CHAPTER 26
"He is so fucking dead... I'm gonna tear his head off, and mount it on the wall..." I was running at full sprint back to Sean's house, ignoring the pain shooting through my entire body, and the burning in my chest. I knew that what I was doing wasn't exactly the safest for me in the condition I was in, but my friends and family's safety came before my own. "I'm probably going to die if we fight Torrie, but at least I'll die knowing I'm fighting for those I care about. And even if I die, they have Sean to look after them. He's a much more capable and useful person than I am... Hm... Torrie kidnapped my family, eh? Didn't he say he was going after Lulu- OH NO!" I walked into a wall. I was so lost in thought that I wasn't paying attention. But it wasn't a wall, it was a door. The door to Sean's house. I started banging it, each bang sending a wave of pain through my arm. The door swung open.
"Kyle! Calm down! Jeez!" I pushed past him and started spouting off my theory.
"We gotta get to Cantelot, PRONTO! This whole thing was just a distraction! Torrie's actually going after Luna! I don't know what he's gonna do, but I know it isn't good! We need to get moving right now and get all of the girls who aren't missing so we can beat Torrie and save everypony otherwise we're all doomed and then everything'll go wrong and-" Sean cupped his hand over my mouth.
"OK, now just calm down, and explain to me, SLOWLY, what it is that you're freaking out about." He let go, and I took a deep breath.
"Alright... I think Torrie kidnapped Dashie and Scoots." His expression darkened. "This is all just a distraction. He wants Luna. For what, I don't know, but what I DO know is that it ain't good. So we need to get it in gear, and get to Canterlot, before anything REALLY bad happens." Sean nodded, but then he looked like he'd just remembered something.
"Wait, before we go... You might need this." He reached behind his sofa, and pulled out... My golf club?
"How did you... Pinkie?" He smiled.
"Pinkie." I had a giant grin on my face.
"Alright... Lets go get the girls, and get ready to kick some ass."
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After gathering up all of the girls, who were very confused, we got on the first train to Canterlot. Everypony had questioned me about my golf club, but I just told them it was an old trinket from Earth. It's funny, really. I wanted to leave my past behind, but here I was, holding something that was important to me back then. It made me feel both glad, and nostalgic. I couldn't help but reflect on everything I'd done on Earth. Shutting myself away, hardening my heart... And meeting Rose. I shook my head and tried to think of something else. "No need to feel guilty now." I felt a hoof on my shoulder, and I jolted awake with a slight yelp. Applejack pulled back a bit.
"'Ya OK, sugarcube? 'Ya seem real troubled." I shook my head, and waved my hand dismissively.
"It's nothing. I really don't wanna talk about it right now." She nodded, and trotted back over to Twilight.
"Kyle..." I cocked my eyebrow. It was Fluttershy. "Please... Be careful... Don't get yourself hurt... I don't wanna lose you... None of us do. We all love you, and we're worried..."
I felt myself go cold. I knew what I was getting myself into, and I was ready to die... But was everyone else ready for me die? I looked around the train car. All of my friends looked back at me and smiled, but looks of fear were evident on their faces. They were worried about me, and not once did I consider their feelings. It made me feel horrible, really. I was about to put my life on the line, and I didn't care what happened to me, and I never thought about what effects my death would have on everything around me. It frightened me. I was so important to so many ponies, whether they be my fans, my friends... Or my family. I gave Shy a big hug, and I felt tears start running down my cheeks.
"I... I will... I won't leave you guys. I never will." She hugged me back, and I felt a bit better. I felt more hooves wrap around me, and I opened my eyes a bit to check what it was. Everypony else had joined in on the hug. It was tugging at my heart. I knew they all cared about me... But then something else clicked in my mind: I have multiple health problems. My doctors on Earth always said I'd be lucky to make it past thirty years old. So even if I were to survive this fight... I didn't have much time left anyways, and I'd gotten close to so many ponies... I started to feel very guilty. They would be torn apart when I finally did die, whether it be from natural causes, or something else. I always had a philosophy of never getting close to anyone, but I guess I'd abandoned it ever since Rose came along.
There she is again. I guess I'll never escape my past. It's just going to keep catching up with me, no matter how far I run, and no matter where I hide.
"Kyle... What's wrong? Don't make me sing my smile song!" Pinkie had a slight authoritative tone to it, but she still sounded as light-hearted as ever. I opened my eyes again, and they stung really badly. I must have been crying very badly. When I looked at Pinkie, she cringed a bit. "Uh... What's wrong?" I closed my eyes, and let my head hang.
"I've... I've just done everything wrong. I've gotten close to you all, and I've become important to so many ponies... It was wrong of me." I heard a collection of gasps, and everyone gathered around me. Everypony had a look of confusion or sadness on their faces, whereas Sean looked like he was angry with me. Rarity took a single step forward, the worry evident in her voice.
"Whatever do you mean, Darling? Isn't making friends and becoming close to others a good thing?" I shook my head.
"In most cases, yes. But not in mine. You all know that I've got a lot of health problems, right?" Everyone nodded almost simultaneously. "Well, I've been keeping something else from all of you. All of my doctors back on Earth... They'd pre-determined my longevity. I'll be lucky to make it past thirty." Everyone's eyes widened. "I made a promise to myself a few years back. I promised I'd never get close to anyone, so I wouldn't tear them apart when I went. But then someone came along and changed all of that. I got close to her, and then I came here. She must have been crushed. She probably hates me now. And here I am, with six of the best friends in the universe, and I shouldn't have any of you. I know there's no changing anything now, but-" A magical energy forced my lips shut, and Twilight had a mixed look of anger, sorrow, and fear in her eyes.
(Stop the music)
"You listen to me, Kyle. We're your friends. Why would we be crushed if you died? We'd mourn you, yes. We'd be sad, yes. But those are signs that we all care about you! Even if your life won't be long, we'll be happy to know that we got to know you prior to it's end." I didn't know what to say. She let me go, and I just stared at everyone. They were all smiling at me, even after all of that.
"You're all too good to me..." I wiped my face off, and let out a long sigh. "Well... I guess I'm stuck with you all then." We laughed, and I started to feel a lot better. I was with those who cared about me. And I was going to rescue more of them.
It was the greatest feeling in the world.