//------------------------------//
// A Memory 
// Story: Broken Wings 
// by Wewilto6 
//------------------------------//

     The mare winced as a hoof came down on her again from the darkness, gasping for air as it made painful impact with her abdomen. She recoiled from the blow, bending to clutch her stomach as another set of angry hooves forced her into the dirty ally wall behind her, tripping over a piece of debris. She almost cried out as the hard surface slammed into her back and head. She clenched her teeth in pain as she slid down the surface helplessly, falling into a large puddle below her. She bit back a scream. The mare put a shaky hoof on the wet pavement below her, trying to stabilize herself as the dark outline of another hoof swung into her stomach, causing her to fall back down into the puddle in a splash of muddy water. She almost vomited, putting her hooves in front of her face as a familiar set of hooves hit her again, crying out as whoever it was placed fresh bruises on her jaw and arm. She closed her eyes tight, clenching her teeth as sharp bursts of pain riveted through her body, her fresh tears beginning to mix with the rain that fell from the smoggy night sky above.

A small filly danced across the room, giggling wildly as a pony near three times her size swung her around in circles, laughing just as happily. 
“Wheee!” the small brown filly exclaimed joyously, her sky-blue mane whipping about as she swung around. 
The two danced to the beat of a nearby record, Heart and Soul on piano. A table stood near the wall, lined with a couple small packages and a card: “Happy Birthday, Quick,” it read across the inner flap in clean, cursive writing. A darker toned stallion sat in a chair at the end of the table; his gloomy head leaned against a nearby window as he watched the warm light of the sun fad behind the mountains surrounding their home. The pony gave a long sigh, a tone of boredom and longing in his young voice.
The older pony stumbled and tripped as his hoof caught the carpet at a weird angle, landing on his back and inadvertently pulling the small filly with him. He gave a look of worry before catching the small creature in his outstretched hooves, sighing in relief as the little pony giggled, clearly entertained by the event. “Again!” she exclaimed, her tiny, mocha hooves outstretched to the stallion’s face. “Do it again, Daddy!”
The father chuckled and placed a light grey hoof on her head, looking at her with soft, blue eyes, “If we do that again, you’re old dad might break something.” He said with a small smile.
The filly looked back at him with her deep, purple eyes, pouting slightly as her father pulled her a bit closer. “Hey Quick,” he whispered to her, excitement showing on his slightly wizened face as he reached behind him. “I got something for ya.” 
Quicksilver gazed at him in silent anticipation, growing ecstatic as a basketball-sized green box laced with white ribbon appeared in his outstretched hoof. She took it in her small forelegs, putting it in her lap as she leaned in close to admire the white ribbon gracing the top. She gasped a little in excitement, “What is it?” she asked, putting her ear against the light green wrapping.
“You’ll just have to find out.” The older pony responded, tapping her nose gently with his hoof.
The filly took a moment to admire the beautiful white ribbon before carefully detaching it from its partner, the green box. She then quickly tore into the paper and opened the box, reaching her tiny hooves inside to find something. She stopped as her hoof tapped something fuzzy, clutching the object; she brought it out to her face, gasping in delight as she looked upon the hazel-colored teddy bear in front of her. “I love it! She exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement as she squeed.         .    She set upon it like a bear trap, embracing it tightly as she nuzzled her face into the soft, walnut-scented fur. “But not as much as I love you, dad.” She then said softly, turning herself from the bear and embracing her father just as tightly.
“Happy Birthday Quick,” the father said with a happy smile as he stroked her mane softly. “I made it myself, just for you.”
The pony in the corner sighed again, scowling as he lifted himself from the table, his gaze shifting from the dark window to his father across the room. “I’m going to bed,” he said with an almost angry tone. 
The father interjected as his son began to move away. “Hold on there, Joey. It’s your sister’s eighth birthday. You should stay.”
The son turned his head as he stopped at a nearby doorframe, glaring over his shoulder as he eyed his father, “It’s Joseph, dad. Good night.” He said sharply, closing the door hard behind him.
Quick’s father gave a sad sigh, watching the door for a few moments before he turned back to his daughter. “It’s alright Quick, your brother’s just being a bit… difficult.” He trailed off as his eyes wandered to a hole in the wooden floor.
“O-okay dad…” she said in response, stuttering a bit in her worry. She stifles a yawn, trying to hide it from her father.
“I think it’s best we head on off to bed, Quick.” Her father said, breaking out of his trance and noticing her yawn.
Quicksilver crossed her forelegs and turned her eyes away, pouting. “I’m not tired!” she exclaimed in rebuttal. “I can stay up way, way later!” She yawned again, accidentally, making her pout even further.
Her father sighed and lifted her up, smiling warmly to her as he began to carry her across the living room to a door, “Quick’s Room” was engraved across the top as Quick’s father reached for the knob and opened it gently. He brought Quick across the room and lied her down softly in her bed, bringing the soft covers up over her and tucking them under her chin delicately. “Goodnight Quick,” he said as he kissed her on the forehead.
“Good night dad! And thanks for the party.” Quick responded energetically, smiling as she hugged her new bear just as tightly as before, thinking to herself that she wasn’t going to sleep at all.
Quick’s father waved his silent goodbye as he gently shut her door behind him, “Happy birthday.” He said as a farewell. 
He made his way across the living room, smiling warmly as he thought of how happy his daughter was. After cleaning up the bits of green paper on the floor, he noticed that the white lace that had adorned the gift was missing. He shrugged and continued cleaning, putting away the records and pushing in the chairs before finally trudging towards the stairs, a look of exhaustion in his soft, blue eyes. He stopped at the foot of the stairway, his hoof just grazing the first step as he heard a click behind him. “What are you doing up?” He asked the invisible noise, a slight tone of agitation in his voice.

