"Writer's Block: Broken Lens"
By lyingcake852 (https://pastebin.com/u/lyingcake852)

URL: https://pastebin.com/8vqFMxK9
Created on: Friday 22nd of August 2014 06:20:12 PM CDT
Retrieved on: Sunday 25 of October 2020 01:14:13 PM UTC


Broken Lens 

>Join a club they said.
>It would be fun they said.
>Late in the afternoon on a Monday.
>I'm just dumbfounded to find myself in this situation.
>Me, in my partner's "house".
>My partner, held by an unknown man behind her with his arm.
>My partner is coughing. Her fever's rising.
>In my hand, a photograph that barely stands up on its own as evidence against a man we were tasked to stalk.
>But to the man behind my partner, he's more than interested to get it.
>And we haven't even gotten to the bottom of the photograph's mystery yet.

>I suppose it would be best to start from the beginning.

>It's a good Friday morning.
>Not a normal Friday at all. It was club day.
>A day where the whole day is spent preparing for the upcoming Output day.
>See, output day is the day were all the clubs show something that they've been working on for the past two months. Show a good output, we get a passing mark. Show none, we fail.
>My club is the Journalism club. It wasn't my first choice, but I thought the club was interesting.
>It gives you the reason to delve into everyone's stories. See their lives. Maybe even a free pass to use the school's security cameras.
>Throughout my days in this school, the students were, how you say, out of the ordinary.
>There's Twilight and Shimmers, the two women who seem to be sisters that have escaped from an amish land.
>There's Nolan North, son of the rich and wealthy who somehow ended up studying in a public school like this.
>There's Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. Those two are always so weird together.
>There's Norman Normal, the infamous boy that half the female population of this school knows from pants-up, there's Patricia Watermelody, rumoured to be  in a relationship with a minor, Roman Roland , the paranoid schizophrenic, and so on.
>We only know them from how we see them, but deep down, they always have something else.
>A feeling? A story? A little of both?
>Maybe in my months here in this school, I'd be able to know everyone's story. 
>Wind blows through my face. The day has just started.
>I wonder to where the wind will take me.

>Today is the first time I'm meeting all of my clubmates.
>The school grounds is already full of the students trying to group up with their friends, or doing a club project.
>I paid them no mind and went directly to the school's printing room.
>There, I find everyone in it.
>Soren, Mary, Silver Shill and the others.
>I already talked with Soren yesterday about how the club works. Their people and their rules.
>So far, I've learnt a few things about this club that I joined.
>One, the staff is mostly inexperienced. Just rejects that was salvaged by Soren, the head editor of the group.
>Two, they have a strict rule of "No truth expansions", which means that everything we do must be truth as well as interesting. No stretching the story or anything that changes facts.
>Despite their lack of serious workers, they still have quality control intact.
>And three, they haven't found a cover story to show during Output day.
>They need something generously interesting, scandalous or explosive, or we all get F's.
>I'm a little excited and scared. Mostly due to the stories Soren told me about.
>Opening the door, everyone is slacking off.
"First impressions...eh." I tell myself.
>Soren's trying to set up chairs at the meeting room while some of the students do their own thing.
>Trixie's fiddling with the calculator. She seems visibly upset.
>With her mashing, I'm starting to feel bad for the calculator.
"Need help with that?"
>"Trixie does not need your help!" She says.
>I'm still not used to her referring to herself in the third person. She does that when she's showing off a presentation in most of the classes we're both in.
"Sorry. You just seem-"
>>>"Leave her be. She's just computing her grades." A familiar voice says.
"Oh Sweetleaf. I'm surprised to see you here."
>>>"Why? Expected me at the botany club?"
"Actually it's because Soren told me you were...cutting club day alot."
>>>"He wouldn't be lying." She says, disappointment in her tone. "By the way, have you seen Timothy?"
"Err, no. Why'd you ask?"
>>>"Don't know. He just seemed...odd."
"How?"
>>>"Well, yesterday, I found him in-"
>Before Sweetleaf could continue, Soren calls the club to join him in the meeting room.
>>"Hey guys, get in here!"
>>>"This should be interesting.
>The whole club sits down while Soren fixes the projector.
>And by fix I mean he's whacking it with his fist.
>Trixie's still fiddling with her calculator while Photo Finish watches her with interest.
>The projector lights up. Caveman Soren has done it again.
>>"Alright everyone. All you slackers and history class failees. I guess you all know why we're here."
>Everyone takes their seats. 
>Slide changes to a collage of photos featuring many distinct clubs in the school.
>>"We still don't have a story to give for output day."
>>>>>>"I can blame you for that. You're a horrible boss." Photo Finish says to Soren.
>>"I don't care if you want to blame me for this failure, but right now, we only have one week to get our stories straight, and we're seriously understaffed."
>"Or that our members are full of incompetence." Trixie says
>>>"Hey Trixie, why don't you keep your trap shut. Not like you've done anything to make sure you don't fail 'history' again." Sweetleaf retorts.
>I lean in to Sweetleaf's side.
"What's up with the history class mentions?"
>>>"Journalism club is connected to history class. It's like extra credit if we get a grade of B and above, like how botany club is connected to chemistry class."
"Ah, right."
>>>>"Do we even have a subject to search this week?" Silver Shill asks.
>>"Look, we just need a juicy story. Something that's interesting and a fact!"
>>>>>"Goodluck finding that. This is reality, and unless some student here releases a sex tape, or that someone is planning a conspiracy and we find out about it in less than five days, we're screwed!" Sweetcream Scoops says.
>>"I know, I know, but getting pessimistic about this isn't helping us at all! So if anyone has an idea, be my damn guest!"
>Sweetcream raises her hand.
>>"And no, we will not stalk Mcintosh." Soren says.
>>>>>"Awww!" Sweetcream and Photo Finish says in unison.
"Why not report on what the clubs will show on output day?"
>>"We already did that three months ago. Principal Celestia doesn't like early do-overs."
>Trixie raises her hand.
>"How about-"
>>"No Trixie, we will not do an interview about you."
>"Hmph. And you said we're not allowed to be pessimistic."
>>>"What about politics?" Sweetleaf asks.
>>"Sweetleaf, I don't like to bring in liberal and republican discussion into this-"
>>>"No no, you misunderstand. I mean THAT." Sweetleaf says, pointing to the window .
>Out the window, a poster on the student council elections. 
>>>"Elections is far away, I know, but what attracts juicy stories?" Sweetleaf asks.
"Hollywood?"
>>>"Yes, hollywood. Hollywood has celebrities. Politicians are like celebrities. Celebrities always has monthly scandals. Ergo..."
>>"One of the politicians must be doing something big!" Soren says in a triumphant tone.
>>>"Or is hiding something big." Sweetleaf says with a sly tone."
>>"Alright, who are we gonna focus on?" Soren asks
"How about Roland?" I say, teasing Sweetleaf.
>As many know, Sweetleaf is one of Roland's campaign managers, along with Pete Pasta and two unnamed others.
>>>"I'd have no problem with that. The problem is, I can't find him anywhere now."
"Aren't you two buddies?"
>>>"There's been a racoon and a squirrel harassing him in his home, so he hasn't campaigned properly for the elections. Unless you want to run a story on "Paranoid boy takes on Fluttershy's furry friends"...
>>"Yeah. Besides, everyone knows about Roman's embarrassing escapades. It's not even surprising anymore." Soren says, siding with Sweetleaf.
>>>>"What about Bonbon Sweetdrops?" Silver Shill asks.
>>>>>"We want to reel in customers, not push them away!" Sweetcream says."
>"She's right. Even Trixie does not like the company of that lesbian feminist. She's too loud. Trixie's delicate ears are far too valuable to be in the company of a vile woman such as her." Trixie adds.
"Well, since no one wants the two, guess we're stuck with the last one."
>>"Nolan."
>>>>>"Hey, at least that guy's worth stalking. He has a cute butt and a pretty decent school record. Let's ruin him." Sweetcream says.
>>>>"Come on, Scoops, we're better than that." Silver Shill says.
>>"Sadly, we're probably stuck with doing that, Silver."
"So we're done? We're all going to stalk Nolan now for the whole week?"
>>"No. We just need two people, and since you asked, you will be stalking Nolan."
"...Crap."
>>"Trixie will be joining you."
>"WHAT? TRIXIE WILL NOT HIDE IN BUSHES JUST TO-"
>>"Trixie. This is for your grade. Besides, you're ruthless and practically lacking a conscience for this job, so you'll be able to capture and report on whatever you and your partner catch Nolan doing. Hopefully he does something this week."
>Trixie sighs.
>"Fine. Trixie will accompany the peasant."
>>"Also, I suggest you buy a film camera."
"Old school? Not digital?"
>>"It's better to back a reputation-threatening photo with some evidence."
"...right."
>Negatives were one way of proving that a photo isn't photoshopped back in the early years of digital technology.
>Man I feel old.
>>>>>"Wait, what about me?" Sweetcream asks.
>>>>>>"And me! Am I NOT the photographer worthy of this task?" Photo Finish adds.
>>"Your skills are needed elsewhere, Photo. You and Shill are tasked to follow the varsity and the student council around and go get interviews and whatever on them. Photo, you're gonna need to get photos of the varsity in action, and you're literally the only one here who can use a high-tech camera on high-speed situations."
>>>>"Hello?! You're forgetting me!"
>>"You're on writing duty with me, Sweetcream."
>>>>"WHAT?! WHY ME? WHY CAN'T IT BE SWEETLEAF?"
>>"Because if my calculations are correct, Mary has already left the building 10 seconds ago.
>Soren turns around to do a head count. I turn to my side.
>Mary Sweetleaf's gone.
>>"Knew it."
>The whole club walks out of the meeting room, either depressed or bored by their assignments.
"Well partner, looks like we're on stalking duty."
>"How dare that cur put me on such a low-ranking duty. Does he not know who I am?"
"Everyone knows who you are."
>"Thank you, I-"
"Because you wouldn't shut up about it."
>"Do not get into Trixie's nerves. Trixie's patience is only...HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"
"Buying a cheap camera."
>"Do not fear, partner of mine. I, Trixie, has brought her camera phone!"
>Trixie beholds her phone in front of me.
>It's a really old phone. I grab it from her to check it out.
"The memory is full."
>The gallery of her phone is filled with photos of her.
>Literally only photos of her. It wouldn't be surprised if I find a nude photo of her in here.
"You should delete a few, Trixie."
>"Trixie will do no such thing! These photos are of good taste and deleting them would be like stepping on a perfectly good black truffle!"
"Then using your phone is out of the question. Besides,  I'm buying a junkyard camera now, and I will not take pictures of you just to test it."
>"Ugh! You are the worst partner...ACK!"
>I pull Trixie out of the room and dragged her to the nearest junkshop.
>Hopefully it doesn't count as count as cutting classes if we're coming back anyway. Besides, it's club day.
>We arrive at the junkyard. The place is pretty much what you'd imagine a junkyard would be.
>On the bright side, it's 2:00 PM and the place is on break.
>"EEK! A MOUSE JUST RAN BY!"
"It's a mouse, Trixie. They do that."
>"Trixie does not like this place!"
"No one does, but it's the best place to find a good film camera for a cheap price."
>I knock on the stall to see if anyone's there.
>An old man with a cap comes to greet us.
>His face filled with scars and sports a bad yellow eye. 
>His arm has a mix of scaly and feathery features.
>Probably suffering from a skin disorder.

