The bell rang, signaling the end of another school year. Fillies and colts took off with the speed of demons as eagerness drove them to escape the confines of the small building and explore elsewhere. Each pony took off with something in mind. Some went on to rejoin their families while others went to see friends. Then there was Azure Breeze; A young, bright blue pegasus with a long, flowing yellow mane and shining blue eyes. She was dressed casually, seeing how today was pretty much just like any other; Donning her form was a simple outfit that consisted of blue jean shorts and a black tank top.

One more school year down! That means there's only six more to go...Damn, that's depressing.

Azure hummed to herself, agreeing wholeheartedly. She was never a fan of school itself, or other ponies for that matter either. Some of them were cool enough, others she could tolerate, but most of them needed to swim across the lake with cinder blocks attached to their feet.

Shaking some of the more aggressive thoughts from her head, she glanced up and to the south a bit to spot her cloud home. Normally she would fly straight there after school, but today marks the first day of summer vacation and she really didn't feel like dealing with her mother. It's not that she didn't like her mother, she loved her with all of her heart, but the mare can be stressful to deal with on most occasions.

Resigning herself to staying grounded, she trudged along by her lonesome, wandering aimlessly through this little town she's come to know so well over the years. She knew just about every nook and cranny of this place. Nothing got by her. Always the observant one, she could pinpoint the slightest change of scenery. Thankfully, change didn't come too often. After a bit of walking, she found herself just a few blocks from her favorite shop in all of Ponyville.

I can smell it from here...He's got a fresh pot brewing! Move your cute little flank!

If there was one thing Azure was weak to, it was temptation. Especially with her friend upstairs constantly egging her on. It's gotten her into trouble a few times, but the results were usually enjoyable regardless. That in mind, she picked up the pace, now moving at a light jog to reach her goal.

In minutes she all but kicked open the door, quickly earning the attention of everypony in the shop. They all stopped what they were doing to look at the filly. When they realized who it was, they went about their own business, letting the little pony do as she pleased. However, there was one stallion that dared to associate himself with her.

Glancing up at the clock, Joe let out a small laugh before turning his attention back to Azure. "I should have known it would only be a matter of time."

"You would think you'd learn by now." Azure quickly hopped over to the counter, climbing onto one of the stools and placing both hands flat on the counter's surface. "So where are you hiding it?" She asked with a playful smirk.

Joe rolled his eyes, smiling as he went to the back and returned only seconds later with two steaming mugs in his hands. "Here you go, sweetie. Just how you like it."

Azure swiped the first one from his hand, swallowing down the whole beverage in just a few gulps. Once emptied, she placed the mug on the counter and let out a loud burp. Again, the surround ponies just ignored her. Doughnut Joe on the other hand was doing his best not to laugh as he replaced the empty mug in front of her with the filled mug in his hand.

Accepting the second mug with as much grace as an Irishman, she grabbed the hot beverage and took a big sip before setting down with a satisfied hum.

The stallion nodded at the filly with a smile. It was amazing how alike they were, despite her never having so much as a chance to meet him. Though many weren't that fond of the guy, a fair amount ponies in town mourned the loss of their rambunctious human. Joe being one of them.

Azure looked up from her coffee, noticing the distant look in Joe's eyes. Not only that, but he seemed sad in a way. She found this odd, usually never seeing him with anything but a smile on his face. "Umm, Joe?" She waved a hand in front of his face, snapping him out of his trance-like state. "You alright up there, big fella?"

Joe shook his head, trying to get himself back into a proper state of mind. "I'm fine!" He said a little too quickly, his demeanor slowly returning to normal. "Don't you worry your sweet little head about me."

"You were thinking about my dad again, weren't you?" Azure asked in a low tone, her shoulders slumping some. Moments like these were rare, but always came back to the same thing.

Joe's mask faltered, before it fell of completely. There was no point in hiding it from her, especially now that she's getting older. "Yeah..." He answered, his tone equally low and lifeless. "It's just that...Well, you remind me so much of him."

This was a topic that Azure wasn't particularly comfortable with. Not because she resented her father, or even disliked hearing about him, but because no pony ever talks about him. The closest she's ever gotten to a story about her other biological half was when ponies said outright said, 'You're just like your father.' This was occasionally accompanied with a, 'You even look like him.'

