Ding Dong
Chapter 25:
Of Horses and Fine Things
Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname walked home after another long day at school. The good news was that it was the final day before summer vacation took place, so now they had some time to do some extra things before they were due to go on their flight to London to train for the Games. Ren Hayakawa was going to be there to oversee them, as a personal mentor. She didn't need to teach them much; she just needed to do a little babysitting.
Not like Homura and Madoka needed to be watched over; for a couple of 15-year olds, they were pretty independent. All in all, the two of them needed a break from archery. The Archery Club was all over them like dogs to chew toys. They wanted to know everything about them: what they like to eat, what they like in boys...everything. And it got so personal that they felt like quitting the team. However, once Sawa Okita, Wakana Sakai and Konatsu Miyamoto intervened, the club respected their limits and only went to them if they needed advice regarding their shooting mechanics or the best way to take care of their arrows.
Madoka let out a yawn, "Good God, Homura-chan, I'm tired, I want to go shopping," she said.
"Hmmm? Where do you want to go?" she asked.
"Just some place where they sell cute dolls and stuff."
"I know a place. It's straight up the road. Follow me." Madoka took Homura's hand and they both walked to a store that sold some colorful shirts, sweaters, pants and plushies.
"Mighty Fine?" Madoka asked, raising an eyebrow. She then had to laugh. "Is this what you wanted me to see? This store?"
"It just opened last week, Madoka," Homura replied. "The selections here might please you."
"They sure are. Oooh, I think I see something your goddess likes..." Madoka dragged Homura to a stand where plushies were standing. She grabbed a purple pony plushie with a mane and tail that had purple and pink steaks. "This looks so cute! She reminds me of you."
"That's...Twilight Sparkle," she whispered.
"Who?"
"Twilight Sparkle, from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic," Homura said, annoyed that her ladyfriend didn't know anything about the show. "You don't know what that show is about?"
"No..."
"You have never watched it, at all?"
"No..."
"You do realize that there is a Japanese dub of the show, right?"
"No?"
Homura fainted. "My Goddess...knows nothing about My Little Pony...oh, I am so pathetic..." she wailed, doing her lamest Rarity impersonation.
"Homura-chan, please get up," Madoka said, not wanting any of her lover's dramatics. "Anyway, this plush is so adorable. And it's a unicorn! Wow! I love it."
"There are other plushies on the shelf if you want."
"Who's this orange one with the cowboy hat?"
"Applejack."
"And this one with the purple mane?"
"Rarity."
"And this one with the multicolored mane and wings?"
"Rainbow Dash."
"And this one with the dark pink mane and pink coat."
"Pinkie Pie."
"And this one with the yellow coat and light pink mane?"
"Fluttershy."
"Great. I'm buying them all."
"What? Madoka, are you that serious?"
"Ahem." She pointed to her rather obese wallet sitting inside her purse.
"Oh, so you are," Homura said with an embarrassed laugh. "Lead the way, my goddess."
"Of course, Homura-chan."
"Oh, and I will buy some sweaters and shirts. For you, too. This is starting to grow on me."
"But you said you didn't like the show."
"I said I didn't know anything about the show. I didn't said that I dislike it."
"Ohhh." Homura was about to reach out for her wallet when Madoka stopped her.
"Relax, I'll pay for it."
"That will be 89,000 yen, ma'am," said the clerk. Madoka paid her in full. "Thank you for shopping at Mighty Fine. Have a great day."
"You too," she replied as she placed a large, oversized shopping bag around Homura.
"So I'm carrying this, huh?" Homura said. "As well as my bow and quiver?"
"It's too heavy for me to carry. I think you can handle it."
"I can, but still, I'm carrying a lot."
"But Homura-chan, they put everything in one large bag. It's a bit of a chore to put them all in, don't you think? Besides, I'm treating you like my husband from now on."
"Is that so?" Homura gruffed, lugging the bag and her items. "You have to admit, this bag is pretty big."
"It sure is," Madoka said. "If I were to carry it, it would be dragging on the ground."
"You're...just as tall as I am, though."
"I would still be dragging it. Cause I'm not as strong as you are."
"It's not that heavy. It's just clothing and plushies, that's all."
"And what are you two doing?" asked Sayaka Miki, who happened to bump into them on the way back to Homura's house.
"We just went out shopping at this new store that sells clothing and plushies," Homura said.
"What did you buy?"
"Take a look inside."
Sayaka was shocked. "What the heck...My Little Pony? You are into that, both of you?"
"Pretty much," Madoka said. "But Homura-chan dragged me into it."
"Get out of here! Have you heard that they have dubbed the show in Japanese?"
"That's funny," Homura said as the three of them walked back, "because all I saw were the subs on Nico Nico Douga. You're on break too, Sayaka?"
