Taking the Bitter with the Sweet

A stun locked Bitter Honey studied the being before her. It was small and resembled a pony. Only more... cartoonish? Especially with the wings. What really intrigued/irritated her, however, was that it somewhat resembled her mother. Its hair was the right mix of rose and grayish aquamarine, and its face had the right spattering of freckles. Its fur color was yellow, the same as her mother’s skin. Upon its flanks were symbols consisting of overlapping heart and diamond shapes.

"Who are you?" she finally managed to utter.

"Merely a Messenger," it answered while mimicking her mother’s voice. "You have a troubled mind."

"Well, I certainly didn't need a messenger to tell me THAT," Bitter sneered. "And why do you look and sound like my mom?"

"My form takes whatever it needs to make one comfortable."

"Comfortable?!" Bitter spat, throwing her hands in the air."Looking like the BITCH who wants to fucking BUTCHER me is supposed to make me feel all warm and fuzzy and cozy, you stupid HORSE?!"

The Messenger gently shook her head. "Deep down, you know that is not true. You must be aware that the reality which you currently accept must be corrected. Listen closely. I represent that which is responsible for the harmony in this world of Equestria."

"Equestria?"

"Equestria is experiencing a grave crisis at the moment. A powerful Alicorn has caused a great disruption to the balance of our land. This includes the dimensional veil, which is what you have been caught up in. Your mind is here but your physical body is still in your room."

Bitter groaned loudly in frustration. Her eyes fixed upon a chair and attempted to kick it. Her leg phased through it in a ghostly fashion. Because she acted so forcefully, her balance was thrown off. Her behind hit the ground painfully. Bitter yelped in both agony and confusion. How could she not touch anything but still somehow be hurt? What, did magic follow comedy rules or something?

"Why is this happening to me?!" Bitter demanded.

"It is complicated." Seeing her guest’s irritated eyeroll, the Messenger added, "All I can say is that you must have been exposed to Equestrian magic at some point in your life."

"Well, that’s just ridic—" Bitter froze. A memory began to arise. One that she’d could still only vaguely recall. It happened when she was four. A playdate with a strange blonde man and his daughter. Both of whom could do incredible things. All to entertain a poor girl waiting for her mother to come home from a mental hospital. "Wait. Does this Equestria place have anyone named Nicolae Carpathia and Screwball?"

The Messenger smiled all-knowingly. "It does indeed have a Screwball who also happens to have a father who can transform into beings which could call themselves 'Carpathia'."

Suddenly, the ground shook. Bitter once again lost her balance and ended up on the floor. Just what WERE the physics with this place?

"In here, guys!"

Bitter saw as three creatures rushed desperately inside the room. They were what appeared to be a griffon, a small dragon, and she wasn’t sure what the third one was. Some kind of gaudy-looking bug thing. Each appeared young, causing Bitter to wonder if there was a school nearby. They ducked under a table in pure panic.

"Um, what’s up?" Bitter asked, but no reply came from the terrified trio.

"They cannot sense you in any way," the Messenger explained. "You are barely existing in this realm, remember?"

"Right…" Bitter hesitated. "What’s wrong with them then?"

The Messenger waved a hoof. A bright light appeared before Bitter. She was blinded and covered her eyes for a split second, but when she regained her vision again, she was suddenly faced with a bewildering sight. Ponies. Thousands of ponies. All fighting each other. In fact, it seemed as if there were three distinct sides.

On one end of the battlefield, normal-appearing ponies in brown and green-colored uniforms loaded catapults with large boulders, launching them by bucking a triggering mechanism with their hindlegs. Bitter didn’t know why, but she could swear some of them were crying, “HERE COMES TOM!!!” while doing it. On the opposite side, purple and gold uniformed unicorns raised magical shields. They didn’t seem to appreciate the “Tom” taunts. Must have been some in-joke she was missing. God, she hated trolls. Finally, Pegasi clad in blue and white uniforms reigned down feathery vengeance upon the other two sides from the sky. They dodged the boulders while simultaneously trying to smash through the unicorn barriers.

