Crippled, Beaten and Broken.

It had been 12 hours and Ryan was still asleep, although his screams and wild sobbing said otherwise.

After he had passed out, Twilight lifted him with her magic and took him to her own bed with tears dripping from her eyes.

The other girls had sat at their seats, giving each other stunned and miserable looks as their food grew cold. There had been tears shed, but Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were the only ones to weep openly.

Fluttershy was now cradling the still-sobbing speedster as she vented her guilt.

“Oh, Celestia, how could I have been so stupid?” she whimpered, “I just wanted to test out if he was- I mean I just wanted to see if….if he was tricking us, I never thought-”

Her voice broke and she resumed her weeping. Fluttershy held her tighter and kept silent, knowing that her friend wouldn’t accept any condolences or whispers of “It’s not your fault.”

Because Dash was in the wrong.

It hurt for her to admit to herself, but she knew that it was true: Rainbow Dash has done something wrong and she would need to atone for it.

Poor Ryan. she thought, looking towards the darkened stairwell, I hope we can help him, I’d hate to see him fall deeper into his shell. But isn’t that inevitable? Dash must have brought out some really bad memories judging by the way he looked.

In her hooves, Rainbow let out another wail and the kind pegasus stroked her mane as she prayed to anyone who would listen for an answer to her worries and a way to help the suffering being who lay sleeping not a story above her head.

Rainbow was just starting to wind down when Twilight came down the steps, looking more tired than she’d been in a long time.

“How is he?” asked Fluttershy.

Twilight sighed, “He’s sleeping, but I can tell that he’s having nightmares. All I can do is hope that Luna can intervene before they get to bad.”

She walked over and sat near Dash, a stern look on her face, “Dash, look at me.”

The prismatic pegasus whimpered, but obliged, showing Twilight her teary eyes and running nose. “I’m sorry.” she said, her voice raspier than normal, “Twilight, I’m so, so, so sorry, I didn’t know, I-”

“I’m not the one who deserves an apology.” said Twilight, her hard stare making Dash look away, “Do you know the full extent of what you did?”

“I….I humiliated him and…..and made him remember his r-his r-”

“His rape, Rainbow.” said Twilight, “He was raped, that’s a word that you’ll have to get used to. He was violated and, from the look of those scars, tortured pretty extensively.”

There was a chorus of gasps from the girls, then Pinkie said, in a soft voice, “I knew something was wrong with him.”

“And we believed you, darling.” said Rarity, laying a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

“Except me.” sniffled Rainbow Dash, “I didn’t believe him, but I do now.”

“I’m sure you do, Dash.” said Twilight, “And you’d better get ready for some shouting and hate from that poor human.”

Dash nodded miserably.

“What are we gonna do once he wakes up?” asked Applejack, “Ah mean, we’re not really qualified to...y’know, talk to him about it.”

Twilight sighed, “No we’re not. I’m going to send Princess Celestia a letter and see what she thinks of all this. Though I’m pretty sure that she’ll just recommend a therapist for him, though it might be hard finding one who specializes in this sort of thing, considering rape is a really unpleasant subject for most ponies.”

“Yer tellin’ me.” said Applejack.

Twilight shot her a look and the farm pony held up her hooves placatingly, “Ah didn’t mean it like that, Twi. It’s just that it’s hard to wrap my mind ‘round it, y’know? Ah mean, he’s so tall and he has those ‘finger’ things….it just ain’t right.”

“It wouldn’t be as hard as you might believe.” said Twilight grimly, “Rape is about violence and power, if someone were to catch him unawares and overpower him, then Ryan would have a had a hard time getting away, especially if magic was involved.”

‘Those scars,” whispered Rarity, “there were so many of them, and he’s been gone for two years….does that mean that this has happened to him more than once?”

Twilight nodded, “I’d think so, yes.”

Rarity shuddered and Rainbow started sobbing again.

Heaving a sigh, Twilight got to her hooves and made her way back to her room to write her letter.

She entered and walked to her desk, being careful not to wake Ryan, who lay like a corpse entombed in soft sheets. In the pale light his skin seemed almost translucent and his breathing was interrupted by whimpers and murmured words that were gone before she could catch them.

Pulling up a chair, she sat down and began her letter:

Dear Princess Celestia.

It’s hard to write this, but I have to make this report.

