A Wilting Flower

by Terran34

2. Returning to the Past

I slowly lower the clipboard down on the counter with shaking hands. I rub my eyes, unable to believe the words in front of me. A second look tells me that I'm not seeing things. A short exhale of disbelief leaves my lungs as my heart starts to beat in my chest uncomfortably. I don't understand.

Amaryllis Meryl. Over three thousand years ago, back when humans still existed, she was my only true friend. She was an utterly cold bitch, of course. That's why she and I got along so well back then. The first time I found out she and every other single human were dead, it tore me apart inside, to the point where I nearly hurled myself off a cliff to escape my seemingly bleak future. Now, seeing proof of her death again brings up some of those same feelings.

I hold my head in my hands, trembling slightly. This shouldn't be bothering me. I've always known how she and the rest of the human race died. It shouldn't come as a shock to see proof of her painful demise. Yet even as I repeat that to myself mentally, the pain continues to set in. It's like a crushing, sinking feeling in my chest.

Rainbow knows me well enough to notice my sudden change in mood. She rears up on her hind legs, plants both forehooves on the surface of the desk, and gazes at me worriedly. “What is it? What's it say?” Rainbow demands. She peers at the papers as well, though ultimately it's in vain; she can't read English. “Hey!”

“It's Amaryllis,” I force out. Rainbow's expression changes immediately; she knows full well what Amaryllis meant to me. I show her the clipboard. She can't read it, but I can at least tell her what it is. “This is a sign-in sheet of some sort. Her name is listed on it...except she never made it here. She's listed as being killed.”

“Oh shoot...” Rainbow looks pained. Yeah...this is not something I expected to find today. What were the odds that I'd come across these ruins to find this sheet? Rainbow and I are quiet for a full painstaking minute. She can't think of anything to say to me, and I can't blame her. “Hold on, you said a sign-in sheet, right? What were they signing in for?”

“Well, all these entries are labeled as residents, so if I had to guess, it's a shelter. A lot of people were coming to live here,” I explain, showing Rainbow the large amount of pages. I don't think I need to say what they were hiding from. According to the date on this thing, it's long after I disappeared, but still some time before the human race is snuffed out. Suddenly, it strikes me. “Wait a minute. This date doesn't make sense. Actually none of this makes sense.”

“What doesn't?” Rainbow questions. I set the sheet down and step away from the desk, thinking hard. Rainbow gets down from the table and walks around the side, following me curiously.

“I gathered that the Oppressed didn't overrun my race until eighty years after Sombra left,” I begin, rubbing my chin. “America shouldn't have come under attack until the later half of that time period.”

“What's a Merica?” Rainbow inquires.

“My home country,” I reply offhandedly. I look around at the worn posters and tarnished plaques hanging on the walls. Some of them have dates listed on them, and none of them make sense in the timeline I've constructed in my head. “Still, this is way too soon. How the hell would they have known to make a bunker like this in the middle of an Oppressed invasion? How did they find the time?”

“Maybe it was already built before all those creepy things showed up,” Rainbow suggests. I'm about to prove her wrong on principle, but then I stop. That actually makes sense. Judging from the way this place is built, it wouldn't be that far-fetched of a guess to say that this place already existed, and was re-purposed for refugees. Maybe this was a military stronghold before Sombra arrived.

“Okay, sure. But that still doesn't explain why the Oppressed were in America this soon. Amaryllis shouldn't have lived long enough to see the Oppressed come. She was already thirty when I saw her in 2022,” I continue. “That's another thing. What the hell was Amaryllis doing this far north? She lived down south with me, near where Ponyville is.”

Rainbow blinks. She's doing her best to follow my explanation, but I can tell that she mostly doesn't understand what I'm saying. That's fair; I'm mostly just thinking aloud here. Dammit, I was happy knowing that Amaryllis would have been able to live the rest of her life out in peace. To hear that the Oppressed may have come a lot sooner than I expected...well...her death would have been messy.

I slide down to the floor, sitting against the front of the desk. Too many thoughts and guesses are rushing through my head at once.

