//------------------------------// // Steve NO! // Story: Running from Twilight // by Brony-Sibling //------------------------------// Everything is pain. As soon as you wake up you wish you hadn't. You can feel every cut and scratch from the branches, and your shoulder feels like it is steadily burning in its socket. You open your eyes to see Twilight Sparkle's horn steadily sending a purple beam straight into your chest. With a start you become fully awake, and Twilight briefly ceases pouring her magic into you. She smiles just a little bit and says, "Good morning America. How are you feeling?" "Ugh." You groan, "Horrible. My shoulder feels like it is on fire, and I can feel almost every cut on my body." Twilights eyes soften, "I'm so sorry... Here: the least I can do is cast a pain relief spell." Twilight closes her eyes and gently casts a small magic beam right between your eyes. Strangely your magic detecting "Spider-Sense" didn't freak out this time. You wonder if it only warns you of incoming magical threats... "There." Twilight Sparkle says with a apologetic smile. "That should help a little bit." Suddenly you notice, the pain is gone! You can tell that your injuries are still there, but you don't feel them anymore! "Listen... America?" Twilight says while looking straight into your eyes, "I'm sorry. Really I am." Twilight pauses for a moment, as if in thought. "Would..." Twilight says, looking at you while placing her hoof next to yours, "Would you like to walk around a bit? As long as we don't go far, and as long as I'm with you... I-I'm sure it will be fine." "Won't you get in trouble?" You ask. "No." Twilight says gently shaking her head, "I'm Princess Celestia's personal student, I'm sure it will be fine." You think about it briefly, then agree to talk a walk. Twilight then magically releases you from your restraints, and after rubbing your sore wrists you carefully stand up. You slowly stroll through the hospital halls with Twilight Sparkle by your side, neither of you speaking. You exit a hallway to see a large hospital window that looks out toward Canterlot. Then something stirs within you. You can feel it start as just a trickle, but now... It's surging within you. Feelings of loss, pain, and betrayal. Your chest feels like it is going to burst unless something happens. Suddenly, You you can hear powerful instruments playing... Steadily increasing in volume. You can tell, something is coming.... Suddenly you fall to your knees, and you can't help it. You begin singing. "Look down, and see, the human on his knees! Look down and show some mercy If you can! Look down, and see me begging at your hooves! Look down and try to free me If you can! Can you not see, I'm called America, This is my sin, I'm not like you. This is my sin, I'm just a man. Nothing like a pony is my way. You failed your ponies, so I must pay, is not there any other way? I'm not much, I'm not high society but I've got a soul just like the rest, Can't you show that loving piety for which you are known best... Think you are kind, think you're loving, if so look at me, LOOK AT ME! Look down, and see, the human at your feet! Look down and show some mercy If you can!" Suddenly you hear Twilight begin singing to you with passion. "What are you are doing? Isn't this a gift? Many Bronies would give their lives for this! Is it all so bad, to be just like us? Why do you hate, why are you so vile to us?! Celestia has led us well! Do not blaspheme her pure name! We follow sweet Celestias name, in her name, in her name in her name..." You begin the next verse in a powerful tenor, "Where is the liberty in the land! Is there no place for Freedom here, is Celestias rule all these ponies know? Will their freedom ever grow!" You finish the song off with the soft desire for freedom flowing through your veins, and despair at your throat. "My injuries are healing fast, I'll be a pony before the end of the day! How will I get free, how will I escape to live another day.... Without hooves to face the day? Before I'm ponyfied!!!!! Look down, and see, the human at your feet! Look down and show some mercy If you can! You end the song quietly asking, "How long Celestia will you hold me captive to your pain...." The musical number ends, and the music slowly fades to nothingness. You look at Twilight and say, "I don't hate any of you Twilight... It's just... This isn't right." You slowly start walking back to your room. Twilight following behind you. Neither of you saying anything. You get to your room and lay down on your bed, Twilight attaches your arm magically to the bedside rail, then leaves the room quietly, teleporting away after she leaves your room. You lay on your bed struggling to go to sleep, but your fears haunt you. After a few minutes you start wondering... What if this is the end... ... No. No. It won't end this way. It cannot. Your ancestors blood sings from your veins that freedom is not a gift to be forsaken so easily! You cannot, WILL not let it end like this! "There is power in me yet! My race is not yet RUN!" You shout. Suddenly with a almighty yell you tear your arm from the bed, taking the rail with it. "FREEDOM!" You grab the rail that you are attached to and smash it into the skull of one of the guards rushing into your room. He falls to the ground with his helmet sounding a knell. *BROONNG* The second guard tackles you to the ground before you can bring your improvised weapon to bear. With a savage growl you grab onto his mane and slam his head into the ground. Once. *BONGG* He attempts to free his mane but you quickly slam his head into the ground again. Twice. *BONGG* He groggily tries to shove you away, but you won't let him. Thrice. *BONGG* He crumples to the ground. You stare down at the guards, dazed. Weakly you chuckle and say, "Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for you." With hands shaking you walk to the door. As you get to the door you press the call button for the nurse and leave the room. You grab your clothes and your trusty Rainbow Dash hoodie from a nearby clothes bin and hurriedly