Waking Up

Chapter 15: Home

Written By: Calamity Jay

"Welcome back, you've been away long..."

"Twilight, I can't believe it! I'm home!" You shouted in glee, staring out at the old bar in front of you. At this moment you were elated to finally be back in your own world, but most of all you were happy to see other people like you. As nice as Equestria is, it still does feel awkward being around four foot tall, quadrupedal ponies all the time. "Wow, it feels like yesterday I was just here, going home from the bar."

"I bet it does,"Twilight agrees as she smiles up at you. It was quite amusing that even in her human form she was still pretty short, close to  about five feet. Much better than her four foot tall counterpart. "Oh my gosh, this place is so weird! And what's with all these, moving chariots? There's nopony moving or pushing them!" She exclaimed as she gawked at the cars in the street. "All I see is the passengers in the chariots! Who's making them move?! Is it some kind of magic?"

"Uh no, Twilight," You chuckle at the way she was having a nerd moment. "Remember how I said us humans are technologically advanced in most aspects?"

"Uh yeah?"

"Well these cars are a prime example!" You point at a small sedan right in front of you. "Using aerodynamics, auto-mechanical engineering, technology, a little bit of spit, sweat, and ingenuity, with the power of chemically altered fossil fuels we have, the automobile."

"Wow, you humans sure are smart. Crazy, but smart," She giggled as the two of you began to walk down the street towards the bar. "So, where to first? This town looks pretty big."

"Well, I figure we should go to the bar first," You say, eyeing your old home away from home. Twilight looks at you with a scowl, most likely thinking that you were aiming to go and have a drink first when your parents could possibly be in danger. "Uh, not to drink, heh," You smile sheepishly at her. "I just wanna go and see how long I've been away, see how Johnny has been doing."

"Who's Johnny?"

"My friend, bartender, and amateur therapist," You reply casually, crossing the street and approaching the parking lot of the bar. "I mean, sure the medicine he gave me during our therapy sessions always seemed to be shots of liquor, but hey I wasn't complaining."

"Right, well, you know we should hurry. There is a reason we came back this quickly, you know?" She said with a warning tone.

"Yeah, I know," You reply with a grimace, letting out a sigh. "But, first things first, we're here already, let me just get how long time has passed. I remember when you said that time can work differently in our respective dimensions."

"Yeah that's true, for all we know, weeks could have passed since you've been in Equestria," With that in mind, you quicken your pace and quickly approach the familiar sight of the entrance to the bar. The neon 'OPEN' sign flashing with the familiar sight of a couple of men outside smoking cigarettes.

"Okay, Twilight, follow my lead and play it as cool as you can," You whisper to her as you walk up to the front doors. A wave of nervousness passes through you as you imagine how awkward the upcoming situation could be. Twilight has never been around other humans beside you, so how she will react to meeting other humans is highly variable. Will she be afraid? Nervous? Or maybe excited? You didn't know, but you were about to find out. "Prepare to meet Johnny boy, Twilight."

"Okay," She whispered back and grabbed onto your arm even tighter.

"Hey, relax will you? He's harmless I swear," You laugh and kiss her lightly on the forehead to comfort her, to which she responds by grinning and blushing slightly. You swear that even in her human form, she still manages to be cute. The two of you pass through the twin doors and into the familiar scene of the bar, with the light country music playing from the familiar jukebox in the corner. With the groups of people sitting in the booths with drinks in hand. With friends at the pool table in the center of the room, laughing and playing a few games. With men, young and old, sitting at the bar either talking or drinking. Or sulking. And finally with the ever more familiar bartender standing behind the bar, with the mustache on his lip, apron around his waist, and his face fixed in a mild expression. At first he was paying attention to another customer, most likely hearing about how they screwed up at work or how they're significant other was giving them problems. As soon as that door opened and the bell rang, he looked over at the door to see who would be his next customer. His old mild expression changed into one of confusion. As if wondering why in the hell you were here and where the hell you have been.

"Excuse me real quick," He said to his other customer. He walked over to the edge of the bar where you and Twilight were approaching, with that quizzical expression adorning his face. "Okay," He held out his hand and closed his eyes, looking down at the ground. "Either I have been drugged and on a very bad trip, or..." He opened his eyes and glared at you. "Leroy Evans has come back to my bar, with a beautiful girl on his arm. Leroy, is that you? And if so, who is this charming girl you have brought with you into my bar?"

"Nice to see you too, Johnny boy," You chuckle, feeling a lump in your throat from seeing your old friend again. "How have you been doing? Gloria doing okay? How 'bout your kid?" He opened the swinging door leading through to the counter, came up to you and pulled you into a bear hug. "Hey man, what's going on? Have I been away that long?"

"Leroy," He pulled away from you and stared at you with a sullen expression. "Where have you been, man? You know how long its been? I thought you were dead or something!"

"Well, I'm not dead yet. I'm here in the flesh and doing alright. How long has it been by the way?"

"Wait, so you don't know how long its been? Where the hell did you go?"

"I was uh, away," You look down at Twilight, who smiles at you sheepishly. "I just kinda lost track of time."

"Jesus Christ, man," He shakes his head, looking down at the ground. "You know what? I think you need to come have a seat." Johnny goes back behind the counter and you pull Twilight along with you to take a seat on a couple of stools. To your amusement and Johnny's further confusion, Twilight had a bit of difficulty sitting down on the stool that was about half as tall as she was. After a couple of failed attempts, she finally managed to plant herself firmly on the seat without falling, but she still held onto your arm for balance. "Here, have a little something to drink," He pulls out a couple of shot glasses and a bottle of liquor. You were about to say no to his offered drink, but your old instincts kicked in and you knew, never turn down a drink from Johnny, even then he'll still pour it for you.

