Ultraman: Equestrian Titan
Prologue
Music: Ryu and Serizawa watch?v=f-x1sXh5bJM)
Cory walks these streets day by day. It's repetitive as it is mind numbing, but nonetheless, it's a reminder to him. The people who are on these streets are the most important reminder that this is still reality, that even though his life may have lost some of its meaning, life for others; life in general continues on. It stops for no one despite the self-centered notions people may have. He still looks around at other families, the children playing with Frisbees and chasing each other. The days seemed peaceful as usual. Tranquil, easy going, happy, despite being the care taker of his much younger sister. Even though they lived in the isolation of their community in North America, sheltered from the evils and violence that besieged parts of earth, this small town of harmony was what mattered to him. But what if this wasn't the only reality he knew of. What if, another reality existed? One far beyond man's comprehension. These were thoughts he pondered in his head.
Music insert: Opening ( watch?v=OwwTrdR9ngs&index=1&list=PLEBF16B37B4050315)
As he pondered this, his fingers tapped against the metal of his car door as he waited for her to be released from her school. He tapped his cigar on the car door to let the ashes drop to the ground before bringing it to his lips, taking a prolonged puff before exhaling the tobacco smoke. He spat, and put his cigar out in his cars ash tray as he saw his sister exit the middle school building. It was her first day at Middle School, which had him worried. At High school being a freshman could be rough, he knew this from experience, but being new to Middle school was far worse. You're a common target of the eighth grade bullies who thought of themselves as gods of the entire school. Their words, and the words of the other children would burn such a young, sensitive girl like red embers. His sister was stronger than most twelve year olds mentally having had an upbringing that a tad bit on the rough side. But still, he worried about her being in what can be a hostile environment for teenage girls emotionally. Despite this he had to keep his head up, whether or not things went well for her at school he needed to show that he was there for her when a friend was needed. He smiled as she got into the car, tossing her backpack in the back seat and sighed as she fastened her seat belt. She paused for a moment and sniffed the air before turning to him with a stone glare, glancing back at him and the still slightly smoking cigar.
He rolled his eyes as he put his keys in the ignition, "It's the only one I've had all week."
"You know what they did to dad," She said, her expression staying solid.
"Those were cigarettes Sarah. Not Cigars, there's a huge difference." He shook his head, turning around to look to see if anyone was behind him as he backed out, "And like I said, I'll quit right after I finish the box I just purchased."
"You said that right after your last one, there were fifty of them in there and you went through them all in a month and a half! Don't you think its best you, quit? Buy some nicotine gum or something?"
"That'd just get me addicted to chewing that crap," he chuckled, poking her nose.
"Its smoke. You remember what happened to his jaw." He shook her head as well, giving up on her small argument she pulled a small, scarlet wrist band from her sweatshirt pocket as Cory put the car in drive.
He glanced over and furrowed his brows, recognizing the band as the one Sarah gave her best friend Tara back in third grade, "Tara's wrist band. Why do you have it?"
"It's a long story." She stashed it back into her pocket.
"I'm a good listener." He raised his brows, eyes still on the road ahead of them.
"You remember Jason right?" She asked, twirling her hair around one of her fingers, her attention out the passenger side window.
Jason, the boy Cory had heard of time to time. If he could remember correctly, Jason was Sarah's friend Tara's love interest. She has pursued him since their fifth grade year. For such a young age, Tara was infatuated with the boy.
"Heard of him, yes." It finally occurred to Cory just what had happened, "Was Tara not in his best interests?"
She looked down at her feet, "No, but I was. She yelled at me and called me a..." She huffed, "A whore. She took this and threw it at me and stormed off. Everyone stopped and looked at me, "Tears began to stream down her face," I just didn't know what to do."
Ah yes, Cory remembered those days as well, rivalry triggered by such trivial things. Cory sighed and turned on the radio, switching it to the classical station where they played swing music.
Song insert: I'm sitting on top of the world ( watch?v=QVrJoA2O7E4)
He began to sing with a makeshift, nasally New York accent, while tapping the steering wheel, glancing at his sister every few seconds. She covered his eyes and held in her giggle, finally punching his arm with a smile on her face. He wiped away her tears and ruffled her hair.
