Rust In The Breeze

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12 (Daddy's Home)
Sequel

Chapter 1

The train came to a slow, but still pretty rough stop in the town of Appleoosa, creating a cloud of dust as the wind following behind it kicked up a countless amount of dirt and sand. The engine quietened as the horn sounded off to alert passers by of its arrival. The weather was as expected in a desert during the middle of the day; The air was warm and dry, the sky cloudless and blue, and the sunlight was beating down on all who who dared to live in such a climate.

Unlike the usual train that passed by, dropping off ponies that decided to travel out here for whatever reasons they may have, this was a supply train. The only ponies on board were the conductor, a few engine workers, and a three-pony family that hid in one of the empty carts; Accompanied by their furless friend of course, Rusty.

The door to the supposedly empty cart slid open. Steel Hoof, an older stallion with brown fur and a grey mane, dressed in an old, worn and torn suit, stepped out and took a deep breath of the hot, desert air. A smile spread across his face as he took in the area around him, ready to take on the day and whatever it had in store for them. Turning back to the cart, he held out his hand.

In response to his kind gesture; Scarlet, a salmon pink mare with a long, flowing red mane, gently grabbed his hand and stepped out as well. Once free from the confines of their mobile home, she brushed off her equally worn out dress and leaned in to give her husband a short, but sweet kiss.

"Incoming!"

The couple looked back to the cart, separating as they took a step back. Just as they had made a clearing, Rusty came flying out, landing in between the two with a colt, that looked nearly identical to Steel Hoof, piggybacking on him. The young pony was giggling with glee, even as he slid down the creature's hooded form.

"Let's do it again!" Rod exclaimed, the smile on his face being almost too much for his illegitimate brother to say 'No' to. Luckily for him, he didn't have to.

"Maybe another time, dear." Scarlet said sweetly, picking up the colt and holding him in her arms. "You know the rules; Work comes before play."

Though clearly disappointed, Rod understood and submitted to his mother's words. "Yes, mommy."

"That's a good boy." She finished with a smile, poking his nose playfully.

Steel Hoof broke away from the group, walking a few feet toward the front of the train. "How's it going, Steam?" He called out, a small latch opening up just enough for the conductor to stick his head out.

Steam looked out to them, running a hand through his nearly black mane before grabbing the cigarette from his mouth so he could speak. "Steel, ol buddy!" He called back, a great big smile going across his ash grey features. "How was the ride?"

"Pleasant, as always!" Steel replied with a short laugh.

"I hope so, cause we're not staying for long!" Glancing toward the station, he spotted a clock and pointed at it. "You got 'till six o' clock! Make it count!"

After looking at the clock, Steel did a playful salute to the conductor and turned back to rejoin his family. "Alright everypony." He began, clapping his hands to make sure he had their attention. "We've got just a little over an hour to get what we need. Scarlet and Rod; You're the cute ones, so you're on money duty."

"Rusty and I will gather supplies." Steel threw an arm around Rusty, pulling him close to his side. "We'll meet back here ten minutes before the train is set to leave. Sound like a plan?"

"Yes, sir!" Rod saluted, earning a grin from his father, Scarlet nodding in his direction as well.

"That's the spirit!" And on that note, the group broke into their respective teams of two and went off in opposite directions.

Leaving the station behind, Steel led the way to town. He reached into his suit coat, slipping his hand in a pocket and grabbing a handful of the bits concealed within. It wasn't a lot, but it should be enough to stock them up for the next train ride. Holding the bits in one hand, he slid them into the other with his thumb, counting each one individually in head.

Rusty pulled up on the hood of his rust red coat, making sure that it was steady. It wouldn't be enough to hide his more distinct features, but nopony would suspect he was any different from them at first glance. Taking the time to look around, he spotted a small row of market stalls.

Grabbing Steel with a hand, he pointed to the stalls. "There's your spot, buddy."

Steel flashed him a toothy smile. "Good eye, Rusty." Standing in place, he went through their small sum of money one last time. "What do you recon the price of water will be?"

"Anywhere else, a case would run us about twelve bits." Daring to go over the landscape one last time, he couldn't help but feel like the odds wouldn't be in their favor. "But, I get the feeling water is a little scarce out here. Might wanna up the ante."

It's not too often that Steel would find himself frowning, typically being the one to find the best of any bad situation. Life wasn't the easiest for him and his family. What little currency they had was essential for their survival. "That might leave us a little short on food." He said, managing to put his smile back on as he handed the bits over to Rusty. "But, we've braved through worse."

Rusty accepted the bits, pocketing them quickly. He used to envy Steel Hoof's ability to smile no matter how bleak a situation may have seemed. Over time though, he learned to do the same. Now he just felt like a hairless knock-off of the poor, kind soul that was this stallion. The two nodded to each other and agreed to meetup back at the station before dividing.

Steel has been all around Equestria, further even. This gave the pony a pretty good idea on how to do things in certain areas. One thing that he managed to win ponies over with was his charisma. He was always lively and willing to offer kindness even when none was returned. This affected almost everypony he crossed, earning him both attention and hospitality. If he really wanted something, he could get it without even an ounce of deceit. He was just a very likable pony.

Rusty, on the other hand, didn't have it so easy. His personality would win over ponies over time, but his appearance always threw them off and made it slightly more challenging as a result. Still, he always tried hard to make the very best impression he could and be as likable as any other pony. Time seemed to fly by as he wandered the dirt roads that were laid out before him, searching for any place that would sell water. His prayers were finally answered as he stumbled upon a small store, the signs out front conveniently stating that were selling bottled water. Without further delay, he entered the little marketplace and took in the surroundings.

It was a nice spot, albeit smaller than most of the shops he's visited. There were some shelves decorated with knick-knacks of all kinds, a few tools off in the back, some non-perishable foods by the counter, and a large cooler behind the counter.

With his goal now in sight, he pulled down his hood- not wanting them to think he's some sort of thief- and approached the sales pony standing in front of the cooler. Naturally, her eyes went wide as the tan coated mare spotted him, brushing her light brown locks from her face to make sure she was seeing him correctly.

Doing the polite thing, Rusty flashed her a smile as he reached the counter. "Howdy, howdy." He greeted in a soft tone, ignoring her stare as he pointed to the machine behind her. "How much for a case?"

Dumbstruck, the mare could only 'Uhhh' at him for a few seconds before finally processing his question. "Oh! For the uh..." She glanced back, her brain still trying to catch up with her. "For the water?"

"Yes, ma'am." Rusty confirmed with a nod.

"Right! Yes...The water!" The store clerk put on a weird smile as she tried to continue. "It's uh..two bits per bottle. Seventeen for a case."

"I'll take one case then." Rusty reached into his pocket and pulled out the bits, counting what he had and placing the amount on the counter. This left him with three bits total that he placed back into his pocket. He hoped to high heaven that Scarlet and Rod would pull in a decent amount during their rounds. Otherwise, things were going to be pretty tight for the next few days.

Accepting his payment, the mare opened the cooler and pulled out a box wider than her chest. She placed the box on the counter, looking much more at ease as she opened it to examine the contents. "One...four...ten...twelve." Satisfied that everything was in order, she closed the box and slid it over to her odd-looking costumer. "There you are, sir!"

"Thank you, kindly." With that out of the way, he could head back to-

"No disrespect, sir; But..." The shop pony began, causing Rusty to freeze in place. "What uh...what exactly...Are you a-" Now feeling more than a little nervous, the mare couldn't find the words she was looking for. With how kind this creatur has been thus far, the last thing she wanted to do was offend him.

"An alien?" Rusty finished for her, having heard this question more times than he could count. Despite the re-occurrence of this question though, he never let it put a damper on his mood and would instead choose to humor those who asked. "In a sense, I am." He almost laughed as he watched her eyes light up at his response. Knowing what she would ask next, he decided to have a little fun with her. "I come from a world far, far away from here."

"A world rich with technology the likes of which this one may never see!" Leaning over the counter, the shop pony listened intently to what he had to say. "I've only been here for a few short years, but I gotta say; I think I like it better here. You ponies are absolutely remarkable."

The mare blushed, leaning back as she reached up and started playing with her mane. "Well, I-I...I don't know about that-"

Rusty reached over the counter, placing two fingers to her lips as she shushed her. "Don't sell yourself so short. It's ponies like you who have given my life so much more meaning than it once had." He went on to say, causing her blush to deepen. "If it wasn't for this world and all of the wonderful creatures, I never would have lived this long."

Pulling back, the shop pony now dead silent and completely still, Rusty grabbed the box in front of him and lifted it onto his shoulder. "Have a lovely day."

It took her a few seconds to recollect herself, but she managed to respond just as he went out of the door. "You too... um..."

"Rusty Nails!" He called back, leaving the flustered mare alone in her shop.

She was cute. I wonder how long it would take to seduce her.

Rusty smiled as he walked back down the road, throwing up his hood before he could draw any attention to himself. He really enjoyed talking to other ponies like that. Given his unique species, they would think that there was something special about him. It was this belief that gave him the opportunity to make them feel special. Granted, the way he went about doing this was as simple as it came, but that's what he loved the most about his life. The simplicity of being nice and surviving made everything just perfect in his eyes.

Still ignoring me, huh?

The walk down here took longer than Rusty had anticipated, but at least he kept tabs on which directions he took. The only problem now was whether or not he would make it back to the train in time. Still keeping a tight grip on the case he was holding, he glanced in almost every direction as he tried to find a clock.

Do you have any idea how boring this is for me?

Rusty couldn't spot any way to tell the exact time. A few years back, he tried learning to tell the time through the position of the sun, but was never very accurate with his readings. With his attention elsewhere, he nearly made the mistake of bumping into a few ponies. He apologized, of course, but kept trying to find a clock so he would know whether or not he would need to start running to catch the train.