>>"Welcome to Discord's Junk and Dunk. How may'ah help you?" He says in a gentlemanly voice.
"You got a camera for sale?" I ask.
>>"What kind?"
"One that still uses negatives."
>>"What, too broke to get a digital one?"
"School project. Need one with negatives and all that."
>>"Ah yes. I remember when I used to work there. Such a nice place, that school is."
>The man reminisces for a while.
>>"Let me check my inventory. Hrm, yes."
>He turns around while Trixie asks me how I know this place.
>"Do you shop your clothes from this man?"
"Nah. I just overheard from the janitor that the guy here fixes and sells cheap stuff."
>>"Here you are sit. Take your pick."
>I test every single one and took the third camera.
>It seems to be in tip-top shape.
>>"That be a nice one." He says. "Just fixed that three months ago. All it needed was a lens change."
"How much?"
>>"$8.00."
"Can't it be for $5.00?"
>>"Kid, I work at a junk yard. Take it or leave it."
"Come on, man!"
>>"Don't you have a heart?" He says with a sarcastic pity voice while blinking in a sarcastically pitiful manner..
"Ugh, fine."
>I hand him my 8 bucks.
>>"Heh. Guess you do have a heart after all. Not that it matters."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
>He pokes my chest.
"HEY!"
>>"Careful when you stress yourself. Yours isn't in good shape if you recall." 

[spoiler] Tug Tug [/spoiler]
"How did you-"

>"HEY PARTNER!" Trixie yells.
"Huh?"
>"I FOUND OUR GUY!"
>Trixie points outside the junkyard at a red-haired man.
>It's Nolan.
>I look back at the stall but Discord is gone.
>Before I could make a comment in my head, Trixie is already pulling my arm to the junkyard's gate.
"Slow down, Trixie!"
>Trixie leads me to a corner and points to where Nolan is.
>"There he is!"
"Okay..."
>We're watching Nolan standing there.
>Just here.
>Watching Nolan.
>Stand.
"Trixie, what are we watching?"
>"OUR ASSIGNMENT!"
"And has he done anything worth taking a picture of?"
>Trixie thinks to herself.
>"No."
"Trixie..."
>"..."
>Trixie is completely oblivious to how this thing works.
>Nolan is currently in a place filled with people.
>Trixie won't find anything worth reporting on here. Neither will I.
"Trixie, this isn't the place or the time to do this."
>"What on earth do you mean?"
"Do you really think Nolan will do something there that will be worth putting in the school paper?"
>"W-Well..."
"Sigh, come on. We'll try later."
>Trixie frowns while scratching her head.

>Minutes later, we head on to the cafeteria to grab a small snack.
>Trixie is just sitting there pounding on the calculator violently.
>As I arrive to the table, Trixie just bangs her head to the table in defeat.
"What the hell are you doing?" I say as I hand her a box of mango juice.
>"TRIXIE IS DOOOMED!"
"You're failing history class?"
>"EVERYTHING I COMPUTE IN THIS CALCULATOR, IT ENDS UP IN A 74.0 GRADE AVERAGE!"
"Your loss."
>"Why don't we go back and check up on Nolan again?"
"Trixie, for the last time, we are not stalking Nolan in a public place. Soren ordered us to get an interesting story and we're not going to get a good story if everyone had already witnessed it before we could've even printed an article about it."
>"BAH! This club is just depressing."
"The real world journalism is even tougher. Deadlines turn people into stalkers and often times, they're just praying for something bad to happen. Just like you and me with Nolan."
>"Is it so much to ask that the goddesses of this earth grant Nolan a bad reputation?"
"You know, I see how you're better off in this club than in the others."
>"Why? Because of what Soren said? That Trixie is a soulless parasite?"
>I nod.
"I'm sure Soren didn't say you were a parasite, but yeah, you're desperate enough to work without guilt."
>"Why does everyone think that Trixie is a selfish cold hearted woman? Trixie is more than that!"
"Maybe it's because you are one?"
>She is shocked at your comment.
>"How DARE YOU INSULT THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!"
>I look at her in disbelief.
"Trixie, no one refers to themselves in the first person unless it's for show or for fun."
>"Hmph." She says, ignoring that last thing I said.
>I've only hung out with her for a few hours and already I have a good perspective of how Trixie is.
>And everyone's guess is as similar as mine. She's shallow, selfish and only looks out for herself.
>I bet she even lives in some fancy mansion like Nolan, spoiled by her parents.
>Still, this is the club I chose. I must endure this 'partnership' with Trixie for a little while longer.

>The bell rings.
>Club day is over. The students hurrily went outside while Vice Principal Luna reminds us about Output day.
>Me and Trixie both briskly walked to the stairs.
"We have our orders. Find Nolan and initiate Operation: Rich Boy."
>"What are you blabbering on about?"
"Sorry. Just wanted to talk funny."
>"Well stop. You're talking like a child."
"Better than you."
>"What was that?"
"You heard me."
>All the students are on the school grounds, chatting and hanging out.
>Here we see Nolan, talking to Amy and Timothy as per usual.
>Nothing suspicious is happening so far.
>Trixie is growing impatient. 
>An hour of waiting later, Nolan finally walks home.
>Trixie hasn't said a word, which is surprising considering her personality.
>There we follow Nolan...
>And follow...
>And follow...
>And he's home.
>Nothing happened.
>"AAARGH!" Trixie yells in frustration. "NOTHING'S HAPPENING!"
>Trixie exaggerates her rage by jumping up and down like a monkey who had just sat on a cactus.
"Calm down, let's just call it a day."
>"A DAY? WE'RE DOWN A DAY! NOW WE HAVE...UHH...FIVE DAYS LEFT!"
"Look, screaming and shouting isn't going to get us anywhere."
>"F-Fine."
>I hand her a piece of paper.
"My number. Any place we can meet tomorrow Saturday?"
>Trixie thinks for a moment.
>"Burgerphile. 6:00 AM."
"Too early."
>"Fine. 6:01 AM."
>She's serious about it.
"How about 9:00? I mean, we're in the technological age! Just stalk his Wastebook page."
>"What's a wastebook page?"
"...Wait, you seriously don't know about Wastebook?"
>She's blank on that. Her raises her eyebrow in confusion.
>For a narcistic woman, she's pretty clueless on the world's greatest whoring invention which is social media.
>Must be technologically impaired.
"Let's just meet up at 9:00 in Burgerphile. I'll...deal with wastebook."
>Trixie rubs the sides of her head out of stress.
>"Alright, alright. Trixie's gonna need her beauty sleep at this rate."
>Trixie heads off back to...wherever she lives and so do I.
>We have a whole week to stalk this innocent man.
>Stuck with a talking mirror for this whole affair.
>This is going to be a long week.

>Something disturbs me from my sleep.
>It's the sun in my face.
"*groan*"
>Sun shining, birds chirping.
>Such a beautiful Saturday if you ask me. Shame I had to wake up early instead of sleeping in until 11:00 PM.
>I decide to check out Nolan's Wastebook page to see if he's going anywhere interesting.
>He has over 800 f-ollow-riends. Typical social media numbers.
>Most of his pictures are either with Amy or with his family.
>There's nothing unusual here.
>Nothing.
>I look at the camera that I bought. I wonder if something will happen this week.
>It's a pretty good looking camera. Not too bad for a junkyard camera.
>I pack up, load the camera with some film and went on my way to meet up with Trixie.
>I arrive at the meet-up place a bit late.
>Surely Trixie wouldn't mind.
>Right now, she's fidgiting. Twitching like bird.
>"WHERE THE HECK WERE YOU? YOU ARE THREE-HUNDRED SECONDS LATE!"
"Look, I'm here."
>"RIGHT!"
>Trixie stands up and pulls me away from the establishment.
"HEY!"
>"TO NOLAN'S HOUSE!" She says, pointing to the skies.
"Will you calm down, Trixie?"
>"No, Trixie will not calm down!"
>I feel a sense of nostalgia from this pulling. Reminds me of my mom when she'd pull me to the groceries when I was a kid.
>She pushes me to a bush. We're near Nolan's house.
>I've only seen his home once a few weeks ago. Now that I look at it, it's not as grand as I imagined. 
>I mean, it's still better looking than the rest of the homes here. Just not a mansion or a hollywood villa.
>She then grabs her binoculars and spies on his window.
"Yeesh, you're really intent on getting dirt on this guy."
>"We have a deadline, and we're going to make it."
"You know, even if we camp out here all week, there's still a chance that nothing will happen."
>"That's why I made...THIS!"
"...Is that a Sunset Shimmers...paper doll?"
>"Yes! Once he goes out of that door, you take a picture of him while I hold this doll, making him look like he's secretly dating Shimmers!"
"Trixie, we can't do that. Your doll looks too fake, and aside from that, we can't just lie by making a false controversy!"
>"WHY NOT?"
"Two things. One, film. My camera uses film, so photoshopping is out of the question. Soren made sure that we do things more...professionally."
>"What the heck is a photoshop?"
"...Don't you have a computer?"
>"Pshh, the nerds' television?"
"..."
>"What?"
>I can see why Trixie never mentioned photoshopping before, despite being desperate.
>She's really technologically impaired.
"Photoshopping is...well, a term for doctoring an event or a photograph."
>"But..."
"And number two, Nolan's too popular. To embarrass him with a false photo would be our demise at the hands of his friends."
>"ARGH! DAMN IT! IF HE DOESN'T DO ANYTHING, I'M SCREWED!"
"Well, don't beat me up if we fail this assi-"
>Trixie covers my mouth with her hand.
>"SHHH!" I SEE NOLAN!"
>Nolan's exiting his house and heads to the garage door.
>He's standing there, staring at it.
>"I'm willing to bet he's hiding a body in there, or some sort of big secret like a whole shebang of escorts."
>I spit on her hand so she'd move it away from my mouth.
>"Ack! Ew!"
>He continues to stare at it for a while before shaking his head.
>He seems to be disgusted by it.
>Nolan goes to the sidewalk and takes a walk.
>"Come on!"
"Where are you going? He'll see us!"
>Too late. Trixie's already jumping for the garage door.
>She's trying to lift it open.
>"HUUUURRRGHH..."
"Uhh, Trixie?"
>"HRRRMPPPH!"
"Trixie."
>"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, HELP ME WITH THIS!"
"Trixie, it opens sideways."
>"..."
"Yeah."
>She opens the garage door, only slightly. 
>Entering, there's nothing inside but a newly washed car without a roof.
"It's a sports car."
>"And it's pink. Retractable hood too."
>Trixie inspects the open car. 
"Hey, what's this?"
>Trixie takes a small piece of what seems to be a dry handkerchief.
>Some parts of it indicates it used to be wet. Not from sneezing.
>A smaller part of it is stained with blood.
>She sniffs it.
"Err..."
>"It's not perfumed." She says in a disappointed tone.
"Even if it is, we don't know-"
>"It's Applejack's."
"-if it's...WHAT? HOW DID YOU-"
>The hanky has a small word sewed on the lower right.
>Applejack, with some flowers near the name for design. Probably made by Rarity.
>Trixie grins.
>"We're on to something. I can feel it."
"I can't believe it. We might actually hit gold on this, and I feel bad at the same time."
>"Deal with it, we need to catch Nolan in the act of meeting with this...apple-obsessed harlot!"
"Or you know, he probably just picked it up.
>I can see her eyes sparkling with determination.
" One of us should've followed him."
>"I know. Ugh...Wait, we can!"
"How?"
>"Well, he must be at Applejack's place!"
"Don't know where that is. You?"
>"...No."
"And we're at a dead end. Come on, let's go to the nearest internet cafe."
>"Why? Do they have a map of where Applejack lives?"
"Yep."
>"Facinating!"
>Minutes later, we arrive at a computer cafe.
>Thanks to social media websites, stalking has now been made easier once again.
"Just need to put Applejack's name in and WALA!"
*beep*
>"Pshh. Nerd." She says while smiling.
>Through the power of the internet, we manage to locate Applejack's address.
>Although we know her location, it took us 2 hours to find her house in the city.
>Apparently, she does not live in a barn-looking house as many of the rumors in the school say.
>Arriving there, we find Nolan already parting with Applejack, waving goodbye before walking home.
>"WE'RE LATE!"
"SHH!"
>Applejack waves back and returns home frowning.
>She rubs her stomach while doing so.
>"WHAT COULD THEY HAVE POSSIBLY DISCUSSED IN FOUR HOURS?"
"How should I know?"
>"That was a rhetorical question! Trixie does not need your smartass responses!"
"Fine, fine."
>"Ugh, this day was almost a complete waste of time if it weren't for the hanky we found."
>I look at Applejack as she enters her home.
"This is all strange. What's with those two? I never saw them hanging out at school or anything."
>"Obviously they're having some sort of affair!"
"Now, let's not jump to conclusions."
>But she's getting my hopes up as well. For this assignment, I'm hoping for that conclusion.
>"Should we follow Nolan again?"
"I think we've had enough for the day."
>"Sigh. Well, Trixie is tired as well. It's your fault anyway for taking two hours to find Applejack's house."
"If I wasn't here, you wouldn't have known that the 'nerd's tv' could lead to Applejack's home."
>"Yeah yeah, rub it in, why don't you?"
>We both stayed quiet.
"I know we're both stressed, but hey, I guess we're lucky that we're on to something."
>"Haha. Yeah. I guess Trixie is lucky."
" I'll see you tommorow." 
>"Same time. Don't be late again."
>She looks me eye to eye.
>I just nod seriously. She turns around and walks home slouching.
>The day was...interesting.
>No photos taken though.
>Nolan's spotted spending half the day with Applejack at her house.
>Found in his car, a hanky with Applejack's name.
>I go home and went to the computer immediately.
>Nolan and Applejack are not connected with each other on their social media pages.
>Neither friended nor following each other.
>Which is all too strange.
>One whole day with Trixie.
>It was everything I expected.
>An egotistic woman with no regard for anyone but herself.
>Feels like a spoiled brat when she's talking.
>And in a way, Soren's right about her.
>Her selfishness is what the journalism club needs.
>And even if I'm in a moral conflict, it's my job to do this, for Nolan's better half or for his worse.
>I sit in front of my computer the moment I arrived at my home.
>For the first time, I'm tasked with studying a social media page.
>Pages to be precise.
>Nolan and Applejack.
>Applejack's social media page was more or less kept to only her friends, family and herself.
>Actually, she also has a small business here selling and dealing fruits with other people.
>Subscribed to groups 'Applefarming', 'Hydrofarming, 'CareTrees Inc.', etc.
>Nothing of interest here.
>Completely different from Nolan's social media page.
>Nolan has tons of accepted friends, all of his photos are mostly about the parties that he joined, some about fine living and stuff.
>Pretentious as this all sounds, nothing here stands out too weird.
>I'm at a dead end. There's nothing I can find that links Applejack and Nolan together.
>...
>...
>...
>With nothing, that makes their meeting even more suspicious.
>If they were smart at hiding an affair, they'd keep it off the internet.
>People say that kids don't hide anything anymore since they post it or blog about it in the internet.
>But that's because most of the kids are too expressive.
>Applejack and Nolan. Two opposite ends. The party boy and the hardworking girl.
>And no one would suspect a thing.

