The sun was just beginning to peak over the mountains, casting Ponyville in the faint blue hue of the early morning.

Barely any ponies were out at this time, with the streets of the town basically being dead.

All except for one lone, bipedal figure, who was saddled with numerous large duffle bags and a gigantic backpack. He stood at the train station in silence, off to the side and out of the way. It wasn’t like anypony was here to notice him, but regardless he still tried to blend into the background.

The Courier checked his Pip-Boy as a faint fog settled over the town. Early dew carried on by the winds created by the pegasus weather team no doubt.

It had been about a week since he’d babysat Dinky, give or take a day.

By this point he was ready for it. The meeting was today.

A faint trace of… was that nervousness? Damn.

It welled up inside his stomach, but he pushed it away, ignoring it as he prepared himself. Within the day, he’d be gone.

Yes, he’d be whisked back to the drab, barren deserts of America. Left to his own devices and able to wander freely.

No ponies.

No dragons.

No Applejack, nor Rarity or Pinkie or Dash.

No Derpy, Lyra, or Bon Bon...

No Dinky nor Scootaloo…

No friends…

He shoved the thoughts aside again with a growl.

What the hell. Just be happy. Get to go back to where you belonged anyways!

This is what he wanted after all…

Right! Right. He wanted this… right?

He checked the time again, growling.

Only five thirty. Damn. Damn it! Fuck...

He grunted in annoyance, looking away from his wrist and examining the tracks. He swept his gaze all around himself, taking in the vast, lush, green hills and forests off into the distance.

Not many of those back in the Mojave. That was for sure. Haha… ahhh…

The smirk beneath his mask dropped, and he instinctively checked the Pip-Boy again, as if it would magically change the time. He inhaled through his teeth and soon just lit up a cigarette, like the fifth one he’d had that morning. Helped ease the stress.

What stress? He finally was getting to go home, for Christ’s sake!

He just waited longer, as the blueness of the early morning dissipated into the day proper.

Still hadn’t gotten any good sleep. Not since the night with Dinky, and that was well over a week ago by this point. As it stood, he was running on cigarettes and coffee this entire time.

He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited, before finally managing a calming breath beneath his mask. He growled to himself, running his tongue over his teeth beneath the helmet.

Just waited. Waiting was all he could do.

He was at the right station. There was only the one, and even then, Applejack had explained to him where to go when he last worked at her orchard.

When the early commuters finally did begin to show, most of them seemed a bit awkward, avoiding the Courier’s bulky frame. He just did the same to them.

Hour passed; first train of the morning went out. Of course he wasn’t on it. Just waited more.

Wasn’t until about midday that the former Element Bearers arrived. They were all in a group and adorned with saddlebags. They were laughing and talking and trotting alongside one another. Minus Dash, she hovered above the rest of the squad at a slow and lazy pace, of course.

“Hey Six!” called out Applejack, her tone friendly as she was the first to notice him from across the station.

The Courier gave a nod and tired wave as he walked over to the group.

“How are you today, dear?” Rarity offered, eyeing up the numerous garish bags he was holding. “Do you need help with carrying that dreadful luggage?”

“I’m fine,” he grunted, his voice scratchy and ragged more than ever.

She nodded at that, though he could tell a faint piece of her worried for him.

Let her worry. Wouldn’t matter before long anyways.

“Are you ready to meet Twilight?” Pinkie offered with a wide grin.

“Yeah, and go back home,” he added.

“Well, now there’s a chance she might not have the ability ta send ya back,” Applejack said, her tone sounding a bit uncertain.

“She’s the Element of Magic, isn’t she?” he grunted. “Telling me she can’t send me home despite being that powerful? You’re kidding.”

“Maybe she can work something out,” Fluttershy offered, piping up from the back of the group.

“Right,” Dash agreed with a nod, “like we said, if anyone can help you, it’s gotta be her… and maybe Starlight.”

Ah, Starlight. He still hadn’t met her. Her schedule seemed busier than the other girls due to her being a principal.

He didn’t know much about how principals or schools worked. Beyond the time at the Big MT. Even then that was more or less him fighting off vicious cyborg abominations and turrets than anything.

Six shook the memory off, looking around.

“Where the hell is she?” he questioned.