"Thanks, John," You pick up the shot glass and look at the dark brown liquid in the glass. Twilight nudges you in your ribs and gives you a disapproving look. "Uh, sorry, Twi," You place the drink back on the counter. "Sorry, John, but I can't really drink right now. I still have some things to do right now. But I need to know, how long have I been away?"

"Let me start from the beginning," Johnny lets out a breath and looks at the two of you intently. "But first, who is this lovely individual you have here with you?" He looks at Twilight with his usual reserved persona. At first she hesitates, looking over at you, you give her a little nudge, silently encouraging her to answer. "Miss?"

"Uh, hello there, I'm Twilight," She introduces herself and gives her usual sheepish smile. It got a bit more awkward when he held out his hand expectantly, causing her to balk and not know how to continue. "Nice to meet you?"

"Uh sorry, John. She is a bit shy," You laugh nervously, leaning over to whisper to Twilight. "Grab his hand and shake yours up and down. She looks at you quizzically, but you just nod at her and she reaches out hesitantly to grab his hand. You mentally face palm when she grabs his index finger and slightly moves her arm up and down.

Johnny pulls his hand away slowly, slightly perturbed. "Rrrrrrright, anyways. That day you left the bar, you were shit your pants drunk, you remember that?"

"A little bit, not really. It comes back in images."

"Mhm, well when you didn't come back the next day I got a little bit worried. When you didn't come back the day after, I started to wonder if something was wrong. And after four months went by, I just gave up and assumed that you were either dead or on a permanent vacation."

Four months?! That was unbelievable as his words passed through your ears. "Wait what? Can you repeat that? I couldn't quite hear how crazy that sounded."

"Leroy, dude. Where have you been man?" He asked, leaning over the bar and glaring at you. "Four months. What could you have possibly been doing during that time?"

"Leroy," Twilight tugs at your arm as you stare at the two shot glasses on the counter.

"Twilight, how long was I uh, on vacation?" You ask without even looking at her.

"I don't know, I think maybe, um I-" She sputters playing with a lock of her hair.

"Twilight," You interrupt sharply, causing her to stop playing with her hair and stare at you nervously. "How long. Was I. Away?" You ask with the most serious tone you could muster up.

"I think, four weeks?" She replies meekly.

"So, four weeks over there?" You look at her with a nervous expression.

"Equals four months on Earth?" The reality of the situation hits you hard as you snap up from the stool, grab Twilight's hand, and make your way towards the exit.

"Yo, Leroy! Where are you going? What's going on?" You hear Johnny call out, but you ignore him as you push past the door and out into the parking lot.

"Leroy!" Twilight pulls on your arm and stops you in your tracks. "Where are we going?!"

"Twilight, its been four months here on Earth! My parents could be dead already! I need to go to their house and see if they're alright!" You hastily walk out to the sidewalk, but then you realize that you have no real way to get there quickly. You needed a ride! "Shit, Twilight, there's no way we can get there fast if we walk. From here to my parents' house its at least an hour by foot! Damn it! Fuck, for all I know they could possibly be dead and I wasn't fast enough to get there!"

"Leroy! You need to calm down!" Twilight comes up from behind you and grabs your shoulder to turn you around and face her. "You have to relax! We need to find a way to get there. C'mon, you're from around here, find somepony to get you a ride over to their house."

"Can't we just, you know, teleport? I mean we can probably use magic here, yes?"

"No, I can't teleport to somewhere I've never been before. And no I don't think we can use magic here."

"What? Are you serious? Why not?!" You ask, your desperation and temper rising.

"Because," She lets out a sigh. "We can't draw attention to ourselves, Celestia told me in the letter to not do that. And you can't use magic here because your power is borrowed! I can use magic because it is naturally mine, you only absorbed the power. If you try to use magic here you could hurt yourself! I mean c'mon, don't you feel it? That feeling you can't describe? There's no magic in the air here for you to absorb! It feels as though I've gone numb from the lack of magic."

"Really? What in the..." You stop and take a deep breath, taking the time to look inside and feel around your body, looking for that numb feeling Twilight was talking about. After a few moments, you finally feel something in your chest. It felt as though something inside you was gone. "Wait a moment, let me try something," You focus and attempt to ignite your magic, holding up your right hand to see if it would work.

"Leroy, be careful," Twilight warns while you try and make your powers work. At first your magic ignites briefly and your hand is sheathed in a navy blue glow, but then flickers and fades away.

"Ugh, damn, let me try again," You focus harder and try again to make your magic work right.

"Don't push yourself too hard, you could give yourself burnout," The hell is burnout? Whatever it was, it didn't sound fun, but you ignore here and continue to fumble around with your magic. You cringe as you feel your head begin to ache, but you still keep trying to cast a spell.

"C'mon, stupid powers work!" Your blue aura continues to flicker around your hands, refusing to ignite and work properly. "C'mon," You push harder and focus more. "C'mon, now," You grunt again, clenching your fist and furrowing your brow in concentration. "Fuck," You mutter as your head begins to pound and your heart rate speeds up.

