Galvanizing Emotion

by Uictoriam Ducere

Charlie has been called many things in his life. A criminal, a thug, and now a deadman. Awakening in a world filled with headache inducing magic ponies who drive him crazy was the last thing he expected. He must now learn to keep his temper in check to stay on their good side as they are the only ones who can bring him home. Being murdered though, makes that kind of difficult… AU

17. Act 1: Birds of a Feather

Hey everyone, Ducere here. Sorry about the wait!

Big 200,000! I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday I was staring at a blank page of chapter one and now I'm almost written 3 novels worth of pages in about and a month in a half! Thank you all for your patience too, I'm getting back into school, and I just got back from vacation as well so you can imagine how behind I was writing this chapter, but I persevered. It didn't help I had to basically scrap the last chapter and rewrite it entirely and that almost happened again for this one too.

Anyways, back to business. There's been a few changes in my writing plans for how many words I want in a chapter and now I'm definitely shooting for above 15,000 instead of only 10,000 so my scheduling for posting will take a little longer. I'm thinking every two weeks, any longer than that please spam me messages to get my lazy ass to work.

On another note, we're almost done and over with act 1 too. Just like two more smaller arcs to finish up and we'll be right along to the next one. Don't worry, Act 1 will go out with bang, and I hope the wait will be worth it. I think there may be 3 to 4 more chapters for lined up before the first act finishes, but we'll see. Can't rush imperfection after all.

Anyways, that's enough out of my dumb mouth, back to the asshole who can't catch that break he doesn't deserve. Or does he?

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Chapter 17: Birds of a Feather…

"There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire; the other is to gain it."

-George Bernard Shaw

"Dammit!" I cry out as we try our best to eat lunch despite the events that transpired this morning. "I can't believe they took my entire stash! Months of trading gone in a fuckin' instant!"

The big bulbous boy who reminds me of Augustus Gloop pipes up next to me, "Hahaha That's why my stash is hidden somewhere no one knows!"

"Your fat fuckin' stomach doesn't count as a hiding place, Peter!" I punch his shoulder hard, but his fat seems to absorb the blow making the cross-eyed bastard giggle some. I punch him again out of spite.

Peter's laughing increases as I keep throwing hooks at him. "Stop, Charlie, that tickles!"

"I'll show you a tickle, you fuck!" It wasn't until my fist met his face that the pain, I was trying to inflict on him finally registers.

He recoils and holds his nose, "OW! That really hurt… I think you broke my nose." He says while sniffling some.

Mock surprise takes over my features, "Yeah? I broke your nose? Here let me see?" Peter lowers his hands to show me, and I immediately punch him right in the same spot and he recoils some more. "I break your fuckin' face 10 times over you fat fuck! Here, let me show ya!"

Just as I was about to throw another punch a voice yell behind me, "Oh! What the fuck is going on here?"

I turn around to see Brad holding his cafeteria tray looking at the two of us like we were animals. His longer blonde hair was in the shape of a mullet of sorts along with his sharper facial features made him look like one of the backstreet boys and his sleeveless uniformed shirt did that no favors.

The blonde eyed us like we were insane, "I was only gone for five minutes! What the fuck happened here!"

"He hit me…" Peter whines as he sniffles some more.

I elbow him hard in the stomach, "And I'll hit you again if you keep it up, Pee Wee!"

Between his pained groans he whispers sadly, "My names Peter Weanzel, not Pee Wee."

"I'll call you whatever the fuck I want, you mushroom headed buffoon!" I yell out as I shake my fist at him.

Brad looks at me disapprovingly as he sits next to Bill, "This is why we can't have nice things, Charlie, you break them," He looks at the red head next to him who is looking at something across the room, "So what did I miss?"

"Just Charlie losing his mind over this morning's dorm check…" he answers with a tinge of amusement without looking away from whatever he was gazing at.

"Oh, so not much then." Brad rolls his eyes. "Charlie, you really should put your toys away if you didn't want them taken. When are you gonna learn your lesson?"

I point my plastic spork at the shit nugget, "Shut the fuck up, Brad, before I make shoes out of that dead animal you call hair!"

"Touchy today, ain't ya?" He snorts as he starts to get ready to eat.

"TOUCHY?!" I shout as I'm about to crawl over the table to maul this son of a bitch when Bill and Pee Wee hold me back.

"Charlie, calm down! You're gonna get the faculty on us and then we'll all be in the shit." Brad chides as he puts his hand on my uniformed shoulder, "I'll give you some of my chocolate and soda later if that's what it takes, dude. Okay?"

I swipe my hands and shoulder off of the two who were grappling me and slowly simmer as I look down at my tray, "This is just what I fuckin' needed…"

Bill finally spoons food into his mouth when he looks at me, "You should have known that something was up from yesterday. The faculty were on edge all morning, I even told you as such too." he starts spooning in what you could call chili into his mouth. "It was just small contraband, stuff we can easily get back in no time at all. Just calm down okay?"

I feel like I'm going to have a seizure of rage at being told to calm down, "You don't fuckin' get it, Bill! They didn't search the entire dorm, just me and this big retard's fuckin' room! You know what that means?! Someone blabbed about it and I'm gonna fuckin' find out who if it's the last goddamn thing I do."

Bill rolls his eyes, "You're being paranoid, Charlie. Who would've ratted on you anyways? Everyone's scared of you in here as it is."

I simply grumble at his logic when another boy sits down behind me at a corresponding table, but he bumps into me by accident causing me to glare at him with feral eyes and he quickly apologizes and gives me his granola bar as some sort of peace offering. I accept it with pleasure and he quickly sits down as I hear him audibly gulp.

"See?" Bill shouts out amused making me turn back to him, "You probably just did something to be put on their radar is all." His look twists some like he was thinking, "However, maybe it was… ah I'm sure it's nothing."

I blink at what he was about to spill and point at him, "What? What's nothing? The fuck are you talking about?"

He shrugs as he silently clams up to finish his meal making me almost go rabid.

A swift hand bangs the table startling some of the other boys around the crowded cafeteria, "Fuck you! You tell me what you know now!"

Bill looks at me as a small sly smile forms and he gazes back over at something he was staring at earlier before nodding his head, "Well, I heard Adam Kyzinksy with Stevie, and his boys was caught in our section of the dorms earlier this week. He and I had quite the disagreement the day before and I knew he would try something." I follow his gaze and see that curly headed fuck he was talking about sitting across the cafeteria, "Could be nothing or just hearsay. I didn't see him do it, so it could have been him or anyone else in here really. I wouldn't delve too much into that if I were you though, just a hunch."

"Just a hunch…" I repeat as the anger bubbles inside of me. I continue to death glare the tall lanky boy that Bill was talking about with malice, "Well, maybe there will be a lesson learned today after all, Brad."

A lesson no one's gonna forget.

I turn to Pee Wee who was in the process of inhaling his food, "Do you still have that pen from the library still?" Pee Wee looks at me a little hesitantly as he nods, "Give it to me." I bark out.

The fat sack swallows his food and stares at me almost blankly, "Ahhh I don't know if that's a good idea, Charlie… I'm not supposed to have it in here to begin with."

"And what the fuck do you know about ideas, Pee Wee? Just give it to me!" He eventually sighs and hands me the pen underneath the table so no one could see, and I slide it into my sleeve.

"What are planning here, Charlie?" Brad asks suspiciously as I fix my sleeve to look more natural, "Whenever you set your mind to something when you're this ticked off, we normally have to pay for it later."

Pee Wee pipes up at that, "Yeah! You got jello banned from the menu when you almost made Max drown in it a couple months ago."

I scowl at Pee Wee, "The only thing you were upset about was the fact I wasn't jamming it down your throat instead!"

"I don't like this…" The fatter boy mumbles before he turns to Bill, "Ain't you gonna say something?"

Bill shrugs as he continues eating, "I'm just enjoying lunch, Peter, I suggest you do the same. The chili is actually edible today if you can believe it…" Bill gives me a knowing look and nods once letting me know I have the OK to go do what has to be done.

And, man, am I gonna make sure it gets done…

Leaving my seat at the table, I feel my feet glide across the room as I get closer to my target. The other boys would quiet down as I walk past and shushes could be heard all around me as I get closer. What little of the whispering I could make out was about how I was on the prowl and how they hope it wasn't them I had my sights on. It's most of their lucky days as Adam is the only one that has 100% of my attention.

When I get closer to the table holding the shit head, I hear big Stevie telling a story of sorts. That's such a Stevie thing to do, let me tell ya. He's one of the oldest in here and he likes to show it whenever he can in the form of stories the younger blood eats up. Not me though, he already tried that my first week in and he fuckin' regretted it immediately. He may be older, but that doesn't change the fact that he's just a little bitch.

"-nd then I was out in the yard when we first heard about the fire in the west wing. We were all pushed outside as it quickly swallowed up at least 2 of the dorm rooms. We heard sirens and firetrucks zoomed into the parking lot as the faculty held us up outside. Some ran, but they always came back in the end. Anyways, last I heard there were at least three people who were killed by it."

"Whoa! How long ago was that?" One of the new bloods ask.

"That was my first year inside about 8 years ago or so. Don't know how it started though. We never did find out either. I heard a rumor about-" He pauses when he sees me get closer and take a seat next to Adam. He glares at me as does the rest of his peers, "What the fuck do you want, Charlie?"

I shrug as I throw my arm over Adam who looked as uncomfortable as ever and I give Stevie a big dumb smile, "What? I can't say hello to the sorriest sacks of losers in Wellington? I'm hurt…"

"You're not really known for just saying hello," He says as he rubs the area of his arm where I bit him over 4 months ago, "You tell Bill that he can't hide behind you forever. Soon enough you'll leave or get transferred and we'll show him how much of a coward he really is."

