Return to Bittersweet Apple Acres

The sound of the heavy door to Flora's current abode of hard floors and dim lighting is what awoke her from her daze of reflections of the past. It had felt like she'd fallen asleep, but she had been fully aware of her eyes being open and her current situation while reminiscing on the good times she'd had with her now-deceased friends beyond her reality.

That was how this mess had all begun; the spark that lit the inferno of her curiosity wanting to delve deeper into the mysteries of Ponyville's worst disaster ever since its discovery. An inferno that she now wished to have been extinguished upon the moment it manifested in her mind, never to be thought of ever again.

But fate had other plans, and she could've never predicted or have been prepared for the consequences of her actions. It was the exact reason why she knew now that she had to fulfill Henry's dying wish, and never stop until Bittersweet Applejack and her twisted family were sent to the deepest depths of Tartarus to receive their long-awaited punishments at long last.

Looking up from the comfort of her hooves upon the table, she looked toward the door to see who had joined her in her temporary cold home. It was a stallion with a cream colored coat of fur, dark blue eyes, and a mane of dark brown. His most catching feature was the bushy mustache dressed on his upper lip, giving the illusion that he had no top lip.

This must be the officer that Blackhorn had mentioned prior to his departure, the name foggy to Flora's brain.

"Good day, Ms. Bloom," he greeted, his voice rough and midrange. "My name is Officer Darkwood. I'm a friend of the stallion who questioned you earlier."

"Hello sir," Flora said slowly. "Is there…any word on…when I…can go…home?"

"That's why I'm here," he confirmed. "There wasn't much to go on with your mother's case, so we've sent her body to the Canterlot Morgue for further study on her cause of death."

He paused briefly to break his professional demeanor to a more sympathetic one.

"It must be very hard for you right now, but just know that there's always a light in the darkness. We'll be in touch, and we've arranged some officers to watch over your property, seeing there's potentially a fillynapper loose, given your other current situation."

"That's…not necessary," Flora clarified, seeing this security setup as a problem. "I…assure you that…I'm fine…on my own."

"It's not a permanent arrangement, just simply a temporary one," he assured. "At most, it'll last a week. Just long enough for Detective Blackhorn to get a proper grip on your friend's whereabouts and who the fillynapper might be."

"Ugh. Sorry Henry, my plans will have to wait until these officers get off my tail," she vented in her head.

With police watching her 24/7, there was no way for her to persist with her goal of finding where that flesh slab thing that she and Henry had discovered was in her reality. She'd look too suspicious and be in a deeper hole than she currently was in, so, playing smart, she just nodded and allowed Darkwood to finish his business.

"Very good. Now, I've been asked to escort you back home out of safety concerns. Another officer will show up later to give you further instructions on how we plan to keep you safe, shall we somehow manage to miss any activity while on duty."

Flora just agreed and got up from her seat, hearing her stiff limbs pop upon getting into her usual stance. The burn from the fence made her wince slightly, its presence having returned, no longer coated by the effects of rushing adrenaline in a dire situation.

She shook it off, thankful that Blackhorn hadn't noticed it upon his examination. Regardless, Flora knew she could excuse it as a cooking accident or something. Burns weren't your usual injury to look for on a suspect in a case of murder or fillynapping, but more likely cuts or bruising.

The fracture in her back leg had also returned from under the cloaking of adrenaline, but, considering she had run on it throughout her trek deeper into the bowels of that slaughterhouse, the pain had become no more than the equivalent of a stubbed hoof.

Therefore, she walked out with no visible sign of pain from her battlescars from one night in Sweet Apple Hell, and allowed Officer Darkwood to drive her home.

Upon the arrival of her home, it seemed as if its welcoming atmosphere had dimmed to nothing but a bleak dissonance. It was like she'd returned to a house that had been abandoned and forgotten for centuries, when in reality, it was the house she had occupied for almost two years.

Getting out of the vehicle, she shivered at the cement walkway leading to the front door. It was the first time she had ever returned home alone, and it wouldn't be the last.

"Stay put, kid," Darkwood called from the car. "You'll be expecting company before too long, so just take it easy until then, alright?"