“Ah, just give her a bit, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “She’s probably just giving some last-minute checks to the school’s staff before she goes.”

“She’s almost like Twilight in that regard,” Rarity offered with a giggle. "Before she became a princess, I mean."

He nodded, still dazed. Still tired. Insomnia had worsened a bit. Even with Dinky having helped, the times he’d slept since then were minimal. Rare meetings with the Brain, they were amusing but he still woke up tired, sometimes even hurt.

Suddenly though, the group noticed her, off in the distance. She was a pale heliotrope color, deep purple mane with a couple of turquoise highlights.

“Hey Starlight!” Dash called, hovering up and waving her forehooves.

There wasn’t much need to shout her over, as only a few dozen other ponies were waiting anyway, plus the Courier stood out over everypony else anyways.

Starlight of course waved back, though her eyes were set fixed on the Courier. After all this time of hearing about the strange two-legged creature in Ponyville, she finally was getting her meeting with him!

The unicorn rushed over with a wide grin, before stopping just a foot in front of the human.

“Oh my goodness,” she mused to herself, examining him up and down. “Two legs, hands, stands up straight… well, I thought the papers were off but… I think you really are a human.”

“What?” he asked, leaning down. “What do you know about humans?”

“I… well,” she looked around, trying to make sure no other ponies aside from the group were listening in.

Of course, nopony was.

“All I will say for now is that humans… they don’t exist in Equestria,” Starlight explained with a whisper. “But they do exist.”

“Wait, so if they exist, you or Twilight or whoever else can send me back, right?” he asked, stepping closer to Starlight.

“Well… not exactly,” she nervously rubbed the back of her head with a forehoof. “I’ll explain more whenever I can but from what the others have told me, wherever you come from… it’s a lot different than the human world I know.”

“And what the fuck does that mean?” he growled.

She cringed back a bit at his sudden aggression.

“Like I said, I’ll explain whenever I can!” Starlight assured, nodding. “When we meet up with Twilight, we can properly discuss it!”

He glared at her for a few seconds, as if she’d somehow been the one to waste the past three weeks of his time. Though soon realized he was being overly rough with the mare, and thus he backed off.

“I’m sorry I can’t help you more just yet,” offered the unicorn. “I assure you though, me and Twilight will use what free time we can to help you! I just wish we could’ve met at a better, less hectic time.”

He nodded, pondering his actions to himself.

The tiredness made him aggressive, more brash. Needed to control it.

He just waited in silence for the train. The others talked amongst themselves but nopony bothered him, as it seemed like they could sense his frustrations bubbling up by this point.

However, just a few minutes before the train for Canterlot arrived, the human heard a familiar, feminine voice.

“Hey Six!” it called, sounding out from behind him.

He and the others turned to it.

“Lyra?” he questioned as he spotted the aquamarine unicorn approaching.

“In the flesh,” she chuckled, strolling up to the human with a pair of saddlebags resting on her back.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Me and the others were originally going to see you off, assuming you didn’t come back from Canterlot,” she explained. “But work sidetracked Derpy, the Doc, and even Bonny so… just me for now, heh.”

He nodded, looking down at the pony.

She stared up with a sense of gloom about her. The mare was smiling, but it was definitely one of those sad smiles, like the one a parent or sibling would give their loved one before they never saw them again.

He soon saw her activate her magic and open one of her bags.

“I know it’s not much, but I hope you like it,” she sighed, levitating up a small picture.

She moved it over to him, and he grabbed it gently out of her golden magic’s glow.

His eyes widened as he realized it was the same picture that Pinkie took back at the party. He could see the joyful expressions of the numerous ponies who surrounded him in it. Derpy, Dinky, Bon Bon, Lyra herself...

The Courier softly ran his thumb over it in thought, before looking back at her.

She just responded with the same sad smile. He slowly reached his right hand down towards the unicorn, and she didn’t back away as he gave her a soft pet across her mane.

“Thanks Lyra,” he nodded solemnly, placing the small picture into one of his many satchels with his left hand.

“Shame you didn’t wanna stay, you would’ve made a great masseuse,” she said with a chuckle, leaning into his hand as he patted her. “I know Bonny would love this.”

