//------------------------------// // Act 10: The Truth, and the Awful Truth // Story: Friendship is Failure #8: Teen Titans HSM V: Ways of Life // by DakariKingMykan //------------------------------// ACT TEN The students finally rode out of the stormy nightmare, but they all felt hungry and their vehicles needed gassing up to make it all the way back to Canterlot City. So they had to head into Jump City to get gas, and they stopped at a burger joint for dinner. Sadly, they all had to order to go because Twilight couldn’t bring Spike inside due to the “No Pets” policy. Poor Rarity spent a long time in the washroom trying to fix herself up after falling in that dirty lake-water. “She’s been in there twenty minutes now.” said Kori, and then she let out a sneeze! “Gazuntite” chirped Pinkie. “I hope you’re not catching a cold.” said Fluttershy, and Twilight assured her, “Actually studies show that getting wet like that doesn’t really make you sick. It’s only if you come into contact with viruses or already have them inside you that do it.” Still, Kori was very dirty, thanks to the filthy water she fell in. Her clothes were stained with green and brown sludge marks. Her hair was combed but still had a few muddy streaks. Rarity finally came out of the restaurant, but was wearing a fedora, and a jacket she got from her knapsack, and keeping herself hidden from view. “Um… Rarity…?” Rainbow called. “Please, I can’t…!” Rarity sobbed “It’s horrible! Too horrible…!” Obviously after all that time, she still looked a little messy underneath and was too embarrassed to show her face to anyone at the moment, but she still ate. Still, everyone could hardly believe the experiences they had just had, and Terra was still looking down because of her failure to reach out to Garfield, and he brushed them off. “I can’t believe he lives in such a place, and he doesn’t want to leave.” Sunset felt the same way she did, “I’ve never met anyone like him before.” She recalled the look in his eyes when his shades were off. It was more than just a look of exhaustion, but more anger, hatred, and extreme resentment. “Even I never acted this much when I was evil.” said Sunset. “What’s that?” asked Dick. “Uh… I mean!” Sunset tried to cover it up, but it was no use. “What do you mean you were evil?” asked Vic. “I’ll bet it has something to do with that glowing we saw.” said Raven. All the other Murakamis agreed. The Equestrians tried to deny what they claimed to have seen, but the others were not convinced. “Tell us…” said Kato “What are you hiding from us?” “We’re not hiding anything!” Twilight lied. “Look, girls… we’ve trusted you all,” Vic said “But you’ve all been actin’ pretty strange lately and we wanna know why.” “Vic’s right.” said Dick “You may as well tell us, because we’ll just find out, and you know we will.” He hinted at the fact they followed the girls to the Garfield’s home. The girls all hesitated fretfully, but Applejack decided “They’re right; nothing like good ol’-fashion honesty.” Sunset agreed, “Okay, um… how do I put this?” “Oh, it’s okay. I got this” Pinkie said, and she took in a huge breath and very rapidly shot her mouth off explaining everything in such a fast pace. “You see there’s another dimension where everyone is like us but not like us because their ponies and they have magical powers, and there’s a portal than connects from their world to our world through the statue in the front of the school. Anyway, Sunset’s from this world too, and she used to be mean and nasty and tried to use magic to take over the world, but the pony princess who looks like Twilight, sounds like Twilight, but isn’t Twilight stopped her and gave us all our very own magic that goes off whenever we’re in danger, or tap into our own special talents, and now Sunset is reformed and she studies about friendship and is practically our leader whenever some big bad guy comes into town. …Isn’t that awesome?” The Murakami’s all gawked at her with wide-eyed expressions. Even the other Equestrians were struck by Pinkie’s speed-talk. “Uh… Oooo-kay…” Vic said “That sounds pretty stretchy to me.” “Yep, but it’s true.” Spike said, astonishing the Murakamis and making them gasp. “Oh, I forgot to mention Spike can talk.” said Pinkie “That’s how we found out about Garfield’s home.” The Murakamis all huddled around Spike, getting closer, and closer. “Hey, you’re kind of freaking me out here.” he whimpered. “This is TOTALLY AWESOME!!” shouted Dick. Kori grabbed Spike. “Hey!” snapped Twilight, but Kori held the little dog up, “You can talk! This is amazing! Say something… anything!” “Um… Something… Anything… Please put me down!” Twilight took her dog back, still, the Murakamis were overly astonished. “This is incredible!” cried Dick “You all have magical powers… but wait, if you have all these powers, couldn’t you just use them to help Garfield right away; make him see the error of his ways.” Sunset shook her head, “It doesn’t really work that way. Our magic is used mainly for friendship purposes: to help people understand it, know more about it, and to maybe give it a chance. We can’t force our views on others; they have to be willing to accept our friendship themselves.” The Murakamis sighed, “Well, so much for that idea.” said Terra. “But don’t worry, we can still try and help him.” said Twilight, and she hinted at all the footage and recordings she and the others got with their phones. Even Rarity’s phone still worked, and wasn’t damaged from the water. Whether or not Garfield was willing to accept their friendship, it wasn’t deniable that he still needed help and needed to be saved from his own self. The next morning, the gang met at school at six in the morning. Some of them were still exhausted on the count of arriving back home very late, and having a strict lecture from the