The Trial of the Elements

by trooper7051

Chapter 2

Trials Of The Elements
Part 2

The carriage pulled up in front of a four story white stone building that was dotted with windows. The front doors were made of solid looking black oak, but seemed welcoming instead of imposing and ominous. There was not a pony in sight, save for Valiant, Dr. Mend and the carriage driver.

Valiant disembarked first,
"Thank you driver. Did the Princess give you any specifics on which room we were given?" he asked the older, brown coated unicorn stallion who was their driver.

"She sure did. Third floor, room 317. She also gave me two copies of the room keys for you boys." the driver said offering the two keys, "I'm afraid I can't stay and chat, got plenty more work to do."

Valiant took the offered keys and closed the carriage door behind Dr. Mend. The carriage departed swiftly into the night, leaving the two stallions to locate their dorm room. They entered the building and took a look around. Valiant noticed a staircase off to their left and held the door for Dr. Mend. They reached the third floor and found room 317 easily.
Dr. Mend set down his black bag on the bed against the right wall, next to him Valiant set down Mend's own suitcase. The dormitory was of a fair size. Mend judged the dimensions to be 20 paces x 20 paces, plus it had a bathroom and spacious closets for each of them not to mention writing desks with lamps and chairs.

Dr. Mend couldn't help but to voice his opinion,
"I remember these rooms being much smaller."

Valiant smiled and slipped off his saddlebags,
"We should try to get some sleep. The sun will be up soon and I want to get an early start."

Dr. Mend looked across the room to his companion,
"A wise idea. You go look for a job and I'll select our courses in the morning. Sound good?"

Valiant sprawled on his bed, against the left wall, it was soft and comfortable,
"Alright, I trust you. Just don't overload me with classes. I'm not used to this and it will take some time for me to get up to speed."

"I know a little secret that should help you out. Get a hold of the course books early and read them from cover to cover at least twice before the courses begin. That way you'll have a head start on the material. With a basic knowledge of the material, you can take on a larger course load and you'll do better than the other students." Dr. Mend said.

Valiant looked up at Dr. Mend from his bed,
"Ah, is that the voice of experience I hear? Do tell, oh wise one." he said playfully.

Dr. Mend pursed his lips together, but managed not to make a smart retort,
"Another hint for you Valiant. Don't go partying too much. You can get alcohol anywhere on campus. Avoid it like the plague. A hangover will addle your brain and you will miss questions you know by heart. Catch your meals as early as possible. The cafeterias run out of space quickly. Don't eat in the cafeterias either. Bring the food back here and eat while you study. It's called multitasking."

Valiant's eyebrows rose almost above his head,
"I take it you didn't do much partying when you were a student here did you?"

Dr. Mend shook his head,
"None at all. I was here to study, as I am now. We've been given a great opportunity here. A fully paid semester of courses, lodging, books, and food? You don't come across an offer like that every day?"

Valiant thought about Dr. Mend's words seriously,
"You're right, but I would like to take a look around tomorrow. I do plan to study hard, but I also want to have some fun. Didn't you ever go to one of Pinkie Pie's parties back in Ponyville?"

Dr. Mend shook his head,
"I never had the chance. I had a clinic to run. The clinic must stay open at all times so I let my nurses attend the parties. I've even delivered a foal solo. I've been a loner since I can remember. It doesn't bother me too much. I have a purpose and I will serve that purpose until I pass from this life."

Valiant blanched at the notion,
"But what about a family? What about fun? When was the last time you had fun? Why didn't you ever marry? I'm sure there were tons of fillies and mares who would have loved for you to take them to dinner. I'll bet there still are some."

Dr. Mend regarded Valiant seriously,
"My life is my business Valiant and I'll thank you to stay out of it." he said frostily.

"Hey now, I never meant to offend you. I'm just concerned. Everypony needs to have fun at least once in a while." Valiant said placatingly.

Dr. Mend laid down on his bed and sighed heavily,
"It's not that I'm offended Valiant. I didn't mean to come off like that. I'm just socially awkward. I was nearly a recluse back in Ponyville. I only really liked one pony in the whole town enough to talk to, and that was Pinkie Pie. She was the only one who could ever make me smile."

A mischievous smile crept over Valiant's features,
"Thinking of robbing the cradle, are we doc?" he teased.

Dr. Mend shot up out of his bed and was face to face with Valiant in a quarter of a second,
"Don't even let it into your HEAD that I feel that way about Pinkie!" he snarled, "Do you hear me? I have never harbored impure thoughts toward any pony, much less Pinkie Pie. I can tolerate her that's all."

Valiant's eyes were wide with shock,
"Alright doc. I hear you loud and clear. I was only joking."