Quick woke with a start, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she realized that she did, in fact, fall asleep. “Dang it.” She said in defeat, giving a sad look to her bear, which lay across from her with a white lace tied around its right arm. “I’m sorry,” she told it with regret. “I didn’t stay up like we planned…”
Quicksilver perked her ears up as she heard a voice from outside her door. No, two voices, actually.
“What’s got you so upset?” said one of them, agitation clear in his deep voice as it became evident that he was trying to keep the volume down.
“What’s got me upset?” responded a second voice, not caring to be quiet as he spoke in anger. “It’s this entire place!”
“Shhh! You’ll wake your sister!” Interjected the first voice, louder this time.
“She’s probably already awake!” Responded the other, his opinion on volume having not changed in the slightest.
The first voice raised his volume as he asked, “What’s wrong with this place?” Quicksilver recognized it to be her father.
“Everything! We’re PEGASI for buck’s sake! We don’t work farms! That’s an earth pony job, we belong in the skies!”
“This farm has been run by our family for generations, it’s traditional.”
“Screw tradition! What makes you think that Quicksilver and I want to be locked up here our whole lives? Quick wants to be a racer, not a Celestia-damned seed planter!”
“Watch your tone, Joseph!” Interrupted Quick’s father, angrily. “Going to Manehatten is absolutely out of the question. The place is dirty, crowded, and most of all, dangerous. That city does things to ponies.”
“You’re unbelievable! I’m eighteen now, dad! I’m an adult, I can make my own choices!”
“Under this roof, you live by my rules. And I say that you may not and will not go to that Celestia-forsaken city!” responded his father forcefully. “And don’t even think of-“
The gray pony stopped as he saw a small figure in the doorway to their left, tears in the figure’s deep, purple eyes as Quick looks at them from behind the opened door.
“Quick…” The father trotted over quickly and hugged her tightly, stroking her mane comfortingly as Quicksilver cried softly on his shoulder. “Look what you’ve done now, Joseph…”
Joseph didn’t give a verbal response, instead he glared at his father with his crimson eyes and trudged angrily to his room, shutting the door hard behind him and causing the wood to chip.
Quick’s father tensed in both frustration and anger as he listened to the door slam behind his son. “Let’s get you back to bed, sweetie…” He then said, lifting Quick up and wiping a fresh tear from her eye. “It’ll all be alright…”
Quicksilver looked up at him in worry with her big, trembling eyes as he carried her to her bed. She closed her eyes as her father tucked her in again, kissing her good night before backing towards the door. “I love you, Quick.” He told her sincerely as he once again gently shut the door behind him.
Quicksilver buried her face in her bear, smelling the strong scent of walnut as her nose pressed against its hazel fur. She shook and trembled as the bear’s soft fur absorbed the wetness streaming from her eyes. All the while, she tried to ignore the small shadow in the corner of the room.

