The Lust for Powerby All of the AboveChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2 Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 1Author's Note A cliche setting, with a character that we're supposed to feel sorry for. Enjoy. Again, this is written for the OC roleplay origin story competition. It's going straight to hiatus. Hopefully the next chapter will be better... I hope. This authors note will lose relevance after a few days. Chapter 1 When I awoke, the only thing I could here was yelling. This was no surprise to me because it happened everyday. The only difference was that it was a little louder than the days before. It was my father, yelling in my ear and shaking me awake. His yelling was incoherent babbling. He possibly had something in his mouth. “Get... stupid piece of...” He finally stopped shaking me when I starting shouting. I opened my eyes and saw this broken stallion hovering over me like a snake waiting to strike the helpless mouse caught in its coil. I stared into his lifeless, bloodshot eyes. His navy blue coat was becoming terribly overgrown, as well as his black mane. Which was caught in my mouth. It was so far in my mouth that it was starting to make me gag. With that lovely surprise, I was finally awake. He left as quick as he arrived. He just came in and shouted at me for a little bit, just because some pony needed to be shouted at today, and just left the next second. Sometimes I wonder It did not look like it was even light out. Falling out of my bed and landing on my hooves, which were hurting for some odd reason, I peeked outside the window. One of the perks of living outside of Canterlot is the view. My house is positioned in a way so that I can always see the sun come over the colossal mountain that always casts its shadow over us in the morning, until the time comes when the sun climbs to the top of the mountain, and peeks its head just to say hello. And that is what I just saw. My father only woke me up on those days. One thing is always inevitable when this happens. I have to walk to school today. Even when it's winter, he still makes me walk. I'm lucky I have snow boots for those occasions. Waking up this early means I have to get ready quickly, and run towards Celestia's palace. "Did you not hear me? Get up!" my dad barked. "And make your bed, Arkane." He slammed the door shut. I lived about a mile away from Canterlot. I had a father, a mother, and an older brother. Unlike most foals, I go to Celestia's School for "gifted unicorns." Let me tell you one thing. I'm not gifted. At least, wasn't gifted. My parents bribed my way into the school. They somehow manage to pay a lot of money for me to go there everyday. Don't ask me how they got the money, because I don't know. They knew full well that the school day lasted until six o' clock at night, so they just enrolled me without a second thought. It was there way of telling me that they didn't want to see my face for an entire day. I live with abusive parents and a brother who just hates me. He keeps telling me that I take away the attention from him. What attention I took away from him, I don't know, and still don't. He doesn't do anything to hurt me, he just puts me down on a regular basis. His name is Gild. After I finished making my bed, and I walked out of my room. The hallway was illuminated by dozens of candles. Shadows of their flame danced on the walls, making it look like a shadow dance party. I shook my head. 'Arkane, you get distracted too easily. You have to get to breakfast then get to school. It'll all be okay once I'm there.' I thought to myself. I can see my mother in the kitchen, making some breakfast. "Hurry up." I don't know how she knew I was coming down the hallway or how she knew that I was in the hallway, but somehow she did. I always imagined her having very good hearing, even for a mare of her age. My mother has a dandelion-colored coat and a dark brown mane. She never bothered to comb it, because she hardly left the house. She just bums around until dad got home from his job that he never talks about. The tips of my mothers hair was singed. She smoked a lot. The smell didn't bother me all that much. It was just the natural smell of the house. After taking the first few steps into the kitchen, the scent of cigarette smoke hit me in the face. There my mother was in all of her cruel, decrepit glory, smoking a cigarette and glaring at me like she was a little girl and I tattled on her for doing something bad. My father sat at the table, drinking something, probably hard cider. I don't think I've ever seen him drink something that won't make you drunk. On the table, there was my scarf that they never bother to put away. I just throw it on the table without a second thought and they don't seem to get angry at me. Maybe that's because they don't put their junk away. "Your legs aren't broken, so get it without using your stupid magic, otherwise they will be broken," he tells me. "Put it back on the table." The scarf was already wrapped around me, so it was pointless to do it. I was about to take a step towards the door, but he stood up, spilling his drink. He examined the spill and turned his head to me. "You made me... spill my milk," He's actually drinking milk. What is this? I was answered by a mug to my head. It wasn't a very hard hit, but it hurt nonetheless. I'll have a terrible headache for the rest of the day. "Put it back on the rack. Now!" I took the scarf off of me. My father directed his attention back to his drink. I attempted just to fake it, but I remembered that my mother was looking at me. At that point, I didn't really feel like arguing with them. If I wanted to get out of the door without any further damage, I would have had to do as they commanded. I saw him crack a small smile as I put it back on the rack. I heard him say something underneath his breath in a mocking tone, "Dreck." I put the scarf back on the table, and then I picked it up. This is a waste of time. You'd think I could get used to this, this torture, this constant voice telling me that I'm the plague to this world. I mean, I'd certainly heard it enough from my father, and of course my mother took his side. Gild wasn't any better. They made me feel like my existence here was a mistake, and that I didn't matter at all. And for the longest time, I believed them. That morning was a day I believed it the most. But it didn't hurt me like it used to. Now it's just a daily reminder. Like the reminder that you're going to die one day. We just don't care, because we know that as a fact and it doesn't affect us. We don't care. We don't even give it a second thought. That's because we think that the day we die won't be for some time. No matter what we do, we will die in the end. So what's the point of doing something about it? If there was anything enjoyable about waking up this early was that there were still stars under the sky. Walking under them made me feel safe, like they were watching out for me. Sometimes, I felt like i was the only one who had a greater appreciation for the things in life that we take for granted. Everything we know of could be taken away from us at a moments notice, but we just don't care. Though it may sound silly, I still liked to wish on stars. If any pony I knew heard about this, I would never hear the end of it. Bullying wasn't a problem for me at Celestia's school, but ponies my age still like to tease. Which is why I stayed quiet and tried to make myself go unnoticed. I looked up to the night sky, and tried to locate a bright star. I sit on my haunches, quietly saying my wish out loud "I wish... for power. Power that will make me strong enough to crush all of those in my way. Power that beats that of Celestias. I deserve the power. I deserve it, damn it!" A smile creeps along my face. "I can't wait to watch that house burn to the ground. I can't wait until the day I step on the ashes of that house. Hay, I'll even spit on the burnt corpses of my parents. I will destory that place." I get up, brushing off the dirt. I know that the wish will never happen, but it felt nice to say it. And who knows, maybe it will happen. Maybe they'll see what they've done to me. I regretted making that wish. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Even though it wasn't my idea to join this school, it was still a blast. I loved going there day after day and learning new spells. I originally thought Celestia was a stuck up celebrity who couldn't give a flying feather about anypony. I also thought this school wasn't even her idea. Somepony just had the idea for a magic school and put Celestia's name on it. But those thoughts blew away when I first entered the school. Celestia welcomed every pony that walked in through the doors. First thing she did was congratulate people for passing their entrance exams. I remember mine. I just had to hatch a dragon egg. I don't know what everypony else had to do. Maybe they had to do some other magical task, or maybe they did the same as mine Anyways, hatching the egg was simple enough, although it did take a toll on my magic after. They gave me the option to keep the dragon I hatched or let it go live in a far away place with its own kind. I ended up letting mine go. My parents wouldn't have let me keep it anyway. They more than likely didn't want an extra mouth to feed. I also remember them letting me name it. It was a girl, so I decided to name it Glisten Vial. After my sister. Anyways, after hanging out for some time, we were all gathered into an assembly hall. Celestia welcomed us to the school, she explained what was going to happen in the next few months. It was going to be like regular school, but it runs through summer and on. But instead of it being annoying, you can go at your own pace. You don’t have to wait to advance to the next “grade”, you’re not vigorously tested on random subjects, and there are no high expectations. If you feel that you can only get to a certain point in your skills, then you pay a fee and you can go on with your life. I joined the school at the age of nine. Some foals joined at an earlier age because some unicorns are naturally talented in magic, even if they're four. For the first few years I learned basic self-defense magic techniques and offensive magic techniques. I had the sneaking suspicion that my father was going to come at me swinging a bat at my head intent on murdering me. I stood before the large gates of Canterlot Castle where the school takes place in. The castle itself was fairly tall and expansive with many halls and doorways. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find a wandering pony trying to find his way out of the labyrinth if I ever find myself going in. Learning teleportation would be a necessity if you wanted to go in there. I heard some pony tell a story about a royal guard who went inside the halls looking for somepony to deliver a message. He never came out. Rumors began to spread that a ghostly figure wandered the halls, opening doors and calling out every now and again. A few minutes after I entered the castle, I was greeted by student after student and teacher after teacher. There was a girl whose skin was dark blue and hair that was crimson and dark red who smiled and said a quiet hi. After her, there was a teacher named Black Marble. It was said that he could teach unicorns to use their telekinesis on themselves and make themselves fly. He also taught the basic spells, like levitation, teleportation, regular things a unicorn does everyday (if he could teach that, then what was he doing at the school?). A boy, whose name was Vlaud, with lighter blue skin compared to the filly's, and orange hair. Other faces stared at me in the small crowd that I chose not to acknowledge. The rest ignored me as I passed them by. I did the same. I wasn't that popular at the school, nor was really noteworthy. I was another face in the crowd to them. I was trying not to get noticed, trying not to make any friends. I do have some friends though. Actually, I wouldn’t really consider them friends, they're just... acquaintances. I preferred to be alone. Still do. The point I’m getting at here is that friends just aren’t as important as becoming powerful. It hadn’t occurred to me until I was heading to my first class, but I had plenty of time left before my first class. I didn’t realize just how early it was until I looked up at a wall clock. 