Bitter’s horror and awe was then directed to the sound of cackling laughter. She looked and beheld a purple figure in the sky. The pony had wings, a horn, and the most obvious "I’m a villain" hairstyle Bitter had ever seen. Flames consumed her.

"W-what… is this…?" Bitter managed to utter.

"A kingdom is falling, Bitter," the Messenger stated. "Hatred and gullibility have ended it."

Bitter stared at some ponies clustered on the ground. Their bodies were injured. They groaned out in agony. Their eyes held no hope. They were members of all three warring sides. The only thing that was uniting them at that moment was pain.

The scene abruptly vanished, leaving Bitter shaken as she found herself back in the strange treehouse. She glanced back over at the three young creatures cowering under the table.

"This is the Treehouse of Harmony," the Messenger spoke again. "It has stood as a place where anycreature could seek refuge for many moons. But it will not be so for very long. It soon will not be safe for non-ponies to stay here. Then there will be the families…"

Another scene formed before Bitter’s gaze. One of a home. Her eyes widened as she came to recognize the three ponies therein. Standing guard at a window was a female Pegasi who resembled her mother (and the Messenger by extension). Her intense eyes scanned outside for potential danger.

Behind her, was an Earth pony who resembled Bitter’s father. His flanks were stamped with a "U" symbol. She had no idea what that signified. He worriedly sat next to a much younger mare who resembled… Bitter herself. She even had the glasses. Her wings obviously came from her mother. She was sound asleep, as if she'd exhausted herself out from stress. Her pained expression gave it away.

"Do you think they’ll actually come for us, Sour?" the Second pony asked, already knowing full well the answer.

"We don’t know what these separatist morons will do," the Sour Sweet pony said, trying to control her voice to not sound shaken. "Princess Twilight’s failed. Nopony’s coming to save us."

"You don’t regret it, do you?" Second asked. "Marrying a lowly, filthy Earth pony?" Again, he already knew the answer.

"Dork…" Sour muttered. She trotted over to hug him with one arm and to stroke their daughter’s hair with her free hoof.

"But, seriously," Second sighed. "We don’t have to tell anypony who we’re married to. I’ll join an Earth pony camp. You take Bitter to a Pegasi one. We’ll keep in touch. We can write letters in secret."

"Hey, this family is staying together," Sour declared, jabbing a hoof into her husband’s chest. "I’ll fight anypony who dares tries to separate us." Suddenly, she grinned. "Especially if it’s your mother."

That was what finally broke the tension. They laughed. They needed a good laugh. The Bitter pony stirred awake and witnessed her parents so full of joy. In her drowsy haze, she forgot what kind of situation they were in and smiled. She loved it when her parents were happy. Second and Sour noticed and quickly gave her a hug, apologizing for waking her up.

The visions ended. Tears streamed down Bitter’s face.

"I have no doubt that our immediate threat will be solved soon," the Messenger began. "But I also have no doubt of its lasting and severe impact. Equestria will eventually lose its magic. Great gains in establishing harmony will be wiped away. We will be thrust into a dark age of friendship."

"I thought I had problems…" Bitter whispered.

She then felt a wing on her back. Bitter glanced down at the ethereal being who was suddenly giving her a comforting smile. At that moment, Bitter was beginning to feel appreciative that her mother’s image was being mimicked to her.

"A pendulum always swings back when it has reached the other side," the Messenger imparted. "Yes, there will be strife. But that is when new stories can begin. New heroes emerge. But let us now focus on you."

Bitter scoffed. "Me? What about me?"

Light consumed her once again. She next beheld a scene of Gretchen pacing back and forth on the front porch of the Person House. She was muttering to herself while puffing on a cigarette.

