James was floating around in utter darkness. There was no light, sound, or anything remotely eye catching. James tried to pull up any kind of memories of his life but couldn’t pull anything up. Floating around the darkness James wasn’t able to keep track of the time that went by. It could have been minute, days, hell even months and he wouldn’t know. He was alone in the dark void with nothing to do. James just continued to float around as he waited. As he floated around the symbols that appeared on his arm would show up and then leave. When they would disappear James would count to see how long they would come back. The time of their return became shorter and shorter and they started to glow in intensity.

There was only two paths that James could take now that he was in this state. He could either try and fight his way back to civilization or he could just give in and let the magic take him. James took the time to think about the pros and cons of each outcome. The only thing that impacted his decision was his mares. Even if he couldn’t pull up his memories he could see them crying if he left. He did the right thing when he took out Dante but he was the reason that Dante became real. His dark shadow was gone but could he have others that are inside of him waiting to break out.

James continued to float in the darkness. He got bored with trying to figure out what to do so he hummed to himself. It was an old military hum that he and his friends made during their off time. James smiled as he remembered the good times that he shared with them. That smile though turned into a frown as the memories of what happened came back. James couldn’t see the memories very well but could make out the details of everything as they unfolded. As the memories went by James shook his head in sorrow blaming himself for everything. As he continued to float there was a bright light.

There was only two things that the light could represent. He was either going to wake up from the coma or his time has come to leave this world. Steeling his resolve for either outcome he floated to the light. James went into the center and got sucked up into the air. James closed his eyes as he felt the force of the pull bring him upward. Heaven or Hell James was going to make the best of it. James opened his eyes when he reached the top and was surprised to see who was standing in front of him.

Hospital

The mares have been taking turns visiting James in the ER. James remained the same unmoving body during their visits. They weren’t sure if James could hear them or not but they would tell him stories or just have a general conversation. Pinkie was taking it hard because she would write on a notepad setting up for James’ victory party. The mares tried to get her to stop but she was too stubborn to stop. It pained all the mares to see Pinkie in this state of denial. Pinkie was a mare of many wonders that continued to surprise ponies to no end. Now though her randomness couldn’t help the one person that she cared about.

James even got visits from his two pets. They were both heavily wounded after the fight but wouldn’t go to a vet. If anypony even the mares tried to take them away from James they would fight back. They didn’t want to leave their master because they wanted him to return. Fluttershy could see the hurt in the animals and decided to tend to them while she was at the hospital. They didn’t object to the treatment as long as they weren’t taken away from James. Poor doctor once got bit by Lightning Bolt when he tried to remove him from the room. After that incident the doctor let them stay since they weren’t causing any harm.

The princesses took the time to visit James to see how he was doing. They tried their hardest to see if there was anything they could do to help. Sadly they couldn’t find anything since his survival depended on his will. Luna tried more than once to visit James in the dream realm and help him but could never find him. The princesses didn’t give up hope on James though since they gave him more doubt than he was worth. Celestia gave a light chuckle as she remembered the time James first came to Equestria. Luna couldn’t help but laugh also since it was a roller coaster ride with him.

James was stubborn to no end. He believed that even if they were royalty they weren’t above him. Celestia ran her hand across her cheek where James slapped her during their meetings. The act was unsurprising to Celestia that she didn’t know how to react. Many thoughts ran through her mind on the best way to handle James. The thoughts ranged from incinerating him to ash, sending him to the moon, or even into the dungeon. As she stared at James he was unmoving and didn’t show any sign that he regretted his decision. Celestia than took a different approach to James to see if they could get along.

It took some time but James and Celestia were able to start seeing eye to eye. They would share a good laugh with each other and go out. Many of the nobles were astonished to see James a weird creature be so informal with their goddess of the sun. For the first time it felt right to Celestia to be treated like any other pony. She guessed that being around snobs doesn’t really help to mold a pony’s attitude. She felt that she could be open with James and he wouldn’t judge her completely for what she did. James became one of her closest friends that she ever had and she couldn’t stand the thought of losing him.

Luna and James were able to get along easily since they shared one thing in common. They were both outcasts in their world after they were wronged. They both tried to make a difference in their lives so they would look good. James was a good influence for Luna as he talked with her. He complemented her nights and made her feel special. Luna was so proud of James that he enjoyed her nights. She was skeptical at first but when he explained what nights in his world was like she could see that he wasn’t lying to make her feel better.

Luna would go into his dreams and sometimes he wasn’t too fond about that. She offered once to help his nightmares but he declined her offer. It wasn’t because he felt that she couldn’t do it but that he needed to deal with them on his own. Luna respected his decision so they would just go to another dream world and talk. James would always smile and treat Luna with respect. Luna was the first to actually beat her sister in making friends with James. This made Luna very proud and when she told James he agreed with her.

