On Light Hooves I Tread 2: Homeward Bound

by AdamThePony

Chapter 8: The Farewell

On Light Hooves I Tread 2: Homeward Bound
A Fanfiction by Adam Nelon

Chapter 8: The Farewell

Thump, thump.

Oh good, my heart was beating still. That's a start... I guess I still had some fight in me after I blacked out.

Thump, thump.

A thought occurs to me; I've been in this situation before. I've been in this spot before. The ever-quickening pace of my heartbeat brings back memories from years ago. The Blue Dragon stuck in my head again. The memory of my getting my cutie mark...the memory of my plans...

The memory of my martyrdom.

Memories flooded back. It was almost an entire year since I had returned, and those memories from five years back came to remind me of how lucky I was. I began to hear faint sounds of people talking.

He seems pretty eager on doing anything he can to help, even if it kills him.

Heh. He could put you to shame, Rarity. He took one mighty beatin' just so we'd have enough time to help him finish off Jade...plus, I don't think I've ever seen anyone channel the power of the Elements by goodwill alone...

I think I'm generous enough, thank you...

Well, for him to put himself in harm's way, just to keep us safe...that was really sweet of him...

You think we ought to throw him a "Get Well" party?

I think he's waking up!

---

The familiar beeping of an EKG rang in my ears. Equally familiar was the white nurse mare who stood at my bedside with a rather smug expression.

"You just can't seem to keep yourself out of trouble, can you, Mr. Haze?" she chuckled, smiling as she helped me into a more comfortable position in my bed.

"Nurse Redheart?" I moaned back, my one eye open.

"I'm glad to see you remember me," the nurse giggled, checking her charts. "You know, when Twilight and the others brought you here, I was pretty shocked. You were pretty banged up, but when we tried to operate, we couldn't keep your magic stable. It's like you were filled with it or something!"

I chuckled nervously as Discord's words echoed in my head.

Your very souls are inhabiting bodies consisting almost entirely of pure magical energies. Your consciences and intellects were transferred into empty vessels...homunculi, if you will.

"I guess that just comes with being a Unicorn, though."

I paused for a moment.

"So if you're here, then does that mean-"

"Eyup."

The sheet around my bed was tugged aside, revealing those six mares again, plus Big Macintosh for good measure. In addition, Princess Luna, having taken a more casual appearance, was also with them. As I turned, I saw Jade smiling as he looked at me.

"Good Morning, Adam," He said, speaking with a tone that undercut my feelings toward his safety at the time.

I smiled and said the same before turning to face the mares in the room.

"It would seem that history repeats itself, my dear student," Luna said in her ever-dated vernacular. "Only I replace my sister, and two other stallions are involved. To be honest, I'm not sure whether I should praise your gallantry, or berate your foolhardiness. You went off on your own against a threat that a pony like you would never have been able to handle, and in so doing, almost ended up dead! Had it not been for my sister's foresight, you would most likely have wound up dead before the Elements of Harmony could have stopped your friend. I think you and I both know that it would have been most unfortunate for only one of you to have survived...and if what the girls told me was indeed true, we would have had far worse at our hooves."

"Having said that, however, your expedient arrival to face the corrupted Jade did allow you to safeguard the Elements until they could intervene...and when the girls explained what happened next, I honestly thought it was a joke. Then I saw the body. The wounds you've endured, and the magic inside you... 'twas all the evidence needed..."

For a moment, the mare of the moon lowered her head.

"I should have been more forthright... However, what has happened has happened, and there can be no changing it. In any case, Pinkamena is preparing a celebration of your good health. We are personally quite proud of you, human. While we cannot provide you with anything material, we assure you that we are quite indebted to you. You have done a marvelous service for us all last evening, and for that, we shall remain thankful."

Pinkie Pie swanned up to me and Jade, laying a pair of muffins with what looked to be a pair of red cross candles inside them at the table between our beds.

