//------------------------------// // 2 - Bygones // Story: Remember, Always // by TheFullCrumb //------------------------------// Author's Note: I didn't expect such a response from FIMFICTION. Thank you all for this, It makes me feel accomplished as a writer. Now, this is a more... painful chapter than I planned, with the nightmares, so, if you don't want to, you'll be able to skip over those parts. The nightmare parts are relatively small NOW. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pinkie Pie leaped from the structure onto Volt, tackling him and squeezing him in a bear hug. Volt attempted to speak, but was cut off from his supply of oxygen. “I've been looking for you everywhere! I really want to be your friend!” She eventually relented and let Volt breathe, dropping him when he starting coughing and sputtering. “What was that for?! I didn't expect you to try and kill me!” He spat on the ground. “And I hate being surprised. Never, ever do that to me, ever.” Volt trotted away as Pinkie followed him and started telling him all about strange adventures she had been having during the week. Just make it look like you're paying attention, Volt. Don't want to tick the lack-of-physics pony off, never know if she might destroy the fabric of space and time as you know it! She yammered on in his ear about how stalks of corn came to life and attacked an orange farm far away from Ponyville. Eventually, he had enough. Holding her steady so she would listen, his expression was grim and angry. “Listen here, Pinkie Pie. I don't want to be your friend, okay? You won't stop telling me about things that have nothing to do with me, and you almost killed me. You're annoying, presumptuous, and think that everything revolves around you.” He relented and looked away. “Just please leave me alone. I don't need this kind of crap to deal with right now.” He galloped as fast as he could away. He stopped and turned. Pinkie's mane had turned from springy and altogether unkempt to unnaturally straight. He put his head down. Great. Just had to do that, didn't I? What's the worst I can do? Well, apparently, I just found out! He meekly walked back to Pinkie and sat beside her. “Pinkie-” “Go away. You don't want to be my friend. I don't need you as a friend.” Volt thought hard. He couldn't leave her like this. “Pinkie, I've been under a lot of stress, okay? I didn't mean most of what I said. I did mean the leave me alone part.” He put his hoof on her shoulder. She looked up at him with tear-strewn eyes. “I'm not used to anyo- anypony asking to be my friend. It feels... unnatural for me, okay?” She sniffed and stared at him. Volt had to look away. Puppy-dog eyes on a pony... was really, really weird for him. “You really mean it? You do want to be my friend?” She bounced up, her mane returning to its random, strange pattern, which seemed the norm with her. “Volt wants to be my friend!” “Whoa, hold on there, Pinkie. I do need a friend, but could you not go overboard? I've got some... problems that not even a friend could help with.” Volt stared at the ground. Another voice piped in, startling him. When he looked up, it was the unicorn from the library. “What kinds of problems that a friend can't help with? From my experience, Pinkie Pie can deal with anything, even ghosts... oddly enough.” Volt turned away from them both. “My nightmares.” He laid down on a nearby bench and stared up at the impossibly blue sky, watching the cerulean Pegasus doing tricks in the sky. The unicorn stood over him, a blank expression crossing her face. “I don't think I follow.” Volt stared at her. “These are nightmares that do not have a reason. But it feels like I am actually there-” The nightmare flashed in his eyes. “There's one that varies each time I see it. I'm on a roof-” He could feel the rain as if he was there, staring up at the sky. “There's a thunderstorm all around.” Lightning flashed, scaring Pinkie and the unicorn. “And there's a doctor. Except he varies. The two times I've seen him, he's been a madman and a psychopath. Talking about the brightness of the world, or something like that.” He looked up at Pinkie Pie, who looked utterly baffled. “I really don't get it. Twilight, do you?” The unicorn Pinkie had called Twilight stared at her. “I don't think I fully understand. It's a dream that is so realistic, it feels real?” “No- gah, you don't understand. I don't think you ever will.” He got up and trotted away, leaving the two mares to scratch their heads in confusion, trying to make sense of what he said. I knew it was too good to be true. My nightmare... it has to do with me, in some very personal way. Wait, was that thunder? Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Rain began pouring down on him as he walked along. It made him feel even more miserable than before. But all of it, it feels like... something I've lost. When I wake up, I try and search my memories, but nothing like that ever comes up. It's like... I'm missing something. A big piece of me. When I try to find those, I get pain. What am I missing that hurts so much? He plopped himself down on a block of wood just sitting beside a building. He looked at the ground, wondering what it all meant. A voice beside him broke him out of his train of thought. “Hey, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle! Ah found him, the super-cool unicorn I told y'all 'bout! He's right here!” Volt looked to his left and saw Applebloom. He smiled and got up. “Hey there, Applebloom. What are you up to right now?” “Cutie Mark Crusadin'! We're off ta get us something ta do!” She was joined by a little orange Pegasus with a pink mane, and a white unicorn with a purple and pink mane. He remembered he had seen them before, on what had been his first, well, day in the strange place he found himself in. His stomach grumbled, forcing him to think about food. “Before you go, could you tell me where I could eat? I'm really, really hungry.” He was surprised that they stared at him with big smiles. “Follow us!” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Volt had memorized some of the streets – he could remember things very well: data, names, places... he had to in order to be a successful writer, or at least, he had thought that was what he needed – so he knew some of the areas somewhat well. When they brought him to what looked like a sandwich shop with several tables in front, he watched what other ponies ate. Hay between two slices of bread did not seem very appetizing, but he found it made him very, very hungry. Holding up his hoof, a pony from inside came out. She had the biggest smile he had ever seen- Wait, he thought, second biggest smile. First goes to Cheshire Cat Pinkie. That still freaks me out that she can do that. “What would you like today, sir?” She handed him a menu, and stood there, still staring at him with a ridiculously huge smile. It was starting to freak him out slightly. He concentrated on the menu and settled on what he would have ordered, a cucumber-tomator-lettuce sandwich. As the mare walked away to get his sandwich, he put his head on the table and sighed. “It's like what I used to eat a lot when I was writing.” Meat was too freaking expensive anyways. Stupid low wages. Whenever I get back, I'm going to go to the manager of the department store and laugh in his face when I get published. When , not 'if', Volt. You are going to get published, don't forget that. You just got to... find someone who's capable enough to handle your... unique storytelling. A plate hitting the table signalled that his sandwich was there. Looking at it, he could not fathom any other way to make a sandwich look even more appetizing than it already looked. Whispering under his breath, he thanked whatever governed this world for the food and immediately began eating. As he ate, he could taste some sort of sauce. When it hit his tongue, it burned. Hot sauce? Really? You have to be- He looked down at the menu to see what he had gotten. Spicy Salad Sandwich. Man alive, am I dense. He finished the sandwich, murmuring to himself about remembering next time to order something without hot sauce in it, and thanked the owner and cook of the shop for the sandwich. As he walked away, he realized he had forgotten something. Getting closer, he noticed some gold coins lying on the ground. Picking them up, he placed them on the counter, leaving the owner happy, as he had left a tip as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After walking for a bit, Volt found the strange need to sleep. Staring up at the sky, he reasoned it was still the middle of the day. “Eh, whatever. I'll sleep.” Laying down on some straw nearby on the ground, he promptly fell asleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This time, the nightmare was much, much different. He was a small kid, in a run-down home. He could see what appeared to be an older sibling arguing with his mother. He was not in control, as his body lurched forward with his hand outstretched towards what he could see now as his older brother. He could not understand what they were saying, but he could see his older brother grab a knife from the counter and wave it around in a threatening way. “Mama, no!” He could hear the voice of his younger self crying as he tried to get to his mom, but stopped when he saw his older brother slash her throat. He fell down and started crying as his mom sank to the floor. Almost immediately, his father, seeing what was causing Erik/Volt's younger self to cry, flew into a rage. He charged at his brother and grabbed the knife. Holding the hand of his older brother, Erik/Volt's father slammed the blade of the knife down multiple times upon the wrist, removing the hand and throwing the brother into a nearby glass-paned door. “Get out! I hope you die for what you did!” His father came back in and picked him up, cradling him. He could understand his father's words now. “Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you, Erik. No one will ever hurt you again.