//------------------------------// // Private Lives // Story: Wilmont // by gmen15 //------------------------------// Private Lives Alex's House Alex was sitting on his bed with his laptop open. His earphones were plugged in and he was blasting country music at full volume. His green eyes were glued on some random web-pages since he had nothing better to do. Surfing youtube, checking Facebook, reading the national news online, as well as the comment wars between people of differing political views. Things people did on the computer to unwind, let their mind go blank after a rough day. Alex clicked the tab he had up that led to his Facebook profile. Nothing on his profile looked any different than one might expect from the country-born teenage boy, except for his profile picture. Insatead of a picture showing his smiling face, there was an image of Applejack. Oftentimes, he would find himself look at his profile page just to see her face. He would become lost in her eyes, the eyes of integrity and hard work. Her face was something that made him feel happier when nothing else, not even his beloved rock or country music, could. He also was surfing the web for images of Texas. Sure he hadn't lived there in years, but he always felt homesick .Looking at the photos, losing himself to the endless pictures of apple orchards like the one he grew up on, always managed to bring him a nostalgic feeling. After a few minutes of this escapism, Alex decided to call it a night. He turned the music off and closed the tabs on his laptop, and then closed the computer itself. He rubbed his eyes, red and achy from the constant computer use and television watching he took part in all day. As he brought his computer over to his desk to charge it for the night, he heard his drunken stepfather yelling at his mother downstairs. His screams sent shivers down the boy's spine. He immediately began to fear for his mother's safety. When he heard the familiar "smash" of a beer bottle making hard contact with flesh and bone, he didn't hesitate to run downstairs to help save his mother from the brute he knew as his step-father. When he got down to the living room, he saw his mother backed into a corner, her hands on her head and tears running down her face. His stepfather stood above her with a bottle of beer in his hands. A second bottle lay shattered on the ground by Alex's mother, shards of glass covering the carpet. Blood ran down from his mother's head, her cheeks and dripped off onto the carpet beneath her. Alex's step-father slowly turned around, his eyes were glazed over with a glimmer of violence in them. His shirt was stained with God knows what. Every inch of his being reeked of alcohol, like he showered in it. And knowing his drunken step-father, Alex wouldn't bet against it. "What do you want?" he growled at Alex in his slurred, drunk voice. He took a step towards Alex, his angry face staring the boy down. "Leave my mother alone." Alex spat, his hands balled up into tightly-clenched fists. "This isn't your battle son." "Yes it is." Alex growled, "and don't call me son, I'm not your son." His stepfather walked closer, closer, and closer to Alex until the teen could smell the whiskey and wine on his breath. His eyes wiry, dark circles under them adding to his disheveled appearance. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex could see his step-father tighten his grip on the bottle of beer in his hand. "Boy, do you know your place in this house?" Alex nervously looked over at his mother, who just sat there. She had always promised to watch over him and love him. But when his stepfather turned his attention from her to Alex after he stood up for her, he was on his own. Not to mention that she cheated on Alex's real father with this drunken bastard, something Alex never forgave her for. He often wondered why he bothered to stand up for her so much when she obviously didn't care about his well-being one iota. But whenever this thought crossed his mind, he remembered what his father told him in the courtroom the day that the divorce was finalized. "Son, protect your mother, regardless of the situation. She needs you, you have to be strong for her." Alex's father might have been upset with Alex's mom for the divorce, but his love for her was still alive even after he signed the papers. And if there was one thing Alex was not going to do, it was soil his father's memory by backing down from this clown that stood above him with a threatening look. Alex looked up at his stepfather, "Yes I do. It's between you and my mother, stopping you from beating her you drunken asshole." That was all it took to have the drunken old man sock Alex in the face with the bottom-end of the bottle. He then began to pummel him into the floor. Alex's mother stood up and slowly walked away, not even caring that her son was