"In the meantime, have these 'Get Well' muffins I baked for you!" chirped the cheery confectioner as she cracked a cute smile. By the gods, a smile that damned cute should be outlawed for the good of the populace.

With a bit of concentration, I had managed to dislodge the candle from the muffin, but rather then float daintily, it ended up being shot through the ceiling like a pen from that one scene in Elfen Lied, leaving a tiny, rectangular hole. Part of this misstep frightened me, but I was content to laugh it away as Jade managed to easily remove his own candle as we began to eat.

As I ate, a thought occurred. How is it that all the junk food I've eaten hasn't affected my girth? Perhaps it was from all the exercise I'd been doing in school? That could explain what kept Pinkie in such great shape. Either that, or she was some sort of inexplicable equine-shaped anomaly of space-time. Arguing with myself over a pony such as her would only end in ruin. However, the fact I was able to launch a small wax candle through the ceiling was something to question... Perhaps I had some excess energy left in me? After all, I was using some very powerful magic... I suppose that perhaps I would need to take time in discharging the remainder. A party will probably be just the thing to settle that problem.

For now, I looked to my friends as their glances warmed my heart. Whether by fluke or by faith, I was able to save their lives, and countless more. I was a hero. Jade's eyes looked to me with gaze of forgiveness, not only for me, but for himself. He was at fault more than I was, and I knew that. But as I looked, I couldn't help but to be equally ashamed. I had driven my closest friend to the same fate as my teacher, and nearly suffered the same way. I had become the apprentice to the same mare who fell to corruption so long ago, and had my friend and rival fall victim to her former fate. And yet... That look he gave me was enough to assure me that we could both be forgiven.

My gaze turned back to my visitors, as I smiled, finishing the muffin and tossing the paper into the nearby trash bin with my teeth.

"Thank you, everypony," I hummed, yawning as I struggled to stay upright. "I'm glad to see a friendly face while I recover. It's not everyday that you save the world, after all. I'd love to talk some more, but this whole ordeal took a lot out of me and Jade. Do you think you could let us rest for a little while?"

"It shall be done," Luna said, smiling as she turned to excuse herself out, the others quickly joining her.

"Oh, but don't sleep too much, or you'll miss the party!" Pinkie Pie chortled before bouncing out.

With them gone, I was left to drift to sleep along with Jade as I pulled back the shroud.

---

♫

The dream that came to me this evening was quite like the previous dreams I've had. The area was featureless, surrounded with azure mist. An pony wearing another numbered mask appeared before me. The number this time was XIII, the number of the Death Arcana. Contrary to its name, Death does not refer to death, but to ending and change. How very appropriate that he would appear after something such as what I had accomplished.

"You have done well these past weeks, my friend. Your martyrdom certainly shined through last evening. Through your own understanding of yourself, and the bonds of your companions, you managed to use the last vestiges of your being to reach apotheosis," hummed the voice, his expression hidden by his mask.

For a moment, I beamed with pride.

"Be forewarned, though, my friend. Even the noblest of deeds and self-sacrifices have their repercussions. Though your journey is reaching its end, a new one may only just be unfolding. Even in this world, there is much you do not know. Things that even your mind has yet to experience. You have yet to learn of that which truly lies beyond the boundaries of your new home. Once you cross the threshold again, past the guardians, you will again be changed. Before you can ascend to even higher heights, you must reach your absolute low. Only then will you truly know."

A silence takes us as I try to articulate the words to follow up such a deep conversation.

"What's going to happen to me?" I asked, reaching out, before the masked pony chortled at me, looking off into a strange clock.

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I just told you what it was, no would it?" queried the anonymous equine. "Time marches onward in your world. I bid you good bye and good luck."

Before I could again respond, the masked stallion had left me alone, the mist lifting from the room to show how truly featureless it was. The only other thing I saw was the white sphere known as the moon, as it hung in the sky, almost as bright as the sun, yet not blindingly so. It possessed its original clarity, yet was as bright as its elder sister.

