Chapter 2: The Auction
Backstage
Twilight opened her eyes to a world of darkness no better than the one she just woke from. She could hear sobs, crying and screaming all around her. She looked from side to side to see that she there was a long procession of ponies with their sides lined up. All of them looked miserable, but in varying degrees. Some looked defeated and hung their heads, some bawled openly, and some others screamed and struggled against what held them to the ground.
Noticing their struggling, Twilight saw each pony had chains clamped onto their legs. She looked down to see that her own hooves were chained to a strange black surface that stood out from the rest of the floor, which was made of hard-wood. She looked to her right and saw Colgate was right next to her, pulling at the chains with all her might, snarling and cursing when she didn’t break free. She also seemed to attempt to use her horn to cast a spell, but, as with Twilight, she failed.
Twilight noticed that the light blue unicorn had the same bracelet on that she did. She looked down to see that the bracelet was still in the exact same place it was in before she got knocked out. She contemplated trying to break through the chains with her magic, or teleport, but decided against it when she remembered how futile her past attempt was.
Besides, her attention was drawn to her left where the other pony that was right next to her was crying. She turned to see Pinkie Pie looking down at the floor, tears running down her face, her mane flattened against her head. Her front legs were trembling from fear.
“Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie Pie looked over at Twilight, giving the purple pony a perfect view of her friend’s moist eyes.
“Twilight?” she whimpered through her sobs. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know.” Twilight said, looking around, but besides the line of ponies that were illuminated in lights that came up out of the floor, all she could see was darkness. Hell, the walls could’ve been pure white and she wouldn’t have been able to tell through the obscurity of the room.
“I’m scared.” Pinkie Pie said sadly, her body starting to shake even more like a leaf caught in a windstorm.
Twilight tried to put her hoof out to her friend for support, but her hoof was still chained to the ground. She sighed and decided to approach the issue with words.
“Look, Pinkie…I…”
Twilight was suddenly interrupted by a door opened at the other end of the room. Twilight turned towards the sound only to be blinded by the light that shone brightly through the door. She shut her eyes just as the door shut. The lights to the room turned on. Twilight slowly opened her eyes, squinting to prevent too much light from coming through, to see what the commotion was all about.
Standing in front of the ponies were four men. One was formally dressed in a shining suit-coat; his hair was spiked and his face was neatly shaven. He was also wearing a pair of thin-rimmed glasses, giving him the appearance of a man with intelligence and power, a potent combination.
Behind him stood three men, two of whom looked almost identical to each other. Both men were roughly the same size, both had roughly the same frame, both had the same suits on. In fact, the only true difference was that one had greased-back brown hair and the other had no hair at all.
But it was the man in front of them that got Twilight’s attention the most. He might not have led the procession, as the man with spiky brown hair did, but there was something about him that demanded respect.
But it was his face that got her attention the most. His mouth had a thick, mechanical mask covering it, tubes running into a band that was clipped around his head to keep the mask in place. His breathing could be heard echoing throughout the room.
It didn’t take much time for Twilight to identify him as the burly man with the scary voice that she met in Ponyville during the invasion; the one that knocked her out.
“Hello everypony.” The man in the front said with a smile. “My name is Christopher Maloney, and before you ask, yes I am the reason that you’re here with us today.”
“Why did you kidnap us!?!” Rainbow Dash screamed, followed by a slew of equally angry “yeah” and “tell us!” from the long line of assembled ponies.
Maloney just let out a small chuckle, “Ah Rainbow Dash, your brazen attitude is so prevalent even in his universe.”
Rainbow Dash’s expression fell from anger to confusion, as did everypony elses’.
“How…how do you know my name?”
“Oh we know more than just your names.” Maloney said as he took a few steps towards the blue pegasus, who had a very uncharacteristic look of fear in her eyes. “We know everything there is to know about you, where you work, what your special talent is, who your friends are and so much more.”
“What do y’all want from us?” screamed a male voice from somewhere in the line. Twilight recognized it as Big Macintosh who, while not one of the most vocal ponies would definitely speak up in a situation like this, where he and his two sisters were being held against their will.
“Glad you asked.” Maloney said with a smile, “as I was about to tell your little rainbow-maned friend here, Big Macintosh…” the red stallion didn’t flinch or show any sign of defeatism as the Maloney hissed his name, “that you are here for a very special reason. To help me repay the debt I owe the federal government for discovering your little universe, you will be auctioned off to the highest bidders.”
