//-------------------------------------------------------// Clarity -by TheTraxicEnd- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Leo. //-------------------------------------------------------// Leo. "If our love...is tragedy...Why are you my remedy?" The power of love...a bond you can't break if the two (traditionally numerical) beings would not let it break. So why try to break it? .... "What if it did break?" ... "Then I'll tell you a story...of how your mother and I met..." ... "Okay father...how did it happen?" ... "It all started the night before I left my home world..." It is the thick of the night. No light to be shown on the sidewalks of the old town of Brim. The air was crisp and cool, giving the mood an equivalency of a spooky dark night. It couldn't have been a more perfect setting for a man to be walking out of a bar... Right? This man is known as Leo Devon Richardson. He would always attend the bar in the late hours of the night, drinking his worries away because he didn't want to be reminded of his past. The past was his most known enemy and he didn't want to give into it. His solution to his problems was to return to the ever forsaken bar to ignore it. He could've just gone to a therapist, but Leo is way too stubborn for that. He felt his reputation as a manager of Walmart would be shattered if they knew he went to a therapist to help him with his problems. This is another way of saying "He's too embarrassed to go to see a therapist". There's only one problem with this solution and it usually happens to all who drink their problems away... Those problems still exist and come back to haunt you later. This is exactly what happened to the man named Leo Richardson. On this dreary spooky night, he decided to depart from the 'safe' haven. Usually, Leo decides to stay a bit late to try and sober up from all his drinking, unfortunately, he wasn't able to do this. The bar owner had to leave early, due to a sudden call from his wife saying she was going into labor. He quickly closed down the bar, leaving Leo and some other fellow drinkers to sit outside the bar. This usually means bad news for most drinkers, especially ones who try to drive home while drunk. Leo is sitting beside the entrance of the establishment, waiting patiently for himself to sober up enough to drive. Leo, unlike most drinkers, was able to be patient and calm whilst being drunk. Drinking made Leo more mellow than most, making him a perfect applicant to become a hard drinker. All these years of drinking away his past; its effected him to become what he is at this moment. He has lost so much over the years... His only child dying to the hand of a murderous business man on shrooms... The reality of seeing his parents getting killed by home invaders... Getting kicked out of his only foster house due to being 'a worthless pile of shit'... Living on his own for the past four years, without any outside source for help... He's struggled and made it through it all. But why am I missing something...it doesn't seem too clear to me... Leo picks himself off the ground, letting the thought penetrate the inner depths of his mind. He couldn't help but dread the fact he's been missing this 'something' for the past six years. Ever since he was kicked out of his foster homes house and live at his grandmother's, he's been trying to figure out what he's been missing. As he continues to concentrate on his thoughts, he snaps back to reality due to the sound of a car alarm being activated. Leo snaps his gaze towards the sounding car. What he sees, shocks him for a moment. A gang of teens, armed with crowbars and baseball bats, are attempting to break into a old four-door sedan. At first, Leo couldn't figure out why these teens were breaking into a old sedan. Sedans at such condition were worth very little on the market. He couldn't figure out why teens needed it anyway, they didn't have a family to run. ... Or did they? ... Wait a minute... Leo tries to focus in on the sedan. He looks carefully at the license plate, to identify the poor victims car. Leo gasps and starts to sprint over to the scene. It was his car. As he continued to sprint, he began dialing 911 to explain his current situation to the operator. As the operator picked up, he began to rapidly explain the situation and location, before dashing off to try and fight the teens off. If only he realized what he was getting into... Leo carried himself towards the vehicle, attempting to bash in the first teens head into the steering wheel. Little did he know, this teen was actually an twenty year old man, dressed up as a teen to fool his enemy. The twenty year old swung his arms at Leo, knocking him down to the ground, allowing his gang members to surround Leo. Leo quickly got to his feet, preparing himself for a long fight by getting into stance. The gang members surrounded him and laughed, fighting in this way wasn't necessarily used anymore. Most gang members wielded many different assorted gun variants or combat knives. Basically, if you didn't have a weapon concealed; you were dead meat on the streets. Leo was one of these people. Before Leo could even tempt them, the gang members had their firearms pointed at him. He couldn't even begin to blink, before one of the members discharged his firearm. The pain, the problems, and all the relaxation he felt, shattered into pieces. He couldn't even manage himself, as the blood began to seep out from his new flesh wound. He grasped it, trying to block the passage of blood from leaving him. He didn't have much options left. He either stood there and died from his wound, or put up a fight by taking a few out, before he was killed. He chose the latter option. Being as swift and agile as a man could be, he quickly landed a punch on the gang member, knocking him out in one hit. Picking up the gun, he managed to cock back the firearm, and fired another shot into the crowd of gang members. He was able to land a round into one of the members, sending the member to the Earth. In a desperate attempt to find cover, he tries to push past the crowd. What a lousy attempt. Immediately, a bullet hits him in his leg, making him grimace in pain. He staggers but tries to push on. As he tries to move