9
After a long trek back to Appaloosa, we boarded the last train heading back to Canterlot.
The town looked a lot more alive than it used to, its inhabitants trying hard to keep up the demand for the western-style clothing. “Must be the new fad going around…” Rarity said to nobody in particular.
We pulled away, the train speeding off into the darkening desert. Once again, we had claimed the sleeper car for ourselves, rather than sleeping upright in the passenger cars.
Everypony had already gotten comfortable, spreading the blankets and pillows from the previous trip around on the floor. Rarity had staked the bed, providing her pillow and blanket to Kelsey.
Of course, being my sister, she HAD to sleep next to me. She plopped her pillow and blanket next to mine before plopping down herself. Applejack couldn’t resist a comment. “You two are like peas an’ carrots; Ah haven’t seen you two apart since yall got together!”
Kelsey smiled back. “Yeah. Except Keith’s something more like a potato. He’s ugly.” She said, giving me a sidelong glance. I ignored her comment, struggling to stay awake. I wanted to get through the interrogation before I fell asleep.
Rainbow Dash regarded Kelsey. “So, I imagine living with this guy is a pain, huh?”
Kelsey shook her head. “Nuh-uh. He’ll always be the first to talk to me.” She said.
Rainbow Dash looked up at the back of my head; I was too tired to notice her stare. “So you two live alone or something?”
Kelsey shook her head again. “Nuh-uh. He has an older brother and a mommy and daddy. Except Bryan is usually away working in the city. And daddy does nothing but lock himself up in his room, and mommy is always busy. Keith is just the only one who’s able to talk.”
“Wow; sounds like you've got a nice brother.” Fluttershy said thoughtfully.
Getting a little flustered due to the fact that I was right next to them, and they were STILL talking about me, I decided to try and change the subject. “So, did the Princess say anything else in that announcement?” I asked.
Spike opened the letter again. “Hmm, nope. All she says is that she wants to ‘question’ you.” I shivered a little. “I see…” I looked down, suddenly very nervous.
Rainbow Dash noticed my expression and gave me a hearty punch on the shoulder. “We’ll back you up, Keith. You saved me and AJ’s lives already!” She said helpfully.
Applejack nodded. “Yup! The Princess’ll like that! Don’t sweat it too much, sugarcube.”
I smiled back, feigning comfort. “Thanks, guys. I shouldn’t be sweating about the small stuff.”
Rarity let forth a cavernous yawn. “Well, I’ve lost a lot of beauty sleep over the past few days, and I think it’s time I start catching up.”
Twilight nodded, fluffing up her pillow. “True. The train’s got another whole day of traveling nonstop until we reach Canterlot. Let’s rest up while we can.”
A whole day? I thought. Should be enough time for me to check back in the real world for a bit.
I started to leave, throwing my pillow and blanket over my back. “I think I’ll sleep in the passenger cars. There isn’t anyone else on this train anyways.”
Kelsey stuck out her lower lip. “You don’t have to go…” She said sadly.
Fluttershy squealed a little, unable to contain herself. “Aww! Just look at that face!” She exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash stood up. “Yeah. Don’t leave your sister here.” She said, a hint of sternness in her voice.
I shook my head. “It’s not that. I just thought you girls would want your own space.”
They all cocked their heads. “Maybe if we didn’t know you, but since we’re friends…”
“No.” I said, cutting them off. Even I was surprised at how sharply I said it. “I-it’s fine. I’ll sleep in the other car.” When they gave me another confused look, I looked to Kelsey for help.
She noticed my expectant look, then rolled her eyes. Fine. I’ll help you. was the message in her eyes.
“Oh, yeah. He snores really loudly; I’m used to it, but I don’t know if you’re all going to be able to sleep.” She said. I blushed a little. Man… she didn’t have to be so harsh.
I went along with the act. “Yeah. Sounds like a hurricane.”
Rarity was somewhat repulsed by the image. “Oh, well in that case, I think we should take him up on his offer of extra space.”
With this first approval, I left, almost slamming the door behind me as I did.
I collapsed into two seats, sprawling across them. Propping my pillow on the wall of the car, I stretched my back, settling after a few seconds. I closed my eyes, allowing the sleepiness to take over.
--
My eyes snapped open, my pupils not responding well to the lights. I quickly shielded them, rubbing them furiously.
“Ugh. I’m never going to get used to this.” I mumbled.
An attractive scent reached my nostrils. I hungrily searched the room for the source. My eyes rested on a small tray of toast and eggs. A small juice box sat next to the tray. I looked down at my sleeping sister. “Well, I guess she can have the bed for a bit.”
Gently pushing her off of me, I walked over to the tray and ate my fill. As I finished the last of the eggs, my mom walked in, looking happier now that she knew she had helped me in some way. “Glad to see you’re feeling better, Brandon.” She noticed Kelsey sleeping on the bed.
“Oh. You let her stay up late again?” She asked, a hint of aggression in her voice.
