Chapter 2 - To Help (R)
I was half blinded by my tears as I sprinted down the dark, gloomy hallway. My only goal was escaping the horrific scene behind me. There was no time to stop or think. I heard the door burst open behind me and the thumping footsteps of the pursuing monsters. The end of the hall was fast approaching and I knew there was no time to turn and open the fire door.
There was no hesitation as I jumped into the air and wrapped my arms around my face. Vbeep. I hit the window and felt pain flare across my body as the window shattered around me. I tumbled through the air in a cloud of glass shards. Vbeep. Vbeep.
I tumbled through the air out of control . . . VBEEP. VBEEP. VBEEP.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
I rolled over and slammed my hand down on the aggravating alarm clock that was flashing five o’clock in the morning. I was bathed in a cold sweat and my heart was beating a mile a minute. I took several deep, gasping breaths to try and slow my heart rate while I stared at the ceiling. I knew in my mind it was just another nightmare but they always felt so horribly real. Now came the hardest part of my day, convincing myself to get up. Sounds easy right? Not so much when half your mind seems determined to give up.
Come on, I just have to get up.
So you can get the tar beat out of you?
At least the bullies don’t use guns or knives.
Not yet anyhow.
I could try hiding in the library.
You’re getting too predictable. They’ll catch you.
Maybe we’ll see Fluttershy.
Hah! Rainbow Dash will beat your face in if you go even close.
I guess I’m getting up for Mom then.
. . .
I swung my feet over the edge of the bed just as the six o’clock alarm went off on my phone. I had fallen asleep several times during my attempts to coax myself out of bed so I had extra alarms as insurance. Still, just getting up was a significant challenge even with my morning routine waiting. I quickly replaced my pajama pants with a pair of sweats and made my way down to the kitchen. I started the timer on my coffee maker and walked to the back door where my choices were waiting. Hanging on the wall inside the door was a small collection of martial weapons, including a long sword, a rapier, and a six-foot staff.
I selected the rapier and walked out into the cool morning air. I set an egg timer for thirty minutes and left it on the porch before walking out to the grass. My backyard was more of a meadow than a lawn. The dew coated grass was slick and cold under my bare feet. It had grown knee-high from a summer of neglect but there were flattened trails left behind by weeks of similar routines. The sky was fading from black into purple as the sun slowly rose. I let out the breath I had been holding as a cool breeze flowed across the bare skin of my chest.
Focus. This is how you’ve started your day for years.
I dropped into a combat stance, holding the rapier en guard. The breeze washed over me again as I breathed in the cool morning air then slowly exhaled a cloud of warm vapor. I began to traverse the field, moving the sword and my feet quickly but with a careful and deliberate tempo. This was practice, not a battle so each step was careful and deliberate. The name of each move drifted through my mind as I floated across the grass.
. . . Prima Guard, Imbroccata, Finta, Seconda Guard, Squalembrato . . .
My mind quieted and for a time the worries about life faded away. It was just me and the sword floating slowly step by step through the tall grass in the field under the rising sun. The exertion of the practice warmed me up and I felt a moment of peace from the routine motions learned during a happier time. All too soon I heard the sound of the timer going off. Practice time had ended and it was time to return to reality. I lowered my weapon and walked back into the house.
Why waste your time on useless skills?
It’s all I have. I can’t give it up.
The shower was my next stop. I climbed in and leaned my head against the wall. I glanced down at my stomach and winced at the large purpling bruises forming at the base of my rib cage. They stood out among the numerous yellowing marks and lighter gray marks that blotted my normally gray-blue skin. I washed off the sweat of my exercise and got dressed for the day. A pair of loose pants, a t-shirt, and a bulky oversized sweatshirt with a hood that I could pull over my head to conceal my face in a pinch.
There was freshly brewed coffee waiting in the kitchen thanks to the miracle of programmable coffee makers. I used one cup to wash down my bowl of cereal and poured the rest of it into a large travel mug. Just as I finished breakfast another alarm rang warning me it was seven-thirty and time to head to school. I grabbed my backpack and walked to the front door. I paused to look back at the dead, empty house before closing and locking the door.
