I Just Want to Make You Proud

Slam! The noise of a body being thrown against the wall of the school’s hallway echoed throughout the quiet corridor.

“I heard what your little butt-buddy did to my bros the other day. Y’all got some balls for fuckin with them!”

“I-I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“Shut your ass up! Don’t you say shit! Im'a beat your punk ass up right here, right now! Nopony fucks with my homies, specially a little faggot like you!” The delinquent raised his hoof, signaling the arrival of a punch across the face.

“No, don’t,” Yan screamed. He struggled his way out from being pinned to the wall just as the bully’s hoof collided with the wall.

“Augh, piece of shit,” He bellowed. He charged forward and tackled Yan, knocking them both the floor. The delinquent struck Yan across the face repeatedly. Blood began to leak from Yan’s nostrils and he was crying tears of pain.

“Yeah, cry, fucker! Filly! Colt-cuddler! Faggot!” He spouted an insult each time the hoof connected with Yan’s head. The bully stood, and bucked Yan in the gut, causing him to curl up. He repeated the process, all the while shouting, “Get your faggot ass up!” Yan cried and screamed in pain, as he could feel his ribs starting to crack under the blows.

“No, please, stop! STOP,” He cried.

“Hahahahah, that’s what you get for fuckin’ with my bros, filly!”

At that moment everything that made up Yan’s mind evaporated. All that was left was  frustration, hate, and darkness. All pain, compassion, guilt, and remorse was gone. He no longer felt the blows being dealt upon him. He stood slowly, and glared at the delinquent.

“The…the fuck,” He shouted, not understanding how this pony could still move.

“Say it one more time,” He growled.

“The fuck you say!?”

“SAY THAT SHIT ONE MORE FUCKING TIME, I DARE THE FUCK OUTTA YOU!!” Yan raised his hoof, and slammed it on the bully’s forehead. He stumbled and swore before he swiveled around and bucked the colt in his chest, knocking him the floor. He climbed on top of the colt, and beat his face with his hooves.

“YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I GO THROUGH!! YOU DON’T KNOW THE PAIN I FEEL!! BURN IN HELL, YOU SHOULD ALL FUCKING BURN IN HELL, ALL OF YOU,” Yan screamed as he beat the colt mercilessly over and over. With an insane, primal look in his eyes, Yan pounded the colt’s face, not caring that it was bleeding profusely. “I WILL FUCKING MURDER YOU!! YOU SHOULD ALL DIE!!”

“Yan, stop,” somepony yelled. Yan didn’t turn to see to whom it belonged; all he cared about was ending the colt’s life. A teacher rushed to the two colts, and broke up the conflict with magic, or better put, stopped the assault. The colt lay unconscious on the floor, snout broken and blood all over his face and chest and splattered on the floor. Yan blinked and witnessed his work. He saw the body and the blood. Yan looked at his hooves and saw the colt’s blood. It had splattered all over his chest and face.

“Ah….AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

Psychiatrist sessions, group meetings, and therapy. Nothing helped. Yan stayed silent and never spoke a word. He would stare at his hooves and remember the blood. He would remember the dull throbbing from constantly beating the colt’s face. He would remember the look of horror on the teacher’s face as he witnessed what Yan had done. After so much, nopony knew what to do with him. He would react to external stimuli, he would eat, he would respond if touched, but he wouldn’t speak. He wouldn’t look anypony in the eye; he’d just slightly turn his head in the direction of a voice to show he was listening. The doctors confirmed he was still sane, but he would definitely have trauma. They transferred him to another school, a long way away from his previous one.

As Yan looked back to the house he was leaving, he shed a single tear. A tear for the one friend he would leave behind.

***

The sound of the video game Desert was immersed in echoed throughout the empty house. Yan had gone to pick up some things from the market, and would return within an hour’s time. Desert was off today, so he would spend his time doing something he rarely would have the time for.

Gaming.

As the clicking and clacking of the controller filled the house, Desert’s mind began to wander. I wonder how Yan’s dealing with this. I know he’s not exactly the best at dealing with stuff like this, but he hasn’t broke down or anything yet. Maybe he’s just holding it in.

Oh yeah, he said something about a mare…and a crush. Hm... I wonder if it’s that orange mare with the cowboy hat. Her accent is…kinda cute, I guess. Didn’t know he was into that sorta thing. Then again, it is Yan.

This sounds like a perfect time to play Cupid, Desert chuckled to himself. He had a mischievous grin plastered over his face at that thought. But something else was bothering him.

Why did Yan never tell me why he left? He said something about transferring schools, but that was it. Eh, I’ll ask him when he gets back.

Maybe it was because Desert wasn’t focusing, or he was getting rusty, but an enemy shot a well-aimed laser at Desert’s character, causing his health to hit zero, giving him a ‘Game Over.’

“Dammit,” He sighed. Desert put down the controller and stood on all fours, followed by a stretch. Now what the hell do I do, He thought to himself. I guess I’ll do something productive. Might as well get this place cleaned back up.  Desert surveyed the room, which was swamped in bags of chips and soda bottles. Eeyugh, needa clean all this up, fast. He grabbed a trash can from the kitchen and used magic to levitate the rubbish into the bin. One by one, he tossed the pieces away. Soon, he got creative, and started to lift the balls of clumped trash high in the air, almost to the ceiling, then slam in straight down into the can. Next, he would toss the balls left and right, then zip it it to the bin.

