Marcus stared at the pink pony in front of him. It had not only talked to him, but that it hadn't yelled at him. That was a new one. In fact, it was so new that he dropped the glass. It hit the floor with a soft clink, and Marcus made no move to pick it up. He simply stared at the pink pony, the first sentient thing that hadn't flat out let him go as far as he wanted down the road of possible suicide. There was a soft line in his neck flesh, which while not lethal, it showed that he was less than a quarter of an inch from slitting his own throat.
"You. Are not. Alone." The pink pony pulled him into a hug, her mane rubbing against his neck, her breath pressing down his back. She clenched him tightly, knowing how close he was.
"What do you know?" Marcus asked, not returning the hug to the pink pony. He sat there, at least accepting that she didn't hate him. That was new.
"I know what it's like hurting so much that you spend your nights curled up in bed, wanting escape." The pink mare locked her hooves on his shoulders, making sure he was looking directly into his eyes, and that he was looking back. "I know. I know that kind of pain. I know how much it hurts when nopony seems to love you. I know."
Marcus shook his head. "You couldn't possibly know...what it's like to be me. You don't know what it's like to have parents that beat you. You don't know what it's like to have everyone hate you. You don't know what it's like to have everyone truly want you gone or dead." The pink pony stopped, her eyes filling with tears as she pulled him into another hug.
Marcus had felt the hollow feeling that he had felt before come up as he choked the words out of his throat. He suddenly felt like he really needed a glass of water. His throat was like sandpaper, scratching his words as it left. What the pink pony said to him managed to hit him in the center of his soul. "You might not know what it's like to have loving parents, but that doesn't mean you're not loved. It doesn't mean you're alone. It means..." The pink pony trailed off, burying her muzzle in his chest, beginning to truly cry.
She reminded Marcus of her little sister. She was always trying to make him feel better. She was so innocent. so loving and caring, so ignorant to the world. She was so kind...but then he saw Him. He was there, in his room, his breath reeking of alcohol, tire tracks up his arm. He was over her, shoving her head into the wall. There was red. Blood. Her blood. Staining the wall. He didn't remember what happened but he woke up with a broken jaw. She had been sent to the ER for a fractured skull. The bastard had lied and said she had fallen down the stairs, and that he had done the same.
The thought of his innocent little sister, being the target of that bastard was too much. He lost it, loosing all control. He cried. He cried hard, clinging to the mares embrace as they cried out their sorrows to each other. The mare attempting to forget a past of neglect, the man trying to forget his cruel father.
Marcus hated falling asleep. Or, at least, when it was a case of him not planning it. When he came to, the pink mare was still clinging to him, asleep. She was asleep, and her mane was flat. He also had 3 guards with spears pointed at his face. Admittedly, he was seeing a possible silver thread to the cloud that had been hanging over him. "Maybe there is a chance that I'll have reasons to live." The 3 ponies parted ways, and a large white one stepped forward. Her wings were pressed against her side, and her horn was obvious. "They can have both...and then this one is bigger than others..."
She stared at him, and at the pink pony in his arms. Her wings puffed out. She opened a mouth, and her voice demanded attention and respect. "What are you?" Marcus paused. The last thing he expected was for one to start actually asking questions. The pony in his lap radiated warmth into him. He genuinely felt warm inside.
"I'm a human..." He paused, looking up the alicorn. "...and if I may ask a question, what are you?" She stared at him, and then at the pink pony who clung to him.
"I am Princess Celestia, I am the sovereign leader of the kingdom of Equestria. I am an alicorn, of the race of Equine. Now, I was summoned here because you assaulted my star pupil, and ordered one of my guards to kill you." Marcus nodded, he wasn't going to deny any of the thing that were more-than-likely true. He might have kicked a sacred stone for all he knew. "One question. Why?"
Marcus paused. He looked down at the pink pony in his lap, and then at the white one above him. The guards had put down their spears. "I...I don't know. I was depressed. I...I...I woke up here in the morning, somewhere completely different from where I went to sleep. I don't think I'm even in the same dimension. I...all I saw was darkness...I..." He choked up on his words, clinging to the pink pony in his lap. He looked up. He knew this kind, the kind that thought that he was just some kid that would never amount to anything, that he was pointless, and she didn't care about him. What he saw surprised him. She looked at him with eyes of compassion, of caring, of "You will be cared for". He choked on the ideas that were suddenly flooding his mind, just like a donut, being eaten for the first time in a while. It was so sweet that he was gagging on it.
"I...I...thank you..."