The Island (Part 4)

>”He woke up screaming?” Twilight asked.
>Fluttershy stood by a desk covered with notes and observations and nodded her head. You were sitting on a small chair with a piece of paper and crayons doodling.
>”It was unlike anything I’ve seen. His pupils were huge, his breathing was fast and I could hear his heartbeat rattling his ribcage.” Fluttershy’s ears flatten against her head.
>Twilight didn’t seem too intrigue by this, “Well, I’m sure just like anyp0ny, he’s bound to experience a night terror here and there. I’m sure you’re just over thinking things.”
>Your guardian shook her head, “I tried to calm him down, but he lashed out at me and was babbling nonsense. I know it sounds crazy, but to him it must’ve been real. It was as if something was going to... hurt him.”
>”Fluttershy, it’s normal that night terrors are so real that the individual will respond in defence to protect themselves. He doesn’t remember his dream, does he?”
>As they continued talking, you carry on with your colouring and drawing.
>You couldn’t remember what you dreamt of. But it felt familiar.
>As if you experienced it before.
>Trying to remember made your head feel weird.
>Fluttershy got your attention by calling out your name. “Anon, sweetie. Can you remember anything from your dream?”
>You shook your head to the both of them.
I don’t.
>Turning your attention back to your drawing, you indulge them on how it made you feel.
It was scary, b-but familiar...
>Twilight was more interested in your choice of words, “Familiar you say? As if it happened before?”
>Nodding your head in agreement, you kept your focus on drawing and trying to ignore the dream. Even though you didn’t remember what happened, thinking about it made you feel sick in your tummy.
>”Fluttershy, can you get him to explain more to me?” Twilight pleaded. She continued to look through her notes.
>The yellow pegasus leaned in and whispered to Twilight, “You know he’s not good with speaking. Plus I don’t think he wants to write out his feelings about it. It might upset him.”
>”Fluttershy, if he said it was familiar then maybe it has something to do with where he came from or how he got here!” she urgently told the pegasus. “And you said it happened last night? Well today is the day that Anon was discovered. I think there might be a connection of some sort here.”
>Next thing you realize, Fluttershy was hovering beside you. “Anon, sweetie. Would you be able to tell us what you dreamed about last night?”
>You pondered for a moment but shook your head.
No...
>Fluttershy looked a little discouraged, but a stern look from Twilight pushed her to keep trying. “Anon, I know it must’ve been scary. But I want to know what it was you were dreaming of last night.”
>Looking at her for a moment, you thought about what you saw, but all you could see was nothing. But it made you feel uneasy regardless.
Can’t remember...
>”Not even if you wrote it down for us?” she pleaded with you one last time.
>You shook your head. Even though you wanted to do as she asks, you dare not think about the dream.
>It was best if you could forget about it entirely.
>Twilight paced back and forth for a short time before coming up with an idea. “I could cast the memory spell on Anon. That could get him to tell us.”
>”Twilight, I don’t think that would be a good idea...” Fluttershy spoke timidly.
>”The only way we’re going to get Anon to talk is by having him remember, Fluttershy. The more we know, the better chance we have of sending him back home!” Twilight spoke with urgency.
>Fluttershy could only stare at Twilight, she didn’t want to relive your nightmare but neither did she want to argue with her friend.
>”Okay...” she replies timidly.
>Twilight instructs you to go lay down on the couch; you glance over to Fluttershy. You could tell she was upset over something.
>As you lay on the couch, you watched the horn on Twilights head as it began to glow brighter and brighter.
>You weren’t scared.
>But you didn’t know what was going to happen either.
>Just as the tip of twilights horn came closer, a voice yells out from behind Twilight “HIYA!”
>Twilight instantly stops the spell and jumps high into the air. It was Pinkie Pie that startled her.
>You laugh at the sight of Twilight in a panic. The lavender mare falls flat on her back.
>”Whatcha up to?” Pinkie Pie innocently asks as she looks down at Twilight that was still on the floor.
>”PINKIE!!” Twilight shouts. “What did I say about sneaking up on me like that?!”
>”Pinkie Pie just giggled, “I know you said something that, but I forgot so I came back to ask you!”
>Twilight gets back up and inquires about why Pinkie was interrupting their session.
>As it turns out, Pinkie Pie really did want to know what Twilight said about sneaking up on her.
>You always found Pinkie’s sense of humour to be the best.
