Unforeseen Consequences - Chapter 2


                                            >A’ight, I think this is the third intersection, I just gotta go straight up this alleyway and turn left at the next one to reach the shop district. Right where the geezer’s shop is.

                                            >Cool. I want to finish with all these favors as soon as possible so I can be back home before sundo-

                                            >What was that noise? Is there someone following me? Did the patrols see me? Why am I asking myself these stupid questions instead of hiding?

                                            >Okay, Eris! Do what you always tell the dork and calm down! Let’s see, is there actually someone on your trail? Well, if there is, then the dude must be doing a pretty rad job ‘cause I don’t see anyone here except for me, and that weird brown cat.

                                            >So that’s what caused the noise! Guy must have been eating from the many, many trashcans that were literally everywhere, probably lost balance, and fell to the dusty ground along with his dinner.

                                            >Sweet! Now I can catch my breath again.

                                            “Heh! You gave a good scare there, buddy.”

                                            >Like all cats tend to do, this one licked his paw and walked away minding his merry business. Meh! Who cares, that cat was butt-ugly anyway.

                                            >...It probably would be better if I did the same though. Don’t wanna stay around these parts for too long. The heat just sucks today and the smell of rotten garbage ain’t doing me any favors.

                                            “Oh, for the love of-! I should’ve just gone home!”


                                            >Where did all these patrols come from? The entire street was filled with them. I can’t even try my luck and sneak around since they also had their stupid ships flying all over the place!

                                            >Why were they even here? It’s not like the geezers ratted me out since I could see the old pegasus and most of the shopkeepers yelling at the patrols to get the heck out, and I’m pretty sure no one ever saw me coming in and out of their store.

                                            >I really should’ve scrammed as fast as I could, but… what can I say? My curiosity got the best of me. It’s not like I just sat there in the open though, I’m not the dork, but I ain’t stupid either.

                                            >As gross as it was, I managed to find a good hiding spot among all the trashcans. Heh! Now I could finally know what the heck was going on without worrying about any stupid patrol.

                                            >Or that’s what I thought at least, not soon after getting comfortable at my hiding spot, I heard a voice coming from the back of the alleyway “Oh, there you are, hun! I was getting worried that the patrols had gotten you.”

                                            >It was the other one of the pegasi geezers. What was her name again? Cloud something… MMM! Oh, that’s right!

                                            “Hiya there, Cloud Stomper! Fancy meeting you here! Are you out to enjoy the scenic route or something?”

                                            >The old mare shook her head and sat down by your hiding spot “Jokey as always. I’m here because of you, Eris.”

                                            “Oh…yeah. Guess it’s time I finish my part of the deal, huh? So, what do you need me to do today?”

                                            >“Oh, no! It’s not exactly like that! I’m here because we were worried about you, hun.”

                                            “Well… color me surprised, I guess. Didn’t think you guys would care about a non-pony.”


                                            >“I know it’s hard to believe, but we’re not that bad, hun. That said…” The old mare stood up and motioned me to follow her. “I know it’s a bit dangerous, but would you mind coming with me to the store? There’s something my husband and I wanted to give you.”

                                            >This looked, sounded and felt like a bad idea, but… it’s not like I had any other option, right? I mean, either way, I had a debt to pay, and this old coot ain’t exactly someone I wanted to mess around with.

                                            “Sure, why not? it’s not like I can go anywhere else anyway.”

                                            >After making sure that no patrol was looking in my direction, I got out of my smelly hideout and followed the old mare through the alleyways.

                                            >We weren’t walking side-by-side, of course. I had to make sure to leave a good distance between us in case this was a trap and if I had to scram as fast as possible.

                                            >That never happened though. The entire trip was fast and silent. Before I knew it, we had already reached the backdoor of their store.

                                            >The old mare opened the door using a key that she kept hidden in her mane, then she turned to me with this old granny smile “I’m sorry, hun, but could you wait here for a while? I know how rude this is, but we cannot let you inside with all these patrols lurking around.”

                                            “Sure… just don’t take long. I’ve some other stuff to do.”

                                            >“I know, hun. It won’t be for too long.”

