Chapter 12: Leigh Heights is Burning Down
Okay, just so you guys know, I changed the name because apparently there is a book that is already called the "The Wilmont Chronicles" by Paul Harrison. So if I re-write this at any point I'll change the name of the town as well (probably to "Glory" or something like that, but I'm not entirely sure. I would change the name, but seeing as I am 11 chapters in I'll leave it as Wilmont. Just know that I am sorry for unintentionally giving the story the same name, I feel really bad about it.
So, yeah if I do re-write it the town will be re-named. But for the rest of this fanfiction it will still be Wilmont.
I hope you enjoy this Chapter, as I have hoped that you'd enjoy the others as well.
And, as usual, only my OCs belong to me.
Mall- Night (Switch Between guys and mane 6 talking)
The mall was very empty. Apparently most of the teens were busy doing something else because most of the shoppers and patrons were either families or people who were on the older end of the age spectrum.
Carl sat at a table in the food court with James, Pete and Alex. Ryan wasn't there because he, Rainbow Dash and his family had to remain in hiding, and this time, Ryan wasn't going to take any more stupid risks or complain with Rainbow Dash about getting cabin fever.
Louis, on the other hand, still wasn't sure about joining them so he didn't respond to the facebook message that Carl had sent him. He was still at home, having the mental battle of his selfish side versus his moral side.
So while not everyone was there, it was a good start for the group to re-connect after the argument that they got into the night before.
At another table that was next to the one that the four guys sat at, were Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. All projected as human girls to people who were still at the mall, but, as before, they were able to be seen as ponies by the four guys.
They had just finished a meal from one of the burger joints, the girls got salads, and were discussing the meeting that Carl had with Mr. Courtie earlier that day.
"So Mr. Courtie said if we keep arguing like we did yesterday, Discord will get stronger?" Alex asked Carl with somewhat of an angry tone. After all, he was still mad at Carl for how he had treated him and Ryan the night before, and he hoped that Carl wasn't lying about what Mr. Courtie had told him just to be forgiven when he didn't deserve it.
"Yes." Carl muttered.
"How bad did he say it would get?" Pete asked.
"He didn't specify, but he sounded very worried." Carl said as he looked over at the other table where the girls were sitting. "The only thing I know is that sometime soon, something going to happen that's going to drive the entire town into chaos."
"Isn't this town fucked up enough without more chaos?" James asked, "I mean, we've got anarchist gangs, corrupt cops, a shitty economy. I mean, shit why don't we just move to Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany while we're at it?"
"We're talking about Discord here James," Alex muttered, "He feeds off of chaos, the more the better."
"Yeah but in Equestria he did things that would only be minor inconveniences here on Earth, so why should we worry about what he'll do? I'll take chocolate rain and soapy roads over anarchist gangs and crime any day." James added.
"Discord is different this time James," Carl muttered, "He isn't just a prankster or a troublemaker, he more than that."
"How so?"
"James, Twilight and Applejack were almost killed yesterday at the mall. Hell, that one bastard that confronted me said that Discord wants the girls dead. It's like our universe corrupted him into some sort of monster that is much worse than he was on the show."
"So basically he's become worse in order to keep up with the violent and chaos-loving people who already live here?" James asked.
Carl nodded, "Yeah."
James raised his eyebrows and reached for his soda, "That's so comforting to know." He then took a sip of the drink and placed the cup down, "Just so comforting."
"I think I love Pinkie Pie."
Everyone turned and stared at Pete, who had just blurted the random confession out of nowhere as, not surprisingly, those were some of the only words that he had said all night.
"That's cool man." Alex muttered before he shot a glare at Carl. Carl saw this and threw his arms up in defense.
"What? I already apologized for acting like a dick yesterday." he muttered.
Carl still didn't tell anyone about him and Twilight yet, as he wasn't ready to break the news that not only was hea jerk the night before, but he was also a gigantic hypocrite. Even though he apologized to Alex about how he acted, and he really was sorry, he was not as forgiving as Ryan was.
"It still doesn't change what you said." Alex grumbled.
Carl rolled his eyes and turned to Pete, "Anyway, Pete, are you going to tell her?"
Pete shook his head nervously.
"Why not?"
He seemed to be afraid of Carl and chose not to look at him.
Carl sighed, "Look, Pete, I really don't have a problem with you two hooking up. Pony and human relations don't bother me, I was just in a bad place last night"
Pete closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm still not telling her."
"But why?"
Pete gulped and whispered, "She'll get weirded out."
When they heard this, James and Alex both burst into a fit of hysterics. Pete's face just turned redder from the embarrassment of getting laughed at for having legitimate concern, but the two kept their laughter going until Alex was able to calm down enough to speak.
"Oh boy he-he," he said with one last chuckle, "Pete, you're talking about Pinkie Pie, I seriously doubt she'll freak out that you like her. Besides, she was fine with AJ and me, and Rainbow Dash and Ryan. Trust me you don't have anything to worry about."
"But I'm still scared." Pete muttered as he looked down at the table and the wrapping from the burger he just ate. He was on the verge of tears.
"Listen, Pete." Carl said as seriously as he possibly could to make up for Alex and James' boorish behavior, as well as his own behavior the night before, "I gave Ryan a suggestion to write a poem about Rainbow Dash to vent his feelings for her. If you don't want to tell her yet, I still think writing a poem about Pinkie Pie would be a good idea. When you're ready, you can just hand her what you wrote to prove how much she means to you. It would work better than telling her verbally because I know that would be difficult for someone as shy as you."
"Will that work?" Pete asked quietly as he looked up at Carl, who gave Pete a small nod. Pete sighed and then shrugged, "Okay…okay I'll give it a shot."
"There ya go." Carl said with a smile before he patted Pete on the back. He then turned to see James looking at a scrap of paper that he was holding up in his hands. His mouth was moving a bit as he silently read what he had written down.
"James, what are you doing?" Carl asked.
James didn't even bother to look up from the paper as he responded, "I'm reading the eulogy that I'm giving at Caroline's funeral tomorrow."
"Oh man I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you how sorry I am about that." Alex said with remorse.
"It's okay." James sighed, "She's not suffering anymore, and I like to believe that she's in a better place."
"Like heaven?" Pete asked quietly, to which James nodded without taking his eyes off of the paper.
"I thought you didn't believe in heaven?" Alex asked.
James looked up at Alex with an annoyed glare, "No you idiot I'm agnostic, not atheist. Jesus, why doesn't anyone seem to understand the difference?"
