//------------------------------//
// Chapter VII:  A Chilling Threat And First Steps 
// Story: Cruel Twist Of Fate or (Friendship Is Tragic) 
// by SapphireWings999 
//------------------------------//

           As we sat on the couches, eating cheese pizza and drinking root beer, there was plenty for us to talk about.  I personally decided to bring the others up to speed on what I’d told Rainbow Dash and Applejack during my writing time only a few hours earlier, about my diagnosis with Asperger’s Syndrome.  All of them had many questions about my diagnosis; even AJ and Rainbow were still curious to find out as much as they could about the condition.

           “When were you first diagnosed with Asperger’s?” Twilight puzzled, after swallowing a bite of pizza.

           “‘Bout 6 years ago, same time as when Ah was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but ma parents, ma mom in particular, noticed that Ah’d had tha symptoms at a very young age,” I replied. “When Ah was younger ‘n goin’ to a public school, Ah really struggled with schoolwork.  Ah still remember teachers tellin’ me that if Ah didn’t finish ma schoolwork, Ah wouldn’t have recess, resultin’ in me completely shuttin’ down.  Ah spent many recesses inside ‘n even then couldn’t get any schoolwork done on account o’ tha stress that was built up.

           “When ma mom took me outta school ta homeschool me, she tried a different approach.  After givin’ me an assignment, she’d tell me ta see if Ah could get it done in 10 minutes.  Ah was then able ta get an assignment done in ‘bout 5.”

           “Oh my.  That must’ve relieved a lot of stress for you knowing that you could get it done faster that way,” Fluttershy commented before sipping some more root beer.

           “It’s all about the presentation,” Savannah added. “What might work for one person, learning-wise, might not always work for another.”

           “That makes me think of a similar situation that happened back home when I was preparing to join the Wonderbolt Reserves,” Rainbow spoke up.

           “We’ve actually got that episode here,” Savannah continued, “though it’ll still be awhile before we can get to it.”

           “Back to your condition, are there any particular elements that help serve as ‘de-stressers’ for you when you’re going through a particularly hard time?” Fluttershy questioned.

           “Well, personally, ma mos’ helpful ‘de-stressers’ include listenin’ ta music, writin’, whether it be songs or stories, watchin’ movies, TV Shows, or YouTube videos, ‘n goin’ ta tha mall among other things.  Back home in Massachusetts, Ah’d always set aside at least one day outta tha week ta go ta ma local mall.  It was always a place Ah could go ta jus’ hang out ‘n take ma mind off of anythin’ that might’ve been botherin’ me.  Of course, shoppin’ was always a nice plus too.”

           “Sounds like somepony after my own heart,” Rarity remarked with a soft smile.

           “Yeah.  Ah guess ya could say that,” I chuckled. “Tha funny thing is that tha ‘shoppin’ gene’ apparently skipped a generation in ma family.  Ma grandma on ma mom’s side loves ta go shoppin’ as do some o’ ma aunts, but ma mom has never really cared too much ‘bout that.  Ah, on tha other hand, am one o’ tha few guys Ah know who actually enjoys shoppin’.

           “Another ‘de-stresser’ fer me has always been animals.  When Ah was livin’ back at home, we had a bunch o’ pets.  As far as Ah was concerned, Ah always had gerbils fer tha longest time, prob’ly since Ah was ‘bout 11 or 12.  Somethin’ ‘bout holdin’ a tiny little fluffball like that was always soothin’ ta me.”

           Fluttershy giggled softly before speaking up.

           “I know that I certainly find animals to be relaxing company to spend time with, though I personally don’t like to treat them as pets.  Animals are individuals as far as I’m concerned.”

           “Something you guys might find interesting,” Savannah spoke up, “is that people with Asperger’s, while being able to relate strongly to other animals, are particularly able to relate more to horses and ponies.”

           “Whoa!” Rainbow exclaimed.

           “Really?” Pinkie asked in amazement.

