Haunted Memories
Written by XtremelyXtreme
Chapter 1 - Flashbacks and Reunions
It felt like death. He could hardly feel anything at all. Rushed and worried voices are all that he could hear.
"Come on! Come on! We have to hurry!"
He was too weak to open his eyes. It was almost as if he was unconscious and awake at the same time.
"We're going to lose him! Get-Get him in the operating room, fast!"
After what felt like minutes of being like this, something happened. It seemed like a flashback.
He was laying in a bloody and beaten heap in what looked like a battlefield. The place looked like it had been hit by a nuke. Large gaps cracked into the ground spewed fire and smoke. Close by, a menacing looking stallion walked towards him, an evil grin on his face. He spoke.
"Had enough, Scythe?" This evil stallion spoke. He had a light brown coat and a dark blue and red mane.
"I-I'll never...I'll never g-give up!" Shouted the suffering stallion who was revealed to be named Scythe.
"We're losing him! Come on, we have to get that knife, or whatever it is out of his leg!"
"Well we can't just rip it out! He'll die of blood loss!
"Want to try that again?" Laughed the evil stallion, as Scythe flew back, partially on fire. He screamed, both in pain and anger.
"AAGGH! S-STOP THIS...I-It doesn't have t-to be like this!" Yelped Scythe.
"You're scum to me now, Scythe!" Shouted the stallion.
"P-Please, Ri--" He was interrupted by the evil stallion flying forward in a fireball and slamming into Scythe, sending him flying.
"Don't die on us!"
"Doctor, his heart is stopping!"
"What?! No!"
The evil stallion slammed his hooves into Scythe's face multiple times, before unleashing a large blast of fire. Scythe barely managed to create a small shield of electricity in time to block the fire. He was about ready to pass out, the pain unbearable.
"So, how's dear sweet Vinyl? Maybe I'll pay her a visit after I'm done with you!" Shouted the evil stallion mockingly.
Scythe suddenly flew forward in a flash of electricity and hit the stallion with a huge electric shockwave. As the stallion flew back screaming in pain and anger, Scythe spoke.
"You BASTARD! You'd even attack our own sister?!"
The evil stallion got up, slightly stunned from the amount of electricity that entered his body. He didn't seem so smug anymore. Now he seemed angry.
"She's our step-sister! No real relation!"
"I consider her a real sister! She's more of a sibling to me than YOU ever were!" Scythe yelled back angrily.
"We need to give his heart a jolt, RIGHT NOW!"
"Wai-Wait! I don't believe it...i-it's...
"What?!"
"His heart...H-His pulse...Look!"
"What are you--Oh...My..."
Scythe was on the ground, blood pouring from an open stab wound on his right hind leg, the blade still stuck into his flesh. His vision was fading. He slowly started to close his eyes.
-This is it.- He thought. -I'm finished. He wins.-
Scythe's thoughts were interrupted and he was woken out of his daze as the stallion lightly prodded him with his left forehoof.
"It's over" The stallion softly mocked Scythe, a light grin on his sweaty face. He brought Scythe to his feet and laughed.
Scythe, barely able to stand due to the substantial amount of blood loss, and with the blade in his leg, closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"Oh my Celestia...His...His heart is beating again!"
"His other functions are returning to normal...S-Slowly..."
The evil stallion raised his left forehoof, a glowing red flame issuing forth from it. Scythe realized that he was about to have the killing blow delivered on him. He lowered his head in defeat, waiting for death. Suddenly, a last minute, desperate idea struck. 'The memory jolt,' as Scythe called it. A burst of electricity which targeted the brain and wiped out any memory, long-term or short-term. The backside is that it also had a chance of erasing Scythe's memory as well. He had to decide right now if he's going use it.
-It's...It's the only thing I can do...-
The stallion laughed one final time and threw his hoof towards Scythe to deliver the finishing blow. Scythe dodged and plunged his own hoof into the stomach of the threat, electricity forming around his whole body. One second, the look of pure shock on the evil stallion's face was satisfying, the next...Well...It was a blank...
The doctors stood around Scythe's badly damaged but living body in pure disbelief, wide eyed and awestruck. The lead doctor spoke, albeit in a happy tone.
"He's going to live..."
Ponyville General Hospital - One week later
Word had gotten around that a mysterious pony had, as everypony described, slammed into the ground like a meteor, unconscious. Alive. Badly injured. The Ponyville Paramedics just barely gotten this pony to the hospital in time, and he miraculously survived. Critical condition for the first four days. He'd been comatose, until today...