Forgetting that she was still asleep, I shrugged. “I couldn’t say no to her. You know me.”
She sighed. “Well, it’s nice to know that you haven’t changed.” Suddenly, she gasped. “Keith! What did you do to the TV?!”
I looked up at the damaged VCR and split screen. My mind scrabbled on a slippery slope of hesitation. “Uhh.. Well… you see…” I blubbered helplessly.
Her eyes narrowed. “Keith. What did you do?” She said, her voice dropping dangerously low.
“Look, I can explain.” I started, attempting to stall her. “I just… uh… banged my head on the… um… VCR and the TV... uh… it… fell down! Yeah, that’s it!” I said, struggling to think through it.
She quickly went from suspicious to worried. She stood up, feeling my head for a bump. “Oh, no! You okay, Keith??” Good old Mom.
“It’s fine! It didn’t even leave a bump.” I said quickly, trying to calm her down. Phew… dodged a bullet there. I thought. I looked down again, deep in thought. But I’m going to have to explain to her eventually; she’s not going to keep on ignoring this…
Satisfied that no bump existed, my mom sat down. “Oh, phew. Didn’t want to have to operate on you.” She said, laughing a little.
I grinned. “Sure, mom. Anything to get a favor from me.”
This was the wrong thing to say, and she was slightly hurt from this. “Aw, Keith! I was worried you hit your head harder than you thought!” She looked back up at the TV. “You must’ve hit it pretty hard if you got the TV to fall over…” She said thoughtfully.
I gulped audibly. “Yeah….” I trailed off, forgetting what else I was going to say.
My mom leaned back in her chair, sighing exasperatedly. “Well, at least you’re fine now. The doctors said your pseudo-comas don’t appear to be harmful to your health. They said that your vitals appear to be the same as when someone falls asleep. They said as long as you don’t fall asleep in a critical time, you should be fine.”
I smiled a little. “See, mom? Told you that—”
“So that’s why I’m giving Bryan temporary ownership of your car.”
My hopes sank. “You’re kidding me, right?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “No buts, objections or rejections. You’re already talking to a wall, there.”
“B-but I worked hard to buy that Civic! You can’t just—”
“Bryan needs the car to get to school. You know that Dad leaves for work too early for Bryan to catch a ride, and I don’t have time in the morning to give Bryan a ride either.”
I nodded somberly. I usually drove Bryan and myself to school every morning and parked far enough off-campus to avoid the school’s parking security. Bryan did take turns driving with me, but I severely doubted his ability to parallel park.
Hanging my head, I managed to mumble, “Fine.”
My mom frowned. “Sorry, Brandon. But it’s not like Bryan can just be excused from school because you’ve got to stay home.”
“It’s not like I wanna stay home either.” I grumbled.
We heard some noise coming from the bed. Kelsey had woken up, stretching like a cat. My mom checked her watch. “Well, now that Kelsey’s awake, we can head home. The doctors cleared you to go home.”
I stood up, eager to leave. “Okay. Let’s go.”
~~~
We arrived at our house, parking next to my dad’s Prius.
“Wow… seems like I haven’t seen this place in forever.” I breathed.
Kelsey winked. “Technically, that’s true.” She said.
I shushed her, shaking my head. Luckily, my mom didn’t hear the comment, since she had already gotten out of the car.
We went inside, enjoying the rush of hot air that came out upon opening the door. I shivered a little. “Man, winter’s already here, huh?”
Mom sighed again. It was a weird habit of hers, sighing whenever she was about to say something. “It’s very strange. The weatherman was saying that the cold front came quicker than expected, except it sort of materialized instead of blowing down from somewhere.”
I scratched my head. “Materialized, huh? But doesn’t it usually get this cold around December and not October?”
Kelsey nodded. “Yeah; we never had to wear jackets when we went trick-or-treating. Now that it’s so cold, I think I’m going to be an Eskimo for Halloween.”
Mom and I chuckled at the remark. Mom turned to face me, sporting a big grin. “Remember when you dressed up as a Tank for Halloween? Bryan said he sure had a blast pushing you around.”
I started for my room, laughing a bit. “Yeah… That was after I had that knee surgery business. But he only liked to push me so he could jackknife me in the middle of nowhere and leave me when you weren’t there.”
My brother had a mean habit of popping a wheelie, then pushing the handles all the way down so they touched the ground, leaving me with my feet in the air. It was funny the first few times, but when he started doing it when I had classes to get to, I wasn’t laughing anymore.
My mom started out the door again. “Okay, well, I’ve got some work to catch up on at the office. I’ll be home around 6PM.”
“Kay!” Kelsey and I called out in unison. The door slammed shut, and the scrabbling of Mom’s keys ensued.
I strolled to my room again, fondly picking up my Element cap. “Well, well, well, how did you get here?” I asked it, not caring that it wouldn’t respond.