7:14 was what the clock read. The classes didn’t start until eight, and my first class isn’t until 8:20. I had time to kill, so I went to the mess hall to go get myself a full breakfast. They served breakfast early in the morning for the kids who came early or those who had overnight classes. While walking towards the mess hall, I decided to make a quick pitstop at the library to pick up a book about history. I don't know why a history book, though. Fiction was and still is my cup of tea. History never struck a chord with me. I guess all of this talk about gaining great power had gotten me curious if there is such a thing. I walked into the library, greeted by the scent of candles. The burning wax combined with the smoke penetrated my nose like pickaxes to rock. Unlike the candles back at the house, these provide a strange sort of comfort to me. Like they’ll protect me from the dangers that will try to attack me while I read. Like the stars. Only, the candles... didn't hold a candle to the stars... The library was fairly small. For a building that large, I would've imagined a much larger library. The ponies who built this place should have paid a little more attention to the library. I liked to think that they made it purposefully small so when a foal somehow finishes all the books here, they’ll go find more to read to satisfy themselves of their literate hunger. The library was quiet, like it was supposed to be. There were about five other kids in here, not including the librarian, whose name was Packard. He was a kind old stallion who loved reading and really loved kids. He practically lived at this library. I was convinced I saw him with a pillow and a blanket over by the young adult section when I was doing some late night studying for a certain spell. I don’t know too much about him, but I think he’s a widower. I didn’t want to question him about it because I was afraid I would awaken memories within him that he doesn’t want to be uncovered. I walked over to the reference isle, taking notice that the students who were in there were either reading spell books or fictional novels. Scanning the books, I came across a rather big book with the title of “The complete History of the Morer War.” On the back of the book were reviews by famous authors and larger companies. There was a quote by a stallion by the name of Stein that read “If you want to put us down, you must expect resistance." I opened up the book to the beginning, scanning the table of contents. Beginning years of the war..................................................10 Weapons........................................................................20 The Eddleston Hill Massacre................................................40 The Dance in the Flames......................................................70 Although there looked like there was some interesting chapters in there, I was just curious to see how we won the war. I know little about what happened during the war, but I do know that the we were losing the battle. But then the tide turned somehow and they defeated the enemy known as "Humans." Towards the end of the table contents there was a section simply titled “Red and Black.” An odd chapter name for sure. It also stuck out in a way. I could easily predict what the other chapters were going to be about, but this... this had a bit of mystery to it, and it was only the chapter name. Since it was getting near the end of the book, I decided to take a look at it to see if this could give me any answers. I opened up the book, but remember my original goal when my stomach started to growl. I’ll read it on the way. I thought to myself I place the book on Packards desk. He looks at it strangely as if he’s never seen it before. He looks up at me. “Are you sure you want this book?” he asks. He notices the strange look I’m giving him. “I just wanted to make sure that... you want this book. Some kids-" “Yes, this is the book I want.” I took out a few bits from my pocket and placed them on the desk to pay the fee of checking out a book. “No need for that... this one is on me.” he said. “Thank you.” I said, not bothering to look behind me when I left. But as I left, I couldn’t help but notice this strange feeling in my gut. Like I was about to make some kind of mistake. I thought that it was just because I was hungry, but there I knew that I was doing something wrong. The lunch hall was a ways away from the library, so I decided to get some reading in before I get there. I picked up the book using my levitation magic and start reading the chapter entitled Red and Black. We watched them die. We watched them as their world slowly burned from the inside out. I should've been happy. We were winning the war after losing for the longest time. I'm supposed to be happy, right? Even they were relentless in the battlefield, even though they killed so many of us, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them. What they were going through is something which no species should go through. The worst part about this was thinking about the children down there. All dying in the fires that we’ve started. Is this what the price of victory is? Knowing that an entire species was brought down to it’s knees, awaiting the execution, and we were the ones to pull the trigger. How could we be so heartless? Have we not learned enough to know that this is wrong? We cannot simply let ourselves get away with this atrocious act. We’re better than this! I can see the look in her eye. I’m the only one that can see it. There was a certain glow in her eye, a twinkle if you will. I can tell that she is... enjoying this. I’m the only one that can tell that she is, I don’t even think she knows. Is there something else inside of her? Could it be the Didec- Before I could read any further, I suddenly bumped into somepony. I drop the book to the ground, noticing some papers floating around. I backed up a bit to get a good look at whoever I bumped into. “Ah, jeez, I’m sor-” My jaw inexplicably became as heavy as iron. When my jaw dropped, I thought it would have detached itself and I would've been left there with blood everywhere and my jaw on the floor. That would make for the most awkward first impression ever. The spectacle before me was a filly. A filly with vivid crimson hair and brilliant yellow stripes complimenting it. Her fur was a light amber. And before you ask, I was not beholding her beauty. That would be stupid. No, I was beholding the large, light green hurricane of aura swirling around her. The smartest thing would have been to run away, but instead I just stood there awaiting her to strike me down and cast me aside like a ragdoll. But instead the green hurricane slowly made its way over to me. The filly in the eye of the hurricane put her face up against me. She looked up at me and I looked down at her. The horn on her head wasn’t sharp enough to penetrate my skin, but I felt like she was going to force it into my neck and leave me on the floor to bleed out. “Watch where you’re going!” I took a moment to look at her. With the theatrics that I saw, I expected her to cut me down without a second thought. But she just stared at me with a stare that wasn’t all that threatening. She didn’t do anything else nor say anything else. Just tried to stare me down with her attempt at a librarian stare. I must have made a strange face while looking at her, because she raised an eyebrow at me. “What’s that look for?” “...That’s it?” “What do you mean by that?” she asked, continuing to stare me down. “It’s just that... when you pull off an act like that, I would have expected you to-” “Just shut up! I’ve got places to be!” With that, she sprinted down the hall, not looking back nor showing any sign of stopping anytime soon. I stood in the hallway with the book on the ground next to my hooves. I just stared down the hallway she ran down. I swore that I saw trails of fire following her as she ran. Not long after she left, I ran after her. I don't quite know what it was about her that made me follow her. Perhaps I was curious as to where she was going and why she was in such a rush. What I do know was that it was a mistake to follow her. By the time I reached her, I was almost out of breath. Running was not my special talent, and I wasn't that athletic to begin with. She had ran quicker than I originally expected. I nearly lost her a few times down these hallways and all of these flights of stairs. But when I did catch up to her, she was just about to jump out of a window. The filly opened a window and stuck her head out. Her head went from one way to the other, probably to see if anypony was around to see her jump. I was confused to say the least. She obviously wasn’t about to kill herself. She would’ve been crying or shown signs of tears on her face. Without realizing it, I said what I was thinking. “What are you doing?” The filly turned around. There was a brief look confusion, until it turned into one of anger. Her horn glowed, and suddenly I wasn’t on the ground anymore. I was floating off the ground, kicking and thrashing to try and get myself free, but to no avail. She pulled me closer and closer to her and slammed me on the ground. I tried getting up, but she kept me there with her telekinesis. "Why did you follow me, you stalker? What do you want?" "Did you expect me not to follow after what just happened?" "I figured you wouldn't if I made myself look threatening." "Unless you hindered me, hurt me, even if you killed me I wouldn't have followed you. But you didn't and now I'm here, questioning you.” The filly growled a little. “Get up.” I could feel the magic aura disappear from my body. I had control of my body again. I did as she told me. I did it slowly, but I still did as she said. I was still expecting her to kill me. Though, there was the part of me that doubted that she would. “So, what are you doing?” “Trying to leave this place. I have the opportunity, and now I’m taking it. And now you’re stopping me from doing that, so if you’ll excuse me,” She turned herself around. “I’ve got somewhere to be.” Placing her head out the window, she just about jumped out. But she stuck her head back inside and turned to me. “I didn't catch your name.” “...Arkane. Arkane Vander.” “Sunset Shimmer, but I prefer that you call me Shimmer. I hope that I never see you again.” And with that, she leapt out the window. I ran up to it to see if I could see where she was going. But I didn’t see her. She wasn’t dead on the pavement, nor was she grappling onto a wall. She just disappeared. Teleported herself to some unknown destination. Long-distance teleportation? That was a very difficult spell to cast, even for experts. This filly looked like she was my age, maybe a year younger, and she pulled off long-distance teleportation without a sweat. If I wanted to go more than ten feet in front of me then that would require a serious amount of concentration and power. How could she pull it off like it was nothing? I thought about Sunset all throughout the day. By the time the day was over and I had to go back home, I was still thinking about her. Thought after thought entered my mind as I walked home. I don’t remember seeing her around at the school. And why would she want to leave the school? It meant a lot to me, because I could escape my parents, and it was a good place in general. Why would anypony want to leave? While deep in thought, I ran into the front door of my house. The world around me started to spin as I was trying to get a grasp on reality. I nearly fell over, but I managed to regain my balance and sorted myself out. I raised my hoof to the door-knob. But I stopped just when I was about to push the door open. I looked around me, taking in every detail about the sad little wooden cabin. I've lived there since I was born, and I haven't left. I've contemplated running away several times but the thought always died when I got the guts to attempt it. I didn't know where I would go if I left, or how I would even survive. I didn't have any relatives that I knew of, and finding food without paying for it would be a challenge. And yet, I always asked myself the same damn question at the end of the day. Why haven't you left yet? I wondered where Sunset Shimmer planned to go. She was just a kid who probably didn't have a perception of how just big the world around her was. Did she have a plan, or does she plan to go with the flow of life? Why couldn't I be like her? Why couldn't I be brave enough to leave? Why couldn't I have just lit a match and watch