***
In The Past...
***
Strike shivered as his lower lip quivered with fear, his eyes unable to be averted from the knife held in his hand, the polished blade shining with the light of the room.
The room didn't house much apart from a few old boxes of varying sizes and an old lamp that illuminated the room in a dim light.
He was all alone in the room, the only thing being heard other than the silence was his shallow breathing, each slow breath becoming seemingly slower as he thought about what he was going to do.
Knife tight in hoof, he slowly lowered the knife as sweat began to drip slowly from his forehead, cold beads that fell from his face and impacted with the floor, creating wet spoltches.
The blade lightly touched Strike's chest, becoming more forceful as his grip tightened and began to ache.
He clenched his eyes shut as a sharp pain was felt on his lower chest, causing him to release the knife from his hand. A spec of blood trickled down his body, landing on the floor with a 'plop' that broke the silence.
The rusty metal door to the room opened and Strike heard his name being called by the all too familiar voice of Whipper, a rather muscular brute who lead the gang that Strike was a part of.
''Hey, Strike, hurry it up, we've been looking all over for you! C'mon, we're off on a raid!'' His voice made the room vibrate, his deep voice making a twitch run down the length of Strike's spine.
''Y-Yeah, I'll be there in a moment.''
Remedy
Whipper's gang sat at a table at a bar, his accomplices, Midnight, Torcher and Slash at his sides, all as menacing or even more so than Whipper himself, especially Torcher.
Across from them sat Strike and his new girlfriend, Remedy. This was the first time they had ever met Remedy, only hearing about her occasionally from Strike. She was a beautiful Mare - a beautiful, well looked after slender body with glamorous features and soft looking, orange and dark orange contrasting hair with light yellow eyes that glistened with life.
Not much was being said and the silence of the moment made Strike's nerves itch under the stare of his collegues, Remedy even more so.
Whipper had his eye on her most of the time, his next words being unpredicted as to what they may be. Strike took hint on the muscular, brute leader looking her over and it only ushered him to keep quiet.
Midnight and Slash didn't say anything besides take a few swigs of their whiskey and let the awkward silence carry on.
As if the moment couldn't get any more awkward, Strike felt the hoof of Remedy gently squeeze on his own and Strike could tell that she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
Without saying a thing, Whipper got up from his seat, pulling his shades over his eyes and marched out of the door, causing both Ryan and Remedy to flinch, his three accomplices soon taking after him.
Looking over to Remedy, Strike could see how rattled she was.
''Y-You okay?'' Strike asked, his own voice a little shaken. Remedy slowly turned her head, a small frown upon her lips. She didn't respond and Ryan didn't really blame her for that. Whipper can be quite terrifying and intimidating at times, enough so that Srike thought something like this might have happened when he invited them to meet her. ''I'm...I'm sorry about that, Remedy. Whipper can be like that sometimes.''
''No, it's okay, I've seen his type before.'' She turned her head away for a moment before she got up from her seat, Strike also getting to his feet. ''Let's just get out of here.''
***
Present Day
***
Strike? Rainbow Strike? Was I Rainbow Strike anymore? No. No, I wasn't. Rainbow Strike died along with my heart, the one thing that made me me. Remedy was gone, murdered by those who once were the closest thing to a family I had. She was murdered because of me.
Was our relationship a mistake? Another scar to add? Love and meaning is what our relationship gave me, but it left me with a broken heart, the other half shattered to pieces, the pain being the substitute.
I had only myself to blame. This all happened because of me.
Now I'm back home, my place here just being a shadow, almost as if I wasn't meant to be back. I was avoided like I was the Grim Reaper, everyone's eyes filled with pure fear at the sight of me.
Even my own sister.
Rainbow Dash assured me she did have love in her heart for me but it is now clear that she doesn't. To her, I'm now nothing. It was like whenever she looked at me, she could only see the ghost of the good that used to be within me.
Could I blame her? No, I couldn't.
Everyone who used to know me as a child cast me asside like a pebble under their feet. I don't belong here anymore, there is no place for me now that my old life has disappeared.
Walking through town, I hear some ponies bicker about me, whispering words of discrimination and negative comments. They would turn their heads when I looked over, ignoring me. Rainbow Dash does the same whenever I try to talk to her, pushing me aside.
No matter how much I try to make conversation, she casts me away. Again, I tried and she looked away before taking to the skies in a blast, vanishing from sight, leaving me with a hanging head and tears.
Backs were turned upon me even on the hardest of times.
There is no place for me without Remedy or family.
This is my last strike.
-BMJ