Adam and his friend Alexander strolled towards school, chatting amiably.
"—It's the best magic system I've ever seen," Alex gushed.
Adam smirked at his friend. "Is that why you, uh, weren't available yesterday? Too busy overanalyzing a game?"
"Can you blame me? There are nooo good wizard games!" Alex complained. "If I'm going to make an era-defining magic game, then I've gotta learn what works and doesn't"
"Just like when you wanted to become the next Houdini? You’ve got a problem." Adam jested.
Alex threw up his hands dramatically. "I do! And it's that magic isn’t 'cool.’"
They climbed the front steps and entered the bustling school. "What, trying to make it more mainstream and lucrative?" Adam asked.
"Nah, just tired of being called weird for it," Alex admitted a little glumly.
Adam clapped him on the back. "Hah! As if. No one dares mess with you when I'm around."
They grabbed breakfast in the noisy cafeteria, Alex grabbing breakfast. As they slowly shuffled through the line, Adam overheard two guys whispering nearby.
"Why is he still here? How many more ‘til he's banned from public,'' one muttered, glancing warily at Adam.
The other shrugged. "Dad apparently funds the board."
Adam couldn't help an angry huff, causing the gossipers to nervously avert their eyes.
Giving his friend a concerned look Alex said, "You really should stop."
"I only do it when we’re fucked with," Adam muttered darkly.
The school day had dragged on uneventfully. Adam shuffled to and fro, attending classes.
The moment the final bell rang, every student in the school booted for the exits. Many teachers, yelled, "The bell doesn't dismiss you, I do!" which the students ignored without hesitation, Adam included.
Adam found Alex and they headed out, only to be stopped just as he opened the door.
"Hey, Mergur or whatever!" someone shouted from behind.
Adam turned to see a senior approaching confidently with a freshman in tow. "It's Merkur," he corrected flatly.
The guy stood intimidatingly taller than Adam. "That's him, Jay," the freshman said with a scowl.
Adam inwardly groaned. It seemed the prick from last week who had stolen Alex's lunch money had gotten his big brother for vengeance. "What a fucking pussy," Adam commented.
Suddenly Adam was slammed against the door, pinned by Jay. "No one beats up my brother, got it bitch?" the senior spat.
Adam glared back defiantly. "The dumbass had it coming. I gave him the out and he said no. Not my fault he's all bark."
"Student lot. Now," Jay growled, releasing Adam and shoving him forward.
Alex hurried to Adam's side as they followed the two outside. "Your dad's gonna be pissed, man. Don't do this," he pleaded worriedly.
But Adam remained silent, hands curled into fists. He knew this was a terrible idea, but Adam didn’t want people to form the wrong opinion of him. This fight was going to be a message to everyone.
The student lot buzzed with activity—some students heading to cars, others loitering to chat.
Jay stopped and raised a fist into the air. "Listen up! I'm about to show you all why you don't mess with the Goli's. If you want to see another round of a punk getting his shit kicked in? Follow me!"
Calls urging Jay to teach Adam a lesson rippled through the crowd. He led a swarm of students to a secluded path behind the lot. They formed a makeshift ring around the two.
Jay led Adam and a group of students to the biking trail behind the lot. The crowd circled around the two combatants, creating a makeshift arena.
"Last chance, freshman," Jay offered. "Use daddy's money to buy me and my bro breakfast and lunch, and we're square."
Adam's hands curled into fists. "No. You wanted a fight, so let’s fight."
Alex spun him around desperately. "Don't do this, man!"
"It's fine, Alexander," Adam said. "Long as my grades are good, Dad won't care."
"Yes, he will!" Alex insisted. "He sounded serious last time, Adam!”
Adam's gut twisted remembering his dad's threats about transferring schools if he kept defending himself. It wasn't his fault people couldn't back off. He had to snuff the bud before it could get out of hand.
But getting expelled meant losing Alex, his only real friend. Most of Adam's free time was spent studying alone. Could he survive total social isolation?
"Okay, fine. But you o—"
Adam fell to the ground as Jay struck him in the shoulder. It wasn't too powerful a punch, but it caught Adam off guard enough for him to lose his balance and fall.
"You said just to fight, Merkur. Why you talking to your boyfriend?" Jay taunted, getting a rise out of the crowd.
"Fucker," Adam growled. He got to his feet and took a deep breath. "Bad decision, dupek!"
Adam charged forward, fist raised dramatically. The senior took the bait and tried to block, however, Adam ran slightly past him. Using his momentum, he unleashed a brutal backswing to the back of Jay's head.
