Memories Don't Fade Away: Act II
Written by VelvetBear008 & Edited by brickguy213
The sequel to my 'Memories Don't Fade Away'.
I wanted to write something with, at least, slight meaning and I truly hope you'll enjoy this first chapter (and the other ones as well) as much as I enjoyed the writing.
"Sooner or later we've all got to let go of the past."
- Dan Brown, Deception Point
"This is not possible," I muttered to myself as I was carefully comparing the piece of paper I found to Derpy Hooves' diary. It was night time, and I was lying in my bed, I had left the lamp on the nightstand on, so I could study the objects. I looked at the paper once again, closer. "The font is different, it can't be written by her," I thought aloud, which caused the peacefully sleeping pony next to me to wake.
"Dear," Lyra spoke, her voice quite raspy, and her sleepy half-opened eyes lazily gazing at me, "You're still reading that silly book?"
"It's not silly, Lyra," I stated as I turned my head at my marefriend, "It's... not silly."
She sighed and smiled. "Okay, but I think you should get some sleep."
That was true, it was already three hours after midnight and I was still reading that diary. So I closed it, bookmarked with the paper, then I set it on the nightstand. "Okay," I said after a small yawn, turning the light off and laying my head slowly on the pillow. "Goodnight!" I told her, softly smiling.
"Goodnight, sleep tight, my dear," she said as she closed her eyes.
"To you as well," I replied and closed mine, too.
Soon, Lyra fell into dreams again. I sat up, trying very hard not to wake her. From the drawer of the nightstand I carefully took out a green magic stick, which glows when you snap it. I grabbed it with my hoof and hid myself with it under the duvet. The following hour was spent with reading the diary once again by green light.
By the next day I was already sure, the human must have been real. The font on was completely different from that in Derpy's diary. Even though they were only three words on it, It was noticable that it wasn't written by mouth but nothing else than a hand. That disproved the thought that she wrote the letter herself. She wasn't lunatic, the being was real, but everypony had taken her for a fool. That was... so unfair... My mind was racing as it had never been before.
It was morning and I was sitting in the kitchen on a chair behind the table. My breakfast was in front of me - fried eggs which I loved so much - but I was only staring at it, without a single blink. Lyra, settled down opposite me, was doing the same thing, but at me. "What's bothering you, hun?" she asked me in a worried tone.
I came back to senses and focused my dreamy eyes on her. "Well," I started, not completely sure if it was a good idea what I was just going to talk about, "I think that the human was not just a figment of Derpy's imagination."
Well, I was right, that wasn't a good idea. She facehoofed in frustration. "Velvet, stop reading that stupid diary of that insane mare!" she recommended to me. "It's driving you crazy."
Yes, that was quite true. "I know," I sighed sadly, "and I'm really sorry about that but you have to understand, this Derpy was no insane mare!" I stated a bit upset. "She lost her true love because of the ignorance of others."
"Whatever," she murmured and continued in her breakfast, "But anything like these 'humans' does not exist!" I was about to argue again but better not. It doesn't pay out with Lyra.
After a great day spent with my lover, a few hours after the sunset later, I decided to go out for some fresh air. Luna's night was majestic as usual. I walked the streets alone, just like I did before I met Lyra, and the moon was shining on my way. After a while, I was in front of that house again. I know, I swore to Lyra that I'd be back soon but the power of curiosity took the control now. The key, as I already know, was under the mat. I picked it up and unlocked the unkempt door of the old building. Soon I was inside. It looked, of course, the same as the first time. But now that I looked at anything there, it reminded me of some line from the diary. And things got worse when I walked into the Derpy's room. One short gaze and I was immediately swallowed by anxiety and few tears appeared in my eyes.
'Stop acting like some filly, for Celestia's sake!' I was scolding myself, 'Stop it. Now.'
I slapped myself and decided to already turn around and go away; there wasn't anything interesting there, it was all the same as before. With my back on the room, I was walking up to the door, but immediately freezed when I heard something. A quiet but unfamiliar sound, and then a quiet 'hey you!'. I swallowed, slowly turning back; and what I saw then was unbelievable.
A being; after the fear stopped veiling my vision I recognized it. It corresponded to the description from the diary! Short brown mane, small eyes, two hands, two legs, clothes of different colours, ... It was a human! 'Oh my Celestia!'
I wanted to scream so bad but he placed his hand on my mouth and stopped me. "Don't!" he hissed and I immediately nodded. "Great!" His right hand slowly left my mouth and I took a very deep breath; with eyes wide open I gasped for it. The human burried his face in his palms, rubbed his eyes and turned around, obviously finding right words to tell me.
"You... you are Ryan... right?" I questioned in a whisper, trying to sound calmly as much as I could. And that wasn't very much.