that decrepit log cabin to burn to the ground and leave my past behind me? Questions like that were pointless. I could never answer them, and I'm sure as hay that nopony else can, either. They're not going to come to me on a silver platter. If I wanted answers to my questions, I had to go out and find them on my own. But I couldn't find the questions then. If I had the courage to do that, then I would have turned around and left right at that second. I couldn't do it because my fears of going out and accomplishing something held me back. They chained me to a rock and bound me there. If I wanted to leave, I would've needed to find some courage first. Little did I know, I would find courage outside my window that night. Chapter 3As I walked into the house, I immediately wanted to walk right back out. My brother sat at the table, staring up at me. He had a crooked smile on his face and he looked like he'd been waiting for me for a very long time. Gild is... Not right in the head. He's not dumb in any way (he's actually quite cunning), he's just... A little... Mad. When I was younger, I believed him to be a serial killer intent on murdering everypony in my life. No, he's not a murderer. He's crazy, but not ax-wielding murderer crazy. He's actually a toned down version of said murderer. Gild was a tall, tough guy. At the time he was seventeen. Five years older than I was. His skin was sickly yellow, and his hair was brown with streaks of regular yellow. His hair was nothing too special. Just comb it and it will be good for the rest of the day. "Hi there, little brother," Gild said with a bit of a chuckle. "How was school?" "Fine..." Sometimes if I just spoke like he wasn't an animal, he would leave me alone and I could go do what I wanted without having to deal with him or my parents. If I was lucky. "So... Mom and Dad went to go do some things at a place... So it's just you and me for a little while." He got up from his chair. I clutched the book in my hooves, prepared to swing it at him at a moments notice. "Okay. Do you know when they'll be back?" Gild stepped forward slightly, making it look like he was coming in for a hug. "Nope. But why are you so eager for Mom and Dad to come home?" "No reason. Just, uh... Curious. Normally they'd be yelling at me right now-" Gild thrusted his hoof into my gut with resounding force. I shouted in pain. He shoved me to the ground. He loomed over me and circled around my body like vultures circling a dead animal. "You don't talk bad about Mom and Dad! They've done so much for you! They've fed you, clothed you, gave you a place to sleep, and yet you don't appreciate it!" He just about kicked me in the ribs, but I managed to stop his leg before it made contact by using telekinesis on him. "I appreciate what they do for me, it's just that I don't like how they treat me." I pulled his leg out from under him and rolled out of the way so his hooves wouldn't land on top of me. I could hear his head make impact with the wood floor. It sounded like it hurt a lot. I thought I heard him start to cry. I leaned in closer to see if he really was. Big mistake on my part. He turned himself over in a flash. He jumped up and grabbed my shirt. Pulling me down, he placed his hoof on my back and forced me down onto the ground. I could see some blood on the ground where Gild made a friend with on the floor. I was making him bleed. That meant I was hurting him. He pinned me down on the floor and chuckled to himself. I felt his hoof leave my body. I thought that he was raising it to strike my back. I took a chance and turned myself over. I used this spell that created a bright light. I closed my eyes. The light was really bright, but it didn't affect me. Gild shielded his eyes and fell backwards. As he was on the ground, I used my telekinesis to force him onto the floor. He kicked and screamed trying to free himself. As he squirmed on the floor, I decided to try this spell I learned on him. It was a spell that I could implant images into his head and they would stick until I stopped casting it. I closed my eyes, thinking of something that I could use. After deciding to implant an image of a bloody murder scene (there was just something about those things...) into his head, he started to stand up. "A real stallion doesn't let magic fight for him!" Before he came at me, I performed the spell. He stopped himself and made a confused look. "What the actual hay is wrong with you?!" I pulled one of his legs out from under him and made him fall. I chuckled to myself. Behind me, I heard a door open. My parents were bantering about something as they walked inside the kitchen. Gild was on the ground, saying something incomprehensible, and my horn was glowing. Mom just stared at me while Dad stepped closer to me. I stepped back slightly and was suddenly turned around. Gild pushed his ugly, toothy smile into my face. He raised his hoof and punched me straight in my nose. I stumbled backwards and my father shoved me to the ground as hard as he could. They all stood above me and laughed at me. Gild even kicked me in the ribs a couple times. They were taunting me like they were twelve years old. My father was even calling me names. “Dreck.” That damn word. The word that he’s been calling me ever since I was born! I felt so angry. I could have ended if right then and there. I could have made them beg for mercy. But something was stopping me. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, I was more than capable of performing a spell to make them all stop. But I froze. Until some time ago, I didn't know what it was that was stopping me. It was fear. The fear that I would screw up the spell and make them taunt me even more. The fear that I couldn't do anything right. I crawled away to my bedroom. They were still laughing, but they left me alone. The last few drops of blood dripped from my nose and into the sink. I stuffed part of a tissue into my nose to help stop the bleeding. Softly I wept while washing the blood out of the sink. I dreaded seeing myself in the mirror like this. There was something about the look of my face when I cry. I felt like I was seeing an awful beast as my reflection. And yet, I felt that I had to confront it. I looked up and stared at the monster. My face was as red as a tomato. It didn't clash well with my white skin, considering that my face was the only part of me that was red. My black and brown hair drooped down the side of my face. My horn remained where it was supposed to be, though it felt like it had been kicked off and reattached several times. I stared at myself for a good long while before wiping away my tears and blood off of my face. I felt my sadness disappear as I cleansed my face. Normally I would go straight to sleep right about now, but I didn't feel tired in the least bit. I felt like I had to do something about my parents. I just had to find a way to make myself stronger. I had to read the book. I left the bathroom, making quiet steps back to the kitchen. The book was still in the kitchen, hopefully still laying around and not in the hands of my parents or Gild. Luckily for me, nopony was in the kitchen. The house was quiet. It was usually a sign the either everypony was asleep or they were all gone. The latter seemed more likely, seeing that it was probably around seven at the time, and they never go to sleep until the alcohol had taken its toll on them. The book was on the table. Undamaged by the rugged hooves of my family, nor disturbed by the earlier skirmish. It was as peaceful as it was when I discovered it on the shelves. Picking up the book, sounds of laughter filled the air with its joyful noise. It was a thing that was rarely heard in this house. Outside the window, there they were. Mom, Dad, and Gild, all having a good time like they decided to ignore that fact that Gild attempted to kill me not ten minutes ago. They sat out on the porch, taunting me with their laughs. Their raspy, ugly laughs. As much as I hate to admit it, I was jealous of Gild. He had parents that actually loved him, despite the flaws that he clearly had. He was going crazy and they still loved him. What was wrong with me? For years I have tried to gain their attention by doing something amazing. I always did what they told me to without a fuss, I was excelling at my magic skills. What else could I do?! I did everything that I could think of to make them be proud of me. To show any emotion towards me that wasn't hate or anger. Why did they hate me? Why didn't they hate Gild? Why did he get their love? Why didn't they hate my sister? They never hit her, scolded her, they never did anything to her! What did Glisten Vial and Gild do that I didn't? Why did they hate me? Questions like those drove the nail in my head deeper and deeper into my brain. I had to kill them, I just had to. I had to make them burn for what they've to me. What was I doing, staring out the window like I was waiting for them to turn around and apologize for everything? I had to find something, and I had to find something soon. I yanked the book off of the table and ran towards my room. I continued from I where I last left off in Red and Black. Could it be the Didec? That has to be it! Nopony can just slaughter and entire race and not bat an eye, not even Celestia. She tried to make everypony happy. I knew that I wasn't the only one who felt sorrow for the poor creatures down there. We almost through a party when the last of them started to drop like flies. What kind of a pony would do that? The Didec was changing Celestia. It still is, I know it. I just know it! No one else believed me, though, and I didn't know how to prove it to them. I thought about several different methods, all over the top, all flawed in some way, all completely stupid. It wasn't until I remembered something. The Creators. If they managed to take her powers away from her before, it could be done again. But I didn't know how to strip her of her powers. How did they do it? It wasn't until we finally went back down to Earth that I found out. While everypony returned to their business, rebuilding the world in their own image. They rebuilt Earth, or according to me and me alone, they defiled it. I found out where Celestia was born, and I went to the ruins of that old, decrepit science center. Untouched by the ponies it lied. Like a human in a coffin, it slept. I entered the science center. I walked passed a pillar and felt a breeze coming from underneath the wall. After feeling around the wall for something, something clicked and I found myself in a room with a man in it. A human man. He sat in a chair, cradling a box in his arms. As soon as he saw me, he stood up and gave me the box and told me that I could use what was inside to take it away from her. I asked him what he was doing in there and all he said was that he knew what he had to do now. I opened the box and inside was a knife. A sharp, new looking knife with a wooden handle and a small red jewel on the bottom. The human told me that I had to shove the knife into her neck and press the jewel, and the Didec would escape into the jewel- A sudden noise from outside jarred me from my thoughts. It sounded like it was somepony or something breaking a branch off of a tree. I think I also heard a muffled scream after it. And it sounded lke it was just outside of my window. I hesitated to get up from my bed at first, thinking it was some prank that Gild was playing. He once screamed so loud when he was outside of my window, when I opened it up he grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me outside. We live next to a forest, so after dragging me out he threw me into the forest and left me there. That was some two years ago, and back then I always thought that something lived there. Something tall, white, and had tendrils coming out of its back. Needless to say, I was terrified out of my mind and never voluntarily went back in there. And I resolved never to fall for that trick. And yet, I felt something... different. I could hear a faint conversation coming from the front door. I heard a mare and a stallion. Then two stallion's. If Gild was with my parents, then who was outside of my window? Carefully, I parted my curtains. The window was shut, so all I would get was a jump scare if this was some kind of trick. I braced myself and waited for a little while. Nothing happened. I opened up the window and looked outside. There was nothing. There was just our overgrown lawn on my right and the forest to my left. I looked down, seeing what caused the noise. Sunset Shimmer was lying on the grass clutching her leg while she silently sobbed. She rocked back and forth, saying some... choice words to herself. She looked up, and our silence spoke volumes. I kind of wanted to chuckle, seeing that the last thing she said to me was that she hoped to never see again. And now she's outside of my house, and she'll probably need my help. Judging by the look on her face right there, she probably wanted to inch away into the forest to hide herself forever. I nearly laughed. Then her horn started to glow. "Stop! Don't!" I pleaded. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I should be asking you that question." "Don't tell me you live here." "If that'll make you feel better, then I won't." Sunset smacked her forehead. She stared at me, again with a librarian stare. I almost said out loud that I thought it was cute, but something stopped me. I was forever grateful that I didn't to this day. "Do you need any help?" "No, I'm only in great pain." she said sarcastically over her grunts of pain. "You don't need to get sarcastic with me, I'm trying to help you." "Fine. Could you *ugh* get me into your room?" "Okay. I'll just try to levitate you... into my room. Then you'll be in my room. The both of us... alone." "Just do it!" she said angrily, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. At the time, my telekinesis was... not the best. I could lift my bed, which isn't all that heavy to begin with. Lifting another pony was another story entirely. Their weight varies, ponies are often uncooperative most of the time by not staying still, and sometimes they judge me for my magic ability. I don't work well while under pressure. Sunset waited as I gripped her with my magic. As careful as I could possibly be, I lifted her off the ground. She was a bit heavier than I originally predicted, but I still managed to lift her. It was a strain, but I wouldn't allow myself to look like this was a struggle. Especially since this was a girl. I hope that you're not getting an idea. I managed to get her on my bed. (Okay, that sounded a little dirty. And to make it even worse, we were twelve at the time.) She made a small grunt of pain as set her down. "I think I know a healing spell to-" "You guys really don't learn anything, do you?" "...Apparently not." She rolled her eyes. "Listen, I'm going to heal myself. It's just that... It's gonna make me fall asleep when I cast it. So unless your parents have something with a filly sleeping in your bed, then we're gonna have a problem." That was more than a problem. I didn't even know what they would to do if they found out about this. Or what Gild would do. "...My parents might have a bit of a problem with that, yeah." Sunset sighed. She didn't seem like she was in much pain anymore. "Then... I'll make myself invisible. Then when they come into the room all they'll see is you." "If they come in." "Well that makes thing easy. I'll go ahead and turn myself invisible, then you hop into bed and we'll get all snuggly." "It's a little too early for me. I'll, uh... Get in when it gets darker." She nodded, and in an instant she disappeared like she was just teleported away. Then she started to chant. "Sleep. Sleep." she said in a whisper. Each time she said it she became progressively more silent until she didn't say it anymore. She must have been asleep already. I continued to stare at the empty spot on my bed. My parents and Gild came back into the house. They still sounded as happy as they did a little while ago. But they didn't come to my room. Sometimes they come into my room just to tell me to shut up and go to bed or to scold me for doing something "bad." "This is getting awkward." she said with a yawn. "You're not going to ask what I was doing in the forest?" "I was going to ask when you woke up. And I thought that the spell would send into sleep when you cast it." "There's a delay when I cast it. Once I become more skilled, then the spell will send me straight to sleep instead of me waiting for a while. I think I have a little while before I black out, so ask me whatever pops into your head." "What were you doing in the forest?" She hesitated before she answered. "Trying to run." "Run?" "Yep. I've finally become brave enough to run away from the life I've been given." "Must be a tough life." "Not really. It's just... Not the one I want." "Why not?" "...I could have so much more, you know. And yet... I have to put up with what I have and never have that change until I'm older." I knew how she felt. "You're not gonna tell me that I should be happy with what I have, be lucky to have what I have when so many others don't have it?" I thought long and hard about that question. It was the most important question that I've ever been asked. "No," I told her. "If you're not happy with what you have, then I think you should get more. Get more and more and more until you finally have everything you want." She replied with snores. She fell asleep on me. She actually had the bravery to run away? I struggled to even talk to my parents, I couldn't even consider running away. But hearing that Sunset Shimmer not only had the guts to jump out a window, but can even run away from home because she didn't like it there baffled me. I had to find out how she did it. How could she be so calm about something like that? I'd probably bail out in the first thirty seconds. For four hours I thought about what I was going to do. And when I finally decided to go to bed, I made my decision. When Sunset left in the morning, I decided that I was going to leave with her. For the first time in my life, I was going to fulfill one of my desires. No matter how afraid I felt, I was going to follow her. No matter if she didn't want me following her, I would do it anyway. Even if my parents catch me and try and take me back, I'll spit in their faces and never look back. I slipped into my bed, being careful not to wake up Sunset. This was the beginning of a beautiful, forced, and long friendship. Chapter 4She woke up two hours after I did. I can usually sleep for hours upon hours until somebody shakes me awake. But today I woke with a start. I looked to my right, seeing a large indentation on the left side my bed. I held my breath and stayed as silent as I could. I heard the quiet, steady breaths of Shimmer as she slept peacefully. For the two hours that I was awake I walked around my room. On a school day, my parents or Gild would wake me up. Luckily for me, no school for me. On these days, my parents would leave to go pick up groceries. Gild would often went with them, but sometimes he would leave early in the morning to go hang out with his friends. Luckily for me, that was one of those days. For an entire hour, I just stared at her. I thought about what I was going to say to her when she woke up, and how I was going to get her to let me join her in the journey. Hour two, I started reading the book a little more. -and the Didec would escape into the jewel. He put the knife in my hooves. I left without uttering another word. Saying that I didn't have a plan after that was an understatement. An old human, possibly the last one alive, just handed me the key to getting Celestia back to normal, and told me to stick it in the back of her head. I was confused. I didn't even know where to step next. But I did know one thing. I couldn't do this alone. Ellis wasn't the most enthusiastic about this plan. Ellis loved Celestia. She was her mother after all. Mine as well. El- Several times I stopped reading because I swore I heard a noise somewhere in the house. I thought I heard the door opening, some voices outside, and even the sound of an explosion at one point. I thought that the world was coming to an end for a second. I dashed out of my room and ran out the front door. What I saw next was the greatest thing I have ever seen. It's sheer beauty had me awestruck. I stared at it for a good two minutes until it subsided. As much as I wanted it stay in the sky for the rest of eternity, it eventually did the world an awful favor and disappeared, never to be seen again. I thought that those were a myth. I couldn't have been happier to be proven wrong. I reluctantly went back into my room. I found everything as it once was. But there was something wrong. My book was gone. My head shot to the bed. The indentation that once occupied almost the entire left side of my bed was gone. The covers were thrown off the bed and the window was wide open. I almost screamed when I saw that. I quickly ran to the window, hoping that I could maybe see where she went. My head darted around faster than a hummingbird's wings. In the forest, I saw a flash of yellow and red running into the forest. Getting my shoes on and grabbing my jacket, I prepped myself to jump out of the window and chase after her. I hesitated. If I jumped out the window right then and right there, then I would be leaving this life behind. Leave the awful life where I at least had a roof over my head and a bed to sleep on, for a life without the harmful gaze of Gild and my parents, without a good place to sleep or a roof over my head. Just an open sky and future where anything could happen. It was then that I felt that same feeling in my that I had back in the library when I picked up that book. The feeling that I was making a big mistake. "Dreck!" I stiffened up when I heard that. The word swirled around in my head, banging against my cranium, setting fire to my positive thoughts. I didn't even need to turn around to see who said that. My dad could be heard in a crowd of screaming, protesting Cromiz citizens. "Just what do you think you're doing!?" I watched as Shimmer ran into the forest. I swore I saw her turn around for a second. And I swore I heard her calling my name, begging that I come with her. The decision was made for me. I jumped. The taste of the air was sweeter than it ever was. The sounds of nature were like sweet honey. The colors were more vibrant and beautiful. Life was worth living again. I found the urge to laugh. I laughed and laughed and laughed. I laughed as I dashed off into the forest, I laughed as my father shouted curses and commanded me to come back, I laughed as they soon became echoes of a bad dream the farther I got from that Godforsaken house, I laughed as I dodged branch after branch, I laughed as I realized that I was finally free. Free of those who hated me, free of the beatings, free of the malking voices and shadows of the executioners who were my family. I ran for what seemed like hours. Even though my body was beginning to collapse from exhaustion, I continued to run. I didn't want to stop. I didn't even care if I found Sunset Shimmer. If I could keep running and never stop, then I would be happier than if I got the book back. Eventually, I had to stop myself. My legs couldn't take much more, and they decided to stop me by going completely limp. I skidded to a stop, and nearly flipped over. I fell onto my back and stared up into the sky. I continued to laugh, despite the fact that I could hardly breathe at all. Sunset Shimmer and my book came to my mind. But I told myself that I would get up and go look for her in five minutes. "Are you going to just lie there forever?" A voice said. To the left of me, I saw her. Sunset Shimmer was clutching my book with her magical grip and looking down on me. "Hey, if I could get my book back..." "Come now? You didn't think it was going to be that easy to get your stupid book back?" "No." my stupid smile was still on my face. I continued to look up into the sky. “So, what’s your story?” I almost didn't hear the question. I was too busy thinking about my freedom. “I was in a place I didn't want to be. And in a split second, I decided to follow you.” “Come on, there has to be more than that.” “You don’t you want to hear the boring details.” “Nobody has a boring life. There has to be something interesting about it.” “Not really.” I lied. Actually, I wouldn't really consider it a lie. Twelve years of living with abusive parents and a brother who hates you does get boring eventually. “I’m actually more interested in your story.” Sunset scoffed. “You don’t get to ask me what my life has been like. We barely even know each other.” "Fine." I stood up. I was taller than her, and yet she somehow stood taller than I did. "I'll tell you my story while we find a place to sleep before it gets dark." "That won't be too