There was a panic murmur flooding through the crowd. Twilight could feel her heart rate intensify. Pinkie Pie let out a small, sad squeak next to her before she continued to cry. Applejack was struggling against the chains that held her and Big Macintosh was doing everything he could to calm her down. Sure he was mad as well, as shown by his outburst, but he didn’t want his little sister to strain herself against the chains.
Maloney looked at the long line of victims assembled before him and smiled menacingly, “Such disorder in this crowd.”
He then turned back towards the trio of men behind him, specifically the one with the terrifying voice, “Benedict?”
The man with the respirator gave a small nod before stepping forward so he was in front of Maloney.
“Enough!”
There was an immediate silence following this order. Coming out of an ordinary man this would have been frightening, but to come out of a mouth hidden behind a breathing apparatus was one of the most terrifying things anypony ever heard. They all looked over towards the group of men as Maloney gave Benedict a small nod in appreciation before turning his attention back to the ponies.
“Now then, as you can see, each of you is chained to a long conveyor belt that will roll you onstage when your turn is called. You will cooperate, you won’t try to escape or do anything stupid while up there, understood?”
“What if we refuse?” A voice to Twilight’s immediate right said. She looked to see a still defiant, angry looking Colgate trying her best to intimidate the men by staring directly into their eyes, her chest puffed out and a scowl on her face.
Maloney stared down at Colgate and just smiled. He seemed unfazed by the blue unicorn’s outburst. He still had the air of superiority about him, and this frightened Colgate, though she didn’t show it as she kept looking up at the man.
He turned back to Benedict, “Go ahead, show her.”
Benedict nodded and pulled out a strange device from a black bag. It was similar to an iPad in size and look, a large screen in the center of the otherwise silver device. He looked at it for a moment before finding what he wanted. He pressed his finger against the screen of the device and looked up at Colgate.
Moments later, a sound, like the buzzing of hundreds of bees, screamed out from Colgate’s bracelet. The unicorn howled in agony as little, blue bolts of electricity shot through her arm and into her body. Benedict kept his finger on the screen of the device for a few more seconds, seeming to find some sick entertainment at watching the unicorn get tortured.
Finally, he lifted his finger and the buzzing noise stopped, as well as the electric bolts running through the bracelet. Colgate collapsed to the ground, body twitching and tongue sticking out as she panted. Her entire body throbbed in pain and soreness, all of her energy had been zapped.
Everypony stared in horror at the downed mare as Benedict slowly slipped the device back into the bag he was carrying. He then crossed his arms across his chest. Maloney thanked his henchman before turning to the frightened equines that were not too afraid to do anything other than gawk at the downed Colgate and breath rapidly.
“Does that answer your question, dentist pony?”
Colgate moaned and tried to stand up, only to collapse back to the ground. All of the ponies were now looking up at Maloney.
“That’s okay sweetie, stay down; rest.” Maloney told Colgate with malice in his voice. He then looked at the crowd of soon to be auctioned goods, “Any other questions or are you all ready to begin your very special evening?”
Nopony said anything. They were all either too frightened, or to livid to do anything. Maloney waited for a response, though after what he did to Colgate it’d be a lie to say he was expecting one.
Eventually, he conceded, “Then let the show begin.”
With that, Maloney turned and left the room. Benedict and the other two men seemed to stare down the ponies as their boss left. Once the door was shut, everypony started to bawl.
Pinkie Pie worked the waterworks as her eyes turned into tsunamis of tears, creating a huge puddle at her hooves.
“Pinkie?”
“I…don’t…sniff…want to be…SOLD!!!!!” Pinkie Pie sobbed like a baby woken from their afternoon nap.
“Pinkie look, I know it’s bad,” Twilight looked away for a moment and let out a sad sigh, “it’s bad for all of us. But just remember, I’m right here next to you during the whole thing.”
Pinkie Pie turned to Twilight, her crying seemed to slow down enough where she wasn’t even bawling.
Benedict continued to look over the crowd of, now hysterical, ponies that his boss left to him.
“Aw, I just can’t stand to see such sadness.” Benedict said with a tone of mocking depression. He then held up his watch, looked down at it, and pressed a button.
