//------------------------------//
// II - Fractures 
// Story: Hollow 
// by Scampy 
//------------------------------//

　　　　　　"Wallflower!"
　　　　　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　"W-Wallflower!"

...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　"...Can you hear me?"
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　"Wallflower!"
　　　　　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...What is this?
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...

Tired.

　　...

"No..."
　　　　　　　　　　"No..."
　　　　　　　　"No..."

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...

"No..."
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　"N-no!"
　　　　　...

...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...So, so very tired.

...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　"No!"
　　　　　　　　　　　...

"Wallflower! 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Wallflower!"

...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　...
　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Voices...?
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　...No.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...

Silence.
　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　Stay here.　　　　　　　　　　　

...
　　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Rest here.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...　

　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　End here.
...

...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...　
　　　　　　　　　　...

...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Die here.
　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...

　　...


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　...Light.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Light?

　　...

　　　　　　　　　　...

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...
...


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　...

　　　Light.
　　　　　　Light...!





Light burned her retinas before her eyes even opened. She wanted to scream. It hurt so much.

...How to scream? She didn’t know. She stayed silent.

Her eyes were closed. Why was it so bright? Where was she? Where had she been? Somewhere darker. Darker and darker, shades beyond black.

Smothering. Comfortable. Safe.

Safe. Was she safe? If she was safe, she wouldn’t be hurting, right? She didn’t hurt anymore, though.

Did she acclimate to the pain, or did it disappear?

A sound. A voice. Voices. 　　　　　　...Who’s there?
　　　　What are you doing?
What were they saying? She knew the words. She heard them clearly, but the meaning behind the sounds was lost. Was it? She could understand herself.　　Think, idiot.

Everything was in front of her, but she couldn’t put the pieces together. She had to try, though. She focused intently on the words echoing in the air all around her. She could figure out what they meant, if she could just...
　　　　　　　　　　　　Focus.
“Why isn’t she waking up?”
　　Wake...?
“I don’t know! T-Twilight said...” Fear.

“What did I say?” Confusion?
 　　　　 　　　　 　　　　 　　　　　　Would you shut up?
“N-no, the—sorry, Princess Twilight said if I broke the stone, all the memories taken in the last three days would return...” Sorrow. Resigned fear? Giving up? No, that wasn’t right.
　　　 　　　　 　You’re smarter than this.
Another voice. Crackling and loud. “Well it worked for the rest of us!” Anger. Frustration?

“I know, Rainbow Dash! B-but...”

“But what?”

Despair. “I-I... I don’t know! I d-don’t know h-h-how to...”
　 　　　　 　　　　　　Wake up.
A softer voice. “Maybe she just needs more time?” Hopeful. Was it? She couldn’t tell. She wasn’t familiar.
　　　　　　Wake up!
Something touched her. Something touched her. A wetness. It tickled, rolling steadily down her face, the first of many in a pitter-patter of invisible rain.
　　　　What was that...?
Senses returned, one by one. She was so warm. She was being held. It was comforting. Safe. Safer than the darker-than-darkness? Probably not, but it would have to do for now.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　What is it?
“I... I don’t know...”

More wetness. The warmth pressed into her, wrapping around her. Maybe it was safer. If only she knew what it was.

“Wallflower... Please...”
　　　　　　　　　　　　Open your eyes.
She opened her eyes.

Bright. Brighter than bright, the opposite of comfort. She tried to raise her arm to shield herself, only for her limb to respond with a pitiful twitch. She tried again, and it moved a little more. A third time, and finally it lifted.

“Wallflower!”

She knew that word.
　　　　　　　　　　Of course.
“O-oh thank Goddess, you’re awake!”

‘Wallflower.’ It was her word. Could she say it?

She took a breath, a long one. She had been breathing this whole time, now that she thought about it. She should’ve thought about it sooner.

“Hhhhnnnnnmmmmmmmmmmm...” So much for words.

“You’re o-okay, Wallflower! You’re okay, I-I’ve got you...!”
　　　　　　　　Showoff.
May as well try again. Another deep breath. She was getting good at that part.

“Hhhhhnnnmmmmwwwwhhaaa...”
　　　　　　Try again.
She needed to breathe. Breathe again. Breathe deeper. She could do this.