“Hey,” Rainbow says, pressing a hoof against my side in what I assume is meant to be a comforting fashion. “Are you okay?”

“No, goddammit,” I curse. I feel like hitting something...but anything I hit will break, no doubt. “I wish we'd never come here. I wish I hadn't found this.”

“I...uh...you knew she was gone, right? Why is this suddenly a problem?” Rainbow asks rather bluntly. A question like that would have made me snap at anypony other than her; she never has been one for tact.

“Because I thought she'd have died peacefully...of natural causes,” I explain to her. That's what I was hoping for, back when I left them in the past. “Now I've found out that she might have been killed by the Oppressed...and possibly become one. I think I could have lived without knowing this.”

“Yeah...that does sound pretty bad. Sorry. I just thought we'd go exploring.” Rainbow looks as though she feels genuinely bad for encouraging our exploration down here.

“Stop that. I was just as interested as you were,” I point out irritably. I sigh and shake my head.“It's just...this doesn't seem real. What were the chances that I'd find this place?”

“Slim to none,” Rainbow supplies helpfully, earning a bitter chuckle from me. When I fall silent again, Rainbow starts to explore the rest of the room, nearing the far end of the room where the metal detectors and exits are.

Part of me is absolutely cursing this place and myself for coming here. It makes me want to just get up and fly as far away as I can. However...seeing Amaryllis' name on that list has opened up so many questions to which I just don't have answers. I don't think I could handle leaving with all this on my mind.

Rainbow sits there awkwardly, looking around the room and shuffling her hooves on the ground. I have to hide a smirk despite myself. Rainbow is trying to be considerate and not push me too hard, but she simply can't sit still for too long.

I heave a sigh and get to my feet, dusting off my rear. “Alright, let's look around a bit more, I guess.” I'm sure that's what she really wants to be doing.

Sure enough, Rainbow lights up. “Really? Awesome!” she exclaims happily. She then realizes that she should still be acting considerate. She coughs awkwardly and hastily rephrases her exclamation. “I mean...you're sure?”

“Quit that. You're not that good at it,” I tell her wryly, lightly pressing a finger against her head. Then, I start heading for the metal detectors. There's only one way forward from here, and that's through the check-in area to the rest of the bunker.

“Hey, at least I'm better than you!” she shoots back. Confusion furrows her brow a second later. “Wait, what are we talking about?”

“Just come on.”

Together, Rainbow and I pass beneath one of the metal detectors and through the door on the other side. On the other side is an odd rounded hallway that wouldn't look out of place in a futuristic setting. It's completely devoid of all light, so I orient my flashlight on the path ahead.

I cast the light over the area, revealing that the walls are made of the same material as the bunker door, and the floor consists of a thick metal grate covering a system of wires. A quick look tells me the wires run the length of the hallway and feed into the walls and other offshoot corridors. It's certain that this place is definitely made to be practical, rather than to look good.

“Wow, this place is awesome. It looks so much cooler than your school did,” Rainbow expresses, pushing past me to get a better look. She puts her muzzle to the floor to look through the grate. “What are these, wires?”

“Slow down. The bunker isn't going anywhere,” I remark wryly. She ignores me and starts to press forward, so I reach out and grab her tail to keep her from going too far.

“Gah, quit! You're like Applejack; she does this all the time!” Rainbow complains, tugging against my grip. Despite her annoyance, she does slow down and take things at my pace. I think she knows that she can learn more if she sticks with me. I'm not an expert on any of this stuff, but I know a hell of a lot more than her.

But honestly, that's all secondary to me right now. It's a long shot, but I'm hoping to find out more about what happened to Amaryllis here. I don't know why I never thought about any of this before, but I'm suddenly starting to get curious about what went on after I disappeared, back in 2014. I never really asked, so nobody really said anything. I was assumed dead for eight years...it couldn't have been easy for them. It certainly wasn't for me.

But Amaryllis...she said she met Sombra. More than ever, I wish I knew what happened.