being beaten to a pulp. She was just glad it was no longer her. With each stone-hard fist that came down into his face like a sledge-hammer, Alex felt more and more helpless. Watching his mother walk away and leave him to his punishment at the hands of this dick, he could do nothing but think one thing over and over again.. "I need an escape. I need a family." James' House After arriving home and getting a lecture from his parents about how "Patrick would never be out this late" , James ran upstairs, locked his room, and opened his window so Fluttershy could fly up. "Thank you for the idea Ryan." He thought as the yellow mare went up into his room. He shut the window and turned to see Fluttershy standing there, her teal eyes looking down at the floor of his room. James knew her well enough to understand how scared she must've felt, being alone with a being of a different species that she was supposed to work with to save two worlds. James decided to try to break the tension by soothing her fears, "You don't have to be so nervous, Fluttershy. Make yourself at home." Fluttershy looked up at James, with a level of cuteness that could make the healthiest person go into cardiac arrest. "Oh...thank you James." She smiled meekly. She then slowly trotted around the room, eyes wandering. It wasn't any larger than Carl's room, but more barren. There were fewer posters, fewer family photos, all signs of a boy neglected. After about a minute, Fluttershy's eyes fell on an "Obama 2012" poster in his room. His only poster except one showing a cat hanging from a tree with the slogan "Hang in there Baby". "Obama 2012?" she asked before turning to James, with a look of confusion. "Oh, that's a campaign poster for our President's re-election this year." He said. "President?" Fluttershy asked. "Yeah, he's the person who's in charge of running this country." He said. "Oh like Princess Celestia?" she asked. James shook his head. "Not quite Fluttershy. The people elect a president and he can only serve two terms, each lasting four years. Also he does not have absolute control over the country, as there are also the judicial and legislative branches of government to provide a system of checks and balances. Also with the amount of political divide in this country, a President from a certain party wouldn't ever be able to be in office more than two terms." "Party?" "Yeah, political parties. There are quite a few but every election comes down to the Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee. For instance, I'm a Democrat and Ryan is a Republican." "What's Carl?" "I have no idea." James laughed, "I'm pretty sure he's the type of person who doesn't give a shit one way or the other. Plus, I know politics bore him to tears. He slept his way through our government class last year." "How do you decide which party to join?" she asked. James was somewhat nervous, after all politics was often one of the main reasons why humanity was corrupted and distrustful of one other. He didn't want to corrupt her, but when he looked into her questioning eyes, he couldn't bring himself to get out of it. "It's all based on how you believe the country should be run." James said, "Democrats are more for government programs for the poor and supply-side economics and Republicans are for limited government and demand-side economics. Actually it's deeper than that, but that's the cliff-notes version. Debates between the two beliefs can get pretty ugly, especially on the internet where people are more free to spout off extreme bullshit." "Why?" "Well, when you're talking about two groups of people that have polar opposite views on how the country should be run, it's clear that there will be debates that can get quite ugly." "But you and Ryan seem to get along." Fluttershy said. "That's because we respect each other's views." James sighed, "Most people aren't like that, though. I mean, you get Republicans calling all Democrats "socialists, Godless, and communists", and Democrats calling Republicans "fascists, homophobes, and racists" when for the most part those statements are gross exaggerations. It's a lot worse than I assume disagreements are back in Equestria." Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, most ponies respect each other, at least, they seem to." She said. "They do in Ponyville at least. Some of the ponies in Canterlot didn't really like our style of partying." James nodded and sat on his bed, "I just hate how people are so divided in this world based on differences in opinion. I hate how you're immediately called names just because you have different beliefs than someone else, it sucks." Fluttershy flew up to his bed and sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're a really nice boy, James." James chuckled, "Thanks, I knew there was a reason why I liked you so much Fluttershy. You know exactly how to cheer a person up." Fluttershy blushed. James put his arm around her and hugged her. It wasn't romantic; rather it was just his way of showing how much he cared about her as a friend. "I think we should go to bed." He said and Fluttershy nodded. "Yes!" she then gasped, "but wait, where am I going to sleep?" James gestured to his bed, "We can share the bed." Fluttershy immediately turned red, "You…you're okay with that?" "Of course," James said without hesitation until he realized how uncomfortable that situation sounded to Fluttershy, "are you?" Fluttershy looked up at James and gave him a small smile. All she gave for an answer was a small nod. They both got under the covers and James turned his light off. Fluttershy stayed at one end of the bed and James stayed at the other. "Goodnight Fluttershy." James said before closing his eyes. "Goodnight James." She whispered back. They both drifted off into a blissful sleep. Ryan's House Ryan lay in his sleeping bag, looking up to his ceiling and deep in thought. And, as he had for the entire day, Ryan kept thinking about Rainbow Dash, wondering how the next day would be for both of them as they were alone with each other. Ryan sighed as he knew that the chances of anything romantic happening were slim to none as Rainbow Dash most likely wanted a coltfriend rather than a boyfriend, and even if she didn't, it wasn't like Ryan was her type. He was short, somewhat nerdy, even if he did play sports. They could be friends, but in Ryan's eyes, he just couldn't imagine how she'd find him attractive or have any feelings for him outside of ones shared by close friends. It made Ryan somewhat depressed simply because she wasn't just a fictional character anymore, and yet he knew nothing could happen between them. It was like having a bar of gold right in front of him that would always pull away whenever he reached out for it. Ryan rolled onto his side and was about to go to sleep when he felt someone move beside him and wrap their hooves around his waist. Wait….hooves? Ryan turned around to see Rainbow Dash laying on the floor next to him, looking into his eyes while smiling her sweet smile. Ryan was still blushing as Rainbow Dash's forelegs were still tightly wrapped around his body. "Hey I hope you don't mind if I sleep here for the night. The bed feels empty when it's just me." she said with an innocent smile. Ryan was frozen, unsure about what to say, when he nodded, "Yeah, okay..." he said with a small, nervous laugh, which Rainbow Dash returned. Ryan lay his head back against the floor, "You sure you're comfortable down here on the floor?" Suddenly, Rainbow Dash moved closer to Ryan, her face right next to his, her body pressed up against his. She whispered, "Positive." Ryan felt his cheeks light up like a stop-light, but now he couldn't hide it. Rainbow Dash saw his blush, a blush that only made her smile more as she knew it was caused by her. She was making him turn red, no pony else, and that made Rainbow Dash ecstatic. "You know I think you were really brave back at the mall. When you stood up for that kid." she whispered, taking one of her hooves off of Ryan's waist and placing it onto Ryan's shoulder. He didn't try to shake it off, he was too transfixed by her luminous, red eyes to even notice. "You do? Really?" Ryan asked with a blush and Rainbow Dash nodded. Ryan chuckled, "Yeah, well, I was nowhere near as brave as you,and how you put the hurt on Lawrence. It was hilarious, you made him look like a rag-doll." Rainbow Dash giggled at the compliment before looking back into Ryan's eyes. He looked into her's as well, which were only about an inch away from his face. Now, he had tried to do this as little as possible since she'd been here so that his strange feelings wouldn't take over and make her find become too obvious. But now, he couldn't look away from her big, expressive, red eyes. Her were half-closed, showing how comfortable she was with him, even if she was on the floor instead of a comfortable, warm bed. It also showed the love she felt for him without requiring her to say it verbally. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and let out a sigh, her warm breath touching Ryan's face and making his face turn even redder than it already was. "Do you know what I wish? I wish you were a Pegasus, and we could fly together in the skies of Equestria.” Ryan's eyes shot open for a moment as he realized Rainbow Dash knew about his dream. He initially felt nervous, but when he saw Rainbow Dash's face, her cute, loving smile, his heart melted and his fears dissipated. She knew about his dream, and the feelings he had for her. But she also seemed to share those feelings for him. Ryan smiled, "I wish that too." Right then, both Ryan and Rainbow Dash leaned into each other, eyes not blinking as they pressed