In the Name of Harmony

A gentle breeze blows through Twilight’s hair. The sun blazes down in the clearing unbothered by any cloud. A thin layer of sweat forms above her brows from the mid-morning heat, but Twilight steps into the clearing with a cool mind. Even without her phone, Twilight is certain she is early. She prides herself on her punctuality and it looked like her adversaries did as well.

“Well, yer early!” AJ’s imposing frame is visible across the clearing sitting on the bench with three others by her side. Twilight clocks RD next to AJ on the bench from the mess of colors going on on top of her head. The other two are unfamiliar and, frankly, unimportant to her. Twilight strides up to her main target. The cowgirl takes a phone out of her jeans’ pocket— Twilight’s phone— and looks at the time, “Still seven fifty.” A smirk worms to the corner of her freckled cheeks. Twilight wanted to rush AJ right then and there. She wanted to tear that phone out of her hands and get her stuff back; however, she holds herself back and remains level glancing over the two new additions to the original duo.

Behind RD and AJ on the bench stands two other girls with wildly different personalities on the surface both around the same age as her, if not a year or two older. Twilight’s apathy falls upon the girl wearing her stolen backpack first. A sort of hostage situation seems to be going on. She clearly doesn’t want to be here. She stands off a couple of feet away from the bench as if standing in a doorway. One foot in and one foot out. Her pale hands clutch the backpack nervously. Flowing pink hair falls out of her yellow hoodie and covers half of her face. Her exposed turquoise eye darts all around, frequently making eye contact with Twilight for a second before looking away just as quickly. Twilight surmises that she was another poor victim dragged here against her will, most likely told to run if things didn’t go according to their plan. Twilight quickly guesses she could probably outrun the walking bundle of anxiety and just as quickly moves on to the next new face.

The other girl was way too excited to be here. She was practically vibrating, leaning over the bench by RD’s shoulder, her baby blue eyes boring into Twilight’s soul with a manic grin smeared across her face. Her darker pink hair seems to defy physics as it stands and waves proudly in the light breeze. “This the girl you got your eyes on?” she blares out. AJ and RD barely flinch despite the close proximity. Twilight blanches slightly while the shy one fully cowers away. Twilight wanted to figure out a way to help the poor girl after this was all over. To match the loud mouth’s pink hair was an equally pink jacket she wore over a black T-shirt struggling to contain her massive personality.

“Sure is,” AJ responds and gets up. She puts her hair up in a ponytail that falls to the farmer’s shoulders. “Sit and watch you guys. Tell me what y'all think of her,” AJ cracks her knuckles in anticipation. Twilight glances to the bench to see nobody moving and all watching intensely. One on one. Perfect, the simplest plan was coming together. The public school veteran feels the shift in everyone’s demeanor and quickly gets into her fighting stance.

AJ chuckles as the loud pink one commentates, “Oooh! She’s got a nice form!”

“Alright, sugar cube, consider this as a type of interview.” AJ starts sauntering up to the twelfth grader.

“An interview? To get my stuff back?” Twilight involuntarily tenses. The simplest plan is seeing some revision. Alarms in her head were starting to go off. What was this girl up to?

“Yeah, if you’re worthy enough.” AJ coyly responds. “Let’s start with introductions. I’m Angela Janine Smith. Everyone calls me AJ,” she tilts her hat politely and doesn’t say any more. Twilight’s eyes narrow.

“What about the others?” Twilight motions to the girls behind AJ, half baffled on how she could give up her name so easily and half reluctant to give out her own name as readily.

“If you pass this interview you’ll get a full introduction if you want. But focus on me right now. I’m the one within striking range.” Angela stops right inside Twilight’s bubble. But doesn’t bring her guard up. Even with that knowledge Twilight knows that she’s still in danger. She was in AJ’s striking distance as much as the farm girl was in hers. With their height difference Twilight was even further in AJ’s striking range, even if that gap was a few inches. Spacing is everything in these situations. “Now, what’s your name?” AJ’s question jolts Twilight out of her thoughts. Not spacing out was also everything in these situations. Twilight quickly chastises herself internally before registering the question in full. Twilight mulls over giving a fake name briefly but with all of her livelihood in their hands at the moment Twilight knows it’ll be easy to be caught in this lie. All her textbooks and classwork are in that bag after all. She indulges the interviewer.

“Twilight Sheppard,” she says cautiously.

“Age?” AJ moves on.Kind of unfair. How come she needs to know my age, Twilight thinks. She takes her time answering.

“Eighteen.”

