CROSSOVER Sequel: Part Two

Where is the Love?

(Part Two of a crossover with k12314's 'Le Retour')

Kyle stumbled backwards, falling off of his seat, and he crashed onto the ground. He quickly scrambled back up, and he lifted a trembling finger at me. Aw, he’s so happy to see me he’s trembling!

“Y-Y-You're not real... Get out of my head!” He shouted, still looking at me disbelievingly I just want my life back!”

Saw it coming. What, surprised that I knew it was coming? Well, don’t be. I figured that if he was still in a government facility, then that meant that he would be brainwashed. Honestly, it always happens like that.

“Kyle, that’s what I’m trying to give you!” I said, lifting a hoof to give him a bro-hoof. He swatted it away, and I felt stunned.

“NO! You're just a figment of my imagination, brought about by insanity! GO AWAY!” He kept shouting, huddling in a corner.

I stood there, staring at him in shock. How long had he been here, to have forgotten all about his best friends? His life, his love, his family?

“Really?” I asked carefully, not wanting to push him too far. “Everything you remember about those ponies was a dream?”

“YES!” His eyes were wide, and filled with a mixture of sorrow, anger, fear, and…yes, there’s that spark I’m looking for! Hope. Glancing at his hands, I saw that he still wore his wedding ring, and that gave me an idea as to how I could snap him out of it.

Choosing my words carefully, and guesstimating how long it had been since Kyle had been brought back here, I said in a low reassuring voice, “Then why do you still have that ring?”

Kyle glanced at his ring, and confusion shot across his face. Taking the opportunity, I kept going, saying, “That ring was given to you by somepony who loves you with every fiber of her being. She still misses you, and for the past year of her life, she has cried herself to sleep, hoping against all odds that I would find you.” He frowned, as if something was trying to force its way back into his head, and I said, “Kyle, I've been searching for twenty YEARS. Just to make sure that she and her daughter can finally be happy again. Just so I can save my friend, and bring hope back to my friends, and all those who miss you.”

He glared at me, his mind still attempting to piece things together, and he said, “S-So what does this have to do with anything?”

I pointed at his ring, and grimly said, “Because if that ring didn't mean anything to you, you would have gotten rid of it. You know the truth.” He looked at me, and tears started to form in his eyes, as his memories started returning. “Now tell me: Do you want to finally go home? Your real home?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.

Kyle looked like I just punched him in the face. His eyes widened with recognition, and I knew that his memories were coming back, fighting off whatever treatment the Government had given him. “I... I... Yes. Omnius... I'm sorry I cost you so much time. I should have listened when you told me not to take on Torrentican, but my pride got the best of me...” He said, hanging his head in shame.

I rolled my eyes, and elbowed his side a few times. Kyle looked at me, and I grinned. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it!” I held out my hoof, and added, “Now come on, let’s get you home!”

He reached out to take it, but then hesitated. “Wait... The people in this base are the reason I forgot, right?” He asked, wanting me to confirm the obvious.

“Yeah…” I said, wondering if he was thinking what I think he’s thinking.

“And they're waiting on the other side of that door, right?” He said, getting up, and cracking his knuckles.

“Hm…” I thought to myself. “I could get Kyle home safely…” I looked at the door, and then back at Kyle. “Or we could take a few minutes to beat the everlovin’ crap outta each and every single one of those government agents, who are still on my bad list…”

Do I really have to ask?

As a smile sneaked onto my face, my horn started to glow, and the door shot out, its hinges tearing out of the wall, and it slammed against the wall, alerting all of the guards to our presence.

“Let’s get some revenge,” Kyle said, his familiar trademark psycho-grin on his face. He stepped outside, and punched a male nurse who had been dumb enough to try and jam a needle in his throat. The nurse fell over, the shape of Kyle’s ring embedded into his cheek, and he snarled, “Not so fast bub!”

“You still got it!” I said, chuckling.

