//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: THE INCIDENT // Story: A Birthday Party to Cure a Birthday // by StatiZkyZ //------------------------------// "We know that we've been bothing you for a good while, so we thought we'd do something nice for once!" Lily said. They know "No, we're not that upset that you didn't brought your scarf. We do forget things from time to time." Topaz added. Table "We got this little cake for you, we used our money together. Isn't it nice?" Rose said. Anger "By the way, we did work together with the teacher to set up this surprise, so don't feel to bad." Ball Hoops revealed. Growl "We may call you a kid, but you're still our classmate, and that's all that matters." Topaz put a hoof on the pegasus's shoulders. "Right, Blue?" Teeth "Blue?" Blur Blue let out a primal sounding roar that echoed through the school's hall. He took hold of his desk and flipped it by force, forcing everypony back in surprise. Somehow, Rose managed to save the cake by carrying it on her hooves. Next, he grabbed his chair with both hooves and slams it as hard as he can to his fallen desk, almost hitting Topaz in the process. The earth pony in question shows a very rare expression of fear that Blue had never seen before, and at this state, he'd like to keep it that way. "YOU ARE ALL ABSOLUTE MONSTERS!! GO TO TARTARUS AND BURN!!" Blue's voice once again echoed around the building. "YOU ALL KNOW!!" The rest of his classmates looked around due to nervousness, confusion, and fear. Some 'meeker' ones decided to take a step back. "What... do you mean?" Topaz dared to ask. "You said... You've been bothering me for a while, and THAT IS FRICKING TRUE!! EVERYTHING YOU DID TO ME IS ON PURPOSE! YOU ALL WANTED TO HURT ME!!!" Blue screamed. "B-But, we did this for you too! We even got this cake for you!" Rose slightly moves the small cake forward with a slightly shaky hoof. "If you think... a cake can mend up everything you DID TO ME because I'm too nice or something, YOU'RE BUCKING INSANE! IT'S NOT WORTH AT ALL!! I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY!!" In his frenzy, Blur grabbed the cake his classmates bought for him and throws it at Rose's face. The mare yelped in surprise as she lost balance and fell to her back, further surprising the class. "AND THAT IS FOR WHAT YOU DID DURING MATHS!" By now, the ruckus had reached every corner of the school, and every student nearby started to gather outside the class by the window. Most of them watched with their mouths agape, never before they've seen anything like this, by Blue, no less. One of the spectators is Clear Flask. Her heart dropped when she learned what happened, and the mare ran off. She need to tell him about this! "Blue, calm down!" Lily Dew stepped forward. "We... may hurt you, but we're showing you that we can be nice, too! Please, won't you--" "SHUT UP, YOU SLUT!" A hoof to the nose sent Lily to the floor as well, the mare screamed and held her nose in pain. Topaz and his friends scrambled to help the fallen mare as they're the closest to her. "I'LL MAKE YOU WISH FOR A QUICK DEATH!!" Blinded by rage, Blue lunged at Lily, but Topaz and his friends are in the way. He doesn't care that everypony tried to restrain him now. He struggled with everything he has, perhaps hitting somepony in the process, not that he cared. This horrible mare needs to feel his pain, the pain SHE had given to him, by tenfold if necessary. Soon, the reality started to sink in for Blue. He's going absolutely berserk. He had physically struck at least two ponies, something he'd never done before. He would never do that under normal circumstances. His anger slowly turned into sadness, tears started to cloud his eyes again. He felt really guilty, but he felt good at the same time. The pegasus's conscious is battling to get back control, and it's winning slowly. But ironically, it only brings pain, much pain. His struggle slowed down, then stopped. "This is what you all wanted, r-right? Watching me get angry and cry... This is what you all worked so hard for everyday, right?" Blue spat bitterly. "WELL!?" "Blue!" From the crowd, a pony emerges and grabbed Blue into a hug. The pegasus realized it's Ace, his friend. Ace wordlessly started to pull Blue away from the scene slowly, and soon, they left the classroom. Upon so, Blue suddenly bawled loudly, sadness and pain clearly shown as the pegasus wailed into his friend's shoulder. As the pain that he felt became too great, Blue slowed down until he almost stopped, but Ace picked him up onto his back and kept marching on, like a soldier carrying his injured partner out of the battlefield. Blue doesn't remember the journey that much. His pain had dulled every sense in his body. He kept crying, that's for sure... Blue sat on the sofa with his head hung low. He's