Unexpected Connections

"Sleeping bags?"
"Check."
"Snacks?"
"Check."
"Guests?"
"We've been sitting here for 5 minutes Sweetie Belle."

Scootaloo let out a groan, the word 'Check' was probably going to be haunting her nightmares for weeks. Sitting with her were Apple Bloom, Babs Seed and Twist. They were joined by Sweetie Belle who shot a pointed glare at her pegasus friend. "There's no reason why we can't double check Scoots."

Apple Bloom looked at the floor, shaking her yellow head. "Yer beginnin' ta sound like Twilight Sweetie." She teased, bopping her lightly on the shoulder in amusement. The two fillies tussled and Sweetie Belle somehow came out on top, ruffling Apple Bloom's mane with a hoof.

Twist nodded in agreement. "I've only met Twilight once, but sthe was in a xraze and made me obsthethed with her doll, stho you acting like thisth remindsth me of her." She chuckled, her lisp allowed free because she knew that she was among friends that wouldn't bully her.

Babs chuckled weakly, her eyes were distant. "Yeah... Twilight..." Her voice was dull and hollow, devoid of all emotion. Her thoughts were still on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, how their words had sliced right into her core. She felt a deep sadness in her gut and she gulped down a knot in her throat, a knot that wanted to come out in a huge sob as her eyes became glassy.

Apple Bloom pretty much tackle hugged the Manehattan filly. "It's ok Babs. Those bullies can't get ya here." She said soothingly, her arms wrapped tightly around the little seed. Babs let out a small tremble and the country filly felt tears splash onto her back, trailing down and pearling on her strawberry red tail.

Babs stopped crying and dried her eyes. "Thanks Apple Bloom. Youze are a great friend, all of ya." She said, a small smile forming on her tear streaked face.

Twist walked up and smiled. "You Sthouldn't listhten to thosthe bulliesth. They bug me all the time because of my listhp and how they think I'm a nerd. They justht want to prove that they're not losers, Diamond Tiara justht doesth it so that sthhe doesth'nt feel bad about her sthpecial talent and Sthilver Sthpoon justht wantsh to be popular and doesthn't like Tiara at all." She said, giggling a bit and waving a pale cream hoof.

Babs gaped at her. "How did youze know about dat? When I first came here, them bullies told me about how they did it ta make themselves feel betta." She said, feeling her cheeks get a bit pink as the old memories came to play. "I let myself become a bully so that I wouldn't get bullies. I bulled my friends," She pointed at her fellow Crusaders, "Because Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon started ta pick on me. I was already bullied back home, but now that I told ma big sis Orange Cocktail about it she's been helping me with them." She said, feeling that little feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach.

Apple Bloom felt her smile growing bigger. "Yer gettin' help with the bullies? That's amazing Babs! Now ya don't have ta be scared anymore!" She congratulated, bopping her with a hoof in a playful manner. She was greeted by Babs giving her a small hit and she chuckled.

The caramel filly nodded. "Yeah. Eva since da reunion, Orange Cocktail has been helpin' me with dem. Ya know dey were da ponies who cut ma mane and tail." She confessed, blowing a few strands of her candy colored hair out of her eyes.

Scootaloo's jaw gaped. "What? How?" She asked. The four fillies leaned in and Babs backed up a bit, a nervous look on her face. "I'll tell youze but give me some space." She said, sitting down and starting the story;

So I was out with Orange Cocktail, we went to da movies. We watched a good one, Avengers: Equestria's Mightiest Heroes. So we were done, but Cocktail had ta go ta bathroom. She told me to wait fo' her, but I decided ta wait outside. So I was just standing by the doors, went suddenly I feel something brush against ma coat and a hoof clamped over my mouth. I started ta fight and I bit down, but dey caught me by the tail and dragged me into an alley.