He smiled, and said, “Alright... I have an idea, but it involves some SERIOUS property damage.”

“Oh, yes!” I cackled, rubbing my hooves together excitedly. Oh, it’s good to have Kyle back! And yet, I still haven’t gotten to see one of his famous DJ’ing things! Note to self: Ask Kyle when his next session is.

As we walked down the hall, more nurses/guards came out of nowhere, surrounding us completely, and cutting us off from the exits. Kyle and I instinctively went back-to-erm…back? It’s hard to tell when I’m considerably shorter than Kyle in pony form.

As I eyed my side of the hall, I asked conversationally, “Hey Kyle, how many of them d’ya think there are?” I was counting at least six on my side, and hey! Look, it’s my favorite guard, Smiley! This time, he was sporting a Kevlar vest, and an entire S.W.A.T team armor suit thing. He had pistols strapped to his legs, and a pump action shotgun clenched in his hands.

“A lot,” Kyle answered. He then tensed, and said, “Alright, let’s do this….”

No freaking way. Is he about to shout what I think he’s gonna shout?

“LLLEEEEEERRRRRRROOOOOYYYYY….” He charged at his side of the room, and I had to suppress a huge bout of laughter.

Grinning wildly, I ran at Smiley, yelling, “JEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNKIIIIINNSSSSSS!”

From the sound of things, Kyle had his own battle handled, and as for mine…

All I had to do was stand up, and say, “I’M GONNA LOVE AND TOLERATE THE SHIT OUT OF YOUR SOULS!” I then stuck my tongue out, and made my best funny faces. Pinkie would be proud.

Four of the guards lost it, and turned tail and fled, screaming something about how they weren’t getting paid enough for this. Smiley snarled at me, and aimed the shotgun at my head.

“Hey, Smiley,” I said, my horn glowing. The gun was pulled away from his hands, and I tossed it into a trashcan. “Don’t you know it’s rude to point things at ponies?”

He roared, and ran at me. I stepped to the side, and said, “Ole’!” He crashed into a medical cart, and I didn’t let this opportunity to mess with him pass by me.

My horn glowed again, and his glove clenched into a fist. Smiling, I used my magic to levitate his fist into his face, and I asked, “Why are you hitting yourself?” BAM! “Why are you hitting yourself?” BAM “Why are you hitting yourself?” Both of his fists clenched together this time, and I brought them down on his…you-know-whats. He screamed, and I said, “Why are you hitting yourself?”

He fell over, and I trotted up to him, grinning. He glared at me with tears in the corners of his eyes, and he said in a high-pitched voice, “Why me?”

I smacked him in the head, and said, “Say goodnight Gracie!”

His head slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Turning away from him, I found out that Kyle had finished his own side of the fight, and was currently looting a prize from one of the fallen nurses. He came back up with a syringe in his hand, and I asked, “Kyle... What are you planning on doing?”

He had an insane smile on his face, as he answered, “I'm going to give these losers a taste of their own medicine. Quite literally.” He held the needle up to the light, and I felt like he was about to Ubercharge something.

“Man, am I glad I met you,” I chuckled. As we continued our exploration of the hallways, we were surprisingly not being bothered by any guards or doctors. I guess that’s one of the benefits of being a magic talking pony: People don’t wanna go bonkers once they see you. Go figure, huh?

A few minutes of walking later, Kyle stopped in front of a door that had a shiny gold name plaque on it. His fists clenched, and he said, “Doctor M. Frost...” At my questioning look, he added, “That's my doctor... He's the guy who gave me all the therapy and meds that made me forget everything...”

A hot flash of anger shot through me, and I put on my best angry scowl. Kyle kicked the door open (like a bawss!), and stormed into the room, with me close behind. The bad doctor (no, he’s not the GOOD doctor) was currently sitting at his desk, and he jumped when he saw us enter.