Dr. Mend took a step back toward his own bed and shook his head violently as if to dislodge something,
"Sorry, I over reacted. But you hit on one of the only things that can make me violently angry. I do not and will never approve of that kind of thing, there's way too much of an age difference between us anyway. She's more like a daughter or niece."

Valiant wisely kept his mouth shut about Dr. Mend's last sentence,
"Would you be willing to tell me what the others are, so I don't accidentally offend you later on?"

Dr. Mend laid back down on his bed,
"I doubt they'll ever come up. God night Valiant."

Valiant snuggled down in his own blankets,
"Good night Dr. Mend."

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Morning came early for Valiant and Dr. Mend. The two stallions had neglected to close the room's curtain, so Celestia's bright morning sun woke them. After only having slept for five hours, the two stallions were so bleary-eyed they actually stumbled into each other on their way to the bathroom. Valiant let Dr. Mend go first while he began unpacking his saddlebags.

Valiant opened the buckles and pulled open the bags, then dumped the contents out on his bed. He made a vague mental note of everything he had brought with him. He found his mortar and pestle, his digging trowel, his pruning shears, his canteen, his blanket . . . blanket?

Valiant was suddenly fully awake. He flopped the blanket onto his bed and looked at it astonished. It was decidedly not his own blanket, it was far too large, yet it looked familiar somehow. Valiant suddenly realized where he had seen it before. He held it close and sniffed the thick fabric remembering the scent and what it meant to him, 'Thanks Big Mac. I owe you one. You gave me a little piece of home.' he thought.

Valiant spread the blanket on his bed and continued to riffle through his belongings, astonished that his friends seemed to have sent him off prepared. He found a piece of cake in a plastic container, probably from Pinkie Pie. The cake was accompanied by an invitation for Valiant to return and they missed him already.

Next, Valiant found a bejeweled purse filled with paper that had his name on it. Valiant looked inside the purse and was surprised to find around 500 bits worth of bank notes, 'Who in Ponyville has that kind of money?' he wondered. The answer came to him almost immediately, 'Bless you Rarity.' he thought.

Valiant continued his search and found a sealed packet of pencils, quills, ink, and parchment, probably from Twilight. He set them down on his desk neatly and went back to his new belongings.

He looked again and found a worn but very sturdy brown, waterproof, hooded cloak, which smelled faintly of apples, 'Applejack, ever pragmatic.' he thought. Valiant tried the cloak on. It was snug but it fit and it was thin and not very heavy.

Continuing his search, Valiant discovered a faux rabbit's foot on a lanyard, 'Courtesy of Fluttershy and Angel I'll bet.' he said. When Valiant set it down on his desk, it clinked slightly. Curious, he examined it closer and found that the top screwed off, revealing a single dose of his very own healing potion. Valiant immediately hung it around his neck.

The final item Valiant found was a small pillow, filled with cyan colored down feathers. Valiant smiled hugely,
"Your gift was the most personal Rainbow Dash." he said.

Dr. Mend emerged from the bathroom looking pristine, refreshed, and recently showered,
"Your turn Val . . . " Dr. Mend trailed off at the sight of Valiant's new gifts, "Those girls really do like you a lot. Big Mac too. I've never seen him take such a liking to anypony before you. It's good they sent you off prepared, you really needed that stuff."

Valiant sat the pillow down at the head of his bed and sighed, stifling grateful tears,
"It feels so different to have ponies who care about you."

Dr. Mend turned his head away, his thoughts flashing back into his past for a brief moment. The jet black stallion shook his head to clear away the thoughts and headed for the door.

"Hey wait!" Valiant said, "I just realized, I don't know your full name."

"Yes you do. It's Mend." Dr. Mend said.

"Is that your first or your last?" Valiant asked.

"It's my only name. Like Fluttershy, or Rarity. Do you have a last name?" Dr. Mend asked.

"Good point. I don't." Valiant admitted.

Dr. Mend made to leave again but Valiant called after him,
"I'll see you tonight doc."

Dr. Mend peeked back into the room,
"Call me 'doc' again and I'll call you 'wingless'." he threatened, half playing.

Valiant smiled,
"Whatever you say . . . 'DOC'."

Dr. Mend sighed lightly as he closed the door,
"I'll see you tonight 'wingless'."

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Valiant roamed the streets of Canterlot marveling at all the wondrous sights and searching for an apothecary in which to apply for a job. He had grabbed a bite of breakfast from the cafeteria and eaten it on his way out. He was in such a rush, he almost forgot his saddlebags. Valiant wondered how residents of Canterlot found their way around the city. The buildings were closely packed together, 'But they're made of stone so a fire wouldn't be nearly so bad here.' he thought.

