actively avoid me, she stops in front of a random white door.

“Here we are!” she states, pointing at the previously mentioned entry.

“And that is…?”

“A door, obviously! You really need to pay attention to your surroundings, Limey,” before I can fire a retort, she forces the door open without hesitation.

“Pinkie! You are making a lot of noise!” I blurt in a low voice, trying to keep it down. “That’s not gonna help us find the people we are actually looking for!”

“It’s okay! We didn’t find anyone on the way, we are fine!” and she is right… which in all honesty, is actually worrying in itself.

“Pinkie? I have a bad feeling about this,” it’s strange. Why hasn’t someone showed up? Where are the guards? “Listen, I don’t thin-”

“No backing down!” she shouts, ignoring me, and heading into the fully uncovered room without hesitation. Frustratingly enough, forcing me to follow her inside. Though, I have to admit it’s not very scary, since I’m welcomed by the sight of a very simple bedroom, with the only out of place thing being a single window tall enough to let the moonlight in, illuminating the room with a beautiful glow.

“Whoa…” I feel my inner fanboy while I run to the window. I lean my hand (er, leg) on the glass, and stare in awe at the sight of various homes in the distance, shinning with the reflections of the Lunalight on the ragged, yet beautiful looking buildings. “Could this be…?” I whisper, looking down and seeing the towers surrounding the castle I expected to find. “Holy crap, I think we are in the Crystal Empire.”

“Eek!”

“What?” I turn to the perfectly timed shriek, finding Pinkie slowly moving away from someone partly hidden in the shadows.

“Y-y-you…” Pinkie’s panicked expression then suddenly disappears, replaced by a small, relieved smile. “You! Oh my goodness! I knew you were here, Flashie!”

“Flashie?” I stand dumbfounded, looking at the figure slowly stepping out of the darkness. “Is it really?” I look over the silent, menacing pony, who does seem very similarly colored in every way, but if he is, it pains me a bit that he might have managed to get a stock stallion body when I didn’t.

“Look at his butt!” Pinkie very unashamedly points.

“Pinkie! Now it’s not the tim-”

“No! I mean his, um…” she trails on, struggling to remember. “Oh, his leg! It’s missing the mark thingie!”

“Mark?” I unwillingly trace the shape of his perfectly normal stallion body, up to his flank where I finally notice what Pinkie refers to: which is nothing but normal fur. Honestly, what does she even mean by th- “Oh, crap. He doesn’t have a cutie mark…”

“Told you!”

“I don’t get it, how did you even know he was here?”

“My totally natural body spasms told me so!”

“Oh,” she must be referring to Pinkie Sense. I’m starting to think that ability was only created to deal with contrivances… speaking of. “Is it just me, or has Flash been a teensy bit too quie-”

Without warning, the would-be Flash swings his hoof, nearly smacking Pinkie who somehow manages to barely dodge the ‘punch’.

“Whoa!” Pinkie jumps back in surprise, seemingly just as confused as me, if her widened gaze is something to go by. “Wowzers! You must have gotten out of bed with your left foot… feet? Or maybe you just got up with one leg at a time, an-”

“Grrr!” is Flash’s meticulous answer as he lunges at her once more.

“Stop!” I shout as I jump to stop him, throwing myself towards Pinkie and pushing her out of the way just as Flash’s body reaches me. “Oof!” I nearly expect to be tossed against a wall, but instead, I feel myself going up… and up… an- “Oh my god he has wings! He can freakin' fly! Help!”

“Don’t worry, I think I have a plan!” I hear her shout under me. Boy, am I happy that she is here, otherwise I would be screw- “Hey, Flash! Let him go pretty please!” I can hear only static whilst my brain tries to catch up with what she just did. “Oh, guess that didn’t work!”

“FUCKING SERIOUSLY, PINKIE!?” I shout beyond annoyed, as I try my best to hold on, seeing his plan is now to throw me off him. “Damn it, Flash! What’s your dea-” I stop as I get a good look at his eyes: they are green and lifeless. Okay, that might have something to do with his deal.

“I can’t understand you when you move so much! But don’t worry! I have another idea!” I hear Pinkie's shouts again, and through the mess of indistinguishable shapes, I manage to get a look of her quickly moving furniture and piling it up together.

“Pinkie! He is bein- Whoa! Damn it, he is being contr- Aaah! God damn it, Flash, let me talk!” I shout, doing my best to keep my hooves on Flash’s body as he does his best to toss me off. “Are you almost done!”

“That’s much better!” I hear Pinkie’s voice suddenly closer, and I gasp in surprise as I see her lunge towards us from a precariously put together mountain of furniture, getting a hold of one of Flash’s legs, which doesn’t seem to bode well according to Flash’s pained face. “Gotcha, buster!”

Very quickly, Flash’s flaps slow to a flutter, and he slowly begins descending, much to my relief.

More confident than ever, my mind races with plans popping up. “Okay! When we get closer down, we grab one of the blankets, and wrap him wit-”

*Crash*

…

“Oh?”

…

“Huh…”

…

We just crashed through the window.

*Woosh*

Yep. Window.

…

Ah… at least the breeze is wonderful.

“Nope! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I see shards of glass still falling around me, and I try my best to grab hold of something. ANYTHING. “Flash! Best bud? Wake up!” I shout in vain to his now unconscious body, which just begins its descend alongside us as gravity takes its effect. “Oh god, oh god!”

“Aaaaaah!” Pinkie shouts, flailing around in her panic. “Nononononononononowhydididothataaaah!”

“Pinkie!” I flail however I can, reaching out with my hoof in an attempt to hold her over me! She’ll probably live with her weird abilities! Just… gotta… reach her! “Pinkie Pi-”

“H-Hold on!” Flash himself shouts, suddenly appearing under us, flapping his wings like a maniac. I welcome the help, and quickly grab hold of his body alongside Pinkie, he continues flapping awkwardly, breathing heavily while doing his best to slow our descent. “Oof! Gah! Damn! It!”

Oh, fuc-*THUMP*

…

To my surprise, I manage to open my eyes, groaning in pain and seeing double for a few seconds, but feeling the floor right under my feet. “Wait, I’m alive?” I touch my body over, and other than a few bumps here and there, I feel nothing out of place. “I-I’m okay! I am! I’m oka- *Hurl* too quick, hell.

“Pinkie, are you okay?” I hear Flash’s voice. I manage to pull my eyes away from my own vile to find him helping her on her hooves. Good thing is that neither one looks too bad for wear, messiness notwithstanding.

“I am! T-Thank you so much, Flash!” Pinkie says fervently, lunging herself towards Flash with a hug. “I’m happy you are okay.”

“That just happened,” I mumble, blinking over and over, taking in the fact we almost died. “But wait, are you okay? As if, your brain is okay? Flash, it’s you, right?”

“Too many questions, Lemon,” he answers, holding his head in pain. “Ouch…” he looks over his hoof, surprised for a moment before chuckling to himself. “Great, now I have more questions of my own. Guess this is where my life is at.”

“Okay, that attitude is definitely you,” I chuckle right back, taking a breath of relief, even if just momentary. “Though… maybe we should hide before someone sees us here,” Flash doesn’t ask why, and just nods in agreement. We make a run for a nearby column that hides us from sight of the castle… not that there is anyone within sight.

“O-Ouch,” Flash complains again, suddenly tumbling down on arrival.

“You okay?”

“Not used to running in this body…” he explains, picking himself back up. “And no offense, but would you mind telling me what’s going on? I’m a horse, and I’m talking, so I would like to know more if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. As long as you don’t mind filling me in with what happened to you first,” I respond. “You owe us after attacking us like you did.”

“Did I now?” he sighs, and then turns with a serious look. “Alright, but if what I recall is right, you might not like what I have to say.”

Finale - Part 2

“So it’s true, then?”

“Look where we are standing, Lemon. Unless we are dreaming, I wouldn’t lie about this sort of thing now.”

“R-right,” I stand still in the shadow of the castle’s column, thinking over Flash’s account. “So Sunset really WAS part of this whole thing, wasn’t she?” he says nothing, just nodding slowly. I can’t say I blame him for the weak response, given his history with Shimmer.

So Sunset really did steal the crown, she then did ‘something’ and brought people over to Equestria where they probably remain captive in the castle, with Flash here being the big lead in that little theory… but that’s all it is at this point! I’m still not sure about the circumstances regarding ‘Shimmer’ either, but I’m sure there is a real explanation for that. Maybe I have one? Honestly, I just have ideas, but all I got is guesses until we can figure everything out.

Regardless, what’s her motivation? We still don’t know the big reason why she brought all the students here, with Flash himself tossing me no helping bone. “Sorry Lemon, but I was apparently too mind controlled to remember things,” is his response to my repeated inquiry. “I’m still too busy trying to understand how to fully control an extra pair of body parts I didn’t have before,” he notes, awkwardly flapping his wings.

“You say that, but you seemed to do just fine when you saved us,” I point out to his still moving wings, though he doesn’t appear to take my comment too well by his currently shaking head.

“It was an ‘in the moment’ reaction, as weird as that sounds,” he groans. “I can barely remember what happened at all other than my wings flapping rapidly, likely reacted by instinct coming from this body," he guesses. "But we have bigger things to worry about, don’t we? If what you told me is true, shouldn’t we be focusing on saving everyone right now? We shouldn’t be wasting time.”

“We are!” Pinkie shouts from the back, suddenly fitting herself between us, looking a little worse for wear, what with the copious sweating and general nervous demeanor. “B-but we gotta be careful from now on! Or we might get hurt!”

"Huh?" I mumble, even Flash raises a brow to this attitude, probably wondering who the pony in front of us actually is. “You were the one who piled up a bunch of furniture to save me, fell out of a window, and now you are worried? Are you okay, Pinkie?”

“Of course I am!” she bounces right back, determinedly looking up at the castle as if her worried expression wasn’t there milliseconds ago. “Let’s go! We need to go back inside! Come on, everyhorsie!”

“It’s po-ny, Pinkie,” I correct.

“Ooh! Maybe I can combine all the words! Come on everyhor-ny!”

“Oh my god.”

“Wait up,” Flash mercifully interjects. “Do we have a plan to get inside? I’m sure they’ll have someone guarding the entrance.”

I begin to brainstorm ideas, thinking up of ways of infiltrating without calling attention to ourselves. It’s not easy, I’ll say that much. Considering my knowledge of the castle is basic at best, we really have nothing to go on with.

“Oh!” suddenly, Pinkie raises her hoof. “I know!”

“Does your idea involve asking ‘please’?” I ask, unable to help myself a look towards the unsuspecting Flash.

“Of course not! That’s just silly!” she replies, proving me totally wrong with a surprisingly sensible response. “No! Instead we just walk right in!” or not. Talk about records broken.

Flash shakes his head, likely agreeing with me. “Pinkie, I don’t thi-” before he can finish arguing with her, Pinkie makes a run for it. “No, wait!”

“Crap!” Flash and I run after her, hopefully not panicking too hard. But when I see her approaching one of the entrances, I’m likely going to be assuming maximum panic mode soon. “Dammit! What is she thinking?” I ask this to Flash, who seems to still be getting the hang of running and only nods. “If you mind-controlled were a threat, who knows what might happen with Pi-… Pinkie?”

We come to a stop as soon as we notice Pinkie Pie near the entrance doors, calmly waiting for us… with no one around. “Come on! What are you waiting for?” she asks us, mockingly and (awkwardly looking-ish) sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

“What did you do to the guards?” Flash asks, looking around for any armed horses.

“Nothing! They weren’t here!” she answers simply.

“How would you know that?” I ask confused. “Wait, did your Pinkie sense thingies tell you again?”

“Nuh-uh! I just knew already,” she explains confusedly.

“W-what?” I ask, still as confused. “I don’t get it.”

“Well…” she begins, taking a deep breath. “When we found Flash he jumped us really good like a big jerk for no reason at all and he didn’t talk or act normal and I bet that the other ponies must be mind-controlled too which means they are as dumb-ified as he was so *gasp* I figured out that the other guards wouldn’t be here yet forsureprobablymaybe!”

“I, er,” I won’t lie and say I didn’t put some effort into figuring out what the hell she was saying, but it thankfully clicks fast. “I won’t say that isn’t an explanation, but do what you preached earlier, and don’t just run off like that, alright? You gave me a scare! What if that guess didn’t turn out to be true?” I finish, making sure my worrying is obvious.

“I…” Pinkie freezes up, now aware of what she did. “R-Right! I didn’t think of that… I’m sorry! I just thought it would easier to show you than wait for you to come up with a plan!” she gulps a response.

“What’s done is done already,” I sigh a little frustrated with her. “In any case, if that turns out to be true…”

“We might have a chance to sneak in,” Flash completes my thought. “We should get going then, let’s not give her time to regroup,” he suggests appropriately, shooting us a determined glance. No more to say, we run back inside the castle without a second thought.

My stomach churns as we go inside, uneasiness engulfing me as the walls of the castle expand around us. I feel as if we are entering another dimension, but the shiny, crystallized surroundings fill the quota of earlier sights, only difference being a couple of hallways to either side of the hall, and a pair of steps leading up in a spiral, probably to the throne room if the mental gymnastics of my pony memories are correct.

“No one here, Lemon. What’s the plan?” Flash asks, looking at me with Pinkie joining in the stare-fest. I just realized that I’ve been made the impromptu leader of this crap operation.

“Er…” my first words as team leader aren’t exactly helpful, but thinking on my feet has NEVER been my forte. “O-okay. Let’s head upstairs!” I suggest, leading them with the flawed map in my head.

We are relatively silent, bar the sounds of our ragged breathing. There is no single exchange of words, and I honestly don’t think I could even bring up any sort of conversation at this point with the three of us here. Arriving upstairs, I recognize the halls we were in before our encounter with Flash.

“We are back here!” Pinkie points out, similarly recognizing the place. “But I don’t think that guy was part of the décor…”

“What?” I question the clear attempt at a Rarity impression, turning to what she looks at, and noticing one of the ponies I least wanted to see: a royal guard, staring at us with his glowing green eyes, who for that matter, is quickly approaching us. “Oh, crap! We are bone-”

“Lieutenant Sentry,” calls out the nameless horse in an emotionless tone of voice, shooting a flaccid salute at Flash to everyone’s shock for more reasons than I can think of. “I was send for you, but I didn’t expect to find you here. I thought you’d be guarding the entrance.”

“Er,” Flash mumbles, seemingly at a loss for words for the sudden referral as much as we are. “Y-you see, I was, er…” he looks around quickly, keeping his gaze on us. I can almost hear the gears in his head turning as he responds: “I-I was capturing these two loitering around outside, and taking them to… to the er, room…?”

Much like with Pinkie’s previous attempt at a rescue, my mouth hangs open in disbelief at how FUCKED we actually are after that. Why didn’t he just say cells? How the hell did he actually think that would actually wor-

“I understand. Allow me to help you,” the guard says without a sign of ‘mind-dumbness’ that Pinkie previously referred to.

“Whaaaat,” I slowly whisper, shaking my head just as confused.

“T-there is no need!” Flash replies nervously. “I’m sure I can make it there on my own.”

The guard barely shakes his head, tilting it to the side to look at Pinkie and I behind. “I insist. They seem like troublemakers.”

Pinkie peeks her neck towards me, whispering: “I think he is onto us!”

“Gah!” Flash gulps, taking a step back. “V-very well. Lead the way.”

Without much of an attempt at arguing, we follow the guard. It’s a miracle that we are still standing, but I guess that the seemingly improved mind control didn’t make the guy too smart… or maybe the green eyes actually lower visibility, or something.

In any case, I think it’s better than being magicked to death by the unicorn horse.

“Here we are,” he points out, opening a door and shoving Pinkie and I in without warning, closing it behind us. Locking and unspecified magic noises follow shortly after, as well as his voice behind the door: “Now, let us return to the throne room. Her Majesty has plans for us to search for the escaped fugitive,” fugitive? Problems among the ranks, maybe?

“W-Wait! I should make sure they aren’t going to try anything!” Flash’s cries of protest sound behind, but it doesn’t seem to work as their hoofsteps and voices sound off, leaving Pinkie and I worse off than even back to square one.

“Great!” I groan, the sounds of my annoyance only serving to annoy me even further. I attempt to pull the door open, but my failure is instantly apparent. “Damn it!” I shout, punching the door to no clear effect. “Grr! Stupid magic!”

“That’s really weird! I thought they were like zombies!” Pinkie points out, realizing the same thing I had. “Maybe Sunset's magickingy thing is getting better!”

“Gah!” I groan, slamming the thick door again.... it doesn't help. “I-I need to think of a plan.”

“Lemon!” Pinkie calls me almost instantly, but I ignore her, hoping she’ll just let me think. “Lemon! Look!”

“Pinkie, I’m trying to think!” ignoring my words, she continues her attention seeking by placing her hooves on my head. “Look!” says my supposed girlfriend as she forcibly turns my head, an audible pop and a sharp pain resulting in response.

“Ouch! Pinkie, that hu… hurt,” my jaw drops as my eyes fall upon a blue mare laying on the room’s bed, unmoving. Her eyes are hidden behind her long horse bangs, but the lack of cutie mark and distinguishable character traits tells me all I need to know; this, is actually Trixie. Thankfully alive, by the faint sounds of her breathing.

