Chapter 1: Need a shoulder
There are many reasons why people around Canterlot liked to take hikes into the neighboring woods. Whether it was the clean and fresh air, The gorgeous landscape, or the tranquil atmosphere, the opportunity to be amongst nature was well worth the trip. Among the more awe inspiring sites, was the top of the waterfall near Mt. Filmore. At that height, one could see the entire city as well as the surrounding area, prime location for a great photo with a loved one. For others, it was simply a place where they could escape their troubles…in one way or another.
For one Aaron Hart however, it was a place he hoped to find a more permanent resolution to his latest strings of stress.
Ever since he was a kid, Aaron enjoyed hanging out with his father at that particular spot. Every time they went up there, they would just sit and talk about their troubles and life in general. It was perfect way to bond, unfettered by the stresses of suburbia down below. There were even times when Aaron would make solo trips to clear his mind of anything that annoyed him on the homefront, school, or for the sake of enjoying some fresh air.
Today however, he simply wanted to be alone and instead of letting go of the stresses that plagued his mind, he wanted to drown himself in them.
No one, save for himself and his family knew of the events that led up to the cause of his depression. It all began three months ago when Aaron fainted after an episode of vomiting blood while camping at Lake Everfree. Alarmed, his parents rushed him to the ER, a stay that quickly lasted for two weeks before getting a diagnosis. When they did get the news, both Aaron and his parents hearts sank simultaneously, like a boulder crashing through the floor. He couldn’t remember the whole spiel the doctor gave, but one part remained burned into his memory.
“Mr and Mrs. Hart, I assure that we ran numerous tests on your son but the disease has spread too far for any viable treatment to be possible. If we were able to detect it early on, we could’ve stopped it before it metastasized. I’m so sorry but there’s nothing else we could do for him. From what the scans say, he has about six months left. We know he’ll be in a lot of pain from this so I’ll write up a prescription for something that’ll take the edge off. It’s the least we can do to make it easier for him. Otherwise, I’d make the most of what time he has left.”
In the days that followed, Aaron tried to remain strong despite his bleak situation. In spite of the pain, he continued to carry on, hoping it’d take his mind off the fact that his life was being cut short. Sadly, while he was able to deal with the perpetual pain his body was in, another brand of pain was began to claw away at his mind.
As his time grew shorter and shorter, he noticed his parents and little brother, Darrel, tearing up whenever he was near. Though they tried to hide the fact that they’d already mourning him, Aaron quickly caught on. It got to the point where they didn’t even try to hide their grief and it quickly began to wear him down. The thing about when someone you love gets a terminal diagnosis, staying strong for said person is a must as emotional support is key to helping said person through until the end. As such, such continued displays of sadness could have dire consequences.
“Why… why did it have to be me?” A teary-eyed Aaron muttered as he sat on the bench near the top of the waterfall. The calming ambiance of the cascading water did nothing to calm his mind, wrapped in visions of another scene of his parents crying before him. Each and every time he recalled that memory his spirit, along with his will, continued to whittle down. During yesterday’s lunch with his folks, he came back from a bathroom break to find his parents and his brother in a collective heartbroken cry. Seeing the both of them, especially his normally stoic father crying like that had broke Aaron and made him feel worse than before. If even his family couldn’t be strong for him, then he has no support… no hope at all. Aaron couldn’t take it anymore and decided to end the whole thing during his usual hikes. Taking a few more moments of contemplation, he once again looked back on the good times he had with his family before getting up from the bench and walking to the end of the waterfall.
“I’m so sorry,” Aaron tearfully muttered. “ I...I just can’t take it anymore.” Looking down towards the bottom of the falls, his heart began to race exponentially as his fear of heights began to kick in. Feeling queasy in his stomach, he had to mentally shake those feelings from his mind so he could finally end all his anguish.
“It’s okay Aaron… you can do this. A few moments of fear in exchange for eternal bliss sounds fair, doesn’t it?” With one last gulp of fresh air and a recollection of a pleasant memory to carry him to the end, he prepared to take the fatal step forward. Just as he was about to move his leg, he was interrupted by a feminine voice from behind him.
“Oh, hey, Aaron! What on earth are you doing out here by yourself?”
If the tone and inquisitive nature of the voice offered enough clues, those that guessed Twilight Sparkle would’ve been right on the nose. Her mere presence alone was enough to brighten up even downbeat atmosphere. He’ll never forget the day she tutored him for a test he had worries about.
