CHAPTER 13
FEAR
That same morning in a far away castle deep within the Everfree Forest, an alarm clock sounded in a young, beige unicorn's room. It's noise woke up the room's occupant, Blues, who stuck his hoof out and shut it off after a few attempts. Sighing, he rose and left for the dining room.
Upon entered it, he realized that he was alone. His dad and Solstice were either still sleeping after all the researching they did or still researching. Ash and Psych were most likely doing their own thing; they rarely had breakfast with the rest of the family. Breakfasts have become very lonely ever since Scar and Ironhead left.
He sighed once again as he poured himself some cereal. He wished he could help his dad and Solstice in their research but couldn't. His job of trying to get Ash and Psych to help them wasn't much of a success as they two were still as distant as ever.
He heard of the slowly rising amount of light in Ponyville's soil. Ironhead and Scar's efforts to search for its source have been unsuccessful as were Solstice and his dad's research. His own efforts to convince Ash and Psych to help them have so far been a failure.
Ash and Psych were just as they were for years despite how hard he tried to make them see that they were indeed loved and accepted. They've been that way for years, but it wasn't always like that. There was indeed a time where they were nothing like they were now, a time all six of them were happy with one another, a time so long ago, he wondered if Ash and Psych forgot about...
Will that time...ever come again...?
His ears perked up as he heard the sound of the door swinging open and a set of hooves entering the room. "Father? Solstice?" he asked.
"No, but try and guess who I am." The voice then laughed leading Blues to realize who it was.
"Psych...good morning." Blues said to his brother. "Would you like some cereal?"
The maroon earth pony went around the table and sat opposite him grabbing a bowl as he did. Blues levitated a carton of milk and a cereal box over to him, and Psych began eating. For a while, the two brothers remained silent as they ate.
"So," Blues cleared his throat, noticing that nopony else was entering the room. "Psych, will Ash be joining us?"
"Nope, still asleep. We're all alone now..." Psych's chuckle sent shivers up Blues' spine. It took him a while to compose himself.
"Well, why don't I go fetch him so we may eat together?" Blues suggested.
The suggestion earned an amused chuckle from Psych. "Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you Greed?"
"O-Of course." Blues answered nervously. "We may not be complete, but a meal with the three of us sounds splendid."
"So insistent on that plan aren't you?." Psych commented. He pushed his half-finished bowl of cereal away, propped an elbow on the table, put his head on his hoof and grinned in that same amused manner. "Why don't we let Ash sleep? What's wrong with just the two us? Aren't I good enough company for you?"
"N-no." Blues said trying to keep his cool. "I merely think that Ash would love a meal with his brothers."
Psych frowned. "You seriously think that? You think he's just gonna waltz in right here, wish us good morning, smile and us our plans for the day?" The frown turned into an angry glare. "You deluded idiot; he's angry and miserable all the time because of you and everpony else. You don't know or understand him the way I do, so don't you dare make conclusions like that!"
That last part was true. Psych was the only pony in the entire world who completely knew and understood how Ash thought and acted and vice-versa.
"I wish to help him Psych." Blues said with all honesty. "I wish to help you and him; that's all any of us ever wanted."
"Pfft, all your attempts to 'help' him have been futile." Psych pointed out. "You claim to be helping him, but none of you have done the very first step to helping him, the first step which I've already done. He's still unchanged, but at least I'm one step ahead of any of you."
"And what would that be exactly?"
"You don't accept either of us." This was a repeat of a lot of their former arguments. "Unlike everypony else in the world, I've accepted Ash as a part of this world. You still inwardly hate and despise us."
"I...I don't hate you Psych." Blues told him.
That statement quickly brought a smile back on the earth pony's face. "Oh, you're a special case Greed. You feel something else for me...something that bothers even you...something that's been holding you back...I had my suspicions, but further observations led me to one, undeniable conclusion...I think you know what it is..."
"I...Well..."Blues swallowed-
"There." Psych quickly stood up, shoving his seat back and pointing at Blues who flinched. "You just swallowed, a clear indication of nervousness. You're also sweating slightly and tapping you hoof against the table."
Psych rose and slowly trotted around the table towards his brother. "Furthermore, your pupils are dilating, your body's become more rigid than usually though you still are trembling slightly, and your breaths have become more rapid."
Blues said nothing but flinched as Psych grabbed his chair and pulled his face closer to his. "All these signs are pointing to one, irrefutable fact Greed." His grin was wide, like that of a madman. "You," He put a hoof on Blues' chest. "Fear me."
"Wh-what?" Blues stammered. "Psych, I don't fear you."
"Pfft, you can't lie to me. Only Deceit can..." Psych continued. "I saw all of it, the eye twitch, the flushed cheek, the fact that you're blinking more rapidly than usual, everything! You just lied; you are afraid of me."
Blues opened his mouth but the only sounds that came out were strangled chokes. "But there's more to that.." Psych continued towering over him. "Despite your fear, you still make it a point to try and 'help' me and Ash."
Psych brought his face closer; Blues trembled upon feeling his breath on him. The sight of him cowering and whimpering slightly beneath him made Psych's smile widen. "Don't you find that just downright confusing? You claim to care for me like a brother, yet you're completely afraid of me? Even you must find it irrational."