"You are calling Bill a coward is like a chicken pointing at a container of tenders and calling it food…" I squeeze Adam a little closer and the other boys start looking scared like a bomb is about to go off. "So please, continue to regale us with your infinite wisdom, o' lord of the facility. Speak of the ancient lore of old that are held within these decrepit walls. Get over yourself, you're washed up and almost outta here as big 18 is right around the corner. This spring right? Well, I hope the door knocks you on your ass at the very least and then me and Bill won't have any opposition in here anymore."

Stevie looks at me blankly and snorts a little, "You have no idea who you shacked up with do you? I've been here a long time, kid, long enough to know that there's no rehabilitation in Wellington and that goes double for Bill Duffy." He shakes his head some as he moves his tray over, "I know we've had our spat already, but my beef is with Bill, not you. We all had to be something to get in here, Charlie, you're an asshole, but I know you don't belong here like the rest of us animals. You just have one thing going against you is all and it's gonna be your downfall."

It was my turn to snort, "And what's that, old timer?"

He sighs and clicks his tongue, "You listen to whatever bullshit you want to hear and that's why you'll always be Bill's errand boy. So, what the fuck does he want this time? More kick-up? Another section of the recreational area?"

I start cackling making the others sweat a little as my hold of Adam reaches near headlock levels of grip, "As much as I'd love to talk politics with ya, I'm actually here on my own."

He quirks an eyebrow, "Then what do you want?"

"I'm sure you heard of the raid this morning in the dorm?" I ask as Adam starts struggling a little.

He looks over at his friend confused, "Yeah… what about it?"

I slowly pull out the pen from my sleeve under the table and give a nasty grin to the older boy, "Well, sometimes life gives ya lemons, Stevie, and then you've got no choice but to make lemonade…"

Before Stevie could begin to ask what the fuck I was talking about, I reveal the pen and begin stabbing Adam in the face and head with fervor as he screams bloody murder. The ballpoint pen wasn't very sharp, as you already know, but I assure you it hurt all the same as I could feel it breaking his skin with each jab, mutilating his face with deep gashes. The others looked shocked and started to back away when the lights went down, and an alarm started blaring for a code 67. A code I know all too well. Adam falls to the ground from pain as my attack continues and I hear the hurried footfalls of the male nurses dressed in whites come racing over holding what looked like syringe cases. Before I could revel in Adams pained cries, they descend on me like hyenas on the prowl.

I've been in this song and dance before and I'm not about to make their life any easier this time either.

When one of the nurses gets closer, I hop on top of the table and grab a tray still full of food and throw it at his feet. It seemed it made him slip onto the tiled floor giving me enough time to pick of another tray and start swinging it back and forth at two other nurses who started after me like I was Davy Crockett at the last stand of the Alamo.

And a last stand it was as they started dodging and weaving my swings, trying to get closer to contain me with little luck. However, something grabbing my feet and pulling me down ended the battle for Texas independence for me. I was so busy with the other two that I forgot about the fucker that slipped behind me. He quickly got up and grabbed a hold, making me tumble to the floor. The others soon descended onto me too as they struggled to grapple me while the nurses prepared their fuckin' sleepy time shots.

One of the fuckers got his hand a little too close to my mouth letting me bite onto it like a succulent steak and tore a chunk off of him.

"AAAAAH FUCK! Be careful, he's a fucking wild boy!" He screamed as he held onto the wound.

I spit the piece of flesh back at him, "That all you got! C'mon! I ain't got all day!"

The three quickly spun me around onto my stomach and pressed my skull against the floor so I couldn't bite at them again making what was left of my struggles in vain, but that didn't stop me from trying. When I continued my attempt to break free, a noise filled the room that I couldn't quite hear right until I started running out of breath and stamina making me pause. The others in the cafeteria who were watching started chanting and rooting someone on.

"WILD BOY! WILD BOY! WILD BOY!"

Wild boy? Who is… Were they-were they chanting for me?

With great effort, I turned my head towards the crowd where four other nurses rallied them, I could see them all cheering me on, among them were Brad and Pee Wee smiling like a couple of idiots as they chanted along with the rest. It seemed that the nurses were so hated in here that it didn't matter who fought back as long as one of the patients in here did.

Seems I finally found my nickname after all these months…

Bill was standing motionless without saying a word and I saw a look on him that I hadn't seen before. He was staring with pride and a feeling of accomplishment I hadn't felt in all my years laid into me like a freight train. That look single handedly gave him my loyalty for the next 10 years of my life even before he came to Mr. Campbells place to nab me.

The next thing I know I feel a pinch in the back of my thigh and the world starts spinning around me. The visage of Bill started to warp somewhat as whatever they pumped me full of starts to work its way into my system and darkness soon envelops me once more.

"Charlie!"

"W-what?"

I look around as the visage of the cafeteria faded away and Fluttershy's living room comes into view as I was laying on her couch. Angel was still snuggled into me, but I know for a fact it wasn't him that broke me out of my daily torment in the dream realm as he's still snoring like I was a moment ago. This memory shit is getting worse, and I have a feeling that Celestia or her downy of a sister has something to do with it.

I almost wish I was being tortured again at this rate…

"Are you Alright?" A small voice asks making me look down to see Apple Bloom staring up at me with worry, "You were squirmin' in your sleep pretty bad. Sorry about wakin' ya…"

Rubbing my forehead, I sigh as I sink further into the couch, "About as alright as I can be, shrimp. Thanks, I guess." My hands move to my eyes as I rub the sleep out of them. "What time is it?"

"'bout three o'clock." She answers with some trepidation, "After you told us how to help Scootaloo ya kinda passed out a couple hours ago." She pauses waiting for me to respond, but when silence was my reply she continued, "Ah must say, Ah'm kinda surprised you decided to help her out the way you did. She's been all sorts of excited since you told her what to do and ah don't really blame her either. That was a really good idea you gave us."

Scootaloo? Oh. Oh yeah, I guess I did help her out earlier. It wasn't anything too major, just some common sense and some sleezebag street skills mishmashed together. Well, I guess I can't really blame these shit's for not coming up with that on their own, they don't fuckin' know what a street looks like, let alone getting smart from it. Good thing I am though, that's what living in downtown Boston my whole fuckin' life will do to you. However, I will say that the company I kept definitely attributed to that more.

Overall, just another plan to put in the Archives if I'm being honest, one of so fuckin' many…

I sigh as my hands drop down to the sleeping rabbit, the fur engulfs them as I hear a little yawn from him, and I turn to see the bright red bow the shit is known for wearing. She was giving me a warm smile which would have made me gag on any other day, however, it was nice to see after reliving anything from Wellington's. I fuckin' hate that place and everything it stood for, especially towards the end.

Remembering that I had a small filly who was still waiting for a response, I sigh again and look down at her, "Has she been at the very least busy? Or did I waste my breath on that ponifed neanderthal? I had to fuckin' repeat myself like seven fuckin' times before she finally understood what I was saying…"

"Sure, as rain she has been! Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are about to run over Rarity's so they could get started! We only got a couple days left after all. Ah actually needed ta wake ya up ta ask if Ah could go with em since you're supposed to be my foalsitter and all that."

I shrug, "Whatever, do what you want, just don't fuckin' die on me." a grimace comes on as I think of her family, "I'm afraid your grandma will put that cane somewhere it doesn't belong if you do."

Just as she was about to give me a playful response back, the orange fuck head in the other room yells out, "Apple Bloom, hurry up! We don't have much time left and we got a lot of work to do! I'm the star lead remember?!"

Apple Bloom sighs and chuckles before she looks at me with a kind expression, "Ah don't know what you said to her upstairs, but she's got that fire in her belly again!" Her smile widens, "and here ah was doubting Sweetie about your softer side."

I roll my eyes as I sit up slowly, being rather courteous to the small mammal on my stomach so he can at least dream for the both of us. I don't really feel my best right now if I'm being honest… I'm gonna blame the holidays, they always put me in a sour mood and there's no drinks to hide it either.

"Yeah, I'm a big softie alright," is all I answer with as I stared at nothing in particular as the dream fills my mind yet again.

Something touches my arm making me look over at the country filly had stood on her hind legs to brush me with her hoof, "Are you sure sure yer okay? You look mighty shaken up right now."

"Not really," I say as a matter of fact and shrug, "My life is just one fuck up after another, Apple Bloom. Not much else to say about it."

she nudges me with her snout, "Yer bein' silly right now. It can't be all that bad, could it?"

I turn away from her innocent globes, "You're still young, but one day you're gonna look back and be able to tell what kind of person you are and either you're gonna like it or you're gonna hate it, there's no in between."

"Charlie?" I look back over at her and she still looking up at me with some determination, "Ah don't know much about these 'people' ya speak of, but I know fer a fact that deep down yer a good pony. You hide it really good; ah'll give you that much, but you are. You want to know what Ah think?"

I blink at her and shrug despondently, "If I said no will you fuckin' not say it?"

She giggles and looks up to me, "Ah think yer just bein' hard on yerself for no reason at all."

Oh, you poor, naive shit. If only you knew…

"Whatever, Apple Bloom, just get the fuck outta here. Make sure you're back at the library before dark if I don't come get, your ass first."

"Well, Ah could wait till-"

"Apple Bloom!" The voice of Sweetie Belle yells from the other room, "What are you doing in there? Napping? C'mon, we're getting ready to leave!"

"Coming! Hold yer reigns fer a sec, I need ta talk ta Charlie!" She yells back as she looks at me. "Are you sure you want me ta leave? Ah could always just meet up with them later?"

"Listen, the farther away you are from me the more okay I'll be. I promise you that much, shitster" I poke her nose and push on it causing her to back up a few paces from the couch, "Now get the fuck outta here."