Heads up!

As fate would have it, the next Pony that Rusty bumped into ended up colliding with him head on. The impact caused both parties to recoil, dropping their respective items; Rusty losing his grip on his water case, and the pony releasing the arms of a wagon they were pulling.

Placing a hand to his head, Rusty rubbed the spot where they made contact. His sights immediately went downward, where he spotted his fallen case and a hat. "I'm terribly sorry." Keeling down, he grabbed his water case and the dirty stetson. "That was my fault, I wasn't paying attention..." His words trailed off as he stood back to his full height, his eyes widening as he got a look at who he had bumped into.

Farm Horse!

Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres, the pony who's family he considered to be his own flesh and blood at one point, was standing before him, her eyes sealed shut as she attempted to massage away the headache she now had. Part of him was actually a little excited to see her, but that was nothing compared to the amount of pain and guilt that immediately resurfaced upon laying his eyes on her.

"The fault aint all yers." Applejack said through gritted teeth, more out of pain than anger. "Ah didn't have my eyes rightly where they should have been either." She opened her eyes, seeing the odd pony she bumped into apparently refusing to look at her. His head was aimed down, the faded red hood making it nearly impossible to see his face. She followed his gaze, noticing her hat in his grip.

Rusty all but shoved the stetson into her hands, quickly retracting his own and slipping it into his pocket before walking around her. "Sorry, but I'm in a rush."

Applejack held on to her hat, unsure of how to feel about all of that. He was probably the weirdest pony she's met in a while. Not to mention he had the strangest looking hand she's seen since...Her mind came to a rather preposterous conclusion, but not one she could so easily overlook. Turning around, she eyed the odd 'pony' walking away from her at a rather suspicious pace.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she focused on every little detail. Nothing seemed out of place, aside from the exposed wrist she could just barely make out from this distance. It looked like it hardly had any fur on it, which is very odd for a pony. Keeping her sights on him, she caught a glimpse of his face as he glanced back at her. Her heart stopped for a few seconds as she spotted the scruffy human's, unshaven features; His muzzle-less mouth, the smooth skin on his forehead, those messy locks of yellow hair.

Applejack throws her hat on and starts walking, moving slightly faster than the human as she follows behind him. He turns a corner, giving her the opportunity to pick up the pace while he's no longer looking. Nearly running now, she rounds the corner and...nothing.

The person she could have sworn she saw was gone, nowhere to be seen. Her eyes dart every which way, looking for any places that he could have ducked off to. However, the only things in her sights were other ponies, a few connected buildinga, a long dirt road, and a small playhouse for foals, which she could see a lone filly playing in through its tiny window.

Unsure of what just happened, or if what she saw was even real, Applejack turned away from the path and went back to the wagon she left behind.

The filly within the playhouse peeked out of the window before turning to face her over-sized visitor, crouched down beneath the window with a box in his lap. She regarded him with curious eyes, expecting an answer as to why he so rudely barged in and asked her to pretend like he wasn't there.

Looking back at the filly, Rusty knew he was in a rough spot. This kid could easily turn on him if she wanted to and he really wasn't looking forward to that. But, what could he possibly do to make sure she wouldn't say anything?

I might have an idea.

Rusty took a deep breath, normally doing what he could to shut out the one part of his old self that refused to go away. If he were being honest though, it's saved his sorry flank on more than one occasion. And at least this suggestion wasn't as bad as some of the others.

Slipping a hand into his pocket, he pulled out a single bit and slid it across the plastic table in front of him. "You never saw me." The filly eyed the bit for a few seconds before collecting it and nodding to him with a smug grin plastered across her face.

I hate kids...

A loud, deep whistle tore through the play-set walls, causing Rusty's whole body to tense up. "Uh oh..." Was all he could get out as he nearly broke through the toy house's front door and started sprinting back to the train station. "Sorry!"

Rusty ran as fast as his legs could carry him, still holding on tightly to the case of water that he placed back onto his shoulder. The station wasn't too far off from him now, but as the final whistle blew, it started to leave without him. He pushed himself a little more, his legs beginning to cry out in pain as he ran faster. Making it to the station, he spotted the train just a short ways down the tracks, still moving slowly from having just started back up.

Without stopping, Rusty flew past several ponies waiting at the station, jumping off of the platform and running after the train. He was starting to catch up, but the train was moving faster and faster. By some miracle, he manged to get close enough to reach the caboose. It took everything he had to do this, but he did it.

Rusty jumped, grabbing onto the rail with his free hand and pulling himself up. He finally came to a stop, taking a few minutes to catch his breath as he looked back at the city of Appleoosa slowly disappearing behind him.

Azure looks out at the town of Ponyville from her spot on the cloud, watching as the sun begins its descent and night falls over her home. Ever since her talk with Big Mac earlier that day, she's kept mostly to herself; Sorting through thoughts and feelings with no real idea of what to do about any of them. Although she was happy to have learned more about her late father, something still felt out of sorts. She thought that, by learning about him, she would be able to move on with her life and no longer have to hold onto this emptiness that's filled her for as long as she can remember. Instead, it feels as though it's grown.

Having spent most of the day crying into Big Mac's shoulder, she couldn't produce any more tears. There were none left to be shed. But that emptiness, as well as that sadness that would accompany it, still remained.

The small amount of knowledge she had gathered wasn't enough. She wanted to know more, so much more. She wanted to know who he was, what he was, what he looked like, what he felt like, and how it would feel to be wrapped in his arms as he told her he loved her.

This wasn't a desire just to learn and hear about him, as it had started out. No. This was a need to know him, to see him, to be with him. But, no matter how much she wanted to, there was no bringing him back. Her father was dead and there wasn't a single thing she could do about it.

Resigned to simply wallowing in her own sadness, Azure rolled onto her back and looked up at the darkening sky. Before too long, the moon began to rise and she spotted the first star to appear before the rest began to shine through. Her eyes stayed locked onto that one star, never letting it leave her sight.

How about we make a wish?

Azure sniffed loudly, though no tears were forming, her feelings still managed to manifest. "W-Why?" She asked aloud, her voice trembling. "It's not l-like i-it'll come t-true..."

Honey, how many wishes ever come true?

Azure wasn't sure how to respond to that. Not that she would be able to, given how hard she was fighting herself just to keep from having another emotional breakdown.

Exactly! It's not about having it come true; It's about declaring what you want, getting it off of your chest and out into the open!

"W-Well it's s-s-stupid!" Azure declared.

Then why do ponies all over the place do it, hmm...Because it makes them feel better, you twit. It gives them hope for better days to come.

With it being put that way, it kinda made sense to the distressed filly.

You deserve to have your wish granted just as much as anypony else.

So, my cute, little friend; What is your wish?

Taking a few shaky breaths, Azure continued to stare down the first star she saw appear into the night sky. "M-My wish..." She didn't notice this at first, but one of the stars above her was glowing a few shades brighter than the rest. "I wish...I wish my daddy was here." Said star became bigger and brighter, almost as if-

Sweet Celestia!

Azure's eyes went wide as she watched the star fall, going right toward Princess Twilight's castle. It came down so fast she could barely keep up with it. Just as she thought it was going to tear down the crystal tower, the star disintegrated. The light that once followed bounced off of the reflective structure, illuminating both the castle itself and the massive star-shaped crystal at the top.

Rusty sat beside the train cart's open door, looking out at the tree-covered landscape as they zipped by. The sun would be setting soon and he would have to head to bed, but he was finding it hard to even think about sleep right now. That short run-in with Applejack in Appleoosa stirred up a lot of old feelings. His heart ached at the memories of all of the mistakes his former self made, all of the hearts he broke, all of the pain he caused.

More than anything else, he felt guilty for all of that and more. It must have been a nightmare for those he cared about to hear of his 'passing', then for the one that watched him 'die' to see him casually roaming the streets. Who knows what this is doing to her. Every little thing that has happened since his arrival in Equestria has been eating at him since he saw her again. He thought that he was finally free of all of this pain. But, as it turns out, he was just suppressing it under this new identity. He can see that now, moreover, he can feel it.

Steel and Rusty had a long talk over what happened earlier today before the stallion went to join his family in their makeshift bed off to the side. Once again, that old stallion threw down some heavy wisdom. It helped him come to terms with everything before, but this wasn't going to be so simple.

Rusty had a new name and a new life, Ryan was long gone. But, if that part of him is truly gone, then why is he still running from his past mistakes? When he really broke it down, that's all Ryan ever did was run away from things. Whether it be literally of figuratively depended on the situation, but regardless, he never faced his problems like he should have.

Ryan was a coward that hid behind closed doors and alcohol so that he wouldn't have to face things head on...but that is not who Rusty is.

All of the guilt from earlier practically vanished into thin air as a newfound sense of determination filled Rusty from head to toe. Climbing to his feet, he got to work on gathering supplies. There was an old bag in one of the crates they used to store everything they would acquire. He grabbed the bag and filled it with a few of the essentials; Which only consisted of a few bottles of water and some canned food. Taking less than his share, he zipped the bag and strapped it on.

"Rusty..." Rusty froze, his head slowly turning to see his new family looking at him from their bed. Out of all of them, Rod had the saddest look in his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I uh..." The words didn't want to come out. His confidence from earlier was slipping away as he looked into the melancholy eyes of the ones who had done so much for him. "I didn't mean to wake you. I was just..." He struggled to put together a full sentence, not wanting to hurt any of them. "I have to...I NEED to go and..." Steel rose up from the bed, walking over to Rusty and placing a hand on his shoulder. The sad look in his eyes shifted to something that Rusty couldn't quite identify as the stallion started to smile at him.