---

Approximately 3000 Years Ago

It was a chilly autumn day for the student populace of Rainier University. As it was nearing the weekend, the campus grounds were alive with student activity as they all prepared for their upcoming tests.

The science building stood tall on top of the hill, casting a shadow on the crowded sidewalk below. This particular building held the majority of the math and science classes for the university, and as such always had a considerable throng of students moving to and from their classes within.

Two particular students stood out from the rest, in that the other students gave them a respectable berth. In a college like this, such consideration was unheard of, as everyone was usually only interested in their own agendas and rarely made room for others. Those who didn't move out of their way fast enough were bumped aside, as the two students did not seem interested in being polite.

One of the two was a well built girl, whose most defining feature was her long and glimmering crimson hair that she let flow freely down her back. In addition to that, it was hard to miss the defined muscles rippling through her arms and legs. It was clear from her physical appearance that she took strength and fitness very seriously, which was unusual for a girl.

Her gaze was fixed straight ahead of her, though on occasion she would glance at her companion. While her ice blue eyes were usually fierce and unwavering, it would be easy to see how they softened whenever she gazed upon her companion. However, no one would ever comment on this, in fear of impending death.

Her name was Amaryllis Meryl. She knew full well how she was viewed; she was considered a temperamental fiery bitch, or even an ice queen if one was feeling dramatic. She always spent her time working out or reading books, and anyone that interrupted her received the full force of her irritation.

Her companion was a lanky male with a rounded, somewhat effeminate face and shoulder length black hair. His typical expression was always an annoyed scowl, though it currently seemed almost cheerful at the moment. Everyone knew that he talked more to his female companion than anyone else, though his temper was also well known, and as such it was never mentioned.

His name was Seth Rogers, a man who was viewed as a quiet version of Amaryllis. He was known to be bitter, sarcastic, and standoffish, but only when one attempted to get to know him or inconvenienced him in some way. Unlike Amaryllis, he didn't go out of his way to show his irritation. Soon after he arrived, he too ended up with a reputation among the relatively small community.

The two of them climb the stairs to the science building together in a comfortable silence. Their friendship was as unlikely as a cold day in hell, but despite all odds, they were comfortable with one another...and only with one another.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Amaryllis and Seth faced one another in front of the science building. Seth appeared regretful now that their time was at an end...a sentiment that Amaryllis shared. She already thought she didn't see him enough, so every time she parted from him tended to leave her moody for a while afterward.

“I guess I'll see you later,” Seth told her regretfully, putting his hands in his pockets as he usually did. Amaryllis let her gaze trace over his smooth and unblemished face, and once again she could feel her spirits dropping. It would likely be a few days before they both had the time to see each other again.

An idea came to her mind and remained there. She wondered how Seth would react if she were to try showing him any affection at all. She knew how she was viewed, and despite how tough she liked to consider herself, she always felt nervous and uncertain whenever she thought to act upon her feelings. She hated that feeling, but she couldn't help herself. Seth was special to her.

“...to hell with it,” Amaryllis muttered under her breath. After a moment of hesitation, she stepped forward and slipped her arms beneath Seth's, her hands snaking up his back and clinging to his shoulders. She stood close to him and rested her head on his chest...and had to try not to chuckle; she could already hear his heartbeat quickening.

Seth is understandably shocked. He doesn't even react for a painstaking second, causing Amaryllis to worry if she had been too bold after all. Finally, he attempts to reciprocate, but she can feel how awkward and tense he is. Amaryllis thought with some amusement that Seth probably had thought she was going to attack him or something.

Finally, Seth responds. “What's this? Is Amaryllis getting sentimental? I hope you're not getting soft on me,” he comments with a devilish grin. Amaryllis huffs and promptly shoves Seth away towards the wall. She steps back and glares at him for a moment. She didn't know what she expected.

“Oh, you are such an asshole,” she complained. Even though it had been unlikely, she'd hoped for something more tender from him. But no, Seth had to be his usual oblivious self.

“Yeah, hello? Have you met me?” Seth remarks, waving a hand in front of her face. Amaryllis rolls her eyes and gives a scoff, turning away from him and moving to rejoin the stream of students heading the other way.