Quicksilver woke up slowly, feeling the soft bristle of fur against her cheek as she lifted her face away from the brown teddy bear by her side. She sat up, rubbing both her eyes as her vision began to adjust. Quick looked drowsily around the room.
Her sleepiness was instantly broken as an amazing smell hit her nose. Her eyes opened wider as she perked up her ears, leaning forward a bit to try and get a better smell. What is that? She thought to herself.
The little filly jumped out of her bed, letting the covers hit the floor as her hooves landed awkwardly, causing her to wobble slightly as she regained her bearings. She did a brisk trot across the room, stopping at the door and cracking it just an inch, sticking her nose out and inhaling deeply.
Quicksilver smiled in excitement as she realized what the smell was. Dad made pancakes! She exclaimed joyfully in her mind.
The brown filly opened her door the rest of the way, trotting out to the kitchen where she spotted her father rinsing dishes in the kitchen sink. She looked and noticed that the table was set with exactly what she expected, home-cooked pancakes and eggs. 
“Dig in.”
A plate of food was happily placed at the end of the table, still steaming with its freshness.
Quicksilver could hardly contain her excitement. She rocketed towards the chair like a rabid animal, digging into the food ferociously. The food was delicious; her dad had always made it for her on special or happy occasions. 
‘Sad one’s too…’ She said in her mind, becoming concerned. She slowed down as she realized that her father might be feeling down, but she quickly dismissed it as her dad gave her a convincing smile, well concealing his feelings behind his wizened features.
“Slow down there now, Quick.” He began to scold. “You’ll get the hiccups.”
Quicksilver stopped mid-bite, a piece of pancake inches from her hungry mouth. 
  Hic! 
Quick’s father sighed and rubbed his temples. “I told you this would happen.” He patted her tiny head, her blue mane puffing as her head bobbed down a few times. She reached a mocha hoof towards her mane, fidgeting with it for a few moments. 
‘Why does he always do that?’ She thought to herself. She always had told him that she hated her mane being ruffled, but that was a lie.
“So Quick,” began her dad, pulling away her empty plate and wiping small bits of food off her cheek. “You ready to learn?”
Quick’s eyes widened in terror as she heard the dreaded question. Being far from any real school facilities, Quick was homeschooled. She glanced around the room, looking to a closet and the entrance to the basement, desperately trying to find with her eyes a way to escape.
“I know that look, Quick. Don’t even think abo-“ He cut off as he looked at the empty chair in front of him, its wooden structure still wobbling from the bullet it had just fired. “Quicksilver!”
Quicksilver scampered across the wooden floor as she dashed along its surface. “No!” she exclaimed rebelliously in her high-pitched filly voice, skidding around a corner and running down the hall, her hurried hoofsteps resonating through the house. “I don’t wanna!”
Her father ran after her, groaning. “This again…”
He stopped his pursuit as he found himself in a quiet, empty room. “Quick?” he asked the air, cautiously. “You in here?”
The gray stallion perked one of his ears, listening carefully.
Hic!
The closet door opened quickly, revealing a pile of coats lining the interior. Quick’s father scrutinized the mass of clothing, analyzing every detail. Red, gray, black, orange…. blue. He smiled as he noticed the trail of sky-blue coming from the clothes pile. “Come on out Quick.”
The blue moved just slightly, but the coats remained quiet.
Quick’s father tapped his hoof impatiently. “I can see you, you know?”
The clothes ruffled slightly as a small, brown face emerged halfway from the pile. Quick looked down in both defeat and shame, fearing whatever would happen next. “I’m sorry dad…”
Her father sighed and stepped backwards, motioning for her to exit her hideout. Quick pulled herself out slowly, her head bowed towards the floor as she began to walk towards the kitchen with a coat still draped over her head.
“You have to study Quick, it’s just the way it is.” Said her father as she guided her back to the dinning room table. “Could you grab my hat, please?” He then asked her, gesturing towards a shelf.
