Fixing a Broken Man

by TheHardie-Boy

The funeral

“Jake?! Jake, where are you?!” Twilight yelled out into the forest, not caring if she attracted any unwanted attention.

“Look, man, we’re sorry! We should never have said those things about you!” Rainbow Dash called.

“She’s right! We should’ve gotten to know you first! We had no right to judge you otherwise!” Rarity added.

The forest didn’t move an inch, much to Twilight’s disappointment. She, Rainbow Dash and Rarity were searching for Jake Taylor by the edge of the Everfree Forest, while the others looked for him past the other side of Ponyville.

“I don’t think he’s here,” said Rarity. “Or if he is *gulp*, we might have to go in after him.”

Twilight and Rainbow exchanged horrified looks.

“G-Go into the E-Everfree Forest...a-at n-n-night?!” Rainbow stuttered.

“Girls, I don’t want to either, but if we’re gonna find Jake, we have to be thorough,” Twilight said.

“Fine, but he’s not here, you owe us big time, Twilight,” Rainbow gave in.

---

Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were at the town limits and beyon looking for the human.

“Jake? Jake if you’re here, please come out. We’re really sorry,” Fluttershy called out.

Applejack didn’t hesitate to run up the nearest hill to try to find Jake from that vantage point, groaning as she found nothing.

“He’s not here. If anything, he probably went back to the place Twilight found him,” she said.

“The place Twilight...that’s it!” Pinkie cheered. “We need to find Twilight, now!”

Applejack and Fluttershy simply shrugged and followed the pink party pony.

---

I sat in the forest, curled up in a tight ball, trying to stay as silent as to not attract any unwanted attention.

Never in my life have I ever been insulted like that and reacted like this. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve taken plenty of insults in my lifetime, but I’ve never given them thought. Now...now, it stung, and it stung a lot, and after some serious thinking, I know why and who was to be blamed.

The one who’d shown me...well, emotion of any kind, which, looking back, I didn’t really have much of, or still do even.

I knew it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for me, despite the note I left. Twilight just seemed like that type of creature.

I wouldn’t have time to think much about that, because sure enough, I heard rustling in the bushes near me. I looked over but couldn’t see anything since it was night. Regardless, I knew who it was.

“Twilight, I told you in my note to not follow me or look for me,” I warned, my tone laced with anger.

“Jake,” Twilight said, stepping out of the bushes. “Please, I just want to help you.”

I moved away from Twilight. “I don’t want you help. You’ve already helped enough.”

“At least let us apologize,” said a familiar voice.

“What? Who all’s here?” I asked, looking around in the dark.

Twilight’s horn lit up to reveal her friends, the same ponies who’d called me all those...names.

“What do you want?” I asked sternly.

“J-Jake,” Twilight stammered. “H-Have you been...c-crying?”

“That’s none of your business!” I yelled. “What do you want?!”

The white unicorn, Rarity I think it was, stepped forward. “We would just like to apologize.”

I turned away. “Yeah? What for? It’s not like you were wrong.”

The orange pony, Applejack, came forth as well. “Twilight...Twilight told us about yer’ uh...yer’ parents.”

I slowly turned my head back to Twilight. “You told them? You said you wouldn’t tell anyone,” I said through gritted teeth.

Twilight wore a small apologetic look on her face. “I-It slipped...I’m sorry, but please, here us out.”

“Yeah, we really are just here to apologize. We Pinkie Promise we’re not here to hurt your feelings again,” pleaded Pinkie Pie.

I took a deep breath and turned my body toward all of them. “But it’s not your fault,” I said with a sarcastic smile. “It’s her’s,” I added, motioning to Twilight.

“Wait, what?!” Twilight nearly yelled.

“How is this Twilight’s fault? She’s the one who defended you,” Fluttershy asked.

“Because,” I explained. “Before I met you, Twilight, I was...incapable of feeling any sort of emotion whatsoever. I had no idea how miserable I really was. And then you...you started acting all nice to me. You didn’t even know me, and you let me stay overnight! I mean, who does that?”