           “It’s true,” I explained. “Tha reason fer this is tha fact that horses ‘n ponies tend ta see in pictures like many Aspergians do so Ah guess that all o’ y’all helped out pretty significantly durin’ ma earlier periods of Asperger’s without me even knowin’ ‘bout it at first.”

           “And taking into account the fact that you’re a pony descendant, logically it makes the most sense,” Twilight commented.

           “No doubt ‘bout that,” AJ agreed.

           “So do ya guys feel up fer one more Disney movie before we call it a night?” I put out there.

           The girls all answered in the affirmative.

           “What’s the next one?” Pinkie questioned.

           “That would be Oliver & Company,” Savannah stated as she popped the DVD into the PS4 and we all sat back to enjoy the flick as well as our own company.


*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *


           About an hour and a half later, the movie was over and the girls were quick to voice their thoughts on what they’d just watched.

           “Well.  That was… interesting,” Rarity commented.

           “I enjoyed parts of it,” Fluttershy began, “but why would Fagin have a gang of dogs with him?”

           “I liked Dodger a lot, but I can’t really think of anything else to write home about with this movie,” Rainbow spoke up.

           “Even the songs seemed pretty lackluster when compared to past songs from Disney movies,” Twilight added, “with the possible exception of that ‘Why Should I Worry?’ song.”

           “This movie was based off of a classic novel called Oliver Twist,” Savannah explained “originally set in 19th century London and the entire cast were humans as opposed to this version.”

           “Something tells me I’d probably like the book better.  The title of the book does sound familiar from somewhere, though.”

           “Well Ah think it’s prob’ly time ta call it a night,” I stated, getting up. “Tomorrow, we finally get ta one o’ ma favorite Disney movies of all-time, The Little Mermaid.”

           “I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that we look forward to seeing it after all you’ve said about the movie itself,” Fluttershy replied before yawning.

           “Yes indeedly!” Pinkie answered, enthusiastically

           And with that, we all retired to our separate rooms.  Getting settled in bed with Savannah next to me, I soon dozed off peacefully, oblivious to what awaited me later that night.


*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *


           I woke up later in the night feeling thirsty, so I got up to get a cup of water from the bathroom.  As I got up, I did my best not to wake Savannah and Ariel as I exited the room.  Walking quietly into the bathroom, I turned the light on before approaching the sink and grabbing a paper cup to fill up with water; I always kept a stack of paper cups close by in the bathrooms just in case any guests we might have got thirsty at some point at night.

           Filling my cup up from the sink, I drank it all down while looking in the mirror.  That’s when it happened: the light turned off on its own.  Reaching for the light switch, I flipped it on and off to no avail.  I then turned towards the door only for it to stretch out further and further away from me.  Even as I ran towards it, I never got any closer til it finally vanished from my sight.

           Heart beating rapidly, I looked around for any other escape, but there was none.  The mirror that I’d just been looking into grew until it was as tall as I was, then it separated until there were multiple mirrors surrounding me from every possible direction.  Looking at my terrified expression reflected back in all of them was extremely unnerving, but not nearly as unnerving as the sinister, hissing cackle I heard immediately following this turn of events.

           “Wh-who’s th-th-there?” I stuttered nervously.

           “Oh wouldn’t you like to know?” that all-too-familiar, slick, oily voice spoke up.

           I trembled at his tone as my image in the mirrors was replaced by his dark, cloaked form, complete with his glowing eyes and jagged, glistening teeth.

           “Wh-wh-what do y-you want?”

           “You haven’t been paying attention to me and I’m not too happy about that.”

           “Why would I pay attention to you?  I’m not about to let you get into my head.”

           “Why not?  Because some idiot princesses told you not too?”

           “Don’t you dare talk shit about Luna or Twilight!” I seethed, furiously. “They’re my friends as are all the others.”

           “Ha.  Some friends they are,” he mocked. “They care soo much for you that they keep the truth hidden from you like this.”

