//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 – The Gates of Hell // Story: Why Can't We Find Home? // by Tyc oon //------------------------------// I tapped a hoof over the door to my house and opened it subtly. Anything I could think of wouldn’t do it justice; there was no way to describe the intensity of my anxiety and apprehension. Not only did ambiguous hell wait at school, but based on the noise from in my house, I had other problems too. I came in naively, closing the door behind, and immediately trotted around the corner. Mother sat on the couch, crying in utter anguish. If she had noticed me, she didn’t bother to look up at my arrival. This was, quite literally, the first time in my life I’d ever witnessed her completely defeated and depressed enough to mourn so openly. …and it frightened me even more than what Chelsea was potentially planning. I quickly trotted over and sat next to the sobbing pony, wrapping her in the warmest hug I could, and nuzzled her. To my relief, the crying softened and she hugged me back. Dad? Where was he? What did I miss last night? Did my father hurt Mom? There were lots of question pounding in my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask any of them. My mother didn’t deserve to have her thoughts directed right back at what had started this turmoil for her. Uniquely, my curiosity was merciful for her, as even my love for Soarin’ was trumped by my love for my mother. “Oh, Scatter…” Mom said, fighting through her tears. “…I’m so sorry.” I squeezed mom tightly, sniffling. “It’s not your fault.” I whispered, trying my best to south her. She pulled back slightly and turned to look at me in the eyes, giving a much better look at her face; it seemed like she had been crying for more than ten minutes, both completely exhausted and depressed by whatever conclusion was made. “Scatter, your father and I are...” She winced, sniffling as she spoke. “…Divorcing.” *** *** *** For the past fifteen minutes, I sat alone in Student Services, diligently writing my examination for Mathematics class. I didn’t particularly enjoy exams, but when the staff council was willing to rearrange my work settings without even hearing the reason specifically, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit special. It was probably just the perk of being one of the school’s top scoring ponies; we weren’t treated socially better, but we certainly had options that other ponies didn’t. The news about my father left me feeling rightfully depressed, just as it had done to my mother. Having eaten, we both watched a movie together on the couch, and went to sleep earlier than usual. It took a lot of willpower to not end up crying myself to sleep, but I suspected my mother had done so anyway. Unfortunately, she was probably dealing with the situation a lot worse than I was. I had always, for some odd reason, been fonder of my mother than my father. The emotional toll wasn’t as bad for me because I hadn’t lost what was actually the most precious. I cringed suddenly, shaking my head. I needed time to think about these things solemnly and come to a resolution that would sate my anxiety, but during the middle of my examination was definitely an inappropriate time to do so. Perhaps, if there was some serendipity, I cou- “Is Scatter in here?!” A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts, muffled through the door. I turned, standing. That sounded like a very, very worried Buckskin. If he needed to talk to me during my exam, it was probably equally important. “No, I don’t care, damn it!” Another shout echoed. “He aces that shit anyway, now move!” Bang! The door burst open suddenly and violently, and I recoiled, slamming into my desk which had just been less than a foot behind my flank. “Scatter!” Buckskin called, panting as he trotted up and put a forehoof on my shoulder. Impossibly, he looked a lot more worried than I had pictured him. “Follow me and I’ll explain on the way; it’s about your mother!” At his last word, my blood froze. By Luna, if Chelsea had done something to my mother… “Let’s go.” I nodded, picking up a gallop with Buckskin just beside me. As we passed through the door, I noticed the student council pony in charge of watching me knocked out cold. This was definitely a lot more serious than I thought if Buckskin was willing to that. *** *** *** I trotted impatiently a few feet behind Buckskin as he opened the rigged door and led me inside. We had made good time and covered a lot of ground, arriving at the abandoned warehouse quickly. The sight of the building had removed any of my doubts about the legitimacy of the situation; it was totally and predictably just like Chelsea to do something as low as an indirect attack against my family, and if she needed a hideout, this warehouse was the ideal place for her. It was entirely abandoned, out of the view of the street, and still structurally sound with intact walls. I trotted past Buckskin, giving myself a better view of the entirety of the warehouse’s empty internal shell, and immediately noticed the prisoner. In the middle of the room, mother sat on the concrete, completely constrained and gagged by bands and thick rope. “Mom!” I shouted, breaking into a full gallop towards her. Wasting no time, I didn't hesitate to bite down on the restraints until I had completely untied and freed her. Fortunately, whoever had tied her up had done so inexpertly, and it only took a brief moment to unbind her completely “Scatter!” Mom shouted in relief, hugging me tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay, but we need to get out of here!” I pulled back from the hug reluctantly, looking into her eyes. “Mom, tell me who di-…” My words lost their gravity as several malevolent ponies revealed themselves from behind the various crates and boxes scattered throughout the warehouse. My mother and I stood apprehensively, both of us looking around the room quickly as I saw at least twenty ponies starting to surround us. Shocked, I turned towards Buckskin. Apparently, he had backed away from me a significant distance after I instinctively ran to my mother’s aid. Buckskin... had just deceived me? I looked at him in stunned resignation as a certain mare trotted up next to the stallion and and kissed him on the cheek, smirking devilishly as she placed a forehoof over Buckskin's shoulder. My eyes fell on the mare herself... …Chelsea.