on, another bullet hits him in his other leg, sending him straight onto the pavement. He laid there, motionless, regretting everything he ever did wrong. This is the end, the end of me...Why now? One of the gang leaders walks over to him and grins devilishly. He asks, "Any last words, Leo?" How does he know my... No way. "You're one of the robbers who got away! Why are you trying to kill me and take my car?" The man laughs and says, "Because you took out my father and brother. You took out my homies and my only parent. You didn't care of who they were. Your car was only a distraction to lure you out here!" Lero began to feel angry, but it quickly dissipated due to the lack of blood. He began to feel light-headed. Without emotion, he turns away from his killer and says, "If you need to kill me to feel content with yourself, then do it..." Leo returns his gaze back to the gang leader and mocks, "Or are you too much of a pussy to do it?" The leader heartily laughs and pulls out his gold plated M1911. He smiles and says, "Meet my precious...She'll give you some clarity..." In seconds, he takes off the safety and fires a bullet into Leo. The bullet hits him in the chest, making him grimace; before seeing his final memories flash before his eyes. From when he took his first playstation one game out of a blockbuster, when he met his friends for the first time at school, his first job at Walmart, getting promoted, and several other memories of his family; all flashed before him. This made him shed a tear, before gasping as the pain made his heart come to a slowing beat. With a few last breaths, he looked up at the beloved night sky. I still don't know what I'm looking for...but I won't be able to figure it out now...I wish the pain would go away and I could live o- He wouldn't be able to finish his thought, as the sky suddenly flashed a violet color. The color, so vibrant and free, it was something he never saw before. He smiled, before closing his eyes. Then, he felt nothing. //-------------------------------------------------------// Awakening. //-------------------------------------------------------// Awakening. The man named Leo...his life taken away by a gang leader who sought for revenge. ... Or did he die? Leo, lay stiff as a doornail, is currently waking up from what appeared to be a dream. As he awakens, he looks around and gasps. Two things hit him instantly. He's definitely not on Earth anymore and he's still bleeding. How the hell am I still alive? I was shot four times! Grimacing slightly at the pain, he realizes that he was only bleeding from his left leg and nowhere else. Getting up slowly, he hops on his good leg and begins to try and take in his surroundings. He was currently in a gorge, surrounded by dirt and rock. While taking in the scenery, he began to see a pathway leading up and out of the gorge. Let's start with that and continue from there... Content with his plan, he begins his ascension out the gorge, unaware of the creature that lies at its entrance... Rarity, a pony of once posh nature and power in the upper class, has now made residence in Ponyville. The town was quiet, a place to rest and relax, and a safe haven for people who wanted to get away from the rich life. She was one of these ponies. Back in Canterlot, her family was part of a higher class. They were rich, posh, and had the good life. At least, so she thought. Her parents were always threatened due to their stubborn behaviors of getting into ponies' business.  When they walk the streets of Canterlot now, they get subtle disturbing glares shot towards them. Some even taunt and curse their family name for returning to 'the lush'*. Her father owns a well-known Equestrian Hoofball-Making Company, sporting the name "Magnum HM". He's made the hoofballs for the well-known Canterlot Flyers. Her mother, on the other hoof, makes the most delicate dessert masterpieces. She owns her own show called "Recipes of Truffles". She's made herself into Equestria's record books for making the tallest dessert dish with only chocolate chip cookies and chocolate syrup. Now, her family has split up. Her parents continue to stay in Canterlot, residing in the now new rich section of the city. They told her to take care of Sweetie Belle, her sister, for them. They felt it would help resurrect and resurface their bonds as sisters. It was a wise decision. Ever since that separation occurred, the two sisters have been able to create a sturdy home, a great strong bond as sisters, and even create a business together. Rarity, the new unshaken unicorn mare, owns one of the finest dress clothing stores in Equestria. Thanks to her down to earth personality, her once regal tone has toned down slightly, making her a more appealing vendor for such designing amongst the town folk. What was she currently doing? According to her schedule, she was heading to scour for gems for her latest project. She was heading to a gorge farthest away from Ponyville, because it had one of the most plentiful gem resource she's ever discovered. She's been using this gorge as a resource for about a few months, but she will soon see what it will have today... Approaching the gorge from the south, she prances over towards the entrance, unaware of the being just about to exit the landmark. As she begins to see a head appear from the gorge, she realizes it's not a pony and finds a bush to hide in. Ugh the dirt will be in my mane... Despite her issues with dirt and muck, she began to take cover, laying down in the bush. As she saw the figure emerge from the gorge, she gasped. It was tall, walking on what appeared to be two legs, and had two other forelegs. It had claw-like appendages connected to the free forelegs and had a short cut mane. It had brown eyes, a small nose, a pained smile, and had attire similar to what common folk would wear if they were at work. What made her almost faint was the whole in the jeans it was wearing and the blood seeping from it. She didn't know what this thing was, but knowing it was hurt made her feel uneasy and wanted to help. This may be crazy to do, but if Fluttershy can help animals, I could as well...right? As the creature began to mutter words of anger and frustration, Rarity sprung