The Voices Inside My Head

The Voices inside My Head

By: The Sentimentalism Brony

Chapter 1

The Talk

Arriving at Fluttershy’s cottage, I knocked three times, consecutively on the door. The taps were quick and light as I did not want to startle the mare.

The door opened within mere seconds of my knocks, and I was quickly welcomed inside the house. Wiping my hooves off at the door, I walked into the mare humble abode. The cottage was simple, yet satisfying to the eye. Everything had a place, and everything was in that place. Despite having the cottage nearly covered in little critters every day, Fluttershy kept clean house. This was equally as nice, as it would be hard to enjoy myself there if the cottage was dirtied.

Being guided into the kitchen, I follow Fluttershy with gusto. It has been so long, and I had grown to miss our little talks and teatime.

The first thing I see when I enter the kitchen is Fluttershy and I’s matching teacups…And Apple. Now I wasn’t expecting that. “Hello, Apple,” I say in a cheery voice. He smiled. Good, he smiled. He must be in a good mood. That’s more than I can say about Fluttershy.

I sat at the table before her, and fiddled my teacup in my hooves. I knew this was going to be hard for Fluttershy. She wanted to be supportive of Apple; even more so because he had received his Cutie mark relative to his craft: Writing. His Cutie mark resembled something similar to my own. Where I had a typewriter with ink ribbons wrapping around it in a rising motion, he had an apple with a quil writing text over the apple. Poisonous and unsanitary, yes, but it was increadibly delightful to look at, intriguing  if you will. Sure they weren’t similar in appearance, but they were similar in the way that they came from the heart. And the way we complete our novels as well. I type mine out with a typewriter, and Apple physically writes his out.

Looking back up from my teacup, I can see Fluttershy was now seated and looked increadibly ailed. She looked as if she were about to break down, right then and there. But I think I either had something to do with it almost happening, or not. I couldn’t be too sure.

Apple, on the other hoof, looked as bubbly as ever. The pink streaks in his mane, the ones he inherited from his mother, were exceptionally bright tonight. And that only meant one thing.

“S-so,” Fluttershy finally started up. “I hope Apple being here doesn’t u-upset our plans.” She acted as if Apple wasn’t supposed to be there. It was probably another last-ditch effort to refrain from crying.

“No, not at all,” I responded. “I do believe you told me Apple had something to show me?” Bringing it up immediately after she had just said she wasn’t going to have him there was probably not the best idea. But I shot her and Apple a small mischievous grin, which caused Apple and Fluttershy to giggle slightly. They had always been easy to make laugh. That was one of the things I think Fluttershy likes the most about me. I, for one, know that her son definitely likes that part of my personality for sure. He had even told me so on occasion.

“Good,” Fluttershy stated, albeit quietly. “And yes, he does have something to show you.”

        I looked to Apple and grinned again. He smiled again. I swear sometimes that that smile gets bigger and bigger each time he does it.

“C’mon then. Show me.”

Apple said, “Okay,” then got up from his seat and ran out into the living room. Upon return he had a stack of papers in hoof. The stack looked to be somewhere around two-hundred pages tall, give or take a few pages. He placed the stack down on the table with an audible thwack. I looked over the pages quickly and said:

“Interesting. You wrote this?” He nodded his head eagerly. He bobbed it side to side so fast, I was sure his head was going to pop off and continue shaking. “What’s it about?” I questioned.

Apple took a big gulp of air before he burst out his idea. “It’s about a stallion who has been out drinking late one night, after being left by his wife…”I can see why Fluttershy is somewhat upset, but still. He continued. “…But after leaving the pub and returning home, he wakes up to find he is stuck in the hospital, supposedly after a dangerous carriage accident. Not remembering the incident, he attempts to leave the hospital. Once he leaves, he discovers he’s in a completely different town. While looking through the town, and for a way to get back home, he is conflicted about his deeply disturbing past through scenarios the town puts him through, as we as shows him. And by the end of the story –“I stopped Apple.

“Never give away the ending of your story, not even to a friend. The plot should stay hidden deep within your brain, for only you to know. Once the story is published, only then can the end of your story be told. It must always remain inconspicuous.”

He looked at me puzzled, and then nodded. “I understand, uncle Amethyst, thanks.”

“No need, Apple. I don’t need thanks. Just a little tip from one novelist to another.” Apple smiled brightly again. Fluttershy was still looking sick, almost as if somepony had told her she had to put one of her animal friends down.

“What about you, Fluttershy. I nudged a hoof towards her.

“Wha-what?” She responded.

“Before I look over Apples novel. What did you think of it?”

Unfortunately, Apple answered for her. “She hasn’t read it. Told me I should get somepony qualified to read it first. As if being my mother doesn’t make her qualified already.”

It was clear she didn’t want to read it due to the fact Big Mac used to drink. But sometimes you need to look past the past, and put it aside for a while. Or at least long enough to support your only son’s dreams. He doesn’t only want to live up to her expectations, he wants to excel them. And her resistance was causing some difficulty in that department. Perhaps it was the voice, Prism, which used to speak to Apple. Maybe it still does the same now, tormenting him every so often, causing him to cringe and cry. Or, perhaps he has grown past the voice and completely blocked it out. Regardless, something other than the story had to be bugging Fluttershy. It only made sense. Why else would she be acting like this?

“Well, I think it makes her plenty qualified.” Fluttershy looked up to me, and blushed slightly, the crimson predominant against her yellow coat.