"Well," Carl said as he took a sip of his soda, "Mr. Courtie seemed to understand the difference quite well."
James gave Carl a "stink-eye" and Carl simply returned his expression with a smug smile of his own.
"You're a dick, you know that?" James hissed.
Carl shrugged, "I am who I am."
Alex and even Pete gave chuckled at this. James too cracked a smile before he popped a stray French-fry from his dinner into his mouth and continued to read over his eulogy.
Meanwhile, at the adjacent table, the girls were having their own conversation as they finished their salads.
"Ah can't believe ya and Carl hooked up after what he said ta Alex and Ryan!" Applejack said with a mix of shock and anger.
"AJ I already told you he is sorry about it," Twilight said, "and besides, he was angrier with himself than he was either of them."
"That don't change the fact that he was a jerk." Applejack muttered. She looked down with a scowl on her face.
"I just hope James isn't too worried about his speech for Caroline's funeral."
"Caroline? Who's that again?" Rarity asked.
"She is James' cousin….well…she was." Fluttershy muttered as she looked down sadly.
"Oh that's right," Rarity said as her face suddenly became sad, "I can't believe something like that happened to such a young girl."
"She's in a better place." Fluttershy whispered, "I know she is. She was a kind girl."
"I certainly hope so," Pinkie Pie said somberly, "Nopony should ever have to suffer so much in life just to have nothing in death."
There was a long silence before Rarity groaned and let her head flop onto the table. She then let out a sigh, "Oh Celestia! I want to see Louis again! It's simply dreadful to be the only one without a partner."
"You do have a partner Rarity," Twilight said as she placed are-assuring hoof onto her friend's foreleg, "He just needs to find his way."
"But what if he doesn't?" she mumbled as her face was pressed against the table.
"Oh Rarity, you need to be optimistic!" Pinkie Pie said with a grin, "Louis will be back I'm sure of it."
Rarity peeked up from the table so half of her face was visible. A small tear was in her eye from crying. "You…you think so?"
"I know so!"
"So do I." Fluttershy mumbled with a reassuring smile.
"Ah do as well." Applejack added.
"Rarity," Twilight said with a big smile, "trust us, he will be back. Trust me; his conscience will bother him until he comes back. He made a mistake, but he's only mortal…and in this case human, like Carl. In the end they know right from wrong and will always make the moral choice."
Leigh Heights
Screams rang out from every corner of the neighborhood, accompanied by the sounds of gunfire and explosions.
The Milites Chaos stormed down the street. Some, like Lawrence, simply marched at a slow pace and admired the work of the other members of their army of anarchists as they ran from house to house and broke in to find their victims.
Lawrence smiled from under his mask as he saw middle-aged man was thrown from his second-story window and landed head-first onto the lawn. His wife was screaming in the room that he was thrown from as she watched him fall out of the window. She lunged to the window for her husband, but was grabbed and thrown to the floor by one of the anarchists that was also in the room with her. That was when one of the anarchists shot her in the head, silencing her for good.
The chant continued to ring out all across Leigh Heights:
Resurgere in contereret,
Cadent de vastantium.
Bellum aequalitas,
Bellum contra Class.
Nocte nos Superius,
Nocte nos pugnare.
In iuventus Valete,
Discordia est rex.
Sean grabbed a makeshift Molotov cocktail that was clipped to a sash that he wore across his chest. Sean used his silver lighter and lit the rag that hung from it. He looked around to find a victim when he sawa car heading his way. The man driving had fear in his eyes as he sped down the road, trying to get out of the neighborhood and away from the chaos while he still had a chance. When he saw Sean with the lit Molotov cocktail directly in front of him, the driver quickly threw on the brakes top stop his car.
Lawrence held up his shut-gun, pumped it, and fired through the windshield of the car. The shell of the gun hit the driver directly in the head and instantly killed him. With a devious smile on his face, Sean threw the Molotov cocktail at the car's hood. Once the bottle hit its mark and shattered, flames instantly began to spread over the outside, and then inside, of the car.
Lawrence motioned for Sean and Lance to continue down the street. As they walked away, they heard an explosion behind them as the car was engulfed in a horrific, orange ball of fire. Lawrence didn't flinch, as his focus was all on getting to Ryan's house for Obscure Darkness and Discord.
They walked down the road as the screams continued to ring into the night. People were still being shot and thrown from windows as the Latin chant echoed on…and on…and on.
Soon, the Milites Chaos began to set the large, expensive houses on fire. Soon, the darkness of night disappeared, replaced by bright light that radiated from the flames that rose into the sky like great, big columns of death and destruction.
Once he reached Ryan's house, Lawrence stopped in front Ryan's parked SUV, which was still in front of the lawn. He smiled and pumped his shot-gun a few times before he fired a few shells into the car. He was pleased just by causing damage to something that Ryan owned. Hell, everything and anything bad that he did to Ryan made him feel warm and happy on the inside.
Once he felt like he shot the car full of holes enough, Lawrence lowered the gun.
"Sean, take care of this piece of shit car." He muttered as he walked off to the house with Lance.
Sean grinned as he grabbed another Molotov cocktail from his sash, lit it, and dropped it inside of the truck. He ran up to the others as Ryan's car began to burn.
Lawrence shot the door-knob and kicked the door in. He and the others walked into the house, which was dark from being abandoned earlier that day.
Lawrence looked around and shouted, "Ryan! Come out, come out!"
When no one answered, he grinned and decided to call Ryan's parents, "Mr. and Mrs. Davis? It's Laurie! I thought I'd make up for how badly I treated your son over the past few years!"
He fired a shot into the ceiling, hoping to lure somebody out with fear. His expression fell as no one appeared. He quickly ran up the stairs to see if he could find anyone. He searched every room on the second floor before he realized that no one was in the house.
Lawrence re-appeared at the top of the stairs.
"He isn't here; the little fucker and his parents aren't here." He spat in frustration,
"Where'd they go?" Lance asked.
Lawrence clenched his teeth and stomped the ground repeatedly in anger before shouting, "Ryan!" He kicked the air in front of him and punched the wall.
Once he calmed down a bit, Lawrence stomped down the stairs and, as he passed by Sean and Lance, he muttered, "Burn this fucking place to the ground."
They nodded and proceeded to run out of the house to find an anarchist outside that still had some gasoline left on them. Lawrence also exited the house and looked around at the chaos in the rest of the neighborhood, which made him feel better about the lack of Ryan. The neighborhood continued to burn on into the night.