           “There’s no way that you could know what the absolute truth is,” I spat. “Nothing is set in stone.  The only future we have is whatever we choose to make of it.”

           “Oh but it is set in stone.  That’s what I’m here to prove to you.  Mark my words, before today is up, you will have a death in your own family and that will force you to face the truth for, through this death coming to pass, you will lose everyone you hold dear.”

           “I refuse to trust anything you say,” I protested.

           “You will.  One way or another,” he responded with a sinister hiss that chilled my very soul, “you will.”


*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *


           For the rest of the night, I merely shrugged off this nightmare as nothing but a bunch of empty bluster.  Even if this shady character who kept on appearing in my dreams did exist, he was simply trying to get in my head with hollow threats he had no way of backing up and I wasn’t about to fall for any of it.  All I had to do was just keep on listening to Luna and Twilight’s advice and everything would be just fine.  Right?

           The next morning was more on the cloudy side so we decided to stay inside for the time being and wait to see if it cleared up.  I toasted up some waffles for breakfast before passing plates of them out to the girls while Savannah got a bottle of maple syrup and a gallon of milk out of the fridge.  After a quick prayer, we dug into our breakfast before I spoke up.

           “How’d you girls sleep last night?”

           “We slept well,” Twilight replied. “Thanks for asking.”

           “You know what I love about waffles?” Pinkie asked right out of the blue.

           “I dunno.  What?” Savannah puzzled.

           “The fact that they’re like pancakes except with little syrup traps all over them.”

           All of us chuckled a bit at Pinkie’s remark.  Fluttershy was the next one to speak up.

           “How did you guys sleep last night?”

           “Very well.  Thank you,” Savannah answered back.

           “How 'bout you, twin?” Rainbow directed towards me.

           I had just been drinking milk from my cup when she’d posed the question to me.  Swallowing it hard, I finally retorted.

           “Great,” I lied, keeping my best poker face all the while.

           What was I doing?  I already knew that this sinister figure’s claims were bullshit so why was I even letting it bother me like that?  And, even so, why would I keep something like this from my closest friends?  They should’ve been the ones that I could rely on the most to open up about anything that was troubling me and yet I was blocking them out.

           Maybe I should tell them about my nightmare? I thought to myself. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt for them to know and I wouldn’t have to let something like that disrupt the enjoyment of our time together.

           But what if me telling them is the exact thing that’ll make it even worse?  They shouldn’t have to worry about me during their vacation here and all the new experiences that me and Savannah are introducing them to.  They should be able to just enjoy themselves.  This is their reprieve after all.  Time away from the stress of having to save Equestria yet again.  They’ve earned it.

           “David.  DAVID!” I heard Savannah’s voice call out to me, snapping me out of the fog that my mind was wandering through at that moment.

           “What?  Uh… yes dear?” I answered, returning to the present.

           “Is everything alright?”

           “Uh yeah.  Jus… lost in thought Ah guess.”

           Savannah and the other girls just seemed to shrug the moment off, not wanting to focus that much longer on it.

           “Anyways, we were just now talking about watching The Little Mermaid right after breakfast and thought you’d be interested, with it being one of your favorite Disney movies that is.”

           “Yeah.  Sounds great,” I replied as I polished off the rest of my waffles.

           With our plates empty of all but stray crumbs and syrup puddles, we rinsed them off in the sink and put them in the dishwasher before heading into the living room.  The girls sat on the couch while Savannah set Ariel down on the floor and I went over to the shelf to pull my Blu-Ray copy of The Little Mermaid off of it.

           “Ya can tell that Ah love this movie ‘cause o’ tha fact that Ah pre-ordered tha Blu-Ray copy of it months in advance,” I stated. “This movie was even supposed ta be re-released in theaters in 3-D before they sided against it fer some reason ‘n jus had it put on Blu-Ray.”

           “Blu-Ray?  3-D?  What’re any o’ those things?” AJ puzzled.

