GREEN
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0
2727 14.51 KB 263
2727 14.51 KB 263
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>Where are you?
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>Looking around, you observe your surroundings..
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>Wood floor, a backdrop, some red curtains.
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>No.
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>You remember this stage.
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>There is no audience this time though.
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>You’re alone, though you attempt to call out anyways.
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“Hello? Is anypony there?”
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>Silence.
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>It’s then, that you hear something.
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>The sound of insects crawling.
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>Not again, not again, not again!
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>You look around in hopes of finding an exit, but only darkness surrounds this place.
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>Your heart starts to race as the whispers join the crawling.
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>Unlike last time, you can move.
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>To hell with this, you have to run.
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>You jump off stage and start to sprint forward only to freeze.
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>Familiar pale eyes stare back at you.
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>You start to move back slowly, the eyes follow.
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>From the darkness, the monster takes its familiar form of a pony.
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>It starts to lumber forth from the darkness.
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>Eri.
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“No!”
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>Eri.
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>Turning, you sprint back to the stage, and stop.
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>Quickly looking back behind you, you see it has stopped moving.
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>You face it, you have to do something.
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“I’m not afraid of you.”
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>It starts to grow in size, becoming more disfigured.
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>You can’t escape, not forever.
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“I can fight, I can-, I, I can’t! Somepony save me, please!”
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>You shrink down before the monster.
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>It surges forth, maw agape.
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>Suddenly, you’re shoved off to the side.
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>As you land you land safely nearby, you see Rest standing by you.
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>She smiles before facing the monster. “Stay away from her you fuck.”
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>It roars and charges again.
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>However, you jolt awake.
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>Looking around, you see that Rest is holding you close.
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>”Bad dream?” She says in a hushed voice.
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>Your heart is racing, but you start to calm down knowing she is there with you.
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“Yeah, same nightmare, this time though. You saved me, and were trying to fight it.”
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>She looks surprised for a moment, and smiles.
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>”Well that’s good to know I can fight this thing in your dreams.”
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“Would be nice to finally kill it at last.”
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>”Yeah, I bet it would.” She yawns. “It’s really early though, how about you try to go back to sleep?”
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>You’re pretty tired still, and as long as she is here, sure.
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“Okay, I’ll try. Goodnight Rest.”
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>”Goodnight Eri.”
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>Sleep takes you once more, though this time, you are dreamless.
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>Warm light bathes your face as you reawaken once more.
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>You notice Rest is gone and you are alone in bed.
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>She probably is downstairs, waiting for you to get up.
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>You go through your usual routine of washing and stop after drying off.
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>The stitches are still on your foreleg, but you don’t have to wear the bandages anymore.
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>The thought from before rises to the surface.
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>’Bleed away the sorrow’
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>You shake your head and go downstairs.
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“Good morning Rest.”
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>Silence.
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“Rest?”
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>You start to look around, and can find her nowhere.
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“Rest, where are you?”
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>Your heart begins to race.
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>’She left you, just I like said she would.’
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“No! She probably just stepped outside.”
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>’And what? Went to the store for smokes?’
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“You don’t know that. She wouldn’t leave me.”
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>’Look around Eri, she isn’t here. Oh wait, you already did that.’
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>You try to calm down, but the thoughts aren’t helping.
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>’Face it, she’s gone, you’re alone. You know what that means?’
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>Your eyes dart quickly to your leg and away.
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“No, I won’t do it, I said I would stop.”
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>’Fight all you want, but in the end, you’re hurting. You can bleed away the sadness.’
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“I’m better than this, I finally forgave Connie and Rest has been helping me.”
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>’She isn’t here either.’
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>The words hit you, the clock nearby shows it’s after 11.
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>Sitting down, you start to hyperventilate.
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“She, she’s just late that’s all. Rest will be coming any minute now too.”
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>You look to the door.
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>’Ticktock Eri, ticktock. How long will you wait?’
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>Time feels like it flies by.
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“I’ll just walk around the house, write some poetry, kill time. They will be here. They have to be here.”
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>’You’re alone.’
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“NO!”
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>As your chest heaves, your eyes dart around.
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>You start to pace, but eventually, you find yourself in the bathroom.
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>’You know why you’re here.’
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>You try to rationalize.
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“I just happened to end up here, that’s all.”
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>’You know where to look, under the sink, in the usual box.’
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>Your heart pounds harder, and in a zombie like fashion, you search.
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>However, the box is gone.
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>You keep searching, but it’s still not there.
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>Rest must’ve found it and moved it.
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>Feeling a bit of relief, you start to regain control.
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>Looking back in the mirror, you see that you’re a bit of a mess.
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>’You’re pathetic.’
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“I’m not. I’m the best I’ve ever been.”
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>’Then why did you just look for the box?’
