[Part 3]
Night was the only time during the day I could seek refuge inside my pathetic, small world. A world where I could embrace the idea of happiness as much as possible whenever possible, this was the only reason why I continued to exist on this realm. This is why I continued to live on despite all my misery and pain because it brought me hope and love to my mind and soul because I believed that one day I would find happiness somewhere on this planet.
After saying grace and eating the last meal of the day with my foster parents, I typically snuck into bed and prayed. I kissed my "Mother" and she left the room, an hour later I made sure my parents were fast asleep before I could attempt any activities alongside the popular fandom. I mostly used the computer in my room while no one noticed, for it was the only gateway between me and my second life. The computer was mostly used for doing homework and writing essays and other stuff, but also for looking up basic information from websites that were not blocked. Other than that, it was solely responsible for allowing me to access the arts and many kinds of things that were forbidden by my family. My parents usually blocked the world from me, I rarely ever watched T.V because my parents said there was too much evil shown on it, even though they themselves watched T.V. Radio was also an issue; my parents only wanted me to listen to classical music which I enjoy so much thanks to them. My computer was the only exception to these categories. Although my parents blocked most IPs from a lot of websites, I was shown by a friend a while back to bypass this security, and I was amazed at what I found. On a day I could have sworn to be the luckiest day of my life, the fandom known as My Little Pony seemed to catch my attention and resulted in me embracing the show with open arms.
It was a faithful day on Youtube when I found out about the show, I was curious and decided to check it out. It was episode 16 Season 1 Sonic Rainboom that got me into liking the show. The heroine, Rainbow Dash, has no choice but to hit supersonic speed to save her friends from certain death. The colors displayed by the Sonic Rainbow really caught me off guard; I could have sworn I have never seen a rainbow that colorful before. Rainbow Dash gave me enough guts to show up at school at the worst times. However, I was surprised that Rainbow Dash was "bullied" when she was young, although not in a way like me.
I was told that most men had denial in learning to love the show however they to eventually fell in love with it. Some Bronies were just like me, alone and afraid of what people might say if they found out that you loved watching a show that involved multi colored ponies and their "Girly" adventures, to me it was not really girly at all because it was just different than the rest. I was different to and I wished people understood that from me.
I never got to enjoy television shows that other kids love before finding out about My Little pony. The show had a special effect on my life. The characters and the setting seemed so perfect. The characters in the show were always happy and always cheerful, but if they were not, they would usually end up being happy in the end anyways. It seemed like a life I wanted all along, to always be happy.
However, today was a much different story because Father confiscated my computer, but I was glad that I had closed all my tabs and deleted my history the night before so he would not find out about the show. My IPod was safe inside my pocket as always, so I did not worry about them finding out about the IPod either. Consequently, now I had nothing to do but go to sleep, but my mind was set on too many things to rest. I didn't want to stay up all night, but I was thinking too much about Madison and Alex. They were the first people to help me in a desperate time of need today. I felt as though they were sent by Celestia herself to aid me in this hour of darkness. I slightly smirked at the idea.
After reading countless fan made literature on the net, I wished that somehow I would be torn from this world and hang out with the mane 6. If I did somehow end up in Equestria, what would they think of me?
A crazy thought, but perhaps Equestria was Heaven? It seemed too perfect to have true evil like wars, famine, and death. Maybe when a person dies, things go their way and they end up in Equestria, obviously with no memories of their previous lives because it's like a dream. Maybe when we dream, we are actually seeing Heaven, and when we have nightmares we see hell. Just like the dream I had yesterday.
Maybe I was already dead, maybe…I was in purgatory, and maybe I was actually…a ghost? That was stupid, if I was a ghost then why would people see me.
Then I thought…maybe after I got beat up by Lewis, I passed out and didn't make it? Maybe I was dreaming all of this, but if I was dreaming all of us, surely it would go my way?
Then my thinking turned into anger, a cloud formed inside my mind.
The prick, in the trench coat, at lunch today the one that instigated my paranoia at school. Kane…that fucking asshole…he and his gang should be sent to hell for their sins. Lewis should be tied up against a post and beaten up day and night for three years, so he could feel the pain I felt emotionally. Strangely enough though, Kane stopped Lewis at the last minute…it still didn't convince me; I hoped they would get kicked out of school, or sent to prison for harassing a young boy heartlessly for three miserable years.
Sadly…here I was again
"I threw the first punch, I'm the one responsible for the fight, not them" I whispered
I should have ignored them. Why the fuck did I do that! Why the fuck am I so stupid…it was just verbal abuse, and I took it too far with them. My own detriment was my inability to seemingly fight back. I wanted to prove to them I was not as weak as I looked, but that ended up in me almost getting killed! Honestly! What was I thinking! I punched a guy whom was taller than I was! I knew he could have beaten me into a pulp, but I still insisted because I've had enough of them messing with me. I wanted to be like Zecora, feared and left alone. I wanted everyone to know how lonely I wanted to be. I wanted to be alone with just me and my imagination.
I had to ask myself…did I really want to be left alone, or be noticed by at least one person at the school.
Did I really want to be left alone?
If I were to die tonight, would anybody even care? Would there be anyone to talk about my life, would there even be a eulogy?
"Oh he was a very lonely boy with no friends"
It would be one short mass and funeral service; they would just throw my body into a ditch and forget about the event the next day. This scared me a lot, not having anyone remember you when you're gone. To be forgotten is worse than death after all. I would rather suffer an eternity in hell than not having people tell stories of your life for generations from now.
Then I thought to myself…no one remembers other people anyway
Many actors from the 19th century are not discussed in regular conversations for drama, only actors that currently exist. What happened to Plato from 300 BC? Well, no one cares about that poet because he is long dead. I guess the more time goes by, the more people forget about you and what you have accomplished in life…unless you're a straight up historian.
Here I am again…thinking too much for my own health.