"It's okay, Rusty." Steel said with a nod. "Go...Go and make things right."

Tears started to form in Rusty's eyes as he threw his arms around Steel, who happily returned the embrace. "Thank you...Thank you for everything."

The embrace ended when Scarlet found her way to the two, offering Rusty a delighted smile. "You're doing the right thing, sweetie." Mimicking Rusty, she all but crushed him as she forced her own embrace upon the human with happy tears in her eyes. "I'm so proud of you..."

This hug lasted a little longer than the last, but when it finally broke, Rusty's attention went downward. He could see Rod standing a few feet away from the group, his features being genuinely sad.

Taking a knee, Rusty locked eyes with the colt and opened his arms. Though hesitant at first, Rod came running into his arms and cried softly into his brother's red coat.

"You're not leaving forever, are you?" Rod asked solemnly, his voice muffled from having his face buried in Rusty's shoulder.

Rusty nodded, stroking his little brother's mane to coax him out of hiding. "Of course not..." Rod pulled his face from his shoulder, looking up at him with red surrounding his eyes. "You're my family and I could never abandon any of you." Wiping the tears from the colt's eyes, he gave him a quick nuzzle. "We'll see each other again. I promise."

After releasing Rod from his hold, Rusty stood back to his full height and walked back to the open cart door. Having been on this train for as long as he has, he knew they'd be passing by Ponyville soon. It never stopped there persay, but followed a secondary track that would pass by the town.

Now that night had fallen, it was nearly impossible to see where the town was. It was small, so it wasn't like he was looking at Las Vegas from the mountains of Nevada again. This was more like searching for one lightning bug in a field. If it weren't for the stars- literally- he never would have found it.

A shooting star seemed to come down at the perfect time, somehow causing the crystal star at the top of Twilight's castle to glow bright enough for him to see. His destination now in sight, he walked away from the door and to the other side of the cart.

Rusty looked over at his family one last time. "You know...It's been a while since I've done this."

Steel and Scarlet seemed to get the joke, but Rod was lost on its meaning. "Done what?"

"Something really stupid." Rusty answered before charging straight for the exit and making a powerful leap right when he reached the edge. His body soared for what felt like minutes, but really only lasted for a few seconds.

At the end of that time, Rusty hit the ground and quickly came down to meet the dirt below with his face, the rest of his body following suit right after. He rolled to the side, soon reaching a steep edge and tumbling down the small hill until he finally came to a painful stop at the bottom.

You were right...That was really stupid....

Groaning, Rusty flipped himself over and got back to his feet, albeit with some difficulty. After a quick dusting to get some of the dirt off his everything, he looked toward where he saw the castle. Now that he was level with the town, he was able to spot a few dim lights in the distance from those few who stayed up this late.

Well, buddy...You better get to steppin' if you wanna make it there before morning. That's a long fuckin' walk.

That in mind, Rusty got moving. He walked at a decent pace, taking careful steps as to not trip over anything and hurt himself even more in the process. Last thing he needed was to show up broken. Wouldn't that be a hell of way to re-introduce yourself to the entire world.

Chapter 2

The best thing about small towns is their consistency. No matter how much time has passed, they never seem to change too dramatically. To some this may seem boring, but to others this is a godsend. It keeps things easy and simple, never having to adapt all the time just to keep up with everyone else. A few minor details may have been altered here and there. But, for the most part, it still remains nearly identical to a memory. This would be a lot more pleasant if there weren't so many bad memories to outweigh the good ones.

How does one simply simply overlook the past in hopes to create a better future? Is this weight destined to hang over that person forever, or will the pain pass? Would 'Sorry' be enough to make up for it all? These questions and many more were what was now rattling around in the wayward human's mind.

Rusty sat at the very edge of the Everfree Forest, his back resting comfortably on a tree as he looked out at the town he had abandoned just beyond the all-too-familiar cottage. Having only woken up a few minutes ago, his energy was low and the trip wasn't looking at all appealing. Not to mention that he hadn't really come up with a plan on how to reintroduce himself to everypony, having made quite the bold decision to do so in the heat of the moment. Still, he had good intentions and the reasoning behind it was admirable. At least, that's how he preferred to look at it.

There would be questions, disbelief, and probably a lot of resentment. Not that he didn't deserve it. 'The sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons', as they say. This was little different from those biblical stories. But, for the most part, its meaning was not lost to this situation. At least, that's what he thought. Though he preferred not look to look back on his previous life with any sort of fondness, there were a few things he held onto; A certain phrase, for example. 'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.'

And that's exactly what Rusty is doing as he looks out at the town, mentally preparing himself for the worst possible outcome as he scoops chunks of potato soup into his mouth from a crudely, cut-open can sitting in his lap. Finishing his meal with as much grace as a dirty, hobo can, he wipes the excess juices from his face and places the empty tin in his bag. It would make a decent mug in the future should things not go over so well.

Letting out a sigh, Rusty climbs to his feet and stretches his arms out. His limbs pop haphazardly, following no real pattern. This helps to wake him up a bit as he grabs the bag and throws it over his shoulder, fastening it to his torso before pulling his hood up. His sights move from Ponyville to the cottage not too far from his current spot. Figuring it was as good a place to start as any, he starts walking.

Better than waking up next to Dash's house...

Rusty couldn't entirely ignore that thought as he went over how he was going to execute this rather poorly produced plan of his. Out of all of the ponies he's wronged in the past, she was the one to fear. Though loyal to her friends, she wasn't the kindest to enemies; And at this point, he had no idea where he stood in her eyes. He hopes that she's calmed down over the years, hopefully met a nice stallion- or mare, she seems like the type- and started a decent life. He doesn't blame her for how things happened in the slightest. She didn't exactly contribute much positive reinforcement, but a lot of her anger came from the things he did even knowing her temper. That being said; He hopes nothing but the best for her.

I hope she chokes on a railroad spike!

"Really?" Rusty asked with a hint of disbelief. "That's the best you've got?" He was mostly just muttering to himself, preferring to ignore the voice rather than acknowledge it, but the little voice was all too observant.

Oh, so NOW you're talking to me again?

In all reality, Rusty did acknowledge what the voice would say, but would not give it the time of day. However, this one caught him a little off guard. "Just saying that you could have come up with something a bit craftier." He went on to say, seeing how he did technically make a response. "After all, she is a pegasus. You could have said something that pertains to flight or...something."

I've spent the last few years being ignored and taking in the complex layout of a fucking train! What the hell else am I supposed to jump to? This is almost all I know now!

"Maybe if you weren't so dense, you'd have learned more on our little journey." Rusty shot back, being genuinely annoyed with the level of ignorance that part of him still had. Had he really learned nothing throughout all of this? It almost made him feel less of himself. If just that part of him had made so little progress, then how much more of him remained blinded by it's own arrogance.

Just for that; I'm gonna keep making train jokes.

Narrowing his eyes, Rusty came to the conclusion that he had indeed learned next to nothing. "Seriously?"

Choo, Choo, motherfucker.

Rusty went back to ignoring the voice, wondering why he even bothered to try talking to it again in the first place. Over the years, he's learned how to cope with a lot. But, that one little thing lodged in his brain just had a way of crawling under his skin. If it were anypony else talking to him like that, he could overlook it and be fine. That voice though; Nerves were struck over the simplest of insults. But, he would just grit his teeth and go about his day.

There was probably a lot of psychology that went into how easily he was provoked by the voice, over everything else, but he wasn't willing to jump down that rabbit hole quite yet. Right now, he had a mission. It's not necessarily dangerous, but not a lot of good is being predicted at the moment either. Still, he stayed strong and powered through his doubts. He had already come this far, he wasn't going to back down now.

The more Rusty thought about his past, the more it tormented him. This was something he had to do. He had to make things right. Even if he couldn't, the least he could do was apologize before leaving again so they could get on with their lives without him there to screw things up.

With the cottage no more than a few yards away, anxiety started to rise, making the approach much more difficult than it should have been. More doubts began to surface; More thoughts that threatened to drive him away. He started to tremble just from seeing the familiar home of someone he used to know.

That poor mare will probably have a heart attack just looking at you.

This was something that Rusty had yet to consider. Of all of his old friends, Fluttershy was the kindest and the most understanding, but she was also the most fragile in most circumstances. Perhaps making her the first to see him again after all of this time wasn't such a good idea. Deep down he knew that this was just a pathetic excuse to buy himself more time, but he couldn't seem to work up the nerve to go any further.

Keeping his pace, he steered clear of the cottage and went straight for town after making sure his hood was pulled as far over his face as possible without rendering him completely blind.

Now the question arises...who's gonna be the lucky victim?

Rusty had no choice but to think this over as he began his detour to Ponyville, passing by very few ponies in the process. It goes without saying that they avoided him. Imagining himself in their eyes, seeing him with a large hood covering his face and his hands in his pockets- topped off with the old sack hanging off of his back-, he probably looked like he was about to rob a bank. Not exactly the best way to go about telling the world, 'Hey, I'm alive' but what other option did he have. The ponies he saw he instantly recognized. He lived in this town for nearly a year and although he didn't associate with many, he still knew their faces. And his face wasn't one you could miss, especially in this town.

Cycling through all of his potential candidates in his head, he started to mentally list the best possible outcomes and sort them out accordingly. This introduction would have to be slow. He didn't want to cause a scene and have ponies judging him immediately without getting to know him.

That being said, Pinkie Pie is being kicked right down to the bottom of the list. Fluttershy isn't an option; She's the kind of mare that needs time to prepare before doing something bold. Seeing him right off the bat might break her. He wasn't sure how Twilight or Applejack would react, especially Applejack...

