Author's Note
This story was kind of a letter to myself to get my shit together. It's not something I expect to get much in the way of a positive response from, but I really needed to take a hard look at myself.
Grace
My head ached. Saliva spilled from my mouth in a slow, steady stream. Musty air filled my nostrils, entering my lungs. My thoughts were incoherent. All I knew for sure was, I wasn't anywhere I had ever been before. A dim white light shone from my far left. It was the only thing illuminating the structure. My arms and legs were bound to an old-fashioned wooden chair. Despite the chaos, I felt nothing: no fear, no sorrow, no inquisitiveness. I simply didn't care.
"Finally awake?" a feminine voice called to me.
Assuming her to be my captor, I responded.
"I'd play dead, but I doubt it'd do me any good."
"You can't fool us, Kyle. We know you too well by now." she replied.
"So there is more than one of you. I thought as much."
"You don't seem surprised."
"Typical movie tactic: jump a guy in the street and exposition about your personal grudge or whatever before you torture him to death."
"You are way off-base here."
"How could I be? These days people don't even have to know each other to hold grudges."
"You really don't recognize my voice?"
"Not off the top of my head."
The silhouette stepped into the light. A teenage girl with fiery red hair stood before me. She seemed to look down at me with pity.
"Recognize me now?"
"Let me guess: I'm hallucinating."
"Like your old man?"
"Guess it makes sense you'd know about him. You're all part of my memories."
"This isn't a hallucination."
"You're a magical talking horse who turned into a human. Yeah, that checks out." I said sarcastically.
Sunset punched me in the face.
"Convinced yet?"
By then, I had no choice but to accept what she was telling me.
"What do you want?" I asked hoarsely. My jaw throbbed in pain.
"Some sense. We know what you're planning. Does bleach ring any bells?"
I didn't reply.
"Thought so."
The others joined Sunset in a semicircle.
"You've gotta stop trying to kill yourself, dude," Rainbow spoke, "It's taking a toll on everybody, including you."
"Why do you care," I questioned, "I played a role in ruining your reputations. You and the people who look up to you would be better off if I removed myself from the equation."
"Our names were smeared way before you showed up. You saw the boards. You know what went down."
"Your behavior over the last couple years has become really erratic," Sunset interjected, "Not a lot scares me, but how you've been acting? It's fucking terrifying."
"Don't you get it," I rebuked, "This world's a no man's land. The rules we've put in place are manufactured to hide our worst intentions, and they're falling apart more and more each day. If you know what I'm thinking, then you know I'm not a danger to anyone but myself."
"So you're just gonna use that as an excuse to give up? What about your sister? The promise you made? You saw how she cried when you stormed out of the house that night. You still think no one cares whether you live or die?"
I hung my head in guilt. Everything up until then, I'd brushed off, but Sunset's words cut deeper than any blade. She knelt down to meet me at eye level.
"I know you've been through some hard shit. Most people have, but you've gotta find a way to cope. If you can't, everything you've done up to this point will be for nothing."
I looked back at her. My eyes were filled with rage.
"What did I do?" I asked calmly, struggling with all my might to suppress the urge to scream until my vocal chords were shredded.
"How many people did you comfort when they were feeling down and out? You genuinely cared. That's a hard quality to find."
"It only worked for so long. People got more desperate as time went on. There was nothing else I could do."
"What matters is you tried. It's easier to be apathetic than to be concerned for other people's well-being."
I finally broke down.
"I'm just so exhausted with everything..."
"I know. It's all right. Just breathe and try to think things over. There are just a few more loose ends to tie up. From that point on, what you do with your life is your call. We can't stop you from ending it. All we're asking is for you to at least get your affairs in order first."
"I know..."
"We're gonna cut you loose now. Fluttershy brought you something to eat."
Using a saw, Applejack cut through the restraints. Fluttershy handed me a bag with a couple burgers and fries inside. I thanked her and we headed outside. It was still light out.
"How long was I out?" I inquired.
"Not long," Sunset confirmed, "You should probably get home soon, though."
"Thanks for the food, and sorry about everything."
"Don't sweat it. It's a good thing for us you're fairly easy to reason with. I'm not sure we could've gotten through to anybody else so easily."
"I think you clocked him a bit too good there, Sunset." Applejack realized. The others saw it too. There was a small cut on my cheek from before.
"I'll patch you up." Fluttershy offered. Using her first aid kit, she wiped my face with an alcohol swab. She put a Band-Aid over the wound to prevent infection.
"You can take a punch for somebody who doesn't like fighting." Sunset said.
"You were holding back." I replied.
"True, but that shit still hurts."
"It helps if you have something to compare it to."
"You mean that guy that punched you when you were little?"
"He was just being a drama queen. All things considered, I think I held up pretty well."
"You're tougher than you think."
"I wouldn't mind hanging with him in a mosh pit." Pinkie joked.
"Metal fashion was never really my 'thing' so to speak, but it suits you quite well." Rarity complimented.
"Thanks, guys." I said.
"Y'all take care of yourself now," Applejack urged, "Remember what we talked about."
"I will."
"You'd better," Sunset warned in jest, "I've got a whole extra hand to pimp-slap you with if I have to."
I smiled, releasing a quick exhale. I shook my head and turned around to walk away. When I looked back, they were gone...