"The moon tide is tugging on my heartstrings.

This chorus should sound so much better but I can't sing.

So, instead of singin-" The song came to an end as Ryan's hand pretty much smack his phone across the screen, turning off his morning alarm almost completely on accident. Normally he was up before his alarm when falling asleep in a house that wasn't his own, but he wasn't exactly looking forward to going home.

Ten to one, Dash was there and waiting; Likely ready to knock his teeth in with her foot. He let out a strained sigh as he forced his eyes open. This secret room Pinkie had set up under the shop was interesting, to say the least. When she brought him down there last night, he was beyond amazed and slightly disturbed, especially when going through some of the files kept in here. When ponies say that Pinkie knows everything, they mean EVERYTHING.

If only modern security existed here, then he'd have cameras on every corner of his house. Some of the information he found in this place made him scared to even look and see if there was a file on him. He doesn't want to know what she knows, especially if it involves him! Then again, he's no stranger to stalking. So, he can't really judge her that much. The most he can say is that he just watched, whereas she pays close attention and documents what she sees.

Not bothering to look over the room, Ryan removed himself from his cuddle buddy and rolled onto his back. As soon as he did this, he felt the mare he was holding for the night turn and throw an arm around his bare chest.

...Wait a minute...

Ryan glanced down to see that his shirt was gone, which was odd. He remembered going to bed with it on. What the hell happened? He started paying close attention to the sensations around him and rubbed his thighs together. The hairs on his legs rubbed against each other, lightly tickling the skin on the others side. The human felt is eyes narrow as his head angled downward, looking at the sleeping, naked, pink pony hugging his midsection.

That sly bitch...

Rolling his eyes, he threw off the blanket that had been laid out for them and pulled out of her grip. As he got to his feet, his exposed body reacting rather uncomfortably to the cold underground environment. Pinkie let out a rather adorable whine, protesting his escape.

"Where are my clothes?" Ryan asked, yawning in the middle of his question. He bent down for a moment to grab his phone and turn on the flashlight. The intensity if the light made him flinch at first, but he adapted.

"Clothes blows." Pinkie commented tiredly, her eyes still closed as she gestured for the human to return to her. "Come back here and cuddle."

Though tempting was the offer, he couldn't. He had to get home and deal with whatever Rainbow had ready for him upon his return. Staying away for a night to let her cool down is one thing, it's another to willingly jump naked into bed with one of her friends; The word willingly being as stressed as it can be without breaking the sentence.

"Pinkie..." Ryan began, holding a serious tone so he could get the next few minutes of hell over-with as soon as possible. "I can only ask nicely so many times, you know this; Where are my clothes?"

Pinkie let out an unsatisfied groan, rotating her body away from him and pointing toward the right-hand corner of the room as she she huffed at him. "Party pooper..."

Aiming his phone light to where she was pointing, he found his clothes neatly folded on a wooden chair and got to work dressing himself, as well as finding a way out of the secret party planning dungeon...

It took longer than Ryan would like to admit, but he eventually found his way out. It involved a lot of climbing, specifically up a very slick slide, and some pounding on some oddly placed boards, but he got out and he did it on his own. He was surprised the ruckus that followed his escape hadn't woke up the whole house/bakery, but wasn't going to complain. Instead, he made a quick exit out of the front door and got to walking home.

You know; I think that's the first time we've left after spending the night with a girl and didn't climb out a window since we landed here.

Huh...would you look at that...

Ryan thought back to the girls on earth he had stayed with. For many, the window was an option. For a select few others, the window meant death. Here though, none of the buildings he's stayed in have been tall enough to warrant so much as a hospital visit from leaving out of the window. Not including the two castles he's stayed in; Those don't count.

That aside, this was indeed the first time he had stayed the night with a pony and casually strolled out of the front door. Not that it was unwarranted. He had just climbed out of an underground room and there wasn't really a point in going upstairs just to leave through the window.

