Frankie's Tale

by BronyGuy

Chapter 4

Pat pat pat

Went Frankie’s bare feet as they carried themselves in front of one another— constantly following the monotonous rhythm of the treadmill belt’s winding.

Pat pat pat

The sound echoing off the pure white walls, void of anything but malice and something that of robotic… no… inhumane nature.

Pat pat pat

Nothing mattered at this point.
Time was undetermined.
Existence irrelevant.
Comprehension meaningless.

All that mattered was running, breathing, and keeping away from that line.
Oh how he hated that line. A small bar, to which provided nothing but agony if he dared to cross it, hung ever so gently— like a welcoming yet poisoned slice of cake, or— or a sweetly scented toxic gas. It practically begged him to come closer, to let go of everything and become a victim to its betrayal.

And he fell for that sickening bar five times.

Five times he felt the sensation of pure pain shoot through his back.
Five times he gave up his attempt to keep on, to push forward and strive to live.
Five times he failed.

Now, as he found himself in that same situation, he felt something else along with him. It wasn’t necessarily a feeling of… well… a feeling, but something of a being sitting close to him. Keeping an eye out for his failures, to then come swooping downward and help him in his time of need. It was a nice feeling. He knew it was a very simple— almost childish— way to put it, but while running for an even two hours he had other things on his mind.

Oh how he hated running.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

“Oh my.” Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin, worriedly staring at Frankie’s form as he twitched and sweat out a cold sweat, his long thin arms flayed across the soft cushions of the sofa, and his limber body resting— though a little off— on top of the couch. She watched his jet-black hair and tanned skin rise and fall with every breath, or move upward as the air pushed the hair up and fall as the air subsided. His breathing became more and more abrupt, almost like what she’d seen when watching other ponies train for contests. In fact she’d seen something like this when little fillies’ nightmares occurred— sending them into a state of what looked like panic. Her eyes went wide at the revelation.

So he— erm, uh she— no wait….

…What was this thing?

Oh, stop right there! Don’t call… whatever this is a thing!

So she corrected herself. What was this creature? Fluttershy knew a few techniques that were a little more… comfortable when she looked for the gender to an animal. But the problem was simple: As far as she knew— This wasn’t a bear. This wasn’t an eagle. And this most certainly wasn’t a pony!
She took a breath to wash away that thought, Let’s… let’s just leave that question in the air for now. Her mind went back to the thought of this animal having a dream. She’d seen Applejack’s dog have dreams before, so maybe this was related to dogs? No, that couldn’t make any sense because there’s no tail. Maybe something of a chimpanzee? That would explain the missing tail, but this being was too big to be a chimp! Perhaps a gorilla?
A gorilla seemed to fit the profile of it better, but even then it was a shot in the dark— nothing but a simple guess! “Oh…” she sat down after flutter-pacing in a circle, and let her tired wings rest, “I guess… I guess I could ask Twilight if she knows.”
Suddenly Frankie groaned slightly, tossing and turning on the small sized sofa. His sweating rate looked as if it increased, and he looked more scared than ever. His light-blue eyes flashed open, quickly searching the room in haste. He grew a bit calmer knowing he wasn’t… there anymore.
What the hell was that, anyways? So called ‘helpful tests’ his ass— those seemed like tortures more than anything! But that didn’t matter, he wasn’t in that place and he most certainly wasn’t around any bars.

So much for hospitality, eh?
What’s that suppose to mean?
Nothing… but the way it looks… I’d say that yellow pony rescued you.
Rescued by a pony… from ponies…. yeah makes total sense.

Frankie’s attention switched to Fluttershy who was awkwardly staring at him trying not to be afraid. It was clearly in vain, as he was easily able to see her shaking like a winter leaf with scared eyes.

“…” He opened his mouth, but remembered his ordeal. Well… his smallest ordeal anyways.

“Uh….” She squeaked, beginning to show signs of hiding into her long mane. “Is… is there something you want?” It was barely a whisper, causing Frankie to look confused. Fluttershy took a deep breath, “I said… is there something you want?” That was a little better— still a bit quieter than she’d wanted— but it got the job done.
Frankie made an “Oohh… right” kind of face and nodded his head. He looked to the ground, pondering on his actions of communication.

We could try to write something…
…Yeah like what? “Hello, my name is Frankie, what is yours?”
….
You’re kidding me—
Well it would be nice to introduce yourself.
Intro—…. Introduce myself? Dude… WE’RE IN A CARTOON.
Hey I’m just trying to he—
You know, for the logical part of my mind you’re not very logical sometimes.
Well what would you do?
…Hand gestures?