in the student counseling office, waiting for the teacher in charge. He DID hurt two students and caused some damage, so maybe he deserved this. Ace had bought him to the teacher's office back then. Thankfully, almost all of the teachers have good relation with Blue, so they let him stay in the office to calm himself down. Then the door opens, revealing a cream coated mare with her right forehoof missing. Blue rarely met Ms Heart Probe, or better known as 'Doctor', but he had heard things about her. She's not a full time teacher at Fillydelphia High School, but she's well loved for her kindness and ability to cope well with the students. She acts like the school nurse, and sometimes gives lessons about health. But right now, she's the student counselor. "Blue Streak, yes?" The mare asked with a smile. Blue nodded. "How do you feel?" "...Terrible." Blue quivered, almost letting a tear fell. The doctor walked on her three hooves and sat next to Blue, stroking his shoulder with her hoof. She did so wordlessly for several seconds, letting the pegasus calm himself down. "Am I... in trouble, doctor?" Blue asked. He fear that something will happen to his future in this school. Perhaps he's not allowed to go to school for several days, or maybe even expelled. "Well... I will say that the situation is quite serious. However, we decided to... let you go with a warning." The doctor spoke calmly. "Two of your friends told us that you've been subject to bullying for a long time, and they defended you fiercely." That must be Clear Flask and Ace Baret. They really did that for him? Blue felt his heart swollen, he's going to give them both a big hug, while crying his heart out probably, if he gets out from here intact. "The teachers also testified that you're normally a good student. It seems other ponies believe in you so much, that I wish I got the chance to know you earlier." The doctor started to check Blue's wings and back. "By the way, you are not hurt, are you?" "Not... physically." Blue said. "B-But I feel... weak. My head is fuzzy..." "Blue, you're not really ill. I believe it's because of your emotions." The doctor explained. "Take all the time to calm yourself down and rest here. We all want to make sure you're alright." Blue nodded, but still hung his head low. Never before he'd been pushed to his limit like this. The event in his class kept replaying in his head, even when he doesn't want to think about it anymore. Everytime he remembers any moment of his outrage, his body shudders. I'LL MAKE YOU WISH FOR A QUICK DEATH!! A wave of dread hits the pegasus like a truck. Thinking back, he wonders what he could do if his classmates and Ace didn't put a stop to him. He remembers setting his sights at Lily, at her head, to be exact. He was going to hit her with everything he got. He was going to hit her where it hurts the most. He was going to... to... Kill her. Blue can actually feel himself going pale. Did he almost killed somepony? No, there's no way he would've done that. He knows himself, everypony should know themselves, right? But... he remembers it clearly, a voice in his head told him to hurt the mare that had hurt him many times before. Why? Why did he hear that voice? He's not that kind of pony. ...Is he? Clamping his head with his hooves, Blue cried again. He don't know what to think anymore, because he cannot understand himself. He jammed his eyes shut, not only trying to stop the tears, but because he don't want to think about it at all. Perhaps the pain will distract his head. Suddenly, a soft, but firm push on his chest forces him to lean his back on the sofa. Ms Heart Probe pressed her hoof on the colt's chest, before doing some gentle, downwards rub a few times. "Shh shh shh, you need to calm down, Blue." The Doctor offers a calm smile, but Blue can sense some kind of authority in her voice. "I'm here if you need help. But first, breath in and out softly..." Blue did what Ms Heart Probe ordered. He inhales, then exhales. Inhale. Exhales. It felt kinda nice, actually. Focusing on his breathing suddenly takes his mind of the cursed endless replay in his head about the incident. He feel himself calm down enough to think with a clear head after a minute of controlling his breathing. Oh boy, no wonder why everyone loves this three hooved mare. "D-Doctor... I... I feel that this is t-the worst day of my life." Blue stuttered. "And... today is supposed to be my birthday..." "Oh? I'm unaware today is your birthday. Nopony mentioned it when they told me..." The doctor admitted. "I wish that your birthdays in the future will be better." Blue sighed. No, it won't be better. His head just briefly replayed the moment her friend revealing their surprise after that brutal verbal beatdown he got. He confirms that the very mention of the word birthday causes