The country filly holds a face like she wants to continue the conversation we're having, but my head nodding towards the door seems to sway her to, at the very least, save it for later. She says goodbye and that I'd see her later like I gave a shit if I did or not. She quickly runs out of the room towards the kitchen to probably head out the side entrance leaving me semi alone in the cottage. A few seconds later I could hear some giggling in the other room and then a door slam letting me know that the kids have left the building making me sigh in some relief.

Good, I can get some peace and quiet until I fuckin' have to head over to the boutique myself later. Lord, fuckin' help me from the wrath that kooky son of a bitch over there is gonna give me for ditching her yesterday. After the day I had with the Apple's, she's out of her mind if she thought I was gonna spend the rest of my night pricking my fingers. I don't know what Rarity's problem is, but she seems dead fuckin' set on 'civilizing' me as if that were even an option. At least she's making me clothes…

I laid back down on the couch and stared at the ceiling as the words that Stevie warned me all of them years ago echoes in my mind like a ghost.

"There's no rehabilitation in Wellington and that goes double for Bill Duffy."

The feeling of warm blood from my assault of Adam still takes a hold of my hands and it causes me to lift them to stare at as I begin to truly understand what kind of monster I looked up to.

The scene of Bill standing in the crowd forms yet again, but something isn't right. He wasn't looking at me per say, he was looking through me. He was looking at the bloodied, weeping body of Adam and he was gleeful to gums about it. That proud look he donned wasn't because I did him proud, it was for himself. For how crafty the shit was, and I should have known it then and there, but I was too blind to see.

He tricked me into fighting that kid, pushed my buttons in all the right ways to make sure I'd do it the way he wanted. Adam was innocent as can be because it was Bill. He was the one who tattled on me to the nurses about my stash, not Adam. He wanted that kid hurt but he needed to give me a reason to do it, so he found one instead. Only Bill knew about my stash as I shared some of it with him the night before after he had asked for an IOU on a bag of M&Ms. He alerted the faculty to make me so upset I'd do something stupid without complaint and I fuckin' did too.

Just like the rest of my fucked life. He used every opportunity to get some kind of use out of me because he could control me. At Wellington's, fuckin' Mr. Campbell's, back at Boston… I was some muscle for his machinations and that's all he fuckin' saw me as. When he couldn't do that anymore and I started seriously doubting him, he simply got rid of me.

Bill used me from the very beginning and now I'm paying the price for it.

"You really are a fuckin' moron, Charlie," I whisper to myself. "Only you could have fallen for something so simple. Fuckin' idiot." a sleeping Angel wiggles some as he burrows deeper into my warmth making me look down at him, "If only I was some fuckin' annoying rabbit without a care in the world instead of whatever the fuck I am…"

As I laid there berated myself for some time, a sound from the other room makes me pause as it fills my ears. It sounded like… singing… yeah, singing. Like a choir of angels were descending upon the cottage from the heavens above. What the fuck? Has Saint Peter finally decided he fucked up in my afterlife placement and came to fetch my retarded ass to slam into hell? The sound was coming from the kitchen, so unless God's kiddies are a bit famished from the fall down, I really doubt that's the case.

Just like in Rarity's bathroom, something inside me insisted on investigating the sound even though I really didn't want to. I tried my best to ignore it, but the voice started crying inside my mind with unintelligible guttural sounds I couldn't make out until it eventually pushed me to go see what's what. As soon as I decided to go check it out, that vague little desire to ceased entirely.

I don't know what the fuck my brains doing, but I better go fuckin' find some schizo meds soon before I fuckin' lose it entirely if I haven't already.

I sit up and move Angel to a part of the couch I was no longer taking up. He wiggles a little from discomfort but settles back into his blissful sleep when I lay my quilt over him. Taking in a small breath, I stand as my body pops and creaks from the uncomfortable few hours of laying on a lumpy old couch making me groan some before I follow the otherworldly noise into Fluttershy's kitchen, and I pause at the sight.

It made me want to vomit.

The kitchen was intricately adorned with christmas-y ornaments all over the fuckin' place as well as boxes that were neatly stacked by the table, still brimming with other decorations she hasn't taken out just yet. Little mouse holes in the walls had tiny bell wreaths sitting atop of the openings, the ceiling joists were wrapped in sparkling garland as well as a medium sized tree in the corner of the room with animal shaped glass balls attached to them with a bright rabbit atop with a halo above him. From the look of things, it seems like she just started putting them up while I was sleeping as I don't remember seeing this shit when I was in here with the ass munch junior brigade ealrier.

Speaking of the word timid, Fluttershy herself was floating mid air with this weird wreath thing on her scalp like a cap, flapping her wings softly, as a flock of varying species of birds from owls to little sparrows were flying or sitting nearby. The yellow pegasus was releasing her divine voice in simple haunting notes as her avian friends followed close behind their lead singer. They weren't singing lyrics, but rather just let the vibrations of melody wash over themselves with precision.

The sound was impeccable, divine, and flawless as each note was hit and it made me sick to my stomach. Just as I was about to uncouthly cut in and ruin this little symphony something stops me. Something that didn't feel like me, and I just stood there in what felt like captive silence. If only I knew who the jailer was… That tiny voice whispers in my ear.

"Worry not, my brutish friend, I shall be cultured for the both of us."

What? I double take to the left and right and I don't see a thing making a brick appear in my pants that wasn't there a second ago. Who the fuck was that? Hello? Anyone there? Is what I tried to say aloud; however, I couldn't even voice my obvious panic as my body felt forced to stand there and listen instead.

Finally, after a few minutes of the show I seemed forced to be entertained with, Fluttershy reached the climax of her little banjo session when she held a high note with her bird friends supporting her and just as suddenly the heavenly note came it ceased into silence and her the rest followed suit. I know I made the joke about Snow White earlier, but this is ridiculous.

The pegasus smiled at her bird friends as they chirped in what looked like celebration, "That was very good, everypony, I think we're ready for our opening at the pageant." a small hummingbird flies closer making Fluttershy nuzzle it, "Especially you, Hummingway, you were superb."

The small bird chirps and the pegasus shakes her head while her smile grows broader.

She giggles and delicately scratches the top of its head with her hoof, "No, you sounded excellent with everpony else, and I could hear you just fine. Your little chirps are returning in good haste, it seems that little cold you had is finally over with."

The hummingbird does a small flip making Fluttershy giggle again as her bird friends then fly in every direction of the kitchen, back to their designated areas where I assumed they were before they started singing. That little green iridescent looking shit nugget Hemmingway, I think is what I heard her call him, buzzes close to me as it hovers a few inches away from my face as it looked like it studied me. I could see its beaked face cock as it quickly zips up, down, left, and right to get a better look of me. Before I could swat it away, the thing shoots away back to Fluttershy who was still congratulating some the birds for their performance and chirps into her ear. The pegasus hums in confusion as she looks over at my direction and her features brighten. Maybe brighten a little too much as she starts to blush too.

She chuckles nervously as she lands on the wooded floor and trots closer, "I didn't know I had an audience. I hope it was at least somewhat enjoyable. I'm rarely able to have live performances anymore…"

Before I could even begin to come up with some sort of response, I feel my body return to me as whatever force held me against my will leave causing me to quickly snap my head around to find whoever or whatever decided to make Pinocchio out of me for a few minutes, all strings attached. The fuck was that about? Who was that and why did he sound so fuckin' familiar? It's like on the tip of my tongue, but I can't seem to grasp it.

Wait a minute! That voice! I remember it! Right after my big explosion in my room! Yeah, that's it! But… that familiarity still hit me then too. Who the fu-

"Charlie?" I snap over to Fluttershy who was a foot away floating, "Can you hear me? You were quiet for a second, it looked like you were panicking. Are you okay?"

My eyes flick around one more time and I simply answer with, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thought I heard something."

"Are you sure?" I feel her hoof brazenly touch my forehead like she was checking my temperature, "Because I can go get Nurse Redheart if you're feeling unwell. There's a bug going around, and you might-"

I slap her hoof off of me and I glare at her, "I said I'm fuckin' fine. Why can't you shits just take what I say at face fuckin' value? Christ!"

She shrinks into herself, "Eep sorry." she mouses out.

"Just-" I sigh as I rub my face in frustration as I didn't mean to make her scared, not that it's hard to do that. "It's fine. I just have a headache is all…" I look up and still see the Mormom avian choir watching us giving me the idea to change the subject, "What was all that by the way? You and the birds? You said you perform or some shit?"

"Yeah, but I'm really nervous. theater and shows aren't my strong suit, I'm far too shy." Go. Fuckin'. Figure. "But my friends seem to think we can do it…"

"Do you…" I'm gonna regret asking this, "like doing it? Singing, I mean?"

She gains some of her shrinking confidence back as she nods excitedly as she takes my bait, "Yes! Oh yes, I do! I sing all the time with my critters, but some of my feathered friends who don't migrate like to practice every now and again in the winter. This year though, the mayor asked me if I wanted to do an opening at our own pageant before the main act which I've never done before." She blushes some more, "I-I didn't know you were watching, I hope I wasn't too bad. It's been a while since I sang with somepony as an audience. Oh, maybe I shouldn't have agreed to do the opening… I sound terrible…"

"Oh, shut the fuck up," I wave a dismissive hand at her as I walk over to the table, "You sounded fuckin' fine, don't get all worked up over it, Bashful. It was just a song."

"But I can't get rid of these jitters," She shivers on cue, "I'm fine in here, but the moment I think about doing it in front of a crowd I freeze up. I don't know what to do…"

I shrug indifferently, "Just imagine them all naked."

She blinks at me, "Naked?"

I look down at her body and realize something, "Oh…" I forgot they're always naked, "Well, imagine them all shaven, I guess. Like a ball sack." She blushes really hard at that, and I know I'm not helping here, "Or fuckin' not… I don't know, just do whatever you thin-"

"Tell her to shut her eyes when she performs."