“What school do you go to?” Twilight physically reels back. What kind of interview was this? How can knowing what school she goes to help determine her “worthiness” of getting her stuff back? The cowgirl didn’t even ask if she was a student. AJ obviously went through her stuff but what was she getting at?

“Why do you need to know that? You should already know all this. You stole my backpack.” Twilight challenges.

AJ chuckles heartily. “Humor me.” AJ takes another step further into Twilight’s range. The height disparity becomes more and more prominent as the distance between the two closes.

“Everfree High.” Twilight concedes and stands firm.

“You got any brothers?” Twilight glares into AJ’s eyes. Confidence stares back. Her fists tighten. Why? What is this line of questioning leading to? Does she want to know her entire family history? For what? What are these questions testing? She can’t back down though. This is too much.

“You definitely don’t need to know that.” Twilight challenges again, a little more confident than before.

“Trust me, Miss Sheppard, I do. It’s imperative,” AJ responds, her tone darkening. AJ takes another step closer and Twilight’s fist is practically touching AJ’s chest. Twilight notices her neck is starting to hurt from constantly looking up. AJ’s presence alone is intimidating and she still hasn’t taken a fighting stance. “Imperative”. One of the many words Twilight didn’t think AJ knew. I’m being played. Her darkening tone, the increasingly personal questions, her imposing physique. Twilight sunk deeper into her trap with every non-answer she gave her. She’s being constricted. She can’t back away anymore even if she wanted to. Her blood runs cold. Just how much does she know?

“Yes. I have an older brother.” the teen’s voice trembles a little.

“That it?” AJ fully towers over Twilight at this point. She knew that wasn’t the full answer. Her knowledge went beyond just looking at her stuff. She possibly went through her phone. No that can’t be it; she still wouldn’t have known this much. Twilight hadn’t spoken to her big brother in years and barely texts Spike. There aren’t many pictures of them in her phone either. Is this the best place to lie? She can’t know more about her. She’s just a thief. Right? They don’t seem like ordinary thugs anymore. With all this accumulating pressure Twilight’s nerves get the best of her and she tells the truth.

“No, I have a younger brother, too,” Miss Sheppard chokes out.

“What school does he go to?” Angela looms. Her warm breath wafts over the teen’s forehead.

Twilight’s sweating profusely. AJ knows. At this point Twilight can tell. She can guess AJ knows that she knows, but she’s carrying on with the questions like they aren’t a centimeter away from each other. Is this just a game to her? Is she looking for an easy lick. If she was she would’ve just taken her shit and left. Is this to test her resilience? AJ’s warm breath continues to envelop the skin on her face. Twilight tries to take a step back asking, “Why do you need to know all this?”

“It’s an interview.”— AJ steps in yet again leaning over Twilight threatening to collapse on her— “I gotta learn about what type of person you are.”

“How is asking about my brothers gonna tell you the type of person I am?” Twilight sputters.

“Trust me. It tells me a lot. Now what school does he go to, Miss Sheppard?” She says chillingly into Twilight’s ear.

“Ponyville Middle.” Twilight squeaks. AJ nods approvingly. What form of torture is this? It’s too calculated to be a spur of the moment decision. Or is she naturally this sadistic?

“Last question. Who taught you how to fight?” The easiest and most relevant question to answer by far. Twilight answers without hesitation. Maybe if she answers fast enough the farmgirl will back off.

“I taught myself. In order to have enough strength to get through E.H. while doing my own thing, I had to.” She sees nods of approval from behind Angela. Twilight’s guard relaxes just a little

“My big bro boxes on the side,” AJ starts, “He taught me almost everything I know.” AJ takes advantage of the addled state the student is in and throws a quick jab. Twilight’s reflexes save her face. The power behind that fist displaces some of Twilight’s hair. “You would think the police captain’s sister would’ve gotten some moves from him.”

“What the–,” Twilight’s mind flips as dots start connecting. A mounting rage swells within her once again. “Is that why you robbed me? You wanted to get back at my big brother?” She practically yells.

“Oh no.” AJ throws another jab that narrowly misses, “That was a coincidence. Now it's time for the hands-on part of the interview.” AJ’s fist swipes at Twilight’s face, grazing her nose. “Your final test: survive for two minutes.” The farmhand steps in confidently and unleashes a flurry of blows. Twilight dances to the rhythm of AJ’s fists, narrowly avoiding jabs and hooks. She doesn’t lose focus. The original plan was shaken up but they are back in her wheelhouse. All of the other stuff had to be put aside for the moment. With renewed vigor, she fixates on and analyzes AJ’s form, attacks, and movements, seeking out a moment to throw her own punch and start a counter offensive.

