//------------------------------// // The Hell is Progress? // Story: How I Met My Pony // by Something Epic //------------------------------// Kyle was pacing back and forth in his bathroom, thinking. He’d taught Rainbow the basics of how to play Penumbra, and told her to figure the rest out on her own. Of course, she took it as a challenge. Besides from the occasional screams of terror, Kyle was alone in silence deep in thought. Usually he talks to himself when he’s this concentrated, which receives a lot of jokes from the gang. “Where are these girls really from? There aren’t any conventions around here for the next month, so they’re lying about that. And why was Robin so shocked at my background? Plus, they keep stopping themselves when they say certain words: ‘everypo-... everypo-...’” Kyle’s eyes widened and a grin widened on his face. “Everypony! I knew it. They’re pegasisters. Well, that answers one of my questions... But still, where are they from?! Are they really from Canada? And why are they really here?” “AH!” Robin’s shouting interrupted Kyle’s train of thought. “W-Where the hay did that thing come from?!” Kyle rolled his eyes, and decided that he’d pondered this matter enough. The truth will come out of them when the opportunity arises. He was sure of it. “What are all of you hiding...?” He mumbled. His thoughts were interrupted by the growling of his stomach. With that, he threw his arms in the air, and abandoned any suspicions for the time being. He poked his head out from the bathroom, and sniffed the air a few times. “Mmm... That smells good. And damn I’m hungry. Hey, Robin, you gonna join us for dinner?” “Hm?” She took off his headphones. “Dinner? Sure, why not?” “Awesome. I’m sure you’ll love Coal’s cooking. Just be glad I didn’t decide to try my hand at it tonight. My cooking’s...” His eyes wandered up to the ceiling as he tried to think of a good word. “Well, to be frank, absolutely horrid. I couldn’t cook to save my life.” Robin shrugged. “Eh, I’m an OK cook.” “Probably better than me...” Kyle chuckled for a second, before going back to his normal, serious demeanor. “Now then, how’s about we get down there so nobody has to yell for us?” He didn’t even wait for an answer, and marched out of the door. Robin hopped out of the computer chair to follow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Doug began to stir in his room as the smell of something cooking reached his nose. Beginning to lift himself up, he shook his head a couple of times, trying to throw off an odd feeling he had. He heard grumbling and yelped, only to laugh at himself for being startled by his own stomach. “This better be something good for once...” He mumbled while getting up onto his feet. He turned to his left to see Pinkie still laying on his bed. She honestly looked pretty cute sleeping like that. So cute, in fact, that he almost decided to just leave her there asleep on the bed. “Eh, she’s probably just as hungry as I am.” He grabbed hold of Pinkie’s shoulders, and began to gently shook her while saying her name. This yielded no results, as she appeared to be in a deep sleep. “Hm... *Le Gasp* Light bulb!” He said, pointing to an imaginary floating light bulb above his head. He bent down to his knees, wrapped his arms around Pinkie, and gingerly hoisted her into his arms. “Either she’s heavier than she looks, or I’m getting weaker everyday... Ugh” He thought to himself as he walked out of the room somewhat clumsily. On his way down the hall, the scent of the food began to grow stronger, causing Doug to quicken his pace. At this point, he was leaning dangerously forward, causing him to lose his footing just as he was entering the living room. This resulted in Doug landing onto the ground, with Pinkie laying in front of him. He grunted and looked up to see Pinkie still soundly asleep and unscathed. “Whoa...” He gasped in surprise as he remembered what made him black out earlier. “This is freaking brilliant! She’s a pegasister, and she got her hair to smell like cott-” “Did I interrupt something?” Coal said, coming to check on what was making such a ruckus. He had his arms crossed, and his foot was tapping the ground impatiently. “N-no! She was just asleep, and I was going to bring her in here to get some food! That... And I was starving.... And I still am.” Doug said with a sheepish smile. Coal sighed and replied after facepalming, “Well, pick her up, put her on