Flora turned back to the car and nodded to confirm that she understood.

With that, Darkwood smiled and took his leave, shifting the vehicle into drive, and taking off back to the station.

Once he was gone, Flora turned back to the unsettling house that was her home, and, with slow and steady steps, walked to the door, turned the knob, and walked into a desolate scenery that she'd never forget as the place she'd found her mother's dead and frozen corpse.

It was all she could see, when in reality, it was just the usual front room she'd occupied with her mother every Saturday night for sitcoms and popcorn. It was a little ritual they'd come up with not long after settling into their new home, and had produced many laughs and memories as mother and daughter quality time.

But Flora's memories would never see that space the same for the rest of her life, and she knew that she could never sit on the cough or watch that TV ever again. She walked past the horrid traumatizing area, into the kitchen, the same bag of items she'd bought earlier still rested there.

To avoid spoiling, she decided to place the contents in their proper areas of the kitchen, then, after the sorting of goods was complete, she just went to her bedroom and closed the door.

Her bed was still messy from the last time she had gotten up for school, and she didn't care to even fix the sheets. Instead, she just lied in her bed and finally cried. She had been wanting to cry ever since Darkwood's intrusion on her past memories, so she did, and, in the culmination of pure and raw agony, found herself reminiscing again.

The day that Henry Quickwit entered her life for the first time.

One year earlier

Through much tribulations and strengths, Flora had finally come face to face with her greatest demons and had seen past her self-grief. Trevor and Sarah had taken Flora's case slow and easy, allowing Flora to regain balance through the many adventures they had shared in their two months of friendship together.

Flora had been shown what Ponyville had to offer beyond its citizens and multitude of buildings; a fountain that was constructed in honor of the discovery of Ponyville, the many clubs that the school provided, and an area that, while it required a long hike, provided an astonishing view at the cusp of inbetween sunset and twilight.

Many of the school clubs seemed like a reason for Callie and her gang of asskissers to target Flora all the more, but it turned out having friends benefited in the case of security as well. Nopony dared to fuck with Trevor or Sarah, mainly because Trevor's muscles were enough to intimidate anypony, and Sarah was known to actually put hexes on anypony who even dared to get on her bad side.

It turned out Sarah was a pony able to see spirits and knew a thing or two about witchcraft, but nothing evil or potentially life-threatening. Flora hadn't believed Sarah about her hexes at first, up until she became a victim of one of her more playful hexes.

It was a hex that had made Flora belch loudly after taking a bite of her lunch the day she was shown how real Sarah's witchcraft was. It had been hilarious to say the least, and had only lasted until the bell rang for the next class. Two bites had been enough for Flora to no longer speculate the existence of hexes, the rest of that lunch hour having been silent in Flora's case.

The same case came with one night of ghost hunting, a single manifestation of a harmless pony spirit having been enough to prove to Flora that Sarah could indeed see spirits and contact them. Sarah had described the spirit detail for detail prior to the manifestation, along with their name as well; Cinnamon Swirl.

Less to say, Flora's friendship with Trevor and Sarah had been very interesting and unique, but it was exactly the reason why she was now more talkative, open, and just happy altogether. She was a totally different mare who had escaped her shell of isolation and paranoia, and every trace of her past had been sealed away in her deepest memory banks to never arise again.

However, through her happiness, she couldn't have helped but feel irritated at the new target Callie had set her sights on. A new student that had just moved from Fillydelphia to Ponyville and was mostly quiet and kept to themselves.

However, in the classroom, they were the opposite, usually finishing their work first and in very little time. Less to say, it was quite a sight to watch whenever they had a pop quiz or just work in general, and it blew Flora away.

That said, the only ponies who knew their name were the teachers; nopony knew their name otherwise, and, seeing they had no friends, you couldn't ask anypony.

Then came the day when Flora would get her opportunity to meet this mystery student under very unfortunate circumstances.

Flora's bladder ached for relief as she grabbed the provided classroom hall pass, and scrambled out of her bore of an algebra lesson. A half hour still remained before she'd be free of the nonsense she'd never use in her life, and she wasn't going to risk the dam in her body bursting.