Yes… that seemed fitting enough. He tapped his index finger to his own chin, wondering how to convey ‘thirsty’ using hands. Oh! An idea dawned on him, and he cupped his hand and made a motion with it by raising it to his open mouth. Fluttershy was startled at first; quickly hiding behind the chair she sat in, but soon popped back up realizing what he was getting at.

“You… you want something to drink?”

He nodded.

Holy Celestia, it… it understands me! “Um… ok, just wait here please and I’ll…”

Oh this was so awkward…

Frankie returned the comment with a nod, and sat back down on the couch, studying the cozy feeling that the cottage evoked.

Tick tock. Tick tock

Frankie’s head turned a little to the sound of the clock.

Tick tock. Tick pat

He jumped up a little at that. Had he just heard what… what he thought he heard? Frankie sat quietly, listening to the sound…

Tick pat. pat.

His eyes grew wide, as he remembered the sound. Suddenly his mind was racing and he could hear… could smell the dank testing room and that evil treadmill.

Pat pat pat

He cocked his head to the left.

Pat pat pat pat

He jerked to the right, feeling sweat begin to perk through pores.

Pat pat patpatpatpatpat

Frankie pressed his hands to his ears in a weak attempt to ward off the hideous noise, scrunching his eyes and silently pleading for the horrendous noise to stop…

Pat pat pa— ticktick tickticktick

Frankie snapped back to reality to find a freighted yellow horse holding a shivering cup of water in her mouth. He tried to apologies, but remembered he lost his voice, leaving his jaw hanging open.

Well…. that was certainly something else.
Yes, just make sure to keep cool if we ever get another wave like that.
Oh, now I remember why you’re my logical side. Will do.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dr. Sunrise walked along the sterile hallways, enjoying the time flying by and the quiet corridors that accompanied him. But the one thing that really got him going was the thought of finding an entirely new species in Equestria! He daydreamed of the riches he’d receive for his findings, and the fame and glory his peers would undoubtedly give him. All this thinking certainly made him smile a nice big smile.

Not a righteous one, but definitely something of happiness.

He continued his walk back towards the testing chamber where he kept his little soon-to-be bit-maker, letting his thoughts run a bit on the more intimate side when he released this specimen’s bio-log. Because, c’mon, who doesn’t want to bang a scientist that just discovered something nopony has ever seen before? An image of all those mares just begging him to let loose, sent a small ecstatic shiver down his spine. And a little lower, too.

He reached the right wing of the complex, and levitated his ring of keys into a field of vie—.

Where are his keys? His eyes blankly stared at the empty keychain that usually held the dangling pieces of steel, yet today held no such thing.

Oh no… oh nohohoho this is BAD!

He frantically looked through his lab jacket, eying the pockets and the one big slip that always carried something of his. However, to his trepidation he found nothing of the sort. Sunrise tried back tracking. Ok, so maybe he left them in the bathroom? He used to do that a lot when he was young, and sometimes has his moments at this day and age. But that couldn’t make any sense; he’d double-checked the locker room’s toilets before he went out! Maybe he left them in his day clothes? Wait, that was a stupid thought, how could he get work keys to his regular clothes when there is a metal detector in the employee entrance?! His eyes grew a bit wider since, and his sweating increased a bit as well.

Ok, ok, don’t panic, maybe I can just ask the receptionist for—

Well that can’t work out… nopony knows he is harboring a new creature! And he can’t just tell every living thing out there that there’s a new animal— ponies may get the wrong ideas and try to pin the findings for themselves! Oh crap, what was he going to do about this? He looked up from his white cotton clothing and saw one single door left ajar. His pupils contracted.

That was the specimen’s door…

Oh no, this is getting worse and worse. What in Celestia was he going to do about this now?! Tell the other scientists about the missing… thing? Or just let it run ramped and die out in the Everfree? He didn’t have a clue as to what the first action to take would be. Should he tell everyone about it and let the city take care of it on it’s own? Well… that did sound easy… and it did sound doable. With a silent nod to himself he left the wing and walked out into the night, where he would head straight to the authorities.

Well… the mares will still love somepony who stopped a ‘ravaging monster’ from destroying the town just as well…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

“Alrighty class it’s time to pass up your homework!” Cheerilee said with a delighted smile as her students sat down and began yet another day at school. She looked at Sliver Hooves with a small grin, “That means you, too, Silver. I don’t want to write you up again!”

“Hey, don’t worry, I got this taken care of!” He wore a confident smirk, pulling out his drawing of the class and hoofing it to the filly in front of him. Oh how exciting it was to finally finish a homework assignment, and show off his talent to Cheerilee! He couldn’t help but shine in the classroom as the morning wore on. Soon, it was time to share with everypony their wonderful drawings, and by now Silver Hooves was practically bouncing out of his chair with anticipation. He’d worked all night on this one, you know… since this was his first time actually completing an assignment; he’d even stayed passed his bedtime to give the design some touch-ups and stuff! All that time put into this creation was nothing to compare, however, to the look on Sweetie Belle’s face when she’d see it. Silver could imagine it all playing out so well: he’d go up, show his presentation, and watch as the love of his life stares at it with her mouth agape. The spectacle that is Silver Hooves’ masterpiece would sweep across the nation, and everypony would come and pay millions just to think about looking at it! He noticed a distant sound and realized it was Ms. Cheerilee speaking to him.

