Randimaxis

I figure, this way it would give Deuce a chance to make his own change... Plus, gotta admit; even Rebel should be impressed the dork actually had the courage to kick her in the butt before he ran. *chuckle*

Hide? Hide where? Wasn't the ice cream shop a good place to hi- OH NONONONONOOOOOOO... He was having a mini-panic as Rebel (who, he noted, actually smelled sorta nice) pulled him along towards the old jewelry store; it had been boarded up after one too many robberies, and had stood abandoned for a number of years. A perfect place to hide... Or hide a body! Deuce's breathing got faster and faster as the greaseball kicked down the door - GEEZ, she was scary-strong - and started inside. Waitwaitwait... she could KILL me in there, and nobody would ever know! OH NO YOU DON'T, CRAZY! He jerked his hand out of her grip at the last second, then with a swift (but mostly powerless) kick to her rump, he bolted for the side alley. NO WAY AM I GONNA PUT MY LIFE IN THE HANDS OF A GIRL WHO PULLED A BLADE ON ME! Though he might have been a dork, he sure could book!

When she took his hand, he actually gave a small gulp. Whaaaaaaa... Deuce's father was a hugger, and his mother had doted on him when she'd been alive... but otherwise, the only touches he'd ever really known were hits, kicks, punches and slaps; he wasn't prepared for actual hand holding. Waitwaitwaitaminute... NOW, with all this attention and the good things happening to him at this very moment... it would be JUST LIKE the world to slam down on him, crushing his proverbial fingers under the window of Fate. Now... NOW, I'm worried. He gave a nervous glance to both of them, and began to have his own bad feelings about this stuff... But he didn't let go of that hand. No sir, uh-uh. "Let's just... um, a public place would... I m-m-mean..." He shut up; no more words - just be wary.

THIS, he was familiar with. "Yeah, I'm used to that feeling," he said as he passed Rebel a look that said he totally expected it to come from her; she was CRAZY, after all. But hearing it from someone else... THAT was disconcerting. Ha ha ha, oh an alcohol joke, how typical of... well, he didn't actually know what was typical for the crazy girl, so he stopped that thought before he got himself in trouble. "Let's just... m-make our way to the place, and do... the thing." He had no idea what else to say; here he was, with TWO people (well, more like one and a maybe) who weren't trying to beat him senseless... this was most unusual.

He scowled at the greaseball as he came toward them, ignoring the flippant bird she shot his way; he'd seen enough birds to be an automatic member of the Audobon Society. He had to admit; she had a different nasty nickname for him than any other bullies he'd ever dealt with. Of course, not that it really endeared her to him, but at least it was a change. His blush crawled over his features slowly, but was obvious to the two girls standing there. At least ONE girl thinks they're- ... what. The. Flying. Frig? Wait... BOTH of them? What was going ON today!? The numbskull was ONE thing... but the girl that had been about to slaughter me was... was... His blush doubled, but he took the glasses and put them on - almost upside down - and stuffed his hands back into his hoodie pocket, cradling the deck in both hands now. "Y-yeah... if I could afford contacts," he mumbled, trying not to panic or sweat as he wondered what in the world was with today. "So, uh... I guess... ice cream, right?" Sometimes, I wonder what in the Sam Hill girls were thinking... then again, maybe it's best if I don't know. He stood there, waiting to see what today would bring next.

Careful... YOU'RE AMONG THE FLOCK NOW, LIL" LAMB...

He'd been chanting it slowly to himself since earlier. "... dead... I'm dead... so dead... I'm just dead... dead as a doornail... I'm SO dead..." Plodding along, he slowly made his way towards the front of the school after classes had ended, fully expecting this to be his final walk. I'll get there... and Grubby Browser will cut me from scalp to guts. I'll be dead. SO dead. He felt as though he were walking the green mile, all the way to the electric chair. But the chair would be so much easier, he mentally moaned. Coming up upon the two of them, he let his left hand slide into his pocket, wher he began to nervously run his fingers over the deck of playing cards there. Only if she tries to kill me... ONLY if she tries to kill me... With a nervous gulp, he began to slowly make his way to where he thought his demise would lie.

Oh no. No. What? WHAT!? No! NONONONONONONONO! What in the world was she thinking!? That dipthong had a BLADE, for cryin' out loud! And you're taking her out for ice cream!? Deuce just stood there as she walked off, the look on his face one of incredulous astonishment. You... you... numbskull. I'm gonna die today. That crazy greaseball is going to stick me with that blade, and I'm going to bleed out in the gutter. I'm gonna die... He turned and slowly, sadly walked to his next class, the look on his face being the look of a man walking to his own execution. I'm gonna die today. I'm gonna die. So long and thanks for all the fish, world - I'm gonna die.