“Trix! You are okay!” Pinkie doesn't waste any time, jumping on the bed and engulfing the sleeping Trixie in a hug.

“Ah!” Trixie shouts, jolting awake on the spot. “What? How? Where?” she looks around wildly, stopping her sights on Pinkie and I. “Why is Pinkie Pie a horse?” she notes immediately, then looks down at herself. “Why is Trixie a horse!? What’s going on? Is this a dream!?”

I let out a relieved sigh. “I’m glad that you are okay, Trix.”

“Lime?” she looks at me confused. “What are you doing in my dream?” she looks me over for a second before saying: “And why do you look so slender? Are you a mare?”

“I’m not!” I shout annoyed. “And this isn’t a dream! You were captured by Sunset, right?”

“Sunset…” Trixie mumbles, looking down thoughtfully. “Ah!” Trixie suddenly shouts, looking at Pinkie with a panicked expression. “Okay, good! You seem to be alright,” she then follows up by jumping off the bed, only to end up tripping majestically the moment her legs touch the floor. “Ouch…” we quickly jump to her aid, helping her stand, though she doesn’t seem thrilled even after some tips on how to walk, looking wildly around the room, panicking. “Where are the rest?”

Pinkie and I look at each other confused. “The rest?”

“Our…” Trixie bites her lip, holding back her sentence. “T-The other students! Where are they? They were with me earlier!”

“We don’t know where anyone is,” I answer honestly. “I was hoping you’d help us fill that blank. We were kinda knocked out when it happened.”

“Understood," Trixie nods calmly. "Trixie does know things, and she supposes she can spend some time explaining. Though, I expect you two to do the same for me first! This is all very confusing,” we spend a couple of minutes explaining what we learned from Celestia, which isn’t really much, but Trixie remains quiet throughout. “Trixie… rather, I am not exactly sure what to say to all that, it’s honestly a little scary,” she gulps. “Not to mention it didn’t really explain much.”

“That’s what I thought!” I join in agreement.

“However, what Celestia and Flash said about Shimmer is true; she is the one who did this,” Trixie says, giving me an apologetic stare. “I’m sorry, Lemon, but I was there when it happened.”

“Oh… I mean, no, no, don’t be! I get it,” I say it, but I can’t really hide my distress. Where did I go wrong? What could have led Sunset into this path again? Is that stupid ‘friendship is magic’ crap actually a lie?

Does my theory have no legs?

“There is more,” Trixie continues. “Trixie actually confronted Shimmer when everything happened.”

“What even happened?” Pinkie asks, looking lost. “I was seeing z’s when all the weird stuff started!”

Trixie’s brow furrows, deep in thought. “Pinkie Pie is correct about it being ‘weird’ stuff.”

“What do you mean?” I ask confused.

Trixie continues frowning, humming softly to herself. “Given that the horse form isn’t normal in its own right, I suppose that what I saw wouldn’t be too farfetched.”

“Yes? That being…” I urge her to continue. I’d prefer much less vagueness to my recaps.

“Sunset Shimmer turned into a she-demon,” she begins (pretty much skipping even the build up) her brow furrowed as far as it can, as she struggles to recall the rest. “After she stole the crown, Sparkle's group and I followed and try to take it from her, and I remember Shimmer putting it on, and suddenly, transforming into some sort of devilish-looking creature with a rather creepy voice.”

“That sounds like something out of a scary story,” Pinkie points out, frightened.

“I thought this as well, but that wasn’t the end of it,” she continues on. “She used some sort of magic to control everyone in the dance!” she points out. That would probably explain how Flash got all mind-fucked-up. “Twilight and her friends tried to reason with her, but they were quickly knocked out by some sort of blast!”

I look over to Pinkie, who appears as shocked as I am. “Well, then what happened?” she asks, wasting no time to get to the point.

“Well… Trixie tried to confront Shimmer alone, b-but,” she stammers, showing the hints of a smile. “I kind of, um, jumped the gun and kinda, sorta punched her…”

“Excuse me?” I ask, taken aback for the moment. “Wait, are we sure this really was Shimmer? I think we need more details, here.”

“Trixie could have never made such mistake! But it really is all! I just jumped in from the sidelines,” she explains, apparently surprised at herself. “The hit was a spontaneous decision! And then, well… the last thing Trixie remembers before waking up is Shimmer smiling, then, nothing. Sorry I couldn’t do more.”

“It’s okay,” I sigh in resignation. “I guess I can’t really just say it wasn’t Sunset anymore, can I?”

“Open uuup!” Pinkie’s voice yells loudly behind me, and we see her try best to pry the door open, poking where she can, looking for the slightest sign of it budging to no avail. “Come on!”

“Pinkie?”

“So what happened to the girls!?” she asks suddenly on Trixie, panic cracking through her voice, her mane deflating in the most obvious parallel of her mood. “A-are they okay?”

“Trix-I-I don’t know,” Trixie looks away, mumbling a response.

“Pinkie, I’m sure…” I try to reassure her, but her expression brings me back to the reality of our situation; there is a door magically locked, and no way out. What can we do? We are totally powerless! How can two earth ponies and a unicorn even do th- “Trixie!” I feel my mood suddenly shifting, turning to cheer at my favorite show-girl-horse-pony.

“Trixie doesn’t like the hungry expression you are showing her,” she awkwardly mumbles, backing off slowly and looking more than a little distraught.

“You have a horn!” I explain quickly, looking over the phallic-shaped bone-like thingie resting atop her beautiful, BEAUTIFUL head. “Which means you can use magic!”

She reaches up to touch it, giving out a disgusted expression. “Trixie doesn’t like where this is going.”

“We can get out of here if we use your Equestrian magic!” I explain quickly, no chance to back out. Not that she has a choice as the plan forms in my head. “If there is a way to beat magic, is magic itself! Though I guess this is technically working AROUND the magic…”

“I thought you said the door was locked by some magic crap! I can’t just break that!” Trixie mumbles, slowly backing away, biting her lip in clear discomfort. “H-how do you even know it will work? Have you tried to open it harder?”she whimpers, tapping the magicked door in a supposed attempt at opening it.

“I did say it was locked, but I don’t think Sunset knew that we know of Equestrian magic! It’s pretty much the one ace we have!” I point out, feeling instantly confident. “Besides, if Pinkie can’t seem to find a way out, who else can?” I note, making an effort to point towards Pinkie, whose face seems to have regained all hope by the creepily huge grin she is giving Trixie.

“I-I’ve never done real magic, grandpa never…” she whispers, giving the door an intense look, letting out a long sigh. "Fine..."

"R-really?" I ask in sheer surprise. "Oh, Trixie, you are the be-"

"Don't push it!" she groans, slowly approaching the door. “O-okay, the Great and Powerful Trrriixie will attempt to, er, um... Lime, what is Trixie supposed to do, again?”

“Right,” guess it’s my turn to explain. “Well, since we can’t open the door, what if we just make a new door!”

“Trixie doesn’t understand what that means,” she says in response. “The point!”

“We are gonna have you blast a hole on the wall,” I point out, straight to it. “Simple, right?”

“What!? How is that magic? HOW is that simple?!” she asks. I guess the horse uninitiated wouldn’t really know about it.

“I know it doesn’t sound simple, but all you have to do is think of the magic as a sort-of energy building up on your horn! Then, once you feel enough power has been stored, you just focus it, and let it go in one shot! Blasting a hole on the wall besides the door, and theoretically giving us an escape route,” I explain, recalling my extensive knowledge on made-up horse magic.

Trixie looks at me shocked. “That was actually half-decently explained… but Trixie can’t help but wonder how you knew that.”

“Not fanfiction, that’s for sure!”

“Huh?”

“I said focus! For your fans!”

“If you are certain, then I’m willing to try,” Trixie sighs, resigned to her fate. “Well, here goes everything!” she closes her eyes, and after taking a deep breath, she begins. It’s quite clear she is already into it, as her features contour, and sweat begins to form almost instantly, and …

“Trixie?”

“Gah!” Trixie yelps, jumping in place. “Could you avoid doing that! You broke my concentration!”

“Concentration?” I ask amused. “That looked more constipation than anything,” I raise my legs over my head as she makes a very clear attempt at a hit. “N-no. Listen! All I’m saying is that you have to calm down!” no pain actually comes, instead, with Trixie letting herself fall to the ground.

“You make it sound like that’s an easy thing!” Trixie huffs annoyed. “I’m not exactly an actual magician! I do tricks! Not actual magic! Besides, this is too much pressure! A-and I haven’t exactly practiced for the past few weeks…”

“But you ARE great and powerful!” Pinkie says, holding her hoof in her own. “I know you can blow that wall to bits!”

“Trixie,” I give her my most serious look as I continue: “If there is any girl who randomly turned into a magic pony who could actually do this better than anyone else at proper magic, it’s you! Think of this as if it were a live performance! Just deal with the pressure the way you usually do.”

She mulls over my words, facing me with a doubtful look. “But do you think I can actually do it?”

“Trixie. I KNOW you can do it,” I tell her at the risk of sounding cheesy.

“Very well, then!” she stands up, “Okay, don’t think…” Trixie mumbles, looking particularly thoughtful. “Grr, how do you make it sound easier than it is.”

I shake my head. “Never said it would be easier.”

“Hmm…” she doesn’t retort, closing her eyes, and after taking a deep breath… nothing. She seems suddenly calm, almost at peace with herself. “Wait… I think I’m feeling it!” to my surprise, I see a purple light begin forming around her horn, looking unstable by the way it shakes, but otherwise actually there. “Oh, wait! Oh no!”

And now, that doesn’t sound good. “W-what?”

“I-I don’t think I can hold it” she exclaims, trembling slightly. “I-it’s too much! I don’t think I c-”

“You are doing the thing!” Pinkie exclaims excitedly from the sidelines, watching intently. “Trixie is the best! Don’t give up! You can do it!” she continues her cheering, her eyes shining with definite hope.

Trixie smirks through her concentration, and as if gaining a second wind, she stands straight, and shouts: “I am the great, and powerful Trixie! The greatest magician in the world!” as she shouts the final word, the beam of magic shoots out, but…

“Book it!” I shout, jumping out of the way of the blast. Turns out, I forgot to teach Trixie a very important detail: aiming.

The top part of the wall begins collapsing, falling debris almost hitting Trixie, who I barely manage to pull out of harm’s way. We stand back in total silence, watching as the surprisingly thick wall debris forms a small pile, leading up towards the newly formed exit.

“Woohoo!” Pinkie yelps excitedly, pulling Trixie into a hug. “You did it!”

“I-I did, didn’t I?” Trixie laughs weakly, looking at her handy hoofwork.

“Come on guys! Let’s go!” Pinkie leads the way, quickly jumping over to the other side.

I sigh in relief, turning to Trixie. “You did it, Trix.”

“I… of course!” Trixie yelps, breathing heavily. “T-t-the Great, and powerful tRixIe is… is…” without a warning, she collapses on the spot, landing face down. I swear I can barely make sense of her muffled words this way, but something akin to: “The G and P Trixie is tired all of a sudden,” is said.

Scoffing, I reach down, and do my best to pick her up. Putting her on my back as best as I can with my petite body. “You don’t seem too great and powerful right now, do you?”

I hear the low sound of a growl coming from her limp body. “Trixie scoffs back at you! I didn’t see you use supernatural powers to make a hole on a wall!”

“Alright! Touché,” I laugh. “Come on, we should go before someone shows up,” I say, carrying her towards the hole as best as I can, which is not very comfortably. I have no idea how ponies can carry anyone like this. It’s killing my back. I don’t even want to think as to how I’ll jump down.

“Lemon?” Pinkie shouts, from the other side.

“What?”

“Do you want the bad news, or the worse news?”

“How about you just tell me what’s going… on,” as I peer over the wall, my heart sinks at the sight of a dozen guards or so, silently awaiting, pointing their equally quiet but deadly weapons at us.

Oh... crap.

Finale - Part 3

“Trixie would really like to know why you are cursing, Lime.”

“Umm…” I really want to tell her how my amount of cursing is but an understatement, but ‘horrified’ definitely explains it better. The crowd of armored horses standing before me doesn’t help my confidence in the slightest. No exit left, no exit right, and no way to go back unless I want to jump through another freaking window. Not that I would even if I wanted to, having come across Pinkie near the back, held captive by the guards. “No, Pinkie!”

“Le-” she tries to speak, but her mouth is quickly gagged. Dammit!

With a groan, Trixie slowly lifts her head. “Lime, for the last time! Trixie can’t se- oh my god,” she stops the moment she catches a glance of the guards, lowering her head, and not moving. I see her plan, but I really don’t think that will work.

“I knew something was off when Sentry showed up,” this sentence comes out of Shining Armor himself emerging from the small crowd, looking particularly evil with his eyes glowing just as green as the ponies accompanying him. probably just as mind-fucked as the rest. “No need for introductions, we are to take you in unharmed, and nothing more. Just know we were allowed to use force if necessary… that is, if you don’t obey.”

“O-okay, just chill,” from the looks of it, it seems that the ‘mind-control’ has been significantly improved, giving them full control of their shit-talk functions. What the hell do I do now? I can’t run! And I definitely can’t fight. “Look, can we talk?”

“Talk?” as if by reaction alone, the guards raise their weapons at us. This is all in the form of both spears AND horns. “I don’t think you are in the position to bargain.”

“S-sorry,” I gulp at the sign of the pointy sticks, and the intensity of Shining’s similarly pointy words akin to that of a gangster in horse form really doesn’t help. If only… “Hey! Look over there!” to my surprise everyone turns around, including Pinkie Pie, who can only barely twist her head in her tied up form. Moments later, everyone turns back around, looking confused… wait. “Crap! I was supposed to have done something!”

“Seriously!” Trixie gives up her plan to shout, her tired body barely moving in her protests. “Why the hell didn’t you run!?”

“I panicked, okay!?”

“Grab them,” Shining orders, and without delay, the guards are upon us, giving us no time to react. “Bring them over,” he orders, and we are tossed in front of him just as another pony is dropped onto the pile. That pony just happens to be a tied-up Flash, struggling to free himself from the ropes he is in, looking up just to see me.

“S-sorry…” he apologizes. “I tried to come back, but I was found out.”

“W-what are you gonna do with us?” my question comes out without a second thought. I hate to even think about it, but I’m very afraid. I have never felt so hopeless before, my friends in all in bad shape, and they can’t do anything to help. I can’t do anything to help… but maybe, maybe I ca-

“Whatever you are planning, it’s not going to work,” Shining points out, getting into a very villain like mood. “Unless you prefer to be captured with a broken bone, hmm?”

I freeze up… his threat is real. I can’t do anything. It’s over! We are done. “O-okay. We’ll go with y-” as I utter the words, a cloud of smoke appears out of nowhere. The smoke quickly begins dissipating, and I catch a glimpse of a pink fig- “Whoa!” before I can realize what the hell is going on, I feel as if my body is twisting itself, and when I come to realize what's happening, I’m already on the cold, hard floor, ready to throw up the nothingness in my stomach, which was thankfully emptied earlier.

“What in the world?” a familiar voice speaks out, and I look over a pink horn, seemingly aimed at me. “You aren’t Twilight! Who are you!?” my eyes fall on the mare that speaks, her tall form, topped with a crown atop her wildly-colored mane, tipping me to her identity. “A-answer my question!” she orders, looking as if she is about to tumble by the smallest push.

“Princess Cadence?” I call out her name no less surprised to see her, though her response isn’t quite as tame, as she proceeds to aim her horn at me. “Wait… are you the fugitive I heard about earlier?”

“I will ask one last time; who are you!?” she growls, with her horn glowing as intently as her purpose to kick our asses if she has to.

“Oh, right! I am…” I remain quiet for a second before saying: “I’m Lemon Lime! I, er… I came here from, um, Manhatta-Manehatten! Yeah!” I quickly correct.

“Lemon?” a new voice calls my name, owner of said voice appearing from behind Cadence.

“Oh my god,” I gasp, my eyes widening in surprise when I see the pony in front of me: short, curly, doubly-colored bacon mane, fur glowing as orange as the sun… fitting, since I’m more than sure that the pony is actually Sunset Shimmer herself.

“Is that really you, Lemon?” she asks softly.

“Sunset?” I exclaim in validated surprise. “How even? But I thought…”

“I see now, you must be Lemon,” Cadence sighs, walking over to Flash, who seems to have been thankfully dragged along with us. “This didn't exactly go as I expected, but I suppose this will make it easier t-”

“You!” Trixie speaks up, interrupting from her limp form on the ground. “Trixie is going to kill you!”

“Trixie?” Sunset utters, shocked to see her, or maybe she is just shocked to be threatened. “Hold on, what? Why? What did I do?” I’m thinking it’s probably both.

Cadence blinks, staring deadpan into the distance. “Oookay… this is not the way I expected to meet you all.”

“Why? WHY!?” Trixie growls, carefully standing up. “Why, I should just punch you right now! And trust Trixie, hooves HURT like hell!”

“Trixie!” a now unroped Flash shouts. “There is no need for that!”