He gave one lone “heh” back at that. More of an exhale than a laugh.

Soon though the train pulled in, interrupting the two.

“Six, that’s us!” Dash shouted as the others began to board one of the train carriages.

The Courier turned to leave, but before he’d fully walked away, Lyra called to him.

“Hey uh… me and some of the others will be waiting here later!” she said with a loud tone. “Just in case you wind up coming back or something!”

He looked back to her over her shoulder.

“I don’t know if that’ll happen,” he replied.

Lyra just nodded solemnly.

“We’ll still be here for you,” smiled the unicorn. "No matter what!"

He nodded and continued on from there, his duffle bags clattering together as he entered into the train.

Inside he was able to get them off and place them in the luggage compartment, though even then it only fit some of what he was carrying, so he had to hold his metal briefcase at his side along with one of the duffle bags.

“Ya sure loaded yerself up, sugarcube,” Applejack mused as she took a seat across from him.

“It’s better to be prepared than to be comfortable,” he replied ruggedly.

She nodded unsurely at that.

“So, mister Six, mind telling me about yourself?” Starlight asked, as she seated herself next to Applejack, also across from him.

“Not much to tell, won’t matter before long anyways,” he just sighed.

She deflated a tad at that but remained excited.

“Oh come on, I’m sure you’ve got a lot of interesting stories to tell! You are the first human in Equestria, after all,” the unicorn continued, as if trying to appeal to him in the same way a teacher getting a closed off student to open up would.

“Lady, I’ve only been here for a month, and a good chunk of that month was eating fish and squirrels and rabbits in the forest,” he sighed.

Fluttershy cringed back a bit but managed to steel herself.

Starlight frowned.

“I’m serious,” she said softly. “I genuinely want to get to know you, even if you won’t be here for long.”

He shook his head at that.

“Maybe soon, when there’s less peo- ponies around,” he replied.

She nodded with uncertainty.

The rest of the ride was just silence on his part. Occasionally the others would try to make small talk when they weren't chatting amongst themselves.

Rarity discussed how Smolder had taken a fancy to Dinky Hooves, who had seemingly begun coming out of her shell a lot more. The filly even visited the Boutique on occasion when Smolder would come in to help the fashionista with her dress line.

He felt a faint piece of himself get happy at that, but outside, he just nodded at her.

Applejack discussed Sugar Belle’s pregnancy, and Big Mac’s nervousness yet joy at the fact he’d soon become a father. Not only that, but Granny Smith would be happy to see Six again, should he not wind up getting sent home!

The Courier wanted to congratulate the stallion face to face, but he knew he wouldn’t be there for the child’s birth anyways. He wanted to greet Mrs. Smith too, but once more, he'd be long gone.

Dash talked about how Scootaloo was doing better and better on her stunts, and how she no doubt had a bright future ahead. She mentioned how the Wonderbolts show was still open for him if he wound up staying!

He wanted to be there to see it, but he just sighed in response, looking down at his gloved hands as he waited for the ride to end.

It seemed nothing the group tried actually broke through to him. He had a one-track mind about this. About leaving. Nothing could stop him.

It was about an hour or so, relatively short, but for the Courier it was agonizingly slow, just as the morning had been. Just stuck there, sitting and listening to the tales of beings he’d never meet again.

Not too dissimilar from the Mojave actually.

Just as all the other forgotten faces, so too would the ponies join them in the back of his memories before long. It was only a matter of time.

Another hour later and they were approaching the castle.

The same one he’d stared at from Ponyville, and now he was waltzing right up to it with the others. The ponies in Canterlot were a lot more snobbish, higher class. Some turned their snouts up at him, and unlike in Ponyville, barely any seemed pleased by his existence.

Good. Fuck ‘em. Didn’t matter anyway. He would be gone soon.

He could see some ponies coated in golden armor as they entered inside. First time he’d actually seen guards of any type, unless one counted when he was passed out at the dam.

They kept their eyes on him, obviously. They talked amongst themselves. A few even looked on in shock, as if they recognized him. Those were likely the ones who kept up with the news. Whatever, didn’t matter.

He wasn’t able to appreciate the castle’s regal interior, though the stained-glass windows leading towards the throne room definitely caught his eyes.

