Hello, everypony! I'm Almost an Actress, but Novi will do. I just want to say that I am honored and flattered and, well… stunned, frankly. This sweet, lovely story was given to me by my great friend JackalFoxx. I don't know why he's leaving, or if he'll ever be back, but I want you to know that I'm going to continue his legacy! So… I'm afraid this will be a long author's note, because I'd like to get to know each and every one of you! Fungusbrain1 is a pal of mine, and his OC, Onyx Charmer, will be appearing soon. I'm so sorry that I don't know all of your OCs, but I WILL use the ones in the story! We're not accepting anymore at the moment, but I'm going to keep writing this story. Please PM me and tell me about your OC and such. :) Um… my OCs are Stunning Stitch and Thespian Moon. Well… please enjoy this continuation of Bully War.

Also… the OCs used in this chapter are: Gearbox, Plasma, Raven, and Brick, from Chapter Ten. Also, Metal Hooves and Stunning Stitch and Patch Work. That's it for this chapter! :)

So…

My Sincerest Regards,

-Novi

Classroom 8 was still. The bullies were either locked out or knocked out, giving soft, pain-induced groans, or tied up with makeshift rope, but there was no joy. Nopony dared make a sound. Raven, a midnight blue Pegasus, was perched atop a desk, her madness-filled eyes darting around like caged rodents. The desk was on the very top of a barricade built to keep the horrible bullies out of the classroom. Her feathery wings were dripping blood in little pools on the desk, from when the witchy Wispe had so cruelly ripped feathers from them. Her best friends stood below the desk, looking up at her in dismay.

A stocky gray Earth pony named Gearbox felt his eyes filling with tears. His usually scruffy light brown mane and tail were even more disheveled than usual. "Please, Raven," he begged quietly. "Please come down. Nopony's gonna hurt you anymore… I promise!"

"NO!" Raven shrieked. "Never coming down! Never… never…" Her voice got quieter near the end of her outburst, and she almost sounded as if she were falling asleep.

Gearbox winced. "Raven-" he tried, but the icy glare she sent him silenced him.

Her other friend, an indigo-colored Pegasus named Plasma, cleared his throat. Though he generally cocky and full of good cheer, he was one of the worst ponies to depend on in a crisis. It was as if another pony would take hold of his body, making him feel very small and very frightened. "R-Raven," he squeaked. "Um… please?"

Raven growled. "FOR THE LAST TIME!" she screeched. "I TOLD YOU I'M NEVER COMING DOWN!"

Plasma winced and shrank away behind Gearbox, his lightning-blue mane and tail drooping, his similar-colored eyes downcast. The last pony in their small quartet was named Brick. He was big and tough and steadfast. He had a brick-red pelt with shining orange eyes that never revealed an ounce of fear. His mane and tail were muddy brown. While his face remained a cool mask, inside he was churning. His best friend – and if he was honest, his crush – had seemingly gone mad, and his twin sister, Patch Work, was nowhere to be found. He didn't know where little Patches was, but he hoped she was faring better than he was. Before the whole hellish fiasco, he knew he'd never have a chance with Raven. She was the Pegasus to his Earth pony, the shimmery midnight blue to his dull red. And though he knew his love would go unrequited, at least he knew she would be his friend.

But now… he wasn't sure about that. He turned to Plasma and Gearbox. Gearbox was standing there steadfastly, looking up at Raven and trying to think of a plan. Gearbox is like that, Brick thought. Always formulating a plan, even when everything else is goin' crazy. He smiled tiredly. He sure was thankful for Gearbox. He turned his orange gaze to Plasma. If the situation hadn't been so dire, Brick would've laughed. The usually loud-mouthed and spunky Plasma was now a quivering blue ball of fear. He was cowering behind Gearbox, tears running from his electric blue eyes and his lip wobbling like jelly.

Brick put his front leg around Gearbox whispered, "Get shaky-pants out of here; I'll try to reason with Raven."

Gearbox nodded and gave a tiny smile, nuzzling his friend on the cheek. "Thanks, Brick." He helped Plasma from the floor and led him over to the rest of the dazed students. "Alright, everypony… listen up!" Gearbox cried. "I want us all to leave you-know-who alone," – he flicked his eyes over to Raven so everypony got the point – "…and work on figuring out how to take back the school. Sound good?" The shaky ponies nodded, and they all got to work.