girls’ folks about being out so late, and for lying, but it was a good thing the girls’ folks knew about all the magic and stuff from the beginning, and when the girls explained how they were trying to help out Garfield, and showed them the footage, they let them off the hook… …Provided they not lie about things like this anymore! Rainbow yawned, “Remind me why we’re here so early again?” “We have to see Principal Celestia before school starts.” Sunset explained, “We have to show her all this footage we got from Garfield’s home. Then maybe we can commission some program to help him.” The others all agreed to that. Soon, VP Luna arrived to open the school, but without her sister. She was most surprised to see the students at the door so early. “What are you all doing here at this hour?” she asked “School is going to be canceled today I’m afraid.” “What? Canceled?” asked Twilight, “But why?” Luna looked rather upset and worried, “My sister did not come home last night. She was working late after school hours, when we found Mr. Logan missing from the nurse’s office, but she never came home.” The students all exchanged looks of concern. “I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but that seems hardly any reason to simply close the school down.” said Rarity. “It isn’t just Celestia…” replied Luna “Flash Sentry has also been reported missing.” “FLASH…?!” Twilight and Sunset cried out at the same time. “Hey, come to think of it, I didn’t see Flash at all yesterday, or all weekend for that.” said Rainbow, “But then again we were all out looking for Spike.” “He is not all…” said Luna “Ms. Jackie Amber and Ms. Jillian Dionne were not present in school on Monday either. We received word from Mr. Sentry’s parents they had not returned home either.” Terra recalled seeing them both on Saturday during the search for Spike, “But they were just taking pictures all around the school, they didn’t even seem the least bit interested in anything else.” Luna sighed, “Regardless, School is closed until we are able to get to the bottom of these disappearances. I am only here to gather a few things of importance. You may as well all return home.” With that she disappeared into the building, leaving the students all on their own. “Wait!” Fluttershy called “We didn’t get to tell you--” but Dick “It’s no good. She won’t listen to us right now. She’s got more than enough to deal with. We’ll have to figure out this problem on our own.” Later on, when the sun rose, word spread across the news that school was out due to the mysterious disappearances of Principal Celestia and three Canterlot students. The gang all stopped off at an outdoor café for breakfast. All of them felt rather concerned about the missing people, but now just as concerned for Garfield as well. They knew he wouldn’t have shown up for school as he promised, which meant he was obviously still at home in his nightmare land, busting himself to the bone working so hard, and probably even fighting off those angry wolves again! “What are we going to do now?” asked Kori. “There isn’t too much we can do at this point.” replied Vic. “What…?! How can you say a thing like that?” snapped Rainbow. “I agree…” added Rarity “We should just sit around and do nothing?” “Enough!” snarled Raven, and she cleared her throat to calm down. “We all want to help Garfield… but how can we actually do that?” No one said a thing, realizing she was right, even Twilight was at a loss of ideas. Then, she looked down at her backpack, and saw something odd sticking out of the main sack. “What’s this?” she asked as she picked up. “Um, a book…?” Spike sarcastically said. “I know that, but this isn’t mine.” said Twilight. Everyone leaned in closer to get a better look at it, “Eww! Look how old and dirty it is.” Twilight opened it to the front page, which read: “Garfield Logan, Journal entry…” “This is Garfield’s journal?” cried Terra, and suddenly Applejack realized, “It must’ve fallen into your knapsack when I bumped into that bookshelf last night.” “Um… I don’t think we should be reading it then…” said Fluttershy “It’s not nice to peep in on someone’s privacy.” Much as the others agreed, “Fluttershy, this time we really need to.” said Sunset “Look, I realize it’s not nice, but maybe… just maybe it’ll give us another hint of what to do about Garfield. That way it’s sort of like we still trying to help him.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head trying to make better sense of that, “Yeah… that… I guess.” They all agreed to read up on the journal, but they all decided to go someplace private first so as not to be overheard, so they all headed to Pinkie’s place, to sit in her backyard. Pinkie made some popcorn and got everyone sodas, much to some of their dismay. “Pinkie, this is a serious reading we’re doing, not some movie.” said Dick. “Yeah, but I think so much better when I’m snacking anyway.” Pinkie said with her mouth full, “Then again, I think just as good when I’m not snacking.” The others all rolled their eyes, and Twilight read aloud from the journal’s first entry, but the way it was written out it seemed more like a story than just personal thoughts, and the first entry dated all the way back when Garfield was only five years old… Garfield Mark Logan… Son of scientologists, Marie and Mark Logan… When he was five years old, his parents died in a terrible flood while the family was visiting the Amazon on an experimental expedition. All of a sudden, the waters just flooded out during a rainy night, creating a massive torrent that washed across the land. Poor little Garfield was swept away on a large floating log, right into the stormy night, but his parents, their camp and everything they had was gone! Garfield floated along on his log until he actually floated to the original base camp expedition