Scythe slowly opened his eyes, vision blurry. He had a breathing respirator mask on his muzzle, and his head ached. He was in some kind of room with green walls...A hospital room, perhaps? It sure felt like a hospital bed. As he tried to get everything into focus, he moved his right hind leg and felt a very painful burning sensation. He gave a pained groan and lifted the sheets, vision still blurry, to see that his hind leg was wrapped in a blood soaked bandage. This is when he came to sudden confusion. What happened? Scythe thought hard, but he couldn't remember anything.
"Come on..." Scythe whispered to himself, eyes shut and thinking hard, but to no avail. Dread and disappointment flooded his body, followed by frustration. He slammed his left forehoof on the bed.
-How the hell can I NOT remember what happened?- He thought angrily. Just then, the door opened and in walked a nurse. She gasped when she saw Scythe awake.
"Oh, thank Celestia you're awake!" The nurse said happily, smiling. Scythe had questions.
"What...What happened?" He asked flatly. The nurse's smile faded.
"Uh...Well, we're not sure...L-Look, I'll get the doctor. He can probably answer at least SOME questions."
Scythe nodded. He was truly confused. The nurse pony wasn't finished speaking.
"Oh, you also have a visitor in the waiting room...We're all sort of shocked, it's...The famous DJ-PON-3! She got here about three hours ago. We were all surprised to see a celebrity back in Ponyville! She claims to be your sister, but we told her she's not allowed in, celebrity or not." The nurse explained.
Scythe felt happy. Vinyl Scratch, best known by her stage name DJ-PON-3, was Scythe's step-sister. Scythe also took notice about the last thing the nurse said.
"She's been waiting three hours? Well, why didn't you let her in?" He asked accusingly, sitting up.
The nurse was starting to look nervous, but spoke anyway.
"Well, we don't let in anypony who the hospitalized pony doesn't know, and she doesn't have ID on her. On top of that, you're an Earth Pony and she's a Unicorn, so we--" The nurse was interrupted by Scythe's anger.
"Are you kidding me?! SO WHAT if she's a Unicorn?! What does it matter?!" He shouted angrily. The nurse looked even more nervous.
"W-Well, she can't exactly be related to you if she's a Unicorn, so we assumed--" She was interrupted again.
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't assume!" Scythe was still shouting, getting louder with the last three words. The nurse looked like she was ready to turn around and run out the door. After a few silent seconds of glaring angrily, Scythe spoke up again.
"She's my step-sister, okay? Step-dad was a Unicorn. But we've been as close as real siblings since we were little, and we consider each other real siblings." He explained with an annoyed tone, but was not finished. "Also, why didn't the authorities check my place like they're supposed to? If they'd have done their jobs right, they would have found Vinyl listed as an official family member in a contact notebook. She wouldn't have to be waiting out there and I wouldn't have to be lecturing you like a schoolfilly! Now, I demand to see my SISTER!" Scythe finished.
The nurse didn't know what to say.
"Uh...Uh, w-well...Alright, I'll go and tell them to...To let her in..." The nurse was almost stuttering. She turned around and quickly walked out of the room.
Scythe put his hoof through his mane in frustration.
-Yeah...- He thought. -This is gonna be a fucking good day...-
He looked at his hoof. It felt like it had been burned. White bandages were wrapped around it. He felt around the rest of his body for any other signs of injuries. His light brown coat seemed ruffled, and his black and red mane was messy. None of this concerned Scythe, though. He was more upset about how he couldn't remember a thing. He sighed.
Just after, a familiar white Unicorn with a blue mane ran into the room.
"Scythe!" She gasped, as she ran to the light brown pony and embraced him a crushing but loving hug. She was shaking, and her eyes were bloodshot, almost as if she had been crying. Though, she started crying again. Scythe returned the hug, happy that she was here. They stayed this way for what felt like minutes, before Scythe spoke.
"Jeez, Vinyl. Crying doesn't suit you. I haven't seen you like this since...Well...Ever!" He said, a large smile on his tired face.
"Oh, Celestia...S-Scythe...You're okay...I..." Vinyl seemed lost for words, so she hugged Scythe tighter, tears wetting the back of his neck. She moved her right forehoof to his back during the hug, touching a badly burned and sensitive area. Scythe winced in pain, but chuckled.
"Eheheh...Kinda sensitive in that spot right now..." He said sheepishly, still smiling. Vinyl couldn't help but giggle, too.
As she pulled away, Scythe noticed just how bad she looked. Her mane was slightly messy, as though she put her hoof through it multiple times. She had bags under her bloodshot eyes (Though her iris color is naturally red), and her face was stained with tears. This was very strange. Vinyl, being a world famous DJ and electronic rock pony under the stage name 'DJ-PON-3', always had a happy and energetic personality, and Scythe had never seen her sad. Until today.
"I-I would've been here days ago, b-but I was on tour, and my agent told me that he couldn't provide a ride for me until the tour was finished..." Vinyl explained sadly.