You see, thinking is a terrible habit of mine…maybe it was why I was so unpopular…because I concentrated only on the same issues I have every day. Now I felt tired enough to actually try and sleep. However, I felt rays of sunlight heat up my bed; I looked up toward my window. The sun broke through the dark clouds, it was enough to bring at least five minutes of sunshine for the day. Wait…sunlight? Was I dreaming or…
I examined the time on my nightstand.
"6:30am! Shit!" I couldn't have been awake all night, it's impossible. "Day Break already! Shit…"
That meant I had no sleep through the night which meant it was going to be another bad day, I sighed.
I got out of bed and immediately felt my body's response to yesterday's beating. I cringed; I observed all the bruises on my body, so I looked like shit not to mention any sleep; I was definitely going to pass out during today's lectures. I kept yawning through the rest of the time getting adjusted to the morning hour. I decided with a little 15 minute nap in the shower, I could get enough energy which was a bland thought. There was no way I was going to function today. However, I maybe with the condition I was in, perhaps I would get a nicer look from people…maybe.
I assumed my parents were getting ready for the day as well, for I heard hymns down the hallway where the bathroom was. I left my room and went straight to the bathroom. The sounds of Gregorian chant got louder as I approached the restroom; the sounds came from the door adjacent to my bathroom. I was curious, too curious for my own good that I slapped myself when I was about to open the brown door. It was the forbidden zone, I was never allowed inside my parents' room, should I have entered I would face dire consequences involving my father's paranoia. My parents were praying like they did every hour of the day only that this prayer was different from the rest, it was a different style of Alleluia the one they would use for special masses during Easter. I assumed that their room contained the covenant, like what they have in church and was forbidden for "normal" eyes to be seen.
My father was a huge contributor at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Main Street near the Bistro which was located in the center of the city, and my mother played the organ during Mass while my father helped with the service at church . When my parents could not pick me up from school, I usually walked home on Main Street all the way down to where the house was located.
My father's favorite song during mass was "Agnus Dei from Notre Dame Mass by Guilliaume De Machaut". He felt like 10 voices singing different lyrics at the same time represented diversity in the church, but also Equality in that diversity because every lyrical note from each person was the same. My mother scoffed at nature, saying it was the devil's playground. She thought all the animals and violence in nature was a plot by Satan to drive humanity insane and do the same things. Consequently, if she ever saw me watching My Little Pony, my life would basically end right there.
I hope you're writing this down because I'm going to test you later.
The sounds of Ars Antiqua filled my ears; it was very soothing to the mind, I always loved polyphonic mass music because it gave me some kind of hope, but that hope was slowly draining away from me as time went by. I didn't know if there was even a god to believe in anymore, if he "loved" his children so much, then why doesn't he just come down from the sky and make everyone else leave me alone?
The chant's beautiful hymn kept hitting my ears; I closed my ears and felt a sense of peace for a while.
I loved music way too much. I didn't really like "Modern" music that much, for it was the sound of true art and form through the Classical genre like the "Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky" and "Modest Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain" that I could relate to, the violent Ballet suite by Igor Stravinsky basically tells my life through its introduction and climax and the Night on Bald Mountain describes my pain and suffering perfectly. Other genre included a much more phantasmagorical feeling like "Beethoven's 6th Pastoral Symphony" and "Dance of the Reed pipes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky"
Arriving back to reality got me thinking about what day it was today. What was today again? I walked back to my room and checked a calendar I had on the wall, my suspicions were correct.
Today was Good Friday.
I had to be "extra" careful today if I didn't want any problems with dad even if he was already having problems with me .I remembered my parents told me last night that we were going to the Bistro tonight to celebrate Good Friday with Russo and Marcella their best friends, this would be the first time I would be "invited" to a party, how fun. At least Madison would be there; hopefully no one else from school would be at the party.
I entered the restroom, closed the door, turned on the faucet, placed my towel on the counter, and took out my IPod. I looked at the same face I did every morning, Rainbow Dash's soft smile…the one that always gave me confidence and courage in my life, I always looked at the portrait for a few minutes before going in the shower. It just made me feel better because I felt as though Rainbow Dash understood how I felt even though she was not even here.
I set the iPod on the counter and entered the shower…
The sun was once again covered in dark clouds; it seemed to be another day of pain for Rainbow Dash since she got here. Traffic jam filled the streets; people were walking to work and school. The heavy rain collaborated with the frustration in Rainbow's confusion of this world, where were all the trees and ponies? Rainbow could not get her eyes off the weird bipedal beings that littered the city streets, never has she seen such creatures. Maybe this was the future? Maybe these creatures were ponies, but have evolved into some weird hairless, hooveless predators? No, there was no way these monster could have been ponies, let alone Equine.
Rainbow Dash wanted to kick someone in the face after what happened yesterday. However, if these monsters were to ever find her, they might cut Rainbow into bite size pieces and put those pieces of her on a silver platter if she would ever be so bold enough to reveal herself to this society again. Another horrible thought entered Rainbow's mind, what if the meat she ate was another pony! Oh god it sent shivers down her spine from just thinking about it.
Rainbow was sick and tired of the rain here, was it ever going to stop? Honestly if her wings still worked, she would just fly up in the sky and kick those clouds to oblivion. Her inability to fly now had sunk in since the first day. Without flight she was weak both physically and mentally. Flying is what got Rainbow Dash to start the day off. Now she had no purpose in life. She tried to move her wings, hopefully to be able to fly again but to no avail. The only thing she accomplished instead was instigating a jolt of pain in her wings.
"Ow!" The pony cringed in response
She closed her wings again and looked at the broken plate across the alleyway with the filth on it. She observed the vomit that was combined with the uneaten pieces of meat, she instantly turned away.
"I…ate an animal yesterday, so does that make me a bad person?"