“Huh?” Trixie is momentarily surprised, realizing that it’s Flash talking to her before going to back to it. “S-shut it, Sentry! You have no right to tell me anything! You haven’t been around for weeks! And I am NOT going to waste time by even giving her the benefit of the doubt! If you didn’t know, she is the one who kidnapped you!”

“Trixie, Flash, we don’t have time for this! We…” I stop talking as a thought engulfs me. “Pinkie! We left Pinkie behind! Oh god! What are they going to do to her! W-we have to go! There really is no time! We have to… we have to… chill out?”

“What!?” Trixie shouts back. “You were the one who literally began screaming! And then… and… oh. I-I didn’t mean to shout? I’m sorry? Wait, what’s happening?”

“Cadence,” I quickly mutter her name, turning to the guilty pony as the vague memory of a scene with a couple of fighting ponies suddenly making nice with each other via love magic pops up in the back of my mind.

“T-that was me. I’m sorry,” Cadence apologizes, taking a deep breath, stumbling as if a gust of wind is about to knock her over, which may very well be the case. “I know you are worried about a friend, trust me when I say I’m worried about things here too, but this isn’t going anywhere if you all start arguing amongst yourselves. You are going to calm down, you are going to let the others talk, and I—if I may be so bold— will be taking a short rest. Is that alright?” we don’t say anything, instead opting for a synchronized nod. “Good! I’ll leave you to it then!”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Flash says satisfied… only to look at Sunset for a moment before slowly backing away. “Um, so, I’ll just… be over here, alright?” wow, thanks, Flash.

We are left to our own devices, meaning total silence. Hell, most of the commotion in the room is from Cadence attempting to find a comfortable position, shuffling softly on the ground. It takes this silence for me to realize we are standing in a lavish room, likely Cadence’s if the wedding portrait on the wall is to be believed… which just raises enough questions about why she isn’t using the bed to rest.

“I’m not the Sunset that did these things…” Sunset surprisingly starts off, giving me a pleading look. “I know it sounds strange, but I’m not lying when I tell you this!”

“Humph!” Trixie harrumphs annoyingly enough, showing that the effects of Cadence’s love magic has worn off on us both. “A likely story.”

“I...” my one word doesn’t come out easily, and it’s not helped by the continuing puppy eyes Sunset is giving me. “Y-you know, it’s weird. We made it a priority to go through the castle to find you, and now that I’m here, I don’t know what to do!” I explain, bursting into laughter. “God, even as plans go, it didn’t really have a solution in any way. We didn’t even come up with what we were going to do if we fought you, or anything! Isn’t that stupid?”

Sunset sighs, not amused by my outburst. “So what now? I guess you don’t really believe me, then?”

“No, I-I think I actually do,” I answer, quickly raising a hoof to Trixie’s mouth before she can argue back. “Trixie, please, I know that you don’t believe it, but the pink pony resting in front of us is actually a powerful princess who rules this place, and if there is anyone who could easily figure out if this Sunset is who you think she is, it would be her.”

Trixie lowers her gaze, her shimmering eyes clearly telling me who has the advantage in this exchange. “B-but what if she is just tricking us? Like she did before?” she asks in a soft tone, sorrowful even. "This could be some sort of magic clone or whatever."

“If she was, I’m sure she would have attacked us by now, don’t you think? The princess isn’t exactly in the shape to protect us, and we aren’t really any better,” I explain, my brain slowly filling the gaps. My doubts even begin to dissipate as I start to make sense of everything strange that involves Sunset… that would actually explain her overly confident behavior this morning as well. Things just make a little more sense if I think of it the way I am now.

“So, you are actually taking her word that there are two Sunset Shimmer running around?” Trixie asks, her usually perceptive brain catching up before I can even say it. “Is it seriously that simple?” she laughs.

“I mean, yeah...”

“Lemon!”

“No, listen! I mean, if there is a pony Twilight, there is a pony Sunset, right?” I say this very matter-of-factly, but I would be lying if I said I had it all figured out, but that thought literally just pop into my head. I didn’t. I still don’t! Maybe it's just this stupid teenager stress that the thought hadn't occurred me, because I feel stupid that I didn’t think of this possibility at all.

“I guess Trixie can believe that hypothesis,” Trixie pouts, awkwardly turning away. “For now, at least.”

“Thank you,” Sunset smiles gratefully, filling my heart with the best feels as she jumps to hug us both. The added horsiness only serves to take off years of my life with how cute she looks.

“I’m glad to see everything went smoother than expected,” Cadence sighs relieved. “And now that this seems to be resolved, I would appreciate it you could fill me in.”

“Right… I guess that’s fair since you saved us and stuff,” for what feels like the hundredth time, I recount the events from earlier in the night. When I get to Celestia and our parting conversation, her words echo in the back of my head as I relay them to Cadence.

“I’m sorry that we can’t explain this right now.”

No, not those! I’m done with the vague statements.

“… there is no time, you must go! You are the only ones who can do this, Lemon! We have to keep the world intact, so you two must go alone!”

“What will happen to your world if the portal closes?” Cadence mirrors my big question, attempting to understand what the hell human Celestia meant. “This doesn’t make any sense! I’ve only just recently heard of this other world from Tia who already didn’t seem to know much either, but that other version of her does? I really wish she would have told us more about it… then again, we only just learned that Sunset used to be a good pony AND a prized student of hers. I lived with her and even I didn't know this!"

“Great! Fantastic!” Trixie snidely celebrates, not that it would have been any other way. “We told you all you needed to know, and we are wasting enough time as it is, so now Trixie has to ask: how did this Shimmer get here?” she asks, her stare focused solely on Sunset.

“Trixie!” I interject quickly. I want to know this too, but there is no way in hell I’m letting another fight start now.

“I-it’s okay! I can try to explain,” Sunset joins in, gracefully taking the conversation. "But first I have to admit that… I’m not really sure,” she starts off. Badly, if Trixie’s glare is something to go by. “Hold on! I do remember it was the morning of the Formal,” she continues quickly, closing her eyes, and clearly thinking hard about it. “Let’s see, I remember getting ready to go to school, and when I was getting out of my room I saw... me?”

“Was is Bitch Shimmer?” because we all know who this came from, we all turn to Trixie. “What? Trixie is going to refer to her in an appropriate manner that isn’t just going to confuse us! And I think that’s the name that should be it… that, or just Sunbitch,” she looks around the room waiting for confirmation, and after receiving none, says: “Trixie isn’t budging on this one.”

“So, er, Sunbitch,” Sunset mutters, clearly uncomfortable with the naming convention. I won’t lie, though, I’m already warming up to it. “Well, I remember being surprised, and then everything just went dark. When I came to, I was… ‘this’,” she explains, pointing at herself. “That’s when I met Princess Cadence.”

“Is that it, Suns-… Is that it, Sunny?” I correct. I get the feeling differentiating the names will help us talk to her a bit better.

“I know, I know!” newly named Sunny shakes her head. “I’m sorry this isn’t helpful, I just wasn’t exactly conscious when I was kidnapped. I’ve been in this room ever since."

“That’s where I fill you in,” Cadence joins in. “Since Sunbi-... since SHE suddenly leapt out of the mirror you two likely came from, she caught everypony by surprise… all but me, since I had coincidentally left the room to bring drinks to the others.”

“Convenient,” I comment surprised.

“Luck can be a factor when you least expect it,” Cadence says in some manner of faux knowledge. “But luck wasn’t with the others, and everyone was soon captured by, er, ‘Shimmer’s’ unexplained power,” she adds at the end. Probably not too happy about Trixie’s suggestion of the name.

“The crown,” Trixie interrupts in time. “If what you and Lime told me is true, it appears that the magic crown helped her conquer the school. Was that what she used to beat your friends?”

Cadence nods. “So it seems, since the crown holds magic of its own. It would explain her powers in your world, and it could be what she used to overcome the other elements here, but…” she trails on, looking thoughtful.

“Unexplained powers?” I ask, pulling back the conversation.. "You mentioned that earlier. What's up with that?"

“Maybe I’m overreacting, but there was something strange about the magic she was using,” Cadence begins explaining. “I just don’t the think the crown would be enough for Shimmer to outperform two Princesses and four full grown ponies.”

Something doesn’t quite click with me. “Wait, you said you saw her in there, but… what about the other students?”

“I’m sorry,” Cadence apologizes. “I only saw Shimmer when I observed from the outside, though I did catch a glimpse of a few others, including ‘Sunny’ whom I managed to rescue after my confrontation with her counterpart in the throne room.”

“So that's how y-whoa, hold on! You tried to fight her alone?” I ask, baffled at the thought. “But you said she one-shotted the princesses? Why would you do that alone?”

“Lemon!” Sunny calls me, poking me with her hoof just strongly enough to ruffle my fur.

“What?” I ask confused. “It’s just a question!”

“M-my husband,” Cadence then replies with a sigh, quick to answer. “See, after I escaped, I got the idea to look for him, hoping we could come up with a good plan together. Maybe I hid for too long, but when I found him…” she stops momentarily, her pained look mirroring her thoughts better than words ever could. “He was already under her control, and I, well, I lost my composure and attempted to get him back. I… I just couldn’t leave him like that. Not again—not when I could do something about it.”

“I-I see,” none of us really say much more, opting out of asking for context, though given my history with the show, I already know what happened with Chrysalis back in the day. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t appreciate me bringing up that whole changelings incident now, really wouldn’t help us much.

“The point is,” she starts again, taking a deep breath. “I stupidly decided to confront her, but I only ended up grabbing your ‘Sunny’ after attempting to fight Shimmer, the losing battle that it was. I barely managed to escape by teleporting. And I bet she must still be getting used to her new power, because otherwise, she would have likely caught us with how strong she seemed to be getting.”

“So you just ‘grabbed’ our Sunset Shimmer?” Trixie asks doubtful, raising a very valid question. “Why just her?”

“She was just on the floor! I don’t know why, but she was not guarded!” Cadence retorts, shaken up by Trixie’s suspicion. “I didn’t know who she was at the time, but I was thankfully able to rescue her… now, I will be the first to admit that it took a toll on my magic to do last minute teleportation, that’s why bringing the four of you here has left me as drained as I am. You’ll forgive my disappointment after finding out I didn’t nab Twilight Sparkle and my captain.”

“Were the ponies you saw earlier there?” I ask anxiously, I really don’t want to think that the other Shimmer did something to the others like Flash’s mind-control.

Or worse.

“Well…” Cadence begins, everyone’s eyes turning towards her in anticipation of what she’ll say next. “I’m sorry to say, I didn’t see who it was. There were ponies behind a couple of guards, trapped in a magic barrier, but Shimmer prevented me from even getting too close to check, I’m afraid.”

“Did they…” Trixie speaks suddenly. “Are they… you know? They were okay, right?”

“Trixie?” I turn to look at her, a little surprised at her worried tone… but given her attitude towards the others lately, I really shouldn’t be.

“I know there were ponies, but since they weren’t moving, I can only surmise they were unconscious,” Cadence answers as truthfully as I would expect her to. “But I’m sorry to say I’m not very sure. I really do hope they are alright.”

Trixie nods silently, smiling briefly. “I see. If that’s anything to go by, that must mean Pinkie Pie is still alright… for now,” as Trixie stops talking, I realize no one is ready to say anything more, simply falling silent. Minutes pass, and it’s not a particularly happy silence, because even now, I get the feeling everyone has arrived at the same conclusion I have, and that’s not a good thing.

“I’m afraid to ask, but...” I begin hesitantly, worried of what might come of this. “Princess, you do have some sort of emergency plan, right? You are a princess, so you must have one, r-right?”

“No,” Cadence answers simply, horrifying me at the prospect of the worst case scenario. “But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to stand here and let that pony take over!” she states firmly for what she is saying. “Twilight and her friends helped me before, and now is my chance to return the favor.”

“Do you have any ideas?” Sunny asks, turning to Cadence with a serious look, her face glistening with sweat. “I-I don’t fully understand what’s going on, but if my friends are in any danger, I’m going to do all I can to help!”

“Yeah!” I yell suddenly, unable to hold back a smile at Sunny and Cadence’s determination. “There has to be something, we are not totally useless, right?”

“Hmph!” Trixie harrumphs, giving me a weird look. “Speak for yourself. Trixie is literally magic now! If there is anyone who isn’t useless, it’s moi!”

“Geez, thanks,” I groan. Motivation speaker can be easily crossed out for a career Trixie will never take.

“How can we even get there, though?” Sunny asks, back to her usual nervous behavior. “It’s not like we can just walk up in there and give her a talking to, or can we, Princess?”

“You can all just call me Cadence,” she grins amused. “And while I wouldn’t mind a chance at a ‘good talking to’ with that pony, that would definitely be a terrible idea… IF she knew we were coming,” she says, suddenly walking off. Nearing one of her dressers, and reaching into a lamp where she pulls a small cord that’s barely visible inside. As this happens, the bed shakes slightly before slowly moving to the side, revealing steps leading down. “Everypony, say hello to our shortcut.”

“Cool… so how come you didn’t use this before?” I ask confused.

“Thankfully, I was just too angry to remember this when I was alone earlier,” Cadence points out. “I may not have any good ideas at the moment, but we'll have enough time to think of something on the way there. All ready?”

Some short-lived bickering later, we start our way down the steps, but that trip is just as short as we are met by a door blocking further movement. Without explaining, Cadence’s horn lights up, shooting out a vaguely familiar dark blob-y beam of magic towards the top of the door, glowing momentarily before opening it without any issues.

“I need to learn to do that,” Trixie mutters in awe as we enter a tight hallway, lightly lit by what assume are magic torches to each side.

“Not now, but maybe,” I humor her, knowing full well I’m not letting that happen. If what the show showed me before is correct, dark magic isn’t a thing Trixie wants to deal with considering that her pony version was corrupted by it like three episodes later.

“Trixie can handle it, Lime! You saw what I could do!” she counters defensively. “Besides, if I can do something to help out everyone…”

I shake my head, letting out a small laugh. “Wow…”

“Did Trixie say something funny, Lime?”

“N-no!” I respond fast. “It’s nothing, really! I’m just happy you are… pumped to help out as much as you are, is all!” she doesn’t seem amused by my words, doing the closest thing to an ‘I’ve got my eyes on you’ motion she can do with one hoof before walking ahead to join the others and leaving me on my own to think, and well…

“… they will be the key.”

I wonder if Celestia’s words actually meant anything outside being total cheese?

“Lemon?”

The sound of my name in stereo is enough to break me out of my thoughts, as I look around to see both Flash and Sunny sandwiching me. They actually stop in place as they notice the other, sharing similar awkward looks as they catch each other's eyes.

“No, sorry!” Flash is the first to apologize. “I’ll talk to him later, go ahead,” he doesn’t wait for a response, and just walks back the way he came, leaving Sunny and I stunned.

“Yeah, m-my bad!” she struggles to speak. “Was I, er, interrupting something?”

“No,” I quickly point out. “Actually, you just made it easier for me, I’ve been meaning to ask how you are doing. Sure, we are still here, but I needed to know! I mean, you know? Considering.”

“I’m doing fine,” she reaches for her mane, clumsily passing a hoof over the hair, but having no effect. “You know? Considering,” she sighs, staring daggers at the stump that passes for her hand.

“I’m glad you are dealing with this as well as you are, given everything that’s happened, I would expect you to have been freaking out,” I tell her impressed.

“Yeah, well, you wouldn’t be saying that if you were the one that woke me up,” she laughs, shaking her head. “This is embarrassing to say, but I almost kicked Cadence in the face when I saw her looking down at me. It wouldn’t have been pretty if I hit, that’s for sure, and then…”

“What’s up?” I ask, her pause not missed.

“It’s nothing,” she shakes her head.

“Come on, Sunny.”

“Sunset.”

“Huh?”

“Please, call me Sunset when it’s just us,” she explains. “The way you have to separate me and that horrible pony makes me feel like the fake here.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I clarify, though I wasn’t exactly expecting her to be this hurt by it.

“I know! I know…” she sighs, turning to me with an assuring smile. “But you know? It’s weird. That other Sunset Shimmer lived my high school years. It’s time I will never get back, time that I could have used to meet so many new people, and they were all taken away from me by that… monster!”

“You hate her for it, trust me, I know. She did a couple of things that I wasn’t exactly happy about either,” I recall. Man, those moments feel like they happened eons ago.

Sunset shakes her head. “No, that’s the thing; I don't REALLY hate her.”

“Seriously?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m angry that she stole years from my life, but when I learned that I wasn’t the one who did all the horrible things I’ve been hearing about, I was… happy. I’m sad that I wasn’t able to go to high school properly, but I can’t be too sad when my memories just skip from the day before I was about to head into CHS, to waking up in a hospital bed and meeting you.”

“Right,” I don’t have anything to add to her explanation (not that I can really relate) I had never bothered to ask about things regarding her memory loss because I imagined it would be a sensitive subject. Learning this now, I find it weird that she doesn’t remember the early months of her time in school. What the hell did Shimmer do to Sunny's mind?

“Lemon?” Sunset pokes me into paying attention to her.

“Crap, was I spacing out again? Sorry, I was thinking about what you were saying.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just happy to let it all out,” Sunset shakes her head, letting out a weak laugh. “Actually, I think it’s my turn to ask something… right? Question mark?”

