Rivet felt unnaturally nervous as he walked to the bookstore. The pavement was dampened by the slow and steady rain that bathed the city. The weather was irregular for the time, and seemed to contrast with the snow on the ground. The mix of old and new left a mix of slush and ice on the pavement, making walking a bit difficult at times. Rivet, however, knew which patches of ground to dodge by the look of them by now.

The store came into view just a few doors away from where he was, and his pace seemed to falter, his nerves kicking in more and more as he drew closer. Rivet had promised to meet up with Rainbow on this date and at this time. She had a way of making him feel a mixture of happy and anxious whenever they talked. Sometimes, he felt like First Light, tripping over his words at times.

The bell jingled as Rivet slid into the shop. He could see the shopkeeper behind the desk, sorting through more old books on the desk, a pile which seemed to never shrink. A small, blue hand waved over a stack of books at Rivet as he came in.

“Hey.” Rainbow Dash called.

“Hi.” Rivet practically whispered. Bookstores always had a way of keeping him quiet.

Rivet gave the shopkeeper a small wave before heading towards the shelf he saw the hand come from behind. Rainbow was kneeling behind it, looking intently at the shelf of Daring Do books in front of her.

“Anything new?” Rivet asked.

Rainbow shook her head. “Not yet. But right now I’m looking for number four.”

“That’s the one I’m looking for too.” Rivet knelt beside her.

“I know. Who do you think I’m looking for?” She smiled at him, causing them both to blush.

“I’ll help.” Rivet smiled back.

The two of them scanned the shelf, trying to find the desired volume. They were looking so intently that they did not hear the front door ring open and a pair of boots stomp into the room. The boots came to the counter and stopped. The shopkeeper came over to the newcomer and asked if there was anything he could help them look for. The only audible response was a shuffling of clothes and a light, metallic clicking noise.

“Hey!” The shopkeeper shouted. “I don’t want any trouble, okay?”

“Just empty out the register.” The newcomer, obviously a man, growled. “Now.”

“This is just a small bookstore. There isn’t much.”

“That’s bullshit. I know you’ve got cash in there. Now hand it over.”

Rivet keyed into what was going on as soon as the shopkeeper reacted, so he looked over to Rainbow Dash and put a finger to his lips. She attempted to catch a glimpse of what was going on, but Rivet grabbed her sleeve to keep her low. He had her shuffle in close to the shelf with him, and slide down as far away from the action as they could manage.

The store owner clicked a few buttons on the register, causing it to ding and open up. The rustling of cash, and the jingling of change was heard as he emptied out the till.

“That it?” The thief hissed.

“That’s all.”

“Is there a safe in the back?”

The pause left by the keeper was enough to set off the other man.

“Empty it!” He slammed his hands down on the desk, causing Rainbow Dash and Rivet to jolt in surprise. A book which had been perched on the edge of the shelf fell to the floor with a thud, and the room went eerily silent. The boots of the assailant stepped slowly over to the shelf. Rainbow Dash looked over to Rivet, then pressed her eyes shut. Rivet clenched both fists and closed his eyes as well. He hoped that this was a dream. He begged that it was a dream. But the boots drew nearer and nearer.

When they finally fell silent, Rivet dared to open his eyes. His eyes did not meet another pair, and he was certainly not at home in bed. Rivet’s eyes fell on the closest thing to his face, a metal tube with a spiraling groove cut into it. The tube was the barrel of a handgun, cocked with a bullet resting in the chamber. It was close enough to his face that he could see the bullet in detail.

“Up. You and your girlfriend.” He waved the gun to indicate Rainbow Dash.

Rivet reached over to her and helped Rainbow to her feet. His heart was pounding in his chest as the gun trained back on him.

“Empty your pockets. And no bullshit about no money. I know this place is cash only.”

Rivet reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. His hand shook as he pulled out what little cash he had on him and held it out. The man took it and stuffed it into his pocket, then turned the gun to Rainbow. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the weapon and she froze. Rivet wanted to say something. He needed to say something. But he could not think of anything at all.

“Are you stupid? Give me your damn money!”

Rainbow looked over at Rivet, and they shared a look of horror and panic.

“Leave them alone!” The shopkeeper shouted. “They’re just kids! I’ll get you the damned money.”

The man quickly changed directions and headed towards the desk, but paused. He swung a fist back at Rivet and hit him on the side of the head, knocking him to the floor. “Teach her to listen,” he growled before heading back to the desk.

Rainbow dropped back to her knees, taking a look at the side of Rivet’s head. “Are you okay?” she whispered.