That voice from earlier whispers in my ear causing me to flip around and do karate movements to see a flamingo staring at me blankly like there wasn't any thought behind them eyes at all. I stare at it thinking it maybe could have been this shit, but before I could ask what in the fuck, the thing caws in my face and runs away like it had to use the bathroom urgently.

"Who the fuck said…" I look around and again I don't see anyone. "What the fuck…"

"Charlie? What's happened?" she asks at my more than bizarre reaction to seemingly nothing.

I turn still holding my Karate Kid stance and quickly return to normal while coughing in my hand, "It's nothing, thought I felt a spider land on me is all…"

Her brow lifts some and she starts looking on the floor with worry, "Oh! I hope Mr Webster didn't try to say hello. I've warned him time and time again, some ponies don't like it when he does that."

"Mr… Webster…" I repeat as I feel the fabric of my own sanity unwind, but I knit it back together with a shake of my head, "Whatever…"

After she fails to find her fuckin' pet spider she looks back up to me, "Sorry about that. What were you saying? I should just do what?"

Despite my own hesitation of this new voice, I sigh and look back at her as the words it spoke to me wiggled its way back in and I felt this overwhelming need to say it.

"Anyways, back to the paegent, I guess you can…" I look behind me again still not really knowing what's going on or if I want to say it, but hey, I'm here for the ride I guess, so what the hell, "Close your eyes when you perform."

She blinks at me like she didn't fully register what I was saying, "What?"

I shrug again, "I don't know, just shut your eyes when you're on stage. Focus on the music…" I frown at my own words, "I think…" The mental image of applause shows up in my head for some reason after I say that.

"Huh… I didn't think about that… that actually makes a lot of sense. You watched me the whole time and I never got scared because I didn't know you were there!" She looked elated at the realization, "That's a wonderful idea, Charlie!"

"…Yep, that was all me alright…" I murmur as I nudge her with my boot. "I charge by the hour by the way."

She giggles at that, and she gives nudges my leg with appreciation, "Then I'll make sure to tip really well for both the advice and your manners then. You were so quiet during my show which is-" She coughs in her hoof, "surprising considering I always know what room you're in from the yelling."

I feel my brow fall at the obvious jab, "Yeah, go fuck yourself too, wingnut." I sigh as the willies from that entire ordeal smacks me like a baseball bat, "Not like I really had a choice there…"

"What does that mean?" She asks confused, completely oblivious to my current inner rebellion.

I pause mid stride a second and turn to her, "…Don't worry about it, it's nothing." She didn't look convinced, so I decide to shift the conversation, "So you mentioned the pageant? The same one that Scootapoo was all in a tizzy about?"

She blinks and smiles as she takes my bait yet again, "Yes, the Ponyville Hearth's Warming pageant. It's quite smaller than that big one in Canterlot. Thank goodness for Celestia's overseas trip because I think she was going to ask us to be the staring leads in it this year." She literally loses some of her yellow color, "And that would have been terrible. I don't know if I would have gotten out of that alive."

"And people call me over dramatic…" I put my hands on my hips and look down at her as a cardinal land on her head, "So do you just always have birds locked in instrument cases then in the event any one of us wants a show then? You gotta tune them like an instrument too? God I'd hate to be there for whatever key you've got jam up their ass for that. They all squawk funny like while you, do it?"

"Oh no! I'd never do that!" a small mindless pigeon flutters by and Fluttershy swoons over it like a baby, "Why would I want to hurt my little friends in such a horrid way?" She looks down at the pigeon who blinks in delay, "Isn't that right, Cooster?" The pigeon coos back and eats up the attention as she falls into baby talk for the feathered cum stain, "You're one of my favorites, yes you are! My little-"

"Fluttershy!" her head turns to me, and she sheepishly laughs, "You reeeealllly need to get out more. Like right now, kind of more. It might even be an emergency at this rate."

"But my spa appointment isn't until Tuesday and I've already went shopping this week, there's no reason to."

"No, that's not what I-" I groan as I pinch the bridge of my nose, "Never mind, you're just as hopeless as Twilight."

Sighing yet again, I pull out a seat and brush some of her bird friends off the table to make room for my booted feet when I swing them up to rest. Watching the birds that I evicted scatter to new sitting spots gives me a moment to gaze at the kitchen. There were bowls of water and bird seed fuckin' everywhere. Like on every surface in here, everywhere and each fuckin' bowl has some bird-brained twat sitting nearby them as they drank and pecked away at their sustenance.

It's actually a fuckin' miracle there isn't bird shit all over the place if I'm being honest. I know that she told me her friends know where to go, but I still don't know how she does it. All the animals, I mean. How the fuck can she even begin to take care of each and every one of them like they were her kids all the fuckin' time. I heard of crazy cat ladies, but this is insane. I can't even breathe properly without disturbing some kind of critter in here.

I wonder if this house would look a lot better if they were mounted and stuffed. Could get started right now too and be done by the end of the day. Now that's a day of work right there…

"I'm going to make dinner in a minute, and I'd really appreciate your help if you don't mind." Fluttershy asks, knocking me out of my murderous thoughts. "The bags are a little heavy and don't want another repeat of the cabinet again…" she blushes some more, "it's okay if you don't want to, I just wanted to ask…"

Rolling my eyes, I lean back into my chair, "Sure, not like I can really say no. That's the fuckin' point to this right? I need to do every single fuckin' thing you say along with your retarded friends?"

Her mouth twists as her ears droop a little, "I… don't think that's what the Princess tasked you with."

"Is it not?" I shrug a little, "I don't really remember what the fuck she said, all I know is it's bullshit."

"She wanted you to become friends with us all…"

I nod curtly, "Right, bullshit, like I said."

"…" She quietly sighs like she really didn't like that answer and looks over at the many pots and pans on the floor and looks back to me, "You want to get started?"

"Why the fuck not," I say back to her, and I glare at her, "Just be quiet, I've done enough talking today…"

Popping my neck, which made her cringe like you wouldn't believe, I stood out of my chair to get started on the charbroiled asshole that was my 'chores' I guess you can call them. The chore was as simple as last week, just a list of dishes to make for specific hurt animals and such I remembered from last time. I pulled out a pan to cook warm oatmeal for a blah blah blah…

I'm going to assume you have a brain and get the fuckin' gist of Fluttershy's day by now. Cooking and petting animals or whatever else she wanted me to do…

I just don't understand how this is rehabilitation, as that ass clown in charge put it, is supposed to change anything. Change me… Fuck, I'll rehabilitate her with my foot up her taint, that's what I say to that horseshit, pun in-fuckin'-tended. I don't feel any fuckin' different or better than I did a few months ago, if fuckin' anything I feel even worse. More agitated, more frustrated. Though that tends to happen when ponies fall into your lap in real life and in your fuckin' dreams.

All and all, I can't really complain about everything I've been doing these past few weeks. At the very least it's kept my poor aching hands busy enough to shut out that whole 'coming home to kill your best friend' business for a little bit. It really puts a damper on my mood as you can imagine. Another plus seems to be that time has been actually moving along now instead of standing still like it did this past fall.

Christ, I can't believe winter is almost over already! Just a couple more weeks!

As I was stirring piping hot oatmeal into a bowl I frown at the thought.

Just a couple weeks… And how many more after that am I gonna be trapped here for? It's been almost a half a year without seeing a single friendly face or even another human and it's really starting to get me. The worst part is I just don't know what else to really do about it other than to wait. Can't even leave town either to go find some new meat to fuck with, not like that was really an option before this mark business started either. I think If I walked two feet outside of the property limits of the city, Celestia or Twilight would materialize in front of me just drag me back to Pony Hell, population: Me and every 4-legged thing on this shit rock.

Anyways, cooking soon turned to washing dishes and washing dishes soon turned to drying and racking said dishes etc…

Really not worth my time and especially not yours to even bring up, but one thing I will say about the entire ordeal was that Fluttershy was acting all kinds of strange. Even stranger than last week. She kept looking at me like there was something on her mind and she'd clear her throat like she wanted to get my attention. I obviously ignored it entirely like I didn't hear her and then she'd curse under her breath or stay clammed up to tend to her little friends instead.

I wouldn't have really minded it if I didn't keep noticing what she was doing, and I had to suppress the groans I wanted to release like flood waters so she wouldn't take that as a cue to elaborate on whatever she wanted to bring up. She really needs to take some classes to learn how to speak her fuckin' mind some more, she can't let just let assholes like me walk all over her all the time.

She'd probably melt if she met someone from New Jersey. Christ, I melt when I see a Jersey plate cut me off on Washington street…

"And that's the last one." She exclaims softly as she places the last dish back into the cabinet and she looks around the kitchen to all the content, well fed critters, "Oh, seeing them all so full and happy makes me, well, happy!"

"Yeah, I can tell…" I mutter as I look at my aching and pruned fingers from the last 2 hours of meticulous kitchen work.

The wrap on my fucked hand was still there soaked to the bone, but there was no way in hell I was taking it off around this broad, dude. She'd shit her nonexistant pants over it and the last thing I need right now is being babied by Fluttershy again. I'd find a balcony to go throw myself off of if she did, or just walk out into the snow naked.

She yawns as she looks at two rabbits cuddle up together by the warm stove, "I often forget how helpful it is when there's somepony here to pitch in. I take more and more animals in every year and it's almost getting a little too much for me sometimes."

A look that was definitely negative takes over my features, "You ever think to let the wild animals, I don't know, live in the fuckin' wild?"

She cocks her head like that was the wildest thing she'd heard all night, "Where it's cold and dreary? Why would leave them out there when I have so much warm room to share in here?"

"I-you…" I finally release that pent up groan I was saving and my shoulders droop, "…Nevermind…"

She really is a fuckin' lunatic, isn't she?