She tried to pass it on as another dream, but her tongue still had the presence of meat, blood and flavor.
"Why was it so delicious? It was meat!" Rainbow stumped her hoof on the ground, "Ponies don't eat animals! It's against our nature! Our way of life! What kind of hellish place is this!"
The sound of thunder misplaced the cyan-colored pony. Her hair jolted upwards in a vertical motion, her eyes shrunk at the flash of lightning. When she regained her "cool" posture, her eyebrows shifted into an aggressive position again.
"And that's another thing! Why are the lightning bolts in this world so strong! I hate getting scared like that…then again…I sort of…miss Pinkie Pie when she startled me with her randomness…"
Rainbow Dash sat down on the wet ground and began to sob.
"Oh who am I kidding? Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy…I miss you guys so much…"
She noticed her reflection on the ground via water; she looked so different from before. Her skin was slightly discolored and her hair was unsaturated. What was happening to her? Why was she so gray? Rainbow Dash sighed.
"I hope you guys can find a way to bring me back to Equestria before it's too late"
She looked up toward the sky
"Princess Celestia, forgive me for committing such an act…please forgive me"
She sighed; this marked yet another day for her to look for food. She didn't want to stay at the Bistro, knowing it would be bad for her to do so even if it was the first restaurant she had seen all week. She crawled under one of the fences and left the Bistro's alleyway.
(Whyte Avenue harbor)
Where was I supposed to go now? I couldn't find any route out of this place, all I want to do was to get out of this miserable place and find my way out into the wild. Was there even any sigh of "life" in this world? I haven't seen trees yet as a matter of fact, and sunshine was scarce here. This place looked a lot like Manehattan except it was populated by carnivores!
I looked out into the horizon of the harbor that I arrived to a few minutes ago and found numerous "white" boats floating around, never have I seen these type of boats before. How come there weren't any sails on them? Were they operated by magic? Did these beings even use magic? Everything seemed too imbalanced here. It was just like the Everfree Forest, unnatural.
I found a sigh next to me that said "Strathcona Provincial Park, 42 miles"
Provincial Park?
I looked at the pictures that were on the sigh: trees, mountains, fresh air, snow and blue skies! This is what I have been looking for! I found wildlife, and perhaps a way to get home! Maybe this wasn't a cruddy day after all!
However, I read that the only way to get there would be to get on one of these boats and cross the river. Plus the current looked too strong, so the waters were rather treacherous. If I were to fall into these waters I could risk drowning.
I didn't see anyone with a working boat so far, except this one guy! I quietly crawled to his location to where the pier was. There was someone else with him, a woman with her filly? Was that their own version of a filly? The little girl wore small jeans and a small red jacket to protect her from the cold. The young girl had long brunet mane and she looked close to six years old. Why were they here anyway? It was not raining at the pier, but the dark sky suggested that things would get worse soon. They seemed to babble something about fishes; I didn't know what that meant. Why would they be interested in fishes anyway?
"Storm's getting pretty bad; this could our last chance to…"
The mother laid a lip on her husband's mouth
"And what about Sasha?"
He turned toward his daughter and sighed.
"Sasha, you need to stay here with mommy"
The young filly began to jump up and down
"No! I wanna see the fishes! Please Dad! I won't bother you!" The young girl said
The husband simply nodded sideways
"No, I'm sorry Sasha"
"Please! Dad! I'll be good I promise"
He kneeled down to her and gestured a hand to her shoulder
"It's not that you'll be good, it's dangerous if you come. You can trip and fall in the water, and the sharks will eat you and daddy will be sad if that happens" he smiled.
"I'll stay in the middle! Please Dad!"
He sighed
He got up and gestured his wife
"I'll keep a close eye on her"
"yay!" The young six year old jumped on the boat and jumped joyfully.
I slowly made my way toward the vessel, I hopped in unnoticed. Finally I would be able to get across with no problem. Finally things were going my way since I got here. I hid in one of the crates at the back of the boat, where I would be unnoticed by the crew.
The father hugged his wife and got on the boat; I heard a loud bang at the stern. This caused me to slightly jump in fear. A loud rattling sound soon came after, the engines were starting up and the boat was on its way toward the Island. I smiled, thinking I would finally find peace on the other side of the river…boy was I wrong.
My attention drew to the bipedal child, for she was just like a filly…curious and playful. She ran around in circles, talked to the toy she was holding and she was even singing. It reminded me of home, how I missed the laughter of fillies and other ponies alike. At least these things were capable of fun and recreation; I just thought they were heartless killers. The thought made my heart ease up for a while.
I observed the weird creature playing with her doll.
"Yay! To the gala we go!" She said
I gasped, my eyes dilated. Did I just hear Gala? Surely she didn't mean the Galloping Gala? How in the world did they know about the Galloping Gala?
"I wanna see all the animals at the Gala!"
This was too familiar to me; it was something Fluttershy said when we went to the Gala. My suspicions were raised even more when I observed the toy in her hand. The doll, in fact, looked like a pony! Dear Celestia, what kind of cruel joke was this! The pony looked awfully familiar. It looked too familiar, pink mane, yellow fur, wings, and a butterfly cutie mark.
"Fluttershy?..." Was that…Fluttershy?
"What the hay is going on here" I said quietly
"Honey! Stay where you are, I'm going to set the net" The father shouted
How could this even be possible! Was she sent here like me! What was going on! Maybe she was caught by the authorities and turned into a doll by some evil sorceress! Oh sweet Celestia! Looking into those lifeless eyes of Fluttershy just made me cringe with fear all over my body.
Suddenly, I felt a large amount of weight hit on top of me. I looked around the soon to be dead animals all over me; I gasped and began to breathe heavily.
"A..a..a..ar…are those…f..fish!" I just felt a large part of me scream inside, "Were they catching fish to eat!"
