Hearts and Hooves Day

Hearts and Hooves Day

Chapter 6: Why was I chosen?

After making sure my house was locked up, I went inside the bathroom with a pair of red boxers, a new white t-shirt, and white socks. I turned the faucet on in my bathtub so I can take a quick, hot shower and began to undress. I got into the bathtub and let the hot water wet my hair and body as I felt relaxed. I took the soap and washed myself as I began to think on what Princess Celestia said to me.

Special mare that comes to me? I thought. I'm not sure if that will ever happen. If so, who could it be...and how would that my life change?

I shook off the thought and finished up my shower. I took a towel that was hanging above the toilet and dried myself off. After putting on my set of clothes, I shut off the light of my bathroom and got into bed. I closed my eyes while letting out a yawn and drifted off to sleep.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

I heard a knock coming from my front door. I opened my eyes and turned my head towards my open bedroom door in the darkness.

“Who the fuck can that be?” I said to myself.

I let out a heavy, annoyed groaned as I got out of bed. Seriously, who would come to my apartment at this time of night? Whatever or whoever it is, it better be important. It better not be a late night salespony coming to my place showing off his or her latest products from Manehattan or a singing choir asking for donations. I should remind myself to get one of those NO SOLICITATION signs for my front door.

The knocking continued. God, will someone or somepony wait for a minute as I get a chance to unlock the door? I unlocked the knob and wrapped my hand around the doorknob. I opened the door to see who it was...only to find a empty dark void of nothing! What happened? Where are the other apartment doors? Where is the stairway? Where is the outside? What is this place?

Without thinking, I stepped outside my apartment door, only for my feet to feel the cold cement floor of this mysterious room. This is becoming very familiar though I can't quite put my finger on it. I took a few more steps until BAM! The door to my apartment closed behind me! The sound of it almost made my skeleton jump out of my skin.

“The fuck?” I spoke as I didn't expect that to happen.

I ran to the door and try to open it but it disintegrated in front of me.What the hell is happening? Why am I trapped in here?

“HELLO!?!” I yelled as I heard my panicing voice echoed. “SOMEBODY HELP ME! HHHEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!! I'M TRAPPED IN HERE!!!”

There was no answer! I was alone and there was no one to help me. I have to find a way out of here!

CLICK! There was a sound of a light switch going off and I had a strange feeling coming from me that there was a source of light behind me. I turned around slowly to see something familiar...and horrifying! I knew this was coming! I knew it was going to happen at this time of year! If only I told Princess Celestia another reason why I hate Hearts and Hooves Day and find a way to prevent this. However, I'm too late to even try! There inside the beam of light was the chair and the TV set that I dreamed about years ago after hearing the engagement of Sarah and Joel on facebook.

“Oh my god!” I said horrified. “NO!!!! NOT AGAIN! NO!”

I turn to run but a strong gravitational force pulled me back to the light like I was being sucked into a vacuum cleaner. I cried for help and scratched the cement floor with my fingers as I try to get free. I even tried to kicking my legs out of this invisible suction as my screaming continued. I was near the death trap as my attempts to flee were useless. I then felt “invisible hands” grab my body and slammed me towards the chair. Suddenly, brown, leather straps snaked their way from behind the chair, wrapped my hands and arms behind my back; and my legs strapped tightly.

“OH GOD!” I begged. “PLEASE! PLEASE NOT AGAIN!!! HHHHEEEELLLLLPPPP!!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Suddenly, the TV set came on! I looked at it and recognized a familiar scene that happened years ago. It was Animate Richmond, the convention that I went to. I saw myself in the bathroom looking at my reflection as I spoke to myself. Oh no! The TV was replaying the moment I got rejected by Sarah.

“Okay, Frank!” my past self said to the reflection. “You can do this! Head high! Look and smell good! Tell Sarah you like her! It's now or never!”

My past self walked out the door and into a hallway filled with random cosplayers and con goers. There was another TV transition, only this time it fast forward to the night. I shook my head violently as I prepared myself to witness the upcoming event. I shut my eyes tightly and tried to escape from this chair but that invisible force kept me down and somehow pulled my eyelids up to see the tragedy that is about to unfold.

There I saw my past self walking alongside with Sarah in her Emma Frost cosplay as she was walking towards her car. I can't believe I'm reliving this again!

“So how was your con?” My past self asked Sarah in a cheerful manner.

I can see Sarah rolled her eyes on the screen. Unfortunately, my past self didn't even notice. “It was fun. Like the same as last year.”

She approached her car and was about to take her keys out of her purse until my past self spoke the one sentence that started it all: The beginning to a heartbreak.

“Sarah,” I said. “I have a confession to make: I...I...I have feelings for you. I like you more than just a model and a friend an...”

She cuts me off. “Friend?!? Who said we were friends?”

“Oh, god NO!” I said in agony. “NO! NNNNOOO!!!”

She opened her car door, got into the driver's seat, and starts up the engine. Before driving off, she rolls down her window and says, “You and I weren't friends to begin with. You were just a fan! You think after buying me all those gifts and being so nice to me on chat that I had feelings for you?!?”