"How can you possibly help either of us when you hold such fear for one of us? You talk about caring for me, but you can't stand being in the same room as me. You damn hypocrite! Your 'love' for me can't possibly exist alongside the fear that's deep within you and clashes many times with it! You think you can help me, but the fear, the dark, unbearable, nerve-wracking, paralyzing fear holds you back!"
"Your job in this whole mess with Ponyville is to get me and Ash to help you right? And what a lousy, pathetic job you've done so far! You look me in the eye, and you freak out, hesitate and panic never being able to show me the care you should be giving me; you, held back by your fear, can't do a thing to help me! You pathetic, cowardly, worthless piece of garbage!"
"You're letting them down, your dad and brothers! Putting their trust in you, was the worst mistake of their lives! I'm pretty much aware of what's going on. If all else fails, you're gonna need me and Ash to save Ponyville, but if you can't get over your fear, then it's all for naught! The light's gonna get out of control, and it'll be Quinestown all over again! All those lives, all those ponies will be destroyed ALL BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GET OVER YOUR DAMN FEAR!"
By then, Blues had been reduced to a sweating, trembling, whimpering, teary-eyed wreck, a sight that made Psych laugh with glee. How he loved this; making ponies suffer, torturing them with just mere words backed-up with information about, those were just his favorite things to do in the world.
"But now...I think you've sunk to an all-time low..." Psych said, his laugh suddenly vanishing, replaced by a much lower tone. "Wanting to get Ash? I know you know that I'd never use my powers with him around."
"Is that all he is to you? A shield to protect yourself from me? A safe zone in the middle of the storm I'm about to unleash on you?" His voice began to rise once again. "You're even worse than I though. Not only is you fear hindering you from helping us, but it's also affecting how you see Ash!"
"How dare you treat him like that! How dare you take my brother, the only pony in this whole damn world that accepted me, and reduce him to something you use for your own personal sake! If you think that I won't do anything about this, YOU'VE NEVER BEEN ANY MORE WRONG IN YOU LIFE!"
"Please..." Blues tried backing up but ended up falling backwards in his chair. "Please..." He scrambled back, but Psych slowly approached him. "Psych, please...!"
Psych slowly leaned forward, a wide, sadistic, maniacal grin stretching across his face. Anypony who ever saw that face would most likely start running away as fast as their legs could carry. "We're completely alone now, and you're too afraid to do anything to stop me."
"Please Psych! Please! Please no!"
"You brought upon yourself Greed. It's time you paid for it." Psych readied himself to unleash the full might of his power on Blues.
The defenseless unicorn could do nothing but give out a strangled cry and cover his head with his hooves as if that was enough to stop Psych's powers.
He heard the doors swing open and a set of hooves entering the room. "Oh, Ash. Good morning." Psych greeted as if he wasn't planning on hurting Blues at all.
Judging by the lack of reply, Blues confirmed that it was Ash which meant that he was safe. "Looks like you're lucky now." Psych commented turning his attention back to him. "I wonder...will you be so lucky next time?"
The heartless laughter that followed combined with the idea of being threatened again was just too much for Blues to handle. He scrambled to his hooves and galloped out of the room as fast as he could, Psych's laughter still echoing in his head.
Psych sighed. What a great way to start the day. he thought, a smile upon his face. He went over to his seat and resumed eating as if nothing had happened.
He always knew Blues was the weakest and most sensitive one among them. That made it so much easier to destroy him with just words. All he needed was enough information and a few choice words and he could make Blues, or anypony for that matter crumble beneath him.
He knew Blues was afraid of him and loved his family and would hate to let them down. He also wanted Ponyville to not to suffer as they did. Psych simply put the four ideas together and used them to break him to pieces. He never really cared whether Blues truly cared about him or not or if he was letting the others down or not. He only said those things to hurt him.
All he truly wanted and cared about was that look of anguish on his face; he absolutely loved seeing it on anypony's face. Seeing that face was like an early Hearth's Warming Eve present. He kinda wished he had a camera on him somewhere, to capture permanently that look of fear and sheer cowardice forever. He made a mental note to start bringing a camera everywhere to do just that.
Banishing joy and laughter, inflicting pain and misery, those were his most favorite things in the world. It was all he can do; he had no choice, so why not just kick back and enjoy it?
After all, it was his element.
After that close call in the dining room, Blues made a beeline for his room, slammed the door and jumped on his bed where he covered himself in shame and finally let the tears flow. Trembling, whimpering, tears running down his face, he never felt more pathetic in his life.
It was true, every word of it. He did love Psych like any brother should, bu the fear...the fear of him...of what he could do...it was always there. It held him back, stopped him from trying his best to be a true brother to him. His inner clash between love and fear, between helping him and avoiding him, kept his up at night sometimes. His secret was out. Nopony ever knew about this, and the first one to do so was the one pony it was about.
Psych had however failed to talk about one thing. Only one thing kept Blues doing what he could to help them, one thing that even his fear, no matter how great, can't tarnish-the memories of a time long ago, a time when there was peace in the family, a time when Psych would never think about hurting anypony, a time when Ash laughed and enjoyed his day.
He desired that more than anything else in the world.
And he would do anything and give anything to make bring back those days.