Azure looked over the outfit Rarity had prepared for her in the privacy of a dressing room. It was small, not enough for her to feel cramped though, with one large mirror against the wall. The dress fit her perfectly, molding to her body like a second layer of fur, but it was a little too flashy for her tastes. Stripping down she got back into her signature clothing, a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top, before stepping out with the dress neatly folded in her arms.

As she exited the changing room, she spotted Rarity standing by the door, waving. Probably to one of her customers. She was wearing something rather casual, compared to the rest of her wardrobe, which consisted of a ruffle, white blouse and black leggings. "Thank you, sir! Come again!"

Closing the door, Rarity moved to a nearby table and took a seat while she finally had a moment to breathe. Today had started off fairly busy, but now the shop was empty and she has some time to relax. Azure joined her, taking a seat in the chair furthest from the door.

Noticing the filly as soon as she came over, Rarity straightened her posture and looked over to her. "So, what did you think?" She asked with a proud smile, clearly pleased with her own work.

Azure thought about how to answer without it sounding too rude. "It's...it's nice..." Was all she managed to say, a nervous smile adorning her muzzle.

Rarity let out a huff; This wasn't her first rodeo after all. "You hate it, don't you?"

"I never said that!" Azure all but yelled out defensively, doing her best not to hurt the unicorn's feelings. "I like it...I just think it might, maybe, possibly be...just the littlest bit too...sparkly." She could see the disappointment in the mare's eyes. "B-but, I'm sure that there's a filly out there who will love it!"

Rarity shot Azure a grin, holding back a small laugh. "Don't worry about it darling." She said, waving a dismissive hand. "I'm only giving you a hard time."

Azure's eyes narrowed before she threw the dress at her, earning a laugh from the older pony. Leaning back in her chair, she looked over the workshop she's become so familiar with. Having spent a lot of her free time here, she knew this place inside and out. From time to time she would even help out whenever she had nothing else to do.

Staying at Rarity's was a sweet little escape from her own home. She was like a second mother to the filly. It wasn't that she hated her actual mother or anything. In fact, she loved her with all she had. She just didn't like watching her spiral in and out of the same vicious cycle she seems to have accepted into her life.

A lot of the time she was at home, Azure found herself taking care of the hungover mare passed out on the couch. Her mother has been like this for as long as she can remember. Aside from that, nothing bad ever really happened. Dash never hit her, yelled at her, or even scolded her for anything. She would just come home from work, start drinking, then fall asleep. Sometimes in a few hilarious positions.

It wasn't hard for Azure to see that her mom was hurting on the inside. If she only knew how to help make that pain go away, she would. At the time though, her routine simply consisted of doing whatever she could to pass the time, then going home at night to help her mother to bed.

"Azure?" Azure was pulled from her thoughts as she looked over to Rarity, who was wearing a concerned expression on her face. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah, everything's fine." Azure answered, shooting the mare a smile in hopes that it would help ease her nerves. "I guess I zoned out for a bit."

Rarity relaxed into her seat, using her magic to fold the dress the filly had thrown at her. "Sometimes, I swear I'm looking right at him..."

Azure blinked a few times at this. "You mean my dad, right?"

Rarity nodded, "Yes, darling..."

The room fell silent at the mention of Azure's late father. Awkwardness started to dominate the air between them. Normally Rarity would do her best to avoid conversations about her departed friend, but it was hard with Azure around. She saw so much of him in her. She had his eyes, his hair, and- from time to time- his attitude. It was like Ryan had been turned into a filly and finally settled down a bit.

Not knowing what else to do, or to bring up, Rarity held on to the topic. Azure was old enough, she had the right to know about him. "Did I ever tell you that your father and I used to be an item?"

Azure's eyes widened a bit at this, curiosity filling them. "You...You and my dad used to date?"

Rarity found her shocked expression all too amusing, but held back on showing it. "Well, we didn't technically date. But we were a couple...of sorts." Thinking back, she wasn't sure how to describe there relationship. And Ryan's explanation about them being 'Cuddle Buddies' didn't seem appropriate, or at all informing.

"We had a fairly intimate relationship with each other." Rarity went on to say, not going into too much detail on her 'intimate' past with the human. "He held a surprising amount of trust for me, though I cannot imagine why."

Azure let out an almost sad sigh, but smiled none-the-less. "Maybe you should have been my mother." Rarity was going to say something in regard to that, but hardly got the chance once she noticed a certain look on the filly. She almost looked disturbed as she stared past her. "There's somepony outside..."

Rarity turned her neck, looking back toward the door. She could see a hooded figure peering through the window, its hands buried deep into its pockets. It appeared to be looking for something. When it's head faced their direction, it went to the door and gave it three distinct knocks.

They waited to see what it would do. A few seconds passed and it turned and walked away rather abruptly. The two let out a breath neither realized they were holding, only to be startled when the figure returned rather abruptly and knocked again.

The situation was starting to take a turn for the creepy and Rarity instinctively took action. Facing the door, she rose from her seat. "Azure, I want you to go to the back door. If you hear anything strange, go for help."

"B-but Ra-"

"Azure, now!" Rarity whisper-yelled to the filly, provoking her to jump out of her chair and run to the back door. Taking a breath, she made her way to the front door and opened it just enough to see the figure on the other side. It was looking down, intentionally doing so to hide its face. "Can I help you?"

The figure was trembling at her doorstep, clearly unsure of itself for some reason. This didn't make her feel any better, in fact, it just made this situation much more disturbing.

Just. Walk. Away.

Rusty was on the verge of having a complete meltdown. Every conclusion he came to would damn-near scare him off. If he continued to think about what he wanted to do, he would eventually shy away. He had to stop thinking and take the plunge, otherwise he would cower and take off. He did this, but wished that he hadn't. Now all he could do was stare at his feet while the mare he trusted the most back then was probably getting ready to throw him off of her doorstep.

"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." Rusty angled his head up just enough to see the bottom of her face. Just from that, he could tell that she was getting fed up with him. If he didn't act soon she would-

Rusty's arm shot up on its own, grabbing the door as she went to close it on him. "Wait!"

Rarity's head moved closer to the opening, her gaze threatening to tear him apart. However, something peculiar caught her attention from the corner of her vision. She took a chance and glanced at the bare-skin hand holding the door open. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked back at the figure, his head now up enough for her bright blue eyes to meet his. It was then when his face finally became clear to her. It was all too similar, but with a few key differences. Not enough to deter the unlikely conclusion her brain came to upon seeing it.

Releasing her grip on the door, her threatening gaze now one of disbelief, she took a few steps away from the door. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as the dead man, still very much alive, walked into her home and closed the door behind him. They stared at each other for what felt like hours, one not knowing what to do or say, the other on the verge of collapsing.

We should have just walked away!

In time, Rarity took on a new look; This one was of disgust and anger as she eyed this thing in her house. "If this is some kind of joke, I don't find it the slightest bit amusing." She spat, "What are you? A changeling? I'll have you know that I do have a means of contacting your leader and I will-"

"I'm sorry..." Rarity went quiet, it even sounded like him. "I don't know what I'm doing...If I didn't do this now I don't think I ever would have." He said, his voice nearly trembling as much as he was. "I...I had to-"

"Stop talking..." Holding her current expression, Rarity moved in on him. Each step was as cautious as the last as she made her approach, narrowing her eyes every so often, as if looking for some sort of flaw. When she was close enough, she began to slowly reach up, grabbing his hood and pulling it down.

Rarity's look of disgust shifted to one that was a little difficult to read; A combination of sadness, shock, and even a bit of joy. Tears were threatening to escape both of them. Her hands moved from his hood to his face, her fingers digging through the unshaven mess taking up his features. "Is it really you?"

Rusty's body continued to shake, this time from the sobs he was holding back as he lifted his arms, placing his hands on hers as he melted into her. It hurt so much to see her, but at the same time, it felt right. No longer able to hold back, he threw himself at the unicorn, picking her up off the ground as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

Now suspended in the air, Rarity returned the gesture, shedding happy tears into his shoulder. "I thought I lost you..." She cried into him, her grip only tightening as she remembered the news of his passing. "I missed you...I missed you so much..."

They remained this way for several minutes, just holding each other and enjoying the others-"RARITY!!!"

Both of their eyes snapped open at the sound of the angry mare approaching. In unison, they turned their attention to the front door right as a series of aggressive knocks sounded off throughout the boutique. "Rarity! What's going on!?"

"Dash..." Rusty said to himself as the knocks started to sound more like she was punching the obstacle between her and her friend.

Fuuuuuuuuuuu-!!!

Immediately, Rusty set Rarity down and practically dove behind the door as it was kicked open by the fuming pegasus. He huddled up behind the now wide-open door, making himself as small as possible so he could remain hidden from the rest of the world.

Rainbow Dash marched into the shop/home, her head turning in every direction until her eyes found the white unicorn, who was wiping her face with her arms. "Rarity!" She called out, running to her aid. "Rarity, are you okay? What happened? Azure told me someone was here? Where are they? I'll-"

"It's fine, Dash!" Rarity quickly said, hoping to calm her down. "It's fine, he's..." She glanced toward the door, barely able to see the human hiding behind it. "He's gone." She concluded, "He's gone and that's the end of it."

Rainbow's eyes softened at her, anger being replaced by concern. "Are you sure? Did you see where he went? Cause I can-"

"That won't be necessary." Rarity interrupted with an assuring smile. "He came over, did his thing and left. I'm pretty sure it was just somepony pulling a prank is all."

Something about that didn't feel right to the pegasus, but she accepted it and let the subject drop. "If you're sure, then I guess I'll just...head back home." Not wanting to just leave on that note, she made one last suggestion to be sure her friend was alright. "Are you positive you don't want me to go out and find him? Cause I will."