“I DID HAD FEELINGS FOR YOU!!!” I cried at the screen. “WHAT THE FUCK?!? WHAT THE FUHUHHUCK?!?”

She then said before pulling away. “You have a nice night...sir.”

“STOP, PLEASE!!!” I begged. “STOP SHOWING ME THIS!!! SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!”

There was another transition...only except worse. It showed Sarah and her new found lover, Joel. The two were in some sort of hotel room standing in front of a bed. The cosplay model looked at Joel with seductive smiles follow by bedroom eyes.

“Oh Joel!” She whispered. “Take me to heaven.”

“Yes, my love.” He replied. “I'll make your Valentine's Day worth while.”

I try to turn away from the TV but I failed to do so! The two embraced each other, with Joel undressing Sarah as the two lock lips with one another. The male cosplay model picked his lover up in his arms and carried her into the bed as the two continued to explore each others mouths. All I heard was moaning and Sarah crying out Joel's name. I couldn't take this anymore!

“Mmmm...Joel!” Sarah sighed. “Oh, babe!”

I exploded. “NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!”

“GAH!!!” I gasped as I woke up from my sleep.

I sat up from my bed as I held my head with right hand. It was just a nightmare and I should be thankful that it was not real. I turned my head to the right to see my digital clock on the dresser. It was only 2:05 am in the morning.

“Son of a bitch!” I mumbled. “I need a drink.”

I got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. I opened up the fridge and took out a can of soda pop. I opened the can by pressing the tab down and drank some of it to get my mind off the dream I just had. I then begin to think about something else that will be a lot more better for me to remember. As I did, one memorable moment that came to my mind was how and why I'm here in Equestria.

After being engulfed by a magical ball of light, I opened my eyes to see myself standing on a walkway made of stars. I scanned my surroundings to see where I am exactly. All I just see are stars and more stars. It's like I'm in space or something but with no planets. Standing right next to me was the enchanted Alicorn that brought me here after taking me away from my room.

“Follow me, Frank.” She commanded.

She walked down the pathway as I went with her.

“Wait a second,” I said. “Like I said earlier: how do you know my name and who are you exactly?”

“My name is Princess Celestia. I am the co-ruler of Equestria.”

“Equestria?”

“Yes! It is a peaceful, friendly place where everypony and everyone gets along with one another.”

“Alright but, you still haven't answered my question about how you knew me. Are you some sort of mind reader?”

The princess chuckled. “Not really. I've been watching you ever since I monitored the Earth's population of human males.”

I was confused. “What?”

She stopped in her tracks as I did as well. The horn on top of her head began to glow yellow again as she shut her eyes. In a flash, there were a lot of floating screens hovering above of the sides of the walkway and above my head. Each of them were broadcasting images from Earth's major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, New York City, Tokyo, London, etc; Not only cities, but there were images of people walking, working, socializing, and living their lives. This was such an amazing moment that I never experienced.

Celestia wasn't done just yet. Still using her magic, she casted in front of me a holographic image of the United States. The image zoomed into my state of Virginia, showing all counties, towns, and cities covered in colored blips of green, red, white, grey, and black. I'm guessing these blips might be people but what these colors mean anyway?

“Princess!” I said. “What do these colored blips mean on the map?”

“They represent the male humans that occupied your homeland.” She answered. “The green blips represent 'good,' which means that the male human is living a wonderful life and there's no need for me to bring him to Equestria. The red blips represents 'hate,' and I would not tolerate it in my world. The black blips mean 'depression,' in which you were currently in after you loss hope of finding love. The grey blips mean 'suicidal,' something that you were in the middle of doing before I stopped you. Finally, I really hate saying this to you but the white blips...represents 'death,' and I'm unable to do anything to prevent it from happening. Once that male human takes away his life, that blip would disappear off the map.”

That last sentence made the alicorn lower her head in sadness. I know how she felt and I do feel bad about the other guys on Earth who are suffering from what I've been through lately. If Celestia hadn't shown up, I would've went from a “grey blip” to a “white blip” on that screen. I looked back at her and realized that she was about to shed a tear but her right forehoof wiped it away. However, I still don't understand on how I was picked out of the thousands of men in Virigina or why is it just guys only? Aren't there any girls in this Equestia?

“Princess,” I said to her. “Why pick me? Why not the other human males that are also hopeless as I am?”

The enchanted alicorn looks at me with a straight face. “I chose you because my magic can sense a positive aura that surrounds your body and that your heart is very pure. So pure that it consists two important traits within: kindness and friendship. When I find a human on Earth that has those traits, I make it my mission to bring that one human to my world.”

“Yeah...I...get all that but why only males? What about females?”

“I'm sorry but I don't bring female humans to Equestia.” Celestia continued. “For the past several years, the population of mares in Equestria had an 80% increase, which makes finding a stallion as their special somepony or their significant other rather complicated. I had a talk with my mother, Queen Faust, and the Royal Alicorn Society about this problem that my subjects had been dealing with, until the members insist that I find a solution on my own. One day, I entered this room, the Hall of Time, to find a planet that occupies different species that share the qualities as my subjects. A month of research goes by and I found the planet Earth as my best choice, with Abraham Heatly being the 1st human to enter Equestria.”