“W-Wha... How did you get out?” He asked, fearfully looking at Kyle. Kyle stepped to the side, and I strode forth, glaring daggers at the Shrink. “What on Earth!?!? But you're just a figment of his imagination!” He shouted, his eyes widening in shock.

“Oh really? Then how the heck am I here in front of you?” I pointed out, pointing a hoof at him.

“But... But that would mean…” He trailed off, and he put a hand on his forehead, and kept staring at me.

By this time, Kyle had somehow managed to sneak behind the doctor, and was currently aiming the needle. He grinned, and said, “Yep. I'm not nuts. Now, it's STABBIN' TIME!” He jammed the needle into the doctor’s neck, and injected the sedatives into him, giving him a taste of his own medicine (Badum-tish!). “Night night, Goldilocks,” Kyle muttered as the doctor’s head fell onto the desk.

Resisting the urge to say, “Oops, zat was not medicine!” I chose to say, “Er... Are you sure you aren't nuts, Kyle?”

We walked out of the room, and Kyle replied, “Oh I definitely am. I can just control myself...” We both glanced at the remains of the doorframe, and he added, “Most of the time.”

Both of us chuckled at that, and we kept walking, searching for…Okay, I have no idea, but as long as there’s massive amounts of property damage and/or bar-fight style brawls, I’m good with it.

Kyle apparently had something in mind, because as soon as he saw a janitor’s closet, he stopped in front of it, and had me unlock it with my magic (which was basically me torching it without him knowing). He walked inside, and took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from a janitor’s uniform, and also a small thing of mosquito repellent.

“Er... Why do you need cigarettes? You smoke or something?” I asked, confused as all get out.

He shook his head, and said, “Oh God no. Let's just say...” He smiled madly. “I know a thing or two about how to make a timed firebomb. I just hope they have an old water heater here...”

I looked at him questioningly, but then shrugged. Hey, as long as no one gets killed, and something goes boom, it’s a good day in my book!

Another few minutes of searching later, Kyle led us into an old boiler room, where he spent some time rigging up some sort of contraption to an old water heater. As soon as he was done, he turned to look at me, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, “Alright Omnius, we have about an hour before this entire place goes BOOM!”

“Wait, What?!” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah, I learned a few things about arson,” He replied, saying it like he was talking about the weather. “It turns out, if you do what I just did, you can make an old water heater go up in flames, and with that old boiler still in use... Let’s just say this place is gonna have a nice hole in it. So...Let’s get out of here,” He said, grabbing onto my jacket.

I grinned, and together, we went back…back, to EQUESTRIA!

XHXHXHXHXHX

As we went, something felt wrong…As we stepped onto a grassy green hill, I suddenly felt us get…pushed somehow. I don’t know how to describe it, but I guess that’s what happened. I flew through the air for a moment, and then felt myself land on the ground again.

What the crap just happened?

As I looked around, nothing seemed wrong at first. This was definitely Equestria, and from the look on Kyle’s face, the hill was someplace of obvious sentimental value to him. The expression on Kyle’s face was akin to that of a man who’s finally found the answer to the question he never knew he asked. A tear silently rolled down his cheek, and I smiled.

Pushing aside the feeling that something was off, I asked slightly smugly, “So, do you believe me now?”

Kyle nodded his head, as he took in the way the world looked. “Yeah...” A sudden look of realization flashed across his face. “But didn't you say it's been twenty years?” He asked, almost in a panicked sort of way.

“No, no, no,” I quickly reassured. “You see, it's been twenty years of MY life. I'm The Traveler, remember?” I elbowed him jokingly, and kept explaining. “I can go through Space AND Time. So I've been searching for the equivalent of twenty years, but it's only been a year for you...But...” I trailed off, as I finally realized what was off with the area. “Oh no.”