the couch, and come get your food, and hurry up, it’s getting cold.” “Yes, mother.” Doug replied, earning a cold glare from Coal. He shut up afterwards, and proceeded to pick up Pinkie and stumble to the nearby couch. While laying her down gently, he once again noticed how cute Pinkie was. He shook himself out of his daze when Pinkie turned over in her sleep, leaving her back to face him. “This is just ridiculous...” He sighed and walked to the kitchen to find some of his group eating at the table. “So, what are we munchin’ on tonight?” Doug asked aloud, earning a reply from Coal. “Your Mom.” This earned several “OOOOOOOHHHHHHs” and “OH SNAPs” from everyone else at the table but Kyle, who just shook his head and proceeded to eat. Doug simply facepalmed and continued on to grab tonight’s grub. He opened the oven to see nothing cooking inside. He searched around the kitchen counter, only finding what Coal had cooked. “I left the cupcakes alone too long... Didn’t I?” He asked to no one in particular. “Yup.” Coal replied nonchalantly. “They are now in cupcake hell.” “FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU!” Doug shouted slamming the oven shut. Isaac and Kyle covered their ears. “This is going to be a loooong night... Ugh...” Isaac sighed to himself, massaging his temples. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The sound of Doug’s yelling reverberated through the hallway, bouncing into Ryan’s room and awakening him from his nap. It had become a hobby of his, to nap before dinner in the evenings. He never had gotten over the time difference completely and had taken the slow evenings to his advantage. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he cracked them open slightly and was greeted by Rarity’s. “Evenin’ Victoria...” He said, half asleep. Immediately, his eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright, causing Rarity to stumble backwards slightly. “Woah, woah, woah!” He exclaimed, raising his hands up in front of his chest, palms facing outwards. “What was that about? Not that I didn’t like it... But still!” “Oh I... Er...” Her eyes darted around the room. “I... Was simply admiring your hair! Yes, that’s it! Your hair is just marvelous!” Ryan instinctively reached his hand towards his head. “My... My hair?” He questioned. “Oh yes! It’s simply perfect! So soft, smooth, and the little curls at the end make it look so... Magnifique!” Ryan stared at her for a few seconds, thinking over what she had just said. “Magnifique. Really? You complimented my hair... In French.” Ryan deadpanned. “Why yes! Such splendor doesn’t deserve common talk!” “Well... Um, thanks I guess...” Ryan swung his legs off the side of his bed, making himself more comfortable. “So, how much French do you know?” “I’m sorry?” She looked at him, slightly confused at the sudden subject change. “You said my hair looked magnificent in French. You must know some basic form of the language to be able to compliment me with it.” “Well...” She thought for a moment. “I took about three years of classes in school and I took private hourly sessions at home every week.” “Oh, si sur une échelle de un à dix, comment êtes-vous bien?” Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. “Sept ou huit. Je ne suis pas le meilleur, mais j'essaie.” Replied Rarity, a smug smirk on her face. “Impressive. Do you know any other languages? Spanish, Italian, dare I ask, Irish?” “Oh well, I don’t know Spanish or Italian...” Replied Rarity, placing a hand under her chin, recalling the times Ryan had spoken the languages in the show. “And what do you mean ‘dare I ask’? Is it not a very well known language?” “Well, no. The only place in the world that really speaks it is Ireland, my home country, and that’s about a thousand miles...” Ryan looked around the room for a moment, before cocking his thumb towards the window. “That way.” “Oh, so you aren’t American?” Asked Rarity, slightly taken aback. It had never once been mentioned in the show he wasn’t from America. “Not to sound rude, but have you payed any attention my accent?” He asked incredulously. “I mean, look at me!” He continued, jumping off the bed onto his feet and taking on a stereotypical irish accent. “I’m a wee Irish leprechaun! Ho da-tee heh-tah te-toh teh-dee!” He ended his statement by doing a little Irish jig on the spot, grinning widely. Rarity placed a hand over her mouth, restraining her giggles. “Stop! You’re acting so... Uncouth.” “Lady, you’re looking at the entity of immaturity... Well, Doug’s a bit worse, but I’m the insane one... Next to Ben... Huh. I really ain’t that special.” His shoulders seemed to slump for a second, before he immediately regained his composure. “Ah well, I made you smile, right? That’s good in my books!” “Yes, quite.” She smiled warmly at him, before continuing the conversation. “So, care to teach me any Irish?” “Really?” He asked slightly baffled. “You willingly want to learn my native language?” She nodded as him, her face showing signs of interest. “Well, that’s a first.