He turned his scared face at me. "How do you...?" At that he rolled his eyes, gazed at the bed, then approached it, fell on the floor and under the bed he saw... nothing. Of course. "Where is it?"
All I could answer was only one long 'uh'.
"I asked you something, didn't I!?" he began yelling at me.
I swallowed hard. "Y-You mean... the book?... I took it..."
The human frowned as he heard my response. I think I upset him with that. "How dare you even try to... touch something in here!?" he shouted.
"I... Uh..."
Ryan suddenly grabbed me by my neck. "Give it back now!"
I was choking from the long lasting absence of air for my lungs. "I... don't have... it here..." I squeaked, "Please... let me...!" And he did. But he thought about it for a while.
His foot was nervously tapping. He crossed his arms and spoke at me again, "So... where is it, huh?!"
"In my house..."
"So what the fuck are you waiting for?" he yelled. "Bring it here, immediately!"
With a quick nod and no complaints, I ran up to the door.
"Hi dear, you're finally back! I was worrying." I didn't want to but I ignored Lyra, went to the living room and grabbed the diary. I was about to go out again when Lyra stopped me. "Where are you going with that?" she asked me.
An idea popped in my head. "Could you please... go with me?"
She frowned in confusion. "And... where do you wanna go?"
"To that house."
"Oh, don't start this again..."
"No, no, no, he's real and he's in that house now! Really, it's true! Come with me please!" I pleaded her.
"As you wish..." she sighed.
We finally got there. I pulled Lyra through the door as quickly as I could. She wasn't taking me seriously and when we stepped to Derpy's room she really hadn't any reason. "He was right there, I swear!"
"Of course he was there," she said sarcastically, "Now let's go back home, and leave here that darn book."
Staring at the empty room before me, "B-B-But... He was standing right there..." I quietly muttered; and she heard me.
"Nopony's here," she assured me like she was my mother and I scared of a monster under my bed.
I sadly agreed with a moderate nod. I threw the diary on the bed and without a sound I walked out of the room with my marefriend. On the way home, one side of my head was telling me there's no human out there and one shouting at me the opposite. I noticed how Lyra was looking at me, she maybe thought that I'm a bit insane or something like that; and I'm not surprised. 'But he must have be real, he was strangling me... It felt real. Argh! I'm so bucking confused!!!' We got home and in the bedroom we shared a very intimate moment, which I'm not going to write about here...
That night I had plenty of some crazy dreams, though I couldn't even get to sleep.
The next night arrived and, unfortunately, a visit within. I can't believe I forgot that Bon-Bon would come. Lyra was her roommate years ago, then they departed but they're still very good (obviously best) friends. So yeah, this mare was going to visit us tonight but I had different plans... Because I just knew that I'm not insane!
"So, will you introduce him to me already?" the creamy mare questioned Lyra when they were walking through the hall.
"Of course, he's -" My quick appearance interrupted her, I was trotting up to the door, not paying attention to Lyra or Bon-Bon. "Where are you g-"
"Sorry, I'll be back soon!" I anwered the unfinished question and went away. Even though I wasn't there anymore, I could clearly see Lyra facehoofing in front of my eyes.
I was in Derpy's room again; it looked very dark and grim now at night and the emptiness of it added a bit of the creepiness. I looked around, seeing no one, so I decided to turn on the lamp on the nightstand and simply wait. The light illuminated the room. There wasn't the diary on the bed anymore. 'I left it right here! Didn't I?'
"I knew you'd come back," said the human suddenly and made me to quickly look around in confusion. I didn't even see him coming, he just appeared from nowhere. Really, really creepy. He was holding the diary, by the way. "Sorry that I wasn't here yesterday, but the brother can be really loud."
'Uh... What?' "What in the hay are you talking about?" I asked even more puzzled.
He waved his hand, muttering: "Nevermind."
'Okay, I don't need to be more confused.' "Oh my, wait a second, I have to bring my friend, she's gonna finally believe me!"
"No, no, no, no, no," he stopped me, "I don't need any big attention, I can't have it, so calm down."
"Mate!"
"No!" the human quietly shouted, looking for a square for his black king to go.
"You keep forgetting about defense!" Derpy told Ryan with a big victorious smile on the lips; pupils a bit shaking.
"Ugh, as usual - every thing's working out for me and then you just ruin all my plans!" The grey pegasus happily raised her hoof, waiting for a hoofshake. "Okay," the human said and unwillingly grabbed the hoof and shook it, "Congratulations, the score is six to three. That means - revenge!"
"As you wish!" Derpy agreed, very sure that she'll win again. While they were setting up the chessboard again, Derpy spoke, "Do you think you could... tomorrow... meet my parents? I'm kind of getting the feeling they think that I'm little bit..." She finished the question with her hoof drawing an invisible wheel next to her head.