I started hitting my forehead, and muttered, “Stupid, stupid, stupid! You idiot!” to myself. Oh Gods and Goddesses, but I think that…It’s the only possible explanation. Somehow, Torrentican had managed to “tamper” I guess you could put it, with my Traveling! It’s impossible, yet I know I didn’t forget any miscalculations this time! I KNOW I brought us both to the right place, and the right time! Now we’re somehow FIVE YEARS in the future of Kyle’s Equestria! How could Torrentican have...

THE CRYSTAL! I felt the hard lump of crystal in my pocket, and realized that Torrentican had been the one to make that crystal. What if he had planned this all along? What if that fiasco with the crystal was all just a small part of an even bigger plan to ruin Equestria? That would explain why he hadn’t killed Kyle instantly, and also why I would have messed up! I need to find him, and-

“What?” Kyle said, a worried look on his face.

Shit. I can’t tell Kyle about what I suspected, or else he might try and hunt Torrentican again. So, lying slightly, I said, “I think I made a miscalculation...” Looking at him in the eyes, I slowly said, “It's been five years here in Equestria.”

“No way...” Kyle mumbled, swaying on his feet. “Well, can't you just take me back a few years?”

I shook my head, my heart sinking. “No, because if I take you back, the opinions or feelings of anypony from now would change, and we would have to go back to fix that, and then we would end up being in a constant loop of backtracking,” I explained.

“A paradox...” Kyle sighed, the enormity of the situation sinking into him.

One of the MAJOR rules of The Travelers: Try not to mess with the time-stream! That’s what alternate universes/realities/dimensions are for! If I tried to bring Kyle back, then there would be an entirely new Equestria that all three of us would have to deal with. Even though I’ll eventually explore that path, right now, I’m under oath to try NOT to do stuff like that.

Kyle chuckled grimly, and said, almost to himself, “So... Everypony's going to be five years older... That means Scoots'll be in her teen years... Oh joy.”

I chuckled with him, and added, “Yeah. Well, we'd better get moving. We don't wanna keep anypony waiting!” He wasn’t the only one who was missing the colorful ponies. Hey, it’s been twenty years since I saw them last! I want to see them too!

He nodded his head, and both of us started the short hike back to Ponyville.

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

I have to admit, Kyle looked pretty damn happy to be back in good ole’ Ponyville. Everypony who knew him before he disappeared immediately seemed to recognize him (he IS the only human here so far…IRONY!), and they immediately started welcoming him back. One mare in particular, Lyra, was being especially clingy, hanging onto his leg like a small kid would.

Eventually, I had to step forward, and call out, “Alright, come on now! He’s had a rough day, and just wants to say howdy to a few ponies. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon, so just give him some space!”

The crowd grumbled, but they saw that I was telling the truth, and they all left, giving Kyle some last minute compliments. While both of us shared a laugh at the strange antics of Lyra (and me silently reminding myself to tell Kyle about Lyra’s supposed fascination with humans), we walked to the library.

The tree still looked the same as ever, if only a little bit bigger than when I had last seen it, and a lot more…wait, something’s not right. As Kyle knocked on the door, I felt a shiver run down my spine. My eyes caught certain signs, like how the doormat was covered in dust, and the sign with a picture of a quill and book on it had certainly seen better days.

“Hey, Twilight!” Kyle shouted through the door. “It’s me!”

The door flew open, and revealed a very PISSED off looking Twilight, who was currently attempting to kill Kyle with nothing but a look. Her hair was frazzled, and she had splotches of ink all over her, as if she had been pulling an all-night study session…for almost a year.

“Woah... Twilight, are you OK?” Kyle asked, stepping back nervously.

In a scathing, sarcastic voice, Twilight answered, “Oh yes, I'm fine. I've just spent five years of my life barely speaking to anypony and studying, hoping I would find a way to bring you back. I'M PERFECTLY FINE!” Her voice had slowly risen during her tirade, and she practically shouted that last part.

I was shocked. Not only did Twilight just yell at Kyle, but she also admitted to having broken a promise…I couldn’t come up with anything to say, as I just stood there, being steadily ignored by Twilight. Either that or she couldn’t see me. I hoped it was the last part.

