The ties that bind us

The ties that bind us
Chapter 4
Neon’s past, the barrier breaks; how deep can scars run Part 1 a moonlight flight

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.”

“He is tainted, you can see it in his eyes- the demon he is, trying to change who he is; it is folly”

Neon thrashed in his crib as the nightmare continued

“Who would have you, you who bear her curse. Do not deny it we see it in your eyes; the darkness of your coat- you are sin.” Declared one of the ponies as he kicked Neon in the stomach once he had fallen.

“Stop, please!” Neon cried as the ponies continued to beat him and he began to cough up blood from his internal injuries.

“We will not suffer one such as you!” The beating did not stop, and soon enough Neon felt unbearable pain as a stake was driven through his heart and he was left to die.

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Neon shot awake as the nightmare ended, for the last week he had had begun to have the nightmares from his foalhood again and again- dragging him through his tortured past, the beatings, the attempted murders, fighting vampony hunter after vampony hunter, it never ceased. His father tried again and again to press charges against the ones who harmed his son, but they could never stick as the police could never be bothered to defend the outcased young colt.

He stroked the scar on the center of his chest over and over again as he tried to calm his racing mind; it was the largest of them all as he had been staked so many times, the assailants never understanding that vampony lore was mostly heresy and that a stake simply paralyzed it’s victim until it was removed or they suffered final death, whichever came first.

“It may not kill, but it still hurts like a mother fucker!” Cursed Neon under his breath as he thought about it.

Soon enough Neon stood and got out of his crib and headed over to the window looking out at the pre-dusk light and sighing as he watched the clouds moving overhead, the Pegasi moving them too far away to see.

“ I need a break, this is getting to be too much for me.” He said as he opened the window and jumped out spreading his wings just before hitting the ground and taking off.

I wonder where he’s going, he looks upset; I should follow him. Thought Cadence taking off after Neon but keeping her distance as to not be noticed, soon enough the grassy plains turned into farmland and apple trees as far as the eye could see.

Ponyville, what is here for him? Cadence asked as she seen Neon beginning to descend heading for a small graveyard nestled in a small hillock of pine trees, and flying inside of it.

Soon Cadence touched down as well and following Neon soon came up upon a large gravestone and a statue of a handsome Pegasus stallion holding a small foal, he sat down on his haunches and looked up at the now night sky; obviously speaking to it.

I can’t hear him, but I’m not sure I should get any closer, I mean do I have any right to be nosing into this, but Aunt Luna told me to take care of him- if he’s depressed about something then I need to find out what it is.

Cadence slowly moved between each of the stones hiding the best she could as she moved closer and closer towards Neon’s resting spot.

“..... Was funny wasn’t it Dad, you know I don’t think we ever found that cloud, I wonder where it went."

That must be his father’s grave, if so they must have had some kind of money; to have a stone and a statue, I wonder what happened to it.

“I miss you, things at the castle are going well enough, but Luna still hasn’t come back; this war, it’s messed up I don’t know why we all can’t just get along, but then again I should know better than most ponies being different can be enough for somepony to hate you.” Sighed Neon “But I should go it’s starting to snow, I love you Dad, I promise I’ll be back when I can.” With that Neon started to walk back down the path towards the entrance and Cadence followed him, but she hadn’t noticed that the wind had knocked some of the smaller branches off the trees, and in her haste to follow him she stepped on one making a loud snapping noise.

“Who’s there, show yourself!” Demanded Neon as he made his way toward where Cadence had been hiding using his Malkivian skills to turn invisible so that he could search without being detected and soon he had found her.

“Cadence, what the fuck are you doing here, are you following me!” Snapped Neon becoming visible again and glaring at the pink Alicorn

Cadence stared back and now that she got a good look at him it was obvious that Neon had lost weight and his eyes were starting to darken.

“You’ve not been eating have you?” Asked Cadence a mixture of anger and sadness to her voice.

“That not what I asked you, have you been following me or not; I’ll bet you have, only a handful of ponies know about this graveyard and I’ve never told anypony but Luna that my father was buried here!” He hissed his anger at being followed to his special place causing him to grind his teeth.

“Why does it matter?” Asked Cadence becoming angry herself. “You’ve not been eating I can tell, so why shouldn’t I follow you if you’re not taking care of yourself, your Mother would be beside herself to know you’ve been going without blood or food. All this time I’ve been leaving you alone because I thought that you’d been busy with your court; after all how could you not be with everything that’s been happening, but now I find it’s been this- you’ve been avoid us haven’t you?” She finished pointing an accusing hoof at Neon.

“Yeah, so what if I have, I mean just because I act like a foal sometimes don’t mean I’m not still a full grown stallion. I don’t need you or anypony else to take care of me; I did it for ten years after my father died, got my own food, blood and water for ten years from the time I was a colt till Luna offered to take me in, so I’ll say it again; I don’t need you to worry about me if I want to play or talk or something I’ll find you but until then just leave me alone.” Spat Neon tears starting to run down his face again.

“Neon, don’t shut us out, that’s exactly why you need us, you’ve been strong for far too long it’s time to open up again, it’s time to trust, you don’t have to do everything alone, I would have thought the last five years would have shown you that.” Said Cadence who began hugging the slightly smaller pony despite his struggling.

“All it’s shown me is that the world’s not as bad as I had thought ,there are some ponies who do care what happens to me, but when I really need help what will happen then, when and they will the hunters return for another try at killing me, you can’t always be there and so I can’t afford to drop my guard not even a little, You can’t understand Cadence, nopony can. I’m a monster and that’s all I’ll ever be, I can use donated blood and try and use my powers for the good of Equestria, but it’ll never matter, ponies will still hate me and I’ll always be damned.” Said Neon as he continued fighting against Cadence

“Neon, I don’t know how many times we need to continue to go through this, Aunt Celestia, Luna, Me the guard, all of us are here for you, you don’t need to worry about things like that anymore, and it’s better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not, you are a wonderful pony, I cannot believe that you are damned because it’s not what you are but what you do that truly matters, and every day you fight a curse that you were born with, it wasn’t something that you chose but instead of giving in to your bloodlust you fought it, you decided you weren’t going to let the beast control you and hurt other ponies.” Sighed Cadence holding the struggling Pegasus.

“That doesn’t change anything, they still hate me because they can’t understand me, nopony can.” Neon rebuked

“I do.” Said Cadence holding him close. “You put up this mask when you start to feel yourself slipping, start shutting down so that you don’t let anypony in, but under it your just a young stallion who’s seen and been through horrible things, things nopony else besides Luna has had to endure, but that’s all the more reason to open up to us, we love Luna, and we love you, I love you.” Cadence lifted Neon’s face so that they eyes met and lightly pressed her lips against his.

“Cadence.” Neon stared at her in shock. “You want.... you really want to know?

“I do, it’s time to let go; let us in it’s the only way we can help you.”

“Well then I guess it starts fifteen years ago.”

End part 1
TBC