It was the 10th of december last year and his biology class was having an ‘end of the semester’ test. Since it counted towards a good chunk of his grade for that period, he was worried because he was struggling with that subject. With nowhere else to turn to, Aaron asked one his friends Rarity for help. Though she herself couldn’t help him, she contacted a friend of hers that would. With his worry tempered to an extent, he stayed after school in the study hall, waiting for his mutual friend to show.
Later that day, Aaron sat in the library with his book in front of him, examining his study guide. As he looked through the paper and read the book, his frustration grew as he failed to understand the concept of genetics.
“Damn it all! I’ll never understand any of this!” He muttered as his head began to pound from the strain of trying to process the material. “Where the heck is this person?”
“Um, hello? Are you Aaron Hart?”
Aaron turned around to see a purple skinned girl with glasses standing a distance from him. She was wearing a sky-blue sweater with a mini-skirt under a purple vest and a pair of jeans. Her tri-colored hair was in a bun with small stripes left hanging down either side of her face. The way she carried herself could be described as bookish, curious, and… oddly charming.
“Ummmm, are you okay, sir?” Still caught off guard at how cute she looked, Aaron worked up enough courage to introduce himself.
“Oh sorry, my mind was elsewhere. I’m Aaron Hart.” Aaron said while holding out his hand for a handshake which she accepts.
“Hi Aaron, I’m Twilight Sparkle. It’s so nice to meet a friend of rarity’s.” As their handshake ends, Twilight noticed Aaron was staring down at the floor, looking nervous and blushing heavily.
“Are you alright?” Twilight asked, puzzled at how Aaron is acting around her especially since she just met him.
“Well, to be quite honest, I never expected you to be this… cute.” Aaron’s answer caught Twilight off guard. Never once during her studies at Crystal Prep or Canterlot High did any of the males compliment her in such a way. This was the first time that someone referred to her as ‘cute’. To say that it made her blush was an understatement.
“W-what?! Are you joking?” Twilight stuttered
“I would never joke about how nice a girl looks.” From Aaron’s honesty, Twilight’s heart started to beat faster than a race horse. For the first time, whether or not it was intentional, a boy had hit on her yet she was a nerd by high school standards.
“Oh wow, I can’t believe someone’s hitting on me.” Regaining her composure, Twilight straightened her posture and took a seat next to Aaron, her cheeks still blushing.
“Well, It wasn’t my intention but I always learned to go with the flow.” With his words, Twilight let out a small chuckle. “But, I do already like your personality; It’s, how should I put this… charming.”
“Okay, now you’re just acting like a flirt.”
“Perhaps. But, Let’s get back to the topic at hand.” Aaron said as he turns back to his biology book. “Rarity said that you’ll help me with studying for Mr. Discord’s biology test this friday and I’m having a hard time trying to understand the concept of genetics.”
“Oh, that’s an easy subject once you understand its basic principles and concepts.” Twilight said as she pulls out a notebook and a sharpened pencil. “Here, I can tutor you while you can take notes as we go along, okay?” Elated that he has a chance to pass the test and his confidence restored, Aaron nodded as they began to read through the course material. With every spoken by Twilight and every pencil scribble on the notebook, Aaron started to understand the subject material more. The study session lasted for a little more than an hour and a half before they got done.
“... and that is how genetic inheritance, the passage of traits from both the male and female to their offspring works. It’s truly a fascinating thing to study.” Twilight said as she puts her pencil back in her bag.
“I’d say it is.” Aaron replied with a grateful smile. “Thank you for helping me out, Twilight.”
“Anytime, be sure to read those notes and call me if you have any questions.” Just as she said those words, Twilight handed Aaron a piece of paper with her phone number on it. His heart was beating so quickly, for him, it almost felt as if time had slowed down to a crawl. A cute girl had given him her number, a dream come true for him. In that moment, Aaron knew she was a keeper, someone he wanted to spend a lot of time with. Just as Twilight laid a hand on the library door, Aaron worked up the courage to speak his mind.
“Hey Twilight, I’ve been thinking.” His words caused Twilight Sparkle to turn to him with a puzzled look.
“What is it, Aaron?” She asked nervously as Aaron walked towards her with his backpack in tow.
“Since you helped me out, I believe I should repay the favor. Do you wanna go see the new Blade Runner tomorrow?” Twilight’s eyes shot open so wide that one would say it looked like something out of a cartoon, pure excitement. To Aaron’s surprise, Twilight Sparkle was a fan of science fiction, something he never expected.