Over by the door, Brick looked up to the top of the barricade and sighed. "Raven," he said, "I don't know if you're in there. If you are… please just listen. I know I may not the smartest of ponies, or the coolest… but I just want you to know I care about you. I wouldn't ever let bad things happen to you." Of all the ways I coulda confessed, he thought, the time when she's crazy is the time I do it! "What Wispe did was horrible, and I know it hurt, but she's just one pony. You know I would never do anything like that. Not me, or Plasma, or Gearbox… or my sister Patches… normal ponies don't do that. Please, Raven." He looked into her dark eyes desperately, begging her with his eyes. "Please, Raven," he repeated in a whisper. "I'll protect you." He broke the intense gaze and picked up her glasses from where they had skittered when they had been knocked off. He held them up to her. "At least put these on. You can't see without them."

Raven didn't move, but something in her eyes had changed a bit. They weren't so glassy and clouded. "Bring them," she said, her voice husky and cracking.

Brick nodded slowly and clutched the glasses to his chest as if they were a precious item. He took a few steps toward the barricade, keeping his hooves slow and plodding, making sure not to scare Raven. When he got to the foot of the barricade, he risked a quick glance up at her and began climbing the overturned objects. He kept one hoof clasped to his chest, holding the glasses gingerly, and climbed with three hooves. He stumbled a bit on the teacher's desk, but eventually made it up to the midnight blue Pegasus. He handed the glasses over to her, his face straight as usual. "There you go," he said gently. "Would you like me to go away now?"

Raven put the glasses on, and things went from blurry to clear. Something in her mind clicked. She was suddenly acutely aware of everything going on around her. The gentle dripping on blood from her wings, the intense pain she felt from them, Brick's soft breathing, the smooth, laminated wood of the desk she was sitting on, the murmur of voices from the students planning in the corner… all of it. She drew her wings close to her body and shook her head. "Stay," she commanded hoarsely, leaning her head on her hooves and dropping her ears to the sides of her skull.

Brick copied Raven's movements, flicking his ears to the sides of his head, crossing his blocky hooves, and leaning his head on his legs. He scooted a little closer to her and wrapped his muddy brown tail around Raven's black tail.

Raven felt herself blushing and brushed back a strand of red in her red and black mane. She placed her hoof on top of Brick's and looked over at him smiling. "You really care about me?" she asked, the last of the madness exiting her eyes.

Brick could've cried with relief, but instead he felt his cheeks turning scarlet – luckily hidden by his pelt – and his hooves beginning to sweat. "I… unh… yeah," he mumbled, speechless. He looked over at Raven and smiled. "We, uh… might wanna take care of your wings," he suggested.

"They can wait," Raven said primly.

Brick smiled and observed Raven's hoof on top of his, their tails intertwined. "Okay," he mumbled, and laid his head on her shoulder.

XXX

Metal Hooves couldn't stop thinking about that stupid pink unicorn. He narrowed his red eyes at the white cinderblock wall in front of him and snorted air out of his nostrils like bull. Pink as cough medicine, a mane as red as blood, and giant watery blue eyes, he thought, trying to make her sound as ugly as possible. She'd actually been quite the looker, but it turned out that she was pretty stupid. Then again… you aren't too smart either, Metal Brain, Metal Hooves mentally scolded himself. When they had looked into each other's eyes when he'd shoved her up in the attic, there had been a connection. Red eyes on blue eyes, two unicorns, captor to captive. He adjusted the headphones hanging around his neck, ignoring the heavy metal song pulsating out of them. He knew that they were ruining his hearing, but he didn't care. Maybe he didn't want to hear anything the world had to say.

He raised a pale gray hoof and ran it through his inky black mane, pushing some strands out of his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to burn the image of her away from his brain, but it couldn't be done. "Face it Metal Brain," he muttered to himself. "You're just a no good punk, and she's a pretty pink dressmaker. A knockout like her'd never go for a clod like you." The last words came out in a growl, and he was so incensed that he punched the wall. Of course, this nearly shattered his hoof, and he shrieked girlishly in pain.

I have to get her back.

The thought rushed through his mind as he clutched his hoof and hopped around in pain. It was such a shock to him that he paused and fell over. From the floor, he stared up at the ceiling… and began a plan….