"Thanks," she smiled, "Now, you can turn that geezer crap off."
He grinned, "You don't have to tell me twice." As he turned the radio station, they passed by their apartment complex, pulling in and parking in their designated spot.
Music insert: Fear of encounter watch?v=MERfJZ6C8hY)
The sky had grown cloudy, asides from a few beams of evening sunlight that showed through some spots on the horizon. He grabbed a few bags of groceries as he closed his car door and locked it. When he looked up towards his Neighbors window. He saw something. Someone, with a silver, almost featureless face staring at him as he stood by his car. It had large, black as night eyes, and what appeared to be large backward facing hornlike protrusions atop its eyes. A streak of what appeared to be red extended from the left side of its face down its smooth, silver cheek. Cory's grip loosened on the bag he was holding, its contents spilling out onto the blacktop. He knelt down and quickly stashed the food back into the bag as fast as he could.
"Cory?" His sister called for him from the doorway of their apartment. He looked towards her, and then back at the window. Whoever was standing there was now gone. He kept his gaze on the window for a few more moments before making his way into their apartment. He sat the bags down on the table, making sure that the ones containing juice bottles didn't topple over.
"The neighbors must be a bit paranoid of us." he said, pulling the bread from the grocery bag.
"Which ones?" She asked while texting, placing her phone back down on the counter.
"The ones on the second floor, room 16."
Her face contorted to an expression of confusion, "Cory, that apartment is vacant."
He stopped in his tracks and spun around, "What?"
Sarah placed her phone back down, "The whitemens moved out of there last week remember?"
"Yes, but..." He walked back towards the door and opened it, looking to see where he saw the face was the right apartment. It was, apartment number sixteen on the second floor, right above the parking garage.
"It was right there..." He mumbled to himself.
"You're freakin me out bro." Said Sarah, smirking at him while placing a hand on the wall.
"Whatever." He sighed and entered the house. Sarah had sat down in front of the TV, and was flipping through the limited channels they had till she came to the FOX station to watch Family Guy. Cory opened the door to his room and locked it behind him, walking over to the picture he had on his night stand. A man standing next to a younger boy were in the picture, both in white gees. Cory took the picture frame and sat down on his bed. His eyes traced over the man's face as memories flooded his mind.
Music insert: Suffering ( watch?v=a8xrBrXvgz4)
"I should be angry that you left me with this burden. Until Sarah is of age to work, we have very little to live off of. But, at the same time I have much to be thankful for." He laid on his back, still examining the old photo of him and his dad. "You taught me how to fight well dad. Great, in fact, I have that to be thankful for. Of all the training you put me through, I did grow strong." he looked at his hand, "Even to the point to wear my hands would turn blue and swell, I would have to soak them in cold water. But..." He could feel his frustration grow, "Even with this fighting knowledge I still don't know where my life is heading. Will it stagnate like this? Will I become something?" He placed the photo on the bed, "What did any of what you taught me amount to?"
He sat up and shouted at the picture, "What was it all for? I am still nothing in this world!" He sat up on his knees, "Tell me!" A tear flowed down the side of his face, "Just what am I supposed to be in this world?"
He heard a knock at his door, "Cory? Are you alright?" It was Sarah. He heard her insert a pin into the key hole and open it. She closed to door and sat by his side, "Dads picture..." She looked over it, "This was six years ago."
He sighed, "Yeah. Right before his cancer spread." He put a hand over his temples, "Of all times to go... Right after mom left."
"I hate her..." She replied nonchalantly, "But, Cory, you were yelling about being nothing." He gave no answer other than him lowering his shoulders.
"It seems, that there's nothing left for me." He exhaled.
"There is. There is still someone you're important to." She smiled.
Cory shot her a confused stare, before realizing what she meant. "I love you Sarah."
"Ew, gay." She giggled.
"Seriously?" He chuckled.
