//------------------------------// // Ch-1: Letting Go // Story: Hearts As Strong As Chaos // by JasminePosey //------------------------------// "Maria?" a voice said, a deep, soothing voice that was calling for her, beckoning her from her sleep. Her eyes opened a bit as a warm hand rubbed against her arm slowly. Although her vision was blurred, she was able to make out the vague silhouette of her father, who was kneeling over. His rough but gentle hand rubbed her arm soothingly as he murmured her name again. She struggled against the fatigue, her eyes cutting from the shadow of her father to the red blinking lights of the digital clock -- 7:45 AM. "Why is it so early?" Maria managed. It wasn't a school day; this Friday marked the end of the 2nd Quarter of the school year, also marking the end of the 1st Semester. Front Range High School had decided that a 4-Day weekend was just what the students needed to replenish their minds. As a student, that was never the case, as they normally came back lazy and adverse to learning. But who could say no to almost a week of no school? "Your Mom and I wanted to take advantage of the free day that you had. We've decided to make this day a bit more special for you." He smiled down at her with a sort of childish excitement. She looked at him in a tired confusion. His smile faded slightly. "Maria, don't you remember what today is?" Maria shook her head. He stepped back and gestured to her phone. Propping herself up on one elbow, she took it up and turned the screen on, hissing as the bright light burned her sore eyes. But she was still able to read the date on the home screen: December 10 - Friday "My birthday," she muttered, setting her phone down again. Maria's dad frowned as she laid back down on her side. "Yeah...it's your 18th birthday." he said, his tone dimming. There was a blank emotion in her eyes, one he found troubling, and hard to understand. He didn't know what exactly took place that night, but he knew that something big happened to her -- Maria had changed. The girl that was said to be responsible for the incident, Beatrice Dean, said that it was an accident. And, when Maria came to, they decided that charges were not going to be pressed against the young lady. She did; however, receive punishment from the school, on accounts of numerous bullying accounts she took part in. Beatrice was given seven weeks of in-school suspension, and a temporary restraining order was put on her. She wasn't allowed to be within 20 feet of Maria as she recovered, a sentence that would last well into the 3rd Quarter. He was relieved at this, although he was a bit disappointed. Maria had never came to him about having a bully of any sorts. There was that one time when someone said something about a dress she wore, but that was years ago when she was still trying to get used to her new body and the teenage world. It was at this moment that he was really worried. Here it was, his baby girl was finally an adult, and she bore no resemblance to the former happy girl she was before. He thought back to her first moments of coming too, the clean white bandages wrapped around her head. She panicked, and it took several nurses to calm her down, as well as him tenderly patting her head as she sobbed. She never fully explained why, but what he gathered was that during her coma she had a realistic dream, one that took place over a considerable amount of time. She mentioned a name -- Discord, he thought it was, and said that she had married him, finding a happiness she never knew existed. They couldn't push for much more information, since as more time passed, her energy levels had begun to sink at an alarming rate. The doctor said that it happens often, when a patient has been under so long, the drugs make them hallucinate while they are under. The effects should wear off after a couple months as they began to reestablish themselves into reality. If her depression persisted, they were advised to take her to a therapist. But as of now, they had assured him that it was still too soon for her to recover. Still, as a father, he was worried. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Alright, Maria. You should get dressed, we've a lot to do today." Maria nodded sullenly, sitting up finally, starting to get out of bed. Her father nodded to himself, kissing the top of her head. "We'll meet you downstairs," he said before leaving her room. Maria sat on the edge of her bed, hugging herself; not just for warmth from the cold chill that seeped through the walls of her bedroom , but to try to conjure up the warm feeling she had in her dream, and to comfort herself from being drawn from it. It started to come back to her: She was with Discord again, sitting on the floor of the living room with their children in their laps, sleeping peacefully. Laid out together, nothing could have made the scene any better; the warm fireplace, his arms draped over her shoulder, and her head resting against his. His