I walked into Canterlot High just after the first bell rang, nursing a slight headache that came on as I reached school. I never arrived earlier for fear of running into one of the bullies before the day even began. Everything I needed was in my backpack so I never had to visit my locker. On the second day of school, it had been filled with garbage and it was just a place someone could catch me. I caught a glimpse of Fluttershy walking down the hall towards me. I considered saying hi for a brief moment but then my guts twisted with fear. I ducked into a corner and breathed a sigh of relief when she turned into her classroom.
The day began to go sideways on me the moment I set foot in my classroom. Gilda and Lightning were both in there, glaring at me with unrestrained fury. Even worse, I was jostled aside by two bulky football players when I tried to rush to the classroom door. Before I could recover, the two girls had me trapped between them. They dragged me down the hall towards a dead-end corridor at the back of the school. Most of the lights here were burned out or flickering giving the whole space a sinister feeling. Gilda slammed me against the lockers making my head spin.
“Let’s talk wimp,” she snapped. “You evaded our little chat yesterday.”
Lightning Dust cracked her fist and grinned viciously. “You owe us for yesterday’s detention. Siccing Cranky on us was a dick move.”
“Now it’s payback time.”
I braced myself but the wind was still knocked out of me as Gilda drove her fist into my stomach. My fists clenched reflexively but I couldn’t make myself react. My instinct to defend myself simply shriveled into a ball and disappeared.
Take your punishment like a man. Hurting is what you deserve.
“And one for me,” Lighting interjected, punching me in the same spot. I let myself crumble to the ground, though it wasn’t hard to do given the wind was knocked right out of me.
I’ll just lay still. They don’t get as much satisfaction from a prone victim.
Gilda laughed as I collapsed. “Wow! What a wuss. Can’t even take a couple hits.”
They dragged me into a corner and dumped me out of sight. A couple more kicks hit me in the chest and stomach, knocking the wind out of me again. One last kick to my head made me see stars before my eyes while I desperately tried to breathe. I could dimly hear their laughter fading as they walked away. I would have lost track of time if it wasn't for the school buzzer bringing me back to awareness on occasion. I just stayed curled up in the corner fading in and out of awareness.
I managed to pull myself back together sometime around lunch. I was about to scramble to my feet when the sound of heeled boots entered the darkened hallway. I froze and made myself as tiny as possible when I recognized the first voice.
“I can't believe I didn't recognize you earlier. Should have known Princess Celestia would send her prized pupil here after my crown.”
It was the Queen of Canterlot High, Sunset Shimmer. I only knew a few names because they came up. Just like Rainbow Dash ruled the sports fields, Sunset Shimmer was the absolute ruler of the school’s social scene. While I tried to process her words, a new voice chimed into the conversation.
“It's MY crown!” an unfamiliar voice retorted.
Curiosity overwhelmed my fear as my eyes snapped open. There was a girl with lavender skin I had never seen before glaring at Sunset Shimmer with piercing purple eyes. She had indigo hair with a pink stripe and was wearing a purple skirt and blue blouse. She didn’t look the least bit intimidated by Sunset and neither did the little purple and green dog that was poking his head out of the new girl’s backpack.
“Whatever,” Sunset said in a dismissive tone. “This is just a minor setback for me. You don't know the first thing about this place, and I already rule it.”
“If that's so, why do you even need my crown? You went to an awful lot of trouble to switch it with the one that belongs here.”
“Pop quiz: what happens when you bring an Element of Harmony into an alternate world? You don't know? Seriously?” Her mocking laughter made my hair stand on end. “And you're supposed to be Princess Celestia's star student? Then again, what were the chances she'd find somepony as bright as me to take under her wing after I decided to leave Equestria? Bit embarrassing that you were the best she could do.”
Somehow I managed to keep my mouth shut as their conversation went from somewhat odd to completely incomprehensible. They looked like two normal teenage girls and yet their conversation sounded more at home in a fantasy novel. I just stared out of the darkness at a loss about what to do.
“Oh and I'd keep an eye on your mutt. Hate for him to be . . . taken away from you.”
“Is that a threat?” asked the dog.
A talking dog. I must be imagining this.
“Oh of course not, but I’d cut down on the chatter if I were you,” said Sunset. “Don’t want everyone to know you don’t belong here, now would you? You want to be a princess here? Please. You don’t know the first thing about fitting in.”
I watched silently as Sunset and then the new girl walked out of the hallway and off to their next destination. I lay on the floor with my eyes closed while I thought over what I had heard. Or what I had imagined.
Equestria? Alternate world? What the hell did I just hear?