She yawns once more and stares at a platter of empty teacups before she turns to me, "Would you like some tea, Charlie? I think I have some Chamomile leftover from last time if that's alright."

I shrug as the sound of tea sounds okay at the moment and my mouth is exceptionally dry at the moment, "Sure, it ain't Gaelic coffee but I guess it'll do."

She smiles brightly as she sets a tea full tea kettle on her stove top and flies over to take a seat nearby. "It will be on in a moment. Just have to boil some water." As she sits comfortably, she looks at me, "How's Twilight been these past couple of weeks? I haven't been able to talk to her recently, she's just been so busy with the mayor."

"Ugh! Why'd you even bring her up. She's as annoying as ever, if not more!" I yell back, "I don't know who shit in her cornflakes recently, but she needs to calm the fuck down before I melt her with my mind! It's almost as bad as when I first fuckin' arrived."

"Yeah, I heard she's been a little stressed lately. That shouldn't be that much of a surprise given how much planning she has to do in such a short amount of time. The winter has always been her busy season with the town." She stops a moment like she remembered something, "And I heard Spike's not making it any easier on her either if what Rarity said to me was true."

"Oh, don't even get me started on that scaled twat waffle either," I cross my arms and a scowl forms, "He's part of the reason Twilight's been so fuckin' unbearable. Fight's her tooth and fuckin' nail at every fuckin' step of the way and it drives her up the wall and then she drives me up the wall. And thus, the viscous cycle of Charlie's torment on Equestria continues evermore…"

Her mouth twists into a frown, "You can't say Equestria has been all bad, can you?"

"You're joking, right?" I scoff as I pull a feather out of beard, "This place can fuckin' blow me and I'm sure if it did it'd be all fuckin' teeth too. 5 dollar sloppy right there…"

She sighs as she looks down at the table sadly, "Maybe if you gave us a chance, you'd see it a little differently."

An incredulous chuckle escapes me, "Fluttershy, I don't belong here and as long as I'm stuck here it'll stay that way."

She cocks her head at me, "Are you so sure about that?"

"Yep!" I say rather quickly which makes her frown deepen, "Listen, maybe if I start shitting outside in the woods I'd start feeling more like an animal and less of a man but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still a fuckin' man, shitbird." I roll my eyes as the ludicrous notion of enjoying it here wraps around my noggin, "There's nothing here for me! It may be all fuckin' gumdrops and lollipops for the rest of you, but as far as I'm concerned this fuckin' place really is hell on earth."

Her nose scrunches, "What's this… 'hell' you speak of? I've heard you say it before?"

"It's where rapists, murderers, and thieves end up when they die, retard." I wave a hand around as I list them off one by one, "They're there to burn for eternity or some shit, never to find penance again. What a load of bologna…"

Her jaw drops, "And you think this place is just as terrible as that!"

I nod enthusiastically, "Just about, yeah."

She looks at me for a few seconds before she ruffles her wings and shakes her head, "…you really are a strange pony…"

"Fuckin' tell me about…" I grunt in response and lean back in my chair as I realize the screams the fillies had been yelling all fuckin' day ceased entirely making me sigh in relief, "Christ, it's so quiet in here now. I almost forgot what it was like to fuckin' think with those three around."

"The 'crusaders'" giggles out as she gazes at the pile of pots and pans that the fillies were using earlier for costumes, "Those little ones always seem to find trouble wherever they go, though I can't really say that's a bad thing. I rather enjoy when they come to visit."

"Then you're certifiable is what I say to that." I sneer out as I scratch at the stubble part of my beard, "They are by far the worst little shits to ever be shitted out of a shitter,"

She nudges my boot with her hoof playfully, "Stop it, you like them. And you can't even say that yourself considering what you did for Scootaloo. That poor filly was getting all worked up like me hehe. That was really kind of you, you know. If only somepony like you was there to help me during all of my public events I'm sure I'd feel much better, and I mean that too. Though, I really must say, I wasn't expecting that from you after what you said to her earlier."

I groan as she gives me knowing eyes, "You and me both, sugar tits…"

Her face finally morphs some into caution, "May I… May I ask you why you did that?"

While picking at my ear, I shrug, "Boredom?" She looks at me like she didn't believe a word of it, "It got her out of the house?"

"Maybe if you came up with something a little less helpful then I'd believe that, but you honestly really helped her out." She eyes me again before nodding, "but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's your right to withhold it. I was just curious."

"Yeah and I'm totally not gonna spill it either…" I say back assuredly.

She hums in agreement and sits there quietly, looking at her feathered friends who were swooping down from the rafters. I hear a clock ticking from the oven and I see some steam barely start to form out of that kettle she set up. Nothing like watching a boiling pot…

Oh man, I'm bored…

The feeling smacks me like a freight train as the ticking burrows in my ears like the fuckin' wrath of Khan. I start rocking back and forth while blowing soft raspberry's. Soon after the feeling of my own tattered beard overloads my senses and I start scratching at it with fervor. This longer in someplaces and shorter in others shit is getting annoying. I should just cut all off, but I'm far too lazy to.

Next to me I see one of those boxes full of what looked like ornaments of some kind. One was poking out of the cardboard so I grabbed it to get a better look. It was a small mint colored porcelain pegasus stallion holding a Christmas present. His mane was as pink as Fluttershy's although it swirled around like a cupcake which was a very peculiar fashion statement if I don't say so myself. Another figurine thingy was staring at me inside of the box and this one was definitely a mare as she held an Easter yellow coat with a wavy burgundy mane to match it.

What the fuck are these? I was about to ask Fluttershy about them, but she was so enthralled with a crow that I just didn't bother. If I'm being honest, I'm curious, though not curious enough to want to talk about it. She'll probably rattle off about them for the next four hours.

I put the thing back where it belonged and crossed my arms. You know what? I've just got to stop being so fuckin' uptight. It's just a stupid holiday that I'm not even gonna celebrate. I'm just gonna shut my eyes and wait for this fuckin' tea so I can just get the fuck outta here and go back to bed. I get comfy in my chair yet again and my lids slide close as I let out a blissful sigh.

Soon sleep is teetering on the edge and I'll be able to-

TICK-TOCK TICK-TOCK TICK-TOCK TICK-TOCK TICK-TOCK TICK-TOCK TICK-TOCK

Ugh… This is fuckin' impossible. The fidgeting gets so bad that I eventually turn to Fluttershy who is completely unaware of my duress as she pet a small dove that fluttered down a couple of seconds ago while humming a version of that song from earlier.

"I mean, it's totally none of your business anyways." I blurt out as I feel the need to say something finally gets the better of me.

She looks at me a little strangely and nods as she starts humming again.

The tapping of my own foot was involuntary and I feel a sweat come on, "Don't know why you'd even ask me anyways if you'd know I wouldn't answer. Like I'd tell you."

She turns back to me and blinks, "I… respect your wishes, like I said." She turns back to her bird friends.

The clamminess of my own clothes starts to dawn on me and I pull at my collar, "I know what you're doing!"

She snaps over to me, "What?"

I point an accusatory finger at her, "You're doing that reverse psychology thing!"

She blinks again, "Pardon?"

"Don't fuckin' play stupid! I'm not telling you and that's that!" I cement to her yet again.

She looks left to right like she was looking to see if I was talking to someone else, "Uh… yeah, I know you're not going to tell me…"

It was my turn to blink at her, "Wha- I know! That's what I said!"

She quirks an eyebrow, "Are you sure you're okay, Charlie?"

"Grrr stop playing games with me! I'm not telling you!"

"And… I agree with that…" She cocks her head at me like she didn't know what she was doing.

"Good!"

"Uh… yeah… good…" She turns back to her animals and starts humming again.

My heartbeat could be felt in my head as I tried my best to ignore her ploy and the humming cut its way into my skull like a raging waterfall. I bite my lip as the chirping all around me amplifies and I start to sweat even more. It wasn't until Fluttershy's humming turned into actual sing song notes that I broke.

"AHHHH! Fuckin' fine! I'll tell you! Christ!"

She jumps a little at my outburst and she looks at me, but eventually shrugs like this was something that was gonna happen whether she wanted it to or not and turns fully to so that she could listen more intently.

I point at her as a shaky angry breath leaves me before sighing and leaned back into my chair, "I… I understand what it means to have that need to be good in the eyes of someone you admire. That feeling that if you do one wrong thing then you'd be left alone in the dark. That's why I helped her. So she wouldn't feel as lost like I did at one point. She was crying in the bathroom and everything kind of- well you know how it is."

She blinks like she was still listening and I rub the back of neck as a sense of confliction hits me.

"A long ass time ago, I put all my stock into a single person like an idiot, never really had anybody like that before so I was all kinds of excited to know that someone was in my corner for a change. Like how Scootaloo does with Rainbow. All that time and devotion led to one thing to another and I ended up paying for it in the end."

She cocks her head, "Pay in what way?"

I shrug as I look off at something in the room as Bill's betrayal lingered in the air like a fuckin' rotting corpse, mine to be exact, "Lets just say I lost everything and leave it at that, but that's only a part of it."

That's not the end of it though…

"On the other side of things, I had someone who looked up to me in every way shape and form much like I did to that fart sniffer. Christ, he wanted to be me and we'd fight all the time over it because I wanted something else for him. Something more… academic, but he just wouldn't listen to me. If only he'd just fuckin' LISTEN TO ME HE'D-"

I scratch at my nose and adjust myself in my chair to calm down. I look over at Fluttershy and surprisingly she didn't even flinch at my outburst and motioned for me to continue.

I clasp my hands together and lean back in the chair, "Anyways, I... uh... I let him down in the end. Seeing her like that upstairs... Well, I just saw both me and that squirt in that tiny pegasus…" I shrug, still unsure of my own feelings over it, "I guess, I don't know I'm not a fuckin' quack so who the fuck knows how my brain interprets shit."