"Yeah, I'm on break at the school. This means Mami and Kyouko are back doing their waitress jobs until school resumes. Anyway, they are doing the dub, and the first two episodes will premier in about an hour."
"Whoa..." Madoka said. "Sayaka, are you a Pegasister, too?"
"I like Rainbow Dash because she's like me."
"Does that make Kyouko Applejack?" Homura said. Sayaka blushed. "I said that because Kyouko likes Apples and Applejack works at a farm and orchard full of it."
"Now that you mention it..."
"Did someone mention my name?" said Kyouko Sakura, appearing in front of them, carrying a paper bag of apples.
"Kyouko!" the others exclaimed.
"Fancy you making an entrance, Kyouko," Sayaka said with a sneer.
"I try," she replied, chomping on a Fuji. The four of them continued their walk. "I got off from work early, so I decided to buy a sack of apples. Did you want any?" The others took one each. "I'll take that as a yes. And what's that bag you're lugging around, Homura?"
"This? It's a Mighty Fine bag."
"I can see that, it says, 'Mighty Fine.' Wait a second..." Kyouko shook her head. "You went to Mighty Fine?"
"That is correct."
"Awww man! That store has some of the most awesome stuff. Like..." Kyouko lowered her voice. "My Little...Pony."
"Ooooh! My Kyouko here is also a Pegasister!" Sayaka gave Kyouko a glomp. "I'm so happy!"
"All right, get off me."
"Did you hear the news about the new dub? They're dubbing the show in Japanese."
"Nice to hear."
"Kyouko-chan, Sayaka-chan...Homura-chan and I are heading over to her house to watch the new episodes," Madoka said. "Actually, from what I heard, they are going to air nonstop every episode produced so far in America and have it dubbed in Japanese."
"Every episode?" Sayaka exclaimed.
"Yep."
"Awesomesauce! I love the sounds of that. So, how are you doing with your classes, Kyouko?" she asked her ladyfriend.
"Fine. I'm just getting by. Anyway, how are you and Kyousuke doing?"
"The news I heard was that he was doing some fling in Italy. He's considering earning dual citizenship and even performed for some royal pretenders." Sayaka had to laugh. "Could you believe he's being paid euros to perform for fake royalty? That's hilarious!"
"Well, if the government of Italy changes to a monarchy and the House of Savoy is reinstalled, then the situation would be different, wouldn't it?" Homura asked, flipping her hair in spite of the heavy load she was lugging and looking at Sayaka with bad intentions.
"Now that you mention it..." Sayaka looked around for a split second, then whispered in Homura's ear. "...you may have a point."
"We're here, you guys!" Madoka said as the girls entered Homura's residence.
Homura had the key to open the door. "So, what did you purchase?" asked Kyouko as they went inside.
She laid the bag on the sofa before turning on the TV. "Dig in."
"What the hell?" Kyouko said, grabbing the Applejack plushie. "And these are all for you?"
"It's for me and Madoka when we go on our trip later this month," Homura said.
"You two are bronies? Get out of here."
"Pegasisters. It's the female version."
"I never though that you would be that into My Little Pony...oh, and would you believe it, it's on the air." The first two episodes from the first season were airing on TBS.
"I like how they made Rie Kugimiya as Pinkie Pie, Rina Satou as Rarity, Kana Hanazawa as Fluttershy, Aya Hirano as Rainbow Dash, Ami Koshimizu as Applejack and Yoko Hikasa as Twilight Sparkle," Sayaka Miki said as the watched the clip.
"Don't forget that Chiwa Satou is Princess Celestia and Yuka Iguchi is Princess Luna," Homura added. "Oh nice, and Eri Kitamura is Spike, Yukari Tamura is Scootaloo, Kanae Itou is Applebloom, Saori Hayami is Sweetie Belle and Yuichi Nakamura is Big MacIntosh."
"Good choices," Kyouko said. "I didn't think they would take this dub seriously, but they are. Pretty nice."
"It really does feel like the shows we watch," Madoka added. "Look at the way HanaKana does Fluttershy, it's so cute. She sounds like Mato."
"Who's Mato?"
"You don't know Mato? Black Rock Shooter?"
"Oh. Wasn't that anime a train wreck in terms of everything?"
"That's what I heard," said Sayaka.
Madoka heard a knock at the door. "Coming," Madoka said, and she opened the door. It was Mami Tomoe. "Oh, hi Mami-san! Back from work?"
"Yep, and I brought some snacks," she said, petting Charlotte.
"Snacks? Where?" asked Sayaka Miki, turning around and briskly walking to Mami.
"Here you go," she replied, handing her a large box of Pocky.
"Ohhhh yes! The breakfast of champions! Sorry miso soup, but I surrender my life to you, oh sweet Pocky-sama!" said Sayaka with a squee and a squeal.
"Oy, Mami, pass me a box," Kyouko said, waving a hand.