miles and miles away. He was barely alive! Two close friends of the Logans, Rita and Steve Dayton, agreed to take Garfield in and raise him themselves, only to be killed by thieves a few short weeks in, and Garfield was taken by these crooks and used to do their bidding. Abused, mistreated, Garfield’s life was hellish, until finally the police came in apprehended the thieves. However, since Garfield had no living relatives, they arranged for an orphanage. Unfortunately, they just sent him to the first one they could find, that would take in a child. It seemed like a nice place to the untrained eye, so the cops had no way of knowing it was a mean-spirited place. The manager was a heartless man named Nicholas Galtry, who not only despised the children and force them to doing long hours of manual labour so he could kick back and relax, but he was very unscrupulous who cared more for money than the well-beings of others. In fact, when he found out what Garfield’s inheritance was worth-- quite a handsome sum-- he plotted to have the boy killed so he could collect the money, and Garfield’s life was very frightful from then on, it was even too scary for him to go to bed at night for fear of Galtry sneaking to him. Garfield tried to enlist the other children to help, but they wouldn’t budge. They were too afraid of Galtry and what he would probably do to them. Lacking other options, Garfield chose to run away, but Galtry chased him, eventually gathering the attention of the police who finally caught onto Galtry’s wickedness. Garfield witnessed the wicked man being arrested and hauled away, but as for the orphanage and all the others kids there, he had no way of knowing what would become of them then… After all the horrific experience he had, Garfield decided he never wanted to go back, and so he ventured forth into the outside world… completely alone! He tried to find a new home, but no one would accept or trust in a dirty little boy. Some people would throw him a few coins here and there, but hardly enough to make a living. So he spent the months eating out of dumpsters, catching rainwater in empty bottles he found, and sleeping on the cold grounds during stormy nights. Eventually, his travels took him to the outback lands, where in time he came across the dark meadows, shrouded in a terrible storm cloud, and swarming with dangers and hazards beyond anyone’s wildest nightmares. The house was highly primitive-- 1800s style-- no Electricity, no gas, no phone, no plumbing… but it was shelter, and had food in the pantry, a library full of books-- though out-dated, but still practical. There was even an old dog-whistle to help him ward off attacks from the wolves. So, for about a month, the young boy adjusted himself as well as he could; working hard-- fetching drinking water from the well, fetching cutting wood from the forest, and everything else, and taking time to study his books to develop his mind, and sense of living style. However, this was no way for a nine-year old boy to live; frightened, alone, with nothing but an aimless future… not to mention dwindling and expiring foods. Garfield had choice, and packed up what he could to leave the dark lands and set off again into the outback, eventually finding his way to jump city. He tried to seek help, but again, was rejected due to appear dishevelled. Even other orphan homes, seemingly better looking than the one he was sent to would not take him in. Homeless, dejected, and starving both in the stomach for food and in the heart for trust, the poor little boy began to lose all hope, until a man appeared and offered him a job at his new restaurant, Mega-Meaty-Meat, a place that dealt only in meat and meat based foods; a disgusting and odd place to work, especially for a kid who was a vegetarian and had respect for certain animals, and therefore rejected to eating them. Not to mention a place like this was nowhere for a boy younger than the age of ten to be working, despite the man having no real age-restrictions at his own joint. Still, he needed the money for food that would eat, and maybe, just maybe be able to do something to pull himself out of the horrible fix he was in. So Garfield agreed to take the job. He was a paid a small salary, but enough to afford decent food, and some cleaner clothes to the old orphan rags he had outgrown. He even bought a black and grey blanket to keep warm in the streets where he slept, for sadly, his boss could not offer him room-and-board, but he did offer him something rather special… for being his only-ever employee… …The Tidwell 3000! A fashionable state-of-the-art moped, complete with a turbo-booster to accelerate the vehicle to incredible speeds! Much as Garfield was amazed to have his very own vehicle, and even at his height, he could still reach the handle bars while seated; at his age he didn’t have a license, so he couldn’t drive it. Unable to get his license until age sixteen or so, Garfield then remembered something he read in a law-book about inventors and their attempt to improve their machines, and when they tested them, they were unlicensed. Garfield then devoted his every free moment to hanging out at the public library, reading up-to-dated books about law, science, physics, engineering and all that.” This not only lead him to possess his high IQ, but it gave him the idea to sup-up the Tidwell 3000, he even remembered some of the old experiments his parents worked on-- to make a kind of special rocket fuel guaranteed to last longer than ordinary fuel. But the recipe required a small dose of uranium, and there was only one place Garfield knew where to get that-- an abandoned mine miles out in the outback lands. For a whole year he worked really hard, running back and forth the long distances to the outback lands where the mine was, and using