I watch ahead, noticing Cadence and Trixie having what I think is a meaningful conversation, with no signs of stopping at that. “I say we still have time. Shoot.”

“Who is that guy who wanted to talk to you? He seems familiar,” the question itself isn’t an outright surprise, but it still manages to make me stop for a second. I tilt my head back towards the ‘guy’ in question, watching his constant near tripping, his eyes fixated on my every move, his head very subtly shaking side to side, though I can clearly see a very unsubtle mouthed ‘no’ as his response.

Or maybe, it was actually a yes. “He is a friend of mine. I heard you met him, actually.”

“You dic-” it stops just as suddenly as it starts, but it manages to catch Sunset’s attention… as well as mine. Onto part two.

“He is shy, so I’ll reintroduce you,” I can sense dread just oozing from him as we allow him to catch up, and when he gets cozy between the two of us, he wastes no time in showing the anger his stare is emanating towards me right now, but if this is what I have to do to have him talk, I’m not gonna hold back. “Flash, this is my good friend Sunset. Sunset, this is my friend Flash. Now meet!"

“Lemon...” he groans uncomfortably.

“Flash? Oh my gosh! It’s you! I didn’t recognize you, what with the way you look!” Sunset yells excitedly. “Do you remember me? You helped me on my first day!”

“Y-you remember that?” Flash looks hopeful, his eyes glowing with revitalized vigor. “Do you actually remember the day we met?”

Sunset nods. “Yes! You helped me find the cafeteria! I would have been so lost without you!”

“Oh, right!” Flash’s disappointment doesn’t go pass me, but he quickly hides it behind a smile. “A-anyway, it’s a coincidence we are here again, huh? Weird!”

“Flash,” Sunset says seriously, her cheerful tone gone. “How come you keep avoiding me?”

“Huh?” Flash and I mutter shocked. This is the first I hear of that. “Avoiding you?” he mumbles. “I don’t know what you… mean?” he staggers, pulling his head back as Sunset’s looms closer to his, unmistakably angry.

“Don’t lie to me! I’ve seen you watching us from afar, but you never come say hi,” with a frown, she slowly backs away. “Did I really end up doing something to hate me for?”

“What? No! You didn’t! It’s just…” he seems to struggle with what he is saying, though he doesn’t seem to have an easy out, as shown by his defeated expression. “I-I mean, it’s kinda hard to talk to you when I have a crush on yo-?” he stops himself far too late, his jaw falling as he realizes what he just said. “Oh, I… crap.”

As expected, Sunset’s reaction is appropriate, looking perplexed at Flash’s response, her face probably redder than mine at the moment. “I, um, oh my…” she seems lost as to what to say, mumbling incoherent things to herself. “I-I don’t know what to say, really…”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Flash assures her, his face just as colorful as hers. “You can think about it after we get out of this mess. Okay? No pressure!”

“O-okay…” Sunset whispers, taking a deep breath. “Oh, wow, that’s not what I was expecting… I, um, I’m g-… I’m going to walk with the, um, ponies ahead of me! I just need to clear my head… sorry!” she mutters, running ahead to a watching Trixie, who I swear shares a quick look with Flash before turning to speak to Sunset.

“Dammit,” Flash speaks first, sounding about as exhausted as one can be. “What the hell, Lemon?”

“Hey, it got you to talk! And you are the one who confessed!” I whisper defensively. “Look, I was just trying to stop you from being all dark and gloomy. I just figured this was the best chance to do that. Besides,” I say in a lower voice. “Now we know this Sunset isn’t the one who broke up with you! So now you can date her again!”

“You are an idiot for making me do this now,” Flash groans in return, rubbing a hoof over his forehead. “I should take a page out of Trixie’s book and punch you right now. I would actually feel good doing it because of how stupid this idea was.”

“Ouch. I mean, I don’t think it was THAT bad…”

“Tell me, what makes you think that’s the truth?”

“Huh?” I don’t like where this is going. “About what?”

He goes up to my ear, and says: “What makes you think that the Sunset Shimmer I dated was this one? What if the one I dated was just the pony pretending to be the human one? She might have just been pretending to be Sunny when we met.”

“Oh,” it’s all I can say. The implications keeping my mind running.

“Didn’t you think I would have thought of your idea myself?” he asks with an edge in his voice, his frustration kept in check. His usual know-it-all persona coming up with something I should have realized myself earlier.

“Crap… I’m sorry,” apologizing is all I can really do. I can’t even begin to imagine how Flash of all people feel. Has he been thinking about this since he found out?

Flash then lets out the longest, most wistful sigh I’ve ever heard. “Don’t be. As angry as I am, I’m glad that you did.”

Wait. “… Come again?”

“It’s very likely that my theory would have kept me from ever approaching her. I would probably have continued to be quiet, never saying anything to you guys in my last days in high school, all because of my doubts. I would have to move on,” he explains, managing one of his smug smiles in spite of the sad implications. “Honestly, I’m relieved.”

“Wait, then what the hell was that confession? Was it just a trick to send her away to tell me this?” I ask, feeling very angry at the mere thought.

“It might have been a slip of the tongue, but I meant what I said,” I look for telltale signs of a joke, maybe a lie he might have sneaked in… but there is nothing as he looks at me, his face as serious as can be. “I’ve been watching her for a while, and… she reminds me so much of the Sunset I knew. Maybe she is the same person, or maybe she isn’t, but I’m willing to risk it if I can at least have something like I used to… like WE used to. Maybe it’s a naive thought, it’s probably a selfish, messed up thought. But it’s what I believe,” without warning, he starts chuckling to himself, the mood abruptly switching. “That’s also the reason why I didn’t punch you.”

I can’t help a smile of my own. “Alright, fair enough. I won’t question what you think since I’m just glad you are alright now.”

“I wouldn’t say alright,” Flash mutters, getting serious again. “But how about you? I don’t know what you are thinking, but I hope you are faring okay.”

“I’m… fine. I’m just trying to focus on the now. Worrying over things isn’t going to help us find the others,” of course, I’m lying. The thought of Pinkie and the others being in danger is dreadful at every passing thought. I’m afraid of what will happen in the end. I wonder what Cadenc-

“Alright, everyone together! We are almost there,” speaking of the pink devil. “From here on, we have to keep our voices down. I know the walls may seem thick, but it’s nothing more than a farce, and our loud voices will be heard by ponies that happen to be on the other side. Be careful.”

We follow her lead from then on, huddling closer together, keeping the conversation to no more than whispered questions until we finally come to a stop somewhere. I say ‘somewhere’ because I see nothing more than a random wall in front of me, which greets us with the silent treatment like any good wall should.

“This wall is a timed one-way exit, only activating every twelve hours... though I suppose that doesn't really matter given what we are doing right?" she starts pointlessly, pointing at the otherwise plain-looking wall.“Any other day, we could probably take our time and plan everything out, but what you told me earlier about the time limit worries me, Lemon.”

“Right…” I mumble. Principal Celestia did say that, but she didn’t share enough info for us to go with. So just a normal Celestia thing, right.

“Hold on, what does that mean for us?” Flash asks, looking over to Cadence with a worried glance.

“Under different circumstances, we would be able to stay here for a while to think it over,” Cadence answers wearily before continuing. “But if what Lemon says is true, our time might be extremely limited given that I have no idea how time works in your world. We wasted enough time as it is, so I have to be concise: thirty minutes to come up with a plan—nothing more, nothing less. If push comes to shove… we might have to make escape plans, and, well… maybe we should prepare for a journey outside the Crystal Empire.”

Everyone is silent. Likely, the implications of her words have demoralized the others as much as they did me. I turn to look at them all, and my suspicions are sadly confirmed: fear, anger, despair; all emotions that will likely only make this whole thing worse.

“I know what you are all thinking,” Cadence speaks again, a look that seems akin to a mothers—stern, but kind. “You have all been through a lot in just a few hours. You had to deal with possible death, loss, maybe even mistrust,” she says this, looking over to Trixie. “These are emotions brought by the stress of your situation, but,” she pauses, making it so we focus on her as she continues. “There is a duality to these emotions—they can also bring total strangers together as they fight through adversity, and in your case, has made you all even closer than ever before.

I feel as if her words are right as I turn to look at the others—my friends. They all look back with determined looks, their expressions rough, but caring. Somehow, this specific group has managed to stay together. Coincidence? Fate? It doesn’t matter. Because in the end, we are all still here for the very same reason.

“You have all grown on the way here, finding out things about yourselves that you might not have known about, maybe realized things about the other that you didn’t already know,” the way she speaks makes it sound like she knew… could she have been giving us the time to talk on purpose? “In the end, you are all here for the same reason: to rescue, and protect those you love! And together, you can do it!”

“We can rescue those we love…” I mutter looking at Cadence, and then, as sudden as a stroke of lighting, an idea pops into my head. “Oh… oh!”

“You have a creepy smile, Lime,” Trixie points out, looking at me with a vicious grin of her own. “What’s on your mind?”

I can’t help it, but I continue smiling as I reply: “Oh, nothing. Only the stupidest stroke of genius, that’s what!”

Finale - Part 4

“We are here,” Cadence’s words feel almost unnecessary as we stand near the entrance of the throne room. It’s really weird, since we didn't have any resistance after leaving the passage. “Lack of security is very suspicious, so I believe she might be expecting us,” she explains, noticing it too.

“Do we just go in?” Flash asks unsure. “I don’t know if we should really go unprepared. Are we sure this is the way to go?”

“We don’t really have time to wonder now,” I answer simply, trying to keep my mind on the plan, running the steps quickly so as to not forget. “We should just go in,” I point out before I decide to chicken out.

It’s now, or never.

Before more doubts can come to mind, Cadence’s wings come to life as she pushes the doors open, the familiarity of the room behind aligning with the mental blueprint in my mind almost neatly as we head in. And just as neatly, Shining Armor and his guards are quick to surround us, their spears aimed in perfect symmetry, no doubts to be found on their faces.

“Oh?” the source of the voice is found quickly as I peer over the throne room: a ponified, nearly unrecognizable Shimmer sporting a crown (that I imagine belongs to Twilight) resting atop her fiery-looking hair, and a set of bat-wings she must have grown out of nowhere. She sits on Cadence’s throne with an air of importance, and to her sides, are what I can only describe as a pair of darkly colored ‘magical bubbles’. “Well well, I wasn’t expecting anypony to actually make it here, though I suppose I shouldn't have, you did come with that Prince-”

“Sorry dear! Now!” Cadence suddenly shouts, releasing a magic blast around us, that in turn, sends Shining and company in the surrounding area flying towards the walls, likely knocking them unconscious in the process. As this is all happening, she wastes no time jumping into action, laser focused on the evil Shimmer.

“Nice try!” before Cadance is able to reach her, Shimmer is able to stop her mid-lunge, easily catching her in magic of her own. “So, as I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted, I shouldn’t be too surprised that you made it here, but…” she trails on, suddenly tilting her head right, and shooting Cadence towards the nearby wall.

“Gah!” there is a loud noise as she connects with the hard surface, her face contorted in pain as she falls to the ground, and moves no more.

“… Yeah, I suppose I might have been giving her too much credit. She literally jumped at me without a plan!” Shimmer says, grinning ear to ear with a satisfied look on her face. “Now…” she turns her attention back to the group, making my skin crawl with a simple look. Those devilish looking eyes…

“Sunset!” Flash shouts, his voice booming louder than I anticipated. Almost as if making a distinction between the two Sunset. “Is there nothing we can do to convince you to stop doing this?”

“Flash?” Shimmer shoots him an intrigued glance, soon revealing a malevolent grin. “Are you seriously doing this now? After your friend made the first move? Ha!” she reels her head back, laughing loudly, and without shame.

“P-please…” Sunny is the next one to talk, trembling as she steps in front of Flash. “Please, is there anything we can do to let our friends go?”

“Bah!” Shimmer’s eyes narrow, her smile disappearing in an instant. “If I didn’t listen to Flash, what makes you think I’ll listen to you?” she answers irritated, keeping her sights on Sunny. “I’m not going to take that from a cheap, weaker version of me!” she shouts, the sound of her voice alone making the room shake.

“Leave Sunny alone! She is better than you ever were, Shimmer,” Flash shoots back, venom oozing from his intense glare.

Shimmer glares back silently, her gritted teeth sparkling like knives ready to cut. “I knew I should have gotten rid of her! I thought she could be useful, but in the long run, I see that it would have made our lives easier if she hadn’t lived.”

“Really, Shimmer?” Flash asks, looking as if he is ready to fight. “If you really think that, you would have gotten rid of us. Why bother keeping us around, then?”

I try my best to hold back a laugh as Shimmer opens her new wings for a second before simply choosing against it, and instead, gracefully jumping to Flash with a single leap. “Why indeed?” she asks back, her condescending tone not missed. “Don’t flatter yourself. I brought you here because I thought you would be good as one of my servants. Despite unpopular belief, I did believe you would provide some use to me.”

“Y-you are lying!” Sunny speaks up, catching the full brunt of Shimmer’s attention. “If that were the case, w-why would you bring someone as ‘weak and useless’ as me here?”

“You flatter yourself,” Shimmer laughs. "I brought you here because I thought you would make a wonderful slave. Nothing more," she stares at Sunny looking her over with a grin. “But ‘Sunny’, tell me; how does it feel to have lost precious time of your life? It must be awful.”

“I…” Sunny is visible shaken, stumbling back for a moment before unexpectedly, taking a step forward, standing next to Shimmer’s face. “No! You know what? It’s better than being an outright psychopath like you!” it feels as if the air in the room has been sucked out, and I hold my breath as I watch the Sunny I first met weeks ago face her counterpart without a single doubt in her voice.

“You know?” Shimmer talks normally, her voice calm and collected. “I find it a little strange that you two are here fearlessly talking to me like you are. As if there is still hope in your hearts… almost as if-”

It all happens in an instant.

“-you are distracting me,” I feel like I’m about to pass out as the intimidating figure of evil Shimmer stands next to me, my hoof barely touching her magic barriers, as Pinkie Pie and the others stare back through the blurry barrier with horrified expressions. “Well, well… who do we have here?”

“I-I,” I can’t even pretend to be one of her guards, the fear preventing me from any sort of acting. “S-s-so I, er, was going around, a-and…”

“Is that you? Le-mon-Li-me,” the way she enunciates gives me shivers, her hatred pouring from each syllable. “Well, well, I think I get what you are doing. Cadence teleported you over here when she released that blast of magic earlier, didn’t she?”

“H-how?” I ask astonished. How would she know?

“Never doubt a magical expert,” she answers smugly, holding her chin as she thinks. “So how did she do it? Were you invisible? No, perhaps just slightly transparent. Just enough to keep you hidden behind her opened wings when she came in, or am I wrong?”

“H-huh!” despite my horrified expression, I can’t help but be impressed at her guesswork. What the hell was Celestia teaching her? I wish she had been as good a role model as she was a magic teacher.

“I knew it!” she exclaims satisfied, while I feel the grip of her magic envelop my hoof, suddenly yanking me off the floor.

“Aaah, fuck!” despite what TV might suggest, being forcibly lifted by a single leg is REALLY painful.

“Lemon!” I can manage to hear Pinkie’s muffled voice through the magic. “Please! Don’t hurt him!”

“Lemon!” I can hear Flash and Sunny shout similarly in the distance.

“You two move, and I’ll do worse than yanking him,” Shimmer utters, never taking her eyes off of me. “Lime… I never thought I would see you here again,” she lets out a soft growl, sounding more like a wolf rather than an actual pony. “Now, you better tell me… who the hell are you!? Did Celestia send you!?”

“W-what are you talking about?” I ask a little lost.

“Don’t play dumb with me! You knew of Equestria back then, didn’t you?” she asks simply, and I feel like something it’s itching on the back of my mind, ready to pounce. What is it? “No one in the world was supposed to know, or my pendant wouldn’t have been destroyed, and you would have stayed under my control!”

“Pendant?” as if by cue, my mind works its thing, bringing back memories of that day; the night of the fire. “Right! That happened! So that was the thing hanging from those handcuffs… Is that how you were controlling me, then?”

“I believe the answer was heavily implied,” Shimmer scoffs, pulling me closer. “But if it wasn’t for you fighting back and figuring me out, I wouldn’t had to have gone into hiding!”

Hovering where I am, even I can tell the mood of this conversation has made her more talkative—it’s advantage time. “I don’t get it… why would you even go hide?”

“Not by choice, I’ll tell you,” she notes shamelessly. “That pendant was a very important part in my living conditions, I enjoy having humans not asking questions,” she points out. “To make it worse, the sparks from when it broke started a fire in the room. Magic fire isn’t easy to deal with, so I was forced to leave. It was convenient that I was able to attempt my escape and leave you and that fake for dead. I could have used this too! Imagine, Just living as someone who looks a lot like a dead girl!” she groans, shaking her head. “Unfortunately for me, I didn’t plan on you two being rescued.”

“Why, you…” shooting back an insult feels like the least I could do for this monster. How long was poor Sunny held captive? Was she just left comatose in a closet all this time? Probably left hidden from sight for years… still, I feel that saying something now will only detract from what we are doing here.