from her hiding place and began to trot towards the figure. The figure was currently hunched over, trying to clean out his wound by the nearby stream near the gorge. The creature knew it was alone in this situation, so getting himself in better shape is a start for survival. It had its backed turned to the unicorn mare, who trotted behind it. As if the figure heard her approach, it turned itself around and gasped at her. It was preparing to sprint away, but she stopped it by saying, "Darling, what are you and are you alright?" The creature began to relax, but still stood in front of her as if she turned it into stone. She began to pace around the creature, getting a good view at it. She then asked, "Do I need to repeat myself?" The creature suddenly shook itself out of its reverie and said, "No you don't...miss?" "Rarity." The creature smiles back for a moment and takes its foreleg and motions it towards her. It says, "My name is Leo." Rarity smiles and says, "Well Leo, the question still stands..." Leo began to stutter, trying to pull himself together to remember the question. In a few seconds, he realizes what she was talking about and answer saying, "I'm a human and I have a slight issue with my leg here." He points to his leg, where the bullet pierced his skin. The Rarity eyed the wound again and nodded, pulling out a first aid kit from her saddlebags. She smiles and says, "I've had to handle with injuries before, but nothing of this multitude. I'll wrap this, so the bleeding stops." Leo nods and moves his leg out for her to inspect. Most of the skin was burned where the bullet impacted, while some of the flesh was hanging, being held together by a thread. Rarity winced at the sight, but kept her eyes on the goal: helping the human. Keeping the goal in mind, she carefully wrapped the wound and applied pressure. Leo grunted a bit, causing the unicorn to look up and ask, "Just applying pressure..." Leo once again nodded and continued to watch her operate on his wound. For some reason, his other three wounds have disappeared from thin air, as if they ever existed. He's been wondering how that even happened. The only reason he could come up with is some supernatural being wanted him to survive, but torture him by throwing him on some other planet or dimension. He has to give the being credit... This is a pretty good move if the being was playing chess. Dismissing the thought of chess and the supernatural, he returned his gaze to the mare, who was putting finishing touches on the wound. Once she finished, she looked back up at you and smiled. She says, "All done darling!" Leo stands up and tries to walk a bit. As Leo took his first step, he realizes the pain was almost non-existent. Leo asks the mare, "What did you do to my leg?" She trots up to his side and says, "What do you mean? I did what anyone would do. I wrapped the injury and cleaned out the wound with my magic." Leo froze at the mentioning of magic. If magic existed, then what else could she do? Rarity looked over at Leo and spotted the confusion. She giggled a bit and said, "I can see you're not used to magic. Here in Equestria, magic is all around us." She pauses and gathers herself.  "Unicorns can cast spells and heal, pegasus can fly and walk on clouds, and earth ponies can farm for their own food and are very good barters. With all this in mind, these abilities all are performed by the magic we create." Leo looked at the unicorn, still shell-shocked by the whole idea. He said, "I'm surprised that you can possess such power...Magic where I come from doesn't exist. It's just a myth or an illusion." When Leo said this, it was Rarity's turn to become a statue. She gasped and asked, "Where did you come from?" Leo paused and said, "Well from the planet Earth, but if you want an exact location, then Geneva, Illinois." "But this is Earth and I've never heard of Geneva before..." What. Leo tore his gaze away from Rarity and looked down at the ground. He began to contemplate over what he has known all of his life, to what this mare has told him. I'm in a different dimension...What am I going to do? As he tries to think of a solution, he kicks unconsciously at the ground with his good leg. He's now frustrated of the whole idea of being alone. Alone...In another dimension... He averts his attention to Rarity, who has currently left his side, about to descend into the gorge. Feeling a bit anxious, he asks, "Where are you going Rarity?" Upon hearing her name, she turns to Leo and yells back, "I'm going down the gorge to get some gems! It'll only be a few minutes!" While she turned away to go excavate for gems in the gorge, Leo found a place to pop a squat, leaving him to his thoughts... A few moments later, Rarity ascends from the gorge, caring a few rare crystals in her saddlebags. Upon emerging from the gorge, she notices Leo sitting on the rock, his claws on his head. Silently approaching, she comes up to him and asks softly, "Darling, are you okay?" Leo hears her soft voice and perks up, moving his head in her direction. Rarity sees his face of despair and sadness. Seeing him sad made her heart break, causing her to trot up to him and nuzzle his cheek. Leo flinched as the soft fur made contact with his skin, but felt his sudden sadness melt away. This is the first time in a long while he's felt content and with a miniature horse for that matter. She asks, "What's wrong?" Leo gulps nervously and says, "The impact of being away from home hit me..." Leo pauses and gasps for a breath. "I don't even know where I'm going to stay..." Rarity perked up at this, stopping her nuzzling for a second. She replies, "You can stay with me at the boutique!" "The what?" Rarity deadpans at him and says, "The Carousel Boutique! The place where dresses and fine clothing is created! It's also my home." "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude or cause a ruckus..." Rarity shakes her head saying, "Absolutely! Besides, you have an injury that needs tending to. Come on, let's head to Ponyville General. They can help you with your wound." Leo nods, walking closely beside her. Rarity noticed the closeness and looked up at him smiling. Together, the two unlikely partners walk to Ponyville as one party.