"Yep." She sat up from his bed and opened the door, "Cory, I know it's hard now, but please hang in there for both of us."
He nodded, "I will Sarah." as she wished him goodnight and closed the door, Cory held the picture in his hands again.
"I'll protect her dad. Just like you asked." He sat the photo on his nightstand, "Goodnight."
XXXXX
The next day at work, Cory sat behind the computer screen as he typed in the names of the many guests that would be attending the offices luncheon. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his computer chair as he heard a knock at his cubicle entrance. His friend Brunheild smiled, "Ey, Miller, don't have that smoke smell to you for a change."
Sarah didn't want me smoking in the car." He rubbed his forehead as he groaned, "And I'm sure as hell feeling it."
"Think a Camel will do?" His friend offered, pulling out a box of cigarettes.
"I don't do cigs, you know that." Cory rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I had a rough evening yesterday. Sarah had a hard time at school yesterday."
"Huh, what brat ripped her a new one?" Brunheild stashed his box in his Blazer pocket and put a mint candy in his mouth to mask the ashy scent on his breath.
"Since when did you try and mask your ash breath?" Cory pointed out laughing, "Trying to get that promotion today huh?"
"Sh!" Brunheild looked outside the cubicle to make sure no one heard him, "Serious shit man, but yeah, the cig breath would have only made it well, least bit convincing to have a smoker on that job."
"The boss does it himself." Cory turned in his computer chair and began typing again. That's when both him and his friend heard spastic knocking on the wall again, this time one of the office assistants, hair disheveled from her running, "Cory, come look at the TV!"
Brunheild and Cory shot each other confused glances before following their panicked comrade into the break room. All the workers, boss including were gathered around the TV that showed a helicopter view of a school, one that was all too familiar with Cory.
His face grew a pale white as he read the words on the screen, "Middle School Gang shooting, students held hostage."
"Sarah..." He whispered as he broke out into a cold sweat, "Sarah!" He made a mad Dash from the room, his friend shouting for him to come back.
He peeled out of the parking lot and into the road, nearly getting T-boned from a rather beat up pick up truck in one lane, and a smart car in the next. He floored it through a red light, the traffic cop blowing his whistle feverishly as he sped by. He rounded the corner on the road that lead to Sarah's Middle School, the doors of the school were children fleeing from the building. From the windows on the second floor, children that he recognized as High School students had knocked the windows clear from the second floor and were firing upon students who foolishly fled through the entrance, hoping to be lucky enough to get away towards safety. He ducked down as bullets ripped through the metal of his car, swerving before finally crashing into one of the trees nearest to the outer parking lot. His head slammed against the steering wheel, his car engine sputtering as it came to a stop. His vision grew blurry before he finally blacked out, his head slumping to the side while blood ran down his forehead.
"Sarah... Sarah..."
XXXXX
"Sir? Sir are you alright!?"
Cory groaned as he opened his eyes lazily, trying to lift his head from the side. A sharp pain wracked through his neck, causing him to stiffen his body, only resulting in more pain from his severe whip lash.
"Hold on, we're getting you out of here alright? Can you understand me?" Asked the woman who wore a police uniform. She beckoned towards the fire men who lifted Cory onto a stretcher, his vision finally growing clear enough to observe his surroundings, "Where... Where is she, where is Sarah." He began to grow impatient as he got no reply, "Where is she, where is my sister?" He lifted his head up just enough to look back towards the school. His eyes grew wider upon realization of the horror that had occurred. Children, some alive, most dead, were lifted onto stretchers and carried towards multiple ambulances and carried off towards the hospital.
"How?" he thought, "This shouldn't be. In a war zone yes, but why here? Why children? Why..." He remembered the reason why he risked his life coming here, "Sarah... Please, tell me is she's ok."
"Where is she damn it?" He tried to yell as one of the Fire men pushed him back down into the stretcher.
"Sir please, you're in no condition for this, be calm!"
"Sarah!" he called out, looking around one last time before his eyes found her.
"No..."