And I need to give Trixie more time…

“I suppose that’s something not worth remembering,” she says in a calm tone, her anger pretty much nonexistent. “But tell me, what did you think you would accomplish without magic, hmm?” crap, what do I answer her wi- “Oh, trick question: it doesn’t really matter.”

“Ack!” I yelp, dropping to a heap of pain. Once again stating that it’s very painful. “Ow, w-what the hell?”

“I know what you are thinking,” Shimmer says as the others run to my aid. “You are all probably thinking that you have a good idea. Some ‘master’ plan that will defeat me thoroughly. But guess what!?” she shouts, stomping the floor and cracking it as easily as a dry leaf. “You have literally zero chance of beating me! You can’t defeat the magic power I now possess! In fact…” she whispers, turning her attention back to me. “I believe I’ll just get rid of you all now, and be done with this.”

“Huh!?” ohnoohnoohnoohno. “T-time out!”

“Do you seriously believe I’ll fall for that?” Shimmer shouts, charging her horn with very visibly dangerous magic. I-I can’t even try to run away! She is going to kill us! Crap! Not yet! Think! THINK!

“Wait!” Flash shouts suddenly. “You haven’t even told us, um, how were you even able to beat everyone so easily?” oh god it’s not gonna work! All I can do is close my eyes and wait for the sweet release of death!

Release…

Hmm…

…

HMM…

…

Huh?

Slowly, I open my eyes, almost expecting a cruel end the moment I do. “H-hello- Ah!” I shriek in horror, tripping back at the sight of the most disgustingly evil grin I’ve ever seen on Shimmer’s face.

“You know what, Sentry? I know you are just prolonging the inevitable, but I can’t help but savor this victory!” with a still wide grin, she jumps back on the throne, getting herself comfortable on the hard surface. “And how much better would it be if I were to make a game out of it?”

Collective sighs of relief are had as the magic blast is reduced into nothingness.

“Tell me, Lime,” she refers her focus to me. “Don’t you think this prison of mine is a little ‘light’?” she points out, moving one of the magical bubbles close enough to look, but far enough to be mocking. “Now, now, I’m sure you can see the issue~!” playing her game, I look inside the barrier, but all I see are the same two sets of the mane six minus one Twilight I caught earlier… including my very own Pinkie Pie watches me with a terrified expression.

“Pinkie…” I call out, trying to reach out to her.

“Ah, ah, ah! No touching!” Shimmer stops me, yanking it away. “I suggest you continue playing the game, unless you want to end it all now.”

“Nononono… fine!” I agree to her weird game, thinking over what I saw, trying to figure out what’s missing. What the hell does she want me to see in there?

“The other students!” Sunny shouts suddenly. “They aren’t there!”

“Ding! Ding! Ding! Correct!” Shimmer rings mockingly. “And now, tell me… where could those idiots be? Where would those poor kids have gone, hmm?”

“Hold on!” Flash joins in with a raised hoof. “I thought the question to answer was how you were able to beat everyone? What does this have to do with the missing students?”

Like clockwork, Shimmer’s amused grin pops in again. She jumps off her seat and begins walking around us, almost stalking us. “That’s the correct question, Flash! What indeed?”

“You can’t be serious,” an idea pops into mind, but it feels ridiculous… could it be? “Y-you actually had a plan for them?”

“Of course I did!” she answers indignantly, standing up, and somehow pushing us back in the process. “All those years, looking for a way to return and finally give Celestia what she deserved! And if you think my plan was using teenagers as an army to invade this kingdom, you are sorely mistaken!”

“Wait…” dark thoughts fill my head, my imagination running wild with the possibilities of what she did to the others. “Did you… e-eat them?”

“As if!” Shimmer scoffs, jumping out of her seat and towards Flash and Sunny. “You know, when I first arrived in that world, I didn’t think much of it. It was different for sure, but it was full of useless weaklings… or so I thought,” she turns to face me, as if she expects me to ask her to explain what that entails, but yeah, no. Not giving her the satisfaction. Looking annoyed, she continues: “Just a week living there, and I felt it—the raw magic!”

“Raw magic?” I ask, the terms ‘raw magic’ and ‘equestria girls world’ almost feeling like an oxymoron. “What are you on about? That’s a world without magic! I was there for a year! There wa-” no, wait, that's not true… there WERE strange things.

Applejack's surprising strength... and Fluttershy's ability to talk to animals.

An unconvinced look is all I get from Shimmer. “If I cared more, I would ask you what you meant by ‘being there a year’, but suffice to say, I’m far more intrigued at your lack of knowledge. I suppose a demonstration will have to do,” Shimmer’s horn flares to life, shining with a dangerous looking red glow. I watch as the magic targets Sunny and Flash, who can do nothing but struggle as they are engulfed in it and lifted to the air.

“What are you doing!? Let them down!” I panic, not knowing what the hell to do.

“I’m just doing what I said earlier,” she says calmly, her eyes glowing red. “Just giving you a demonstration,” before I can say anything more, Sunset and Flash disappear without a trace, leaving behind nothing but residues of the magic itself.

“NO!” I shriek in horror at the now empty space. They didn’t even have time to do that themselves! To even realize what was happening to them… and they are gone… they are gone! “YOU FUCKING BITCH!” I don’t care what happens to me, I’m going to kill her! I’m going t-

“Stop!”

“W-what?” that voice! It's someone new, but it sounds familiar… could it be?

“Lemon!” comes an out of nowhere call and tackle, as Trixie pushes me to the ground in a tight hug. “It’s okay, Trixie is here!”

I look at her confused. “T-Trixie? W-were you the one that called me!?”

“What?” she gives me a similarly confused look, breathing heavily. “W-What are you talking about? I did it! The thing! I undid the magic just like Princess Cadence taught me!”

“Y-you did?” I ask still confused, but looking behind her, I see what she is referring to: Luna and Celestia are free, standing tall, horns blaring to life in a clear intent to do battle. I’m momentarily mystified as I finally get to see the princesses that have lived thousands of years right in front of me… being real.

“Ha! Really?” Shimmer scoffs unimpressed. “I was able to beat them without any issue! What makes you think this is going to be any different?” she shouts with a notable edge in her voice. “Still… I didn’t know you managed to escape as well, Trixie. I guess you aren’t totally useless at magic after all!”

“Lemon!” Trixie turns to me, ignoring Shimmer’s clear insult. “Snap out of it! You have to remember the plan!” she whispers.

“Plan…?” I whisper, everything slowly coming back to me. “Plan! No? No! Wait! No! Flash and Sunset! They are…”

“Sunset Shimmer, you must stop this at once!” Luna’s voice sounds in the distance, the booming echo of the royal canterlot voice making it easy to understand. Though talking doesn’t seem to be an option, as I can see three horns glowing, ready to strike at any moment.

“Snap out of it! I can’t do this without you!” Trixie shouts just as her hoof punches my face in a sudden swoop. “Please! You are the one who can come up with bullshit to say! Say something! Don’t let Sunset and Flash’s sacrifice be for nothing!”

“Trixie… r-right. Right!” the added pain on my face helps clear my head a bit. “You are right! I have no time to be moping! I-I gotta…” even as I manage to stand up, I can’t help but feel dwarfed by the sight of three massively powerful horses ready to kill each other.

And yet, here I fucking go.

“Hey! W-will you three cool it!” I shout, catching them by surprise, as evidenced by their confused looks.

“What are you doing? Get away from here, little ones!” Celestia quickly replies. “Sunset Shimmer is not to be trifled with!”

“Quiet, you!” I continue anyway, letting my mouth do the thinking as I turn to Shimmer. “Come on, now! How did this even come to be? Weren’t you her student? Weren’t you close friends? What stupid thing did Celestia do to make you hate her so much?”

“How dare you talk of my sister that way!” Luna shouts, clearly against what I have to say.

“Ha!” Shimmer snorts. “Finally, you have a good question!” she turns her attention towards Celestia, breathing heavily as she continues: “This all started because she was holding me back! She knew I would become too powerful for her to handle!”

I nod in understanding. “So, was this your fault, Princess?”

“I…” Luna falters, at a loss for words. “That’s it! We will not take kindly to such behavi-”

“Luna!” Celestia suddenly interrupts, though her gaze seems to be focused on me. “It’s alright. I will respond,” Luna seems astonished at the response, but quickly moves aside, allowing her sister to continue. “Young pony, tell me; what is your name?”

“Um,” the somewhat kept tone in her voice makes me doubt, but I recover quick enough to answer. “M-my name is, um, Lemon Lime! And um… hi!”

She turns toward Shimmer one more time before simply nodding. “Very well, Lemon,” she speaks again, now in a more stern tone. “What if I answered by saying that I was not holding her back, but simply keeping her away from things she wouldn’t understand for her own good?”

“What!?” Shimmer’s response is immediate, quick to take insult in Celestia’s words. “How dare you!? All I was trying to do was learn more about the mirror! And I was ready! How did it enter your thick skull that I wouldn’t understand what was going on, huh!?”

“Ooookay, learning more than I thought I would,” I note, turning my attention to Celestia. “Now, Celestia, what do you have to sa-”

“You know full well that I told you that because you were immature and lacked patience. You ignored my orders and still searched information regarding that mirror!” Celestia interrupts me, quick to raise her voice in a way I wasn’t expecting her to do. “This little outburst of yours only proves that I was right to think that.”

“Excuse me!?” Shimmer speaks again, her horn glowing brightly as she advances towards Celestia, her face contorted into the most extreme anger I’ve seen come from her. “The only reason I ever did that was because you kept treating me like a child, and now look at me!” she points to herself, expanding her devilish looking wings. “You knew I could become an alicorn and rule alongside you, and yet, you kept that away from me! My destiny that you gave away to somepony else!”

The pressure in the room feels almost as if it has increased, as sweat pours down my face and it gets difficult to breath. “W-what’s going on?”

“Stay by my side,” Luna says, having flown to us without my noticing. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that mad before.”

“Sunset Shimmer?” Trixie asks.

“I’ve never met Sunset Shimmer in my life,” Luna replies. “No. When I said that, I meant my sister.”

“Oh…” I mumble, looking at Celestia… is it just me, or is her body glowing orange?

“What I DID know was that you were selfish, and simply fueled by ambition! A pony who simply wasn’t willing to admit friendship into her heart!” Celestia continues her wordy barrage, approaching Shimmer without hesitation. “And from that I can say that… that…” without warning, the orange glow disappears, and instead of anger, her face suggests an immense sadness. “I can say that I was also to blame.”

“Ha! Of course you’d say th- wait, what?” Shimmer says surprised. “Wait a minute, are you admitting that I was right?”

“There doesn’t always have to be a right or a wrong, Sunset... but yes,” Celestia answers, slowly extending a hoof towards Shimmer. “I’ve felt guilty ever since, constantly wondering what I could have done to change the chain of events. All I can say now is that if I had been more understanding of your feelings much earlier, I could have realized that I was pressuring you into being somepony you weren’t: Into me.”

“W-what are you saying?” Shimmer shouts, quickly shaking her head. “Shut up! You aren’t going to make me feel bad when you are admitting to your wrongdoings!”

“I understand,” Celestia says calmly. “Which is why I’m now going to ask you this: will you forgive your foolish old teacher?” for the first time since I met this Sunset Shimmer, I see only conflicted thoughts reflected on her face.

“N-no! Don’t do that! It’s just, if I did this, I thought you would see me as an equ-...” she seems to catch what she is saying, quickly covering her mouth in realization. “Wait, I mean… what’s going on!? I-I feel weird! What’s this feeling!?”

“That would be guilt, which probably doesn’t pain you quite as much as my own injuries,” in a very dramatic turn, Shimmer turns to find a roughened up Cadence staring at her. “I’ll be totally honest, I wasn’t expecting this to work at ALL.”

Shimmer shakes her head, utterly lost. “W-work!? What do you mea-” it is here that she realizes what’s going on, as a trail of pink magic leaves Cadence’s horn. Almost like a rope, it lays on the ground, following a trail that then connects with Shimmer’s leg. “Wait, when did you do this!?”

“Around the same time she did it to me,” Celestia speaks, raising a hoof showing the same magic trail leading back to Shimmer and Cadence in a strange three-way connection. “And from what I’m experiencing, I have the feeling that it’s working wonders on you, my dear student.”

“W-what do you mean? What are you doing to me!?”

“Something I got from a very stupid idea, and some nebulous as shit type of magic,” I answer, recalling the events from earlier today.

“Pardon my language, but that idea sounds stupid,” wow, didn’t think Cadence had it in her.

“Come on!” I yelp as loudly as a hushed tone can. “You used your love magic earlier on us, right? Why wouldn’t it work on evil Shimmer!?”

“Outside the questions that arise from the fact that you know about my magic’s terminology, it isn’t so simple,” Cadence groans. “This magic delves into not just the emotions, but the psyches of the ponies I use it in, and yes, that was plural; it requires two or more ponies to work. Not to mention it has to be ponies that are having a misunderstanding because of some kind of conflict. I honestly don’t see how you want me to use this on Shimmer.”

“That’s the thing! You told me that Celestia said she used to be good, right? And Twilight told me that she was her old student before. That must mean they must have had some sort of fight to cause this, right?” I explain, though the more I think about it, it’ starting to sound very unlikely.

“I… suppose,” Cadence notes thoughtful. Wait, is she thinking about it? “No, it wouldn’t work. Even if I were to ignore the morality of the issue, it would require me to have some time to prepare. A conflict of that magnitude would require more magic than what I used on you all.”

“What if we gave you time,” Flash speaks up. “Maybe we could distract her. Having known her for as long as I did, I can tell you Shimmer loves to gloat.”

“I-I don’t know… we have Celestia to set free. If we can’t undo that magic, they can’t communicate! And I can’t do both,” Cadence continues doubtful.

“What about the Great, and Powerful Triiiixie!” Trixie speaks up, sharing with us her wide, smug grin. “Believe it or not, Trixie has managed to tap into her immense magical prowess! She could learn something from you that can be used to help them out in little time!”

“Really?" Cadence asks surprised. "If what you say is correct, I-I think there is a spell that can cause magic to dissipate… no, wait! I don’t think she’ll you pass that easily, and the spell takes time too,” she notes, though her expression seems more determined. Almost believing.

“Can you teleport her like you did earlier?” Sunny now joins in. “Maybe set her somewhere behind evil me where she can’t just be seen!”

“O-on my own!?” Trixie gulps, looking nervous. “I-if Trixie is to do this, she is going to need… some cover! A-and maybe her assistant!” without a warning, she grabs my leg, pulling me into a very possessive hug. Come on! I thought we were past this!

“Okay, okay!” Cadence looks at us, showing a big smile. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I believe it could work! That is, unless the rest of you have any better ideas to give in fifteen minutes… anypony?”

No one says anything, instead giving me a determined glance.

Cadence nods. “Very well. I already have a few of my own ideas to share, but if you all are okay with this, we can proceed to make this work. Here is what I have…”

“It was the dumbest, most hastily thrown together idea I had that came into fruition by sharing with the others and changing it accordingly,” I continue, feeling my heart sink as I think of Sunny and Flash. “A-an idea that came from friends that y-you mercilessly killed!” I can’t hold it anymore, letting the tears fall without restraint. They are gone. They are truly gone! They are-

“They are okay.”

“What,” slowly, I look up. “A-Are you serious?”

“I never finished explaining, but I can tell you for sure they aren’t dead,” she continues, making my aching heart slowly gain some hope. “As I tried to explain earlier, the reason why I captured those students wasn’t because I was planning to use them as an army,” her horn suddenly shines in that previous red glow, before suddenly, shooting multiple magic blasts that instead of hitting anyone, simply fall on the floor and slowly grow in size. “No. Instead, I used them as a power source.”

“Holy fuck,” I whisper, watching as the magic takes the form of multiple unconscious ponies, including our two friends whom I had originally thought dead. “O-okay! Is this it? Are they o-”

“They are okay?” Trixie shouts before me, dropping all theatrics as she reaches the pair. “Please, please, please!” she wastes no time checking them out, and a weight leaves my soul as I get a hoof up from the teary-eyed Trixie with a wide smile. “T-they really are okay!”

“Y-you could have said something earlier! Damn it!” I shout not crying! Aaaah! “B-but wait, you just let them go. Why?”

Shimmer sighs. “Because you already won,” she says as she drops Twilight’s tiara on the ground. As soon as this happens, her body is enveloped in a bright light that forces us all to look away. When we face her again, all I see is a cute unicorn mare, giving her most convincing sad face. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know you felt that way, Princess!” she suddenly cries out, dropping to the floor, covering her eyes with her hooves. “I-I was so angry! And all I did was hurt others, a-a-and *sniff*”

“Is that seriously the first thing you are doing?” Trixie groans, suddenly running at Shimmer, and without a warning, smacking her across the face. “Damn, that felt good!”

“Trixie! What the hell?” I shout in disbelief. “She already surrendered!”

Trixie turns to me with a glare, shaking her head. “Yes, well, how about she starts by freeing our friends!” she points towards the last remaining bubble, still floating behind the throne.

