Old Wounds

by Sylpheed Dashstep

Act I; Scene III: Out Of Time

As they walked to Ponyville, Alex noticed something. There weren't any sounds. He looked around and saw a shadow flicker between some trees. "Apple Bloom," he whispered, "how far away from the town are we?"

She shrugged and said, "About a mile I guess, why?"

He tracked the shadow with his eyes and watched as another formed, "Is there someplace safe nearby?" She looked at him and gave him a look as if he were crazy and he caught it, "There's something following us. Haven't you noticed the lack of noise and the shadows following us through the trees?"

The filly only giggled and said, "Come on out girls, looks like our cutie marks aren't for spying."

Alex watched as two female fillies came out of the grove of apple trees, "Wait," he said and Apple Bloom turned towards him, "weren't you just talking to me earlier about being polite."

She stuck her tongue out and walked over to her two friends, one a Pegasus, the other a Unicorn. "This is Scootaloo," she said as she pointed at the Pegasus. She had orange fur and an auburn mane. Apple Bloom pointed to the Unicorn and said, "This is Sweetie Belle." Sweetie Belle had white fur with a purple and pink mane.

Alex nodded to the two fillies and began trotting to the town again. The other fillies caught up to him and Scootaloo asked, "So you're the stallion who's been staying in Apple Blooms place for the past week, huh?"

He laughed a little and said, "Well I'm still a filly, I'm only foutee-," he stopped as he realized something. He had been in Apple Blooms house for a week. His hooves stopped working for a second, causing him to fall on his face, much to the amusement of the three fillies. He got back up and moved the saddlebags on his hips a little then began running towards the town in the distance which soon disappeared behind the trees again and they closed over the top of the path, enveloping him in a bit of darkness. The fillies were calling out for him, but he ignored them and kept running. He had to get his headphones and get out of here. That thing will get him. It should have gotten him. So why hadn't it. He began to notice a sharp pain in his left side and turned to see a corner of his turntable poking out of the side of his saddlebag. Guess it slipped he thought. He took it off and fixed it, slipping the turntable into the compartment he had put in the bag, and put it back on. Then began to trot towards the town again.

An hour later his side was in excruciating pain and he was grinding his teeth together, the saddlebag sliding around on it wasn't helping the pain either. I should be at the town by now he thought, so where is it? He saw a clearing up ahead in the trees and hurried towards it. He was greeted by nothing. Just darkness. That made no sense thought, everything just disappeared into darkness a few hooves off the path. Even the trees. I know it's dark but this is ridiculous he thought. He reached a hoof out towards the darkness and felt an excruciating cold emanating from it as he got closer. He pulled his hoof back and made a note to not go off the path, then continued on.

He heard a whirling sound to his right and he turned to see an apple coming for him. He jumped out of the way just as it was about to hit his head and yelled out, "Hey, tell me who's there and I might not have to kick your flank." In reply another apple came for him and he dodged it. I dare you to throw another on at me. A shadow appeared in between the trees and then began to retreat into the trees again. "I'll see you later then," he said as he turned to head farther along the path. A sound came whirling through the air again and he turned his head and it smacked him in the jaw, followed by a females giggles, causing him to stop. I know that laugh from somewhere he thought as he felt a trickle of blood run down his chin. Another apple came flying out of the trees and he ducked his head just as the apple brushed the top of his mane. "You asked for it," he said as he hopped into the trees.

Wait he thought, I don't have time for this. Another apple came flying past his head and he just caught sight of a mare up ahead. Buck it he thought and began chasing her. The mare's voice rang out ahead of him, "Catch me if you can," making him stop completely, I know that voice! He kept chasing her until he got to a clearing. He looked around but didn't see anypony. He turned around to face a wall. He stopped, wait, a wall? He was in the forest, why was there a wall? He closed his eyes and hoped this was just a dream, but the hope turned to dread when he felt the floor underneath him shift. He moved his hooves around and was rewarded with the feeling of carpet. His eyes shot open and he looked around the room he was in. It seemed to be a young fillies room and he smiled a little as he was reminded of his room a little. There were Dj Pon-3 posters on the wall and he looked at them. Reminds me of my own posters he thought. His smile froze on his face and slowly became a look of horror as his hooves slowly moved to a certain poster on the wall, then froze in front of it. It was a picture of him and Vinyl at one of their usual clubs jamming together, not an uncommon sight as they were great friends, but it was signed, "Wub on Sylph ~Vinyl Scratch"

