Chapter Thirteen- Selfless Actions
Sun Stream stepped forward and took the tickets from her son so she could look at them. “You didn’t,” she said, looking up. “How much did these cost you?”
“Uh, look, don’t worry about it,” Dream Chaser replied, tossing Nova Star’s letter into the trash. “Just take him to see The Games and have a good time.”
Slip Stream ran up and hugged Dream Chaser’s leg, sending pain coursing through the stallion’s body. “Thank you so much Mr. Chaser!” Slip shouted. Dream Chaser clenched his teeth and smiled, wishing the colt would release his leg. When he finally did, he ran up to his mom and snatched the tickets away from her.
“So what’s in the bag?” Dream Chaser asked, peering into the brown bag Sun Stream had set on the floor. There were off-brand oats, some berries, lettuce, and a few other things he probably wouldn’t eat. Still, it was a nice gesture.
“Just a few things to get you through the week—Slip! Get back here!” the nurse shouted as her son wandered off further into Dream Chaser’s apartment. Slip Stream came running back and sat on the floor next to Dream Chaser. His mother reached forward and took the tickets back. “If you can’t behave, you’re not going.”
“So we are going?!” Slip asked happily. His mother bit her lip and looked off to the side before eventually nodding. Slip Stream jumped up excitedly and shouted, “Yeah! I’m gonna go meet Nova Star, and I’m gonna get his autograph, and I’m gonna show him how fast I can run, and I—”
Sun Stream stepped toward Dream Chaser as her son ran circles around them, listing off all the things he was going to do at The Games. She stared into his eyes before leaning forward and whispering in his ear, “If there is ever anything you need, you can always ask.”
If there is ever anything you need, you can always ask.
If there is ever anything you need, you can always ask.
And remember, if there is ever anything you need, you can always ask.
Dream Chaser just stared at the mare as Nova Star’s voice echoed in his head. She smiled and put her hoof out to stop Slip Stream. “Come on Honey, let’s get going. Mr. Chaser needs to eat breakfast.”
“Bye Mr. Chaser! Thanks again!” Slip shouted as he and his mother left the apartment. The door closed behind them, leaving Dream Chaser alone in the hallway.
“That was nice of you,” Dream Catcher said, coming from behind Dream Chaser and putting her hooves around his neck. “It’s almost like you have a nice little family. You know, kinda like how we could have had.”
“Can we not do this right now?” Dream Chaser asked, shaking the mare off of him. She looked hurt and pouted her lips; a look of hers he’d always loved and hated. He tried to ignore her as she followed him to the kitchen.
“You know, I bet if you asked him, Nova Star would send you a third ticket,” Dream Catcher said, rummaging through the grocery bag after Dream Chaser set it on the table. Before Dream Chaser could angrily object, Dream Catcher added, “Oh but wait! Doesn’t that train leave on a Friday? Tell me, who works Fridays?”
“Sun Stream,” Dream Chaser whispered in realization. “But I’m sure she’ll be able to get it off.”
Dream Catcher just shook her head. “You know she won’t, and then what do you think will happen?” She paused to allow Dream Chaser to answer her rhetorical question. When he didn’t, she got right up to his face and said, “She’ll come begging you to take her son to The Games, explaining what a bad mother she is.”
He knew she was right. The hospital staff treated Sun Stream like garbage and wouldn’t allow her to take a day off no matter the circumstances. There were hospital visits he could remember where the nurse had shown up violently ill, but performed her duties regardless.
“But you don’t want to go,” Dream Catcher said, sitting back down and taking the berries out of the grocery bag. She opened the package and popped a berry into her mouth. “Too many…bad memories,” she said as she bit down onto the berry.
A vision of blood spattered across the locker room walls flashed before Dream Chaser’s eyes. He could hear himself screaming and the sound of a lead pipe being brought down onto his legs. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to stop the noises, but they only intensified. The tearing of his flesh, the breaking of his bones, the screams—Oh, the screams!—they were all suddenly deafening. He put his hooves against his ears and slid to the floor. After a few moments, the beating ceased and there was only the sound of something dripping and heavy breathing.
There was but one phrase that had always haunted Dream Chaser, and he could feel the hot breath against his cheek as it was whispered to him. “Good luck chasing that dream.”
“No!” Dream Chaser shouted and his eyes flew open. He stood up off the floor and looked around the apartment. Dream Catcher had disappeared as she always did, leaving Dream Chaser alone and confused. The package of berries she’d been eating from still sat open upon the table.