“Just go to class already so I can be rid of you,” she shoots back, not even looking at him again. She wasn't that angry. Seth frustrated her so much sometimes, but she still cared about him. To let him know she wasn't mad, she raised a hand and gave him a small wave without looking back.

With that, Amaryllis returned the way she came, walking down the staircase and leaving Seth behind. After that, she soon lost interest in everything else except where she was going next. She had class for the rest of the evening and she wasn't looking forward to it.

Retracing her steps, Amaryllis put some distance between herself and the science building, heading instead to the business building. Unlike Seth, she was focusing more on a business and mathematics related major. But, like Seth, she hated every second of it. Her interests laid in reading and fighting, neither of which would get her a decent job.

Upon entering her classroom, Amaryllis took her usual seat near the right wall of the room. She always liked the feeling of sitting against a wall, and as such she sat in a similar position in all of her classes.

This particular class took place in a smaller room because of its specialized nature, so there wasn't a lot of room for people to sit. That being said, it was very telling when the seats immediately next to Amaryllis were left empty. Not that she minded. She actually preferred the extra space.

The professor soon entered the room and class began. Amaryllis' attention was soon taken up by textbooks and notes. As she said before to Seth, the lecture was just as important as the book.

All in all, the day continued as normal for her. Amaryllis went on autopilot, hardly thinking as she took notes and drank from the water bottle she carried around in her bag. This particular class wasn't that hard for her, as it was mostly simple theory memorization and application rather than hard number crunching.

Even when the class ended, Amaryllis didn't have time to catch her breath. Her next one came right after this one, and lasted longer than a typical class. She hefted her bag over her shoulder and gritted her teeth, mentally cursing the rigor of her schedule. Thankfully, this was her last class of the day; she'd be able to go home and get some exercise in before it got too late.

It took her completely by surprise when her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Someone was calling her. She had just sat down and the professor was already setting up the slides for that day's lecture, indicating that class was about to begin. This sudden call was an unwelcome interruption.

Her annoyance melted away into curiosity when she glanced at her phone and saw that Seth was the one calling her. That was odd. Seth knew she was in class right now, so he should know not to bother her.

Amaryllis glanced between the still ringing phone and the professor, weighing her options in her mind. She didn't like to skip out on class, but Seth never called her during class. There was a high chance that this was somewhat important.

“Goddammit,” Amaryllis cursed under her breath. Mentally glad that he hadn't yet unpacked her bags, she stood up and left the room. She could just come back to class later after hearing what Seth had to say. She was going to shred him if this was over something stupid.

She made her way out into the hall and to the nearest bathroom, where she'd have a better degree of privacy than in the hall. She locked herself in a stall and answered the call at last, bringing the phone up to her ear.

“Seth, you do know I'm in class right now, right?” Amaryllis addressed her friend without waiting for him to speak. No doubt he would be able to hear a little irritation in her voice.“I literally went to the bathroom to talk to you.”

After she was finished, she could hear that Seth was breathing a little faster than normal. When Seth answered, his voice sounded frantic, almost frightened. There was no trace of his usual bitter sarcasm. “Yeah...yeah I do...sorry...” Seth stammered on the other end of the line. Amaryllis' irritation immediately faded away, to be replaced with concern.

“What happened? You don't usually call me sounding like a troubled toddler,” Amaryllis questioned. Her words were joking, but her tone was serious. She was worried now; Seth never sounded like this.

“I have no idea what just fucking happened. I...I don't know what to think,” Seth admits to her, sounding no better than before.

Amaryllis lowered the toilet seat and sat down, figuring that she'd be here for a while. Right now, class was secondary compared to the needs of her closest and only friend. “Okay. Calm down and start from the beginning,” she replied calmly and patiently. She did know one thing about Seth, and that was that he tended to act irrationally when faced with a situation he couldn't understand. He couldn't handle difficult situations like she could.

Seth takes her advice and breathes deeply several times until he's calm enough to speak clearly. “Okay. You're never going to believe this...”