>The beeping grew worse by the minute.
"Ghrmfk...stupid...alarm...fruck..."
>Sunday morning shines bright at my face as I slowly wake up.
"Ugh."
>Day two. I receive a text from Trixie. 
>[[WHERE ARE YOU?]]
>I reply with haste.
[[ON EARTH]].
>I do my morning routine and head on to Burgerphile.
>It's 9:30, and Trixie is not pleased.
>"IT'S 9:31 AND TRIXIE IS NOT PLEASED!"
"Sorry, I overslept."
>"THIS WILL NOT STAND!"
"Trixie, just calm down. I haven't even eaten breakfast yet."
>"NOLAN COULD BE DOING SOMETHING THIS INSTANT WITH THE APPLE WOMAN AND WE'RE JUST SITTING HERE LETTING HIM DO SO UNSUPERVISED!"
>I feel as if I should make a porno joke here, but my stomach's already growling at me.
" Just. Calm. Down. I haven't even eaten so don't start with me."
>She goes in front of me.
>"No, you listen to me!"
"Trixie, it's only been a day! We have four more days to stalk Nolan. Stop being so selfish and think about your partner's stomach!"
>"Not my fault you woke up late!"
"I've been doing research."
>"On what?"
"Nolan."
>"AND?"
>I pull her to a table and started whispering.
"Your theory on Nolan and Applejack having an affair maybe true."
>She smiles.
>"WELL OF COURSE IT'S TRUE. TRIXIE SAYS SO."
"Will you shut up about talking in the third person? God, you're getting irritating."
>"About me being right?" She says in an annoying manner."
"Don't test me."
>"Look, you believe it. I believe it, and instead of staying here praising me ( I can't believe I just said that ), we need to get back to Nolan's bush and stare at his house until he goes out!"
"Fine! Just let me get some grub!"
>"WE'RE FIFTY MINUTES LATE!"
"Will you stop thinking about yourself and let me take out something!"
*CRACKA-BOOM*
>"...crap."
>The sun is quickly hidden by the gray clouds.
>The first drop from the sky hits the ground.
>It falls, just like Trixie's earlier optimism.
>Within ten seconds, the clouds loosens up and brings down heavy rain.
>The intensity of the rain causes the windows to fog up.
>"No." Trixie says.
>Trixie slams the table with her fist.
"Welp, looks like we're stuck here."
>"NO!"
"I don't have an umbrella with me, so it looks like we're stuck here.
>"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING."
"Will you just sit down and stop shouting. You're embarrassing yourself, even if there's only two other customers here." I whisper to her.
>Trixie clenches her fists, with an angry face.
>"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR WHINING!"
"...What!?"
>"All you do is whine,  whine and whine, being negative all day yesterday and today! Show some initiative for the goddess' sake!"
>I don't know if I should be annoyed or  inspired.
"What the hell do you want me to do?"
>She scrunches her face and tries to control the way she delivers her next sentence.
>"I WILL NOT FAIL THIS ASSIGNMENT AND MY HISTORY CLASS BECAUSE OF YOUR INCOMPETENCE."
"Isn't it your fault that YOU failed history class?"
>"Oh shut up! You know nothing!"
"So do you[spoiler] ,  in history[/spoiler] !"
>"I will not fail! You will not bring me down with you!"
>Trixie slams the table with her fist.
>"NO WEATHER CAN STOP ME FROM KNOWING THE TRUTH!"
>Trixie runs off to the outside, trying to ignore the heavy rain pouring on her.
"TRIXIE! YOU'LL GET A DAMN COLD!" I say trying to yell at the entrance.
>Too late. She's already too far into the fog.
"Dammit."
>Using common sense, I go to the counter and order something to eat while waiting for the rain to clear out.
"Idiot."
>Grabbing a hot burger with fries for  breakfast.
>Living the dream. Wish the joint served waffles though.
>Still, I can't stop thinking about Trixie's inflated ego."
>The rain's pouring down like a dam and she's still hellbent on heading to Nolan's home.
>That woman is a damn headache.
>As I take a bite onto the succulent sandwich, I notice someone out the window.
>The heavy rain and the fog makes it difficult to identify.
>Only that he's watching me, holding an umbrella.
>Eyes glaring as I slowly take a bite while watching him watch me.
>He seems angry. I don't even know if he's a he.
>Only that he wears a wet t-shirt. 
>Can't tell if it's a blue shirt or a white one.
>He slowly backs away, disappearing into the fog.
"What was that all about?" I ask myself.

>An hour has passed and the rain had slowly gone down into a drizzle.
>I sigh to myself as I decide to go and check up on Trixie.
>I run to Nolan's house, only to find no one in the bushes
"Trixie?"
>She's not here.
>I try to call her but she doesn't answer.
>The house is well, nothing out of the ordinary.
>Only thing out of place is the skid marks on the road facing the house.
>By out of place I mean something that wasn't there yesterday. You know, besides the rain water and the grass dew.
>Fifteen minutes of trying to reach her, I decide to call it a day.
>She did ruin my morning after all. 
>Because of that, I lose the motivation to continue with the club assignment today.
>Besides, it's a Sunday morning.
>I'm not the one with a bad grade in history. Trixie is.
>I walk home with my hands in my pocket.
>Even though it's just been 12:00 noon, I decide to just slack off and sleep on the bed.
>The ceiling is just so...plain.
>I check my phone to see if Trixie had tried to text me.
>Nothing.
>I don't even bother texting her.
>Two things linger in my mind. Trixie and Nolan.
>What if the whole thing was just an exaggeration?
>Maybe I'm just being optimistic over all this.
>All for the wrong reasons.
>So what am I supposed to be interested in?
>For the past two days, Trixie has shown signs of...weirdness.
>Beyond her regular narcissm, her lack of knowledge on technology, the way she said that I know nothing about her.
>Maybe Nolan isn't the only one with a story to tell.
>...
>Maybe.

