//------------------------------// // Another Sour Taste // Story: In Another Life III: A Human(e) Retelling // by Bateman66 //------------------------------// “C’mon, he might be getting away!” shouted Alistair as he sprinted through the hallways of the University of Canterlot, his arms pumping mechanically in tune with his long and rapid strides. Twilight Sparkle was farther behind him, gasping for air as she desperately tried to keep up. Her face was pinched and red with exertion, and her hooves were beginning to waver against the carpeted floor she bolted across. Alistair whizzed by a chatting pair of mares and nearly toppled the large stacks of books they held beside them. Shouting in anguish, he ignored their rude retorts and continued along his way. Rounding another corner while skidding along the soles of his shoes, Alistair came to a halt in front of a plain looking wooden office door. Inscribed along a metallic plaque to the right of the door was: Office of Professor Neuro Paraprax PHD. “Neuro,” growled Alistair as he glared harshly at the name, the closest representation he could find of the colt. Throwing open the door as hard as he could, he slowly stepped into the office waiting room and peered around for the Professor. The room was empty, save for a few vacant black benches, and the dastardly stallion’s nasally Balitmare secretary, who now looked at him behind her desk, half with confusion and half with unease. “Profesa Paraprax duzzn’t have an appointment with ya’ today,” she blurted desperately. “I’m sorry then,” called Alistair sarcastically as he hopped over her desk quickly and landed by the door to the Professor’s office. “I won’t take up much of his time.” The secretary squawked another retort, nearly incomprehensible through her growing exasperation and grating accent. He ignored it with a satisfying disposition. Flinging the connecting door open, he stared down at the last chamber that separated him from the Professor. It was a long cardinal carpeted walkway, one that seemed to stretch itself for miles ahead, with large identical windows to the right which were all equally opened and positioned to the outside. One would have to marvel why the Professor had insisted on this peculiar decoration design, one that served no conceivable purpose than to be stared it. In truth, that section of the University had formerly belonged to the Alchemy Department, the necessity for stretching hallways in the distillation of potions could be anypony’s guess. Needless to say, the hallway’s purpose now seemed to be just another obstacle in Alistair’s way, one he was confident to bound over without any significant effort. Picking up his pace, he dashed down the long walkway, even swifter than his speed in University’s main hallway earlier. He felt a surge of energy course through his veins as he saw the windows, with gleaming afternoon sunlight coming through, whizz past him and his jolting arms. Seeing the door approach into his line of sight, he smiled to himself with giddy anticipation. Leaping into the air with his already impressive speed propelling him, he outstretched his right leg into a kick, tactically aimed at the door. He sailed into the weaker section and felt it satisfyingly shatter under the crushing force of his heel. The latches on the door’s side snapped abruptly like firecrackers and the entire door flung open in a single swinging action. The impact sent him sprawling to the floor, but no sooner did he hit the ground, was he already pushing himself back onto his feet. Stepping over the door, which had fallen flat to the ground, Alistair searched the small space intently, cocking his head slightly towards the ceiling as his eyes moved back and forth appraisingly. Suddenly, a frigid chill spread along his spine, and his face began to pale. “Alistair!” wheezed Twilight as she slowly shuffled to him, her face contorted but still content that she’d finally caught up with him. “What’s the matter with you? Why is the Professor’s door smashed?” Alistair remained silent as he continued to search the room franticly, his eyes flashing to and fro every available space he could see. The chill in his body grew. “Hold up der!” called the secretary, who now was also running down the seemingly endless hallway to meet where he and Twilight stood. “Ya’ didn’t lemme finish!” Alistair turned around, his face drained of all color as he clenched his fists tightly in anxiety. “Where’s the Professor?” he asked weakly, trying to embellish his words with whatever strength he had left. “That’s what I wuz gonna say,” said the secretary with an aggravation, that only came from one not being listened to. “I wuz gonna tell ya’ that the Professor isn’t gonna be in for awhile. He was asked ta’ join a research group in tha’ Griffon Kingdom. Won’t be back for a few months now. Left justa few days ago.” Some heavy and painful dropped into Alistair’s stomach, something that choked up his throat, and something that tickled the ends of his eyes. He felt his face begin to quiver uncontrollably, and he knew all to well what that meant. Hanging his head down, he took off running, with not even a glance back. “Alistair!” yelled Twilight as she began after him once again. “Wait!” ----------------------------- Alistair sat on the steps of the University auditorium, the bright afternoon sun shinning down on his hanging head. Winter was still rearing its ugly face around for the time being, and even as the months seemed to progress, the ugly chill still held in the air. His cheeks were red raw, the brown canvas coat around his torso not completely keeping his body warm. If he’d been wearing his old