familiar aroma filled her nose, and the softness of his coat, mixed with his natural body heat, made her blissfully happy. Screwball snored lightly, curled up against her mother. The twins were curled up with each other in their father's lap, with Random's hoof resting atop Chaos's head while they slept. Discord kissed her cheek, whispering sweet words of his love to her, making her blush and giggle softly. A soft lion paw came up to gently caress her cheek... She sniffed, wiping away tears that bubbled to the surface. The scene was all too familiar, and the fading warmth around her was a cold reminder that it wasn't real. It brought her sadness back. Forcing tears back, Maria willed herself to get up and to dress herself. When she later came downstairs, she was dressed in casual jeans, and a dark sweater. Her hair was braided down her back, falling in a neat line down her spine. Her parents were sitting at the table quietly, wisps of steam from their cups of tea swirling around their hands. Their voices were low murmurs, and occasionally one of them would sip at their drinks. Her mother jumped when she looked over to see Maria standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "Maria! I didn't hear you come down sweetie!" she said, standing, scooting her chair back as Maria went to sit at the table as well. "How'd you sleep, honey?" "I slept alright," Maria said, seating herself. Her hands folded in her lap and she slouched a bit as she stared down at the table. Her fingers rubbed against the soft fabric of her jeans as she waited, otherwise, her body was almost completely still. Her mother was on her feet afterward, making a beeline for the fridge. As her back turned, her gentle smile merged into worry -- she too, could see her daughter fading from them. The lively little girl they knew before the accident was gone, hidden under the shell Maria encased herself in. And all because of a simple dream? She shook her head, not able to even consider it. It had to be something else, it just had to be. She knelt down and pulled a little cake from the top shelf of the fridge, then shut the door with her arm as she stood. Maria hadn't looked up yet, even when the cake was set down in front of her. When she did look up, her eyes fixed on the cake immediately. The cake itself was a creamy white, with purple and white frosting swirled on top. Her mind wandered back to a long-lost memory of her imaginary life; Maria was given young Screwball a bath for the first time. Her mane was still short, but there was enough purple and white there for her to run her fingers through. The mother draconequus knelt by the small tub, keeping the young filly upright with her magic, while she rubbed soap in her little one's mane. Screwball giggled and splashed about, getting Maria's fur wet in some spots. But she simply shrugged it off as she played with her daughter's hair. In her own amusement, she swirled the dual-colored locks into a swirl, the suds in her hair making the formation stand for a little bit. Screwy babbled her baby talk, splashing again and chewing on a squeaky toy shaped like an orange with frog legs. Maria made bubbles appear in the water, making her daughter squeal in delight as she tried to pop all the small bubbles. Her mother grinned as she watched her play, still swirling her mane around her hair with the bubbles. Maria was brought back from the flashback by a hand on her shoulder. She realized her vision had gotten blurry, and she wiped her eyes, pulling her hand back to see that her fingers were wet. "Are you alright honey? Do you not like the cake?" her mother asked, slightly disappointed. "No," she said quickly, wiping the rest of the tears away, sniffing. She forced a smile. "I love it. It's very pretty, and you know that purple is my favorite color." Although unconvinced, Maria's Mom simply shrugged it off in that moment and nodded, smiling a little herself. "Okay Maria." "Can I eat it later when we get back home, though? I don't really feel hungry right now." Maria said. Hesitantly, her parents glanced at each other, then nodded, and Maria pushed the plate from her. * * * The day had been quite eventful so far already. Maria's parents had activities planned for the whole of the day, most of which required Maria to be blindfolded so as not to spoil the surprise. As a family, they went to the zoo, saw a movie, and sat in the spa a bit. Each activity had brought back memories for her; the zoo reminded her of Fluttershy and her little petting zoo in her cottage, the action-based movie plot made her think of Rainbow Dash, and the relatively short spa trip between her and her mother reminded her of the morning she spent with Rarity and Fluttershy before her first Gala, and her second meeting with Discord -- the same incident that used to fuel her anger against him, was now one of the most cherished of her memories. Now, they sat in a diner, Maria with an unfinished plate of fries in front of her, and