Hide and Seek in the Dark..
The grey stallion in the straight jacket struggled violently as the workers at the asylum pinned him down for his testing session. Most of the time he would laugh and cry in unison as they stuck treacherous needles into his neck and legs with odd fluids that seemed to make his head throb, spin and sometimes even swim. He tended to try and nip the workers whenever he had the chance, so the only solution was to force a muzzle over his mouth she that he wouldn't bite. By the looks of his teeth, other ponies assumed that they could damage a ponies fur and skin severely.
The way his eyes glowed in his dark room was just plain disturbing. If anypony was daring enough to step in and stare into those eyes it would make you feel as if you had seen hell yourself from your very own. They would leave as soon as they had come and wouldn't be seen in his room ever again.
To this day, his testing sessions are full of muffled screaming and tears of agony streaming down his face, yet he seemed to enjoy the pain. Not only was he screaming, he was laughing madly! the workers grew tired of holding him down continuously, so they strapped him down on a metal bed that seemed new and untouched until that current time.
As his testing doctors back was turned Match Box looked around the dull white room that had excruciatingly bright lights shining from the ceiling that had tampered with his vision most times he was there. It was two days a week he was due to testing. When his Doctor turned back around, he grew uneasy as he saw a new fluid that was ready to enter his tender body inside of a clean syringe.
"Now, now Match Box... calm down," his Doctor told him as he seemed to notice the glance of unease and possibly hatred, "I know that you don't like this session, but it is my job and it must be done. Now, this will be over fast if you don't struggle and behave."
The doctor knew that Match Box hated him, and he couldn't deny that he didn't feel the same way towards him, but he still couldn't help feel a little sympathy for the stallion, even if her had been thrown in the loony bin like all the other unfortunate patients in the facility.
Match Box huffed angrily as his doctor always did this to try and calm him down, which always failed. Not paying attention as to what he was doing, Match Box knocked his head back hard on the the metal bed. From the sudden pain that he felt on his leg, he tensed up which only made it worse causing him to scream under his muzzle. The doctor frowned, his orange eyes staring at the emerald green eyed stallion that was strapped down and had pure hatred clear in his eyes.
"Well, sorry! you tensed up."
The doctor proceeded to removing the syringe out of Match Box's leg and into a waste bin. Soon after, more pain aroused as peroxide was applied to the area where the needle was placed, searing and eating away at him. Match Box had a devious desire to get unstrapped off the metal bed and out of straight jacket, having his muzzle removed just so he could beat the living hell out of this doctor, but it was too bad that he couldn't because of the restrictions.
Soon after his testing was over, some workers dragged him down the hall back to his dark room. They removed his muzzle and threw him onto the ground, locking the door afterward so he would not have the opportunity to escape. But whenever he did somehow appear outside of his room grounds, the workers were so confused as to how he got out when he was behind a metal door with advanced locking, and the most mysterious part was he couldn't possibly use his hooves because they were restrained under his straight jacket and tight sleeves.
The stallion with a mix of blue and grey in his mane looked down to the darkened floor under him, and it felt cold, as if it were ice, practically. After a few moments of silence, he broke it by laying on his back and clacking his hind legs on the hard floor like a drum. Apparently, one of the guards outside in the hallway found it disturbing and knocked hard on the door, usually known as a sign of giving somepony a warning to be quiet. Disappointed of his fun being spoiled over an annoyed stallion, he scooted himself up in a corner of the room smiling psychotically, his eyes glowing temptingly as he stared at the door where the guard had recently been.
John, the lead guard of the Asylum, lazily sat in his office and was listening to calming music. His tranquil moment was disrupted by a loud alarm and knew exactly what was going on, frowning.
"Again!? this is the fifth time this month that he's tried to escape!" he stared at his silent guards, Tom and Ryan, the two other ponies who seemed to be uneasy about this situation again, his light green eyes giving them the signal to follow.
As they entered the well lit hallway towards Match box's room, it was clear that he wasn't there, and the only thing John could do as a reaction was sigh.
"Dammit..." he muttered.