Quick dashed over and reached towards it, balancing on the tips of her hooves. She brought it down and looked at its tan exterior, admiring the craftsmanship. She looked at the name embroidered near the brim, “Terras Silver”.
The two sat down near each other, Terras receiving his tan hat and placing it on his head. Quick watched the table and fiddled with her mane as her father brought out a binder labeled “Grammar”. Quick’s eyes widened as she began to slowly recognize the word written across the blue cover. She groaned and put her head in her hooves.
“I know you don’t like grammar, Quick,” her father began, folding the binder open and taking out the papers within. “But you need to practice.”
Quick groans again, whining, “But I suck at it!”
Her father sighed and took out a packet of papers with grammar exercises on written on them. Taking out a pencil, he placed the homework in front of her.
Quick lied her chin on the table in defeat, scanning over the words. ‘What is the past tense of run? _______’	 It said at the top, the blank line mocking her limited skill at language. She thought for a moment, lifting the pencil up as she stared at the word “run”. She put the graphite to the paper and wrote “runed”.
“No Quick, that’s not right. Run is different from other words, its past tense is ‘ran’.”
“Oh.” was Quick’s only response. She moved onto question 2: “What is the past tense of fly?” 
She stopped, thinking hard. Flyed? No… um, Flan? Flayned? Um… 
Quick whimpered and lied her chin down in defeat on the table, the letters continuing to jump around in her mind.
“Flew.” 
Quick sighed in relief as the letters in her mind finally calmed down and found their correct placement. She wrote the word in the blank space and started to go down the paper. 
'Question 3: What is the past tense of Draw? _______'
Quick thought hard on this one, trying to hunt down the correct letters in her mind. Drawed, hmmm…. Dr-drewed? Drew? Drew!
Quick happily wrote her realization in the blank, taking a moment to feel proud.
Her father peeked over at the page and smiles, “You did it!” he exclaimed, pride in his voice.
Quick grinned with joy. She then proceeded through the other exercises, stumbling over almost half of them. She swallowed as she filled in the last blank. “Swimed”. She rested her head on her hoof and stared gloomily at her answers, over half of them being wrong. She had struggled on them, over 30 minutes had passed and she only had filled in ten answers. She looked through the door to the kitchen and peered at the clock above the stove, sighing as she remained seated in front of the dreaded words.
A new piece of paper came in front of her, the old one being taken away and surveyed by her father, his expression turning gloomy as he finished it. “Try these Quick…” He told her, gesturing to the reading pamphlet.
Quick looks at the pamphlet, her stressed and sad expression turning to dread and horror as she gazed upon the bane of her existence. Reading.
She looked at the first sentence, the evil black runes staring back at her: 
“The dog jumped over the fence.”
“Th-the dog,” She struggled. “jum-ped o-ver the… fenky.”
The words hurt her eyes, seemingly mocking her with their malicious complexity. She swallowed, looking away in embarrassment. It was almost as if the words were laughing at her. She felt like crying, holding back tears as she struggled along. 
“No Quick, that makes an ‘s’ sound, the ‘e’ is silent” Said her father reassuringly. “You can do this, I know you can.”
Quick looked back at the words, taking a long, deep breath. “…The d-og jump-ed over the fense?”
She smiled as she realized she actually did it. She took a moment to take pride in her momentous accomplishment. She glanced at the clock, her pride shattering like a glass cup as she saw the time. 12:32. I started this sentence 15 minutes ago?!
Quick hit her head once on the wooden table and left it there, silently admitting total defeat. “I c-can’t do this! I suck!” she exclaimed gloomily.
Her father sighed and came near her to comfort her, “We’ll pick this up again tomorrow… okay Quick?”
“Ok…” She responded slowly.
“Now why don’t you go have some fun in the rain? You’ve earned it.” Her father then said, smiling at her. “I’m proud of you.”
Quick looked up from the table, a smile coming across her wet cheeks. 
“But you have to remember to put on your rain gear this ti-“ He cut off as he noticed that her chair was empty and the front door hung ajar, the rain from outside’s downpour beginning to coat the wooden floor. “How does she do that?”