She found the mare's room not far from the class, walking as if she were drunk, holding her breath, and rushing to the nearest porcelain throne available. Lucky for her, nopony occupied the stalls, and, without even thinking twice, seated herself upon one, closing and locking the stall door behind her.

She occupied the stall for easily over a minute before her private business was concluded, she wiped, and washed her hooves before exiting the bathroom.

Not wanting to return to the snorefest so fast, she chose to take a longer route back to the classroom. This alternate route was a five minute walk than the casual short route of twenty seconds, so she took her time, having no interest in drooling on her desk half asleep and muting out that lecture of how an X magically turned into a number.

She rounded the hall on the far right side of the school, having passed other classrooms and been accompanied only by the static silence of the empty halls.

Then there was a disturbance to the quiet.

It was distant and faint, but Flora could hear something like a shout or cry of disarray. It sounded like somepony was in trouble, and upon hearing high pitched giggling accompany the pleas of distress, she knew exactly what was happening.

She knew the giggles of Callie and her gang all too well, and it was clear that they were devouring some innocent victim that had just been going about their day, minding their own business. Flora didn't even bother the thought of running to get the principle, knowing from her own personal experiences that it was just a waste of time.

Callie was one of the staff's "favorites" who couldn't do anything wrong, so, instead, Flora took the initiative and moved in a fast trot to the source of the disturbance of the natural quiet of the halls.

When she finally found the source, she was surprised to find that it was the stallion's bathroom, and upon peeking into the ghost white walkway, three rears of three mares were in full visibility.

"You're such a loser, Harry Trotter!" Callie taunted cruelly, pointing down fiercly with her front right hoof. "You couldn't get a marefriend even if you tried! Especially if you read!"

More giggling ensued, boiling Flora's blood in anger.

"P-please…just leave me alone!" a mid-range male voice called from in front of the trio.

"Not until you admit you're a loser and say books are garbage!" Callie demanded. "Maybe then you might actually be able to get laid by some mare in this town!"

"Callie that's enough!" Flora objected, fed up with this bitch's relentless behavior.

Callie jumped at the sudden demand, turning to see who had interrupted her fun.

"Well, if it isn't the freak of the town," Callie taunted. "What do you think you're doing on my side of the school? I thought I made it clear to you that if you cross the line, things won't end well."

Flora didn't flinch. She wasn't scared of this bitch anymore, and she made it clear.

"You don't own anything, you selfish bitch," Flora shot back. "I'll walk where I want to when I want to, now why don't you get lost before I report you for sexual harassment."

Callie's expression shifted to anger, not used to being challenged by her victims.

"What did you just call me?!" she raged.

"I simply called you what you are, Callie," Flora replied confidently.

"Hehe. May I remind you that your little entourage isn't here to guard you? You best watch your tongue around me, freak. Otherwise, you may end up in more than just detention."

It was an act of desperation, and Flora saw right through it. With no fear or intimidation, Flora gave Callie a huge wake up call.

"I don't need bodyguards to protect me, Callie. The only pony who can't stand their own ground here is you, seeing these two guard your flank 24/7."

Callie's confidence shattered like glass, having no comeback. Flora had just shot her down like a stone sinking in water.

"T-that's…not…

She trailed desperately, her words skipping and sweat starting to seep from her pores.

Y-you…

She was done. Callie had just been shown just how weak she really was, and that Flora no longer feared her in any way.

"Urgh! This isn't over, Bloom!" she threatened. "You'll pay for this, and will beg for mercy at my hooves!"

Turning to her entourage of mindless sheep to a shepherd, she motioned them to follow her back to wherever they had originally come from with a violent turn of her head.

They followed, and once they were gone, Flora turned to the victim of the entire situation, immediately recognizing the stallion as the new student who nopony knew the name of.

He was cowering and crying in fear of the hopeless situation from his perspective, and Flora was sickened at the sight. This was beyond cruel; this was to the point of traumatizing, and probably would never leave the young stallion's mind to his grave.

Walking forward, Flora reached out a hoof in greeting, to which the stallion, after a long while, took in kind.