I couldn't take it anymore; I forced myself out of the crate which wasn't a good idea. I fell with a thud, the wooden crate with the fish fell down with me; it was enough to disturb the child's laughter. My eyes and the young girl's own met with confusion. It was silent for five seconds until.
"A pony?"
Once again my eyes dilated in fear. I backed away slowly from the little girl, but I fell on my back consequently.
"Is that Rainbow Dash!" She said
How did she know my name? What the hell was this! Could she read my mind or something! There was no way this was happening, no way!
"Dad! Rainbow Dash! She's real!"
No! With my position compromised, I had to leave the ship pronto .There was no way I could make it across the island by swimming; I had better luck to return to the pier. I quickly got up and ran to the stern once again; how horrible that was to know about the little girl, that she was just like the rest. Those people were carnivores to, and somehow they were told about me…I had to leave before they called the authorities, but I also left Fluttershy behind at the same time. I didn't care, I just wanted to get out of there and swim back to the pier. I jumped in the river and felt a sudden drop of temperature rush through my body. The freezing water made me cringe. In addition, the strong waves hit against my smaller body, causing me to struggle for air as a result. My predictions were correct, the currents were too strong. I struggled against the waves, to no avail.
I yelled for help, I was going to drown because of the current's force. Consequently, I was being dragged into the sea.
"Please! Someone help me!" I struggled.
There were ships passing by me, the suction caused by the boats pulled me under them, I was repeatedly knocked back and forth by the powerful force underwater, but I resurfaced and found several of these boats catching live bait…animals so that they could eat…It was horrible, never have I seen such monstrosity happen before my very eyes. I wanted to tell myself to drown here and now, but something told me to keep swimming to the pier. Maybe it was fate? Maybe it was to find answers about this strange world. At least the water got rid of the putrid smell of the fish. I thought very hard on what to do next. The pier was just a hundred feet away! I could make it if I was strong enough.
I remembered my time at Junior Speedsters. The coach taught us about working with currents, rather than going against them. I took consecutive breaths while swimming toward the pier. When the waves passed me, I kept calm and stopped swimming, letting the currents flow past me without harm. I used all the muscles in my body to propel forward towards salvation, each of them working overtime…I felt as though my body could not take any more of this. However, after the waves passed me, I swam again toward the pier, little by little until I arrived to one of the docks. I left the water in a heap of exhaustion and confusion. I had to admit this was the most exciting thing that has happened all week, but now I was exhausted and tired. I walked up the stairs into the harbor where I started.
Several thoughts ran in my mind
"How did she know my name? Let alone recognize me? Did we meet before all this, and what about Fluttershy…what was her role in all of this?" I thought to myself.
Then I thought about what the girl said
"Real"
Of course I was real, why wouldn't I be?
Suddenly a seagull passed over me, I ducked as I heard it screech its horrible call…however I noticed the animal flew above some sort of billboard. Billboards were common to use in Manehattan to advertise clothing and whatnot, but this advertisement was different. I wanted to tell myself that the billboard in front of me was only a hallucination, but unfortunately it was not. My heart began to agitate, I began to cry…I was so confused…to the point that I didn't know if I was dead and this was hell.
The billboard read "BRIDLEMAIDS", and it contained all of us in that one large picture: Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight and myself. My eyes looked at the picture's version of myself with insecurity.
"H…how…why…" I could not speak anymore. The billboard spoke for me
I just simply collapsed into the concrete, I gave up…I gave up at trying to survive in this pitiful world. Nothing made sense anymore; it was all just one big mess for me. I was so confused, was this universe compressed by insanity and paranoia? Even Discord could not come up with something like this; it was just so...weird. Nothing could explain the billboard on the wall, nothing!
How is that even possible! Why were we featured on this wall! How could Princess Celestia explain this! There WAS no explanation! It just didn't make sense! Either my mind was playing tricks on me, or these people had connections with Equestria. Either way it's Ludicrous! Even if they HAD connections with Equestria, how would they specifically know who we are?
It all didn't matter in the end anyway, I was alone…no one was here to help me. To think I was ever going to go back home…how foolish of myself to think that…
(2 hours earlier)
(Song playing in background: As Vesta was descending by Thomas Weelkes)
My parents did not speak a word to me until breakfast arrived: Scrambled eggs and pancakes were the meal of the hour, considering we could not eat meat on Fridays. We prayed softly and invited ourselves to the meal served to us by our servants. My father kept looking at me curiously while we feasted.
"That girl, Madison…she is pure of heart, however don't let your actions take over your emotions. She is a woman and needs to be treated like one"
I sighed, "I know Dad"
My father drank his fine wine in silence until, "Are you excited for tonight?" I quietly responded, "Yes…dad"
"It is a very special day of celebration for us Catholics; the Lord Jesus Christ gave his life for our sins. Today we give thanks through praise and worship" My mother said
Mother always educated me even when I already knew the information, which was already making my ears hurt whenever she said the same stuff over and over again throughout the years. I had enough.
"I know mom, I'm not stupid I thought you would know about that by now, seriously I've been living here for far too long! Do you think I'm retarded or something!" I retorted
"Excuse me, young man?" My father pounded his wine glass hard on the table, too hard that it shattered. Several of the servants acted fast. I cringed in response of the glass shattering; my father's hand was covered in blood and glass. My mother stood up and took a look at it.
"You're assuming I don't know these things! Even though I've been with you guys for 8 years? Seriously, I'm not a child anymore! I can take care of myself!"
My parents were surprised at my sudden outburst. My mother spoke out
"Has he been consumed by the devil?"
My father yelled at me, "Young man, you have much to learn about this evil world before you venture out of this house. Take the wine glass for example."
He gestured his blood drenched hand toward the shattered glass that was being picked up by the servants.
"It was peaceful and filled with God's love. Then my furious anger destroyed my bond with the lord and shattered it to the point of damnation, you are the shattered wine and you have much to learn young soul"
The servants finished cleaning up the mess and the others fixed my father's injury with first aid.