I wonder what all this has to do with my future...

---

Once again, I am awake. The EKG is no longer attached to me, and I am able to safely rise from my bed. I take my time to get out of the bed, not bothering with my magic for fear I could inadvertently blow a hole through the floor. For a moment, I pull back the shade by by the window, cracking it open to exhume the smell of alcohol from the room, replacing it with the scent of oak and pine. It felt good to know fresh air again as I let Celestia's grace washed over me. In its zenith, the sun filled me with warmth, which I took in stride before leaving the room.

For some reason, the hospital was silent. Jade and the others were gone. The rooms were, simply put, desolate. That is, as far as I could see, they were. It took me a few minutes to get my bearings and find my way out. The streets were equally empty, what little signs of a prior presence being the faint marks of hooves leading to the one place I really should have taken to seeing right out of the front door.

Sugar Cube Corner.

As I entered the room, it was uncharacteristically dim in this room. Almost blindingly dark. I felt naked in this abyss, the hairs of my coat hanging on end. I tried to make sense of where I was through sound, but to no avail. Then, from nowhere, I hear the door slam shut behind me, a lock shuffling into place. Oh dear Lord, someone turn the lights on.

*CLICK*

Suddenly, the room explodes into color. Party poppers shoot across the room like a rifle salute as streamers bathe my body. Noisemakers and kazoos announce my arrival in a crude fanfare as balloons drift down absently I swore I could hear a vuvuzela being blown. Honestly, I was more trying to catch my breath from the sudden jolt of the moment, wiping off the mess that had just sprayed on me.

The town was, for the most part, crammed together as they beamed to me smiles of pride and sincerity.

"SURPRISE!" shouted the entirety of them, a harmonious chorus of happiness humming in my ears.

To be quite honest, I was surprised my horn didn't suddenly just blast away a good portion of the crowd as if it were a shotgun. Nevertheless, I caught myself, righted myself on my hooves, and joined in their smiles.

"Well, what can I say? You got me," I chuckled, beholding the scene before me.

A large table had been laid out, filled to the brim with treats and simple party favors. Nothing truly out of place, aside from the cake. The cake's defining trait was it being so blatantly chocolate, designed to look like a grassy knoll and adorned with what looked to be a rather... romanticized portrayal of my likeness made from modeling chocolate, painted with gel paste to resemble me. The amount of detail was rather shockingly close. I don't know how Pinkie was able to get the detail on my eyes, but as I've previously established, attempting to bring reason into Pinkamena-particular matters always ends up bad.

"Wow... Do you think you went a little overboard, Pinkie?"

"Overboard? I had to get two more boards after the first one just to reach the top!" chirped the consistently-chipper equine. In an instant, she had cut a piece from the colossal feat of confectionery craftsmanship, bringing it to my hooves. "Do you want some right now?"

A flush of red filled my cheeks before I pointed to a nearby table.

"Sure. Just set it over there. After that little mishap earlier today, I wouldn't want to risk any more property damage," I said, stammering just a tad as I cleared my throat, pouring myself a drink while doing my best to cradle the glass in my hooves without it breaking.

I turned to the congregation of equines gathered about me and smiled a tad, a blush still filling my face.

"I would just like to say to you all... thank you. Seriously, thank all of you for this boon of celebration you've blessed me and Jade with. Had it not been for the friends I had made here, least of which my dutiful teachers at Canterlot University, I may not have endured the trial I faced last evening. The lessons they had taught me, the skills they allowed me, and the kind respect they gave me, among many other things, gave me the knowledge, power, and courage to face my foe and save the friend it had so fiendishly trapped. As it is, I am still tired from the magic I had to cast, so I may not exactly be a party animal right at this moment, but don't let my shortcomings slow you down. I'll still enjoy myself as best I can."

I raised my glass with a grin.

"A toast. To the Magic of Friendship."