hard. I just so happen to know a place." Chapter 5Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 1Author's Note A cliche setting, with a character that we're supposed to feel sorry for. Enjoy. Again, this is written for the OC roleplay origin story competition. It's going straight to hiatus. Hopefully the next chapter will be better... I hope. This authors note will lose relevance after a few days. Chapter 1 When I awoke, the only thing I could here was yelling. This was no surprise to me because it happened everyday. The only difference was that it was a little louder than the days before. It was my father, yelling in my ear and shaking me awake. His yelling was incoherent babbling. He possibly had something in his mouth. “Get... stupid piece of...” He finally stopped shaking me when I starting shouting. I opened my eyes and saw this broken stallion hovering over me like a snake waiting to strike the helpless mouse caught in its coil. I stared into his lifeless, bloodshot eyes. His navy blue coat was becoming terribly overgrown, as well as his black mane. Which was caught in my mouth. It was so far in my mouth that it was starting to make me gag. With that lovely surprise, I was finally awake. He left as quick as he arrived. He just came in and shouted at me for a little bit, just because some pony needed to be shouted at today, and just left the next second. Sometimes I wonder It did not look like it was even light out. Falling out of my bed and landing on my hooves, which were hurting for some odd reason, I peeked outside the window. One of the perks of living outside of Canterlot is the view. My house is positioned in a way so that I can always see the sun come over the colossal mountain that always casts its shadow over us in the morning, until the time comes when the sun climbs to the top of the mountain, and peeks its head just to say hello. And that is what I just saw. My father only woke me up on those days. One thing is always inevitable when this happens. I have to walk to school today. Even when it's winter, he still makes me walk. I'm lucky I have snow boots for those occasions. Waking up this early means I have to get ready quickly, and run towards Celestia's palace. "Did you not hear me? Get up!" my dad barked. "And make your bed, Arkane." He slammed the door shut. I lived about a mile away from Canterlot. I had a father, a mother, and an older brother. Unlike most foals, I go to Celestia's School for "gifted unicorns." Let me tell you one thing. I'm not gifted. At least, wasn't gifted. My parents bribed my way into the school. They somehow manage to pay a lot of money for me to go there everyday. Don't ask me how they got the money, because I don't know. They knew full well that the school day lasted until six o' clock at night, so they just enrolled me without a second thought. It was there way of telling me that they didn't want to see my face for an entire day. I live with abusive parents and a brother who just hates me. He keeps telling me that I take away the attention from him. What attention I took away from him, I don't know, and still don't. He doesn't do anything to hurt me, he just puts me down on a regular basis. His name is Gild. After I finished making my bed, and I walked out of my room. The hallway was illuminated by dozens of candles. Shadows of their flame danced on the walls, making it look like a shadow dance party. I shook my head. 'Arkane, you get distracted too easily. You have to get to breakfast then get to school. It'll all be okay once I'm there.' I thought to myself. I can see my mother in the kitchen, making some breakfast. "Hurry up." I don't know how she knew I was coming down the hallway or how she knew that I was in the hallway, but somehow she did. I always imagined her having very good hearing, even for a mare of her age. My mother has a dandelion-colored coat and a dark brown mane. She never bothered to comb it, because she hardly left the house. She just bums around until dad got home from his job that he never talks about. The tips of my mothers hair was singed. She smoked a lot. The smell didn't bother me all that much. It was just the natural smell of the house. After taking the first few steps into the kitchen, the scent of cigarette smoke hit me in the face. There my mother was in all of her cruel, decrepit glory, smoking a cigarette and glaring at me like she was a little girl and I tattled on her for doing something bad. My father sat at the table, drinking something, probably hard cider. I don't think I've ever seen him drink something that won't make you drunk. On the table, there was my scarf that they never bother to put away. I just throw it on the table without a second thought and they don't seem to get angry at me. Maybe that's because they don't put their junk away. "Your legs aren't broken, so get it without using your stupid magic, otherwise they will be broken," he tells me. "Put it back on the table." The scarf was already wrapped around me, so it was pointless to do it. I was about to take a step towards the door, but he stood up, spilling his drink. He examined the spill and turned his head to me. "You made me... spill my milk," He's actually drinking milk. What is this? I was answered by a mug to my head. It wasn't a very hard hit, but it hurt nonetheless. I'll have a terrible headache for the rest of the day. "Put it back on the rack. Now!" I took the scarf off of me. My father directed his attention back to his drink. I attempted just to fake it, but I remembered that my mother was looking at me. At that point, I didn't really feel like arguing with them. If I wanted to get out of the door without any further damage, I would have had to do as they commanded. I saw him crack a small smile as I put it back on the rack. I heard him say something underneath his breath in a mocking tone, "Dreck." I put the scarf back on the table, and then I picked it up. This is a waste of time. You'd think I could get used to this, this torture, this constant voice telling me that I'm the plague to this world. I mean, I'd certainly heard it enough from my father, and of course my mother took his side. Gild wasn't any better. They made me feel like my existence here was a mistake, and that I didn't matter at all. And for the longest time, I believed them. That morning was a day I believed it the most. But it didn't hurt me like it used to. Now it's just a daily reminder. Like the reminder that you're going to die one day. We just don't care, because we know that as a fact and it doesn't affect us. We don't care. We don't even give it a second thought. That's because we think that the day we die won't be for some time. No matter what we do, we will die in the end. So what's the point of doing something about it? If there was anything enjoyable about waking up this early was that there were still stars under the sky. Walking under them made me feel safe, like they were watching out for me. Sometimes, I felt like i was the only one who had a greater appreciation for the things in life that we take for granted. Everything we know of could be taken away from us at a moments notice, but we just don't care. Though it may sound silly, I still liked to wish on stars. If any pony I knew heard about this, I would never hear the end of it. Bullying wasn't a problem for me at Celestia's school, but ponies my age still like to tease. Which is why I stayed quiet and tried to make myself go unnoticed. I looked up to the night sky, and tried to locate a bright star. I sit on my haunches, quietly saying my wish out loud "I wish... for power. Power that will make me strong enough to crush all of those in my way. Power that beats that of Celestias. I deserve the power. I deserve it, damn it!" A smile creeps along my face. "I can't wait to watch that house burn to the ground. I can't wait until the day I step on the ashes of that house. Hay, I'll even spit on the burnt corpses of my parents. I will destory that place." I get up, brushing off the dirt. I know that the wish will never happen, but it felt nice to say it. And who knows, maybe it will happen. Maybe they'll see what they've done to me. I regretted making that wish.
Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Even though it wasn't my idea to join this school, it was still a blast. I loved going there day after day and learning new spells. I originally thought Celestia was a stuck up celebrity who couldn't give a flying feather about anypony. I also thought this school wasn't even her idea. Somepony just had the idea for a magic school and put Celestia's name on it. But those thoughts blew away when I first entered the school. Celestia welcomed every pony that walked in through the doors. First thing she did was congratulate people for passing their entrance exams. I remember mine. I just had to hatch a dragon egg. I don't know what everypony else had to do. Maybe they had to do some other magical task, or maybe they did the same as mine Anyways, hatching the egg was simple enough, although it did take a toll on my magic after. They gave me the option to keep the dragon I hatched or let it go live in a far away place with its own kind. I ended up letting mine go. My parents wouldn't have let me keep it anyway. They more than likely didn't want an extra mouth to feed. I also remember them letting me name it. It was a girl, so I decided to name it Glisten Vial. After my sister. Anyways, after hanging out for some time, we were all gathered into an assembly hall. Celestia welcomed us to the school, she explained what was going to happen in the next few months. It was going to be like regular school, but it runs through summer and on. But instead of it being annoying, you can go at your own pace. You don’t have to wait to advance to the next “grade”, you’re not vigorously tested on random subjects, and there are no high expectations. If you feel that you can only get to a certain point in your skills, then you pay a fee and you can go on with your life. I joined the school at the age of nine. Some foals joined at an earlier age because some unicorns are naturally talented in magic, even if they're four. For the first few years I learned basic self-defense magic techniques and offensive magic techniques. I had the sneaking suspicion that my father was going to come at me swinging a bat at my head intent on murdering me. I stood before the large gates of Canterlot Castle where the school takes place in. The castle itself was fairly tall and expansive with many halls and doorways. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find a wandering pony trying to find his way out of the labyrinth if I ever find myself going in. Learning teleportation would be a necessity if you wanted to go in there. I heard some pony tell a story about a royal guard who went inside the halls looking for somepony to deliver a message. He never came out. Rumors began to spread that a ghostly figure wandered the halls, opening doors and calling out every now and again. A few minutes after I entered the castle, I was greeted by student after student and teacher after teacher. There was a girl whose skin was dark blue and hair that was crimson and dark red who smiled and said a quiet hi. After her, there was a teacher named Black Marble. It was said that he could teach unicorns to use their telekinesis on themselves and make themselves fly. He also taught the basic spells, like levitation, teleportation, regular things a unicorn does everyday (if he could teach that, then what was he doing at the school?). A boy, whose name was Vlaud, with lighter blue skin compared to the filly's, and orange hair. Other faces stared at me in the small crowd that I chose not to acknowledge. The rest ignored me as I passed them by. I did the same. I wasn't that popular at the school, nor was really noteworthy. I was another face in the crowd to them. I was trying not to get noticed, trying not to make any friends. I do have some friends though. Actually, I wouldn’t really consider them friends, they're just... acquaintances. I preferred to be alone. Still do. The point I’m getting at here is that friends just aren’t as important as becoming powerful. It hadn’t occurred to me until I was heading to my first class, but I had plenty of time left before my first class. I didn’t realize just how early it was until I looked up at a wall clock. 