                                            >And guess what? Cloud Stomper wasn’t lying this time either. She came back in less than five minutes carrying a big pack of books on her back. Guess I’ll need to deliver those to some other…


                                            >“Here, hun.” The old mare said as she took off the books from her back and handled them to me. All with her mouth… that can’t be healthy, right? “These are for you. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we did.”

                                            >Wha-? Did I hear right?!

                                            “Wait! Is… is this for real? Are you seriously giving me these?”

                                            >“Mhm! And please don’t think on turning these down!” The mare nodded as she basically forced the books on me “We know about the… not very nice way you get books to that colt you use for your show.”

                                            “You mean that I steal them, right? Well, what do you want me to say? It’s not like we’re loaded with bits”

                                            >“I know, hun! It’s cute how much you care about that colt, but it’s very risky for someone like you to run around and take stuff that isn’t yours. Maybe these will stop you from doing that, even for a bit.”

                                            >I took a glance at the books. The one on the top was titled “A guide to ancient races: From the mighty centaur to the rare draconequus.”

                                            >Draconequus, huh? Maybe I should give this book a go one day… or not. Reading is what the dork does, I just bring the show.

                                            “Well… if you insist… Sure! I mean, a gift is a gift, right? Thank you, Mrs. Stomper. I’m sure the do- Res will love these books!”

                                            >The old mare scratched her chin as she looked away from me “So that’s his name…”

                                            >Maybe it was just me, but, the way Cloud Stomper said that and how silent she was being. It didn’t exactly give groovy vibes.


                                            >Should I… drop the books and run? ‘Cause this would be the perfect chance to do it… Nah! It would be more fun if I poked her a bit.

                                            “Mrs. Stomper? Yoo-hoo! Is everything a’ight?”

                                            >I thought Cloud Stomper would implode and threw anything she could at me, just like she always did, but… no, she just turned to me with a big smile and apologized. This is getting weird, man.

                                            >“Oh! Sorry, hun! I was just thinking how I’d have named the boy with something better than Resonance.” The old mare let out a sigh and gave me a somewhat playful look “Anyway, I know how this is going to sound, but would you mind doing this old mare one last favor?”

                                            >So that’s why she was being so nice! Dang it! I already took the bait! Can’t say no anymore without end up looking as the bad guy.

                                            “You promise is not gonna be anything too wild? Not that I don’t like wild, but there are a whole lotta patrols around these parts, and getting busted ain’t exactly high on my to-do-list.”

                                            >The old mare giggled like a little girl as she energetically waved her hoof in a dismissive way “Oh, no! I promise it’s nothing too dangerous. I just want you to deliver a little package to some friends not too far away from here.”

                                            “How “not far away from here” are we talking? ‘Cause I’ll say it again, I ain’t planning on getting busted.”

                                            >“It’s the cider shop at the end of the street. I assume you know how to get there fast and without being seen, right?”

                                            “Oh! That close? Dude, I thought you were gonna send me to the other side of the district again! Pfft! I can get there in like, five minutes!”

                                            >“Is that a yes then?”


                                            “Sure! I’ll be your delivery girl! I know these alleyways like the back of paw!”

                                            >“Perfect!” The mare clapped her hooves in joy “Now, you’ll have to excuse me again. I have to go inside the store to get the package!”

                                            >I dunno why she even apologized. Mrs. Stomper came back with a little box, wrapped in plain brown paper almost as soon as she went into her store. Guess these old ponies really liked their manners.

                                            >I just gave her a little salute and asked her to hold on to the dork’s books while I quickly went to do the delivery through the garbage ridden alleyways. Heh! This day couldn’t be better even if it tried!

                                            >Or that’s what I thought. ‘Cause once I reached my destination and knocked on the back door. I finally saw why there were so many patrols lurking around today.

                                            >The owners of the shop were hiding dragons. Not the big, mean ones. Baby dragons not that much younger than the dork. Some idiot must have blown the whistle to the company and now they were here to bust the poor cute dudes.

                                            >I never knew what the package was for since the owners closed the door on my face immediately after they snatched the thing outta my talons, but I think I got a good idea.

                                            >None of those little fellas looked very healthy. I swear a couple were trembling in this heat. It was probably some medicine for them, or bits to get some, I DUNNO!