He must have been thinking about this harder than he realized, because in no time at all he was spitting distance from his front porch. Coming to a stop, he considered turning around and taking off. Maybe spend a few days in the forest, wrestle a timber wolf, take down their leader, then rise through the ranks and be crowned the King of the Everfree.

Yeah, that seems much more sensible than stepping up to the walking deathtrap that goes by the name 'Rainbow'.

As great as it would be, his crown was gonna have to wait for the next blood moon, as foretold, before he could begin his conquest over the forest. That left him with only one other option, but he wasn't happy about it. He reluctantly stepped forward, pulled out his key, and unlocked the door before stepping inside.

The living room was devoid of life, but everything else seemed to be alright. He honestly expected half of the stuff in here to be broken. Maybe Dash has more self-control than he gives her credit for.

Speaking of; Where is she?

That was a very good question; Ryan wasn't sure if she was even here. He just assumed that she would be since it's his house and he always ends up back here. It doesn't matter where he goes, is taken, or has been dumped; The man always finds his way back home. This would be the number one place to find him.

Though the house was considered a large living space, it didn't have a whole lot to offer. From here, he could see into the living room and into most of the kitchen. All that was left was the bathroom, the closet, and his bedroom. And if she wasn't in his room then god only knows where she took off to.

Closing the front door, Ryan cautiously walked through the living room. His eyes scanned every surface as he drew closer to his destination. The coast appeared to be clear, meaning that she was either on the other side of the door he now faced, or she wasn't here at all.

Slowly, he grabbed the handle and turned it, opening the door just enough to peek inside. Through the opening he had made, he could see the toned blue pegasus perched atop his bed. He could already tell what she was wearing, it was the same pajamas he used to wear every night until she stole them from him.

Rainbow's legs were covered in a pair of loose, silky shorts. Her upper body, though difficult to see at this angle, was donned in a tight black tank top that read 'Las Vegas' on the front.

Dash's arms were wrapped around the front of her legs, pulling her knees to her so she could rest her head on them. Not much of her face could be seen, the expression on it wasn't hard to read. Her eyes were red and puffy, mane disheveled and going off in every direction, the bagginess under her eyes being a clear indicator that she hadn't slept at all the night before.

Ryan felt an uncomfortable tugging in his chest and anger started to rise up in his stomach. How could he be so stupid! This was his idea, he wanted to get back together with her and then he goes and pulls some bullshit when he's supposed to be getting to know her parents. To be fair, he got to know those curves on her mother pretty well. They're mapped out as accurately as-

No! That's what started this issue! Focus!

Shaking his head, Ryan turned his attention back to the sad looking mare on his bed. He took a breath, flinching slightly as he pushed the door open with a slight creak to follow.

Rainbow's head shot up from its spot on her legs, her eyes immediately locking onto him. Suddenly any trace of sadness that could be seen clear as day vanished and was replaced with something that the human was all too prepared to see. Before the door could even meet the wall, the mare on his bed was on her feet and walking toward him, her hands balled into tight little fists.

Ryan raised his hands defensively as her arm reeled back, ready to strike him at a moments notice. "Hey, hey, HEY!" She paused, keeping her arm back and flexed hard enough that the entire right half of her body was trembling. "Calm the fuck down, alright! I come in peace!"

"Well your leaving in pieces!" Her arm shot forward without further hesitation, but was caught before it could make contact.

Ryan surprised himself there; He didn't actually expect to catch her fist, but he did. His goal was to lessen the impact, but it would seem that luck is on his side today. "Dash, for once, can we just talk this out like normal people?" He saw the next one coming from a mile away. He jumped slightly, moving his foot back as she went to step on it. He then just barely ducked under her free arm swinging at him. He twisted the arm he was still holding, forcing her to turn around as he held it behind her back. "I said; Calm. Down."

"Fuck you!" Rainbow yelled in response, slamming the back of her head into the human's face.

Unwillingly, Ryan released her, placing a hand to his now bleeding lip. "Son of a bitch!"