He faintly noticed the fact that he’d now been seeing mares with not only horns but wings as well. Alicorns, right?

Starlight noticed him staring, and spoke, seemingly being the first one to properly break him from his autopilot-like stupor.

“Those are the past princesses of Equestria,” she explained. “The Princess of the Sun, Celestia, and the Princess of the Moon, Luna.”

“Fuck, Bon Bon really was right,” he partly chuckled to himself, remembering his conversation back on the bench with the earth mare.

“What?” Starlight questioned.

“Every time there’s some super powerful magician or ruler or whatever, they always have some weird sky-related name,” he shrugged.

The unicorn went to speak but stopped.

Starlight made a face at that.

“Yes, well…” she said, clicking her tongue a bit awkwardly. “After the defeat of Equestria’s major villains, Twilight was deemed the sole ruler of the land.”

“What happened to the other princesses?” he asked.

“They peacefully retired, and now they’re enjoying their newfound free time,” chuckled the mare.

“Must be nice,” he shrugged.

After a bit longer, he continued on, quickly looking over the other stained windows. One of them with the Elements banishing a dark mare, looked like Luna. Probably a connection.

Numerous others. A strange mix-matched creature, playing with ponies on marionette strings. An alicorn and a stallion creating a heart shape with their bodies. A little dragon standing beneath a large, crystal heart.

Lots of stories. Old ones. Unique. Ignored by him beyond a passing glance.

Lots to explore in this world. He wouldn’t be the one to do it. He was going home. He WAS going home…

Shook himself from his stupor. The Element Bearers had trotted on ahead, with only Starlight at his side as he advanced towards the throne room.

Passed by some more guards. Just ignored them and their uncertain stares. One track mind.

The guards opened the doors, and the group entered inside. Immediately there was a sense of happiness that sprung through the ponies. He could see her on the throne that rested above the floor. Very regal, red carpet leading to it and all.

Twilight Sparkle. At long last… Didn’t look as regal as the others he’d seen in the stained windows.

She was smaller, still only the size of a normal pony. No long, flowing mane. Just the wings and horn made her standout. Her face lit up; her gaze set more on the girls than him. Not shocked, they were her best friends, afterall.

“Girls!” she called, leaping up off of her great throne and gliding down to meet the Mane Six (plus Starlight) in one gigantic group hug.

Giddiness filled the air. No doubt she’d been desiring their arrival for some time now. He felt even more out of place now. Outsider looking in.

Wouldn’t matter. Back to the desert soon.

The love was evident. That same sense of community and friendship that he felt from the party and the park a few days ago was brought back. This time he shoved it away instead of embracing it.

Again, focus on going home. After all the time he spent dawdling and intermingling with them, it was time to go back where he belonged.

Patience! Jesus! Fucking hell, whirl of thoughts. Tired. Could sleep later though.

Pulled himself back from his insomnia-addled mind when he realized the ponies were talking amongst themselves. Or, more precisely, verbally pelting Twilight

“Twi, it’s so great to see you again!” Applejack said, as the group finally broke off their group hug.

“How’s the most awesomest princess ever doing?” Dash chuckled.

“Want a cupcake?” Pinkie excitedly offered, reaching into her saddlebags to retrieve a confection.

“Darling, you look as wonderful as ever!” Rarity complimented. “Mind if I ask where dear Spikey Wikey is?”

Fluttershy and Starlight were the only ones who didn’t verbally speak, likely knowing not to further bombard the princess. Though the two enjoyed the meetup as much as their other friends did, obviously.

Warm smiles all around.

“I’m so glad you all are doing well, but please girls, one at a time!” snorted Twilight with a good-natured giggle.

The group nodded, chuckling amongst themselves as they quieted down.

Twilight turned to Rarity first, answering the fashionista’s question.

“Unfortunately, Rarity, Spike is still undergoing his ambassador training, but don’t worry, I can absolutely schedule a special visit for you in the next few weeks, if you’d like? I’m sure he’ll be back by then!” offered the princess.

The white unicorn deflated a bit, but remained smiling as she nodded, seemingly excited at the prospect.

“I’ll make sure to spend as much time with you girls as possible, for now though, I have to handle something,” she assured, before finally turning her gaze towards the Courier, who continued to stick out like a sore thumb as he stood a few feet back from the group.