her parents looking upon her with worry as she stared emotionless out the window. The only thing to bring her out of her stare was the cry of a young baby in the restaurant. "Maria, what is going on?" her Dad finally spoke up. She didn't move. "I've already told you. You don't understand." "You had a dream while you were unconscious, Maria. That makes no sense." he replied. "It does when it feels like I've lived half my life." she finally pulled her gaze from the window, focusing her emerald eyes towards him. "Please explain." her mother almost begged. "I could explain it to you guys a million times, and you still wouldn't understand. I lived in Equestria for about 8 years; I was married, and I was truly happy. I had three beautiful children. My life wasn't pathetic anymore, and I had nobody telling me that I should do this, or do that, and everyone more or less accepted me. I experienced true friendship, and I found my true love. It was too real to be a dream. I woke up every morning in my husband's arms, I hugged my best friends almost everyday, and I took care of my babies. For once Dad, I felt needed. Important. I wasn't treated like I am here." She felt tears pool in the corners of her eyes as she spoke. She hastily wiped them away, brushing some of her hair from her face. "You don't understand what I'm going through. You don't know what it's like, Mom, Dad, to be truly happy for once in your life, to have everything you ever wanted; just to have it taken from you. To have to accept the fact that...it wasn't real." Her voice cracked. The tears came more easily now. Wordlessly, Maria stood from the table and rushed outside, her face wet with salty tears. The cold December wind blew on her face, making it feel like ice. But she hardly noticed; she was overcome with the emotions that flooded through her. The hard sobs she'd struggled to hold back shook her body. She buried her face into the sleeves of her thin jacket and cried. She'd said it aloud. It wasn't real. She had finally managed to say the cold hard truth that was staring her in the face. Her dream wasn't real. She had finally admitted it to herself, and that was the most difficult thing she had ever said. Her chest felt like it was being squeezed, like a huge hand was suffocating her on the inside. She jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around. She looked up to see her mother's gently face creased with worry. For a moment, Maria saw how much her Mom had aged. She looked older, even though she was only in her late thirties. The two girls embraced tightly, and Maria cried in her arms. After she had managed to calm herself, her parents took her back to the car, not even bothering to blindfold her. They didn't need to, as she was soon asleep during the car ride. When she woke up, the sky was a bit darker, and they had just parked in front of some sort of neighborhood with conjoined houses. Confused, she looked at her parents, who had gotten out. Her mother opened her door and helped her out. "What are we doing here?" she asked. "It's one of your surprises." she said with a little smile. "We've been planning this for a while now. Follow your father." Maria was still confused when she walked up behind her father, who was unlocking the door to one of the joined houses. There was black metallic 36 on the creamy white door. The door was opened and they all stepped in. It had basic furnishing, and an upstairs that poked at Maria's curiosity. She looked around, then to her parents. "What is this?" she asked them. "Your independence." her father said, placing the keys in her hand. She was speechless, yet her fingers still curled tightly around the keys. "Since you're legally an adult now, we decided that you needed your own space. Besides, you're graduating this year. It's about time you gained a bit more responsibility." Maria felt herself smile a little as she approached both her parents, hugging them. "There's my little girl's smile." Her Dad said softly with delight. * * * They said they had one more surprise for her. Maria was once again blindfolded, although it had already gotten dark with the oncoming evening. But she complied, feeling a small tingle of excitement in her stomach for the first time in a long time. She fingered the key to her new place, of which her parents has taken the liberty of providing a few week's worth of food and already parked her Dad's old car in the driveway for her. It had taken Maria a while to get back fully into her life, and it seemed that many things had slipped her mind; she still couldn't believe that she was 18, for one. And she had forgotten that she was one semester away from graduating. This new change of mood bewildered her a bit. It seemed that as she forced herself to face the facts, she was able to try to move on from those memories, though they would still remain very dear to her. Finally, she felt the car park, and her parents get out. Her door was opened and her mother's hand helped her