Chapters June 20th, the final day of school before summer break. Everyone was eager to officially start their 2 month vacation, and were crowding the doors to get out.
"Aww ya! Summer break has officially begun!" Rainbow Dash cheered as she made it out of the school. "Even better," She added. "We won't be back! We're officially graduated! Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we're free at last!" She quoted. "So, what's everyone's plans this summer?"
"Well, seeing as how we are now graduated," Twilight answered. "We'll need to find a good college to attend in the fall. I've already got a bunch in mind, so i'll probably go and check them out."
"Ugh, college..." Rainbow groaned. "That name should not be mentioned during summer break, but ya, I suppose I will have to get on that too."
"I'll be going to vetrinary school in the fall." Fluttershy spoke up.
Fashion school for myself." Rarity said.
"Culinary school and event planning!" Pinkie bounced excitedly.
"Ahh think ah'll take a year off, help around the farm, and really think of what ah want to do." Applejack said. "What about you Sunset?" She asked.
"I'm not really quite sure." Sunset admitted. "Think I might visit Equestria for a while this summer. But as far as school...I'm not really quite sure what I want to...what's going on?" She asked when they came to a crowd in front of the horse statue.
"WHERE AM I??!" A panicked voice cried out.
"Sunset!" One of the students approached her, looking distressed. "There was an unconscious guy in front of the portal, and nobody knows where he came from, I'm assuming it was from Equestria, and now he's waking up and freaking out and nobody knows what to do!" She finally stopped for a breath of air.
Sunset then pushed her way to the front of the crowd. There, in front of the portal, was a green skinned, green haired man, with green eyes, wearing a green suit. He looked absolutely lost and petrified. Sunset carefully approached him.
"Hey, you're ok." She spoke softly, careful not to spook him. "You're safe. Can you tell me your name?"
"R-Robin. I-oh gosh, I need to find them!"
"Find who?.." She asked.
"My friends! Harry and Manny. They-" That's when he noticed. "Oh, oh gosh! Where are my feathers?!"
Feathers? Sunset thought to herself. Was this guy a pegasus in Equestria?
"Hey, you need to calm down alright? Look, I'm from Equestria too. The portal makes you human like you are now."
"Portal? Human?? What the heck is Equestria??!"
Sunset stopped. "You're...not from Equestria?.."
"No! I-I...honestly don't know where I just came from. Me and my friends, Harry and Manny were kidnapped, I don't even know how long ago. Manny is 8 years old. My friend Harry and I tried to save him from his dad when we found out he was being abused and neglected." Robin explained. "We tried taking Manny away one day, and all I remember is being knocked out...and waking up in hell."
Everyone was silent. Sunset finally spoke. "Someone go get a teacher."
And with those words, all hell broke loose.
Robin suddenly punched Sunset as hard as he could, across the face, and tried scrambling away, screaming.
No! No! No teacher! Please no more teachers!" He begged.
Some students got out of the way, while others took a hold of the hysterical young man and tried calming him down.
Sunset wiped her now bloody nose and slowly got back up.
"Sunset darling! Are you alright??" Rarity cried.
"Go...get Principal Celestia NOW." Sunset said quietly and firmly. Rarity didn't need to be told twice, as she ran off.
"No teachers! No more lessons...no more." He broke down in body quaking sobs.
Sunset slowly approached him again. "Hey, it's ok. I'm sorry I even brought it up. No teacher is coming here."
"I need to find them." He whispered.
"We want to find your friends too." Sunset assured. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"
Robin was quiet for a while, before speaking. "Roy. Roy Gribbleston is the name of the man who kidnapped us."
Sunset took her phone out, and made a note in it. "Anything else?" She asked.
He gave a mirthless chuckle. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you..."
"Try me." Sunset said, hoping he would say more...he didn't.
Sunset sighed. "Let me see then."
Robin looked at her with a confused look.
"Let me hold your arm. When I hold someone's arm...I can see that person's memories."
There was a long pause before Robin spoke. "...Wait, you're serious?.."
"Yes." Sunset confirmed, hoping he would believe her.
"If you are serious, then you really don't want to see."
"No, I probably don't." She agreed. "But I do believe I need to see it. Maybe I can find something to help us find your friends."
Robin nodded and gave a shaky breath. "Ok...but you're not going to like it." He held his arm out for her to take.
Sunset hesitated just a moment, before taking a hold of his arm.
Instantly, she was bombarded with memories.
There was a little boy, must have been Manny. He was being carried out of a house by a...hairy red creature. That must have been Harry. He was followed by a green...duck? Was...Was that Robin?
Finally, behind them, emerged a very angry looking man, shouting and cursing.