Twilight looked like she was about to speak, but I wasn’t finished yet.

“I can honestly say...you’re literally the greatest friend I’ve ever had, and...and I have no way to repay you. So...thank you! Thank you for making me realize how miserable and worthless I am,” I said, tears falling from my eyes.

“J-Jake-” Twilight started, moving closer to me.

I moved away as she reached out a hoof to me. “No, just...just go away. Please, just go away.”

I heard some footsteps around me and opened my eyes to see Applejack was now in front. “We are not leavin’ this forest without ya’, whether ya’ like it er not!”

“Just leave me-“

“No!” Rainbow Dash shouted, joining Applejack. “Why do you get to stay out here and feel sorry for yourself? What makes you special enough to do that?”

“Jake,” I heard Fluttershy say. “We all have our bad days. Some of us even have terrible days, weeks or months even.”

“But you wanna know what always gets us by?” Rarity asked.

I groaned. “I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not going to work.”

“Friends always have each others’ back, no matter what,” Pinkie said, ignoring my comment.

“Really?!” I asked, standing up. “Is that what’s going on here? We’re suddenly friends now, just because you know about my parents? Damnit, I just know none of you would be here if none of you knew about that! You aren’t trying to be my friends, you all just feel sorry for me!”

“Alright, yeah, we feel sorry for ya’. Y’all lost yer’ family at such a young age, and we feel sorry for ya’. But that doesn’t change the fact there we are out here, in the Everfree Forest, in the dead of night, trying to make up for the horrible things we said about ya’,” Applejack said in a tone that sure shut me up.

“Please, Jake. At least let us apologize for that. We really are truly sorry for all those things we said about you,” Rarity pleaded.

I simply fell to my knees and looked away from them, trying to keep from openly crying.

All of them apologized for what they said. I couldn’t bring myself to look at any of them as they spoke, especially Twilight. I didn’t think I was wrong, I just couldn’t believe I said those things to her.

“Please, Jake, come back with us to town. We just want to help you,” Twilight pleaded.

I kept my head dipped, but said, “F-Fine.”

---

I trudged back to Ponyville behind Twilight and her friends, tears still staining my face. I just wasn’t used to receiving...anything like these ponies had given me; kindness, understanding...friendship.

Twilight truly was my best friend, and I just spat it back in her face. And yet...she was still helping me. I, in no way whatsoever, deserved to be able to call myself a friend of someone so loving and pure and kind and generous as Twilight. She had given me everything, a roof over my head, food on my plate, a bed to sleep in, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, an actual friend.

“Jake?” the aforementioned unicorn said, drawing me out of my thoughts. “We have something planned for you...i-if you’ll accept it.”

I wiped my eyes and looked up to see Spike sitting next to a large white unicorn with wings, golden regalia, and a wavy rainbow mane.

But then I looked past her to see something else. There was a stand with candles, flowers, banners, and three pictures.

“W-What is this?” I asked.

“You said your parents never got a real funeral,” Twilight answered.

I looked at Twilight, confused. “M-My parents? W-What do you...?”

I looked back and saw the stand was actually a makeshift alter. The two banners said ‘In Loving Memory’ and ‘Rest In Peace’. The three pictures were larger versions of the ones of my parents that were in my pocket when I got here. I checked my back pocket, and sure enough, neither one of the pictures were there.

It took me less than a second to figure out what Twilight and all of her friends had done: they had planned an actual funeral for my parents.

They all took seats, joining Spike and whom I presumed was Princess Celestia. Twilight still stood beside me and looked up at me.

“My friends set this all up, down to every last flower. They really are sorry for what they said before,” she told me.

“I-I-I...I don’t know what to say,” I whispered.

“Just go up there and say what you would’ve at your parents’ real funeral. I’m sure wherever they are, they’ll be more than happy to finally hear it,” Twilight said, walking off to her own seat.