"...I... Uh... What do you mean with..." Ryan asked, repeating the gesture.
"You know... my mom gets mad everytime I go here... But if you met with her, she would understand!" she explained with hope in her golden eyes.
"I... It's not a good idea... It'd start a big fuss... y'know... a being that no one's ever seen... I don't need any big attention, I can't have it..."
"Oh, I understand..." the mare sadly sighed and looked at the chessboard. "So... let's begin!"
"Why did you even take the book? It's Derpy's, don't put your hooves at adventitious property!"
Nervously rubbing the back of my neck with my left hoof I said, "Well, she left it here..."
"Oh... you're right..." The human fell on the bed with face covered by the hands, but not crying, just full of sadness. "I hoped she would at least read the short message I left here for her, but no... She hasn't come here already - uh - what's the year?"
"Uh... 2010."
"2010..." I think that now he was already crying. "So it's already six years she hasn't come here... great... If only she at least read read the short message I left here for her... the anwer for her question..." he repeated and got up from the bed, quite desperate.
"I read it," I spoke.
"Oh that's great," he replied sarcastically and continued thinking. I watched him sitting on the bead, back turned on me. I still wasn't sure if all of this was even real.
"Did you really... love her?" 'Gosh, I've the ability to ask the worst possible questions at the worst moments.' He turned his head at me, eyes angrily squinted. "Okay, sorry, uh... I'm so dumb..."
"You are," he agreed with me and offended me at the same time. Ryan began staring at the floor, still nervously tapping with that bucking foot. Gets a bit annoying.
"Stop doing that. We ponies have very sensitive hearing."
"Stop doing this?" he asked and was tapping louder.
"Seriously man, why are you doing that?" 'Probably another stupid question.'
"Because fu -... Well, I just found that six years to the girl I love I still am just a hallucination and symptom of insanity, that's why!"
"Okay, okay..." Soon, while watching the human, I began thinking, 'Weird sight, I must say. I have love, something that not everypony has. I got it so easily, so quickly. But this being in front of me, this being had to go through so much more than me, for the mare almost meant for him, and he suddenly lost it all.' I felt so bad like I don't even deserve all the love; the one in this room that actually did was him. 10:13, that was when I said that: "I'm gonna find you Derpy."
The look on Ryan's face was confused, surprised, happy, thoughtful and joyful at the same. I think that was one big 'okay' but he obviously didn't know how the buck I want to do that. Neither did I, but I was determinated.
"Are you... serious?"
"Never been more."
Yeah, if only I knew what I had just gotten myself into.
"What's your name, by the way?"
"Oh, I've almost forgotten. The name's Velvet."
So I just made a deal that I'd find him the love of his life, which was long gone and nopony even knew her. By the way, I think I told Lyra that I'd be back soon... It was few minutes after midnight and I was just going home when I realized that I suck at keeping promises. Late Velvet meant mad Lyra and I was late as hell. When I got home, she scolded me, called many names and said that I needed a doctor. I wasn't insulted. After all, she did just give me an idea.
The waiting room was full of very weird ponies. I was probably the most normal one there, because if you looked to any side, you would see only terrified and nervous faces; actual ponies that needed a psychologist; if not even a psychiatrist.
'Okay, one more patient and it's my turn,' I thought to myself, 'Just to be finally outta here.'
"Wut's your problem?" spoke a raspy voice next to me. Alcohol was much more smellable after the red pegasus stallion got up from sleep. He was staring there at me with half-opened eyes.
"What's my what?" I asked the drunk pony.
"Your prob," he repeated dryly, "Everypony here's got some problem. My wife..." And then he began telling me a long story about how he and his wife's relationship led to a divorce he does not want to accept.
"She says that I had a problem with drinking, but she's wrong!" he shouted and quite startled me.
"Okay... uh..."
"Bitch!" he shouted again; louder and all of a sudden. "Fuckin' bitch! She'll pay! SHE'LL PAY!" This behavior obviously made the other ponies suddenly silent. Not that the psycho drunk would care, he was already sleeping again. 'It might be for the best.'
So I didn't have to tell him my 'problem' or anything like that.
I sat on a chair, the brown psychologist unicorn was right in front of me, sitting in his armchair. He was kind of sympathetic to me; well, I think that's usual in psychologists; but psychiatrists, on the other hoof, are the right opposite. I watched him levitate his block and quill. "That's not needed, sir," I stopped him, "I'm not here for a session." Now he paid more attention to me.
"What are you here for then?" he questioned with his eyes examining at me.
I didn't know how to begin so I went straight to the point. "Derpy Hooves." 'Great answer.'
