//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: A Dash of Stardust // by k12314 //------------------------------// CHAPTER 4 "Ahh... The weekend... My personal break from working late into the night, and just relaxing..." And this weekend, I was going to go to Cloudsdale for the first time in years. I was wondering how different it would be. The last time I was there, they had small weather factories dotted all over the place, instead of the one big one you see now. It's not that hard to build with clouds, obviously enough, so it must not've taken that long to disassemble the small ones and put them all together. "Maybe I'll go outside, get some fresh air. Wake myself up a bit." I did just that, but when I opened my door, I was greeted with the sight of a Winter wonderland. A blanket of snow covered the plaines ahead of me, and the trees in the distance. "... Well. It would seem the Weather Team finally got around to bringing Winter along. I'm gonna need to break out the heavy outfit." I tossed on my black peacoat and matching black and grey scarf. Classy, I know. Anyways, I went out for a walk, and decided to just go to Cloudsdale so I wouldn't have to rush myself later. The fog around the Everfree was rather thick due to the cold, making my job easier. "I h-hope this w-w-works a s-second time." I clumped the fog together into a small, thick cloud, and climbed on, waiting to be pulled into an updraft. ---------------------------------------------------------------- I waited at the street corner Quick and I had agreed to meet on. I was a little early, but the show started in twenty minutes, so I wanted to get to our seats before the stadium was flooded with crazy fans. "W-W-Wooooah!" I recognized Quick's voice, but I had no idea where he was. Until he landed face-first in the cloud in front of me. "I r-really need to f-f-find a b-better way up h-here..." He picked himself up, and brushed a few cloud particles off. "Hi E-Evangeline." "... Are you OK?" "Of c-course. I l-landed in c-c-cloud." I couldn't help but stare at him like a madstallion. He was too chill about falling off of a cloud when he can't fly. "... Uh... Are you sure you're OK?" "Y-Yeah. A l-little shaken u-u-up, but o-otherwise, I'm f-fine." "Alright... Well, come on. The show starts in fifteen minutes." I walked him to the stadium, showing him the sights of the city. It seemed like he hadn't been to Cloudsdale in years. He would point out spots where newer stores or restaurants and things like that and tell me about the old weather factories there, even though those were removed almost eight or nine years ago. "You haven't been here in a long, long time, have you?" "N-No. I w-w-was first here when I c-came up with the c-cloud elevat-t-tor trick." "... You came up with that when you were nine?" "T-Ten. My p-parents left me h-home to c-come here, but I w-w-wanted to know wh-what they w-were up t-to." And that's when I realized Quick wasn't exactly sane. He was cool and collected most of the time, but some of the stuff he does or thinks of is... Crazy. I like that. "... You're nuts." "I p-prefer to th-think I'm 'i-innovative.'" "I guess that works too. But seriously, you think of some wacky stuff." "E-Everything n-new or differ-r-rent is considered 'w-wacky' or 'w-weird' by t-today's rather xenophob-bic society. I r-remember the entire t-t-town locked themselves u-up just because a z-zebra came to t-town. They were sc-cared by her vastly d-different culture and a-a-apparel." "... Really?" "Y-Yeah. P-Ponies seem to b-be horrif-fied by a-anything n-n-new or adv-vanced. As an i-intellectual, that a-angers me. Do y-y-you have any id-dea how adv-vanced our s-society would be if p-ponies would o-open their m-m-minds?" "Uh... No?" "I c-can't even i-imagine the t-technology we w-w-would have. Transport f-faster than t-trains and c-carriages, dev-vices that c-could cook food in s-seconds, the p-possibilities are e-endless!" "You're crazy. That's not possible." "Am I? Sc-Science allows for i-infinite p-p-possibilities. I just w-wish I could c-convince ponies of th-that..." "Write a book. That'll probably help get your word around." "... I d-dunno... Hmmm... I c-c-could do th-that..." "Hey, we're here." ---------------------------------------------------------------- I'd already drifted into thought on what I was going to base my argument around if I were to write a book on the subjects of science and society, but Evangeline snapped me out of my stupor. I gave the ticketmaster my ticket, as did Evangeline, and we went into the stadium. It was an incredible sight. Pegasus architecture, masterfully crafted pillars and viewer stands, and the view to the ground below... It was breathtaking. "Woah... B-Beautiful..." "Yeah. It's a great work of art, this place." We took our seats, and waited for the show to start. Other