"Leroy! Stop! You're going to burn out!" She runs up to you and tries to shake you from your determined, but idiotic attempts at activating your powers. Finally, you feel yourself go weak from the knees and your head feels as though it got hit multiple times with a hammer. "Leroy!" Twilight yells as you fall to the ground in an unconscious heap. The last thing you hear is Twilight yelling Johnny's name in a plea for help.

ooo000oo000ooo

"What the hell happened to him? I mean, he didn't even have one drink and even then he can hammer down a few and still keep himself awake." Johnny looks over at the passed out Leroy, who lay sprawled on the couch in his office. Quite a scene was made when Twilight barged into the bar asking for John's help and telling him that Leroy had passed out. At first he didn't know what to do and was tempted to call the ambulance. But Twilight refused to draw attention to themselves, asking John to help drag Leroy into his backroom office. Many people thought that Leroy was dead, considering the fact that they had to drag Leroy through the bar, surprising many of the bar goers. To which John responded by telling them that he had a bit too much of the sauce. "Is he gonna be okay? You sure we don't have to call the EMT's?"

"The EM what?" Twilight asked, lacking in knowledge of Earth acronyms.

"The Emergency Medical Technicians? People who save lives? Doctors? Seriously where are you from? Nepal?"

"Uh, no?" She replied, nervously twiddling her fingers as she sat on the couch with Leroy's head on her lap. "And uh, he um- had fallen and bumped his head as he stormed out of the bar! Yes, that's it, that's what happened!" She declared. Honestly, Leroy had to wake up soon before this situation got so awkward it became too much to bear.

"Rrrrrright, well tell me when he gets better. I gotta go back out there to serve drinks and give advice to depressed customers," He then exited the small office and out into the bar.

"Okay, thanks!" She yelled as he left the room. Twilight turns her attention back to the passed out human laying his head on her lap, with a wet towel on his forehead. "Oh, Leroy," She sighed, running her hand through his curly hair. "You never really learned to listen did you? I mean, that time where you asked me to throw a rock at you so you could block it with a shield spell. I swear your nose still looks a bit crooked to me," She booped his nose with her index finger, giggling as she remembered his ridiculous attempt at a stunt. "Huh, this kinda feels like deja vu doesn't it? You laying here passed out, with me waiting patiently for you to wake up. I swear, this takes me back," She brushes back her hair as she sits there talking to her unconscious friend. "But I have to confess something to you, Leroy. Something that I could never say to you while you're awake," She stares down at her friend, with a look of longing on her face. "Ever since I met you, I've always been so interested in you. I wanted to know about you, a new kind of creature in Equestria. To others you were just some freak, but to me you were much more than that," She lets out a shaky breath, as a lump in her throat begins to form. "That time we had our very first conversation, you told me so much about your species and I learned so much more that I could ever have hoped for," She clenches her fists and tears start to well in her eyes. "I never thought that, I could ever have someone as close to me as you, I mean even though I have my best friends, I never felt as close with them as I have with you."

"Those days I spent with you in the hospital, having our conversations, and when I gave you lessons in magic, I have treasured those moments for as long I've known you and every moment after that," The dam inside her breaks and tears begin to flow down her cheeks and slide off her face and onto her friend's face. She wipes away the tears that landed on his face and lets out a silent sob, pressing her hand to her mouth.  "Life as a Princess, its so hard you know?" More tears fall from her face. "Finding love is so hard for me, knowing that no matter what I'll never be able to be with anypony, because someday I'll have to watch them die as I live on," She sniffles and wipes away more tears. "And because of that, no stallion will ever want to be with me, and I just have a difficult time accepting the reality of my situation. That my friends will eventually pass on as well, leaving me behind. In a hundred years I'll be alone, with no pony at my side to call my close friends. And, this whole time that I've been with you, I just get this feeling in my heart whenever I talk with you or even see you. I know you can't hear a word I'm saying now, but I just thought I should finally get this off my chest."

She looks down at her friend, love burning in her chest. "I love you, Leroy. Ever since that first moment I met you, I never thought that it would happen to me, but it was love at first sight," Twilight reaches down with her hand to caress his cheek. "I know that you and I could never be together, the pain of having to watch the one that I love die right before me I-" She chokes up and holds back a sob. "I just wouldn't be strong enough to handle the reality, even with all the magical power in the world. And I every time I see you in pain like this I-" She leans over and lays her head on her friends chest and sobs into him. "I love you so much it hurts, I love you as much as Applejack does," She whispers softly. "But, I have to be strong right?" Twilight asks as she sits up and looks down at him. "I guess that is the way of things isn't it? I was destined to be a Princess and it will be my duty to rule over Equestria when Celestia is no longer able to. Leroy," She runs her hand through his hair. "I will always be there for you, no matter what happens. I will be there whenever you need me, even though we could never be together," Twilight leans down and presses her forehead against his and whispers. "I promise."

It was then the young human began to stir on her lap and mumble incoherently. In order to make herself look like she wasn't crying, she quickly wipes her tears and fixes her hair so her friend won't get worried. His eyes open...

*2nd Person*

You swore that passing out was becoming somewhat of a normal thing with you. Of course, this it wasn't by accident and was caused by your lack of ability to listen to other's advice. But, you have to learn somehow, right? After finally coming to, you open your eyes and see a pair of beautiful violet eyes staring back at you. "Whoa, am in heaven? 'Cause I'm looking at an angel right now," You quip with a smirk, causing Twilight to blush. "What happened? How long was out- and oh sweet Jesus I have a massive headache," You rub your temples and groan from the pain."