Hotel- Night
Ryan lay awake in one of the two beds that were in the hotel room that he and Rainbow Dash shared. His parents slept in the room next-door, as they checked out two separate rooms. This privacy allowed Ryan and Rainbow Dash to sleep in the same bed rather than be in opposite beds. They held each other like they did every night, and it still was comforting to each of them, but Ryan still couldn't go to sleep.
He had a feeling that something bad was coming their way, and he wasn't sure what that would be. He was scared, petrified of the mysterious terror that could be lurking in his future.
But every time he felt Rainbow Dash move a little in her sleep, he remembered that she was there with him, and they would look out for one another. She would fight for him, and he would fight for her.
Ryan smiled and kissed Rainbow Dash on the top of her head as she continued to sleep. Then Ryan finally fell asleep.
Carl's House
Once he got home, Carl went straight for bed with Twilight. Anna, Lisa and Spike were all asleep, as was Lauren. Once they reached Carl's room, both he and Twilight collapsed onto the mattress, thoroughly exhausted.
Slowly, they both made their way under the covers and embraced each other.
"Why am I so tired?" Carl groaned.
"We had a busy day." Twilight said with a smile. She gave a big yawn and kissed Carl. He began to kiss her back, finally able to show her his feelings after hiding them the entire day so nobody would know. It was nice to finally be free to express themselves in the privacy of Carl's room.
As they broke the kiss, Carl sighed, "I have a bad feeling that some serious shit is about to go down."
Twilight nuzzled against Carl, "Well then, we'll have to take care of it, right?"
Carl smiled, "Right."
THE NEXT MORNING
Hotel
Ryan and Rainbow Dash lay in one of the two beds of the hotel room. After finishing breakfast, they were both reading TGWTDT together. Rainbow Dash leaned against Ryan, her rainbow mane pressed against his shoulder as she read along.
His parents went to the Grocery story for some food, which they would bring into their room once they came back. Until then, Ryan and Rainbow Dash spent the morning together, eating,watching television and, eventually, reading.
Ryan started to read to Rainbow Dash, but she eventually wanted to do it was well, saying that she "would read it better" than him.
He didn't complain, but he still did want to read a little so they agreed to take turns reading the book out loud to each other. Rainbow Dash finished reading a chapter and let out a sigh.
"Dashie are you okay?" Ryan asked as he looked down at her.
She nodded, "Yes I am. I just…can we do something else?"
Ryan nodded, "Yeah, like what?"
Rainbow Dash looked down at her hooves, "Well I kind of wanted to go flying."
Ryan nodded, "Okay. Yeah, if you stay out of sight you can go out. I'll open the window for you." He said as he began to get out of bed but she stopped him.
Ryan turned to her and she shook her head, "But, at the same time I don't want to leave you here."
"It's only a little flying Dashie, I'll be fine." Ryan said with a reassuring smile. Rainbow Dash gave a small smile before she flew up into the air above the bed. Ryan went over to the window and opened it for her.
"Thanks Ryan."
Ryan nodded, "No prob."
Rainbow Dash started out, but then stopped in mid-flight. She turned back around to look at Ryan, "You know I really do wish you could fly with me, that wasn't just me being schmaltzy."
There was a hint of sadness to her voice as she said this. Ryan smiled, "I know Dashie, you already made that clear. And I really wish that I could fly with you."
"And I know that you'd make a really handsome Pegasus, with an awesome mane and cutie mark."
Ryan blushed as Rainbow Dash gave him her cute smile that always made him go into d'awwwwwww mode. She then started to fly off into the clouds at her typical, high-velocity when Ryan shouted at him.
"Hey Dashie!" She quickly stopped and turned around. She looked back at Ryan to see him smiling at her. "Show me why you're called the fastest flier in Equestria."
She suddenly perked up and gave a big, cocky grin, "Ha! Like you don't already know why! Get ready to be amazed!"
Ryan laughed at her arrogance before she zoomed off into the sky. She began to do some tricks and fly at speeds that most Air Force pilots would envy. Ryan thought for a second, thinking that something was missing. He then realized what he was thinking of and went over to his backpack. He took out his iPod and put the ear buds into his ears. Once he got back to the window and began to play "Test Drive" again. He began to feel longing as he watched her show off her moves to him.
He felt like he belonged up there in the air with her. Scratch that, he knew that he did.
As the song played, he began to imagine himself flying with her, trying to keep up with her as she jokingly teased him to hurry up. He imagined flying right beside her, eventually embracing her in mid-air and kissing her, just like in his dream.
Once the song stopped, he snapped out of his trance to see Rainbow Dash waving at him. He slowly waved back before letting out a depressed sigh.
"Ryan! Rainbow Dash!"
Ryan turned around to see his parents walk into their room. He took his ear-phones out and threw his iPod onto the dresser, acting like nothing was going on. His parents were carrying multiple bags that held groceries.
"Hey Mom, Dad."
"Hi Ryan, where's Rainbow Dash?" his father asked, scanning the room for the mare.
"She's outside flying." Ryan said, pointing to the window.
"Flying?" Ryan's mother asked with confusion.
"Yeah, she's a Pegasus, remember?"
His mother thought for a second before she nodded and then continued to unpack the groceries. After a while, Ryan heard a knock at the window and turned to see Rainbow Dash waiting to be let back into the room.
Ryan walked over and opened the window. Rainbow Dash gave Ryan a small, grateful smile, "Thanks."
She flew into the room and Ryan shut the window behind her.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Davis." She said in a cheerful voice, "how was shopping."
"It went well Rainbow Dash." Ryan's mother said happily.
Ryan was thoroughly relieved at how fast his parents adjusted to the knowledge of her presence in reality. They went from being in shock at the sight of her, if not a little scared of her, to being completely welcoming to her.
"Rainbow Dash, we weren't sure what you liked to eat, but we bought a lot of fruit because you are a vegetarian, right?" Ryan's mother asked.
"Yep, and fruit is great. Thanks Mrs. Davis."
"Honey you don't have to be so formal with me, call me Mom." Ryan's mother said with a smile.
Rainbow Dash gave a small smile and nodded, "Thanks Mom."
Ryan went over to the television and grabbed the remote. He turned the television on and changed to the local news station.
Ryan's jaw dropped and the remote fell to the floor. "Oh no."
Rainbow Dash and Ryan's parents all turned to the television to see what Ryan was gaping at.
On the news, there were images of Leigh Heights engulfed in flames as fire fighters began to put the fires out.