"It's okay, I'm not like Callie and those other mares," Flora said, relieving the stallion, and allowing him to finally speak comfortably.

"T-thank you, miss," he spoke with a shaky voice.

"You're very welcome, umm…

"Henry. My name's Henry. Henry Quickwit."

Flora smiled, wanting to just hug Henry for the sake of comfort. He was an absolute mess, and it broke her heart to see a pony like this. Especially considering this was all because of Callie's actions, and it pissed her off.

"Well Henry, my name's Flora. Flora Bloom."

"Flora…

There was a momentary pause.

"I wish I could be as brave as you," he commented. "You just attacked her without fear, while I cowered like a loser."

Flora shook her head, remembering that she had once been in this same exact scenario before.

"I was once just like you; afraid and unable to stand up against her. Then I found friends and learned her weaknesses, and now, I don't even let her intimidate me. After all, she's just another pony like you and me. The only difference is that she prefers to attack others to please herself."

Henry sighed heavily, lowering his head.

"I wish I could have friends, but nopony wants to be my friend," he said sadly. "I've tried to make friends here and in my previous school, but I just get called a "freak" or "nerd" everytime, so I just stopped trying after so many times.

That's why I'm always alone and talk to nopony. I just wanna get through school and graduate so I don't have to worry about making friends anymore. I'm tired of being picked on for my talents, and don't want to be pushed too far again."

Flora caught the last words clearly, knowing what they meant very and fully well. He'd been pushed to the point of no return and had escaped it, and that was enough for Flora to take a chance to say her next response.

"I can understand your reasons, but trust me, hiding from your talents isn't going to end well," she started. "I've faced my own demons, and sheltered myself from the world, thinking that if I kept myself isolated, I could never experience pain ever again. I was wrong, and that's why I want you to take the step I took, Henry."

She held out her hoof again to the young stallion, immediately causing him to wince and become cautious.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

"I'm offering you my friendship, silly," she answered.

Henry gulped at the gesture, seeing flashbacks of false hope being offered to him by other ponies, only to be cruelly stabbed in the back.

"You'll just hurt me like the others," he spoke with unsureness. "I can't handle being hurt again…

Flora could understand his words. He had been traumatized after being tricked several times, just like she had been with Callie upon hesitating to meet Sarah and Trevor.

"I understand, but I promise I won't hurt you like the others, Henry. I know how you feel, because I've been there, but eventually your efforts do pay off, and I promise I'm only doing this to help you."

Henry eyed Flora for a second, feeling different about Flora. She didn't seem to carry any malicious intent or trickery, and given she had saved him and managed to put Callie in her place, he had no reason not to trust her.

With reluctance, he reached out a hoof and took Flora's own in his, accepting her friendship. Flora smiled at her success, following up with the next step of her offer.

"Meet me at my locker after school, and I'll introduce you to some other ponies who definitely will want to be your friend too," she instructed."

"O-okay… What's your locker number?" he asked.

"Locker 608," Flora answered simply. "Do you need me to write it down on a paper or something?" she replied.

"That won't be necessary. I have a great memory," he confirmed.

"Alright. I'll see you then, Henry," she finished, turning to return to her boring lecture with a wave of her hoof as she rounded the corner.

Henry had waved as well, gathering his scattered belongings, and slowly returning to his own class. He had wanted to smile, but the trauma of the several backstabbings he'd received in his past prevented it. One thing was sure, his suspicions would be answered when the last bell rang in about two hours.

The seventh period bell erupted upon the stroke of 3:00 pm, and in less than five seconds, the vacant halls of Ponyville High were crowded with the stallions and mares of said establishment. Flora was usually the last pony out of her classes, not wanting to get marauded by the massive stampede of adolescents that were in a rush to leave their practical seven hour prison.

After the wave of students had vacated her current class, Flora took her leave to her locker not even twenty hoofsteps from the exitway of the classroom, carefully putting in her combination successfully and shoving away her three heavy literature books.

Once the bricks of thick paper and knowledge was stowed away, she closed their metallic home, and turned toward the exit, finding Henry just off to the side. He looked just as nervous as the last time she saw him two hours prior, a glaze of sweat shining on his forehead.