Fluttershy looked at me like she wanted to ask more but seemed to decide against it, "I'm… sorry to hear that, Charlie, I'm sure you tried your best."

"My best…" I repeat with a sense of bitterness, "Worst fuckin' part is I didn't try at all, not really. The more acted like me, the less I'd fight back. Truth is, I was proud of him towards the end. I... liked it… and I just fuckin' let it happen." I wipe some sweat off my forehead when a bead drips down and causing it to tickle, "You tell yourself that you try but all that is are false words to make you feel better. Truth is, I was his hero, but I'm the farthest of one possible."

I stop a moment to collect myself, but all that does is make me more flustered as I hear that clock reverberating through my skull. The sound causes me to Look down at my watch with that haunting date staring back at me.

I sigh, "Heroes are for idiots who don't know how to think on their own. There is only one thing that will never let you down and that's your own instinct and your own gut. Nothing else matters…"

"Charlie?" I look over at her and she's giving me sympathetic eyes, "I… don't quite understand where you come from or what it's like where you live, but from what I heard it seems like a place that needs heroes more than anywhere else, even the ones that may only stand as a symbol."

"And what fuckin' symbol do I represent then?" I ask with pure hatred.

Her mouth parts like she was about to answer but eventually it closes and she looks down at the table as no answer could be found.

"Exactly." I lean back into my chair feeling a little vindicated in my feelings since I awoke in this shitstain of a world, "Just like what Celestia told me… I'm nothing and I'll continue to be nothing until I die."

Die again…

Just as Fluttershy was about to say something, the kettle sounds off its signature whistle leaving the pegasus a little conflicted. It was only after a few seconds she excuses herself to go pull the boiling water off of the stove. I simmer in my own bitter thoughts as she prepares her tea with an odd silence overtaking kitchen. The birds didn't chirp and they all watched me, not with fear, but with something I couldn't place. It could have been pity however, I hadn't pitied enough growing up to be quite sure if that was it or not.

My old house, Wellington's, Bill, Paulie… Fuck em. Fuck em all in the ass. But most of all fuck me for being that idiot who lost everything in a blink of an eye. I dug this hole of mine all by myself and I'm either climbing out while I can, or I start learning mandarin. Even if I somehow get back, get home, it won't be the same. Not like it was before, I know that already, but I have to get back. My accounts are still open, and they have to be settled once and for all.

Maybe… Maybe I can bring balance to things at the very least…

"Heres your tea, Charlie." Fluttershy pleasantly says as she places a tray full of good china on the table and pours me a cup, "Thankfully, I did have some chamomile left fortunately. It's my favorite flavor and I really didn't want to go back to town for more just yet." She looks at me, "do you want any biscuits or cookies?"

Still in my own mental duress, I shake out of it and grunt, "No, I'm fine, tea is enough."

She frowns knowing that there definitely was more behind the scenes of that sentence, but keeps it to herself as she sits down and pours a cup for her and myself. We sat in awkward silence for a some time as we offhandedly sipped out respected glasses until the pegasus deemed that the silence was just too much.

"Can ask you something?" She says making me sigh.

"What is this 20 fuckin' questions?" I bark out curtly, but her expression doesn't change which makes my head slink backwards and I motion for her to ask.

"What do you do for fun?" She asks making me look back at her, "I don't think I've ever seen you do anything except sleep and complain."

"I…" I look down at my cup not really sure how to answer her, but the filled glass of that brown drink reminded me of another that I've gone too long without, "I liked to drink… I actually drank a lot…"

Her face scrunches and one of her wings twitch, "Drink? Like tea you mean?"

"No, not tea. It was this-" I shake my own head and look at her, "Why are you asking me this anyways? You can ask an interdenominational traveler literally fuckin' anything and what you choose is what I do for fun…"

"I'm just… I just want to know what kind of pony you are," She smiles, "Maybe if I could find something you like, you wouldn't be so mean all the time."

I blow air out of my nose, "Now you sound like Celestia and Pinkie Pie…"

She gives me an uncharacteristic smirk, "Are they wrong?"

Shit… "Well, I guess not, not really, but they're annoying so their point is moot."

"So you like to… drink…" She says again to loop back, "Like water or…"

"It's this… strong liquid I used to slam down all the time." I pause as the chills of withdraw still hit me every now and again, "It made you act kinda fuckin' stupid, but I liked it. Took the edge off and I had lot of edge let me tell ya."

Her look softens some as she stares at me, "I hate to ask again, but are you sure you're okay? You're awfully… down right now."

"Down? The fuck you talking about?" I ask her kind of tiredly.

Her lip purses and her wings ruffle, "Normally, you're so hotheaded nothing really bothers you, but right now something's nagging you to the bone and I wouldn't taking some of the burden away if you'd let me." I opened my mouth to obviously decline but she continues, "I know we talked a little about this earlier, but I'm a great ear to listen to if you wanted to talk about it, at least that's what Rarity says when we go hang out. It's not bad thing to have somepony to listen and there's nothing wrong with it, I'm just worried about you. What's wrong?"

She edges closer waiting for my response and she stares back with those big dumb globes making me frown as I lose myself in my own thoughts.

Do I… Do I tell her? Tell her that I'm a fuckin' corpse? Some fuckin' weird Frankenstein bullshit that was brought back to life?

"You can tell me, I promise it won't leave this room." She insists again as she nudges my hand.

I don't… If there's one pony around here to say anything to, I'd be pretty hard set to find another more tight lipped than Fluttershy. Like who the fuck is she gonna tell? A ferret? Angel? I mean, it wouldn't kill me again right? To tell someone? For fucks sake I'm dead and I've been holding it in since I got here like nothing happened. Like I don't remember any of it.

A pain flares through my skull as the details within Casper's replays somewhat.

And for what? To save myself the embarrassment of being murdered by a man who I thought was my best friend? Saving these naive ponies the unspeakable reality back at home that they'll never understand? I turn back to her and she's still patiently waiting for me to answer with a never ending pool of understanding behind her cyan irises.

Maybe… Maybe I could tell her… Tell her that-

Tell her what?

That you're a killer and a thief who got what he deserved after a lifetime of brutality?

I-I-No! That's not-

Not what? The cold hard truth?

Listen to yourself trying to sugarcoat it… pathetic…

I never thought you'd stoop so low to need pity from some stranger.

I don't need shit, Brain, go fuck yourself.

Really?

Because it seems to me that you're putting an awful lot of trust into someone who you barely know.

I want you to look at her dead in the eyes and then tell me you trust her enough to blab you're entire life away like it wouldn't come back to bite you on the ass later.

Listening to the voice, I do indeed take her in once more as my own doubts fester inside me like an open, infected wound.

What do you think she'll say if you told her about Mr. Cheng…

or anyone else that got lost and trapped within you're own blind fury…

What do you think she'd say then, Charlie?

Can't be anything good if you ask me…

Looking down at my destroyed pants, my face twitches as the words burn inside my mind like a bonfire.

You trusted Bill, right?

…

Exactly…

Trust is for fools…

It's just a surefire way to get caught up all over again…

It ain't worth it, Charlie, we both know that better than anyone…

"Charlie?" I gasp somewhat when she calls my name, "You're shaking…"

Shaking? Looking down at my hands, they were indeed. My breathing was also at a different pace too as a plethora of feeling smack me at once and none of them were good. Her hoof touches my arm to get my attention and she looks at me expectantly.

"I… uh…" is all I blurt out as the flurry of emotions make me shut my eyes.

We both know what you are…

and this…

Ain't…

it…

A coldness envelops me, my hands clench into fists, and look hardens when I open my eyes making Fluttershy flinch from the sudden change of demeanor with what looked like surface level fear. I look down at the full cup of tea and pick it up to swill it down in a single gulp, barely tasting it at all. After I set it down back on the saucer, I turn to her.

"Thanks for the tea, I guess… I'm out of here." With that I get up without excusing myself and walk out of the room to fetch my quilt.

"Charlie, wait. I didn't mean-" is all I hear as she calls to me, but I block her out as I leave.

Thankfully, she doesn't follow.

When I walk over to the couch, my frustration at a certain little rodent magnifies when I see him snoring softly still, but not for what you think. Angel had somehow, in that little amount of time I was in the kitchen, tied my quilt into a makeshift hammock that was knotted between the leg of his precious end table and the couch I left him on. He had little sunglasses on as he swung back on forth softly with his little paws behind his head and a carrot sticking out of his mouth like a cigar.

I stood over him, blocking his 'sun' in the shape of light coming through an adjacent window. He noticed the change of light immediately and murmured to life with little squeaks of annoyance. He lowered his sunglasses with his own look of irritation, but when he saw me, it halts and something new takes its place. In fact, I'd go as far to say that the shit looked a little shocked at something, but I don't know why. Even more surprising he quickly hopped off his little 'bed' and stared at me warily before unhooking the quilt from both the legs and holding it up to me like it was some kind of peace offer.

Huh. That's odd… I'd never seen him scared of me before…

Oh well, I was far too pissed off to really give him that good throttling he rightly deserves so I just swiped it from him and walked towards the main entrance, swinging the door open and walked out of the cottage without even putting the dirty thing on. Small snowflakes land softly on my head and shoulders as the fresh sheet crackled and crunched as I soon found myself over that little bridge and further down the path back towards town.

It wasn't until I was halfway down the trail that I remembered to put on the quilt. Yeah, the cold sucked, but I just didn't really care or rather I didn't really feel it as I trudged along to… somewhere. I have no idea where I'm going, but it's better than being in that fuckin' house another minute.

Fuckin' Fluttershy and her goddamn questions! Fuck her! What the fuck do I look like? The diary of Anne Frank? All my deepest fuckin' desires out in the open for all to see?

