//------------------------------//
// The one who fails to comply 
// Story: Unbroken 
// by PonyFromSpace 
//------------------------------//

1.The one who fails to comply




I could almost cry when my clock made its alarming beeping sound. Ugh.
What really woke me up was the cracking sound when I smashed it with my hoof.
Oops.

For a few minutes, I stared at the remains of the old device. 
What would I tell mom?

I came close to panicking when she knocked on my bedroom door.
"Shutter, it's time for school!"

I wasn't keen on going. It was Hearts and Hooves day, after all.
I was certain Miss Cheerilee was going to ramble about how important love is again.
Pff, love didn't defeat Nightmare Moon.

My mom knocked again.
"Shutter, it's time to go!"
"But I didn't have breakfast yet."
"You should have thought of that before you moved your alarm by thirty minutes."

She was right. I had tried to postpone this day as far as I could, but it was pointless.

Hearts and Hooves day comes every year, whether I like it or not.
Why don't I like it? Let me explain.

First of all, ponies drivelling on its importance.
Second, mom and dad trying to keep me out of the house so they can do, well, whatever grown-ups do on Heart and Hooves day.

Also, ponies trying to find a date, only to dump them the day after. 
I've seen it many times. A pony is desperate for not having a date. 
They ask somepony out, lying about their feelings, one day goes well and then bam! 
Dumped. 

Even worse is the fact ponies start laughing because I don't have a special somepony (eventhough I've made perfectly clear I don't want a special somepony).
The list goes on and on.

"Shutter, you have to go!"
"Sure mom"

I hopped out of bed.
I took another look at my alarm clock. 
Yep, definitely broken. I hid it under my bed, hoping my mom wouldn't notice. 
I picked up my saddle bag and walked into the hallway. 
My mom was holding a lunch box up with her hoof.

"Have a nice day, Shutter, and remember: today is supposed to be a happy day."
I chose not to answer that last part.
"By mom!", I said.
"By honey!"

I ran to the school. 
Not because I wanted to go, but because I didn't want to have to explain being late.

When I arrived, the horror had already started. 
Creepy couples holding hooves, kissing, rubbing noses. Yuck.

I tried to ignore them while I walked to my favourite spot on the playground. 
In the shadow underneath the large tree. I sat down in the nice, cool shade. 
I picked up a twig and started making sketches of dangerous creatures in the dirt. 
After I'd finished a large fire breathing dragon, I imagined what it'd be like to actually meet one. 
Sure, I had met Spike, the library dragon, but he was different from other dragons.

Suddenly, Threshold sat down next to me. Threshold was a filly. She had a purple as fresh grapes and a fur yellow as the yellowest lemon. She lived on the corner of my street. She usually brought the flower to Derpy's place when she made muffins with Dinky.

"Hi", she said.
"Hi"
"Have you seen the others yet?"
"No, but it's still ten minutes before we have to go inside."
"Ok."

With 'the others', she meant our best friends: Featherweight, Button Mash, Pipsqueak and the Cutiemark Crusaders.
She didn't say anything anymore, but she didn't go away either. 
I didn't really know what to do. Keep sitting or stand up? 
Usually, Featherweight would be the first after me and we would move away from the tree, but now, Threshold was first. 
I decided to wait. 

We didn't really talk much. I got bored and picked up my twig, which I then used to draw a manticore in the dirt. 
I didn't get the picture right, so I had to start over. 
I couldn't get what was wrong with the drawing, but I knew something was.

"What are you drawing?", Thresh suddenly asked.
"A manticore", I answered.
"His eyes are too far apart"

I took another look and drew him again, this time, the eyes were closer to each other. It was perfect.

"How did you know?"
"I spend a lot of time drawing when I haven't got anything better to do."

I looked at the manticore again, and I found it hard to believe Applebloom's sister actually encountered one in the Everfree forest. 
The creature seemed so surreal, so wrong. 
I started fantasising what it'd be like to actually meet one, when suddenly, Thresh spoke again.

"I have a question", she said.
"Sure, ask ahead."
"Why do you always sit under this tree while waiting?"

I didn't really know what to say. I just liked the tree, for no particular reason.
Before I could answer, Featherweight greeted us.