change in a nearby coat closet. The rail attached to your arm makes it quite difficult, but with some struggling you manage. As you finish changing you hear a nurse call for help, and wait until you hear several other nurses run by into your room. You peek out of the door and seeing no-one you quietly run down the hallway. As you run from the fire escape ladder you just descended from, your shoulder begins to bother you again, and your muscles are shrieking at you in pain, but you have to get away. You don't know where, but you need someplace to hide and figure everything out. As you flee from place to place, pausing only in the shadows you frantically try to think of where you can hide. The Everfree? Nope. Don't want to be molested by trees again. Twilights? Ha. She's the whole reason you are running. Hmm... You really can't think of anywhere... Roseluck seemed to be sympathetic... But you don't know where she lives... Maybe Fluttershy? You had thought you had seen a glimpse of her house while crashing into the Everfree. She is the element of kindness, perhaps she will understand... Just as you are about to set out you hear a set of hoof steps making its way toward you quickly. Without thinking you lunge around a corner and run through a building's open door. You quickly hide yourself behind some cloth bolts that are standing around. Wait... Cloth? Fabric? Oh horseapples. "Rarity! I'm back!" You hear a supremely ADORABLE voice squeak out. You'd know that voice anywhere. It has to be Sweetiebelle! "They liked the design for our flag!" "Oh excellent dear!" You hear Rarity distractedly call from upstairs, "Just put the samples next to the extra fabric!" Wait. Oh crud. CRUD. You hear the sound of hooves cheerfully trotting toward your hiding place. You frantically try to hide yourself but Sweetiebelle is already on top of you. She looks down at your half-cloth wrapped form, frozen mid-wrap. You make eye contact with Sweetiebelle. Her pupils dilate and she opens her mouth to scream. *Fwathump!* With your one free hand you SHOVE your free hand into Sweetiebelle's mouth, effectively gagging her. Her eyes open even wider she realizes your hand is in her mouth. Just as you are about to say something she reminds you of something. Ponies have teeth. *CHOMP* "Yaow!" You yell, stumbling backwards and holding your bitten hand, the hospital bedrail trailing behind you while still attached to your hand. "FABRIC THEIF!" Sweetiebelle SCREAMS. Ow. Sweetiebelle's angry voice is like a thousand hysterical cats being neutered! Through your ringing ears you hear hooves galloping down the stairs, you groggily turn around and see Rarity lunging down the last flight of stairs. Two things go through your mind. "Wow, I didn't think she was that athletic...", and "Oh CRAP A UNICORN!" "YOU!" You hear Rarity shriek as she lands in front of you. You can't help it, you have to do it. "Darling!" You yell, throwing your arms apart with your best Rarity impression. Rarity's eyes narrow. Her horn begins glowing and several thousand needles arise behind her. ... "Don't hurt me?" You whimper out. Rarity grins smugly and says, "Steal my fabrics and hurt Sweetiebelle? Oh... I'm not going to 'hurt' you... I'm just going to show you how 'generous' I REALLY am!" Rarity levitates you off of the ground as you hear something scream in your head, "[RED ALERT]". You wonder if that was your magic "spider sense". Meanwhile Rarity begins rotating you as if inspecting a piece of fruit. "Hmmm... Since you seem so... 'Attached' to that long rail on your.... 'Hoof'. I think I'll make it an accessory!" Rarity titters, covering her mouth with her hoof. "It should also help with your absolutely horrible posture!" Rarity says while smiling evilly. You hear the rail from the hospital bed rip from your hand, and you briefly loose sight of it. You crane your neck to see where it went and notice it floating behind you... slightly below you... while facing upwards towards your butt- ... You eyes widen. "WAIT!" You SCREECH like a little girl. "Not there! I'm- I'm just hiding! I didn't mean to scare you! I'm... I'm..." You frantically reach around for anything to save yourself as Rarity's eyes narrow menacingly. She aligns the rail behind you with a flourish while saying, "It's like my Mother always said... 'If you have a problem you just can't solve, just put a pin in it and save it for later'. In this case though I may have to use a few extra..." A few thousand needles levitate behind Rarity as her horn starts glowing brighter. You finally manage to snag something in your flailing hands. You pull it in front of you and the poor thing takes the brunt of a thousand needles straight to the crotch. "STEVE! Oh no!" Rarity squeals. Sweetiebelle giggles from the corner. "Steve?" She whispers. "Yeah. YEAH!" You yell while gesturing to "Steve." "Take it easy, or I'll rip his very stitches out!" You yell while pointing the mannequin menacingly. Rarity's eyes well up with tears as she drops the needles and the rail. "O- Ok. J-just don't hurt him..." "Don't worry." You say while backing out the door. "'Steve...' will be fine as long as no pony tries to stop me." As soon as you are outside you take off running, glancing back to see Rarity worriedly staring at you from her window. You turn a corner and continue running. You hear a distinctive *WHOOSH* over your head, and see a VERY angry Rainbow Dash flying over Ponyville. Crud. You've got to get out of here. You hurriedly stash "Steve" in the alley you are in, and as you are running around a corner you mutter. "Great. Could this day get any-" [RED ALERT] *HURGLURK* You claw at your neck, and the glowing purple magical rope/clothesline that is currently around it. As you are trying to free yourself you hear hooves quickly trotting up. You weakly look up and instead of purple you see.... Mint green? You hear her saying something as she cuts the magic rope. "Hi there... I saw that and came over to ask if you need a..." *giggle* "'hand'?" You pass out with a groan of frustration as the Minty Green Unicorn drags you away.