“Mhmm.” Rivet mumbled, rubbing at his head and rolling onto his back. He sat up, Rainbow helping him and supporting him.

“Stay where you are!” The man shouted, pointing the gun back in their direction.

Rivet and Rainbow said nothing, but shuddered at the idea of the gun.

“Here!” The shopkeeper came back into the room and held out a tray of bills and coins. “That’s all of it.”

The thief pointed to a bag behind the counter and told the shopkeeper to put the money in it. The keeper did as he was told and stepped back. The thief pointed the gun back at Rivet and Rainbow and walked their way. He grabbed Rainbow by her hair and looked her in the eye.

“Never ignore me.” He stated, his voice callous. “Never.” Giving her hair enough of a pull to make her squirm, he dropped her back onto the floor and ran from the store.

The entire room went dead silent. A clock hanging on the wall was the only thing in the room daring enough to make any noise. Rivet’s breath was short, quick, and quivering. But his concern quickly fell on the girl who sat in a heap beside him. Her hair was tossed to one side, and her eyes were wide and distant. Rivet used his hands to slide over to her, sitting at an angle, facing her.

“R-Rainbow?” Rivet asked, hoarsely.

Her eyes slowly rolled upwards to meet his as he stared in sympathy at her. She closed her mouth which had been open in shock, swallowing despite the dryness of her mouth. They maintained eye contact, until Rivet’s shaking became more intense than before, and he looked down at his hands which were practically vibrating. When he looked up, Rainbow was still staring at him.

Rivet could feel his eyes burning, and the throbbing in the side of his head sounded like a drum. Tears fell from both eyes, streaming down his cheeks. He hated the feeling of helplessness he had experienced, and now he felt worthless for not doing anything. Sliding his hands across his face, he tried to stop the tears, pressing both hands firmly against his knees. He clenched his eyes shut, but only saw the barrel of that gun again. He needed something else, he needed something to change. Someone needed to do something. Someone needed to say something, anything.

Even with his eyes closed, Rivet could feel Rainbow’s heat as she leaned closer to him. She was leaning back now, changing her seated position, he assumed. In the background, he could hear the shopkeeper frantically dialing the police and telling them everything he could remember.

Suddenly, Rivet felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck, and a body lean against his. He opened his eyes momentarily to see Rainbow Dash was the one holding onto him. His arms wrapped around her as well, holding her gently as she began to shiver with light hiccups. Rivet closed his eyes again and laid his head on her shoulder.

Their embrace was one of pure comfort. They needed some sign of human gentleness, some sign of real human emotion, and the hug they shared encompassed that. It did not by far allow them to forget the terror they had just lived through, but it made it more bearable to know that someone knew how they felt. It made it better to know they knew how each other felt at that very moment. Rivet’s head was still pounding, but it could not have mattered less at that moment.

Too little, too late, the sirens of the city police force were heard in the distance, coming to help in a matter that had already physically ended, but would not end for the victims for much longer. Rainbow Dash and Rivet held tightly to each other, trying to keep some form of calmness in the chaos and fear.

As the adrenaline of the event bled away, Rivet regained control of his senses. Rainbow was still shaking, and Rivet could feel her heavy heartbeat against his shoulder. Her breath was slowing back to a regular pace, and her arms tightened around him. Rivet reacted the same way, pulling her close and raising a hand to the back of her head. She jolted at the touch to her head. Rivet understood and held his hand back from her to keep her comfortable. Rainbow immediately relaxed and leaned on him more, her hiccups all but gone now.

The phone was slammed down on the counter, and the shopkeeper called over. “You kids alright?”

Rainbow Dash hesitantly pulled her head off of Rivet’s shoulder and used a sleeve to wipe her eyes. She sat back and sniffed before nodding. Rivet wiped his own eyes, and noticed that the shoulder of his jacket was damp with Rainbow’s tears. He looked away from them, as if they were all of her secrets exposed to him.

When the police arrived, they processed them the way Rivet had expected. They were asked when the crime took place, what they had heard, what the criminal had done, what he looked like, and other pertinent questions. For the life of him, Rivet could not remember what the man looked like. All he could remember was the gun. It came to him in perfect detail.

The shopkeeper was the only one of them who remembered the man’s face. He did all he could to help the police, they all did. All they could do was hope it was enough. Rivet and Rainbow Dash’s parents were called, and arrived before the interviews were done.

Rivet’s mother and father ran to him, holding him close and giving him words of encouragement and comfort. Rivet kept his eyes on Rainbow, who was getting the same from her parents. The two of them had been through something difficult for both of them, and it seemed as if they were the only ones who could fully understand each other.