"Well, that's burnout for you right there," Twilight giggles and rubs your head softly. "It happens when you push your magic too hard."

"Really, so what happens now? I'm not gonna die am I?"

"No, of course not! You'll just have a bad headache for a few hours," Yes as if having your head hurt was a better alternative.

"Ugh, I'd rather be dead than have this splitting headache- oh what are we doing?! We have to go see my parents- Ooh, ow!" You grab your head as you feel a stab of pain shoot through it. "Aw shit, this hurts!" You groan as you writhe in pain on Twilight's lap.

"Look, we'll get going in a bit, I'll go get your friend so we can figure out what to do, okay? Here, let me get up," You painfully lift up your head so she can stand up and go get John. "I'll be back in a sec okay?"

"'Kay," You groan out and cover your eyes from the bright light of the office. Right now you regret not listening to Twilight about using your magic. Whatever God was watching over you, He was sure punishing you for being an idiot. That punishment being a terrible headache. "Shit, so, no magic huh?" You look at your hand as if waiting to see if maybe it would come back, but to no avail. The door opens once again and in walks John with Twilight following suit. "Hey there, John, got any headache medicine?"

"Uh, yeah hold on," He goes behind his desk and pulls out a small container of pain pills. "Here, I don't got any water and you can't take those pills with alcohol so just knock it back like a trooper." You take the container from his hands and pop out two white pills. It takes you a little while to swallow the pills, but you manage to keep them down. "Feel better?"

"Uh, somewhat," You massage your temples, trying to alleviate some of the pain. "John, we need a ride to my parents' house. Its an emergency."

"Yeah and I want a Corvette Stingray, but you don't see me complaining," John grumbled, plopping down on his chair. You glare over at him to show just how serious you are. "Okay alright, I'll give you a ride to your parents' house, but after that you're on your own, okay? I can't be driving you around town."

Getting up from the sofa, you walk over to your friend and shake his hand. "Thanks man, but we need to get going now, like I said its an emergency."

"What kind of emergency are we talking about? Did something happen?"

"No, well I hope not, but I just need to see them. Now c'mon we have to get going!" You pull him up from his seat, your augmented strength helping you pull him up. "Please John, do this for me."

John lets out a sigh and reaches into his pocket for his car keys. "Alright, let's get going then,"

ooo000oo000ooo

"Thanks for doing this Johnny, I owe you one," You said as you stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk. "C'mon Twi," You hold out your hand and she takes it as she steps out with you. Leaning down through the window, you reach out your hand to give a handshake to your old friend.

"I hope everything goes okay, I know you haven't talked to your folks in a long time, Roy," He says as he shakes your hand. "You'll have to walk the rest of the way to your folks' house, I don't know this neighborhood and I gotta get back to the bar, take care alright? And please do watch your step. I mean seriously you run out the bar in a rush and then you end up tripping and hitting your head. Jesus." He shifts his car into drive and takes off down the road out of the neighborhood.

"Twilight, what did you tell him?" You ask with a scowl forming on your face.

"Uh, heheh, well," She gives her usual sheepish smile and blushes again. "I kinda told him that you fell and hit your head."

"Way to go, Twilight," You deadpan, but that would have to wait. Right now, you have other things to worry about. "Alright, I think their house is down this way. Let's go." You grab her hand and lead her down the street on the sidewalk, passing by several houses of varying sizes.

"Do you know where their house is?" She asked as she held onto your arm. "You haven't seen them in years right?"

"Yeah, but I lived in their house for a good portion of my life. I remember exactly where they live." You continue to walk down the street, turning at a few street corners and watching cars pass by. All the while you kept up at fast pace to get to your parents' house. As you walked you noticed that some rain clouds were coming in. Off in the distance you could hear the rumble of thunder, but you put it off for now. "Damn, their house should be near, I think it- Ah! There it is!" You point to a small one-story house that was on the street adjacent to the one you were on. "C'mon, Twilight!" You pick up your pace to a brisk jog, almost at a sprint to reach your old home. Twilight struggles to work her legs right as she stumbles after you. As you approach your old house, you see that their car is nowhere to be seen, but you assume that it was inside their garage. 'Almost there,' You thought to yourself as you were close to their driveway. Eventually, you reach the driveway and slow down to gather yourself. "We're here. Finally."

"Are you ready to face them?" Twilight asked, walking up behind you.

"To be honest, I'd rather fight a manticore than have to do this, but I think I am."

"Good, just channel everything that me and my friends have taught you, okay?" She comes up from behind and gives you a supportive hug. "I'll be here for you I promise."

"Thanks, Twilight. For everything," You smile at her and begin the approach to the front door. Time seems to slow down as you walk up to the front door, hoping that your parents are on the other side. How would they react to seeing you again? Would they be upset? Relieved? So many questions whirled around in your head. Finally, you reached the doorstep. The moment of all moments has finally come. It was time to face your fears. You take a deep breath, loosening up the muscles in your arms and reach out to press the doorbell button. Inside the house, you can hear the doorbell ring out it's tone, but you get no answer. You press the button again and wait for someone to come answer the door. Panic takes over you as you press the button multiple times in a row, anything to get their attention. "C'mon answer the door,"  You mutter under your breath, still ringing the doorbell.

"Leroy, maybe they're-"

"No," You interrupted sharply. "They're not, I'm telling you they're here!" You then resort to knocking on the door with your fist, trying your damnedest to get them to come to the door. "Fuck, c'mon! Mom! Dad! Its me! Leroy! Your son! I'm here!" You yell desperately.