Just as he said that single word, Match Box grinned darkly in his hiding spot and broke the light switch to the hallway. His laugh echoed creepily, which of course made Tom's spine shiver fluently as the lights immediately shut off and the hallway went dark, much like Match Box's room. As the guards searched around in the room, John spoke up,
"Alright buddy, it's okay. We won't hurt you," he said with a sarcastic tone as his eyes flared in anger as to having to go through this again. "If you don't pose as a threat...
"I wonder how he got out this time..." Ryan wondered aloud, trying to adjust his eyes to the dark.
No wonder why Match Box enjoyed being in the dark. He had been in the dark for so long he had adjusted to it, just like it was his environment and his own reality. Tom shrugged as Ryan looked over towards the black and white spotted unicorn stallion. John looked back at Ryan and looked angry under his mask,
"Shut up, rookie! do you want him to stay hidden and escape!?" Match Box giggled as he just couldn't resist but eavesdrop on the clueless guards, and Ryan's eyes widened in response.
"Uh J-john... I think he noticed our presence already..."
John face hooved and sighed, talking without even looking back at Ryan, "You think I didn't know that, dumb ass?"
Ryan accidentally burped and covered his mouth as a dark figure zipped past behind Tom causing his grey hair to stand on end,
"I'm scared..." Tom said, shaking in fear as his dull red eyes went wide.
John saw it too and nearly gave Ryan a heart attack as he got his attention, "Sh*t! Ryan, get out the net!" he called before sighing and reconsidering it a bit, "and possibly a shot gun too.." Tom looked over at John and walked slowly away from where he was standing over next to Ryan.
"You're going to kill him? b-but the boss needs him alive!"
John gave Tom a death stare and stamped his left hoof, "he's used to pain! remember, sh*t for brains?" he rolled his light green eyes and continued, "I'm just going to shoot him in the hoof if anything goes wrong."
Match Box peered halfway at the guards from his hiding spot as his emerald green eye flashed and he disappeared in the shadows, leaving Tom frightened,
"DID YOU SEE THAT!?" he exclaimed loudly, his tone shaky and scared.
John's stare grew dull as he glanced over at Tom, "Tom, if you're too scared, you can get out of here, then!" his tone turned from annoyed to sarcastic.
Tom flashed an angry glance at the leader of the group, "I'm not scared!" He lied, hoping he would be left alone, only to be told he was going to be bait again.
"Why am I always the bait? remember last time? I almost got killed!"
Match Box smiled wickedly to himself at that "wonderful" memory, too bad he got knocked off and then had a penalty for two weeks in a lighted room, and they actually doubled his tests to four days for those two weeks.
"Oh, so now you thought I was that stupid not to throw him off of ya now!?" John yelled, Tom starting to feel panicked.
"NO!!!" Tom yelled back, but louder then John himself.
As Match Box put on an innocent look, he stepped out of hiding and smiled, friendly like, "I'm sorry I tried to escape... I was... erm.. bored is all!" he said, flicking his right ear contently.
John laughed and then had a serious face,
"You think I'd be dumb enough to believe that?" John was silent for a few seconds and said something else, "I strapped a bomb to your straight jacket! you try anything funny, I will detonate it without any hesitation! that's a warning!"
"Oh my... when did that happen?" Match Box asked, having his evil smile spread across his face instead of the innocent act he tried that didn't seem to work like the first few times.
Tom's left eye twitched, "Are you frickin' serious?!" he said.
Ignoring Tom, John went on, "Heh.. not too long ago..."
Match Box was impressed with John as he stepped forward on his hind legs. How the hell was it possible for a pegasus in a straight jacket to even have that kind of strength to do that?!
"If I may, can I ask a quick question?" he sent the guards backing up a little as John growled in frustration,
"Oh, hell no! I've seen way too many movies to know what would happen next! Ryan, hand me the shotgun!" he yelled as the purple earth pony did as he was told.
John cocked the gun with his unicorn magic as he stepped forwards toward Match Box, sending the careless patient a few steps back.
"Oh, come on! I won't do anything! I swear! can't you take a joke?" Match lied as he giggled to himself.
John squinted his eyes, knowing he was clearly fibbing as his head turned towards Tom, "Why don't you give him number 54?"
Tom's head tilted, clearly forgetting what is was, "Um... sir, what was number 54 again?" seeing how he wouldn't get an explanation, he decided not to badger his boss further.
John grew frustrated, "Well, you better remember! Now do it!"