ponies started to fill the seats, and I felt myself growing more and more uncomfortable. I can't stand crowds. They make me panic. "Quick, are you OK?" I felt myself shaking a bit, and Evangeline must've noticed. I was hoping I'd be able to control myself, but I was obviously failing. "I- I'm f-f-fine. Don't w-worry about m-m-me." "Alright... Just tell me if something's wrong." I could feel myself starting to lose it. You know, shakes getting a bit worse, dry mouth, a little sweat... I was managing to keep it together, but I had the faintest inkling this was a very, very bad idea. "OK, pull it together Quick. They're just ponies. None of them are out to get you. They're all here for the same reason you are: To watch the show..." The show finally began, and The Wonderbolts all trotted out together, waving to the crowd. Focusing on them helped ease my mind a bit, albeit temporarily. The performance began simply: Laps, barrel rolls, things I assumed normal pegasi could do. But, after a few minutes of what I assumed was a "warm up" they began to do more extreme and intricate stunts. I can't remember the whole thing, but I know there was synchronized stunts, like spinning divebombs and such. All I remember is being captured by the spectacular display of aerial acrobatics and skill. I even started cheering here and there, and I felt the massive smile I had on my face the entire time. I never knew I'd been missing all this while I kept myself locked away. I felt alive, like I'd been born again in a new world. I know that sounds silly, but hey, you try living inside with nothing but books and your thoughts all your life, then doing something like this. It's rather... Invigorating, I guess is a good word to use. "Heh. Having fun?" Evangeline was giving me a kind, almost loving smile. I can only imagine what I looked like. "Y-Yeah. Thanks for b-b-bringing me a-along. I'm h-having a b-blast." "You have no idea of what's going on around you, do you?" "Wh-What do you m-m-mean?" She motioned to the arms of out seats, and I almost fainted right there: I'd absent-mindedly started holding Evangeline's hoof. Ever feel a ton of blood rush to your face at once? Like, not just a reglar blush, but a stark red one? It feels strange. Very strange. "Uh- I m-mean- Er- I d-didn't..." ---------------------------------------------------------------- He started stammering, and his face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree. I felt kinda bad for giggling at him, but I couldn't help it. "Quick, it's OK. You weren't paying attention." "B-B-But I- I j-just... I'm s-s-sorry..." "Awww, I already said it's OK. Don't worry about it." Quick paused for a moment, then shakily nodded his head. But then, he started looking all around, like he'd just noticed everypony in the stadium with us, and started shaking in... Fear? I don't really know. I put a hoof on his shoulder, hoping that'd help get his attention on me. "Quick, are you OK?" He didn't even look at me. He just kept looking all around, and I heard him start to hyperventalate. I had no idea what to do, so I started to lose my grip a bit. "Quick, please, calm down..." He turned to me, but it looked like he couldn't see me, or something like that. His pupils were dialated, and he was starting to sweat. "What do I do? What do I do?! I can't just ignore this! He looks like he's about to pass out!" I felt like my mind was going a million miles a minute. All I kept thinking was that Quick was going to faint, or freak out. I tried tapping his shoulder, jabbing his leg, and I even smacked him. Lightly, but still. None of it worked. He kept panicking more and more, and all I could do was watch. He kept looking around, breathing like he'd just nearly been choked to death, and sweating as if he'd run a marathon. "I think... I think he's having a panic attack...! Suddenly, he stopped. He wasn't breathing heavy, or looking all over, but the sweat kept rolling. He slowly looked to me, and I screamed when his eyes rolled back and he fell over. ---------------------------------------------------------------- I felt my head pounding. I could tell I was in bed, but I didn't remember how I got there. But when I opened my eyes, I wasn't greeted with my familiar ceiling. Instead, I was met with a blinding white light, and the steady beeping of a heart rate monitor. "I'm... In th-the h-h-hospital...?" I couldn't see anything, just blurry shapes. I didn't have my glasses, but I felt somepony put them on for me. "Hey, you're awake." It was Evangeline. She looked happy to see me awake, but also very solemn, with pity in her eyes. I suddenly felt a rush of memory. Cloudsdale, the performance, and my panic attack. "... I'm s-so sorr-rr-rry..." I felt myself start to cry a bit. I felt awful for ruining the show for her, and causing so much trouble. But she