"You haven't been praying lately, I understand there is something wrong at school. Well, it's because you are evil inside, my son which is why you need to pray three times a day to our Lord!"
I looked at him with confusion
"What?"
"You are a lost soul, without us…you would be playing in the fields with Satan"
My mother stood up from her chair and said
"The Earth is evil; the only sanctuary is the Church"
I rolled my eyes and sat back down to finish my meal.
My father just kept staring at me, and this only annoyed me. I had enough with these people; I seriously had enough of everything here: Beatings, lectures every five minutes and suffering. Honestly I had a better life at school than this shit hole.
I still noticed my Dad staring at me with those hatred black eyes.
"Please dad, it's very uncomfortable for me to eat while you look at me like that"
"You haven't taken your medicine yet, perhaps that is why you are acting with sin" He softly said
The medicine was adjacent to my glass of water, which I was hesitant to drink.
"Dad…I'll take them later"
"That's what you always say to me" He stood up from his chair, his large figure leering down on me, "I think you are lying to God and yourself…take…the medicine…" He said with annoyance in his voice
Fear struck my body once more; the medicine was not a remedy for my problems, for it only made me feel like shit later on which in fact only instigated my depression throughout the day. Honestly, I had enough…I wanted to be left alone forever. I simply muffled a no in my voice.
"What was that?" He asked
I responded with a louder pitch
"No"
A silence hit the room; the servants just stood there and gasped, waiting for something bad to happen. The music was increasing in pitch and melody. This only made my father more annoying, paranoia overtook his emotions, he was really angry at me now. What have I done? He gestured a finger towards me and said
"TAKE YOUR MEDICINE, CHRISTOPHER!"
This made me and the servants jump with fear, I quickly reached for the pills and took them. My father was puffing his chest in and out with hatred. My father was seated again by mother, he was panting with every breath.
"Sometimes…I worry about you Christopher…I swore on your mother's grave that I would take care of you…and this is the THINGS I GET! I SWEAR IF I DIDN'T PROMISE TO YOUR PARENTS THAT I WOULD TAKE YOU IN AS MY CHILD, I WOULD HAVE YOU SKINNED ALIVE!" he shouted once again at me.
My mother gasped, "Now look at what you have done, child…you made your own Father sin in the house of God"
I retorted
"He's not my father! My real father would never beat me!" I shouted with anger in my voice. My foster parents stood there, surprised at how much anger was in my emotions.
My mother walked toward me after seating dad and grabbed my arm and slapped me in the cheek very hard, "Go pray to God, Three hail marys and an Our father. Ask for forgiveness, NOW!"
I did not respond, I simply got up and walked upstairs to my room and "pray"
My mother walked back to her husband, his angry expression did not cease
"There there, honey…he will be punished"
"No"
She looked at him curiously
"We shall consort God for this; the devil has truly clouded his judgment"
(End song)
(The day before)(Principal's office)(Afterschool)
"Un'ass'eptable Beha'vor!" An overweight man said to a couple of students sitting down in front of his desk. The jocks were identified as Lewis, Clark and Adonis Kane himself.
"But sir! He threw the first punch!" Lewis said, from yesterday he had a large bruise on his face.
"Yeah! We were only taunting him!" Clark added
Lewis punched him in the shoulder
"Ow! Err…I mean…we were paying our respects to him!" Clark smiled
Lewis just gestured a hand to his forehead
Adonis was quiet the whole time.
"I daun carie who thr'ew the first pawunch, yough almost killed this boey!" The principal dropped the report on his desk, "I sware If yough boeys were't the Allstawrs of dish skool, I would Expale all of yough!"
"Look, we're sorry, we won't bother the kid again" Lewis said
"Yea! We'll just make faces at him instead!"
Lewis looked at Clark with such an annoyed expression.
"Why are you such an idiot, Clark…seriously"
"I will sea fawrth that yough boeys are gravaly pawnished fer hish! Yough will bee saspawnded fer thee dawys"
"We can't get suspended for three days! Wednesday is the game! THE GAME! We cannot afford to miss out on this year's game!"
"Tale thawt to yer coach! Dismissed!"
The three boys grunted and left the room in disappointment
"What now, Kane?"
Kane was gesturing a hand on his chin, he turned toward his friends
"I say we stop giving Christopher a hard time, and just let him be alone for the rest of the year"
"No way! He did this to us! We gotta make him pay!"
"No, your beating was enough, we were lucky to have not been expelled, you should thank the Principal for that"
Lewis lowered his postured
"I heard he was taken to the infirmary by some cute girl, her name's Madison" Clark responded
"The Italian girl…Isn't she going out with some rich dude?" Kane asked while the three walked to the Gym
"Yeh, but the thing is she might have an interest in Christopher" Clark said, opening the door to the gym
Kane went by his locker and took out his gym bag
"You think she's going to dump her boyfriend for an egghead like him?" Lewis asked
"No, it's just I think we should keep an eye on him, see if he's going to make a move or not…hell…she's cute after all. Would not want to waste all that on a geek" Clark retorted
Kane crossed his arms
"No, just leave the kid alone, just lay low for a while…I'll see you guys after practice" Kane entered the gym with the bag over his shoulder
Lewis and Clark just stood there by the door; Clark moved his head toward Lewis's ear
"Do you think Kane got a little soft?"
"Too soft"
(Present time)
Morning was quite interesting; I did not see Kane, or his stupid gang. I heard that they were suspended for three days. Thank God, maybe that punch was worth it after all. Unfortunately I was given a week's detention for my action toward the bullies, but I guess it was not all that bad…all I had to do was write a 2 page paper on a specific subject that I hated.