He snapped it closed and tossed it back in the bag of groceries. Using his teeth, he brought the bag to the fridge and threw the whole thing inside. He’d eat later, but for now, his appetite was gone.
After a few hours, Dream Chaser found being back home wasn’t as pleasant as he first thought it would be. For the first time since losing Dream Catcher, he actually felt lonely. The time spent outside the apartment had been stressful at times, but he’d gotten to see ponies he hadn’t seen in years. On top of that, he’d been able to make a young colt very, very happy.
Dream Chaser also couldn’t help but think about his nurse; her orange coat, her pink mane, her soft lips, her—
“No,” he said, shaking his head to interrupt his own thoughts. “No, no, no. I am NOT going down that road.”
He stopped pacing and looked around, half expecting Dream Catcher to show up with a remark. When she didn’t, he took to pacing again. The knots in his legs had loosened enough to allow movement, but the pain would not cease. After five slow laps around the apartment, Dream Chaser found himself in need of a break. It made him long for the days when he could run a hundred laps in his parents’ house without stopping.
Dream Chaser removed a head of lettuce from the bag in the fridge and sat down at the table. He absent-mindedly peeled away layers of the vegetable and tossed them into his mouth. It was about the blandest meal he could ever ask for.
The clock in the living room chimed to indicate seven o’ clock, and Dream Chaser’s heart sank a little. Up till that point, there was a chance Slip and his mother would return for a visit, but with Slip having school and his mother having work the next day, they were probably getting ready for bed. Another hour passed by uneventfully, and Dream Chaser decided he could stay awake no longer. He took his medication and plopped down face first onto his bed.
Restless nights led into long days. The week dragged on, and each day played out the same. Dream Chaser would wake up, take his medication, pace, and wait for a visit that never came. Once he’d given up hope, he’d go back to bed and repeat the process the next morning. Four days passed like this, and finally, on the fifth day, a knock came at the door.
Dream Chaser had chosen to sleep until noon that Friday. When he woke up, he stared at the ceiling for an additional hour. The prospect of getting up sat heavily in his gut, but he hadn’t bathed in nearly a week and his own odor was making him sick. He slowly eased his legs off the bed and onto the floor. After taking a moment to ensure his balance, he made his way to the bathroom.
He turned the knobs of the shower and patiently waited for the water to get up to temperature. Once the smashed mirror above the sink began to fog, he stepped into the steaming water. He grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squeezed a large green glob of it into his hoof. As he lathered his mane, he kept his eyes closed and his head down.
His hooves worked carefully through his mane, trying to rid it of the many knots and tangles. There was one spot in particular on the back of his head that needed a lot of attention. Something crusty had matted his mane against his head and he slowly scraped at it with his hoof.
Flakes of dried blood circled the drain of the bath tub as he continued to scrape. He opened his eyes when he felt a large chunk of the crusty material fall loose. The pain of the action was overwhelming and he fell to his knees. The water swirling the drain soon became crimson and a large scab drifted through the flow.
“That little brat got you good,” a gentle voice said from behind Dream Chaser. He felt two gentle hooves begin carefully massaging his scalp. They worked small circles around the sensitive area and eventually the bleeding stopped.
Dream Chaser couldn’t deny the sensation felt good, but he was getting aggravated with Dream Catcher’s constant comings and goings. “Are you doing this for a reason?” he asked. The sensation of the hooves stopped and he turned to look behind him. Dream Catcher wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
He turned the shower off and dried himself hurriedly.
With nothing else to do, Dream Chaser sat at his table, going over the contents of his memory box again. The bulk of box’s contents were focused on his glory days, and he spent hours looking over all the photos and newspaper articles detailing his success. He was so engrossed, he almost didn’t hear the knock at his front door.
After the second repetition of knock, knock, knock, he looked up in surprise. It was nearly nine o’clock, and he knew that there was only one pony that would find such an hour to be convenient for a visit. He limped to the door and opened it without hesitation.
Sun Stream stood on his door step, looking exhausted from both work and stress. “I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, “Can we talk?”
“Yeah, come in,” Dream Chaser said, stepping aside for her. She walked into his apartment and he smelt the nauseating aroma of the hospital coming off of her. They walked to the kitchen and Dream Chaser realized he’d left all of his memories out on the table. “Uh, don’t mind the mess,” he said, trying to squeeze past her.
“It’s not a problem, I won’t be long,” Sun Stream said, taking a seat. Her eyes scanned the table at all the awards and pictures of a younger Dream Chaser. “I forgot how popular you were back then,” she said with a small smile. She picked up a picture to look at it, but Dream Chaser snatched it from her.