"You can't do this! He's my son! I'll call the authorities!" He threatened.
"You go right ahead and do that Roy." The red guy called back to him, still walking. "I'm planning on going to them anyway."
The little kid, Manny, was crying. "Why are you taking me from my dad??"
"We're gonna get you a better home than this, kid." The red guy, Harry assured.
"You won't get away with this!" The man went back into the house momentarily.
"Let's get out of here." Harry said. Robin fully agreed.
A door slammed. Footsteps approached rapidly. Robin turned around...and everything went black.
.........................................................
Sunset saw other memories. Like how they woke up in a house not their own, on an unfamiliar land. How that evening, they decided to start a campfire outside, and...then something strange happened.
A sentient matchstick suddenly appeared and started singing to them about the dangers of fire. At first, it actually seemed cute and quite catchy...but then the matchstick lit itself, and started setting everything on fire.
The three friends started screaming and running, but the fire was spreading too quickly. It soon overtook them, and they were engulfed in the flames, burning alive.
All the while, the matchstick watched with a sadistic grin plastered on its face. Then, everything went black.
They woke up in the house again. Everything was back to normal. Robin started panicking.
"Why, why are we here?? We died! How are we alive?!"
"I don't know Robin. We need to stay calm."
We just DIED Harry!!" Robin shouted. "We have no clue where we are, and how was a matchstick alive and singing to us?!"
"I don't know ok??" Harry snapped. "But panicking is only going to make it worse. Let's just...get something to eat, and calm our nerves." He suggested.
"But-"
"Robin, please..." Harry pleaded. Robin finally conceded.
They went to the kitchen, and found some raw meat on the table. They searched all the cupboards, but there was no other food. The kitchen had appliances. There was a stove, a microwave, a toaster...but none of them worked. The fridge was also devoid of food.
"Well...we could cook it over a fire." Harry suggested.
"And have that matchstick burn us all over again??" Robin said incredulously. "No thank you."
Harry looked out the window. There was a forest not far from the house.
"We could go look for berries." He suggested.
"Better than eating raw meat." Robin agreed, so they went out to the forest to find their own food.
But, as they began to pick the berries, a giant sentient choke cherry suddenly appeared.
"Tsk, tsk, are you picking berries?" It asked. They all froze. "Why, what if you happen to pick the poisonous ones? Don't you know the dangers of poisonous berries and plants?"
"We- we can tell the diff-" Robin started, but was cut off as the choke cherry began to sing its song.
"Nightshade and Hemlock, Doll's Eyes and Foxglove. Poisons and toxins inducing convulsions." It sang. It then turned its attention to Manny. "You should only eat what daddy gives you...cause if you don't..." It forced a handful of various berries in Manny's mouth, and made him swallow.
Within seconds, Manny fell to the ground, convulsing, and trying but failing to breathe.
"Manny!!" Harry and Robin ran to their friend. Manny's breathing slowed to a stop.
The choke cherry tsk'ed. "Such a shame. Those poisonous berries will kill you dead. From now on, only eat what is given to you...how it is given to you." With that, the choke cherry disappeared, and they were back in the house, sitting in front of the raw meat. Manny was also there as if nothing had ever happened to him.
"Ok..." Harry finally said after a long silence. "Picking berries...bad idea."
"I am NOT eating raw meat." Robin said with finality.
Harry sighed. "We really don't have a choice. Besides, I've heard raw meat is healthier than cooked meat anyway...it still has the nutrients in it." He hesitantly took some of the raw meat. "We...we're just going to have to adjust until we find a way out of this place."
"Roy..." Robin seethed.
Harry paused. "Huh?"
That choke cherry told Manny to only eat what his dad gave him...This is all Roy's doing. I don't know how, but it is."
"How?..How is he making these things come to life?" Harry couldn't understand it.
"I don't know...I just don't know."
The memories continued after that. Everytime they tried to do something independently, something would come to life, sing to them about why they shouldn't do that, and it would always end in death, before everything was put back to normal, like nothing ever happened.
Sometimes, they wouldn't even do anything wrong. These creatures would just show up out of the blue to torment them for fun.
They soon felt like they were stepping on eggshells with everything they did, thinking that it was always going to trigger some kind of punishment. Even complaining about...anything would trigger a punishment.
After they had been given raw chicken to eat one time, and had gotten salmonella poisoning from it, they decided to try starting a garden, to grow their own food. That...had been a bad idea.
Having broken the choke cherry's instruction to only eat what was given to them, they were forced down into the basement, which they didn't even know the house had until then, and...things happened.
Their lives became nothing but "lessons" from these creatures...the teachers, day in, and day out.