For years this has bothered her. But, no matter how hard she pries, no pony will tell her anything about him. It was like they were trying to forget he ever existed and that's probably what hurt her the most about all of this.

"Doughnut Joe..." Azure began, causing the shop owner to flinch. She's never never called him by his full name. Hearing it come from her mouth felt unnatural. "What was my father like?"

As much as he'd love to share the stories of his old friend with her, he couldn't. Even the best memories he had of him hurt too much to even think about. "I'm sorry, sweetie." He said, beginning to collect empty dishes from the counter to take into the back. "I just can't do it."

Azure watched with dread as he gathered supplies and started walking away from her. "Joe, please!" She called out, standing up on the stool with her arm pressed against the counter as she leaned over the structure. Doughnut Joe froze, the sadness in the filly's voice being enough to paralyze him. "I know almost nothing about him..." Joe took a chance and glanced back, immediately regretting this decision as soon as he saw her eyes; Wet and ready to release the floodgates. "Wouldn't you want to know too?"

Joe let out a sigh, setting the dishes aside as he turned to face her. "I knew this day would come." He said quietly, walking back to the counter so he could speak with her. "I just didn't think it would be so soon..." Taking a breath, he finally got the next words he was going to say in his head. This had been rehearsed in the past and it was time to get the ball rolling. "I can't tell you."

His words hurt Azure, almost bringing the tears that were already threatening to escape her out. "But, it's not because I don't want to." This didn't help any and he could easily see that. "This is what your father would call, 'A Family Issue'. And out of respect for his family, I am not allowed to say anything right now."

Azure blinked a few times, wiping the wetness from her eyes with her arm. "What are you talking about?"

"Your dad had an interesting view on family." Joe explained, "To him, blood meant absolutely nothing. What made you family was your loyalty to another pony."

I'm not sure what this guy's getting at, but that family stuff actually makes sense...kinda...

Azure wanted to ask what he meant. But, having said too much already, Joe had to cut her off and send her away, as planned. "Big Macintosh was like a brother to him. If you want to know about your father, he's the pony to talk to. Tell him I sent you."

Confused, Azure was left speechless and lost. Her next move was up to her, but she wasn't sure what exactly that move was yet. The one question in her now now is; What do I do?

Hell, the train's already rolling so you might as well blow the whistle.

After thanking Joe for everything he had said- and for possibly helping her finally learn about her dad- she took off out of the shop and made a B-Line for Sweet Apple Acres. It took a lot of running, some flying, and stopping to catch her breath a few times, but she made it with little to deter her.

She would have made it a point to avoid Applejack, knowing of her reluctance to speak of him as well, but didn't spot so much as a hair belonging to her. That bit of anxiety out of the way, she slipped through the orchard and searched until she finally found the stallion of the hour. "Big Mac!"

Macintosh stopped what he was doing, now standing in place with a barrel of Apples held up on one shoulder. He scanned the area around him, spotting the fast approaching filly in no time at all. "Azure?" Setting down the barrel, being careful not to break it, he placed his undivided attention on her. "What brings ya 'round here?"

Azure stopped when she was a few feet from him, nearly collapsing as she struggled to catch her breath. "Joe...sent..me..." She began, wheezing between each word. "Said you could...tell me...Oh, sweet Celestia!" And on that note, the breathless filly fell flat on her back, her chest heaving as she very, very slowly got her wind back.

Normally, he'd find Azure's behavior amusing. However, if she was here because Joe sent her, that means that it was time to get serious...As soon as she stopped dying.

Big Mac knelt down and scooped her up in his arms, walking to a nearby apple tree to sit down as he made her rest on his leg. When she finally pulled herself together, it was time to begin. "Ah knew this day would come." He said, mostly to himself. "Ah just wasn't expectin' it so soon."

"That's almost exactly what Joe said." Azure commented, earning a small grin from Mac.

"So yer wantin' to know about yer daddy, huh?" Azure nodded, confirming his suspicions. "What do ya wanna know?"

Azure thought this over for a minute. She wanted to know everything about him, but that would probably be asking too much right off of the bat. At the very least she wanted to know who he was. More than anything in the world, minus seeing him, she wanted to understand him. Simply just to know what kind of...person he was. "More than anything, I really just want to know what he was like."

