The Scar

by FriendlyTwo3

Something's Wrong Here

Chapter 4.5:
Something’s Wrong Here

With a quiet grunt, you heave the heavy metal bar upwards. It seems that in the past ten months, you had grown a tad flabby in the arms from hardly moving. As stated before, Chrysalis’s hunger spell kept you alive. You didn’t lose a single pound, but it certainly felt like the contrary. In fact, when you weighed yourself when you got home yesterday, you had gained a few pounds. Back in the royal guard, you could lift seventy pounds with ease. Now it’s a strain to lift fifty-five.

When you and Derpy parted ways yesterday, she told you she’d tell her boss about you. The post office had apparently been looking for a new Earth pony for a while now. The local farmer Big Macintosh was asked to help out, but he simply had too much work to attend to.

A stinging bead of sweat rolls slowly into your right eye. Now completely blinded, you let out an inaudible squeal. You sit up after you place the dumbbell on the rack above you and rub your eye. After the pain goes away and reopening your eye becomes possible again, you jerk your head to the right. The sounds of popping bones become audible, and your neck and upper spine suddenly become a whole lot more flexible. With a sigh, you lie back down and lift the weighted bar. As you grit your teeth and lower the bar to your chest, you start to think again. But this time, you think of something a little more comforting than Cloudburst or job interviews.

Children waiting for the day they feel good,
Happy Birthday.
Happy Birthday…

And I feel the way that every child should.
Sit and listen.
Sit and listen…

Went to school and I was very nervous.
No one knew me.
No one knew me…

Hello, Teacher, tell me, what’s my lesson?
Look right through me.
Look right through me…

“Hey.”

The voice snaps you out of your thoughts. Huh. You really do space out a lot. Setting the dumbbell on the rack, you sit up and look at the stallion talking to you. You see that it’s the manager of the gym. “Closin’ time, bub.” With a slightly confused expression, you look up at the clock. 6:00. Whoa, wasn’t it 5:30, like, five minutes ago? As the passage of time becomes more and more real to you, your muscles start to ache more and more.

Later…

You stare up at the white ceiling. The two rice bags on your arms have grown cold and your arms are about to fall off. In your absence from time, your body subconsciously pumped iron for you. How your muscles aren’t shredded down to your bones is still unknown to you. The sound of the heater fills the house.

“Wake up.”

“…”

“I said WAKE UP, maggot!”

“GAH!”

“There. All better. How's your back, sweetie?”

“…”

“Oh, whatever. Now, let’s start the day. We’re going to the market in a bit.”

“…”

“C’mon, wake up, lazy-face. Hoo… My, it’s stuffy in here.”

“Nng…” The room fills with light suddenly and a cool breeze flows in. Your stone bed feels much softer. And suddenly, you realize you’ve woken up. Opening your eyes ever so slightly, you see Cloudburst at your window, staring out into the town. Slowly, she speaks your name and looks back at you. You ask what’s wrong.

“You bastard.”

“Excuse me?” You are now awake in full. Did Cloudburst just call you a bastard?

“I just found THIS in your study!” she exclaims, waving a pink sheet of paper in front of your face. You sit up and take the sheet, which you see is your invitation to Armor and Cadence’s wedding. Reading a smaller print under the giant cursive heading, you see that the invitee may bring up to and not exceeding three guests.

Huh. Never saw that before.

“You never thought to tell me about this?” she exclaims with the slightest hint of a smirk.

“I was going to. I just completely forgot about it,” you say, sliding the covers off and standing up. Suddenly, Cloudburst starts to cough. It sounds like one of your coughs. Her hacking fit lasts a full two and a half minutes before she settles down. Your hand on her back, you ask her if she’s alright.

“Yeah,” she says in a gravelly voice, “I’ve… I’ve been getting signs of a cold for a while now.” She clears her throat and sniffles. You ask her if she’s sure. She responds with ‘Of course.’ All you can do is stare at her. Now that you think about it, her fur is rather matted as of late. Of course, that could just be due to all the recent life stresses. With a tiny smile that looks to be forced, she pats your broad chest a couple times and walks a few steps away. “You’re lucky the wedding is three months away and not too soon for me not to prepare. Otherwise you’d be in a LOT of trouble,” she says, nearly growling. She bares her teeth to you in a sinister smile, and it seems she’s sprouted a pair of fangs. With a sheepish smirk, you nod. Her smile becomes less frightening, but still intimidating nonetheless. She walks out of the room, but not before telling you to take a shower. You raise your arm and sniff your pit.