Before he could even process the area around him, Ryan heard a roar as something crashed into his stomach, sending him back a few feet before landing painfully on the ground. There was a little extra weight on his waist and it wasn't hard to pinpoint what it was when its fist collided with his jaw.

Ow...

Again, a fist hit his face, this time on the other side.

Ow...

Then a third time, this one hitting him in the temple. He wanted this to go down at least a little more smoothly than their other fights, but it seemed that wouldn't be the case and his temper was already nearing its breaking point. He lifted an arm and caught the next swing.

No, no! Stop!

Rainbow's knuckles started to crack as Ryan's grip tightened on her fist, her angry expression melting away as pain started to envelop her hand.

You're gonna make it worse, you idiot!

A single loud grunt escaped the human as he shoved her off of him and rolled over so he could push himself up. He was barely back on his feet before the mare he had thrown charged him again. Much to his own surprise, his body remained unmoved as she collided with him.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Ryan held her at an arm's length away from him. But, she fought on, grabbing his arms and pushing even harder, trying to knock him back down. Something snapped in the human's head and this was no longer him trying to work things out. This was a fight. One that he would win.

Ryan's arms gave out , bringing Rainbow's body closer to his. What the mare didn't see coming though was the knee that had launched up and hit her straight in the gut. With the wind knocked out of her, she was left stunned long enough for the human to make his move.

One hand reached out and grabbed handful Rainbow's multi-colored hair, the other latched onto the waistline of her shorts. With the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Ryan had virtually no issues as he effortlessly threw her across the room and head-first into the wall behind him.

The force of the impact caused Rainbow's forehead to create a hole in the drywall. Luckily, she managed to avoid getting thrown into a stud. That probably would have been nasty otherwise.

Spinning around, she caught sight of Ryan coming at her and ducked just as his fist was about to hit her. His hand went through the wall, right next to where she had hit. Taking advantage of his miss, she lunged into his body once again, shoving him backwards.

Ryan's legs were forced to move as Rainbow pushed him, one of them catching the coffee table and knocking him off-balance. He fell, his back smashing into the table and breaking it under their combined weight.

Being back on top, Rainbow went to swing at him again, but he was quick to react this time. His legs planted themselves against the floor and his pelvis shot up with an impressive amount of force; Enough to send her off of him and onto the couch, which tipped over and tumbled backward as a result.

Rainbow rolled across the floor, narrowly escaping the turned over couch. Unfortunately, that left her vulnerable to Ryan's next attack. Using the couch, he propelled himself into the air and dropped on top of her, his shoulder slamming into her back.

This could have been a moment to be proud of, but during the impact his arm let out a sickening pop, causing more pain to himself than expected. The two got back up as quickly as they could, but Ryan was distracted by his arm, giving it a once over with his eyes. It was hanging down like a wet noodle and he found it hard to move. If he was going to have any chance, he needed to fix this.

That thought barely got a chance to finish going through his head. What did manage to get through it though were a few shards of glass. During his little inspection, Rainbow grabbed a nearby picture frame and swung it like a baseball bat into the side of his face.

Rarity's hand remained closed over her mouth, her other hand rubbing it fingers roughly against each other as she tried to find the words to explain this to her friend. For the past few minutes, all she's done is stand in place, or pace around in circles. If the floor weren't made of Crystal, Twilight would be fearful of a path being worn into the floor.

"Oh, I don't know!" Rarity announced, annoyed by her own failure to come up with a simple explanation. "I can't even begin to explain it. It hardly makes any sense to me either." She crossed her arms, stomping one of her feet to emphasize her frustration. "Something just doesn't feel right!"

Applejack glanced over at Twilight from across the room, giving her a certain look. Unknown to Rarity, the concerns she was voicing was shared among their group and was being lightly investigated.

Trying to console her friend, Twilight moved in and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know you're worried about him, Rarity; We all are." She said, hoping to bring the unicorn at ease to know that she was alone in her concern for the human. "But, if it's bothering you that much, why haven't you gone down to talk to him?"