Valiant wandered the city for what he judged to be several hours. He found the Tower Library where Twilight had lived, he found several Emergency Medical Clinics as well as some Non-Emergency Care Centers, he found several Pharmacies but was having a good deal of trouble locating an Apothecary. Valiant was becoming somewhat disheartened about finding one, and was wandering around, eyes upward, toward the signs of the various shops.

Valiant heard somepony shout and lowered his eyes just in time to come face to face with an older, lemon-yellow unicorn colt with bright-lime-green mane and tail,
"Hey! Watch out!"

The colt's warning came too late. Valiant and the unicorn both tumbled down to the ground, limbs sprawled in every direction. Valiant groaned and shook his head trying to figure out exactly why he saw stars.

The unicorn colt struggled, trying to disentangle himself from Valiant, all the while talking at the speed of sound,
"Ouch! Oh, hey are you O.K.? Sorry about that, I'm always running into things. Is this your hoof? Hehehehehehe. Oops, there we go. Eew, get your tail out of my face. Oh, that's my tail. Wow! You don't weigh much for an Earth pony, do you. Hey, where did you get those scars on your flank? Did it hurt? Huh, huh, huh?"

Valiant grabbed the unicorn and held him still, while he untangled the two of them. The unicorn never stopped speaking,
"Wow! You sure are strong. Are you a weight-lifter? Are you here for a competition? I didn't know there were any competitions in Canterlot. When is it due to begin? I'd love to come watch and I could cheer for you like, 'That's my friend down there! Woohoo! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!' Wouldn't that be cool? Don't you think? Are you here with a group, or are you here solo? If you're here with a group, I'd love to meet the rest of them. See I don't have many friends here in Canterlot. Everypony says I talk too much, but I don't think I talk too much. My name's Lemon Lime but my family just calls me Live-Wire cause it sounds like Lime-Wire and Lime is part of my name. Does that sound strange to you?"

Valiant stood up and shook himself off. Looking at the Live-Wire, Valiant judged him to be just a touch older than Pinkie Pie,
"I'm fine, and no, I'm not here for any kind of competition. I'm just a student at the Canterlot University." Valiant said slowly.

"Oh, cool! I went to the University, but I already graduated. I'm a Physical Therapist at the South-East Medical Care Center. What are you studying? Oh yeah, I almost forgot. What's your name?" the unicorn colt spewed out all five sentences in less than four seconds.

Valiant was a bit confused as to which question he should answer first,
"My name is Valiant, and I'm studying Pharmaceuticals and Alchemy. How did you become a Physical Therapist? You don't look old enough or strong enough?"

Live-Wire smiled hugely and launched into another explanation,
"I'm too intense to study just one thing at a time so I was taking courses at the University while I was still in school. As I already said, I don't have many friends so I had lots, and lots, and lots of spare time. I don't mean to brag, but I had my four-year degree by the time I finished school. I'm actually 19, I just look super duper young because I always eat healthy; it's one of my passions, I'm a health nut. Any way, I use magic to help with my work. I'm not very strong but, I can carry the full weight of an adult Earth pony for several hours at a time, while they learn to use their legs again. It's so, so, so, so, so satisfying to help somepony out like that. I mean everypony needs help once in a while and I'm there to do it. I know it may be hard to believe but I'm actually pretty patient, I just have a condition that makes my brain work about 4 times faster than the average pony's. So basically I just think and talk really, really, really fast. Oh yeah, I get migraines all the time too. It sucks, but meh, it's just who I am. The doctor's say that's also why I'm such a heavy sleeper and my appetite's so big, because I need the energy to keep my brain working. It really hurts my feelings when all the other ponies make fun of me or say I'm on a drug or something. I can't help it, I'm just always this talkative. What about you?"

Valiant shook his head, 'This guy reminds me of Pinkie Pie.' he thought,
"I'm here for at least one semester. I'll have to see if I can afford to stay after that. I'm looking for an Apothecary so I can get a job, but I can't seem to find one. You wouldn't happen to know where one is would you, Live-Wire?"

Live-Wire nodded his head at a normal speed, then started machine-gunning again,
"Well of course I know where one is. I do work in the Medical field after all, and patients and doctors are constantly asking me to make runs to all kinds of places to get things. I know of um, um, um, um, um, five different ones. Don't feel bad they were pretty hard for me to find at first too. The closest one is let's see eight blocks that way and three blocks that way, oh wait, there was construction going on that way... Why don't I just show you? Would that be O.K.?"

Valiant could only nod. Live-Wire trotted on down the streets chattering away happily, even if he did sound like an auctioneer, with Valiant in tow.

Live-Wire, true to his word, lead Valiant right to an Apothecary,
"Here it is." he said opening the door for Valiant.