>”Well, if you’re done clowning around, I need to cast a memory spell on Anon.” Twilight groaned.
>”Uh, I don’t think that’ll work Twilight.” Pinkie walked over to your side at the couch.
>”Well we have to try something, Pinkie. He needs to remember his dream from last night.” Twilight grew more annoyed.
>”Princess Celestia already tried that and it didn’t work, remember?”
>”What? When?!” Twilight exclaimed.
>”I think it was back in chapter two, but what I do know is that when Celestia tried to see into his mind, all she was able to feel was pain. Anything scary or painful seems to be forgotten right away, so we should try a different approach.” Pinkie suggested.
>Twilight was befuddled at Pinkies recall, “Wait, chapter two? Nevermind... but my memory spell recall might work if we try it now.”
>Pinkie quickly makes a funny face at you, to which you smile back at her as she regains her composure to speak with Twilight again, “If it did work, you’d be unleashing a torrent of pent up fears and mental scars that might result in a type of traumatic stress disorder and require years of therapy.”
>”Pinkie... how do you know all this?” Twilight finally asked.
>”Oh! I’ve been studying the art of hypnotism to go along with my Madame Pinkie gig.” She pulls out a book, pocket watch and a crystal ball while donning her headpiece. “Everyp0ny loves it!”
>Twilight didn’t seem all that convinced, “And how does hypnotism fair better than magic?”
>”Well, with hypnotism I can use the power of suggestion to get the answer and with a snap of my hoof, the memories can be wiped clean when we get the answers. That way we can avoid scaring him too much. I know being scared is fun and all, but Anon here seems too sensitive."
>As much as Twilight was perplex at Pinkie’s knowledge, she was willing to try almost anything at this point. But she didn’t want to hurt you either.
>”Alright Pinkie, do you think you can try to get him to talk?” Twilight reluctantly asked Pinkie Pie.
>”Way ahead of you.” Pinkie was already waving the pocket watch in front of your eyes.
>As you focused on the swinging watch, you already felt yourself drifting off.
>And just like that, you were out like a light.
>As if you were waking up again, you find yourself in a room.
>It was dead quiet.
>You hear a familiar voice speaking to you. Even though you couldn’t see the one who was speaking, you felt more clam hearing it.
>It was asking what you see.
>You lick your parched lips, wherever you were, it was hauntingly familiar.
A r-room...
>The door at the other side slams open.
>It heard you.
>And now it was coming to make sure you can never make a sound again.
N-no, no no ...
>Your words become incoherent babble as you begin to stutter. You feel a cold sweat coming on.
>Backing up, you had nowhere to go.
>Desperately you try to scream, but a harsh breathy whisper is only heard.
>You heard the voice asking what you saw now.
>Trying hard to obey and answer the question, you stutter as you tried to describe the intruder.
>Everything stopped.
>Shutting your eyes tight, you refused to open them
>Again, the voice asked you to describe what you see.
>You could hear Fluttershy’s voice reassuring you.
>Although you didn’t see her, you could feel her presence.
>Finally, you peek out and could see that you were in a room, but this one was different.
>You were wearing strange clothes, and there were funny looking machines around you.
>Someone enters the room. It was someone in a white coat.
White coat...
>As the room warp and twisted its dimensions, you found yourself standing in a dark hallway.
>The lights flicker every so often, just giving you a sense of how long the hall was.
>There was no end in sight either way you looked.
>Your hand brushed across a doorknob; instinctively you turn it and push yourself through the threshold.
>There in the middle of the dark room was a television.
>On the screen there was nothing but static.
>A loud piercing screech fills your ears.
>You thrash about, cupping your ears and screamed for it to stop.
>Images in your mind were starting to flicker and strobe.
>You remember...
>The man was your father.
>For fourteen years you were chained in your room like an animal.
>They found you. Took you to a hospital.
>And the TV...
>You couldn’t stand it anymore. The sound was becoming too much.
>You screamed for it to stop.
>In the distance through all the noise and images you could hear familiar voices yelling to you.
>”Pinkie! Wake him up!”....
>You heard them mumble something followed by the sound of a snap.
>It was gone.
>Everything you just experienced was gone.
>All your fears and anxiety has disappeared from your mind.
>Rolling your eyes around, you looked up to Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy who were looking down at you with a worried look in their eyes.
>There was a sensation of warmth in your cheeks, your eyes burning and tears streaking down your face.