                                            >I hate this! I hate the company and their stupid tax for non-ponies! Why did we need to pay an extra just ‘cause we ain’t ponies?! It’s not fair! They charged so much that no one except the filthy rich can pay that amount of bits… and I’m sure there ain’t non-ponies who’re filthy rich anyway.


                                            >And they knew this! Oh, I bet anything they knew this! Those jerks just did it so they could bust as many creatures as possible for their cheap labor! Why was this a thing?! Why did they even need non-ponies to do their stupid stuff?! They had all the money in the world! Why not just hire ponies and leave us alone?!

                                            >Then they went and made their stupid ads. Stupid company, it’s their fault I couldn’t walk around without some idiot running away in fear or calling me a mutant! It’s their fault that my dork had to live on the streets even when he’s smarter than all of them combined! I hate them! I hate them all!

                                            >Gosh! I can’t even kick one of their stupid trashcans because it’d only call the patrols on me! Way to ruin such a cool day! I just wanna go home and forget about these idiots!

                                            >As I made my way back to the geezer’s store, I came across a brown middle-aged stallion. I didn’t need a second glance to realize that was the weirdo who gave Res the creeps after the show was over.

                                            >Gotta be honest, that guy kind of freaked me out too, so much that it made all my rage to die down. He was resting against the back of a store, looking at me right in the eyes with a wide, creepy grin. It kinda felt like… he was waiting for me.

                                            >“My, my! It’s not every day that I get to see someone as… unique as you.” He said “Tell me, dear. What’s your name?”

                                            >Why wasn’t this guy freaked out by me? It’s not like I’m exactly a super model. Was he a patrol? Nah! It can’t be, he just doesn’t look like the type… well, it didn’t matter. I just wanted him outta my sight.

                                            “Get lost!”


                                            >“Get lost? That’s not exactly a very pleasing name to have, is it? I think something like…” The stallion raised an eyebrow as his grin widened “Eris, would be way more fitting for you, but alas, however things turned out to be, I must admit that it’s quite a pleasure to meet you.”

                                            >This guy knew my name! Oh, no! I dunno if he was a patrol, but… I could tell he wasn’t just some random doofus either.

                                            “W-Who are you?! W-What do you want?!”

                                            >The creepy dude didn’t really look interested in answering my questions. Nope, he was way more focused on the wall filled with graffiti that he was leaning against. “Tell me, dear. Do you know what lies beyond this wall?”

                                            “N-No? Why would I even care, dude?! Tell me how you know my name, or I will kick your teeth in so hard that they’ll come outta your butt!”

                                            >Again, that guy didn’t care about what I said, he just kept staring at that stupid wall! “There are fireworks. The biggest and most powerful ones around these parts. And you know what’s beyond that? A couple of those metal ships that your patrol friends like to use. Last time I checked, they were just standing there, without no one keeping an eye on them.”

                                            “W-why are you telling me all that?”

                                            >“Oh, nothing really.” The stallion shrugged and started walking in my direction, and when he was right by my side, the creepy guy whispered “I just thought that you would find this useful. That’s all.”

                                            >As that guy walked past me, I kept staring to the backdoor of the fireworks shop. I kind of wish that I’d have said or done something before it was too late, but when I turned around…

                                            “What the-? Dude’s just gone.”

                                            >How? This alleyway was a straight line and there were no spaces in-between the shops… what the heck was the deal with that guy?

                                            >Even more importantly… wonder if I can break inside that shop fast enough so Mrs. Stomper doesn’t get worried… what am I even saying?! Of course I can!

                                            >My mind was… How do I put it? I came up with like, a thousand different ways to use that stuff against the patrols. I just wanted to figure out which one would be the coolest.

                                            >Maybe if they have some firecrackers, I could… Pfft! What was I even thinking? I couldn’t do any of that! I would get busted before I knew it! Yeah, it’s not like I was the best at sneaking around! No, sir! There was no way I would do this!

                                            >… … …

                                            >… …

                                            >…


                                            “Dude, this is gonna be so rad!”

                                            >A’ight! I planted enough stuff on those patrol’s ships to blow up a small factory to kingdom’s come! But! But, but, BUT! That alone would be too… boring.