“Silver? Silver, are you listening?” She looked at him with a worried expression on her face.

He snapped out of his daydream. “Uh… yeah, yes I am!”

She went back to her smile, “Good, I’d like for you to come up here and show us your special drawing for the class!” She gestured with a hoof to the rows of fillies and colts quietly seated in their desks. He did as she said, happily trotting up to the front of the room, and presenting his art for his peers to see. With an overdramatic flap, then paper opened up showing his artwork for his fellow peers to gaze upon!

He didn’t exactly get the reactions he’d hoped for.

The first to speak up out of the dead silence that filled the air, as the students sucked in his image they were shown, was none other than Diamond Tiara. Now, don’t get him wrong, he liked other ponies. Ponies his age? Cool. Ponies older than him? A little meaner, but still cool. Grand ponies? Well he’d always get candies from his grandpa, so definitely cool! But Diamond Tiara was the exception to his ways. He didn’t like her one bit. Not because she had a rich life— or because she had some other soul to hang out with while he had no one, but because she always felt the need to make fun of everything; even ponies that didn’t have as good of a life as her. She pretty much made up the exact template for “rich snob” down to excruciating detail.

“Uck! What is that, Silver?” Tiara said making a sour face and sticking her tongue out.

His cheeks grew bright read and sweat started to poke through his fur. “Uh… well… you see there’s this new animal we found in the Everfree Forest.” He looked down at the ground to avoid embarrassing eye contact. “And… well… this is my drawing of what it looks like.” He awkwardly displayed the picture back up into everypony’s view while showing a timid smile. “You see… erm… these are, like, little hooves on top of a bigger hoof. There are five of these littler hooves and they soft of squirm around and grab things.”

A filly raised her hoof, and was called upon by Cheerilee. “So, wait, wouldn’t those be claws? Like on a dragon?”

The filly’s question about his drawing sort of gave him a bit of courage.

Hey… if she asked a question… that means she’s into the drawing. They like it, sweet!

He puffed out his chest a bit more, feeling his old, confident, self return. “Well I’m glad you asked that! The answer is no, you see these little hooves aren’t made of scales; in fact the animal, entirely, isn’t made of scales. It’s, like, all squishy and stuff.” He prodded his chin with a hoof, “Like… like a shaved dog, or something.”

The class oooh’d and aaaah’d at the new information, it seemed like this wasn’t a failure after all!

Of course, she had to ruin it all. Tiara looked around the room, eyeing each foal, “I bet you’re just making this stuff up.” She crossed her hooves to her chest, “nothing but mare’s tales!” the faces of those around her soft of grew quiet and took her words into consideration. Who knew, maybe Silver was just making this stuff up.

“Hey, why don’t you give me a chance at least and co—”

“Now, now!” Cheerilee spoke against Silver obviously trying to stop this situation from escalating. “I think it’s a lovely drawing of… eh… what is it?”

Silver looked down at his own drawing with a concentrated face. What was this? He had helped find this animal… but Mr. Sunrise didn’t give it a name yet. Well… it’s not like this was his first time being on the spot; thanks to her.

“It’s… uh… w-why it’s none other than a…”

Think, colt, think!

“A…” his jaw lay open as he contemplated for a name to give it.

Humus? Nah, that won’t do. Marman? That sounds like a weird spread soooo, no! Hu… man? Hu-man. Human. Huh… hey that can work!

“Well miss Cheerilee,” he held up his picture to her, “This is none other than a hu-man!”

The crowd echoed this new word and followed with another round of astonished noises.

“Whoooooaaa, a human? That’s awesome!” one colt yelled.

“What is it like? Can you pet it?” another filly asked.

Soon the classroom was abuzz with excitement, and who wouldn’t be when your own classmate discovered a new creature? After a few seconds foal after foal was practically in line to get an answer from Silver Hooves.

“Now, now, everypony settle down! We still have a lot to get done today!” Cheerilee said over the noise. Soon the fillies and colts had quieted down, letting Silver Hooves finally take his seat.

“Now,” Cheerilee drew an equation on the board, “Can anyone tell me what eight divided by two equals?”

Comments

[Ambassador_Derpius]

Yay new chapter.

[King John]

Whoa, this cool, good work

[hiddenisbeastmo]

MOAR