This was what made Adam a formidable brawler on school grounds. Small-town kids didn't have the experience or knowledge to think beyond a simple punch. Adam, however, thought outside the box. Was it efficient, no. Would it work against anyone with a semblance of training, hell no. But it was good enough to deal with arrogant teens.
Continuing his spin, Adam used his momentum to kick Jay to the ground. The teen crashed down with a thud, clutching his forehead from the impact.
"So, we done now," Adam gloated, relishing his catharsis. His banter didn't get much out of the crowd, as they were more interested in Jay winning.
Raising to his feet, Jay said, "Lucky hit." Blood poured out of a nasty gash on his forehead, caused by the cement he had impacted.
Alex yelled from the front of the crowd. "You made your point! Let's back out while we still can!"
"Depends on dumbass," Adam called back.
Jay shot a challenging look at Adam and began circling to his left. Adam followed suit. Slowly they closed in on each other, waiting for the other to strike first.
"Too pussy to make a move, Merkur?" Jay asked.
"Naw," Adam said, before spitting in Jay's face.
Jay recoiled in disgust. "You nasty freak!"
The loogie had its intended effect—Jay blindly charged Adam in a rage. But instead of swinging, he tackled Adam down, pinning him with his weight.
Jay lifted his fist into the air. Adam tried his best to retaliate with his own punch, but couldn't generate enough force to make it hurt or push the senior off.
"Know your place!" Jay yelled as he slammed his fist into Adam's chest. The wind rushed from Adam's lungs in a pained coughing fit, unable to draw breath.
Thrashing in vain against the stronger teen's hold, panic flooded Adam's mind. "G-Get off!" he choked out desperately. Being trapped and helpless was unbearable.
Using his free hand and yelling, Adam grabbed Jay by the shirt. He pulled with all his might and smashed his head into the senior, directly hitting the bloody gash. Jay howled in agony, slumping to the side.
"Fucking fuck!" Jay cried, clutching his head.
Rolling free, Adam spat, "Too chicken to do real damage?" Scrambling up, he lashed out with a vengeful kick to Jay's stomach. "I'm not even bleeding yet!"
From the crowd, Jay's brother cried, "Leave my brother alone."
Adam whirled on him furiously. "He wanted to fight, he gets a fight! You want a round two, bitch?" The freshman recoiled, going silent.
As Jay writhed, Adam caught his breath. The feeling of being in control of the fight was euphoric. One of the few things he thought he was good at was fighting, and it felt good to prove it to himself and everyone around.
"Let this be a lesson!" he turned to the crowd and shouted. "Don't ever fuc—"
Jay pushed Adam to the ground and kicked him in his face. Adam yelled in pain and he tightly clutched his head to shield it from further assault. However, no attack came.
"Fuck you, Merkur!" Adam heard Jay snarl, followed by a startled yelp and heavy thump. "And fuck your friend too!"
Adam quickly rolled to see Alex on the ground clutching the side of his face in pain.
Unchecked rage consumed Adam. He shot up and charged Jay, who barely dodged aside. But Adam grabbed his arm and slammed him down before jumping on top, driving his knees into the senior's stomach—a sliver of bile escaping the senior's mouth.
Blow after merciless blow rained on Jay's face as he struggled helplessly. All he could do was stare into the inferno blazing in Adam's eyes.
The crowd watched in uneasy silence, someone's soft sobs barely audible.
When Adam finally stopped, Jay lay bloody and swollen, pleading "Please, I'm sorry, stop!" through his tears.
Staring down at the broken boy, Adam seethed—this was his own fault, not Adam's. Him, his brother, and everyone else Adam had fought were lessons to send a message: 'Do not fuck with Adam Merkur, and do not fuck with his friend.' Adam glanced at Alex who was now standing, a horrified look on his face. Especially my friends, Adam thought.
"No," Adam said darkly.
The flurry continued. Every punch felt good to Adam as it felt as though he became lighter with each.
"Get off!" someone yelled before an electric shock threw Adam off of Jay.
"Jayden?! Jayden?!" his brother screamed, shaking the limp senior desperately.
Adam saw Jayden's face, for the first time since his outburst started.
Jayden's face was swollen and black. Blood leaked from his nose, mouth, and forehead-smeared around by Adam's fist. His eyes were what horrified Adam the most. Tears flowed from them as they stared ahead, glazed over and unmoving.
Fear overtook Adam as he assumed the worst. "I-I didn't mean t-to…"
Spike watched the lead unicorn, Panik, whimper as he clutched his muzzle, tears trailing down his cheeks.