Suddenly, there was a “whirring” sound that came out of the floor. All of the ponies, who stopped doing what they were doing, whether it was crying or consoling those who were crying, and looked at the floor at their hooves. Twilight and Pinkie Pie looked down, both as confused as everypony else about the source of the noise.
Then, without warning, four, steel walls shot up from the ground around Twilight, encasing her in a small block of space that’s only opening was just above her.
But she wasn’t the only one. Soon, everypony on the conveyor belt was trapped in a small, claustrophobic box of their own that was made up of metal walls that went up above their heads.
Now the screams came at an even greater volume. Twilight could hear Pinkie Pie in the block next to her, her own sobbing worse than it was before.
At the sound of the panicking ponies, Benedict let out a feigned, exaggerated sigh of relief, “That’s better.”
Even Twilight started to panic. Her eyes frantically darted from one section of her shiny, silver prison to the other. She eventually looked up at the one reprieve from solitary, dark confinement she was in; a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
She couldn’t look away from it. The bulb gave her the only light source for her as she stood in the enclosure. It appeared to taunt her. It seemed so close, yet still out of reach.
Just as she stared longingly up at the light, wishing she could feel its warmth on her hoof, the floor beneath her started to move to the left. There were even more screams as the conveyor belt took the ponies off to front stage to be sold off.
Auditorium
The crowd was massive, people from every walk of life present to place their bids on the new species that would become their servants. There were rich people, middle of the road people. Heck, there were some people from lower income brackets, but they were there mostly to see what the newly discovered ponies looked like as they knew they couldn’t outbid the higher ups.
Chad sat in his chair, his eyes staring up at the massive ceiling above. His hands clasped across his lap and his foot tapping the ground impatiently. He didn’t want to be here. Not only was it boring to sit by and watch as his parents tried to outbid everyone else, but it felt wrong.
Maybe it was his disdain for his parents, two of the wealthier people in town, both dressed stereotypically. Chad’s father had on a sharply-pressed black suit and red tie, while his mother was adorned in an elegant gold dress; a cold, determined look that she always seemed to have. She was cooling herself off with a decorative fan she bought at a fair held recently in the downtown area, which was another event that bored Chad to death.
Chad didn’t hate rich people. In fact he learned most of them didn’t live up to the stereotype that his parents did. For instance, there was Mr. and Mrs. Beverly, both of were very well off. They were at the auction as well, both having much less uptight looks about them. Mr. Beverly wore a collared shirt and khaki pants while Mrs. Beverly wore a beautiful, but not gaudy, dress.
Mr. Beverly was an anesthesiologist while Mrs. Beverly was a writer for the local paper, mostly focusing on local and national politics. Chad assumed they were here to find ponies to take care of their kids, as their last babysitter was fired when she was caught stealing fifty dollars them. Not to mention he couldn’t see them hiring ponies to perform jobs that would be considered overly burdensome.
And they weren’t the only examples of breaking the mold of the media’s “generic rich” label. There were many kind wealthy people that were either attending this auction, or refused out of morality.
Believe it or not morality did exist.
It’s just that Chad’s parents and everyone they hung out with did. They were brash, pretentious, arrogant, and oftentimes aloof. Chad’s parents were often stuck in their own little worlds of golf and caviar, and forget that their son existed.
The teen looked down as the bright lights overhead started to burn into his retinas. He looked down at the stage. Large, red curtains were pulled back from the shining, wooden stage. A long, black strip ran down the center of it. From sitting in this theatre many times before, whether for plays, performances, or other auctions, Chad knew that it was a conveyor belt.
He looked around at some of the other attendees. A few rows down and to Chad’s left was Nick, a fellow sixteen year old with stuffy, elitist parents. He had soft brown hair and cadet blue eyes that shone in the sunlight. He was quite tall, much taller than the average-sized Chad. When both boys stood next to each other, it wasn’t uncommon for some people to take Nick as Chad’s older brother when they were both the same age.
Eventually, Nick’s own eyes met Chads’. He gave his fellow friend in suffering a soft smile and nod to acknowledge him. Chad nodded back before looking straight ahead.
He continued to assess the crowd when his eyes fell on the dreaded Mr. Connolly, the town’s resident bastard that owned one of the local car plants. He was a person that everyone in town seemed to suck up to like he was some kind of God. He was slightly chubby, had wild and greying hair, and a bit of stubble on his face.
If you wanted to see the picturesque image of the generic rich fat-cat, all you’d have to do was look at Mr. Connolly.
