//------------------------------// // Tales Of The Past : Shadow's Tears // Story: League of Bronies // by darkironpony //------------------------------// Author's Note: Edited by Snap Art. Tears drop. Drip...Drip....Drip. Enjoy Chapter. Drip...Drip...Drip. [Shadow's P.O.V.] The day was like any other; the sun was high in the sky. Its rays warmed Ponyville just enough to be comfortable. I walked through town. Fluttershy and I had planned to have a picnic again. It had been such a long time since we had one. And the last time was TRULY an unforgettable experience. We had a few daisy sandwiches and sarsaparilla. However, we had a little problem. Namely neither of us had packed the sarsaparilla in. We assumed it was a sign from Pinkie to ‘party on'. The sarsaparilla was easily the most tantalizing part of the meal. Fluttershy felt the same way. She had tried to talk to Pinkie, the last couple of days, about getting some more of that type of sarsaparilla but she hadn't gotten through to her. So, she asked me to give it a try. I told her I'd try. I decided Sugarcube Corner was my best bet to find Pinkie. It was where she lived after all. And, with the cakes currently absent she was the only pony who could run the shop. I approached the building as one would do normally and raised my right front leg to knock, I hope she is not on a lunch break or something. As I considered this, I frowned, in which case, I looked away from the door. Pinkie was not very big on frowns. So I figured I wouldn't want to greet her with one. I'd hate to go back to Fluttershy empty-handed. Maybe there is something else we could do? A soft creak escaped the door. I turned back around happily. "I'm glad to see that you're-" I began happily. With an enormous force, the door flung open. My face fell. What stood before me was a nightmare. A large face stared at me. The face was a sickly green. It looked like it had hair of the same kind. Its nose was large and had a few pimples. It had large menacing teeth. Those weren't even the worst parts of the thing staring back at me. The worst was its eyes. The right one was normal enough. It looked like any other eye except it was obviously cross-eyed. The left eye was an entirely different story. The entire eyes was orange. And, as if to divide the sheer amount of orange, a black stripe seemed to split the orange into two directions. And as for the pupil of this eye. It was white. I felt drawn into the whiteness. As I stared more into it, an array of thoughts passed through my mind. What was life? What was the meaning of it? Did it have meaning? Or was it all meaningless? If so, then what are we to do? Accept it or fight it? I was certain the eye would tell me. "Ooga booga ooga!" the face yelled shaking wildly. I had to get away. Suddenly, my body grew stiff as a statue. Before I knew it, I collapsed at the stairs of Sugarcube Corner. I noticed other ponies walk around me but still, I was unable to move. It must be because of the eye. Why else would this happen?! "So you couldn't get in either huh?" a voice observed. I looked to my left to see Bass standing near a tent. He had a small grin planted on his face. "How did you know?" I asked. "Well you aren't typically stiff as a board. At least, when you aren't around Fluttershy," he joked. I blushed. "That is not funny." "Yeah yeah," he waved my comment off. As he did, he approached me. He offered me his hoof. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. "Thanks." "No problem. You were checking on Adven too?" he asked bluntly. "No. Actually I came to see Pinkie. I wanted to see if I could get something from her," I explained. "Wait! Something happened to Adven?! Is he ok?!" "Calm down. He is fine," Bass answered, moving back to his tent. "Then, why are you checking up on him?" I asked following him. "Well, remember when we went for our stallions’ night out?" "Yeah," I replied cautiously. "Apparently it didn't work. Adven is still depressed. And what is worse is he won't come out to talk about it. At least not to anyone other than Pinkie," Bass explained. "If he isn't seeing anyone, then why do you have a tent? I don't think that will convince him to see you…" I commented. "I got the idea from Rhino." "Rhino said to get a tent and stay outside Sugarcube Corner…?" I asked confused. "Yes. Well, not exactly. You see, Rhino told me a story. There once was this pony in an army. His army was small, but he felt he had to bring peace to a war-torn land. So, he sought out the wisest creature in the land. He arrived to beg the creature to join his cause. The creature denied his request. Stubbornly, the pony decided he'd wait outside and ask him again the next day. He did so, and the creature once again sent him away. Then, he did it again and again. After a month of it, his resolve was clear and the creature chose to follow him," Bass explained. He flashed a small grin. "I hope it'll work to get him to talk to us. I know we can pull him out of this. We are his friends, right?" I nodded. "Right. Well I