                                            >Explosions were cool, sure, but I’m Eris, dude! I couldn’t just settle for cool! Nope! I had to do this with style! Yeah, baby! Those patrols idiots won’t know what hit them!

                                            “Heh, heh! I must have been in luck, ‘cause the lighter still had some fuel in it! I just gotta make sure the fuse is long enough so I can have enough time to…”

                                            >Yeah, all was fun and games until I heard Mrs. Stomper’s voice behind me “Eris, hun? Is everything alright?”

                                            >I quickly turned around, hiding the fuse and lighter behind my back. From there, it was just a matter to play it chill.

                                            “Hiya there, Mss. Stomper! What brings you here? Thought you’d be waiting at the store.”

                                            >“Oh, hun! I’m sorry, but you took so long that I started to get worried.”

                                            “D’aww! Thanks, Mss. Stomper, but I’m fine! See? I’m all in one piece and totally not busted by the patrols. You don’t need to get worried!”

                                            >“Oh, I’m afraid I do, hun. There’s so much time I have before those brutes come and steal my bounty.”

                                            “Heh, heh! I’m telling you, Mrs. Stomper. I have everything under… what did you say? A bounty? What bounty?”

                                            >In that moment, a spotlight shone upon me. Despite how bright it was, I could clearly see where it was coming from…

                                            >A patrol’s ship hovering right above me.

                                            “Wha-? What’s going on?!”

                                            >“Oh, hun! Isn’t obvious? I’m giving you to the company.” The old mare chuckled “My husband thought you’d get suspicious when I handled you those books, but I was sure that some kind words and smile would be more than enough to trick you. Can you guess who was right, hun?”


                                            >I could hear them too, and not just the patrols. I could hear the dragon kids too. Crying and pleading to not being taken away. As the patrols started to jump down from the roofs of the stores and close down on me, I could only think on one thing.

                                            “Why?”

                                            >“For the bits, of course! Or what? Did you really think that I’d associate with scum like you? Oh, hun! Don’t be silly! The company pays well for dragons and griffons, but a draconequus? My husband and I will be able to move to the central district with that amount of bits!”

                                            >I thought everything was lost, that I’d be busted by the company and forced to work to them until the end of my days. That my little dork would be left alone again all thanks to me, but…

                                            >Hey! Wait a second! I could still get outta this!

                                            “… The only place you’ll move in is gonna be the asylum, you old coot!”

                                            >Guess luck was on my side, ‘cause none of these suckers ever noticed that I was holding a long fuse that lead straight into a firework store.

                                            >Soooo~! Before that nasty old mare or any of those patrols could do anything else, I quickly used the lighter on the fuse and smirked at the old mare as I ducked for cover.

                                            >Gotta admit it. I think I went a bit too crazy with the whole thing. I just wanted to have a nice distraction to help me escape, MAYBE leave some burn marks here and there. What I didn’t expect was that the explosion would actually blow up the stationed ships so hard that they got launched into the air.


                                            >It was sick, though. The two ships crashed into the one that was hovering above me, making it come down in flames into the old mare’s shop… that’s not saying anything about the fireworks ship being destroyed in the most colorful explosion I’ve ever seen.

                                            >Dude, this was awesome! Oh, baby! Look at this beautiful, beautiful disaster I made! Everything was pure chaos and I loved it!

                                            >But… Could anyone put down the colorful flames? Did I hurt anyone? Meh! Who cares?! I wasn’t gonna stick around to find out! Besides, I didn’t care about these guys.

                                            “So long, suckers!

                                            >I ran as fast as I could while the chaos and confusion spread among the ponies. Soon enough, I was inside a sewer and making my way to my home and my dork.

                                            >That said… I decided to wait for a bit… a very long bit. As in, I stuck inside the sewer until it was almost night time. Partly ‘cause I knew the patrols would give up the search on me soon enough, but mostly ‘cause I didn’t want Res to see me like this.

                                            >I was furious at those ponies. I dropped my guard for a second and what happens?! I get betrayed, that’s what! I thought Mrs. Stomper would be chill, but she was like the rest.