Wait... why is she doing that with her hair? Is... I don't... it... Deuce had no idea why he was fascinated with what she was doing; it made no sense, yet here he was... even though the new hairstyle was far from flattering, he still couldn't help but wonder why he seemed to want to continue to talk to her. To just carry on a conversation with her. He didn't understand... Of course, Deuce Shuffle had never, ever felt the effects of a budding crush; it would have been a miracle for him to even realize that's what it was. "Honors English? Hunh... color me impressed. I've got World History next, actually - we're on Mesopotamia, but I think we're at the tail end of the chapter, so it's probably quiz day for my class. My last class is Math, though - I'll try to text you before then, and we'll figure something out." Without the cola-bottle glasses covering his eyes, he had soft blue irises that were actually rather handsome. If he only wore contact lenses, he'd be a heckuva lot cuter. Why are my knees shaking, he thought. The bully's gone... what gives? "So, yeah... good luck in Honors English, numbskull - see you later, I guess." He only stepped a few feet away before he was alarmed to see she'd gotten blurry and fuzzy around the edges, and she... Oh no. OH NO. He'd left his glasses behind! He still waved in her general direction as he made his way over to the doors. I NEED my glasses! Where could they be!? He kept the cool look on his face until the door closed behind him, blocking her from seeing - and that's when panic clamped down hard on his features, and he began frantically searching along the floor for his missing spectacles. Dad can't get me another pair 'til payday; I can't go for a whole week without my glasses!

"Yeah, just don't throw yourself blindly at a problem; think first, work out your options, THEN make a move - you'll last longer that way, and won't have to needlessly sacrifice yourself. Just food for thought." He wasn't sure why she was being so adamant about protecting others... but he felt as though he should help her... for whatever reasons he had. Why do I feel so... weird? "Well, I mean... you're, uhm... w-welcome, I think? I dunno - I haven't really gotten a thank you out of anyone but my Dad before. But yeah, sure." Why was he suddenly breathing just a bit harder? Why did his palms feel sweaty? Was he sick..? Even though she was most definitely babbling... he didn't seem to mind so much. At least, not right now. "Antidisestablishmentarianism. That, or flibbertigibbet.... both are fun to say, but have WAY more letters than they probably should. Well, for strange words, anyway..." Wow, now HE was being silly... what was going ON here? Regardless though, it felt... right... somehow, to be babbling inanely with this weird numbskull. He couldn't understand it, but... well, who was he to look a chance like this in the mouth?

Well that's... different. He honestly didn't know what to say to that... but whatever her reasons for saying it, it did help him feel just the tiniest bit better. Yesterday... the monster... He figured she'd tried to stand up against the creature he'd seen the other day... but simply assumed she'd been elsewhere, where he hadn't seen her. Though there was... something familiar... about the wound. Had he seen it before? Wait. earlier, she'd passed him in the hall, right before Rubble Grouser had gotten to him. He saw the bandage under her sleeve - was that it? ""Well, still... you might be all gung-ho for helping out your friends, but seriously? There are some things out there that... th-that are hard to understand, sometimes even impossible to. So yeah, it's good to be so ready to rumble and all, but... don't forget: if you sacrifice yourself so quickly, what about the hearts you haven't saved yet? What about those folks you leave behind..?" WHOA, that's close, he thought as he realized they were mere inches from each other. He quickly backed down and, grabbing up his bag, he gave a sigh as he stood up. "Well, look - class is gonna start soon, and we can't just skip, okay? I'll... text you before the last class; we can figure out some way to help you out with your math skills. But..." He took a deep breath. "... thanks. For, y'know... that stuff." He started to walk off... then stopped, turned and hesitantly offered a hand to her. "Need help up, numbskull?" He gave the smallest of grins; something she hadn't truly seen from him yet.