"Leroy! They're not here!" Twilight grabs your shoulder and tries to restrain you. "Its alright! They're probably just out somewhere!" You stop knocking on the door and face her.

"Yeah, I hope your right, c'mon let's go and-"

"Leroy?" The voice strikes you as familiar. A voice you have not heard in a long time. At first your heart skipped a beat when you heard it, believing it to be from your mother. But you turn to your right and see that it was not coming from your mother neither your father. It was your old neighbor, old Mrs. Hurley, standing on the porch of her small wooden, yellow house. "Leroy? Is that you?" She comes down from her porch and walks over to you and Twilight. Mrs Hurley was an elderly woman, heavy wrinkles on her face, her hair a pale gray, and her form frail and small. "Oh my! I haven't seen you in ages! Where have you been! I haven't seen you since you left the neighborhood!" She laughs and gives you a light hug. "Oh and who is this young lady? Is she your girlfriend? If so then I must say that you have done extremely well! What is your name sweetheart?"

"Uh, my name is Twilight, nice to meet you," She replies shyly.

"Very good to meet you too, deary. Now Leroy, what brings you to the old neighborhood?"

"Mrs. Hurley, where are my parents? Have you seen them?" Your heart begins to ache as you see her face contort into an expression of sorrow.

"Oh," She runs a hand through her hair. "Oh my, I- You don't know? How could you not know? I thought someone in your family would have called you or something?"

"Know? Know what? Please tell me!" You beg, holding her hand in yours.

"Well, I honestly don't think its my place to tell you, but I guess since no one has informed you, I guess I'll have to," She says, looking down at the ground. "Leroy, the last thing I want to do is hurt you, but I'm afraid you have to know."

"Please, Mrs. Hurley," You whisper, tears starting to well up in your eyes. 'Oh God, please don't do this to me.'

"Leroy, I'm so sorry to tell you this..." She begins, holding your hands. You can hear the thunder getting louder in the distance.

"What is it?" A few raindrops fall from the sky, followed by a few more as the rain cloud got closer.

"Your parents..." Another clap of thunder, with more rain following. You could not utter a single word, your throat holding back sobs. "Are not with us anymore," A thunderclap and a flash of lightning illuminates the sky, and the rain begins to fall in a full blown torrent. "Oh dear, the rain..."

"What do you mean?" You ask, your hot tears mixing in with the cold rain water. "You mean to say that..."

She looks at you with a sorrowful expression. "Leroy, I'm so sorry. But your parents died over two weeks ago. They died in car crash. Their car was hit by another that was going over ninety miles per hour. I heard that they died from the impact. The funeral was last week. Where were you, dear?"

It was right there... At that moment in time... Your whole world... Fell apart... Your sorrow and fury raging as strong as the storm that raged above. You fell to your knees, your heart feeling as though it was ripped out of your chest. You couldn't breathe, you couldn't feel anything, but pain and sorrow. And you let all of it out with one loud cry, letting out all of your fury and pain. You felt Twilight try and pull you to your feet to get out of the rain, but you didn't care. You didn't care about anything. At this moment you wanted to die along with them, you didn't feel like living anymore as you felt like a crucial part of you just died. You sat there on your knees, crying out in anguish to the heavens, cursing at any gods that were doing this to you. Was this your punishment for the way you shunned them out of your life? If it was, then it might as well have been death. Because at this moment, death was welcome to you.

You could feel the burning rage mixed with the sting of sorrow deep within your chest. The pain was too much for you to bear and you double over and fall in heap to the ground, sobbing as you fell. Twilight still at your side and you could hear her crying along with you. You were not sure if Mrs. Hurley was crying as well, but you were sure she felt sorry for you. You couldn't help but feel that it was your fault, that while you were having a nice time in Equestria, your parents died and you could not do anything about it. If you could have taken it all back, that day you left them, when you lashed out at your father... The memory of that brings you further pain and you make it known to Twilight who was laying on your shoulder, trying her best to help alleviate the pain in any way she thought possible. But even then that wasn't enough, not even all the love, friendship, or hell, even alcohol could help you right now.

Suddenly, you felt two pairs of hands grab you and you fought back as much as you could, but in the end you gave in and let them lift you up to your feet. In all honesty it was a pitiful sight, but how could anyone blame you? You were in more pain then you have ever been in in your entire life. Twilight and Mrs. Hurley pulled you to your feet, even though you wanted to stay out in the rain. "Leroy! We have to get out of the rain!" She grabbed your left arm and Mrs. Hurley your right and hauled to her house where you could dry up. As much as you didn't want to comply, you're mind went completely blank. As if your emotions overloaded your mind and caused you to finally just go quiet and not resist any longer. Even as they dragged you into the living room and laid you down onto the sofa, you just sat there unresponsive. You couldn't do anything. You didn't want to do anything. You already let your parents die. So what's the point?

"Leroy? Can you hear me?" Twilight called to you as lay sprawled on the couch, with a blank stare on your face. "Leroy? Talk to me, c'mon," She tries to shake you, but you are unresponsive as you just lay there in shock. "Leroy?" Tears start to well up in her eyes as she sits down next to you and buries her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry, we weren't fast enough! I'm so sorry!" Twilight begins to sob into her hands, feeling the pain of regret and sorrow that you were feeling. But you knew. You knew that she was not feeling the same amount of pain you were. She still had her parents. What did she know about loss!? She doesn't what its like to know that you failed even though you tried so hard. That feeling in the pit of your stomach. Failure. Sorrow. Anger. Regret. All of those emotions rush through you and it was too much for you to bear. All of it tied together with guilt. That cold sting of guilt. That sting that was piercing your heart. So much pain. How much more can you endure?