Though… It's not really all her fault… Ugh!

Why the fuck am I so upset right now over this? I don't owe Fluttershy anything so this should all be under that bridge I crossed a little bit ago like nothing happened. I could've just enjoyed the tea, clammed up, and rode out the rest of the goddamn day petting animals! Now what?! I go back to library to get nagged at by Twilight for not entering exactly at 5:00 down to the fuckin' millisecond? Head over to Rarity's early to be pricked and prodded at for more than half the day?

Fuck that…

I stop in the middle of the trail and growl, "Grr FUCK!" I holler at no one in particular and lean up against an old tree with my hands in my pockets, "What the fuck is wrong with me?"

I sigh as I slide down the trunk and sit in a clump of snow, the freezing ice bleeding through my pants, but I don't care. Every time I think I've got a handle on things, something else swings its big fat cock at me and I spiral all over again. My shaking hands pull my attention away as I know for a fact they weren't shaking because of the cold.

Goddamn withdraw chills… How the fuck am I still getting them after all this time? It's been fuckin' months without a drop and I'm still quaking like a child who lost his fuckin' binky. I tried asking Twilight if she had any whiskey and when I described how it's made, she went kind of pale on me. Apparently, booze has been outlawed in Equestria for quite some time. Like over four centuries or fuckin' so. Some kind of epidemic of drunkards ruined it for everybody else or some shit. All I know is that I can't drink because of it. The more things change, the more they stay the goddamn same.

God, I hate this fuckin' place… I hate the Fuckin' chills, fuckin' ponies, fuckin' Celestia…

"And you hate yourself the most, right?"

My eyes swing up to see the grown version of Dylan Moreno standing there like he wasn't a far cry from the wildest thing I'd seen today. His hands were in the pockets of his baggy jeans and the only form of cover he had on was an old black tank top the wannabe cholo would always wear at Casper's. He always reminded me of one of those bull fighters with that pencil stache he'd always insist was a part of his 'glamour' and his think black hair reminded me of Elvis.

The only thing I could see that made my heart stop was the gash in his side with dried blood.

"Whatchu starin' at? See something you like?" He looks down at the wound and laughs, "Oh this stupid thing? Just a fuckin' parting gift from your best friend. Much like the one you got, you idiot, though I admit mine was given to me by association."

My cracked lip's part, "W-what?"

He walks closer and kneels down to stare at me with blank white eyes, "What? Are you stupid or something?" He pokes my forehead, "Or am I just imagining that little thing there?"

Lifting my hand, I feel the area he jabbed at and notice that little scar I looked at back in Rarity's bathroom and a shaky breath lets go as I realize finally what it is.

"Ding ding ding ding! That's right! I knew you were a drunken dumbass, but I didn't think you'd be this fuckin' dense." He stands up chuckling and puts his arms out, "Then again, I did watch you do the unthinkable time and time again, so I guess I shouldn't be that surprised." His amusement seems to end as he limply cocks his head. "Like Mr. Cheng? Or those rich upstate turds?"

"I-I…" My words die in my throat as a panic begins to take a hold of me.

"What kills me, pun intended, is why did you get to come back." He spins in a circle like that lady from the sound of music, "All this excitement of a new world and second chance!" He stops suddenly and his head snaps to me, "For you. For the person who fuckin' got me killed like that fat fuckin' pork chop."

"You… you think I knew what Bill and Paulie had planned?! He fucked me like he did you!" I scream back.

"Yeah, that's true…"He clicks his tongue, "But, you want to know the kicker? He did it because of you. Because you were a loose cannon with little to no respect for anybody." He raises his nose to me. "Seems nothing's really changed in that regard…"

"Changed! EVERYTHING'S CHANGED YOU FUCKIN' SOMBRERO WEARING SHIT GOBBLER!" I stand up and grab onto his tank top pulling him closer, "This ain't no fuckin' vacation for me, dick head! You think I like it here!?"

He looks at me and his mouth twists as he sighs, "Why are you fighting me right now? I'm not even here, Charlie…"

The moment I blink, and he disappears entirely as my hands were clasped to some sagging branches of a pine tree rather than the cloth of a tank top making me recoil in fear and gaze in every direction to only find myself standing in the wooded snowy trail all alone.

"What the fuck…" I whisper as my breathing starts getting sporadic. "Am I… Was that…"

My breathing gets worse as an echoing laughter could be heard all around me from deep within the forest carried by the noise dampening snow. I start to jog down the trail back to town to get away from it, but the laughter seemed to follow my every footstep, so I start running like my life depended on it.

"Yeah run! Like that will change anything! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The disembodied voice yells from behind

I don't dare to turn around to respond as the trail ahead of swirled into a dark crevice like canyon and once more it morphed into the halls of Wellington's.

All I know is I've got to get the hell out of here!

Twilight POV

Golden Oak Library

"Well, that could have gone better…" I lament as we enter the library after our long awkward visit from the Mayor's office.

Spike just indifferently shrugs as he throws up his red earmuffs and plaid scarf onto a hook in the foyer, "If you ask me, I think she has it out for us."

"That… might actually be her problem." I was going to say ridiculous, however that last little rant reeming she gave us seemed a little personal. "Maybe we just caught her in a bad mood?"

The baby dragon looks up at me with an annoyed sneer, "Bad mood? Twilight, she called us incompetent bottom feeders who'd have better luck sucking scum off of horseshoes than to come up with a proper plan. That's hardly something I'd imagine her saying to us a year ago." He looks at Flash who had accompanied us the entire day, "What do you think? She wants our rumps grilled and sauteed, tin stallion?"

Flash Sentry adjusted his helmet as some snow fluttered off the metal and looked at us, "My drill instructor in basic gave me more warmth than she did to you two, that's for sure." He looks behind him to make sure the door is closed, "Just don't tell her I said that, she reports to your brother and that's the last thing I need right now is for him to start breathing down my neck."

"Yeah… That's my Shining Armor," I groan as I walk further into the library to see that it is still in complete tatters from our unbelievably uncoordinated day of engineering a fool proof plan for Winter Wrap Up. "What I don't understand is why she's on our case so much! What did we even do?"

Flash and Spike look at each other like they knew exactly what happened and looked back at me.

"What?"

"Need I spell it out to you?" Spike angrily exclaims as he unrolls a piece of parchment with a grotesque ape like version of Charlie on top of a flagpole holding a crying mare as a prisoner. On top of the paper had the title of 'get rid of the ape, Celestia!'.

I shake my head with confusion, "Who drew this, Spike, and where did you get it?"

He rips the thing in half in rage, "These are all over town and I don't know whose putting them up, but the Mayor has to know about them. How can she not? They're on every post from here to Sweet Apple Acres." He rips the halves in half again. "In fact, she's probably the one who ordered them to get made. She's mad that we're the reason Charlie's still here in town."

"We're? We didn't do this? That was Celestia! It was her orders!" I scream out in frustration.

Spike drops the ripped pieces on the ground and torched it with his flame breath before looking up at me, "That's just it, Twilight, we are the reason. It's because we all live here and it's not just me and you either!"

"What do you mean?"

He growls as he scowls, though I can tell it wasn't meant for me. "There's others making fun of you, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and even Pinkie Pie! The only one I couldn't seem to be able to find was one with Rainbow…" He snorts some steam out of his nose, "If I find out she has something to do with this I'll rip her a new one she won't forget. Just wait till I get my hands on her and I'll-"

"You'll do nothing!" I reprimand, "I don't know if becoming a Charlie is some kind of rite of passage for growing dragons, but this is unbecoming of you, Spike. Rainbow Dash is our friend and I'm not going to stand here and listen to you threaten her over something she's more than likely innocent in. Even if she did have something to do with this, there's not a lot we can do other than to talk to her."

He snorts at that and rolls his eyes out of his head, "Talk to her, she says…" He crosses his tiny arm and glares at me, "Are we talking about the same Rainbow? You can't talk to her, Twilight! That's why she's banned from the library! Or did you forget already?"

My ear twitches at that because I know deep down, he's right about the brash pegasus and I really don't like it. Rainbow has been on a war path to make Charlie as miserable as possible and honestly, she has a pretty good case to want to do so too. I just hate that this entire situation has put a wedge between me and one of my closest friends.

I can't even remember the last time I even talked to Rainbow Dash in a pleasant way, it had to be months by now. Even before Charlie's rampage, she detested that I kept him in the library. She'd always make comments or shoot me glares when I'd dismiss her which in all honesty didn't help at all. What really didn't help was Charlie egging her on at every chance he'd get as I know for a fact it made her, as Applejack would say, plum mad dog mean.

I don't know what she expects me to do? She needs to understand that Charlie and his 'visit' here goes above personal feelings and vendettas.

Looking down at the drake, I frown as I try to remedy his anger, "Listen, it's hard enough as it is with the town moments away from grabbing pitchforks again and last thing we need is infighting between us. We need to stand together as friends if we're gonna regain the towns trust."

Flash looks at us and quirks an eyebrow, "We? That's a Charlie task, Mrs. Sparkle. You did nothing wrong and it's a shame the townsfolk don't see it that way either. You're the elements of harmony for Cumulus' sake, the saviors of Equestria! The vanquisher of Nightmare Moon and Discord!"

I hear Spike give a tired chuckle, "Tell that to the Mayor…"

"The mayor isn't the lord of the land, Spike, Celestia is and she should remember that." he reiterates like it was pounded into him by force.

"Well, the Mayor is going to make our lives as hard as possible until Charlie is ran into the Everfree…" Flash opens his mouth and I quickly continue, "And no, we're not driving him into the Everfree."

The soldier sighs, no doubt upset that I didn't even want to entertain the idea, "Charlie's right about you being a kill joy…" He shakes his head and looks at me, "What are you going to do then?"