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You know... You remind me a lot of Derpy.” Remarked Camron, as he took the headphones off her head. “Do I now?” She chuckled, remembering her nickname. “And what was the song that was playing?” “Yeah, yeah. You do. Oh! And that was ‘Out Here’. It’s not a lot of times I meet a blonde, silly, cute girl that has cros- I mean... Googly eyes.” Camron’s flirty smile grew on his face. “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t bother me much hearing it from you.” She sighed, blushing slightly upon being called cute. “Hey hey.” Chuckled Camron as he picked up her chin. “Being different is cool. It’s just how you see it, not others. Unfortunately for me...” He motioned to his clothing and hat. “I let it get to me.” He got up, walked over to his dresser, and opened it. “I mean, shit... I hardly ever wear any of my pony clothes anymore.” He pulled out four shirts, three that had Ditzy on it and one with the Mane 6. “People judge when I do shit like that. I let their words get to me.” He dropped the clothes on the floor and laid on his bed with a grunt. “Don’t say that. I will never judge you. You can wear them whenever you want around me. Right now,” said Ditzy as she got up, “you just need a big huUU-” Debby tripped over a bottle and landed on Camron’s chest. “Hug?” Camron just stared at her with a tear in his eye, completely silent. “Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sor-” “Shut up and hug me!” cooed Camron as he grabbed both her arms and wrapped them around him into a hug. “OH! Okay.” Purred Ditzy as she put her face against his chest. “I feel like I could just sleep here.” “Why not?” Questioned Camron with a wink. “I’m pretty comfortable right here... You’re pretty light.” She chuckled lightly. “Okay then.” She snuggled him some more and started to close her eyes. Suddenly, Doug's voice echoed through the condo. “FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU!” “And there the moment goes.” Camron got up. “Let’s see what’s cooking.” He reached down and pulled her up with one hand. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “And that’s the basic stuff done.” Ryan concluded. He and Rarity had spent most of the evening going over basic grammar and pronunciation of Irish. She had seemed genuinely interested, and was a very fast learner, almost perfecting the Irish accent. They now sat on the ground of his bedroom, much to Rarity’s displeasure, surrounded by his old textbooks. A few empty water bottles were sitting around them, as well as a few Granola bar wrappers. The bin was also nearby, slowly being filled with apple cores. “And as you can see,” he picked up the apple standing on a nearby table, taking one last bite before tossing it into the bin, “I love apples!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ben leaned back in his chair, rolling his bottle of hooch around on the table he was sitting at as he sniffed at the aromas wafting around the room. He wanted go check on Lyra, just to make sure that she was good. Ben knew that she would be angry at waking up with a hangover and an empty stomach. Even if eating did eventually lead to vomiting. Quickly excusing himself from the kitchen, Ben made his way up to his room, planning on taking a step outside to slow everything down for a bit and relax. When he unlocked the mahogany doors, a meaty thunk was met with a slightly open door. “Ow...” Ben took a step onto the balcony to see Kasper and Vinyl curled up in a tight ball. Ben towered over them and cocked an eyebrow. “Uh, guys...?” Kasper jumped up and ran inside of the house, screaming out as he went. “Warmth! I’ve missed you my sweet! Embrace me! My body is ready! Wait... What time is it? Oh shiiii... My boss is gonna kill me! Sorry guys, I won’t be eating tonight. I’ve