The Island (Part 5)

>Five years.
>It’s been five years since you arrived.
>By now you would have nineteen years old, but Twilight said you were only five. At least in terms of how long she and the others have known you.
>You’ve gotten a bit taller, although you were still skinny for your height.
>Your vocabulary is more diverse than when you started out; there was still the issue of your stuttering and inability to string a sentence together.
>But on paper, you were that of an artist with a myriad of paint in which to express yourself.
>As you became more self aware, the more you had to question where you came from.
>You would ask Twilight where you came from, but she couldn’t give you the answer.
>She seems dismissive about the topic whenever it came up.
>Her assistant Spike reassured you that he knew exactly how you felt. He never got to meet his real parents.
>”It’s all about family,” he assured you.
>Comforting words, as they are intended to be.
>Dragons exist in this world.
>You have yet to see any of your own.
>As you sit in your room examining pieces of your radio, you turn on a lamp to inspect a board which you have been working on.
>The thermionic triodes are too old and frail.
>Books that have been printed on the manufacturing of the vacuum tubes lay strewn about your room.
>You feel that something had to be done.
>Make it better.
>You needed a semiconductor, a way to amplify the signal.
>Hours were spent developing a new device that can rectify this problem.
>There were times when you forgot to eat.
>Were it not for Fluttershy, you may have starved to death by now.
>It did not matter at this point. You felt certain that you were close to finding a resolution.
>Socializing was pointless.
>Why bother when those you try to befriend only alienate you?
>Grabbing your soldering tool, you begin to connect the wires and circuitry according to your design.
>This is where you felt your focus and tranquility.
>And yet, being alone for long periods of time would send chills up your spine.
>The clock continues to tick in the background as you labour away.
>This radio should be more compact in design, yet the vacuum tubes prove to be a challenge.
>Once you check the circuits for the last time, it was ready for a test.
>Flicking the switch on, you tune the dial until sound begins to fade in.
>”...kch.... th.... Thank you for tuning in, I’m your host Vinyl Scratch and you’re listening to DJ P0N3.”
>You turn the dial again and found a station you enjoy.
>To make sure everything was in order, you continue to scan the airwaves.
>This time you hit static.
>An ear-retching sound that hit a nerve.
>Quickly you turn the dial, but no matter where the needle points the static still came through.
>Something warm flowed from your inner ear.
>Not only did your head feel funny, but you were overcome with a tingly sensation all over your body.
>Looking at your hand, you were horrified to see that it was starting to look pale; almost white.
>Speckles of grey, black and white consume your hand and dance on the flesh.
>You black out.
>Everything went silent.
>Your lungs draw in fresh air sharply and your vision comes back to you.
>There you lay on the floor in a dark room; a box with a screen on it sits in front of you.
>You hear static hiss from it as the display flickers white and black.
>”Anon!” someone yells out to you and you hear your name echo from far away.
>Your name is called out once more.
>The floor gives way and you fall into the abyss.
>Opening your eyes, you gasp as if you were submerged in water for far too long.
>There, standing over you is Fluttershy.
>The corner of your mouth is wet, the radio dead silent and the clock continues to tick.
>As the furious beating of your heart begins to slow down, you immediately latch onto Fluttershy.
>It felt as though you were really there.
>Alone in that dark room.
>”Anon...” she tenderly whispers in your ear, “I was so worried.”
>All you could was hold on to her.
>You are now Fluttershy.
>It’s been five long years, the happiest years of your life.
>But after what happened last night, you knew Twilight had to be told.
>Going by yourself to her house, you told Twilight what transpired last night.
>”His hand was fading away?” the lavender mare’s eyes grew wide.
>You nod to confirm.
>”Is he OK? What caused it?”
I just heard this loud thud come from his room. I immediately went to check on him and there he was on the floor.
>”Fluttershy, something must’ve happened to him. Did you ask him what happened?”
O-of course! But the poor thing was shaken up and the only thing he could manage to tell me was that he saw a box.
>”A box? Did he say anything else?”
>Shaking your head, you felt as though this will become a continuous problem for Anon.
I just don’t know what else to do with Anon. I love him very much, but all he wants to do is work on his radios.
>”Fluttershy, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about concerning Anon and his... gift,” she awkwardly looks off to the side and rubs the back of her neck.
>”You know that Anon has a special talent with technology. But the more I see his progress, the more apparent it is that he is already exponentially pushing the boundaries of the technology.”
What do you mean?