The female reported said: "Eighty-seven people are dead and thirty-two hospitalized after a series of fires erupted in Leigh Heights. No one knows what exactly sparked the fire, but the fire department is saying that it was most likely caused by a gas leak or a lone arsonist."
"I can't believe it." Ryan's mother muttered. "You were right Ryan."
Ryan's dad patted her on the back to calm her down. She let out a sigh and continued to un-pack the food, still taken aback by the images of their neighborhood burning.
"That's bullshit." Ryan spat, "That wasn't a lone arsonist or a gas leak; that was Discord. The media's covering it up."
"W-what's going on? What's all of that?" Rainbow Dash asked with a shaky voice, looking at the horrific images that flashed on the television.
"That's chaos in our world Dashie."
"That's not just chaos!" she said in shock with her hoof to her mouth, "that's beyond chaos! That's war!"
"War is chaos on Earth. For you ponies it's chocolate rain, for us it's death. Trust me, we'd kill for the chaos you had when Discord attacked Equestria."
Rainbow Dash looked down and slowly flew back over to the bed and lay on it. She was curled up in a fetal position, shaking in fear for what she just saw. Ryan walked over to her and began to stroke her, "Dashie it's okay, it's going to be okay. We're safe here"
Ryan's father went down to the car to grab more groceries, still with a nervous look on his face even if he didn't let hisscared wife see it. Ryan's mom was still in the room and putting the groceries that she got for Ryan and Rainbow Dash into their room's fridge, trying not to look at the television for fear that she would break down. She then looked up to see her son and Rainbow Dash on the bed and took note of how much Ryan seemed to care about her, how he was trying to comfort her after seeing the news.
It wasn't like Ryan or his mom weren't scared themselves, but they weren't as shaken as Rainbow Dash. After all, Earth had violence like this all of the time, but Equestria, while not completely peaceful, was a lot more peaceful than Earth could ever be.
Ryan hugged Rainbow Dash to comfort her as she shook in his embrace. He sighed and closed his eyes and began to sing.
"Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Once in a lullaby ii ii iii
Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true ooh ooooh…"
As he continued to sing he could feel her shaking start to slow down, so he started to quiet his singing down until he heard her begin to sing along with him.
Slowly, her voice picked up so both Ryan and her were singing the song quietly to one another. Ryan's mother watched in amazement at the comfort that both of them seemed to be giving each other before she got back to unpacking the groceries.
Cemetery- Caroline's Funeral
James was nervous as hell.
He kept wringing his hands together, the tattered paper folded up in his left hand, ready to be opened for his speech. His parents were there to listen to him, to judge him. In his pocket was one of Fluttershy's yellow feathers, which she had given to him so that he could put it into Caroline's coffin as a final "good-bye" from her. He reached into his pocket to make sure it was still there. When he felt its smooth, fuzzy texture, he sighed and slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket and looked back up to watch his Aunt Christie finish her own eulogy. Once she finished it, she stepped down to the open casket; he knew his time was near. Aunt Christie bent down and kissed Caroline's forehead, tears and pain in her eyes. James let out a sigh and stood up, heading up to the podium as his Uncle Hank helped his aunt back to her seat.
James got to the podium and let out another deep sigh, trying his best not to spontaneously burst into tears. It washard, though. Especially with Caroline laying in an open casket, and alarge, blown-up picture of her next to the coffin on a tri-pod stand. James cleared his throat and was about to begin when, he caught sight of his parents in the crowd. Suddenly, the thoughts of their criticism filled his mind and petrified him in fear.
He thought of how they always criticized his public speaking ability, how they always compared his writing that he did for school to Patrick's, how they told him not to screw up before they left for the funeral that day.
Yes, they told him that.
And he now understood why people would rather be the one in the casket than the one that gives the eulogy.
James was frozen in distress at the situation, unable to utter a syllable of his eulogy until he saw something yellow and pink in a tree nearby. He looked up to see where Fluttershy was sitting, as he had managed to sneak her into the car and then let her out without his parents noticing. She was hidden from most in the mass of leaves that adorned the tree branches, but James saw her clear as day.
Her big, reassuring eyes and small smile made James feel more confident in his ability to deliver the eulogy. So he cleared his throat and began:
"There was no one in this world like Caroline. She was one of a kind….a pure soul untainted by the rest of this world. I remember going over to her house after school every day when I was eleven and she was six. We'd watch television together, hang out….she was really mature for her age…but she still had the innocence of a child." James said, looking up at Fluttershy, "a kindness that no one I've ever known…well, until recently…" Fluttershy blushed and backed up a bit into the leaves from embarrassment after James' compliment, "…has ever possessed."
James closed his eyes and pulled the feather out of his pocket and twirled it around in his hand as he began to cry softly. He eulogy notes dampened with tears as he finally looked up at the crowd and continued, "I was a wreck when I found out she passed on. Heck, I still am. But I know that she is in a better place…a place where she will feel no pain, her own paradise. I've always wondered why the best of us always suffer the most and die young, but after Caroline left us I think I know. Caroline was too pure to live in such a world, she was too perfect for us."
Fluttershy now started to cry from hearing James pour his feelings out. James, meanwhile, looked down into the crowd to see his aunt and uncle looking at him with appreciative eyes. He then saw his parents with their typical expressions that were soaked in disinterest and criticism.
James didn't care what the fuck they thought at this point.
"And I know that she is not suffering anymore, and that is what's most important."
After he finished, James slowly stepped down to the open casket and looked inside to see Caroline's face one last time.
She never looked more at peace than she did at that moment, as if death had finally brought her bliss after her life of pain and toil. He leaned down and kissed her forehead one last time, some of his tears falling onto her face as he did so.
As he lifted his head back up, he delicately placed the feather onto her chest and smiled.
"A little gift from Fluttershy. I love you Caroline." He whispered before he slowly turned around and walked back to his seat. As he made his way back, he saw his aunt stand up and walk over to him. She had tears in her eyes but a small, thankful smile.
James stopped and looked at her, tears in his own eyes, as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you for everything that you've done for my baby girl, James." She whispered before sniffing a little. James felt some tears hit the top of his head as he looked up to see Fluttershy looking at him through tear-filled eyes. But she also had a smile that was directed at James.
As he looked into her eyes, he couldn't help but smile back at her and feel his spirit lift a little bit.
Fluttershy was only other person, or pony in this case, that he knew that was as kind as Caroline. She had helped him through the saddest time of his life. She was there to comfort him after he heard the news about Caroline's death, she visited Caroline while she was still alive even though she was nervous about meeting her, and her presence encouraged him to get through his speech and properly pay tribute to such a pure soul.