Quick yawned, stretching her hooves above her head as she groggily opened her eyes and lifted herself out of bed. She rubbed her legs; still sore from all the time she spent running in the rain the day before. She beamed in excitement as she noticed that it was still raining outside, seeing water patter against the glass of her bedroom window. She had always loved the rain. The way it felt, the way it tasted, everything about it. 
After eating a quick breakfast, Quicksilver hastily pulled on two pairs of blue rain boots and started towards the door. Her father blocked her for a moment to speak with her.
“I’m off to the fields, Quick.” He began, pulling on a jacket and placing his hat atop his head. “So don’t stray to far from the house, you hear?”
Quick nodded, hardly paying attention as she eyed the open door, her hooves dancing back and forth on the hardwood floor nervously. 
“Alright then,” Terras said, smiling and standing aside. “You can go now.”
Quick squealed in excitement as she ran out into the downpour.

She laughed as she landed in another puddle, giggling joyfully as the water splashed up around her and soaked whatever part of her was still dry. Her wet mane stuck to her face as she pranced around in the puddles, jumping onto a wet patch of grass and rolling around like a puppy full of energy.
Terras chuckled as he watched her from the doorframe, wrapping his jacket closer as he began to head out into the rain along a muddy dirt road. “I’ll be back soon, Quick. I love you!” He said as he trotted down the path.
“Love you too!” She called after him as she took a brief break in her playful antics. “Wheeee-“ She finished as she rolled back down the grass into a puddle.

Quick lied on the grass, her hoof under her chin as the rain continued to fall on her head, running down her face. “Hmmm…” She began to wonder. “It’s been half an hour now…” Her pessimistic thought stopped as she dismissed it with a laugh. “Dad wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him.”
She happily resumed her play.

Quick lied across the grass on her stomach, her legs spread out lazily as she sighed over the sound of pattering water. 
“One whole hour?” She pouted, obviously bored. “How long’s it take to check a dumb cornfield? Humph.”
She rolled over on her back, gazing up at the gray sky above. “Just like dad’s coat…” She observed, looking closely at the rain clouds. She looked off to her left, her eyes following the dirt trail to the fields. She thought for a moment, jumping back and forth between what she would do. She knew that she wasn’t supposed to stray from the house; she feared what her dad might do to her if she went off towards the fields, as she was forbidden to go there alone. But she also worried for her father.
Quick closed her eyes, making her decision. 