Needless to say that Chad loathed his guts. He never donated a cent to charity, when even Chad’s parents, for as snobbish as they were, did. He was known for abusing his servants, both physically, emotionally and, sometimes, even sexually.
Some servants even came forward with complaints, saying that they were sexually harassed while employed by him. But no one ever listened. When the police did question him, he had such a strong team of lawyers he could’ve gotten off with murder, even if they had his fingerprints and five witnesses identify him as the culprit.
“I’m thinking three ponies to help at the farm portion of our house and two pegasi.” Chad’s father said.
Chad’s mother nodded, “Yes, I really hope we get some good fliers.”
Chad rolled his eyes. Of course, the newly forming pegasus races that the town was creating. Ever since the news broke that some of these ponies were, in fact, pegasi, it was only a matter of time until they came up with idea for “Pegasus Flight Races”, which was like dog racing or horse racing, but with pegasus ponies.
Just then the lights began to dim and the talking hushed to a low murmur before silencing altogether. The auction was about to begin.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” A voice boomed out from speakers that circled the auditorium. “Welcome to the Equestrian auction! Here you shall bid on a wide array of ponies, each with their own unique, special talent. Some are great musicians, some are great with magic, and some are just plain loyal.”
Chad rolled his eyes at the enthusiastic tone of the voice. He bit down on his lip and began to tap his foot against the ground even more. He didn’t want to be here, he really didn’t want to be there. He sat back in his neatly-pressed suit that itched the back of his neck and wrists and trapped so much heat from the overhead lights that he could feel sweat start to accumulate under his armpits and on his forehead.
”Damn short button shirt.” Chad thought angrily as he realized the itching was caused by the lack of protection his skin had around his neck and wrists from the itch-causing material on the suit. He knew that he was going to get a rash, and it wasn’t going to be pleasant, but there was nothing he could do other than sit back and give the occasional scratch.
“All right, let the auction begin!” the voice shouted, followed by a round of classy applause from everyone in the crowd. The conveyor belt dragged a long line of metallic boxes out onto stage. Behind each wall was a terrified pony, waiting for their turn.
“First, we start with a little bit of class!”
On cue, the first metal box disappeared back into the floor, revealing a white unicorn with a well-styled purple mane and dazzling blue eyes, which sparkled like diamonds even through the runny mascara as she cried. Her eyes stared out into the crowd of people, face full of fear and terror. Her legs began to wobble, her breathing rate increased.
“What on earth is this madness?” Rarity questioned nobody in particular.
All she got in response the sound of people in the crowd whispering to each other, discussing whether or not she was worth bidding on.
“This little classy lady is a unicorn by the name of Rarity.” The voice boomed out.
Rarity looked up in fear, “How do you know that? Who are you!?!”
Sure she heard the three men talk about Rainbow Dash and how they knew everything about her. But it was something else entirely when it was her in the spotlight, an anonymous voice booming out her name to the mysterious creatures in the crowd around her. But it was only going to get more uncomfortable.
“She has a “passion for fashion” and can make almost any article of clothing if given a fine thread and needle. She is also very classy, possibly the cleanest and best behaved pony that we have here tonight. She is a keeper.”
Rarity looked up, her face changing from confusion to rage, “How do you know that!?! Have you been spying on me!?!”
“She can also be a bit stubborn and somewhat opinionated…”
“Where is my sister!?! Where is Sweetie Belle! If you lay one hoof on her I’ll…”
“But she also is very caring for her little sister, Sweetie Belle, who we will bring out to you a little later. Now I believe it’s time to start the bidding.”
Rarity’s face turned bright red, “Don't you dare bid me!”
She was appalled, aghast, completely shocked at how these beings were degrading her like some household item to be sold off.
“How dare you talk to me like I am an armoire!” She screamed, only to have it fall on deaf ears as the announcer started the auction. A furious bidding war broke out between a very flamboyant man with spiky green hair and Nick’s mother, who seemed to be losing it, her face shining with sweat as her rising voice cracked. She looked like a mental patient getting into a heated debate with someone instead of a person at a supposedly casual auction.
Eventually, Nick’s mother was victorious and Rarity was purchased. Nick simply put his face into his hand and shook his head, embarrassed at his mother’s crazy behavior.