Rarity let one of her arms fall, rubbing it with her hand. "I don't know. It's just...what if he doesn't want to see me?" She asked, looking genuinely hurt by the thought. "I mean, Dashie is there every day! She's probably keeping him comfortable and helping him deal with everything...Although, I feel she's doing more damage than anything else"

Applejack kept her words to herself, but giggled. The more Rarity went on the more important their case became.

Twilight, being the analyst she was, was adding up everything Rarity has told her. Going through all of this, combined with her last statement; Her eyes widened a bit, a thought having occurred that may be the source of her distressed friend's problem. "Rarity...do you feel threatened Rainbow Dash?"

Rarity huffed at the accusation being presented, brushing the alicorn's hand from her shoulder as she took on a more defensive approach. "Of course not! Perish the thought!" She all but snapped at Twilight. "What could she possibly possess to make me feel threatened by her?"

Twilight will be taking a risk saying this, but she feels like it's what she needs to hear. "Ryan..."

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her sour expression melted away as a weight built up in her chest and her demeanor became weak. "Well...you've seen how he's been acting lately. Since they got together it's like he's...I don't know...Reverting?"

Twilight couldn't say Rarity was wrong. She's noticed the way he's been during his relationship and it was making room for concern for everyone except Rainbow. She wanted to help, but didn't know how. There's yet to be an opportunity to drive this forward. And seeing her friend like this didn't bring her any amount of comfort.

Though it left Twilight in a bind, this was just what Applejack needed to start bringing things to the surface. "Hows about you and I go out for a little bit?" She suggested, "We can go for a short walk and maybe even stop by Ryan's place to see how he's doing."

She felt like going near him was a bad idea, but didn't want to turn down the chance. Maybe all she needs is some company to help keep her strong. It would be nice not having to confront the couple alone. Putting on a weak smile, she nodded. "Y-yes, that sounds delightful."

Rarity made for the the front door with Applejack coming up behind her. However, the cowpony was brought to a stop before she could get to far.

Twilight, now holding Applejack by the arm, pulled her close. "What are you doing!?" She whispered to her in a reprimanding tone. "We need to get all the facts before we start making moves!"

Applejack put on a sour look and yanked her arm back. "Ah am not gonna let her drag that poor colt back down that path!" She hissed in response. "Everything was going fine until she got involved with 'em. Ah refuse to let her ruin him!"

Twilight wanted to argue, but knew it was pointless. "Fine! But, I'm coming with!" She said, pausing for a minute to think it through real quick. "But secretly...Can't have Rainbow thinking we're ganging up on her. It'll just make her mad."

"That's probably a good idea." Applejack finished before chasing after Rarity.

The two exited the castle, Rarity making a beeline straight for Ryan's house with Applejack following beside her. From the back of the castle, Twilight took to the air to watch over her friends from above.

The walk was silent, for the most part. They would pass by other ponies, some greeting them with pleasant smiles, others going about their day to day lives and minding their own business. Everything with the world seemed normal enough. They were the only ones that appeared to be out of place.

When the human's house finally came into view, Rarity stopped. Her legs felt heavy, or as if they had been cemented to the ground. She let out a soft squeal as she tried to force herself to continue, but to no avail.

Applejack took notice of this immediately and waited for her friend. "You alright, sugarcube?" She asked, receiving a confirming nod in response from Rarity. Clearly this was difficult for her unicorn friend, but she couldn't let this chance pass her by. "Let's get movin' then."

Rarity swallowed and directed her attention toward the house, giving herself a hushed pep-talk to help power her through the next few feet. "Everything's alright." She said to herself. "He'll be more than happy to see you. He always is! Just keep moving and everything will be-"

Her happy thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash that brought both her and Applejack to a dead stop as they watched something fly through the front window. It landed in the front yard, breaking into two separate pieces, both of which rolled across the dirt a short ways before stopping just a few inches from each other.