"HERE, HERE! LET US COMMENCE THE CELEBRATION!" Called Luna, her voice being amplified to an almost insane degree.

For a moment, the entire party skipped a beat, their eyes turning to a blushing, winged unicorn smiling abashedly.

"Apologies...was that too loud?"

A chorus of laughter filled the room before music began to flood the room as I ate, enjoying the spectacle. Normally, I was the one who enjoyed to be caught in the moment of the celebration. I would dance, no matter how disheveled my stile was. I would sing, no matter how off-key. But even disregarding my current status, I was rather modest lately. I wasn't about being the center of attention as much anymore. I didn't take big slices out of the cake. I didn't storm the stage and sing karaoke and tell dumb jokes. I preferred to just take in the fun and have a little peace, even if the party was about me.

Naturally, Pinkie wouldn't have me at my most mellow, so as soon as I was about to enjoy a taste of chocolate cake, she drug me on the floor and got me into motion, somehow producing a mirror ball. At this point, I should really come to expect such odd things.

The spectacle that she slingshot me into was something I was pretty sure was next to impossible. Yet if that were true, then how was it happening now? More importantly, why should I bring logic into something already established to operate in its own laws of physics? Honestly, at this point, I should keep my mouth shut and just enjoy the party. I'd have more time to ponder all this at the dormitory. I let myself be caught in this perfect storm of a party, my eyes shut as my body let itself go to the rhythm.

---

Much of the events thereafter remained little but a blur. In the middle of the party, Luna drug me to a private corner of the candy store, her face more solemn than it had been prior.

"I would have words with thee, my apprentice," she spoke, her voice low to avoid being within earshot.

"Of course, Luna," I whispered back, getting close. "What is it?"

"It concerns your friend, Jade."

"What about him? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing too severe... However, I still see a fragment of the Nightmare still within him."

"Well, if it's only a piece, then what harm could it do?"

"Even a small piece of a Nightmare, if allowed to fester, would likely be able to manifest itself again."

"So Jade is likely to experience this again?!"

"Sadly, yes. The Nightmare, by nature, is a very tough being to exorcise. The fact the one that inhabited me was excised is likely one of many marvels which the Elements of Harmony is capable of."

"So what should we do?"

For a moment, Luna froze. Her face shrunk, making it seem what she was about to tell me would hurt her even more.

"As much it pains me to ask this of you..." she began in a labored tone, as if someone were holding a knife just by her throat. "You must ask your friend to leave."

And in an instant, my morale felt as if it were garrotted with piano wire. Jade, one of my closest friends, a man who possessed an optimism that even I myself couldn't match, a man who envied me in every possible way, had to be told, in person, by his best friend that he was to leave for his own good? My next words were very much a reflection of my current feelings.

"What good would this do?"

Luna almost seemed insulted.

"If we don't send him from hence he came, the Nightmare still inside him could metastasize and send him into another transformation!"

"And why can't we just exorcise the thing right now?"

"Because it has already beaten Jade once. If we try and remove it now, we risk killing him!"

"So why does he have to go back?!"

"Because your world is a vacuum devoid of magic. Without any to feed off of, eventually, the nightmare will die."

"But who knows how long that could take? I can't just tell my best friend to leave because he's too sick to live here!"

In an instant, I felt a hoof dash across my face, silencing me.

Luna... just slapped me.

"Be still! Hath thou forgotten what it truly means to be a friend? Friendship can weather any storm, even separation. I am sure once he has stayed in his home world long enough, he will be able to return. I know it pains you, but it must be done..."

I paused for a moment, frowning. It dawned on me that perhaps she was right. It would be best if I trusted in my teacher's better judgement. I wouldn't want to run the risk of bringing my friend again into the Stygian darkness within him.

"Okay...I'll do it. But I want to be alone when I say it. Do not reveal yourself until I tell him."

Luna thought this over, and soon nodded.