Amaryllis listens carefully as Seth begins his tale, not knowing what to expect. When Seth starts to describe a strange man that he met in the stairwell, she starts to get a little incredulous. She trusted him, of course, but he was talking about a guy wearing heavy armor and exhibiting titanic strength, like something out of one those animes he was always watching. Nevertheless, she withheld her judgment until Seth was finished.

In full, Seth met the man in the stairwell and ran into him, which apparently angered the man enough to take it out on Seth. However, according to Seth, the man spoke in Early Modern English, which was basically Shakespearean English to her. Not only that, but he possessed enough strength to render Seth completely helpless.

“Seth, I'm not gonna lie, but this all sounds a little fantastic,” Amaryllis had to say to him once he finished his retelling of the event. She wasn't sure if she believed all of it, but Seth never was the kind to make up complete bullshit to get her attention. If this all really happened, then she couldn't just sit in class and let him deal with it on his own. He was practically a woman in how emotional he could get. “But I've known you long enough to know you wouldn't make up bullshit like this. I'm cutting class now. Can you meet me in front of the science building?”

“Hell yes. I'm done with this whole situation. I'll meet you outside in...” Seth suddenly cuts off on the other line, his voice starting to waver. She heard the sound of flesh hitting metal, as if he was clenching the railing to steady himself. “...Whoa...”

“Seth? What is it? What's the problem?” She demanded sharply. Seth doesn't respond at first, causing her to get seriously worried. She stands up, ready to run to him if need be.

“I feel...really weird...” Seth manages to get out, but Amaryllis could tell that he was having trouble even speaking. Immediately, she grabbed her bag once more and stormed out of the bathroom, on her way to the science building.

Her concern turned to urgency when she heard a heavy thud, and then a clattering so loud she had to distance her phone from her ear. That sounded an awful lot like he fall and dropped his phone, suggesting that whatever damage he had taken from that strange man had been greater than he'd said.

“Seth! What's going on? Are you there?” Amaryllis demanded as she moved briskly through the halls. Her raised voice and the urgency in her tone earned her several curious looks from the other students, but she paid no attention to them. “Shit, hang on, I'm coming!”

Amaryllis closed the phone and broke into a run, flying out the front door of the building and swiftly descending the stairs that led back to street level. It was quite the distance to the science building, but she didn't care. All that was on her mind right now was getting to Seth and making sure he was safe.

Ignoring the attention she garnered from moving so fast, Amaryllis sprinted across the wide parking lot that separated the main road from the rest of campus. Not even checking for the bus that usually stopped here, she stormed across the street and into the walkway just in front of the science building.

The moment her foot touched the sidewalk, a strange feeling came over her, causing her to shiver violently. It was almost as if the very atmosphere had turned to ice around her. Each breath she took stung her nostrils, and every hair on the back of her neck stood up ramrod straight. Something was wrong.

Even the other students around her could feel it. As she approached the stairway that led up to the science building's entrance, she could see other students shivering and hastily getting as far away from the area as possible. Others just seemed physically unable to move, and another was vomiting behind a bush, unable to take the feeling in the air.

The icy air felt as if it were physically pressing down on her, making it hard to breath. She didn't know why, but she felt as if something evil was nearby, overwhelming her every sense. “What the fuck is going on here?” She gritted out, pushing forward.

She came to a complete stop when several students bolted from the entrance of the science building, running down the stairs as if hell itself was chasing them. Soon after that, a tall man emerged, casting a shadow upon the sidewalk below. Amaryllis could immediately tell that the source of the wrongness in the air must be coming from him.

Her heart felt as if it leaped right into her throat when the strange man locked eyes with her. The first thing she noticed were his vivid red eyes that looked too real to be any kind of special lens. She noticed that the strange man matched Seth's description perfectly, from the ashen gray skin and the heavily armored muscular body, to the crown on his head holding back his wild, snarled mane.

Amaryllis wasn't one to be scared of another person, but something made her take a step back. She found it extremely hard to bear the intense gaze of the tall man. She even thought she saw something akin to curiosity in his vile red eyes.