Kyle paled, and stuttered out, “You spent all of that time... Searching for me? But Omnius was-”

“I know he was searching for you, but I wanted to help,” She interrupted angrily. “There was no way I was just going to sit back and wait, doing nothing. And now, you just show up...” She trailed off, shaking her head in a mixture of fury and sorrow. “I don't know how to feel other than angry.” Twilight glared at Kyle again, and the door slammed in his face.

“Maybe we should just give her some space,” Kyle wisely said, still staring wide-eyed at the door.

I nodded, and said optimistically, “Yeah... Let's just go see Rarity. She'll probably be happy to see her number one customer back!” I grinned, and eventually, Kyle grinned too.

“That's a good idea. And the Carousel Boutique is just around the corner. ALLONS-Y!” His grin grew even bigger, and he said, “Man I have wanted to say that for a while!”

I laughed, already walking to the Boutique. Truthfully though, I didn’t think today was gonna get any better. What Twilight said she spent five years of her life barely speaking to anypony…No, she didn’t really mean that! Come on, she’s the Element of Magic! And isn’t Magic, “Friendship”? She just meant that she was caught up in her studies, but was still on good terms with the others!

I hope.

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

The benefits of having a friend who practically lived in her shop: You could walk in anytime the sign didn’t say, “Closed”. Case in point, Kyle and I both walked into the Carousel Boutique, as if we were just a couple of customers. The little bell on top of the doorframe alerted the owner to our presence, and in a few seconds, Rarity had zipped in front of us, a smile on her face…

…and then she saw Kyle.

She pursed her lips, and said, “Oh, well how long has it been now? Five years? Where have you BEEN?” It sounded like she was taking the same sarcasm lessons as Twilight…

“Alright, listen,” Kyle said, holding out his hands in a peaceful gesture. “I've been stuck back on Earth-“

“So you just abandoned us for your old home, after you dragged us along and built up friendships like that?” She glared at Kyle, and spat out, “What's wrong with you? Did you just strike up a deal with that, oh what was his name...?” She pretended to think for a moment, “Torrentican?”

“What? No! Rarity, listen-”

“I have work to do,” Rarity said stiffly. “Goodbye.” She then turned around, refusing to look at either of us, and trotted away, her head held in high disdain.

Damn, this is just what I feared. Now this means that everypony else might be angry…oh Gods, if Twilight and Rarity are this mad, what about Rainbow Dash? I’m not looking forward to that.

Clearing my throat, I said, “Kyle... Maybe we shouldn't visit anypony else for a bit. Let's just let the info spread a bit.” At least now, they could get over their anger, and we’d have a better chance of a warmer reception.

“No...” At my obvious surprise, he said, “Omnius, I need to see if there isn't at least ONE of my friends who isn't angry with me... Let’s go.”

I sighed, and thought that this was only gonna get worse from here…At least I know that Pinkie will be happy! I wouldn’t be surprised if she already had a party or some cake ready for us when we got around to seeing her!

XHXHXHXHXHX

When we made it to Fluttershy’s home, she didn’t answer (although thankfully it was because she wasn’t home! Thank the Gods for that little sign of hope) and when we got to Sweet Apple Acres (Sweet Glory Hallelujah, but I think the orchard and fields got BIGGER!), Applejack was out bucking some trees.

As neither Kyle or I felt like getting lost in a grove of nearly endless apple trees, we decided to go and see Pinkie at Sugarcube Corner. I knew that the bundle of hyper pink pony would be really happy to see us!

Or, at least I thought she would be…

As we walked into the shop (and after I bought a slice of pie without Kyle noticing…sneak increased!), I fully expected Pinkie to come dashing down, talking in that little machine gun way of hers. Instead, the bell rang, and echoed forebodingly in the surprisingly dark store…

“Um…I’m gonna wait outside,” I whispered, slinking away and standing outside where I could hear everything that was said.