“Don’t hurt her too bad,” RD jokingly calls out with the pink geyser of excitement cheering unintelligibly with a stopwatch in hand.

But AJ is relentless. A fist finds itself lodged into Twilight’s abdomen. Twilight sputters as the bruised area is struck once more. The defender moves away to catch her breath. Even while running away Twilight’s gaze does not waver. With the greater space, Twilight moves more naturally, dodging more of the ensuing onslaught. But a thought blooms amidst the chaos. I can’t win with brute force. She decides to switch tactics, attempting to throw counter punches, using her assailant's power against her. Punch after punch Twilight looks to counter but the farmer is too fast, weaving in and out of Twilight’s fists. She makes a show out of how easy it is. AJ sees what Twilight is doing and goads her by opening up her chin. Twilight, seeing the bait, forces herself not to attack, but her focus fully shifts to AJ’s face. AJ smiles and swiftly plants her shin into Twilight’s thigh. The challenger lets out a yelp. She thought her leg might have snapped. The gallery lets out an audible groan. Twilight hops around in pain uttering profanities under her breath. She tries to walk on the leg after a few seconds but all she can manage is a heavy limp.

“I thought your brother taught you how to box.” Twilight winces with every step.

“I said he taught me almost everything I know,” AJ clarifies, a smug grin etched onto her face.

She goes back on the offensive, not giving the girl in front of her a chance to rest. Twilight frantically tries to dodge and block her assailant’s barrage of limbs, her leg hampering her movement significantly. With a severe limp Twilight’s dodges become more desperate and erratic. In response to Twilight’s unpredictable weaving, AJ throws a haymaker that forces her to overextend just a little. Twilight doesn’t fail to see the opportunity and ducks in close to AJ and connects an uppercut to the farmer’s exposed chin. She had done it. Twilight had indeed a hit against this monster. The blonde’s head snaps upward harshly and her knees look to give out for a moment, but AJ stands tough and looks back down at Twilight. It was time to go on the attack. It was time to enact the plan. Twilight doesn’t move, however. AJ’s lucid stare stops her from proceeding.

For a second, Twilight could see her death. Her mission was to survive for two minutes and she wasn’t the one keeping track. All the pain and unanswered questions weren’t helping her either. She takes solace knowing she fought hard before the end. AJ raises her hand and balls it up into fist. Twilight faces the impending devastating punch head on. She was far too close to a powerhouse that just shrugged off a solid hit from her. Her leg was too hurt to move away effectively at the distance they were at even if she wanted to. It was definitely a step up from yesterday. Oh well, she thinks to herself. “You can stop the clock Pinkie,” Twilight barely registers what she just heard.

“You sure? You got like twenty seconds left,” the volcano of excitement, Pinkie, looks for clarification. AJ nods and backs off of the injured girl. Twilight stands dumbfounded. Unsure of how to exactly make this situation out.

“How do you girls think she did,” AJ faces the audience.

“She’s rough and a little sloppy, but she’s got some good footwork and a pretty good form.” RD says.

“Yeah, and if we just put her through a little bit of ‘Pinkie Pie’s Fighting Bootcamp’ she’ll be ready to tear up the streets, easy peasy in no time at all!” Pinkie exclaims.

“And you, Shy?” AJ brings the attention to the timid girl Twilight thought was an unwilling victim in all this. Seems she was also a part of this. They come from all walks of life, the young woman supposed in her growing delirium. The hooded girl only nods in response, prompting an “alrighty then” from AJ.
Twilight looks in between the four as the skinny girl holding her backpack hostage cautiously places it at the confused girl’s feet and mutters an almost inaudible “I’m sorry.” She was slouched all the way to meet Twilight’s eye level, but the girl was clearly taller than Twilight if she stood upright.

“Wait. What’s going on right now?”

“You passed the interview,” RD says.

“And what does that mean?”

“You’re one of us now and as a reward allow me to introduce us officially. I’m Raine Daley. I know, stupid name. My parents are real funny. Just call me RD. You’ve already met Angela. The bouncing ball of pink energy is Diane Pie, but we just call her Pinkie because, look at her. And the tall ball of anxiety scurrying back behind me is Flora Saccone. She’s trying to distance herself from her family name and she’s shy so we just call her Shy. There’s another member but she couldn’t make it. You’ll meet her eventually.” RD introduces.

“What is she talking about, ‘a part of us?’ What are you?” Twilight pushes back at AJ.