She examined him with intrigue.

“Or rather, someone,” Twilight corrected as she trotted over to him.

He just looked down at her, the numerous bags he held shuffling against one another, weighing him down almost as much as his emotions were.

“Twilight Sparkle?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Courier Six?” she asked back.

He nodded as well.

“You’re familiar with humans I assume; you know how to get me back home, right?” he grunted.

Her face scrunched up in thought, before she turned to Starlight.

“Starlight, you and…” she paused, looking at the human, before asking, “...will me calling you Six be alright?”

“Yeah,” he growled simply.

She nodded once at that and turned to her friend group.

“I’m going to teleport the three of us to somewhere more private, allow Six to relax and explain himself without being overwhelmed, alright?” Twilight explained.

The group gave their own murmurs and nods of agreement.

Starlight readied herself to be teleported.

“Wait, tele-” Six was cut off as the three disappeared in a flash of Twilight’s magic, leaving the throne room with just the Element Bearers and a few guards in it.

“-port?” he finished, blinking his eyes several times before looking around.

He found himself and the two ponies surrounded by numerous bookshelves. The books on them were all extremely well-maintained, more so than even some of the pristine Pre-War books he found in the Mojave. A small table and a few chairs sat a few feet away, covered with numerous parchment papers and quills, likely notes the princess had taken.

“Sorry,” Twilight blushed, standing next to him as she rubbed the back of her head with a forehoof. “I didn’t mean to spring it on you like that, but I figured you’d rather talk about this all in private. So, I brought you to one of my study rooms.”

“Then what’s she doing here?” he growled, pointing to Starlight.

“I wanted to tell you back at the station, but I figured waiting was the best option,” sighed the unicorn.

“You see, Twilight and I have both been to the human world before.” He leaned in.

“W-what?” he growled, his tone one of shock. “Wait, so you’ve been to America before? The Mojave? New York? Boston? Where?”

They looked confused at that, turning to each other before looking back at him.

“I can’t recall anywhere called ‘America’ in the human world, can you?” Starlight asked Twilight.

The princess shook her head, equally perplexed.

“When we went to the human realm, we went to a school called Canterlot High,” Twilight explained. “The world was actually quite peaceful, which is why I was so confused when my friends told me you claimed it was violent.”

“There’s… there’s no schools where I came from, not real ones…” he managed.

“What about cars or planes?” Starlight offered in thought.

“They’re all burnt out husks,” he replied. “The War and two hundred years of erosion decimated them…”

“What war are you talking about?” Starlight asked. “I think the girls mentioned you said something about bombs, but to my knowledge wars in the human realm were rare.”

He felt dizzy.

He’d accepted the fact he was probably on another planet weeks ago, but to have the hope of going back home ripped away…

“The Great War,” he managed, deciding he should start from the beginning. “In the year 2077, the human race obliterated a massive chunk of the planet’s population with nuclear weaponry… It was over oil, territory, you know… It was between the United States and China. Two of the biggest countries on Earth.”

The mares were confused, but their faces remained in deep thought.

“I think it was 2013 or so whenever I first went to the human realm,” admitted Twilight. “But nowhere near close to the year you claim.”

“You don’t think he’s from the future somehow, do you?” Starlight asked, her experiences with time travel bubbling up in her memories.

“It’s possible but it still doesn’t explain the different names in countries… and Earth?” Twilight pondered.

“The name of the planet!” the Courier huffed.

“The planet you’re on is Equus,” Twilight explained.

He nodded; alien theory was right. No big surprise there.

“But the planet of the human realm… I don’t recall if I ever learned it,” she continued. “It has been a while since I was able to study anything from there, especially with my princess duties.”

“Okay… just,” he huffed. “To make sure we’re all on the same page here, explain to me the human realm you’re talking about.”

“Well, it’s very strange, almost like a mirror dimension to ours,” Twilight began. “It has an alternate version of me, Applejack, Rainbow Dash- basically everypony I know has a human copy there.”

He paused in thought.

“Lyra?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Bon Bon? Derpy? Scootaloo?” he managed.

Nods aplenty.

He looked down at the floor. It spun about in his vision. Felt sick a bit.