James touched the hearts of every pony that he met. Sure there was a few bumps in the road but that was to be expected. James didn’t let the fact that he couldn’t return home stop him from being himself. James lived his life the best he could and made sure that all the ponies stayed safe. With the events at the castle they all saw James as a hero. The princesses couldn’t help but imagine James saying that he wasn’t some hero. He would say that he was a simple man that just did what was right. This caused even more laughter from the princesses.

The princesses came back from the fourteen unconscious mares rooms. They explained that they were enchanted with the necklaces to have their minds altered. Now that they defeated Discord, Nightmare Moon, and Dante they should be getting better. The mares felt a little bad for having to beat them down but they had no choice. The princesses assured them that they would explain to the mares what happened and tell them that they are not in trouble. The mares nodded as they went back to watching James as he slept peacefully.

Soarin and his herd took the time to visit James in the hospital. Even Big Mac and Cheerilee visited him. Not many words were said from Mac but that was to be expected. Cheerilee did most of the talking for her and Mac. She talked about Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo about their studies. They were having a hard time keeping their attention as they stared out the window at the castle. The three mares felt bad for what to James and couldn’t keep up with their work. She knew that James was a man that respected a proper education and asked him to hurry back to them.

Applejack would talk about how the far was doing and how some of the other mares were doing. They were doing their best to keep everything orderly while he was away. Applejack thanked him for keeping Equestria safe but told him that he better return. If James didn’t return back to them then there would be three mares there to kill him again. The mares were herself, Rainbow Dash, and Spitfire. She gave James’ body a soft punch in the arm as she left. As she walked out she swore she saw a smile creep up on his face.

Vinyl would come in and visit as often as she could. She took a break from her job so she could be there more often for James. She fell asleep a few times next to James because she would keep herself up all night. She felt that if she didn’t stay awake then she would miss the moment that he would wake up. Octavia came in one of the notes and had to carry Vinyl back to the house since she stayed at the hospital for so long. Vinyl fought back against Octavia but she was too tired to break free.

Lyra took the time to see James and take notes on human anatomy. Even after being with James for so long she forgot to take notes on humans. She didn’t want to think it but if James was gone then these notes would be the only thing she had left to remember him by. Lyra stopped writing as tears fell from her eyes and onto the notepad. She threw it to the ground angrily because she didn’t want notes and pictures to remember James by. She wanted James to come back to them so they wouldn’t have to remember.

Trixie came along with Twilight to visit James. Trixie couldn’t do anything but she used some healing spells that kept him healthy while he was still alive. Twilight would bring along books and read to James to keep him entertained. Twilight would read a variety of books from Daring Do to other pointless books that would have put him to sleep. Reading those books helped to put some ease on Twilight since she thought that James was sleeping from one of her boring lectures.

Aloe and Lotus came by to help clean him up some. They gave him a nice haircut and a clean shave. Once he was cleaned the mares gave him a light massage in case he woke up he wouldn’t have tight muscles. Aloe and Lotus along with all the other mares left flowers for James to help brighten the room. They changed the flowers everyday so that the room didn’t smell like dying flowers. Rarity and Lightning Dust visited just to be in the presence of James. They was no talking or sounds made. None needed to be made since everything was already in the open.

Spitfire and Rainbow Dash visited James together and never left his side. When night would come they would get on the bed with James and cover him with their wings. They held him close as they kept his body warm. They fell asleep but not until they let a few tears fall from their face. The mares all gathered together to have a group meeting with James. They told him that the other mares were okay and that they were sorry. They felt awful with what happened to him and wanted to make it up to him. They explained to the mares the stated that he was in and they felt even worse. The mares comforted them that it wasn’t their fault and there was nothing they could do about it.

The mares all bowed their heads down to James as they had a moment of silence. The mares looked up as the heart monitor was starting to slow down. James’ breathing was becoming shorter and they were getting worried. Twilight ran out of the room to grab the doctor. It wasn’t long until the doctor and nurses came running into the room. They checked all the machines and James but looked to the mares telling them that there was nothing for them to do. The mares all turned around as they cried knowing that James was about to pass. The doctor and nurses left so they could have the last few moments with James.

The mares all laid their heads on the bed as they cried. They were begging James not to leave them but knew that wasn’t going to do anything. That didn’t stop them from trying though. They all continued to cry as they waited for that terrible noise. The heart monitor was starting to slow down even more. After several minutes the machine finally flat lined signaling that James was dead. The mares continued to cry and through their crying they didn’t hear or feel the sheets moving. Once they were able to settle down their attention was turned as they heard a familiar voice speak to them.

“Why is everypony crying for? Did somepony get hurt or something?” The mares looked up to see James taking a drink from a glass of water. The mares rubbed their eyes to make sure they weren’t seeing anything. James and the mares continued to look at each other for a few seconds until James was tackled to the bed by the mares.