got an article to finish!” He continuously screamed as he ran in the direction of his room upstairs. Vinyl got up and dusted herself off with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. “Uh... Thanks for that.” Ben watched her as Vinyl made her way off of the balcony, barely suppressing his laughter until the door clicked closed behind him. After a few seconds of just staring at the door, he broke out into hysterics for a few good moments, the laughter almost sounding maniacal as he got to the end. Wiping a tear from his face, Ben leaned on the railing and looked at the serene night sky. He calmed down at just the sheer quiet nature of the outside of the house, and he just stayed there, drinking in the little moment of peace. Deciding that it was time to go check on Lyra, Ben turned around to open the door, only to find that he was suffering the same fate that Kasper and Torrie. Turning and seeing a tall tree just by the side of the balcony, he measured up everything to see if he could make it down his own way. “Looks like this might hurt a little.” Ben ran from the door to the railing of the balcony and jumped clear to the adjacent tree, clinging to the trunk as his own weight made the branch under his feet creak and groan dangerously. Swearing under his breath, he scampered down the tree, jumping between the lower branches with agility. Losing his footing on one of the larger branches, he stumbled and managed to reach out and grab a small branch and pull his foot back onto it. Swearing under his breath again, he shook out his ankle and continued to hop left and right, as he shimmied his way to the bottom. With a hop, he jumped off of the last branch and hit the ground with a thud. Ben patted his shoulders to remove any dust from the tree bark, and knocked on the screen door. Everyone sitting at the table looked up towards the door. “Who could that be at this time of night?” Doug asked curiously. “I got this,” stated Camron as he kicked back his chair and disappeared into the kitchen. He reappeared with a large kitchen knife, and held it behind his back as he walked into the other room. He walked up to the door and asked who it was. “It’s Mr. Sexyback, come to take back his sexy throne.” Said the familiar voice from the other side. Camron jumped a bit from the familiarity, and put his knife down on the desk beside him. “Ben? What are you doing out there, dude?” He said, opening the door with a puzzled face. “Oh, I don’t know. Just felt like freezing my ass off. One of those nights, eh?” He answered re-entering his home. “I feel you. On some days...” Camron paused for a moment. “I just really like milk. Like, I crave the stuff.” Ben facepalmed and left the room without saying a word. “What? Does my breath smell?” Camron huffed into his palm and sniffed it. “No? Whelp.” He returned back into the dining room. Doug was the first to ask the obvious question. “Who was that?” “No one special, just Mr. Sexyback come back to take his sexy throne.” He said taking a seat to finish up his meal. Doug just gawked at him. “What?” Camron just chuckled. “It was Ben.” He mumbled while his mouth was full. “Ben...? One of those nights, then?” Doug said releasing a small sigh. “Yup,” Camron replied and then gulped. “One of them.” While the guys continued to eat their delicious hamburgers, Robin and Debby were just sitting there awkwardly. Rainbow, unable to bear the silence anymore, piped up and asked. “How can you guys eat this? I mean, seriously...” She said, picking up a piece of meat with her fingertips and then dropping it back onto the plate. “What do you mean? It’s sweet, succulent meat!” Doug said, shocked that someone would not like such juicy burgers. “Why would you eat meat...? Honestly... A good apple or carrot would do nicely.” Rainbow said while pushing the plate away from her side of the table. “Well, if you’re a vegetarian, we do have some apples and oranges in the fridge.” Camron said, pointing to the kitchen beside them. Rainbow nodded and rose out of her chair when Ditzy began to get up as well. “I’ll go ahead and grab one too, meat really isn’t appetizing to me.” She followed in pursuit of Rainbow as they disappeared around the corner. Camron stood up, and started to leave the kitchen. “Alright guys, I’m done. I’m heading up to my room. Debby, you coming?” “In a bit. I’m still a little hungry.” “Alright then.” He left, and silence hung over the room