guess i'll see you around." I turned to walk away. A hoof grabbed me and spun me around. "Please don't leave!" Bass begged. "I've been so bored! You have to stay! If only for a bit!" I guess Fluttershy will understand if I come back a little later. "Okay. I'll stay." "Great. Come in!" he said excitedly as he opened the tent. A powerful stench reached my nostrils. It smelled like moldy cheese and onions. "Uh. How long have you been waiting out here?" I asked, raising a brow. "I just started today," he said moving into the tent. I looked inside. It was nothing spectacular. There were a few pillows and blankets littered around. The inside was a dark blue. I sighed as I moved in. I sat down in a corner. There wasn't much room so sitting in a corner was the best bet to get the most space possible. "So?" "So?" I echoed. "Do you have any idea what we can talk about, Shadow? I'm kinda blanking on ideas right now," Bass admitted. "No. Sorry. I'm just as clueless as you," I chuckled. Bass put his right front hoof under his chin. His face contorted in concentration. "Shadow, you were a human once too, right?" he asked suddenly. "Uh. Yeah. What about it?" "What happened to you on T-day?" he inquired. "T-day?" "You know, transformation day. You know, when we were brought here," he elaborated. "T-day is like an acronym." "Oh. Well, I can't tell you that," I said fidgeting. "Why not?" "Because you wouldn't understand." "But we experienced the same thing! Of course I'd understand," he replied stubbornly. "Now why don't you just tell me?" I sighed. I turned toward him. "Okay. I'll tell you." "Good. This should be interesting." No it won't be. You will just be disappointed. [Another place and time.] A woman waits in a chair. She looks around her. She finds several people around her. They are also sitting in chairs. One is a skinny elderly man with a cane. He places his hand on his heart. His face contorts in pain. The woman looks away from the man to another. Her gaze rests on a boy in his teens. His face is littered with acne. His right arm holds his left. His face matches the older man's. Once again the woman's gaze leaves him for another. This time she sees a small girl. No older than four. She is whining to her mother, who is sitting next to her, about something. The woman can't help but smile at the sight. It reminds her of different times. Back when her gray hair was chestnut colored. Back when her hazel eyes were not lined with worry. When she could command her limbs to stay still. And, back when she had no obligation to come to this depressing place. "Mrs. Ramirez," a man on a nearby desk said. As he did so, the woman got up and approached the man's desk. "Yes?" "You may go see them now," the man said smiling. "Just take a badge and it is in room 201A." Mrs. Ramirez gave her thanks and grabbed a badge from the man. She placed it on her shirt. It was procedure. She made her way through a double door, going through the hallway. As she did so she looked at the rooms as she walked by. Most of the patients were lying in bed with their eyes closed. Or, they were fidgeting as they tried to get comfortable. Eventually, she made her way to an elevator. She wasn't a fan of stairs. They always made her feel out of shape. Which may have been true but she didn't feel she had to face that kind of talk from stairs. A noise erupted from the elevator. It was its own brand of elevator music that began playing from speakers inside the elevator. Luckily, the track was mercifully short. As she exited the elevator, she looked for directions. She didn't want to get lost. If she did, she knew her daughter would never let her hear the end of it. There were countless times she'd get lost going home from work. To be fair, however, their house at the time wasn't very unique. Even so, her daughter would continue to whine about every little thing. ‘How could you forget where you live?’ ‘Why don't you just take a bus instead?’ ‘Why don't you use your glasses when you drive?’ Mrs. Ramirez grimaced at those questions. She wouldn't have to worry about those questions today. She had gone to the hospital. She was dropped off by a friend. And since she wasn't driving she didn't need her glasses. Still, there was more joy to be had today. Today, she was coming to see her daughter's new child. For most women, it would be a sign of the apocalypse; a sign that they weren't as old as they used to be, but not to her. To her, this birth meant there would be a future for her family and that was a very comforting thought to her. As she reached the room, she peered inside. Her comfort shifted into slight worry. No one was in the room. As she stared in shock at the room she felt someone tap her on her shoulder. She turned around to find a nurse. The nurse rose an inquisitive brow at her. In response Mrs. Ramirez pointed at her badge. "So you are related then?" the nurse sighed sadly. "Yes," she answered evenly. "You may want to sit for a moment." Her stomach grew heavy. She decided it was best to hear what the