It was the least Live-Wire had said in the 30 odd minutes it took for the two to reach the place. Valiant stepped inside and took in the various aromas of the store. He knew for certain, by smell alone, that this was the correct location. The walls were lined with an overabundance of herbs, roots, flowers, berries, and mushrooms in a variety of forms, from pastes to powders to fresh, whole pieces. Each shelf was meticulously labeled with the proper names of the corresponding variations of flora. The store itself was a square affair roughly fifteen paces by fifteen paces with a table in the center for mixing ingredients. In the rear of the store was a counter with a fuchsia coated, middle-aged unicorn mare behind it. The mare had a mane and tail of dark purple, with lilac colored highlights and her cutie-mark was that of a sprig of bright red leaves and berries.

The mare smiled when she saw Live-Wire,
"I would have thought you had to be at work by now Live-Wire."

"My appointments all got canceled today so I was trying to figure out what to do when I ran into Valiant here. He's a student at the University and he needs a job. I figured you could use the help Mrs. Soothe. I mean you're always saying you don't have enough time to organize anything and you have to stay here half the night restocking and your husband is always asleep when you get home. I thought Valiant might just solve your problem."

Mrs. Soothe turned her attention to Valiant,
"What are you studying?"

"I'm going to be taking courses for Pharmaceuticals and Alchemy. I already know a little bit about how to mix herbs and I also have several potions that can help with a variety of ailments. I need a job to keep studying at the University. I can start tomorrow if I need to. Do you have an application I could fill out?" Valiant asked politely.

Mrs. Soothe bent down, behind the counter and pulled out a piece of parchment,
"I'll need you to fill out as much as you can. I like to get a good idea of who I'm hiring. My last employee decided this line of work was not for him. He made a real effort but, in the end he just wasn't cut out for it. If you could bring this back tomorrow, I will take a look at it. The job will pay twenty-five bits per day, and I have a medical, dental and vision plan. Does that sound alright?" Mrs. Soothe asked.

Valiant nodded politely,
"That sounds fantastic. I'll be back tomorrow morning with the application. Will I need my own tools?"

"No, you can use the ones I have here in the store. If you have any recipes, bring them with you for me to analyze, so I can get a good idea about your skill, and how much I may have to teach you." Mrs. Soothe said.

Valiant took the application and carefully placed it into his saddlebags,
"Until tomorrow then, Mrs. Soothe." he said closing the door behind himself.

"So, what do you want to do now? I don't have anything to do today, but since I found you we can hang out, if you want. I can show you around the city. I know all about the landmarks. I can show you the Royal Palace, the Tower Library, the Canterlot Central Park, the Coliseum, the clubs, the best places to eat, the cleanest bars, although most of the bars are pretty clean . . . " Live-Wire continued chattering.

Valiant put a hoof to his face, 'I have to make sure Live-Wire never meets Dr. Mend.' he thought soberly, 'Mend wouldn't be able to handle half a minute of this.'

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Dr. Mend sat down on a stone bench and set his and Valiant's course schedules on the stone table in front of him,
"Hmm, six courses for Valiant and nine for me. That's a good start. He should be able to handle that no-problem. Let's see, at four hours each, twice a week. That's two courses per day and that adds up to eight hours per day for Valiant, plus his job. He should be able to pull that off. For me that's nine courses at 4 hours, twice a week, that's 72 hours per week and about 15 hours per day, plus I'll have to get a job at a hospital or clinic so I don't get rusty. That should be my next priority."

Dr. Mend's thoughts were at peace there, on the concourse of the University. There was a huge, white-marble fountain not forty paces from him. The fountain displayed statues of three ponies, a unicorn, a pegasus, and an Earth pony, each reared back onto their hind legs and spitting water from their mouths in three different directions with a center geyser fountain in the center which sprayed water up and over the statues.

The sound of cascading water, Mend remembered, always helped calm him when had been been at the University before. It was the only place in the entire land of Equestria that could calm him, and he was rarely, actually calm. He was constantly at war with himself and his internal turmoil was never-ending and emotionally violent, the results of which, spilled over into his less than cheerful demeanor. At only age 36, Mend was by no means old, but he looked to be in his mid fifties. Although he would never admit it, Mend fervently wished for somepony to talk to.

"Oh, to be fifteen again." he said, "The prodigal student returns. Only eleven years after graduating as Valedictorian and I'm out of touch." Mend's frustration grew very quickly, "I should have kept up to date!" he grunted, striking the table, "It was my responsibility! My responsibility to my patients and I failed at it! I won't let that happen again!" he snorted angrily.

"Are you alright professor?" asked a passing unicorn stallion.