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“I, I just needed to find it.”
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>’You know why you did, don’t lie to yourself.’
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“I’m not, I’m” You take a moment to breath. “I was just making sure is all.”
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>’To think you hit a new low, lying to yourself.’
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“Shut up.”
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>Your pulse starts to race.
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>’You’re alone, your box of razors is gone, and now-”
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“I SAID SHUT UP!”
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>You smash the mirror with your hoof.
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“Ow, fuck!”
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>Pulling back, you see your hoof is bleeding and your mirror is broken.
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>As you look over your hoof, a gleam of broken mirror catches your eye.
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>’Bleed away the sorrow Eri.’
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>Your heartbeat thunders in your ears.
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>It’s only one cut.
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>Slowly, you reach for a broken shard.
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>From down stairs you hear the front door open and shut.
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>A familiar voice calls out.
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>”Eri, I’m back. Are you up?”
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>You freeze and slam the bathroom door shut.
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>”Is everything alright?”
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>Hearing Rest’s hoof steps approach, you start to panic.
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>Shit, shit, shit.
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>I let myself get out of control, how the hell am I supposed to explain this?
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>A knocking on the door breaks you out of your thoughts.
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>”What’s going on? Why’d you slam the door? Are you okay?”
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>You’re trying to get your breathing under control.
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>She starts to knock on the door again.
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>”Eri?! I don’t what you’re doing in there, but you’re worrying me. Please answer me!”
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>Fuck it, you have no way out of this one.
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>’She’s going to leave you for this.’
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>Fuck off, this is your fault.
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>’You’re arguing with yourself dumb ass.’
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>You reach out and open the door.
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>Backing away, you sit on the edge of the tub and look down.
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>”Eri, what the hell happened?!”
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>Rest approaches you, but you’re still looking down.
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>”Please tell me you didn’t-”
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“No, I didn’t cut myself.”
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>”Thank Celestia, can you tell me what happened?”
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>You sigh.
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“You weren’t here when I got up, I started to panic, so I tried to calm down by walking around. I found myself in here. I did try to find my box of razors, but I couldn’t find them. As I started to calm down, something inside me snapped, so I punched the mirror. Where were you?”
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>”I went out to get some groceries for the house. I didn’t think I’d be gone long, but I ran into Connie. I told her what I was doing and that I would be heading back soon. I shouldn’t have let myself get distracted in the market, but I thought you would be alright for a little bit.”
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>Your eyes shoot up to face.
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>Her eyes are looking at you with one emotion, pity.
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>’I told you.’
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“After everything, everything I have been through. You thought I’d be alright?”
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>”Eri, I get that I wasn’t here when you got up, but do you really think I’d abandon you?”
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>Yes
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“Yes.”
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>Her eyes shrink and she takes a step back with a look of hurt.
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>You feel shame overcome you.
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“I didn’t, I didn’t mean to say that.”
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>’Of course you did, it’s about time you spoke your mind.’
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>Leave me alone!
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>Rest looks away a moment before looking back to you, her face has shifted to that of anger.
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>”Everything I have done for you. I put my job on the line for you, I have practically moved in with you, I took care of you, I was there for you for when Connie came back. I have done so much for you Eri!”
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>’See? She is now sick of you.’
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“Rest I-”
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>She starts to cry.
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>”You know why I care so much about you? Do you? Because I was there once.”
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>What?
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>She pulls off her purple wristband and shows you her fetlock.
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>Your jaw drops.
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>It has multiple scars.
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>”When I was first assigned to you, I didn’t know the full details. It’s very rare to find another pony who self harms, let alone, tries to kill themselves. When I saw the marks, I knew.” She squeezes her eyes shut. “You have any idea how much it hurts to work in a hospital? I have to watch patients die all the time. When one of my patients die, I usually drink to forget.”
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>You wondered why you smelled liquor on her before.
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>”Sometimes, I let myself go too far, and end up cutting myself. I only stopped cutting recently when I met you.”
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“Rest-”
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>”I’m not done, you need to understand. I admit I still drink every now and then, but I have been trying to stop. It’s so damn hard, I can’t lose you Eri. You can be difficult at times, but I push through. That’s why I care so damn much about you. I don’t want you to die!”
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>Before you can react, she pulls you into a hug and starts to sob.
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>You’re not certain how to act.
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>No, wait, you do.
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>You wrap your legs around Rest, and gently rub her back.
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>She shudders a moment, but continues to cry.
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>Well, now you feel like absolute shit.
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>Is this what it’s like to deal with you when you breakdown?
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>Feeling your own tears coming, you join her in crying.
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>Time seems to slow, and you just keep holding each other.
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>Slowly Rest calms down, her cries now just sniffles.
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>She pulls back from you, her red eyes now pink and puffy.
