"-as using this spell would be akin to making a door. One of which, I regret to inform, is harder to close than it is to open. I take this news with a heavy heart and hope only for the best outcome. Please keep me informed on his well-being. I am truly sorry. Yours, Cadence." Luna finished reading the letter she had received just a few minutes ago.

After everything that happened in the bathhouse, she stayed true to her word that she would write to their niece about Ryan's recent behavior. It wasn't until after that, that she and her sister spent the rest of the night with the human, her having taken the night off of work for the occasion.

Luna set the note aside, looking very displeased as she rested her elbows on the table and her head in hands, massaging her temples with her fingertips.

Celestia sat across from her, feeling nothing but hatred for herself. "So, it was our fault." She suspected that it was from the beginning, but to finally hear it tore her apart. "He tried to kill himself because of us."

"It would seem so..." Luna answered painfully, looking back down at the letter. "At least all is not lost. She did mention that this could very-well be a good thing."

"There's nothing good about it!" Celestia growled through clenched teeth, slamming a fist into the table. "This stupid plan almost costed us the very life we were trying to save." She had to blink back the angry tears that were trying to breach her eyes.

Luna flinched at her sisters outburst. Her reaction was understandable, but was made bias by the situation. "Tia, had we not gone through with it-"

"He would have never tried to take his own life." Celestia finished.

Luna glared at her sister for interrupting her with such a negative outlook. "He never would have gotten better either." She corrected, continuing her earlier statement. "You've seen first-hand, as well as I have, that he is finally getting better. I know it's hard to look at it that way with all that has happened, but we cannot undo the past." The sun princess look up at her younger sister, her eyes still threatening to pour. "We must look at what is to come; And what is to come could very-well be a road to a brighter future for him."

Celestia turned away, refusing to meet her little sister's gaze. "Think about it, sister." Luna continued, "Think about last night. At any other point in time, he would have jumped at the idea to be intimate with us. But not then; Instead he fought us out of fear that he would hurt us."

"He's getting better, Tia." Luna went on, hoping to quell her older sister of these dark thoughts. "The road to recovery is never easy, there will always be conflict. But, right now, he needs his friends to be strong and to look out for him. In time, the rewards will come."

Celestia let out a sigh, turning back to face her little sister. For a while she was locked in her current mood, but before too long a smile found its way to her face. "You're right, Luna." She said, earning a smirk from the night princess. "I need to stop looking at the negatives and focus on the good that will come"

"I'm glad you are seeing things my way." She said, looking up at a nearby clock. "I almost wish we hadn't sent him home so early. I would very much like to speak with him about what he is feeling."

"As do I." Celestia agreed, "But, as you said, the road to recovery is never easy. We will have to let him figure himself out in his own time."

Luna sighed, knowing her elder sister was correct. "Indeed; If we dig too much it may become overwhelming for him." She took a few seconds to think back on his behavior prior to this new development. "It's so strange to see him how he is now. There's never been a time where he wasn't the most headstrong creature in the room."

"From monster to man nearly overnight." Celestia joked, trying to keep her outlooks from taking a dark turn again. However, she could only fight them for so long. "It must be hard for him; Changing so drastically so soon."

Ryan slept peacefully in the comfort of his own bed. Having been up most of the night, he was far from hesitant on going back to sleep once he was teleported back home. Once he was out, he was out cold with little to nothing to disturb him. He would have very likely stayed asleep for the next few hours if it weren't for-

"Look at me, I'm almost a human being!
I'm just like you
Better than he
To hell with they-"

His eyes opened slowly, his body arguing with him to stay asleep. But, he knew that if he didn't get up now then he never would. With many arguments, both internally and externally, he lifted himself up, looking over at his phone.

"I'm almost me!
I'm nearly human!
Pity me, I'm almost a human being!"

Swiping his finger across the screen, his phone was silenced. At least until tomorrow, that is. He climbed out of the bed, taking a minute to locate his new stack of clothes, then proceeded to lazily slide a set on. A yawn escapes him as he grabs his phone and places it on his hip before reluctantly exiting his room.

Aside from wanting to go back to sleep, his head was buzzing with a mixture of thoughts that he couldn't even begin to keep track of. It felt as though his mind was a computer with some asshole behind the keyboard trying to reprogram him. Pushing that thought to the side for now, he made his way to the fridge. Upon opening it, he was reminded that he had yet to go shopping.

With a growl he slammed the empty piece of machinery shut and walked outside. The sun was shining bright enough to make him recoil back inside for a second, its bright rays assaulting him with their luminescence. He fought through the pain, making his way to town with squinted eyes.

There was a moment where he debated going to Doughnut Joe's for a few cups of coffee, but he really needed to stock up on groceries. Keeping that in mind, he walked through town and looked over the stalls that lined the streets. There were a decent number of ponies already out and about, but they seemed too busy with their own affairs to notice him.