"Threshie, Shutter, how are you?"
"Fine, how are you?", we answered at the same time.
"Great! Happy Hearts and Hooves day, by the way."

I tried not to get angry over what he'd just said. 
Force of habit, for sure. He probably just forgot how much I hated this day.

It wasn't long before Button, Pipsqueak and the Crusaders arrived. 
I'm in the same class as the Crusaders and Featherweight, by the way. 
We talked for the last few minutes before we had to go inside. 

I was already in the classroom when I remembered I hadn't answered Threshold's question. 
I decided I would answer it next break.

Of course, Miss Cheerilee lectured us on the history of the day. 
I frowned when Applebloom started giggling when Cheerilee came to the part of two royals being stuck in one another's eyes.

Suddenly, I saw Big Mac outside the window next to me. 
He lightly tapped the window, loud enough for me to hear it and silent enough for the rest not to. 
He pointed at his wrist, on which he had drawn a clock in mud, then, he pointed towards the teacher.

I sighed as I did my duty and waved my hoof three times, indicating it'd be three hours until the next break.

Those three hours passed by slowly, slowly, as if time was having fun torturing me. 
I was almost relieved when somepony had dropped a stink bomb in the bin, forcing us to open all windows, delaying Miss Cheerilee's tale.

When the break finally came, I went to the pick nick table and took my lunch box out of my saddle bag. 
I seemed to be the only pony in my group eating at the school. 
The other groups were doing some overtime.

I sat down at the table the closest to my tree.
Suddenly, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon appeared out of nowhere.
Silver Spoon looked at me, at the table, then at me again, then at the table again, as if she was unhappy with the fact I was sitting at the table.

Diamond Tiara sighed in a dreamy way and said: "Would you be so kind to move over to another table? Silver gets twitchy when there are three ponies at one table."
"No, sorry, I want to sit here, there's a free table over there", I said, as I pointed at the other table.

Silver Spoon seemed agitated, but Diamond Tiara hadn't given up yet.
"Come on, not even for me?", she said, seductively blinking her eyelashes.

I tried hard not to start laughing at their ridiculous attempt.
"Nope, I'm staying put."

Tiara seemed a bit shocked I hadn't fallen for her 'charm', but really, what'd she expect?
The duo unhappily walked to the other table, later to be accompanied by two young colts.
Twitchy with three at one table, but four were no problem.

I tried not to observe them too much, but my curiosity got the best of me.
The colts were Vendell and Ummy. They were well-known for being baddies and meanies.

Diamond Tiara seemed to point my way for a second. Vendell glanced at me and frowned.

I was glad when I was accompanied by Button and Pipsqueak.
Button smiled as he took out his lunch. 
Next to his sandwich, he had creeper crackers, little green chocolates shaped like a creature from a video game.

"You two still coming to the party this evening?", he said.
"hell yeah", Pip answered.
"Of course!", I agreed.

Button was throwing a LAN- party at his place.
His parents were going to their favourite restaurant in Manehattan, so Button had the house for himself. He had invited every pony who didn't have plans already.
The crusaders were coming, Featherweight would be there, Dinky, Pipsqueak, Threshhold and some other ponies. 
We were going to play Minecraft, and it would be awesome.

Button spoke of his latest gaming experiences, Pip about his grandmother's banana pies and I was just happy I had friends.
I knew there was something going on between Button and Sweetie Belle, but I didn't have a problem with that. 
I didn't have a problem with ponies being together, I had a problem with Heart and Hooves day. 

I ate half my sandwich. My mom had smeared it with strawberry jelly. I didn't like jelly. 
I decided to put the rest back in the lunch box. If I'd be hungry later, I'd have food, else way I would throw it in the bin.

Suddenly, it came to me.
"Where's Threshold?", I asked.
"She and her group are on a trip to Rarity's shop. She's giving them all sorts of beauty tips on how to impress other ponies", Button answered.

I felt a bit disappointed. I always got nervous whenever I didn't get closure. 
Not being able to answer a question was a lack of closure for me. 