"How'd you get here?" Scythe asked. Before Vinyl could answer, however, Scythe asked another question. "Did you...Um...'Practice'...That teleport spell yet?" He asked curiously. She made a sound which seemed to be a mix between a laugh and a short sob.
"Yeah...No luck there...No, I just took a train. I'm so sorry Scythe...I should've been here sooner..." She started crying again. It hurt Scythe deeply, seeing his sister like this.
"Hey, hey...Don't worry about it. There was nothin' you could do. I was out cold until a few minutes ago, anyway." Scythe consoled her.
"When I heard that you were in the hospital...'Critical condition' they said...I just flipped out. I thought you were gonna..." Vinyl didn't finish. She instead continued crying and fell into a hug from Scythe. He tried to comfort her.
"Vinyl, don't think like that. Ever. I'm here, aren't I? Maybe a little banged up...But I'm here." He was almost whispering. She looked up at him and smiled. He nuzzled her gently.
"Cheer up, okay? I hate seeing you like this, Vinyl. I'm used to the happy and hyper Vinyl. I love you, you know." He spoke gently. So far since he woke up, Vinyl's company was the only company that Scythe enjoyed. Vinyl smiled.
"I love you, too. We may only be step-siblings, but I love you just as much as a real sibling."
Scythe smiled.
"Exactly my thoughts."
Two Days Later
The very same day that Vinyl arrived at the hospital, the head doctor had told Scythe that since he is making an unnaturally quick recovery, he'd be able to leave in two days time. Vinyl had insisted on staying with Scythe by his bedside for the remaining time, going so far as to bribing the hospital staff one hundred bits to let her stay. They didn't accept the bits, though. She could stay as long as she wanted. During the same night, Vinyl had also insisted that Scythe stay at her home, to which Scythe happily agreed.
The two were walking down the halls of the hospital towards the exit. Many ponies were surprised to see a celebrity like DJ-PON-3 in the hospital. Scythe found walking painful and difficult, due to the wound in his right hind leg. Vinyl took notice as Scythe winced and limped with every step. She frowned.
"You sure you're okay to walk?" She asked worriedly. "I can levitate you back to my place, if you want."
"No...I'm good..." Scythe reassured her. He looked her in the eye, and something strange happened. He heard a strange whooshing sound, and then a familiar voice shouted angrily.
"She's our step-sister! No real relation!"
Scythe gasped and looked around frantically, his eyes scanning the area.
"What's wrong?" Vinyl asked. Scythe looked back at the white Unicorn.
"Didn't you hear that?" He asked nervously.
"Hear what?" Vinyl didn't seem to have heard the voice, so Scythe tried to dismiss it.
"Uh...N-Noth-Nothing...Let's go..."
Meanwhile
Rainbow Dash flew fast over Ponyville, her multicolored mane flowing in the wind. Today was a truly beautiful day, but pretty boring for her. Sure, she enjoyed flying, but she wanted something else to do. She sighed.
-What to do...What to do...- She thought. -Everypony's busy! Applejack is bucking apples, Rarity is making dresses, Twilight is studying, Fluttershy is tending to her animals, and Pinkie Pie is at CandyCon...Why am I the only one who has nothing to do?-
Rainbow Dash set down gently on a cloud to lay down. Frustration was setting in.
"UGH!" She grunted loudly. "Soooo bored..."
Was there anypony who she could hang out with? Blossomforth is out of town for a while. Cloudchaser is with her sick grandmother. She didn't even know where Dumb-Bell was. Lyra is in the hospital and--Wait! Lyra!
Rainbow Dash remembered that Lyra had broken her hind leg, and was admitted to the Ponyville General Hospital. She was suddenly excited, and sprung into the air, a large smile on her face and her rose colored eyes bright.
"I'll go visit Lyra!"
Back at the hospital
"You sure you're okay to walk?" Vinyl asked.
"Yeah, I'm good." Scythe lied. His leg was killing him, and the burns were stinging like crazy. He was slowly entering a grumpy mood.
"Scythe, why don't you wait outside? I have some papers I need to sign." She said. Scythe turned around to look at his sister.
"Why do you need to sign papers?" He asked curiously.
"Well, since you'll be living with me, they need to know where you'll be for contact and all that stuff." She explained. Scythe nodded.
"Alright. I'll be outside waiting for you."
Scythe walked, or -limped-, out the front doors. The fresh air smelled amazing after being stuck in a hospital room for almost a week. The gentle breeze felt good as it went through his mane. He smiled and inhaled deeply. He was finally out of the hospital.
Rainbow Dash arrived above the hospital, and noticed a certain pony -Scythe- with a light brown coat and a black and red mane. She had never seen him around before.
"Hmm...Who's this, now?" She spoke gently to herself.
To be continued in chapter 2...
By XtremelyXtreme