Following their example, he went about his own business. Rather than going to the stalls, he made a B-line for the local marketplace. It would have everything the stalls had, just not as fresh. That didn't bother him though. All he wanted was to get everything he needed, preferably in one go, then head straight home.

He grabbed a cart before dragging himself through the isles, his eyelids still heavy and making this quick trip to the store more difficult than it should have been. He was halfway through the mental list he made of what he needed to grab when he found himself in the liquor aisle.

His eyes wandered over the large number of bottles, boxes, and so on that he could pick from. Part of him was hesitant to even touch one of these, but the rest of him cried out for the bittersweet nectar. This actually became a conflict for him, which has never happened before. Normally he'd go crazy when he found himself in this isle, but for some reason the appeal just wasn't there as much as it used to be. This desire he suddenly felt, this nagging feeling in his chest, almost like his insides were praying for it, it got the better of him.

Grabbing a few bottles of whisky, rum and whatever else looked pleasing, he started for the checkout. After his goods had been purchased and bagged, he made his way back home and unloaded his groceries into their respective places. He kept one of the bottles out, his feelings from earlier failing to subside.

With everything organized and put away, he grabbed the bottle and pulled the top off, quickly sipping down the harsh liquid. He was met with the familiar warmth that came with this specific form of consumption, relishing in it as he did so. He pulled the bottle from his mouth, a soft smile working its way onto his face as he walked into his living room and sat down on the arm of the couch.

His lips smacked a few times as he took another drink, savoring the flavor. "Damn, that's good." He said to no one in particular. He looked around his old/new house with a new-found fondness, feeling as though everything was as it should be for once. "I actually...I feel kinda good. This is nice."

Careful though; You're gonna hate yourself in the morning if you kill off that bottle.

Ryan took another drink, letting out a happy sigh as he did so. "Joke's on you, asshole. I'm gonna hate myself in the morning no matter what."

Hehehehe

Ryan soon found himself laughing at his own comment. It was stupid, but he still found it funny. He looks back down at the bottle, placing it's lip against his, only to stop right there. The urge to go any further was slim and he just wasn't feeling it anymore. No longer was it a conflict though. It was more like he was satisfied with what little he had.

We should have someone over.

He removed the bottle from his lips once again, swallowing what little was in his mouth before responding. "Like who?"

I don't know, someone fun?

"I'll only be gone for a bit." Twilight explained to her loyal assistant, opening the door to her castle. "Shouldn't be too long, an hour tops."

"Don't worry, I've got everything under control." Spike said in a cocky tone, earning a giggle from the young alicorn.

"If you say so. I'll be back soon." Twilight left the castle, choosing to walk to her destination. Sure she could fly, but it was a nice day and she didn't mind the exercise.

There wasn't anything serious going on, she just felt like going out for a bit and maybe visiting one of her friends. With Thorax and Ember visiting the other day, she was too busy to actually go out and enjoy herself. Once they had been taken care of, she spent the rest of the day sorting her books. She could have asked Starlight to help, but this was something she liked to do on her own. In its own way, it was relaxing to her.

She silently thanked Celestia that Ryan hadn't come into town that day. As if things couldn't have played out better in the beginning, she was scared to think what would have happened should he have intervened. Then again, with how he's been lately, he probably would have ignored the whole thing.

Twilight remained lost in thought for a majority of her trip, playing out all of the different scenarios in her head. After going through everything she could think of, she tried to think of who the best pony to visit would be.

Applejack was usually busy this time of day with the orchard, Rarity would likely have orders to fill what with how much time she took off of work to make Ryan new clothes, and Rainbow Dash was usually a pain to find unless she came to you. This left Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

Pinkie was closer, but might also be working today as well. Still though, it couldn't hurt just to pop in and say 'hi' as long as they weren't too busy. She almost didn't realize that she had made it to Sugar Cube Corner with how lost in thought she was. It was almost as if her legs had made up her mind for her during the walk.

Pulling herself back to reality, she entered the nice little bakery and went straight for the counter. There didn't seem to be many ponies inside, and there were none waiting to place an order. She was actually pretty surprised to see Mrs. Cake standing behind it instead of Pinkie.

"Good Morning, Princess Twilight!" The chubby mare greeted with a bright, shining smile. "What brings you in today?"

"Hello, Mrs. Cake." Twilight greeted respectively. "I was actually looking for Pinkie. Is she here?"

"I'm sorry, hun." Mrs. Cake began, "But, she left just a few minutes ago."

"Oh?" Twilight did a quick mental rundown of her friend's work schedule. "I thought she was supposed to work until closing today."