>It's Monday. I wake up before my alarm would.
>I had a dream. About Trixie.
> Trixie yelling at me.
>Even in the astral world, she's still annoying.
>Wake up.
>Shower.
>Eat.
>Walk.
>Such as a day in the life of a student.
>The only difference is that this time, I can feel something different.
>Someone is watching me. Following me.
>As usual, I couldn't find out who.
>But it wasn't the only thing that stayed in my head that morning.
>Today, Trixie is absent.
"Huh."
>I head to the printing room, or should I say 'Journalism Room' to see if she's there.
>I check my phone. Trixie left a text.
>A set of instructions telling me where to meet her.
"What is up with her?" I accidentally say out loud.
>>"Something wrong?"
"Oh, Soren."
>Soren's eating a burrito while holding a bag filled with papers.
>Judging by his messy hair, it's safe to say it's just full of reports and paperwork from both the club and the school.
"Trixie. She's...well...being a prick."
>>"Are you new or something?"
"Look man, I know everyone knows that she's a prick, but to be partnered for a whole week with her-"
>>"I know she can be...difficult to get along, but that's why I sent her, because-"
"Because she's an emotionless narcist. Yes, I know that."
>>"Just give her a chance. I know I didn't, but I have a friend like her once. Name was Spitfire. Narcist, hard working, egotistical."
"How'd you get along with her?"
>>"I managed. Eventually I understood her, one thing led to another and now we're best friends. Well, WERE best friends. Kicked me out of varsity too."
>We both laughed. Soren accidentally lets out a fart while doing so.
"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. I mean, I've had a few social experiments in the past. I guess it's not so different with my partner once I got hindsight from what you just said."
>>"Good. So, how's the assignment I gave you two?"
>I grab his collar and dragged him to the printing room.
>>"ACK! I guess you two found something?" He asked enthusiastically.
"I think I'm being watched."
>>"You sure that's just not stress?"
"Soren, my assignment is Nolan. He has people EVERYWHERE."
>>"What did you two find?"
>I grab the hanky from my pocket.
"This."
>>"It's a handkerchief..."
>Soren looked at it in a bored manner, before realizing what makes it so special.
>>"What the hell? Applejack?"
"Found it in his car. Tracked him to Applejack's house two days ago."
>>"Oh jeez! I didn't think you and her would find anything THIS big! I was expecting that we'd have had to rely on looking for an embarrassing photo in the elementary yearbook!"
>I quickly grabbed the hanky and stored it away in my pocket.
>Looking outside the window, I felt a set of eyes on me again.
"There's something else, but it could just be nothing."
>>"Shoot, give it to me straight."
"When we were at Applejack's house, I saw both of them waving goodbye at each other with sad faces. Applejack was holding her stomach while doing so."
>Soren spits out his burrito.
>>"HOLY...OH...SH..."
>Soren tries to contain his excitement.
"It could be nothing though."
>>"I...BW...BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHHA! OH MY GOD, HAHAHAHA!"
>Soren is tearing up from laughing.
>>"HAHA...I'm...I'm sorry but...BWAHAHAHA...this is just too damn good."
>He puts his burrito down and grabs a hold of himself.
>>"Listen...hahaha,  you and Trixie have got to get to the bottom of this!"
"I know. Trixie's absent so it's either she's sick or that she decided to take the day off to stalk Nolan's home again."
>>"This is just too good." Soren says to himself, laughing.
>I leave Soren and went on to attend class.
>As the day went on, the feeling that I'm being watched never left me.
>Maybe I'm just scared of Nolan's friends. Maybe I'm getting a little too paranoid.
>It's like what Amy and Timothy said before, they have a group that's willing to do anything for Nolan.
>He's a swell guy, wouldn't blame them.
>At the end of the day, I walk to wherever Trixie wants me to go.
>Before that, I just had to run an errand for the teacher.
>Delivering this to the last class near the rooftop door.
>I decide to take a rest from running up the stairs by taking a deep fresh air on the rooftop.
>Little did I know that there was something else taking place in that rooftop.
"Son of a-!"
>I decided to go to the roof for some fresh air before I go and meet up with the narcist again.
>Little did I know that Nolan and Applejack were up there.
>I hid by the door, grabbing my camera.
>They seem upset.
>Angry at each other.
>They talk in whispers but their facial reactions say more than enough.
>Climax reaches, and Applejack slaps Nolan's face.
>Hard.
[spoiler] TUG [/spoiler]
"HURRGH!"
>Chest...again.
*Click*
>In that moment, I click on my camera and managed to capture the moment.
>I then immediately bailed out, hoping they did not hear the camera.
>Panting, I grab my phone and headed out to find Trixie.
>To go anywhere but the school.
[spoiler] TUG TUG[/spoiler]
>I grab my chest and bumped it twice.
[spoiler]TUG TUG. TUG TUG.[/spoiler]
[spoiler] TUG [/spoiler]
>My heart slowly goes back to normal.
"Dammit."
>Stay focused. 
>Stay...focused.

>I follow the instructions and ended up in Chinatown.
>Well, someplace full of Chinese restaurants.
>Or maybe Korean.
>Bah, I'm not good with Asian writing anyway.

>Last sentence of the text, I find a small trailer in an alleyway.
>I swallow my spit and knocked on the door.
>Either I'm about to be mugged by a guy who has Trixie's phone, or...
*ckreeaaak*
>"You made it... HAACHHOOOO!"
>A woman greets me at the door.
>She's only wearing her hoodie. On her legs is just a pair of dirty panties.
>Eyes that say that she hasn't slept too good.
>The tone of her voice was less than enthusiastic, but neither was it obnoxious or annoying.
>Her hair's ruffled and messed up. Her nose is red from all the sneezing.
>It's Trixie. 
>And this is her home.
"Jeez, Trixie! You look worse than Patricia when she has her allergies.
>"Get...cough...in..."
>The inside of her home is a mess.
>A complete opposite of her usual clean self.
>The trailer is somewhat cramped. The more I look at it, the more I think that her trailer used to be a travelling van used to sell food on the go.
"Where are your parents? Do they live here too?" I ask her.
>"I disowned them years ago. AAAACHOOO!"
>She doesn't seem to be joking.
 >Disowned? This is the first I've heard of an offspring disowning her parents.
"What?"
>"Nothing."
>She sits down on the bed, blowing her nose on a tissue paper.
"How do you live? I mean, without financia-"
>"Part-Time jobs." She says. "But just got fired from it."
>She looks at her piggy bank.
"You know, this cold's all your fault."
>She nods.
>Surprisingly.
>"Shut up." She says after a long silence.
>Delayed answer if I ever heard one.
"Did you find anything when you ran into the rain?"
>She stays silent, almost in denial.
>I sit down and try to talk to her.
"Trixie..."
>She tries to hide her anger, her shame.
>But in the end, she still appears upset.
"Why did you tell me to go here?"
>She remains silent for a few minutes.
"Trixie?"
>Within moments, she bursts into tears.
>She leans her head on my chest and uses my shirt as tissue paper, sneezing all over it.
>I don't know if I should pity her, sympathize with her or be angry at her.
>"Damn me, damn me, damn me!"
>She stands up and suddenly faints to her bed.
>I just stay speechless at what I just witnessed.
>Her home is pretty hot too.
>No air conditioning, no fans, no windows.
>Just a lamp, some water buckets and trash.
>On her desk, medication for cold.
>And a bunch of empty bottles of painkillers.
>Trixie suddenly wakes up and stares at me.
"A-Are you...alright?"
>She sneezes.
>"I'm fine...now at least."
"..."
>"..."
"Want to talk about it?"
>"No."
"..."
>"..."
"Why am I here?"
>"Because I missed school."
"...and?"
>"I need your notes."
>She answers straight without getting too loud or annoying.
>This might just be the first time I would enjoy hanging out with her.
>I give her my notebook and she went straight to the history section.
>There, she grabs her chewed up pen and starts writing.
>I stay quiet in the corner.
>For a while at least.
"How are you now?"
>"Headache's gone."
"Good."
>"Before you go and say I told you so, I'll admit this: You were right. I shouldn't have stormed out of the joint with a heavy rain like that."
"Wow."
>"What do you mean 'wow'?"
"You're actually being modest."
>"..."
"I mean..."
>"Just don't. What I am is what I am. I'm a teenage prick with a horrible attitude, and only in these quiet times do I realize how much I've wronged so many people. How I've annoyed so many around me."
>I could hear a whimper in that.
"Trix, I..."
>"But I'm not here to give my emotions to you like you're some therapist."
"Then...?"
>"I'm failing history."
"I know."
>"Then you know how much this club assignment means to me."
"Yeah."
>"Which means I have to be healthier this instant.
>She closes the notebook and slowly smiles.
"Oh good, you're smiling. Feeling better now?"
>"Yeah. The book was right. Guess I did just need someone to talk to."
"What, were you suffering from a social illness?" I joked.
>"Yes, along with my cold." She says, looking at the calendar.
>I didn't expect her to answer so seriously. The calendar has a knife stuck on one date.
>Today's that date.
>She just stays quiet.
>Trixie leaves some questions unanswered. What was she fired from? Why did she disown her parents? Why is she so nice today? 
>But I guess not everything has to be known.
>Trixie's life is Trixie's.
>Whether or not she wants to say anything is her decision.
>"Before I went home coughing like a dying man, I saw someone in Nolan's home, coming out of the house."
"Got proof?"
>"No."
"Alright. Who did you see? Applejack's dad?"
>"A man in a white coat."
"A doctor?"
>"I don't know."
"Did he have a car? An ambulance?"
>"Just a car."
"Alright, assuming he was a doctor. Why do you think he visited?"
>"Realtalk? Applejack might be pregnant."
"Assuming this from...?"
>"The evidence we gathered. The hanky, the stomach rubbing, the sad faces."
"Normally, I'd say it's just a theory, but I have something else that backs up the whole thing."
>"What?"
"A took a picture. A photo of Applejack slapping Nolan."
>"Oh jeez, where?"
"School rooftop. No one else was there."
>"They're hiding something. I can feel it." She says, mimicking her optimism from days ago.
"Huh." 
>I smile while looking at it.
>"What's so funny?"
>I shake my head.
"Just so weird talking normally to you. You sound like a normal person now."
>She just nods in defeat.
"I won't hold it against you, really I won't."
>"This won't last."
"Why?"
>"It's just the medication calming me down. I'm self aware of my...real me, but I will forget about this in the next few hours."
"Don't say that."
>"This isn't the first time I got a cold. Trust me. If you feel like I'm a pleasant person right now, then...well...that's just temporary. Besides, I need my cold heart to post this story without regret, remember?" She says with a grin.
"I...well...yeah."
>Trixie's catching me by surprise.
>The cold really changed her. Well, temporarily changed her.
>As much as I'd like to talk to her about this, the club's assignment is more important.
>Two pieces of evidence.
>Three days counting.

>The next day, Trixie remained absent. However, she did hand me a finished report and excuse letter for the history teacher.
>She showed me a side of her that she kept hidden.
>She knows it, but in the end, she just accepts that it would take more than a few boxes of pills to permanently change her personality.
>She took the day off to try to get her job back.
>For once, I actually hope she gets lucky.
>She doesn't have a pleasing personality, but she can be reliable. At times.
>Right now, she has two objectives in mind. Her job and passing history.
>It's easy to piece out her life in my head.
>She doesn't have parents. Secretly an orphan, she tries to get by through part time jobs, just to pay for school and food all the same.
>Which would lead to why she's failing her other subjects. History's a boring class, and she probably slept through every day on it.
>I actually feel bad for her.

>Lunch break, I try to spy on Nolan. Alas, no luck.
>He's with his friends.
>Save for a tiny detail.
>For all his friends around him in that table, someone's missing.
>Timothy must be absent. Amy doesn't seem to suspect anything.
>I check Nolan's Wastebook page. Not even a single dialogue between Applejack and Nolan.  
>Ugh.

>School afterhours.
>I managed to get the picture developed at a local picture store.
>Slap-tastic.
>Decide to pick-up a meal for Trixie.
>Really feeling bad for her.
>Though I'd feel worse knowing that she'd probably talk like a narcist again once I arrive at her home.
>She did say her calmness is just temporary.
>Carrying some Chinese to her home, I check the photo from yesterday.
>Applejack, slapping Nolan.
>Luckiest shot of the day.
>I knock on Trixie's door, only to find it open.
"What the hell?"
>Inside, I find a stranger in the shadows holding Trixie from behind.
>I nearly piss myself in surprise.
>>"You're finally here." He says.
>[spoiler]TUG[/spoiler]
"W-Wait! Whatever you're going to do-"
>>"This can all be over if you do me one favor."
>The masked man was straightforward when he's answering.
"I d-don't have any money, but-"
>>"Not your money. I need something else."
"W-What?"

>>"That."

>He points to the photo in my hand.

>The man walks forward holding Trixie.

>He's masked, holding a crowbar.

>Silence around the trailer.

>[spoiler]TUG[/spoiler]

>>"COME ON."
>I fall on my knees, deaf to everything.

>[spoiler] TUG TUG [/spoiler]

>The stress. The tension.

