Hearts and Hooves Day, Thursday, February 14th

”That kiss was everything I wanted it to be...”

Searing pain lanced through my body, violently waking me up. I twitched and spasmed in pain, screams were pulled forcefully from my lungs. I could feel myself break out into a cold sweat as the pain raced through me. I could feel myself falling, but it didn’t matter. All I could do was try not to cry as the unbearable pain ruled my thoughts. In a matter of minutes, the pain finally started to wear off. I sat in a small pool of my own sweat, gasping for breath as if my life depended on it.

“Sharky?! What happened?! Are you alright?” My brain was still fuzzy and slow from the pain. I could barely recognize Twilight. She was by my side, shaking my arm. Her mane was disheveled and unorganized. She must’ve been asleep too.

“Voice...” I muttered. Twilight leaned in close.

“What? What voice?”

“Your voice... said something about a kiss...” Twilight’s eyes flew open in shock.

“What? What’re you talking about?”

“Your voice was in my head... You said something about a kiss...”

“T-that’s pretty silly... Ah ha ha...”

“Twilight... What’s going on?”

“W-what do you m-mean?”

“Something weird is happening, and whatever it is, you’re involved. This isn’t the first time that strange voice thing happened to me. Last time it was my voice. It almost feels like a memory...”

“T-that’s n-not possible...”

“Well, it’s happening.”

“Oh no...”

“Oh no what?”

“ N-nothing...”

“Twilight, what aren’t you telling me?”

“Well... it’s just... I may have used a teensy bit of magic on you... without permission...”

“... You what?”

“... Don’t hate me...”

“Well... I guess there’s no real harm... What magic?”

“A little memory eraser...”

“Memory... You and I were in it... and...” The whole memory suddenly came back to me in a rush. Twilight looked horrified as she sat next to me. I frowned a little.

“...” Twilight could do nothing but wiggle uncomfortably as I stared her down. I could feel the betrayal of my trust in the air. In the end, I didn’t say anything to her. I simply stood up, grabbed my weapons, and walked out of the house.

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“I CAN’T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!” I screamed. I was halfway to Fluttershy’s house and had wandered off the path and slightly into the woods. Fang had followed me and my robin was perched on my shoulder uneasily. “What the hell kinda pony does that?!” I swung the Buster Sword at a thin tree. With the flat of the blade. The tree erupted into a shower of splinters.

”Mad, hero?” I jumped at the sound of Ravidos’ voice echoing through the forest.

“Yeah. I am.”

”As well you should be. I saw the whole thing.”

“You did? It’s ridiculous right?!”

”Most definitely. How dare she manipulate your mind like that.”

“I know right?! Ugh!” I swung at another tree, rage flowing through me. This one shattered as well. I sighed ruefully as I realized I didn’t feel any better. “But she just liked me... maybe she was just scared to tell me and she acted out because of that.”

”Does this excuse her actions? Even then she had no right to violate you like that!”

“Yeah, well who are you to judge her? I still don’t even know who you really are! ... And quit calling me hero!”

”Forgive me for not explaing myself sir, my power is low. Manifesting as that light when we last spoke used up most of my energy.”

“Energy? Huh, well I guess I understand. Why are you following me around?”

”Because I believe you would make a suitable champion.”

“Champion? Champion for what?” There was no response. Ravidos was gone again. I sighed. “Well... nothing to do now but get Unity.” I turned back to the path and started back towards Fluttershy’s house.

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I decided I had really been justified in my reaction to Twilight’s violation of my mind. I had already put up with that time she invaded my dreams, and this was just too much. Even if it meant that I really was loved, it didn’t excuse her behavior. I let myself into Fluttershy’s house and walked to her room. Fluttershy was still fast asleep.

“Heh, at least I don’t have to worry about stuff like that from you, huh Fluttershy?” I mumbled to her sleeping form. I scooped a still sleeping Unity out of his crib and prepared to leave. I laughed silently as I saw all the animals on the floor nibbling at the peanut butter. “Glad I didn’t have to scrub that clean too.” I briefly contemplated where to head next, but I knew where I had to go. I couldn’t just leave this new issue with Twilight unresolved. I reluctantly turned back to the direction of the library and started walking. Then I quickly turned back and ran into Fluttershy’s house to make a bottle in case Unity woke up soon. Then I was on my way to the library.