He never loved anyone as much as he loved Fluttershy, and he knew at that moment, he never would.
Wilmont City Hall
"I'm tired of playing this game Obscure, I know you don't want to do it but there isn't a choice." Mayor Drocsid was getting frustrated with Brett over not having success in capturing any of the elements. This came shortly after the news that Ryan was not at his house. Even the reminder that chaos was spreading through Wilmont wasn't enough to lessen the Mayor's anger.
"Sir I understand your frustration," Brett said nervously, "but you've got to understand that he's a friend of mine."
"A friend who knows too much." The Mayor snarled before he stood up and walked over to Brett, who looked away to avoid the patronizing glare of his boss. "Besides Mr. Hanson was your friend and you killed him."
"That was different; I only became his friend because I knew that eventually I'd have to kill him." Brett said with a scowl, "I've been friends with Bright ever since we were colts in Canterlot."
"No," the Mayor said as he leaned closer to Brett so he could see his yellow, Draconeqqus eyes, "he was your friend before Celestia put him on this assignment instead of you when you were ten times the magic student he was!"
Brett was frozen, an angry look on his face, before he sighed and managed to mutter a response, "Fine. I'll do it."
"Excellent," the Mayor said with a sadist's smile, "can you find him with your magic?"
Brett nodded, "Yeah, I've got it all under control, sir."
"Brilliant." Mayor Drocsid walked over to the large window and looked into the distance, "The time is almost upon us Obscure, the time of chaos and destruction. And the best part is that the humans will bring it on themselves as the Milite Chaos rises and brings this town to its knees."
"Brilliant, sir." Brett said with a small smile.
And with that, Mayor Drocsid pressed his hands against the glass window and smiled, "I am king."
Alex- Evening
As the sun began to slip under the horizon, Alex and Applejack were on their way back home after they went out to grab some ice cream down by the canal. Alex was surprised that Applejack would eat milk products, but she said that ponies often still ate dairy, they just avoided actual meat. Applejack was balancing the cone in-between her hooves as Alex maneuvered the steering wheel with one hand and held his cone with the other.
"Ya need help AJ?" Alex asked.
"Nah ah got it," she said as she slowly brought the ice cream closer to her tongue, which she stuck out to get to her treat. The cone leaned closer, and closer; before it eventually fell onto her face. Alex saw this began to laugh as Applejack pulled the cone away, leaving a large glob of ice cream on her muzzle.
"Ah dang-it all!" she groaned. Alex just kept laughing, so Applejack got a shifty grin on her face before she leaned in and kissed Alex on the cheek, getting the ice-cream on him.
"Ah, ewwwww! AJ come on, I'm driving."
Applejack laughed, "Ah'm just trying to spread the wealth Alex."
"Well spread it with James, he's more into that than I am." Alex groaned as he grabbed a napkin out from the door and wiped the ice-cream off of his cheek before handing Applejack another napkin so she could wipe the ice cream off of her mouth. (And yes I just made a political joke, so sue me)
"Um Alex, ah'm havin' enough trouble holdin' the dang cone, ah can't wipe my mouth off too. Do ya mind if ya help me out?"
"Oh, yeah, of course AJ; hang on let me pull over." Alex slowly pulled the car to the side of the road and put the brake on before he turned to Applejack, "all right, let's get you cleaned up."
Once Alex successfully wiped the vanilla custard off of Applejack's muzzle with the napkin, she decided to start the conversation again.
"So uh Alex, where did ya say ya were from again?"
"Um," Alex said as crumpled put the used napkin into the cup holder, "ah am from Texas."
Applejack giggled, "Ah love that ya do that accent fer me."
"Well, ah know ya like it." Alex said with a grin as he didn't hide his accent from her, "Besides, this is the accent ah had until ah moved up here when ah turned eleven, so ah do speak like ya naturally."
"Golly, so this is yer accent?" Applejack said with a snicker, "why is there such a difference between the two?"
"Different regions of the US." He said, returning to his Upstate New York accent.
"Did ya like Texas?"
"Loved it, ah've always been a Texan at heart, even if I did move to New York." He said with a mixture of his accents. "If you stay here a while you'll see how different Texas and New York are; politically, religiously, and just people overall are different."
"Why did ya move here?"
"My mom and I moved up here with my step-father after the divorce."
"Why did they get a divorce?"
"My mom cheated on my real dad with my step-father, and he found out. They separated and after a few months, they realized it wasn't going to ever work so they went through the divorce."
"Where's yer real father?"
"Dead," Alex said, "after he lost custody of me and my we moved up here, he put a bullet in his head."
What Alex just said was met with a shocked expression from Applejack, "That's…that's terrible, why did he do that?"
"He was upset that he would basically never see me again." Alex sighed, "He fought for at least partial custody of me in the courtroom, but my mom pulled all of the bullshit tricks in the book. How he never paid attention to us, and how he didn't deserve to father a son that he ignored, all lies."
"Why didn't ya say anything?"
"I did AJ, but adults take precedence over eleven year olds so they just pitied me." Alex muttered, gripping the steering wheel tight.
"Yer family sounds mighty dysfunctional."
"Yeah that's another reason why I love you so much AJ," Alex said with a chuckle, "Your family is such a tight unit and you all care about each other so much. I…I envy that."
Applejack smiled and hugged Alex, as she had finished her ice cream, "Ya are part of my family now Alex. Ah don't care if ya ain't a pony."
"Thanks AJ."
They kissed before Alex drove them home. The drive was long and dreary, and Alex knew why. It was getting late, and his father would be home soon, drunk and pissed off as he always was.
Once they were almost home, Alex felt Applejack nodding off on his shoulder. He smiled at having her so close to him for the long ride home to see his drunken step-father most likely beating his mother.
As he pulled into the driveway, he could see his father's car parked in front of him. What's more, he looked through the window of the living room, and saw his father screaming at his mother. He was so loud, in fact, that Alex could hear him even though his step-father was inside the house, and Alex was in his car. Applejack also heard the commotion and slowly opened her eyes, "Ugh what in the hay is goin' on?"
Applejack looked at Alex to see him staring blankly through the large window in the front of the house at his step-father yelling at his mother.
"Do you understand what it's like to come home to you after a long day and hear that you don't even have the common courtesy to make a decent meal?"
"Mark I…"
"Shut up!"
"Alex and Applejack watched in shock as Alex's step-father grabbed Alex's mother and slapped her hard. Then he slapped her again, and again, and again.
