"I-I'm so sor-ry... please... please forgive me..."
There was no looking away from the sight Teardrop had caused. A white furred rabbit, as cute as a bunny could be, lay dead in front of him, maimed and bruised to the point that it was now just a white ball of red and blue. The still warm blood slowly spread across the ground, but Teardrop didn't step away.
His hooves were already stained.
Teardrop stood in a dark cave with the only source of light being an inch wide crack between two boulders which leaked in dim sunlight. The walls were all gray rock, fully equipped with dripping water and jagged formations that protruded from all directions. The spikes were all more red than gray. The air was cold, so cold that Teardrop's coat stuck up like the spikes around him. The only sounds were that of his heavy breathing and the beat of his chest. They echoed until they were as much as part of the cave as the rock itself.
Teardrop was a colt, right at the age where he would be getting his cutie mark any day now. He was of normal body type for a earth pony colt his age but had a sickly white coat from head to hoof. It was the type of white of a ghost, of a souless pony on the verge of death. It was pale, as pale it was physically possible to be.
His mane and tail were blood red, the dark type of a new victim. His eyes were blood red as well, with irises larger than the average pony's. Even if he was looking the other way, it would still feel like those eyes were on you. There was no escape from his stare.
Teardrop let the bunny's blood drip from his hooves and breathed while standing in place so hard that it was louder than the slam of any of the cave's falling rocks. Ple... ase... I know I wanted to... but... His heart beat was at life threatening levels, but not from the horror of the sight in front of him.
The feeling pulsing through his body was that of a euphoric high, like how a pony his age would feel after their first kiss.
The blood, the mangled corpse, the cute little face of the bunny still intact, Teardrop smiled so hard at the sight that all his teeth showed. And yet, he cried.
Stream after stream dripped down Teardrop's face, right over his smile. For every second of smiling there was a tear, for every bit of happiness a sharp pain in his chest.
Teardrop gave the creature one last look, "Just... at least try to forgive me... wherever you are," and walked away to the puddle underneath the dripping water. There, he stuck out his red stained hooves and let the water run over them until they were white again.
Until it was like nothing ever happened.
He jerked his hooves around until they were somewhat dry and walked towards the crack of sunlight. The cry of an animal squeaked past him as he walked.
To his side were rows upon columns of cages, all filled with rabbits and squirrels and other small animals.They all jumped to the back of their prisons when his eyes hit them. They shook while holding their bars.
Teardrop chuckled while staring into them, "Don't worry... there's always next time..." His voice was soft and had a soothing quality to it. It was like the voice of an angel about to save you. The animals could only cower as he spoke.
He pushed away the boulder where the crack was and stepped out of the cave. Once outside, he reclosed the entrance.
Until next time.
Teardrop was now in a field of snow that stretched from horizon to horizon on both sides. The mountain that held his cave was behind him, so high that it wouldn't have been a mistake to believe that the top reached to the sun itself. Behind it was a range of more mountains that stretched to the north and disappeared into the snow.
Blanket after blanket of snow and ice poured from the sky, latching onto Teardrop's face and body. His coat was whiter than the ground. With his hooves three feet deep, he gazed up at the red rising sun, Should probably start getting ready for school...
A village lay in front of him, a mile away across the white and barren field. Looking at it gave the appearance that it was miles away from the lack of visibility. It was made up of all wooden buildings and couldn't have been more than three blocks wide and long. Teardrop gave his cave one last look, sealed it shut, and began the gallop to the village.
................................................................
The creak of the door was loud enough to wake up a corpse.
Teardrop stepped inside a wooden shack, only to find his mother glaring at him from the kitchen. Hooves crossed and with a scowl of disappointment, she stood in silence as her son made his way towards her. "Tartarus," Teardrop said to himself.
"You know... I always thought kids didn't like waking up early," his mother said. She was middle aged, earth pony and had an ice blue coat and eyes, which complimented her snow white mane and tail. Frost was her name; her cutie mark was a leaf covered by sprinkles of ice.
"So where have you been?" she said, "And don't horseshit me this time..."
Teardrop kept his eyes on his mother's, "I was just playing with my friends... My apologizes for not telling you... I just didn't want to wake you up, that's all." His angelic voice gave his line a genuine degree of sincerity.
Frost kept her hooves crossed, "What game?"
"Tag, in Platinum's house. She can vouch for me," Teardrop said with a playful smile.
His mother didn't let up her glaring, but only increased it.
Teardrop slowly walked to her, "Mom..." and jumped on her for a hug, "What happened is all in the past... Is it really that hard to believe me?"
Frost grabbed her son's hoof and examined it. "Yes," she said, putting it down, "I'm sorry, Teardrop, but it's going to take alot more than a smile to rebuild my trust."
"Fair enough..." Teardrop squeezed her and rubbed his cheek on her chest, "What do I have to do then? Come on! Just tell me!"
