Buildings toppled. The smell of decaying flesh filled my nostrils as I laid in the cold air. The last time they spoke to me was when they left. Now I walk this Earth, or what's left. It's horrible. I just want to go back home. To mom, Vinyl, Scoots, Runner. Anyone. But they're gone, and I'm alone. Again. Forever...
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My eyes shoot open. I just lay there, basking in the dark. I look around, checking my surroundings. I'm laying in a normal sized bed, and there's another weight next to me. Turning my head to look, I see blue, untidy hair. Vinyl Scratch laid next to me, her body rising and falling with her soft breaths. I rolled over and tried to sleep again. But the dream stayed on my mind. No. I'm fine. I clear my mind of the dark, depressing fears and close my eyes. The numbness of sleep took hold again.
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This time, I woke up to the smell of toast. I opened my eyes to see Vinyl facing me. We were entangled with one another. She woke up right after I did, and we both jumped and started apologizing rapidly to one another. After an awkward silence, we went downstairs. Surprisingly enough, Octavia hadn't left yet. She was dressed in a white blouse and a black coat, with a long black skirt and heels. She looked at us as we came down, raising an eyebrow.
"Morning, Octavia," I said.
"Good morning," She said, drowsily.
"Someone's a little sleepy," I said, teasingly.
"Yeah, I couldn't sleep last night..."
"Excited?" I raised an eyebrow teasingly.
"Just a little..."
"Well, eat your breakfast! You'll feel better."
She nodded. I zipped up my jacket and walked to the door, "Well, my friends are probably worried sick. I will see you two peoples later!" I moonwalked out the door.
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I flew to the castle to tell my mother I was going back home. We joked, smiled, and laughed. But I looked in my mother's eyes. For a split second, there was a hint of sadness, but it returned to normal after a little bit. She smiled and sent me off. But even as I flew home, I couldn't shake the look that she had. Even though it was only a second, there was a hint of raw anguish in there. Is she hiding something from me? I thought.
I couldn't finish the thought, though. I landed in front of my house. Night Runner and Scootaloo greeted me at the door, and Night Runner was smiling from ear to ear. I told them that something was wrong with my mother, and I would be leaving in the morning to talk to her.
And I did just that.
Waking up at the crack of dawn, I teleported (as I wouldn't do very well flying) to Canterlot. Having no experience in teleporting, I landed on the top of the castle. I jumped down, landing hard on the pavement below. There was a tiny crater in the ground under my feet, and I saw lights turn on. I went to enter the castle, when a tall man stepped out to greet me. He had blue hair that went to his shoulder, and his eyes stared me down. he wore a navy blue aviator jacket, with Luna's symbol on the left shoulder. He had on blue jeans and combat boots, and on his left side was a long battle sword.
"No one should see the princess at this hour. Even still, you need an audience." He said.
"I shouldn't! I'm her son." I shouted back. I was pretty sleepy, and I tend to get cranky when I'm tired.
"Doesn't matter. You see this?" He showed me his right shoulder. The commander symbol shone in the sunlight. "I decide what's best for the princess. And the Royal Guard is trained to detect hostility, and we have the senses of hawks. I feel it in the air: you plan to do something to the princess. I'm not sure what, but I am positive it isn't good."
I gave this guy my best deadpan stare. "Really? Move, I need to talk to her-"
He thrust his arm out at my chest. It didn't hurt, but the force sent me back a couple feet. I tripped and landed on my butt. He towered over me. Bringing his sword up, he thrust down at my neck. At this point, I knew there was more to it. There was no way he would try to kill me this fast. I rolled out of the way, sprung up, and summoned the White Wolf. I met his blade with mine, and he lost his balance, as my sword would seem like a truck to any normal person. He fell back ward, and I stepped over him and walked into the castle, locking the door shut as I entered.
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I navigated the hallways until I reached my mother's royal chambers. I heard crying on the inside. Opening the door, I saw my mother. Her lower half was under the covers, and she was wiping her eyes. I sat next to her. She looked at me, obviously startled.
"What's wrong mom?"
She shook her head, "Nothing, I just had... a dream. That's all."
"Really? Don't lie. I'd like to help you, but I can't if you don't let me."
She took a deep breath. "It's another son of mine. His name is Will. A while ago, him and his companion, Bill, came here. Bill became my husband after a few years. Both Will and Bill were tied by the same lifeline. If one died, the other would follow suit. During these several years, someone burned down Will's house, killing his wife and two children. He spent three years in anger, wanting nothing but revenge, and he threatened to cut down anyone who tried to stop him. We found the arson, and when we took Will to visit the prisoner, he tried to push past me. I made the mistake of lowering my guard. He knocked me unconscious, and killed the criminal. Then, before Celestia or I could stop him... He..." She lost hold of herself, and began to cry again. "He threw himself off a building. Bill had no choice but to die as well. And for so long, I've hated myself. Hated myself for letting it happen. Hated myself for not doing anything in my power to save them. I was so alone for so long. I cried for many nights. I had been left behind by all of the men I've cared about throughout all of my life. My first husband, Harry, and then my son and second husband. It's a horrible feeling. And now, even though you're here, I can't shake the feeling of loss. Brandon, I'm scared. Scared of losing you."
I hugged my mother. It hurt to see her cry, and we sat there for the longest time. I was out of words to say. Then, I found the words.
"It's fine, mother. I'm not going to leave you behind."
She smiled. There were just tears rolling down her cheeks. "Thank you. I love you."
"I love you too."
She kissed me on the cheek.
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Author's Note: Well, here's the new chapter! Thanks to Lt. Voss for letting me mention his characters and such. Yeah, during the Luna scene, the characters mentioned are from his story Broken Wings, which you can find here. Be warned, the ending is depressing as fuck.
Be good y'all crazy bastards!