"Let's not go overboard now, Dashie." Rarity argued, not wanting her friend to go out and cause a scene. "Like I said, he's gone now and I doubt I'll be having any more problems." The rainbow haired pegasus didn't make any noticeable motions, but something told the small-town fashionista that she needed to get her out. "You know I hate to be rude, but I need to close the shop. I have a lot of orders to fill and I would like to refrain from having any more distractions."

Nodding, Dash made her way outside, grabbing the door just as she passed by it. "If anything else happens, just let me know, okay."

"Of course, darling." There was a slight pause between the two before Rainbow Dash finally closed the door and flew off, probably home.

Suddenly, it was as if a weight was lifted off of the unicorn's shoulders. Now free from the wrath of Dash, she could focus on the matter at hand; Said matter being a curled up into a ball in the corner, refusing to move from its spot.

Rarity slowly walked over to the human, lowering herself to her knees so she could be eye level with a man she thought she'd never see again. His eyes were glazed over and staring through her, as if he were staring into the very bowels of Tartarus and this corner was his only solace.

"I'm sorry....I'm sorry." He said in a voice no louder than a whisper. "I'm not ready to see her yet. I'm not ready."

Placing a hand to his face, she pulled his head up and forced him to look into her eyes. They were soft and comforting, but also very curious. "It's okay, darling. She's gone now." She assured him, he gaze becoming slightly stern and aggressive. "But, you have a lot of explaining to do."

There was some hesitation when Rarity assisted the human back onto his feet and led him to the nearby table. Once he was seated she generously offered to brew a pot of tea and serve him something to calm his nerves as well. In only a few short minutes she returned with a pot and two cups, one which appeared to already be filled.

Placing the empty cup beside her, Rarity levitated the remaining one to her guest. After filling her own she shot him another serious look, taking a quick sip of her steaming beverage. "You may begin..."

Rusty looked around uncomfortably, rubbing his right arm as he tried to think of a way to start. "Where do I even begin?"

Hours passed by in minutes as Rusty regaled the curious mare with the tale of his 'Passing' and his 'Rebirth'. He told her about the stallion that found him in the lake, the family he became a part of, and the many years he spent with them traveling all over Equestria and further in some cases. There were many good times, which he shared happily. Then there were hard times, that he powered through with a weak but determined smile. He spoke highly of the family, referring to them more than himself. From what she had gathered throughout this long story was that he held them in high regard. At one point, he even went as far as saying that he would 'not even hesitate to put my life on the line for them.'

Rarity was baffled by nearly everything she was hearing. When she had heard of his 'death', she assumed that was it. Never in a million years would she think that he would go out on such a grand and strenuous adventure. There were many reoccurring themes in his words; Learning through pain, always moving forward, and striving for what was worth while. These weren't the only things she picked up on.

It almost felt like this wasn't the same human that she had taken in so many years ago; The one that would dance on tables, constantly get into trouble, get into drunken fist-fights with strangers and friends. It was like he wasn't 'him' anymore, but rather somepony was wearing his skin and pretending to be him. This brought her back to her earlier suspicions of this thing being a changeling, but that didn't feel right either.

Rusty tried to go into as much detail as possible, but even now his memory wasn't as good as he would like. He ended the tale after explaining everything that had happened the day before; Seeing Applejack, being reminded of his past, the epiphany that made him realize that he was still running from his problems, seeing the star that fell onto Twilight's castle, then saying goodbye to his family and coming to the boutique after he failed to approach the cottage.

"I guess that about sums it up." Rusty finished, unable to recall much else to say. "There are a few things I left out, but not deliberately. It'll come back to me at some point, I'm sure."

Rarity sat with her elbows on the table, her eyes locked onto him as her hands held her cup just beneath her nostrils. She was silent for a few seconds, but finally spoke up after shrugging her shoulders and nodding. "I cannot think of a single thing to say..."

Rusty nodded in agreement. "It's a lot to take in all at once, I'm sure."

Rarity took another few seconds of silence to think. "So, Ryan. I-"

"Rusty." He corrected, earning an odd look from the unicorn.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I go by Rusty now; Rusty Nails." He explained, only causing her current expression to enhance.

Rusty figured that he might as well explain this, seeing how he forgot to mention it earlier. "The train we pretty much lived in was very old. Climbing around on it was dirty work and I always came back covered in rust, oil, dirt; You name it. I don't know about you, but it's hard to clean that stuff off without a washer." He added with a small laugh.

"After a while, I got fed up with my clothes getting dirty so easily. I eventually found this coat." Rusty grabbed the hood of the previously mentioned article for emphasis. "I bought it with what little I had, hoping that the stuff wouldn't show up so easily on it. Needless to say, I was right."

Rusty paused, doing his best to hold in a laugh. "I remember the first time my little brother saw me wearing it." Rarity recalled the pony he was referring to; A young colt named Rod Iron that he helped raise. "He was just learning how to form full sentences. He gave me this crooked stare and without even a stutter he said 'You look like a giant rusty nail'." He paused again, this time not even trying to hide his amusement. This was short lived, however, as his face fell to something a bit weaker, but still held its smile. "Hasn't even been a full day and I already miss him."

Rarity's heart ached for him. He had lived such a troubled life in the beginning and through, what was supposed to be, the end outcome had finally found peace. A peace that was being strained due to his past. There was a conflict within her at first as she struggled to determine whether to be happy he was alive, or mad that he let them think he had died. This all vanished through time as she listened to him talk about the life he had made for himself. It's not something she would personally do, but it was something that made him truly happy. And really, that's all she wanted for him in the beginning; To be happy.

Removing a hand from her cup, Rarity placed the now free appendage over one of his own. This caught his attention, pulling his eyes into hers as she offered him a warm smile. "Darling...I am so proud of you." Now it was his turn to give her a confused look. "Though your methods were less-than-pleasant, you went out into the world and found something that made you complete; You found adventure, friendship, and a family."

"You have come a long way from being the drunken alien that lived just outside of town." Rarity lightly jabbed, thankfully earning a short laugh from her friend. "You've changed a lot. I can see it in your eyes." She added, looking deeply into those small windows to his soul. They were the same as ever, but different; Less sad and angry at the world. "Ryan never would have done something like this."

Rusty flinched at her use of his old name, but was drawn back through her kind words. "What you are doing right now is very brave, Rusty. And I couldn't be more happy that you have finally come home." She finished sincerely as they both fell silent for several minutes, their gazes locked as they eyed the other with care.

Rarity took a deep breath, breaking the silence. "As lovely as this is...You stink." This got a rather contagious chuckle out of the human. "Like, really bad." She said between giggles.

Rusty nodded, "Yeah, sorry about that. It's been a while since I even glanced at a shower."

Rarity sipped her tea before waving a dismissive hand at him. "No worries, darling. We'll get you cleaned up." She began, looking over his features once more. "A hot shower, a haircut, some new clothes; All of that good stuff."

"Thanks, Rarity." Rusty said, grabbing his cup for the first time and bringing it to his lips. "I owe you one."

"Think nothing of it." Rarity replied, noticing an odd look on the human's face as he took a drink from his mug. "Is something the matter?"

Rusty inspected his cup, giving the beverage one more sip to be sure he was tasting it right. "This isn't tea, is it?"

Rarity was confused by his reaction to the drink she prepared for him, but answered none-the-less. "N-no...I recalled you saying that you didn't like tea, aside from Long Islands, so I mixed one for you."

Rusty respectfully set the cup down and slid it toward her. "Sorry, but uh...I don't drink." The sound of something breaking nearby caught him off guard. He almost jumped out of his chair from the sudden sound. "What was that?" He asked, not noticing her blank stare, or that the mug she was previously holding was no longer in sight.

Author's Note

Yeah, I know, I know. It's been a while.
I've been very busy these past few weeks; I got my boss pulling me all over the place, my family hounding me about stupid shit, doctors are calling me in left and right; It's just been fuckin' crazy lately. I'm hoping it calms down soon, but until further notice, expect updates to happen very slowly for the time being. But rest assured, they will come. It's just gonna some time is all.
As a side note; This chapter has NOT been edited by anyone other than me, meaning that there are probably a few errors in here. Just point them out and I'll fix them as soon as I'm able.
Regardless of all of that, I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. If you are, 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 :P

Chapter 3

Rusty's naked reflection stared back at him through the now steam-filled bathroom. Looking clean and refreshed, if only a touch malnourished as well, he ran a hand through recently cut hair. The texture was different from what he had grown used to over the years. The once greasy, disheveled mess had been trimmed down to a manageable, and somewhat stylish, length. It resembled how he used to look, but with a nice little Rarity twist. She always had to spice things up a little...

The small, colorful stone hanging around his neck caught his attention for a moment. He'd been wearing it for so long, he hardly ever noticed its presence unless he's bathing, which wasn't something that happened as often as he would like. Seeing it always made his stomach turn. Part of him wanted to take it off, but he didn't feel he was ready for that quite yet. He needed more time...

Glancing down, he spotted the small pair of scissors and a razor that Rarity had kindly set out for him upon his request. After wiping down the mirror to see himself more clearly, he took the scissors in his hand, opening them before pressing it against his cheek and closing the blades. They came together at a slow pace, slicing off an uncountable number of hairs that would fall into the sink bowl. He repeated this process several times in different spots, aiming in multiple directions, and changing the angle every so often to be sure he had shortened every last hair on his face. With the hairs shortened to a decent length, he set the scissors aside and grabbed the razor. The small blades glided gently through his features, cleaning up the edges and eventually making him into something that looked somewhat presentable. Setting the razor down, he slipped his fingers into short stubble that went down the side of his head from his hair to his chin and over his lip.