Kelsey popped her head in. “You sure you’re not on drugs?” She asked, giggling a little.
I ruffled her hair none-too-gently. “Didn’t we teach you to knock?” I asked her back.
She ran out of the room, protecting her precious pigtails. “Noooo!! You know I hate it when you do that!”
Still grinning, I sat down at my desk, booting up the CPU and opening iTunes. I clicked the “play” button on my “Radio” playlist; A simple compilation of punk rock, alternative rock, classic rock and even a little melodic metal. It’s also my favorite compilation up to date.
Lost Weekend by the Quemists came on. I resisted the urge to play a few riffs on the old air guitar when my sister walked back in, holding up a drawing. “Hey, Keith! Look! I drew everybody!”
I spun in my chair, examining her drawing. It was a crude sketch in crayon of everybody she had met in Equestria, in addition to herself and I. We were in a line, beaming smiles at an imaginary camera. The sun shone brightly in the top right corner, while a few clouds scuttled across the baby blue sky. Kelsey and I were in the center, sporting the cheesy smiles as well.
“Well, that’s not bad. Not bad at all.” I said, holding it up to the light. She smiled at me expectantly. “Thanks!” She said.
We stood there for a few more seconds, smiling at each other. Confused with what she wanted, I continued with the praise. “It’s way better than my old drawings; you’ve improved a lot.”
“Thanks!” She said again, still smiling expectantly. We sat for another few seconds, the song switching to a song by The Killers.
“Uh… You need help with homework or something?” I asked. She shook her head, still wearing the same smile. “Nope. I’m okay.”
It wasn’t long before I knew what she wanted. “You wanna go back to Equestria, don’t you?” I said flatly.
Immediately, she denied it. “Oh, no, I don’t really care. Unless you want to.” She said innocently.
“You know you’re not good at being sneaky about it, right?” I said flatly.
“Oh, shut up and just sleep, will you?” She replied, putting her hands on her hips.
I shook my head. “No can do. I think we should wait until tonight. It’s Friday, after all. We’ll be free all weekend to do what we want.”
Kelsey feigned sleepiness. “But I’m already falling asleep.”
I turned back to my computer, the truth obvious. “Sorry, Kelsey. Just look forward to tonight. You could make more of those drawings.”
She frowned. “But why can’t we go now?”
“Mom’s coming home in a few hours, and Bryan and Dad are coming home for the Halloween weekend. And mom doesn’t know that you do this ‘dream’ thing, too.” I explained.
When Kelsey’s face didn’t change, I sighed. “How about we finish one of your coloring books together?” I asked, almost whispering it like I didn’t want her to hear it.
Her face immediately brightened. “Okay!”
I smiled, watching her leave the room. I turned back to the computer. “Well, I’d better get my college applications done.”
I opened a previously started application in another browser window, clicking on “Personal Information.” I started filling in my home address and birthday, making sure I scrolled to the correct month and day.
I arrived to where it asked for my social security number. I put my hand on the number pad when I hit a void of forgetfulness. “Huh… I swear I memorized this for the last four applications I’ve already done…” I said slowly. I grabbed my personal binder of important information and retyped my social security number from the card and clicked, “Next”.
The problem with memory loss persisted, forcing me to refer to the personal binder for past performances in plays, participation in sports, as well as community service.
As soon as I clicked the “Submit Application” button, the realization hit me.
“So this must’ve been what happened at the canyon…” I said. “I knew something was happening, but I was just too short-sighted to see what was up.”
I looked back at my Element hat sitting on my bed. “Is that the side effect for using that power??” I thought. It forces me to forget…?
Kelsey burst into my room once again, interrupting my thoughts. “Hey, Keith! You said you were gonna help me color some books?” She asked.
“Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll be right there.” I answered absentmindedly.
She left me alone, where I spent another five minutes staring at the Element cap, pondering about what the heck I was dealing with.
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I HATE. HATEFUL COMMENT.
I AM PIRATE AAAAARRR!
PONY
>Mandopony in the title image
4/10 almost got me
you should continue this some time it is interesting
please continue the story when you can this is the most unique story i have read to date
5/5
MOAR!!!
Yay! HiE self insert!
READ ALL THE SELF INSERTZ!!!
ZS AT THE END OF WORDZ ARE KOOL!!
RAWR BECAUSE RAWR!!
DUDE CONTINUE!!!
IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD :D
Aye aye, Sir!
What a steaming pile of crap this story is. My god, a self insert, the creativity is fucking petrifying from it's lack of existance! The main character is a copy paste of the very definiton of sickening unoriginality! I could barely endure though all of what utter shit you presented to us readers that you absurdly call a first paragraph.
Hey, just doing what you requested.
(
I'll actually read it in the morning, it's midnight right now, I gotta sleep man.)
Before I even begin reading, I decided to give you a pity like. I hope I don't regret it.
2337644 beautiful
2338616 you might
2341260Nnope! Excellent!
Dangit. It just started getting interesting...