Timid James was walking around Ponyville, trying to avoid the residents. Some of the ponies would stop and greet him. Being greeted by the ponies made him very scared of them. He pulled his cloak more over his head so that his face was hidden. He found a tree to hide behind so he did. As he hid behind the tree he decided to take a little nap. He was awoken by a soft voice. He opened his eyes to see Fluttershy in front of him. He jumped into the air, scared of the pegasus.

Fluttershy flew a little closer to him when he fell to the ground. As she got closer he kept backing up. He could see the prism shard that she had in her hand and was truly scared. He turned around and ran down the dirt road. As he ran he saw Rarity, Aloe, Lotus, and Flitter at the other end. He didn’t want to be captured so he channeled his magic. When he got to the four mares he teleported himself away. The mares stared in confusion as he disappeared in front of their eyes.

He used his magic to make himself invisible than teleport. He slowed his breathing and kept his voice at a whisper so the mares couldn’t find him. The mares looked around a bit before going to another place to look. Once they were out of sight he released his held breath and undid the spell. He went about walking some more, hoping to find a way out of this.

As he walked around he wondered if the others were okay. During his walk he found a cottage on the outskirts of town and entered the building. He remembered that the cottage belonged to Fluttershy. Since she was staying at the house this would be a good hiding place until he could come up with a plan.

The mares were running around town trying to find him. Flitter offered to help, but was quickly shot down by the others. She could see that they held anger towards her so she kept quiet. She continued to follow them as they searched for the human. During their search she noticed that he was walking somewhere. She was about to say something, but quickly quieted herself. They wouldn’t have listened to her since she made them all angry. While Fluttershy was distracted with looking down an alley way, she took the prism shard.

With the shard in her hand, she snuck away quietly. She kept her distance from him as she followed him. She saw him go into Fluttershy’s cottage and waited. She looked at the prism shard in her hand as she neared the cottage. She put the shard away in her pocket as she knocked on the door. The knock on the door surprised the human as he hesitantly walked up to the door. There was another knock on the door and he couldn’t figure out who was out there. He steeled his nerves as he opened the door slightly.

When the door was open enough he stuck out his head and saw Flitter. He slammed the door in her face and went back into hiding. She kept banging on the door and asked to be let in. He told her no because she was there to put him back in that prison. She could hear the hurt in his voice and promised not to use the shard on him. He hesitantly opened the door to look at the pegasus. She asked if she could come in and talk and he allowed her entry. The pegasus took a seat on the couch and patted the spot next to her.

He looked at the spot for a few seconds before hesitantly taking a seat. Once he was seated he gave a little squeak as she gave him a hug. It took him a few seconds, but was able to return the hug in kind. She rubbed his back and that seemed to calm him down some. When the hug was broken she asked if he would like something to drink. He nodded his head and she left to get them some water. As she walked away she asked if he could remove the hood to his cloak so she could get a better look at him.

He grabbed the hood tightly, afraid to pull it down. She couldn’t help but giggle at his little antics. They reminded her of Fluttershy and it was just adorable. She walked over to him and gently placed her hand on his. He looked into her eyes as she gave him a comforting smile. The smile helped him feel warm on the inside. He gave her a slight smile and nod of the head. She got up from the couch and went into the kitchen to get the water. While she was gone he looked at the front door and then back at the kitchen.

He took several seconds to think about it and then decided to stay. He took a deep breath as he slowly pulled down his hood. The pegasus came out of the kitchen and smiled at him. She knew what he looked like, but being able to see it fully gave a new perspective. All the blue that was on him showed how timid he was around others. She sat down on the couch and offered him his glass of water. He took the glass hesitantly and started to drink from it. The two of them sat together in silence as they drank their water.

As they drank their water she saw that he was shaking like a leaf. She asked if he was alright and then he started crying. She pulled him in close as she rubbed his back. His tears soaked her blouse but she didn’t care. She held onto him as she hummed a little tune to him. She didn’t speak or push him away, but let him cry to his heart’s content. She could hear the sniffles as he tried to gain his breath to speak. She kept rubbing his back until he was ready to speak to her. After a few minutes of crying he was able to calm down.

Once he was calm he started to explain why he cried. He cried because he was very scared. He was scared of all the uncertainties that this world held and he was scared of the others. They all remembered the darkness that was inside of them, but he was the one that took it the worst. He would have nightmares every time he would go to sleep. He would wake up screaming, but the others wouldn’t help him. He was also scared for the other mares. He remembered all the pain that he caused and wished that he could take it back.

She just sat there and listened to his tale as he talked. She could see this pained him as he talked. He wasn’t just another personality in James, but also his worries and fears. He always wanted to do right no matter what world he was in, but believed that he only caused pain. When he was finished talking he leaned on her and started to slightly nod off. She adjusted herself on the couch and laid his head on her lap. He looked up to her and she smiled down at him. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

She pulled the prism shard out of her pocket and looked it over. She looked at him and the shard a few times. She took a deep breath as she set the shard aside and let him sleep for a few minutes. As he slept, she stroked his hair and a small smile formed on his lips. She couldn’t help but smile at him as he had a relaxing dream. All he ever needed was someone to listen to him. She closed her eyes so she could get some sleep herself after being rudely awakened.

She was asleep for a few minutes until she was awoken by some shuffling outside. She looked down and saw that he was still asleep. She carefully moved his head off of her, much to his moans of protest. She walked over to the door and opened it. When she opened it she was met with four angry mares. They were about to start yelling when she cut them off. She told them to be quiet as she opened the door. When the door was fully opened they gasped to see the human sleeping on the couch.

They looked over to Flitter who explained everything that happened. The mares all nodded as they entered the house and looked at him. He was so peaceful and happy in his sleep that it almost broke their hearts. Fluttershy saw the prism shard on a little table and picked it up. She walked over to Flitter and gave it to her. Since she was the one that found him and was able to understand him then she needed to do it. She tried to back out but Fluttershy didn’t allow her.

She was told that it was the best thing to do. He may be trapped inside that prism for a while, but if they got them all back together then James would come back. He also wouldn’t be afraid anymore since he knew that Flitter was there to help him some. She walked over to the couch again and placed his head on her lap. She continued to stroke his hair and hummed to him again. The other mares left since it did pain them to see this happen to a part of James. They left through the door quietly as Fluttershy said to meet them at the house when she was done.

Flitter nodded and continued to comfort him. A few minutes went by and he finally woke up. He saw that the pegasus was crying and asked her what was wrong. She explained what happened while he was asleep and he took it quite well. He did the same thing that she did when they first talked. He pulled her in close and let her cry. He could feel the tears staining his cloak but didn’t care. The cloak was only as real as he was and that wasn’t much. He rubbed her back as he soothed her. She backed away from the hug and looked deeply into his blue eyes.

For the first time that she saw in this short time, he wasn’t afraid. He looked at the crystal shard and nodded for her to do it. She picked up the shard and looked it over. She looked at him and he was smiling at her. They held each other in another hug as they both cried. She apologized for what she was about to do, but he told her not to. He explained that he was glad to have met her. Even if he was going back to James he would never forget her kindness towards him. He placed a hand over his heart and told her that he would never forget her as long as James was alive.

She smiled as they hugged each other again. He told her that when he was back inside James he would let him know that she loved him. She nodded as she lifted up the crystal and touched it to the back of his head. There was a bright flash for a second and then it died off. She looked at the prism shard as it turned into a blue color. She let a few more tears fall from her face as she left the cottage. Once she was outside she took to the air and headed for the house. She hurt on the inside, but was happy to help him in his time of need.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to ErikTheSoulReaper for the help with this chapter.