“They’re very similar in appearance as well, same skin tone as their coa-”

She was cut off.

“Skin tone?” he growled.

“Yes, humans have a wide variety of skin tones, from pinks, to orange, to blue and pur-”

He stepped back, bumping into the table and spilling a small vial of ink.

There went the easy ticket home.

“Are you alright?” asked Starlight.

“I’m fine,” he lied.

He was truly finally processing it now. He was stranded. Lost on another planet. No way home. No way back to the deserts and wastelands he’d seen for countless years…

“Is there anything else you can tell us about where you’re from?” asked Twilight.

“I come from a place called the Mojave Desert,” he nodded, giving in. “The year was 2283 last I checked, before I got sucked to… wherever this is.”

This made the two even more concerned than his previously mentioned date.

“Everything was an apocalyptic hellhole, minus some beacons of light and civilization in the dark,” he continued. “There was the New California Republic; NCR, my original home. Then there was New Vegas, which was built from the ruins of the original Las Vegas. And…”

He paused, as if suddenly realizing something.

“If you don’t feel like continuing, I understand,” Twilight frowned.

Six reached into his jacket and suddenly pulled out the Transportalponder.

“This is a teleportation device!” he explained with a shout. “You can use this, right? Maybe help me reverse engineer it to get me back home?”

Twilight looked at the strange, raygun-like device.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before, except maybe in Spike’s comic books,” she mused as she slowly grabbed it out of his grasp with her magic.

“I tried using it a few days back, but got nothing,” he admitted. “Just pulling the trigger typically activates it; sends me back to the Big MT. But it typically relied on satellites for that… maybe we could rig something up?”

She examined it with a frown.

“I can try my best Six but… this isn’t a magical artifact, at least then I’d be familiar with it. Doesn’t remind me of any of the human world tech either…” she replied, examining the teleporter.

“It’s worth a shot, right?” he growled.

“Again, I can try but… Six, I’m a princess,” she explained with a sigh. “If you had come here a few years back I could’ve devoted my entire time to helping you. As it stands though, my free time is far less than that of what it used to be.”

Starlight was frowning as well by this point, worry evident on her face.

Didn't even really know him, but like all the others she had a sense of wanting to help him. A sense of genuinely wanting what was best for him in her.

He brushed it off as he tried to think of a way out of this.

“Look, I’m not familiar with the tech in it either!” he raised a hand, his tone a bit more panicked. “But maybe I can stay here, help you work it out, surely it’d only take a few days!”

“Do you know where we would begin?” Twilight asked. It was a genuine question.

“I-I…” he stammered. “I never was able to crack it, hell most of the Think Tank’s tech was wizardry even to me. I worked with coding and medical shit but… not teleportation.”

She frowned.

“Can you just take a few days off, we can try to get it working? C-come on?” he pleaded.

The Courier’s tone was rarely desperate. This was one of the few exceptions.

The NCR. The Wastelands. His home. The people.

All never to be seen again...

“Six, I genuinely want to. I can help you for the rest of the day,” she offered. “But tomorrow, I have numerous extremely important meetings and delegates from other countries I have to meet. I cannot miss those meetings.”

He finally stopped, and just rested both his palms on the wooden table nearby to balance himself. The ink had already stained numerous parchment papers, but Twilight was more worried about the human than her notes.

He looked as if he would fall over. No way back. Just here, for the rest of his life.

He’d shoved that idea into the back of his mind for the past few weeks. Now it was coming back full force.

He heard ringing in his ears as his vision blurred a bit. He’d been through worse, maybe. But at least with the Big MT, the Sierra Madre, Zion, he could eventually fight his way out and walk away.

Here… he couldn’t. No wandering. Not anymore. Boxed up. Caged like a rat.

“-Six!” Twilight’s calls for him broke through his stupor.

He shook off his dazed state and looked over at the alicorn, whose face was filled with worry.

“Are you alright?” an equally as worried Starlight asked for the second time.

“I jus-I just…” he sighed, unable to rub his face due to the mask. “Fuck man…”

“Did you have friends back in your home realm?” asked Twilight. “Pon- people you could count on?”

“I… used to,” he admitted.