One of da bullies stuffed a gag in ma mouth and dey held me down. He said how he wanted to use ma mane and tail ta stuff his pillow and dat a useless filly didn't deserve such a nice mane. So he started cuttin'. He cut a good portion of ma mane off and then he cut off ma tail. I managed to get free befo' dey decided ta kill me and ran back into the theatre. I told Cocktail what happened and I was a cryin' mess.

She cleaned me up a bit and made ma mane like this. Dey used a broken bottle for ma tail because ma mane was too thick, but one of dem coughed up a rusty knife and they cut ma mane really rough like.

Babs finished the story and looked at the four gaping fillies.

"I can't believe they'd do that to you!
"I feel like crying now..."
"If ah'd been there ah would've hogtied them and bucked their hides into next year."
"Thosthe guysth are sthuch jerksth! What did you do to them?"

Babs nodded. "Yep. Afta I got help from ma sis, da bullies went away. Ma parents are both cowards, both of dem are useless so I only talk ta Orange Cocktail. She knows what she's doin' and she knows how ta do it right. She doesn't take anypony's crap because she's tough. She looks like a proper mare to impress, but she's a tough cookie." The Manehattanite filly said proudly.

Twist looked at her sympathetically. "I remember once I got jumped, itsth why I wear my glasthes. They have a sthpecial sthpell on them." She took the purple frames off her face and the minute they were gone, there was a spark and her eyes went crossed, one iris looking normally while the other drifted. "Everypony usthed to make fun of me becausthe they thought I sthtupid." She explained.

Babs looked at her in amazement. "Dat's just a low blow. How'd ya get jumped if ya don't mind ma asking?" She asked, slinging her front leg around the cream filly's shoulders.

Apple Bloom was visibly shaking. "Oh mah Celestia Twist why didm't ya tell me?" She asked, moving closer. "We've been best friends for a couple years and ya never told me." The farm filly looked hurt.

Twist flattened her ears a bit. "I could tell you how I got jumped, but don't tell anypony elsthe." She proposed seriously, looking at them with hopeful eyes.. The Crusaders nodded and she sat down again.

I wasth on my way back home from sthchool, really happy becausthe Truffle Sthhuffle asthked me to go to the dance with him. Anywaysth, I took a wrong turn becausthe I wasthn't paying attention and I saw thisth group of teenage sthtalllions, they were laughing becausthe they had justht done graffiti all over the sthide of a building.

I tried to leave, but they sthaw me and they circled me. They sthaid that if I told on them, they'd find me. But they didn't believe me when I sthaid I wouldn't. Before I knew it, I was being flown into the air by a pegasthusth. He dropped me when we were really high up. Something banged me on the head and after that I don't remember anything.

I woke up in the hosthpital. Sthomepony had heard me sthcreaming and they came and found me. I saw my reflection and how my eye wasth and they told me that I wasth lucky to be alive. The hit to the head sthcrambled my brain a bit and the nervesth going to one eye were damaged. Stho I got some sthpecial glasthsthes with an illusion sthpell on them so that it would hide the way my eye wasth. I told my mom about the criminalsth after that.

Sweetie Belle had her hooves over her mouth and tears in her eyes. "That's just horrible!" She exclaimed. She flung herself forwards and hugged Twist, one foreleg stretching out and bringing a very reluctant Babs into the hug. The little filly's shoulders shook as she cried.

Apple Bloom pried the white unicorn off of the two fillies and hugged her. "It's ok Sweetie, just calm down. They ain't here right now." She soothed, running her hoof down the little unicorn's back. She gave Babs an apologetic look from over the crying white filly's shoulder.

Babs looked at Twist in amazement. She thought that Ponyville bullying was petty insults and the occasional foalish fight, she had no idea it was this bad. She pulled Twist closer to her and put her glasses back on.

Youze should see Manehattan. When dey get ya, yer only chance is ta pray ta Celestia dey have mercy on ya. Dey cut yer throat with a broken bottle and then dey do unspeakable things ta ya.