"God-damn it." Alex muttered as he quickly un-buckled his seatbelt and opened the car door. He was about to get out when Applejack pressed him back against the seat.
"Ah ain't lettin' ya go in there!"
"I don't have a choice."
"Yes ya do! Alex! Don't do it!"
Alex didn't listen; he pulled out of Applejack's hold and got out of the car before he shut the door in her angry face.
"Alex! Alex don't ya go in there, please!" she screamed as tears began to roll down her face.
Alex pointed at her and sternly mouthed "stay here" before he stormed off to the front door. Applejack anxiously watched as Alex entered his house and started towards his father.
Inside of the house, Alex stormed into the living room to see his mother cowering in the corner as his step-father kept hitting her.
"Hey fuck-face; leave my Mom alone!" Alex shouted as he ran over. He grabbed his step-father by the collar of his shirt, spun him around, and smashed him square in the face with his fist.
Alex jumped on top of him and began to throw as many punches as he could. The only problem was that his step-father was so intoxicated that he didn't feel a fraction of the pain he would have felt if he had been sober. Eventually, he managed to punch Alex and then push him off. He then stood, grabbed Alex by the collar of his shirt, and hoisted him up so he was standing, "Get up you little shit."
Once he was completely up, Alex watched as his step-father reared his right hand back and then brought it right into his nose. He collapsed back to the floor, feeling immense pain radiate through his skull as his step-father got onto his chest. He grabbed Alex by the throat and began to choke him. Alex tried to push the drunkard off of him, but it was no use. He was trapped, and he knew that he could die. Desperate for help, he looked over at his mother to see her staring, immobile and eyes wide. Alex reached his hand out towards her.
"Please….mom…..please…" Alex gurgled out as he felt himself coming closer and closer to passing out. Even in the haze of coming asphyxiation, he could see his mother turn her head away from Alex, like she was content in having her son strangled as long as she didn't get involved.
Outside, Applejack, who was watching from the car, couldn't take anymore of Alex's suffering without doing something about it. She reared back and bucked at the window on the passenger-side door until she heard the sound of shattering glass followed by the feeling of her hind-hooves going through the opening where the window had once been. Applejack climbed out of the window and landed with a thud on the driveway. She picked herself up and galloped at a very fast speed. She didn't even reach this speed when she raced Rainbow Dash. She pushed her way into the house through the still-open door and ran into the living room. She bolted right at Alex's step-father.
Alex was almost unconscious when he suddenly saw an orange bolt slam into his step-father, releasing him from the death hold that he had been in. Alex rolled onto his stomach and began to cough and gag. His eyes were watering and bloodshot, and his body was shaking, and he could feel the blood sliding up his throat and coming out of his mouth in long strands of saliva.
"Mark!" Alex's mother shouted.
Alex slowly turned around to see his step-father sitting on the carpet, surrounded by broken liquor bottles that were on a liquor cabinet that Applejack had ironically slammed him into. He saw his mother, who had ignored his pleas for help earlier, run over immediately to check on the man who had tried to kill him.
He felt anger building for his mother when suddenly he felt someone hug him and kiss his cheek. He turned to see Applejack looking at him, her eyes filled with tears and a sense of relief as she saw that he was okay. "Don' ya ever do anythin' like that again sugarcube."
Alex spat some more blood onto the carpet, "I won't...thank you AJ."
They kissed and Alex felt as Applejack's tears landed on his own cheeks. After they finished kissing, Alex then turned to see his mother kneeling and crying over his step-father's bruised body. He was still alive, of course, just knocked out cold.
Alex had to say, he had at that moment realized that she did not love him, and therefore did not deserve his help anymore. He was done with her. "Come on AJ, let's go."
He slowly got up and both he and Applejack left his mother sobbing over his knocked-out step-father. As Alex got into his car and backed out of the driveway, he looked at his house one more time, knowing that he'd never return.
Alex's mother had wrecked his faith in honesty, and now he was leaving with the pony that had restored his faith in it.
Pete's House
"Okay, what rhymes with sweet?" Pete thought for a second before shaking his head, "Beet? Neat? Treat?...that's it, it's not gonna be a rhyming poem."
Pete groaned as he continued to type the poem about Pinkie Pie. He really wasn't sure about showing it to her. After all, he was still iffy on the whole idea of having a relationship with a cartoon pony.
After a few more minutes of typing, he finally finished the poem and let out a sigh of releif.
"Done."
"Done with what?"
Pete jumped a foot off of his bed in surprise as Pinkie Pie popped up beside him without warning.
"Geez Petey, it's only me." Pinkie said with a big smile before she looked at the computer that Pete still had on his lap. She pointed her hoof at it. "Hey, what were you doing on your compu-thingy-which-a-ma-call-it?"
"Computer," Pete said as he closed it, "and I wasn't doing anything, just…I was just surfing the web."
"Oh! What are you hiding on there?"
"I'm not hiding anything." Pete said defiantly, though the shakiness in his voice revealed his insecurity.
"Yeah, okay Petey I completely believe you." Pinkie said sarcastically while sporting her typically big, happy smile.
"I'm telling the truth." Pete said. He started to get nervous as she reached out for the computer.
"Come on! Let me look!"
He quickly held the computer out of her reach. "No."
"Pretty please with a cupcake on top?"
"No Pinkie."
Their arguing was put on hold when Pete's father shouted from downstairs.
"Pete! Can you come down here!"
"Yeah coming!"
Without thinking, Pete put his computer down onto his bed and sprinted downstairs. Within three seconds of him leaving the room, Pinkie looked from side to side as a shifty grin grew on her face. She grabbed the computer and opened it. Once she managed to get the screen on, she saw the word document that Pete had up.
"Okay Petey, let's see what you were hiding from me."
She began to read the poem. Asshe did so, her expression slowly fell from sneaky to shock:
My Element of Laughter
When I look into your eyes,
Your beautiful blue eyes,
Crystal and pure,
I remember myself.
My innocent self,
My uncorrupted, happy, joyous self,
That died when I was so young,
In sickness and pain.
I have never felt so close to anyone,
So open to anyone,
As I do to you Pinkie.
You bring out the best in me,
Just by being you.
No human girl could ever compare,
Your nature so sweet,
So optimistic,
I love you.
I understand it's strange,
But it doesn't matter.
I love you Pinkie,
And I always will.
After she finished reading the poem, Pinkie's expression was pure shock. She knew that Pete liked her, but she never thought he liked her that much.
