Author's Note

Read, review, Mihoy Minoy.

Through A Lens Most Pure

''Are you sure about this?'' Sunset asked Rarity, who herself was very unsure about going to Twilight to check on her. Their friend was for the most part, harmless but she was, in Rainbow Dash's words; a social train wreck.

''No, I never was, Sunset,'' Rarity said, walking into the science lab, mentally steeling herself for one of Twilight's 'lectures.' Her brain could only take so much of her talking about isotopes and the 'magic' she was going on about trying to find a concrete explanation and application of it. ''But, I actually think we are two of the better choices to do this, rather than Rainbow or Fluttershy.'' Rarity said, not meaning to talk ill of her friends, but some of them did not posses the grit needed to push Twilight that extra mile whenever she started to ramble on and on. The main room of the science room was always reserved for the day to day lessons, while thanks to a little work, the recently unused detention room that was connected was converted to suit Twilight's specifications, under the radar of Celestia somehow.

''Yea, well something tells me this won't be as easy as we think,'' Sunset said, putting on the protective googles and and clothes before walking in and seeing Twilight typing something onto a keyboard before going over to a bunsen burner and observing a green liquid in a beaker creating a mist. She then turn some knobs and guided some thin tubes that would take the mist into a mold and secured it with clamps. ''Twi, you got a minute? We need to talk.''

Twilight sighed, the sound of the flame of the burner being extinguished. ''What could it be this time?''

''Darling, I think you know,'' Rarity said, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder. ''Your recent obsession with this new fellow ever since you had a reading on one of your instruments,'' Twilight growled but Rarity pressed on. I thought we weren't going to repeat the past.''

''We're not, we'll talk to him and stuff, but I have to make sure he's not like Sunset,'' Twilight gestured to her friend, then realized her fault and blushed. ''Sorry.''

''I'm used to it,'' Sunset said in a monotone voice, then she smirked a little. ''These things take time, but I don't want you guys to make the same mistake twice and end up hurting an innocent guy.''

''Is he really so innocent?'' Twilight asked, Rarity wondering what she said. ''I heard from Celestia that you had to give him a tour of the school and he pretty much left you. Doesn't that say something that may be wrong? Or his attitude? He seems curious. He could have something up his sleeve he doesn't want anyone to know, or what about those girls he was with?''

''We don't know any of that, and while I would love to know about that, this is a whole another person's life we don't need to be prying into,'' Sunset became the voice of reason. ''You try being a new kid here, and at this school, no less and you tell me if being the tiniest bit secretive is reason to assume he's up to no good. I defy you to tell a valid reason outside of your own paranoia and I'll go suck on a lemon,'' Twilight tried to combat her friends' point but was too angry underneath her frown to care.

'That boy is nothing but trouble if you ask me.' Twilight thought. 'But knowing these two, they won't give up unless I give in and let this go.'

''You must not let them stray you from your path. . .'' that same voice spoke again, making my head throb as I clutched it and sucked in air, trying to block it out. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. It kept resonating against my skull. I whined, looking for something to make this stop, but nothing in my lab could help cure this right away. My legs wobbled, soon giving out on me and Sunset catching me and asking if I was ok.

'No, they can't. . .know,' my body involuntarily shivered and my eyes blurred, my floor looking like a mashup of different, ugly colors.

''Twilight, darling, are you ok?'' Rarity felt my forehead. Her hand was cold, and did nothing but make my headache worse. ''Do you need to see the school nurse?''

No. Nobody must ever know.

''Y-Yea,'' I lied, smiling through my pain. ''I just must be hungry from being in here all day, hehehe. . .'' I chuckled to try and lighten the mood and away from myself. ''We should go to the cafeteria and get some food.''

Sunset smirked, her hands on her hips as she stood up. ''It's 3:45. We'd have better luck going to get a shake and some fries at the diner.''

''Ugh.~'' Rarity made a disgusted face. ''I still cannot see how you would eat hot and greasy fries with all of that sugary ice cream? You're almost as bad as Pinkie that day she ate an entire tube of frosting for lunch,'' I smiled, seeing the two of them chum it up and ignore me for a second.

''Hey-'' Sunset picked me up, taking off my lab coat and goggles and gloves. ''Sometimes, some of the things you think are bad for are actually good for you every now and again, and I can count on Twi's big brain to back me up on how one cheat day won't hurt, isn't that right Twi?'' Sunset smiled at me, patting my back.

''Oh yea,'' I half-listened. ''You should be good.''

As long as they don't question me anymore.

''Ok, and what exactly does this have to do with our plan?'' Alister asked from his place on the corner, staring at people walking about the downtown area. The day was starting to wind down and get a little cold, so he was sure to bring a decent hoodie so he wouldn't freeze.

''Because,'' Chrysalis said through the call, Alister readjusting the earbuds connected to his phone so he could hear better. ''We have to move right along with our plan, and it's gonna take more than just the two of us and the very limited stuff between us. We get one shot at this, so it has to be perfect.''

''Ok, so what do I do?''

''Well, we both have a pretty good layout of the school between the two of us, so we just need to get our wish list of crap to make the dance a non-factor. DO you see a store called Rick's?''

Alister turned his view to a small business on the corner a few blocks down from him that spelled out the name Rick's in black lettering. It looked to be restaurant of sorts, with a upper balcony for people to dine. ''Yea, why?'' he began to walk towards there at a normal pace.

''Well, I am owed a few favors by a few people in this swanky town of ours, and it so happens we have a man on the inside who may be on our side just because this incident lines up with a bit of revenge as well.''