"You ready to go?" she asked.

Henry simply nodded, to which Flora smiled and directed him towards the exit she usually took. Pushing the door open, the scents of spring replaced the scent of a mixture of colognes, perfumes, and body odor that permeated the halls.

Moving down the concrete steps into the courtyard, Flora found Sarah and Trevor conversing next to a provided bench. A mix of the contant chatter of a mix of not-so-pleasant homework, the latest trends, and crushes on other mares and stallions cloaked the conversation, but Flora didn't mind.

Sarah and Trevor talked about a mixture of things, and you could never predict the topic; it was a thread of several things. It could be school-related, something somepony did, personal stuff, or plans for the night.

Upon approach, Trevor and Sarah seized their private talk, and eyed Flora's guest. They'd been informed about the whole situation with Callie earlier inbetween classes, and had made an arrangement to welcome Henry to their little group.

Henry was beyond scared of this encounter upon stopping before his new company, Flora giving him support by speaking first.

"Sarah, Trevor, this is Henry," she introduced. "Henry, Trevor and Sarah."

"H-hello," he greeted nervously.

Trevor spoke first.

"Nice to meet you, Henry! No need to be so nervous. I promise, Sarah won't bite you "

"Maybe not him, but maybe you," she played, following with a giggle. "I'm just teasing. It's a pleasure to meet you, Henry."

"N-nice to meet you t-too," Henry replied shakily.

"So, you had a run-in with Callie eh?" Trevor said. "Good thing Flo intervened, otherwise things would've definitely gotten worse. Callie's a nasty piece of work, unless you have control over her. When you put her in her place, then she's as harmless as a foal."

"Trev's right," Sarah followed up. "but don't worry, with us around, Callie won't touch you."

Henry nodded, attempting to calm down, but his paranoia prevented any such thing from happening.

"Don't worry guys, he'll loosen up as the night progresses," Flora stated. "For now, let's just go forward with the plan."

Henry winced in fear.

"Plan? W-what plan?!" he shrieked.

Flora acted fast.

"Don't worry, it's not a trick," she comforted. "Think of it as a sentiment to allow you to get more comfortable around us at your own pace."

After making up an excuse to make Henry's parents wouldn't be worried about their son's absence, Flora, Sarah, and Trevor had led Henry to the outskirts of Ponyville, into an open field where their business would remain private.

They sat in the form of a circle, setting their saddlebags off to the side and just enjoying the fresh air and warmth of the sun beaming down on them and the entirety of their hometown. Henry was still a nervous mess, but given nothing malicious seemed to be in the midst of their resting spot, he had started to gain his footing a little bit.

Trevor had taken off his leather jacket and was currently laying back on the soft grass with his front hooves acting like a support for his head.

"Hell yeah. I've been wanting to do that since lunch hour," he commented, allowing himself to just bathe in the bliss of his freedom from his suffocating attire.

"I don't know how you even manage keeping that thing on all day," Sarah added. "Especially in temperatures like this."

"Hehe. It's not easy, but it's either that or having my past in full display for everypony to see," he clarified.

Henry chimed in at that comment, having noticed the clear scars lining Trevor's arms.

"Wait, y-you're a drug addict?!"

"Was," Trevor answered quickly, not wanting Henry to get any assumptions that this was an attempt to sell him drugs. "These scars are simply reminders of a past me that I'll never become again."

Flora put a hoof on Henry's shoulder, assuring him that Trevor was being honest.

"Henry, we all have a secret we'd like to share, and that's why we came all the way out here where nopony will hear us," Sarah explained. "These secrets you are about to hear is what makes us three alike, and we've each supported one another by working to confront the demons that once haunted us through friendship and care."

"The first step to healing is confronting the issue head on," Trevor added, sitting up. "However, know that we don't expect you to do so right away. Healing also takes time, and confronting whatever demon you may have will require courage and strength."

"So, y-you brought me here to face some issue I may have?" Henry guessed.

"No," Flora answered, taking the lead in the conversation. "This is simply our way of showing you who we really are beyond the faces that you see everyday at school, as much as why you're here."