“It’s alright, I deserved at least that,” Shimmer simply says, turning to the bubble. “I’m sorry about that. Here,” the bubble suddenly bursts open, and multiple pained cries (and two whee's) are heard throughout the room. “Oh… I’m sorry!”

“Very well! I’m done with this madness. I believe I’ll leave you to deal with her, Celestia,” Luna sighs, looking down at the ponies on the floor. “I'll take a look around the castle for anypony left under her trance, and I feel it’ll be faster taking these ponies to the infirmary myself… as well as you, Cadence.”

“I’m fine, I think I’ll help you instead,” Cadence replies. “I really want to check on my husb- I mean, help out the hurt soldiers as well!” Luna just chuckles, levitating all of the unconscious ponified students (including Sunny and Flash, but I take it they are in good hands) with Cadence shortly following behind with the guards before disappearing in a flash.

“And I suppose I’ll need to have a short talk with Sunset Shimmer here,” Celestia continues, looking down at the now powerless pony. “I get the feeling you all are in need of a talk yourselves, so I will leave you in the throne room to catch up. We can all speak more later.”

“Right…” I look over to the mane six, who are in the process of giving out celebratory hugs. But my focus isn’t on them, but instead, one pink pony who actually looks back in my direction, a full smile plastered on her face. And I have to say, I’m about ready to join that face. “Hey, Pin- Arck!” I yelp as Trixie suddenly pulls on my tail. “Geez! What are you doing!?”

“What are YOU doing!? I thought we were on a time limit!? Shouldn’t you be talking with that giant horse, or something?” she reminds me.

“Crap, you are right!” without further discussion, I run to try to stop Celestia before she decides to teleport with Shimmer, catching her just as her horn begins to glow. “Princess, hold on! There is something I really need to ask you about!”

“Something important?” Celestia’s clear doubt isn’t giving me any confidence. “While I understand your curiosity, what is it that it can’t wait until later?”

“We are in a bit of a time limit here,” I explain quickly. “We need to return before the portal closes! But I need to ask you some questions regarding Principal Celestia.”

“So you came from the other side,” she hums intrigued. “If you are indeed on a time limit, I understand. I hope you don't mind waiting a little longer, Sunset.”

“It’s okay, Princess, not at all,” Shimmer thankfully follows. “It’s honestly the least I can do.”

Celestia nods, looking me over carefully for a second. “Very well. If that’s what you wish, you may come with us. I feel you’ll help me understand more regarding the entire situation.”

“Wait!” as Celestia’s horn flares to life, Pinkie appears, grabbing hold of my leg. “Don’t you think you can go do this on your own, mister! I was there when she told you all those things!”

“Well then,” Celestia chuckles. “Let us go, then.”

Before anyone else has jumped to interrupt, Celestia’s horn comes to life, and then... darkness.

Finale - Part 5

“That’s definitely a tale,” Celestia finally comments as I finish recounting the events since we arrived. It didn’t take too long surprisingly, but it sure was intimidating doing it. It doesn’t help me that the silence that follows just feels like it goes on forever, and standing in front of a horse that’s two and a half of pony-me isn’t helping.

“S-so, do you believe me?” I ask carefully, though it feels almost rhetorical. Having teleported us to the room where the mirror is, I’m sure she has more than enough proof that there is some tupsy-turvy shit going on.

“Until this moment, everything regarding that world was unknown to me, other than its existence,” she begins, walking past me towards Shimmer and Pinkie Pie silently standing near the wall… the latter silence worrying me than the former. “Sunset Shimmer was the first known living entity that entered the portal. At this point I probably know much less about it than even you do, Lemon.”

“W-what?” I groan annoyed. “B-but that can’t be! Principal Celestia told me that you would know about the two worlds becoming one or whatever! Crazy crap like the world being created twenty years ago! Why don’t you know things that you should know!?”

“Hmm,” Celestia seems thoughtful, tapping her chin carefully. “You said something very peculiar there, something about the world being created twenty years ago, correct?”

“Um, yeah?” I answer awkwardly. Is this a conversation that’s actually happening?

“Interestingly, that seems to fit the timeline of when the mirror first activated on our end,” she reveals casually, making me gasp loudly when I suddenly notice it. “This ‘Principal’ clearly let you know of this time-frame on purpose.”

She flies over to a nearby wall, suddenly making a blackboard appear out of thin air. She doesn’t waste a second, writing down things that seem almost incomprehensible to me. I do recognize the shape of the mirror as she draws it, but the shapes of two wavy circles to each end of the board remain with zero explanation. She seems to be finally done as she tosses the minuscule remainders of the chalk she had been using, turning to dust before it even hits the ground.

“P-Princess?” I ask a little unnerved. “What are you doing?”

“Tell me Lemon, do you know of the battle that Luna and I had to do with Discord?” she asks suddenly.

“Y-yes? I do, yeah,” I answer a little lost. “Why-”

“Did you know that in that battle Discord and I actually left this world?”

“Fucking… no!?” I shout intrigued, feeling the slumbering horse fanatic rising in me at the morsels of new lore information.

“I imagined as much. This is something I never told anypony about after all,” she points out, looking towards the mirror carefully. “In our first fight, Discord’s magic and I’s clashed on this very mirror. The result was something we could never expect, since the outcome of these types of spells combining could be nebulous at best. In this case, however, the result was the creation of a portal similar to this one.”

“Waiiiit!” Pinkie suddenly interjects. “But you said you had never been to our place! And you went through the mirror and you don't know anything about the school? I’m watching your lies miss horse lady!”

“P-Pinkie? What are you?” she has a point, but she seems a little too intense.

“Shh… you keep talking! We can talk all we want later! Besides, we don’t have much time, right?” she reminds me.

“She isn’t totally wrong,” Celestia says with a grin. “The main difference is that we didn’t arrive in your world. Instead, we seemed to have arrived in a very, VERY different place.”

“Hold it,” I interrupt quickly. “If you didn’t arrive in our world, and if you didn’t just teleport somewhere else in Equestria; where did you go?”

Her face turns serious, looking towards me. “A place you’d be very familiar with. You did originally come from there after all, didn’t you Mr. human?”

“Ah…” oh no. “I-I-I...”

“He did!” says the traitor Pie.

“Pinkie!”

“Don’t be such a worrywart! She just wants to help! Besides, I already ruined your chances for a lie!” oh my fucking god.

“Do not be alarmed,” Celestia tells me, raising a hoof. “If you must know, I doubted your origins from the moment you explained your story. At first I thought you were some sort of unknown magical being, but since you used a very risky and complicated plan to defeat Sunset Shimmer, that’s probably not the case,” ouch… gonna try not to think of the backhanded insult there. “Most importantly, didn't you say you knew of my fight with Discord?"

"I did, didn't I- oh, god damn it," I curse, realizing too late how easily I had fallen for her trap.

"Indeed," she continues. "If you were truly an inhabitant of the world Sunset Shimmer lived in, there is no conceivable way you would know that… however, it’s also quite obvious that you aren’t from Equestria,” she gives me an emotionless look, making the window behind her look very jumpable. “But my long-winded explanation aside, trust me, you are not in trouble, and we will calmly speak of this further at a later time.”

“S-sure!” why does that not make me feel any better? “A-anyway! What happened? You haven’t really told us what you found in that place! Haha…”

“Trees, actually,” she jokes in an infuriating lack of detail. "We didn't speak too long once we arrived, and our battle resumed as if nothing had transpired. It wasn’t until a few minutes in I caught sight of them; the humans, watching us from afar. I didn’t pay them any mind, being too busy myself. After that, Discord and I clashed with magic once more and opened another portal. That’s how I’m standing here right now.”

“You saw them. Okay! But where does that leave us at this point?” I ask, not quite following. Trying to piece all this stuff on my own is as about as effective as building a house with a doodle made by a five-year-old.

“As I mentioned, I’m figuring things out as we continue talking,” Celestia says, erasing everything on the blackboard, and simply drawing two circles and a line between them . “One of those things being that my belief that the remnants of the magic Discord and I used didn’t just disappear, but remained in place—simply stuck in limbo in the space that connects both worlds,” strangely enough, she continues her art, drawing a circle in the middle of the line. “Going along with that train of thought, that magic remains there for the millennium since we used it… at least until it became active again twenty years ago.”

“Oh, I get it now! The magic went and then somehow did a magical portal thingie to Pinkie's world!” I point out convinced. I’m finally keeping up!

“A good attempt! But not quite,” or maybe I’m not. “In actuality, and here is where my theory continues,” again, she erases everything on the blackboard, bringing out yet another victim in the form of a new piece of chalk. “Imagine that the strange combination of magic didn’t just remain stagnant throughout the years, let’s say that being stuck between two worlds, it remained connected somehow, even if very slightly.”

“Princess,” Shimmer speaks up, and she shoots me a quick glance as she passes me by to talk to Celestia directly. “You are not suggesting what I think you are, are you?”

“Perceptive as always. It's quite nice to see you haven’t lost your touch after years without magic,” Celestia praises her, somehow getting the context-lacking words out of Shimmer’s mouth, adding a dubious wink that I can’t quite place. Are they connected mentally? And was that wink supposed to be sexual? “Indeed, it is what you are thinking; it is my belief that after remaining where it was for so long, the magic stayed active, constantly absorbing information from the two worlds, which then led to said magic slowly mutating into something different, giving place to… a life of its own.”

“Oh… OH!” and with that intelligent train of speech on my part, I think I finally get it!. It’s not that the magic created a path into the world—it was a path into the magic itself.

The world of Equestria Girls IS the magic!

“I hope this isn’t too much to digest, Lemon,” Celestia says in a worried voice. “I’m only just now coming to terms with it myself, and I would expect your mind to be mulling over this in a different light given your circumstances. I can already sense your doubts regarding all the humans living there, but I can assure you that everyone in that world is as real as you and me.”

“Oh, g-good!” I push the dark thoughts away, happily turning to Pinkie Pie who happens to be poking herself with an out-of-nowhere stick. “Pinkie Pie?”

“Hmm?” she looks up for a moment, giving me a smile. “Oh, I’m just looking for the magic! I think I felt it somewhere in my bellybutton!” well, at least she is taking that well.

“The two of you seem to be taking this particularly well,” Celestia mirrors my thoughts. “But yes, magical or not, you can believe me when I say you have a real body. And sadly, you won’t get a lot out of your poking, Pinkie PIe; the magic isn't exactly usable by any normal pony, much less an earth pony,” she explains, much to Pinkie’s dismay.

“But I used them all!” Shimmer barges into the conversation, more than a little distraught by the look of her face. “I went and used the other students! I didn’t even stop to wonder why I could use them as easy as batteries, and it turns out that they weren't just made of pure magic all along, but YOUR magic! If I had used too much energy, I-I-I could have killed them…”

“But you didn’t…” Celestia tells her, placing a comforting wing over Shimmer, seemingly easy to forgive her. I figure Trix wouldn’t let that slide as easily as Celestia if she were here. “I understand that you have much to say. and we will have a talk about this later.”

“How did you figure this out, Princess?” I ask confused. “How the hell did you even arrive at this?”

“Technically, it was me,” she says confusedly, with a straight face, might I add.

“… Just say what you have to say,” I groan, patience be damned.

“Specifically, I mean Principal Celestia ‘me’. How did she come up with the idea of asking me? Why would she point you in my direction? My belief is that the reason she told you to ask me was because she likely knew I would figure it out,” she starts explaining, making a semblance of sense.

“But… how would she know? She didn’t seem like some sort of psychic or whatever,” I ask intrigued. This all sounds like a bunch of baloney, but it’s interesting baloney at the very least.

“As I mentioned earlier, ‘information’ was absorbed from both worlds, and she WAS born out of my own magic.” she continues explaining. “This is only one of many possible explanations, but I think that when she first came to exist, she did so with the memories of me back in the day. She likely struggled coming to terms with those memories for a while."

“But how can someone just be born with your memories like that? That makes no sense!” I groan. This goalpost is moving ever so far.

“I… I don’t know,” Celestia finally says, looking stumped for the first time since the conversation started. “As I said earlier, this is one of the explanations. For all I know, that Celestia could have been using the portal to come to Equestria every time it opened, but none other than a powerful magic user could have made it through and been able to walk around the castle undetected," she explains with a bit of frustration in her tone. "In all honesty, this is an anomaly of immense proportions,” she says, shaking her head. “Frankly, the most I can come up with is that Discord’s chaotic magic made this strange sequence of events take place when our magic merged the way it did, likely keeping their memories intact in their new bodies.”

“So is that why Discord was acting weird?” I ask, recalling that fateful night. I can’t even look at knives without getting chills. “The Discord I met, I mean. He acted like a nice old man, but afterwards, he went nuts!”

“Discord? This is the first time you have mentioned him,” Celestia points out fairly, so I give her the short version of that crap night, which then leads to a very intrigued look. “The more you talk, the more questions I have,” she says with a hard look. “But one thing at a time, since it seems that the Discord you met also remembered things like my human counterpart did. And based on your account, it appears that being an all-powerful creature who suddenly lost his abilities must have drove him mad.”

“Then what about the others?” I ask. “If the memories of the Principal and Discord-Heart exist because you two were the source, where does that leave Chryssa and that Tyrek dude?”

“Chryssa?”

“Yeah… maybe next time I should just give you all the details from the start,” figuring that I would be getting more answers this way, I let her know about Chryssa and the old man, though I didn't expect Celestia to burst out laughing when I finish explaining everything.

“To think they would become such unlikely allies. What a strange sequence of events,” she says to herself, letting out a small chuckle. “As for your question, I don’t think I can give you a straight answer. Perhaps some Equestrian memories went into the two of them in the time the world was being created, maybe that’s how they were able to use some of the latent magic inside them that created that barrier that protected you all,” she stops for a second, seemingly realizing something else, her eyes opening wide.

“What? Did you figure something else out?” I ask almost mechanically. I feel like that question is now a permanent part of my vocabulary.

“It’s still all a possibility, but for all we know, many of the people living there might have retained some characteristics from the human side, since your human world was the basis of that hybrid setting as well. Perhaps that human characteristic was the thing that drove him insane. It might be why Discord and Chrysallis reacted the way they did when you suddenly appeared and demanded information previously thought secret; they might have thought Principal Celestia send you after them,” she explains, but sure, I totally demanded they answer my questions. It’s not like I was being nice or anything.

“Hold up. Is that the reason the Principal looked human? Well, I mean, more human! Er…” I try to gather my thoughts, remembering how human she looked, kinda-of a reverse uncanny valley when I think about her realistic proportions after she summoned the barrier. “Oh, that’s right, the barrier!” I suddenly recall. “She made a barrier to keep us protected from the world getting erased, but if she can do that, why send us here at all? She didn’t explain jack!”

“Explain?” Celestia says clearly curious. “You mentioned earlier that she send you over quickly because the world was in danger, didn't she?”

“Is that the reason? I don’t know if it would qualify as the 'world being in danger' or whatever,” I say in a great imitation of Celestia. “World seemed all dark and gloomy, sure, but all the Principal told Pinkie and I was that we had to hurry to get everyone and that we had half a day,” I explain briefly. “Don’t even bother asking for details, it was just as vague coming from them.”

“Hmm…” Celestia mulls in thought “This is as hypothetical as my previous theories, but I think there is more merit to this one."

“T-There is?” I gulp. Got one of them feelings that are bad.

“The most likely thing seems to be the kidnapped students,” she points out.

“The students?” I ask confused. “What do they have to do with anything?”

“They might actually be helping keep the world together as it is,” she explains as she begins drawing on the board once again. “Think of the students as a precariously placed coin on one side of a scale, if the coin is taken off, the scale will lose its balance and collapse, however, our counterparts remained behind to keep balance in the world, meaning..." she loses control of the chalk, dropping it without warning, looking at me with a worried expression. “Meaning that if the portal closes and the students aren’t back in time… tell me, how long did you say you have, Lemon?”

“H-half a day!” I answer in panic, now realizing what that implies. “O-oh crap! How long has it been!? We have to go back!”

“Indeed you do,” Celestia agrees, lighting up her horn and abruptly filling the room with the bodies of the students… unconscious bodies, I mean. “I’m certain I will be able to detect if the portal is closing, but we better be safe than sorry.”

“Why is everyone still out cold?” I ask, taking a look at some of the would-be ponies on the floor. “Are they okay?”

“Don’t worry, this was done on purpose,” Luna’s voice echoes before suddenly appearing in the room. “I have a feeling that they will be better off thinking this is all a dream,” she explains. I guess that makes sense.

“Lime!” I turn to the sound of the voice, noticing a galloping Trixie jumping from behind the princess. “You idiot!” she shouts, taking a small leap and punching my arm… leg… thing.

“Owww-aa! What the hell!? What was that for!?” I let out a manly cry, not rubbing my achy leg-arm.

“When Trixie told you that she wanted you to speak with the princess, that didn’t mean you would be leaving us behind!” she complains. Well, it’s good to see she is doing well so far.

“D-ditto,” Flash joins in with that intelligent word of wisdom. “Urp… sorry, that teleportation trick made me a little dizzy.”

“Grow some backbone! Trixie is okay… urp, yeah, see?” Trixie, you are such a trooper.

“Lemon?” right behind him, Sunny speaks, making a beeline towards me. “I’m sorry for doing this so suddenly, but can I talk to you very quickly?”