“R-Really?!” Twilight shouted in excitement. “I’ve been wanting to go see that but I never found the time to!”
“Well, I’ll take you there and maybe we could have a light lunch together.”
“Heh, are you suggesting that it’s a date?”
“Perhaps. I can’t help but really like you though. More to the point, I just want to repay you somehow.”
“Well, okay then. Just text me the showtime and come pick me up, okay?”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Likewise, Aaron.” As Twilight Sparkle walked out, Aaron was left feeling good on two fronts: Some girl helped him study for an upcoming test and she accepted his offer of a movie date. He wondered why no guy wanted to go out with her. She looked beautiful and cute in a dorky sort of way. His head felt lightheaded from how fast his heart fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. As he drove home, the thought of dating a girl like Twilight Sparkle continued to swim around his mind
The next day, Aaron and Twilight, after having a light lunch, went and saw the movie they wanted. With each and every scene, they were left surprised and amazed at the beautiful cinematography and the story that came with it. When the movie was over, they exited the theater with the afternoon sun beaming its light down upon them.
“Wow, that… was pretty amazing.” Twilight said with a pleased tone.
“Yeah, It does feel like a worthy sequel to the original.” Aaron replied as they got closer to his car. However, Twilight doesn’t go to the passenger’s side right away. She just looked at him with a face of longing.
“Aaron, thank you for this. I just got to ask: Is this just a one time thing? Are we going to be, well… a couple after this? I just wanna know because you’re the only guy that showed any interest in me.” Looking down on the ground and bracing for disappointment, Twilight Sparkle was caught off guard by a hug from Aaron, dispelling any doubt as to whether they’ll be together or not.
“Does this count as a yes?” Aaron whispered, which was met with a quick smooch on his cheek from his now confirmed girlfriend, making him blush with love.
“I’ll take it as such.” Twilight agreed. With the end of the embrace, Aaron drove Twilight home and anxiously waited to meet up with her again. Throughout the winter break, Aaron and Twilight’s relationship grew and prospered to the delight of their mutual friends. For them, they were meant to be together and it was a stroke of luck that they found each other. However, with Aaron’s terminal diagnosis, he became increasingly aloof and began to cautiously distance himself from the one he loved. He couldn’t bear to deliver her the news due to the risk of breaking her heart, something he wanted to avoid dearly but forcing him to commit another grievous sin: lie to her.
“Why are you standing so close to the cliff?!” Twilight Sparkle inquired, seeing the troubled Aaron so close to the cliff’s edge. “That’s reeeeaaalllyy dangerous you know.
Aaron said not even the faintest of whispers. Tears flowed down his eyes as one of his closest friends from school caught him attempting suicide. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes as in that moment, he felt a great sense of shame for what he was doing.
“Aaron, why are you so upset? Are you alright?”
Again, Aaron never replied, he just stood there in silence. As Twilight got closer, she got a better look at her boyfriend. His face spelled extreme sadness, sorrow, and pain. Tears were flowing steadily from his tightly shut eyes. As Twilight watched one of her friends silently cry, she knew she had to do something to help lift his spirits. More importantly, she wanted to know what was troubling him. With a sigh and a worried expression, she softly put a hand on one of Aaron's shoulders, causing him to faintly quake from the sensation.
“Aaron, I know you're upset. But, I'm here for you if you need anything. You can talk to me about anything.” Twilight's words caused something inside of Aaron to stir, pulling him back from his desire to end his life. Like a rush of water from a broken dam, a wave of regret, shame, and sadness washed over his conscious as his flow of tears intensified. Finally, with someone to talk to, Aaron put his hand over Twilight's and hung his head low.
“Twilight,” Aaron started with a whimper. “ There's something I have to tell you. Let's sit down first.”
Confused and concerned about her friend, Twilight Sparkle agreed and sat with Aaron on the nearby bench. Still, she wondered why her friend was apparently in such pain. Seeing the tears flow down from his bloodshot eyes made her feel a tinge of what he felt but not to the point of shedding tears of her own. As she was about to ask her question, Aaron put up one finger, prompting her to listen.
“Twilight… I'm sorry that I've lied to you about what I’ve been going through over the past couple of months. I just didn't want to worry anyone. Please… please don't think any less of me after all this.”
“Why would I think less of you, what is it?” After those words had rung through the air, Aaron took a big gulp and prepared to confess.