To see Dizzy, who he may have known little about, lash out violently was a little shocking. She was seemingly too timid to do such a thing, but it was now clear to him that the filly held a fire within.
"You okay, Dizzy!" he asked, snapping out of his stunned state.
"I-I didn't mean to…" she mumbled as she stepped back, staring at the wounded pony. She looked as if she'd killed him, her face painted with dread as she shook her head.
Spike gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you didn't," he reassured.
Muttered discussion rippled through the crowd of ponies:
"He hit him!”
"D-do you think Discord’s mad!? Did he just doom us!?"
"I don't know! We might have to defend ourselves!"
A mare growled, "Turn him back to stone!"
Dizzy's eyes shrunk hearing that. She panicked and hid behind the bench, curling up and hiding her face in her wings. "Idiot, why did you do that..." she berated herself.
Before Spike could comfort her, the mare who called for Dizzy's stoning shrieked, "How dare you strike my husband."
Spike whipped around to see her charging Dizzy at full speed. Acting on instinct, he rushed to intercept. The mare didn't slow down and continued to speed forward, confident in her earth pony strength. He braced himself for impact, ready to grab the mare.
But halfway there, a glaive suddenly struck the ground between them. The mare skidded to a startled stop.
"Cease!" A deep voice boomed.
Everyone quickly turned to see four guards approaching. It was Captain Silver Eyes, accompanied by Fast Pace and two other members of the Local Guard.
The Captain led the guards with his feathered wings outstretched, a scowl accompanying his tall opposing figure to create a visage of impending doom. His coat was lapis blue and his mane coral red. He wore the standard issue Local Guard armor, Equestrian Steel, with a yellow plume cresting the helmet to signify his rank.
The captain marched over. "Attacking a ward of the crown? I ought to arrest you all for treason," he rumbled.
The charging mare's shock shifted to a sly grin. "Captain! Thank goodness you're here. You can punish these cretins properly."
Captain Silver stepped between her and Spike. "And why would I do that?"
"Because Discord attacked my husband, and that dragon is defending him!" she argued shrilly.
With a flick of his wing, Silver dismissed his glaive. It flew to his belt, attaching itself. He stared icily at the incensed mare. "Do you take me for a fool, ma’am?"
"I—What?" she stammered, taken aback.
"I saw what happened," Captain Silver said flatly. "His broken muzzle"—he gestured to Panic—"is no one else's fault but his own."
"You must be joking!" the mare sputtered indignantly.
"No," Captain Silver said sharply. He turned to address the whole mob. "All of you are being detained for questioning. I want to know what's running through your little heads to think it was a good idea to go against Her Majesty's decree."
The Captain signaled with a hoof and the two accompanying local guards corralled the ponies toward the guard barrack.
"What happened," Fast Pace asked Spike as he and the guard captain approached.
"A lot," Spike said. "But let me help Dizzy first."
Fast Pace looked at Dizzy and his expression became unreadable.
Why me!? Adam mentally agonized. Why can nothing go my way?
There was no doubt in Adam's mind that he was getting turned to stone. All he had to do was walk away, but he'd fallen back on old habits. Disappointing his dad wasn't enough, nearly killing someone wasn't enough, and it seemed even his own willpower wasn't enough.
"Dizzy..." Spike's gentle voice cut through his spiral of self-loathing. Adam felt a careful shake of his shoulder. "You okay?"
Parting his wings slightly, Adam saw Spike crouched before him, concern etched on his face that deepened with each second. Behind Spike stood Fast Pace and another pegasus guard, both wearing similarly worried expressions.
"Y-yeah I'm…good," Adam muttered hesitantly. The underside of his eyes chilling from the wind.
"You sure?" Spike pressed, unconvinced.
Adam nodded his head. His nose was congested and his eyes were itchy, he didn't know why. But when he rubbed his eyes, he knew the answer. The fur under them was wet. He had been crying. Humiliating.
Spike offered a hand and helped Adam to his feet. Fast Pace approached with the pegasus guard in tow, their worried expressions making Adam cringe. He hid his tear-streaked face behind his hair in humiliation.
The two guards exchanged hushed words with Spike before the pegasus came over. He sat before Adam and simply said "Hey."
'Hey' was not the greeting Adam expected. "Um, hey?" he said awkwardly.
"My Name's Silver Eye, Captain Silver Eye,” he introduced politely. “Can I get yours?"
"I don't really have a name…yet. Just call me Dizzy," Adam mumbled.
"I see," the stallion said, understandingly. "Well, Dizzy, I just wanted to say sorry."