Rusty could remember a time that seemed almost forever ago, when Ryan would whine and complain about never being able to grow a beard. He could only imagine how upset his younger alternate would be if he saw him now. That thought brought an amused grin to his face. His thoughts went toward a more sensitive topic, leading him to begin wondering about his family. His smile fell as he made a silent prayer for their safety. He knew Steel Hoof would keep them going, but he couldn't help but worry.

"Oh, Rusty~" Rarity's voice sang from behind the door. "Could you come downstairs for a minute, darling? I have a surprise for you!"

Yanking his sights from his reflection, Rusty washed all of the hair down the drain and went to put on his clothes. He was confused to find that they weren't where he left them. Looking around, all he could find to cover himself was the towel he brought in before his shower. The decision was made for him as he grabbed the towel hanging on the wall and tied it around his waist to hide his lower region.

Rusty made his way downstairs, holding the towel so it wouldn’t come undone and fall off of him. It wasn't hard to find the unicorn that had called him down. She was standing in her workshop at the back of the boutique, his clothing held in the air by her magic as she gave them a once over with a disgusted look spread across her face.

"Rarity?" Rusty inquired, earning the fashionable unicorn's attention as he stood before her in nothing but a towel. "I kind of need those."

With the flick of her wrist, the clothes were tossed into a pile in the other direction. "You most certainly do not!" Rarity said, sounding like a parent telling their child that they didn't need a soda before bed. "No friend of mine is going to walk around dressed in rags! Especially ones that filthy."

"They're...kinda the only clothes I have..." Rusty confessed a little anxiously.

"Not anymore!" Rarity announced in a sing-song voice, her horn lighting up as a new set of clothes levitated in front of the human. "Seeing how your previous wardrobe is rather... Well, gross, to put it bluntly, I decided to throw together a little something for you."

Rusty really should have expected this, having known her for so long. Hanging from her magic, not even a foot from his face, was an entirely new outfit. It consisted of four pieces: A pair of faded black shoes, socks, a nice pair of dark jeans, and a faded, long sleeve, red shirt that doubled as a hoodie. It even had the large pocket on the front.

Reaching out a hand, Rusty grabbed the shirt out of the air to look over it. It had a large black design on the front of three nails standing beside each other with the pointed end of the middle aiming up, while the others went down. He ran his fingers over the soft material, not letting a single detail go unnoticed.

Rarity eyed the human with concern. She did not fail to make a nice outfit TWICE today! "Darling, is something wrong?" She asked a little self consciously. "If there's something you would like me to change, I could—"

"No... It's just..." Rusty almost didn't know how to react. It's been nearly a decade since anyone's given him something, just because. With his family, they had to focus only on the necessities. They couldn't risk spending money on frivolous gifts or tokens. "You really didn't have to do this," he continued, looking at her with glazed eyes. "Thank you..."

The sincerity in his voice caught Rarity off guard a little. It wasn't as shocking as the drinking thing he told her earlier, but it was still unexpected. "U-uh...Of course, darling!" She managed to say, feeling like she wasn't even in the presence of the human that used to live within spitting distance of Ponyville. "It was my pleasure. In the name of fashion, nothing is ever too generous."

Without another word, Rusty walked toward Rarity with purpose and wrapped her in a hug. The unicorn was taken back by this at first, but was quick to return the gesture. It goes without saying that she missed him. She and her friends were devastated when they heard about what happened to him. Having him back would have been nice, but something about how he is now made it so much more pleasant. In a way, she was alright with how things turned out. She couldn't exactly say it was preferred, or that she was happy about it, but she's happy that he's happy.

Rusty broke the hug, quickly reaching down as his towel nearly fell from his body. "Whoops! Sorry about that," he said with a nervous chuckle. "I'm gonna get dressed real quick."

"You do that." Rarity replied with a smirk, watching as he collected the new clothing and practically jogged into the dressing room.

With him taken care of, Rarity could now get back to-

"Rarity!" A deep sounding voice called out from her front door, followed by a few firm knocks. "You home?"

Rarity was sure she turned her sign to 'Closed' shortly after Rusty arrived. She looked over to the window beside the door, confirming that she had indeed done that. If that was the case, then who could possibly be at her door, and why? Taking a chance, she walked over and peeked through the peephole to see who was on the other side. Recognizing the pony in question, she backed up and opened the door for him.

"Good afternoon, Big Mac!" Rarity greeted with a smile, making sure not to open the door completely. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Howdy, Rares," Big Mac greeted in response, flashing his own smile in return. "Ah was just happenin' by and figured I'd stop to check up on things," he explained, glancing through the door suspiciously before leaning in close and whispering, "Azure told me 'bout that weirdo who stopped by. Is everythin' alright?"

Rarity had to force out a laugh, and a rather unconvincing one at that, waving off his concerns. "Oh, Mac, I assure you: Everything is fine. No pony here, but me, of course." Big Mac seemed unconvinced, making the unicorn suddenly feel very uncomfortable. "I uh...If you'll excuse me! I don't mean to be rude, but I have so many orders to fill and I simply cannot put them off any longer—"

There was a crash that came from within the boutique that caused Rarity's ears to fall flat against her head. Having assumed the worst, Big Mac shoved his way into the house. "Rarity, get out of here!" The stallion announced as he marched deeper into the boutique. "Ah'll take care of this..."

"Mac, wait!" Rarity yelled, closing the door and running after him. She came to a stop when she realized that it was too late. Rusty was on the floor no more than a few feet from the farm pony, lifting himself up slowly. "Oh dear..."

Rusty lifted himself from the floor, pulling up on his new pants and buttoning them. "Sorry about that, Rarity." He began, turning to face the unicorn. "I lost my footing and I sort of..." His words trailed off into nothing as he locked eyes with the large stallion in front of him, a panicked looking Rarity standing not too far behind this brick shit-house of a pony. "Mac?" The pony and the human remained locked in a gaze that never seemed to end, both feeling lost and not knowing what to say.

That's a big boy...You might wanna start running...

Though Rusty's fight or flight instincts screamed flight, he remained unmoved. His old friend was in no better a condition. There was nothing but pure, uninterrupted silence as the stallion and the human stood across from each other with Rarity standing anxiously behind Big Macintosh.

Do you think he's still there?

"I'm not sure..." Azure whispered a response to the voice as she stealthily made her way to the boutique. hiding behind bushes and houses in case she happened to come across the pony she saw earlier. "I sure hope not."

Even if he is, I'm pretty sure Big Mac will have him flattened into a pancake by the time we get there.

Azure knew for a fact that if that weirdo was still lurking around Rarity's, Big Mac would indeed pound him into next week with one hit. That was the whole reason she told him in the first place. After informing her mother about the creep, said mother taking off like a bullet to make sure her friend was okay, the young pegasus figured that a little backup couldn't hurt. Hence why she quickly made her way to Sweet Apple Acres to find somepony that could easily break another pony.

Applejack was nowhere to be found, but that hardly mattered once she found Big Mac coming out of the barn with a few empty baskets over his shoulder.

Though she was positive that the combined efforts of her hot-headed mother, and a bulky stallion like Mac, would be more than enough to settle this, she wanted to be sure that everything was alright. This led to her current mission: sneaking back to the boutique to be sure her plan was successful. With as much grace as a filly covered in leaves and twigs could have, she made her way to the home of Rarity undetected by the populace. In time, she caught sight of the Carousel Boutique and maneuvered her way around to the back.

Don't go inside. They might hear you come in.

Nodding, Azure got down and crawled over to a window in the back. Staying low, she was able to remain hidden beneath the glass. Her movements were slow and calculated as she positioned herself so that she would be able to peek over the edge. From here, she could see into the laundry room and a bit into the end of the main room. This rendered her mostly blind to what was happening inside. However, there was one thing she could see. It wasn't easy from this angle, but there was definitely somepony in there and it wasn't Rarity.

Azure had to lean in and squint her eyes a bit to make out the figure. For a moment she thought that she just wasn't seeing it clearly. That was until somepony else entered her vision. It was still difficult to make out, but she could easily tell that Big Mac was there and he was holding somepony up, his arms wrapped firmly around the other's form. What she couldn't figure out was who the pony was he was holding. If their feet hovering off of the ground was anything to go by, they were shorter than Mac. She also noted their yellow hair. Not much else could be seen until they were set down by the tall stallion.

Once down, Azure saw Rarity's head peek out from behind Big Mac. She couldn't hear what she was saying, but her lips were moving and they eventually turned to the side and walked away. Having spent more than her fair share of time in the boutique, the filly deduced that they were going into the kitchen and once again was on the move. Repeating her earlier tactics, she slid beneath another window and peeked over the edge to keep an eye on things.

From this particular spot, Azure could see things much easier, but was still deaf to their words. So many questions were going through her head as she watched the trio move into the kitchen and take a seat at the table. Like 'Who was this pony? Why were they hugging Big Mac? Was this the same pony that showed up earlier? Were they friends with Rarity? If so, then why did Rarity freak out like she did?'

What is going on with his face?

That little comment pulled Azure out of her thoughts, causing her to focus her sights on the mystery pony. Only, it wasn't a pony. It had no muzzle and, judging from its face, very little fur. Some facial hair, yes. But, virtually no fur. "What in the..."

Azure has learned a lot, both in school and through the occasional lectures she got from Twilight. She knew about the different races and species that lived in Equis, and some beyond, but couldn't recall anything that looked like this. On top of that, something about this thing looked off, like it didn't belong here. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of something else. She wasn't sure what it was, but it left a strange hole in her chest that was begging to be filled. It was like something inside of her wanted to go up to him and...