nurse had to stay while she still stood. "How do you know her?" "She is my daughter." "I'm sorry," the nurse said placing a hand on Mrs. Ramirez's shoulder. "She managed to deliver, but I'm sorry, she didn't make it." In a moment, her world shattered. Her daughter was gone? No. That couldn't be right. This woman must be mistaken. Or perhaps, she was playing some kind of sick joke? Yes. That is surely what this is. She chuckled at that. She knew better than that. This was a familiar feeling after all. The same thoughts occurred to her when she heard of her own husband's departure. She took a deep breath. "Why?" she managed to ask. "Your daughter was very sick. We warned her about it beforehand. But she insisted she had to have the baby," the nurse explained. "I'm so sorry." "Well, can I see her?" "Yes." "Where is she?" "She just delivered so," the nurse began. "No. I don't mean her. I mean the baby. Can I see her?" "Oh. Well yes," she said as she exited the room. "Come, follow me." Mrs. Ramirez walked after her. It took all of her not to scream madly at the news. She had to hold on. She had to see the last thing her daughter had done. She had to see the fruit of her labor. The nurse led her to an operating room. And there her daughter was. Her face was covered in sweat. Her skin still had color. And her eyes were closed. But they weren't closed in pain. Mrs. Ramirez was overcome but a feeling of nostalgia. When her daughter was much younger she'd go out and play all day. She'd be caked in dirt. And her body would be coated in sweat. Mrs. Ramirez would drag her inside and scrub her down. Her daughter would always frown at her after she was done. As if the incident was all her fault. That her mother enjoyed ruining her daughter's fun time with dirt. Over the years, her daughter grew out of this phase. Still, those memories were stuck in both their minds. She had the urge that all her daughter was needing was a bath. After that, she'd open her eyes and frown at her again. Then, they could have a good laugh about it. "Mrs. Ramirez I'm back," the nurse said returning with a small baby in her arms. "This is your grandson, Jeronimo." Mrs. Ramirez opened her arms as the nurse placed him in her arms. She cried at holding this beautiful masterpiece her daughter had created. "I thought he was supposed to be a girl," she chuckled. "Why isn't he one?" "There was a mistake when the gender was checked. His privates were obscured so they were told it'd be a girl," the nurse answered smiling. "And the name?" The nurse's smile faded. "It was the last thing your daughter said. She said this is a special child and he need a special name. She said she once heard Jeronimo meant sacred name. She joked that you wouldn't settle for any other name." "It is true," Mrs. Ramirez said as she held the baby. "I'll take good care of you, Jeronimo." Wait. Wait. Wait! [Back to the present.] "What?" I asked. "What is this? I was asking about what happened to you on T day," Bass said annoyed. "I don't see what this has to do with anything." I sighed. "My name is Jeronimo." "And?" Bass asked confused. Bass lifted a brow. And motioned for me to go on. "Look I was raised by my grandmother. I wanted to tell you why that was," I said tearing up. "You need to understand before I tell you about my T day." Bass grunted. Then he let out a deep breath and gave a quick nod. "Okay. There is one more thing I have to tell you about me before T day," I said cleaning the tears from my eyes. "Well I hope it is more happy than the first part. No offense dude, but that was kinda a bummer," Bass said laying down. I chuckled at that. "You know what? It actually is." "Then fire away," Bass said pointing a hoof at me. [Another place and time.] "Jeronimo, hurry or you'll be late to school!" a voice yelled. I moaned. I tightened my hold on my blanket. My door flung open. In front of it my grandmother tapped her foot impatiently. She eyed me with her piercing eyes. I sighed and got out of my bed. I got my clothes and went into my bathroom. Mi abuela no tiene que ir a la escuela. I thought as I took a quick shower and then dressed myself. Mi abuela los dientes están sucios. I brushed my teeth. No es justo. I grabbed my school stuff and walked to the living room. I looked at my grandmother. She still stood in front of the door. She looked tall and imposing. She was like a mighty sentinel, protecting me from the outside world. Although, at that time I felt she was a prison-guard leading me to the electric chair. "You ready, nieto?" she asked, already knowing the answer. I nodded making a pouty face. She ignored it and stretched out her hand. I grabbed it and we went through the door. Grandmother didn't drive at the time. By then she had very bad arthritis. Still, she refused to ask someone else to take me to school. She insisted on walking with me to school; especially when it was my first day. We walked down the street. As we did, my grandmother stopped to greet what felt like the entire population of the planet. Eventually