The Vengeance Trilogy: Needed

Chapter One

“Normal”

Steve Rimmel sat in his normal spot in the café, drank his normal coffee, and tried desperately to think of anything but his normal life. He sighed, running his fingers through his brown hair.

I never really expected this.

As he sipped his now lukewarm mocha, he thought back on the day and couldn’t help but laugh to himself. Not laugh loudly; he didn’t want to draw attention, but laughed nonetheless. Jen’s an idiot. Why’d I even think that inviting my ex-almost-girlfriend to join my band would be a good idea? Well, it could have been worse. She could have… Never mind, nothings worse than being kicked out of your own band.

He stared off into space and decided to humor himself. I good pity-party is just what the doctor ordered. Just as he was about to commence his wallowing, he was interrupted by a kind voice from behind him.

“Sir, is your coffee okay? You keep scowling whenever you drink it.”

He turned to face the waitress behind him. She had a concerned expression on her face… her face! Wow, how’d I never see HER before?

“Umm, sir? Are you alright?” The waitress looked even more concerned now that Steve was staring off at something other than space.

Steve shook himself, mentally cursing at his ineptitude where the opposite sex was concerned, and replied, “Sorry, I’m fine. Just thinking about some stuff.” He gave a reassuring grin. Well, he hoped it passed for a reassuring grin.

She smiled back. “Okay, just let me know if you need anything.”

As she turned to walk away, Steve sighed again. Really got to stop sighing. Probably causes some kind of medical condition. Having been shaken from his mopey daydreams, he took the time to look around the café. There were a lot of people in today, and Steve recognized only the barista.

The smallish shop, situated in one of the slightly upper-class neighborhoods in Los Angeles, was usually the haunt of middle aged to elderly patrons, which was why Steve usually hung out there. It kept things quiet. Today, that was quite untrue. The midsized dining area was packed with customers considerably younger than its usual demographic. Actually, most looked to be teenagers.

Weird.

Off in one corner, it looked like there was a baseball team celebrating a victory. Ýeah, baseball players only act like that if they’d won. They’d have to be really drunk to act like that after a loss. Do they even serve alcohol here? Next to them was a group of collage age guys dressed in ratty sweatshirts and nasty jeans. From their matching tattoos they must be… In the same reading club. Yeah, that’s it.

There were several other groups. A few cheerleaders here, a couple of lovebirds there, but Steve’s eyes were drawn to the other side of the room. Mostly single customers over there, with a few pairs thrown in. By the door, he saw a nerdy looking young man sitting in front of his computer. He giggled at something on screen, earning a glare from a few nearby patrons. Nerdy didn't seem to care though.

Although some patrons were eyeing Nerdy as he laughed yet again, the man sitting at the table next to him didn’t seem to mind his incessant guffaws. The young man sat in his wheelchair, nibbling his muffin and reading a book. He turned slightly, but didn't give any other signs that he noticed the silly noise at all.

Well, this isn't creepy at all. Just sitting around, observing the lives of everyone around me and commenting on them in my head. Isn't that a sign of some neurological disorder? Oy, I'm being WAY to obsessive about my mental state. Note to self: Get a therapist.

Steve rolled his head back and stared at the ceiling. Life really sucks when this is what passes for fun.

He closed his eyes for a moment, wishing that life didn’t suck this much.

As he opened his eyes, an inexplicably brilliant flash of light nearly blinded him, just as the floor began shaking. Steve was tossed from his chair as he heard the panicked exclamations of his fellow customers. An earthquake? Woah, it's gotta be a big one!

He tried to stand while rubbing his eyes, but the floor would not cooperate. He tumbled further along the floor until he crashed into one of the baseball players, who fell over with a surprised “Umph!”

When Steve finally was able to see again, he wished he still couldn’t. Chaos reigned over the coffeeshop, as patrons and employees alike ran shakily to the door. Why go out there? It’s safer in here. That’s when he noticed that the cars outside the café weren’t moving. He was about to ponder this when the roof began to fall downward. A beam struck the young man in the wheelchair, flinging to the ground. The nerd and one of the kids in the yucky clothes ran to help him, but they too were knocked to the ground by another falling beam.

“Come on man, get up!” the baseball player shouted at him. “They need help!”

Steve pulled himself unsteadily to his feet and sprinted to the growing pile of rubble. This is insane! I could die! But… I’d want them to do it for me. He continued his mad dash to the hapless trio.

The baseball player arrived at the same time he did, and so did the pretty waitress. The three of them tried to pull the trapped men out of the rubble, but to no avail.

“This isn’t working!” he shouted. The waitress looked at him and was about to speak, when a mass of something hit Steve in the head. The last thing he saw was the rest of the roof giving way.

Then he saw nothing.

***

Steve woke with a massive headache. And a massive ache in his chest. And a massive ache basically everywhere else as well. And to top it off, literally, he was still covered in rubble.

Well, at least I’m still alive. At least I think I’m alive. I feel really weird though. Weird, and hurt.

“Hey, anyone else out there?” Steve heard a man’s muffled voice from somewhere to his left.

“Yeah,” Steve managed to sputter between coughs. “I’m here.”

“Me too,” another voice replied.

“I’m, ugh, I’m alive,” a light tenor sounded somewhere to Steve’s right.

He heard what he thought were two other voices, but he couldn’t quite make them out.

The first voice, the baritone from the right, spoke, “I’m going to try to get out. I think I can lift some of this… Oh my gosh!”

The voice cut out as the rubble all around Steve was covered in a glowing purple haze. Dust filled Steve’s eyes, and he closed his eyes to keep more from coming into them.

He felt the weight lifting off of him, but he still couldn’t move or open his eyes, on account of his soreness and the dust.

“Oh my gosh, WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON?” the baritone voice screamed next to him.

“What the feather?” the tenor exclaimed.

“Wha- I don’t under-,” a distinctly female voice stuttered.

“Holy cupcakes, what is this!?!?” yet another voice shouted.

He heard sobbing to his right.

Steve tried to open his eyes, but the dust stung too much. As he brought his hands up to his eyes he asked, “Guys? What’s going on with-” His hands reached his eyes. Or, rather, his not hands reached his eyes. He opened his eyes despite the dust, and he saw them. Hooves. He had hooves.

“Oh…” was all he managed. He looked past the hooves, HIS hooves, and saw something that scared him for the rest of his life.

“I HAVE A TAIL!” he screamed, and jumped to his feet. But he didn’t have feet any more. He fell awkwardly back into the rubble.

“Nonononononono,” he muttered as he slammed his eyes shut. This can’t be happening!

All around him, he heard cries of dismay. He opened his eyes once more and saw five other… horses… rolling around just as he was.

“No way, I am NOT a feathering horse!”

“It’s a dream, it’s just a dream!”

One voice could only sob.

“Wh- How- Why-,”

“Dude, I’ve been on some trips before, but this one takes the cake. Who spiked my coffee?”

Steve was the first to regain his composure. He stood shakily to his feet. Hooves. What. The. Hay.

He looked around himself and his panicking companions. They were in a library. That looked like a tree.

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaah.

He turned around to see three horses looking at them, dumbfounded expressions on their faces. One hovered above the ground, kept aloft by her His? blue wings. Her rainbow hair was in disarray.

The second was pink, with curly hair that would have made some of Steve’s rapper friends jealous. She had the biggest smile on her face Steve had ever seen.

The last one was a light purple, from her hooves to her horn. HORN? She seemed the most in shock of the three.

Steve gaped at them for only a minute or so. He shook himself and opened his mouth.

“Uh, hi.”