Henry felt as if he were being initiated into some occult group, but, for some odd reason, he didn't feel like these ponies were lying to him and really only wanted to be his friend.

Was it odd? Yes.

However, nothing seemed malicious about this, but he still had one question for the three of them to seal the deal.

"One q-question first," he asked.

"What is it?" Flora answered for her friends.

"How d-do you not know that I w-won't tell the school about your darkest secrets? Do y-you really have that m-much trust in me?"

That was a good question, but Flora already had the answer, given her first meeting with Henry earlier.

"Because you aren't like those ponies, and you gave me a chance," Flora answered. "Just like I said when we first met today, I promise that we will never hurt you, Henry. We just want to give you a chance to know what it's like to have friends in your life."

Bullseye.

Henry could hear a sincerity in Flora's voice, his right hoof being gripped softly by both of her's in a gesture of comfort and trust. If Flora had trust in these other two ponies, then he had no reason to fear them as another evil batch of bullies.

With a long sigh, he finally allowed his nerves and paranoia to settle.

"Alright. I'm ready," he confirmed, following with Trevor speaking his tale of how he escaped death through an unfathomable amount of strength and will. Next came Sarah's tale of how she lost an eye, and, even as a filly, managed to save herself bleeding to death.

However, when it came to Flora's turn, she had to take a moment to prepare herself. Her's was by far the most impactful, seeing nopony expects a filly to even have the ability to murder their own father.

Taking in a breath, she finally started to speak, knowing this was definitely going to shock Henry beyond belief.

"My dad was an asshole, and one night I heard a sudden crash like shattering glass in the kitchen while I was playing in my bedroom. Scared, I went to check and found my dad cornering my mom in the kitchen, along with a terrible odor of alcohol.

My mom played it off as my dad accidentally dropping his dinner plate, but then my dad said he had a surprise for me, and I had to come closer to see. Next thing I knew, my mom was tackling my dad to the floor, and, upon seeing the knife stab into my mom's side, knew my dad's true intentions with me.

I was shocked to say the least, and I just couldn't move at the shock, up until my mom dropped me. My dad had recovered and was deadset on killing my mom and I. He nearly had suffocated my mom to death, up until I acted and wrapped myself around that bastard's neck as tight as I possibly could.

I'd saved my mom's life, but apparently she was so out of it that she couldn't stand up and help me take him down. I just held on as tight as possible as he tried his hardest to knock and pull me off, and he was nearly dealt with, up until my hooves gave out.

I fell to the ground hard, and, before I could get away, my neck was already clenched tight. I was quickly losing strength and visibility, so I just reached for something to save me, and when I found something, I just attacked.

I flung whatever I had into him as many times as possible, and, up until I had regained enough oxygen, had I realized what I'd done. There was blood everywhere, and my dad was dead on the floor from multiple stabs through his neck.

I murdered my own father, and for so long I looked at myself as a murderer and ungrateful pony that didn't deserve to live that night."

She was crying, the memories of that night being too painful to hold her emotions back. Sarah and Trevor quickly acted in support, Henry joining them in the form of a hug.

"It's okay, Flora," Sarah spoke first. "You did nothing wrong, and it wasn't your fault."

"Your dad chose his own path, and you just did what you had to to keep yourself safe," Trevor added.

"I know, b-but it still hurts," Flora sobbed, pulling away and wiping her mascara stained tears.

Trevor provided Flora a napkin he'd saved from lunch to clean herself up, and once she'd calmed down, she turned to Henry. His face was in shock, but sympathy filled his demeanor as well.

"I-I'm so sorry," he comforted. "I can see why you were so isolated for so long. After all, you were just a filly who didn't know better."

Flora smiled, accepting Henry's words in kind.

"Thank you, Henry" she replied. "Now, do you see why you're here and why we want to help you and be your friend?"

"Yes," he responded with confidence. "I also see I have no reason not to trust any of you anymore."

"That's great to hear," Trevor said.

Henry sighed, preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"I feel fine telling you what happened not even two months ago, and the main reason why I moved here in the first place."