“Oh, this can't be good... PINKIE?” Kyle shouted, trying to get her attention.

I heard the sound of somepony slowly coming down the stairs, and I prayed that it wasn’t Pinkie. Slow steps + Dark Room…not good.

“Pinkie,” Kyle started, worry in his voice. I felt my heart drop, as he said pleadingly, “Please don't tell me you're angry with me too..."

I heard a voice whisper something, and Kyle had to say, “What?”

“I SAID MEANIE!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “You just went and left us all here. I never get to see any of my bestest friends anymore, because they all shut themselves away, trying to think of ways to find you. I was the only one to leave it up to Omnius!” I felt my heart shatter when I heard that, and what she said next only served to remind me of my foolish, stupid mistake… “And now everypony stopped being friends!”

I started swaying, and had to lean against the wall for support. No…Because of me, everypony stopped being friends…all because I failed to notice that obvious trap Torrentican had set up…Maybe if I had just thought to look for Kyle on his birth-world first, instead of the other places…No…

I heard her crying, and my guilt only got worse. Kyle walked out of the store, and, choosing to hide my feelings, asked Kyle, “Dude, why did you just leave her like that?”

He shook his head dejectedly. “Well, I can't bear to see her like that, and I really don't know what to do,” He said, letting out a deep sigh. “I guess it would be best to just see Dashie... Wait...”

Kyle glanced at his shoes, and cursed to himself. I guessed what he was thinking, and as he asked, “Well...What do I do now?” I used my magic to pull out a pair of shoes I had snagged from the mental institution. “How did you-”

I decided now was a good time for a joke, just to lift his spirits. Smiling, I said, “I’ve learned from Pinkie.”

“Ah.” He slipped on the shoes, and I shifted into Pegasus form so I could follow him. I figured he would need a friend to help him out, just in case things would go horribly wrong (gotta keep hoping for something good after all, right?), so I planned on waiting outside. If he didn’t come out after a few minutes…well, that meant that he and Dasher had made up then!

Kyle took off, with me flying behind him in close pursuit.

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

I landed on the cloud, and Kyle asked me to wait outside. I nodded, and waited, brooding silently.

Okay, focus Omni! Here’s what I know for certain:

1) Due to a mistake on my part (not being able to prevent Torrie from screwing things up) we were now five years out of place.

2) Because of this, Kyle’s closest friends (baring Applejack, Zephyr, Fluttershy, and Big Mac) now hated him, and might be flat out ignoring me completely.

3) I’m now the only one with the entire story of why Kyle couldn’t come back, and why he hadn’t been back sooner, meaning...

4) I’m the only one who has any hope of getting the girls back together, and getting them to like Kyle again.

As I thought about this, trying to form a plan (that’s a sign that shit is definitely getting real), Kyle came outside, his face a neutral mask.

“So how’d it go?” I asked quietly.

“Omnius,” He said in a monotone voice. “Go home.”

“Aw, come on!” I said, getting up. “Tell me!”

“GO HOME!” He screamed, flying off before I could react.

I watched, in unsurprised silence, as he flew away, small pinpricks of light revealing tears that were falling from his face.

Fuck. I really just…I just fucked everything up. No more though! I got up, and went over my thoughts again. If they’re ignoring me, then I’m gonna have to do something I hadn’t done in ages:

I’m going to have to work from the shadows.

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

Thirteen nights later

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

Under cover of night, I jumped from roof to roof, in human form this time, my only disguise being a black hoodie with the hood flipped over my head, casting my face into shadows. I jumped into the branches of the library, and quietly peered inside, a single lit candle revealing Twilight, who was hell bent on researching something that I couldn’t make out.

I flicked my wrist, and a small blade shot out, which I then used as a makeshift lock pick, undoing the latch that held the window shut, and went inside. I successfully crept past Twilight without alerting her (dundundun: Sneak increased!), and walked into a small bedroom, where I saw a purple and green mass of scales sleeping.