He saw her body being lifted on a stretcher, a crimson laden blanket stretched over her motionless body. His face grew cold, even as hot tears streamed down his face, "This is... This can't... Sarah!" he tried to stand up despite the throbbing pain in his head and the tension in his body, only to be forced down by the nurses in the ambulance. He cried out for her one last time before the doors were shut.
"Fuck you!" He seethed with rage, "Let me out!" He spat at the nurse who strapped him arm down as he thrashed about. He quickly grew tired, and his anger faded back to sadness. He sobbed as more tears welled up in his eyes, "Sarah..." He silently cried over and over between sobs, "Sarah..."
His nurse sat near the medicine cabinet when she cleaned up the wound on Cory's forehead, occasionally wiping away with tears of her own. Though she felt for the children as well, nothing she felt at that time could compare to Cory's.
XXXXX
He awoke to the sound of a heart rate monitor monotonously bleeping away. As his blurred vision focused, he could see that the room was dimly lit by a fluorescent light on the ceiling, illuminating the pearl white hospital room he was in. His head rested on a white pillow as he turned his head side to side to observe his surroundings even more. A basin, a glass of water which was within reaching distance. He used hsi good arm to lift it to his lips, taking a long, savoring sip as it soothed his dry throat. He downed the whole glass in a matter of ten seconds and sighed, his mind still in a daze from the day's prior events. He could then hear someone's voice on the opposite side of the door before an African man stepped in, clip board in hand and a smile on his face, "Hello sir, My name is Dr. Martin, and you're Cory Miller, correct?"
"Yes doctor." He laid his head back down.
"Feeling alright? Whiplash not giving you any major troubles?" He waited for Cory to reply. His smile faded, sighing he placed his glasses on the counter, "I understand that what you saw, was something you never had to see. It didn't need to happen. I'm sorry you had to experience it sir."
"It's not just that..." Cory looked up at the ceiling, "My sister was there. I saw her, she wasn't moving... She was..."
The doctor sat up upon hearing this "You said she correct, your sister was a student there, right?"
"Sarah..." Cory raised his head up a little, "Is she here?"
Dr. Martin raised his eyebrows, "Sarah Miller? She regained consciousness not long before you did. I can have you meet her shortly if you'd like."
Cory could feel relied wash over him. She was alive, she was in the hospital with him. She was safe.
This was what he promised.
"How is she?" Cory eagerly asked, shifting his weight onto his right side, "Will she be ok?"
Dr. Martin placed his glasses back on, his look growing even more solemn. "I'll have the nurses get you in a wheel chair."
"What about Sarah? Is she ok?" He asked once more, a tone of desperation growing prevalent in his voice.
"From what we have gathered, a bullet severed her spinal cord and kidney, thus causing an unprecedented amount of internal bleeding." He looked down at the floor, and back at Cory whose jaw was now slightly agape upon hearing this news. He closed his mouth and tried to swallow as his mouth grew dry, "C-Can I, see her?"
"Of course." He stepped out of the doorway as two nurses entered the room and helped Cory into his wheel chair, pushing in tow with the Doctor. They made a few turns down the hall, and pushed him into a room identical to his own asides from the medical equipment that still laid out in the silver tray next to her bed. The doctor nodded to Cory as he slowly closed the door. The noise of the lock clicking into place awoke his sister from her slumber, "Her eyes weakly opening, their once bright green color was now faded grey. He could see a small smile form amongst her lips.
Song insert: Cory's theme/ Himeya's Theme ( watch?v=Nb13imP3JQs)
"Cory..." She said weakly, "You're here..."
"Sarah..." Cory felt his heart sink, her voice sounded so hollow, so weak and frail.
"Cory, I don't regret it. All these years living with you. I wouldn't trade it for anything." Her smile grew bigger, this time Cory could see her teeth which were still beautiful.
He stifled a sob, "Me neither. Even without mom and dad, I still managed to at least give you a home."
"You took the role of both. You cooked, took me to school, worked for us, gave me a home, and was my best friend when I needed one." A tear streamed down her face, "Thank you." She raised a hand up for him to grasp, it was almost cold to the touch.