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>”I should’ve told you sooner, I know. I wasn’t sure how to tell you though. I kept thinking you’d think I was a poser or something.” She shakes her head. “Clearly I was being dumb.”
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>She lets out a little laugh, and you smile.
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“You’re not dumb. If anything, I’m the dumb one here. I know you do so much for me, more than anypony I’ve ever met, I’m sorry that I don’t show my appreciation more.”
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>She rubs your wither.
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>”It’s okay Eri, it will all be okay, you’re just going through tough times. I forgive you.”
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>You share one final hug before she stands back up.
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>”I should start to clean this up.”
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“No, I’ll do it, I made this mess, I should be the one to clean it.”
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>”You’re sure?”
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>You nod.
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“Yeah, it’s the least I can do.”
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>”Alright then, but first, let me see your hoof.”
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>She reaches out and you place your hoof into hers.
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>Carefully, she examines it.
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>”Thankfully its a minor cut, just need to clean it up.”
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>You nod, you’re lucky that she is around.
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“I’ll take care of things, I promise.”
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>She nods back.
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>”I’ll go put the food away, I figured you were sick of soup and sandwiches.” She says with a wink.
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>You smile.
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>In truth, you don’t care, it’s better to share a meal with another than alone.
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>Rest picks up her wristband and leaves you to the mess.
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>You clean up your wound and start to pick up the broken mirror pieces.
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>Placing it in a towel, you head down stairs to dispose of it.
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>Upon reaching the living room, you see Connie and Rest talking.
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>Setting down the towel, you turn to Connie.
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>She looks at you with a smile.
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>>”Hello Eri, I was just stopping by for a moment.”
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“Oh? You’re not going to stay?”
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>She shakes her head.
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>>”I’m afraid not, I wanted to let you know that I have been busy planning. I figured I’d give you a day to breath from yesterday. I know that we both went through a lot.”
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>She’s not wrong there.
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“Oh, okay.”
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>You’re feeling a little down.
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>Connie, noticing your sadness, tries to reassure you.
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>>”Hey, please don’t be sad about this. I came because I’m trying to be more open with you. I promise tomorrow we can start to work on rebuilding our friendship.”
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>She’s trying, you’ll give her that.
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“Yeah, thank you for coming by. I’m looking forward to what you have planned.”
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>Connie’s smile grows.
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>>”You’re welcome, I’m certain you will like it. Take care you two.”
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>As she leaves, you tend to the garbage before coming back to talk to Rest.
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>You find her sitting on the couch, in a bit of a daze.
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“Rest?”
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>She jolts before looking to you with a smile.
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>”Hm? Oh sorry, was thinking.”
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>Funny how things have switched, even if it is for now.
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“We should probably talk.” You offer up.
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>She looks at you curiously.
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>”Oh? What do you want to talk about?”
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>Joining her on the couch, you take a moment to think.
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“When I tried to kill myself, all those weeks ago, I was at my lowest point in my life.”
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>Rest stops you.
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>”Eri, are you sure you want to talk about this? You already have been through a lot this past week. I don’t want overwhelm you with what happened today.”
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>You nod.
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“Yeah, I am. It’s about time we talk about it. No point in hiding anymore.”
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>You take a breath and continue.
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“I had no friends, no family, no one to love me or love them back. I’d just go through the motions each day, but finally I got sick it. If it wasn’t for that passerby who heard my scream, I’d be dead. I hated them for saving me, hated the hospital for keeping me alive.”
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>Pausing to take another breath, you see that Rest hasn’t taken her eyes off of you.
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“When I met you, I hated you too. I thought you were just another pony trying to ‘help me’, but as time went on, we spent time together in my stay.”
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>She smiles.
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“Slowly, I let you in. You were the first pony in a long time that I finally let into my life. I was scared, kept thinking you would betray me. That changed each day you visited when I was released. I couldn’t believe it. I finally met one pony who cared. A part of me was convinced you would leave, but you never did. Even with everything that has happened, you are the best friend a pony could ask for.”
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>As your eyes start to fill with tears, so do hers.
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>”I’m glad that we are friends Eri.”
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>She offers up a hug that you eagerly accept.
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>”I’m so happy to hear you open up to me, you have no idea.”
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>You let out a choked sob, but try to keep it under control.
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“Me too”
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>Your stomach complains loudly.
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>Way to kill the mood.
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>You both pull away, and share a laugh.
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>You could get used to that, laughing with a friend.
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>”So I did grab some food to go from the Cafe Hay. It’s probably a little cold now.”
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“I don’t care, it’s better than nothing.”
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>Sharing a smile, you both head to the kitchen.
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>For once, you’re looking forward to tomorrow.
by NHanon
by NHanon
by NHanon
by NHanon
by NHanon