Mend looked up, startled. The unicorn was turquoise in his coat, his mane and tail were dark orange with yellowish highlights and his cutie-mark was that of a note book with a pen inside it set on a sofa. The stallion looked to be almost exactly the same age as Valiant, but he had a wizened gleam to his eyes.

"I'm a student, thank you." Mend retorted sharply.

The unicorn looked taken aback,
"Oh, I had no idea." he said, "A pony can always learn something new, no matter how old they are. You can never know too much, but I'll bet you could teach the other students a thing or two."

Mend was distinctly NOT amused,
"I'll have you know I'm only 36 and I'm only here for a refresher of what I already know. So, you can take your opinion about my greatly advanced age elsewhere." he said sharply.

The unicorn looked concerned,
"I apologize. I suppose I assumed a bit too much. I didn't intend to offend you."

Mend took a deep breath and let the sound of the fountain soothe his nerves,
"You don't need to apologize. I overreacted. You were just stating your mind and I was already frustrated. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"That's very decent of you." the unicorn stallion said.

"No, decent would have been having enough self-control not to be offended. I'm the one who should apologize." Mend admitted trying his hardest to be humble.

"Very well, apology accepted." the unicorn said.

"I never said I WAS apologizing, only that I should." Mend said.

The unicorn stallion chuckled, hoof to his muzzle,
"Alright then, theoretical apology accepted."

Mend couldn't help but to smile,
"I'm glad your sense of humor is better developed than mine."

The unicorn continued smiling as he said,
"So am I. I'd hate to be a grumpy as you."

Mend raised an eyebrow, thinking,
"I suppose I am." he said after a moment's thought.

"So why not be more cheerful?" asked the unicorn.

"It's not my personality. I'm grumpy by nature." Mend said.

"Now don't take this the wrong way, but you just gave me an excuse. You control the way you act. You can change it if you really want to. The question is, why do you stay so grumpy?" the unicorn stallion asked.

"Are you a psyche student or something?" Mend asked.

The unicorn smiled,
"I'm a counselor, and you're changing the subject. That's normally a defensive mechanism."

"I'm happy with who I am." Mend said calmly.

"Then I'll leave you be." the unicorn said laying a card on the table in front of Mend, "If you ever change your mind, here is my card. My address is on it. Feel free to call on me any time day or night. Have a good day." the unicorn said walking away.

Mend grumbled to himself as the unicorn walked away. He picked up the card and looked at the name, 'Sea Blue'. The card also gave an address, presumably the counselor's home address.

Mend grunted,
"Huh, his parents must have been color-blind or something."

Mend stowed the card and put his head in his hooves. In his heart, Mend knew exactly why he always acted so cantankerous, 'It's safer,' he thought, 'You can't be hurt if you don't let anypony in.'

Mend sat and thought for a long while, trying to justify his excuse and find a flaw, any flaw in what Sea Blue had said. He thought, and thought, and then thought some more. Try as he might, Mend couldn't find a single crack in the counselor's argument. His thoughts drifted back to his earlier yearning for companionship. He wanted, so much, to have somepony there with him, he nearly broke down in tears, 'Why can't I do this? Why is it so hard for me? Am I that bad? Am I that unlovable?' he thought.

"Still self-centered as always, I see." said a female voice.

Mend tensed but didn't bother to look up, he already knew there was nopony around, 'Oh no! Not again! Oh please not again!' he thought. Mend knew exactly what was happening, it had happened before. The voice he heard was a voice he knew very well, and it was a voice he had hoped to never hear again, a voice he dreaded more than almost anything, a voice that terrified him by its implications.

"No pony is perfect, mother." Mend said out loud, still not daring to raise his head.

"You've become so lazy!" she shouted, "Your ignorance nearly killed Granny Smith! You should have thought of that procedure long ago! It's a good thing Valiant was there! You failed again, AGAIN!"

Mend put his hooves to his ears and closed his eyes tightly, trying, in vain, to block out the voice,
"Why did you come back?" he whimpered, "You've been gone for so long."

"You've forgotten Mend! You've forgotten what happened! You've forgotten your failure!" she yelled into his covered ears.

Mend's mind flashed back to when he was a young colt, only six years old. His father sat on the bed next to him where he had been crying.

He could hear his father's voice as he tried to comfort his son,
"She didn't mean it Mend. She just forgot to take her pills. She loves you son. She just wants what's best for you and she doesn't know how to show it."

It was an all too common occurrence. Mend remembered when his mother had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. His father would go to work and Mend would go to school while his mother would clean the house. She was very industrious. Mend and his father always came home to a pristinely clean house and a hot meal, but oftentimes she would get so caught up in her work that she would forget to take her pills. When she took her prescription, she was so sweet, so vivacious, so happy, so full of life, so much like Pinkie Pie. When she forgot to take her pills though, she was so mean.