You obviously have brain damage. Gilda got a good shot in.
I’m pretty sure I’m awake but that conversation was so weird.
You’ve probably just snapped. Again.
Oh I hope not. I wish I would stop calling myself insane.
Calling it like I see it.
I sat myself up and brushed the crud from the floor off my face. I glanced at my watch, confirming lunch break was already half gone. I felt a bit dizzy as I took my feet but I did my best to ignore it while I decided on my next move. A bit of quiet studying might help clear my head so I could stop hearing things like voices in my head and talk of alternate worlds. Distracted by my own thoughts, I failed to hear the sounds of footsteps coming out of the library. The next thing I knew, I was knocked down onto my back as three young girls charged around the corner and ran into me. I landed heavily on my butt and groaned with pain. The three of them stared down at me with wide fear-filled eyes.
“Ah’m sorry!” said the girl with red hair and a bow.
“It was an accident,” said the second girl. She appeared to have white and lavender hair.
“You know who that is! RUN! Before he gets us!” shouted the third girl.
The three of them tore away down the hall without looking back before I could even speak up. I got to my feet and slowly made my way into the library. Reactions like that from the younger students were even worse than the indifference of my peers. I walked into the library, my favorite space in the school. It was a large round room under the glass dome that sat on top of the building. It was bright, well lit, and most importantly, quiet. Miss Cheerilee was on library duty and she looked completely frazzled.
I was about to walk further into the library to find a book and a hiding spot but I stopped short when I saw who was at one of the computers. The lavender skinned girl was settled in at a computer, trying to use it in the strangest way possible. She had her arms straight out in front of her and was typing with one finger on each hand. Her expression was frustrated as she concentrated and tried to use the machine. Miss Cheerilee’s face darkened with irritation every time she looked at the girl.
Wow, what’s she doing?
A better job than you ever could?
Seriously? Maybe I should go help her.
Hah, you help? Don’t make me laugh.
Well she obviously needs help. Plus she’s new and might not hate me yet.
That’ll get fixed in no time at all.
Enough. I’m going to help her.
Fine, go for it. What better way to drive her away?
I walked over to her and sat down at the terminal next to her. She glanced in my direction and gave me a small, shy smile before turning back to her attempts to type. I took a couple of deep breaths to knock down the growing anxiety and then cleared my throat to get her attention.
“Excuse me,” I whispered. “I don’t mean to intrude but do you need some help?”
My heart almost stopped when those purple eyes focused on my face. I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of her smile. “Really? Oh yes please, that would be great! I hate to admit it but I’m not very good at using this com-pu-ter thing yet. I think Miss Cheerilee is a bit annoyed at me as well.”
I glanced at Miss Cheerilee who mouthed the words ‘Thank You’ to me. “I think she’s just having a rough day.”
She held her fist out to me smiling all the while. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. What’s your name?”
The greeting was a bit odd but I bumped her fist with mine anyhow. “I’m Silver Spark. So what do you need to know?”
“Everything!” Twilight exclaimed. The look of hungry excitement on her face made me briefly question the wisdom of my decision to help.
The afternoon helping Twilight was an experience to remember. She was extremely intelligent which was greatly hindered by her total unfamiliarity with technology.
“You mean this box has access to entire libraries all over the world? Wow!”
“Yes, that’s right. Pretty much everything can be found on a computer these days.”
“Wow . . . How do I get the books out of it?”
I really resisted the urge to ask where she was actually from. I was very curious but I didn't want to push. She had enough to worry about as she tried to figure out the various gadgets around the library.
“This thing makes copies of books? So I just push this button . . . GAH! My eyes!”
“Sorry! I should have mentioned that it’s better to close the lid before pushing the start button.”
“It’s ok! I’m seeing spots though!”
She had a lot of gaps in her knowledge and every once in a while she would slip and use some bizarre words or turns of phrase.
“I need a hoof here! Can you help with these books!”
“Twilight, slow down! You don't have to carry all the books at once!
“I suppose, but I just kept finding stuff I wanted to WOAH!”
**THUD**
“Oops!”
Watching her try to use her fingers was interesting as well. By the time we got to the late afternoon, Twilight was comfortable enough talking to me that she started making some comments that really made me wonder if she was even human.
“I don’t think using your mouth to pick up books will make Miss Cheerilee very happy Twilight. Try your hands.”
“Sorry! Force of habit. These things are really hard to use.”