"I know, Sarah. I don't regret any of it either. Not one bit, my life..." He stopped as her grip on his hand grew lighter, her eyes were fighting to stay open, "Sarah please... Not now, I don't want this to happen, Sarah, Sarah! I told dad I wouldn't let this happen."
Her lip trembled while she cried, "I'm... Sorry..." Her and body grew limp as she gave one last breathe.
Sarah..." He shook her arm, "Sarah you can't, Sarah, Sarah!"
Nurses flooded into the room, the entire place was in a fit of chaos as doctors and nurses gathered around her bed in hope that they could revive her. One began to cart him out of the room, he pushed himself from the wheel chair and crawled towards his sister as he cried, "Please! Please let me see her! Let go! Bastards, let me go!" He was lifted back into the wheel chair while the doors to the room slowly closed, with his hand outstretched, he shouted for his beloved sibling one last time.
This, was not what he had promised.
One month later...
Cory sat on a park bench that overlooked the cemetery. The wind was warm and gentle, with sunlight peeking through the clouds here at the skies zenith. It had been three weeks since her funeral. He remembered how the survivors of the school shooting showed up, even some of their parents who knew that they struggled financially offered him a few generous loans of money. He declined, even with the money, his heart was split beyond repair. The flowers he had placed on her grave were now wilted, their petals blowing away with the gentle breeze that ran its fingers through his hair. He had taken the week off upon reccomendation form his boss, believing that some time to mourn without interruption would help clear his mind. As he looked to his side where he heard footsteps, his closest friend, Brunheild, walked down the brick road, carrying a drink in each hand. This entire time he had been a great help to Cory. He helped soothe some of the pain, he was grateful for that.
Music insert: Heart Break ( watch?v=1uFX1EU2yXc)
"Thought I'd find you here." He sat down next to Cory and crossed his legs, "You've been hiding out here a lot lately."
Cory nodded, "It's been... Rough." he finished lamely.
"Well, it sure has been a tough past month. But, this tea won't drink itself." He handed the Styrofoam cup to Cory who took it, lightly sipping on it while keeping his gaze on the ground below.
Brunheild put his drink on the walkway and turned his body towards him, "This is far easier said than done, but Cory, for your sake, for your sister's sake, shouldn't you turn from the past?" Cory's puzzled stare invoked a long sigh from him, "What I mean is, this mourning won't do you any good. You're not going to get anywhere by wallowing in your self-pity. Just turn away from your past. Please..."
Cory shook his head, "I am different from you, brunheild. I'm not a strong man like you."
"That's not true, Cory." He assured him, "Everyone has a past that they wish to forget." He looked towards the horizon, "It's an old saying Cory but it greatly applies here."
"What is it?" he muttered.
"You can't change your past, but you can always change your future. I know how you feel Cory, but it's time to let it go. Let yourself be free from this pain." Brunheild smiled warmly, patting his friend on the back.
"Still..." Cory stood up, "Even if I move towards the future, without my family its..." he looked towards Brunheild before leaving, "Meaningless."
Brunheild could only take a deep breath of disappointment. He had done his best, and it all seemed that he could only leave it to his friend to find peace with it all. "Turn away from the past Cory, live in the present. Find peace, find happiness, and find contentment in your life. Meet people will be loya, honest, ones that will make you laugh, be generous and kind. Find people to love, and those that will love you. Good luck." he whispered, going his own separate way.
XXXXX
When Cory got home, he dropped his sweatshirt on the floor carelessly, walking into his bedroom and sitting down on his bed. He ran with palms through his hair and took a deep breath. Clearing his throat, he opened the drawer nearest to him and opened the box of his Cigars, holding it his mouth for a moment before picking up his picture frame, sorrow welling up once more as he stared longingly at the smiling faces of both him and his father.
"I'm sorry." He nearly croaked, "I am so, so sorry." A tear fell onto the glass, "You trusted me. You believed in me... And I failed you."
He grabbed his cigar in one hand, lighter in the other. He brought the cigar to his lips as he began to light it, careful to char the end too much.
"You know what they did to dad..."