"As you wish. I will be awaiting you at the town square at sundown. I expect you to have him ready by then."

"Of course, Luna."

And so our impromptu meeting came to a close, while I resumed the festivities.

---

Within a few hours, the sun was cresting the horizon, and I had upheld my bargain by bringing my best friend out into as private a thicket as I could.

"Adam, what is this about?" he asked, his innocent eyes piercing my conscience.

His gaze was one that was almost infantile in a sort, The eyes of a child who had never truly known the harshness of reality, or was in very strong denial of that reality. I felt really dirty about having to break this truth to him. It felt like I was going to shoot his mother right in front of him. But it had to be done. For his good and the good of all of Equestria. The needs of the many outweigh those of the few, right?

So why did I have a deep regret for what I was about to do?

I took a deep breath, shut my eyes, and turned to face my friend, sighing before I said those accursed words.

"Jade..." I choked, barely able to keep myself, "Princess Luna has told me that you must leave Equestria."

And there it was. The waterworks turned on, not just in me, but in Jade, as well. My words pierced his heart like an ephemeral dagger, breaking his own facade of happiness as I had. I tried my best to see through the tears, but it was difficult.

"You still have a piece of a Nightmare still inside you...for your safety, you have to go back home. It won't be able to grow where we come from. It will die from starvation..."

"But what about you? I won't get to see you, and you won't get to see me!"

"But aren't real friends able to stay together, no matter how long they're apart?"

"But I don't think I can wait that long! It isn't fair!"

"I know it isn't..." For a moment, I paused, looking for Luna. "But perhaps I can give you a concession..."

As if on cue, the mare of the moon appeared, brandishing an elaborate, yet blank, tome.

"What is that, Princess?" the both of us asked.

"We -or rather I- could not bear the thought of seeing my student in such pain for having to force separation between himself and his closest of friends. Thus, I commissioned my sister make this journal... if you will recall, it uses the same enchantment as the one you owned." she spoke in somber and matter-of-fact manner.

"But what about the Nightmare?" I asked.

"The magic in this enchantment is too small for a Nightmare so infinitesimal. It is safe enough for use because it is not directly affected by the user to use its magics."

I sighed for a moment, looking to Jade.

"After I left Equestria the first time, I honestly felt the same way you did. I missed my friends, and I wished I could see them. Princess Celestia bequeathed this journal to me, so that no matter where I was, I could always turn to them...perhaps you will have more of a use for it than I will..."

Jade completely lost it when he took the book in his hooves, rushing up to me as he wrapped his forelegs around me in a loving embrace.

"Aw...you big lug." I said, smiling as I hugged him back, ruffling his mane.

"Hey!"

"Aw, don't take it so hard..."

Luna cleared her throat quite loudly, requesting we wrap our pleasantries away. He smiled and looked to Luna.

"I think I'm ready to go..."

The mare of the moon nodded, producing a portal between two trees, Jade needing no ushering to walk near it, but he turned me and smiled, giving me one final hug.

"I guess it's goodbye, huh..." He hummed, smiling.

"Yeah..." I murmured back, sharing his smile as the light behind him grew more intense.

"Farewell, Jade. We hope thou shalt find peace in thine native home," Luna spoke, keeping her composed voice.

Before Jade made his final steps into the bright miasma, he smiled, saying a cheerful "Goodbye!" before leaping in ardently.

In a brilliant cascade of light, the portal contracts shut, blinking out of existence as I looked to Luna, smiling.

"Thank you," I hummed humbly, hugging my mentor tenderly.

"Think nothing of it, my student. 'Twas the least that I could do."

And thus, we stood in each other's embrace, the sun sinking into the treeline...

Comments

[The Zealot]

No comment? Okay, here's one. I must say, this chapter is... Sad is hardly the word for it, but I lack vocabulary so it will have to do. In the words of some pony, I forget who at the moment: "The bonds of friendship can weather all hardships and troubles." Let us hope this is true.