“A lot of ponies have forgotten,” he said, setting the photo upside down. He tried to scoop all the memorabilia into a pile, but there was just too much of it, and he was starting to embarrass himself trying. “Uh,” he said, sitting down at last, “what do we need to talk about?”
She reached into her purse and removed the Equestria Games tickets. “Thank you, so much for these, but I can’t accept them,” she said, sliding them across the table.
Dream Chaser just looked down at them and asked, “Why not?”
“I want to accept them, I do, and I’m so happy you care about Slip and I so much, but I just can’t take them.”
“Is it you can’t take the tickets, or you can’t take Slip to The Games?”
Sun Stream went silent and looked at Dream Chaser in surprise. After a moment, she said, “I can’t take him.”
They went quiet and waited for the other to speak first. Sun Stream hoped Dream Chaser would volunteer, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to. He looked up from his photos and into Sun Stream’s blue eyes.
“The hospital won’t let me take the day off,” she said, her eyes glancing down at one of the photos Dream Chaser hadn’t flipped over. It was a picture of him and Dream Catcher on the train to the Equestria Games, and they were both smiling for the camera. “I have Slip’s birthday off, but I couldn’t get that Friday off. And that’s when the train leaves,” she explained.
“They really wouldn’t give you the day off? You work so much, though,” Dream Chaser said. The nurse sighed and nodded. “Well,” Dream Chaser began, “can you find somepony else to take Slip?”
Here it is. You walked right into it. She was hoping you’d say that, Dream Catcher’s voice echoed in his head.
“I was hoping that, maybe, you could take him,” Sun Stream said slowly, maintaining eye contact with the stallion. He winced as if her request had caused him some physical pain. “I know, I shouldn’t have asked!” she said with embarrassment. “It’s just, Slip was so happy to get these tickets, and if he doesn’t get to go…”
“He’ll think you’re a horrible mother,” Dream Chaser finished for her. She nodded, and he sighed.
“Please, he likes you so much! All he talked about this week was you! He begged me to take him over for a visit, but I didn’t think you’d want to be bothered.”
The opposite was true. He would have loved some company. “Where is he now?” Dream Chaser asked.
“He’s staying with his aunt for the weekend. It was the only way I could get over here to see you,” Sun Stream replied.
Dream Chaser looked back down at the tickets and the back up to his nurse. “I can’t take him,” he said at last. They were not the words Sun Stream wanted to hear, and her ears drooped down. “I’m sorry,” he added.
She’s gonna start begging, Dream Catcher whispered.
“Please? I’ll pay you,” she said, reaching into her purse. Dream Chaser put a hoof up to stop her. She looked up into his eyes and saw how much it was hurting him just to say no.
“I want to, but I just can’t,” he said. “You need to find somepony else.”
“There’s nopony else!” Sun Stream cried. “Please! I will do anything!” She grabbed his hoof and held it between her own. Tears were now rolling down her face, and several landed on the photos spread out on the table. Still, Dream Chaser said nothing, and the mare finally stood up to leave.
She grabbed her purse and left the tickets sitting in front of Dream Chaser. He tried to stand up to see her to the door, but his legs gave out and he fell to the floor. She looked down at him with a hint of disdain, and he thought she was going to leave him there.
“I’m fine,” he said as she walked toward him. He expected her to help him up, but she just stood above him, watching him struggle. After a moment or two, he was back on his hooves and face to face with his nurse.
“Are you afraid?” she asked quietly. “Afraid of going back there? Afraid of what other ponies will say?”
Dream Chaser swallowed the lump in his throat and still found he was unable to speak. He was afraid. He feared going back there, where his life changed forever. He feared having to explain to Slip Stream why he was afraid. The colt didn’t need to know about any of those dark things.
“I shouldn’t have asked, I’m sorry,” Sun Stream said, turning from him. “I’ll be leaving now.”
“Wait,” Dream Chaser said, putting his hoof on her shoulder. “Just, just wait.”
You’re weak, Dream Catcher hissed. He knew she was right, but he just couldn’t help it. The Streams were the closest thing he’d had to family in so long, and he didn’t want to disappoint them. He would put his fears aside so Slip could have a good time, and so Sun Stream could show her son how much she loved him. And maybe Dream Chaser could show Sun Stream how much he—
“I’ll take him,” he said. Sun Stream turned to face him with a weary smile on her face. “It’ll be…fun” he said at last.