>”It took a long time for these radios to come about as is, but already Anon is finding ways to make them more efficient.” She walks over to her desk drawer.
>She pulls out a notebook crammed with loose pieces of paper, “Anon is already formulating how to replace the vacuum tubes. His theories and designs show a device that will be smaller and consume less energy while being able to amplify the signal. He’s a genius, Fluttershy.”
That’s good, right?
>Twilight becomes grimmer and you realize there was more to this, “Fluttershy, we still do not know what humans are capable of. This could be a sign of their intelligence and capacity to learn specific knowledge and skills.”
You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.
>”There are other nations that will want to use this. Now that we have Anon developing this technology, there’s no telling what he or others will do.”
>You never heard Twilight this serious before.
But Anon is safe here, right? A-as long as he stops working on this stuff everything will be fine, right?
>”I’m sorry Fluttershy. I’ve already made arrangements for Anon to be taken to Canterlot by the end of this month.”
>Twilight begins to organize her desk and clears off the chalkboard, “This is beyond our control.”
>You feel a burning sensation fill your head and tears well up in your eyes. How could this happen?
He’s my responsibility. I-I’ll make sure he’s safe! Please, you can’t take him away from me!
>You fight back the tears, your bottom lip trembling.
>Twilight sighs, “I’m really sorry, but he needs to be in a safer place.”
What’s going to happen to him?
>”The top minds working at Canterlot will probably monitor him and let him continue to develop our technology until he... you know.” She spoke with a grim expression.
>Your heart sank and began to beat furiously.
How could you do this to him?!
>”Would you prefer it if he was abducted and forced to develop harmful technology? You can trust Celestia to take good care of him,” her voice snaps at you.
I don’t care about that; I just want Anon to stay here in Ponyville. To stay with us!
>”You have about a month left to spend time with him,” she turns away to continue cleaning up her lab. “I suggest we try and make the best of the time we have left.”
>As you walk home that evening, you find it difficult to forgive Twilight.
>A true friend wouldn’t do that, even with the best intentions.
>Now it was too late, and you were about to lose Anon.
>All he had to look forward to was living the rest of his days alone developing new devices.
>No one to care for him or to read him a story before bed.
>He was the only one of his kind.
>Looking through a photo album, you reminisce over the last 5 years.
>Such a helpless animal, but then he grew up so fast and before you knew it he was speaking his first words.
>You’d never seen a human before him, but you knew Anon was handsome.
>He will never get to know true love.
>Unless...
>You stare into the fireplace as the embers shimmer and the flames dance about. You bit your bottom lip.
>Would it be wrong? What if it was the right thing to do?
>Is Anon even ready?
>Upstairs you hear the water running.
>Anon was drawing himself a bath.
>Words will not be enough to show how much you care.
>You are the Element of Kindness. And this will be an act of kindness to show Anon that be will always be loved.
>As you made your way slowly up the stairs, you kept running scenarios and what-ifs through your mind.
>But this was for him, not you.
>The dark hallway was dimly lit by the light coming from underneath the bathroom door.
>You raise your hoof to tap on the door, but you hesitate.
>There would be no turning back at this point.
>You stand outside for what feels like forever, debating what you were about to do.
>But the thought of Anon being alone is enough to push you through the threshold.
>You tap on the door gently, just as the bath water finishes pouring.
Anon, sweetie?
>Opening the door, you catch a glimpse of Anon slipping into the steamy, bubble-filled tub.
>Anon never objected to you seeing him naked. For him, this was routine as you normally wash his back.
>Slowly you close the bathroom door behind you.
>You are now Anon.
>As you sit on the swing set at school staring at the ground below, you ignore all the noise around you.
>The wind was chilly that day according to Miss Cheerilee but you didn’t even notice.
>Occasionally you kept rubbing your thighs together.
>Even radios didn’t intrigue you that much today.
>To be frank, you didn’t even feel anything.
>There were questions you want to ask, but you made a promise not to.
>They call them secrets for a reason.
>Pulling in a deep breath, you take a look around you.
>Why did it look as if everything was normal in the world when you didn’t feel that way?
>How can everyone act as though nothing is wrong?
>It was all to make you happy, she said.
>Hot water.
>Hot soapy water to clean it all away.
>Heading back into the school, you go to the bathroom and begin to fill the sink with hot water.
>You grab a hand full of paper towels and drench them with soap and dunk the wad into the sink.
>There you began to dab it around your face and mouth. You use the mirror to make sure you didn’t miss a spot.