we came to a man's house further down the street. The man was interesting. He had a brown bushy mustache. His head was fully shaved. His brown eyes were contorted in a pleasant expression. As he and my grandmother talked, I noticed her grow distant. She felt like she had been replaced by a body-snatcher. I ignored the feeling. After all, she deserved it for dragging me to the horror that was school. Or so I reasoned with my five year old brain. I looked around and noticed the man had a Doberman. It panted heavily. I instinctively tried to pet it with my right hand. Despite her disposition at the time my grandmother's grip on my hand only grew tighter. Desperate to pet the dog I decided on the only course of action I could think of; I stretched out with my left hand. As I reached out, the dog growled at me. I paused for a second. Yo es no malo, perro. Yo es bueno! I looked at my grandmother and the man. They were too distracted by their conversation to notice the growl. I reached out again. And again the dog growled. This time it was stronger. But this time I already made up my mind. I would pet the dog and show him I was a good person. Within seconds I regretted my decision. The dog lashed out and dug its teeth into my hand. I cried out in pain. That cry returned my grandmother to the world of the living. She eyed the man. He was still smiling as if nothing had happened. I don't know if it was shock from what was happening or my grandmother being annoyed with the old man but what she did surprised me. My grandmother punched the man with a right hook. Then she kicked the dog away. As she did I felt flesh tear from my hand. I cried louder than before. My grandmother stood in front of me. She was acting as a wall between me and the man and his vicious canine. The man pulled himself up and dusted himself off. He flashed that same smile of his and grabbed his dog's leash. He then turned and walked away. My grandmother picked me up and held me like I was a baby again. She managed to convince someone to take me to the hospital. I don't remember who. Despite the wound being on my hand I felt it extend throughout my entire body. It was like the dog had put venom into my bloodstream and I could feel it. It was terrifying. But I also felt something else that day. I felt my grandmother would protect me no matter what. It was strangely comforting. Your grandmother sounds pretty awesome. [To the Present.] I chuckled at that. "Yeah, she sure was." Bass smiled. Then he contorted his face in thought. "What is it?" I inquired. "Well I don't get it," he admitted. "I don't get it one bit." "What do you mean?" I ask, confused myself. "I mean how is this related to your T day. I get you left your grandma and she raised you but did you really need to tell me about these two facts for your T day?" "I think so." "Why?" "Well I can best explain that with the day itself," I said. "You mean?" "I'm finally going to tell you what happened on that day. On my T day I mean," I explained. "Oh okay. Bring on the third act!" Bass said swinging his right front hoof. "There better be a rematch between that dog and your grandma!" [A while ago.] "Jeronimo, hurry up or you'll be late to school!" a voice yelled. "I'm already up, abuela. Don't worry about me." I yelled back happily. The door flung open and there she was. She eyed me with suspicious eyes. "What is with the look?" I asked nervously. "Since when did you get ready without me getting you up?" she asked. "Since I started high school, abuela," I answered. "For about four years." "Oh," she said blushing. She coughed violently into her hand. "Maybe you should lay down," I suggested. She shook her head. I winced. The summer after I finished middle school my grandmother got sick. We went to a doctor. He said that she had contracted some deadly disease. If she didn't have a steady supply of medication she'd die in two years. She managed to hang on. Still the threat was there. I tried to convince her to rest, but she never listened to me. She was too stubborn to do so. And she was too stubborn to ask for help. She didn't want to worry any of our family. She walked me to the living room door. It was like watching a distorted image of my grandmother. She had grown weak and frail. Her piercing glare became more like a unfocused glance around everything next to you. Her once imposing tall persona was replaced by a feeble small one. I once again implored her to lay down. She said she would as she wished me look at school. As I left the house a pang of guilt hit me. Every time I told her I was still going to school that would happen. I walked sullenly to a bus stop. I rode it until I passed by a four story building with a large X displayed on it. I got off and entered the building. A bell rung as I entered it. It sounded like a bell anyway. I looked around and found the counter. At it sat a man with greying hair and a thick beard. He raised his head as he noticed me. He gave me a quick grin. "Hello Jeronimo, how are you today?" "Fine," I replied