"Take your time," Sarah assured.

Taking another deep breath, Henry started to speak of his darkest memory.

"Having a talent that gives you both knowledge and reflexes beyond that of the average pony can be both a gift and a curse. That's my case, having dealt with it my entire life.

Ever since my cutie mark appeared during one of the most important exams in my previous school, I have been the smartest and fastest student of every class. I can solve equations without thinking, read at the speed of lightning, and find an alternative in any situation.

Something I really thought as amazing, up until the harassment started. I couldn't even walk home or use the restroom without getting called some name, getting my head shoved in a toilet, somepony labeling me with a "kick me" sign, or being publicly humiliated outside of school.

It was a constant loop of torture, and, even though my mom went to the school about it, nothing was ever done, and it just got worse and worse. I grew sick of it, so I decided to take care of it myself; by taking my own life.

I waited until a day I was home alone, and got out the spare pistol my dad tried to hide from me. I wrote out a letter as my last goodbye, loaded the pistol, and put the barrel to my head. All I had to do was pull that trigger, and every bit of the harassment in and outside of school would be gone forever.

I could finally live in peace.

However, in the moment I could've ended it all, some sort of raw fear came over me. I started to tremble and cry, but, deep down, I still had the burning desire to put myself down. That primal fear clouded it though, and in a sudden moment of hesitation, I just knew I couldn't do it.

I put the gun down and just screamed in anguish and guilt. I cried at myself, and in the midst of it all, my parents found me and knew what I had tried to do. That was the last straw for them, and they went to the school again about it, threatening to sue them unless something was done about the harassment.

As always, nothing was done about it, so we moved away and left behind those terrible memories. Ponyville High has been more timid, but I fear making friends because nopony wants to really be my friend.

They just want to see me cry and suffer when they just stab me in my back, and watch me bleed out."

Henry finished, and Flora and the others were horrified at Henry's tale. It was just fucked up and sad that Henry had been led to that point, and eventually had to surrender. Flora understood fully now why he had been so scared of her offer, but she would never let him be hurt to that point ever again.

"I can't believe they really did nothing about it," Sarah commented. "That is just so fucked up and wrong on so many levels!"

"No shit," Trevor added. "I'm so sorry you were treated like that."

"It's okay," Henry replied. "I'm just glad to know that there's actually ponies who do care, and I'm grateful for all of you actually being real."

Flora responded with a comforting hug, to which Henry jumped at in surprise.

"We'll never let you experience that kind of torture again," Flora said in a strick and promising voice. "Nopony should be treated like you were, and we'll be damn sure you don't end up at that point ever again!"

"Damn straight!" Trevor added.

"If Callie or anypony gives you trouble, all you have to do is let us know," Sarah added. "We'll be sure they never mess with you again, Henry!"

Henry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ponies were actually supporting him, and he felt like he could finally live normally again.

"T-thank you…friends," he said happily, a smile grazing his face and happy tears leaking from his eyes.

Flora wiped his tears with the clean side of her mascara-stained napkin, smiling and assuring Henry.

"No more crying," Flora said. "You have friends now, and have nothing to fear anymore."

Henry nodded, causing Flora to smile and engage him in another hug. He accepted it this time, feeling like a whole different pony from who he was when he woke up that morning.

"All of this talk has made me hungry," Trevor said. "Anypony up for a hayburger? My treat."

"I couldn't possibly let you buy a meal for me," Henry objected.

"Nonsense, anything for a new friend," Trevor insisted, not accepting a "no" for an answer.

"Best just accept it, Henry," Sarah said. "Trev isn't one to back down."

Henry caught the words as serious, and he just decided to play along to save time.

"Alrighty then, hayburgers it is," Henry accepted.

"Sweet! Last one there is a rotten pony!" Trevor challenged me, getting up and starting to run back towards the bridge into Ponyville.

"Hey! Wait up!" Sarah shouted, starting off after the stallion.

Flora didn't persist in the chase, helping Henry up and gathering her luggage.

"Come on," she spoke. "Let's get going before we lose them."

"Sure," Henry responded, starting to walk alongside Flora to the local Hayburger Shack in town.