                                            >You can’t trust any of these ponies, I tell you! They all lie and cheat! I wish I could bring the same chaos I just did to all of them! Yeah! That’d teach them a darn fine lesson!

                                            >Ugh! No matter how long I waited, my anger wouldn’t just go away! At some point I just gave up and ended up resuming my trip. Guess the dork would have to put up with my mood for a couple months.

                                            >But… what if the dork is like them? What if he double crosses me like the rest? I mean, he’s a pony after all.


                                            >No! He would never do that! Right? I mean… why wouldn’t he? The company pays a lot for snitching a draconequus, and that lil’ guy can be a bit greedy.

                                            >I kept thinking stuff like that all the way until I reached my home. Heck, at some point I thought on telling the dork the deal was off and he could go and find himself another non-pony to exploit.

                                            >Well… I didn’t just thought it. I was totally going to do it. I had even came up with what I was gonna say to the lil’ guy, and how I was gonna laugh at his lies when he started crying.

                                            >But, just as I reached the pipe that I called home at the old canal, I saw Res right in front of the pipe, hanging out with a chubby pegasus colt. I couldn’t really see what they were exactly doing since it was already too dark and the moon decided to not come out tonight, but I could definitely hear them talking.

                                            >At first I thought that he was already coming up with a plan to sell me to the company. So what I did was to sneak into my home without those two even noticing a thing. I thought that I’d give him the biggest surprise of his life once he came inside the pipe and realized that I knew everything about his plan.

                                            >I had everything planned really, I’d be on my bed at the back of the pipe, quietly waiting in the shadows, and once he entered my home and hopped on his bed, that’s when I’d make my move.


                                            >I think it’s funny what stupid things you can do when feelings get the best of you. You start to make all sorts of stupid assumptions and forget how things truly are. You start to doubt about everyone, even the ones that love you the most.

                                            >You see, it didn’t take more than 2 minutes for me to lose my patience. I know, I know, that’s not really cool, but I’d have made the stupidest mistake of my life if I kept raging like an idiot instead of listening to Res’ conversation, ‘cause it quickly turned out that I was horribly wrong.

                                            >So yeah, I changed my hiding spot from my bed to Res’ bed. Why? Because it was right by the pipe’s entrance. Why would anyone place a bed there? Oh! It’s ‘cause that dork was afraid of the dark and could only go to sleep when he had the moonlight shining down on him, but that’s not important.

                                            >What was important is that now I could keep an eye on Res and that other colt while actually listening to what they were saying.

                                            >“So… uh… I hope this can make up for what I did back at the market…” The chubby colt said as he dropped a saddlebag in front of Res “I-I’m sorry… it’s just that I…”

                                            >Res looked a bit too annoyed when he raised his hoof to make the other guy shut up “Man, you’ve already apologized like twenty times! I get it! You got scared! Big deal, anyone can screw up like that!”

                                            >“Y-Yeah, but… you got beaten up and lost all your stuff… All because I…”

                                            >“Who cares, man?! This ain’t the first OR last time this happens! What’s important is that you got those company kids outta your flank and I’ve got food. All’s well in the world now. You should really try to get more guts, though. Slums will swallow you alive if you don’t.”


                                            >The chubby colt let out a sigh as he dropped his chubby little head “Yeah… I really should…” He then looked around and asked Res “So, do you really live on your own?”

                                            >“Nah!” Res shook his head while he held the proudest smile I’ve ever seen the guy put up “I live with my best friend.”

                                            >“Oh, nice! Uh… Do they help you with that show you told me?”

                                            >“Of course she helps me! Who do you think built the stands and stage I told you about?! Heck, the show was her idea!”

                                            >The chubby colt whistled as he looked Res in this sorta childish amazement. “Whoa! Your friend must be pretty cool!”

                                            >Dude, if I could only describe how much of a piece of trash I felt when I saw Res’ face. The smile he put and the way he said everything. It just made me think that I was the worst. Did I cry? Of course not! But I felt really bad about the stupid things I was thinking about.

                                            >“She’s not just cool, man! She’s the frickin’ best! I’m telling you, man! There’s no one in the world as smart, slick or smooth as her! And just between us, she’s like, so hot that she could melt the entire city.”