"She was, but she requested the day off." Mrs. Cake answered, not looking at all bothered about it. "And I can't say 'No' to her, not with how hard she works."

"Besides, she only wanted to so she could keep that human company." She explained, earning an odd look from the purple mare on the other side of the counter. "And of course I had to let her, knowing that. If I had to go through what he has lately, I would want a dear friend, like Pinkie, to keep me company too."

Twilight wasn't sure how to respond to that. It wasn't like what Mrs. Cake did wasn't unexpected, but more like what Ryan did was. "Do you know where they went?"

"I can't say I do." Mrs. Cake answered with a nod.

"Okay, thanks anyway."

After saying their goodbyes, Twilight left the bakery, stopping just outside to try and figure a few things out. "That's weird..." She said to herself. "It's not like Ryan to be the one looking for somepony." She continued on, looking back on what memories she had and what stories she's heard about him. "Normally we have to beat down his door just to get his attention."

Twilight absentmindedly started walking through town, slowly making her way to the outskirts. "Why would he actually want to see Pinkie, or anypony for that matter?" She couldn't seem to wrap her head around this little conundrum. More questions started piling up with no answers to follow. "On top of that, he's still hurt. Being around somepony so energetic would be painful. Why would he want to put himself through that?"

Before long she found herself standing just outside of the human's new home. Looking over it, she could see the almost identical appearance to the old one. The only difference between then and now was that it was much cleaner and there were a number of warm colored flowers lining the outside.

Though skeptical at first, she had already come this far and decided to press on. She walked up to the door, raising a hand to knock on it. However, a few loud bangs and a crash brought her to a stop. instantly her thoughts took a dark turn.

Being fearful for the human's well-being, she grabbed the handle and swung the door open. She found her heart rate slowing down as she spotted the human she had been worried about, pinning the bubbly pink friend she was looking for earlier, on the living room floor.

Ryan held the pink pony down with a triumphant smile adorning his face. "That's why you don't let your guard down."

Pinkie turned her attention away from the human, looking up toward her other friend. "Hi, Twilight!" She said in her usual happy tone, causing the human to look in her direction as well. Taking advantage of the interference, Pinkie turned the tables, throwing Ryan off of her before pinning him down with his arms above his head. "What did we learn?"

Ryan struggled for a moment, but submitted quickly after. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alright, you win."

Pinkie threw her arms up in a celebratory manner. "Woohoo!"

"Deception!" Ryan rebutted, using the same tactic as the pink mare to put himself on top of her once again.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Pinkie yelled.

"So is using adrenaline to fight off a pack of evil cyborgs, but that didn't stop Henry!"

Where the fuck did that come from?

"Uh, guys!" Twilight piped up, announcing her arrival. "What the hay are you doing?"

Ryan turned his attention to the alicorn, this time keeping his arms locked so the struggling earth pony wouldn't get the best of him again. "Wrestling; What does it look like?" He looked back down at Pinkie, "Say uncle!"

"Never!" Pinkie yelled in defiance. She stopped struggling when she noticed that he had released her arms from his grip, looking up at him with a confused expression. "Huh?"

"I said..." Ryan's brought his hands back down on her,wiggling his fingers all around her sides and under her arms. "Surrender!"

Pinkie entered the most obnoxious giggle/snorting fit he had ever heard in his entire life. Occasionally she would plead with him to stop, but it was almost incoherent with the frantic giggling. As annoying as he found it, it was kind of cute in its own way.

Ryan finally stopped his tickle assault when he noticed his arms were being consumed by a lavender glow. He inspected his body to see what was happening. Upon noticing no changes to himself, he turned his attention to the purple alicorn who was responsible for the glowing.

Twilight cut off her magic, giving the human a look of shock. "Your blood alcohol level is only at 0.03!" Any other time when she had to do this, his levels were nearly fatal, yet somehow he lived. Seeing him like this, and at such a low level, was beyond her comprehension. "How!?"

Ryan was confused as to why she was asking this, so he wasn't left with many options on how to answer. "I only had a few swigs of rum this morning?" Figuring he'd give the poor pink mare a break, he climbed off of her and stood up to face the mare at his door. "Why; Is that a problem?"

"No...It's the exact opposite!" She pretty much yelled as her brain started doing back flips in her head. This earned her an odd look from both the human and the pink pony now standing beside him. "I'm sorry. It's just...I've never seen you enjoy yourself so much unless you were intoxicated."

"What can I say? Today's been good to me." Ryan said with a shrug. "Woke up a little earlier than I would have liked, but aside from that, I've got no complaints."

"~They say I'm crazy, but I have a good time!" Pinkie sang, wrapping her arms around the human's neck and letting herself fall, almost bringing Ryan with her. He manages to keep himself up, causing her to swing until she was hanging right in front of him. "I'm just looking for clues at the scene of the crime! Life's been good to me so far!"