for several minutes. “Darn. That really sucks...” Doug said. “I mean, them not eating meat, not Camron going to his room.” “I see nothing wrong with it. It’s their preference, just accept it.” Isaac replied restlessly. “But... It’s a hamburger! What’s not to love about that?” Doug pleaded pointing to his half-eaten hamburger for emphasis. “Some people just don’t like the idea of eating animal meat. It disgusts them.” Isaac said cleaning his mouth with his handkerchief. “NO! TAKE THIS MEAT AND LET IT MELD INTO YOUR FACE AS YOU REALIZE IT IS THE BEST FOOD EVER!” Doug shouted as he threw a spare meat patty directed at Isaac’s face. It slid off slowly, revealing a frustrated Isaac. He picked up the juicy hamburger patty and inserted a large portion of it into his mouth. He then chomped down onto it and gulped it down hungrily. He glared at Doug coldly and said in his famous batman voice, “Delicious...” Doug just sort of shrunk back in his chair and went back to eating his hamburger. At this time, Rainbow and Ditzy returned from the kitchen. “What was all of that shouting about?” Rainbow asked before munching on her newly obtained apple. Doug muttered under his breath, while Isaac simply wiped his face clean with a napkin. Coal simply waved it off and said, “This is common stuff, don’t worry about it.” Rainbow and Ditzy just shrugged and retrieved their seats at the table. “So, Doug...” Isaac started. “You threw meat in my face... And I need a test subject...” “OH BALLS!” Doug darted out of the room, Isaac giving chase. “So, Robin...” Kyle finally spoke up, and made a few people jump. They hadn’t even noticed he was in the room. “You don’t eat meat, huh?” “Yeah...” Rainbow cocked her eyebrow, not sure where he was going with this. Kyle leaned in closer to her, an evil grin growing on his face. “Didn’t know you were such a sissy.” Everyone went silent, and Rainbow looked very angry. Her eyebrow was even twitching. “What did you just say to me...?” “You heard me...” Kyle narrowed his eyes, waiting to hear what she says next. Rainbow was silent for a moment, before she shrugged. “Fuck it. Why not?” She was picking up on Kyle’s... Colorful language. Kyle nodded, and gave her the other cheeseburger on his plate. “Here, I don’t need to eat another. Cheeseburger, with ketchup and mustard.” Rainbow picked it up, and stared at it for a moment. A single bead of sweat ran down her face. She took a small, shaky bite... “That’s GOOD!” She smiled, and started chowing down on it. Kyle crossed his arms, and nodded. “Exactly. Not only do people need meat for protein and stuff, but it’s damn tasty too.” Ben marched into the room at that moment. He’d been listening out in the living room the whole time. “I’m living PROOF that humans need meat. I mean, where else would I get the protein for all these muscles?” Kyle nodded. “And I need it too, otherwise I’d be so skinny I’d be mistaken for a cardboard standee, like that one time in the mall when I was about fourteen... That was hilarious.” Ditzy stared in a mix of awe and horror at Rainbow, who was noisily plowing through her burger. “I... Wow. That’s...” She blinked, her eyes straightening for a few seconds. “That actually looks kinda good...” “You want one too? I’m sure I can’t screw hamburgers up.” Kyle paused for a second. “I hope.” Ditzy started waving her arms. “No! No! I’m fine! Really!” Kyle grinned, and nodded. “Good choice. You’re a smart girl.” “Really?” He nodded again. “Eeyup.” “Hey, that sounded like Big Mac- Oh!” She shut her mouth, and Kyle cocked his eyebrow. “Big Mac...” He started rubbing his chin, interested. “You watch My Little Pony, too? All of you are pegasisters?” His grin turned into a smile. “I really was wrong about all of you! I’ve really gotta start being more trusting...” Ditzy stared at him in confusion for a few seconds before she thought of something to say. “Uh... Yeah! I love that show... I’m just gonna go do something-” “Wait, before you go...” Kyle looked her over quickly. “Dare I ask who your favorite pony is? I think I may know, but I like to make sure of things.” “W-Well...” She shrunk a little bit, before another idea popped into her head. “Ditzy! My favorite pony is Ditzy! You probably guessed that from my clothes...” “Correctamundo. Alright, that’s all I wanted to know-” He was cut off by a loud belch. It was Rainbow, of course. She leaned back in her chair, and patted her stomach. “That was