I’ve found out what happened to Ryan. It’s a story that may not seem long, but feels reciting an epic when written and spoken, so I’ll tell you later; I don’t have the mind to write everything, so I’ll tell you what I’ve learned.

Ryan appears to have been the victim of rape. I’ve seen the scars that cover his privates and it validates his odd and servile way of acting.

This is, without a doubt in my mind, the sickest thing that I’ve seen and I just need your-

Twilight blinked a tear away and forced herself to finish her letter.

-I just need your help, I don’t know what to do in this situation. Please help.

Your faithful student.
Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight finished writing and took the letter down to Spike. Thanking Celestia and every other deity that she could think of for sparing the young dragon the horror that they’d seen. She just hoped that he wouldn’t ask any questions until the morning, she was too exhausted to formulate any child-friendly answers.

She had reached her door when Ryan sat bolt upright and, with eyes wide and unseeing, shouted, “Please don’t hurt me!!! I’ll do anything…..please….”

Then he fell back and lay still.

Twilight shuddered and left with a burst of extra speed in her steps.

The sooner I can get this to Celestia, the better. she thought.

Rainbow finished a particularly loud, shuddering sob and drew away from Fluttershy’s embrace.

The prismatic pegasus wiped her aching eyes with a shaking hoof and got up, wincing as her wing joints popped uncomfortably.

“Are you feeling any better?” asked Fluttershy.

Dash shook her head and pushed past her friend. She headed up the stairs at a slow trot that got slower and more hesitant as she approached the door to Twilight’s room.

The prismatic pegasus held her breath and listened for any sounds on the other side of the door, but the only sound that she could hear was the steady beating of her heart. Knowing that she couldn’t wait outside forever, she steeled herself and went in.

The lights were off, but the curtains had not been shut, so the moon’s soft glow fell upon the floor and illuminated the still form on the large bed that had been pushed against the far wall.

The moonlight revealed every harsh detail of Ryan’s face: The hollow cheeks, the thin, colorless lips that were half-parted, allowing the tips of his sharp teeth to show; the many small scars that marred his pale flesh, scars which were almost invisible in normal light; the lank, red hair that fell upon the pillow like a scarlet halo and the deep, dark circles under his large, heavy-lidded eyes.

She felt like it was the first time truly seeing him.

Rainbow Dash exhaled slowly and drew nearer to the prone figure, her eyes drinking in the details. When she was a foot away from him she stopped and sat down, and started to think of ways to apologize.

I could get Pinkie to-no, no that’s stupid. Maybe I could take him out somewhere, find out what he likes and pay with my own money….no that won’t work either….what about-

“You doing some thinking?” said a soft voice behind her.

Rainbow whirled around and came face-to-face with Pinkie Pie. The normally bouncy and upbeat mare was still and grim faced, Dash noticed that her mane was straight, the sight sent a new pang of guilt through her heart.

Dash nodded and hung her head, “I need to make it right, Pinkie. I really, really screwed up.”

“Yep.” said Pinkie, “But I’m sure that he’ll forgive you.”

“I doubt that.” said Dash, chancing a glance at Ryan, “I was a real mule to him.”

Pinkie sidled up next to her and laid a hoof on her shoulder, “It’ll all turn out okay, I’m sure of it.”

“No it won’t!” hissed Dash as quietly as she could, “I just revealed something about him that was his to reveal when I should have just tried to talk to him instead of trying that stupid prank. I-I’m a horrible pony. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decked me when he woke up….and I’d deserve it, too.”

She held a hoof to her mouth to stifle her sobs. Pinkie drew her in and let her friend vent her guilt.

After a while, Dash had calmed down. She shrugged out of Pinkie’s embrace and got even closer to Ryan. Then, placing a hoof on the bed, she made a promise.

“I promise that I’ll never hurt you again as long as you stay here. I swear I’ll do anything to be forgiven, anything. I’m so, so sorry for what I put you through, for being such a bully, for spreading those rumors. I just hope that you can forgive me.”

She placed her forehead to the sheets and drew in a shuddering whimper before saying, “I’m sorry, Ryan.”

Then she turned and left.

Pinkie stayed behind a minute and offered her own oath to the sleeping human.

“I me-promise that I’ll get you to smile again. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Then, having made the motions, she too left, and Ryan slept on, his dreams vague, but menacing.