I placed my hand over his mouth, and his eyes shot open, as he took in what must have looked like a monster about to kill him. I quickly took off the hood, and whispered, “Spike, it’s me!”

He calmed down, and whispered, “Omnius?”

I nodded.

“Why are you here so late? And why are we whispering? And why are you in Human form!?”

In hushed tones, I told him that since I wasn’t the only human here now I didn’t have to stay a pony as much as I did before, and about the whole situation with Kyle, only this time, he heard my side of the story, explaining how Torrentican had pulled a fast one over all of us. Spike’s eyes widened as I explained, and he cried out, “Well we have to tell everypony this!”

I shushed him, and heard the sound of hooves clopping on the floor. Reacting instinctively, I jumped over the doorframe, and hid in the shadows, closing my eyes so that nothing could see the light reflected from them.

The door opened, and Twilight asked, “Spike, who were you talking to?”

The dragon gulped, and hurriedly said, “Uh, nopony! I just had a weird dream, that’s all!”

Twilight seemed to nod, as she didn’t say anything for a moment, and she left. As soon as I heard the door close, I silently dropped to the floor. “Nice save,” I said.

“Thanks. Why are you telling me this though?” He asked. “Shouldn’t you tell Twilight and the others? They haven’t been friends for almost a year now…”

My heart throbbed painfully at the sorrow in his voice, and I patted him on the shoulder. He looked at me, and I said, “Spike, don’t worry: I have a plan. I need you to start giving Twilight hints that she and the girls should meet up soon. I’m gonna do the same thing with the others, but you’re the first one I had to get in on this.”

He nodded, and I asked him one more question that was critical to the success of this plan…

“How are Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake?”

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

As I made my way through the town, jumping from roof to roof, I thought of the irony of the situation. “Where is the love…for Love?” I asked myself, remembering how Kyle was now the Element of Love. “Dark tidings…” I shook my head, and focused on my plan. I landed on the roof of Sugarcube Corner, and crawled into the window that lead into the room of the two sleeping pony children.

“I hope they still remember there Unka Om,” I muttered, as I closed the door and window. I snuck up to their beds, and felt my heart melt at the sight of them. They had obviously grown, but they still had that same feeling of innocence on them. I sighed, and quietly woke them up.

“Unka Om?” Pumpkin whispered, her eyes lighting up with recognition. Pound looked at me the same way, and I grinned sheepishly.

“Hey kiddos,” I said, holding my arms out to my side. They knew about my human form, as I didn’t think that as babies they would remember me, but…guess I just had that proved wrong.

“Unka Om!” Both of them said at the same time, tackling me with a hug. This…is one of the most d’awable things…that has happened to me…EVER!

I hugged both of them, and laughed quietly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here lately. I was looking for a friend of mine.”

“We’re happy you’re back, Unka Om,” Pumpkin said, burying her face into my coat like she used to do when she was younger. “Pinkie hasn’t been acting very happy lately…”

I frowned, and said, “I know. But howzabout we give her something to smile about, hm? Do you two think that if you, Spike, and Sweetie worked together, you could all get the girls to meet up at the library?”

They nodded, looking at me strangely. “Unka Om?”

“Yeah Pumpkin?”

“What are you gonna do if we’re getting them together?”

I tucked them back into their beds, and perched on the window sill. “I’m gonna go take care of business.”

XHXHXHXHXHXHXHXH

The sun was rising, and I knew that I didn’t have much time. Since I knew that Applejack was gonna be up by now, I just knocked on the door, and was surprised when an older and slightly taller Apple Bloom opened the door.

“Bloom?” I asked quietly, kneeling down.

“Omnius!” She wrapped her forelegs around my neck, and hugged me tightly. “Ah missed ya so much! Everypony’s-”

“I know,” I whispered, as she cried silently on my jacket. “Don’t worry. Remember what I told you that day when you first met the Crusaders?” I asked, pulling away from her, and smiling softly.