“Twilight, wait,” I stopped her. The second she turned around to look at me, I knelt down and quickly wrapped my arms around her, letting myself cry. “Th-Thank you. I don’t deserve to call you a friend.”

Twilight wrapped one of her hooves around me. “Don’t think like that. Everypony deserves a chance.”

I let go of Twilight and stood up. Twilight took her seat as I walked up to the alter. I looked at all the ponies and the dragon present and took a deep breath.

“My parents...my parents couldn’t have done a better job raising me. They were there when I was happy, there when I got sick, there when I got hurt. They were the best parents I could’ve ever asked for.” I paused as I started to cry again. “I don’t know if...if they’re up there somewhere, watching me, but...” I looked up. “I love you guys. I’m so sorry I started that fire. I wish I could’ve had you two around to help me grow up...to become a man.” I sobbed a little more. “I never knew what I was gonna do without you, and I still don’t...there just isn’t a way to put in words how much I would give to have you back. You were amazing parents, and even better people.”

I couldn’t go on. I looked down as more and more tears fell down my face. I heard a few sniffs from those watching me. I felt a hoof touch my shoulder. I looked up to see Princess Celestia looking at me with a sympathetic smile.

“I am deeply sorry for your loss. Now is a time for you to be with friends. I will be back when you are ready to return to your home world,” she said before disappearing in a brilliant flash of gold light.

All I could do was nod and try to walk down from the alter. I didn’t take more than three steps before I fell onto my knees and kept bawling. I felt a sudden presence come up to me and...hug me?

I opened my eyes to see not only Twilight and Spike, but all of their friends as well all around me, embracing me with their hooves, crying as well.

“Oh, J-Jake, we’re so sorry,” Twilight cried.

I didn’t say anything, but slowly wrapped my arms around her back. I held her close as I continued to cry into her mane.

Twilight’s friends kept crying and apologizing, both for my parents and what they’d said. One by one, they slowly left until it was Twilight and me.

“Th-Thank you, T-T-Twilight. F-For everything,” I cried.

“It’s o-okay, i-it’s what friends do. A-And don’t e-ever think you can’t call me a friend,” Twilight replied.

I looked back at the alter, at the pictures of my parents. “I-I don’t know that I’ll do without them.” I looked back at Twilight. “I-I don’t wanna go.”

“W-What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

I looked her in the eye. “I don’t wanna go home. I don’t wanna go away from you. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I don’t want to be alone again.”

Twilight gasped. “A-Are you sure? What about your world?”

“There’s nothing for me there,” I answered. “Just a sad, lonely apartment. At least here, I have you. I don’t want to leave you.”

“Oh,” Twilight cried as she pulled back into another hug.

This is my life now. Living with a bunch of talking ponies and a small talking dragon. It’s strange, but...in a good way. I have friends, a home...a reason to live.

Author's Note:

Out of everything I’ve written before, I think most of you will agree that this is the saddest, and not in quality terms

Comments

[Peni Parker]

I never thought throwing a funeral could act as a form of apology, but it works here.

Well done!

[ThePinkedWonder]

Thinking about it, I've read stories where the human was cool with not being able to go back home, and those that took not being able to hard, but later accepted it.

But I don't see many where they just don't want to go back even with the option there. Hmm.

[TheHardie-Boy]

10102469
Thank you, I got this idea from season 6 of The Ranch on Netflix

10102503
Well, that’s because most humans either still have a good life back home or they just don’t remember. Jake rememberers his old life clearly...and doesn’t want to go bock to that

[ThePinkedWonder]

10103459

Now that I think if it, I have seen a lot of stories where the humans has sad backstories, like how Jake does.

I think that different in those stories I'm thinking of is that the humans still tend to not have the option to go back, so they would be stuck in Equestria anyway, but Jake has the choice.

Some of the stories I can think of that the human could go back, tend to be the stories when the ponies adopt a human baby or kid.

[V8]

10103459
This proves that Jake has photographic memory.

[CumminsShakesIt]

Damn another author that plays my heart strings like a sad violin.... am I that big of a softie