The man slowly descended the stairs, his thick red cape trailing down behind him. With every step, his heavy armor clanked against the concrete, echoing throughout the area ominously. When he finally reached her level, Amaryllis found her voice again.

“Okay, buddy. I don't know what your deal is, but you're in the way,” Amaryllis snapped at him boldly. She cursed herself for saying something so silly, but in the face of this dark imposing man, the words just weren't coming to her.

The man didn't seem perturbed by her angry tone at all. In fact, he had quite the opposite reaction. His lips curled into an amused smile, revealing viciously pointed teeth. He calmly approached Amaryllis, causing her to take another step back.

His strides outpaced hers, and it was long before he stood before her. The man towered over her, which was saying something considering her own considerable height. He was so close that Amaryllis could smell him: a warm and almost bestial musk.

Amaryllis stood frozen, unable to think of anything to do. Her every instinct told her to fight, but she physically couldn't bring herself to move. It felt as if the very air was pressing down around her like a heavy blanket.

She flinched as the man briefly laid a gauntleted hand on her shoulder. That one touch felt unbearably heavy to her. “Not this time,” the man finally uttered, his voice a deep and rich bass. He then removed his hand and continued past her, his cape sweeping past her legs. “Thou hast no longer any use to me.”

Without another word, the man continued down the second set of stairs and turned left at the street, walking out of sight. The oppressive feeling in the air disappeared with him, and everything was as it used to be.

“I...what?” Amaryllis finally managed to find her voice again. Around her, other students that had been similarly immobilized were finding themselves again, whispering anxiously to one another and quickly vacating the area. “What the hell...?”

“Hey...um...Amaryllis?” a male student approached her bravely, a rare occurrence due to her reputation. Amaryllis gave him her attention briefly, even though she was in a hurry. “What did he mean, 'not this time?'”

“Hell if I know. Your guess is as good as mine,” she responded, her usual rudeness gone in the face of the current situation. Seth was waiting for her. She couldn't linger here any longer. She gazed at the student intensely. “Call campus police. I don't care that he hasn't done anything; that man is a threat.”

“O-Okay. What about you?” the student returns, caving before her authoritative tone. By that point, Amaryllis was already moving, accelerating to a run once again.

“I'm going to find my friend,” she asserted firmly.

Inside the science building, it didn't seem like anyone noticed anything at all. Life was continuing as normal inside, with students moving in and out of the different classrooms, or studying at one of the various tables. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Amaryllis cut through the study area and headed directly for the stairwell that Seth mentioned. She just hoped she wasn't too late.

She stormed into the stairwell and climbed to the foyer where Seth said he'd be...and then she stopped cold. There was nothing there. There was no sign of Seth anywhere, even though she knew she heard him collapsing over the phone. Perhaps someone already called campus police and helped him?

There was only one way to find out. She stood against the back of the stairwell and took out her phone, dialing Seth again. As she held the phone to her ear, she couldn't help but notice that the air around her smelled strange, as if someone had burnt something here.

The phone rang once before the sound cut out, to be replaced with an error message. Amaryllis brought the phone in front of her incredulously. “What do you mean, the number's out of service? Bullshit it's out of service!” she cursed at the phone. That was impossible. She was just on the phone with him a few minutes ago. There was no way the number could be out of service unless it just suddenly ceased to exist or something else just as ridiculous.

She called Seth again and again, only to get the same error message each time. “Fucking hell! Okay, next plan,” Amaryllis tried campus police second, following up on her earlier thought. They picked up almost instantly, thankfully enough.

“Campus police,” the woman on the other side answered formally. Amaryllis sighed with relief.

“Hey, has anyone called in about a collapsed student in a stairwell?” she asked fervently, hoping more than anything that the answer would be yes.

“One moment.” If the woman was confused by Amaryllis' irregular question, her voice didn't show it. Amaryllis could hear the woman saying something indistinctly on the other end of the line for a few seconds. When she returned...it wasn't with good news. “We have received no calls of that kind. Is there some other way I can...”