*3rd Person*

Twilight still sat there in her distressed state, tears running down her cheeks as she sobbed for her friend. She looked upon him with sorrow, seeing that he seemed to be in a state of shock, his tidal wave of emotions overloading his mind. "Leroy, please. Talk to me," She begged, shaking his shoulder and trying to get a response out of him. Suddenly, Twilight felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Please deary, let him be. He's going through a lot at the moment," Mrs. Hurley took Twilight's hand and led her out of her small living room and into her kitchen. There she had a pot of tea brewing and moved Twilight to the table where she took a seat on one of the chairs. The old woman then went over to the stove and examined the pot. "Would you like some tea? It is almost finished."

"Um, yes please," Twilight replied and sat there at the table, rubbing her cold, wet hands together.

"Oh dear, you seem to be cold. Here, allow me to fetch you a towel," Twilight was about to say that she was fine, but a cold shiver ran through her body and nodded as the woman left the kitchen down the hallway. At that moment Twilight began looking around the kitchen, observing the several trinkets that lay on the shelves and pictures that hung on the walls. There was a picure in black and white she saw that seemed to be a younger-looking Mrs. Hurley, sitting on the lap of a young man. She could not help but smile at how happy they looked and she could only assume that the man was her 'special somepony' as everyone in Equestria calls it. Of course, her being an Equestrian, she wondered why there was only one male with her, but then she remembered. Polygamy, bad. Monogamy, good.

"Ah, I see you've found Mr. Hurley?" Twilight let out a squeak of surprise, jumped out of her skin, and whirled around to see Mrs. Hurley who was standing at the door way with a small, wrinkly smile, and a couple towels in her hands. "Oh dear me, I'm sorry. Did I scare you dear? I didn't think I was that scary," She chuckled as she handed Twilight a towel.

"Uh no, I was just surprised is all," She replied with her usual sheepish grin and took the towel and began drying herself off. Then again her clothes were soaked and pretty much ruined so it was a vain effort to get herself dry. Nevertheless she began working on getting her hair so she won't catch her death from the cold. "That's a very nice picture by the way."

"Mmm, yes it is a nice picture," Mrs. Hurley sighed as she looked longingly at the photo. "I was twenty-three years old at the time, and Norman was about twenty-six. Oh, we were so young and in love! That day was when he asked me to marry him! Oh my, I was so happy! We dated for about two years when we met in college. Then after we both finished he asked for my hand. He was so handsome, charming, and the sweetest man any girl could ever have asked for." She then went to the living room with the other towel. Twilight leaned her head to the right and could see that Mrs. Hurley covered her friend up so that he would stay warm. Even then he still didn't seem to notice her.

She came back to the kitchen and sat down at the table across from Twilight. "Forgive me, dear, but what was your name again? I didn't quite seem to catch it?"

"Oh, well my name is Twilight."

"Twilight?" She raised an eyebrow, never before hearing a pony name before. "That is quite an unusual name, not one that I've heard before that's for sure. Where are you from by the way?"

"Uhhh," Twilight had no idea what to say, she didn't want to tell her that she was from another dimension. Considering the fact that humans had no experience with magic or let alone interdimensional travel. But she seemed like a sweet old lady, maybe she would believe her or understand at the very least. So, she decided to tell the truth. "Mrs. Hurley? Can I be honest? I know this will sound crazy, but I hope that you will understand. But it will explain why Leroy didn't know about his parent's death and where I am from."

"Well then go ahead, dear. I have heard a lot of crazy things in my time and I will try my best to understand." She nodded at the young Princess, showing her compliance.

"Okay," Twilight took a deep breath. "I am not what you think I am. This is not how I usually look, I am from another world and dimension called Equestria..." She then went ahead to explain almost everything about her world, including the fact that its inhabited by a bunch of talking ponies. "So, what do you think?" Twilight was afraid that the elderly woman would react the same way like Leroy did and kick them out of her house in fear. Or maybe even call the authorities. Instead, she just sat there, looking like she was thinking over what Twilight had said.

"So, you're saying that your from a world called Equestria," Mrs. Hurley held a mild expression as she talked.

"Uh-huh."

"And that magic and other mythical creatures exist."

"And that you are actually a talking pony who helped Leroy recover from his accident."

"Yes I am." Mrs. Hurley took a moment and sat back in her chair, looking thoroughly perplexed.

"Okay, either what you said is true," She went over to the teapot as it started whistling and lifted it off the stove. "Or that is the most organized amount of hooey that I have ever heard." The old woman chuckled and went to a pantry and pulled out two cups. "But, you seem pretty serious and even though it sounds crazy I don't think its my right to judge. So I don't fully believe you, but it gives me some understanding as to where in the world Leroy has been," After pouring her and Twilight some tea, she returned to her seat and handed Twilight her cup.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hurley," She took a sip of the warm tea and felt relieved to taste the warm bittersweet liquid.

"Please, call me Abigail," Mrs. Hurley chuckled as she also took a sip of her tea. "So, how are things between you and Leroy? You two seem pretty close. He really seems to like you."

Twilight can't quite help but feel a little bit discouraged, knowing that her and Leroy could never be together. Even if they did, she couldn't bear to see him die and her live on. Not only that but her friends as well. "Well, we're really close friends. And we both understand each other very well."