"What he was like, huh?" Big Mac didn't even need to think it over. He knew more about that man than he wanted to. "If ah had to describe him in one word, it would have to be 'crazy', like you." This got a small laugh out of both of them. Fighting his emotions, he moved on with this topic, not wanting to leave the poor filly hanging like that. "Yer dad was an interesting fella, ta say the least."

"Aside from not even bein' a pony, he was a very unique character in these parts." Mac continued, Azure leaning in as he spoke. She didn't want to miss a single detail. "He was rambunctious, loud, and always going out of his way ta have a good time. Even if it meant hurting himself in the process."

Azure smiled a bit, feeling pleased that she was finally learning about her origins. Just from what little she's heard, she felt like she was starting to see why ponies would compare her to him. Rather than say anything, she sat quietly, listening intently to every little word. "And even though he didn't always act like it, he cared deeply for all of us."

Big Mac's features fell a bit, causing the filly to feel a bit of dread in her chest. "But, he was troubled. And he didn't go about dealin' with his problems the way he should have."

Curiosity set in, pushing her to dig herself deeper into this rabbit hole. "How do you mean?"

Mac reached a hand up to scratch his chin. "Yer father had a bit of a drinkin' problem. It was really his go-to solution when things got tough."

"Like my mom?" Azure asked sadly.

Mac's features hardened upon hearing this, his tone becoming rough as he spoke. "Yer momma was supposed ta cut back."

"She has!" Azure defended, but only to a point. "I mean; She's not as bad as she used to be."

A growl escaped Big Mac's throat as he brushed off Rainbow's little habit. "Let's get back on topic." He would deal with her later. "Despite his bad habits, he would at least try to do good by us. But, it never seemed like it; And a while before we lost him, his house caught on fire."

Azure's eyes widened at this, her pupils dilating as Big Macintosh explained further. "It started out of nowhere and yer daddy was inside while it was comin' down. If it weren't for yer momma, he would have been crushed." Of everything Dash was responsible for when it came to Ryan, this was the one thing he was thankful for. "Shortly after that, he started goin' through changes."

Still very much entrapped by his words, Azure dug once again. "What kind of changes?"

It was difficult to explain, seeing how no pony really knew what was happening at the time. "Good changes, I guess." Mac began, going off of what he knew from this point in the human's life. "He stopped drinkin' so much, started bein' nicer to ponies; Things were goin' real well fer him and he tried to do right by everypony; This time, doin' things the right way, but still with that flare of what made him who he was."

This came as a shock to Azure. Though no pony had ever outright said it, she recalled a certain phrase Twilight used when she asked about him a long time ago; Saying how he left on his own terms. This led her to ask a question she was actually fairly opposed to even mentioning. But, if things were going well for him, why would he do it? She just wanted to know. She wanted to understand...

"If that's true...Then why did he kill himself?" This one struck a nerve on Big Mac, she could tell by the way his expression changed. Even if it did only last for a few seconds.

Big Mac shrugged, unable to give her a real answer for this. "Ponies all throughout town have wondered that same thing, but none know for sure."

All of this talk was starting to get to Azure. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes again. All her life she has just wanted the chance to meet her father, to see him, to get to know him. Without him in her life, she felt like a part of her was lost. Like she can't truly understand herself without first knowing him. This is what drove her here; The need to ask questions and finally learn about him.

It's been hard, not even hearing his name so much as uttered anywhere. Ponies avoided the topic no matter how hard she pressed. It was like they didn't want to remember him, like simply forgetting would wipe him from existence. In her eyes, they were treating him like the scum of the land and it only made that hurt so much worse.

Big Mac, noticing the change in how she was feeling, decided to offer her a few comforting words, as well as an explanation. "Ponies don't like to talk about yer father." He began, watching her eyes focus on him once again. "He wasn't always the nicest, so a lot of them just went about pretendin' like he wasn't even there most of the time." This did little to help ease her nerves, but he continued regardless. "He'd been through a lot in his life. He didn't act the way he did by choice. His behavior was the result of a complicated life and a broken family."

"But, if there's one really good thing I can tell you about him, it's this;" Placing a hand on her shoulder, he pulled Azure close. "Even though he may not have been good from the start, he went out better than some ponies could even hope to be."