"Here," she replied, throwing one over to Kyouko, who caught it with one hand. "Nice catch."
"I remember playing rec league softball one time when I was young," she said, tearing through the box. "I still got it. But I generally like to toss apples instead."
"All right, now that everyone's here, I want us to debate on who is best pony," Sayaka said to the girls.
"What are you watching, Miki-san?" Mami asked.
"My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. In Japanese."
"Oh my. Celestia-sama sounds a bit like me, doesn't she?"
"Kind of. It's quite the coincidence, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it sure is..."
"Anyway, girls, back to the debate. I will say it for the record, loud and clear: Rainbow Dash is best pony."
"Blasphemy," Homura said, drinking a bottle of Morning Rescue.
"What? Why do you say that's blasphemy, Homura? Care to explain, sugarcube?"
"She can't do magic like Twilight Sparkle. All she can do is fly faster than the speed of sound while wearing a pretentious-looking mane and pretending to be a colt."
"Huh? Are you serious?"
"Twilight Sparkle is the best pony because she is the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria. She can cast any spell she wants and she likes to read and do research. I would love to ride with Madoka, naked, on a pony like that."
"Homura, really?" wondered Madoka, a sweat drop coming down her forehead.
"Yes, for you, and only you. Because you are mine."
"Eheheheheheheh," she giggled in trademark fashion.
"I think Applejack should be considered as best pony," Kyouko said.
"Is it because she likes to speak in Kansai-ben, Kyouko?" sneered Sayaka, elbowing her a little, causing Kyouko to blush.
"N...not just that! I mean, she is a very hard worker, takes no mess from no one, is very honest and trustworthy, and she wears a cowboy hat! An actual cowboy hat! And her mane makes her look like she's from the South! Or at least Texas! It's true! It's all true!"
Mami noticed that Kyouko was hyperventilating."Now, now, don't get so worked up, this is just a friendly debate we're having. Anyway, I think Rarity should be best pony."
"Cause she's like you in a way?" asked the others.
"Not just...that...I mean, she is very dignified, and likes to share and loves to design clothes, and I am considering being a fashion designer when I go to college. I've already made up my mind. I will become a fashion designed after I quit my job as a waitress."
"Oh," they all replied, triggering a giggle from Mami.
"How about Fluttershy?" asked Madoka. "She is perhaps the most adorable of all the ponies and likes to be with animals. She's like me because she wants to be nice to everyone and be friends with everyone."
"Madoka," Homura said. "When I look at you, I do think of Fluttershy. You would make a good Fluttershy cosplayer. Just let Mami try her hand at making a design for you and you are on your way." Madoka let out a meep at the thought.
"That leaves Pinkie Pie," Kyouko said to the folks. "Best pony?"
"Naaaaaah," they all said.
"What's not to like about Pinkie Pie?"
"She's only awesome when she's not happy," Sayaka sneered. "When she's not happy, she reminds me of you."
Kyouko stretched Sayaka's cheeks, an anger vein her head. "What was that?"
"I'm sowwy, Kyouko, I'm sowwy!"
"You'd better be!"
"That's enough, Sakura-san," Mami said, putting a hand to Kyouko's shoulder, which caused her to stop. "Anyway, Pinkie Pie really cheers everyone up, so that's nice."
"It's really difficult to say which one is best pony because anyone of these ponies can be the best," Madoka said. "So, can we all say that everyone of them is the best?" The others put palms to their foreheads. "What? Did I do something wrong?"
"Madoka. It's a debate. No need to pour water on it," Sayaka said.
"Hope you brought a towel, Sayaka-chan," she replied with her trademark giggle.
"Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the worst! Possible! THING!" she exclaimed, fainting on the couch like Rarity, triggering laughter from everyone who continued to watch the marathon of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
London. An active, progressive, bustling city of 7.5 million people. Buildings, palaces and structures of different shapes dotted the skylines, plastered with the iconic logo of the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games. The air was full of business and a vibe that can only come from being days away from hosting the world's biggest sporting event, aside from the FIFA World Cup. London was full of stadiums, arenas, theatres, schools and universities, art museums, houses of worship, double-decker buses, pomp and circumstance. It was the epitome of a world-class city. It was the original world class city outside of Rome. And now, it was days away from putting on a show the world would remember.
An army of sentinels with unusual-looking faces marched down the streets, unseen to others. They walked and walked, marching up and down the city, around all the venues, the essence of Big Brother casting a grim, threatening shadow on this metropolis. As these sentinels marched, these pale ghosts in white, they waited for the perfect day to finally do an act that would change the world forever.
And no one would stop them. Or would there be no one? For now, those sentinels continued to go through their paces, watching, waiting in the shadows, in the warm England air as the countdown to London's moment of glory came towards a fitting crescendo.
END CHAPTER 25