out. The blindfold had yet to be removed yet, so she was lead blindly to their destination. Her ears pulsed with the silence that ensued, and she fought the urge to take the cloth off over her eyes. "Alright, we're here." The darkness was removed from her eyes, and she blinked at the bright light that enveloped her vision. "Happy Birthday Maria!" Maria jumped at the sudden surprise. Most of her classmates and old family friends were gathered in a what looked like a karaoke bar. A large banner was hung over the stage, screaming her name in sparkly purple letters. Friends and family alike gathered around her, their voices jumbling together. She struggled to pick out a particular voice, but felt a warmness stir in her chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone else enter the building, a handsome figure, that made her look twice due to the familiarness of him. He didn't meet her eyes, but instead began speaking with her parents. Her attention was pulled away by one of their neighbors, a stout little woman with curly black hair atop her head and glasses on the edge of her round nose, of whom began to pull her towards the stage. They wanted her to sing the first song. Maria was quick to resist, but under the overwhelming presence of the crowd, she decided to give in and humor them. She flipped through the song book, weary that all eyes were on her. The silence soon became a bit too much, and she felt her face go hot quickly. Then, she spotted the song. The song that she had sung so often, so long ago, it felt like it was just as real as her past life. Without a second thought, she chose the song, and listened as the familiar melody washed over her. She began to sing; Lyrics omitted due to copyright. Read A/N Her eyes began to blur with the tears as more memories had stabbed through her heart. She kept her emotions down until the last verse, when the group began to applaud her. Maria failed to notice their calls for an encore as she placed the mic down and turned offstage, making her way through the crowd. Her Mom tried to stop her, but Maria assured her that she was simply getting some air, and that she'd be back in. "Alright, Maria. But be back soon, we're going to cut your cake in a few." Maria mustered a smile and nodded, heading outside. A few more people stopped her along the way, along with the handsome stranger. By that time, someone had chosen a slower song to sing, and wasn't half bad at it. "So you're Maria," he greeted her, flashing her a grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you." There was something familiar about this man, Maria couldn't help but note. The way his blue eyes twinkled in the soft lights of the stage made her breath hitch a bit. "It's nice to meet you too. B-but if you'll excuse me, I really need to go outside for a bit." she managed, pulling her gaze away from his. "Of course. Save me a dance?" he asked her as she turned to leave. "Maybe," she said over her shoulder as she hurried outside. The door shut behind her and she breathed a sigh of relief as she pressed her back against the backside of the building. Her heart thudded heavily in her chest. Something about that guy... Maria shook her head, rubbing her face. A tiredness snuck up on her, and she suddenly felt drowsy as the whole day began to take its toll on her. The mood changes throughout the day had wore her down, little by little. For a moment, she considered going around to the front entrance and going back in and sitting with her family, instead of being cold and tired outside. She remembered her coat that had been taken off of her and had been misplaced somewhere in the building. "Well, hello Miss Firestone." a voice called out to her. Maria looked around, alert with alarm. There was another guy there, about her age, or maybe a few years older, leaning back against the wall. Half of him was covered by shadows of the neighboring building. "Who are you?" she asks, slowly backing up away from him. Her phone and everything was left in her jacket in the building. "And why'd you call me Firestone?" "Oh that's right. You're referred to as 'Mohar', aren't you?" he sighed. "It's too bad you couldn't have had a different last name, what with you marrying that creature." "What are you talking about?" she demanded. "You don't remember me?" he asks, facing me. "I thought that after all the fun little things we've done together, you'd remember me. Or, perhaps you'd like to remember what your darling little husband did to me instead? Not the most honorable death, but very memorable, I can imagine." Her brain felt like it was stuck, trying to process this information. Nobody else was there during her dream. So how could this guy know these details? Unless... "S-Silver?!" she choked out. She gasped; he had come upon her with such an incredible speed that she hadn't fully had time to process that he was standing over her until right before the back of her head hit the wall. Everything went dark after that.