"Well you can start by telling me if you're going to go out before sunrise."
"And I will... promise," Teardrop smiled up at her.
A smile crept up on his mother's face as well, and she hugged him back, "I'm sorry for being like this... It's just been hard for me... ever since seeing... those... animals in your room-."
"I thought we agreed not to talk about it..."
Frost sighed, still in embrace, "Sorry..."
Teardrop kept his mother in his hooves for another second, unable to feel any warmth. The only thing on his mind were the images of the animals still in the cage and how early he would have to wake up tomorrow.
A smile crept up on his face, as did the trickle of a teardrop.
"Son, are you crying?" his mother asked.
"I-It's just been... so long since we hugged like this," he said, forcing more tears.
His mother teared up as well and gave him a great squeeze. "I already packed your lunch; it's on the table."
"Thanks." Teardrop grabbed his lunch bag and galloped to the door, "See you later, Mom!" The door shut, and he was gone, leaving his mother alone.
She watched from the window as her son left her sight.
"When will you stop lying to me?"
................................................................
There was a joke among the ponies of the village that the only time it was crowded was during the morning.
Teardrop ran across the busy central street in his village, the village of Glacia, with an innocent smile on his face. All around him, the stallions and mares of the village herded together towards the mountains with picks and buckets and other tools in their mouths. Ice picking, it was the main line of work for the ponies there, though Teardrop could only stare in confusion, Won't it just melt by the time it gets to Canterlot? He could see his dad, a rugged looking middle aged earth pony stallion in the herd. Shard was his name; he walked with a gray coat and icy white mane, tail and eyes and with a sharp piece of broken ice as his cutie mark. A messy beard covered his tired face.
His coworkers walked beside him. Red cracking eyes, a yawn for every second passed, they could barely walk in a single line yet approached the ice fields where a day without an accident was more rare than one with. The ice could break at any second; you could get lost and be found as an ice stick, or you could be just another snow timberwolf victim, one in a long, long list of manys. Beyond that, there were also the myths of the lost kingdom in the north. Legend had it that its ruler cursed it when he was defeated by the princesses, though nopony could ever confirm it. Perhaps that was why even the air in the village had a cursed feel to it, like the ruler from the legend was still watching over everypony.
Like he had never left at all.
Every house in Glacia looked the same. Just wooden shacks, wooden shacks everywhere. They were all rundown, chipping away or just plain abandoned from years of never ending blizzard with the ponies who owned them looking no different. On every street corner was at least one shop, though the only food that was ever sold was age old, frozen hay. But at least there was some food. Seeing none was an all too often sight.
The townsponies all waved hello to Teardrop as he ran. With his cute and innocent looking smile, he looked like any other colt his age, even with his eyes and colors. Though at first his look was one that would send anypony backing away, with all the years he'd lived there, he had become just another child to the ponies there, nothing more, nothing less. With a population of less than a hundred, everypony was close knit in Glacia and all waved to each other like they were brothers and sisters. Teardrop waved back and showed off his most playful smile.
The smile was genuine, not forced. He never forced a smile, no matter how innocent looking it was.
Even now, a single tear dripped down his cheek and fell off from his speed. An innocent bunny, dead on the ground. Because of him. Please... The thoughts would have to be erased for the moment though; class was about to begin. Teardrop fastened his pace, and charged towards the schoolhouse. A few minutes later and he was there, and just in time. His classmates were going inside as well.
Teardrop stepped into the classroom and took a seat on his desk. His peers joined him.
"Alright, class!" his teacher, a younger earth pony mare, said, jumping up with excitement.
She began talking which meant that Teardrop was in his own little world within a few seconds time and looking around the classroom even though there was nothing there. He rested his head on his hoof with his elbow on the desk and body leaning towards it.
There were eleven fillies and colts in the room counting him. Next to him sat Platinum, a shiny gray unicorn filly, and the only pony that could make him blush. She looked even more bored than him.
Teardrop whispered, "Hey!" causing her to snap back to reality. "I bet I'm more bored than you right now."
"Is that a challenge?" Platinum said with a chuckle.
"Are you bored enough to slam your head against the desk?"
Platinum scoffed, "I'm bored enough to slam your head against the desk."
The two shared a muffled laugh. "Hey, you wanna do me a favor?" Teardrop said.
"Depends what..."
"I snuck out this morning but my mom caught me... so... I kinda told her I was at your place."
"Really..." Platinum said, looking amused.
"So you wanna be nice?"
Platinum paused, "Hmmm... fine. Just this once," she laughed, "What were you doing?"
"Just goofing around... you know..."
"I don't know... Why don't teach me." She let out another chuckle.
Teardrop gazed into her silver eyes, "Well if you want to be taught so bad... fine. I-."
The image of Platinum on the floor, dead, popped into his mind. His hooves were soaked with her fresh blood.