                                            >He thinks I’m hot?! That’s cute… and creepy. Mostly cute. Too bad that was straight up wrong, though. Or who knows, most ponies are a buncha idiots anyway.

                                            >“Heh! So do you have a crush on her?”

                                            >Hope not. Then it would kill the cute and just leave the creepy, and gosh I don’t want my dork to be creepy.

                                            “Heck no, man!” He didn’t need to be that blunt, but… Phew! “She’s the bigger sister I always wanted!” D’aww, and he’s the little brother I didn’t want but got anyway! “And… wanna know another secret? I’ve no idea what I would do without her. She can do anything, while me… well, I’m me.”


                                            >Oh… now I really feel like hot garbage. Gosh darn it, dork! I’m not that good! But you? Dude, you’re… Grrrr! Stupid company, stupid ponies, stupid life!

                                            >“I dunno why you say that. I think you’re pretty cool.” Oh, cool. The chubby colt wasn’t as dumb as the rest of his kind either.

                                            >“Really? What’s so cool about a guy who gets his flank handled to him?” Dork… please… wait, what’s all this talk about him getting beaten? What happened? Oooh! I wish I could see him a bit better!

                                            >“Well…” The chubby colt kicked the ground and shrugged “you didn’t have to help me, but you did! I mean, who does that? Only a very cool guy”

                                            >That at least caught the dork off guard. The only thing that lil’ fella could do was to scratch the back of his head “Uh… thanks, man.”

                                            >“I’m just saying what I think… uh…” The chubby colt’s ears drooped and I think he looked disappointed? I really couldn’t tell from my hiding spot “Sorry, but I think I gotta go now. My mom will be very angry if I don’t get back home soon…” The colt started to walk away, but not without giving the dork one last glance “Take care, alright? I wanna see your show one day.”

                                            >“You too man, and hey! I’ll even let you have two questions for free!”

                                            >“Heh, heh! Okay! See ya soon!” And off he went! Gotta say, he was faster than what he seemed.

                                            >It really didn’t take long for the dork to get back inside with the saddlebag that other guy gave to him and with a big goofy smile on his face.

                                            >It also didn’t take him a second to notice me standing on his bed “Eris? What the heck, man?! You’re standing all over my boo- Whoa!”


                                            >I didn’t care about his stupid books or his stupid complains. As soon as the dork was within my reach, I quickly pulled him for a hug and even coiled my body around him so the lil’ fella couldn’t get away.

                                            >“E-Eris! Hnng! Lemme go! I-I don’t like this!” And he struggled, oh! He struggled! But I wasn’t gonna let him go.

                                            “Sssh! Just let it happen, dork. I had a pretty rough day and I really need to hug your adorable little self.”

                                            >“H-Hey! I already told you! I’m not adorable! I’m…!”

                                            “Ssssh…”

                                            >It took some time, but the dork ended giving up to the power of my tactical hug. Heck, he not only started to relax, but I could clearly feel his head trying to cuddle. Heh, heh! He’s so cute!

                                            >We stayed like that for a couple hours. Just, hugging each other in silence. Relaxing for a bit until the awkward questions had to come.

                                            >I was the one who broke the nice little moment. Not really because I wanted him outta my personal space, but because now that the moon was really up in the sky, I could see just how badly damaged the lil’ guy was.

                                            “Hey, dork…”

                                            >Res cuddled his head a bit into my fur before asking with a soft voice “Yes, Eris?”

                                            “Wassup with all the bruises you have?”

                                            >While he didn’t say anything, I could sense Res tensing up as he nuzzled his entire face into my fur. Was I gonna respect his space and not ask anything else? Pfft! Heck, no! Was I gonna get annoying? Duh! Of course not! This needed a bit more tact.

                                            “Hey, don’t close off on me like that! You know I’m just worried about why you look like a mashed potato, right?”


                                            >The dork didn’t say anything again, he just nuzzled a bit harder and nodded.

                                            “Then just tell your big sis what happened. I promise I won’t get mad or anything like that.”

                                            >He stayed silent for a bit more, but thankfully, he wasn’t some try hard macho stallion. Nope, he was just my little dork, and he had a heart so big that it didn’t fit in his little chest.

