Act IV - Faux Hero
[Canterlot | Bronze Bull Inn]
"That's the gist of thing then?" Gin stretched while addressing everyone who was present. "Tch, Blu-boy you sure know how to pick 'em?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Skye asked defensively to the rat's snickering
"Fufufu, nothing-nothing..."
"*Sigh* Basically, yeah Me-Artorias is related to Rain, I think?" I could hear the uncertainty in his voice, even though I wasn't looking
"Then why did she ran off? Wouldn't that be great?" Riot was optimistic but I shared no semblance of his glow, everything was, and has been for a while, hazy. "Hey, Artorias?"
"..." My lack of response made a few of them sigh worryingly
"She's been like this since we got back, I don't even think she's listening anymore..." Silverwing was incorrect I just lacked the capable drive to turn around, shut them up and move on with my life, no matter how often I pondered, the words never came. I heard her mug settle on the table. "Perhaps this is how my own sibling feels."
"You have a sibling too?" Riot inquired
"Yes, I believe you know them, SilverCrow would be their name," That excited several sharp gasps, and a nervous chuckle from the rather formal mare. "Y-yes, well, I only knew once our team made contact with Klaw that they were indeed trapped in this world too, though I've been so preoccupied attempting to free those practically enslaved by that amulet that I never attempted to approach them, a poor choice on my part, I'm going to have my ear chewed off."
"But... wait, Silver can speak?" I could practically hear Skye blink as he leaned over the table
"Oh-ho, this I have to hear, some player's been askin' 'bout if he's the strong silent type or somethin'." Gin's greed for information cropped up again
"They're not the outgoing type, so don't expect much unless you know what buttons to push," She warned, then her voice dropped low. "I must insist that for your sake you don't."
"Still, that's amazing, so all this time the two of you had a sister or brother we never knew about..." At Seraph's summery I stood up, plucking Genesis from the seat. "Artorias, where are-"
I didn't turn or acknowledge any of them, right now I needed to think, and that required a lack of white noise perforating my eardrums. Rain was my sister, little I can assume by her attitude and younger appearance, even in pony form. That would lead to the deduction that 'They' were behind this, of course they were, didn't care for me so this was the result after years of separation, typical.
My parents, well, birth ones. They weren't the most lucrative of families, could barely afford a place to live let alone food for three mouths. So, after many days that I could imagine weren't easy the pair decided to drop me off at an orphanage when I was barely two years old, since then I've never heard or seen them again, being that I was so young I couldn't remember them at all. Then a few years later I was adopted by a woman who I definitely call my 'Mom', and that would never change.
She raised me, took care of me when I was sad, ill, angry, didn't matter, even though I wasn't related to her by blood, I felt like I was. Outside of this digital world, she was the only person I had and can admit that I love with whatever surmounted as a heart in my chest. And now here I am, the first time I've ever had a best friend and it turns out they're my sister? What kind of sick joke was fate playing with me? Just the probability alone was almost minute, and yet, here she was. Or so I can vaguely assume.
"Look who comes to save the day everybody! What, not stickin' around to laugh up today's complete massacre, which was hilarious, and pinnacle example of the degeneration of human intelligence?" I stopped the clop of hooves behind me, standing just at a crossroads. Turning to face Skye I held onto a malice glare. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't draw Genesis and cut your tongue out -- hell, this is my fault for telling you that bastard name!" I opened up and got bit. "You guys think I haven't been letting this eat away at me all day? That the 'Super-Tough Red Warrior is cold and heartless'!? I just got dumped the freakin' bombshell of the century, of course I'm going to mull it over!"
He didn't get a word in as I stomped toward him, losing my composure, in these last two days I haven't felt so unhinged before. The Harmony Knights, Rain and Skye's loss of control, the deaths of those three players, Rain leaving me behind, Genesis being stolen, and now all of this, everything was just completely screwed up and I hated it. "Those deadbeats had a kid and completely disregarded the original like they were a fucking piece of trash! I just want to hurt them, make them feel how I felt knowing that I was just cast aside!" My voice thundered while my chest ached
"B-but now I find out I have a sister, someone who has only ever been kind to me, who puts up with my personality day-in and day-out without ever asking for anything in return!" I punched myself on the forehead, yelling angrily. "It's just playing on some stupid loop that I can't get out of my head! I hate them but I don't know how to feel about her! SO WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?!"