Ryan couldn't help but laugh at her a bit. The only reason she knew that song was because she found it in his phone a while back. At least, he hopes that's how she knows it. Given her reality-bending, spaghetti powers, it's hard to tell.

[DWK Reference!]
[Get out of my fourth wall!]

Twilight was still taken back by his behavior. On top of that, he hardly seemed to react when her friend used his body as a pole to swing around to get in front of him. She couldn't help but feel like that would hurt with his burns. Her sights went down to his arms, just noticing an extreme lack of burns.

Grabbing Pinkie, Twilight shoved her off of the human. She took one of his arms in her hand and looked it over, her expression showing her surprise. "They're gone!"

"Not entirely." Ryan corrected as she continued to inspect him, even going as far as to lift up his shirt to look over his chest and stomach. "I've still got a few rough spots, but they're hardly worth fussing over. I had to thank Tia and Lulu pretty much all night for that.

That subtle hint of last nights activities went right over the bookworm's head as she finished looking him over and took a step back. Her eyes moved to his smiling face, still finding it almost unfathomable how happy he looked despite everything that's taken place.

"Are you sure you haven't had more to drink?" Twilight asked, earning herself a somewhat displeased look from the human. "I didn't mean it in a bad way!" She quickly defended herself. "I'm sorry! I'm just not used to you acting like this when you're...sober."

Ryan offered her a nod, his expression still anything but happy. "That cuts deep, Twi." He said, cracking a smile at her. "But, I can't say I'm surprised. It's not like I've ever given you a reason to think otherwise." He took a few steps toward the alicorn, grabbing one of her hands and pulling her toward him. "But still, have a little faith." His other hand works its way around her...and grabs the door, closing it behind her. "And remember to close the door. You're letting bugs in."

Taking his hand away from hers, Ryan walks over to the kitchen, stopping just where the line from there to the living room is drawn.

Twilight feels like a jerk for making those assumptions and probably hurting his feelings. She came here to see if he and Pinkie were alright, and from the looks of it, they were until she showed up. Her ears lowered, but her face stayed strong as she turned and opened the door to leave.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Twilight stopped, peeking around the door to see Ryan standing there with a stern look on his face. "You're just gonna show up, belittle me, then leave?"

His words didn't help Twilight feel any better, instead they made her feel worse. "I guess I am."

"Fuck that! Get in here and hangout for a bit." Suddenly, Twilight became confused again. "I'm making lunch soon anyway, so you might as well stick around."

Twilight blinked a few times at this, watching in silence as Pinkie skipped past him and into the kitchen. "Did you just...ask me to hangout...and invite me to lunch in the same sentence?"

Ryan shot her an odd look. "Yeah; what of it?"

"It wasn't the same sentence!" Pinkie commented from the kitchen.

"Who cares!?" Ryan said, his attention shooting over to the pink mare who was now shuffling through his cabinets. "Hey! Get out of there, I'm cooking!" She didn't listen to him, causing the human to sigh with a slight amount of frustration. His eyes move back to the alicorn, who was still standing awkwardly in his doorway. "Let's go, Sparkle. You're letting the bugs in."

Twilight closed the door, remaining in the house as she tried to think of what would drive him to invite her, of all ponies, to stay over for a meal. Normally he couldn't stand to be around her out of fear that she would go on a rant about something and never stop talking.

"Are you sure you want me over; even after how I just spoke to you?" She asked, looking for some sort of semblance that this was the real Ryan Curtis she had come to know. "Because I can leave and I have plenty of food at home."

"I've been called worse, now shut up and get in here." There it was. "I'm not giving you a choice anymore." On that note, he turned on his heel and moved deeper into the kitchen. "Let's go!"

Twilight found it hard not to smile. Not only was she happy that he wasn't actually mad at her, but seeing him like this was a nice change of pace. His attitude still seemed to be there, but more...well-moderated? She couldn't find the words to describe it, but it was nicer than it once was.

Settling on the idea of no longer fighting him on it, she moved into the kitchen to join her friends. "So, what are we having."

"Mashed potatoes, corn bread, and fruit salad." Ryan answered, "I also found some bomb ass wine at the store today. I don't know if you guys will like it, but I sure as shit do."

Author's Note

From this point on; You;re gonna start to see some changes in our lovable, cynical friend. So be ready for that. That being said, I'm also gonna try working the comedy aspect back in, now that all of the bullshit is out of the way. It'll start off small, but I'll pick it up as much as I can without it looking rushed.

As always; If you're enjoying this story, be sure to slap that LIKE button like a bitch! Share it with your friends! And feel free to leave a comment below! Comments make me feel special :P

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