Oh… She ain’t kidding.

Later…

Most stallions your age wouldn’t have to do this. Most stallions your age wouldn’t have to carry their cousin’s bags for them. Most stallions don’t have Cloudburst as a cousin. Honestly, if she could shop any more than she does, she’d give the tailor a run for her money. Literally. Three overstuffed bags in one hand, a variety of blankets and pillows in the other. Oh well. A little heavy lifting never hurt anyone.

Well, except you. Yesterday.

Cloudburst continues to ramble to herself whilst checking her list over and over, a short cough worming its way into her speech a few times. A cold can’t be the only thing making her cough. You’ve seen her sick. Her coughs aren’t like yours. She has little petite coughs, even when nearly-deathly ill a few years ago. Her coughing was quiet. But now she’s barking and hacking as bad as you do. Not just in your room a few hours ago, but in the living room, the bathroom, and on the walk here to the marketplace. Something’s up.

A loud crash sounds out behind you. Jumping a foot and spinning around, you see what caused the crash. Someone- a Pegasus- has flown headfirst into a blue mailbox. Only her legs are sticking out.

That fur color is familiar. So is that of the hair on her tail.

“Derpy?” Your acquaintance worms her way out of the box and stands up straight. She adjusts her mailbag and waves to the crowd.

“Sorry!” she exclaims with a sheepish grin, a slight blush on her face. The passersby nod, some smile and chuckle, others give a little wave. They’re not asking if she’s alright?! She just flew (and pretty quickly to put a dent in the firm metal box) headfirst into a mailbox! She could have serious mental trauma! A concussion! She can’t be just fine!

“Derpy! Are you okay?!” you shout, stopping in front of her. She turns around and her expression switches a full 180. She looks absolutely mortified.

“O-Oh! It’s you! I… I didn’t expect to see you in town…ever… Y-You didn’t see that… did you?”

“I didn’t see it, but I heard it. It was only a few feet away. Are you… alright?” you ask, looking down at her torso and arms, checking for any signs of harm.

“I’m fine…” she says with an intense blush on her face. “Oh, this is so embarrassing!”

Didn’t she just dismiss it to an entire crowd of people? Why is it embarrassing that you saw it?

“Er… Seriously, though. No headaches? Distorted vision? Ringing in the ears?” you ask, nodding toward the slight bump on her head.

“Not at all. Wow… You… really care, don’t you?” she asks you, her hands now behind her back.

“I tend to care about people who just smashed headfirst into a big metal box, yes. How are you just passing this off as nothing?”

She lets out a long sigh. “I… Oh! Look at the time! Gotta deliver the mail! See ya later!” And with that she flies off.

She wasn’t wearing a watch.

Author's Note:

Now to focus all efforts on this story.

Comments

[DismantledAccount]

Now to focus all efforts on this story.

All efforts you say? I approve.

[InvaderZatt14]

More chapters I demand IT! because its such agreat story!

[russiancupcake]

More please.

[Scarlet Wonder]

This story is so good! More chapters please!

[thezambieman]

Johnny cash - hurt. Check it out, I think it fits for this. Great work. MOAR

[Bad Babs Seed]

So its been what 6 months since a chapter? Hopefully he releases a lot at once or they're longer instead of just 1000 words.

[amiamera]

Is this story dead?

[Seri]

4934991

Hmmmm....

It has only been around 20 weeks since it was last updated, give it until a year has passed to call it dead.

[Pickle Tickler]

5530920 I'm glad I decided to read the comments first, now I know to hold off on reading this. At least, until I know it isn't dead.

[MineLittleDashie]

The feels and the love. Please update at some point

[Big Brain Boi]

Oh for fucls sake. I was supposed to be asleep already but I wanted to read this. Now I find out its dead. Great, and Im tired now.

[Creepa-Bot Inc]

7694818
What a coincidence.
Same here.

[Pyre 1301]

Please tell me this isn't dead

[SomewhatRandomUser]

So basically what this story is saying is that the royal guard failed to provide basic therapy to help treat severe PTSD and also failed to compensate for serious work injuries using independence as an excuse to throw him out. He needs to get a lawyer