It was time for lunch. I arrived at the cafeteria, got my food and found the duo sitting by a table at the west façade…that's where the door was, outside was where I was beaten up yesterday morning. They saw me and recognized my face. Both of them smiled when they saw me walking toward their direction.
"Hey! How are you?" Madison stood up and hugged me; I felt some sort of unease flow through my veins.
"Why are you hugging me?" I asked
Alex and Madison looked at each other and laughed, I was only slightly annoyed
"What do you mean? Do you ever hug your friends when you greet them?" She asked
"No, I just shake hands"
Alex slightly chuckled, but Madison gestured a finger to her mouth, "Shhh! We are trying to be nice remember?" Alex stopped laughed, "Sorry"
"Well, when was the last time someone hugged you?" Alex asked
"Eight years ago…my mom used to hug me before I went to sleep" I thought "My real mom anyway"
"I see…" Alex responded
"Oh…that's why you feel uncomfortable" Madison finished
Chris simply did a facepalm
"Okay, I won't hug you anymore, how is that?" she put her hands behind her back and went around Chris a few times
"I'll just shake your hand a lot like this every time I greet you" She took Chris's hand and went up and down in a rather immature gesture.
"Hey, stop that" Chris said
Alex laughed a little, "Calm down, Madison likes to make people laugh, she won't eat you up or anything"
"Well she can do it without trying to break my arm in the process"
Madison giggled, she let go of Chris's hand and gestured a hand toward Alex
"Have you met Alex already? He helped you with your injury yesterday, Alex and I never left your sight till Nurse Wang told us you were going to be okay"
"Yea…the guy with the food and umbrella"
Alex gave a stern look
"Well yea,I am quite the gentlemen aren't I?"
Chris began to feast, and so did the others
There was silence on the table, Madison gestured Alex to say something. Alex observed the numerous marks on the child's body.
"So um, how are you feeling today? Those bruises don't look nice" Alex asked
"Like shit" This was Christopher's only response
Madison and Alex looked at each other with confusion
"Is something wrong?" Madison asked
"Nothing is wrong"
Silence again filled the table's essence.
"Well then, tell us about yourself?" Alex asked
"Like…" Chris retorted
"Like?" Alex responded with annoyance in his voice, "Like, what are your hobbies and interests?" Madison spoke over Alex's own voice
Chris rolled his eyes
"That's none of your business"
Alex gestured Madison to move her head toward Alex and complied, "Why is he such a hardass? I thought you said he was nice"
Madison was confused, "He was nice…at the restaurant. I didn't expect him to act this way. Maybe something happened to him?"
Alex looked at Chris with a hard look
"Maybe you were wrong about him"
"No, just keep going with the flow" Madison finished after moving her head back
"What flow? There is no flow with this guy" Alex sighed
Madison coughed, "So, um…I'll share my interests first if that's okay with you?"
"Okay…" Chris agreed softly
"Well…I like to go fishing, to go hiking and to go skiing, so basically anything outdoor I love to do. Oh yea! I also love playing the piano" Madison said
"Interesting" Chris said softly.
"And I like to go play airsoft, paintball, watch movies with friends, and speak with more than a one word vocabulary"
Madison punched Alex on the shoulder
"Hey!"
Madison giggled, "Sorry, Alex is kinda harsh sometimes, but he's genially a good person"
"Whatever"
Alex and Madison looked at each other again and then back to Chris
"So, tell us about your hobbies and interests" Both of them said
Madison and Alex spread out their arms and smiled, waiting for a response.
Silence broke through again. Their smiles slowly turned awkward from the silence.
"Anytime now" Alex said quietly
"What is there to say? I am bullied every day, I have no respect or reputation here…and I have no real friends"
Madison and Alex slowly lowered their arms in defeat. Madison moved her chair next to Chris and put an arm around him.
"Well, not for long…you got us by your side now" Madison smiled
"Yea…how I feel safe in your clutches" Chris sarcastically said
Alex retorted, "You're a tough person to talk to" Alex crossed his arms in disgust.
-
After lunch, classes resumed for the rest of the day, and I unfortunately had my first day of detention today, on a Friday. Honestly, I didn't care…usually during the weekends I would "pray" to God with my parents or secretly surf the internet at night, so it was all good. The limousine broke down today, so I had to walk home from school. When I got home, I noticed that most of my belongings and my computer were still gone. I asked my father how long I would not have it, and unfortunately he said a month. How fun this weekend will turn out to be eh?
Anyway, we got ready for the party and we left on my father's Bentley Continental GT. It took about twenty minutes, but we arrived at the Bistro and parked. We were greeted by Russo and Marcella along with their daughter…Madison. I greeted her with a handshake and unfortunately she did the same gesture she had done at school. I simply sighed. As soon as I entered the restaurant, my ears instantly cringed to the amount of people talking at the party…dear God, there were teenagers at this party as well! I simply turned away, but was caught by my father. His angry expression made me think twice.
Anyway throughout the first half of the party, I just sat at a table in the corner by myself. I simply disliked this party, too many people and too many teens I knew at school. This was a drag…I wanted to go home…I just wanted to sleep…forget about all of this in the morning-
"Hey Chris"
Oh God…
"What's wrong? Why aren't you dancing with the rest of us?" Alex asked me with Madison next to her
"Yea, come join in the fun!" Madison agreed
I remained silent
?
?
"Well? Are you coming?" Madison asked me.
"I don't dance…" I said quietly
Alex did a facepalm while Madison forcibly grabbed my arm and dragged me out of my seat.
"Come on! It'll be fun!"
"Let me go!" I demanded
So here we were…in the middle of the crowd…scary…frightful…I was getting the jitters from all the kids and adults around me. I just didn't belong to this group. I let go of Madison's hand and walked away, but not before I was stopped by Alex. He looked quite stern.