>The bundle of paper towels squish in the garbage bin as you promptly began to undo your pants.
>Grabbing another handful, you repeat the process.
>Everything had to feel clean.
>The sensation of touching yourself down there only serves as a reminder of what happened.
>You scrub harder.
>It was only once you got home that Fluttershy told you what was happening.
>How you will be sent to stay in Canterlot for a while by the end of this month.
>You want to ask her why but you had difficulty in even looking her in the eyes.
>Those large blue eyes that were staring right back at you last night.
>Fluttershy didn’t visit you then.
>You stood at the door for the longest time, waiting to see if you could hear her approaching.
>Turning on a lamp at your desk, you haphazardly sort through your radios, amps and vacuum tubes.
>It was hard to concentrate.
>The days turned into weeks.
>Fluttershy was met with little to no resistance during some of those nights.
>It was all so you could be happy, she explained.
>No matter how hard you try, it did not explain why you felt anything but happiness.
>This is one bit of joy you wish she did not bestow upon you.
>But you had to be happy.
>As long as you try to be, then maybe she will leave you alone.
>The rashes were getting bigger.
>At school you were finding things bothered you. You even shouted at a classmate who asked if they could borrow your eraser.
>This only made Fluttershy more convinced that you were still unhappy.
>Your head would start pounding for no reason.
>There were times when lesions would form on you for no reason.
>Everything below your waist would either go numb or jolt with pain.
>It was the day before you were to be sent to Canterlot.
>No matter how nicely Twilight put it, you knew why you were being sent.
>It did not sound any more appealing than what was going on now.
>As you and Fluttershy were heading to Twilight’s house for the last time, you looked out west to the setting sun.
>Although you couldn’t explain, it was the first time you felt tranquility.
>Just a chance to get away from it all.
>With you was your journal and some of your notes that you had to give Twilight for documentation.
>”I can’t believe the time has already come.”
Yeah...
>There wasn’t much else you wanted to say to her.
>As the two of you stood outside of Twilight’s house, you felt another jolt of pain in your right leg.
>A familiar lavender pony answers the door and invites you both in, “This will be my final report for the research team back in Canterlot. Did you bring everything I asked for, Anon?”
>You take your backpack off your shoulder and place it on a nearby desk. Twilight didn’t want to make a big fuss, but tonight the whole gang was invited to give you a send off.
>AppleJack and Pinkie Pie brought dinner while Rarity and Rainbow Dash got you a book and a knitted sweater.
>You gave them thanks but didn’t say anything else during dinner.
>The others knew it was best to ask ‘yes or no’ type questions and you would nod your answers.
>Another headache was coming.
>You did your best to look happy, and you had the feeling the others were trying as well.
>No one wanted to see you leave, as you were a part of their family.
I want to stay, but...
>Everyone looked at you; this was the most you’ve spoken all evening.
>There was no way you could finish your statement.
>You look to each of them, their eyes fixed on you and waiting for you to complete your sentence.
>Your mouth hangs open for a moment but thankfully AppleJack intervenes, “Shucks Anon, we all know ya wanna stay here, but I’m sure y’all will have good time up there in Canterlot.”
>The others agree with AJ as they continue to dine and exchange pleasantries with each other.
>It wasn’t long until dinner was over.
>Everyone said their final farewell and gave you a hug before taking off for their homes. You watched each one of them until they were out of sight.
>All that was left was you and Fluttershy. Twilight invited you both to stay a little bit longer while she got the final documents ready.
>As you sit in the living room reading the book Rainbow Dash gave you, you heard Twilight and Fluttershy talking in the other room.
>The two of them walk out and Fluttershy took a spot next to you as you continue to read.
>Twilight sorts through your notes and prepares them to be given to the research team who will use your work and knowledge along side with you.
>”Anon, make sure you give all these documents to the team when you arrive in Canterlot.” Twilight compiles the paperwork into a neat stack.
>She continues to pull out item after item, looking over each one to see where it belongs.
>The last thing she pulls out is your journal.
>You and Fluttershy, who had begun reading over your shoulder, were too absorbed in your book to notice.
>As Twilight read more of your journal entries from the last month, her pupils shrank.
>She promptly closes the book.
>”Anon,” she spoke to you in a slightly shaken voice, “Would you please meet me in the kitchen?”
>Fluttershy looks over to her, “Oh is something wrong?”
>”I just need to tell Anon something in private, if you don’t mind,” her words stifle with anger.