"B-but sir!"
"I said now!"
Tom sighed, giving up and he walked over towards Match box and kicked him down to the cold ground, feeling sorry that he did it. He whispered into Match's ear when he lowered his body down to his level, "don't worry, I'll get you out of here."
John sighed, shaking his head as he stared at Tom coldly, "That wasn't it..." he said, smacking Tom over the head hard with his baton, causing the black and white spotted unicorn to cough up blood.
When Match Box hit the floor, he was shaking badly and he had a smug smile across his face when he saw that.
"What now?! you guys got me! we gonna play the needle game again?!" he asked excitedly with a hopeless expression as the masked pony walked toward him, kneeling down now,
"No... we're here to tell you you're getting rehabilitated," he explained to the grey stallion.
Match Box only laughed and twitched his right eye, "Aw... fine! not like it'll help! just like the petty medication I was given that failed on me!"
John seemed confused at this as he blurted out, "What medication? didn't you hear the news?"
Match Box tilted his head and shifted his eyes staring up at John, "Heh. I guess they wanted to keep that private.. and what news?" he questioned curiously in a dark tone.
"Oh, nothing... except that we couldn't get anymore medicine for any other pony because somepony decided to destroy the pharmacy!" he said, sounding pissed off again, "someone lit it on fire! they said they saw a figure with blue hair... and to a known fact there was so much blood at the scene!"
As Match box heard this he snickered and looked back up smirking, "Oops!"
John rolled his eyes clearly knowing it already was Match box as he stared back at Tom and Ryan, "You two, leave! I have some unfinished business to take care of."
"Uh... yes sir!" Tom said hastily, pushing Ryan out with him back to the office.
Match Box blinked, "I bet you're wondering how I pulled that off..."
John blinked back as his stare became more calming,
"Do you not remember me yet?" he smiled under his mask and confessed something, "my name really isn't John...."
He pulled off the mask, and to Match's surprise, he laid there on the ground absolutely dumbfounded. "Say what?"
"I'm someone you might know from the past!" he said, hinting Match Box.
Match box yawned, "Guessing games are boring..." he whined, kicking his back hooves against the hard floor.
John gave up and shook his head, closing his eyes, "Don't you get it? I'm Flash! your older brother!"
Match box's eyes widened as it hit him right in the head, "B-but how? I... I thought... W-why are you...?"
Flash silenced his brother and went on to a different topic, "I remember as I watched you kill our mom and dad..." he said, looking away and then back at Match box, "I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!!!" Flash exclaimed, hoping it would do something to his brother.
Match Box laughed madly which made Flash back up a few steps, obviously creeped out, "I know! you didn't think I saw you out of the corner of my eye?"
Flash's emerald eyes glimmered as if he was telling his brother how idiotic he was, "Do you not remember that my cutie mark is based off speed?" he informed his brother directly.
By the amount of fluids I've been injected with... You would have thought I have forgotten already... Match Box thought to himself, growling in disappointment,
"Mom and dad named me Flash due to how fast I was... I also put a decoy there so that I could escape..."
Match flicked his tail angrily, "Be grateful that you got out alive. You were lucky..."
Flash noticed his reaction and quickly looked away from Match's glowing demented stare, it seemed to creep anyone out. "Why did you do it Match?" his tone changing to a disappointed voice.
Match Box smiled dementedly and responded coldly, "Because... I grew tired of their help... they failed..."
"How? they took good care of us and you know it!" Flash said, unhappy with his response as his brother grew silent and looked down with a depressed expression on his face.
After what seemed like forever, Flash broke the silence and finally said, "Heh.. we had good times back then, huh?"
Match Box nodded slowly and responded sadly, "Yeah... too bad I'm in here though due to my instability..."
Flash frowned and apologized, "I'm sorry for yelling at you... this place really can make you go insane..." he said as he carefully walked a few hoof steps forward and sat down by Match Box's side.
"Mmm... it's okay... I'm used to it," he told Flash.
"Now, that is the younger brother I know and love!" Flash said with a happy flair to his voice as he hugged Match Box.
"Well, now I wish that I could hug back..." he said gloomily as his brother laid a drink on the floor.
"Here! this might help since I can't bust you out of this place... I... snuck it in just today."