While I was thinking this, Skootaloo scootered through the school gate, the other Crusaders dirt skiing behind her. 
They nearly crashed into Featherweight, who had just passed the gate as well.
The school bell rang and Miss Cheerilee beckoned us to go inside.

She had a large flower imbedded in her mane, probably a gift from Big Mac.
We went back to the (somewhat smelly) classroom and Cheerilee continued on the history of Hearts and Hooves day.

She told the day had once stopped two armies from engaging in an all deciding battle, so the soldiers could be with their loved ones.

Most ponies still believe this was a good thing, but let's be honest here:
The day postponed an all deciding battle. After that, there were three more years of war. 
Doesn't that increase the amount of victims? Is that really a good thing?

I was considering pointing it out when suddenly I felt something bump into the back of my head. 
I bended over and picked up the guilty piece of paper.

Whilst Cheerilee was dreaming away with the thought of the hero who saved the princess during that war, I was begging she didn't notice I was unfolding the message.

I knew I was doing this against the rules, but I was curious what might be written on it and I'd heard the same story a million times, so I wouldn't really miss out on anything.

I  gasped in disbelief while I scanned the letters. It was an anonymous message.

"Will you be my special somepony?", it said.

How could I not think of this? Letters were passed in class all the time, but this was Hearts and Hooves day, of course it'd be a love letter.
I should have let it be, shouldn't have read it, I thought to myself.

Was it somepony who really cared, somepony who's heart I'd have to break?
Or would it be a cruel joke, made by Diamond Tiara?
I didn't know.

The greatest horror had yet to come: Cheerilee noticed the piece of paper in my hoof. 
I felt my blood rising to my cheeks.

"What do you have there, Shutter, passing notes?", she said as she snagged the note from my hoof, before I could hide it.
"Will you be my special somepony", she read out loud.

The whole class, apart from my friends, started laughing. Applebloom and Scootaloo looked at me with compassion. Sweetie Belle was woken up by the laughter, after she'd fallen asleep during Cheerilee's lecture.

Cheerilee, who could hardly resist a smile herself, asked for silence.
"You're free from punishment this time, Shutter, but only because it's Hearts and Hooves day"

First, only my cheeks went red from embarrassment.
Then, I felt my face was going completely red, out of anger. I'd rather be punished than relieved just because it's Hearts and Hooves day.

Tiara and Silver started laughing again.
"What kind of a stupid filly would like Shutter? All he does is fantasize about wooden robots and talking critters", Tiara said.

I choked on my incomplete words, and found myself incapable of saying anything.
"Well well, I'm sure there's plenty of reason to like him", Cheerilee said, with her 'don't make me give you extra homework' face.
With no other options, and no need to be here, I ran outside, ignoring Cheerilee's numerous protests.





I ran and ran and ran. I lost track of time. 
I could feel the wind grab my mane, trying to pull me back. 
I noticed buildings were flashing by. 
I almost ran into some ponies, but managed to avoid them. 
I stopped running when my legs started feeling numb.

I looked around, and found myself at Sweet Apple Acres.
I sat on the floor and cried. I don't know for how long, or how loud. I just cried. 
I didn't want this. I didn't want a letter. I didn't want a special somepony.

It was after my head started hurting, I stopped crying.
My whole body felt numb and I felt like I could hardly move.

I hadn't noticed Granny Smith was behind me. 
She walked around me and sat down in front of me.

"Well, dear, what's on your mind?", she asked.

I was still too deep in shock to say something that actually made sense, so what came out of me was something like:
"Don't want me be liked. Cruel joke."

Granny patted me on the back.
"There there", she said, "it'll be all right."

I was grateful she didn't bring me back to school, instead, she brought me to her house and gave me a hot coco and a few hoofkerchiefs.
I could hear Applejack and big Mack bucking apple trees in the distance. It had a calming effect. 
I fell asleep in the couch right after I'd finished the coco. 

When I woke up, I heard Granny talk to somepony outside.
I stepped out of the couch.
Granny came in. 
She was followed by Applebloom, Button and Sweetie Belle. 
My saddlebag was hovering in front of them, held up by Sweetie Belle's magic. 
She put it down in front of me, gently.