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Volt woke with a start. There was sweat all over him. He felt himself, making sure nothing was missing. When he looked around, he realized it was night-time. “Have I really been asleep all day?” A voice beside him made his skin crawl as soon as it made noise, but calmed him when he realized who it was. “Ya sure have been, sugarcube. Applebloom and I were looking fer y'all the entire afternoon! Didn't think ta look near Redheart's clinic.” Volt slowly pushed himself off the straw and sighed. “Thanks for looking for me, Applejack. I ate at the sandwich shop, and afterwards felt the need to sleep. Around mid-day, I think it was.” He shook himself off and smiled at Applejack. “Let's get going.” Walking beside Applejack, he felt... safe. But something was... missing. It had been nagging at him, but something was missing. Searching his memory, he could not tell- wait. “It's a funny thing, dying.” Who said that to me? Who was that? He could not place the name, or the face. He could see the person in his mind, but they did not seem like someone he would associate with. Their face was old, disheveled, marred in places with scarring. He could... remember a room. One of his books was by the person's bedside, 'Truth and Reconciliation.' He had written it as a story about his own life experiences, but had made it more of a fictional account so as to not make it seem like he was writing an autobiography. A lot of the publishers he had talked to hated autobiographies. “Wait, if you came looking for me, does that mean you want me to stay with you?” Applejack smiled at Volt. “Applebloom's taken a likin' to ya. She wants y'all to stay with us at Sweet Apple Acres.” Volt smiled at her as they kept walking. “So, when I found ya, you were shaking somethin' fierce. What was goin' on?” “Nightmares, Applejack. Some not even I could ever explain to you, and you seem to understand me better than the others.” Volt looked away as Applejack continued to stare at him. “Maybe a softer bed'll make y'all sleep better.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, Applebloom was apparently already asleep, because when they passed by her room, there she was, snoring soundly as she laid there. She's probably got good dreams. Why can I not have any good dreams? Applejack opened the last door on the left of the hallway, coming up from the stairs. “I'm expectin' y'all to be up early tomorrow. Ya gotta help with apple-bucking, since y'all are living with us now.” Volt hopped onto the bed and rolled around. It was incredibly soft. He looked over at the window sill. Sitting there was a black cat with yellow eyes. It stared at him for a while, then closed its eyes and went to sleep. Volt sat up and stared at Applejack. “As expected. What is truthful about anywhere is that no one gets something for nothing.” Volt laid back again, staring at the ceiling. It looked... strange. It reminded him of an old bedroom of his, back where he had grown up. Where he wished he had grown up. Truthfully speaking, due to his older brother, he had never really had a childhood. He remembered the fun times, but nothing of it was fun that a child would have, he realized. Wow. I'm really that messed up, aren't I? He sighed and fell asleep again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The roof again. The doctor was replaced, this time, by a soldier with a shotgun. He stared at Erik with malice, shouting something about there being no more brightness in the world because of Erik. It made no sense. He tensed up as the soldier came forward, and lifted his hand. He was shocked to find he could actually move the hand. The soldier came closer, the malicious expression turning to one of regret. “I'm sorry for what happened, Erik. I never meant for any of this to happen.” The soldier dived off the side of the building Erik was on. A few seconds later, a loud crunch echoed throughout the recesses of the building. Then everything faded to black. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The morning came as a much needed reprieve from his painful sleep as Volt woke up. It seemed fairly early, but by looking out the window, he could already see Applejack already in the midst of the task she called “apple-bucking.” It appeared that it was, literally, bucking apples. “Really. That's... not that clever, actually.” Sighing, he trotted to the end of the hallway and stopped. He stared down the stairs at a very large dog. Dogs frightened him very much, and no matter what anyone, or anypony said, to him, they were devil spawn from hell. The dog ran up the steps and knocked him over. In his mind, it was attacking him. He looked behind him to see Applebloom getting up and rubbing her eyes, staring at him with a dog on his chest. “Volt? Why d'ya got a dog on yer chest? Whose dog is that anyways?” The dog bounced off of Volt, leaving him to groan in pain as it ran out the door, and caused something to fall, as both Applebloom and Volt could hear Applejack scream out in surprise. “Ah, ponyfeathers!” Rushing outside, Volt saw Applejack standing in the midst of a large pile of apples, with an overturned cart beside her. Volt galloped up, leaving Applebloom to fall over laughing at her sister's predicament. “Applejack, are you okay?” Righting the cart, he began helping her put the apples back in their buckets. “Some dog came out o' nowhere, tippin' ma cart! All that hard work!” Volt smiled at her as she began helping him with the mess. He frowned when it hit him that the dog that had jumped on him had attacked her. “I don't like dogs at all.” Not just that, they're demon spawn! Demon spawn! I don't think she would understand, but they're demon spawn, from hell! Volt kept that part to himself, preferring to not appear to be, well, a sissy afraid of dogs. Lots of people were afraid of dogs, especially the big ones, like the St. Bernard! Those things could kill someone like me!.. well, maybe not now, of course. Once the apples had been packed up, Applejack sat down and sighed. “So, y'all don't like dogs, huh? Not that many 'round these parts, but some get mighty big.” Moving around to the front of the cart, she hitched herself up – how she did it without help, and so easily, Volt could not even begin to guess – and started towing it towards town. Volt trotted beside her on the way. “No. Don't tell anypony, but dogs... they scare me.” A voice behind him scared him out of his mind when it screamed out what he had just said. “Wait! You! Are! Scared! Of! Dogs?” Volt turned around, his face burning with embarrassment. He came face to face with Pinkie Pie, who was now laughing. “How can you be scared of something that's so utterly cuddly! Dogs are awesome!” She was laughing. Volt had explicitly told her to leave him alone, and she had violated their agreement. “They are demon spawn, okay! All they do is want to hurt me, bite me, try and eat me! You also just broke our agreement-” “You didn't Pinkie Promise!” Volt stared her down until, for some odd reason, she started sinking into the ground. “You don't get it, do you? I said to Applejack, 'Don't tell anypony', and here you are, announcing it to the whole world! Why not just tell them I can't sleep and have nightmares of something wanting me dead, huh?” The last statement he made apparently scared her, as her eyes went wide. She hunkered down, which for him, meant one thing. “Oh no, Pinkie, please don't!” She began bawling her eyes out as he backed away. Applejack stared at him. “Ya know, that wasn't nice of y'all to say that to her, Volt. I reckon you should apologize.” She stared him down with the angriest look he had ever seen. That look could melt steel, sister. I hope you don't set yourself on fire or anything. Volt turned back to Pinkie and sat down beside her, even though she was a full two feet into the ground. “Pinkie, sorry. Just, I don't like it when anypony just announces something of mine that's incredibly personal to the world. For me, it's like giving up who I really am inside for others to see blatantly. You just don't do that with me, capiche?” She nodded and stopped crying. At the moment, she sat in a mini pool of her own tears. Volt scratched his head in confusion. Nothing she does will ever make sense, will it? As he helped her out of her own tears, he noticed, in the corner of his eye, Applejack nodding in satisfaction. Hey, at least I speak my mind. All it seems like you do is tiptoe on eggshells around her! “Oh, look out, I offended Pinkie Pie!” What will she do, bawl me to death?.. Actually, considering that pool of her tears, she probably could. Note to self, do not test previous theory. Thunder cracked overhead as rain started up again. Unfortunately, he was in a stand of trees, and from his knowledge, standing underneath a tree during a lightning storm was a one-way ticket to a fresh self-barbeque, and that was one route he did not want to take. “Pinkie Pie, get on my back!” He helped her up, making sure she was okay as he galloped towards an open spot near the barn. When he arrived, he looked up in time to almost be struck by a bolt of lightning. He tried dodging, but they started moving too fast, as if somepony was throwing them at him. When he stopped moving, a rumbling issued forth from the ground. It made a sound similar to muffled laughing. A large bolt of lightning blasted out of the clouds, straight at Volt. “Volt! Lightning!” Twilight came running up the road, right in the path of the lightning bolt. “Twilight! Look out!”