>[spoiler] TUG TUG [/spoiler]
"W-Wait..."
>I can't even hear myself.
[spoiler] TUG TUG [/spoiler]
>Clenching my chest, the man drops Trixie and the pipe he's holding.
>I lean back at the wall. 
>My vision is blurring. My hearing has faltered.
>And in the end, darkness.

>I don't know where it all started.
>Maybe it's just the walking trout beside me.
>Maybe it's because the sun up in the sky is a square.
>Within the tranquil forest of disharmony and chaos, there is little logic to be found.
>Somehow in this place, I find myself calmer than I was before.
>The sky is a bit purple, like I'm trapped in an otherworldly void.
>Crickets roar like lions while lions quack like ducks.
>Trucks fly through the air with dragon wings attached to its sides.
>A light floating brick brushes my cheek as it flies away to the clouds.
>Echoes from the skies whispers in my ear.
>I can't quite make out what they're saying. Not with the mantis quartet delivering a song on my left.
>In the midst of the forest, under the purple palm tree lies a snake wearing glasses, a gray coat and fedora slithering nearby.
>She laughs in a feminine voice.
>I walk to the purple palm tree that bears blue fruit.
>Walking to it, I accidentally step on a green man's bald head.
>He bears no set of eyes. Only a mouth to which he breathes with.
>He's buried underneath the ground with only the head sticking out.
>The world is something I have seen before. It's just a blur to me.
>If there's one thing that I know of this place...
>... it's that everything I know is wrong.
>The snake approaches me, hissing with her eyes focused only on my pelvis area.
>Or maybe my eyes. I can't tell from her hat covering most of her eyes.
>The green man in the ground talks gibberish. It whispers to itself while looking away from my location.
>"Maikknihhuotohwtonmai.llehmrofeglub.lopepehtesol.efilehtesol.gnihtontsuj.ytilauqerarnoitcurtsedleauxes.ecalpsihtfotsaleht.evivrustonlliwehs.evivrustonlliweh.Efiolruyfodnneehtrrofretirwrranemocotemita."
>The snake wraps itself on my body like a sash. 
>It's not choking me or anything. It just seems to hang around from my right shoulder to my left hip.
>I walk to the purple palm tree and looked up at the fruit.
>The blue apple dethatches itself and falls to the ground.
>A faint sound could be heard from the apple.
>Something familiar. Something horrible.
>I pick it up and put it near my ear.
>The snake hisses at it while grinning.
>As I slowly peel the skin out, I realize that the fruit I'm holding is not a fruit.
>It's a heart.
>The shock makes me drop the heart, to which the snake grabs with its mouth.
>My chest feels like someone's punching it. Pushing it with all their might.
>In my right is a tree.
>Stick figures resembling Nolan and Applejack holding hand in hand.
>On that tree are carvings from couples.
>You know, hearts with their initials inside of it.
>The green man on the ground turns his head to it.
>He laughs at it.
>Bizarrely in a reverse sense.
>"Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah." He says.
>Skies are forming cracks similar to a nervous system.
>The snake looks at me with the heart in its mouth.
>Teasing with her eyes. Slowly crushing the fruit with her mouth.
>She pierces it with her teeth.
>The heart beats in pain. My chest beats in unison.
>She has no mercy. She finishes it off.

>In one.

>Swift.

>Bite.
--------
*CLACK*
--------
>I see only darkness from where I lie.
>Voices around. People in panic.
>A feminine voice asks if I'm dead.
>She accuses a man that he killed me.
>Someone massages my chest, pumping it hard.
>Suddenly, it hits me.
>I remember where I am now.
>Trixie's home.
"HUAAAAH!"
>I take a deep breath and sat up straight in shock.
>I feel as if I just got out from a sea. 
>Like I had just drowned.
>The masked man is unmasked.
>He had already left the crowbar at the ground. 
>It was Timothy, sweating like bullets.
>Trixie was on the side, holding her head in fear.
>"Are you alright?" Timothy asks.
>His hands are shaking. He continues to sweat.
>I put my hand on my chest, seeing if I still have a heartbeat.
>The snake's image is imprinted on my mind.
>...
>[spoiler] TUG [/spoiler]
>It beats. I exhale in an exaggerated manner.
"I'm...*cough*...alright."
>Timothy sits back to the trailer's wall in relief.
>Trixie laughs awkwardly.
>A mask is lying on the rug. One can only assume that Timothy was indeed the stranger.
"Timothy...what the hell?"
>Timothy sat by silently, shocked at what had just happened.
>Trixie continued laughing, whispering and coughing "I thought you were dead."
>Timothy then speaks. His voice shakes while doing so.
>>"Holy crap...are you...are you-"
"I'm fine." I tell him.
>Though it's obviously a lie. From what just happened, it would seem that I had just gotten a heart attack.
>This is the first time I've ever passed out from it. I did have an almost-stroke back at the fall fundraiser back during Chloe Commons' crisis.
>"D-Did you j-just..." 
"A stroke? Yeah. I'm...agh...surprised too."
>I look at Timothy while holding the mask.
"Timothy. What the hell?" I ask him.
>>"Oh god, I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean...I mean."
"Save it. Just tell me if I'm wrong, but you're here because you know Nolan's having an affair with Applejack."
>Timothy shakes his head, as if in denial.
>I take my phone and secretly put it to the record application without him noticing.
>With high hopes, I push him to say something about all this.
"Is it true that Nolan's has another girlfriend?"
>Timothy takes a big breath, and answers.
>>" [spoiler] I don't know. [/spoiler]"
>His answer is surprising. His face shows no signs of lying or deceit whatsoever. Only sadness and confusion.
>Trixie snaps out of the shock and talks to him.
>"What do you mean you don't know? Why the hell did you come to my house in the first place for that photo if you-"
>>"I was suspicious! You two aren't the only ones spying on Nolan!" Timothy says angrily.
>"Wait wait wait. You mean to tell me-I mean us, that Nolan really IS having an affair with Applejack?"
>>"I tried asking Nolan about Applejack, but he says he doesn't talk to her, which is a whole bunch of crap! I've seen those two talking with my own eyes! Why would Nolan hide something like that?"
"It's plausible, but if Timothy doesn't know, then that just confirms it." I tell to Trixie.
>"Does Amy know?"
>>"No. She's too busy handling Nolan's campaign to notice."
"Who else suspects besides you?"
>>"Just me."
>Timothy grabs the crowbar from the ground and points it at me.
>>"And if Nolan's having an affair, then I can't let anyone from the newspaper club know."
>"Timothy! My partner just had a stroke! Do you want blood on your hands?"
"What the hell?"
>>"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to confiscate your photo."
>Timothy tries to reach for the photograph in my hand, only to be stopped by Trixie who jumps to his back, choking him.
>>"AARGH!"
>"IDIOT! I WON'T LET YOU RUIN MY CHANCE TO PASS HISTORY!"
>And here I thought she was actually worried for me.
"Trixie! Timothy! Both of you, just shut up!"
>Trixie lets go of Timothy's neck while Timothy drops the crowbar.
"Look Tim, we both need this. Trixie needs a big score for the club and you want to find out the truth. As much as it will hurt Nolan's campaign, we can't let you grab the photo!"
>Timothy stands up.
>>"Or what?" He says, intimidating.
>"Or else we'll have to write about how you broke into my house wearing a mask and giving my partner a stroke while doing so."
>Timothy's eyes widen. I just leave my mouth open at Trixie's devious answer.
>"Think about it. If you join us, we'll all find out the truth. If you don't, we'll have to go with Plan T, which is you."
>Timothy thinks about it, trying to mutter something.
>"Tim. What would the public think about Nolan if his closest best friend was reported breaking the law? Everyone knows you hit hard, so everyone wouldn't think twice in believing us or not."
>>"You...You..."
>I follow where Trixie's going with this, and in turn, I add a few things to her little blackmail.
"On the other hand, a love affair would be less ugly. That's just bad publicity, and Amy would probably leave Nolan once that's confirmed. If she leaves, Nolan will have you as his full time adviser. Isn't that what you always wanted?"
>I feel so cruel doing this to him.
>But I have no choice. Neither does Trixie. Neither does Timmy.
>Here's the thing. We COULD run with this story. The story of Timothy breaking into a teenage girl's home in a mask, but there's a reason why we won't. One, despite being a more interesting story than a love affair, Timothy would risk getting expelled, and we'd have to do all the paperwork just to prove a case against him. Trixie might be up for it for a passing grade in History, but we'd all just feel guilty about Timothy's expulsion. Two, we're in the middle of an interesting story. A story of Nolan and Applejack. We don't know why they have these 'meetings', but I'm sure as hell interested in the outcome.

>Timothy smiles. He begins to chuckle while doing so.
>Me and Trixie look at each other, afraid of what Timothy will do.
>Timothy stands up laughing and kicks the door to go outside.
>He then leans on the alley wall, with his laughter slowly fading away.
>He looks at both of us. Trixie's face is puzzled.
>>"You two are assholes." He says in a joyous tone.
>"T-Thanks?"
>>"Look, I don't know what Nolan's doing, or why he's hanging out with Applejack, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."
>Timothy wipes the sweat off his forehead. He then rubs his eyes due to stress.
>>"You two win. I'll help you guys in finding out the truth."
>I can see the happiness in Trixie's eyes. We now have an inside man to spy on Nolan.
>Looks like my Amy will leave speech worked on him.
>Trixie approaches Timothy and proceeds to kick his knee.
>>"OW! HEY!"
>"That's for breaking in my house, asshole!"
>>"Hah. This one's got spunk." He says in pain.
>A whole day. It would've been wasted if not for my stroke.
>It's weird how my near-death experience isn't as...memorable as I thought.
>Three pieces of evidences. Timothy, the hanky from the car and the photo.
>Two days left.

>I couldn't sleep last night.
>Being self aware of my weak heart made me...jumpy.
>The thought of getting a stroke in the middle of the night made my heart beat faster as I stared at the ceiling.
>...
>The stars were beautiful that night though.
>I couldn't forget that day. Timothy breaking in and giving me a stroke.
>I wonder why I could laugh off such a serious moment. 
>I should have a check up with a doctor or at a clinic soon.
>Common sense tells me to skip class tomorrow to have a heart check up.
>But that would mean that I'm gonna miss out on the day's events.
>Even though Timothy promised to help, I still think that I could do more if I was there with them.
>Eventually, I was able to sleep.
>Now, I'm here in a clinic. The school clinic to be precise.
>I know I said I shouldn't have a check-up just yet, but I flipped a coin on it.
>Heads I go in, tails I wait until output day blows over.
>Well, I got tails.
>I sit by the corner, waiting for my turn. It's a lunch break.
>Hours ago, I managed to talk to Trixie. 
>She said that Timothy was going to follow Amy while she follows Trixie.
>Leaving me free for lunch.
>Maybe I should've given one of them my camera.
>Looking around the clinic, I get one hell of a surprise.
>Nurse Redheart's currently checking up on another patient. 
>It's Amy. Nolan's girlfriend.
>Interesting thing.
>She seems to have a small bruise on the right side of her face, near her eye.
>Nurse Redheart applies a small bandage on it due to the bruise sporting a small cut.
>"Ahh!"
>>"Oh hold still, Amelia. This wouldn't hurt for much longer."
>After the medicine, she sticks the bandage on her and writes something on her clipboard.
>Amy tries to touch her bandage, to which Nurse Redheart says "Don't".
>"But it itches!"
>>"Just don't."
>Nurse Redheart hands her a piece of paper and sends her on her way.
>>"Next time, try not to fight with the other girls, Amy."
>She walks out in an angry manner.
>>"Next."
"Hi."
>Nurse Redheart points to a chair. I sit on it and move closer to the good nurse.
"What was that all about?" I ask the good nurse.
>>"What?"
"Amy."
>>"Oh. Just nothing. She had a fight with one of the Apple sisters.
>I would've spit out some water if I was drinking a glass.
"I'm sorry, I need to go."
>I try to hide the excitement in my voice.
>>"Wait! What were you here for?"
"I'll come back later!"
>I run from the clinic and went in to follow Amy through the halls.
>The words 'Apple' and 'Amy' just gave me adrenaline.
>Did she find out? Did she fight Applejack?
>I check the outside windows to see if a fight had broken out. No crowds, no yelling.
>Either they've already dispersed or that I'm just misunderstanding the situation.
"Ah-"
>My phone rings, and it's Trixie.
>She sent a text message saying 'Rooftop, Now.' .
>As I put away my phone, Amy had already disappeared in the crowd.
>Lunch break crowds. Wasn't sure what I was going to do if I caught up with her anyway.
>No options to follow her. I proceed to the rooftop to meet up with Trixie.