“So,” I continued, “I want you to read the story before I do –“I flipped the cover page of Apple’s manuscript of the pile. “– The prologue anyway,” I said pointing a hoof to the word absentmindedly.

“W-what?! I couldn’t do that.”

“And how come, Fluttershy? What’s wrong? You can tell me, you know that.”

It…It’s nothing,” she said objectively.

There then was a soft thumping emanating from behind me. Turning around, I noticed Angel ambiguously thudding his foot against the hardwood floor.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Fluttershy stated in a exasperated hurry. “Angel wanted me to brush and fluff his tail. You can look over Apple’s book while I do that, right.” Fluttershy looked to be pleading now.

“Yes,” I said defeated, “I can look over his book.”

“Good,” she said, almost sounding relieved that I said so. “Now I shouldn’t be too long.”

“It’s fine, really. We’ll be fine.”

“Thanks… Oh my goodness, in all the excitement I completely forgot to pour us our tea!”

“It’s alright, Fluttershy. I’m pretty sure I can pour myself some.” I winked at her again.

“Okay” was the last thing she said before exiting the room. I never ended up seeing her for nearly an hour before she showed back up. But when she did, she looked better, and brighter than she had earlier, which made me happy. I couldn’t stand to see her upset like that, no matter what it was over. It could have been a fight, that she herself started (If she ever dared), and I would still feel sorry for her.

2…

I looked back to Apple with a puzzled look pasted on my face. “How come he treats this vision of his wife like that? Are you implying that he was abusive and now, in an act of confused rage, is reverting to the way he used to treat her before she left him?”

“Exactly,” Apple said, another smile creeping across his face as he did so. “He used to treat her horribly, and now that he is in this ‘inverted world,’ he is turning into what he could never see – Chose not to see.” Apple then got up from his stool and trotted over to my side. He loomed over the paperwork and sighed heavily. He laid his head on my figure as I looked over to him. The gesture was a little unusual as he had never acted like this before. All giggly and fidgety. It just didn’t seem right, like he was acting out of character. Maybe this is what Fluttershy is worried about, I thought to myself. Maybe he has grown a certain attachment to…This dream… And is crying out in the only way he knows how. With words and paper.

Looking away quickly, I return my view to his work, while shifting slightly in my seat. His head still remained in the same spot, save for moving it for a slight moment, before returning it to its destined post.

The event had gone from interesting, to downright creepy in a matter of seconds.

“Apple?” I questioned. “Is there anything you would like to talk about? Like, I don’t know… Maybe the fact that you are leaning on my side.”

Apple looked up to me, ears back and blushed. He then got up off of my side, and trotted back over to his seat. “I’m sorry, Uncle Amethyst. I-I didn’t mean to make you upset, I was just…Happy.” The last word lingered over my head like a dark storm cloud.

Happy! I thought. Happy about what? What could make him so happy…? I slid my dark blue spectacles down my snout, ran my hoof through my greyish-black hair, and peered at Apple over the rim of my spectacles. “Apple,” I began. “Can I ask you a serious question? And you don’t have to answer it if it makes you uncomfortable.” I placed my hoofs in front of myself, and leaned on them, heavily.

“Yes, Amethyst. What is it?” He dropped the “Uncle” part. He must have an idea of what I was going to ask him. That or the completely wrong idea.

“Okay,” I said, getting ready to ask the question delicately. “Apple… Are you, uh… A…. Coltcuddler?” The questioned seemed to sting Apple, but not in the way of being offended, but by being caught red handed, and in the act. And unfortunately for him, he happened to get a little too chummy with his ‘adopted uncle.’

Ears flat against his head he responded, “Y-Yes. Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Please don’t tell mom!”

I had to answer sincerely. It was the only way for Apple to know. And he had to know. “No, Apple. I’m not mad. But you did, kinda, do something wrong. But it’s not the end of the world. I can look past it if you’re going to?”

“Yes, Amethyst.”

“Good. And don’t worry. If you don’t want to tell your mom yet, you don’t have to. But you should tell her eventually –“

“Eventually tell me what?” Fluttershy questioned, entering the kitchen again. She looked much lovelier than before. Her mane had a seemingly new, brighter shade of pink covering an old one, and her features were a lot bright than before.

“Nothing,” I answered, “just guy talk. You wouldn’t be interested.”

“Really?” Flutters questioned again. “And what makes you think I wouldn’t be interested in what, my ‘Little Apple’ is doing.”

“Mom,” Apple interrupted before I could answer her. Perhaps it was for the better anyways. “You know I hate it when you call me that. My name is ‘Big’ Apple, not ‘Little’ Apple.”

“Well you’ll always be my Little Apple, Apple. No matter how old you get. Just remember that, okay? Especially when it’s about a… Coltfriend.”

Apple’s face went so red; you could see it through his already bright red fur. He gasped in conjunction while saying, “What!?” Before completely passing out on the kitchen’s tiled floors. Luckily the fall wasn’t that far.

3…

Waking a few hours later, Fluttershy and Apple had a long, informative talk. One that included me, unfortunately. He told her everything. That he has been this way since he could remember, and that he never really thought of a mare romantically before. Fluttershy was understanding, and didn’t bastardize his preference. For she knew about me and what my preferences were. She just seemed a lot more relieved that I pushed away and buried what little part of Apple’s crush on me had surfaced. She sure as Tartarus wouldn’t want her son going out with a thirty-five-year-old stallion. And I don’t think other ponies would really praise the reverse around in my situation. Besides, I don’t think about Apple that way. I think of him as an adopted son for Lunasakes

Regardless, in the end, Apple was most pleased. And so was I…