mud-colored cloak, the one he’d had since coming to Equestria, he knew its swooping fabric would have encapsulated and shrouded his entire body easily, but he’d been hesitant to ever cover himself once more in its musty embrace for reasons he could not comprehend. Needless to say he was ill prepared, all thoughtful articles to his winter attire, mittens, hat, scarf, had been disregarded as he made his mad dash to the University (with Twilight in close pursuit) not even two hours earlier. Lotta’ good that did, he sardonically thought. Looking out towards the homely snow topped campus of the University of Canterlot, he sighed knowing that he’d be leaving it soon. Suddenly, he could hear a faint voice calling out to him repeatedly, its volume increasing with each passing call. Knowing all too well who it was, he cursed under his breath. The solitude he’d been longing for wasn’t coming anytime soon, but today did not seem like a day were he’d get his way. “Alistair!” called Twilight Sparkle once more as she jogged over to him, panting and clutching for breathe all the way but not as pinched as before. “Thank goodness I found you! I ran practically halfway around the University looking for you.” She stood a few paces away from him, taking notice of his lack of acknowledgement. “Is something wrong?” “Yeah…” he managed lamely, “something is.” “Well—” said Twilight as she sat down close to him, “why don’t we talk about it then?” “No!” moaned Alistair as he scrambled to his feet and moved a few steps down from Twilight. “I don’t want to talk about it; I just want to leave, to go home and forget this trip ever happened. Twilight shrugged. “It’s not going to be over with until you talk about whatever is bothering you. That’s what the Princess once told me.” “You don’t get it!” shouted Alistair as he turned around abruptly, his finger pointed firmly towards her in accusation. “You don’t know what that stallion did! What he almost got me to do and what he’s gotten away with. You have no idea what you’re even talking about!” “Then enlighten me,” she retorted sternly, standing up as well from the steps. “Instead of telling me what I don’t understand, make me understand.” Alistair’s eyes began to quiver and he quickly covered one of them with his palm, as his face began to slip back into the state it had been earlier. He felt a tear roll down his face from the unshielded eye, but did his best to respond with out completely breaking into sobs. “He drugged me, that’s what he did. Manipulated me, fooled me, got me to listen him, and I told him every single thing he wanted to know. Played his little game just like he wanted me to. And then…” “And then what?” asked Twilight quietly, her eyes wide with concern. “He stabbed me with something, some kind of drug. It did something to my mind, lowered my defenses. Got me to do whatever he told me. He wanted to see the spell, the dimensional one, the one that brought me here—” He reached out and grabbed Twilight’s shoulders with both arms, his face frozen in wordless terror. “I almost did it, I almost performed the tome. If it wasn’t for some last minute intervention, something breaking through in my mind, then the spell would have been complete.” “And what would happen then?” said Twilight, unsettled by his rapid shift in mood, an action that was typically reserved for those classified as “mad”. His face paled. “I would leave, and I never want to leave, not ever again. I don’t want to be lost, to be without a home, to not have a way back…never.” He slowly lifted his hands off of Twilight and left them hanging horizontally in front of himself. Staring at them a moment, he quickly jammed them into his canvas jacket’s pockets, and awkwardly moved away from Twilight, his back once again turned away from her. They stood like this for a moment, silent to each other with nothing but the occasionally whirling wind to fill the void. Twilight pondered what had just been told, and slowly approached Alistair, speaking to him gently. “I think I understand now. You’re frustrated that he got away, that, as of now, there’s no way for him to get punished.” She paused. “You want justice. He turned back to her. “Not quite. He could return to this University, but what happens then? I accuse him? Call in the Royal Guards? There’s no proof except for my word. Any evidence of his actions have more than likely been cleared out and disposed of. And even if we were able to set up a case, who’d try to argue against one of the most intelligent ponies in Equestria?” Alistair sighed. “It’s not just that he got away that’s bothering me. It’s the fact that he planned for this, was able to calculate out every single meticulous detail, and not once was I able to pick up on it. I fell right into his trap just like he expected me to.” “You can’t predict everything,” consoled Twilight. “Expecting to always be one step ahead is a pretty silly notion. It just sets yourself up for disappointment.” “That doesn’t make me feel any better,” he said bitterly. “The bad guy won, and we lost. No two ways to get around it.” Twilight placed her hoof on his shoulder. “Then get around it one way by accepting the situation, there’s nothing we can change about it.” Alistair looked down at the ground and grumbled to himself. “I just hope we got our hands on him someday. Soon, preferably.” “We can speak further about this later,” calmed Twilight. “For now, we have more important things, such as getting back to the hotel to pack. The train to Ponyville comes later tonight and I doubt you’d want to spend another night here.” He sighed. “I guess we should get going then?” Twilight smiled. “You read my mind.”