Match Box's eyes lit up to the caring offer but quickly suspected it could be a trap, "What's in it...?"
"Just a pina colda. Don't worry, I didn't put anything odd in it. I swear! I'm your brother!"
His eyes grew clouded with fear as he had a thought, "What's going to happen now?" Match box asked, forgetting the drink.
Flash smiled at his brother's innocence,
"They're going to check you out tomorrow so you can get out of your little fantasy world in that dark room. Er... Just so... ya know... get a taste of reality to get you back to your old self!" Flash said hoping his brother would understand, "-and since you have no where to go do you want to stay with me?"
Match box nodded, saying nothing but smiling back calmly, "Eh. I still wonder why Tom wanted to bust you out. I guess no one told him about the news. Well, until a few minutes ago, at least."
Anxiety rose inside Match as he gulped, "Are they sure they wanna... well, I mean... uh..."
"OH! I forgot to tell you! they were also doing this tomorrow because they are afraid you'll get a bright idea and let the other patients roam free..."
Match could not believe his ears, "Tch... why the hell would I want to help those sorry souls...?"
Flash nodded in agreement, "Sometimes they can be morons and come up with strange theories of a patients thoughts..." he put his mask back on and stood back up, "I have to go. See you tomorrow, bro... If anyone asks, say I was giving you 'the stare'."
Match box was about to say goodbye until he remembered, "WAIT! I can't be out in the hallway all night!"
Flash stopped dead in his tracks and turned back, "Oh... let me help you get to your room then."
"Okay..." that was all Match had said as he was lead to his dark room, the door locking behind him as he fell down on the hard, icy floor, uncaring as to if it hurt or not as he drifted off to sleep for the first time in five days..
"This can't be right... where the hell am I!?" the mad stallion shouted, shaking in fear as his hooves took him in endless circles.
He himself was in a dark room full of laughter and voices that he could not understand at all, and when he tried to cover his ears it only grew louder which made his thoughts much harder to hear and cause his head to throb badly.
"Just shut up already!" he yelled, stomping his hooves over and over in his anger.
In his dreams, better described as nightmares, he had, strangely, no straight jacket at all. It seemed like he didn't need to be restricted because there was always nopony but him in his nightmares.
Just as he was about to be tortured even worse than he already was, he jolted awake as he heard a loud knock on his door. Match box whined tiredly and banged his head against the hard wall, thinking to himself. I just wanna sleep more... but that nightmare.. damn fluids that they inject me with... he fell back asleep, ignoring the second series of knocks and the and the door opening, causing a creak.
"Hey... rise and shine, buddy!" Flash said, happier then yesterday as he came in with Ryan and Tom behind.
The half asleep stallion opened his demented eyes and groaned, "I wanna sleep more..." he said annoyed, hearing his brother sigh.
"Fine..." Flash said, closing the door and walking over to grab a bucket with his magic and then going into the bathroom to fill the old bucket with ice cold water.
Ryan tilted his head, "Sir, what is that for?" he asked, as Tom just stood there face hoofing himself.
Flash said nothing and walked back into Match's room, splashing the water onto the dry patient causing Match box to scoot to the corner.
"ARGH!!! WHAT THE HELL!?" he yelled, now soaking wet.
He shivered as the ice cold water seeped through his straight jacket, hair and fur. Tom and Ryan came in, surprised by the yelling.
"What's going on!?" Tom asked, confused as Flash glared at him, making him look down.
"No dumb questions. You should observe before asking next time."
Tom nodded, "Y-yes sir... sorry sir."
Ryan snickered a little and stared over at the soaking wet stallion who sat before them, "You're getting your lucky little flank hauled out of this place today!" He said, sitting in the ice cold puddle of water.
The stallion known as Match Box smiled and twitched his eyes, thinking to himself happily, 'Thank god...' Just as his thoughts trailed him off into his own world, he felt a collar being brought around his dark grey neck and heard the latching of a leash. He was about to question the one who did the action, but couldn't because his muzzle was put back on. Match Box frowned and was dragged out of the dark cold room, flicking his tail angrily.
Ryan smiled and whistled, "Hey, Match Box! Guess who your gonna visit!" He said as Match's made muffled growl noise, which didn't intimidate him much, "You're gonna go visit the boss with us!"