"Give it a chance, Chris…dance with her I won't mind" Alex said
Alex went to the fruit punch and began to engage in a conversation with some friends
"A chance…I don't want a chance…I just want to be alo…" I was grabbed by Madison again and a new song played
(Song: LA QUADRIGLIA - danza Abruzzese)
"Madison…I told you I don't know how to dance…" I said quietly so no one would hear me
"Then I'll teach you"
The song started with quite a jolt
"First step, don't slouch or lean towards me. You need to be completely straight." Madison instructed
"Okay" I positioned myself, "What now?"
"Well, you COULD smile, it'll make the dance a lot better" She retorted
I slightly smirked.
She raised an eyebrow, "That's your best smile?"
I nodded
"Oh fine, whatever"
"Okay, make sure you are holding my right hand with your left. Now, Make sure I am always slightly to the right, so we won't hit each other"
"Got it"
"Now we are going to start dancing, okay. Don't be nervous?" Madison concluded
I looked down at my feet and made sure I was not hitting against Madison's frail shoes.
"Practice counting: one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. Just keep counting in your head and you'll be fine"
"Okay"
The duo began to dance to the rhythm of the music. Alex looked at the pair with a smile.
"Hey…isn't that Christopher Jenkins?" One of Alex's friends asked
"Yup" Alex simply said.
Madison and Christopher began to move around the dance floor with confidence and quite gaining a crowd to watch them. What was this feeling that Chris has never felt before? What was driving him to dance with this girl? Was this…was this…no it couldn't be…
"Alright, now you are going to twirl me around" Madison said
"How?"
"Well, you are going to raise your right hand and I'm going to turn around and then you are going to catch my right hand with your left once again" She instructed
"Alright then" I acknowledged
So he did everything she instructed. Strangely this made me laugh; I had never done such a thing before with a person. Madison laughed, but unfortunately I felt awkward once again.
"Are you having fun?" She smiled.
I simply answered, "Can we go someplace quieter for now, if you don't mind"
Madison gave a confused face, "Just to talk?"
I nodded
"Alright, follow me upstairs" She said
Alex watched as they left the party in haste.
The music got fainter until we reached the apartment area of the restaurant. It was pretty impressive; the rooms were clean and contained various antiques. It looked just like an ordinary Middle-Class home.
(Song end)
"Nice house, I like it"
"Thanks"
Madison opened a door that said "Mad's room, Private, knock first" and welcomed him inside her room. Madison's room was quite interesting; her design was that of the Big Apple. It looked like a warehouse apartment in Manhattan which included art deco design. Air ducts were on the celling, giving heat in the process. Her computer was next to the window, which Madison invited Chris to. She opened it and gestured him to go outside. It was a balcony, filling with numerous plants and flowers which gave quite a view. Below, Chris could see an alleyway with numerous trash cans, nothing too interesting. A faint, blue glow came from the horizon; it was the city's skyline and numerous bridges. The rain seemed to have stopped for a while, allowing the duo to observe the scenery. Madison crossed her arms and sighed. Chris did the same. It was quiet for a while.
"What time is it?"
I checked my watch, "11:00pm"
Madison sighed once more
….
…..
…
"What happened to you today during school while you were with us? You seemed distant" She asked me
"Well yeah…I don't talk much in school seeing as how I am bullied everyday"
"You should start talking to people, or they won't get to know you better"
"I don't want people to know me, I just want to be left alone" I turned around. Away from the scenery and set my arms on the balcony edge.
"What? Why? Why do you want to be alone, I thought you wanted everyone to know you better" She retorted
"No…you thought wrong"
"Well…why do you want to be left alone? Being alone isn't good for you"
I faced toward her, "It is good for me"
She sighed, "It's not, trust me"
"And what do you know about being alone? You have friends? You have a good life, I don't"
"…my parents…don't really have the time to do stuff with me; the only time I can socially interact is at school and going out with friends."
I asked her, "And what about that wilderness hobby you talked about in school?"
She sighed once again, "I usually go with Alex and his family"
I chuckled, "Tough"
"You see, since I was young…I wanted my parents to take me everywhere…I wanted them to enjoy stuff with me…take me to places, meet new people…but they were always too busy with the restaurant to care about my needs, but it was for a good reason! We need the money in order to keep the apartment. I mean…I love my parents and I know they love me to, but sometimes I feel as though I need them to stop doing things and listen to what I have to say." When Madison kept talking, she noticed that Chris's back was facing toward her.
"Are you even listening?" She asked
Chris sighed
"Are you done yet?" Chris simply said
"What?" Madison retorted
"I don't want to talk about this" Chris simply lowered his head, "Why do I have to care about other people's problems?"
Madison's expression weakened
"I'm not asking you to care, I'm asking you to listen" Madison responded
"Then go talk to Alex if you want someone to listen to"
It began to rain again, the balcony's edge started to get wet. The familiar sound of melancholy hit both of the human's ears. To Chris, this was a normal sound for him…it was his best friend, depression.
Madison seemed hurt by this; she grabbed Chris and said, "Aren't there times when you want to share your emotions and feelings with somebody?"
I walked away from the balcony edge; "Your problem is not my problem, end of story" I simply stood there. Madison was heartbroken by my attitude.
"Maybe Alex was right; maybe you are such a hardass after all" she sniffed.
I heard this…and sort of felt sorry about what he said.
"If you have something to say about me, say it now" Madison stomped her feet and demanded a response
"Listen, I'm sorry that I turned you away…it's just that my life isn't easy"
"Then understand what I am trying to tell you!" Madison retorted
suddenly, both of them heard cries of pain down at the ally. Someone was in trouble! Both of them could not see who it was though, but two Rottweiler's could be seen chasing a figure.
"Help me! Anybody! Please!"
"You hear that?" Chris said
Madison held on to the balcony's edge and shouted, "Don't worry! We'll get help!
No response.
Chris gestured Madison, "There's no time, that girl's in trouble, come on!"
"I'll inform the others then" Madison concluded.