7:14 was what the clock read. The classes didn’t start until eight, and my first class isn’t until 8:20. I had time to kill, so I went to the mess hall to go get myself a full breakfast. They served breakfast early in the morning for the kids who came early or those who had overnight classes. While walking towards the mess hall, I decided to make a quick pitstop at the library to pick up a book about history. I don't know why a history book, though. Fiction was and still is my cup of tea. History never struck a chord with me. I guess all of this talk about gaining great power had gotten me curious if there is such a thing. I walked into the library, greeted by the scent of candles. The burning wax combined with the smoke penetrated my nose like pickaxes to rock. Unlike the candles back at the house, these provide a strange sort of comfort to me. Like they’ll protect me from the dangers that will try to attack me while I read. Like the stars. Only, the candles... didn't hold a candle to the stars... The library was fairly small. For a building that large, I would've imagined a much larger library. The ponies who built this place should have paid a little more attention to the library. I liked to think that they made it purposefully small so when a foal somehow finishes all the books here, they’ll go find more to read to satisfy themselves of their literate hunger. The library was quiet, like it was supposed to be. There were about five other kids in here, not including the librarian, whose name was Packard. He was a kind old stallion who loved reading and really loved kids. He practically lived at this library. I was convinced I saw him with a pillow and a blanket over by the young adult section when I was doing some late night studying for a certain spell. I don’t know too much about him, but I think he’s a widower. I didn’t want to question him about it because I was afraid I would awaken memories within him that he doesn’t want to be uncovered. I walked over to the reference isle, taking notice that the students who were in there were either reading spell books or fictional novels. Scanning the books, I came across a rather big book with the title of “The complete History of the Morer War.” On the back of the book were reviews by famous authors and larger companies. There was a quote by a stallion by the name of Stein that read “If you want to put us down, you must expect resistance." I opened up the book to the beginning, scanning the table of contents. Beginning years of the war..................................................10 Weapons........................................................................20 The Eddleston Hill Massacre................................................40 The Dance in the Flames......................................................70 Although there looked like there was some interesting chapters in there, I was just curious to see how we won the war. I know little about what happened during the war, but I do know that the we were losing the battle. But then the tide turned somehow and they defeated the enemy known as "Humans." Towards the end of the table contents there was a section simply titled “Red and Black.” An odd chapter name for sure. It also stuck out in a way. I could easily predict what the other chapters were going to be about, but this... this had a bit of mystery to it, and it was only the chapter name. Since it was getting near the end of the book, I decided to take a look at it to see if this could give me any answers. I opened up the book, but remember my original goal when my stomach started to growl. I’ll read it on the way. I thought to myself I place the book on Packards desk. He looks at it strangely as if he’s never seen it before. He looks up at me. “Are you sure you want this book?” he asks. He notices the strange look I’m giving him. “I just wanted to make sure that... you want this book. Some kids-" “Yes, this is the book I want.” I took out a few bits from my pocket and placed them on the desk to pay the fee of checking out a book. “No need for that... this one is on me.” he said. “Thank you.” I said, not bothering to look behind me when I left. But as I left, I couldn’t help but notice this strange feeling in my gut. Like I was about to make some kind of mistake. I thought that it was just because I was hungry, but there I knew that I was doing something wrong. The lunch hall was a ways away from the library, so I decided to get some reading in before I get there. I picked up the book using my levitation magic and start reading the chapter entitled Red and Black. We watched them die. We watched them as their world slowly burned from the inside out. I should've been happy. We were winning the war after losing for the longest time. I'm supposed to be happy, right? Even they were relentless in the battlefield, even though they killed so many of us, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them. What they were going through is something which no species should go through. The worst part about this was thinking about the children down there. All dying in the fires that we’ve started. Is this what the price of victory is? Knowing that an entire species was brought down to it’s knees, awaiting the execution, and we were the ones to pull the trigger. How could we be so heartless? Have we not learned enough to know that this is wrong? We cannot simply let ourselves get away with this atrocious act. We’re better than this! I can see the look in her eye. I’m the only one that can see it. There was a certain glow in her eye, a twinkle if you will. I can tell that she is... enjoying this. I’m the only one that can tell that she is, I don’t even think she knows. Is there something else inside of her? Could it be the Didec- Before I could read any further, I suddenly bumped into somepony. I drop the book to the ground, noticing some papers floating around. I backed up a bit to get a good look at whoever I bumped into. “Ah, jeez, I’m sor-” My jaw inexplicably became as heavy as iron. When my jaw dropped, I thought it would have detached itself and I would've been left there with blood everywhere and my jaw on the floor. That would make for the most awkward first impression ever. The spectacle before me was a filly. A filly with vivid crimson hair and brilliant yellow stripes complimenting it. Her fur was a light amber. And before you ask, I was not beholding her beauty. That would be stupid. No, I was beholding the large, light green hurricane of aura swirling around her. The smartest thing would have been to run away, but instead I just stood there awaiting her to strike me down and cast me aside like a ragdoll. But instead the green hurricane slowly made its way over to me. The filly in the eye of the hurricane put her face up against me. She looked up at me and I looked down at her. The horn on her head wasn’t sharp enough to penetrate my skin, but I felt like she was going to force it into my neck and leave me on the floor to bleed out. “Watch where you’re going!” I took a moment to look at her. With the theatrics that I saw, I expected her to cut me down without a second thought. But she just stared at me with a stare that wasn’t all that threatening. She didn’t do anything else nor say anything else. Just tried to stare me down with her attempt at a librarian stare. I must have made a strange face while looking at her, because she raised an eyebrow at me. “What’s that look for?” “...That’s it?” “What do you mean by that?” she asked, continuing to stare me down. “It’s just that... when you pull off an act like that, I would have expected you to-” “Just shut up! I’ve got places to be!” With that, she sprinted down the hall, not looking back nor showing any sign of stopping anytime soon. I stood in the hallway with the book on the ground next to my hooves. I just stared down the hallway she ran down. I swore that I saw trails of fire following her as she ran. Not long after she left, I ran after her. I don't quite know what it was about her that made me follow her. Perhaps I was curious as to where she was going and why she was in such a rush. What I do know was that it was a mistake to follow her. By the time I reached her, I was almost out of breath. Running was not my special talent, and I wasn't that athletic to begin with. She had ran quicker than I originally expected. I nearly lost her a few times down these hallways and all of these flights of stairs. But when I did catch up to her, she was just about to jump out of a window. The filly opened a window and stuck her head out. Her head went from one way to the other, probably to see if anypony was around to see her jump. I was confused to say the least. She obviously wasn’t about to kill herself. She would’ve been crying or shown signs of tears on her face. Without realizing it, I said what I was thinking. “What are you doing?” The filly turned around. There was a brief look confusion, until it turned into one of anger. Her horn glowed, and suddenly I wasn’t on the ground anymore. I was floating off the ground, kicking and thrashing to try and get myself free, but to no avail. She pulled me closer and closer to her and slammed me on the ground. I tried getting up, but she kept me there with her telekinesis. "Why did you follow me, you stalker? What do you want?" "Did you expect me not to follow after what just happened?" "I figured you wouldn't if I made myself look threatening." "Unless you hindered me, hurt me, even if you killed me I wouldn't have followed you. But you didn't and now I'm here, questioning you.” The filly growled a little. “Get up.” I could feel the magic aura disappear from my body. I had control of my body again. I did as she told me. I did it slowly, but I still did as she said. I was still expecting her to kill me. Though, there was the part of me that doubted that she would. “So, what are you doing?” “Trying to leave this place. I have the opportunity, and now I’m taking it. And now you’re stopping me from doing that, so if you’ll excuse me,” She turned herself around. “I’ve got somewhere to be.” Placing her head out the window, she just about jumped out. But she stuck her head back inside and turned to me. “I didn't catch your name.” “...Arkane. Arkane Vander.” “Sunset Shimmer, but I prefer that you call me Shimmer. I hope that I never see you again.” And with that, she leapt out the window. I ran up to it to see if I could see where she was going. But I didn’t see her. She wasn’t dead on the pavement, nor was she grappling onto a wall. She just disappeared. Teleported herself to some unknown destination. Long-distance teleportation? That was a very difficult spell to cast, even for experts. This filly looked like she was my age, maybe a year younger, and she pulled off long-distance teleportation without a sweat. If I wanted to go more than ten feet in front of me then that would require a serious amount of concentration and power. How could she pull it off like it was nothing? I thought about Sunset all throughout the day. By the time the day was over and I had to go back home, I was still thinking about her. Thought after thought entered my mind as I walked home. I don’t remember seeing her around at the school. And why would she want to leave the school? It meant a lot to me, because I could escape my parents, and it was a good place in general. Why would anypony want to leave? While deep in thought, I ran into the front door of my house. The world around me started to spin as I was trying to get a grasp on reality. I nearly fell over, but I managed to regain my balance and sorted myself out. I raised my hoof to the door-knob. But I stopped just when I was about to push the door open. I looked around me, taking in every detail about the sad little wooden cabin. I've lived there since I was born, and I haven't left. I've contemplated running away several times but the thought always died when I got the guts to attempt it. I didn't know where I would go if I left, or how I would even survive. I didn't have any relatives that I knew of, and finding food without paying for it would be a challenge. And yet, I always asked myself the same damn question at the end of the day. Why haven't you left yet? I wondered where Sunset Shimmer planned to go. She was just a kid who probably didn't have a perception of how just big the world around her was. Did she have a plan, or does she plan to go with the flow of life? Why couldn't I be like her? Why couldn't I be brave enough to leave? Why couldn't I have just lit a match and watch that decrepit log cabin to burn to the ground and leave my past behind me? Questions like that were pointless. I could never answer them, and I'm sure as hay that nopony else can, either. They're not going to come to me on a silver platter. If I wanted answers to my questions, I had to go out and find them on my own. But I couldn't find the questions then. If I had the courage to do that, then I would have turned around and left right at that second. I couldn't do it because my fears of going out and accomplishing something held me back. They chained me to a rock and bound me there. If I wanted to leave, I would've needed to find some courage first. Little did I know, I would find courage outside my window that night.