“Well, I know you’ve been here for a few weeks now, but I hope you’ve realized we’re extremely hospitable here in Equestria,” Twilight said, giving a reassuring smile. “Especially to heroes who rescue ponies from evil monsters.”

She was already talking like he’d be here permanently. The warm welcome from an official bullshit.

He felt sick. Didn’t vomit, thankfully. Would’ve been a waste of the boiled maize he’d had this morning.

Still, he wanted to gag. This was the same sugary sweet assurance he’d heard time and time again.

He believed it.

A different, more stubborn part of him didn’t.

A different part from that hated it.

Another different part loved the ponies.

A different part was almost thankful for his inability to go back to the Mojave.

A swirl of thoughts, none of them right nor wrong exactly. Made his head spin again.

He just looked at her, giving a few ragged breaths.

“Would you like me to get your bags for you, Six?” offered Starlight kindly, doing the only thing she could think of at the moment to help the dazed human. “You’ve been carrying them all day and it’s no trouble for me with my magic.”

“I’m fine,” he rejected her help.

Spat at it. Didn’t need it; like he didn't the others.

He needed it.

No, he DIDN’T!

“I just need a minute,” he grunted.

Starlight nodded with an understanding expression.

“I know what it’s like to be ripped away from your home,” she offered. “Losing all of your friends, losing what you’re familiar with… it’s horrible.”

She was genuine.

She almost got it.

He could almost be fully open with her...

But not quite.

He shrugged her off. Just nodded and waved a hand.

“I just need a minute, I’ll be fine,” he lied. His voice was flat, hollow.

She obsiously didn’t believe him but didn’t press.

“Six, just know that whenever I have free time, I’ll make sure to write to you,” Twilight offered. “We can figure something out together. I’d love for you to be my frien-”

Friends! This again? Like all the others!

He snapped. Began laughing. Laughed and laughed right in her face.

“Hahahahahahahaha!” echoed throughout the book-filled study.

The alicorn's warm smile dropped into an uncomfortable one.

Starlight’s look was stuck in one of worry.

He didn’t blame them.

He was a fucking madman, after all. Madman without a home. Belonged back in the Wild Wasteland with all the other loonies.

Not somewhere with peace and prancing and ponies and playing and politeness…

“Are you alright?” Starlight offered yet again. Broken fucking record.

He cut himself off with a sharp inhale through his teeth. The laughter was gone.

“I’m fine,” Six lied yet again.

Fought off the overt madness, went back to the stoic silent type of insanity. Gave him some degree of normalcy.

“I’m fine,” he chuckled again, this time in a sleep-deprived fashion, fully silencing the maddened laughs after that.

“Are you sure?” Twilight offered, unsure of what to say.

Interdimensional aliens who looked like humans but weren’t the same type of humans didn’t seem to be something she planned for. Maybe if she still made overly detailed charts, that might’ve been in the cards.

“I’m just going to uh…” he huffed. “I’ll just let you get back to your friends.”

“Six, as much as I love my friends, I know they’re your friends too,” Twilight said, her tone serious. “They want what’s best for you, even if it means less time with me.”

“No, no, no, noooo,” he repeated in a low tone. “It’s fine. Just enjoy yourselves. Have fun. Don’t let me stop you…”

She offered a weary nod at that, not convinced but unable to pry deeper, lest he continue to shut her and Starlight out.

He figured she didn’t have it in her to be able to take what he could share.

The gritty, dirty details.

Maybe one day.

Not yet though, at least with her current experience. Just like Starlight.

“Six, I’ll do everything in my power to get you back home,” the princess reiterated, making sure the Transportalponder was carefully sat on her table for later studying.

He could tell a faint piece of her knew that the chances were unlikely. He could tell she knew that it was the longest of longshots. He could tell that she was eventually going to try to get him to accept he was a citizen of Equestria.

He'd live the rest of his life here.

He'd die here.

Well, die again anyways.

“Yeah yeah,” he shrugged it off. “Now are you getting us back to the throne room?”

Starlight and Twilight shared another gaze.

“Would you like to stay in Canterlot?” Twilight offered.

“No,” he flatly replied, shoving her verbally away just as he had so many others. “Just… don’t worry about the damned thing.”

She stepped back in surprise.