their lips together in a warm, loving kiss. Ryan had never had a girlfriend. In fact, he didn't even want to get intimate with a girl until it was someone he truly loved. The funny thing was; no girl in Wilmont came close to fitting the bill to him. And now, he was having his first kiss with Rainbow Dash, something that many bronies could only dream of and he felt like his life was finally complete. As their kiss deepened and became more invasive, with their tongues pushing against each other, Ryan felt different. He felt as if so much of his hard exterior that he had gained from growing up in an environment where he got beat up constantly, melted away and he suddenly felt younger. He didn't know how or why, but all of his stress, anger, hatred, and other negative feelings evaporated and he was left in a state of pure bliss and happiness that most people never had a chance to experience. He felt less corrupt and more innocent than a teenage boy should feel, and he loved it. It was like Rainbow Dash's pure personality and love was radiating directly into Ryan. He didn't care that he couldn't understand it, all that mattered was that they loved each other. As they broke the kiss, they looked at each other and smiled; both red in the face from slight embarrassment. But in this case, it was a good embarrassment. Dash moved closer to Ryan so she was pressed up against him completely, her muzzle touching his nose. "I love you Ryan." "I love you too Dashie." With that, both of them fell asleep in each other's arms, dreaming of flying with each other over Ponyville. Carl's House- Night Carl sat at his desk and stared blankly at the screen of his computer as he checked his newsfeed on Facebook, waiting for Pete to get back to him, but he a had a feeling that it would be a while as he knew about Pete's shy personality. "You'd think he'd be the one partnered with Fluttershy." Carl thought with a chuckle as he continued to scroll down the comments feed to see if any of his friends had said anything that he could comment on. Amazingly, he was already friends with Pete on Facebook and he never knew it. Then again, he was friends with 600 people, so naturally some of those were people he never met before. Spike had made himself comfortable at the edge of Carl's bed as he looked up. Twilight was laying in Carl's bed, under his covers, talking with Spike. She was propped up with Carl's pillows. "Wow, this world is so weird looking, I mean, it's so boring and...not colorful." Spike said. Twilight nodded. "I agree, but it has its own charm." "That's not what the Princess told me." Spike said in just above a whisper so that Carl wouldn't hear. Twilight rose an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" "She said," Spike began before looking over at Carl to make sure he was too busy with his computer to hear what they were talking about. He then leaned towards Twilight, one hand cupped over his mouth to conceal what he was saying, "this world had a lot of good people in it, but that there was a lot of bad as well and it often led to a lot of violence and terror never seen back home." "Yeah, the Princess told me that too." Twilight muttered. As soon as she said this, she remembered how Carl told her that he'd tell her about his father, and why it impacted him so dearly. Besides the obvious fact that his father died, and that would break anyone's heart to think about, Twilight couldn't get over the feeling that there was something more behind it. Carl closed his laptop and put his hands to his face in exhaustion, rubbing his sleep-deprived eyes. He walked over to his bed and looked at Twilight and Spike, "Okay, Pete didn't get back to me, but James texted me and said that Alex and Louis are definitely going to be there." "Better than nothing." Spike muttered as he curled up at the foot of the bed, ready to go to sleep. His own eyes showed a similar level of tiredness as Carl. Twilight, however, seemed to be struck with a new energy as questions about Carl's past filled her mind. "Good night you two." Carl slipped under his covers and was about to turn the light off when he felt Twilight tap him on the shoulder. He turned the lights back on and looked at her. She was sitting up, a serious look on her face like she was hell-bent on not going to sleep until she got something out of Carl, something very personal. "Twi what is it?" "Yeah Twilight, I want to go to bed." Spike complained from where he was laying, his eyes squinting like it was taking every ounce of energy he had to stay awake. Twilight looked at Carl with the most stern, yet caring, eyes imaginable. Even though Carl could tell she meant no harm, he felt his blood run cold. He was certain what she was going to ask wasn't going to be pleasant to discuss. Finally Twilight spoke, and confirmed Carl's fears. "Tell me about your father."