"Sorry?" Adam asked, baffled. Why was he getting an apology? He was the one who struck that unicorn.
Silver Eye nodded. "I've heard how hard the past two days have been. You've been shown the worst side of ponykind, and I want to apologize for that. So, I'm sorry"
Adam wanted to deny the apology, but he knew that if he did he would be stuck arguing with the stallion. Right now he just wanted to escape the situation and rest.
"Apology accepted," Adam muttered half-heartedly. Taking a breath, he added "And I'm sorry too."
Silver Eye smiled kindly. "Accepted. Though, you should be apologizing to the stallion you struck. I'll relay for you."
He got up and began to leave. When he passed Fast Pace he said, "I'll inform you of the investigation results later. I leave the rest to you Royal Private—do be lenient, she's just a filly."
Fast Pace nodded. Turning to Adam he said, "We're going back to Miss Rarity's."
"We don't have to if, uh, you still have things you need to do. I’m fine," Adam offered.
"I can do them later. We've got things to talk about, and before then, you deserve to rest," Fast Pace argued.
Adam wasn't looking forward to that talk, but at least he was given a chance to hide away and calm himself for it. "Alright," he said.
Fast Pace tapped Spike, who was failing to keep himself busy while waiting for the two guards to finish. "Dizzy and I are heading back to Miss Rarity's, you're free to join us," Fast Pace said.
"Cool," Spike said quickly before rushing to Adam. "So what did those two say?" he asked Adam quietly.
"Oh, uh, nothing bad," Adam said.
Fast Pace signaled it was time to go and they fell in step behind him.
Spike shot the guard a suspicious glance before shrugging it off. "If you say so."
As they walked, Adam noticed Fast Pace seemed different. Earlier in the day, the stallion walked confidently, eyes ahead and vigilant. Now, however, it was as if he was putting up a front. He kept his posture straight and upright, however his eyes stared at the ground in thought.
Adam didn't know how to feel about that. Was he thinking of how to punish Adam? Or was Fast Pace empathizing with him, did he feel guilty?
"Ice cream! Get your cold treats here!" a vendor shouted up ahead.
Spike parked up and asked, "Oh hey, can you guys wait a sec?"
"Make it quick," Fast Pace said.
Spike jogged over to the open stand and ordered. When he came back he had a tray of three cones.
"Here," Spike said offering a cone to Fast Pace.
"Thanks," the guard replied.
Adam was curious how a non-unicorn would be able to hold a cone that was clearly designed with hands in mind. He watched as Fast Pace reached out a hoof and the frozen dessert became stuck to it.
Magic, Adam deduced.
"This one’s for you, Dizzy," Spike said as he handed one to Adam. "To make up for earlier. They were out of orange so I grabbed vanilla, hope that's alright."
"No problem, vanilla’s fine," Adam assured him as he took the cone. "And uh, thanks, Spike. For everything I guess."
Spike smirked and said, “You’re not paying me back.”
“I know.” Truthfully, paying him didn’t cross Adam’s mind.
Fast Pace pointed a hoof at a nearby tree. "Why don't we go sit down. You know, to enjoy the ice cream better," he suggested a little awkwardly.
"You sure?" Adam asked.”There could be more trouble coming.”
"I'm sure," Fast Pace insisted, not quite meeting his eyes. "This time I'm here to—to protect you."
Protect me? Not guard the area or supervise? Just, protect me, Adam thought.
Hesitantly, Adam agreed and they settled under the tree with their cones. He was now actually thankful that they had sat down because the cones were bigger and messier than they looked.
Leaning against the rough bark, Adam realized how long it had been since he simply relaxed outside like this. To decompress out in the fresh air and hear the rustling of leaves was an almost novel experience. He regretted staying inside as much as he did now, not that he had a choice. Prestigious education needed prestigious studying.
What a waste of time…and I guess life, Adam thought.
His expression must have darkened with those somber thoughts. "Hey, Dizzy?" Spike asked quietly.
"Hmm,” Adam responded, startled from his contemplation.
"Are you really okay?" Spike asked gently.
Adam nodded on reflex. "Yeah, I'm good."
Spike looked unconvinced. "Are you sure? It's okay if you're not."
"I'm fine, seriously," Adam insisted, getting defensive. Why wouldn't Spike just let it go?
Spike opened his mouth to further push, however, he realized the futility. With a sigh, he said, "I'm open for when you want to talk, alright?"
"Yeah, alright," Adam said.
An awkward silence fell over the group. Adam stared at the grass, churning with emotions he didn't know how to articulate. He was grateful for the care Spike kept showing, but it also made him feel exposed.