"Really?" Abigail puts her cup down. "I thought that you and him were together! You two look very cute as a couple."

"I'm glad you think that way, but I just don't see him that way. Besides, there are too many complicated things keeping us from being together."

"Oh phooey on that!" She takes Twilight's hand. "You see deary, I know you love him. I could see it when I saw you looking at him. You can't fool me you know?"

"Well, how would you know?"

"Because," Abigail looks back at the picture of her and her husband. "That was the way Norman looked at me. The way his eyes just seemed to soften up and get that loving look. That look that just says 'I love you with all my heart and soul'. And listen, love is not complicated and do you know why?"

"Why?" Tears start to well up in Twilight's eyes.

"Love is not a problem that needs to be solved. Its not a question that needs to be answered. Do you know what it is?" For a while Twilight could not figure out the answer. She used to stay up all night reading books. She studied so hard in magic and wanted to learn so much about everything! And yet, Twilight Sparkle, the former protege of Princess Celestia and now the Princess of Friendship, could not tell her what exactly love was.

"No, I don't," She hung her head in shame. Abigail lifted up her chin and looked at her with a small smile.

"Love, my dear, is not something you can think about. It is something that is felt within you. In here," She places a hand on her heart. "Do you get what I mean?"

"Yes," Twilight replied, even though tears were staining her face she couldn't help but smile. She looked over at where Leroy was laying and- he wasn't there. "Leroy?" She could hear the thunder outside roaring in fury, her heart skipping a beat. Quickly as she could, she ran over to the living room where he was supposed to be laying down on the sofa, the towel lay discarded on the floor. "Leroy! Where are you?!" She frantically looked around the room to see if maybe he was sitting somewhere else. "Abigail! Leroy's gone! Is he here in the house?"

"No he's not, I would've heard him walking down the hallway," She came out from the kitchen with a worried look on her face. "I think maybe-" Suddenly a draft of wind billowed into the room, from the open front door. "Oh my," Abigail gasped as she walked over to the front door. "Oh no, he left! I hope he hasn't gone too far!"

"We need to go find him!" She was about to go through the door, but Abigail stopped her.

"Not like that you are, I would drive you, but I haven't driven in a couple of years and I can't see well at night. Come with me," She led her down the hall past the kitchen to a closet in the middle of the corridor. She opened the door, pulled out a black raincoat and handed it to Twilight, along with a flashlight. "Here deary, take this, just press the button and light comes out from it," Abigail pressed the button to demonstrate to the young Princess. "It will help you see in the dark," Twilight slipped into the cumbersome raincoat and Abigail pulled the hood over her head. "Now, are you sure you want to do this? It can be pretty dangerous outside when it rains."

"Yes I'm sure," She took the flashlight and fumbled around with it, pressing the button a few times to test it. "I need to go find him and bring him back safely," With that, she walked back to the front door with the heavy raincoat covering her body. The rain was now falling down in full fury, with thunder booming off in the distance.

"You have to be careful, dear! You can very well get hurt! The coat will keep you dry, but not for long!" Abigail shouted over the loud torrent of the rain. "I would go with you, but I don't think I would be of any use to you!

"It's okay! I'll be careful, but I have to find him so he doesn't get hurt!" Twilight took a breath and stepped off the porch and out into the rain, her coat becoming soaked within seconds. She switched on the flashlight and shined it down on the wet ground. Surprisingly, she saw that there were footprints squished into the grass and led off onto the sidewalk. Now that she had a beat on where her friend had gone off to, she stepped out onto the sidewalk and began her search for her friend.

ooo000oo000ooo

Was it the rain? Or was it the tears that were staining your face? You didn't care, all you wanted to do was just sulk as you trekked through the torrent of water; your shoes muddied and your clothes soaked through. Most likely you would get sick from being out in the rain, but even then it mattered little to you. Hell, you could get shot right now and you would thank the kind stranger for putting you out of your misery. You stumbled further along the sidewalk and you could not remember why exactly you were out here. Was it to escape? If so, escape from what? You could not, for the life of you remember why exactly you were out here freezing to death. Again, you didn't care. All you wanted was that pain deep inside your chest to stop. Where the pain was from you could not remember. Or maybe you didn't want to remember? What happened that you were wandering about in the rain and trying to escape from the pain?

Images flash in your mind. A totaled car. Your parents' bloodied faces. Your mother's cold dead stare burning into your soul.

You cry out and grasp your head in pain as these images flash through your mind and you fall to your knees. Oh, there was the reason why you were in pain. The overwhelming wave of emotion passes through you once again and you let out an anguished cry...

ooo000oo000ooo

"Arrrrrgggggghhhh!" Twilight heard the cry come out from further ahead of where she was. At first she could not discern whether or not it was the wind or the thunder, but her instincts told her that it was her friend crying out in pain. "Hold on, Leroy! I'm coming!" She ran off in the direction she heard the scream.

ooo000oo000ooo

The rain fell down hard upon you, your clothes stuck to your body from how soaked they were. Off in the distance, you were not too sure if you heard someone yell your voice. You didn't care, you just kept walking through the cold rain. But then, you heard it again, this time closer.