>I arrive five minutes later. Trixie's already chatting with Timothy about something.
"Hey guys."
>"YOU'RE LATE!" Trixie says.
"No I'm not. You didn't mention a time limit in your text."
>Trixie's obviously impatient as of this moment. I could imagine the steam coming out of her ears.
"Listen, I just got word that Amy had a fight with one of the Apple sisters.
>>"We know." Timothy says.
"What!?"
>>"She got a bruise this morning from Applejack when I followed her. When I 'innocently' asked her what the bruise was all about, she said it was nothing. After a few tries in bugging for a better answer, she just said that it was an 'accident' involving Applejack."
"Wow. Was she telling the truth?"
>>"Well..."
>He looks away.
>>"I don't know."
"What?"
>>"I had to pee!"
"Wait, where were you when you followed Amy?"
>>"Somewhere near the hardware store, 12 minutes late after 7:00 AM."
>He thinks to himself if there was more to it.
>>"Other than that, she seems pretty much like herself. No signs of aggression anywhere when she was with Nolan."
>"Which is more than suspicious!" Trixie adds.
"This is weird, but at the same time, it could just be a regular accident."
>>"You could be right. Odds that they fought are very low based on her attitude all morning."
>"But if they didn't fight, what accident was she in with Applejack?"
>As we all think on the roof, Trixie wanders to the corner.
"Hey, careful there." I tell Trixie.
>She nods and looks down at the students.
>Timothy then gets close and apologizes to me.
>>"Hey listen, about yesterday."
"Huh?"
>>"The stroke, the mask, the crowbar thing...I guess I kinda went too far. I'm sorry I gave you a scare."
>I shake my head.
"Past is past." I say. "I'm at fault here as well."
>>"Why?"
"I haven't gone to a doctor for this. I think I have a heart problem."
>>"Then what are you standing here for? Go check up with the nurse or something!"
"I was going to, but then Amy's bruise and then Trixie's text-"
>Trixie interupts our little chat yelling "YOU TWO, GET OVER HERE!"
>>"What?" Timothy asks."
>"LOOK DOWN THERE!"
"What?"
>Trixie points to the small isolated part of the school's garden.
>Nolan is handing something to janitor Sombra.
"Crap. I can't see anything from this angle. Anyone have a telescope?" 
>"Oh just squint your eyes and be done with it!" Trixie says.
>Going full Asian mode on this, I see Nolan handing some cash to the janitor. On Nolan's other hand is a long gray bag, about as big as Nolan.
>"Is that a body bag?" Trixie asks.
"No, it's too thin. Besides, body bags are supposed to be zip-locked."
>"Psst. Timothy. What do your elven eyes see?" Trixie asks in a surprisingly amusing way.
>>"Same as you guys."
>I grab my camera and quickly zoomed in on whatever's happening here.
>Sadly the old thing can only zoom so far.
>Nolan hands over the bag to Sombra, to which Sombra puts in his outdoor shed, locking it with a padlock.
>*click*
>Managed to get a photo of Nolan handing money to the janitor.
"Got it."
>In a few seconds, the janitor rolls out of our line of sight.
>Literally doing a roll. Sadly my two partners are too stressed to take notice of such an amusing sight.
"Even the janitor is in on this?"
>>"What the hell?"
>"Should we ask the janitor if he's-"
"That would be redundant. " I tell her. "We just saw Nolan pay the guy. I doubt he'd know much of anything about Nolan's love life."
>"...Fair point."
>Timothy sits down and pulls both of us to sit down with him.
>"We have until later or tomorrow morning to get something out of all this!"
"What's the plan?" I ask the two.
>>"We follow them. "
"..."
>>"What?"
"I was expecting some sort of Mission: Impossible-type plan."
>>"What are we, fictional characters?  We're not kids anymore, and neither is this kid-stuff"
"Alright, alright. Just talking for fun. "
>>"Right. So again, we follow them. Since me and Nolan are classmates on the last period, I'll follow him and see if he gets the shovels from the janitor. I'll text you guys my location. You know, wherever they take the bag."
 "Great. Here's my number."
>Trixie gives an idea of her own.
>"Trixie will go to the janitor and see if he'll deny having shovels in the shed, or if he's had any deals with Nolan. Discreetly of course."
"You sure you can be 'discreet' ?"
>"Discreet is my  middle name!"
>Before I could make a sarcastic remark, the school bell rings, indicating that we have to go back to our classes.
>"Ah great. What a killjoy."
"He's a janitor. I'm sure you can spare a few extra late minutes."
>>"If the hall monitor catches you, take this."
>Tim hands over a fake hall pass.
>>"Having a fraternity has its advantages."
>"Sneaky." 
>Trixie takes it and we all leave the rooftops.
>It wasn't long before the final bell's fateful ring.
>Everyone went out, excited to go home.
>I stay by the restroom waiting for any of my friends to text.
>Right now, I'm tensed.
>I don't know if it's because of my damn luck or maybe wishful thinking.
>But we're actually on to a mystery, and I may come out a vulture out of this in the end, but we'll get to the bottom of this and report on it.
>I'll feel guilty about it though. Trixie will probably just get a good night's sleep knowing her.
>But-
*BZZZT*
>Speak of the devil.  A text from Trixie.
>[[STAIRCASE, SECOND FLOOR, NEAR CHEM]]
>Arriving there, Trixie's hand is noticeably shaking while holding the phone.
>She's tense as well.
"You alright?"
>"Talked to janitor. Denies ties with Nolan. Denies locking the shed for a bag."
"So the bag IS important."
>We both sit down by the stairs, waiting for Timothy to text or call.
>Trixie swallows some painkillers. Twice she gulped a handful.
"Are you alright?"
>"Of course I am. I'm fan-dandy-tastic." She says, hands shaking."
"Nervous?"
>Trixie stays quiet for a moment before looking at me with an emotionless face.
>"Of course I am."
>There she is. The emotionless woman from the trailer.
>Well actually, she's more slightly annoyed than blank.
"You know, you might overdose on those things if you abuse it."
>"I know."
>Trixie rubs her face.
>"I just hope this will all end soon."
"..."
>"What?"
"About your parents..."
>"I don't want to talk about my life. Especially to someone like you."
"Like me?"
>"We're both reporters here, partner. You of all people should know that we can't trust ourselves with each other."
"...right."
>Trixie's mood swings. From obnoxious to passive aggressive. It's not even tsundere or however the internet would describe it. She's just unpredictable.
>Maybe I am being unfair to her in my mind. She's done things for this assignment as much as I have.
>Maybe I'm just annoyed at her narcisstic attitude. Maybe, I'm just frustrated and stressed to pin my anger at her.
>Yeah. Maybe.
>"..."
"..."
>Four minutes later, my phone rings again.
*BZZZT*
"A text from Tim."
>"Got mine as well."
>>[[GUYS. YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHERE I AM. THE CEMETARY! NOLAN'S HERE, AND APPLEJACK TOO, AND SHE'S CARRYING SOMETHING. CAN'T TELL WHAT. MEET ME AT THE BUSH BY THE GATE, AND HURRY!]]
>"To whatever goddess up there that's watching me, THANK YOU!"
"Bloody hell, Applejack AND Nolan? In a cemetery?"
>"OF COURSE! It's the most quiet place to make-out in!"
>Looks like Trixie's back to her old self.
"Eh, I was thinking that they're part of some medieval cult or whatever, but that works too."

>We both arrive near the cemetery gates.
>Timothy was already hiding in the bushes. 
"We came as soon as we got your message."
>"Did you find out what Nolan had in the shed?"
>>"No, but I did hear some clanking sounds, so it's probably something metal."
"Where are they now?"
>>"Up there!"
>Timothy comes out of the bush and points to the tree on the hill in the cemetery.
>There, Nolan talks with a really distressed Applejack.
>In fact, you could hear Applejack's voice from down here.
>Hope they don't look down. The hill's pretty high.
>But the tree.
>It looks so familiar.
>The markings on it. Like I've seen it in a dream.
>"Oh my god. THIS PROVES IT!" Trixie shouts softly
"Proves what?"
>>"Do you know what that tree is?" Timothy asks me.
"I don't know. Any of you guys care to explain?"
>"That tree is the lover's tree!"
"What!?"
>>"It's mostly a secret place where people go to carve their names on that tree with the person they love. Legend says that the couple who carves their initials on it will forever be bonded by their love for each other until they're bones and ashes."
"How come I didn't know about it?"
>>"Well duh, it's a secret. Besides, it's only reference  was from a small history book in the library, hence the secrecy."
"Wow."
>I grab my camera and zoomed in on the two by the tree.
>"Get a good one." Trixie says.
>With a click, I capture a photograph of Nolan by the tree with Applejack.
"Whoa!" I say, flinching.
>"What? WHAT!?" Trixie asks impatiently.
>I zoom in with my camera. Something's up.
>"PARTNER, WHAT!?"
>Applejack is carrying...a bloody blanket?
"Is that a bloody blanket?"
>>"WHAT!?"
>Timothy tries to grab my camera, but I managed to shove him off of me.
"No wait, there's something in it. It looks small."
>>"What do you think it is?"
"Let's see, fleshy, has some hair, brown. I think it's a corpse?"
>Trixie just had a blast of an idea.
>"OH MY GOD. IT ALL MAKES SENSE! THE DOCTOR, THE AFFAIR, THE EVERYTHING!" 
>>"Trixie...you're not thinking what I'm thinking."
>She nods intensely. 
>"If you're thinking that that thing right there is Applejack's 'loss', then by the goddess, we're on the same page."
>>"I don't believe it. If that thing is a corpse, then Applejack...had an abortion..."
"And Nolan maybe the father."
>"What do you mean 'maybe'? HE IS THE FATHER!"
"Hold on, hold on!"
>"WHAT?"
>I grab my phone and put it on record.
"We can't just jump to these conclusions. I need one final proof."
>"And that is?"
"I need a recording of them admitting it. If they don't, we'll just print out that Nolan has this HUGE secret that stays an enigma. We can't just print that Applejack had a miscarriage."
>>"Incidentally, Nolan doesn't have anyone to protect or to back him up from this but Applejack, which makes this all the while easier."
>Timothy sets his phone to camera mode.
>>"I want to see the look on Amy's face." He says sinisterly.
>"Fine, fine. On three, we charge up there-"
>>"I can't charge up there. It might ruin my chances of Nolan picking me as his one true pal and only adviser. You two gotta promise me that you don't mention me to him OR your article, got it?" Timothy says.
"Fine. Reporter's promise." I say to him.
>"So you're just going to hide by one of those tombstones and videotape the whole thing?"
>>"All for Amy."
>"Ass." Trixie says to him while poking his cheek.
"Right. On three. "
>They  prepare to run.
"One. Two. THREE!"
>All three of us rush to the top of the hill.
>Timothy goes stealth and crouch-walks through each tombstone he could find.
>Trixie slips midway and grazes her knee.
>"Ack."
>Doesn't stop her. She just keeps on going. I'm right behind her.