A bright smile appears, "I…" The smile drops, "Don't know… We're definitely in a pickle, that's for sure…"

"Or in the icing as Pinkie would say…" I watch spike huff as he sits in a seat with a defeated look, "Can we just change our names and move to Manehatten?"

Chuckling at this, I also take a seat by next to him and gaze at the table full of books, ledgers, and whatever else I pulled out for the planning of Winter wrap up, "At this rate, that doesn't sound like a terrible idea, Spike…"

Flash Sentry takes off his helmet showing his shaggy blue mane and sets it onto the table, "Well, whatever you have planned I'd do it fast. There's talk of another protest brewing from some of my subordinates and it's not looking good. At this rate, we're gonna need a Hearth's Warming miracle to save our monkey friend."

"Friend?" I ask and look at the pegasus like he had a few screws loose, "You fight all the time? How can you possibly be friends?"

The soldier smirks, "We don't fight, we banter which is completely different. I can keep up with him and I have a feeling that's how he acted with his own kind as well. Why do you think he hasn't tried to get rid of me yet?" I open my mouth but shut it as I don't find a response and he takes that as a cue to continue, "And in all honesty, I find him pretty humorous to be around. After standing at attention for a bunch of 'rich jerkoffs', as Charlie would say, for more than 5 years you kind of take any opportunity to act as wild as you can."

"…And Charlie is as wild as they come alright…" Looking over at the many books I happen to see Charlie's Journal laid out among them. Seems he forgot to bring it after I kicked him out this morning and I pull it over with my magic to stare at. I sigh as I keep looking at it, "I hope he's doing okay… He's still not sleeping properly…"

Spike groans, "Ugh! You need to stop worrying about him all the time, Twilight! He's fine, nothing gets to him remember?" Spike adamantly proclaims. "Or did you forget he destroyed an entire town and pretty much got away with it."

"Yeah… I guess so…" The thought of him destroying the town hits me yet again and I sadly put down the journal to look at the dragon, "Spike… Do you still have the letter?"

He scowls at me, "Which letter? There's like a thousand here! You gotta be a little more specific than that."

My frown grows, "I said, the letter, Spike…"

"What are you-" His features change and his eyebrows knit together, "Oh… Yeah, I've still got it. Why?"

"Can I see it?"

"Um…" He looks back and forth between me and a confused flash, "Are you sure? The Princess specifically asked us not to show him it again and he could burst in at any minute."

"I know what she said, Spike," I say flatly, "I just want to see it."

He sighs before looking at me one more time and then he belches out flames and a pristine letter stamped with royal seal appears before him. He holds it with some trepidation before holding it out for me to swipe with my magic and I stare at it.

This is it. The thing that sent Charlie over the edge that day. The origin of most of our current predicaments. Celestia above, I remember it like it happened an hour ago. His face reading it, the vein on his forehead getting larger, the way it dropped out of his hands and floated down to the floor, and of course his feral yell as he grabbed a table to break it over my head. Thank goodness Spike was there to pull me out of the way. I'll be honest, I don't know if he meant harm to me or if he was just too angry to really think properly, but that was by far one scariest things I'd ever seen. Just the way his eyes kind of glazed over like there was nothing behind them…

I shiver as I place it back on the table and Flash looks at it still not knowing what's happening, "Uh… What's that?"

"You know Charlie attacked the town, but you don't know why." I say tiredly, "He opened that letter and…" I draw out the sentence and an understanding seems to form on his face.

He looks between me and the letter before asking, "What does it say?"

I shrug as I open it showing that foreign language that I've seen Charlie write with multiple times, "We don't know. It's not written in Equestrian and the Princess won't tell me." Flash gazed at it and his eyebrows raise making me look at him, "What?"

"I've spent probably the last month aggravating him to the best of my ability, but not once has he ever really shown any sign of actual contemptuousness towards me." He nods at the letter, "Whatever's written in there, Twilight, must be Apocalyptic and I must implore you to destroy it before he finds it as I don't think he remembers."

"I suppose you're right…" I fold the letter back into its envelope and set it on the table, "It's just that-"

The sound of the main door slamming open takes us all by surprise and we look over to see a frantic drenched Charlie barrel in and slam the door shut with force, latching the three locks and backing away from it like something was going to slam into it at any second. He backs up until a stack of books he didn't notice makes him fall backwards onto the floor with a yelp and he props himself up as hes hyperventilating.

Now that he's closer I now realize the reason he's soaked wasn't because he went for a swim, but because he was profusely sweating like he ran all the way here from Fluttershy's…

"Well, good afternoon to you too, Charlie…" Flash says with his indicative playful tone, "You're marefriend kick you out after you couldn't match up with the other stallions?"

Charlie uncharacteristically doesn't answer as he's still panting staring at the door making us all look at each other before we get up to go see what's going on. He didn't notice us until we were practically on top of him and let me tell you, he definitely looked like he was sprinting through the woods alright. He had pine needles and sticks poking out of his quilt and his tattered mane, even more so than before. His shoes and garments seemed soaked to the bone from snow or his sweat, which I cannot tell. The most prominent thing about this new dilemma for the Man was his shaking. His hands looked like they were practically vibrating, and the color of his pale face seemed drained and even more pale somehow.

Spike walked closer, "Charlie?" When he was ignored, Spike put a hand on him, "Charlie, are you-"

"GET AWAY FROM YOU DEAD PIECE OF SHIT!" He yells as he jumps to his feet and literally vaults over the table making papers fly every. Quickly he grabs one of the longer ledgers and uses it as some kind of weapon to swing back and forth when we tried to apprehend him. "FUCK YOU!"

"Charlie! Calm down! It's just us! It's Twilight and Spike!" I scream at him but he seems delirious as he wallops Flash over the head when he got too close making me realize I've got to do something before he hurts himself. Using my magical stores, I cast a spell of holding to contain him, but all that did was make him freak out some more.

"GET OFF ME, YOU WHITE SCRUB WEARING CATAMITES!" He yells out again as he seems to be breaking free somehow despite him having no magical abilities at all.

I turn to look at Flash as I held on to my own spell for dear life, "He's delirious! He doesn't know who we are! We have to do something!"

Flash looks around like he was thinking and before I could think he flies over to him with haste, flips around, and bucks him as hard as he could on his head making him slump and giving me relief from the force, I was holding back on him.

"That… was… your… plan!" I pant out as the drained feeling hits me like a hammer for some odd reason. It felt like something had siphoned my magic away if that's even possible.

He looked at me and rubbed his head, "What did you want me to do? Stand there and watch him put you in his stamp collection?"

Spike descended on him almost immediately and pressed his hand on his forehead and gasped, "He's burning up bad! I think he has that fever again!"

Flash walked over and nuzzled his snout onto his forehead and gasped, "Quick, get that quilt off him and grab some snow from outside. I think he's overheating from whatever in Celestia's name he was doing out there!"

While spike helped to remove the quilt, I ran outside and summoned a bucket to scoop snow into. Though, I'll say casting that spell for the pale was a lot more difficult than it should have been. I don't whats going on, but it feels like I've been casting spells left and right all day and I know for a fact I was using magic sparingly.

Coming back inside, I see Charlie laid out on the floor almost entirely naked with the exception of his weird loin cloth thing. You can tell immediately that his body was on fire as his normally white skin looked like a sickly red in nature and I felt clammy on his behalf just looking at it. Without another thought, I took a small clump of snow and dropped it onto his chest, and he groaned in discomfort while I did so.

"What the hay happened to him?" Spike finally asks as we stabilize him.

"He overexerted himself running here I assume. I've seen this before, but only in the summer… New recruits running until they pass out and then see passed relatives," Flash shakes his head, "I just hope this will be enough to cool him down."

Charlie's head pops up and his eyes open slowly, "Uhhhhh… Ma?"

I wipe some snow onto his forehead with another clump, "No, it's Twilight, Charlie. You're home in the library."

"Twilight? Oh… Hey, how you doin'? I was having the worst nightmare…" he says in a voice that would have sounded silly if it were any other moment.

I sigh out a laugh, "I'm doing fine, thank you for asking."

"That's good…" He takes in a breath of air like he was holding his breath the last 29 minutes, "Man… what a fuckin' day I had… You wouldn't even believe it if I told you…"

"Shhh just be quiet and let us work, you're unwell."

"Well, Shmell…" He waves a hand in front of me, "You need to relax… like Fluttershy… Maybe you two should eat each other out or somethin'… Maybe then you'll both get off my dick for a change…"

I feel my face drop into a deadpan and sigh, but it feels nice knowing things are normal again, "It's good to have to back, Charlie…"

He answers with a snore letting me know that he's out cold.

Spike looks back at the ajar door with worry, "What was he running from?"

"I don't know, Spike. There wasn't anypony out there when I was out there."

"Maybe he got lost on the trail…" Flash surmises, "She lives very close to that forest you all claim is cursed. Perhaps he was turned around on his way home."

"Maybe, but he would have calmed down way before he got here don't you think?" He looks at the door again and his face just bleeds worry, "I've got a bad feeling about this…"

I shake my head as I use my magic to shut it, "We won't know for sure until he wakes up." He didn't look convinced, "We'll worry about that later, I promise we'll get to the bottom of it. Now, let's help, Charlie."

He sighs and nods, "Okay…" He finally lets out as he pushes the bucket closer to me allowing me to scoop more snow onto him.

Flash shakes his head a little amused, "It's about time you two agreed on something today and you have no idea how ironic it is it's that it's because of Charlie."

We all giggle at this as the mood finally lightens despite what just occurred for the first time since what feels like weeks ago. I only wish in my amusement; I could have noticed the letter that Celestia sent us that fateful day was laying on top of Charlie's Journal where it would remain until the next morning.

And let me tell you, it wasn't me who would pick it up…