"B-but what if he tries to attack the boss!?" Tom said, worried, "Whine! Whine! Whine! Blah! Blah! Blah! Have you forgotten he can't? He's restrained, idiot." Ryan said, rolling his eyes in the process.
Flash stopped and smacked Tom and Ryan, "Will you two shut up!? You two morons fight like a bucking married couple! I swear..." He yelled, his eyes glowing with anger, "I can't have a silent moment with you two can I?"
The rest of the way was silent; no fighting, yelling or hitting anypony what so ever, even when one deserved it. As they finished their small journey to the boss's office, Flash knocked on the door and waited for the signal to walk inside. Once Flash got the approval, they all went inside. Tom closed the door behind them as he dragged Match Box to the front of them all. The snapping of the leash was heard again as it was removed from the collar he was forcefully dragged with. The dark grey stallion looked pissed as his eyes flashed. His brother walked over next to him and whispered quietly into his ear softly, unheard.
"Bro, you gotta watch yourself... try not to be like this. Act happy or something so you can get out of here." Match Box nodded and smiled under his muzzle, acting like the happy stallion he wasn't.
Flash cleared his throat and spoke up, "Mr Adoms! We have brought Match box just like you requested, sir!" He said, walking in between Ryan and Tom as the boss turned around in his spinning office chair, eating a doughnut which looked like honey glaze.
"Yes, I vanted to ze him." Mr Adoms said in his strange accent that sounded funny to everypony in the room.
He was a Pegasus with a moustache and he wore an appropriate sized top hat that made him have the boss attitude stereotype look. His body was the color green, his mane and tail were orange and it looked like he was having a balding problem due to his old age. That explained why he wore the top hat in the first place. The boss of the whole facility didn't bother to notice he had left over glaze from his doughnut, but yet Flash and Match Box noticed easily and began to giggle their asses off like no tomorrow. Mr. Adoms tilted his head and sighed, "Vat's so funny?" He asked.
Flash stopped giggling and nudged Match to stop immediately. Right when the grey stallion stopped, he turned his head around behind him fixing his eyes on something that seemed interesting, even though he thought that it was just another hallucination from the damn fluids in the syringes.
"Absolutely nothing, sir!" Flash lied as he looked at his boss in the eyes seriously.
Mr. Adoms walked over to Flash and smirked, "Okay zen. It's been well over 2 years since Match box has been here, and I have decided something," He said, turning his back away from the group, "Since zis little trickster keeps getting out... some vorkers here are very concerned he vould try to let out others in the facility."
Match box rolled his eyes as he turned around, 'Such morons in this world...' He thought to himself as he sighed under his breath to the accusation. He'd rather drop dead then help the others in this idiotic psycho house.
"Vell, have a good life now, Match Box! Bye-bye!" The boss said, trotting back over to his seat and humming a tune.
The restricted stallion waited for a few moments as Ryan and Tom removed the muzzle, straight jack and collar carefully off of him. Match box's eyes widened as his hooves felt more comfortable out of the contraption he wore that had restricted him for so long.
Tom then touched the grey, blue haired stallion's shoulder and spoke, "Okay, follow me I'll escort you to the door to get out." He ordered with an uneasy smile.
Match box shook his head just as he was about to walk out of the office, "Psh... I know where the exit is... I'm not stupid.."
"Actually, you have to escorted out. The workers at the front desk will think you're trying to escape." Tom said, opening the door for Match Box, following closely behind.
As they both passed the front desk with nods of approval, the doors opened and Match Box, not realizing the burning sun at first, flinched as he covered his eyes quickly, "Damn sun..." He remarked with a huff of anger.
Tom ran back inside and passed Flash. Without a word, he walked outside and stood next to his brother with a small sack of bits. Placing them down in front of Match, he smiled and patted his younger brother's head, "Here's some money if you get hungry or something..." He said with a smooth, friendly tone in his voice, "Also, I want you to meet me near the cafe at 4:30 PM. My shift ends around there." The unicorn stallion said as he was just about to turn around to head back inside.