Madison stood there for a few seconds, "He only wants to be alone…I guess I can't accept that yet from him" Madison then continued to follow Chris downstairs.
(Song: Rite of spring by Igor Stravinsky Part 3 (Video by Gera1262) (6:12 – 8:45))
Rainbow Dash had unfortunately returned to the same downtown area where she began, she just wanted to find the cardboard box and go to sleep. Darkness engulfed the cityscape, with neon lights and street lights dimming over the pony, she had only wanted to find sanctuary, but instead found something terrible instead.
Today was just another horrible day for the Pegasus pony, all she could hope for was to wake up in a hospital bed and know that this was all a horrible hallucination. She hoped that this was a figment of her imagination. Rainbow hoped to be welcomed back by her pony friends and be told that she was in a coma for a week, she hoped with all her spirit that it would happen once she found her "bed"
Then she sensed something, she saw a brown object nearby.
She found her cardboard box! She felt happy for a few moments.
"Finally…I can rest"
She felt a tinkle of happiness surge through her, at last she could drift to sleep and leave her worries behind her
However…
She began to hear noises behind her
Growling noises…
She hoped that it was not her worst nightmare realized
It took all of Rainbow's mind and body to turn around and meet the noises in person.
Rainbow Dash raised her head and her eyes immediately dilated, standing before her were two large hungry Rottweilers, a flash of lightning revealed their dark red eyes and sharp white fangs.
(Pause song at reveal climax)
Both of them towered over the flightless creature, she was powerless…she would not be able to put a fight against these two carnivores. Back home, animals like these were trained over the centuries not to feast on pony flesh, but here….was a completely different story.
(Resume song)
Suddenly one of the Rottweilers bit Rainbow's forearm, she squelched in pain. She responded by punched the Rottweiler in the face and took off in the alleyway; the dogs were in hot pursuit. Rainbow Dash didn't even know where to go to, but she just wanted to run like hell…away from those flesh eating Diablo's. The rain began to hit Rainbow's face, she started to bleed on her arm…the scent and blood attracted the dogs deeper into the alleyway. The fence stood in her way, she quickly crawled underneath, but the dogs were right behind her, they simply jumped above the obstacle and continued following their pray. Rainbow Dash began to cry for help as of last resort, for she was getting weaker by the second.
"Help me! Anybody! Please!" Rainbow screamed at the top of her lungs, she hid behind a brick all, with the dogs sniffing all the blood drops left behind by her injury. Rainbow began to puff her chest up and down with heavy breaths coming out of her. Was this the end…the end of her life? She had never been so scared in her life; would she soon be eaten alive by a pack of bloodthirsty dogs? It couldn't end this way! This was no happy ending! This was hell! With every breath that Rainbow Made, she prayed…hoping the dogs would not notice her.
Unfortunately, one of the dogs found her hiding behind the wall and launched at her with all of its strength, this time, Rainbow's left leg was caught in the grasp. Large quantities of blood escaped her wound. She yelled in extreme agony. She tried to wiggle the dog off her, but this only instigated the pain through her leg. She used her other leg to kick the dog in the stomach, and it actually caused the monster to cringe, but it stroke again and actually ripped a small portion of flesh off Rainbow's side. Her blood curling screams could not be heard now in the strong rain. Even with the dog's fangs in her side, she still struggled, hoping that it would do something. This was definitely the end…her last pathetic stand.
(Song end at 8:45)
-
Chris hurried downstairs and entered the party once again
"Hey, Chris! Where's Madison?" Alex asked
Chris just passed Alex in a hurry, but consequently knocked fruit juice all over him as a result. Alex looked on at him with anger, "The hell is his problem?"
Madison looked for her father, but could not find him. However, she found her mother.
"Mom! Someone is in trouble!" Madison yelled
"Well tell them the bathroom is upstairs" Marcella laughed
"No mom! Someone outside is getting hurt!"
"Oh honey, this isn't one of your pranks again is it?"
"No mom! Follow me and I'll show you!"
"Honey, I know we haven't been together for a while, your father and I promise to take you to Strathcona soon, just stop with these pranks especially when there are guests here!"
Madison grunted, she ran toward Alex
"Alex! Someone is in trouble outside!"
"Who?" Alex asked
"Chris is checking up on it, we think it was a wo…"
"Yea…that asshat just spilled juice all over me; it could be some prank by some guys and him"
Madison grabbed Alex's shoulders
"Listen Alex! Come with me!" She took him by the ear and left the party in a hurry
"All right, all right!" Alex concluded.
Chris entered the alleyway in a hurry, seeing drops of blood in the process. Blood? Oh no! The woman was hurt!
Chris heard barking nearby, and what he could imagine to be the shrills of pain from the woman, he arrived at the scene to find two dogs assaulting the victim. He could not see the victim for some reason…maybe…
"Hang on!" Chris ran and picked up an iron pipe on the floor from one of the walls and started to swing it at the dogs, one of them fortunately got in the way and was hit. The other saw this and tried to counter attack, but Chris managed to inflict a serious injury to the dog. Both of the predators ran away in the process. Chris dropped the blood covered iron pipe.
Cling!
"Don't worry; you'll be safe now"
"Who…are you…" Her slurred voice sounded very familiar…too familiar…it sounded just like Ashleigh Ball when she does Rainbow Dash. Hell! If I just saved Ashleigh I must be the luckiest guy in the world right now!
Chris turned around to face the person he just saved.
"The name's Christopher Jenkins, and what's your…." Chris stopped talking
His eyes could not register what he was seeing in front of him, was this an hallucination? Was he dreaming? What was going on here? His mind had to be playing tricks on him. However, his eyes were correct…cyan colored body…wings…rainbow colored mane and tail…rose-colored eyes…
The creature he was observing was none other than an injured and lost, confused…Rainbow Dash
(End of Act 1)