I've been beaten and insulted, but I know dat dem bullies have done worse. I had a friend who was a few years older than me. She got attacked, shoved into an alley and pinned against da wall. Da stallion had his friends hold her there, stuff a gag in her mouth and den he raped her. When he was done, he left her there, bleeding and crying in shame. She lay dere fo' hours, too weak ta move. When she did get home, her parents were so upset. Dey gave her da boot for makin' 'em worry, she always had awful parents. She came ta ma house, she had bruises from a beating and she was cryin' her eyes out. Ma parents agreed to let her stay, but they didn't really want her ta. One day I saw ma parents take her into their room for a talk, I woke up in da middle of da night and she was gone. Never saw her again.

She whispered, tears coming to her eyes at the memories.

Scootaloo looked at her in shock. "R-Rape? Babs how do you stand living there?" She asked quietly, for once afraid of something she hadn't heard in a horror story.

The bobtail filly sighed. "It's a rough and tumble town, that's fo' sure. Da bullies make sure ya neva forget dem, whether dey give ya scars or go afta ya with words it always hurts. Diamond Tiara and Silva Spoon would neva last a day in Manehattan, dey'd get killed." She murmured.

Sweetie Belle was openly shivering and crying, eyes wide with terror.

Scootaloo took notice of this and looked at the others. "Girls I think it's time for us to go to bed before Sweetie has a mental break down. But first..." She winked at Apple Bloom who nodded and ran out of the clubhouse.

A minute later, Apple Bloom rushed back in with a tightly yet kind off sloppy wrapped present, in her haste tripping over the ledge between the ramp. She let out a little yelp and managed to chuck the bundle, smacking Twist in the face with it before her own face connected with the floor. She bounced back up as if nothing happened and hurried over, smiling apologetically at Twist. "Sorry. But this is our birthday present ta y'all."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Babs and Twist swore that their ears shattered when the three fillies screamed in unison.

The creamy filly smiled gleefully and opened the present, gasping when she saw what lay inside. A shining, brand new bright red Cutie Mark Crusaders cape. Golden silk lined the interior and the blue and yellow patch was sewn crudely onto the exterior. "Wow! Thanksth guysth, thisth isth so cool!" She squealed, throwing the cape on and tying the front.

Scootaloo stepped forwards, a smile on her orange face. "We want to welcome you into the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Even if you already have your cutie mark, we want you to join us! What'd you-" She saw cut off as a squealing Twist tackled her in an enormous hug, babbling her thanks as happy tears rolled down her face.

Babs Seed smiled brightly, tears in her own acid colored eyes.

~~~~~

At the train station, five Crusaders stood together, waiting for the train to arrive. The maple colored Manehattanite had her bags packed and was waiting for the train to take her home, back to the cold streets of her criminal-infested city. She could see the outline of the approaching locomotor and turned around to the other four Crusaders, the newest one frowning.

Twist frowned and stepped towards Babs. "I'm gonna missth you Babsth." She said sadly. To her surprise, a pair of forelegs wrapped around her in a hug and she hugged her new friend back, smiling.

Babs had tears in her eyes, but she refused to cry. "I'll miss youze too Twist. Youze are much betta then da fillies and colts back home. Friends?" She offered, pulling back and holding out a hoof.

Twist smiled. "Friendsth." She agreed, reaching out her own hoof and bumping hooves with the foreign filly.

The train pulled into the station and stopped, pulling away after fifteen minutes. When it did, there were only four Crusaders, left, each of them waving to Babs Seed as she was taken back to Manehattan.

Babs waved back at them, keeping her eyes on her newest friend Twist. She hadn't expected to make any new friends, but then again she never planned to make friends. Last night she'd found a new friend because she'd faced her fears of seeing the Crusaders again, she'd met a new pony and stood up for her against bullies and she'd discovered that friendship was a powerful thing. But the thing that had given her a friend was something she'd thought would make her lose friends, her past was not a pretty thing. She'd made a friend through connections.

Through her unexpected connections.