Tartarus... Tartarus! Not now! He clenched his jaw and tried his hardest to force the image away.
"You okay? What, is teaching me that stressful?" Platinum began another laugh, but cut it as her friend's veins popped out all over his head. He pressed his hooves against the sides of his skull.
Get! Out of! My! *Head*!
It was too late. Teardrop looked back at the filly and smiled, not from her eyes, but from what he could do to her.
Class was only a few hours long, after all.
"Teardrop!" the teacher yelled, "You can look at your friend later during recess!"
Teardrop came back, "Wha? Sorry!" and took a series of deep breaths. Not in here... that's why I have the cave... that's why I need it...
"Seriously, what is wrong with you?" Platinum said, eying him like he was an escaped convict, "Cuz that was pretty freaky right now."
Teardrop smiled. The image was gone.
For now.
"I'm just really sick... I caught something when I went with my dad the ice fields," he said.
Teardrop quickly looked away from her and kept focus on the desk. The image was staying away. But even still, his gaze drifted towards the other ponies in the room, his classmates, his friends. No images came, but the excitement, the rush of the fun he could have been having right now in the cave with them saturated his body.
As did a frown.
There was no doubt in his mind that he enjoyed all the things he did in the cave, his sanctuary. Even now, the thought of what tomorrow would bring pumped him up like no other. That didn't stop it from being wrong though.
Ever since Teardrop could remember, there had been a feeling inside him, a presence, that drew him to do the things he did, no matter how wrong they were. The rush would overtake him, and he'd be left in tears with his work in front of him.
Please... forgive me...
There was no stopping himself; it was like telling Princess Celestia to stop raising the sun. It was as much a part of him as his deathly white coat, or his soft angelic voice. So far he had never once released himself on another pony, but that was so far.
Staring down at his desk, all he wanted to do was look at his friends, at Platinum, and smile like a normal colt. Smiles had always come so natural to him.
All Teardrop could do was hope that the presence inside that haunted him would one day leave, so his curse could one day end. So he could one day make up for his crimes.
But today was not that day, and Teardrop spent the rest of the class staring at his desk, not daring to look away.
................................................................
"Alright, class! Time for recess!"
Teardrop raised his head and found the classroom already empty. Thank Celestia... He joined his peers outside on the playground and field but went straight for the far side next to the fence so that there was a minimum of a hundred feet between him and the nearest pony. The fillies and colts all played their childish games as much as they could in the snow, with Teardrop staring up and away towards the mountains. He had always wondered what the rest of Equestria looked like; the most he had ever seen was what he could imagine from the stories.
But then again, they could've been just as real as the stories of the lost kingdom.
"Hey, Teardrop!" Platinum ran to him, "Why are you so weird today?! Come on, have some fun!"
He made the effort to see through her, past those sparkling silver eyes. There was no telling when the presence inside him could erupt. "Sorry... like I said, I'm really sick."
Platinum grabbed his hoof. His cheeks turned red. "I wasn't asking, silly," she said, then running towards the other kids with him being dragged along behind her.
Okay... just don't look at anypony and it should be okay... Tartarus... I need the cave.
With his friends closing in on him by the instant, Teardrop prepared to restrain himself, but found himself stopping while halfway there.
"That pony really pisses me off," Platinum said, standing still and glaring, "It's times like these when I wish I had a better hoof for slapping."
To her and Teardrop's side was a pegasus colt, Snowstreak, pushing another colt onto the floor. Snowstreak was white in body and a frosty yellow in mane, tail and eyes. He held a smug smile while his victim only glared at him and remained on the ground covered in snow.
"I told you, don't look at me like that!" Snowstreak yelled.
"Dude... You're right in front of me... I wa-."
"Dude, dude, dude, dude, dude! Just get outta my face before I mess it up even more!"
Platinum shook her head, "It's everyday with him... I'd slap the hay outta him myself, but I already know he's just gonna tell his parents and make a big deal out of it."
Teardrop didn't respond. The only thing on his mind, the only he could see, was the bully's smug smile and his eyes. Those eyes full of malice. The sight of the innocent colt on the ground, unable to do anything back, filled him with rage. All memories of the cave erased themselves, and all Teardrop could feel was his hooves leading him towards the scene. "Agreed... I always hated ponies who get off on hurting others."
Saying that gave him a sick feeling on his tongue, but what was true was true, and what was wrong was wrong. Whether or not he was one to judge, that was how he felt. The lone colt on the ground, still, at the mercy of another.
What was wrong was wrong.
He walked to the bully, "Hey!" all glares on.
"Just walk back, Teardrop... this ain't about you..." Snowstreak said.
"I don't care," Teardrop clenched his hooves, "Just leave him alone... Don't you find being so uptight all the time annoying?"