grabbed a tissue and wiped my face off. "It's not your fault. I should've thought about you and crowds before taking you along with me..." "B-But I caused a sc-scene..." "Quick." She got out of the seat she was in and sat on my bed, right next to me. "It's nothing to be sorry for. You have problems with crowds, you can't help that." She gave me that same warm smile she gave at the stadium. It made me feel calm. "I'm just glad you're OK. I was worried about you..." "Y-You were, huh...?" I looked at the wall in front of me. I felt the bond between the two of us deepening. Even though we'd only known each other for a few weeks, I felt like she was my best friend ever. And of course, she was, and still is. "Yeah." She brushed my bangs out of my eyes. My hair was an absolute mess, as was the rest of me. "Your hair is really cute, you know that?" I felt the blood rushing to my face like a lightning bolt. "Sh-Shut up..." "It's true. I've always found shy stallions cute. And I think your whole 'shy, tortured artist' look is cute too." "I j-j-just wear what s-suits me..." "Well, it suits you well. You're the only pony I know who regularly wears clothes." "I e-enjoy the f-f-feeling of being c-covered." "Yeah, that makes sense... Hey, I gotta go." She hopped off the bed, but turned back to me and gave me a hug. "I'm glad you're OK..." My face was practically on fire. I didn't understad why she was being so... Close. I assumed it was because we were very good friends. She let go, and hurried for the door. "Bye Quick." "B-B-Bye, Evangeline." ---------------------------------------------------------------- I left Quick's room in a bit of a hurry. I leaned on the wall outside and stared off into space. "Poor Quick... I can't believe that happened... I hope he'll be OK..." I felt a fluttering feeling in my chest. I kept thinking about how Quick passed out, and when the medical staff rushed him out on a stretcher. It wasn't exactly fun. I was worried sick all day. After I was allowed in, I just sat in his room, watching his chest rise and fall slowly, listening to the steady beep of his heart rate. I felt like it was my fault for dragging him out there. "Ma'am?" I snapped back to reality, and jumped a bit. I shook my head and blinked a few times. "U-Uh, yes?" The doctor looked at the room number, then at a clipboard she had on her tray. She smiled caringly, as if to reassure me. "Ah, Mr. Wits. Poor guy. He suffered from a severe panic attack... He mumbles in his sleep a lot. Something about an 'Evangeline...' I think he was saying he's sorry. I'm assuming you're Evangeline?" "Uh... Yeah. How'd you guess?" "Well, I assumed it was a name, and he didn't have any other visitors asides from you... He's a catch, that one. Handsome, and cute. How long have you two been together?" I did a double take, and felt my face heat up. I should've seen that coming, to be honest. "W-Woah, hold on! We've only been friends for a few weeks." "Well, his mumbling says otherwise." "... What?" "Oh yes, he wasn't just mumbling about being sorry." "Really?" She just giggled. And I don't mean an innovent giggle, I mean a "oh you know" kind of giggle. And that's when I atarted thinking about how strange Quick's feelings were. "We've only known each other for a few weeks for Celestia's sake... Why's he gotta like me ? "You seem a bit freaked out. I'll just say that there are a lot of stallions who are a bit quick to fall for other ponies, you know? I don't mean to be intrusive with all this, I just like to help other mares out with these kinds of things. I'm not so lucky in love, you see." I decided to not ask what she meant. "Oh. Well, thanks, I guess. I've, uh, gotta go. I have things to set up." "OK. Again, I hope I wasn't intrusive." "Oh no, that's fine. I'm glad you told me. Thanks." "It's no problem. He'll be out in a day or two. He just needs to relax and calm his nerves. It's actually rather rare to faint from the panic attack itself. Was he hyperventalating?" "Yeah. Really badly." She quickly jotted a few notes down on her clipboard, and sighed. "Thought so. Hyperventilation causes oxygen levels in the body to become unbalanced, so the brain takes control of the breathing, and shuts you down so that it can regulate the oxygen." "Yikes..." "Yeah, and the emotional or mental stress caused by a panic attack can also be very debilitating. Did he seem... Distressed, or anything like that? He doesn't speak to me asides from answers to my questions, and those are incredibly short." "No, he seems fine. A little shaken up, but nothing really bad." She seemed a little relieved, and jotted that down. "Good, good... Yeah, he should be out tomorrow. No need to worry about him." "Alright. Thanks Doc." "No problem. Have a Happy Hearth's Warming!" "Same to you." ”I hope he’s not just holding anything that may be wrong back...