If that wasn't shocking enough, whatever had been thrown out was moving. Both ends of the separated object started to bend in odd ways before getting up and standing up straight in front of the other.

Applejack and Rarity's pupils shrunk dramatically as the scene started to reveal itself to them in the form of Rainbow Dash punching Ryan in the face and for him to respond in kind. Without further delay, they started running in to put a stop to the fight.

Dash dodged one of his swings, which was easy seeing how he only had one arm that could actually do anything, and went to get behind him. She tried to get an arm around his neck again, but his own arm shot back, catching her in the muzzle. She stumbled back, but didn't make it far.

Ryan reached behind him with his good arm, grabbing her by the back of the neck and pulling her forward. This resulted in her body being lifted off of the ground, her legs being sent into the air, then her back slamming onto the grass covered dirt below.

The fight likely would have continued from there, but neither Ryan nor Rainbow could find the will to go on. It was like all the adrenaline had left their body and now all they knew was pain. Next to that, a tiredness washed over them.

Dash, already being on the ground passed out almost instantly. Ryan stumbled, struggling to stay upright before his legs finally gave out and he collapsed on his side.

Twilight hovered above her friends, a look of dread taking over her features as the light on her horn faded out. What she was observing caused her stomach to turn. "Applejack was right..." She said to no one in particular. "This is worse than I thought."

The ponies on foot got up to the house in record time after witnessing Ryan and Rainbow come crashing through a window, only to collapse shortly after. They gasped when they were finally close enough to see the two passed out individuals in the front yard. Both were bloody and beaten in ways they had never seen before.

Rainbow's muzzle was coated in her own blood, most of it looking as though it came from her nose. Both of her wings looked like they were in rough condition, the left one more so than the right. There were several cuts, bruises, and scratches adorning the rest of her body and even a particularly nasty looking bite on her shoulder.

Ryan was in no better condition. Blood was leaking from a large cut in his head, a small one under one of his eyes, his nose, and his bottom lip. Along with Rainbow, there were many other abrasions, swelling and so on. Another concern was his arm, which seemed to be hanging lower than it should be.

When Ryan finally awoke he found himself inside of a familiar, yet uncomfortably empty, house. Looking around he was only able to see a fraction of the carnage that had unfolded earlier. There were a few holes here, a dent there, an...entire wall that appears to missing...Come to think of it, he couldn't remember a lot of what happened. There were bits and pieces in his memory that were just gone. For the most part, it was broken down into; He and Rainbow got into a fight, fists were thrown, shit got fucked up. That's the best way he can describe it.

Back onto the topic of things missing, the window by the front door seems to be missing something. Something important. Like, I don't know...Glass!

"Would you look at that..." Ryan said to no one in particular as he looked out of his now glassless window. He also noted something else that seemed out of place. Last he remembered, the couch was upside down. Instead, it was right side up and he was sitting in it. "...What?"

Trying to move, he found his right arm still pretty immobile. Glancing down at it, he got to work. He grabbed his bicep and lifted his arm until he felt the two bones meet then shoved them together. It hurt, but he powered through the pain. With one more solid push it popped. "FFFFF...fuck..."

He took a few seconds to breathe before testing his arm out. It was working find for the most part. The soreness was bothersome, but he'll live. With that taken care of, he can go about figuring out what the damage around the house was and why so many things were missing.

As he went to get up, a hand grabbed the arm he just fixed and pushed him back into the seat. His teeth gritted as pain shot through the appendage and he fell back to his seat. "None of that, mister!" A voice said from behind him with an authoritative tone. "You're going to stay right there until I say otherwise."

It took him a second to process that voice. If his head weren't so fuzzy then he'd have recognized it in a heartbeat. "Rarity?" He began, turning his head as she walked around the couch and went beside him, a large bowl in resting in her lap as she took her seat. "What are you doing here?"