pleasantly. "That's good," he observed. "Based on your expression I suspected you were sad today." I shook my head. "Well you know where to go. The night guy didn't mess with your closet. So it should be just as you left it," he informed me. I nodded. "Thanks Tom." I walked to my closet and dropped off my school stuff. I opened the backpack I was carrying. Out of its small pouch, I pulled out a few bottles of cleaning supplies. Out of its large pouch, I withdrew a blue jumpsuit. I put it in a pile I had of them in the closet. I grabbed one of the other blue jumpsuits and put it on. The night guy would typically get his uniform mixed with mine. I always hated that. He'd seldom watch his. His excuse was 'I'm cleaning up shit so I should already smell like shit.' I got to cleaning the rooms of the building. Whenever did, I couldn't help but find it slightly amusing. I mean, I was working in the place I was born. I haven't heard of a lot of people doing that. I started working after middle school. My grandmother couldn't work at that point. If I didn't do something my grandmother would die. I couldn't let that happen. Even if it meant throwing away any future for myself I would ensure my grandmother's. Over the years, I only managed to befriend Tom. Only he knew why I was working at the hospital. The other workers didn't know or just didn't care. Who cares about the life of a janitor, right? I grabbed my gear and headed back to Tom. He'd tell me where I was needed. As I opened the door my mind wandered to my grandmother. She had always tried so hard to make sure I went to school. I hated to disobey her but it was for her own good. Even so it still hurt to keep it from her. Once I told her. but she thought I was joking. I played along. Anyway I opened the door. When I did the light went out. Which was weird, to say the least. The hospital lights weren't even on. It was still too early in the morning for them to be. "Hello?" I asked. My voice echoed. It never did that before. "Tom?" I called into the darkness. There was no answer. I raised a brow at that. Probably there was a power outage. Maybe Tom just left. Then…why didn't he tell me? Maybe he reacted first. I mean being caught in a blackout is not relaxing. I walked forward with my arms outstretched. I figured I could find a wall somewhere. Maybe one with a light switch or at least help me exit the building. I managed to feel my way to what felt like a wall. I moved along it for a bit. Then, suddenly, a bright light blinded me. Then I found myself in a forest. I walked through it. I figured that where I was wasn't as important as getting back. After all, I was the only way my abuela was getting the medication she needed. After walking for a bit I found myself in a town. That was Ponyville, of course. No sooner had I entered, a bouncing pink blur headed towards me. I could tell she was talking yet I couldn't quite comprehend what. All I could think about was what this meant. This meant I was farther from home than I thought. That I couldn't get home. That I was stuck and my abuela was going to die. And it was all my fault. I looked down at my hands and discovered they weren't hands anymore. Pinkie Pie dropped an invitation in my hooves and ran off. I eyed my changed form. I sighed. That light must've changed my body and transported me here. I wandered through the town. I was completely numb. That is until the surprise party. When everyone surprised me I guess it poured life back into me. I went into the corner to think about stuff. That's when Fluttershy talked to you, right? [Present.] "Right. Talking to her, I was able to calm down. I guess I'm one of her animals, huh?" I joked. "So the reason you reacted that way at the party was because of all that. Kinda a good reason to be that way," Bass said. A tear ran down my cheek. I rubbed it off with a smile. "I get that it is painful. Thanks for easing my boredom for a bit, Shadow," Bass said happily. "Yeah. So I gotta go and tell Fluttershy about the change of plans. Maybe I should stop and get some juice boxes instead?" I thought aloud. I picked myself up. I gave Bass a quick nod and began walking back to Fluttershy. "Hey, Shadow," he called over his shoulder. "Yeah?" I turned back to him. "How bout you come back and I tell you about my own T Day?" he offered smiling. "It is only fair." "There is power in numbers. Okay, After I take care of Fluttershy, I'll come back." "I'll be waiting!" Bass said excitedly. I turned to walk again. "Wait! Make sure to pick up some supplies! Like food and stuff!" "What kind of stuff?" "Stuffy stuff." "You mean like a stuffed animal?" "No!" Bass said angrily. Then his expression shifted to neutral, "Maybe…" "I'll get the stuffy stuff," I said chuckling. "I'll see you later." Abuela, I hope you are doing fine without me. Please be okay. And don't worry about me. I can kick those dogs myself now. Not that I want to, but I could. Oh what would Fluttershy think if she heard me have these thoughts?! Author's Notes: Drip...Drip...Drip.