Match nodded and waited till his brother was gone. After Flash went back inside the asylum, he picked up the pouch and gloomily walked all the way into Ponyville. As he walked along the active streets of the town, he receiving looks of fright and hatred. He himself looked down to the ground gloomily. Match Box made his way slowly over to AppleJack's apple stand with the pouch dangling from his mouth, and he placed the pouch of bits on the ground for a little bit.
Blaze eyeballed Match Box and rolled his eyes, "Momo, take a look at this. Match Box has returned..." He said, whispering as the lime green pegasus gasped.
"Really, Blaze?" She said as she noticed his presence over at the apple stand.
Lyra and Bonbon were sitting together on a bench in town and looked away from Match box as they whispered about him.
AppleJack seemed very uncomfortable and uneasy as he approached, and she finally breathed in deepily and said, "Um... h-hello! What bri-... BRINGS! You to o-our fine apple stand today?" She said as her sister Applebloom's eyes were as big as a deer caught in headlights.
Match box backed up three hoof steps and sighed.
"I just wanted to buy an apple..." He said, not surprised from Applejack's reaction when he approached.
The orange farm pony nodded and shakily dropped the apple in front of the stallion, "O-one bit please, sir... I mean..." She said, face hoofing and gulping nervously, "Just give me one bit..." Match nodded and forked over the bit with a sad expression on his face as he made his way out of town, holding the apple he bought along with the pouch of bits into the Everfree forest.
He sat down under a tree and carelessly ate his apple, unaware of the timber wolves that lurked deep in the woods and apparently wanted to sneak up on Match and maybe viciously murder him. As he spat out the seeds from the apple, his head turned around and noticed the eyes of one of the timber wolves. Match box showed no fear and stared directly at the pair of glowing eyes dementedly as he smiled.
Rainbow dash was flying above the Everfree forest as usual since she was clearing the sky today for AppleJack's apple tree orchard. Due to the amount of rain that happened for two or three days, Sweet Apple Acres was soaked with rain water and it needed the sun to soak it up. The cyan pony was flying into clouds and laughing, having the time of her life, just when she noticed a grey stallion down below being trapped by timber wolves, "That pony needs help!" Dash exclaimed.
Match box threw his apple core onto the ground and frowned, "Screw this..." He said, just as a timber wolf thought they trapped the stallion he flew upwards, leaving them all dumbfounded and his pouch of bits behind.
He passed by Rainbow dash, not caring to see who he passed by as he landed on a cloud and sighed.
"Stupid forest creatures..." Was all Match could say.
Rainbow Dash tilted her head, looking down from where Match box had launched himself away from and she turned her attention to the male pegasus that was lazily laying on a cloud, shaking her head, confused, "Was that...? Nah, it couldn't be."
The rainbow maned pegasus flew off, confused and out of view of anything living and breathing in that area.
Flash stood in front of the cafe impatiently as he sighed, "He's late..."
Right when he said that, he saw his brother trotting forwards with an apologetic look on his face.
"Oh, god Flash! I am sorry. I got into... let's just say, trouble earlier." Match Box, explained looking to the ground, embarrassed.
Flash blinked and smiled, "Mmm... it's okay! I understand. Now, here's what's gonna happen.. I'm gonna help you get a job somewhere! I don't know where yet but you and I both know you're staying with me, my wife and two children-..." his explanation was broken off by a gentle and friendly sounding voice.
"Oh, um... hey, Flash. I was wondering if you cou-..." Fluttershy was broken off by her quick glance of Match box which spooked her and she quickly ran behind Flash, shaking.
The male unicorn sighed and looked behind him, "It's okay, Fluttershy. He won't harm you."
Match box looked away from them both and frowned even more, "Everypony has been like this all day..."
"Fluttershy! I am sorry to say that I can't help you with whatever it is today... now! If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to my brother... sorry." Flash said, feeling guilty.
When the yellow, pink haired pegasus mare nodded she walked away slowly and cautiously from the two.
"Hey Match... maybe I could reason with the others that you won't hurt anyone."
"Heh, heh... yeah, right like these worthless ponies need to be reassured that I've grown soft in only a few hours of being here! This place sucks... and always will..." Match box snapped as a tear streaked down his face and dropped to the ground.
Flash shook his head and nudged Match upwards, "Let's just go to my house... okay?" the brown unicorn said as his brother nodded.
They both walked side by side away from Ponyville and towards Flash's house...