All at once the barrier in his mind broke and memories came flooding back and he turned back to where he was originally standing to find a filly behind where he originally was. Alex recognized him. The black mane, the white tips. It was him. The smaller him was sitting at a mixboard and he seemed lost in the music as was normal for the filly. Alex walked towards him and could hear the music coming from the headphones. It was the same tune that would haunt him for all of his life, the tune he had been making that one cold winters night. Even if this had a dream as he had hoped, this had turned into a nightmare very quickly. He began to hyperventilate as he realized what he had to go through. He had to relive that horrible night that he had locked away so long ago. Wait he thought if this is in my head, then I can do whatever I want. WIth that thought he willed himself somewhere else. Nothing changed, but he recieved a laught from an ancient sounding throat on his right side. He turned his head to see only shadows. He shook his head at the insane thoughts running through his head.

He was rewarded with another laugh and he wathched as a shadow broke from the wall. Tendrils of shadow curled off the being like smoke and they froze his skin when they touched his pelt. He thought he was seing things, he had to be seeing things, it was all a dream. The thing laughed again, "You always had a hard time beleiving in things you couldn't explain," it rasped out in a whisper like voice. He tried to figure out if the thing was male or female, but it was nearly impossible because of the way it's voice kept changing pitch and tone, like it couldn't settle on a voice. He opened his mouth to say something, what, he didn't know, but something to warn the younger him. "Oh, go ahead, say something, it's just a memory Alex, he can't hear you. He thinks it's just him and his mother, but we know, yes we know, there's more to it," the thing said in it's rasping voice.

Alex stepped towards the younger version of himself, through the chilling for of shadows, "Why are you doing this to me," he asked it. All he got in return to his question was the fog curling around his slender frame and the thing took form into a young mare. Something inside his head shifted and he saw a brief glance of a pony he used to know. Then the form was gone, and the shadow began changing forms, shifting to a stallion next, then a mare, then one of the castle guards. It looked towards the corner of the room and Alex followed its gaze to see another shadow beast come off of the wall. It slid up behind the younger version of himself and Alex could feel the cold eminating off of it. This is getting too real to be a memory he thought. The thing curled its shadow tendrils around the filly, but he didn't notice, unsuprisingly. The only thing to bring him out of his music would be removing his headphones. It was always like that with music. His heart beat along with the beat of the song, his breath came with the screeches, and his head swayed with the sway of the music.

The thing began to whisper and Alex barely caught it, "One day, you'll hear this, and when you do, just know this, it is pointless. Your running, your quest, it is all pointless, you'll only end in failure. You can keep running, or you can fight, it is a loosing battle either way." The tendrils of shadow snaked away from the filly and the shadow being turned away, facing the door. It called out in the voice he had heard before, in the forest, "Ms. Lilly, can you come back here, Alex isn't acknowledging me." Something moved again in the back of his head. I know that bucking voice he thought.

"You know that voice, I can see it in your eyes. Don't worry, it'll come to you," the thing from his time rasped.

"He's probably stuck on his mixboard, just take off his headphones," the voice of his mom called out from down the hall.

He began to move towards the door when the thing stopped him, "No, you'll miss the show," it said, and gave him a knowing smile. Alex glared at it, he wanted to do something, to change something, but he was stuck in this memory.

"I don't want him to get mad at me," the older version of the shadow beast called out, "can you come do it for me?"

Alex saw and heard as his mother came down the hall, "Sure, Anna, I'll get him." Everything clicked into place, he did know who that filly was that he kept seeing in his head. It was his old friend. His best friend actually. They had done everything together. She was even his first crush, and now her voice was going to be his mothers demise.