           “Blu-Ray is pretty much a more improved version of DVDs,” Savannah explained. “Blu-Ray discs don’t break as easily, have much better picture, and can fit a lot more extra features and content on a single disc.  As for 3-D, it’s a special type of technology that allows you to watch a movie while feeling like the movie is coming out at you.”

           “Sounds cool!” Pinkie beamed.

           “Sounds weird,” Rainbow retorted.

           “It can have its moments where it enhances one’s viewing experience,” Savannah continued, “but even I have to admit that it’s often used as a gimmick.  I could probably count on my one hand how many actual good 3-D movies I’ve seen thus far.”

           “Anyhoo,” I continued, “we jus’ have tha regular Blu-Ray one to watch ‘til Ah can get a 3-D TV ‘n all tha stuff that goes with it.”

           Savannah laughed before speaking up.

           “You’ve been saying that for years, babe.”

           “‘N, one o’ these days, Ah’m actually gonna do it.  Fer now, though, how ‘bout we stop talkin’ ‘n start watchin’?” I finished as I popped the disc in the PS4.

           “I agree,” Fluttershy answered with a smile.

           “As do I,” Rarity affirmed.

           And with that, we all settled in to watch the movie, none of us speaking another word.


*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *


           Before long, we’d finally made it all the way through The Little Mermaid and I was eager to hear what my friends had to say about it.  Turning to them with a wide smile on my face, I posed the question that I’d been waiting to ask them since before the movie even started.

           “So?  What’d ya guys think?”

           “Personally,” Twilight began, “I really enjoyed it.  It’s not a perfect movie, by any means, but I still found it to be a major improvement over several other films that came before it.”

           “I enjoyed the songs!” Pinkie piped up, full of enthusiasm.

           “The songs were pretty catchy,” Rainbow agreed, “but I thought that the main character of Ariel was a bit too whiny.”

           “Ariel could be a bit,-” Rarity cleared her throat “-overdramatic at times, but I could at least appreciate that she was a very… take-action protagonist.”

           “Ah ‘gree with that,” AJ spoke up. “She wasn’t jus’ some pretty face princess who sat ‘round waitin’ fer life ta happen like princess… ‘whatever her name’ from Sleepin’ Beauty.”

           I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at AJ’s remarks before she continued.

           “Ariel had clear goals set ‘n was willin’ ta take tha steps necessary ta obtain ‘em.  Ah also really liked how she wasn’t another damsel-in-distress character.  Ah mean, sure she had ta be saved by Prince Eric in tha end, but she saved him twice before that even happened.  Ah can’t even remember a single Disney movie before than that had a girl savin’ tha man soo much as once.”

           “I can definitely see why you liked her soo much,” Fluttershy added. “I mean, aside from just her beauty in both appearance and voice, she’s a very strong character that I’m sure many young girls could look up to.  And you were right: Ariel is a great name for your daughter.”

           I smiled softly before Rainbow threw her two extra cents in.

           “Additionally, I thought the design of Ursula was pretty cool too.”

           “I will say that something I’ve noticed with many of the Disney movies we’ve seen thus far is that they have very strong and memorable villains,” Rarity affirmed.

           “It is true that Disney has some of the greatest villains in cinematic history,” Savannah spoke up, “and there’s even more great ones to come.”

           “I can hardly wait!!!” Pinkie exclaimed, hopping in place on the couch with glee.

           “Fer tha time bein’, though,” AJ suggested, “could we maybe watch some more of our show?”

           “Sure thing, AJ,” I replied with a smile.


*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *


           About an hour or so later, we’d made our way through 3 more episodes of the show: It’s About Time, Dragon Quest, and Hurricane Fluttershy to be precise.  Me, Fluttershy, Savannah, and Rarity had been sitting on the floor with Ariel during that time while the others sat on the couch.  Applejack was the first to speak up after we’d decided to break.

           “Wow.  Those were certainly some interestin’ episodes.”

           “Interestin’ in what way?” I puzzled.