"Coming from a freak like you?" Snowstreak laughed, "At least I got normal colors."
Teardrop took the insult without so much as an eyeblink. "Seriously... just let him go... He just accidentally looked at you. You don't have to push him to the ground cuz of it."
Snowstreak stepped towards him, "You know what I find funny? How you talk like I give a hay what you say."
"I don't wa-."
"So are you gonna keep talking, or are you actually gonna do something?"
"What!? What's with you and fighting? Seriously, just-."
Snowstreak kicked the colt on the ground in the groin. A cracking noise ripped across the air.
Alright then... Teardrop looked into his adversary's eyes.
Until next time.
................................................................
"Get those freaky flank eyes off me!"
Snowstreak took a violent step towards his opponent and launched an airpiercing punch. The next thing Teardrop knew, he was on the frozen ground with his snout pulsating with pain.
"Still haven't done anything..." Snowstreak said, staring down the bruised colt with that same smug smile.
Teardrop growled and jumped up after the bully. The pulsing only grew more painful, but could no longer be felt. All he could feel was his hooves tensing up, clenching into a rock.
He fired a barrage of punches into Snowstreak, everywhere from the bully's gut to his neck. The white pegasus flailed his hooves in an effort to block, but all it did was break them as well. Each punch Teardrop threw left a black spot or blue or both. His kicks and punches came like a blizzard, like a flurry that had no end. It felt so natural, the smash of his hoof against bone. He knew all the spots to hit.
"The... hay..." Snowstreak said, as he took yet another blow to the throat.
Everypony in the field and playground stood frozen with their eyes on the fight. Platinum's jaw had long since dropped. Teardrop beat back the bully, until Snowstreak's back hit the fence. He had nowhere left to go.
And Teardrop intended it to stay that way.
Snowstreak's victim got up and quickly ran away to the other ponies. It was now just Teardrop, and his newest victim.
"Try not to be a dumb flank anymore," Teardrop said, before turning around. His hooves were still tensed, but his job was done. With Snowstreak busy catching his breath, Teardrop began walking back to Platinum with no intention of turning back.
He only made it a few steps before the sound of hoofsteps rushed towards him, followed by a growl.
Teardrop turned around and launched his hoof at the charging pegasus. All he felt was Snowstreak's eye being punched in by his force, and the drip of fresh blood.
He froze. There was a tingle on his hoof, like the shiver he would get when Platinum touched it, only stronger.
Much stronger.
Snowstreak rolled around on the ground with his hooves over his popped in eye, "Ahhh Tartarus! The hay! You're dead you hear me! Ahhhhhhhhhh!" He spasmed as his eye bled out onto the frozen ground around him.
A smile crept up on Teardrop's face. He stared at Snowstreak as the pegasus screamed in pain. His irises covered every part of his eye.
As soon as the next scream was let out, Teardrop jumped on top of the pegasus and launched a punch at his snout. The feeling was even better this time.
He launched another punch at Snowstreak's face, this time causing a loud crack upon impact. After that was another punch, then another, and another, and another and another.
Like a demon hell bent on speed, Teardrop pounded his victim's face with all the force his all too experienced hooves could explode with. Snowstreak had long since stopped responding, and laid on the floor only able to accept the next crack of his skull.
All Teardrop could feel was the rush, the rush each slam of his hoof gave him, the feel of the fresh blood over his coat. It'd been so long since he had smiled this hard. He needed this smile. He needed this release. Every punch. Every crack. Nothing Platinum could do to him could compare.
The presence had won.
"Stop it!" Platinum ran to him and grabbed his hoof, "Teardrop, stop before-."
Teardrop pushed her away onto the snow and continued on like nothing had happened. It was just him and his victim. Nothing else mattered, or ever would.
"T-T...eardrop?" she said, her voice cracking.
Her colt was in his own world, the only world he wanted to be in. Teardrop slammed both of his hooves on Snowstreak's skull at the same time. No response. He did it again, no response, and again. One final crunch ripped through the air, and he stopped to catch his breath, his face now as red as his eyes. Sweat dripped from him, and mixed with the ice in the air.
His victim laid still on the snow, not even moving from a heartbeat. Teardrop looked on at the frozen body, still smiling. And that's when his slowly slowly faded away.
"Te-eardrop..." Platinum stepped backwards to the crowd."
A single tear dripped down his face. He gazed at the once lively pegasus, now nothing more than just another sac surrounded by a pool of red.
"No..." he stumbled to his victim, "Noooo..." but no amount of denial could change the sight in front of him. Another pony, a child, lay dead on the ground.
Because of him.
Teardrop collapsed onto the snow, unable to force away the truth around him. He could feel a presence overtake him; not the one that he was used to, but another, closer one. One that came from within him.
His flank lit up, and before the second was up, three teardrops had tattooed themselves on his backside.
Teardrop had discovered his special talent.