Why? Why can't I even have a place to hide? Why ca- She's bleeding. Deuce, still somewhat hurting from his latest beating, didn't waste a moment, but instead he reached into his backpack and pulled out an old-style pencil box. Opening it up, he began to pull out a roll of bandages, some cotton balls and a small bottle of liquid. "L-look, numbskull..." he said, "you've gotta make sure you don't just bleed all over the place, okay? I mean, besides being unsanitary and a biohazard, you're injured - and in case you didn't know, walking around with injuries like that isn't good for it; it has to heal. Here, let me see..." He gently took her arm and, putting some of the liquid from the bottle onto a cotton ball, he began to gently dab at the wound. It stung a bit, but the stuff smelled of antiseptic. "I... keep this stuff with me. 'Cause, y'know... bullies." He couldn't think of any other way to put it; it was always bullies. He'd learned to prepare his own medical kit after he'd had to lie to his dad about one of the bullies attacks, claiming he'd fell and cut his elbow; his father would never know he'd simply been shoved across the pavement like a living hockey puck. "Hold still, numbskull," he groused as he finished cleaning the wound, then began to carefully wrap a portion of the bandage around it, "look, you really need to be more careful, okay?" He threw her old bandage into the front pocket of his pack, to be tossed out later. "Okay... I think that's..." he started... then, realizing the encounter earlier, he gave her a wary look. "Hey... tell me something; why did you stop her? Why did you even bother? I've been taking beatings like that for a long friggin' time... but nobody'd ever spoke up before. You wanna get that girl mad at you, too? What good was it to put yourself on her hit-list like that?"

In what way? Are you looking for Deuce to come back, or..?

Okay, done - your turns.

It never failed. Deuce hadn't been trying to start anything, and yet, here he was - once again being the favorite punching (or in this case, kicking) bag for the local bullying types. This one was no exception, it seemed... and even as he tried to get his wind back, he hoped he wouldn't bruise where his father would see it. Oh? Had she perhaps decided he'd had enough? Maybe she was going to just let him g- A blade. A friggin' blade!? Holy Hopped-Up Hannah! THAT was NOT cool, not at ALL... Deuce's eye watched the blade's tip as it came closer and closer to his cheek, and felt the cold steel begin to press- What? What was she talking about? Deuce tried to glance up to see... but of course, his glasses were somewhere against the far wall, and he was nearly legally blind without them. Who was she talking to? Maybe it was an administrator, come to possibly free him from this humiliating agony... at least for now, anyway - they ALWAYS found him again. But it didn't sound like a teacher... Yeah, right, he thought; he didn't dare speak out loud, as THIS one had a friggin' blade... NUMBSKULL!? Why why WHY didn't it surprise him that the two were somehow connected? Of course, he wasn't even sure if they actually were... but the pain of his beating along with his humiliation the other day simply slapped the two together in his own head. Part of him wanted to scream in frustration, and part of him wanted to cry in agony. Between the two, he settled for trying to look around and figure out which way had the least amount of person-like blobs, so he'd know where to run once he got a chance. Deuce saw NOTHING but red as he ignored the offered hand and quickly skittered away, grabbing his bag quickly as he bolted down the hallway, trying to put as much distance as he could between the bully, the numbskull and whatever else decided to rain down on his head today. NO, we are NOT cool, he thought as he banged through the door and out into the daylight. His classes could take a flying leap right now; he wanted somewhere where he could just ache and moan by himself... so, back to hiding behind the bushes in his particular spot. Dropping himself to the dirt, he tried and tried to cry... but the horrid throbbing where the bully had kicked him meant all he could do was shed tears silently as he fought to catch his breath. I wish I'd just shrivel up and DIE already, he thought, but... but I can't. I still have a job to do; no matter what happens to me... I have hearts to save. His anger and sorrow broke for a moment, like a hole in the clouds, as he thought, SHE would have understood... but beautiful, I never would have wanted you to see me like that. Whoever you are, I hope you're so much better than everyone else here. Because even if I don't know anything about love, I know I love you... and I hope we meet again, someday. Though, with the idea of bullies being armed now, he moaned internally, I don't know if I'll even SURVIVE long enough.