This was fascinating to hear. “And I take it that this 'mission and research' of yours worked, right?”

Princess Celestia nodded. “Yes! At first, the R.A.S was hesitant about my decision of bringing Abraham into my world but after a few months of pride and dedication, my mother and the members approved the idea of bringing more humans. Since then, I choose the ones who I want to bring and have them pursue a better life in finding love with my subjects.”

“But what about the ones that don't want to go? How about if I told you that I refuse the offer and go back home? Back to the way of how my life was?”

The enchanted Princess was shocked upon hearing this from my mouth. “I beg your pardon?”

“I'm saying,” I spoke. “What if I don't want to go to your world and just go back to Earth? What would happen to me? I mean, you're like a goddess right? We're in this room with screens floating around and this so called 'Hall of Time' has some sort of way to tell me my future if I were to walk away. In other words, do you or this place have the power to show me my future if I said, 'No, I don't want to go to Equestria. I want to go back to Earth and see if I can get Sarah back?'”

“You...” Celestia said with a curious tone. “You...want to know?”

“Yeah. Just tell me.”

“I...I...I...don't....I don't know if I can.”

“Can't or won't? I want to know what happens!”

“If I do...yo...you might not to be too happy about it.”

I folded my arms. “Why?”

She let out a sigh and turns away. “Let me just say that...what you are about to see...might not be something you expect if you do go back."

Another spark of magic flared from her horn as the image of Virginia changed to an image of my apartment. What I witness in front of the screen was indeed something that I didn't expect but what was truly frightening. Outside my apartment was a news van, five police cars, an ambulance, and my parents car. The image changed to my parents and little brother crying in the living room of my apartment while being accompanied by a VA police officer. My mouth slighty dropped and my eyes widened in horror as I saw two paramedics carrying a stretcher with a black bodybag on top out of my apartment hallway. My father wrapped his arms around my mom as he tries to comfort her as her warm tears dropped onto his shirt.

“Mommy,” my little brother sobbed. “Why did Frank hurt himself?”

“I'm sorry, baby.” My mother replied in tears. “I'm so sorry.”

The image changed for the third time to the medics carrying my deceased body to the ambulance as a police officer spoke to a female news reporter and a cameraman.

“The victim is identified as Frank Archer,” The officer spoke. “He...died from a gunshot wound to the head. We suspect that it must've been a suicide attempt though we are not clear on why he did it. We're still trying to investigate.”

I couldn't believe on what I'm seeing! How can things get a lot worse than this? When I thought about it, the screen changed once again...only this time to the one person that led to my attempted suicide – Sarah! The cosplay model was in her room chatting on her cell phone while sewing a brand new cosplay attire that I don't know of. I listened very carefully to the conversation.

“So, I'm working on my Phantom Girl cosplay for Dragon*Con,” She said to someone on the phone. “I just need the boots and contacts next week once I get my next paycheck from my job. After that, I have to call Joel and ask him how his Timber Wolf cosplay is coming out....I know....I know I'm lucky to have him. Oh girl, I have to tell you this! I had a dream last night about Joel and I on our honeymoon to the Bahamas an.....oh.....hang on, I got someone on the other line. It's my mother....yeah, I'll call you back.”

She presses a button on her cell and answers her mom on the other line. “Hello?....Hi mom! What's up?.......Oh........what happened to him?.......Oh.....um........yeah, I'm sorry to....hear that......Okay....Okay....Mom, I have to go. I'll call you back, alright.”

Sarah ends her call and presses another button to continue her conversation with the other person on the line. “Hello....Yeah, I'm sorry about that. My mom called and said Frank Archer killed himself.........You know, that ex-fan of mine who said he had feelings for me at Animate Richmond. Saying that we we're friends but we weren't and he bought me gifts for Christmas......Like I give a shit if he's dead?!? That's one less person to worry about!”

I felt as though an arrow pierce through my chest when I saw this. I lowered head in misery after seeing all of this and I feel like I don't want to go back to Earth. I mean, how can she say that? I thought she would feel sorry about my suicide and feel guilty on how she treated me in the past. Instead, the news of my supposed death meant nothing to her. It's like she swatted and killed a fly that flew around her head. The fly died because it bothered her and once it's dead, she disposes the small body in a toilet and flush it. The bug is out of her way and she could continue with her business! I might as well just take Celestia's offer to be in her world and pursue a better life like the other humans are. I can only say that my little brother has to do his best to watch over my parents and be strong for me. I walked up to Princess Celestia who still had her back turn.

“...Take me with you.” I whispered to her.

She nodded and the both of us continued to walk down the path that leads to the Exit of the Hall of Time.

I finished my soda pop and headed back to bed. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep as I try to get some rest before heading out to the Ponyville Spa tomorrow with Silver Dollar. Hopefully, that dream will not come back to me again.