The dirt road made wet, sludgy noises as Quick’s hooves pressed into them. The rain had made the road muddy and wet; she had to be careful not to slip. “Whoa!” She exclaimed as a hoof begin to slide out from under her. She caught herself just in time, pulling it back to its original position and cautiously continuing on her way.
She looked nervously to her left and right. Gnarled oak trees lined the edges of the road and the green fields of grass beyond, making a sparse forest. The constant rain had made a hazy mist in the forest and the area was eerily quiet. The place was beautiful, but it still managed to give off a sad, lonely feeling.
She shivered, half in cold and half in fear. I hope everything’s alright… 
She rounded a bend, passing by a large, dark oak tree with a battered tire swing strung to its thick branches. The tree’s remaining leaves fluttered lightly in the breeze as Quick passed beneath it. She averted her eyes from the old tree, something about it had always made her uncomfortable, maybe it was the way it stood over the ponies that passed under it. It seemed, well, intimidating.
Quick finally passed the wooden fence that marked the fringes of her father’s prized cornfield. The wood was old and partially rotted in places, a small piece chipped off as she slipped and bumped into it, “Ow.” She said, rubbing her side as she regained her bearings and continued on her way.
Her purple eyes scanned the fields like a hawk, looking for the white tint of her father’s coat through the swaying plants.
“Hmmmm…” She said to herself in thought, observing that her father wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “He must be somewhere around here…”
Quicksilver trudged through the waterlogged field as she continued her search. Looking down she noted to herself, “Uh oh, it’s getting wet around here.” Her claim was further backed by the splashing water that flew about as Quick placed her hooves in one of the myriads of puddles around her. The dirty, mud filled droplets flew up to meet the clear, clean droplets that came to them from the stormy sky above. She hoped her father wasn’t too overworked; taking care of corn was hard enough as it was.
Quick put her head low and surveyed the ground, walking along it like a bloodhound on the trail. “Hmmm. Hoofprints…” She observed, eyeing a set of wet indentations in the mud. She galloped off in the direction they were pointed, deeper into the cornfield.
The crops rustled and swayed as the stormy gusts of wind battered them around. Every now and then the Quick would see the constant movement of the stalks from the corner of her eye and turn to it in hope, becoming disappointed when all she saw was the yellow vegetable her family had cultivated for years. Quick began to become dismal, “Oh… What if he’s hurt? What if he got lost?” She said to herself in worry, chattering her teeth in not just cold, but fear as well. What if he was hurt? And what if he was lost? Quick didn’t want to think about these questions and emptied them from her mind with a quick shake of her head. “No. He’s fine.”

The filly continued on her search, her tiny hooves slipping and sliding in the wet mud underhoof. She couldn’t remember how long it had been by this point; her search had been going for days it seemed.
A glint caught her eye. Turning to face the small flash of light, Quick spotted a metal tool sticking out of the mud, looking as if it had shot up from the ground like one of the surrounding cornstalks. 
Quicksilver trotted over to it quickly, her hope becoming renewed as she neared the large shovel in the ground. Her hope resulted in a smile on her face.
Her smile widened as she grew closer, spotting a hoof. A leg! A coat! A hat!
A body.
The filly skidded to a stop, sliding across the mud and tripping over the limp form of Terras Silver. She raised her face from the earth, staring at her father in shock and disbelief. “Dad? Dad are you ok?!” She shouted, her small voice trembling.
Her father lied face down in a shallow, water-filled ditch, as if asleep. Quick hoped it was sleep. In a mad panic, Quick pulled herself from the soupy dirt and rushed to his side, rolling him over in an attempt to let him breathe. She watched him expectantly, thinking that any moment he’d stir and take a deep breath. 
It was more desperate hope than thought.
“D-daddy…?” She quivered, asking the motionless form of her parent. She continued to stare at his chest, waiting for the slow lift that would signal his well-being. Thirty seconds had passed, still nothing.
One minute…
Two minutes…
Five minutes…
Quick was already in tears, crying with the sky as she hugged her father close. “W-wake u-up…” She sobbed as she choked on her tears, nestling her face in his fur in hope of feeling a heartbeat, a breath, a pulse. Anything. Her father’s cold skin gave her no comfort, her dread only increasing as none of the signs she hoped for came.
Quicksilver sobbed as her despair overcame her; she lost hope, squeezing her father just as tight as the night of her birthday. Not even a twitch. He was gone.
“Dad! P-please wake up!” She pleaded to her father. “I-I’ll even do my Grammar homework! Please answer!”
But her father didn’t answer. He couldn’t answer. All that remained of her loved one was a body, nothing more.
Quick completely broke down, almost suffocating on her sobs and tears. Her eyes were red and stung from the crying. It was at that moment, something broke away from Quicksilver. She couldn’t tell what it was. Something had simply broken away and walked out the front door, slamming the door behind it.
Quick wouldn’t tear herself away from her father. She clutched him tight even as the rain made her shiver. Even as the rain continued to hit her. The rain… It was all the rain’s fault…
She winced at every raindrop that hit her, feeling as if it were beating her. It mocked her, the way it continued to fall even after it had killed her father.
She still would not move. Even as she was lifted away by the dark figure behind her, it’s red eyes streaming the same water that fell from Quick’s. 