Unable to keep her emotions at bay any longer, Azure launched herself into Big Mac, throwing her small arms around his torso as she softly cried into his chest. He responded by wrapping his own arms around her small form, holding her as she emptied her sadness out onto his overalls. They remained there for several more minutes, one clinging to the other for support while the other happily held her up like he would his own kin.

"Wakey, wakey, Rusty!" The unconscious sap stirred from his sleep as he felt a hand pulling at the arm of his coat, shaking him some to get a reaction. "Come on, Nails! It's four in the afternoon and we're almost there."

Rusty groaned, rolling onto his back as he looked up at the brown coated stallion, taking in the brightness of his grey mane and the tattered remains of what used to be clothing. "What..." He began, his voice raspy from how dry his throat was. "...do you want?"

The stallion got down on his knees, grabbing Rusty by the head and ushering him to look to the side. As he did, he caught a glimpse of the desert they were traveling through, as well as the city off in the distance. Pulling out of his grip, Rusty sat up and watched the piles of sand pass them by as the train cart was pulled along the tracks. Judging from their current distance, and how fast they were moving, they would be arriving in Appleloosa very soon.

"It's about time." Rusty said, coughing a few times into a closed fist. "I need a drink." The kind, older stallion was three steps ahead of his young companion, holding out a tin can filled with water. There wasn't a moment of hesitation as Rusty grabbed the tin and down the whole thing in seconds, letting out a relieved sigh as he set the empty can aside. "You are a lifesaver, Steel Hoof." He said gratefully, his voice much more smooth now that it had been moistened.

"Well..." The stallion began, getting up and positioning himself right in front of Rusty. "I guess that means you owe me, right?"

Rusty all but glared at him, rubbing the colorful stone that hung down from his neck "...I'm starting to hate you again."

"Am I wrong though?"

Rusty let out an annoyed sigh, releasing his prized necklace in the process. Technically he does owe him for that, it was Steel's share of their water after all, but it's not like it's gonna earn him a thousand bits. "Alright, fine! What do you want?"

"It's not what I want..." Steel cryptically replied, stepping aside and gesturing to the colt, who was the spitting image of his father, being held in his mother's salmon pink arms. The small pony was eyeing him expectantly, a hopeful smile on his little face.

Rusty has spent years traveling with this family, drifting from place to place. He knew exactly what this little guy wanted. And, if he were being honest with himself, he couldn't say 'No' to the kid. Though he wasn't particularly fond of children, Rod was a pretty cool colt. And if he couldn't win him over, his mother, Scarlet, would surely work him over with those sad eyes of hers. He knew the tear-show she was putting on was fake, but something about seeing a mare cry would beat him into submission every time.

Looking up at Steel, Rusty flashed him a playful smirk. "Good to know this little game of yours to torment me is a team effort." Steel merely laughed at this, knowing very well that he wouldn't be able to go against his son's wishes.

Standing up, Rusty scratched at the uneven hairs decorating his features and started tapping his foot against the hollow floor. The sound echoed through the cart, soon accompanied by a whistling, provided by Steel himself. Soon after, Scarlet raised both of her hands, tapping them on the walls to help liven the beat.

Rusty started to bob his head, getting a feel for the rhythm. "You're lucky I love you, kid." He said, earning a giggle from the colt. This got a smile out of him as he grabbed his coat, slipping it off and tossing it aside. The desert heat hit his furless form, gracing him with enough warmth to no longer require the extra layers. He ran a hand through his disheveled, blonde hair, the sunlight shining off of it as he gave them one last playful look.

"~It's a long lonely highway when you're traveling all alone!" Rusty sang, doing the best damn Elvis Presley impression he could pull off as he walked toward the opening of the cart. "And it's a mean old world, when you've got no one to call your own." He leaned out, holding the door with one hand to stabilize himself as he looked out to the fast approaching hamlet. It didn't take long for the small family joining him on this journey to accompany him, all smiling as they continued playing their parts for the song. "And you pass through towns, too small to even have a name! Ohohoho, yeah!"

Rusty smiled as the train closed in on the small town. Though this wasn't a life most would choose willingly, it was the life he enjoyed. It started off rough, but after making some new friends and traveling all over the world, he had discovered something about himself; He was happy.