“How are you still alive James? The machine flat lined showing that you passed.” They asked as they cried onto James’ shirt.

“Well the heart monitor was getting annoying so I took off the pads. As to how I am alive is a very interesting story.” James started to recount what happened to him while he was in the coma.

White Room

James was in a bright white room with fluffy clouds. James walked forward until he found a solid gate. When James got close enough it opened granting him entrance. James walked inside and as he did so the gate closed again. James heard the gate lock but didn’t turn around. He kept walking forward to see where he was. There was nothing in the room but the clouds and a sun. It was warm in the area and it felt pleasing. As James walked he found a building that appeared in front of him. James opened the door and was greeted by a sight that he didn’t think possible.

Sitting in the building was his old friends. Demarco, Connor, Blake, Jacob, and David got up from their seats to greet James. They all shook hands for a bit and then went back to the table. James joined them at their seat trying to process what was going on. His friends continued to talk and then they summoned a deck of cards. David shuffled the deck and then passed everyone two cards. It was an old poker game that they played during off time. Demarco and Blake folded since they had a bad hand. James threw in some chips that he had and made his bet. Connor folded after the bet was raised. Jacob called his bluff and tripled it.

David took a few seconds to look at his cards and then at the chips. He took a deep sigh as he folded. James and Connor went back and forth raising the bet. After several raises they showed their cards. Connor won the hand as he always did when he played poker. Connor was always the best at bluffing and no one could call him on it. Connor and everyone laughed as James lost all his chips in one game. James couldn’t help but laugh along with them since he could never learn to stop when he was ahead. After the laughing died down everything went somber. James broke the silence asking the one question on his mind.

“So is this heaven?” His friends looked at each other as they decided who was going to explain this.

“Well yes and no at the same time. You are in limbo right now being judged. We are here to see how much you have changed.” Blake answered as he stared intently at James.

“We are here to let you know that it isn’t your time yet. You still have so much to accomplish that you can’t die yet.” Demarco said looking at the ground. James learned over time that Demarco was more likely telling the truth if he didn’t make eye contact.

“How can it not be my time yet? I just used dangerous spells that put my life on the line. I finished what I started so I think it is time. If it wasn’t my time then why was it yours those few years ago?” James asked tears forming in his eyes.

“That’s because we gave our lives so that you can continue on. Sure we miss our families and they miss us but it was all for you. We have no regrets for giving our lives to make sure that you made it. Odd enough that you ended in a world foull of colorful ponies but I’m not complaining.” Jacob said as he put a hand on James’ shoulder.

James was quiet as he absorbed this information. James could see it in their eyes that they were serious. It wasn’t his time and somewhere deep down he knew it. James looked to his friends and gave them a bright smile that they gave him this news. They gave James playful punches to help cheer him up and it worked. There was another beam of light that showed up in the building and his friends stood up. They walked over to the light and gestured for James to go towards it. James knew that he was going back to the world that he lived in. James thanked his friends for everything that they ever did. They brushed it off saying that it was nothing.

James told him that he would never forget them. David walked up to James and placed a hand over James’ heart. David told him that as long as he never let his heart waver then they would always be with him. James gathered his friends for one last hug. When the hug was broken off James walked into the light and closed his eyes. James could feel himself being lifted off the ground and gave one final goodbye to his friends. James said that he was returning home and he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Real World

James woke up to see his mares crying on his bed. He could hear them begging for him not to leave. James pulled off the heart monitor patches so he could move better. With the patches off he lifted himself a little to grab the glass of water and started to drink from it. James drank half the glass and spoke to the mares. James watched as the mares tried to determine if he was real or not. He was about to say something but was cut off by his mares tackling him. James finished his tale and nodded at all of them.

“Before we get any further into this I do want to know one thing.” James said as the mares continued to stare at him.

“How long have I been out?”

“You were out for two months James.” Spitfire answered as she pulled James closer.

Something felt off to James but couldn’t tell what it was. It was something about his mares but just couldn’t put his finger on it. He could make a comment about it or ask if something has changed but then he remembered Rarity. James wasn’t paying attention during a conversation and Rarity asked if she looked fat in a dress. James was off in his own world that he didn’t think about his answer. He answered yes and that was a painful day for him. It took him three days to make it up to Rarity and that was after she gave him a good beating.

The other mares didn’t help since he dug that hole himself. So wanting to avoid that since he was also in a death hug by Spitfire he kept quiet. James returned the hug and that made Spitfire finally let go. James took a few seconds to get his breath back. James looked over to Pinkie and asked her when the party was. Pinkie became happy at the mention of the party and told him that it would be ready when he wanted to have it. James nodded his head as he told Pinkie that he would tell her later. As he looked at the mares he could see the slight anger that was in their eyes. James knew where this was going to end up so he told them to let him have at it.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to ErikTheSoulReaper for the help on this chapter.