“Dammit!” Amaryllis hung up the phone and frantically tried to come up with some other plan. Seth was here not too long ago. She was sure of it. If no one called in about his sudden collapse, then...did someone else move him, or did he get up and move on his own? The former seemed more likely to her; Seth wouldn't just call her like that and then not try to meet up with her.

Amaryllis stormed up the stairs to the second level, hoping that she'd find a witness of some sort. She grabbed the arm of the first person she saw, which happened to be a dark skinned man on his way towards the stairwell himself.

“You. Did you see Seth come up here? It's important,” Amaryllis interrogated him without giving him a chance to react first.

The man didn't seem perturbed by the abrupt way he was stopped. Instead, he seemed delighted that he had the chance to talk to someone. “Nah, I ain’t seen him since class. Did you know I had last class with him? He don't do much other than sit there and look huffy, but he does good work. Did you know I had to work with him on...” the man immediately began talking, though none of it was helpful whatsoever.

“Yeah, that's great; I don't give a damn,” Amaryllis cut him off rudely and released him, heading for another student instead. This time, the student saw her coming, recognized her, and stopped once he realized she was heading for him. She repeated her question to him, and this time she got a more useful response.

“Yes, actually. I heard him shouting in the stairwell, but he told me to, and I quote 'fuck off,' when I asked him if he needed help,” the student, whom she recognized as a fellow math major, Brian, revealed to her. That was slightly more useful; it definitely sounded like something Seth would say. While Amaryllis usually agreed with the way Seth handled himself, she inwardly cursed him for not accepting the help. That would have made this a whole lot easier on her.

“Did he leave the stairwell? Where is he now?” Amaryllis shot off two more questions at him in response. She was getting more and more frantic the more time she wasted asking these people.

“I don't...Amaryllis, are you alright? You're not usually like...” Brian started to ask her, but Amaryllis wasn't having any of it.

“Just answer the goddamn question,” she snapped at him. Brian cut off, looking affronted by her rudeness. She sighed in frustration. “Please.”

“Uh...okay. Sorry, but I don't know. I don't think I saw him heading back out onto this floor. He might have gone out below. Did you check that way?” Brian answers. He still looked confused, but he appeared to have realized that it must be important.

“I came from there. Dammit!” Amaryllis cursed. That didn't tell her anything. In fact, it confused her even more. If Seth didn't come to the second floor, and she didn't see him coming in, then where did he go? It wasn't like he could have just vanished.

“Though, I did see a guy running out of there like his tail was on fire,” Brian continues. Amaryllis looks up at that. It wasn't Seth, but that guy might know something about him...or at least whatever happened in that stairwell. Brian turns and points towards the end of the hall. “Brown hair, wears a red and yellow bag. If you're quick, you might catch him.”

Amaryllis doesn't even take the time to thank him. The moment she had another lead, she takes off in the direction Brian indicated. The strap of her bag was starting to dig into her shoulders painfully, but she wasn't about to leave it somewhere. She was extremely grateful for her own physical fitness; she could keep up this pace for a while.

She headed towards the other end of the hall, where there was another staircase similar to the one she just came up through. When she entered the stairwell, she realized she didn't know whether the fleeing student had gone up or down. She took a guess and headed down, figuring that if the guy was running, he would try and get out of the building.

When Amaryllis reached the ground floor, she stepped out and looked down the hall to her right. Seeing nothing that fit Brian's description, she looked to her left, where the upper exit to the building was. Sure enough, she spotted a student wearing a red and yellow bag moving briskly towards a car in the parking lot outside.

“Hey!” Amaryllis called out as she left the building, speeding up in order to catch up to the student before he reached his car. Just as he was opening the front door of the car, she caught up with him. Her sudden appearance caused the student to jump in shock. He definitely hadn't expected her of all people to approach him. “You saw something in the science building's stairwell, didn't you?”

“W-What? Uh...what are you...?” The student appeared to be having trouble finding his words. Amaryllis had no patience for that right now. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was running out of time.

