//------------------------------// // Found // Story: Heart Without a Beat // by BronzeUnicorn //------------------------------// The sounds of thunder and lightning played all through Equestria as a huge storm engulfed the land. This was supposed to be the biggest storm in Equestrian history. The reason for it was to make up for all the storms and downpours they had missed the past few years. They warned everypony to stay in doors for the next few weeks as it passes, but not all were able to. A young colt named White Mark trudged through the storm as his head hung low. He couldn't care less what happened to him. He had lost everything. His friends, his family, his home. All gone. It had been a few years since he moved away from Neighton and they had been some of the best of his life. But now, it was all over and gone. There was nothing he could do now to get it back. He kept trekking through the mud as the rain pelted against his back. His brownish gray coat, which used to be a radiant white, was soaked and dripping, chilling him to the bone. His black mane and tail sagged from the amount of water each were holding. His dull red eyes, which were bright, ruby red at one time, became puffy and more red than they already were from the burning tears and rain whenever it flew into them. When White Mark finally brought his head up to look at his surroundings, he noticed he was near the edge of town. He looked at the line of small houses the lined the street beside him and saw a discarded blanket laying on one of the porches. He quickly trotted over to it and grabbed it into his hooves and nuzzled it. It had certainly been a while since he felt the warmth of a blanket, or anything for that matter. He quickly look around for somewhere to rest for the night. He saw an abandoned alleyway that looked like it hadn't been touched in years. he smiled weakly at the shelter from the rain and cantered towards it. After looking it over, he found a bigger blanket and a few items to make a small tent to sleep it. Within ten minutes, he made a makeshift bed and tent from the surrounding items. He laid on the bed and pulled the blanket over his small body. He sighed with content as he found a comfortable spot. After a few moments, the thoughts from earlier returned and bombarded his mind, not allowing sleep to embrace him. He thought about his first day of school, he thought of his parents fighting about him being worthless, he though about that horrible day when he lost everything he held dear. Tears began to fall as the horrible memories from over two weeks ago returned with vengeance. His mind began to race and scramble with all the memories, questions, threats, and comments he had faced since then. He gripped his head with his hooves and sat up against the wall of the building, which he had set his tent against. His body began to shake violently as his mind continued to race unrelentingly. His breathing turned from calm and collected to ragged and strained. His eyes shut tight and he bit his bottom lip making it bleed. In a sudden burst in his mind, he screamed at the top of his lungs. It was one filled with pain, anger, sorrow, betrayal, and sadness as it bounced against the surrounding buildings. It was probably heard from a few miles out. White Mark's body trembled from the deafening outburst as tears flowed down his face. He breathed heavily as he listened to the sound of his outburst faded into the distance, echoing every so often until it faded completely. After a few minutes, he crawled back into his makeshift bed and curled up into a ball of limbs, beginning to cry and sob uncontrollably. Years of pain and suffering now let themselves be known as they were released threw the tears that now formed a small pool on the bed. Hours seemed to pass this way, it became darker as the sun had retreated behind the clouds. It was impossible to see the sun through the very dark clouds, but if one looked closely, they could tell it was now darker than it had been an hour ago. Eventually, exhaustion won over White Mark's body and mind as he cried himself to sleep. Sleep that wouldn't provide the pleasant and lucid dreams where anything was possible. It provided nightmare where the worst monsters and disasters plagued the mind and prevented any kind of useful sleep. Hours and hours passed by this way, until the pony woke up feeling unsatisfied and exhausted still. White Mark was used to this. It had plagued his mind since that horrible day. Even if it was weeks ago, it still effected him in the worst ways. Most of which was sleep. He suddenly woke up with a start as he sat up under his makeshift tent. His heart was pounding painfully and his body and bed was covered in sweat. Tears were also present on his face, matting his coat as they slid down in a flowing fashion. He looked around t make sure none of the nightmare was real, and to his relief, none of it was. He sighed and laid back down to let the restless sleep take him again. His eyes suddenly shot open as he heard hoofsteps coming towards him from beyond the alleyway. He quickly sat up and looked out into the foggy and rainy night, only to see a figure approaching the alley. He started shaking as he quickly ran back to his tent to hide under his blanket. He cringed as he listened to the steps coming closer and closer. He was shaking and quietly crying, praying to Celestia that it wasn't the one from his dreams. The hoofsteps finally stopped in front of the alley. He could heard the breathing of the pony as the hoofsteps began again. They came right up to his tent and he felt the pony's breath on his head from under the blanket. He was shaking so hard that he struggled to keep the blanket over him. Then, he noticed it wasn't his shaking causing the blanket to fall off, it was the pony above him! His body shook as more and more of the blanket was pulled off of him. He felt the cold air on his skin as he cried softly and brought his hooves up over his face. The pony gasped as they gazed upon him, but White Mark dared not look at them. After a few moments, he felt a gentle hoof touched one of his forelegs. He shuddered and shook as the hoof was quickly withdrawn. Soon after, the hoof touched him again, but on his back as he was brought close to the pony. He felt the hoof start to rub his back soothingly and a soft, gentle, and caring voice speak to him. "Ssh, sssh. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." White Mark could tell it was a female and by the sound behind her, she was a pegasus. The hoof on his back kept rubbing in soothing circles, bringing his body to relax slowly. As his crying began to stop, a hoof came to wipe the remaining tears away, pushing his hooves away in the process. He slowly opened his eyes to look up and the pony who now comforted him. He gasped when his gaze fell upon one of the Princesses of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle. He gasped and his eyes went wide as he beheld her in all her glory. "You... you're... you're Princess Twilight S-Sparkle." He said, his voice cracking a bit. "Yes. I heard your scream from in my tree house. I came to find out what's wrong, but I think I already know." She said with a weak smile as she nuzzled the side of his head affectionately. "You're coming with me. We're going to get you all cleaned up." She magically lifted White Mark and put him on her back. She quickly cast a protection spell over them, so the rain wouldn't get to them and turned to walk back to her library. "Its a good thing I found you," She began. "You could've died from hypothermia from how cold its supposed to get tonight." The only response she received from the colt on her back was a soft snore. She turned and giggled, seeing him fast asleep on her back. Smiling at the cuteness of him sleeping, she turned and continued the walk back to her home.