"Leroy!" The voice shouted, but you ignored it and kept on trudging through the rain. Your body felt numb. Cold. And you were deaf to everything you heard. Again you heard it, this time it was as if it was right behind you. "Leroy! Wait!" The voice was familiar to you, maybe it was from someone you know. Or maybe you just didn't care. Suddenly, you hear someone's footsteps splashing on the sidewalk, almost as if they were running to catch up to you. This, you had to see. Who in their right mind would follow you out- it was her. Twilight. "Leroy! What are you doing out here?! You could get hurt!" She was shining a flashlight in your face and shut it off as she walked up to you. You also saw that she was wearing some sort of black rain coat, which was thoroughly soaked.

You could not help but answer her back. "Why did you follow me out here Twilight? I came out here for a reason, I wanna be alone!" You shout at her through the rain.

"I can't leave you alone like out here like this! You know I can't do that! I came out here to help you!" She begged as she walked closer to you. "Leroy, I know you're in pain! But you can't stay out here! Its dangerous!"

"Shut up! You don't know what I feel! Tell me, have you ever felt loss?! Ever felt what its like to lose someone close to you?! No! You haven't! Now leave me alone I don't want your help! No one can help me! Not even you with your stupid magic!" You turn your back on her to walk away.

"Leroy!" She grabs you by the shoulder and turns you around. "Please! Come back with me to the house! Then tomorrow we can go back to Equestria! Back with our friends! You can leave behind all of your pain and suffering! You don't have to come back here ever again!"

"I don't want to go back! I don't want to go anywhere! All I want is to be left alone! So just go! What does it matter to you?! You and your friends never cared for me! All I was in Equestria was just some freak that the Princess asked you to befriend! You, Applejack, Rainbow, none of them! You never cared about me!"

"NO!" She grabs your shoulders desperately. "That's not true, Leroy! We all care for you! Remember all the time we've spent together?! We've been through so much you can't just give up on everything! I won't leave you alone!"

You shake her from her grip and shove her away, tears burning in your eyes. "I don't care! I've lost too much! My parents, my whole life on Earth! It was just sheer dumb fucking luck that I'm even alive! And you know what?! I wish Luna hadn't saved me that night! I wish that I hadn't gone  to Equestria! I wish that I was dead right now! So for the last time, leave me alone! Can't you see that I just wanna be alone!" The dam breaks inside you as you begin to sob and tears fall from your face along with the rain.

"I can't do that!" She shouts back at your face, eyes closed as she cried out. "I would do anything for you, Leroy! I can't just stand around while you tear yourself apart like this!"

Your temper rises to an inferno and you push her away again, but she loses her balance and she lands on her rear. "Why the fuck do you care?! Why won't you just leave me alone?! Why?!"

"Because I-"Twilight stopped herself, she couldn't answer; as you looked down at her, she stared up at you, fear etched onto her face. 'I- I've never seen him this angry before... I don't know, but- I feel so threatened by him right now. No! I can't let him do this!' She stands up and looks at you with hesitant defiance in her eyes. "The reason why is be-because I-" She stopped and choked on her words, unable to get them out. You only laughed and shook your head.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," You turned around and started to walk away. "You don't have an answer." It was there you felt Twilight's arms wrap around your midsection, pulling you close and holding you tight. Instead of fighting back, you only sighed and looked down at the ground, shaking your head once more. "Twilight, why? Why are you trying so hard?" You turn around and face her, seeing the strangest look on her face. Instead of seeing a look of distress, you instead see her with the softest of smiles. Her violet eyes shining through the darkness of the night. She moves forward and once again wraps her arms around you, pulling you into a soft hug. "Twilight," You didn't hug her back, all you could do was stand there.

"Because," She pulls back and looks up at you. "I love you. And I feel so lost without you..." She lays her head on your chest. "Ever since that first day at the hospital. I started to fall in love with you. I don't what it was, but I was so interested in you. And, when I started to get to know you I- I just couldn't help but fall in love. Everyday I just wanted to see more and more of you. Even now, when you are at your lowest, I still love you. I always will..."

"Twilight I-" But you stop yourself, not knowing what to say. All these hurtful things you've said to her.The way you pushed down to the ground. How could you ever apologize? Now that she's confessed her true feeling for you, you have no idea what in the hell to do. Nevertheless, you wrap your arms around her back and pull her close to you. "Twilight, I'm sorry!" You cry out, holding her tighter. "I'm sorry I said all those things! I'm sorry I pushed you! I didn't mean to I swear! I just- I just don't know what do. My parents are dead. I was too late to save them, its my fault they're dead."

"No," She picks up her head to look at you, placing her hand on your cheek. "Its not your fault. Its nopony's fault. What happened was just something that neither of us could control. But you have to understand, it wasn't your fault. If there was something that I could do to make this go away I would do it."

You take hold of her and hold it to your cheek. "Twilight, I'm sorry. About everything I said, could you ever forgive me?" Without uttering a single word, Twilight leans forward and gently presses her lips against yours. For a moment time stops. At first you stood there stunned, not knowing what to do, but as she places her hands around your neck you do the same and pull her closer by her waist; the heavy raincoat restricting you from getting closer to her.

After a few moments of your passionate embrace, Twilight pulls back with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Yes, I do forgive you," You smile, despite your current disposition and pull her in for another kiss. Thunder booms loudly up in the sky and causes you two to jump apart. "Oh my gosh, I think we should go back! Before we get hurt!"

"Good idea!" You take her hand and lead her down the sidewalk, making the journey back to Abigail's house. Despite the fact that you were just in a state of utter despair, you could not help but grin as you and Twilight stumbled home through the rain; a warm, tingly feeling in your chest...