After Story

Mid semester during another year of high school twelve P.M; Yukàn, sophomore, sits in his desk with his head down upon the smooth cold wooden surface with all the  room's lights off. His once pristine white skin is now a darkened peach for whatever reason after the whole cave incident three years earlier. His hair is dyed a dark orange now due to him wanting to diverge from his old life of adventuring and exploring autonomously. His brown bag that lays against the right front leg of the desk holds the pin of a bird and a horse side by side as a constant reminder of the nicer things in that cave that happened. Two names are written upon the front side of his bag. Sweet Bell and Tsumetai.

The class that was once in this room with him has already gone to the cafeteria to enjoy lunch while Yukàn stays behind and enjoy the silence from all the pestering voices. He could of gone with them, but deemed sleep more important than eating. Despite how unsettling his dreams have been for the past couple of days. He doesn't blame the cave, but more of the experiences he had to go through in it. It doesn't help that his classmates, even after three years, still bug him about it.

On the other note, his dreams have been filled with warnings. Or so he thinks. He considers them the showing of the future. Or the soon to be present. After the events in the cave, he's learned to take things like this more seriously. The loss of his friends, Tsumetai and Elza, has hardened him and his mind. His only companion in this world so far is Sweetie Bell.

But the dreams. The dreams have began tormenting his mind for several weeks now. They've been close to the same thing each time. Fire, death, destruction, ponies, light, and betrayal. He considers it PTSD or whatever they call it now. His doctors agree with him a bit and have prescribed various medicine to help him out some. Despite their whispers on how he shouldn't be allowed to go back into normal civilization yet, he's sure they have his best interest at heart.

But in the current dream he finds himself in, he is standing with some green and black horse with holes in it. It also sports different colored insect like wings and a horn sharp at the end, but riddled with holes as well. It's the weirdest thing he has ever seen in his dreams so far. On his right stands a teal pony who looks very beaten up and tired. But the most daring thing is the darkness that's about to consume them in front of him.

He wakes with a start as a knock sounds from the doorway. The door opens and the class fills in as talkative as ever. People glance his way as he gives a loud yawn and stretches out his arms and legs. His bones pop noisily from being idle for so long.

People have always been worried about him. His first month and a half back on the surface was spent inbetween therapy and jail. The government closed off the area where he came from and investigations on the cave had started. No charges have been added since the time in jail of course.

Most of the kids are afraid of him anyway. They're afraid because he always seems alert and paranoid. Twitching at noises, staring into shadows, calling out names in his dream. Plus they know of his strength and how he may be a potential terrorist.

They're  most afraid that he'll snap one day in class and kill them like Tsumetai and Elza. Of course that was the rumor that started while he was in jail. No one could prove if he was innocent or not, but he did pass through property he was never supposed to so charges had to pressed against him for that. As far as the murder goes, they called him innocent due to insanity.  Morbiss kept his mouth shut through most of it though do to shock.

One day, after another boy yelled at Yükan about killing him and his family, he simply replied that he would be doing him a favor and you can't kill what's already dead. Thoughts of Yükan committing suicide started to rise. But he never showed any signs of being suicidal. He's just so different that everyone is scared of him. Strong, alone, and yet afraid. Despite all the washing, some say he smells of death.

                        ~A-S~

Yükan sits on the bench in Semer Field Park. The place of his childhood. The place that holds his fondest memories. His current home.

Sure anyone would've asked for better after what he went through, but Yükan didn't. He accepted this fate. Just like he accepted everything else that has been brought into his life. The years that have gone by, the death of his mother, the loss of his home, the loss of his dreams. You would think this would be too much for one kid to bear, but he has shown his strength well. Plus he has his companion to keep him company.

His "pet" bird flies down and lands at his feet chirping merrily. A special bird that has dark purple feathers that are softer than anything he has ever felt, soft but still beady eyes, and it's voice is like that of a eagles but more gentle and quiet. It's eyes are the colour of someone who he easily remembers. Which is why he named the bird Sweetie bell in honor of Sweet Bell as he knows her.

He has a lot of reminders of the cave now that he thinks about it. The gloves that no longer hold their gems is one. They broke apart and scattered into the earth when he first returned to his home world. Yet the gloves stayed whole. He holds them close sometimes whenever he feels afraid or lonely. Or anytime he feel as if he might forget what happened to him and everyone.

He can't say exactly what has drawn him to the park, but something in him wanted to come here again. For this to be his home. For at least now. Maybe it was just cause he felt he needed to be somewhere familiar after all that unfamiliarity he went through.