Mend remembered bringing home his first report card and showing his mother excitedly. He had gotten four As, a B+ and a C-. His mother had gone ballistic. Mend remembered cowering in the corner of the kitchen as she ranted and raved about how much of a failure he was.

She stood screaming right in his face,
"I do not slave away every day in this damned house only to have my son fail! A C-? The B+ was bad enough, but a C-? What were you doing, sleeping? How could you do this? Don't you want to make your father and I proud? Or do you want to be a failure all your life? Because that is exactly where you're going, mister! If You don't turn these grades around I will throw your ass right out into the street! Maybe we should have another son, one who won't fail all the time! Go to your room!"

Mend had run to his room and locked the door. That night, he skipped dinner and stayed up all night studying, but it was all for naught. The paper he turned in was too tear stained to be legible. When he brought home his next report card he had five As and one B-. Mend thought his mother would be proud of him.

He had been wrong.

He had been very, very wrong.

The cycle had continued until Mend was in fifth grade. One day he came home from school and found his father waiting for him on the couch. Their house was a mess, which worried the young colt.

He remembered it clearly,
"Come sit down son." his father had said.

Mend remembered wondering why his father was crying as he took a seat next to the older pony,
"What's wrong Daddy? Why is the house messy? Where's Mommy? Did Mommy get mad at you too?"

His father had hugged him close. Mend remembered feeling his father's tears on the top of his head as he whispered,
"Mommy fell today Mend. She fell a long way and she got hurt very badly."

"How did Mommy fall? Did she trip?" Mend had asked.

"She jumped, son. She jumped from the city walls." his father had barely been able to get the words out.

Mend remembered being frightened at the statement,
"How badly did she get hurt? Will she be O.K.?"

"She got hurt too badly, son. She . . . she died." his father said.

Mend remembered the next part very well,
"NO! She's O.K.! She has to be!" he had stood up shouting at his father, "You're lying! She's fine! She just went away! She went away because I'm not good enough!" he yelled, tears streaming down his face, "I'll be good! I'll make her proud! I won't fail anymore, I promise! I won't fail! Tell her I won't fail! Tell her so she'll come back!" he threw his head back yelling to the different rooms in the house, just in case she was listening, "I'll be good Mommy! I'll make you proud! Please come home! I promise, I'll be good! I won't fail! Please! I'll do everything right! Mommy please come back! I'm sorry, Mommy! I'll do whatever you want, just please come back! I won't fail anymore! I WON'T FAIL YOU ANYMORE!"

Mend had run to his room and locked the door. He remembered his father pleading with him to open the door, to let him in,
"I WILL MAKE YOU PROUD!" he had cried, shouting over his shoulder at the locked door, "LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE! I HAVE TO DO BETTER! GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Mend was too busy studying, he had to do better so she would come back and he was afraid if he didn't do better his father might leave him too. Mend didn't come out of his room that night, he fell asleep studying.

When he awoke the next morning he heard his Mother's voice, she was angry but it was her. It didn't matter if she was mad, she had come back. Mend had rushed down stairs only to find an empty kitchen. His father was asleep on the couch. Mend looked and looked for his mother. She sounded so close, but he could never find her. She was saying that Mend was still failing, he had to do better, 'If I do better she'll come back. I know she's here, she's just hiding. I have to do better.' he thought.

Mend fixed his own lunch for the first time that day and went to school, just like normal. The other students and even the teachers kept asking about his mother all day. Mend ignored them and studied all through lunch. He had to do better.

That afternoon, he finally had enough,
"Leave me alone! I have to study! Just leave me alone!" he remembered throwing his uneaten lunch at his best friend, Edge.

Everypony had left him alone after that. His father tried talking to him that night, but Mend was too busy studying. He studied all the time, it became his life. He never had time for his friends after that, he didn't have time for anypony. He would go to school then come home and study. His father forced him to go to a Therapist, but Mend would just sit and complain that he had to study the whole time. After two months of going to the Therapist every day, his father just gave up and stopped taking him. Mend was happy with that, he could study. That evening, his father took Mend to stay with his grand parents. The next morning his grandfather had to tell Mend his father had jumped from the same place his Mother had. At that moment Mend's world stopped turning.

He realized he could hear both of his parents yelling at him,
"Failure!" they cried, "You failed again! You're worthless and lazy! It's because of you! Your shame! Your failure!"

Mend ran up to his new room and locked the door again, he had to study.

He realized his parents were never coming back, physically, but they were there to keep him from killing his grandparents with the shame of his perpetual failure. Mend loved his grandparents, he didn't want them to die too.

From when he woke up, till the time he fell asleep studying, the screaming voices of his parents drowned out almost all other sound.