Quick sat spread out on the floor, her chin pressed against the hard, wooded surface as she lied on top of her teddy bear. She sniffled and wiped her eyes.
“Are you ready Quick…?” Came a quiet voice from her cracked door. “I think it’s time…”
Quick didn’t want to leave. She never wanted to leave her home. Manehatten was the opposite of what she wanted, the busy streets and crowded buildings made her sick to her stomach. She didn’t respond, not wanting to speak up as she gave an absentminded nod, staring at the dark shadow in the corner of her room. What was that shadow? Why was it there? 
Why did it get bigger?
The shadow terrified her. It was always there, it never moved. She had tried to expel it from her room, but to no avail. Light would not harm it. 
Quick shook her head, breaking from her daydreaming. She looked at her brother, “What?”
“We’re leaving, Quick.” Came Joseph’s voice again, trembling. “We aren’t allowed to stay here…”
Quick regretfully lifted herself from the floor, staring down. 

They packed what few things they had, leaving behind what they couldn’t carry. Quick only brought her Teddy Bear and a photo. Against what Joseph told her, she brought her favorite record. Heart and Soul.


The mare choked as a hoof hit her neck, her guard lowering. The ponies around her took advantage of the situation. A smiling red mare pulled her face out of the darkness, grabbing Quicksilver’s head and mercilessly shoving it into the deep water-filled pothole positioned near her. 
Quick screamed in terror as her face dove into the water, her heart skipping a beat on contact. her nose made painful impact with the cement and began to bleed as painful memories flashed before her eyes. She struggled hard, desperately trying anything to get her head out of the dreaded water. She was afraid of water. Ever since that day, she could never come near it. Quick flew into panic almost immediately, unintentionally releasing the air in her lungs. Bubbles flew past her face as she grew even more desperate, trying to gulp sweet air but instead filling her lungs with water, causing her to sputter. She tried to cough, but the air in her lungs was already gone. Her vision began to cloud and her head felt light, her struggling started to become lethargic and sporadic.
Quick gasped for air as her head lifted from the water, still being clutched by her sky-blue mane. She cried, sobbing hard as the horror finally ended.
The red pony smiled again and threw her back into the wall by her mane. Quick gasped and made a soft grunt as the side of her head smacked into the brick with a thud. She fell limp to the ground, losing all willpower to defend any further as her vision blurred and her ears rang.
“Happy birthday, freak.” Said the pony in a mocking tone, putting emphasis on her insult. “Want anymore presents?”
Her words stung Quick like needles, adding to her already excruciating pain. She didn’t respond, she couldn’t find her voice.
The pony kicked Quick in the face upon receiving no answer. Blood flicked into the air off Quick’s lip as her head snapped back in response. She could hardly stay awake, her vision appeared to pan and blur, growing dark in the corners. 
“See you at school, queer.” Said the red pony, kicking water in Quick’s bloodied face as she trotted out the alley, trailed by her cronies.

Quick couldn’t move, her legs wouldn’t respond and her brain wouldn’t focus. She simply lied there, her sobbing had ceased and only the tears remained. 
Quick had just turned 14. It had been six long, hard years since she moved to the city. Manehatten, the place her father always warned about, but she never knew why. She knew why know, whether it was the smoggy, polluted skies; the gangs; the uncaring masses; she didn’t know. All she did know was that she hated it here. And the city hated her just as much. 
She felt tired, her eyelids drooped. She felt as if sleep would take her at any moment. But she didn’t want to sleep, it was late and her brother didn’t know where she was. But she was tired. 
She tried in vain to keep her eyelids open, desperately attempting to keep them pried open. She couldn’t fight it. She took a long breath as she slipped into unconsciousness.
‘Joseph’ll kill me…’




*** This is my first real fanfic, so any constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks for reading, there’s till more to come ☺ ***