Lowering herself from the window, Azure turned around and pressed her back against the wall. Something felt off and she couldn't pinpoint what or why. Still though, she's more than a little curious about Rarity and Big Mac's strange looking friend. Whatever he is, he's not from around here. That much is obvious. Maybe there's a way to figure out what he is and where he came from?

There's probably an entire book on his species. And I think you know just the mare to go to when it comes to books.

Azure's ears perked up at that, immediately dropping stealth-mode as she got up and started flying toward the castle. As she got into the air she noticed that it was starting to get late. The sun would likely be setting by the time she got to the castle. Though pretty lenient on most things, her mother didn't like it when she stayed out too late. This left her conflicted on whether to go home and wait for tomorrow, or to make a beeline for the castle to sate her curiosity...

Ten to one, Mom's already passed out on the couch. I think we're good. Besides, it's Twilight! What's the worst that could happen?

"I really don't like it when you say that." Azure said with a hint of anxiety in her words. But, it was a fair point. Twilight was one of her mother's best friends, even if they are rather distant. If worse come to worst, she's sure that the princess of friendship would be more than willing to let her stay for the night and tell her mother that they were reading all night.

With that in mind, Azure adjusted her wings and went straight towards the castle.

"It was him!" Applejack snapped, slamming her fists into the large, crystal map. "He was there, standin' right in front of me with a crate on his shoulder!" She argued in an attempt to convince a skeptical Twilight, and Starlight, about their not-so-dead friend. "Ah saw his hand, his face, those eyes... He's still out there! He's gotta be!"

"Applejack, please calm down." Twilight pleaded, now worried for her friend's well-being and even her mental health. "I'm sure you thought you saw Ryan, but you—"

"Ah did see him!"

"—But you know, as well as I do, that it wasn't him!" Twilight shot back, hoping to break this illusion that Applejack created while in Appleloosa. "Are you sure you were drinking enough fluids while you were there? It wouldn't be hard to believe that you—"

"Ah ain't goin' delirious, Twilight!" Applejack said through gritted teeth, fed up with her friend being in denial about there being even the slightest possibility that Ryan survived. "Ah know what ah saw... he was there... he looked right at me..."

Starlight looked back and forth between the two awkwardly, unsure of how to go about handling the situation. She decided that it would be best for her to get the heck away from this mess for a few minutes so they could both calm down. "Maybe I should go make us some tea."

Applejack's eyes followed Starlight as she left the room, soon returning to meet the alicorn's stoic gaze. How come she doesn't believe her? Why won't she listen? She won't even consider her words. The farm pony knows for a fact that she saw Ryan out there. It couldn't have been the heat, or dehydration. She could recall the encounter so clearly. It couldn't have just been in her head...

Twilight eyed the farm pony, her expression becoming weak and solemn. "Applejack, I'm no happier about it than you are," she began, her tone matching her features. "But you were there. You saw what happened. He's gone..." Each word hurt her just as much as it did her friend. "Princess Celestia felt his energy vanish that night. There's no doubt about it."

There was a painful silence as Twilight's short, blunt explanation came to an end. Applejack's head fell into her own hands, propping it up just above the large table. They remained still and quiet for what felt like forever. Before long, Starlight returned to the forefront, holding a small tray with three tea cups resting atop of it. The unicorn placed the tray on the table before taking a seat, levitating a cup to both herself and the two other ponies.

Applejack didn't so much as glance at the steaming, hot beverage in front of her. Rather, she remained in her current position as her mind became a powerhouse of confusing thoughts and emotions. The silence continued on, even as the two remaining ponies sipped from their respective cups. For the alicorn and the earth pony, this was a heavy and toxic silence. For Starlight, it was just awkward.

Clearing her throat, Starlight managed to capture everypony's attention, if barely from AJ. "So... aside from that whole thing, how was your trip?"

Applejack let out a sigh. "Fine," she responded in a flat tone. "Just work, as usual."

Nodding, Starlight tried to hold the conversation while also keeping the topic away from the deceased human. "Did you visit any of your family while you were there? I heard they have quite the farm, despite the conditions."

"Ah don’t mean this in the way it's 'bout to come out." Applejack clarified, not wanting her friend to think she was legitimately mad at her. "I just don't feel like—"

"Hello~" A younger sounding voice called out near the entrance to the throne room. The mares all reacted the same, turning their heads to find the source of the voice. "Anypony home? I have filly scout cookies!" Again, the mares reacted similarly, their bodies becoming tense as they started to recognize the voice of Azure not too far from them.

Twilight quickly rose from her seat, giving Applejack a surprisingly stern glare. "Not another word about what you thought you saw until Azure is gone." She said in a rough tone, her voice not being above a whisper. "Understood?" Applejack, though upset, kept her emotions in check. She nodded, confirming that she wouldn't bring it up again, so long as the filly was near.

With that taken care of, Twilight started making her way to the doors leading out to the hallway. "We're in here, sweetie!"

Starlight's eyes followed Twilight to the doors. There she opened the large double doors to reveal the small, blue filly with her hand raised, looking ready to knock. The unicorn's gaze shifted to Applejack, whose head was now resting on the table, her arms crossed and entrapping her head, keeping her face hidden from the rest of the world. Letting out a sigh, the light purple mare was forced to endure more silence as she went about trying to enjoy her tea. The only thing she could really pick up on was bits and pieces of the conversation between the princess and the filly.

"It's awful late for you to be out, Azure." Twilight said, shooting the filly an inquisitive look. "Is there something you need, or your mother maybe?"

"There is actually!" Azure began, "I saw this creature earlier and I was wondering if you could help me figure out what it was."

Twilight's eyes lit up a touch at this. "Oh! Why didn't you just say so?" It was common sense at this point that the princess loved to share her knowledge on various topics. Especially to younger crowds that were willing to learn. "Come on! Let's take a seat and we can try to figure out what it was you saw."

Azure followed Twilight into the throne room. Her eyes soon found the earth pony she was looking for earlier today. At first, she was tempted to go up and ask her where she was. However, the farm pony didn't exactly look like she was in the talking mood.

Is she even awake?

A thought for later, Azure concluded. Right now, her goal was set and she had to focus on it if she was going to solve this little mystery. With her attention back on Twilight, she stayed on her tail until they reached the thrones, picking out a throne right beside her. Once they were seated, the alicorn's horn started to glow. Several books appeared on the table in front of them, each likely containing information on the multitude of species all over Equestria. Some even further out.

Twilight looked over the large assortment of books before turning her attention to Azure. "Okay, what exactly are we looking for here?"

Azure reached a hand up to scratch the back of her head. "I'm not really sure..." She began, trying to think of how to go about their search. "Could I just… describe it to you?"

"Of course you can!" Twilight responded with glee, eager to teach. "Let's start with something simple then: What body type did it have?"

Azure wasn't sure what she meant by body type. Her best guess on how to answer was simply, "Well, it was a lot like a pony."

At the young pegasus' words, Twilight worked her magic on the books, removing those that would not have creatures that fit the description. "Okay, so it resembles a pony. Let's try to expand on that."

"Expand?" Azure asked with a confused look.

Twilight corrected her mistake here by clarifying her meaning behind the word. "What similarities does it have to a pony?"

"Oh..." Azure said with a wide eyed look, feeling a little dumb for not catching on to the meaning. "Well, it's body was similar to a pony, but different too. It had a lot of the same things we do; Two eyes, one mouth, hair, arms, legs, hands, feet. No horn or wings though."

Twilight continued to listen while simultaneously removing a small number of books from the table with her magic again. "Alright, that helps a bit." She started, getting a little excited for the next part. "Now, what makes it different from ponies?"

"Okay, this is where it gets weird!" Azure added before going on with her description. "It had no fur! Like, at all!" The filly didn't notice this, but the number of books disappearing suddenly grew just from that. "Some facial hair, yes. But, no fur. And no muzzle either. Just this small thing that came out a little above its mouth."

"It's eyes were kinda small too." The two mares on the sidelines were suddenly paying very close attention to Azure now. "Not like teeny-tiny, but smaller than a pony's." Twilight's list of books was growing smaller and smaller by the millisecond. She was so focused on trying to figure out what Azure was describing that she didn't notice a very curious looking earth pony leaning toward the filly.

"Hey, sugarcube." Applejack greeted in an odd tone, "Where exactly did you see this thing?"

"Applejack..." Starlight cut in, venom clear in her voice. Applejack ignored this as she waited for an answer.

Azure didn't hesitate as she turned her attention to the farm pony. "It was at Rarity's house." She simply replied, though her natural inquisitiveness kept her from ending it there. "Where were you earlier?"

Applejack blinked a few times, confused by this. Was Azure looking for her? "Ah just got off the train from Appleoosa this mornin'. But, ah've been here all day." She answered, honestly. "Why do you ask?"

"I went out look for you when that weirdo came to Rarity's."

Twilight started to pull her focus from the now remarkably low number of books. There was a questioning look on her face as she looked over at the filly. "What weirdo?"

Azure looked back at Twilight and shrugged. "I don't know," she began, "I couldn't see his face. He had a really big coat on and his hood was covering it."

Applejack's eyes narrowed as this nagging voice in the back of her head continued to call out the obvious. However, she needed to be sure. "You wouldn't happen to 'member the color of that coat, would ya?"

"Applejack..." Twilight growled. Once again, the harsh muttering of her name was ignored.

Azure placed a hand to her chin and hummed as she tried to remember. "It was kind of a reddish color, but not?" She answered, not entirely sure how to explain it. "I'm not sure. It was really faded, so maybe it was just old, or dirty...or both."