As the last ball went in, Desert telekinetically lifted the bag out of the can, tied it, and put it in a corner adjacent to the front door to take out. He zipped the can into the kitchen and got another bag, and fit it in the can.

Now that that’s done… Desert went upstairs to tidy up his bedroom.

“Ow,” Desert yelped as a candle came toppling down upon his head. As he walked into the bedroom, a screw came loose, causing a shelf near the door to fall. On the shelf was a folder full of papers, a candle, and spare key.

“Stupid rusty screws,” Desert groaned, massaging his forehead. At his hooves, he noticed papers scattered everywhere. Great, He sarcastically thought to himself, this was Yan’s stuff. As he used magic to sort the papers, something caught his eye. It looked old and the ink was fading. Upon closer inspection, it was something to do with a school in Manehattan.

The school Yan went to.

“Huh?” Desert brought the paper closer to his face. “Yan, a student at Thomas Mule High has been transferred due to… assault, violence, and psychiatric needs!?” Desert rubbed his eyes with his hooves and looked again. This is why Yan left? Assault? Yan isn’t like that! He can’t even look somepony in the eyes; much less beat the hell out of them! Desert was highly worried.  He thought Yan left because of his mother needing a better job. Why didn’t Yan ever tell me about this?

The front door’s lock clicked.  Aw, shit, Desert swore in his mind. He put all the papers in a stack, shoved them in the folder, and searched around feverishly for the rusted faulty screw.

“Desert! You still here,” Yan called out from downstairs.

“Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshiiiiiitttt!” Desert flicked his head around, searching for the screw. “Aha!” Finding the screw, Desert zipped it to the whole it was previously screwed inside, then realized the other half was still in the hole.

“Desert,” Yan’s worried voice called from downstairs.

Well, this is a good a time as any to use that spell Mom taught me. Desert sighed before focusing his magic power on the two pieces of the screw. He pressed the pieces tighter against each other to ensure the incantation would succeed. Here goes nothing. Desert’s horn glowed brighter as he focused. Soon, the screw began to heat up then turn red. At last, the screw was completely welded together and holding up the shelf.

“Phew,” Desert sighed.

“Um…Desert?” Yan was now ascending upstairs. Noticing this, Desert quickly but quietly trotted to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and hastily thought of an excuse.

“Yeah, what? I’m dumpin’ over here,” He called out.

“Oh, um, uh, ok. I’m back,” Yan responded.

“You don’t say,” Desert sarcastically retorted.

“Whatever. I brought lunch. So once you’re done, um, you know, come and get it.”

“’Kay.” Desert sighed. That was close.

***

Yan has been transferred from Thomas Mule High due to assault, violence, and psychiatric needs.

It had been bothering Desert for hours on end. He had just finished lunch and was sitting on the couch watching TV.

“It’s kinda weird seeing a TV in a low tech town like Ponyville,” Yan said.

“Yeah,” Desert vacantly responded.

“You ok,” He asked.

“I need to ask you something.”

“Um, ok…what is it?”

Now or never, Desert thought before sighing deeply. “Why were you transferred to a different school?”

“Uh, when?”

“Thomas Mule High. You left for no reason. My teacher said it was because your mom needed a better job and it was farther away. I thought at least you would tell your only friend.”

“Uh, I, um, it was so sudden, I d-didn’t have enough time to tell anyone,” Yan lied through his teeth.

“You’re a horrible liar, Yan,” Desert bluntly responded.

“I-I’m not lying!”

“Assault, violence, and psychiatric needs,” Desert said flatly. “I found the paper. It said you were transferred from Thomas Mule High due to assault, violence, and psychiatric needs. What did you do?”

Yan only stared, eyes wide.

“I was about to clean your bedroom upstairs, and the shelf beside the door fell, and so did a folder of papers. One of the papers I saw was that paper. Now tell me, what did you do?”

“It…wasn’t my fault, h-he, he was hurting me, and…and I…I snapped,” Yan’s voice was hushed and his eyelids were screwed shut. “I didn’t…mean to…” It was all he could say before breaking down. His words becoming impossible to make out.

“It’s alright man, it’s alright. You’re fine. I’m not mad. It’s all good.” Desert comforted Yan, who was wailing and holding his face in his hooves.

“The blood…all the blood…it was everywhere. He was put in the hospital for a month. He had to get facial reconstruction…because of me! Me,” Yan yelled through his tears.

“What did he do to you?”

“He…started to hit me, 'cuz y-you beat up those guys that ganged up on me. H-he said that I beat up his friends… After a while…I…I…” Yan had to stop to cry some more. “I punched him, and I couldn’t stop…blood…was everywhere… On the floor, my hooves, my chest… I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t be.”

“Wh-what?”

“That bastard made your life hell. Because of him, you were scared to even walk through the halls without some authority present. You snapped. All of the negative emotions that were bottled up came out all at once. If you ask me, he deserved to have the shit beat out of him.”

“But-“

“But nothing. You had the rite. Other people may view you as sick or evil, but he is the real bad guy. Because of that, I bet you he won’t ever come near you again. He knows if he screws with either of us, he’s in for a flank-whuppin. I’ll always stick with you, no matter what shit you get yourself into. Whether you kill a stallion or rob a bank, I won’t leave you. I won’t be happy with you, but I’ll never pussy out.”

“Thanks,” Yan managed to say through his tears.

“You never deserved any of the BS he fed you,” Desert said strongly. All Yan could do is nod in thanks and continue crying.

Never gonna leave…not gonna abandon you…best buds forever, no matter what.