>We finally arrive at the tree.
>Applejack notices us first before Nolan.
>With no turning back, we introduce ourselves.
"Nolan North. We're from the journalism club, and we have a few questions for both of you."
>Nolan is frozen in place. All fingers pointing right at him.
>Applejack stands nearby, leaning on a shovel stuck to the ground.
>Trixie grabs my camera and begins snapping photos in an exaggerated manner.
>I grab my phone to record the events happening.
>Trixie grabs my phone too, waving it around Nolan's face.
>Timothy hides nearby with his camera phone, ready to take a video to show to Amy.
>>>"Uhh..."
>>>>"Can you tell me what the heck Trixie is doing?" An obviously annoyed Applejack asks.
"She's...getting the scoop of the century?"
>>>"What?"
>"TELL HIM, PARTNER! TELL THEM HOW WE CAUGHT THE POLITICIAN NOLAN IN A LOVE AFFAIR-SLASH-PREGNANCY SCANDAL!"
>>>"Love Affair?!?"
>>>>"I knew someone would come to that conclusion." Applejack says while facepalming herself.
"Trixie, stop waving the phone at Nolan's face. I'll take it from here."
>I take a deep breath and decide to do this in a professional way.
"Nolan, we've been following you for a few days, and we have evidence that suggests that you and Applejack are conducting suspicious meetings with each other."
>Come to think of it, I'm starting to sound like Axel Jones.
>>>"What do you mean suspicious?"
"I'll start off. During the first few days, we've noticed that you've been having some secret meetings with Applejack. When we interviewed Timothy,  he said that he asked you if you were meeting with Applejack, to which you denied ever having associations with the woman."
>Nolan stays quiet. 
>Applejack tries to speak but Nolan gives her a stop sign with his hand.
>>>"Go on."
"We also have witnesses that have seen you visiting Applejack not only in her home but also on the school rooftops."
>I grab a photograph from my bag. I show it to the two.
>The photograph in which Nolan gets slapped by Applejack.
>Nolan looks intensely at the photo. He tries to hide his smile.
>>>"So, you think we're having a secret affair with all this?" Nolan asked.
"We also found...err...this near your garage door."
>>>"You went in my house?" He says in a slightly angry and suspicious voice.
>I pause for a moment.
"No, we just found this by your garage door.
>Nolan nods, buying my little fib.
>I show both of them Applejack's handkerchief. Complete with the blot of blood.
"Now, do you have anything to say about this?"
>Nolan stares with his eyes like a bored man.
>>>"What do you two make of this?" Nolan asks us.
>Trixie answers him in an exposition-filled manner.
>"TRIXIE BELIEVES THAT APPLEJACK HAD A BRIEF FLING WITH YOU, RESULTING IN APPLEJACK GETTING PREGNANT. YOU, NOT WANTING TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT, GOT HER TO ABORT THE BABY AND YOU'RE BOTH HERE DIGGING UP A HOLE TO BURY THE FETUS WITH!"
>Nolan and Applejack are speechless.  Trixie's waving her arms like she does not care.
>Although you could see Nolan trying to stop himself from smiling.
"Sorry if she's a bit blunt in that, but well, we want to see if you would confirm or deny."
>>>"If we deny, what then?"
"We go to plan T."
>>"WHAT!?" Timothy  yells from the tombstone.
>>>"Is someone else with you?"
"N-No. Just my throat going *AGOH!*."
>>>>"What in blazes is plan T?"
"Which is classified."
>"But forget about that." Trixie says, rubbing my phone all over his face. "ADMIT IT AND BE DONE WITH IT!"
>Nolan just smiles, about to laugh.
>Applejack just gives herself a facepalm.
>Suddenly, Nolan just bursts into tears, laughing.
>Applejack lightly punches his shoulder to make him stop.
"What the heck?"
>"I-Is he...going insane?" Trixie asks Applejack.
>>>"Hahahahaha...no, Trixie. I'm just surprised that all week long, we were being followed and neither of us realized it...hahahah."
>>>>"Look sugar cube, your accusation towards us is completely false. Only one thing you said was right."
"The affair?" I ask.
>>"THE PREGNANCY?" She asks.
>>>>"The hole to bury a body with."
>Trixie is frozen in her place trying to contain her confused excitement.
>Applejack grabs the bloody blanket and shows its contents to us.
[spoiler]It's not a baby's body.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]It's a dog's[/spoiler]
"What the hell?"
>"Oh  my god. Applejack gave birth to a werewolf!"
>Applejack knocks on Trixie's noggin.
>>>>"No you idiot, it's Wiona. She's my dog."
>>>"Well actually, she WAS your d-MMMPH"
>Applejack covers Nolan's mouth.
"I don't get it! Why keep this a big secret!?"
>Applejack lets out a huge sigh.
>>>"I suppose we should start at the beginning." Nolan says.
>>>>"Days ago, Nolan was riding his car in the middle of the night. It was dark and foggy, so we didn't see each other on the road. By the time I saw his headlights, it was too late."
"Wait, why were you walking your dog in the middle of the night?"
>>>>"Vaccine. I was the last owner in the vet's clinic, and he had a lot of patients that day."
>>>"When I got out of my car, the dog's ribs were already cracked. He was-"
>>>>"She."
>>>"She was whimpering. Blood spilling from her mouth and broken skin. Applejack was in the middle of trying to fight the tears and choking me to death." Nolan says
>>>>"Nolan drove us all the way to the clinic, but  by then, it was closed. Desperate for some shelter and medicine, we ended up in Nolan's home for the night." Applejack adds.
"That explains the handkerchief, I suppose?"
>>>>"Nolan didn't know how to handle animals, and this was the first time I had to care for a pup-sized animal with brittle bones, so we stayed up all night until we managed to get a 4:00 AM doctor the next day."
>>>"Wasn't easy, but I managed to make him 'open early' for a small fee. He was a family friend and managed to put the dog in a stable place for a few days." Nolan says.
>>>>"Nolan was barely sympathetic." Applejack says while looking angrily at Nolan. "But he spent enough for the dog."
"But again, why keep it a secret?"
>Applejack looks away from us.
>>>>"My sister...she...she loves that dog, and we couldn't let her know that Wiona's holding onto a rope, avoiding death's embrace."
>>>"Applebloom's the elementary president for the Student Council. A postion she once had to share with Diamond Tiara. She has friends everywhere from her year level to the Talent Crusaders." Nolan explains to us.
"Talent Crusaders?"
>>>"It's what they call their girl scout team. Legitimate too."
>>>>"Applebloom will have her heart broken once she finds out. We did everything we could to try and save the dog."
"Wait, so Applebloom hasn't noticed that the dog has gone missing?"
>>>"Applejack told her sister that Wiona's somewhere across the world in the hands of some aunt she never heard about. Said that it was a matter of saving her 'reputation' in the...dog-lovers society. Bullcrap story like that."
>They continue with burying the dog underneath the tree.
>>>"Days later, I visited the doctor again, and he said that the dog might not make it. He did all he could. The next day, he visited and confirmed that the dog had died."
>Must be that day when Trixie ran in the cold rain out of her stubborness.
>>>"Applejack was already in panic. We spent the last two days arguing about the dog, whose fault it was and Applebloom. In the end, our fights were ended up with a solution of buying a new dog identical to the first."
>Applejack has just finished burying the dog.
>>>>"This was the place where we found poor Wiona, and now she's...she's..."
>Applejack cries to herself silently. 
>Trixie's still in a state of confusion. She doesn't seem to know how to sympathize.
"What about the bruise Amy got? I thought she fought Applejack and got it from her."
>>>>"It was an *sniff* an accident. I was carrying the shovels when I bumped into Amy. Amy was just buying a hammer from the hardware that day for Nolan's campaign posters."
>Plausible enough.
"Have you...guys gotten a dog yet? Y-You know, for the replacement?"
>Nolan shakes his head.
>>>"No."
>Applejack puts the shovel aside, and begins to whisper to the grave.
>>>"Man, I feel freaking bad about this."
>"And to think that we were cracking a case with a miscarriage!"
"Trixie!"
>"What?"
"Just...just quiet down."
>"Trixie is just being honest about this whole facade!"
>Applejack continues to whisper, crying while doing so.
"So all this was just for Applebloom's sister?"
>>>"Yeah."
"Shouldn't Applebloom just...I don't know, learn to move on? I mean, it's just her dog. It's part of life."
>>>"I told Applejack that already." Nolan says. " Problem is, Applebloom's...well..."
>>>>"She doesn't take news like that lightly."
>Applejack rises from where she kneeled and begins explaining.
>>>>"When our parents died, she had an episode that had her lying in a hospital bed for two months."
>I back away in shock.
"What!?"
>>>>"A coma, they said. After our parents died, she just threw a bunch of our family plates on the wall in fury before freezing in her place, staring at a wall."
"Okay, this is too much."
>>>>"After which, she fell unconscious. That's when the coma kicked in."
"How did...your...parents die? I mean, if it just triggered an emotional stress or something..."
>>>>"Died in an accident. She didn't see them die, but the sight of their bodies in the crime scene was more than enough for her."
"I'm sorry. I mean, for her and your parents, and your dog too."
>>>"Shit happens. I just wish the doctor could've saved the dog."
"And here we were thinking that this was all just a sex scandal gone wrong."
>>>"You guys from the journalism club?"
"We are."
>>>"Let me guess, Soren waited at the last minute and now  you guys had no choice but to stalk me this whole week?"
"...yeah."
>>>"Figures."
"Again, sorry."
>>>"Now you're just making the whole thing awkward." He says, maintaining an emotionless unenthusiastic voice throughout.
>The environment is just too unsettling.
>The revelations, Nolan's unpredictable tone of voice.
>I don't know how to react. To respond.
>>>>"Listen, I know you guys have a deadline, but I beg of you, don't write this story down."
"I...I won't, but we don't have any other story to write about."
>>>"Didn't Trixie mention a Plan T?"
"That was just a bluff." I say. I still don't know if Timothy left or not to mention him directly.
>I pluck a flower near the tree and lay it on the burial site as a sign of respect to the dead.
>This whole wild goose chase mystery.
>In all honesty to myself,  I expected something different. Something other than a sex affair. 
>Like earlier, I expected some sort of secret cult or some sort of secret fundraiser.
>Well, I got it. A dead dog and a weak-hearted little sister.
>I look behind me. Trixie had already left the cemetery.
>I didn't notice her. No one here noticed her.
>But she still has my phone, so there's that.
"Looks like we're going to come in empty handed this month. We could always pin the blame on Soren. He'd probably kick me out if I did."
>>>"I'd make a joke right now, but it would be inappropriate."
>>>>"Nolan."
>Nolan turns to Applejack.
>>>"Yeah?"
>>>>"Take me home."
>>>"But I thought we were going to look for a repla-"
>>>>"Now." Applejack says angrily.
>>>"Fine. You're the boss."
>Nolan's lack of sympathy in his voice made him a bit annoying to hear when he's talking to Applejack, but I can feel his genuine regret when he talked about the day he ran over the dog.
>Maybe it's because he's just trying to look tough. His eyes betray him though. 
>I wish I could say the same for Trixie.
>Nolan's trying to comfort Applejack while he holds a heavy bag of shovels in his other hand.
>Timothy's long-gone as well. I checked every tombstone near us.
>Nolan walks the girl home.
>I take a long look at the grave they dug for the dog.
"Wiona." I tell it.
>Unsure of my own feelings, I take a seat near it and just leaned back on the tree, watching the skies.
>This day. Applebloom, her dog, everything.
>This was heavier than I thought.
>How me and Trixie will meet the deadline is something that she'd probably have a hard time dealing with.
>Funny how while she's failing history, we learn a little history from Tim and Applejack as well. The tree and the story of the whole adventure.
>Though it would've ended better if the dog survived.
>It would've ended bearably better if it weren't for the next day.