''Do I know this person?'' Alister asked, wondering who else could want to have close to whatever kind of revenge like he and Chyrs did.

''It's Garble.''

And now it made sense. He hasn't heard from him in ever since he graduated, and who would think he would still be town after being made a fool of by Twilight and her friends. Somebody like Garble, in his rough and often failing ways, but with the drive to want to do just as Alister wants would be prove to be a good team, if the pair could work together.

''So, what do I say to him?'' Alister wondered as he walked inside, the nearest crew member greeting him, the mood of the room being laid back and casual. Booths ran along both all sides, with a small bar towards the center with swivel seats. In the back of the restaurant, he could see a flash of red hair in a hairnet moving back and forth as small amounts of steam from the grill whipped about.

''Just get him alone and talk to him, if he doesn't decide to try to chew your head off.'' Chrys said, chuckling.

''Oh, great, this shouldn't be too hard, now shouldn't it?'' Alister asked with a dab of sarcasm. ''A means to and end, I suppose,'' Alister walked to the bar, taking a seat as the waitress bartender greeted him.

''I don't think you're old enough to be sitting here, my guy,'' the dark skinned male chuckled, handing Alister a glass of water.

''Yea, so I've been told time and time again,'' Alister flashed a small smile, but then narrowed his eyes. ''You know a Garble? I need to speak to him for a sec. It's. . .important.''

''Really, how important could it be?'' the bartender asked, leaning on the counter. Alister sighed and put on his best face of anger mixed with an ice cold stare, the bartender looking a bit shocked as the glare in Alsiter's eyes seemed false, but the longer he looked, the more he realized that he was wrong.

''Important.'' Alister clenched his fist. ''Enough. Garble, please.''

''Whoa, kid, I don't want any trouble, and can you stop looking at me like that? It kinda is creeping me out. Just. . .wait here, I'll get him.'' the bartender left, going into the kitchen, the sounds of yelling and pots clanging going on for a few seconds before a figure came out, dressed in a dark blue collared shirt, black pants with a apron with different stains on it and a greasy spatula in his hand as he surveyed the restaurant before seeing Alister and pointing his cooking utensil at him. ''You motherfucker. . .'' Garble hissed, advancing towards him.

''Hey!'' a voice called from the back. ''You got 10 minutes so make it quick, stop sign!'' a woman's voice harshly called, the sound of hacking coming soon after. ''Ignore that.''

''Crazy woman,'' Garble whispered, shook his head and then stared a death glare in Alister's eyes as he sat down and frowned, the veins in his forehead trying their best to not burst. His teeth grit, body tensed and demeanor full of anger, Alister knew he would be in for a little more than a talk. ''Why are you here, Wolf? If you're here for a free burger, then try somewhere with someone else.''

''Ok, I guess he must hate you a little more than we both thought,'' Chrys said over the phone, sounding surprised.

''You're still mad, I get that, but this is-''

''-We were like brothers, man, and you sold me out. To them.'' Garble said, grabbing Alister's shirt and bringing him close, the smell of cigarettes on his breath making his nose crinkle. ''After all we did for each other, you got some nerve showing your face where I work.''

Garble positively looked heated, even going so far as to call Alister out his name multiple times, but Alister drowned it out, just waiting for him to stop. When he began to cry, he knew his chance was there.

''Look, I'm sorry for what I did those years ago, really I am, and I know you may never want to deal with me after today, but this is the one time since then our objectives align.''

''And how do you figure? And besides losing my job possibly, what else is stopping me from punching your teeth down your throat?'' Garble asked.

''Because-'' Alister put a hand on his friend's, or frenemy's shoulder and smiled. ''we both want revenge on Twilight and her friends,'' Alister saw the look of disbelief on his face but pushed his point further. ''They've done me wrong, a lot more than you, but what they did to both of us is bad, and just like you, I want. . .to make them pay.''

''You serious? How? They're your best friends, even more so than me,'' Garble spit on Alister's shoes, daring him to do something. Chrys wanted to say something but decided against it as she wanted to hear this. ''You said it yourself, you'd do anything for them, and now you're going against them just like that?'' Alister's eyes drooped, his voice going to the deepest register it could.

''. . .Yea. They were. But now, they're not and the more I think about it, the more you and I are the same, and putting that in mind, we can make it work, but I figured it wasn't going to be easy with just me. So what do you say, you think you can look past what happened? I know, in the moment, we both said somethings that we really didn't mean, but I don't have anybody else that I can turn to really, and it looks like you're my best option, if not my only.'''

Chrys frowned over the phone, though nobody could see. Alister had her, didn't he? She knew he didn't really mean that because of the circumstance, but he should know with him, Garble and herself, they can pull this off and may even be able to. . .

No. Alister didn't need to know.

''You know, even if we work together, I'm not going to forgive you so easily, if at all,'' Garble spoke in a low whisper. ''But seeing as I've been itching for a change to pay back those who did me wrong, I'm willing to make an exception to the rule.'' Garble said, offering his hand. ''But don't think I won't be keeping an eye on you.''

''Yea. . .'' Alister said, taking his hand in kind, his former friends still having the tight as ever grip that almost would pop a knuckle out of place. He knew Garble would be good for this, but not so much as for how long he would be along for the ride. ''Let's even the playing field. So what can you contribute?''

Garble stood up, patting Alister on the shoulder. ''Depends. What do you want done?''

''I want their blood. More than anything.''

''Hmm. I think that can be arranged, but just know; once you cross that line of no return, there's no regrets or pulling back,'' Garble slithered back into the kitchen, running a hand through his curly red hair and laughing. Then he yelled. ''Who told you to grill lettuce, you retard?!''