Without responding, Rarity grabbed a dark rag from the bowl. It was soaking wet. Water dripped from the rag into the bowl as she strained it with one hand. When enough of the fluid was out, she lifted it to the human's face, which recoiled slightly.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked with a bit of an attitude. The mare growled slightly and leaned in with the rag again. This resulted in the same thing that happened last time. "Fuck off-" Pain shot through his nose like a horde of buffalo charging through a dessert. "Ow! Ow! OW! OW!"

With his nose pinched between her thumb and index finger, Rarity pulled the human's face close to hers, her eyes glaring daggers at him as she did so. "Knock it off!"

"Alright already!" Ryan yelled, submitting as quickly as possible to bring an end to the agony in his face. She released him and he reeled back, placing a hand over his nose out of instinct. "Fuck!"

Rarity grabbed his hand and pulled it away, leaning in with the rag to clean what blood remained on his face. She started at his nose, which started bleeding again after she let go. She wouldn't admit it at this very moment, but she felt shitty about that. Thankfully it didn't bleed for long, so she was able to rinse the rag in the bowl and move on to the next spot.

The next target was the cut under his eye. The area around it was swollen, so she made sure to keep her touches as delicate as possible. She stole a glance at his eyes. They seemed vacant and empty; He must be zoning out. Now, while he's off in his own little world, would probably be the best way for her to get some answers out of him.

"Ryan..." He blinked, in response, but did nothing else. "Would you mind telling me what happened earlier?" He didn't answer straight away, but he answered.

"I can't...I can't really remember a lot of it." He said in a almost dazed tone.

Rarity would probably be more concerned with how he was acting if not for the lump on his head. Something must have hit him pretty hard. He might even have a concussion...And Twilight put him to sleep...Here comes the anxiety.

Choosing to remain strong, she hid her worry away and continued to pry. "What can't you remember?"

"The fight, mostly."

"Can you remember what happened before that?" She asked, hoping to figure out what caused it.

"I...I came home." Ryan began, trying to put the pieces together himself as well. "I found Dash in my room crying. She was still pissed about last night."

Rarity nodded, dipping the rag once more before moving to clean the cut on his head. "What happened last night?"

One of Ryan's arms twitched, like he was trying to shrug but failing. "I met her parents...openly ogled her mother...then found an unorthodox way to get us both the hell out of there."

While she was tempted to ask what it was he had done to get out of Cloudsdale, she didn't think she had the stomach for it at this point in time. One thing she found particularly interesting was how calm Ryan seemed to be. Now that Rainbow wasn't around him, it's like he's more relaxed. "What happened when you got home?"

Chewing on his cheek, he recounted the events that took place. "She was mad, obviously. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out." He chuckled a bit to himself before continuing. "She was ready to throw fists the second she saw me. I told her to calm down, that we can work this out like normal people...I would have been willing to let her hit me a few times just to get it out of her system, but she didn't give me the chance to make the offer."

"She went to hit me, I caught it. Again, I told her to calm down." Ryan nodded, as if confirming to himself what happened. "She took exception to that and got me pretty good in face. After that, she tackled me and hit me again...and again...and again..."

Rarity was already displeased with the situation, but more so with Rainbow for not even trying to talk it out with him. Sure, what he did was crude, piggish, and completely disrespectful. But, at least he tried to take a diplomatic approach and didn't turn to violence right off the bat.

"Somewhere in there I guess I...snapped...then everything gets a little blurry." Ryan finished, his eyes scanning the room more thoroughly. "Where is Rainbow anyway?"

"Twilight took her to the castle to tend to her wounds." Rarity explained, "You were both so battered that we thought it best to separate you. On the bright side, neither of your injuries appeared to be serious enough to require medical treatment."

"Lucky me..." Ryan fell silent again, staring off at nothing while his friend continued to play nurse.

Rarity let out a drawn out breath, placing the rag back in the bowl, then moving the bow to the floor. Looking at Ryan, her hands resting on top of each other in her lap, she prepared herself for the more difficult part of this. "I think we need to have a talk, darling."