him to unwillingly remember that incident. He don't want to remember that. He NEVER want to remember that again. But Blue wonders if it's realistically possible since a lot of ponies in his life knows about his birthday, and most of them are probably unaware how painful it is for him to be reminded of the incident. "I don't know, doctor... I think I'm... scarred for life..." Blue confessed. It's a terrible thought to be terrified of the day that ponies would see as a happy day. "No, Blue, you are not." The doctor shifts her position to sit upright beside the pegasus. "It's not a scar, but a wound. Wounds will heal, and I know you will be healed one way or another." "...I doubt this will ever heal, doctor... This is... a scar, and scars don't heal, do they, doctor?" Blue asked. The mare beside him shifts her eyes down briefly and sighed. Then, her eyes returned to look at Blue's own eyes, but her expression seems to be more stoical. "No, they don't. But I assure you Blue, you are not scarred. A scar is something that you cannot change in life, or as you said, scars cannot heal. What you've gone through cannot be compared to a scar because, well, you're seeing a prime example of a scar right here." It took Blue a few seconds to understand what the mare meant until his eyes looked at the Doctor's hooves. That's right, she's missing one forehoof. Now he felt stupid to call his wound a scar. As painful as the bullying hurts him, at least he still have all his hooves intact. "Oh my-- gosh, I didn't mean to... I-I'm sorry..." Blue hung his head low again, but the Doctor gently lifts his head with her hoof to meet him with a smile. "Don't worry, I learned to not be upset about my hoof for a long time." The doctor chuckled. "The point is, even with a hoof missing, I can still live on happily. Why can't you do it after what you've went through? You can still change your view on birthdays. It's nothing compared to having one of your hoof disappear for life. Maybe in the future, somepony will bring you happiness during your birthday." Blue silently nodded to himself. The slightest of smiles curled at the edges of his mouth. He can still imagine a birthday where he got the most amazing gifts, and all his best friends attending it. It's a one in a million chance, but it COULD happen. However, part of him also say that something like what happened today might happen again. He had no idea what the future of his birthdays hold, and it worries him a bit. "Now, if you are ready, you should return to class. The sessions should've already started again." The doctor stood up from her seat, but Blue didn't follow her. He's not sure if he can face his classmates again after what he did. They'll hate him, or even got more merciless against him. Maybe those that previously didn't bully him suddenly decides to get in the act, thinking he's ungrateful for the birthday surprise. Blue sighed, there's a way out, but he doesn't like this one bit. "...Actually, Doctor, I... I don't think I should return to my class." He stated, prompting a confused reaction from the Doctor. "I want to let things die down, and maybe some of my classmates want that too. I'm afraid things will get worse during this state of minds..." "...What do you plan to do, then?" The doctor asked. "Well..." Here it goes. "C-Can you help me g-get a permission to... to leave school early? Perhaps... I need a few nights to think to myself, and I think my classmates need that too..." The pegasus waited nervously for a reply. This is a very out of place request, and he's not sure if the Doctor agrees to this. He just don't have the strength to return and meet his classmates again for today. The cream earth pony spent a minute pondering, before she talks again. "One condition Blue, I got to tell this to your parents." The doctor said. Well, actually, that would make things easier for him. If he had to say it himself, he'll be more reluctant and difficult for him. "Yes... They need to know. When are you going to tell them?" Blue asked. "As soon as we leave school." The doctor smiled. Wait, is she...? "Wait... You're going to... walk me home?" Blue's mouth hung open from his conclusion. "But, my home is pretty far..." "Blue, the only thing I can't do with one forehoof is to do stand on both forehooves." The doctor laughed. "Wait here, once I got the letter of permission, we'll depart immediately." As the Doctor left the room, Blue once again sighed. There is no easy way to get out from this. He started to think if his parents would understand him leaving school early if he told them his reason. He's pretty sure they will understand him, most likely they will take it that more seriously because the Doctor will be talking to them. Whatever happens from now on, it seems that everything will have a long term impact in his life.