Meanwhile, Sweetie Bell hops inside of one of the gloves that are underneath the bench. Yükan laughs merrily at the sight. Despite everything that has been going on in his life, he's glad that moments like this are keeping him in a happy mind. Sweetie Bell comes out and chirps up at him happily as if knowing it has pulled him out of another one of his moods.

It's the little moments like this that makes life so much more enjoyable. Yükan leans down and holds out a hand for the small bird. It hops up and he brings it to his face. He strokes it head and watches it as it snuggles up in his palm. All the while he can feel the stares of his peers. They watch him as his sits in the park all by himself.

There fear and paranoia keep them at bay. Which brings a ping of sadness to the once always happy man, but at the same time a bit of relief. After the whole event of returning; the cops, government, and press were on him for weeks. He's finally gotten the press to leave him alone and only whispers among people and cops are heard so that ideas are put into people's head of what Yükan might be able to do.

For example this moment right here. A rumor has spread out that he's able to talk to animals or that he's crazy enough to think he understands animals. A ridiculous notion in Yükan's head, but sensible in there's. His actions have effected what people think in the long run.

"You're such a silly bird." Yükan says with a small smile on his face trying to force the darker thoughts away from him.

This creature of oddness is the only creature that shows him some sort of kindness. Two odd creatures in a world together trying to live a life they can call their own. It's a mystery on how these two have become friends. Perhaps some deeper connection between the two that neither will ever understand. Who knows? The world will always be full of mysterious.

~A-S~

Light shines down upon a purple unicorn. She looks over a pool of shadows and takes a mental notes of things that others can not see. She looks behind her down the hallway of disembodied forearms of different creatures. A neat little idea she put into play to brighten up this dull and damp cave.

Though all of her followers do a good job of keeping her entertained as well. If it wasn't for them, she probably would've already blown her cover from being stuck here. Lately her powers have been flaring ever since she got out of that accursed cave. She's been having to use up her excess power in order to keep it from flaring. That's one of the things her master had forgotten to mention would happen. She figures that he assumed that she would return and take it over just like that. To bad that's not possible.

She chuckles at the thought of Celestia's head on a pike at the very front of the throne. A truly beautiful sight in her mind. Than she could have Celestia's sister's head right beside that one, maybe her own family, and than have her foal sitter be her own personal slave so she doesn't get too lonely.

She taps the edge of the pool of darkness before turning and trotting down the hallway of forearms. She knows in due time she'll replace all of these with the forearms of all the guards in that light castle. That castle that will one day burn at her hooves. She laughs a cynical laugh. It's full and bounces off the walls. Laughter is heard coming back from the shadows as they soak in the pleasure that their master feels from these thoughts.

Twilight winces a bit from the healing wound that had been inflicted upon her. It's not fully healed that's for sure. Though, when it is.  She can only keep her gigantic smile on her face from splitting it in half as perverse thoughts of death and carnage fill her mind.

~A-S~

A mare walks forward slowly down the cobweb infested hallway that has shadows cast by spaced out torches. A book is held in her light green magic just to the right of her. The mare is white coated and has a clean periwinkle mane and tail. She seems to be in about her teenage years. Though it's hard to tell when it comes to ponies and their aging process.

The mare stops as a room comes into view to the right of her. She turns into it and lays the book upon the table before her. It's a stone round table that barely takes any space in the broken down room. Most of the light that allows her to work within this decayed room is from the moon that hangs high above. She opens the book and starts looking over it's content.

It's a book portraying a pony casting magic and actual physical stuff coming out of her horn. It's something that this mare has been practicing and studying for a very long time. She's been harnessing this power for as long as she can remember. Making it stronger, making new things, starting her very own revolution of magic. And now is the time for her very hard sought achievement.

A smile plays over her white face and soon her horn starts igniting from the base to the tip. A magical glow finds itself slowly creeping up her face and soon her two forelegs begin glowing as well as ruins pulse out against her coat. She searches deep inside of herself as she reaches out towards the target she has in her mind. Or more correctly, the target that's inside of her.

"To finally have a physical form..." The mare says to herself as a wind starts spinning around her. The cloak flies off revealing her to the world. He shinning white fur with black runes pained on parts of her brilliant coat. Her spiral horn that looks to want to pierce the very heavens shines even brighter as more of the runes glow all along her body. Even somebody who were to stumble upon the sight, they would say it was like watching a fairy perform magic. Beautiful and elegant, yet very powerful. The elegance of her body and the magic doesn't mask the power that's also being put out.

"Step forth into our realm..." She speaks out softly closing her eyes a portal ripping open in front of her in swirling teal and green.

~A-S~