Meanwhile, Pete just finished helping his mother carry some potted plants from outside, under the porch, into the garage. As he made his way back up the stairs, he cracked his neck to get some of the stiffness out of it from the plant moving.
Once he got into his room, he shut his door and looked up to see Pinkie Pie looking at him from behind the computer. Once the scene in front of him registered, Pete realized that Pinkie had just read his poem, and he suddenly became frightened.
"Oh no." Pete began to tremble, "Pinkie…did…did you just read…."
He was cut off as Pinkie flew off of the bed at Pete and tackled him to the floor with a kiss. At first, Pete's eyes initially widened in fright, but then he slowly closed them and began to kiss back. Pete never felt as relaxed as he did at that moment. She didn't judge him or get mad at him for speaking his mind as so many other people had in the past. No, instead she accepted him and respected him; she loved him.
Slowly they broke the kiss and Pinkie giggled, "You know that you could have just told me."
"Yeah, he-he, now I do."
Pinkie smiled and kissed Pete on the cheek before backing off, "Why are you so timid?" Pete was about to protest when Pinkie gave him a glare, "You Pinkie promised that you'd tell me, remember?"
He knew that to go against a Pinkie promise would only cause problems for him, so he caved.
"You really want to know, don't you?"
Pinkie gave a big grin and nodded excitedly. "Yep!"
"Okay fine," Pete nodded and let out a sigh, "when I was younger I was the most talkative person in school. I would always say what came to my mind, even if it wasn't particularly funny or made sense."
"What's the big deal about that? I say whatever pops into my mind all of the time! Sometimes I'm funny, sometimes I fall flat on my face!" With that, Pinkie fell down onto her face to illustrate her point. She then looked upat Pete with a big grin.
"That's the thing, Pinkie. In our world, if you say something stupid or tell a joke that they don't understand because you're not good with your timing, you begin to get poked fun at and berated. Eventually, you become afraid to say anything because of what others might think or say."
Pinkie put her hoof onto Pete's shoulder to reassure him, "Petey, you shouldn't let those meanies make you feel bad just because you say what comes to your mind. Is that why you're so quiet?"
Pete looked at her, tears started to form in his eyes as he shook his head, "No, that's one reason but...that's not all."
"Then what else?"
Pete sighed, "I always thought that maybe if I watched what I said, then I'd be fine. So I started to cut back on my jokes and, eventually, what I was talking about in general. But when I did talk they'd find something wrong with it and say that I made no sense, or they'd talk and shout over me by saying "nobody cares", "shut up", and other arrogant things. For a year I hardly said a word to anyone except my closest friends. But I wasn't complexly quiet be any means, I was just more self-doubting about what I was going to say. And then it happened."
Pinkie suddenly looked at Pete with worry, "What happened?"
"When I was twelve I was diagnosed with a disease called Ulcerative colitis, which is the inflammation of the colon. I had to run to the bathroom almost twenty times a day, I couldn't eat a lot without feeling like I would throw up. I was a prisoner in my own body, and soon I...I just didn't talk. I tried to still hang out with kids, but because of howquiet I was, they became more and more distant."
"What do you mean more distant?" Pinkie asked, "Wouldn't they be closer to you? I mean, if a pony gets sick…."
"Let me guess, their friends are right there beside them to help them through the ordeal?" Pete asked and Pinkie nodded, this time much more slowly. Pete shook his head, "That's not how it is here. People don't try to understand their friends when they get sick. As I said, I was somewhat quiet before I got the disease, but after I got sick, I hardly said a word to anyone. The disease made me so depressed and nervous all of the time about how much I ate, where the bathrooms were, that I just didn't talk. Instead of asking me what was wrong, my friends forgot all about me. And it's like they didn't know I was sick, I did tell them that, and they did see me run to the bathroom ever hour. Hell, some were on my soccer team and saw me when I had to run off of the field to use the port-a-potty during a game."
"Once time I got really sick, and I spent a week in the hospital. Not one person, not one of my "friends" or "family" came up to visit me. It was just me and my parents. My friends knew that I was in the hospital to because my mom told their parents about it, but it didn't make one iota of a difference, and I didn't understand. When I got back to school, people began to avoid me."
"Apparently there was a rumor going around that I had cancer." Pete began to chuckle darkly, "They thought I had cancer and they still didn't see me in the hospital or ask how I was doing. No one did anything for me except for my parents, no one. There are always specials on the news where friends shave their heads or do special things for their cancer-ridden friends, but because I either talked nonsense or didn't talk at all, people didn't give a shit."
"Pete..."
"Oh that's not all," Pete said with a sad smile, "My friends talked about how they all heard that I had cancer, I fucking hate the person that spread that lie, it's such a bad-omen. One of them asked if they should go up to me and see how I was feeling, but then the rest said no. They said I was a quiet weirdo before I got sick, and there were apparently rumors that spread because of my quietness, and how I was a freak because I was withdrawn. They said I didn't talk to them enough to be considered a friend; they didn't understand my nervousness about talking and my sadness about how sick I was.
Tears began to roll down Pete's cheeks before he continued, "So I went from talking too much, to thinking too much about what other people think I'm the "weird, quiet, sick kid". Because of how sad my illness had made me and the nervousness those kids made me feel to say the wrong thing, they saw me as a freak and eventually rumors spread and….that's when the bullying began. What I learned from my time at school is that we live in a society where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't."
At this moment, Pinkie threw her forelegs around Pete's neck and cried into him.
"I'm….so….sorry….!" she began to bawl, covering the floor with almost a gallon of water.
Pete began to slowly rub her back, "I-it okay Pinkie, it happened years ago."
"It's so sad, though." She whimpered. "And that's what caused you to be so shy?"
Pete chuckled, "Well it doesn't matter because I have you now."
Pinkie's crying slowed and she gave Pete a warm smile, "Yeah…yeah you do. I'm here for you Pete."
"I know you are," Pete said with a smile, "you were there for me every Saturday when I had nothing to do, no friends to hang out with, and now you're here with me in my life. And I'm grateful for it."
Pinkie Pie chuckled a little and they both kissed.
Motel- Night
Alex had checked into a motel with Applejack after leaving his house. Once in the room, Alex went to go clean off his facial wounds in the bathroom. Applejack wanted to help him, but he didn't let her, as he felt like she did enough for him. He turned the television on for her and she lay in the bed watching some news channel that was still covering the Leigh Heights burning,
Alex washed the blood off of his face and gargled with some mouthwash in order to dis-infect his throat. He wasn't a doctor, so he wasn't sure if a throat that bled could become infected very easily, but he decided not to take any chances. As he gargled, he suddenly had to spit it out as the alcohol in the mouthwash burned his throat. His throat hurt like hell and he groaned.