“We are the Elements of Harmony, a local up-and-coming gang.” AJ responds proudly.

“Nope. No way. Nuh uh. I’m not a part of you or any of…this.” Twilight does a quick inventory check before slinging the bag over her shoulder. “I’m taking my stuff and getting out of here. Find some other crazy person to follow you to your deaths,” Twilight vehemently refuses the offer, galloping away as a consequence of her limp.

“We’ll convince her,” AJ says to her friends. “Let’s go get food and hold a meeting.”

…

Twilight stands in front of the doors to the SugarCube Corner Bodega the next morning. Violet quickly took advantage of Twilight not having school and rushed her daughter on a mission to grab groceries at this specific bodega. It was a bit out of the way but Violet was adamant that the groceries come from SugarCube Corner. Every chance she gets she preaches the quality of the bread and pastries made there. Twilight never complained, they were really good, so she guessed that the place was pretty fancy and expensive. Seeing it in person, though, gave Twilight pause.

Despite the sign very clearly reading ‘SugarCube Corner Bodega,’ Twilight checks the address on her phone. She really was in the right spot. Twilight slowly takes in the mostly brick building again. The double door entrance has one of the doors backed by a security gate seen at the entrances of gas stations. Two of the four windows Twilight could see are boarded up. The other two windows are heavily tinted with only a neon “Open” sign shining through. Visible bullet holes tell silent stories of previous violent encounters. The sign was weathered and dull above the awning covering the entrance in much needed shade.

Twilight collects herself and cautiously enters the bodega. The bell above the door announces her arrival. She looks around to see that the inside isn’t much better than the outside. Faulty and dimmed fluorescent lights beam down on the stained yellow linoleum floor. The aisles look fully stocked, though, so that was a point in Twilight’s favor. The door closes behind Twilight and the bell signaling a customer dings one last time.

“Bienvenidas, and welcome to…” A loud gasp fully alerts Twilight and she whips her head around to lock eyes with Diane Pie. Twilight immediately shifts her weight and makes a dash toward the door. She ends up slamming her body into a now locked exit. She tries to push and pull the door loose but it is not going to move any time soon.

“You! You locked me in here?” Twilight rattles the door some more to no avail.

“Yup.” Pinkie answers way too cheerfully for Twilight’s liking.

“WHY?”

“To talk.”

“You used the theft alarm, didn't you,” Twilight points out, “Aren’t the police coming? If this is your ploy for me to join your gang then, wow.”

“Nope. I asked Shy to rig up two buttons, one to lock down the place and one for the alarm.” Pinkie explains. Twilight could imagine why they would want that set up.

“So you locked me in here to talk?”

“Mhm.” Pinkie cheerfully goes over to the open sign in the window and turns it off. “So, why are you here?”

“To get groceries, obviously.”

“Never seen you here though.”

“My mom sent me here. She loves this place apparently.”

“Makes sense. This place is awesome. Oh, do you want a cupcake? I make pretty good ones.” Pinkie offers a freshly baked vanilla cupcake topped with purple frosting and white sprinkles. Its scent wafts over to Twilight. The smell pirouettes into her nose and draws her in for a moment. Twilight has to force herself away from the delicious smelling temptation. She must remember the situation she’s in and what they know about her and her family.

“Uh, no,” Twilight side skirts the potentially dangerous offer, “What topic did you want to discuss so badly you needed to lock me in here?”

“Join us,” Pinkie demands sweetly.

“No,” Twilight denies as coldly as the first time.

“Worth an early shot”— Pinkie shrugs off her failed attempt— “AJ’s not a bad person y’know. She’s a good judge of character, and she pegged you as a good one.”

“My mugger thinking I’m a good person doesn’t help me think she’s also a good person.” Twilight deadpans

“She has her reasons.”

“Those being?”

“It was supposed to be a whole speech in your orientation, but it can’t hurt to peek behind the curtain early.” Twilight raises an eyebrow to Pinkie. “The city sucks. You know that well. Multiple gangs and small crime rings run Manehatten, Ponyville Heights, Appaloosian Plains, Baltimore, Rainbow Falls. Even Canterlot; every borough of this city is infested. And the prodigal mayor, Celeste Sarai, does nothing about the problem in the outskirts of the city like Ponyville and Manehatten. Canterlot is the only place where things seem to happen, spear-headed by the best police captain to come from the worst side of town. AJ saw the bullshit that this city had to offer and said fuck that. She wants to change what’s happening and finally have an era of actual peace under one banner: The Elements of Harmony. We’re gonna take over the underworld and get so big nobody will want to fight us ending gang warfare in Equestria!” Pinkie says with a huge smile plastered on her face. Twilight takes in the speech, mulls it over, lets the words rumble around in her skull. It’s compelling, she hates to admit. Twilight always felt that way, but was looking to get out of the city altogether. Her dream was a way to escape this shitty city and be successful away from her family. The suspension will definitely hamper the original course, but is it enough to turn to a life of crime immediately? Not to mention the absolutely insane tactics these girls are using to add to their ranks.