“Six, isn’t that your way home-”

“You’re right,” he growled, his tone much more lucid than before. “Got a country to focus on. Just worry about that first.”

She just frowned deeper, as if she was thinking what to say to console him.

He’d just shoot her down though.

Twilight knew that.

For the moment, might as well give the Courier what he wanted.

“Alright, are you two ready to get back to the others?” Twilight asked Starlight and the Courier.

She already knew the answers, he could tell that.

The rest of the day was a blur.

Just him sitting off on his own. Let the ponies eat a small feast of flowers, greens, and sugary cupcakes Pinkie brought.

He didn’t partake at all. Still sat off to the side, letting them enjoy themselves. Whenever a pony offered to talk, they were shut down.

Pinkie felt hit the hardest, as whenever she brought him a specially made cupcake, he just sat it on a tray and scooted it back towards her, silently rejecting the gift.

Whatever had hit the human, hit him hard.

He didn’t even swear or insult or snark at anypony.

That seemed to be the most off-putting thing.

It was as if the life was drained from him, his very soul removed, leaving a tired, almost robotic being in place of the once wise-ass Courier. Still, they continued to try to support him, offering their words of genuine kindness to him.

“Even if you’re stuck here forever Six, we’ll be with ya!” Rainbow Dash said, her brash tone getting met with scolding gazes from the other ponies of her friend group.

Even Fluttershy gave her best attempt at one, though it wasn't as potent as her typical Stare.

“Sorry,” Dash managed after realizing what she said.

He didn’t say anything. Didn't snap, didn't insult her, didn't laugh... just looked down at his gloved hands, occasionally running them over one of his duffle bags which he continued to wear.

“Sugarcube, we’ll always be here for ya,” Applejack said, honesty in her tone.

“Yeah, I know you didn’t want my cupcake now, but I can totally make more for ya!” Pinkie said, trying to bring him happiness.

“And I have a marvelous gift I’m working on for you, after you helped me get my creative spark back!” Rarity added.

“Maybe I can introduce you to the animals at the sanctuary, they love new faces!” Fluttershy even offered.

“We could even introduce you to some of the students around Twilight’s school!” Starlight smiled. “Smolder talked about how you helped her and Dinky become friends! Maybe the others would want to get to know you?”

Nothing. Only response to the overwhelming support of the friend group?

“Yeah, maybe,” he just nodded, his tone quiet and drained and rugged and dry and uncaring.

He was like a great big cloud hanging over their meeting. Even he knew it. Faintly felt bad about it; didn’t want to ruin the good vibes. But something deep inside had just… given out.

Lack of sleep? Lack of honesty on his part? Lack of both? Lack of everything? Lack of nothing?

He just continued on autopilot right up until he was back on the train.

The words buzzing through his skull but barely sticking.

He finally came back into a semi-conscious state when he stepped out of the carriage and back into Ponyville’s station. Day was turning to late evening by this point.

There they were…

Waiting for him as Lyra said this morning.

There was Dinky, and Derpy, Scoots, Lyra herself, Bon Bon, the other Crusaders. Fucking Cheerilee and the Doc even.

They were there for him, where few others were.

They smiled. They waved. Dinky and Scoots both rushed up and hugged him, wrapping themselves around his thighs.

He just brushed them off and walked around the group without a word, leaving them all alone, standing, gawking, shocked by his actions.

He wanted to turn back. Wanted to apologize...

Couldn’t.

Whatever was inside needed solitude.

Not love. Not affection. Loneliness.

He heard the Mane Six and Starlight explaining what had happened to the shocked and saddened adults.

His friends worried for him.

Ignored it.

He just continued along, ignoring it all.

Dinky and Scoots called after him, rushing to him and begging him to stop.

“Wait up!”

“Six!”

“Six, wait!”

“Six!?!” this one sounded like there were tears in their eyes.

Still didn't turn back when he knew he should've.

Only whenever he’d walked a solid two or three blocks away did they finally stop following him…

He continued on, eventually getting away from the town and heading into the Everfree.

The Courier just marched on, like a soldier without a cause.

Or more aptly, a ranger without a country.

Wandering away from it all as he had before...

Author's Note

Next chapter contains darker subject matter than this fic has displayed so far. Just figured I'd offer a warning here.