>You took a deep breath and slowly sat up; your legs were shaking for some reason.
>Fluttershy was at your side instantly, “Anon, I hope you’re okay. Let’s get you home, alright?”
>Without any thought you nod to the suggestion, and in a zombie like state you got up and went with Fluttershy back home.
>A few days later, you learned that Twilight and Pinkie Pie got into an argument about what transpired that day.
>Not only did Twilight feel that the answers they got were vague, but Pinkie also endangered your mental state.
>Like good friends however, they were able to forgive, but as long as you forgot what you saw, your sanity was going to be alright.
>Twilight would still ask prodding questions.
>You could not answer them yet.
>”Darn, I was hoping he would be more vocal by now. Fluttershy, are you sure he’s not advancing any more in his speech?” Twilight asked.
>”I’m trying Twilight, I really am...” the meek yellow pony mumbled. She felt disheartened that she could do little to solve this problem.
>”But Anon is excelling in his writing.” She added.
>Twilight was aware of this fact. To her and the entire team, they couldn’t figure why you were delayed in your speech, but not your writing.
>You couldn’t speak big words, and most of the time you would stutter and choke.
>But when you wrote down your thought, the paper was your canvas.
>The books you read under Fluttershy’s guidance has opened up a world of ways you could express yourself.
>In most of your recent writing, you expressed your fascination with radios and how you plan on improving them.
>Twilight would look at samples of your writing and other works and put them in a portfolio for review.
>She couldn’t wrap around why you were so handy with a radio and that your writing is so advanced despite your lack of ability to speak.
>Lyra wasn’t able to offer and solid information on this, but she did suggest that this goes to show their ingenuity and creativity since they lack of the abilities of flight and magic.
>It wasn’t enough to assume that all humans were like this, but they couldn’t be sure if that was the case either.
>As time went by, you continued to go to schools at the recommendation that the interaction with the other fillies will help.
>If only it did.
>Social cues and reciprocal talking was still a foreign concept at school.
>It didn’t help that you couldn’t speak a single sentence without tripping.
>For a while, AppleBloom and her two friends were nice to you. But soon they stopped talking to you.
>The other ponies would say they were only nice because their older sister, AJ and Rarity, asked them to.
>Trying your best to stay happy and cheerful, even when the others ostracized you, only helped so much.
>Even she felt helpless while all you could do was go to your room when you got back from school and play with your radio sets.
>Fluttershy was really the only one who understood you, and you trusted her. She was able to convince you to keep a journal, she promised it would make you feel better if you wrote down what was making you upset.
>You went along with it.
>You are now Fluttershy.
>As time went on, you felt more worried about the state of Anon.
>It must be hard for him to be living here. The tests, experiments, anxiety and the nightmares can’t be easy.
>He was the only one of his kind here in this world. No one he can relate to, or even the chance to have a family.
>You hope he wasn’t taking after you and your shy habits.
>Anon was at school today. Just another day for him to endure so he could be teased again.
>Maybe if you tidy up his room and made it feel slightly less disorganized, it could boost his mood.
>As you head up to his room, you still felt lucky that you were chosen to look after such an amazing creature.
>To you, Anon was very special. He may not be like the other ponies, but he was smart in his own ways.
>And he was growing up to be quite handsome.
>At least that’s how you felt.
>As you began to rummage through his belongs you come across his journal.
>It’s been a while since you read through the pages, perhaps it was time to see how he was doing.
Journal Entry: I sometimes feel as though I was given a trial in this world. Each step I take becomes harder, as if I carry the heavy burden with me on my shoulders. All I hear are its whispers to me of how different I am. I can’t make the judgement or distinction of who I am anymore. Fluttershy tells me that we are both the same. Matching bodily symmetry I do not feel that we share all features. I hate my mouth. I wish to speak, yet I can’t. I am confined to being silenced as I saturate the pulped vegetation with blots of ink. To the others, I am as featureless as the ocean or sky. No definition. To them, I am shallow. To some it’s concrete and to others it’s gold; young and old. I will continue to treat them with kindness out of my obligations to what I have been taught. Fluttershy tells me that all living creatures possess a heart, with its wild veins coursing through my body like a feral disease and branching out into smaller communities. A communtiy that treats me like a foreign bacterium of the body, slowly squeezing the life from it.
I believe her words. I must have a heart, just like her.
I can feel it breaking.