Under The Blue Sky

Alfred awoke in a daze. He couldn't tell what time it was but he figured it was past midday. He appreciated the fact that he wasn't woken by Twilight. He didn't expect to be woken but it showed that Twilight valued his relaxation and personal space. He stared at the ceiling for a good 10 minutes, thinking about how he was going to approach the day. He would be introduced to Spike, gather with his friends again, perhaps go on a tour, but hopefully receive an answer from Celestia. That was his primary goal, to get back home to Luke.

He got to his feet and only just realised that he fell asleep in his full clothes. He was surprised at how exhausted he must've actually been. The bed was a mess. He couldn't leave it like this, what would Twilight think? He quickly made the bed to perfection and hurried down the stairs, leaving his bag by the foot of the bed. He hurried himself along since he assumed he was keeping everyone waiting downstairs. He hopped off the final step and inspected the room before him. No one was there except for Twilight and a small, purple dragon. They were both cleaning the room, dusting books and whatnot.

"Good morning? Hey, sorry for keeping you waiting. I didn't expect to collapse like a ton of bricks on the bed. Where is everyone?"

"Everyone's back where they should be. Rarity still had a couple of errands to run so we all figured we'd meet when you're ready. Alfred, you remember when we talked about Spike don't you?" She jerked her head towards Spike to reassure Alfred.

"Hello, Alfred!"

"Hello Spike! I see you're very active today."

"Well Twilight and I figured this place could need a small fix up. Especially since we're housing a human."

"That's not necessary guys. Im satisfied and I'm ready to get started with the day."

"That's excellent," Twilight exclaimed, "we just need to..."

Her speech suddenly halted as Spike started to produce guttural sounds. A sudden flash of green fire erupted from his mouth and delivered some sort of scroll with it.

"What the heck was that," Alfred stuttered as he bounced back.

"I'm sorry. Spike does that whenever he receives a letter from Princess Celestia." Alfred's eyes lit up at the mention of her name. He wanted to quickly scuttle over to read it with them but stayed standing still in the centre of the room. Spike also gave up on reading the letter after Twilight sent him away. Whatever was on that scroll was only meant to be read by her. He respected her privacy so he didn't attempt to read the letter, but he did stare at her face closely. He was looking for any reactions that could predict what answer he was going to receive. He was pretty sure that the letter contained the answer to his question, why wouldn't it?

Alfred suddenly became worried when Twilight placed the paper down. Her reaction hadn't changed for the duration of the letter which either meant that the letter was of no relevance, or something much worse. She didn't take her eyes off the letter until she noticed Alfred patiently wanting an answer. She breathed in tightly and locked her eyes with his.

"Princess Celestia wishes to speak with you privately. I'll take you now."

"What's this about Twilight, is she going to give me the answer? Do you already know it?"

"She will tell you everything you need to know but we have to leave now."

"Yes, alright let's go."

Alfred and Twilight quickly departed from the library, leaving Spike alone with his cleaning. The journey there felt like the longest journey of Alfred's life. Time seemed to slow down dramatically as he thought about the possible answer. He wasn't expecting good news after seeing Twilight leave with such a formal tone. It scared him. He put so much trust into this purple pony and if it was going to be bad news the last thing he would want is for her to stay distant from him. He turned his head to the blue sky above. He remembered when he first arrived. He remembered the comfort he found just gazing into the deep blue. It was an escape from everything, just like his walks. The blue sky seemed more of a reliable escape to him though, because it was constantly there, unlike his walks. He could always look up and slow everything down. He could forget anything and everything, but not today.

"Just remember, we'll always be here for you," Twilight quietly said to Alfred. They were both standing just outside the doors. They both knew the answer waited for Alfred inside. Alfred kept his head down for a few more seconds and then raised it slowly.

"I know you know the answer," he said with tears in his eyes, "but I also know you won't tell me. Only Celestia wil."

They both looked at each other. Twilight could feel herself tearing up at the sight of Alfred. She tried and tried to fight the tears back but a small, lonely tear managed to fall down her cheek. Alfred knew the answer when he saw that single tear. It confirmed all his doubts and all his worries. He turned around and opened the large doors. The sight of Twilight was slowly disappearing as he closed the doors behind him. Just before he closed the doors shut he noticed Twilight turning away and weeping sadly. Twilight wept and wept thinking that she was now alone, but she wasn't. Alfred took one last look through the gap in the door and closed them.

Twilight finally tried to pull herself together after rubbing her eyes repeatedly. She was now reduced to small sniffles. She turned back to the now closed door and began to wait. She waited and waited. Minutes felt like hours and soon hours felt like years. Twilight couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for Alfred. She didn't want him to cry, but she was expecting him to.

Suddenly the doors swung open and Twilight was met with a sobbing and broken man. Alfred ran to Twilight and fell to his knees in front of her. He quickly grabbed her and pulled her in tight, weeping as he did so. Twilight was expecting him to be upset but not like this. She pulled herself in closer and tried to calm him down by whispering into his ear. It didn't work. Alfred's tears began to soak up her fur like a towel. Twilight quickly gave up trying to talk to him and pulled him in for a tight hug. Alfred was weeping loudly but he tried desperately to utter words.

"She...she said there was no way...of returning," Alfred blurted out. "no..no..its...all my fault."

"No! It is not your fault," Twilight screamed with tears filling her eyes. "There isn't anything you could've done!"

"I should've been a better father. I should've gotten rid of my wife and my horrible job. I should've..."

"No! Stop! Listen to me, none of this is your fault."

"I loved him...I loved him...I loved..," Alfred continued to cry heavily. He thought about his son. He thought about his cute face. He thought about his adorable laugh. Now it was all gone. No more son to hold, no more son to feed, no more son to love.

He had no chance of redeeming himself now. He had promised his son that he would make everything alright, but he had failed. He had broken his only promise and now he laid there a broken man. His son would grow up to be just like his mother and he would hate the father who abandoned him. He would grow up to be everything Alfred hated about his life. He was nothing now. He had no legacy. No one would miss him. The saddest thing was that Luke wouldn't even remember who he was.

Twilight and Alfred just sat there, crying onto each other's shoulders, staying completely still.