“I don't know about that, we really need to g-whoa!” ignoring my protests, Sunny ‘impatient’ Shimmer then takes me to an empty corner of the room, where she quickly begins whispering things into my ear. “I’m sorry for being so blunt, but I need to ask; what’s going to happen to ‘her’?”

“Her?” I ask, though it doesn’t take long for me to realize what she means. “Oh, right. You mean Shimmer,” I turn in the previously evil pony’s general direction, but my attempt at being inconspicuous doesn’t do much, since she seems to be focusing her sights on us. “Um… I won’t lie, I don’t really know. Celestia said she wanted to talk to her, but that’s all I know,” I whisper back to Sunny.

“And I will do just that,” a wild Celestia appears, towering over us without a warning.

“Hey! Princess! We weren’t totally talking behind your back!” top class bullshitting Lemon. Top class

“It’s perfectly alright, it’s something that you would have to discuss given your association with her,” she replies calmly. “But I wouldn’t worry about Sunset if I were you, I’m certain she already knows what she is going to be doing.”

“I-I do,” Shimmer speaks, sneaking herself into the conversation in more calm way. “I haven’t had much time to think about this, but even so, my decision has already been made—I’m going to be staying in Equestria.”

“Really?” Sunny asks, looking strangely perturbed... though I’m sure that looking at a copy of yourself would do that anyway. “Is that really what you want to do?”

“I appreciate your…” Shimmer starts off reluctantly. “I appreciate your question, but I have to do this. I didn’t only almost destroy your world, but having me stay there when you are already living your life as the Sunset Shimmer they all know would be unfair, an-" she shakes her head quickly, looking suddenly annoyed. "What am I doing? I'm just making excuses! The truth is that I’m just not ready to face them when it’s all said and done.”

“Shimmer,” I say her name calmly, lacking any sort of vile towards her. I should be really angry, but seeing her looking as pathetic and down on herself as she is… well, I just don’t think I can bring myself to do it. “Tell me, what are you going to do?”

“I will repent for my sins,” her answer is simple, but to the point. “Starting off with Equestria, where I may have caused my share of problems with other ponies. Whatever Princess Cadence did to me back there… it didn’t just bring back regrets I had with Princess Celestia, but also memories of the terrible things I did and said to others here.”

“Is this what you really want to do, Sunset?” Celestia asks her.

“It is. But before that,” she turns straight to us. “Lemon, I need to apologize. To the five of you, actually… I know it’s not much for the moment, but I feel it’s the best I can do since the other students won’t know of a second Sunset Shimmer for the time being… and there is also the time limit," oh, crap. That had completely slipped out of my mind.

“Reparations at last!” Trixie speaks up, loudly ruining the mood and joining us with a smug look on her mug. “Just don’t expect Trixie to forgive you so easily considering what you did today!”

Shimmer smiles weakly, slowly shaking her head. “That’s okay. I hardly have a right to complain. If it helps even a little bit, I’m really sorry about it. Believe me when I say I really regret it.”

“Bah, is that it? Your apology is as pitiful as Trixie is powerful!” Trixie obnoxiously points out, but I guess I can’t really blame her for the attitude given how Shimmer went and basically kidnapped her for... yeah, let's not think about that.

“Of course, I know that,” Shimmer understandably sighs. “But if you will let me speak, I also want to apologize for making fun of your show years ago. This is probably silly since it’s been a while, but it probably didn’t help that it made others do the same afterwards. You didn't deserve that."

“I-I,” Trixie seems caught by surprise by the two-combo apology, struggling to respond. “Y-yeah! You better be! Trixie is great, a-and powerful! So her shows are always good!” go figure that the apology towards her directly would have the most effect. Who knew?

“Flash?” she now turns to Sentry, who hesitantly tries walks back when she gets too close. “This is probably something you don’t want to hear, but I wanted to say tha-”

“Don’t,” his response is low, but the harshness of his tone isn’t missed. “Just… it doesn’t matter anymore, alright?” he sighs, his eyes never wavering from the real Sunny’s face. “All you have to know is that I’ll be fine. I know the truth about this, and I can move on.”

“… Alright,” sighs a disappointed Shimmer, turning to look at Sunny instead. “Sunset Shimmer, I shouldn’t even be talking to you right now. What I did to you was probably the worst thing I could have done in your world. I took over your house, your parents... your life. I can fully understand if you can never forgive me.”

Sunny seems reluctant to reply, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly. I almost expect her to flood her with her grievances, like a dam waiting to burst. “The truth is, I really don’t want to forgive you for this, but… if I don’t remember it anyway, I don’t see the point in being too angry. And magic or not, I can see you learned your lesson.”

“Wow,” I whisper surprised. “You are a bigger man than me… bigger woman…? Mare? Not fat, I mean...” I quickly shut my trap before I make this any more awkward.

“And finally, Lemon? Pinkie?” speaking of awkward, Shimmer refers to us. “I tried to manipulate you both. All so I could win a stupid popularity contest, and…” suddenly, she closes her eyes, tears rolling down. “I-I hurt you all! I did things that I shouldn’t have, an-”

Without warning, Pinkie Pie, wraps Shimmer in a hug. “Everyone deserves a second chance, Shimmy."

"P-Pinkie Pie?" Shimmer calls, barely struggling. "What are you doing? I did terrible things! A-An-"

"Shh... it’s okay, you don't have to act anymore,” Pinkie says, softly patting her head. "You can let it out."

“P-Pinkie Pie, I…” Shimmer cries out, quickly resigning herself to the embrace, hiding her face in Pinkie’s haunches. After a solid minute of silence of this, she looks up, wiping the remnants of her tears looking more or less better. “I’m okay now, really. Thank you, Pinkie. That was… nice.”

“Don’t think you are done, you have more apologies to give,” Twilight Sparkle says showing at the room’s entrance, joined by the mane group and my friend counterparts. “I’m so sorry Princess! I heard what you were planning from Princess Luna, but I was off in the infirmary visiting Shining Armor, but then we fell behind when Rainbow-2 went off on her own and got lost, and I-”

“It’s perfectly fine, Twilight,” Celestia answers quickly. “But sadly, you are just in time to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye!?” Pinkie Pie says. No, wait, I mean the OTHER Pinkie Pie who seems sad to see a bunch of strangers ready to go. “But I haven’t thrown them a welcome party! I can’t just throw them a goodbye party in such a short notice!”

“Unfortunately there is no time for that!” Luna shouts, pointing at the portal that seems to be wavering even in my eyes. “Perhaps we should speed this up!” without waiting for confirmation, she begins levitating the unconscious students, and carefully shoving them through the portal.

“B-But I have so many questions!” Twilight shouts in protest. “You promised you would tell me all about you, Lemon!”

I can almost feel the weight of everything pushing down on me. I mean, all that’s happened so far; transforming into a horse, this low-budget adventure I just went through, and the fact that my ex-waifu wants to know more about me but have no time. Everything is winding down faster than I expected it. “Twilight, I’m sorry, but…”

“You can ask him all you want in thirty moons, Twilight. In fact, I will be doing a lot of that myself,” Celestia says this in a weird attempt at being cute, tossing me the least inconspicuous wink in the existence of everything. Goody, can’t wait for that interrogation… ugh.

“Lemon?” Sunny calls, lightly tugging at my fur. “What is that supposed to mean? “What did you do?” she whispers to me confused.

“Um… I’ll tell you later,” after all of this, I have full intention of telling her. Knowing her, she'll likely listen and be nice about it despite anything I might say.

“Oh man! I only just got used to these wings!” says the likely human RD as the rest of the girls share very sentimental goodbyes with their counterparts in front of the mirror, guess that being trapped in that bubble on their own allowed them enough time to socialize.

“Hey!” I call out to them as they are about to enter the mirror. “We don’t have time to talk here, but we really need to catch up when we meet up again,” after sharing some pleasantries with them, they go through the portal just as Luna finishes pushing the other students through, leaving just the five of us with the important cast and Shimmer.

“Should we get going, then?” Flash suggests, seemingly ready to go.

“Before we do,” I stop him, looking to Celestia with my question loaded. “When we left, the world seemed to be banishing around us,” I tell her, remembering that horrific sight. “So will we be back to that mess?”

“No. Everything will be back to normal when you return,” she answers calmly. “And this time, I’m positive that is exactly what will happen.”

“Cool! Right!” I bump my hooves together in an attempt at a clap. “So, does that means that… this is it, then? Man, this feels so off,” I finish in a quiet murmur

“What do you mean?” Twilight asks surprised, catching what I said. “You are going back to a peaceful life in your world, aren’t you?”

“I know that!” I reply in some manner of senseless protest. “Look, I know this will still sound strange to you, but all I wanted to do since I arrived there was to come here to Equestria. To meet the princesses, to meet the elements… to meet you, actually,” I admit to her, making her jump in surprise.

“Don’t you feel that way anymore?” Twilight asks. “I know this is very last minute, but unlike the rest of them, you aren’t forced to just live in one world,” her eyes grow wide as an idea pops into her head live in front of me. “If you decided to stay, we could get to know each other better! And my friends would just love to meet a new face.”

“I’ll pass,” I answer almost instantly. "I kinda like living over there."

“I figured that was the case,” Twilight giggles.

“Then why suggest it at all?”

“Because I wanted to hear you say it. It never hurts to give your friends some reassurance.”

“My friends?” I look back behind me, where my four best buds look at me with big smiles. Even though I haven’t known all of them as long as I would want, I still consider them my special friends. My own ‘mane’ group to be cheesy about it. They are people who I can trust, and people who trust me… though I wonder if they would be mad if I said I had a favorite among them.

“I knew you really cared!” shouts obviously-favorite-Pie, crushing me with one of her famous hugs. “We are sooo having a party after this!”

“I-I’m pretty sure that was happening regardless…” I wheeze out, trying my best not to die by affection. “A-Anyway, we should get going now, right? I’m pretty sure the portal won’t hold too much longer.”

“Wait!” the voice this time belongs to Shimmer, reluctantly calling to be the center of attention. “Sorry! But I need to say something… can I, Princess?”

“Of course,” Celestia agrees without asking for our opinions first. “But I would suggest you hurry. I-I don’t think I can hold it open for too much longer,” it isn’t until she brings it up that I notice a straining trail of magic go between her and the portal, the struggle of keeping it open clearly having a clear effect on Celestia. How strong is this portal?

“Okay! Flash!” Shimmer shouts, starting off with the awkward card right off the bat. “Listen, I know you told me to forget everything, but there is something you should know.”

“I already told you,” Flash groans already frustrated. “Please, just le-”

“I first met you when I ran for Fall Formal Princess the first year,” I can almost see the near instant confusion in Flash’s face as he hears this. “I know it's vague, but I hope you understand what I’m trying to tell you with that.”

“Wait… you don’t mean,” it’s at this point that I begin to understand what she is talking about, and I’m suddenly reminded of Flash’s story when he met Sunset Shimmer back in the day. “So you mean...”

“It’s okay,” Shimmer smiles weakly. “I don't know if I can ever bring back those moments you shared, but the least I could do is let you know that.”

“S-Shimmer!” Flash shouts, and for the first time since I met him, he seems about ready to cry, his usually perfect mug barely holding it in. “Just… thank you for that,” Shimmer simply nods. It’s all she needs to do at this point.

Meanwhile, Sunny has a blank look on her face, trading stares with Shimmer and Flash. “Hmm… I-is anyone going to explain what just happe-”

“Trixie is getting tired of this sentimentality!” she groans, pointing to the portal. “Can we just head on and go? Trixie does not want us to be trapped here! Besides, I just want to feel my toes again!”

“Hooooooold it!”

“What now!?” everyone instantly shouts at Twilight.

“What? It wasn’t me!” she denies it quickly. "Geez... it could have been Shimmer again..."

“It was me!” my Pinkie Pie suddenly jumps between us all, looking overly excited. “I almost forgot! But good thing I didn’t actually forget!”

“Did you forget to go to the bathroom?” I ask jokingly.

“Well, yes!” why do I even bother to use sarcasm on her. “But that can wait! But not this! Because we probably won’t see the ponies for a veryveryveryvery long time, I need to tell everyone now!”

“Tell us what?” I ask her. She turns to give me a very wide grin, an- “Pinkie?” I’m a little creeped out when her smile covers nearly half her face. The overly cartoony nature of it is rare, even by Pinkie Pie standards.

“Well, you see… it's about us!” she seems strangely bashful all of a sudden, actually blushing as she tries to say what she has to. It’s cute, sure, but not something I’d see Pinkie Pie struggle with. She has said much WORSE without a semblance of shame.

“Pinkie Pie!” Trixie suddenly shouts at her. “Trixie is sure that there isn’t a need to keep it hidden at this point. You know how he feels about you, so out with it! Do something weird if it helps you!”

I eye Trixie quizzically. “What the hell are you talking about, Trixie?”

“You are right! Here!” reaching into wherever-the-fuck, she pulls out what appears to be a balloon. With a single breath, the balloon is fully inflated, revealing a message on it. “W-Well?”

“Well?” I parrot confused. “What am I supposed to be looki-…” oh? Eh? Huh?

I do my best to read and reread what's written on the balloon. I expect it to be my lack of glasses while I’m a horse, but I don’t think it can be messed up when it’s written as plainly as it is. It’s obvious as rain what it says, as the gawking reactions of everyone around makes it clear that everyone is as surprised as I am to what we are all reading. "Oh my god."

“Congrats, Lemon! You are gonna be a father!”

Epilogue

Clouds are really neat things. They float in the sky without a single care in the world.

Do they care if they come across other clouds? Nope. Do they even mind that they can end up dissipating into nothingness? Not one a bit! Best of all, I feel like I could grab and just eat them by reaching up with my hands, feeling their softness before happily biting down.

“What are you doing, Lime?” says the voice of Trixie before her face enters my line of sight, blocking my cloud viewing much in the same way a cloud would block the sun.

“Hm… I can’t eat you, though.”

“What?”

“I said what’s up Trixie,” I sigh, turning away from her. “Can’t you see I’m relaxing?”

“Under the bleachers? At school?” she asks, needlessly pointing out where we are. “We’ve only been here once. Trixie can’t see what’s so special about this spot.”

“It’s comfy!” I argue, turning away again to avoid her presence interrupting my quiet time.

“Really, now?” she asks in that mocking tone, annoyingly enough taking seat next to me on the grass. “Listen Lime, Trixie would be inclined to believe you even a bit if it wasn’t literally a Sunday. Now how about you stop acting stupider than usual, and sit down?”

"Party pooper," I groan, grudgingly sitting up. “So... where are Flash and Sunset?”

“Are you really starting with that?” she sighs, looking down at her phone, typing something before putting it away. “They are somewhere together, talking I guess. Trixie thinks they are getting together from what I've seen. They DID have a thing before."

"So has Flash, well, you know? Told her the truth about before?" I feel a little guilty for being nosy, but knowing the full story, I'm a little worried as to how Sunset will react to learning things from her lost memory.

"He told he wouldn't, at least not yet," Trixie answers, sighing to herself. "It would probably help him immensely if he did that, but he told me that he wanted Sunset to fall for him naturally and other mushy stuff like that. They were supposed to come with me, actually, but turns out he already invited her to a date. Can you believe how fast he was to the punch?"

"Wow," I can't help but laugh. I never took Flash for the daring type.

"Now it's Trixie's turn to ask something," she says with a serious look. "How are you holding up yourself, Lime?”

"Me? Um, sure,” I feel relieved at the general tone of the question, thankfully giving me wiggle room to answer. “I-I guess I’m totally fine! I mean, finding out that my parents aren’t actually dead really brightened my mood,” so yeah, figuring out that my parents could have died in what could only be described as a ‘world-ending catastrophe’ was a short-lived, yet scary thought. If I hadn’t been too busy thinking of Pinkie and the others, I probably would have lost it back in Equestria.

“Trixie agrees that’s a plus, it's good to see Gran-Gran was fine,” she laughs nervously before falling totally silent.

We look up at the sky, watching as the sun slowly moves towards the horizon, making way for a beautiful show of light, and it’s just nice that Trixie has managed to keep quiet without asking anything mor-

“Trixie has been thinking of something.”

“Have you now?” so much for quiet.

“That Equestria place was a world of magic, right?” she asks, touching her forehead and letting out a wistful sigh. “They could have probably found a way to send you home, maybe figure out how you got to this world. You would have probably stayed and had fun with the ponies you seemed to want to meet so much. Trixie still remembers how excited you were about it.”

“What are you getting at?”

“What Trixie is getting at is: how come you just didn’t stay? ” she asks. Okay, she was going somewhere.

“Well that came out of nowhere,” though I won’t lie, the thought surprises me. It didn’t even cross my mind back there, but… “You know, I think I would have refused either way.”

“Why would you do that?” Trixie asks again, keeping a steady eye on me. “That was your one intention when we met, wasn’t it? To live in Equestria.”

“Huh?” this catches me off-guard, nearly making me hit my head on the bleachers as I almost get up. “H-How did you…?

“It wasn’t very difficult,” she answers calmly. “You never really mentioned where you came from in the time we've known each other, so it stood to reason that you didn’t really want to deal with your old life.”