“Thank you,” she whispered. They looked into each others eyes and their heads tilted a little. Sun Stream slowly closed her eyes and brought her lips closer to Dream Chaser’s. He copied her until their lips were millimeters apart. They held there, neither daring to be the one to close the gap.
Finally, Dream Chaser pulled back and opened his eyes. Sun Stream remained still for a moment until she realized just what she was doing. She blushed and shifted her hooves nervously.
“Sorry,” she said, looking away from Dream Chaser.
“No, it’s, uh, it’s okay,” he stammered. “Uh, would you, uh—It’s pretty late. You can stay the night here if, uh…”
He trailed off and she looked at him uneasily. He could tell she wanted to, but after the kiss-that-wasn’t, she didn’t know what to do. “I’ve already troubled you enough, I’ll just catch a coach home,” she replied.
“Oh, alright,” Dream Chaser said, defeated. “Be sure to let Slip know about The Games.”
“I will,” she smiled, and she left Dream Chaser’s apartment without another glance back.
------------------------------------------------------------
Dream Chaser stood outside the school building, clutching a note between his teeth. Sun Stream had given him written permission to take Slip out of school early that Friday. It was the only way they’d make it to the train station on time to catch their train to The Games. He took a deep breath, and opened the front door.
As he walked in, he saw something very familiar. Against the wall to his left was a trophy case; the same trophy case he’d helped fill in his youth. He walked up to the glass and looked inside. Years of dust and spider webs covered the faded awards. It looked like no new trophies had been added in over ten years.
“Can I help you?” a concerned voice asked. Dream Chaser turned to see a mare sitting behind a glass window. Parent Check-In was written above the window, and Dream Chaser walked up to it.
“Yeah, I’m here to pick up Slip Stream,” he said, passing the note through the slot in the glass.
“Are you the colt’s father?” the mare asked, looking over the note carefully.
“No, I’m a friend of his mother’s.”
The mare looked up with an eyebrow raised. “One moment, please,” she said, turning and trotting off out of view.
Dream Chaser stood in the hallway awkwardly, waiting for the mare to return. He glanced up and saw a security camera focusing in on him. He imagined the mare and her co-workers standing beside a black and white screen, talking about Dream Chaser like he was a pedophile here to foalnap innocent—
“You’re all set, Mr. Chaser,” the mare said, returning to the window. She passed him a red visitor’s pass and smiled. “Slip Stream is in room 137. Just follow this hallway and it will be on the left,” she said, pointing her hoof in the right direction.
Dream Chaser clipped the pass onto his mane and slowly made his way through the school building. It was radically different than when he’d attended and if not for the mare’s directions he wouldn’t have found the classroom. He knocked on the door and saw the students inside look up at him. Slip was in the front row and he waved his hoof eccentrically and started whispering to his classmates. An old mare walked up to the door and stared at Dream Chaser through the glass. He didn’t recognize her, but she certainly recognized him. Her eyes lit up and she opened the door.
“Mr. Chaser, we’ve been expecting you, please come in!” she said, pulling the confused stallion into the room. The class whispered excitedly to one another as Dream Chaser was forced to the front of the room. Slip Stream waved and Dream Chaser slowly returned the gesture.
“I’m just here to pick up Slip Stream,” Dream Chaser said, looking to the teacher.
“Yes, he’s told us!” she said with a big smile. “It isn’t often the class gets to meet a school legend, and I was hoping you could tell them a bit about yourself.”
"School legend"? Not, “Equestria Games legend?”
Seeing his confusion, the teacher walked up to him and whispered, “They only know you for what you did here, and that’s all I want you to talk about.”
“Um, okay,” he said, composing himself. The class looked at him anxiously and waited for him to speak. “My name is Dream Chaser, and—”
“Did you really set all the school records?” one of the classroom fillies interrupted.
“Are all those trophies in the case really yours?” a colt shouted.
The teacher laughed and put a reassuring hoof on Dream Chaser’s shoulder. “Maybe we should let them ask you some questions. They already seem to know quite a bit about you.”
Dream Chaser looked to the clock and debated if he had enough time to entertain the class’s questions. “Okay, a few questions and then Slip and I have to go,” he said, looking around the classroom. Several hooves shot into the air and he pointed at a blue filly in the second row.
“What happened to your legs?” the filly asked. All the hooves that had been raised went back down. Dream Chaser just stood in silence, running the question through his head.