If one could take a photo of the look on her face when she had been purchased, it could be placed in the dictionary under “horrified”. Rarity slowly lay down on the wood stage-floor. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized that she’d been bought like…“an armoire”.
Chad shook his head in disbelief at the sight of the poor unicorn. He couldn’t believe how she was treated by everyone here in the auditorium.
As Rarity cried, the metal walls slowly raised back up, hiding her from the audience’s sight. Once this happened, she was rolled away to make room for the next pony in line.
The event carried on, Chad getting more and more annoyed as he watched pony after pony was purchased by people in the audience.
His own parents managed to get three earth ponies to help at the farm. There were two that were siblings. A red stallion by the name of Big Macintosh stood valiantly in front of the crowd, not uttering a single word and not shedding a single tear. He just stared down everyone with two accusing, ferocious eyes; full of hatred and contempt for the audience taking part in the bidding process.
Chad’s parents also won his sister Applejack just before he went up. She was a feisty one that much was clear. She cursed, tried to buck her chained legs, and screamed at the top of her lungs. Chad’s parents were impressed with her energy, and in winning her, now had two ponies to work on their farm.
Chad’s parents also managed to buy a brown earth pony stallion by the name of Caramel. He was the antithesis of Big Macintosh, timid and fairly small in size. His blue eyes looked at the crowd like it was a jury and he was on trial for a murder he didn’t commit. He openly cried on stage as Chad’s parents bought him for a low price, as nobody wanted what they labeled a “sorry excuse for a colt”.
Not to mention having a special talent as a “horse-shoe thrower”, in addition to the crying, gave him the image of being a weak pony with an even weaker strength. As the wall rolled up to conceal the poor colt, Chad felt his heart break. Caramel’s blue eyes looked out into the crowd as if to ask why?, before they were hidden by the wall.
Chad’s parents also picked up two pegasis by the names of Soarin’ and Rainbow Dash, both of whom were supposed to be extremely fast. Soarin’ was a member of the Wonderbolts, and therefore was a proven high-quality flier. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was more of a “go at her word and the word of the announcer”. Sure she called herself the “fastest flier in Equestria”, and the announcer seemed to push this notion. But there was doubt in the audience.
After all, if she was so fast how come she didn’t have the distinction of being a Wonderbolt like Soarin’ or Spitfire? Spitfire was the other pegasus Chad’s parents really wanted to buy, but they eventually lost the bidding war for her when their competition was willing to go to prices they never would put onto anypony.
In the end, Chad’s parents purchased five ponies and decided to call it quits.
“Come on son, let’s go.” Chad’s father told his son before standing up to help his wife grab all her things. Chad sighed and stood up to leave. He turned towards the aisle when the next pony was announced.
“All right, up next we have a very special pony straight from Canterlot. Please welcome the lovely, intelligent unicorn and personal student to the Princess of all of Equestria…Twilight Sparkle!”
Chad stopped moving and turned towards the stage, his eyes widening as he saw the pathetic pony lying on the wooden floor. Her eyes seemed to be looking away from audience in front of her, staring sadly down at her hooves.
Chad’s heart began to break at the sight. He wanted to run down there, to lift her up and bolt for the exit with her safe in his arms. For some reason while watching this process was horrible to do for each and everypony, Chad seemed drawn to Twilight by some invisible force, like he had to save her. It didn’t make sense, but that’s what he felt.
“Okay, do I hear one thousand?”
Just then, Chad saw a hand shoot up into the air to place a bid on Twilight. Chad recognized the owner of the hand immediately, though he wished he didn’t. It was Mr. Connolly, the town dirt-bag.
Seeing him place a bet on Twilight made Chad’s blood boil. He waited and hoped that someone in the audience would place a bet to save her from the hands of that bastard. But as he looked around the entire auditorium, he didn’t see a single hand raised. Most everybody had bought all the ponies they needed or wanted, and were just staying to enjoy the remainder of the show. After all, some bidding wars got pretty heated and made for good entertainment.
Chad listened as the announcer started the countdown, “One grand going once!”
Chad clenched his fists, biting his lip as he was torn between heading into the aisle and leaving as his parents wanted him to do, and saving the poor lavender pony from the fate of being purchased by Connolly.
“One-thousand going twice!”
“Dad, buy that pony before Mr. Connolly gets her.” Chad said to his father.
But his dad simply shook his head, “No, we’ve already spent more than enough. We’re leaving, now come on.”