"Haven't we been talking this whole time?" He jokingly responded.

"Ryan, I'm serious." Rarity hissed, "We need to have a talk about your relationship."

The human leaned his head back and groaned. "I know! It needs work!"

"It needs to end." She said, cutting to the chase.

"...What?"

Despite her injuries, Rainbow Dash was still a force to be reckoned with. That being a fact, Twilight took a step back, smiling nervously at her friend. The pegasus was propped up in one of the thrones while she went about patching her up, making it a point to pick her brain about everything that had transpired earlier. And now, because of a misplaced comment, was having daggers stared into her soul.

"I-I mean...I don't think that either of you are really ready for a proper relationship." Twilight elaborated, hoping to save herself in this situation. "Y-you both live such...turbulent lifestyles. There are a- a lot of similarities, but also a few key differences." She went on to say, praying to Celestia that Dash wouldn't leap out of that chair and try to fight her too. "But, it's the similarities that can potentially harm both of you."

"Look at it this way!" Twilight began, pulling a chalkboard from...somewhere and drawing up a diagram for Dash to follow.

"The problem, darling, is that you're simply too much alike." Rarity finished, waiting patiently for a response.

Ryan raised a brow at her, confused by what she was saying. "How is that a bad thing."

"I know you don't understand it, but that's because you're not seeing it from an outside perspective." Rarity explained, speaking equally with her hands as she was with her mouth. "In most cases, two ponies being similar is a good thing. But, in yours and Dashie's case, it's a...less than adequate combination."

Ryan gave her a look as if to say 'Go on'.

Rarity found it difficult to elaborate, but felt as though it was needed. "Well, I don't say this out of spite, so please don't take offense, but-"

"And what happens when an unstoppable force meets another, equally unstoppable force?" Twilight asked, not bothering to wait for an answer as she pointed a a sketch on the board. "At some point, the roads they travel meet. If two forces of such magnitude and power should ever come upon each other it would spell disaster." She emphasized the word 'disaster' by writing it down on the board and underlining it several times.

Rainbow was staring at the drawings with a bored expression, waiting for Twilight to look at her so she could share her input. "You lost me as soon as the board came out."

"That!" Twilight announced, pointing the chalk at her. "That right there is what I'm talking about."

"Please understand, I'm not saying this to hurt you." Rarity pleaded, seeing a look in his eyes that she didn't recognize. "It's just...You're both alike in all the wrong ways; The drinking, the fighting, running around and causing trouble, your short tempers. Those just do not mix well with somepony with the same issues."

Ryan considered her words. It made sense and all, but he was conflicted. He started this relationship with intent to make it work to the best of his abilities. He didn't want to just call a quits because of a rough patch. But, if what Rarity was saying is true, there will be more of this down the line. Possibly worse.

Rarity was unsure of how to feel. Applejack and Twilight, before they all separated, explained how they were noticing the same thing she was. For a while, they thought they were the only ones and didn't want to jump to conclusions. But, after she pointed out noticing something too, they were sure they needed to act.

Twilight already had a plan and had discussed this arrangement with her. It played out so much easier in her head though. She didn't like making Ryan feel this way, but it was for the best. He was finally getting better. Things for him were starting to look up. Then he and Rainbow started dating and he fell right back into his old habits. Like she told him, they were alike in all of the wrong ways, and for a while Ryan was getting better. He was slowing down on his drinking and his attitude was improving. It still held the 'Ryan' aesthetic, but wasn't as cruel. He was starting to become something that could feel. Something that could live a life without constantly needing to be drunk to have a good time and smile.

Reminding herself of this over and over again was the only thing holding her together. Putting him through this hurt her deeply, but she couldn't let him go back to his old ways. She liked the new Ryan that was surfacing. He was a pleasure to be around...He was actually happy.

"Can I be alone?"

Rarity's ears flicked at the question. "I'm sorry, dear. But, are you sure that's what you want right now?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah..."

