A Strange Place for a Strange Man

He sat by the table, eating breakfast, when he heard something on the radio.

“Middle-aged Man and Woman found dead in a car right outside the city”

At first he didn’t notice, until he thought about two particular people, who went to work, just a few hours ago. He dropped his spoon as tears rolled down his eyes, and feared the worst. He picked up the phone lying on the table, and called his mother’s phone, but all he got was an instant Voice Mail. He tried calling his father, same thing. He went in shock. His phone rang, as his heart stopped beating for but a second.

He picked it up.

The man on the phone spoke.

“Hello, are you the son of ms. and mr. Cartner?”

lo

“Yes, I am. Why?”

His voice sounded like he could break down any second.

“We’re sorry to inform you, sir. But an accident has happened.”

He hung up the phone, knowing what the man in the phone would say, as he went outside, and started walking. Not anywhere in particular, he just walked. He had no idea where to put himself, or what he was doing. He just panicked.

He started walking faster and faster, and at some point he started running.

He started thinking about his parents for a slight second, and stopped walking.

He broke down crying, laying down on his knees, covering his eyes, as tears streamed down his eyes. He screamed loudly.

“NO! IT’S NOT TRUE! NO!!!”

His phone started ringing once more. He picked it up.

The man spoke again.

“Sir, you have to remain calm, and listen, ok?”

He answered, with a fragile, crying voice.

“Yes… o-ok…”

“Your parents have sadly passed away, and there is no way for us to get any of them back.”

“I know, but…”

He started crying even more, and fell to the ground, thinking about a life without his parents, as he realized it had become a reality.

“Sir. Your parents are lying here in the hospital, you can come see them for the last time right now, if you want to.”

“I do. I’ll come now.”

…

James woke up, gasping for air, as he started crying slightly. Knowing that this is most likely his earlier life. Why else would he keep dreaming these exact things, all the time?

He stopped crying again, after only a few seconds.

“Naw, this can’t be it. I don’t even feel that sad, so… why do I keep getting these dreams? Well, never mind that. Maybe Fluttershy’s up.”

He walks into the kitchen, where Fluttershy is sitting with Angel, trying to get him to eat a carrot, but failing horribly.

James thought to himself.

Ugh. I’ve always hated that damn bunny.

He walks to them, picks up the carrot, and looks at Angel with a vicious glare, and said.

“Eat it…”

In a deep, almost scary voice.

Angel picked up the carrot and started munching.

Fluttershy looked at James surprisingly.

“Oh, thank you, James. He’s been very picky lately.”

“Yeah, well. You just have to show him who’s in charge.”

James said, smiling.

“Yeah, I know. I’m just afraid I might hurt the little thing.”

James grinned slightly, and sat down by the table, and got some Applebits.

Fluttershy looked at him, and asked.

“What’s bothering you?”

“Me? Oh, nothing.”

“You’re lying. I can see it. What’s wrong?”

“Uh… fine. You read me like a book, Flutterz. I’ve just been having these strange nightmares. About a human, who I think is my previous life. But tonight it was worse than usual. Tonight I lived through his parent’s passing, and it was really tough. Even made me cry after the dream ended.”

Fluttershy stared at James, with wide depressed eyes.

“Oh my gosh, that’s horrible.”

She went to him and grabbed around him with her left and right forelegs.

As she hugged him, he felt vulnerable, and started crying some more. He recognized the feeling of comfort, the same way as his mother used to make him feel. He realized that the boy in his dreams really is him.

When Fluttershy noticed that he was starting to cry, she pressed harder, to comfort him. She tapped him on the back multiple times, and said.

“So, so. I know it’s hard, and I know you’re going through a lot, but you gotta keep strong, James. Life is hard, and I want you to remember, it’s just dreams. You’re just going through a hard time, and you need remember that.”

He let go of her, and leaned a bit backwards.

“I will. Thank you Fluttershy. I really needed that.”

He wiped away a few tears from his eyes, and smiled towards Fluttershy.

“You’re welcome. If you need anything else, I’m right here, ok?”

“Yes, of course. Well. I better head out. I promised Twilight at the party yesterday, that I’d visit her today.”

James said, as he stood up, and walked outside.

…

He stood by the door at Twilight’s place, knocking with his right hoof. The wooden door seemed to be pretty old, and a few splinters cracked off of the door, by the second knock, and it was really noisy.

The purple mare opened the door, with a heartly hello.

“Oh, hey, James. glad you could make it.”

“No, biggy. So, what are you up to now?

James asked, as he stepped inside, and looked around.

The house itself seemed bigger this time, and a lot more cosy. Most likely because of the feeling he felt, at the moment. He had never imagined being in Twilight’s house, just for a visit.

“Well, I was planning on reading a few books Celestia had sent me, but I then remembered you were coming over. So I made some tea. Would you like some?”

Twilight said.

“Yes. Thank you.”

He went over to a chair standing by the table in the little kitchen she had, and sat down upon it.

He waited patiently for Twilight to get the cups from the living room. It was a strange sensation, to sit in Twilight’s house like this. A few words ran through his mind like a stream.

Just for a visit. Just for a visit… VISIT!