Mend graduated three years early and received a full scholarship to Canterlot University. He didn't want a graduation ceremony, he just wanted his diploma. He remembered how proud his grandparents said they were, but Mend knew better.

He could see the shame in their eyes.

"No!" he had yelled, "You say it but, I know the truth! You're lying! I'm still not good enough!" he threw down his diploma and spat on it, "I took too long! It's too late for them, but I can do better! I can do better and I will, you'll see! I'll give you a real reason to be proud of me!" he remembered his grandfather reaching out a hoof toward him.

He had swatted it away angrily, tearfully,
"I have to study!" he said galloping up to his room.

Later that evening, Mend heard his grandparents crying and thinking to himself,
'NO! Now I'm failing them too! I'll make you proud! I'll make you proud, I swear!'

While at the University, Mend had literally memorized his text books. He broke every record, had a solid 4.0 grade average every semester, he never missed a single class or question. His internship was positively flawless, even if he had no friends. He became so wrapped up in his studies, he failed to notice that his parents had stopped yelling at him. They were gone. Mend could never remember being so happy, in his while life.

He had finally made them proud and his grandparents were safe. He was overjoyed, but he had pushed himself even harder after that, he had to make sure his loved ones would be safe from any future failures. Shortly thereafter, Mend had moved to Ponyville. That way if he did fail, his grandparents would be safe from his shame.

Mend's mind flashed back to the present,
"I . . . had forgotten." his eyes widened in abject horror as he realized why his mother had returned, "I've become lazy." he whispered.

He had thought his parents' spirits had gone to their rest. Their return could only mean that he was endangering his grandparents again.

Mend rose to his hooves and picked up his and Valiant's class schedules in his mouth, mumbling,
"It's not enough. I WILL make you proud."

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Valiant trotted happily back toward the dormitory. His day had been good. He had a job application, and a new, if highly talkative, friend. Celestia's sun was setting and Luna's moon would be out soon. Valiant had learned his way around Canterlot and felt comfortable taking a few shortcuts back to the dorms. He cut down an alley way behind several shops that had already closed up for the night, 'It's so peaceful.' he thought.

As Valiant walked, he looked out onto the street at the many ponies going about their business, most probably heading on home from their jobs. Motion caught his eye and he turned his head toward it, just in time to see a dark colored cloak flutter around the side of a building and duck behind the alleyway across the street, 'Odd,' Valiant thought, 'Ponies don't usually wear clothing except for special occasions. I should go take a look.'

Valiant sprinted across the street and crept silently up to the corned of the building. He peeked around the corner and saw something that made his blood run cold. A shadowy unicorn in a long, black, hooded cloak stood, horn glowing, levitating a young Earth pony mare high off the ground. Valiant judged the Earth pony to be twenty-five or so paces up, too far for a safe landing.

"Give me your bits and I MIGHT set you down safely." the unicorn said.

The unicorn was obviously a young mare, but her voice had a slur to it, like she couldn't speak properly. The Earth pony was also a young mare. She had a mint-green coat and a mane and tail of cream, streaked with lavender, and she wore saddle bags which concealed her cutie-mark.

The Earth pony's expression was terrified,
"Please don't drop me!" she pleaded tearfully.

"Your whining just earned you another ten paces." the unicorn scoffed, "Drop your bits or I'll drop you. Do it!"

"Please! I don't have any bits. I'm a student, I'm broke." the Earth pony sobbed.

"You're lying!" the unicorn growled, "That's it . . ."

"Wait!" Valiant yelled, "Set her down, please." he said thinking to give the unicorn the bank notes Rarity had given him. Valiant realized he had left the purse in his dorm, 'Oh crud.' he thought.

The unicorn turned on Valiant,
"Stay out of this!" she commanded, "Mind your own business or you're next!"

Valiant had no bargaining chip to play, so he decided to use the one thing he did have,
"Set her down or you'll regret it." he said calmly.

The unicorn took a step toward Valiant, and thereby into the sunlight coming down the alley. Valiant took an involuntary step back at the sight of the unicorn. Her face was quite pretty, save for her eyes. It took Valiant a moment to realize her entire body and eyes were all the same color: muddy, sickly purple. The unicorn's eyes were solid purple, no pupil, no iris, no whites, just solid disgusting purple.

"What are you going to do eh?" the unicorn asked, "You don't have a horn, so you can't levitate her and you don't have wings to catch her. You have nothing!" the unicorn snarled.

Valiant felt his will strengthening,
"Wrong." he replied softly, "I have experience. I'm not just trying to help her, I'm trying to help you."

"I need that money." the unicorn growled.