That was insane though . . . wasn’t it?
“The library will be closing in five minutes.”
The announcement startled me and Twilight out of our conversation. It was hard to believe I’d missed the entire afternoon of classes while helping out Twilight. We covered a wide and broad range of subjects, but she really was interested in the social aspect of the school. Given her goal of becoming the fall formal princess, that interest wasn’t terribly surprising. Between being a new student and a complete outcast I really wasn't much help, except when I found the old school yearbooks.
“Well, that's another day done,” I said. “Come on, let's get out of here.”
“Umm, you go on ahead. I'd better put these books away first,” she said nervously.
“You could just drop them in the book drop.”
Twilight continued stacking up the books and avoided looking me in the eye. “No, no I think I’ve irritated the librarian enough already. I’d rather take care of it. Thank you for all your help today.”
I was torn between the suspicion that something very weird was going on and the fear that I was simply misinterpreting everything while quietly losing my marbles. Either way, there were a dozen things I wanted to say from asking her if she had somewhere to stay to simply inquiring about her talking dog or why becoming Princess was so important to her. In the end, I simply chose the cowardly way out.
“Ok, you have a good night then,” I said. “I'll see you tomorrow.”
I walked to the door of the library and paused to look over my shoulder. Twilight had already vanished with her books into the stacks. My stomach growled painfully and I started the long walk home. While I walked, my brain began spinning out of control.
Still a coward I see.
. . .
Couldn’t even work up the courage to ask a simple question.
Shut up.
She might not even have a place to stay but you couldn’t even work up the guts to ask.
. . .
She got what she needed. Tomorrow she will abandon you.
What’s with me today?
Talking to yourself obviously. She’ll kick you to the curb like Friday’s trash.
She was nice, maybe she’ll feel differently.
No way. Not when she realizes what a liability you’ll be for her attempt to be Princess.
But what if-
Even if she does, the rest hate you. And so will Twilight when you screw this up for her.
. . . I don't want to go insane.
It's your mind, what are you going to do about it?
I pressed my fingers against my temples to try and massage away the headache this was giving me. I would have almost been grateful for another bully attack or something just to shut up the voice in my head. The red and brown leaves swirled around my feet in the light breeze as I trudged to my house.
When I pushed the door open the only visible change inside was a blinking red light coming from the answering machine. I threw my bag down by the door and walked over and pressed play.
“Hey Silver Spark, it’s Steel Rain. You know, the Steel Rain you haven’t called since you moved to Canterlot. Seriously kid, it’s been six weeks since I even heard from you and that was a payphone! It was a struggle to even find this number! Give your old Sensei a break and call back. Your parents were g*”
I pushed the delete button on the answering machine before I could stop myself. Another wave of anxiety and fear washed over me unbidden.
Ok, deep breaths. It's just Steel Rain, nothing to worry about.
But if he found you who else can?
As if to answer my greatest fear, a crackling popping noise outside made all my hair stand on end. It was the unmistakable sound of car tires rolling up my gravel driveway. There was absolutely no reason anyone would come to my house. At least no good reason I could come up with. I dove down behind the single chair in the middle of the room, curled up in a ball, and held my breath. Two car doors slammed one after the other and then footsteps crunched their way up the gravel driveway and onward to my front door.
I felt a shiver go down my spine as someone began pounding loudly on the front door. I curled up into a smaller ball behind my chair and hoped the front door was locked. There was an unintelligible argument between the man and woman who were on my front doorstep and then they started walking away. I took a risk and peeked out from behind the chair at the gap in the drapes as the footsteps receded. I caught a brief glimpse of one individual in a brown hat of some sort and another with short blonde hair. Their footsteps crunched on the gravel and I heard the car doors slam again and an engine start. I slipped over to the front window and peeked out in time to see a simple red pickup truck pulling out of my driveway.
That's the red truck that we hide from every few days.
They're looking for you.
The phone call and unexpected visit left me completely on edge for the rest of the evening. I managed to eat a bit of food and I honestly tried to get my homework done. Unfortunately, writing is quite hard when your hand is shaking uncontrollably. After about half an hour I just gave up and just went straight to bed.
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Hmm it seems that I'm the first one to type here like I deserve to
8676207 Chapter 2 has been bereft of comments for far too long.
I hope you enjoy the story.
It's interesting the second voice in his head is a rude one