“But what does robbing me have to do with this?”

“We need money and most of us don’t have the time to make it legitimately between school and work, and since we are going to be the center of all crime in the city eventually…”
“You guys go to college?”

“RD and Shy do, yea. The rest of us work to try to earn money. A little grassroots, huh?” Pinkie giggles at the notion. It’s infectious. Twilight hides her mirth.

Twilight gives it thought. The message and the lasting impact sound like a good idea. It would be fun undermining Shiny’s control. Having someone like AJ as a friend or at least an ally is beneficial to say the least. And college wasn’t completely off the table. But is joining the gang that forcefully borrowed, for lack of a better term, from me really the right move? She needed more time. The thought surprised her at first. Allying with the people who attacked her and stole from her was crazy, but the even crazier idea to take over Equestria to stop crime was a long shot. But the dream was there. A respectable dream was there. She has her own dream that doesn’t seem so impossible now. Maybe she can relate to that. And they didn’t actually steal or sell anything. Twilight sighs, “Give me a couple of days to think this all over.” Pinkie jumps for joy and rushes in for a big nonconsensual hug.

“OH! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! AJ’s super trustworthy you’ll see! I’ll tell the girls right now!” Pinkie Pie lets go and disappears into the back of the store.

Twilight, still reeling from the bear hug given to her, makes her way to the front door, finding said door still locked. “Could you at least unlock the doors before you do!” Twilight calls out. She sees a brief blur of pink, hears a click, and Pinkie is gone once more. Twilight tests the door one last time and the barrier gives way. With a ding of the bell Twilight is out of SugarCube Corner Bodega. Twilight stands to reflect on what just happened. While remembering everything, she’s reminded of the reason she was at the bodega in the first place. She promptly walks back in to start her shopping.

…

Three days pass with little fanfare. Twilight sits on the couch watching tv with Spike. It was something they did every weekend while their parents caught up on sleep. Twilight’s attention barely shifts as a knock raps against the door.

“Spike. Door,” she halfheartedly mentions. Her brother rolls his eyes and gets up to check the door. He saunters over and peers into the peephole on his tiptoes expecting to be a door to door salesman or Jehovah's Witness. What he sees instead is a welcome surprise. He opens the door happily and greets the unexpected guests.

“Hey, AJ what’s going on? Didn’t think I’d see you here anytime soon.”

Twilight’s ears prick up upon hearing the familiar voice say, “I would say the same, but interesting circumstances led us here.” Her neck twists a hundred and eighty degrees to see her brother comfortably dapping up the farm girl at her doorstep.

“AJ?!”

“Afternoon, Twilight.” AJ and the rest of the Elements of Harmony walk into the living room including a girl Twilight hadn’t met yet. However the newcomer was what was on her mind.

“What are you guys doing here? How do you know where I live? And why are you dapping up my brother?” Twilight shoots out of her seat.

“He knows my little sis. Comes over to the barn to play all the time. You can intuit the rest.” AJ speaks smugly. “We came by to hear your answer.”

“You stopped by for that. Is this a show of strength or something?” AJ shrugs.

“I mean we do know where you live, so, kind of yea.” She responds.

Weirdly, knowing AJ didn’t resort to any diabolical means to get information about her family makes her decision easier to make. And staring at the five women staring back at her in her apartment doesn’t leave many options.

“Fine. Then, yes. I will join the Elements of Harmony.”

Twilight knew the girls were crazy. Borderline insane really. You need to be if you’re part of a gang. That’s what she thought. What she used to think. She never knew she would need to reevaluate her own sanity. The newest member of a five, now six, member gang. The thought distracts her from time to time. Not enough to forget about the next week she’s gonna have. AJ had the bright idea for Twilight to shadow each member of the gang for her to learn everyone's role and to find her own.

How nice of her.

Was the thought sincere or sarcastic? Twilight opts to lead with a ‘guilty-until-proven-innocent’ mindset. She knew she would have to work with them and that AJ had good qualities, but forgiveness is not that simple.