He started smiling, the second Twilight turned towards him. She went over to him, and placed two tea cups, and a (Mistake, fix it) on the table, and poured some tea into both cups. James tried to pick up the cup, wondering how to do so.

“How do I pick these up? I’m sort of new with hooves, and all that.”

Twilight sighed and laughed, both at the same time.

She grabbed around the tea cup with her hoof.

“That’s how you do it.”

She said.

James tried to do the same thing, but failed. He didn’t seem to understand how that worked, thus thinking too much about it, and making it even harder for him to do it.

She now sighed in slight anger. Although, she kept on smiling. At least it seemed so. James had always called himself delusional, in a way. Even though he wasn’t.

She picked up his hoof with magic, and formed his hoof the way he should, and made him grab around the tea cup, and lifted up. She then let go, hoping that he would keep the position intact, and still hold it, afterwards. And he did, now knowing how to do it.

Twilight smiled towards him, happy that he could now hold a cup. Pretty odd, by her standards, but what did she expect from him? He was different species after all.

“Sorry, Twi. I’m just not used to… hooves.”

James said.

“It’s alright. It just seemed pretty odd, if you ask me. But then again. Different species, different ways of motion.”

She replied, smiling and nodding towards his tea, motioning for him to drink it.

“Yeah, I know.”

He said, slightly blushing.

“But, hey, Twilight?”

James asked.

“Yes?”

“ I don’t know if you know anything about this, but. I’ve had these nightmares, ever since I got here. Always really depressing, and dark. It’s every single night. The same kinds of nightmares, all the time. About a boy who’s depressed about his parents, and getting bullied. And I’m starting to think it might be my earlier life as a human, although I’m not actually sure.”

James said, almost creating tears in his own eyes.

“Wow, I don’t think I know how to reply to it. However, it might be true. Since you know you’re not actually a pony, it would make sense if that is your earlier life. It might be glimpses of your past, which were removed from you, when you got here. Maybe the boy was sent here, because of the problems he had. I don’t know how it’d be possible, seeing that your species don’t exist here. But It has to have some sort of connection.”

James looked down at the table, thinking about it. Wondering if it really could be his earlier life. And if it was, does that mean his parents are dead, and that he’ll never get to see them again?

He covered his forehead with his hooves, and bursting out a slight roar in sheer pain.

It felt like a crackling thunderstorm inside his head.

An image appeared.

He sat by a table with a man, talking. In a room he recognized clearly.

“You know, there’s no way for you to get there. It’s a cartoon world, and it’s impossible to break, what we know as, the fifth wall.”

“But…”

He sobbed.

“I just want to get away from this place. I don’t want to live this life! It’s being too hard on me, and my mind can’t take it!”

“We know you’re depressed, and we want to do everything we can to help you, no matter the cost.”

The man said, almost regrettingly.

“What is it you don’t understand?! I don’t want to live anymore! All the will I’ve had is gone, washed away, like all the small rocks on the beach when tide comes! My pride, my will to live, everything and everyone I’ve loved are all gone! Nobody are left to support me, except for myself and you. And you want me to carry on living. Why won’t you take me?! Put me out of my misery, please!”

He yelled, tears streaming.

The man looked surprised.

“James, I didn’t know how hard it was for you, but no matter how much you want to, it’s impossible for us to control. We can not simply let you die, nor do we want to. We need to find a way to do this, without getting you killed.

The scene changed. He was in another room, but with the same man as before.

“We’ve made our decision. We’ll do it. We’ll go through with what you wanted. However, we’re not happy about this. But we can see you are in a situation, which is impossible to get out of. We’ve seen what you’ve been through, and we can’t live with ourselves, knowing a boy we want to help, is living in such misery with no way out.”

A woman entered the room, who the man motion James to go to.

“Ok. She’ll help you with what your heart desires. No worries. She doesn’t bite. Just follow her to the nurses room. “

He follows the woman to the nurses room, where he’s told to lay down on the little bed.

“Now then. This might hurt for just a second, but once that’s over, you should feel at peace.”

She picks up a needle, which is quite long actually. She stabs it into his arm, and presses the the little top of it down, so it spits the liquid inside his veins.

He gets pretty nauseous and dizzy. The room starts spinning as the light fades away slightly.

…

James woke up in his own room. With no traces of ponies, except for the posters in his room.

But something was wrong. He didn’t feel sad. But he felt relieved. At peace. He felt light as a feather.

He heard the door knocking. He went over to it, and what he was met with, almost made him cry.

His parents.

He jumps towards them, hugging them! Crying in happiness.

“You’re alive! You’re alive!”

His parents looked at him with wide eyes.

“Yes, of course we are? What a weird thing to say.”

His mother said.

His father said something, as well.

“Why would you think we weren’t? We’ve just been out getting some groceries.”

“I know. I’ve just been having a nightmare. It’s over now.”

James said. He smiled to his parents, who smiled back at him. He went out in the kitchen with them, but as they turned around, he whispered something to himself.

“Although, the nightmare seemed so real. I kinda miss the ponies, though.”

He didn’t think that much about it from then on, except for when he was watching the show. But only as slight glimpses, and then the thoughts were gone.