Several seconds or more passed while only my heavy breaths stretched between us. I don't know what else to do, or why am feeling this way at all.
"Do you want me to come with you, to see her?" He spoke, finally adding something to this one-sided disaster. There was no hint of anger or desperation in his voice, he just watched me seriously, he took all that on the chin and listened to me
For that moment, I sank my head low, "...please."
[Canterlot Fields | Celestia's Rising]
Not many monsters spawned around this place, like a tiny safe zone outside the main city gates atop one of the cliffs that overlooked the world far and wide. It was an amazing spectacle at moments like these, where the twilight hour spanned the skies, it would have been great to sit and stare at if not for the reason we were here. Skye stayed at the foot of the path while I walked its dirt road, spotting the slumped bat pony on her haunches, watching the sky above.
I stopped myself before taking another step, how should I approach this? What would Artorias do... no, what would I do? In all the years I've lived the only familial bond I had was that of my Mom, but acting like her and adopting her mannerisms wouldn't seem right like I was just putting on another mask. This had to come from me, even if it's the worst conversation in human history, I had to try atleast, she would for me. Heh, she's really gotten to me, hasn't she? Go back a few months and this would never happen, I'd just shrug it off until the situation blew over, and now I can't stop thinking.
She didn't turn to face me, more focused on the twilight world above. "You really found me this quickly... a little weird."
I pointed to her cursor. "FYI I can track through this wonderful device called a 'Friends List', and we so happen to know a keen info broker with annoying way about her sometimes," Yeah, hindsight here is twenty-twenty. I scoffed at myself, this wasn't the time for snarky comments. Keeping my distance with hesitance on what exactly I was supposed to do I struggled with my words. "Look I... how do say this... I'm not sure how I can go about understanding this, alright, you just up and call me your 'Big Sister' and ran, honestly... I-I -- just talk to me Rain?"
She just hugged her body with her wings tighter. I on the other hand slapped my forehead, infuriated more at myself. What exactly could I ask, say, do? I'm no social butterfly like she is, I can't just... figure out someone's issues without prying into their insecurities, it would be easy but... with Rain, seeing her... cry? That just felt wrong, I felt sick.
Breathing through my nose, I stepped forward only once. "I'll meet you... halfway," I sat down. "I'll listen for once, just please say something."
I don't know how long we sat there, the rustle in the leaves behind us, the noise of the breeze, it was honestly relaxing if I wasn't so tense. Then, with a shallow voice, I saw her sit upright. "Your name is Merry Burns, you were adopted unlike me who..." She started to squirm. "...who was born three years after y-you were gone."
"Question, how do you even know it's me? Anyone in this game could be called Merry." This was where my skepticism led to the most. Even if she knew everything about me, no one knows who Artorias is, the username is completely new, specifically for this game
"Because your voices sound the exact same, so are your mannerisms," Who did... wait, does she know? "You're u-um..." She paused and quickly opened her menu, not a moment later I received a message from her, clearly she didn't want anyone to know this so I popped the message in Private and saw the one word stretch across my menu, seeing it made my eyes widen, but ultimately I realized how much I underestimated Rain
Well, she's got her info right, guess that does make her my... "Your folks' surname is Miles, yeah?" She flinched but nodded shyly, my dry tone of voice hadn't wavered. "Since you up and blurted out my name, thank God Skye can't hear us, only fair I know yours?"
"...I-it's Melody..." I don't know why but that made me crack a small smile, only briefly as I remained stoic about the situation. "I found out about y-you when I turned t-thirteen, they thought I'd be mad but I..." She was shivering like a leaf. "...I was happy," That broke my stoic exterior, lifting my gaze from the ground to her back. "When I found out I... I really wanted to meet you."