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“Twilight, we need to talk.” I had left Unity in a pile of cushions downstairs. He was happily suckling away on a bottle and would likely be content for a while. Twilight was laying face down on my bed and didn’t seem to hear me. Her back was shaking irregularly, as if she were coughing. I quietly climbed up to her and leaned over her.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid...” Twilight was sobbing and reprimanding herself quietly. The sight made me feel less angry with her. I gently placed a hand on the middle of her back. She rocketed up into a sitting position, obviously startled by the sudden contact.

“You’re not stupid.” I offered. ”Yeah you are. I didn’t even have to get you in trouble for this, it happened on its own!” Twilight sniffled loudly a few times before she realized who I was.

“S-Sharky!!” She cheered with a sudden burst of happiness. She jumped up and wrapped her hooves around my neck. “I’m s-so sorry! I promise I’ll never do anything like that again! I didn’t want to hurt you! Just please, don’t leave me!”

“... You’re totally ruining any chance I had at being mad at you. Also, I can’t really leave you if we were never together.”

“... *sniffle*.”

“Look Twilight, I suppose I’m not really all that mad. However, you can’t just do crap like that to me! Do you know how much recovering that memory hurt?”

“... I’m sorry...”

“On the same note, why the hell did you delete it anyway? If I liked you back, why would you erase it?”

“... It was the right thing to do...”

“How do you figure?”

“I can’t tell you...”

“So lemme get this straight, you’re going to upset me by hiding my own memories from me, then not tell me why you did it?”

“Please don’t be mad.”

“FUUUUU. Ugh, fine. Don’t tell me.” I sighed and returned Twilight’s hug.

“... I’m so glad you came back...” Twilight nuzzled her head into the crook of my neck. “I thought I’d just gotten rid of you for good...”

“Heh, not that easy. He’s right. I’ve been trying to find a way to get rid of him for awhile now. Still unsuccessful.”

“I r-really do love you Sharky... D... do y-yo--”

“Of course I feel the same. I’ve always loved you.” Twilight pulled her head out from my neck and looked at me with surprise.

“R-really? M-me?”

“Of course Twilight. You’re wonderful.” Twilight lowered her eyelids a little.

“Oh Sharky... Thank Celestia.” Twilight closed her eyes and leaned forward a bit. Her lips were puckered, I guess she wanted a kiss. I instead placed a finger against her lips.

“Unfortunately Twilight, I can’t trust you.” Twilight’s eyes opened quickly and she looked a little panicked.

“What?” Her speech was slightly distorted due to the finger on her mouth.

“I can’t be with you if I can’t trust my own memories around you. I’m sorry, but I’m going to need some time to trust you enough for a relationship.”

“B-but...”

“I’m sorry...” I released Twilight and pulled her off of me. I placed her back down on her bed and left the room. Twilight could only sit in stunned silence until the harsh reality of what happened finally hit her. She ran downstairs after me, tackling me from behind and causing us to roll down to the floor. She was sitting squarely on my chest when we stopped rolling.

“NO!” She screamed. “I worked too long and too hard for you to do that to me!”

“Twilight, I’ve made my decision.”

“Then unmake it! You can trust me, I promise! Please, let me prove myself! I won’t let you just leave like that!”

“Twi, I--”

“Don’t you ‘Twi’ me! I’m not letting you go! Please Sharky! P-plea-a-ase....” Her last plea broke apart as she started to sob. She let her head fall to my chest and sobbed gently.
I reached down and lifted her chin with a finger. I looked into her teary eyes and decided she was right. I had to give her a chance.

“Fine. You can start by telling me why you erased my memory in the first place.” Twilight didn’t even pause to take a breath as she delved right into an explanation of the contest. She explained the rules, the efforts of the other girls, even admitting she had broken the rules more than once already. My jaw almost dislodged itself from my face with how low it dropped.

“That’s why I erased the memory... I knew it was wrong for me to cheat like that...”

“Oh... my.... god. Okay, well at least I know how you can regain my trust.”

“How?!” Twilight jumped eagerly at my offer.

“I want you to erase my memory again.”

“Wha--”

“Then I want you to finish this stupid competition. I can’t freaking believe you all did this. I want you to finish it FAIRLY though.”

“... What if I don’t win?”

“Well... That would be unfortunate...” I muttered hesitantly. Twilight seemed to instantly pick up on the reluctance in my voice.

“I thought you loved me!!”