Bitter clapped in hands in sudden happiness. "Daw, it's my true best friend, Gretchen. HEY! Is she smoking?! Haven't I told her a million times about those CANCER STICKS!?!"

"You may tell her the million-and-oneth time later, but for now listen to what she is saying," the Messenger directed.

"Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!!!" Gretchen raged. “Why? Why must Bitter drive me so crazy?! Okay, Gretchen. You know what to do… you just don’t know if you have the words to do it…"

"Sup."

"Ah!" Gretchen whipped around to her mother standing there. Instantly she hid the cigarette behind her back, furiously grinding it out on the porch’s railing. "Oh, uh, hi mom… heh, heh…"

"We’ll talk about your little habit later, young lady," Gilda assured. "But for right now, I would like to know just what exactly you think you’re doing out here when Bitter’s in there?"

Gretchen sighed. "You know me, mom. I’m not good at feelings and junk…"

Gilda gently placed her hands onto her daughter’s shoulders. "Sweetie… STOP BEING A DWEEB!!!"

"Eh?" Gretchen muttered, stunned.

"I didn’t raise you to be some shell-closed loser!" Gilda barked. "If you got feelings, you let them out! Now pull up your big girl panties and go talk to Bitter! Do you understand me, you little brat?!"

To most people, hearing a mother yell at her daughter in such a way would be dysfunction. However, for Gilda and Gretchen, it was merely a heart-to-heart. Gretchen smiled, nodded, and immediately rushed into the house.

The scene then shifted to Bitter’s father, Second Person as he was coming up the stairs. He had just finished mopping the birthday cake up off the kitchen floor. All the while, he had his mother yapping about all the exorcists she had in her contacts. For Bitter’s own good, she kept repeating. He couldn’t stomach much more of it, so he was on his way to find where his wife went.

Find her he did in their bedroom. Sour Sweet was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring motionlessly at the crude crayon drawing of a little girl framed on the wall.

"Sour?" Second asked, delicately.

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Ten percent chance. Ten fucking percent chance."

Second went over and sat down beside her, gently placing her hands into his. He gazed at the picture as well. Long ago, it was an eerie premonition. A hallucination of a girl who wouldn't exist for many years after. If the events of the Friendship Games didn't already prove it, the incident would have made him a believer that there was magic in this world. But then again, where there was magic, there were curses also. Curses such as a mother passing down an unpleasant condition down to her daughter.

"I shouldn't have had her," Sour muttered. "All I thought about was what I wanted. I was so selfish."

"Sour, please don't say that..."

"It's true! I even ignored the signs. The way her hand used to twitch when she was young. The way she seemed to get too lost in her own head sometimes. I saw it all, and all I did was hope that it was a mother's paranoia. But it wasn't..."

"We've taken care of Bitter the best we could and –"

Sour ripped her hands away from his and stood up. "But YOU didn't give her schizophrenia! I DID! It's all MY fault. Now she's going to have to go through all the exact same bullshit I had to go through..."

Second sighed. "Sour, it's true that what's done is done." He stood to face her, staring straight into her eyes. "But you're wrong about one thing."

Sour sharply turned her head to avoid his gaze. "What's that?"

"Bitter's not going to go through what you did. You had parents that never experienced a mental condition before. Your dad emotionally distanced himself from you. You had to go through Cinch's hell. But everything's different now."

Second cupped the side of his wife’s cheek and motioned it so she would look at him.

"You gained the experience to help our daughter through anything," Second continued affirming. "And you know I'm never going to get scared away from someone I love. We even had the sense not to let her go anywhere near Crystal Prep. Sour, we can give Bitter the best care she could ever have. But we can't let any self-loathing or blame stop us."

As much as one part of Sour wanted to reject all what was being said, to continue to wallow in grief, the other part wanted to believe. Sour hugged her husband tightly. Years ago, she was a troubled girl, and he was a wannabe white knight. Somehow, they made it work. Sour truly loved Second. He had helped her through so much and she knew he would help their daughter as well.