The one holding her was silent, even as more wetness fell from her face.
　Does she have a word, too?
“Hhhnnnmmmwwhaall...”

“Yes! Y-yes, Wallflower! You’re Wallflower!” The girl holding her was trembling with joy. Joy...?
　　　Excitement. Happiness? Who knows.
“Girls, she remembers!”

One more breath. This was it.
　　You’ll fail.
“Wallflowerr...”
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Lucky.
The warmth tightened around her again. She couldn’t breathe as well. 
　　　　　　　　　So much for being good at that.
“Uhm, Sunset? Ease up, darling.”

She could breathe again. Good. Breathing was good, and she was good at it. Maybe she was good at other things.
　　　　　Not likely.
If she could breathe, she could use words. Words like ‘Wallflower.’ Other words too, probably. She knew quite a few other words, come to think of it. If she used what words she knew to learn about more words, she could use those meanings to find other meanings. Meanings beyond the words.

Breath. “Whherrre...” Another breath. “...Am I?”

Another breath, but not hers, and not nearly as slow. It was faster. Sharper. 
　　Gasp.
The girl holding her gasped. “Y-you don’t remember...?”

A different voice, stronger. “Maybe it’s coming back to her slowly!”

“Y-yeah, I bet that’s it!” Raspy. Confident, but not really.
　　　　　　　　　　You shouldn’t know those words.
“Maybe...”

“Well what do we do in the meantime? We have to get her home, right?”

It was so hard to keep track of who was talking and what they were saying. No one even answered her question.
　　　　You shouldn’t know any words.
Maybe she needed to ask it again. A deep breath, deep enough for more than one word. “Where am I?” Pride swelled in her chest.

“H-huh?” Sunset looked down at her. “School, Wallflower. Canterlot High School. Do you know where your home is?”

What did she mean? There was a way to find out. Another breath. “H-home...?”

Sunset just stared at her, more wetness falling from her face. One of the others spoke up instead.

“Does anyone know where she lives?”
　　　　　You shouldn't even be here.
“I didn’t even know she existed until today...” Sunset sounded guilty, but over what?

“Okay, well... Check her phone, maybe?”

“G-good idea! Is it in her pocket?”
　You should be dead.
“I don’t see it...”

“Nothing in her bag, either.”
　　　　　　You wanted to be dead.
“Alright, well we gotta keep her safe ‘til she comes to her senses.”

“She c-can stay at my apartment.” Sadness again. Sadness was easy to recognize. “It’s my fault she’s like this at all...”

“That’s not true, Sunset.” So the sadness was Sunset. Or was Sunset sad? That seemed right.

“Y-you all said it yourselves...”
　　　You can still be dead, if you want to.
“We didn’t remember you, darling.” Guilt again, but better masked. A different flavor of fake confidence. “We do apologize for assuming the worst, but until a few moments ago we had forgotten how wonderful you’ve become.”
　
“Yeah... Thanks, Rarity.” Bitterness. Not at ‘Rarity,’ though. Maybe it was?
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　And you do want to.
“I’ll drive y’all over there.”

“Okay.”

Wallflower—she was Wallflower—blinked at the space above her. It expanded every-which-way and was very dark, although it was nothing like the darker-than-darkness. It was colder, shallower, and full of little glittering sparks. The more she stared at it, the more she wanted to know what it was.

“S-Sunset...?”

Sunset was immediately in front of her face. “What is it, Wallflower? Are you okay?”
　　　　　　　Of course not.
Combining what she’d learned, Wallflower raised her arm as high as she could, her limb trembling as it reached upwards. After a heavy inhale, she spoke in tandem with her motion. “Whhat’s th-that?”

“Huh?” Sunset looked up. “What do you mean, Wallflower? There’s nothing there.”

“Y-y-yes there is,” Wallflower said. Speaking was getting easier, now. Not quite as easy as breathing, but certainly better than before. “It’s not n-n-nothing.”
　　You can go back there.
“Wallflower...” Sunset spoke softly—whispered. “I’m gonna take care of you, okay?”

Wallflower thought about it. Sunset was warm. Sunset was still holding her. Sunset wasn’t as comforting as nothing, but she was better than something else.

“...O-okay.”

　　　　　　　　　　No, it isn’t.