“I… came here to take my own life.” The second those last four words had reached her ears, Twilight’s eyes shot wide open as she gasped in horror. It all made sense to her: Him standing close to the edge of the cliff and his tear soaked face. It was now clear to hear that Aaron was in more anguish than she originally thought. Twilight knew she had to be careful, lest she lose him. Calming down, Twilight scooched more towards him as he quivered in sadness.
“But why?” Twilight asked with reserved shock. “I love you. Your friends love you. Your entire family loves you and you have a lot to live for. Why do you want to die?”
As if by cue, Aaron gripped the top of his beanie cap slowly and tightly, pulling it up, revealing his bald head. Completely absent of a single follicle of hair on his scalp, just his light-blue skin. Twilight covered her mouth in pure shock, only muttering “Oh god, Aaron…”
“Twilight… I'm dying.” Aaron shuddered as he gave his answer. Twilight started to tear up at the revelation that a friend she knew was doomed to perish.
“Wh-what happened to you?” Twilight muttered.
“Leukemia.” Aaron meekly said with hints of sobbing. “It advanced to the point where… *sniff* nothing can be done. The chemotherapy that rendered me bald didn't do anything!”
“How much time do you have left?”
“As of now, *sigh* four months.”
“But why, why did you want to kill yourself?” With his capacity for resisting sobbing gone, he couldn’t hold back anymore and began to full-on cry, cupping his face in his hands as tears drenched his face.
“B-b-because… I C-COULDN’T BEAR T-TO *sniff* SEE MY FAMILY CRY WHEN I’M NEAR, KNOWING I’M A GONER, ESPECIALLY MY LITTLE BROTHER-RR!” As Aaron let out a heavy cry, Twilight couldn't stand to see an acquaintance of hers emotionally suffering in such a way, especially since it was her boyfriend. Knowing that it would mean the world to him in this situation, Twilight made the decision to stick by him, knowing of the heartbreak that would she would incur.
Since he always was a good friend to her, Twilight Sparkle, without hesitation, wrapped Aaron in a warm and caring hug. The feeling and warmth of the embrace triggered something in Aaron. He felt that he truly had someone there for him in his time of need, a shoulder he could cry and vent his woes in. After a few minutes of processing his situation, Aaron burrowed his face in Twilight's shoulder and cried some more, returning her hug. As she felt his tears soak the arm of her shirt, Twilight rubbed his back with one of her hands, shushing with a gentle calming tone that was a stark departure from her usually calm and bookish demeanor.
“-hy…” Aaron croaked mid cry. “Why does it have to be me that has to die?! What did I do wrong to deserve this?!” Sensing that he calmed down enough, Twilight broke the hug and looked upon him with a solemn expression.
“Aaron,” Twilight started. “ I don't know what you think you did but you shouldn't be focusing on that. Life is random, you'll never know what could happen, but the best we could do is weather the storm and make the most of what we have.” Twilight still saw that Aaron was slightly depressed over his ordeal. “If you want, I'll be there for you if you need me, no matter what.”
Those last few words struck a nerve with Aaron. He had a friend that'll be there to emotionally support him through his remaining four months. Slowly, but surely, he snapped out of his sadness and gave Twilight a brief hug of gratitude. “Thank you, Twily.” Aaron whispered, breaking the hug.
“Who else knows about this?”
“Apart from you, only my parents, my teachers, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. You gotta promise not to tell anyone else but our friends about this.”
“Don’t worry about it. Nobody else but our inner circle will know.” Twilight said with a boop on Aaron's nose, eliciting a chuckle from him despite the somber atmosphere.
“Heh, I'll be holding you to that promise.” Aaron remarked with amusement.
“No need to worry, Aaron. I’ll stick with you through this, I promise” Feeling contented that he's on the path to coming to terms with his mortality, Aaron got up from the bench with Twilight, looking at her with a smile that bordered on loving. However, his train of thought was interrupted by a rumbling sound from his belly.
“Hey Twilight, wanna stop by Sugarcube Corner and pick up some doughnuts?” Aaron asked.
“Absolutely!” Twilight replied with glee. “My car is parked down near the lake. We can drive there.” As they walked away from the waterfall top, Aaron began to sweep the grief away from his mind, heeding his friend's advice. Though he knew his time was short, he'd do the best he could to be strong for his peers, for their sake and his own. All that mattered to him was that he’d live his life to its fullest and spend its remainder in the company of good people.
Author's Note
Sorry if the first part may seem rough around the edges. This is just the primer. More will come.