>Final Day. Lunch break.
>I hold my tray while feeling weak in my arms and heart.
>Tomorrow is output day.
>Nolan's with his crew. Applejack is noticeably avoiding her friends.
>Timothy's currently stuck with Amy, and despite their mutual hatred for each other, Amy decides to enlist him in helping her, leaving him unavailable for the whole day.
>Only one left to talk to is Trixie. Can't say anything to Soren right now.
>Trixie's sitting in a lone table opposite to Twilight Sparkle's.
>She's holding a bottle of water and a half-eaten apple.
>I couldn't find her yesterday in her trailer.
>I sit beside her so we could talk.
"So."
>"So what?"
"What now?"
>Trixie looks away. She grumbles and takes gulps down some painkillers.
>Her tone changes from being obnoxious, to being serious.
>"It's done."
>Those two words echo in my ear.
"Done?" What do you mean it's done?" I ask her.
>"I've written the article. Published your photo of Applejack slapping Nolan and the gravesite one. They're already at printing phase." She says while handing over my phone and camera.
"YOU DID WHAT?" I yell at her.
>"Are you deaf?"
"TRIXIE, WE CAN'T DO THAT!"
>"You can't. I can."
>She looks at me in the eye, intimidating me.
"But Applebloom will-"
>"Will have to learn how to accept how life works."
>Her voice lacks empathy. She's doesn't sound like she's bragging, nor does she sound like she's regretting.
>Her eyes are serious. Her mouth ever so neutral.
"I promised them that the story would never go public."
>"You promised them. I didn't."
"Didn't you hear Applejack or Nolan? They said Applebloom might have another episode!"
>"And I'm in the middle of failing history class. She lost a friend. I might lose a future."
>Trixie's voice grows stern. She's not letting up.
>I just silently bend my head to the table and silently screamed to myself.
>"And no, you can't stop the printing. You'd be forced to pay for all the wasted ink and paper that Soren used right now." She says, looking away from me.
"Why didn't you tell me this BEFORE you gave your article to Soren?"
>"Because you aren't me, and you'd just try to stop me. We've had this conversation before. I only look out for what's best for me. Nothing else matters."
"You selfish-"
>"Be that as it may, partner. What did you expect in this club? In this assignment? You knew that we will break hearts and punch guts in the figurative sense."
>I stay quiet. Angry at her. At myself.
>"Tomorrow is output day." She says, standing up. "Unless you work a miracle to persuade Soren to waste all the printed copies that he already printed, there's nothing else you could do, but to give Applejack a forewarning."
"There has to be another way."
>"Soren said our news had to be truthful. Well, truth hurts."
>Trixie walks away while carrying her medicine.
>I stand up and run to Soren in the printing room.
>The club room is pretty loud. I could hear the machines working from the outside.
>The room is filled with printed newspapers.
>He's already 80% done with all the copies.
>>"Well well, if it isn't one of our reporters. Gotta say, you and Trixie made a startling discover, though I would've preferred the love affair story to have been true." He says in a snarky tone.
"Soren, we can't sell these."
>>"You're joking right? We spent half the club's budget on this, we can't-"
>I try to explain in full detail the consequences of Trixie's actions.
>But no matter how many times I shake Soren's body through his shoulders, he does not nod to agree.
>>"I'm sorry, but it's done. It's all done."
"Is there no other way?"
>>"No. Even if you did find a good story, or a better story than what you and Trixie had discovered, there would've been no way to unprint all these papers.  You'll have to answer to Principal Celestia about wasted ink budget. Tomorrow's output day, and we would have HUGE losses from our budget."
>In the end, my efforts were but in vain. I leave the man to his printing.
>>"I'm sorry. It's just how it is." He says, apologizing again.
>I walk out of the club, defeated.
>As the school bell rings, I decided to put off talking to Applejack until dismissal.
>Time passes by faster than I would've wanted it. 
>School grounds. Found Applejack.
>Walking to Applejack was like the day I had to walk to my mother to have my report card signed back in elementary.
>She's still stressed out. She hasn't gotten much sleep.
"Applejack." I say to her.
>She looks at me, trying to decode who I am.
>>>"Journalism club." She says to me. 
>I nod.
>>>"Well?"
"I'm sorry, but we're pushing through with the story."
>>>"YOU PEOPLE ARE WHAT?"
>She grabs me by my shirt.
>Applejack has a hint of anger and desperation on her face.
>>>"YOU PROMISED ME.  YOU PRO-"
"I kept my promise, but Trixie didn't stick around when you told about Applebloom. She...ran off with my camera and phone and wrote the article without knowledge about Applebloom's dilemma. She thought it was because you were too scared to tell her."
>>>"GODDAMMIT!"
>She pushes me away.
>I nearly open my mouth to tell her that it was already printed, but I bite my tongue before I do so.
>She might go nuts and try to steal and burn all the copies we have.
"You have until tomorrow to tell Applebloom, Apple-"
>>>"Shut up. Just shut up."
"I'm sorry. I tried all I-"
>>>"What am I going to tell her now? She might have another...goddammit."
>She punches a tree in rage.
>I couldn't speak. I don't have anything else to tell her. I fear that I may have overstayed my welcome.
>Her friends show up. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Rarity.
>>>>"Applejack, are you...crying?" Twilight asked.
>>>>>"Someone giving you trouble?" Rainbow Dash asks while looking at me with her fist clenched.
>>>"No. Someone find Applebloom." Applejack says to them.
>>>>>>"She's with my sister, Sweetie Belle-"
>>>"Get her, Rarity."
>>>>>>"O-Ok."
>I slowly back away from all this.
>Once Rainbow Dash stopped looking, I ran home.
>I lie down on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
>The guilt of it all.
>It wasn't long before the next day.
>Club Day: Output Edition.
>The day was free for the clubs. Some three-four hour long program in the auditorium.
>Some in the gym.
>I was too depressed, thinking about what Trixie had done.
>I couldn't even enjoy what the home economics club had cooked for the whole school.
>The door at my club was open.
>Principal Celestia had just exited the room.
>I enter it and grabbed a copy of the paper.

>Headline reads: NOLAN NORTH, DOG KILLER.
>Among other stories.
>It was definitely less intriguing than a love-affair story, but it was the only thing we had. A tight deadline.
>Trixie was sitting in the corner enjoying a cup of joe.
>She seems pleased with herself.
>Soren and the rest were enjoying their success. The success of cramming for the whole week and actually surviving output day with a big story.
>Not as big as Soren or Timothy would've hoped.
>I walk outside, feeling a tiny-bit disgusted at myself for not being able to stop this.
>Timothy's sitting in the cafeteria, feeling bored.
>I sit beside him and started to chat.
"Hey."
>He nods.
"Read the news?"
>"Heh. Nolan North, Dog Killer. Ain't that a big mark on his public face."
"Aye. I feel bad for him now."
>"Still, it's nothing a little damage control from me can't fix."
"Timothy."
>"Yeah?"
"When you were eavesdropping on us, when did you leave?"
>"...Minutes after they mentioned Applebloom's medical history."
"..."
>"You promised them that the story wouldn't go public. Now Applebloom's absent along with her sister, suffering from depression."
>He leans in closer.
>"Why did you lie to them?"
"I didn't. I gave them my word, but I failed. Trixie had my camera and the recording as vocal proof. When I already found out that she had given the article to Soren, it was already too late."
>"Ah."
"God, I feel so bad for everyone. Applebloom, Nolan, Jack's dog..."
>"This is real life. There are some things you can't change."
"Maybe, but throughout the week, I've learned so much from these people, and they were...they had so many secrets."
>"Like?"
"Trixie's calmer side, her past and her reasons for flunking school. Applejack being an orphan, Applebloom being emotionally unstable...among others..."
>"Like I said, it's life. I may not be in your club, but even I know that journalists like yourself can see people from uncommon perspectives."
"To set or burn the path they take."
>"For glory or recognition."
"Belonging in amalgamation."
>He nods.
>"Exactly."
>I grab a cup of water and drank it like I was drinking beer.
>"You still have a whole year to spend with those bloodsucking reporters. You sure you can handle it?"
"I probably can. I wouldn't like it, but I'd be lying if I said that I hate every single bit about it."
>He gives out a chuckle.

>The day ended peacefully. We managed to sell more than half of the copies.
>I couldn't talk to Trixie. I'd hate myself more if I decided to talk to her, calm or not.
>She was right and wrong to do it. It was her job.
>Soren knew that her lack of moral conflict was an asset for the job.
>Maybe my emotions are a weakness for this job. 
>I thought to myself if I was cut out for this, but then, looking at Nolan and a group of enraged dog lovers and Applejack fans, I realize that I'm only human as well.
>Error is part of our lives.
>Without it, we're practically uninteresting. 
>But with it, our true colors are shown. Nolan's apathy, Trixie's personality, Applebloom's emotional sickness.
>All these revealed in an unsettling way.

>The next day, I decide to go out to the doctor's.
>I go to the nearest clinic to have a check-up for my chest and heart problems.
>I think I've put that issue off for too long. Better safe now than sorry.
>Waiting for my number to be called, I notice Applebloom being escorted by the doctor with her family to the door.
>Looks like she's had her check-up. Her eyes indicates that she had been crying for quite some time.
>She could barely walk. She has some bruises and light cuts on her leg and arms.
>Applejack looks like she's barely gotten her sleep. 
>Macintosh and Granny Smith help their poor little girl to the family car where they drive off home.
>I was partially the cause of all this.
>I gave the idea to stalk Nolan, but I didn't know it would end like this.
>But then again, Applebloom was bound to find out sooner or later.
>Whether or not what I did was good or bad, I force myself not to dwell on that subject as I wait in line.
>My heart beats with guilt, but deep down, I knew it was going to be like this. 
>But with an adventure like this comes a great lesson and a story.
>To find out the stories and backstories of the students.
>Through the broken lens of a journalist's camera.

The End.




Atimetocomenarrwriterforrtheenndofyurloife. hewillnotsurvive.shewillnotsurvive.thelastofthisplace.sexuaeldestruction.rarequality.justnothing.losethelife.losethepepol.bulgefromhell.iamnotwhoyouthhinkkiam