>You got up from the couch and went to see Twilight in the other room.
>She was looking up to you.
>You look down to her.
>”Let’s give you one last look over before we send you off,” she gestures at your clothing, “You know the drill.”
>Hesitation set in, but this was Twilight after all.
>After all articles of clothing were taken off, you stood there for her to gaze at.
>Around your chest and genitals there were blotches of red skin which irritated you greatly.
>”Turn around,” she spoke softly.
>You didn’t see her face but you heard a gasp.
>Twilight was horrified by the sheer amount of small, soft reddish-purple spots that covered your back. “Put your clothes back on, Anon.”
>She quickly walks to a cabinet and pulls out a syringe, “Let’s see what we’re dealing with here,” she plunges the needle into your arm and extracts the deep red liquid from you.
>Without a moment to lose, she quickly sets a sample under a microscope and places some of your blood into small tubes and mixes up a concoction of chemicals.
>She looks through the microscope and scans through pages of a large book next to her.
>Finally, she mixes the chemicals together and watches for a change in colour.
>Her focus on the glass vials was unnerving as she waited for a sign from them.
>As the liquid gradually changes in colour, a grim look is seen on her face.
>”I’m going to have a little chat with Fluttershy,” she gets up from her desk and heads towards the other room.
>You immediately shake your head as you feel tears building up.
Please don’t...
>”Anon, you need help. Fluttershy has to be held responsible for this. I’ll make sure she doesn’t touch you ever again,” her ears go flat against her head as she scowls in the direction of the room where Fluttershy was sitting.
>Doing as you were told, you sat down and could feel the butterflies in your tummy.
>”Do you mind explaining this?” you hear the sound of paper being thrown onto the floor.
>There was a moment of silence.
>Fluttershy was sobbing. You managed to make out that she was profusely apologizing to Twilight.
>”Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Not only did you endanger his life but yours as well.”
>”You don’t understand!” Fluttershy cried back, “Anon has been alone and he will never be with his kind.”
>The screaming became louder and more intense.
>”You risked his health because you felt sorry for him? I ran a test on him and guess what? He’s getting worse and we have no cure!”
>Your bottom lip trembles as you press your hands firmly against your ears.
>Slowly you sat down on the ground, but you could still hear the muffled screams and yelling of Twilight and Fluttershy.
>It was your fault.
>You feel the screaming will never end. But finally you hear the door slam.
>Twilight enters the room and stands over you. “Shhh... its okay,” she wipes the tear from your face, “Let’s get you to bed. You’ll be safe now.”
>She informs you that Spike is retrieving the rest of your stuff from Fluttershy as you prepare to go sleep.
>It took Spike a couple of trips but he finally got all the stuff that belonged to you. All your radios, notes and some of your favourite toys too.
>Once you were settled into bed, Twilight gave you some pills. She said they should help with any pain or discomfort.
>Twilight and Spike retreat to their beds and you are left alone in peace.
>Even as you lay there, you finally begin to feel something.
>Contrary to what Fluttershy and the others had taught you, it couldn’t be helped if you feel some form of resentment and bitterness to everyone.
>Twilight had explained what Fluttershy was doing and why it was wrong.
>You didn’t want to be here anymore.
>Things would be better if you left.
>You set about gathering supplies: food, water, medicine, tools and some personal belongings.
>Packing away some extra clothes along with your notes, you also make sure to take a radio with you.
>Books; it didn’t matter what kind as long as you had something to read.
>You filled your backpack to the seam with as many as possible.
>Now the question was: where do you go?
>There on the wall of the room was a map of Equestria. Your eyes scan frantically to determine which place would be the best spot.
>Finally, your eyes fall onto a small speck of far-reaching islands west beyond the coast.
>A small collection of archipelago islands called the Herbrides.
>You remember reading about it. The pictures were what intrigued you the most.
>Secluded.
>Uninhabited.
>Peaceful.
>Your final bit of business was a note.
>No one was to know where you were going.
>Grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill, you set about writing a letter for Twilight to read in the morning. Hopefully by the time she wakes up, you’ll be far enough away.
>With your supplies ready, you took one last look around the room before you quietly open and close the door behind you.
>Ponyville was dead quiet as you walked through the streets.
>As you reach the border of the town, you took one last look behind you.
>Fluttershy taught you many things: how to read, write, speak, take care of yourself and how to be kind to others.
>But the one thing she did not teach you was how to forgive.