"BITTER!!!"

Their attention was suddenly drawn to Gretchen as she zoomed past their bedroom down the hall. She was roaring Bitter's name with great determination.

"Bitter, get your freckled ass out here!" Gretchen demanded as she banged upon her friend’s door. "We need to talk!"

Second ran up to her. "Gretchen, I know you care for Bitter, but you can't force her out of what she's going through. We need to be gentle and – "

"With all due respect, Mister Person, that's bullshit," Gretchen bluntly said. "I read your book about your wife. You had to get forceful with her sometimes. You did that because you knew how to get through to her. And I know Bitter."

Second paused, staring at her in utter shock before a smile of dorky pride spread across his face. "You read my book?"

The vision abruptly ceased. Feeling odd, Bitter looked down at her body. It was beginning to fade.

"Your time here is at an end," the Messenger stated.

Another impact tremor from the outside fighting rocked the Treehouse. Squeals of terror came from the School of Friendship students underneath the table. They clung to each other in desperation.

Bitter winced with sympathy. "But… Equestria…"

"Equestria has its own story, but you have yours. Live it. And remember: You cannot fight the outer demons before dealing with the inner."

Bitter blinked and suddenly found herself shrouded in darkness, occupied by what sounded like wood being beaten to oblivion. She removed the blanket from over her head. She was in her room. She was home. Her door was about to be busted down.

"Bitter, if you don’t open this door right now, I’m gonna – "

Open it did. Startled, Gretchen froze as she beheld the unreadable expression of her friend’s face. She felt like the dog who had just caught the car.

After a moment of painful silence, Bitter finally spoke. "You got something to say?"

Gretchen gulped. "Ye-yeah. I do." It was now or never. "Bitter, I, no we, have known each other a long time. And we’re best friends. But, maybe we should, you know, not be best friends. Wait, wait, wait! Didn’t mean that! Oh god, I suck at this…" She wanted to die. "I meant that we should be… more than best friends. Ye-yeah. That’s I what I, uh... Because we’ve known each other all our lives. In some ways, we’ve always been a couple. Or at least, that’s what I’ve always thought. And you’ve felt the same way. Or I hope you do or did…" Where’s Truck-kun when you need them? "Look, what I’m trying to say is that I – "

A finger placed itself on Gretchen’s lips, instantly shutting down the awkward rambling. Her eyes widened. Her heart raced as the finger was soon replaced with Bitter’s lips. Right then, they were a troubled girl and a wannabe delinquent. Somehow, they both knew that they would make it work.

At a distance, Second and Sour held each other close as they witnessed the cycle begin anew.

****************

Bitter Honey stood out on the front porch, gazing at the world as it continued on with its business. She would be allowed to stay out of school until she could receive her medication. It was a relief considering with how Gretchen described their classmates’ reaction to her episode. It was going to be tough from here on out.

She then thought about Equestria and the collapse she witnessed. Those poor creatures. The Messenger’s words of hope for the future were her only comfort. There wasn’t anything she could do for them, but there was everything she was about to do for herself. She wasn’t alone, either. She had Gretchen and her family… well, minus Grandmama Person, of course, who hadn’t taken the "Your granddaughter is going to be dating another girl" news kindly.

There was a long road ahead, but Bitter believed it was going to be fine. Somehow.

Gretchen stepped out to join her on the porch. Bitter smiled at her, but then noticed the confused look upon her girlfriend’s face.

"What’s wrong?"

"Well, your mom just gave me something. We may need this 'in a few years when we are ready', she said." Gretchen then held up a roll of duct tape. "What did she mean?"

Bitter Honey’s face turned a deep crimson as she recalled "the talk" her and Sour Sweet once shared on the topic of sensitivity.

"Dammit, mom! I mean, I love you and everything, BUT DAMMIT…!!!"

THE END