Biting my tongue at her hollow chuckle she continued without a response from me. "You probably think that's stupid... that if we met you'd be mad at our parents, and envy me... I didn't care, I-I just wanted to see you, the life you had without me, I couldn't care if you hated me for being born to replace you," Did she really think that? "M-mom and Dad tried to find you, but-!"
"I told 'My' Mom not to let them bother," I broke my silence to clarify. "Oh they found me, rather easily too, but when I heard I wanted nothing to do with them, those... people, didn't want me, so I don't want them, not when I already have a Mom that I know for a fact loves me, so, she ensured they'd never get a word to me, ever." Call it childish or cynical, but what have those two ever done besides offering me up to an orphanage when the going got tough? Maybe if they looked for me sooner after getting their lives back on track, sure, I'd be more than incline to try, but they never bothered for ten years.
Melody slumped at my cynical reply, so then I finally put my words to work. "I don't hate you," Her ears perked up. "Your parents, sure, I couldn't care less, but you had no say in being born, that was their choice, so this isn't your fault, and it never will be." Picking myself up I finally mustered courage unlike any I had need of before. "...Even if we're not living under the same roof, even if we live miles apart, I..." Say it, just say it already!
Finally, she turned, and I could see the tears that had clearly been falling down her cheeks, only now I struggled to hold mine, offering a genuine smile to the little pest that's been a magnet to me for weeks. "...just knowing that I have an adorable younger sister... that's all I could care about," I winked once. "And with an awesome name to boot might I add."
That broke the camel's back as Melody latched her forehooves around my back, muffling her cries into my chest while I sat down, slowly putting both of mine around her back, patting her head with my left. This was new, very unfamiliar and... nice. Leaning down to her ear I did something I know would work, after all, my Mom used it all the time. "Hmm-hmm-hmm~hm-hm-hmm~..." It was soft, something I doubt anyone would expect to come from my throat, even I was surprised it wasn't like a set of Kruger blades skating down a chalkboard.
It was embarrassing but again, I trusted Skye to keep his mouth shut if he did hear me. The song was a lullaby that my Mom would always sing or hum to me when I was having nightmares or when I became overly stressed or angry, even to this day that siren's song worked like a charm, and from how relaxed Melody's muscles became I could feel it was working too. I swear it's witchcraft. My song came to its final piece as I spoke as my humming grew distant. "Let's go home, sis." I nudged her but got no response. My blank face returned. "Oh don't tell me..."
"Zzz... zzz..." Blinking I leaned back and found that little runt had fallen asleep, leaving me to shake my head with a scoff.
"Works every time..." I sighed, hearing the hoofsteps behind me as my fur shivered with goosebumps. There wasn't any point in trying to excuse myself this time, so, after a little maneuvering, I managed to put the sleeping bat pony on my back, carefully keeping her stable. "...well, now it seems I have a little sister, crazy what life backhands you with, huh?"
Skye smiled, looking to one side as Melody's head was balanced on my shoulder by my hoof, her hooves slung down my sides as she snored. "Here, doubt you can walk straight with three hooves." He didn't allow me a say as his body moved close to my right side, placing his left forehoof over my shoulder to act as a pillow for Melody as he practically brushed up against me. He himself didn't seem to mind as I looked the other way. "Are you sure you're fine? I mean, can't imagine finding all this out was easy, your outburst earlier was rather transparent about that."
Now I was blushing a little from embarrassment. "I'm fine, you dork, but... this is alot to handle if I'm honest, tch, the best player in this game and I fall apart at a little family dilemma, who knew?" Guess Malware knows what to use against me at the next Vault. "It's fine though, come on, help me hobble back to Canterlot with this sack of issues, I'll pay ya, twenty-percent discount on your next request too since you're keeping what you've heard and witnessed a secret." I nudged him as he chuckled
"Oh really? And how much are you offering from the get-go? I mean, I'm basically handing over my body as a service to you, can't be cheap right?" If it weren't for the adorable bat sleeping on my back with a stupid, cute smile I'd have drawn Genesis. Pouting I turned away with a growl
"I fucking hate you..." He did his best to keep himself from laughing as we basically walked back as a six-legged pony, not the strangest day I've ever had, but one to remember.
To Be Continued...