"Fuck me." He said in a very raspy voice.
"Alex are ya okay?"
"Ah'm fine AJ." Alex said.
"Still with the accent, ah like it." Applejack said with a chuckle.
Alex was confused at what she said until he realized she meant his southern accent. He was somewhat taken aback by this though because he didn't even try to speak with it that time, it was like he just said it naturally. Was it from hanging out with her so much?
After cleaning his face a bit more, he made his way back to the bed and got under the covers. Applejack slipped in as well. Alex turned the television off, followed by the lights, and then moved closer to Applejack so they could be in an embrace as they slept.
"Good night sugarcube." Applejack said through a yawn.
"Good night AJ, I love you."
"Ah love ya too."
"Oh and AJ."
"Ya?"
"Thank you again."
At that, both of them kissed passionately in the dark before they both fell asleep, their lips still pressed together and their bodies giving each other warmth.
Church- Late Night (11:00)
The church was mostly empty as the majority of attendees went earlier in the day. But there were a few late-night worshippers. One such worshipper was Mr. Courtie who, while not a Christian, as he obviously worshipped Princess Celestia, he always went to church for his own reasons, namely how good he felt when he was there.
As he leaned forward to watch the sermon that the priest was giving, he didn't notice as a dark figure slipped into the same pew as him and sat right beside him.
He then heard a familiar voice speak to him, "You know this isn't a place for Equestrians."
Mr. Courtie sighed and without looking to his left, knew that Brett, or Obscure Darkness, had taken the seat beside him.
"Maybe to you, but I love Church."
"Why? You're more loyal to Celestia than I am, and even I think it's blasphemous."
"It's "Princess" Celestia, and it isn't," Mr. Courtie said without turning, "I don't come here for the preaching, I come here for the sense of community."
Brett looked around the almost empty church and chuckled, "Doesn't seem like a community to me."
"The number of people doesn't make the community what it is," Mr. Courtie sighed, "the bond between them does. And church is one of the only places where people can connect on this chaotic planet."
"You know it's awfully rude to not look me in the eyes when you're talking to me." Brett said with a smirk.
"You haven't earned my respect." Mr. Courtie growled, "so you don't get the courtesy of eye-contact."
"Bright, when did we become so different?"
"When the Princess chose me to look after the Element of Magic here instead of you? And you joined Discord just to spite us."
Brett pretends to think for a second before nodding, "Yeah, that seems about right."
"You succumbed to envy, Obscure, and you let it take such a hold on you that there was no going back."
"Damn right," Brett spat before smiling and leaning on the pew in front of him so he could see some of the whites in Mr. Courtie's eyes. "I assume that you know why I'm here, don't you?"
Mr. Courtie shook his head. "I won't tell you."
"You don't need to Bright," Brett chuckled as he sat his back against the pew, "I have my own ways of figuring it out, so it's up to you if you want it to be painless, or if you want it to be excruciating?"
"Painless would be me telling you right now, right?" Mr. Courtie asked as he slowly turned to stare down Brett.
Brett smiled, "Hey, from your lips to Celestia's ears."
"It's Princess Celestia; you don't have the right to call her "Celestia" after everything that you've done."
Brett's smile fell and he now had a completely serious look on his face, "I guess you want to do this the hard way then. It's a shame, I really to have a great deal of respect for you."
"Respect means nothing if you don't honor it." Mr. Courtie said as he started to slowly standup and make his way out of the row, "I have to go."
"You know I will get the information from you, right?" Brett said as his smile grew back, "It doesn't matter how defiant you are, and it doesn't matter if you never cave in. I'll get it."
Mr. Courtie's face was somber and full of fear as he turned and headed out of the church. Brett watched until he was almost at the back before he turned to face the priest, who still was giving the sermon.
Mr. Courtie passed by one of the ushers that was in the back and exited through the large, oak doors that were virtually soundproof. Once he was outside in the cool crisp night air, he let out a sigh before he walked to the top of the stairs that led down to the sidewalk.
He was so focused on thinking about Brett that he didn't notice three shadowy figures come up behind him. Without warning, Mr. Courtie felt himself get shoved down the flight of stairs. There were not a whole lot of steps, but it was enough to have his nose bloodied and his wrist broken. He was groggy and, before he could get his bearings, he felt someone kick him, and another person stomp on his abdomen and another person kick his head.
Inside of the church, Brett slowly stood up and made his way out, lighting a cigarette as he approached the usher, who looked at him with anger.
"Excuse me, sir. You can't smoke in here."
"Go fuck yourself." Brett muttered as he walked by, blowing a plume of smoke into the air. He exited the church to see Mr. Courtie lying on the ground as the three figures, Lawrence, Sean and Lance, were pounding him.
Brett smiled, knowing that having three people gang up on him would prevent him from using his magic to win. Behind him, Brett heard the chorus of the church break out into "Glory to God in the Highest" as he slowly descended the stairs. Once he neared the bottom; he flicked the cigarette and let his hand turn into a familiar black hoof with the similarly colored aura that surrounded it.
He slowly made his way to Mr. Courtie as Lawrence and Lance held him up. His face was swollen and bloody, his arm broken and his abdomen had an almost black and blue hue to it from the constant stomps and kicks.
Brett knelt down and held up hoof up, "I'm sorry to do this Bright. I waited as long as I could because I really didn't want to kill you. But Discord is desperate to find those boys. It's nothing personal, it's business." And with that, Brett pressed his hoof to Mr. Courtie's forehead and slowly began to suck out his memories, as well as drain his life-force. Mr. Courtie's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp. Lawrence and Lance released him and his body fell back onto the sidewalk while Brett stood up, his eyes closed, as his mind absorbed all of the information that Mr. Courtie had in his own.
"Sir?" Lance asked, taking a step towards Brett, "Sir do you know who they are?"
Brett slowly opened his eyes and gave a sadistic smile, "Lawrence, you might want to take note. I've got a list of names and addresses for you and your army."
Hope you enjoyed another extremely long Chapter.
I have a lot of papers this week so it may be a while before I update again.
Pete's story is heavily based on my own experiences, including the disease. The kids I knew, for the most part, weren't as jerky as the ones in this story but my disease still resulted in my alienation. Also, there was a rumor that I had cancer and I only found out about it when my mom talked to another student's mother.