Button was the first to speak.
"Granny showed up at the school and told us where you were. Miss Cheerilee is talking to your parents", he said.
"We were worried sick", Applebloom added.

Sweetie Belle nodded at the saddlebag.
"We thought you might want your stuff back, so we brought it here. Miss Cheerilee has excused you. You don't have to go back."
I was relieved.

"Look, if you don't want to come this evening, you don't have to, I can always scratch you from the list, we won't be mad", Button said.
"No, I want to come", I answered.
"You sure? You seemed rather upset earlier", Applebloom replied.

Sweetie Belle agreed.
I shook my head.

"No, I'll come."
"Okay then, we should probably get back to school now", Applebloom said.

Before she could open the door, it was done from the other side. My parents came in.
"Shutter, are you all right?", mom asked.

'Duuuh, of course not', I thought, instead I said:
"I'm fine, mom."
"Come on, let's go back home, we can talk underway", dad said.

He nodded thankfully at Granny.
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience ma'am", he apologised.
"Oh, it's nothing dear, he's such a sweet kid", she answered.





'We can talk underway' might have been a bit exaggerated. We didn't speak a word.

When we reached the door to our house, mom finally broke the silence.
"You know love is a beautiful thing, Shutter", she said, "There's nothing to be afraid of. The only reason you haven't fallen in love yet is because you aren't letting yourself."

Did she even know what she was talking about?  Did she not know the mind numbing effects of that natural poison? Of course she didn't, it had infected her already.

Mom continued: "The heart wants what the heart wants"

She smiled at my dad, and hardly even noticed I walked up to my room.

When she realised I was gone, she yelled.
"Shutter? Locking yourself in your room isn't going to solve anything, come here, let's talk."

I didn't leave my room. Instead, I picked up my broken clock and an old manual.
I started working on it.

I had been interested in mechanics since I got my first toolkit, five years ago. 
I had always dreamt of building an intelligent robopony, able to defend the town from hazards. 
Of course, this was just a loose dream.

I kept track of time via the sundial I could see in the garden, outside of my window.
It was still two hours before the LAN- party.

I tried to tighten a gizmo, but I couldn't do it with my bare hooves.
I searched my saddlebag for something thin, a pencil or something, when suddenly, a note fell out of the bag.

No, not A note, THE note.

I held the note for minutes. I read it over and over again. The message of my undoing.
"Will you be my special somepony?"

I contemplated dumping it in the trash, when I noticed something on the back of the note.
"Sugarcube Corner, four o'clock tomorrow"

An invitation. A way to meet the pony who sent me this message.
I tried not to get lost in thoughts.

A part of me wondered: "What if I give in?"
Another part said: "You can't."

I tried to focus on the clock.
I placed the gizmo in the right spot, and closed the dented cover of my old clock.
I smiled as I looked at my craftscoltship. I set the clock to the same hour as the sundial.
I observed how the time ticked exactly as it should.

This, this is achievement.
This is way better than any sort of relationship.

"How do you know if you've never been in one", something said.
"Because I observe the ones around me", I answered.
"Are you sure you observed it correctly?"

I had to lay down for a second. I was losing it. 
I was talking to myself.
I tried to calm down.

"Everything is going to be fine. I'll stay in the house tomorrow and keep working on my robot."

I took a glance at my closet. I opened it up and took out my drawings. 
I had carefully locked away the plans. 
One day, I had brought up my ideas for the robot at the dinner table. 
Mom and dad hadn't taken me seriously, and tried to stop me from farther deepening in the 'hopeless' subject. 
I had kept the drawings from them. I didn't want my parents to throw them away. 

Some of my drawings were Everfree beasts. 
I had marked their weak spots for the robot to take them out. 
Other drawings were about the robot himself. How he would be fitted together. 
I thought of what it'd be like to actually finish him. 
Maybe let him walk a few circles around Diamond Tiara's house.

I was interrupted by my mom:
"Shutter, are you coming out of there? You'll be late for the party."

I looked at my clock. It said I still had forty minutes. Dang, I must have made a wrong calibration. I'd fix it when I got back.
I grabbed my stuff and went outside. I felt like I had forgotten something, but there was no time to waste.