“Did I fucking stutter? Tell me about the man you saw!” She demanded. The student gulped and nodded, bending before her confrontational approach.

The student's eyes widened. Amaryllis could tell he knew exactly what she was talking about.“You mean the scary one? God, he was like...I can't even explain it. Everything around him felt like it froze, if that makes any sense,” the student started slowly at first, but as he started talking, he grew more confident. Amaryllis nodded. That definitely sounded like the armored man she saw. “He was talking to Seth...it actually looked like Seth was hurt, cuz he was lying on the ground.”

“Then what happened?”

“The tall man, he...he just looked at me, and...you're gonna think I'm crazy...I felt like I was suffocating. I didn't stick around after that,” the student finished. He watched Amaryllis for a reaction uncertainly.

Amaryllis had to restrain herself from shouting out her frustration. Everything she'd tried so far had just ended up with her hitting a dead end. Ever since Seth called her, he seemingly disappeared from the face of the planet. Nobody had seen him, nobody had called in anything...she was starting to panic.

She suddenly came to a realization. Without another word, Amaryllis turned and broke into a sprint back into the building, ignoring the student calling after her in confusion. So far, out of everything she'd heard, there was only one common element. That tall intimidating man...he had to be the cause of Seth's supposed disappearance.

If she could just find him, then she'd have all the answers she needed.

Author's Note:

Yeah, sorry this one took so long. Between the holidays and the new semester starting, I didn't even start on this one until the beginning of January. Then, it took me even longer because I still wasn't quite sure how to continue this one. I didn't know if I should jump right into Amaryllis's story, or even how to structure it. It took me forever to decide whether I wanted to do first person present or third person past for Amaryllis. In the end, I decided on the latter, as I felt that it would get too confusing to switch POVs all the time.

This one is mostly a retelling of the first chapter of Tales of the Oppressed, except from Amaryllis's point of view. Likely after this I'm going to do some summarizings and such until we really get to the meat of this story.

A Wilting Flower isn't going to be anywhere near as long as Tales of the Oppressed, however. Honestly, I'll be surprised if this hits 100,000 words.

Thanks to Schadenponi for editing. Unlike I previously thought, he returned and is good to edit for a while longer. Thank you for all of those who messaged me asking to help. I couldn't get to all of you, but I did notice and appreciate your enthusiasm.

Anyway, don't forget to leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Comments

[Ominous Enigma]

Damn. I'm glad this is back. I could literally FEEL the oppressiveness in the air, as if I was in the campus itself. Great job, Terran! Can't wait for the next chapter!

[mylaptop]

Welcome back!!!!!

[JarheadHME]

YES! I'm so excited that this series is back! I LOVE IT!

Right now, I can't really think of a way to imagine Sombra (no fault of your own, you're providing everything I need, I'm just having issues actually making the mental image), so right now I'm kinda trying to make it like Demise from LoZ:SS but with dark hair and red eyes.

Anyways, again, I'm so fucking happy that this is back. It's my favorite story series right now!

[LightningFlare]

I enjoyed the entirety of the tales of the oppressed greatly, I just hope this turns out just as good. great so far, can't wait for this to continue.

[Liam White]

Heart pounding the entire chapter.

On a minor note, lots of lingering subject-verb and tense agreement issues threw me off at times.

[gemmaster22]

Go figure i find this right after ranting and begging for a sequel... But... I still don't want to finish the first part.... yet... I hate endings...

[TwiAmeliaSparkle]

took me long enough to finally get to read the chapter! holy cow! i cant wait to see whats next!

[Stjonal]

It is almost painfull to read this, knowing what heartships are comming. Im reading on.

[Hairy Rainbowish Thingy]

Staring to read this, i just know my feels will go on a big rollercoaster. Shit is about to go wild and sad, i am sure of it

[Hairy Rainbowish Thingy]

She noticed that the strange man matched Seth's description perfectly, from the ashen gray skin and the heavily armored muscular body, to the crown on his head holding back his wild, snarled mane.

I see you got used to call 'Hair' a 'Mane' but i don't think she would call it that way tho ;0