“I do Twilight, I do. I love all the other girls too though! I’d never be able to pick just one of you, so you all finish this and decide. I wish I could say for sure I’d just like one of you, but that simply isn’t the case.”

“...”

“Now, be sure to use a really strong spell so it doesn’t slip up this time.”

“Okay...”

“Thanks. Now, I’m ready. Let’s get to it.”

“Well...”

“Twilight, don’t even think about backing out now. Just make sure this contest ends today. Got it?”

“Okay Sharky...”

“Good, now fire away!” Twilight seemed hesitant at first, but soon a ball of purple energy started to form on the end of her horn. I closed my eyes and waited until the magic hit me...

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Hearts and Hooves Day, Thursday, February 14th

I sat up in my bed and yawned. There was sunlight pouring into my room already.

“That’s odd... I thought Twi was gonna wake me up early today...” I muttered to myself. It looked like it was going to be midday in just a few hours! Then a sudden scent caught my attention. Pancakes? Huh, maybe it hadn’t been as late as I thought if somepony was still making breakfast. The bedroom door opened and Twilight stepped in.

“Good morning Sharky!”

“Morning Twilight. Hey, why didn’t you wake me up this morning?”

“You looked so peaceful in your sleep that I didn’t want to disturb you. Don’t worry, Unity is here already, fed and waiting for you downstairs.”

“Oh... uhh...”

“Also I made some breakfast for you! Pancakes, made from scratch with love!”

“... Okaaaayyy...”

“Well, come on Sharky! You don’t want it to get cold do you?” I climbed out of bed and followed Twilight downstairs. When we got to the kitchen there was a huge stack of pancakes on a plate at the dining table. They were drenched in syrup with a melty pad of butter right in the middle of the top pancake. I couldn’t help but lick my lips a little in anticipation. All I’d eaten for almost a week was dried fruit.

“Wow... Those look delicious...” Twilight gave me a warm smile.

“Well, don’t stand there and look at them! Eat!” She ordered. I didn’t need to be told twice. I crouched down next to the tiny table and grabbed a fork Twilight had provided for me. About 30.8 seconds later, I forced myself to start breathing in between bites. Those pancakes were amazing, but I couldn’t help but wonder why Twilight went through all this trouble for me.

“Hey Twilight, *Om nom nom* What’s the special *Nom* occasion? *Gasp* *Om nom nom nom*”

“Well, I just wanted to give you a happy Hearts and Hooves Day! ... Dear Celestia, you were really hungry huh?”

“*Om* Yes, I *Nom nom* was! *Chomp* Ah crap, empty fork. Well Thanks Twi! *Nomidy noms* I wish I had gotten you something. *Scraaaape* Awww... All gone.”

“... Goodness, that was fast... Anyway, would you mind hanging out with Unity and I before you have to run off to your lunch date?”

“Oh yeah, I have to go to Esmerelda for lunch! Thanks for the reminder Twi, I almost forgot.” I heard angry muttering from Twilight. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing. Well, are you going to answer my question?”

“Oh yeah. Sure, I’d love to spend some time with you guys! Where is the little guy anyway?”

“He’s in the main room, resting in a pile of pillows.”

“Heh, knowing him, I doubt he’s still in pillows.” We walking into the main room, and sure enough, I was wrong. He was still in a pile of pillows. That had come together and looked like a small pillow mech with pillow rocket launchers on the shoulders and pillow arm cannons. Unity was in the pillow cockpit manipulating little pillow controls.

“Pway! Pway!” He shouted gleefully. I smiled with pride.

“His first words!” I cheered. Then one of the arm cannons fired a throw pillow round at me. I was thrown across the room and slammed into the front door. I coughed a little in slight pain. “Sadly, not the first injury he’s given me.

“Sharky! What do we do?!” Twilight yelled fearfully.

“Dude, calm down. He just want to play! I think this is his version of a pillow fight.”

“... What?”

“Yeah, all we gotta do is pillow fight him.”

“WHAT?! In that thing?!”

“Oh, mare up and help me or walk away. You don’t have to play too.” Unity fired another round at me while I was talking, but I dodged to the left and it smacked harmlessly into the wall.

“... I’m going to regret this...” Twilight levitated a few pillows to her sides and took a ready stance. I grinned broadly at her before turning back to Unity.

“Ok son, just remember you asked for this!” I taunted before rushing at his cushiony fighting machine.

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NEXT CHAPTER. THE COMPETITION ENDS NEXT CHAPTER.