“Maybe that isn’t the best question to ask Mr. Chaser,” the teacher said, looking to the filly. “Does anypony else have a question?” Aside from occasional shuffling and stifled coughs, the classroom was silent. Slip looked to Dream Chaser and then to his scarred cutie mark. He was curious too, but his mother had told him not to ask.
“Well,” the teacher said, “I apologize for holding you up, Mr. Chaser. I hope you and Slip have a fun time at The Games.”
“Thank you,” Dream Chaser said quietly. He looked up to slip and the colt jumped from his seat. The class remained quiet as the two walked out of the room and closed the door behind them.
They walked through the halls in silence, and when Dream Chaser went to turn in his visitor’s badge, Slip stared into the dusty trophy case. He could make out Dream Chaser’s name through the dust, and a few of the plaques had his cutie mark on it. It was the first time he’d taken a close look at the trophies, and he marveled at how many there were.
“Come on, Slip,” Dream Chaser said, giving the colt a tap on the shoulder. Slip nodded and followed his chaperone out of the schoolyard.
Slip was happy to be out of school early, and even more excited he was going to The Games with his new favorite stallion in all of Equestria. He trotted happily beside Dream Chaser as they walked through the busy Manehatten streets.
They stopped at Slip’s apartment so he could drop off his school bag and get his supplies for the over night stay in the Crystal Empire. Next, they went to Dream Chaser’s apartment for his belongings. Dream Chaser assumed Nova Star had also prepared living arrangements for the trip, but just in case, he grabbed some extra money.
With his bag fully packed and tickets in hoof, Dream Chaser locked up his apartment and turned to Slip. “Are you ready?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“I AM SO READY!” Slip shouted. Dream Chaser smiled, trying to hide the fact he was anything but ready for what the next two days would hold.
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The whole 'hallucinating about your dead girlfriend' thing is remarkably similar to Issac in Dead Space 2, down to the hallucination physically 'hurting' him. Did you draw inspiration from there?
Great story though, I love it! It's a very somber tale, and it's incredibly well-written. Pacing is excellent, details are vivid, and any grammar errors left weren't distracting from the story (my opinion anyway). You deserved that Twilight's Library acceptance (congrats on that BTW)! I'll be
impatiently waiting for your next chapter.I wanted to know what happened to Dream's legs but after the flash back in this chapter,
well, let's just say that I'm scared yet curious as to what happened.
Great chapter as always and I eagerly await more.
Dat climax,I can feel it coming.
Also,Chaser seems to know he's in a fimfiction. What with the whole, 'I'm not gonna daydream about her' thing.
O-on H-hh-hiatus???......
...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
3947297
It's back on track now. The new chapter will be out in a day or two.
3948543
Gah! NEED MOAR!!!
p.twimg.com/AwC2C6VCIAAXhxZ.jpg:large
I can't comprehend how much this makes me want to read more... It's like a Who-done-it type of story, in that most people think Nova Star did the damage to Dream Chaser's legs, but no one knows for sure. This also remind me of a real life event, where a skater was assaulted because she might upstage someone, and her competitor received a lot of hate. It's also written to hint at perhaps Dream Chaser's mind isn't where it used to be, always wandering to his girlfriend/wife coming into situations, at least that's what I think. Speaking of Dream Catcher, will we ever find out about what happened to her? Did she leave him because she thought he was cheating on her, or did something else happen? So many questions, but I only ask them due to the reader in me, who wants to know the story to better understand the events. I may be a bookworm, but it is awesome being a bookworm. Annnnnnnnd I'm rambling.... so.... yeah... That's a thing. Overall, I love this story, and if you ever need help typing it up, You have a lot of support from the crowd. I'm sure some people would be willing to help out.
I really hope there will be more of this but since it has been about twenty weeks or so, I'm not so sure about that...
4714118
I'm struggling with the concept of a re-write, or continuing on. I really want to finish it, because the twists in the story are so close, but there's one wall I have to get past.
Thanks for bringing us this amazing story! Can't wait for the next chapter!
4748090
It's in desperate need of an update. I'll try to work on it soon.
Love it! Can't wait for more!
Your stories are so addicting! Almost as addicting as Crack! You have gained 1 new stalker.
4800512
That was a lot of reading to do in one day. I greatly appreciate your follow.
4800582 No problem! I do have one problem with it though.... It doesn't have the amount of likes and favorites it needs
I can't believe the story was cancelled!
I just read the whole thing in one day, so I've become really attached to the story. I have to say, it's AMAZING. I don't think I've seen anything as good as this in a while.
Anyway, off to check out the "What would have been" for this story, can't wait to see.
Good luck with more writing projects!