And so... First off, my trip was somewhat successful in helping me to get a better view of things... heh... Secondly, I find myself grinning from lash to lash over so many horrid wonderful eye puns and jokes... brings a tear to me. Thirdmost, Luna says hi - and the sno-cones were delicious. We had quite a chat over some of the folks here... and seriously? Y'all have some TWISTED dreams. I'd relate who's got the worst... but I swore myself to secrecy, so unfortunately (or fortunately, you sickos), I can't say anything about it. But she and I are besties now, and she's offered to be my Backpack Healer in Overwatch, as long as I do the same for her when she plays Tournament matches. Fourthforth, I wanted to let you folks know I missed you all, quite dearly. It feels good to be back. And fifth... *chuckles evilly*... @Osoka_Topez, eye thought it was kinda funny... and honestly, eye'd been wanting to 'win' this particular vote since eye started on the site... and now that eye have, eye NEVER want to be that far from the forums again. @Bas, eye honestly have no idea; eye'm just zis guy, you know? Plus, if you look closely, you will find the i in TEAM; it's in the a-hole. *snicker* And round, bally things are what we use in pinball. And eye thank you kindly; eye've been a big ham since eye was a bacon bit. And eye didn't find his eye... but maybe this moon rock eye brought back will do, eh? @Rikifive, that was awful... you may yeet yourself right out the door for it. And eye saw you and what you did - stop that, or your face will freeze that way. @Jeric , do you mean the one singing the main parts, or the two doing the 'doot doooo doodoo doot' parts? (Because of course I know of them.) And y'know, come to think of it, eye swear something passed by me on the way through the portal... @PiratePony... wait... do eye know you? Regardless, eye am NOT Eyenhorn; eye haven't cross-dressed in at least a decade. And eye'm no Andy Kaufman - he was one of the best. And yes, they are... and they are all watching YOUUUUUUU... @Will Guide... you can run ALL the circles you want, but this guy has 360 degree vision. Maybe that's why eye'm such a hot ticket. *chuckle* And thanks; always nice to be seen as a... well sung guy, har-de-har-har! @Nsxile - awwwww... YOU are best pony. *hugs* @TheTaZe: Careful what you wish for, Tazer... }:D @Sparklefan1234... eye see what you did there. ( o ) And an entire album? Well... eye possibly could... but who would buy it? And Sweet Luna's Crown, that song bounced in my head for YEARS after eye beat that game! @Anti-Villain, eye've actually DONE that to folks before... maybe eye'll show you folks sometime soon, eh? @Lord Valtasar, it most certainly doesn't; Luna destroyed all of them as Nightmare Moon, because she couldn't stand the idea that Celestia made her 'sit in the corner'. @C. Thunder Dash, eye'm here to tell you that eye DID get to fly; Luna is as awesome as everyone thinks she is! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee! And eye agree. @Renegade the Unicorn... good song choice. Maybe eye should sing this for the forums, too? @Totally Nyx! How did you know that the Space Core was my favorite!? @Ganondorf8, of course we want you; you have the pieces of the Triforce we need. };p @Brony Number 42, eye am humorously disgruntled at your amusement. @Quinch, eye didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, you can't prove anything, the sheep are lying and eye burned the negatives. @TheRockARooster, well then... here eye am. Come at me, brony! }:D There. Now eye'm done. It's good to be back. Thank you kindly, one and all, for your donations; they make a world of a difference. Even if it IS another world... Excelsior, fellow Ponyites! }:)

Who faces the inmates? *sinister chuckle*

The fellow tipped his hat back with the barrel of the red gun. "Well, this here's Queen," he motioned with the red pistol, "and her fella King," he spun the black pistol in his other hand, deftly sending it back into its' holster. He then pulled something out and threw it straight over Emerald's head, where it sailed down and landed right in her hand. It was a playing card... "Me? Ace o' Hearts, ma'am. Pleased ta meetcha." He stepped back and holstered the other pistol with a flourish. "Hope we get ta meet again, beautiful... you have yerself a pleasant day, now, y'hear?" He gave her a bow, then flipped backwards and rolled into a nearby alley. And just like that... he was gone.

Twin shots rang out within the crowd, slamming into the monster's chest and sending it reeling back, releasing Emerald from its' grip. "Now hold on there, lil' lady..." In a rush of gunsmoke, a man stood atop a car, looking like he came straight out of a western. In his hands were twin six-shooters - one was a bright red, the other an onyx black. His face was covered with a red bandit mask, but his bright blue eyes were staring right at the fan-wielding woman. His hat and duster were both black... but on the hatband and his left lapel was a searingly red heart. His black leather duster sailed out behind him as he leapt, flipped, then landed right next to Emerald. His bright red ponytail whipped out behind him as he turned to face the interlopers. She could now see the big heart across his back as he faced down both the creature and its controller. "Now that ain't NO way ta act, ma'am. Yer critter here seems like he's got hisself a bit of an issue with treatin' women c'rectly." Those ice blue eyes glinted in the sunlight. "And that's a problem I reckon I aim ta fix." He suddenly spun both pistols, then let loose with a barrage of hot lead, directly at the creature. Driving it back far enough to grant room for the escaping innocent people, he spared a single glance back at Emerald. His voice was smooth and undisturbed, as if this were an everyday thing for him. "You alright there, beautiful? Guess you got yerself a right nasty critter here... and that lady don't seem like much of a lady ta me. You up fer givin' this thang what for? I mean, from the look of ya, y'might just be somethin' special... b'sides yer obvious charm, that is." He flicked his wrists out, which sent shells tumbling, then he swiftly slammed in more rounds with speed loaders. Another flick, and they were back in place. "You want me ta take this dance, ma'am... or you wanna lead?" She could almost make out a smile under that mask.

For Whom The Bell Tolls - Metallica