old abandoned digging tools and his knowledge of where to look, he dug and scrapped every inch of the mine searching for little tiny bits of uranium. Even a single ounce would have been enough. While at the same time, collected old parts from planes and cars he found in junk yards around Jump city, and conducting tests in alleys using makeshift containers and tubes made from old cans, cigarettes lighters and gasoline for more heat… all this and combined with the mopeds already sophisticated technology and turbo systems…! A year later, when he was ten, after many failed experiments and tests, he finally supped-up the Tidwell 3000 into the flying marvel he dreamed! It worked so wonderfully, and because it didn’t drive on the road like ordinary vehicles but rather flew high above them, he did not really require a license to drive it, and even if he did, the police couldn’t catch him while he was in the air. Feeling he had created something truly incredible, Garfield decided to sell his idea to a company; make a fortune and revolutionize common-travel, but unfortunately, he was mistreated and rejected once again, for he was just a kid, and big car-companies and industries were hardly interested in giving A CHILD the time of day; preferably one with no parents, no money of their own, not even a proper education! So hardly any of the companies were willing to allow him to make an appointment, or even hear him out about his awesome flying moped, which would make their companies famous. Garfield tried to even show off his invention to other people, and while he did attract people’s interests, and possible deals to make… all those people proved to be shady, wanting to take all the credit for the invention themselves and leave Garfield with nothing. Some even tried to fight and kill him over it to help in their conquest for their greatness, not caring of a poor and near-helpless boy. So naturally, Garfield was forced to return home-- if you could call it that-- home to his living nightmare far away from anything at all, but at least his flying moped made it easier for him to get to work every day and then back again so he wouldn’t have to sleep in the streets any longer. Still, now he would have to work even harder than ever just to sustain himself, including returning to that old mine every so-often to find more bits of uranium to keep his moped well fueled and in top shape. This also, consequently, meant that he would have to use some money from his small pay not only for food, but tools and parts for his projects as well-- leaving him with less food than ever, forcing him to ration it carefully until he was paid each week. He had to eat less and less each day, and get by the days by having drinks of water for free from drinking fountains! As the years past, Garfield became so overworked, and so exhausted, that he began to grow bitter and resentful at the world. Seeing so many people leading well-to-do and comforting lives, while he himself worked himself to the bone just to see another day, and hardly received much thanks, reward or sympathy after his years and years of pain and suffering! Even one day, while at work, in came the principal of Murakami High and saw the troubled fifteen year-old boy, and seeing he had a high IQ, but never had a formal education, he took pity on the lad and realized he needed to be taught, so he gladly paid him into Murakami High, insisting that he come, and hopefully learn that the world is not as bad a place as he believes. Garfield thought it a waste of time, as he felt he was already smart enough than any school could teach him, but seeing as it would be a chance for him to learn more… He decided to give the world one last chance. Unfortunately, his new school didn’t offer him much to be desired either. Many students thought he looked weird with bags under his eyes-- not caring that he was really tired and restless-- and because he wore a cape because he couldn’t afford warm jackets and sweaters, when he hardly made enough money for food and tools he needed. Students would make fun of him; pull pranks on him… especially Jackie and Jillian. That was it! He’d had enough! If the world was only full of selfish, hateful, and baffling people who only understood hatred, selfishness and mean-spirited attitude… THAT was what he would show them! So he started treated everyone very cold and harshly, not wanting to be nice to or cooperate with pretty much anyone. Though he did maintain some amounts of respect for certain adults, he remained as distance and as cruel as ever. Even when he saved Terra from those thugs, he was only interested in beating them up to get any money off of them. So what if he saved her… not like she cared. Even when Dick Grayson and his friends tried to befriend Garfield, he gave them same attitude. Though they had they’re so-called “hardships” in their lives—even if some of them lost their parents-- Big deal! They were able to overcome them easily; being adopted, having comfortable families and foster families-- even the goths, though creepy as they were, lived comfortably, while ended up poor, starving, sleep-deprived, overworked, under-cared for… while everyone else just got everything they ever wanted handed to them on silver-platters! “They and I… have NOTHING in common.” He was only transferred to Canterlot High for the exchange program as the Principal of Murakami hoped it would help him see the light and be willing to change. “I will never change. What do I have to change for?” “Dick and his pals, as well as Twilight and her girlfriends… they’ll never know what it’s like to live in a cold-cruel world where the things and people you love are taken away from you, and you’re left with little to nothing at all. As far as I can see, they all deserve one-another; THEY’RE ALL PATHETIC!!”