Chad couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe it was the smug look of a man thinking he’s cinched a victory in bidding for the pony on Mr. Connolly’s face. Maybe it was Twilight shivering, frail frame and her expressive, tear-filled eyes that slowly closed as she readied herself to accept her fate.
Chad snapped and did something he normally wouldn’t have done. He turned, grabbed the bidding paddle from his father’s hand and threw it up in the air, “Two-thousand!”
Chad’s parents looked at their son with the utmost contempt while everyone around them began to whisper about this sudden turn of events. Mr. Connolly looked back at Chad and gave him a cocky smile as if to say ”prepare to lose”. He turned back to the stage and threw up his own paddle, “Ten-thousand.”
Chad ran from his father's grasp and started to make his descent towards the stage, paddle still in his hand.
“Ten-thousand going once….”
Chad threw up the paddle, “Fifteen!”
“Twenty!” Mr. Connolly retorted. A playful tone in his voice like this was fun for him, both the competition as well as the ludicrous behavior of the young boy.
Chad finally reached the front of the auditorium and looked back to see his father running towards him. He knew he didn’t have time to dawdle. In fact, he only had time for one more bid. He turned towards the stage to see Twilight looking at him curiously, wondering why the human boy was going through so much trouble to buy her. Was he trying to save her, or did he just want to buy her for some less admirable reason?
Chad heard his father’s footsteps approaching. Knowing very well this bid would be his last; Chad knew he had to make it count.
“Fifty-thousand!”
As soon as those words left Chad’s mouth, he felt himself get slammed from behind as his father tackled him to the floor. He pinned him and grabbed the paddle away from me.
But it was too late. Mr. Connolly looked down at the father and son heap at the front of the auditorium and smiled like the arrogant prick he was.
He sat back down in his chair; put his paddle against his lap without taking his eyes off of Chad and his father, his smile persisting as he looked up and motioned his hand so the unseen announcer would notice that he conceded.
“Fifty-thousand going once…twice…SOLD!”
And just like that, Chad had bought the scared Twilight Sparkle. The mare stared at him. The look of sadness and despair gone, replaced by complete befuddlement. Chad looked up and his eyes met with the violet mares’. Twilight opened her mouth, about to ask Chad why he wanted her so badly, when the silver block of the wall rolled back up and cut her off before she could get a syllable out. Chad sadly stared at the silver box as it was pushed down a few feet, making room for the next pony that was to be auctioned off.
Just then, Chad felt someone grab him by the collar of his shirt and hoist him into the air like a dirty rag. His father sternly started to drag him up the stairs, Chad’s mother staring down at her son, foot tapping and a look of annoyance in her face.
Chad and his father walked past row after row of people pointing and whispering and laughing. Neither had to know exactly what they were saying to understand it was at their expense. Eventually they passed Mr. Connolly’s row. Chad’s father turned to Mr. Connolly and apologized on behalf of his “son’s stupid actions”.
Mr. Connolly smiled and waved it off. Chad didn’t look sorry, though. He just looked pissed off, his cold eyes glaring directly into the eyes of the old jerk. Mr. Connolly then leaned forward, a smug smile on his face.
“Just remember money doesn’t grow on trees, and your parents aren’t made of it.”
Chad was about to reply to the old bastard when his father continued to drag his boy up the steps while the bidding began on a very defeatist, flat-maned Pinkie Pie.
After the long, humiliating trek up the stairs and out of the auditorium, Chad’s parents started to lay into their son, scolding him for disrespecting their authority and ruining their image. Chad had to use every fiber in his mental being to keep himself from rolling his eyes as each and every word left his parents’ mouths. His father was livid, his mother was just irritated, and together they created the duo of parents that Chad loathed. Maybe he was so annoyed because he hated authority; after all it isn’t like he did nothing to receive scorn. He did bid their money without their consent. Hell, he forcibly took the damn bidding paddle out of his father’s hand.
But he didn’t care, he didn’t care how badly he hurt them, he hated them immensely. Even though he knew that bidding with his parents’ money against their will was wrong, as it wasn’t his, he still felt good that he saved Twilight from Mr. Connolly.
So as his parents scolded him like a three-year old, Chad simply let the words of his parents go in one ear and out the other, like he always did, his mind still on that sweet little pony he bought, and the uncertainty in her eyes as he made a spectacle of doing so.
Then the question was raised.
Now what?