Chapter 3As I walked into the house, I immediately wanted to walk right back out. My brother sat at the table, staring up at me. He had a crooked smile on his face and he looked like he'd been waiting for me for a very long time. Gild is... Not right in the head. He's not dumb in any way (he's actually quite cunning), he's just... A little... Mad. When I was younger, I believed him to be a serial killer intent on murdering everypony in my life. No, he's not a murderer. He's crazy, but not ax-wielding murderer crazy. He's actually a toned down version of said murderer. Gild was a tall, tough guy. At the time he was seventeen. Five years older than I was. His skin was sickly yellow, and his hair was brown with streaks of regular yellow. His hair was nothing too special. Just comb it and it will be good for the rest of the day. "Hi there, little brother," Gild said with a bit of a chuckle. "How was school?" "Fine..." Sometimes if I just spoke like he wasn't an animal, he would leave me alone and I could go do what I wanted without having to deal with him or my parents. If I was lucky. "So... Mom and Dad went to go do some things at a place... So it's just you and me for a little while." He got up from his chair. I clutched the book in my hooves, prepared to swing it at him at a moments notice. "Okay. Do you know when they'll be back?" Gild stepped forward slightly, making it look like he was coming in for a hug. "Nope. But why are you so eager for Mom and Dad to come home?" "No reason. Just, uh... Curious. Normally they'd be yelling at me right now-" Gild thrusted his hoof into my gut with resounding force. I shouted in pain. He shoved me to the ground. He loomed over me and circled around my body like vultures circling a dead animal. "You don't talk bad about Mom and Dad! They've done so much for you! They've fed you, clothed you, gave you a place to sleep, and yet you don't appreciate it!" He just about kicked me in the ribs, but I managed to stop his leg before it made contact by using telekinesis on him. "I appreciate what they do for me, it's just that I don't like how they treat me." I pulled his leg out from under him and rolled out of the way so his hooves wouldn't land on top of me. I could hear his head make impact with the wood floor. It sounded like it hurt a lot. I thought I heard him start to cry. I leaned in closer to see if he really was. Big mistake on my part. He turned himself over in a flash. He jumped up and grabbed my shirt. Pulling me down, he placed his hoof on my back and forced me down onto the ground. I could see some blood on the ground where Gild made a friend with on the floor. I was making him bleed. That meant I was hurting him. He pinned me down on the floor and chuckled to himself. I felt his hoof leave my body. I thought that he was raising it to strike my back. I took a chance and turned myself over. I used this spell that created a bright light. I closed my eyes. The light was really bright, but it didn't affect me. Gild shielded his eyes and fell backwards. As he was on the ground, I used my telekinesis to force him onto the floor. He kicked and screamed trying to free himself. As he squirmed on the floor, I decided to try this spell I learned on him. It was a spell that I could implant images into his head and they would stick until I stopped casting it. I closed my eyes, thinking of something that I could use. After deciding to implant an image of a bloody murder scene (there was just something about those things...) into his head, he started to stand up. "A real stallion doesn't let magic fight for him!" Before he came at me, I performed the spell. He stopped himself and made a confused look. "What the actual hay is wrong with you?!" I pulled one of his legs out from under him and made him fall. I chuckled to myself. Behind me, I heard a door open. My parents were bantering about something as they walked inside the kitchen. Gild was on the ground, saying something incomprehensible, and my horn was glowing. Mom just stared at me while Dad stepped closer to me. I stepped back slightly and was suddenly turned around. Gild pushed his ugly, toothy smile into my face. He raised his hoof and punched me straight in my nose. I stumbled backwards and my father shoved me to the ground as hard as he could. They all stood above me and laughed at me. Gild even kicked me in the ribs a couple times. They were taunting me like they were twelve years old. My father was even calling me names. “Dreck.” That damn word. The word that he’s been calling me ever since I was born! I felt so angry. I could have ended if right then and there. I could have made them beg for mercy. But something was stopping me. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, I was more than capable of performing a spell to make them all stop. But I froze. Until some time ago, I didn't know what it was that was stopping me. It was fear. The fear that I would screw up the spell and make them taunt me even more. The fear that I couldn't do anything right. I crawled away to my bedroom. They were still laughing, but they left me alone. The last few drops of blood dripped from my nose and into the sink. I stuffed part of a tissue into my nose to help stop the bleeding. Softly I wept while washing the blood out of the sink. I dreaded seeing myself in the mirror like this. There was something about the look of my face when I cry. I felt like I was seeing an awful beast as my reflection. And yet, I felt that I had to confront it. I looked up and stared at the monster. My face was as red as a tomato. It didn't clash well with my white skin, considering that my face was the only part of me that was red. My black and brown hair drooped down the side of my face. My horn remained where it was supposed to be, though it felt like it had been kicked off and reattached several times. I stared at myself for a good long while before wiping away my tears and blood off of my face. I felt my sadness disappear as I cleansed my face. Normally I would go straight to sleep right about now, but I didn't feel tired in the least bit. I felt like I had to do something about my parents. I just had to find a way to make myself stronger. I had to read the book. I left the bathroom, making quiet steps back to the kitchen. The book was still in the kitchen, hopefully still laying around and not in the hands of my parents or Gild. Luckily for me, nopony was in the kitchen. The house was quiet. It was usually a sign the either everypony was asleep or they were all gone. The latter seemed more likely, seeing that it was probably around seven at the time, and they never go to sleep until the alcohol had taken its toll on them. The book was on the table. Undamaged by the rugged hooves of my family, nor disturbed by the earlier skirmish. It was as peaceful as it was when I discovered it on the shelves. Picking up the book, sounds of laughter filled the air with its joyful noise. It was a thing that was rarely heard in this house. Outside the window, there they were. Mom, Dad, and Gild, all having a good time like they decided to ignore that fact that Gild attempted to kill me not ten minutes ago. They sat out on the porch, taunting me with their laughs. Their raspy, ugly laughs. As much as I hate to admit it, I was jealous of Gild. He had parents that actually loved him, despite the flaws that he clearly had. He was going crazy and they still loved him. What was wrong with me? For years I have tried to gain their attention by doing something amazing. I always did what they told me to without a fuss, I was excelling at my magic skills. What else could I do?! I did everything that I could think of to make them be proud of me. To show any emotion towards me that wasn't hate or anger. Why did they hate me? Why didn't they hate Gild? Why did he get their love? Why didn't they hate my sister? They never hit her, scolded her, they never did anything to her! What did Glisten Vial and Gild do that I didn't? Why did they hate me? Questions like those drove the nail in my head deeper and deeper into my brain. I had to kill them, I just had to. I had to make them burn for what they've to me. What was I doing, staring out the window like I was waiting for them to turn around and apologize for everything? I had to find something, and I had to find something soon. I yanked the book off of the table and ran towards my room. I continued from I where I last left off in Red and Black. Could it be the Didec? That has to be it! Nopony can just slaughter and entire race and not bat an eye, not even Celestia. She tried to make everypony happy. I knew that I wasn't the only one who felt sorrow for the poor creatures down there. We almost through a party when the last of them started to drop like flies. What kind of a pony would do that? The Didec was changing Celestia. It still is, I know it. I just know it! No one else believed me, though, and I didn't know how to prove it to them. I thought about several different methods, all over the top, all flawed in some way, all completely stupid. It wasn't until I remembered something. The Creators. If they managed to take her powers away from her before, it could be done again. But I didn't know how to strip her of her powers. How did they do it? It wasn't until we finally went back down to Earth that I found out. While everypony returned to their business, rebuilding the world in their own image. They rebuilt Earth, or according to me and me alone, they defiled it. I found out where Celestia was born, and I went to the ruins of that old, decrepit science center. Untouched by the ponies it lied. Like a human in a coffin, it slept. I entered the science center. I walked passed a pillar and felt a breeze coming from underneath the wall. After feeling around the wall for something, something clicked and I found myself in a room with a man in it. A human man. He sat in a chair, cradling a box in his arms. As soon as he saw me, he stood up and gave me the box and told me that I could use what was inside to take it away from her. I asked him what he was doing in there and all he said was that he knew what he had to do now. I opened the box and inside was a knife. A sharp, new looking knife with a wooden handle and a small red jewel on the bottom. The human told me that I had to shove the knife into her neck and press the jewel, and the Didec would escape into the jewel- A sudden noise from outside jarred me from my thoughts. It sounded like it was somepony or something breaking a branch off of a tree. I think I also heard a muffled scream after it. And it sounded lke it was just outside of my window. I hesitated to get up from my bed at first, thinking it was some prank that Gild was playing. He once screamed so loud when he was outside of my window, when I opened it up he grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me outside. We live next to a forest, so after dragging me out he threw me into the forest and left me there. That was some two years ago, and back then I always thought that something lived there. Something tall, white, and had tendrils coming out of its back. Needless to say, I was terrified out of my mind and never voluntarily went back in there. And I resolved never to fall for that trick. And yet, I felt something... different. I could hear a faint conversation coming from the front door. I heard a mare and a stallion. Then two stallion's. If Gild was with my parents, then who was outside of my window? Carefully, I parted my curtains. The window was shut, so all I would get was a jump scare if this was some kind of trick. I braced myself and waited for a little while. Nothing happened. I opened up the window and looked outside. There was nothing. There was just our overgrown lawn on my right and the forest to my left. I looked down, seeing what caused the noise. Sunset Shimmer was lying on the grass clutching her leg while she silently sobbed. She rocked back and forth, saying some... choice words to herself. She looked up, and our silence spoke volumes. I kind of wanted to chuckle, seeing that the last thing she said to me was that she hoped to never see again. And now she's outside of my house, and she'll probably need my help. Judging by the look on her face right there, she probably wanted to inch away into the forest to hide herself forever. I nearly laughed. Then her horn started to glow. "Stop! Don't!" I pleaded. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I should be asking you that question." "Don't tell me you live here." "If that'll make you feel better, then I won't." Sunset smacked her forehead. She stared at me, again with a librarian stare. I almost said out loud that I thought it was cute, but something stopped me. I was forever grateful that I didn't to this day. "Do you need any help?" "No, I'm only in great pain." she said sarcastically over her grunts of pain. "You don't need to get sarcastic with me, I'm trying to help you." "Fine. Could you *ugh* get me into your room?" "Okay. I'll just try to levitate you... into my room. Then you'll be in my room. The both of us... alone." "Just do it!" she said angrily, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. At the time, my telekinesis was... not the best. I could lift my bed, which isn't all that heavy to begin with. Lifting another pony was another story entirely. Their weight varies, ponies are often uncooperative most of the time by not staying still, and sometimes they judge me for my magic ability. I don't work well while under pressure. Sunset waited as I gripped her with my magic. As careful as I could possibly be, I lifted her off the ground. She was a bit heavier than I originally predicted, but I still managed to lift her. It was a strain, but I wouldn't allow myself to look like this was a struggle. Especially since this was a girl. I hope that you're not getting an idea. I managed to get her on my bed. (Okay, that sounded a little dirty. And to make it even worse, we were twelve at the time.) She made a small grunt of pain as set her down. "I think I know a healing spell to-" "You guys really don't learn anything, do you?" "...Apparently not." She rolled her eyes. "Listen, I'm going to heal myself. It's just that... It's gonna make me fall asleep when I cast it. So unless your parents have something with a filly sleeping in your bed, then we're gonna have a problem." That was more than a problem. I didn't even know what they would to do if they found out about this. Or what Gild would do. "...My parents might have a bit of a problem with that, yeah." Sunset sighed. She didn't seem like she was in much pain anymore. "Then... I'll make myself invisible. Then when they come into the room all they'll see is you." "If they come in." "Well that makes thing easy. I'll go ahead and turn myself invisible, then you hop into bed and we'll get all snuggly." "It's a little too early for me. I'll, uh... Get in when it gets darker." She nodded, and in an instant she disappeared like she was just teleported away. Then she started to chant. "Sleep. Sleep." she said in a whisper. Each time she said it she became progressively more silent until she didn't say it anymore. She must have been asleep already. I continued to stare at the empty spot on my bed. My parents and Gild came back into the house. They still sounded as happy as they did a little while ago. But they didn't come to my room. Sometimes they come into my room just to tell me to shut up and go to bed or to scold me for doing something "bad." "This is getting awkward." she said with a yawn. "You're not going to ask what I was doing in the forest?" "I was going to ask when you woke up. And I thought that the spell would send into sleep when you cast it." "There's a delay when I cast it. Once I become more skilled, then the spell will send me straight to sleep instead of me waiting for a while. I think I have a little while before I black out, so ask me whatever pops into your head." "What were you doing in the forest?" She hesitated before she answered. "Trying to run." "Run?" "Yep. I've finally become brave enough to run away from the life I've been given." "Must be a tough life." "Not really. It's just... Not the one I want." "Why not?" "...I could have so much more, you know. And yet... I have to put up with what I have and never have that change until I'm older." I knew how she felt. "You're not gonna tell me that I should be happy with what I have, be lucky to have what I have when so many others don't have it?" I thought long and hard about that question. It was the most important question that I've ever been asked. "No," I told her. "If you're not happy with what you have, then I think you should get more. Get more and more and more until you finally have everything you want." She replied with snores. She fell asleep on me. She actually had the bravery to run away? I struggled to even talk to my parents, I couldn't even consider running away. But hearing that Sunset Shimmer not only had the guts to jump out a window, but can even run away from home because she didn't like it there baffled me. I had to find out how she did it. How could she be so calm about something like that? I'd probably bail out in the first thirty seconds. For four hours I thought about what I was going to do. And when I finally decided to go to bed, I made my decision. When Sunset left in the morning, I decided that I was going to leave with her. For the first time in my life, I was going to fulfill one of my desires. No matter how afraid I felt, I was going to follow her. No matter if she didn't want me following her, I would do it anyway. Even if my parents catch me and try and take me back, I'll spit in their faces and never look back. I slipped into my bed, being careful not to wake up Sunset. This was the beginning of a beautiful, forced, and long friendship.
Chapter 4She woke up two hours after I did. I can usually sleep for hours upon hours until somebody shakes me awake. But today I woke with a start. I looked to my right, seeing a large indentation on the left side my bed. I held my breath and stayed as silent as I could. I heard the quiet, steady breaths of Shimmer as she slept peacefully. For the two hours that I was awake I walked around my room. On a school day, my parents or Gild would wake me up. Luckily for me, no school for me. On these days, my parents would leave to go pick up groceries. Gild would often went with them, but sometimes he would leave early in the morning to go hang out with his friends. Luckily for me, that was one of those days. For an entire hour, I just stared at her. I thought about what I was going to say to her when she woke up, and how I was going to get her to let me join her in the journey. Hour two, I started reading the book a little more. -and the Didec would escape into the jewel. He put the knife in my hooves. I left without uttering another word. Saying that I didn't have a plan after that was an understatement. An old human, possibly the last one alive, just handed me the key to getting Celestia back to normal, and told me to stick it in the back of her head. I was confused. I didn't even know where to step next. But I did know one thing. I couldn't do this alone. Ellis wasn't the most enthusiastic about this plan. Ellis loved Celestia. She was her mother after all. Mine as well. El- Several times I stopped reading because I swore I heard a noise somewhere in the house. I thought I heard the door opening, some voices outside, and even the sound of an explosion at one point. I thought that the world was coming to an end for a second. I dashed out of my room and ran out the front door. What I saw next was the greatest thing I have ever seen. It's sheer beauty had me awestruck. I stared at it for a good two minutes until it subsided. As much as I wanted it stay in the sky for the rest of eternity, it eventually did the world an awful favor and disappeared, never to be seen again. I thought that those were a myth. I couldn't have been happier to be proven wrong. I reluctantly went back into my room. I found everything as it once was. But there was something wrong. My book was gone. My head shot to the bed. The indentation that once occupied almost the entire left side of my bed was gone. The covers were thrown off the bed and the window was wide open. I almost screamed when I saw that. I quickly ran to the window, hoping that I could maybe see where she went. My head darted around faster than a hummingbird's wings. In the forest, I saw a flash of yellow and red running into the forest. Getting my shoes on and grabbing my jacket, I prepped myself to jump out of the window and chase after her. I hesitated. If I jumped out the window right then and right there, then I would be leaving this life behind. Leave the awful life where I at least had a roof over my head and a bed to sleep on, for a life without the harmful gaze of Gild and my parents, without a good place to sleep or a roof over my head. Just an open sky and future where anything could happen. It was then that I felt that same feeling in my that I had back in the library when I picked up that book. The feeling that I was making a big mistake. "Dreck!" I stiffened up when I heard that. The word swirled around in my head, banging against my cranium, setting fire to my positive thoughts. I didn't even need to turn around to see who said that. My dad could be heard in a crowd of screaming, protesting Cromiz citizens. "Just what do you think you're doing!?" I watched as Shimmer ran into the forest. I swore I saw her turn around for a second. And I swore I heard her calling my name, begging that I come with her. The decision was made for me. I jumped. The taste of the air was sweeter than it ever was. The sounds of nature were like sweet honey. The colors were more vibrant and beautiful. Life was worth living again. I found the urge to laugh. I laughed and laughed and laughed. I laughed as I dashed off into the forest, I laughed as my father shouted curses and commanded me to come back, I laughed as they soon became echoes of a bad dream the farther I got from that Godforsaken house, I laughed as I dodged branch after branch, I laughed as I realized that I was finally free. Free of those who hated me, free of the beatings, free of the malking voices and shadows of the executioners who were my family. I ran for what seemed like hours. Even though my body was beginning to collapse from exhaustion, I continued to run. I didn't want to stop. I didn't even care if I found Sunset Shimmer. If I could keep running and never stop, then I would be happier than if I got the book back. Eventually, I had to stop myself. My legs couldn't take much more, and they decided to stop me by going completely limp. I skidded to a stop, and nearly flipped over. I fell onto my back and stared up into the sky. I continued to laugh, despite the fact that I could hardly breathe at all. Sunset Shimmer and my book came to my mind. But I told myself that I would get up and go look for her in five minutes. "Are you going to just lie there forever?" A voice said. To the left of me, I saw her. Sunset Shimmer was clutching my book with her magical grip and looking down on me. "Hey, if I could get my book back..." "Come now? You didn't think it was going to be that easy to get your stupid book back?" "No." my stupid smile was still on my face. I continued to look up into the sky. “So, what’s your story?” I almost didn't hear the question. I was too busy thinking about my freedom. “I was in a place I didn't want to be. And in a split second, I decided to follow you.” “Come on, there has to be more than that.” “You don’t you want to hear the boring details.” “Nobody has a boring life. There has to be something interesting about it.” “Not really.” I lied. Actually, I wouldn't really consider it a lie. Twelve years of living with abusive parents and a brother who hates you does get boring eventually. “I’m actually more interested in your story.” Sunset scoffed. “You don’t get to ask me what my life has been like. We barely even know each other.” "Fine." I stood up. I was taller than her, and yet she somehow stood taller than I did. "I'll tell you my story while we find a place to sleep before it gets dark." "That won't be too hard. I just so happen to know a place."