Ears falling flat, Rarity got up from her seat and gave him a look, biting her lip nervously. "Okay...I'll be off then...If you need anything, my door is always open for you."

"I know." Ryan replied, nodding again.

Rarity left without further exchange, going down a path she wouldn't normally take to come here or go home. But, it was either this, or take the chance of bumping into Dash.

Rainbow, come back!" Twilight yelled after her friend.

The fuming pegasus ignored her alicorn friend, kicking open the front door and storming out of the castle, refusing to look back. It was second nature at this point to walk to Ryan's house rather than fly to her own. She doubts she could even if she wanted to, given her fractured wings. That hardly mattered though. All that mattered now was getting back to her coltfriend so they could go to bed and forget about this whole terrible day.

It didn't bother her that the sun was still up. She just wanted this horrible day to come to an end and for things to go back to the way they were. Wiping away tears she didn't know were there, she continued to move at a steady pace to her second home.

What a day...

Ryan took a breath and stared up at his ceiling. After everything that's happened, he was ready for a break. Forget that, he was BEGGING for one. It was in the back of his head, but still. Getting someone like him to beg for anything is a difficult feat to accomplish. Not that there's a single god in any known universe that would give him one. But, it's the thought that counts, right?

"Fuck my life..." He muttered, looking out of his window hole. The sun was till up; He wasn't happy about it, but it was up. "Why can't it be night time so I can go to sleep and just fucking forget today?"

"Rough day?"

Ryan jumped a bit, his body turning to see Applejack standing behind him smiling. "Jesus, fuck!" He said breathlessly, placing his hands to his head and dragging them down his face. "Is everyone allowed in despite my wishes? Is that how this works? Is my house just forfeit now?"

Applejack glanced around with an odd look about her. "Well...at this very moment, Ah'd have to say 'Yes'."

Going over how his house looked again, his mistake became clear. "Yeah, that was...that was stupid..."

Hopping over the couch, Applejack set herself down in the spot Rarity was in not too long ago. "Heard it was a heck of a throw-down though."

"Does everyone know?" Ryan asked uncomfortably.

Applejack nodded, helping to ease the troubled human's mind. "No pony but myself, Twilight, and Rarity." This calmed him down some, but he still looked bothered. "Something on your mind?"

"A lot." Ryan said matter-of-factly.

"If you'd like, we could go down to mah place and talk about it." Applejack suggested, trying to find a way to get him out of the house.

Ryan nodded, "I really don't feel like-"

"Granny's making that soup you like so much." She added with a cocky look about her.

Ryan fell silent as he let that mull over in his head for a moment. "...I do love that soup."

Applejack wore a triumphant look as she climbed of of the couch and reached down to take his hand. "Let's get goin' then." She said, pulling him up when he grabbed hold of her.

"Don't worry, ah'll help ya." Applejack added, throwing one of his arms over her shoulder to get him to her place faster. She took him down a route he wasn't quite familiar with, but he was still a little too disoriented to care.

In virtually no time at all, she got onto the porch and opened the front door, letting herself in. She was surprised by the lack of broken everything; Knowing for a fact that nearly every piece of furniture had been destroyed by them during their little scuffle. Shoving those thoughts aside for now, she went back to the task at hand. Find human, snuggle, pass out, start over tomorrow.

"Hello!" Closing the door behind her, she started walking around the house. "Anybody home?" Silence was all she got in response. Her chest felt heavy and she started searching the whole house for any sign of her coltfriend. "Ryan?...Ryan!"

Author's Note

This is probably gonna be the last thing I write for a while. Goodbye my lovely little stories. Hello BIG ass project!
That aside, I'm curious to know how people will respond to this installment. I feel like hate will be a thing. Not sure why, but I'm feeling hate coming from this. Please comment below and let me know how you all feel so I can decide what to do in the future.
Also let me know of any typos cause this was edited by me and not a professional. I'm also very tired...