"I'm not arguing that. But if she dies because of your actions, you will regret it. If her death is your doing, you will become a Vagabond." Valiant said taking a step forward and forcing the unicorn to take a step back, "You will become an outcast. Her spirit will haunt you and torment you until you die."

Step,
"If you kill her, you will be subject to an agony, the likes of which you have never imagined."

Step,
"Forget all your bravado, it would do you no good."

Step,
"No matter how powerful you say you are, at the end of the day you still have only your own thoughts to keep you company."

Step,
"Imagine not being able to trust your eyes, ears, or limbs for fear of your perception being manipulated by the very pony you murdered."

Valiant noticed out of the corner of his eye that the Earth pony was slowly descending, he continued his slow verbal onslaught, taking a step at the end of each sentence,
"I speak from experience. For five years of my life, all I knew was the pain of my deed."

Step,
"Through my actions, my best friend, the filly I loved, lost her life."

Step,
"All her dreams, her aspirations, her future, gone."

Step,
"No more sunrises or moon-rises, no more time with friends or family, no chance to have a family, no finding the love of your life, and no watching your foals grow up."

Step,
"Do you really want to take that away from her and in so doing, loose it yourself?"

Step,
"Are a few bits really worth all that?"

The unicorn took another step away from Valiant, the mist of tears in her eyes,
"Stay back!" she cried.

Valiant took another step forward,
"If you need help, I can help you, but I can't do anything until you set her down."

The unicorn backed up yet again, but could go no farther, she was against a wall,
"Don't come any closer!"

Valiant didn't want to scare her, but he had to take anther step so he could be right underneath the Earth pony,
"No matter how desperate your situation is, there is always hope. I can help you, miss." he said offering his hoof.

The unicorn closed her eyes cringing,
"It's too late! Leave me alone!" she cried.

Her horn glowed brightly, and she vanished.

Valiant lowered his hoof slowly,
"I know despair when I see it." he said quietly.

The Earth pony cried out as she fell the half a dozen or so paces down and directly on to Valiant. Valiant, expecting to have to break her fall, had bent his legs and flexed his muscles. The Earth pony hit Valiant's back and the two fell onto the dirt with a thump. Valiant grunted and gasped as his chest hit the ground. Fortunately, he felt nothing break or sprain. The Earth pony mare screamed, and struggled to rise. She gained her hooves and took off running like she was being chased by a monster.

Valiant picked himself up off the ground and watched her go sadly,
"I didn't mean to frighten you miss," he said to the empty alley, "But I'm glad you're safe."

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Valiant was waiting for Mend when he returned t the dorm. The sun had long set and Luna's moon was bright in the sky when Dr. Mend returned to the dorm. He had spent the day retrieving text books and meeting professors, many of whom remembered him. Valiant had just come straight back to the dorm, the afternoon's encounter having disturbed him somewhat.

Valiant was sitting at his desk with a quill in the corner of his mouth when Mend opened the door.

Valiant set down the quill and looked at his friend,
"Where were you all day? I was worried."

Dr. Mend grunted under the oppressive weight of the text books and flopped his saddle bags down onto his bed,
"I gt our class schedules and text books. Then I met some professors and bought some supplies. Did you find a job?" he asked.

"It took me quite a while to find an Apothecary, but I brought back an application. I just finished filling it out." Valiant said proudly.

"Off you go then," Dr. Mend said, "You need to turn that thing in."

Valiant blinked,
"But the Apothecary is closed. I'd be wasting my time. I'll just turn it in tomorrow morning."

"Then you can get started studying." Dr. Mend said, "Here, come get your books."

Valiant retrieved the books and set them neatly onto his desk,
"Our classes don't start for several months, doc." Valiant said playfully, "I was hoping we could just hang out and talk, you know, get to know each other. Don't be a wet blanket."

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" Dr. Mend snapped, his voice became hoarse almost immediately, "Not everypony has years of their life to waste on pity-parties!" Dr. Mend slowly turned toward Valiant as he spoke, "Five years of worthlessness! Five years you could have been helping others! You should be ashamed of yourself! How many died because of your stupid, infantile, petty jealousy? You spent years moping while others died because you were too busy with your own problems! How many could have been saved by your potions during those five years? Your potions could have saved hundreds, maybe thousands, but NO, you were too busy with yourself to think about anypony else! Every single one of those deaths are on your head VAGABOND!" Dr. Mend bellowed.

Valiant was completely dumbstruck by Dr. Mend's harsh words.
"Good, you're quiet." Dr. Mend said, opening one of his text books, "Now, stay quiet while I study."

Comments

[Fancies himself a lurker]

Valiant should've went off after mends tirade and nipped that bullshit in the bud.

and I cant believe out of 30 people to leave their opinion of the story im the first to comment.