"Sarah..." He thought to himself. He looked at the rolled up tobacco and threw it away before he fell to his knees. Memories of his childhood flashed through his mind, training with his father, running through the yard while he chased Sarah around with the garden hose on a summer's day. Memories of the past, the past which every iota in his being yearned for. His chest grew heavy his body was wracked with torment, hopelessness and sorrow. "Why must it be this way? Why am I robbed of everything?" Tears streamed down his face, "Why?" He banged his fists into the floor, "Damn it! Damn it!" He stumbled over to where he kept his pistol in the drawer, "This is it..." He put his finger on the trigger, "This is what I have become... Nothing..."
He pulled the trigger.
He felt nothing. He should have felt the bullet rip through his skull for a brief few moments before death. But that relief from all this pain did not come. He was still alive, still breathing. But yet, everything was so still. The sound of spring birds that were chirping away were gone, replaced by a sudden, eerie silence. He could hear only his heart beat in the wake of the complete and utter silence that befell his apartment. That's when he felt it first in his fingertips, then the hair on the back of his neck stood up from an electrical current that rippled through the air. He spastically looked around the room as car alarms outside began to go off, followed by the shattering of windows and ear splitting banging of metal pans that fell from their cupboards that broke the long silence. His body tingled all over, the hairs standing up at ninety degree angles. He felt extremely light headed as it felt he was spinning, and the sensation of electricity still resonated through his body. That was when he heard a distinct roar, like the sound of a giant beast, and then all went black.
Complete, darkness...
No wait, there was something in the darkness. An image appeared fainty in his unconcious mind... A horse, no a pony... But it was different than a poy. Its eyes were far too large, and human like. It had a warm, welcoming smile, a red bow in its sea blue mane. Another pony flashed through his mind. It had a horn on its forehead, a two tone mint green mane, and yellow, golden eyes. Her coat was a minty green color, much different in contrast to the almost grey one of the previous mare. The next one was what surprised him the most. A Unicorn like the one before, her mane was an electric blue, her eyes showed from behind her retro style sun glasses. They were a bright, neon red along with her off white coat. Who... Just who were those creatures? Why was he seeing them in this dream like state?
XXXXX
In the night of another world, the stars shined brightly in the dark abyss that was the sky. The town, its architecture resembling gothic style buildings and castles, were scattered along the landscape and mountain side. Canterlot was the name of this great city, its name was known throughout the land. Its name dripped wealth, class and culture. Home to the finest in all of Equestria, this was the final frontier to those who yearned to become the very best.
Atop one of the castles that leaned out towards the star clad horizon, an ivory mare with a flowing, teal and pink mane stared from her window pane. Without her sun, she could not properly look over her kingdom in order to discover just what this disturbance was. Just, what was this knot she was feeling in her stomach that was causing such paranoia and unease.
A Blue mare, complete with a horn and wings just like her sister entered the bedroom. Where a sun was on the flank of the white mare, hers was a crescent moon. "Sister, pray tell, what has thee worried at such a late hour?"
Celestia closed her eyes and turned away from the window sill, "I sense a disturbance of some sort. An, imbalance."
"Whatever do you mean? All is well across the landscape." She joined her sister by her side, "I remember looking upon those rolling hills. Remember him? That foal, well, boy as they called him that would always nap facing the castle?"
Celestia nodded, "It's been almost a full millennia."
"If only," Luna said solemnly, "If only there was another way for it to end."
"They were a violent people Luna. It pained to see the good ones, the ones that also served us well go to. But, in the nd they would have sided with their own people."
Luna nodded in agreement, "Do you think we will ever cross paths with them again?"
"While they're in tehri own little world?" Celestia giggled, "I don't see that happening. Even though stranger instances have occurred before."
"Indeed they have." Luna turned away from Celestia, "Come sister, it is time that I take charge of things. You need your rest to raise your sun."
"I will try Luna." Celestia closed the curtains and walked to her bedroom. Her stomach felt uneasy... Something was horribly wrong. In the morning she would make sure that her student would aid in her investigation of this disturbance she felt.