The pieces of this puzzle were far past being connected as Applejack rose from her seat with determination and marched for the exit. "Ah told you..." She muttered, her voice becoming louder as she walked further away. "Ah told you! Ah know what ah saw! Ah knew it!"

Azure flinched at her reaction, watching with wide eyes as the farm pony left, only for Twilight to get up and start chasing her. "Applejack, stop!"

"Goodbye, darling!" Rarity called out with a wave, closing the door as Big Mac left. A deep sigh escaped her as she leaned against the wooden surface. "That went far better than expected."

"You're telling me." Rusty said from across the room, looking over his new outfit in a nearby mirror. "That was actually really nice." He added with a smile, said smile falling as he thought about the other ponies he's yet to confront. "I can only hope the others are as accepting..."

Rarity's relieved look became solemn at his words. It's hard for her to imagine what he's going through right now. It must have taken a lot of courage for him to come back after all this time to make things right. She can only hope her friends will be as forgiving as well. "I'm sure they'll be very happy to see you."

"I hope so..." Rusty continued to look over himself, using his reflection as a distraction from his paranoid thoughts and fantasies of what was to come. All of this fear, added with the extra confrontation earlier, has taken a lot out of him. "I think I'm gonna go ahead and call it a night." He said, submitting to his mental exhaustion. "I imagine the spare room is the same as always."

"Of course it is, darling." Rarity confirmed, putting on a brave smile for him. "You go on ahead and get some rest. I shall see you in the morning."

"Thanks, Rarity." Rusty ended it on that note, leaving the mirror and climbing up the stairs to get some shut eye. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't eager to sleep on a bed for the first time in the past decade.

Rarity watched in silence as her human friend ascended the staircase, soon turning her attention toward the kitchen. After all that's happened, she realized that she missed a meal. The sudden churning in her stomach was also a friendly reminder of that as well. Little more was needed to kick her into gear. Fixing herself something small to munch on, her hunger was mostly sated. As she went to dispose of the remains she noticed that the bin in her kitchen was nearly full.

With a bit of magic, Rarity tied off the bag and replaced it with a fresh one. Still holding the full one in her magical grasp, she walked outside to dispose of it. As soon as she had set it in her usual pick-up spot, she heard a voice call out to her. It didn't sound close, so she started scanning the area with her eyes. Eventually she found the source. The very angry, red flannel clad source.

"Applejack?" Rarity questioned, squinting her eyes to help make out the familiar earth pony with an equally familiar alicorn following close behind her. "Applejack, darling! Is something the matter?"

"Yer darn tootin' somethin's the matter!" Applejack shot at her, marching aggressively toward the boutique. "Y'all got five seconds to tell me where he is!" She all but yelled, now at a stop with her face nearly pressed into the unicorn's. "And why ya didn't tell any of us that he's still alive!"

Rarity's entire form seized up at this, her mind trying to decipher how she had figured it out already. No pony else knew he was here, aside from Big Mac, but he wouldn't say anything, so who could it have been?

"Start talkin'!" Applejack yelled, this time a little louder.

Rarity couldn't find the words in her to answer, only being able to let out a few squeaks and the occasional, 'Uh...' in response.

"Applejack!" Twilight yelled after her friend, breathlessly. Finally reaching the mare she was after, the alicorn was forced to stop and catch her breath. "You need... to calm down... I'm sure this is all... just a big misunderstanding..."

Turning her attention to literally anything else, Rarity went to aid her worn out friend. "Twilight, are you alright? I can get you—"

"Don't try ta change the subject!" Applejack snapped, pulling the fashionista's attention back onto her. "Yer gonna answer me right now, and yer gonna answer honestly! Is he here?"

Though everything inside of her was screaming for her to lie, Rarity couldn't bring herself to do it. The sigh she let out was as defeated as the expression on her face. "Yes... he's here..."

"Ah knew it!"

"That's impossible!" Twilight nearly yelled, taking a deep breath to recompose herself. "He can't be! Celestia couldn't find his energy anywhere! There's no way he survived that fall!"

"I'm goin' in."

Rarity felt her heart skip a beat as those last words left Applejack's mouth. If she went in there and snapped on Rusty, he might leave again and never come back. He took a huge risk coming here, putting his new life on the line just to make things right. Ryan could overlook this, but Rusty wasn't like that. It was all about to be ruined because one of her friends...

Anxiety and nervousness was kicked to the curb as Rarity took on a much more offensive approach, stepping in front of the cowpony to stop her from going into the boutique. "You most certainly are not!"

Applejack's hands tightened into fists, her teeth gritting response to being cut off. "Rarity, I ain't gonna say this twice. Get out of mah—" There was a loud smack as the unicorn's open palm struck the side of her face. Twilight remained in the background, watching in near horror at her friend's actions. The farm pony turned her head back, a look of shock etched across her features. "Y-you just..."

"Shush!" Rarity hissed, causing both of her friends to flinch. Raising a hand, the unicorn pressed her index finger into the mare's chest. "Now you listen here, missy! I was courteous enough to be honest with you when you asked if he was here. The least you can do is offer the same courtesy when I tell you that you are not to bother him!"

"But—"

"No buts!" Rarity snapped, removing her hand from the pony in front of her. Silence was all that followed after this, allowing her to calm her nerves some. "Look, I know how you are feeling right now. Believe me, I do. But charging at him like a yak isn't going to solve anything." She explained, silently praying that her words would get through to her. "Applejack, this isn't the same human we once knew. I know it sounds absurd, but he's someone completely different now; Someone who has finally found their place in the world. He's finally found a way to be happy!"

Applejack agreed with Rarity on one thing for sure; That does sound absurd. "But he's hurting inside, darling! He knows that what he did was wrong and he wants nothing more than to make up for it all." The earth pony's anger started to melt away as she watched her friend's eyes begin to water right in front of her. "And he's scared right now, of us! He doesn't know how we will react and it's terrifying to him."

"If you go in there like this, he will leave us. He will leave and, this time, he will not come back." Even through Rarity's melancholy, the anger she still felt started to show once again. "And I will be damned if I allow that to happen!"

There was another round of silence, Twilight being the one to break it this time. "Rarity, are you sure it's really him?"

Rarity visibly relaxed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I've spent the last several hours speaking with him. No pony knows us the way he does. There isn't a shred of doubt in my mind." Her gaze shifted back to Applejack, who was still trapped in a state of shock. "I'm so sorry, darling. I didn't mean to react the way I did. He's not the barbaric man he used to be. He's much more sensitive than that now. I don't want to scare him away... I don't want to lose him again."

Rubbing the sore spot on her cheeks, Applejack finally submitted. If Rarity was right, and Ryan had changed, then this probably wasn't the best way to approach him. Of course she was mad about the whole thing and it hurt her to know that his death was pretty much a big fat lie to her face, but another part of her felt happy to know that he was still alive and well. It was a very confusing set of emotions for her to face. She honestly didn't know whether to be upset or overjoyed.

Twilight appeared to be unconvinced. In her mind, it simply wasn't possible. There's no way a creature that can't use magic can stay hidden from the princesses, especially for that large amount of time. Still though, if Rarity truly believed it to be so, then maybe it was him. They never did find his body after all...

"I'll admit, I'm a little skeptical..." Twilight spoke calmly, once again killing off the silence. "It's not that I don't trust your judgement, I just find it hard to believe that he not only survived a fall like that, but managed to completely disappear without a trace. If you can find out how he managed to elude the princesses, then I might feel a little more comfortable accepting it."

Rarity nodded at this, now fairly curious about it as well. "I'll be sure to ask him in the morning, darling. Right now, he's exhausted and he needs his rest."

"When can we see him?" Applejack asked, sounding much more at ease, if also a touch guilty.

"I'm not sure yet." Rarity answered as if confessing to a crime. "He's in a fragile state right now. This was supposed to be a slow process. But from the looks of it, I may have to convince him to open up sooner."

Now came the part that Applejack found rather difficult to mention. "Does he know about Azure?"

Rarity cringed at this, knowing it would come up sooner or later, but unable to prepare herself for it. "I haven't told him about her yet." She painfully admitted, "As I said before: He's scared and very fragile right now. I don't know if he's ready to handle something of that caliber."

Applejack let out a sigh. It didn't seem right to keep that from him, but at the same time, something like that might destroy him if he truly is as sensitive as Rarity claims. "We're gonna have to tell him at some point." She said, "He has the right to know about his daughter."

"We will, I promise." Rarity's words did little to ease her friend, this much she could tell. "But right now, we have to focus on making him comfortable enough to come out of hiding completely."

"Do you know when that will be?" Twilight asked, mostly out of her desire to know if this was all true.

"I cannot say for sure." Rarity answered, "The most I could do is help ease him out a little faster. But I don’t want to force him."

This wasn't the answer Twilight was hoping for, but it made sense to her. "I understand..." Before they could move on, there was something else the alicorn was rather curious about. "What has Ryan been doing all this time?"

"You'll have to ask him yourself. It's quite the story, if I do say so myself." Rarity said with a small smile. "Also, He prefers to go by the name Rusty; Rusty Nails."

"Holy crap..." Azure whispered to herself, her eyes wide and mouth agape as she listened intently to the conversation from a nearby bush.

Did you hear what I just heard?

Tears were building up in the corner of the bright blue orbs in Azure's head. "He's alive... and he's here..."

Girl, if you do not wish for a million bits right now—

Author's Note

Thank you to my buddy Kelstar159 for helping me get through this chapter by tossing out some pretty useful ideas. And another thanks to my buddy Epiphany for editing this one.
Thank god this chapter is done. I'm going to be taking a short break from writing for a while so I can try to regain some of my sanity. I'll be back to work in a couple of days, so don't fret too much.
As usual; I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. If you are, 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 :P

Chapter 4