For the longest time, he thought he was incapable of feeling this way. That his very existence was a blight on the world. Everything he did caused pain to others, no matter how hard he tried to be better. He was a virus. And, like a virus, he needed to be eliminated so that the world could be cured; So it could be healthy and wholesome once again. He succeeded in doing that very thing, but it wasn't easy.

It wasn't until he met Steel Hoof that things started to take a turn. The older stallion found him at his lowest point- half dead in a lake- and offered him a chance to start over. Though skeptical at first, he accepted the offer and has been on top of the world ever since. Since then he's been all over Equis, learning new things and exploring everything he laid his sights on. In time, the virus that once tainted this beautiful land was gone. In a sense, he was right; The only way to fix things was for him to cease to be. This finally happened, but not in a way that he ever expected.

Ryan Doyle Curtis; The cynical drunk with a bad temper, the alien that hurt everyone he came close to, the beast that tormented many with no regard to their feelings, was finally dead. And in his place, someone new was born. Someone who could laugh, who could feel, and could be truly happy.

Rusty Nails glanced back at his friends, flashing them a genuine smile as they sang along with him. "But you've gotta keep on goin', on that road to nowhere! Gotta keep on goin', though there's no one to care for. Just keep a moooving down the line!"

Author's Note

I'm aware that there are a lot of questions on everyone's minds. So many things are being thrown away and forgotten. It's pretty much insane to just cut it off where it was and for it to just end how it did. I get it. Believe me, I do. But this is where it all ends and I'll tell you why;

As we all know, Ryan has indeed gone through a few changes since we first started this little adventure with him. It was slow and even mocked at times. This was all intentional. For someone like him, change can be very scary. Not so much change of the world around him, as that can be easily ignored, but change of self. No one in their right mind would happily alter their personality without so much as an ounce of anxiety. Who we are is what shapes the lives we live. It's our personalities that alter our course in history and make us feel as though we have meaning, or serve a specific purpose. Being told that we're wrong, that the people we are aren't accepted, it hurts. It makes us sad, it makes us angry. We fight back against change of self because, even if we aren't happy with who we are, it's still the foundation of what has shaped our lives all these years.
Ryan is one of the many people out there who is afraid of change. Like others, he may not have liked who he was, but it was all he knew and he could not bring himself to be any different. It was behaving how he did that helped him feel safe in both his world and this one. Though not ideal, it held him together. So when these changes started, he was faced with several feelings and emotions he didn't understand. And it was his lack of understanding that lead to his downfall. Having little experience with things like sadness, guilt, dread, depression, and hopelessness forced him into a mindset that he didn't know how to cope with because he had never felt any of these before. He made himself numb to pain so that he would never have to feel it again. Then when the time came that he had to, he didn't know how to handle it. It beat him into submission, as emotions often to everyone. And in the end, the only way he knew how to get that pain to go away, was to die. And in a sense, he did die.
Everypony he knew thinks that his life ended at that cliff. In theory, that would mean that Ryan Curtis no longer existed. The fall he took was the end of him. It was that very event, along with the help of his new friends, that gave him the opportunity to try something new. Instead of going through the nightmare of trying to change himself, he became someone else. Which, as I'm sure many of you would agree, would be a lot easier than trying to alter who you are.
It's the same idea we all use when roleplaying. When we do this, we're disconnecting from the person we are in order to play the role of someone we would like to be. No longer are you Sarah, or Mike, or Jeff, or whoever the fuck you were. You are now this character that you created, the previous version of you locked away until you're forced to come back to reality.
For Ryan, this was a permanent escape from the person he was. No longer does he have to have all these walls up. He doesn't have to be defensive, or afraid of what's gonna come next. Because now, Ryan is gone; His life ended and his story arc over. And this new identity he made for himself isn't afraid anymore, because he never was to begin with.
I think I've rambled on enough about this. I'm hoping that everyone will see this the same way I do, but I know that won't always be the case. You can be mad at me all you want, I'm not gonna stop you. But, if you can understand where I'm going with this, then I shall ask you one last time; Did you enjoy this story? :P
If you did, be sure to slap that LIKE button like a bitch, share it with your friends, and leave a comment below. Comments make me feel special.