She arrived at the door and froze in her tracks, looking at the past version of the creature. Suddenly her eyes moved and she was looking at him. Not the past him, but the actualy real him. "Alex," she said questioningly. Her eyes moved across the four figures in the room, while Alex took in what was happening. Her eyes landed on the past version of Alex and she said, "Get him out of here."

Alex looked at the current verion of the beast and asked, "This isn't just a memory is it?"

The best snarled and said, "Don't think you can change anything, this all happened the last time." With that it leapt at his mother along with its twin, causing his mother to use her horn to hold them off.

"Alex," she said, "get him out of here now!"

He wasn't leaving her. He leapt at the two beasts, silently cursing Celestia he wasn't a Unicorn. His mother saw him coming and used her magic to throw him, causing him to hit the filly at the mixboard. I remember this he thought something hit me and my eye hit one of the knobs on the mixboard, I caused myself to go blind. He hit the wall and slid down, blood seeping out of a gash on the back of his head. He watched as the filly version of himself slipped out of the chair, blood seeping out of the eye that hit the board and his head turned, giving him a view of the ensuing fight. The shield his mother had been holding up shattered and the two beasts lept upon her, ensuing screams from her as they ripped her limb from limb, pulling her apart. One of them ripped her throat open, silencing her screams and forcing only gurgles from her mouth.

Alex got up and lifted the filly onto his back then leapt out the window saying, "Time to go little man," as he leapt out. He looked back to see his mothers face as she quietly thanked him for saving both of their lives. He hurried to the nearest hospital and left the filly on the doorstep and hurried off into the night. Well what now, my mother's dead, I'm in the hospital, why am I not in the orchard yet he thought. His thoughts were inturrupted by a little voice behind him.

"Mister," a small voice beind him inquired.

His knees nearly collapsed under him. He turned around slowly and he faced a filly. Not just any filly he thought, Anna. "Yes," he managed to get out after swollowing the lump in his throat.

"Somepony told me to talk to the pony that was here," she said. Who would...Anna he questioned himself. "You remind me of one of my friends," Anna said. He chuckled and she laughed a little with him in the cold night air, her brown hair moving with her laughs and her blue eyes and coat moving as well.

"Well," Alex said, "do you remember who told you to come here?"

She gave him a sheepish smile and said, "She wouldn't tell me."

That closed it for him, it was Anna. "Well just listen to me, ok. Alex is leaving, you have to meet him in Ponyville on August second in five years. You understand?"

The filly gave him a questioning glance and asked, "Why is he leaving?"

"You'll find out," Alex said.

He turned around and began walking towards the road leading out of Phillydalphea and he closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of...apples? He opened his eyes to find himself in the apple orchard with a pair of blue eyes gazing at him.

Author's Note:

So I knind of went back and re-read my first versions of chapters three through seven and realized that they divert from the original story. So I trashed them and re-wrote it. I also made it longer due to some complaints about the chapter size. It took me a week just to write this! I was also wondering if anyone would like to be my editor, I check for errors, but I know I can't be perfect, so I would be greatful for the help. Also chapter five has Binary Code in it, so I may have to add a translation in the authors note.
~Sylpheed Dashstep

Comments

[Iridescence T Wind]

I'd recomend going back over chapter 1 and fixing some Tab's out so that sentances that arent Thought or, "Talking" arent spread out. But awesome story so far. Heres a mustache as well as a yay; and I cant wait to read more!

[Sylpheed Dashstep]

2199851 Thanks for the fav and advice, as you can see it's kind of my first fic so it's only natural there will be some errors. I'll fix them when I can get on an actual computer.
~Sylpheed Dashstep
P.S. I don't think you realize how much I'm flipping out right now, you're my favorite writer by far up here and this means a ton to me!

[Iridescence T Wind]

2200228 I would reccomend Microsoft word for editing when you get to a computer; and I'm your favorite writer? That made my night right there. The important thing about everything, writing includng is to have fun doing it... Unless it's a math book... No one likes math books.

[Sylpheed Dashstep]

2200431 No problem, it's not very hard to tell the truth, unless you're a compulsive liar.
~Sylpheed Dashstep