                                            >Res sighed and removed his face from my fur. That was cool, what wasn’t cool was even with those goggles of his, it was clear that his eyes were filled with tears. “Eris… I’m sorry, I know you always say that I shouldn’t bring too much attention, but… there this company’s kids… and they were teasing this guy… and I tried to just walk away… but they were being so mean and the guy couldn’t defend himself… and…”

                                            >Oh, I already knew where this was going to.

                                            “You got in a fight with them, right?”


                                            >Res slowly nodded. Of course he did, stupid company brats. They seriously get in everyone’s nerves!

                                            “Did you lose?”

                                            >I was expecting him to say yes, since that would explain why he was crying. This guy has a big fragile ego… thing is, my dork shook his head and went back to nuzzle into my fur. Now I was really, really worried.

                                            “So… you won, but you are crying? I’m sorry do- Res, but I think that you should be happily jumping around. Not, y’know, bawling your eyes out.”

                                            >“…”

                                            “Hey, c’mon! I ain’t scolding you or anything. Y’know that’s not my style. Why is my little brother crying so much?”

                                            >“B-Because…” Res nuzzled a bit before looking back to me. Now he was crying for real “Because they said that… well… if I know so much… I-If I really know a lot… t-then why I didn’t know where my parents are.”

                                            >THEY DID WHAT?! OH! OOOOOOOOOOOH! THOSE COMPANY BRATS! HOW COULD THEY DO THAT! ONE DAY! ONE DAY I’LL SHOW THEM ALL! THOSE PONIES ARE GONNA PAY!

                                            >But not today. Nope, right now, I had to keep my chill. For Res’ sake. I needed to calm down and hug him tighter.

                                            “Oh, Res! Come here!”

                                            >Yeah… I needed to at least make him remember that even when those two pieces of scum had left him in a dumpster, he still had his big sister Eris.

                                            >The poor guy continued crying for a good while and didn’t stop until he felt asleep in my arms. The only thing that I could do after that was to give him a kiss on his forehead and make sure he was comfortable.

                                            “One day, dork. One day we’ll get out of these slums and get the life we deserve. I swear.”

                                            >Not gonna lie, I was hella tired too. I mean, today’s show wasn’t exactly chill. It didn’t take long for me to start dosing off and fell asleep. Guess tomorrow will be another day, huh?


                                            >Or that’s what I thought… Y’see, if there’s something that you quickly learn in the slums, is that life has some mean punches, and the sucker doesn’t really like to hold back on any hit.

                                            >It must have been a little before dawn when Res and I were awakened by a bunch of very loud noises and flashy lights coming from outside our home.

                                            >While Res started to panic and throw a bunch of “What’s going on?” type of questions, I just hugged him as hard as I could ‘cause I knew this was surely the last time I was gonna see him.

                                            “Sssh… calm down, Res. Calm down… they’re just here for me… everything is gonna be… is gonna be…”

                                            >How could I be so stupid?! Of course those idiots wouldn’t drop their hunt. Of course there was a way to track me down. I mean, the geezers not only knew me very well, but they also printed those posters, right?

                                            >They only had to ask around the slums about where the PhD colt lived so they could get to me. It was so simple, but I was too big of a bonehead to think about it.

                                            >Now they were here, with an entire platoon of ponies ready to bust me and with no way to escape.

                                            >But you know what hurt the most? It wasn’t that I would be forced to work for the company until I kicked the bucket. No, what hurt the most was that my dork was about to be all alone again, all because of my stupid mistake.

                                            >As the patrols tore down our home and surrounded us, I hugged Res one last time and with tears in my eyes I put my forehead against his.

                                            “Resonance, listen to me! I dunno what will happen next, but be strong a’ight? Don’t let these guys fill your mind with their poison. You’re so much better than them. And… Please… don’t forget that your big sister loves you.”

                                            >My dork was crying, holding me as hard as his little hooves could. He slowly nodded and nuzzled his head into my fur one last time as he said “I swear it, Eris! And… A-And… your little brother loves you too… E-Eris… I’m scared!”

                                            “Me too, Res. Me too.”