good...” “Sure sounded like it.” Kyle sniffed the air near him, and waved the stench away from his nose. “Whew! That was a good one.” “Oh, hey, Kyle.” Rainbow poked him on the shoulder. “Who’s your favorite pony, anyways? Is it Rainbow Dash?” She had that sly grin on her face that we all know and love. “You got it.” He crossed his arms, and closed his eyes, letting out a content sigh. “She’s everything I wish I could be. Strong, carefree, outgoing...” Rainbow raised her eyebrows. “Hell, if I could ever meet her, she’d probably get me off my lazy ass and get me to work out and get into shape. This heart of mine probably isn’t doing too well with how I take care of myself.” “Damn...” Ben mumbled in the corner, where he’d been standing the entire time. “Damn is right. I wish I weren’t so lazy. I keep telling myself I’ll change, but every day is the same. I wake up, that is if I slept, get on the internet and play games on my computer, do some schoolwork, and hopefully go to sleep...” Kyle started rubbing his temples in frustration. “Aw hell, I’m sorry girls. This conversation’s taken a turn for the worse. It’s my fault.” “Ah, don’t sweat it.” Rainbow slapped Kyle on the back. “Besides, even if you don’t have Rainbow, I bet I could whip you back into shape!” She jumped up from her chair, and stood at attention, wearing a mock-serious face. “Now drop and give me twenty!” Kyle gave her a salute. “Yes, ma’am!” Everybody started laughing at their antics. Ben was laughing like a complete maniac he was. “You know, you really remind me of Rainbow, Robin...” Kyle stopped for a moment, and narrowed his eyes, his head dropping so he could stare at the ground, mumbling under his breath. “Rainbow... Robin... Similar characteristics...” He shook his head. “Naw, no way she thinks she’s Rainbow.” “Uh, Kyle?” Ditzy cocked her eyebrow. “Are you OK?” His head shot up, and he started chuckling at himself. “Nah, just thinking. I’m fine, don’t y’all go worrying about it. Actually...” Kyle checked his watch. “Damn, it’s actually getting a little late. I’m gonna get to work. Robin, are you ready to turn in?” She stretched her arms, and yawned. “Yeah, I’m pretty beat. Are you sure you’re OK with giving me your bed?” Kyle shrugged. “Why the hell not? I don’t use it anyways. Whenever I do sleep, it’s because I passed out in my computer chair. It’s all good.” He slowly got out of his chair, pushing off of his knees, letting out a grunt. “Alright then, we may as well get up there. To the internet!” He marched off in his usual brisk, hurried pace, Rainbow trailing along behind him. Ditzy let out a little yawn. “I think I might go to bed too... Night, Ben.” Coal sat on his chair, arms crossed, as he looked down at the floor. He mumbled loud enough for him and Ben to hear. “My Little Pony... I thought I was done with that.” He left for the front of the house to collect Jackie and take her to his room. Ben sat in the silent room for a bit, pondering Coal’s comment and collecting the few left-behind paper plates as he made his last rounds of turning off the lights and rechecking the doors before heading up to his own room. When he got there, the digital alarm clock on the side table next to the awkwardly-slumbering form of Laura read 11:15. Grumbling about how late they ate, Ben managed to shift his body so that he could sleep on the floor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A flash of cold steel, the warm feeling of family... “You don’t deserve this. None of you do...” The haggard face of a man he once knew and loved, looked up to, set into a mask of rage and hate... “You did this to me. You made me suffer.” A flash of cold steel... The feel of a sharp pain... “So I will make you suffer. By making them suffer...” A pair of glowing red eyes flashed in Ben’s field of vision as he saw nine kitchen knives flying in his direction... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Ba-bump Ba-bump Ba-bump* Ben could hear his heart in his throat as he shot up from where he was sleeping. The clock showed 12:15. “Damn...” Ben cursed under his breath, checking up on the sleeping form of Lyra to make sure he didn’t rouse her from her sleep. Ben didn’t want to tell Laura about ‘that’ yet. Getting up, Ben slumped downstairs and into his part of the basement, where his personal exercise equipment was. Wrapping his hands with cloth, he went over and set two-hundred pounds of weight on each of sides of a barbell. Setting the barbell on a bench press holder, he shimmied under the bar. Beginning to pump the weight up and down, he started to hear the whispers of voices. “You know... It would be... Easier to... End them.” Shrugging them off, Ben focused his mind on the endless repetition of weightlifting. But that only prolonged the inevitable. “You can’t ignore... You know you... Cannot resist.” “DAMMIT!” Ben placed the bar on its receptacle and sat up, thanking the soundproofing that separated the first floor from the basement. “It’s just a bit past 12:15, I can’t take them yet...” “It’s useless. You can’t stop me.” Ben got up and yelled at the blank walls surrounding him. “YOU’RE NOT REAL!” “Now Ben, we both know that I am more real than this friendship you have.” A humanoid shadow that looked to be made out of steam walked out of the far corner. The voice seemed to emanate from it. “You know that what you have is false. Even your subconscious knows it.” Ben glared at the familiar apparition. “You know that every time you do this, you get less control? Every time, I tell this to my friends?” A malicious weezy chuckle slithered into Ben’s ears. “Oh? It doesn’t serve to make you better friends. Quite. The. Opposite. In fact, it makes them hate you more, if possible.” The shadow stalked a bit closer. If it had a mouth, Ben would be able to feel its breath against his skin. “Do you know what they say behind your back? They say you’re a freak. A monster. Something that they have to watch every day just in case you snap, and try to kill them all.” Ben swung his fist at the shadow’s head, but it just warped around his arm. A vein was thumping on his forehead. “That’s not true. You’re not real. You are just my imagination. My sick, twisted imagination.” A wind seemed to pick up around the room, causing Ben’s clothes to dramatically flap in the breeze. “Not real? Am I not real? If I wasn’t real, then how could I do this...?” As those words dripped into Ben’s ears, the wind continued to pick up, forcing him into a corner and pinning him there. , “I would tell you that you could easily end this... But you seem just too stupid to listen to reason.” Ben was pinned in place, all he could do was stare angrily at his tormentor. “You sick bastard. I am you, you twisted piece of shit. You shouldn’t even be here anymore.” Without saying anything, the shadow approached Ben, its appearance not being affected by the powerful winds ripping around the room. It lifted a hand, and touched Ben on the forehead, disappearing at the same time. *Thump-Thump* Ben could feel the blood rush to his head, the vision around his eyes tinted red as a searing pain ripped through his skull. A flash of cold steel, the warm feeling of family, interrupted by a thudding rent of pain. “YOU’RE NOT REAL!” The haggard face of a man he once knew and loved, looked up to, set into a mask of rage and pure hate. “LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!” The creeping feeling of other things inside of the house. “JUST GO! LEAVE!” Staring at his hands and the blood covering them, sorrow wracked his body. The wind picked up to almost hurricane levels, forcing Ben to slowly slide down to the floor. He felt a stabbing pain down on his abdomen. Reaching down, Ben felt something wet and warm, and came up with hands covered in blood. Curling up into the fetal position, Ben rocked back and forth with his eyes screwed shut. He repeated the same thing to himself, endlessly. “You’re not real, you’re not real, you’re not real, you’re not FUCKING real...” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Camron abruptly woke up and coughed a few times. Scratching the back of his head, he shook his head and looked to his right to see Ditzy slowly drooling on his pillow and murmuring in her sleep. With a light chuckle, he moved some of her hair off her face and sighed. “Could have sworn I had heard something...” he mumbled as he pushed himself off his bed. Walking out of his room, he quietly moved corner to corner, checking around carefully. “H-hello? Scootaloo... Scoo... Scootaloo?” After a few moments, not a single sound was made. “M-marco? P-p-polo?” He turned and slowly descended down the stairs, making his way into the workout room. Hearing rough and jagged breathing, he sped up and turned to face the source of the sound. “OH SHIT! GUYS, GUYS, GUYS, GUYS!” Yelled Camron as he ran toward Ben’s idle body.