           “In a good way,” she replied quickly. “Ah particularly liked the Hurricane Fluttershy episode 'cuz of how it delved deeper inta Fluttershy’s past ‘n showed how bullyin' had affected her up inta tha present, or at least tha present of that episode.”

           “In addition to that,” Twilight added, “I feel like this was a strong episode for Rainbow Dash in that she showed genuine concern for Fluttershy, knowing how to go about helping her overcome her fears and mental barriers as one of her closest friends.  It was certainly better than Putting Your Hoof Down.  Uh... no offense, Flutters.”

           “None taken,” Fluttershy answered back. “Everypony has their own obstacles that they struggle to get past and I’m no different.”

           “Guys, look!” Savannah spoke up excitedly.

           As we all turned to see what Savannah was talking about, we all noticed that Ariel was standing up, somewhat wobbly at that, and slowly but surely taking her first steps in my direction.  Smiles crossed all of our faces as we watched her progress.

           “Come here, Ariel,” I softly encouraged her. “Come see daddy.”

           After taking a few steps towards me, she awkwardly toddled around a little bit before heading in a different direction.

           “No no this way, Ariel,” I continued softly. “This way.”

           As she continued wobbling on her new set course, we realized that she was heading over towards Fluttershy instead.  Fluttershy did her best to encourage her to head back towards me.

           “Go on, Ariel.  Go see your daddy.”

           Ariel just continued heading towards Fluttershy until she finally reached her and collapsed right in her lap.

           “O.K.  Good job, little one,” Flutters softly smiled at Ariel as she hugged her gently.

           All of us sat there with smiles on our faces at what had just occurred.

           “I guess you guys were right,” Rainbow Dash spoke up. “We did get the chance to see your daughter take her first steps while here.”

           “It certainly was nice being able to witness such a momentous occasion like this with you two,” Rarity affirmed.

           “Mhmm,” Pinkie added.

           “I just realized something,” Savannah began.

           “What’s that?” Twilight puzzled.

           “2 days from now is when the Oscars are happening.  David’s probably already told you guys a little bit about it before and I know that you guys don’t know about many of the movies from our world, but, at the same time, it might be nice for you guys to get that little glimpse at some more of our culture.  Wouldn’t you agree, David?”

           “Ah don’ see why it would hurt, even if Ah do have kind of a ‘love/hate’ relationship with tha Oscars themselves.”

           “I’d be interested to see it even if just for the culture,” Rarity stated.

           “As would I,” Flutters agreed.

           “It might be cool to check out,” Rainbow added.

           “Ah’m in,” AJ added.

           “Me too,” Pinkie piped up.

           “Then I guess it’s settled,” Twilight affirmed. “I’m sure that watching these Oscars that you guys have talked about will be a very insightful and eye-opening experience for all of us.”

           “We’re just soo happy to have all of you guys here to share these moments with us,” Savannah stated with a smile.

           “Indeed we are,” I added. “Now whataya say we see ‘bout gettin’ lunch fer ourselves?”

           “It certainly does seem to be about that time,” Savannah answered while picking up Ariel from Fluttershy’s lap. “I’m just gonna get Ariel changed and put down for her nap while you guys figure out what you’ll be eating.”

           “Ah’ve got an idea.  Why don’ Ah make some cheese toast fer you guys?”

           “It sounds good,” Rainbow began, “but… what is it?”

           “It’s somethin’ ma dad taught me how ta make many years back.  It’s essentially slices o’ bread with Miracle Whip ‘n Cheddar Cheese microwaved ‘til tha cheese becomes nice ‘n melted.  Ah’m sure you guys’ll love it.”

           And so I got up to make lunch for our friends, but, all the while, my nightmare was still lingering in the back of my mind.  I didn’t want to believe it and prayed long and hard that it wouldn’t come to pass, but there was still plenty of time left in the day.  I just hoped that this nightmare was nothing more than the empty bluster I wanted to believe it was.