The unicorn frowned in confused surprise and now definetely let the block and quill on the table. "Continue."
"She was your... patient, right?"
"Yes, six years ago," he calmly answered, still watching me. "Why are you asking? Did you know her... what's your name, by the way?"
"Velvet. No, I didn't know her but..." I was searching for the right words hard, it was very difficult for me. "But I know somepony who knew her."
"And how could I help you, or that somepony?"
I nervously scratched my chin with my hoof. "Well, I'd like -" 'I?' "... I mean the one who knew her... uh... had to move... and now that he's back he wants to see her again after those six years... you know..." With my dumb smile, I carefully looked at him - he was still calmly sitting there, listening to me. So I continued. "Well, he's forgotten where she lives, so..." 'Wow, he's forgotten where she lives? My imagination really is limited. He's TOTALLY not going to buy this.'
The psychologist slightly chuckled.
"So, what? Cloudsdale is very large and each street looks almost the same!"
"Yes, I know, actually thought about that back then," he agreed.
"Yeah, clouds everywhere you look..."
"White color all around..."
"It looks like a one big cloud."
"Agree."
"...But that's off topic!" I said and continued. "So, don't know the place and asked me to visit you and ask you about it."
"And why didn't he visit me himself?" the psychologist inquired curiously.
"Because..." 'Uhhhh...' I had already gotten angry. "Just tell me where she lives, so he can meet her again! That's all!"
He had still his calm and relaxed face expression. "I can't."
I frowned. "And why not?"
"Patient Confidentiality," he explained and made my madness increase.
"So you won't tell me anything."
He nodded with apologising expression. "Great, then I'm only wasting time here," I exclaimed, and decided to go already. "Thank you, doctor," I told him, pretending that the anger had left me. He smiled at me. I waited to see if he would tell me at least a little bit more but he turned to the window and began silently looking through it. 'Okay.'
I started leaving this at moment; but I did so slowly because I knew that this would happen - he spoke again: "Derpy was a very odd pony," Looking through the window at the pegasi forming several grey clouds in the sky. It was obvious a rain was about to come. "Probably the most interesting patient I've ever had." His voice was dark and quiet. I approached the chair I was sitting on before, hoping he would keep talking. The doctor finally turned his head at me. "Tell your friend that I'm very sorry."
"It's okay, he sure will find some different way to meet her again."
He slowly nodded. Then he began looking through the window again, now I joined him. Raindrops were flowing down it, making it very hard to see, but we were looking anyways. I had never noticed that something so simple like that could've been so beautiful. All the raindrops on the glass making your vision of the outside shakily dance. "If only you knew what Derpy was going through."
"I actually know it all," I told him.
He raised his eyebrows and looked at me with rolled eyes. "Really?"
I nodded. "Really. But at least she overcame the sadness from being separated from her best friend quickly. And rather quickly, too."
The psychologist slightly chuckled. "Then you do not know it all."
My attention increased, but confusion within. "Uh, why?"
"I can't tell, as I said before, but it was nothing near to a quick overcoming." he answered and came back to watching the rainy weather outside, now already going silent.
"Alright then, thank you again, doctor," I sighed. "And beware of that pegasus in the waiting room."
Derpy Hooves was sitting in her mother's house in Cloudsdale. Broken and full of sadness, trying hard not to began crying out loud until she lost her voice. Her mother, on the other hoof, was more than just happy. She brought her a cup of tea and put it on the table, like she hadn't in a long time. Derpy was only staring at it, silent. Her smiling mother settled down in front of her sad daughter, starting a conversation very quickly. "I'm so glad you finally became reasonable, Derpy."
Derpy just stared at the floor.
"That you finally stop the crazy fantasies and began to live in reality," Derpy was hurt by every word coming out of her mother's mouth, which obviously didn't care about her but more about the reputation of the family, so she obviously secretly enjoyed Derpy's despair because it finally meant the end of all the rumors about her daughter being retarded or worse, like the eye issue wasn't enough. "You should be happy that you're getting well," she said, smiling.
Derpy had gotten angry now from all the ignorance everywhere, and took all of her remaining energy to get up. "You have no idea what you're talking about!" she screamed and very fast flew away, leaving her schocked mother at home in the grey clouds.
Nopony understood her. She just wanted to go in the her beloved old house and wait for the night like every day before when everything was yet all right. But now, she was lost. Suddenly, she had her head full of different thoughts, complete opposites of each other; starting to think about it all but no conclusion could've been made, the pegasus was so confused and unable to decide what's right. She could've not take it anymore, all the racing of her mind.
Now crying in front of the doctor and pleading over and over for any help in his embrace. He agreed as tears formed in his eyes, too, and started quietly crying with his patient, knowing that this wouldn't be easy at all.