When Rivet and his parents arrived at home, First Light was sitting worriedly on the couch, watching them come to the door from the car. She ran to the door and wrapped her arms gently around Rivet’s neck and held him in the front hall for nearly a minute. She did not say anything, she did not do anything, she just held him.

When her arms slid off of him like rain drops, he looked at his parents, who offered comforting smiles, and he headed straight upstairs. Rivet closed the door behind him and sat in the corner of his room, with the wall on either side of him. He put an arm over each knee as he leaned his head back against the cool drywall.

The silence was too much for him to handle. All he could hear was the clatter of the shop, the shouting of the man, and the clicking of the gun. He needed something to get his mind off of the events of the day, so he pulled out his phone. Maybe a talk with his friends would offer him some normalcy.

There was, in fact, a text from Clyde. Rivet pulled up the message, which read, “Anything exciting and new going on?” It was from earlier, but Rivet had not seen it until now.

Rivet stared in awe at the message. No one would have heard about the robbery yet, let alone who was involved. The message was simple, yet Rivet could not help but see the bitter irony of the text. He had seemingly no control over his emotions at the moment, because he let his head roll back against the wall as he began laughing. It started as a light chuckle, but grew until he had his face buried in his hand with his cell phone in the other.

He turned the phone off and tossed it onto the floor ahead of him. He chuckled until the laughter died completely, and hopped onto his bed. The ceiling was all he saw, the bland colour making the whole room seem dark and dank.

There was nothing for him to do. Just like before, he was helpless. Now, Rivet was helpless to change what had happened. He closed his eyes, trying to block out his day from memory so he could sleep.

As the world faded into nothingness around him, he faintly heard his parents talking in the kitchen.

Rivet awoke with a start as a knock came from his door. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and his breathing was laboured. His dreams had been laced with reenactments of the events in the store. The only words in the whole dream were still vibrant in Rivet’s mind. It was the voice of the thief, shouting and commanding Rainbow and himself.

Turning to the door, Rivet wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt and called out, “come in.”

First Light Slid the door open slowly and stepped into the room. She kept her eyes to the floor, as if looking Rivet in the eye would hurt him. Her hands were clasped behind her.

“Hi Riv,” she practically whispered.

“Hi.” Rivet sat up and flipped his legs over the side of his bed.

“Can I get you anything?”

“No. I’m okay.”

First Light, without looking at him, walked over to his bed. She stood over him, unsure of what to do, but knowing she had to do something. Rivet kept his eyes on her face.

Finally, she made eye contact. Rivet could not help but feel like a wounded animal that First Light found on the side of the road. All he could feel was discomfort. He was anticipating what she would say, but waited for her to speak.

“I…” First Light fought for words. “Rivet…” She sat down on the bed next to Rivet. “Are you…” Her hands made their way up to her hair, and she started to lace her fingers into the mass of colour.

Rivet leaned over and put an arm over her shoulder. He forced a weak smile and nodded. First Light returned the fake smile and her posture relaxed. They shared a look of understanding before First Light stood up and walked to the door.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” First Light managed.

“Thanks.” Rivet nodded.

When First Light was gone from the room, Rivet remained seated for nearly a minute. He did not move, he just sat without any thought. When he stood up, he had a small head rush, his vision blurred, but soon cleared. After his vision returned, he went straight down to the dinner table. His family tried to act as if it was a regular meal, which was hard to do without talking. Rivet could feel the tension in the room. Everyone sitting at the table wanted to talk, but none of them could say anything. All of the usual conversation starters were useless.

When they finished the meal, each member of the family put away their dishes. Rivet returned to his room, and lay back on his bed again. His parents climbed the stairs to their own room. In a few minutes, they sounded like they were in a heated discussion. He did not want to eavesdrop, but he could not help but catch part of the conversation.

His mother spoke first. “I really think he needs to talk about this. He needs to know we’re here for him.”

His father obviously did not agree. “No. He needs time to cope. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a problem this early on. If we make him relive the experience over and over by talking to him about it, it could cause a lot of problems.”

“PTSD?”

“I wouldn’t lie about something like that. Give him time.”

Rivet heard his father close the bedroom door, causing the following conversation to be a series of muffled tones. He couldn’t tell what they were saying now, but their tones were indicating they were stressed, but not arguing.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Rivet pulled it out. The message was from Swift, which read, “Did you hear about that robbery today?”

Rivet considered answering the message with the truth. But then he would have to relive the experience again, and he feared that more than anything at that moment. If he gave any answer it would end the same way. Instead, he dropped the phone again and rolled over in bed.

“It can only get better, right?” Rivet asked, staring a hole in the wall. “Right?"