“Right…” have I really not talked about anything back in my original home? I guess if she says I didn't she might be correct. We DID date for a bit. But thinking about life before this feels strange, almost like I was a totally different person. I still remember things, but nothing really makes me feel homesick. Do I even miss my parents? Maybe. I sort of have parents here that act almost the same. For all I know, they could be my real parents... maybe I should ask the Princess next time the portal opens. "But I don’t get it, Trix, why bring it up now?”

“… It felt appropriate,” she answers vaguely. “Okay look, Trixie isn't going to meddle if you don't want to talk about it. Just forget it. There would be no point.”

“Don't try to deflect, what’s your point this time?” I keep prodding, hoping for a better answer.

“Trixie isn’t going to accept your snippy reaction!” she harrumphs at a lost of patience. “But if you really want to know, I brought it up because it really doesn’t matter anymore, does it? You have a life here, and…” she seems thoughtful, sighing to nothing before she speaks again. “Trixie wanted to check if you needed to vent some things, is all…”

“D’aww, that’s almost cute,” I tease.

“Please, Trixie is adorable!” she shoots back, resulting in us both bursting out laughing,

I let myself fall back on the grass, shortly followed by Trixie, the feel of the grass very slightly pricking my skin is somewhat relaxing… though Trixie doesn’t seem to think so, getting up seconds later.

“Trixie thinks you've definitely changed.”

“What?” I give her a wary look, expecting some sort of insult follow-up.

“In a good way, Lime. Don’t go straight to angry mode,” she continues. “You were a rather selfish person before if Trixie recalls right.”

“Hear that? I think pot is calling the kettle black,” that’s all I need to answer to get Trixie to turn away embarrassed, cheeks puffed. "Honestly, I was actually going to say the same to you back in Equestria."

“Yeah, well, a-anyway!" Trixie dodges my comment. "Trixie is surprised you just didn’t end up staying after all! Falling for that Sparkle’s vile ways! You seemed very infatuated with that hussy before!” she shoots back, changing topics.

“Uh, ‘hussy’? Are you serious-” I stop mid-sentence as a thought comes to mind. “Wait, now that you mention Twilight… you know, since we are here letting our deepest thoughts already, I’ve been meaning to ask you, but what is your deal with her anyway?”

“Wha-Ouch!” she half-shouts, followed by an almost inaudible hiss of pain after trying to get up too quickly and hitting her head on the seats above her. “Ah! Hell! Grrr!” she glares daggers in my direction, teary-eyed expression and all. “H-How dare you surprise Trixie like that!? That hurt a lot!”

“Why did that surprise you?”

“H-Huh?”

“That shouldn’t have surprised you. I mean, you don’t even know her, right? Unless…” I’m making this far more cryptic than I should be, but unlike her, I’m not a saint who doesn’t like getting into a little nosy fun when he needs to. “Tell me Trix, do you actually hate pony Twilight? Or are you thinking of the Twilight we met back at Starswirl? You know, that cute girl with the ponytail and the lab co-”

“Okay, fine! I get it! Don’t start again!” Trixie shouts, pushing her hands over my mouth, her cheeks burning with a faint purple-ish color. “Annoying Trixie like that… not a very gentlemanly thing to do.”

“Have you met me yet?”

“Point taken,” she agrees much more easily than I thought… *sniff* true friend right there. “Trixie supposes she can at least tell you this much. It’s really not as huge a deal as you are making it out to be."

“Then it shouldn’t be an issue, right?” I shrug, waiting for her to continue… only for her to bitch out for three whole minutes, saying nothing until I speak again. “Trixie!”

“Right! Telling you! Of course!” she finally lets out a sigh of defeat. “So, a-as I said before it’s nothing awful! But the truth is that, well…”

“Yes…?”

“Um…”

“Uh-huuuuuh?”

“T-Trixie does not appreciate you getting all up on her face!”

“Say it!”

“Fine! The truth is that Trixie actually knew Twilight Sparkle in middle school! Happy!?”

“What?” this probably ends up shocking me more than I thought it would. “Really? You actually knew her? What!?”

“Flash, Twilight, and the Great, and Powerful… well, me.” she ends awkwardly while failing to hide her face behind her hair. “If you recall, I mentioned that Flash and I were friends, but to tell you the truth, it wasn't just us; Twilight was actually part of the group as well.”

“No shit?” I say amused, failing to hide the huge grin on my face. “So that’s why you’ve been so cranky about her?”

“D-Don’t give me that!” she growls in frustration. “Ugh! This is why I didn’t want to mention it!”

“Come on, you are already halfway there, where is the harm?” I say in an attempt to calm her down, hoping that she won’t leave me wanting.

“T-The thing is that when we were much younger, Flash promised me, we… ugh, this is so stupid!” she groans.

“Well?” by this point, Trixie’s face looks like it’s about to cook itself. I can almost see the steam coming out of her ears, but the way she started that sentence far outweighs anything right now. “You are almost there! Just let it out…”

"O-Okay!" quickly, she turns to face me, closing her eyes tight before saying: “F-Flash promised he and I would get m-m-married when we got older, b-but he then went on and started dating Twilight, and I couldn’t do anything after that, but even after they broke up, I… Lemon?”

I can barely hold myself, having wrapped her in the tightest hug I could manage. “Please stop, I get it.”

“Why the heck are you hugging Trixie, then?” she asks, looking around confused. “Trixie does not think you ‘get it’.”

“But I do! And I'm sorry that I made you tell me that,” I explain, barely able to hold my feels. How could I make her do this? Of course she would be angry about it! I should have known she had feelings for him.

“Lemon, I…” slowly, she pushes me away, an-

*Slap*

“Ouch! What the hell!?” I complain, the pain in my cheek suggesting physical violence. Did she just slap me?

“That’s for assuming things!” she harrumphs, turning up her nose with annoyance, completely forgetting she was the violent one.

“Assuming that you are sad? The hell!?” I shout back. “You didn’t need to hit me for that!”

“Sad? Trixie wasn’t sad! She was embarrassed!” Trixie shakes her head, pushing me to the floor. “Ugh! This wasn’t easy for Trixie to admit after she already lied about it! Honestly Lime, not everything has to be a moment of sadness with people. I’ve long since moved on… though I will admit I did remain a bit bitter about the entire thing.”

“You are unbelievable,” I groan, still nursing my cheek. “You could have just told me this back then, you know? At least now I get why you used to be so cold to Flash.”

“It was none of your business back then,” she sighs, looking over her phone again. “Honestly, Trixie doesn’t know why she decided to tell you now. Maybe she just wanted to show you that you could deal with issues without running away from them. Perhaps you want pointers from Flash and ‘Sunny’ as well? We all seem to be able to talk about things without running off.”

“W-What does that have to do with anything? I have nothing that you guys should be helping me with!” I shout. And why is she bringing it up now? It almost feels like she is purposely stalling m-

“Gotcha!” without warning, I see a flash of pink before I’m thrown back down on the grass. I look up to find myself with Pinkie Pie's grin, looking smug over her captured prey. “I knew you’d be here!”

“No, you didn’t,” Trixie disagrees, getting on her feet and suddenly walking away. “In any case, Trixie’s work here is done.”

“Huh!?” I stare shocked at Trixie’s abandoning figure. “Wait, were you just distracting me just so Pinkie could get here!?” reaching into her pockets, Trixie takes out her cellphone, showing the opened messaging app on it. I may not be able to read the words from here, but there is no doubt that’s what she was doing.

“Trixie will be sure to go to your funeral,” she says ominously, walking away coolly…

… before realizing she is heading towards a fence, and turning around to just pass us again, the look of frustration she sports telling the whole story.

Guess who is getting shit on later?

“Whatchu doing?” Pinkie asks the moment Trixie is out of earshot, still resting her surprisingly heavy body on me.

“Hanging out, nothing much. Y-You know?” I wheeze out..

“That’s funny! You walked out of Sugarcube Corner before I could bring the Cakes to talk to you! So I thought you had some super-duper important thing to do. I guess that was my mistake!” she says cheerfully, though the way she says cuts deeper than any clear disappointment.

“Pinkie, it’s not what it looks li-”

“I know that,” she answers before I finish, offering her hand and helping me on my feet. "Up you go!"

“You do?” I ask, looking at my hand, half-expecting it to blow up in sort of over-the-top grudge plan she may have over me. “I don’t get it, why are you so calm about it? I mean, I ran off!” I feel sweat slowly falling down my brow, the heat of the summer afternoon finally hitting me… yeah, the heat is totally the reason for it.

“Oh, you know?” she asks simply. “It’s because it would not be not unfair if I got mad at you!”

“Wha-…?”

“It means that I did the same to you by hiding, well, ‘this’ from you for as long as I did!” she says to the point, pointing down at her stomach. I can almost see the protruding bulge. Man, I'm still in disbelief over the entire thing.

“I still don’t understand why you kept it hidden from me for so long. Worse off, you told Trixie but not me!?” I whine jokingly. “That’s almost as bad as telling just Flash.”

“Ahaha…” she laughs awkwardly, running her hand through her massive hair. “Can I be totally super-special-duper honest with you?”

“Um… yes!” I waver for a moment. I almost thought that was another double negative.

“The thing is, I kinda/sorta/maaaaybe was a teensy bit afraid of telling you,” she mumbles, barely able to look me in the eye.

“Why would you be afraid?” I scratch the back of my head, trying to figure it out, numerous possibilities running through my brain…. Actually, I’m tired of guessing this. “Could you just tell me, please?”

“Weeell..." she trails on, playing with her hair. "If I had to be doubly honest, it’s because I thought you’d really hate me for it,” at first, her answer seems like a joke, but the look she gives afterwards says the opposite.

“Pinkie Pie, you can’t be seriously thinking that,” I mutter frustrated—trying to understand her reasoning isn’t helping that. “Have I not shown you that I really care about you? Come on!”

“No, you really have! I really get that you are super caring and all of that good stuff!” she attempts to explain, placing her hands on my shoulders as if to keep me from running off again. “My heart wants to believe you, but then my brain tells me the opposite, and I got worried, and I though more thoughts that if you found out, you wouldn’t want to be with me anymore. I mean, I'm not the Pinkie Pie that you knew from that show! I'm not happy all the time, I'm super self-conscious, and I'm completely furless! See?" she points to her arm with a pout.

So that's why... I feel a bit of guilt. That isn't a very Pinkie Pie thing to do I practically said a few times. All this time, I continued comparing her with the pony Pinkie Pie... I can only imagine how insecure Pinkie must have felt keeping it to herself while trying to look normal around us. And then the pregnancy too! Is that why she was so worried when we were going back into the castle? Just how...

“How long?” I ask straight to the point.

"Like a month,” she answers quickly. "Oh! And please don’t be mad with Trixie! I made her Pinkie Promise not to tell you before I even asked her for advice!”

“So she knew, huh?” I don’t mull too much on that, guess I should have known. Though I can’t help but wonder how Trixie felt keeping this secret for the time she did. It explains why she has been acting so weird around Pinkie lately at least.

“So… are you mad now?” she asks innocently enough, looking up with the sweetest look. "You know? For lying and stuff..."

“Don’t do that!” I rub my eyes in frustration, trying to avoid the cute overload that’s trying to control me. “Pinkie Pie, I’m not mad. I won’t be mad. I CAN’T be mad at you.”

“Reaaaally?” Pinkie gives me a dubious look, cutting the distance between us and staring me down like a professional interrogator. Then, without warning, she pokes my chest, making me fall back on the grass. “Okay!”

“Okay,” I sigh, rubbing the spot she just poked. I can still feel it. “Okay, but if you really understand what I’m saying, I really need to clear away a misconception.”

“So your skin actually doesn’t taste like real lemons?”

"No, listen!" I dodge the question, feeling just a bit of embarrassment by the words that are about to come out of my mouth. "Pinkie, the one I fell in love wasn't Pinkie Pie the pony. I fell in love with Pinkie Pie the human. The one who has been there since day one, the one who has tagged along even during the dangerous times... the one who saved my life," I reach out to her, taking hold of her hands.

"O-Oh, geez!" Pinkie chuckles, tears streaming down her face. "You are really making it hard to be mad at you for running off!" she shouts, quickly wiping the tears.

"I thought you said you got why I did it?" I barely ask, as if the lump in my throat is trying its best to stop me.

"I did! Doesn't mean it wasn't a very mean thing to do!" she answers. "If I told Mrs. Cake without you there, she would have hunted you! Like a su-"

“It wasn’t my intention to run away from your place!” I scream before she can go into another tangent—it's now or never. “What I said earlier is true, I just need you to understand that learning this hasn’t exactly been easy. You had time to deal with the information, but getting out of Equestria with the sudden knowledge that I’m going to be a dad isn’t something I could deal with! And then you dragged me to the Cakes literally a day after just so I could get a talking to! It was too fast! And… it’s why I ran off for the moment—to get some time to think about it all.”

Pinkie looks thoughtful, sitting on her legs, rocking back and forth as she eyes me carefully. “How come you just didn’t say you wanted to wait?”

“Because I didn’t want to make you think that I was avoiding it, but… I guess it wasn’t something I was totally prepared to fight head on,” I answer exhausted, pacing side to side. “Argh! This is all my fault,” I groan, covering my face. “If only we hadn’t done anything stupid!”

“Hey!” Pinkie calls. I feel her soft hands as she pulls mine from my face, revealing a comforting smile behind them. “Oh Lemon, if it helps you feel better, it felt great!”

“Oh my god,” I just lose it. Only Pinkie Pie could say something like that out loud and be unaffected when she says it. “I-I guess it does a little bit…”

“Besides, it was my fault too!” she admits, touching her stomach again.

“Well, I’m glad I don’t have to be thrown under this bus on my own,” I laugh awkwardly.

“Oooh, I bet the bottom of that bus must be party ready, because I’m so there!” Pinkie replies, resting her head on my chest, giggling. "I should bring soda-" before she can finish her joke, I grab hold of her face, planting the best kiss I can muster. She seems angry to be interrupted, but it doesn't last too long, visibly relaxing and accepting her fate. "T-That's not fair!" she pouts after I let go, showing me a very light blush.

"All is fair in something or other," I laugh, feeling like a huge weight has been lifted. "But now that we are done talking, what do we d-aah!" I yelp, suddenly yanked by Pinkie dragging me across the field. “Um, Pinkie?”

“No more wasting time, mister! You and I need to get a good talking to!” she says without looking back. “I bet Mrs. Cake will be reaaaally mad! And Mr. Cake will probably faint the moment we let him know… maybe I should tell them separately…”

“Whoa, calm down, Pinkie! Just like that? We should prepare! Aren’t you scared or something?” I ask, and almost instantly, I feel her grip tighten, coming to a stop.

“Of course I am,” she answers in a low voice, her expression hidden by the darkness of the night that seems to have sneaked up on us. “I mean, I’m still in high-school, and then I have to think about not just the Cakes, but my sister! And the more I think about it, the more scared by what they might say I get, and I want to curl-up into a tiny little ball and just roll away into a land of gummy bears (I really want some right now) and live far away from everything!”

“Then why?” I ask, shaking my head. “Why do you want to do this now? We could prepare before we say anything, right?”

"We can, but it's sooo much easier if we get that party cannon going early! Besides..." I can more clearly see the smile she gives me when she turns back to me, new trails of tears falling down her face. Without warning, she grabs my hands, looking up to me and saying:

“Because I know we can do it now, and I know that we can make it work.”

No more words are necessary as we continue through the field, right back to her car waiting near the entrance. As we drive off, I can already imagine how our talk with the Cakes will go, probably ending up in some sort of shouting match.

I can already see how it would go with my own parents, Sunny, Flash, the rest of the mane six, and even Trixie!

How this will likely change our lives in not just short term, but long term as well. We will both likely struggle, as life won’t be all roses while living together, leading to many hardships that come as part of life with a kid in tow.

And despite all the doubts that I have, if Pinkie believes in it, I think I we can really make it work too.

Author's Note

And here it is. After over one year of writing (and some extra delays from work) I finally finished my longest story. And one that I wanted to explain everything about... which I did to an extent, if that helps you understand my feelings on it now that I'm done.

It's a bittersweet feeling, finally putting this story to rest, but feeling like I didn't do as best as I should have. Still, this was a learning experience, having only started writing five years ago, I feel like I've gotten much better, though there is clearly a hard stop in how much of it I retained.

That being said, I'm still happy that I can put this out for those that enjoyed it, and that's the important thing! I wrote this so other people could enjoy it, and if you did, awesome! I entertained some and it did its job! But if you were meh on it (especially that bit with Pinkie, which I can understand) or ended up hating it (see previous aside) I fully understand, and I thank you for giving it the time of day at least.

There is not much to say. Maybe I'll write a blog post if people want to read how things changed for this story, how some of the elements actually went into it very late into it, or even how annoying it was to deal with certain parts... but maybe I'll do that another time.

For now, I feel like taking a small break before completing my OTHER story (which has gone longer without updates, the poor thing) and I can finally do something NEW. Oh, man, that'll be great haha...

Enough rambling! Once again, thank you so much for reading this at all, and I hope that you had a somewhat fun time.

And as always, see you all next time!