She sniffed a little, and wiped away a couple of tears. “That no matter what, you’ll always come when we need you…”

I nodded, and said, “I’m here. Where’s Applejack?”

She led me to Applejack’s room, and I knocked on the door. “Who’s there?” Applejack’s voice called out.

“Boo.”

“Boo who?”

“Now don’t cry! That joke was supposed to be funny!”

There was the frantic sound of hooves, and the door swung open, revealing a wide-eyed A.J. She looked at me, and I smiled. “Well now I’m back…From outer space!” I started singing.

A.J laughed, and pulled me into a hug. After I explained the entire story to her, her anger at Kyle completely vanished, and was replaced with worry.

“Well how are ya gonna get the others to listen?” She asked when I was done. “And where IS Kyle?”

“First, I’m getting some friends to get them together, and you’re gonna have to try and explain things to them, along with Fluttershy, since they apparently still hate me,” I answered somewhat bitterly. “Second, I don’t know, but if my detective skills are right, he’s probably drowning his sorrows at some bar.”

“Why do ya think that?”

“It’s the only thing I can think of,” I replied. I gave her another quick hug, and added, “Do me proud A.J!”

“I’ll try.”

I grinned, and ran outside, the sun starting to peek over the horizon. I closed my eyes, and asked Princess Celestia silently, “Princess, I’m sorry to ask you this, but I need at least one more hour before the morning! It’s imperative to getting the girls and Kyle back together!”

“Kyle is back?!” A surprised voice answered in my head.

“That he is. Now please, I need you to do this for me!”

“Alright…If it were anypony else, I would refuse, but if there is any hope of getting Twilight her friends back…” Her voice faltered, as she started worrying about her student/adoptive daughter.

“Don’t worry! I’m the Traveler of Good, it’s what I’m made to do!” I said, making my way to Fluttershy’s cottage. “Is Luna’s memory loss thingie showing up yet?”

As Kyle had told me what had happened, I was constantly worried that something might have happened to Luna. See, for those of you who have forgotten, when Kyle had been impaled by a stalactite, he had died. So Luna, choosing to trade 100 year’s worth of memory for the gift of life, had brought Kyle back to the land of the living.

“No, not yet. I wish you luck Traveler…Please, help them.” Celestia answered, before severing the connection.

XHXHXHXHXHXHXHXHX

I finally stopped in front of Fluttershy’s cottage, just as the sun started to move again. I took off the hood, and ran my fingers through my windswept hair, trying to make myself look as non-threatening as possible.

Once satisfied with my appearance, I knocked on the door of the cottage. The door cracked open, revealing a patch of pink hair, and a crystal blue eye.

“Omnius!” The door opened, and I was tackle-hugged for the third time that day/night. “You’re back! Where’s Kyle, is he alright? Did you find him?”

I hugged her tightly. For some reason, she was always able to chase away whatever bad feelings I had. It must have had something to do with her inherent kindness, but I always felt better around her. She could make anypony feel better, and that was what I was hoping she would do.

“Fluttershy, I don’t have much time, but listen.” I explained EVERYTHING to her, and ended by saying, “Now look, if you still want to be Kyle’s friend, then I need you and A.J to meet with the girls either tonight, or more likely tomorrow, and convince them to give Kyle another shot. They won’t listen to me, and…” I faltered, realizing the enormity of what I just said for the first time in almost two weeks.

They didn’t listen to me.

Fluttershy sensed my distress, and she hugged me again. “Don’t feel bad, they’ve just had a lot on their minds. They haven’t seen either of you in almost five years.”

I chuckled, and answered, “Fluttershy, I haven’t seen ANY of you in twenty years.”

She gasped, and took in my appearance. “But-“

“For Kyle, it’s been a year, but that’s not important. We just need to get everypony together again!” I answered, fondly rubbing her mane. “Now if you excuse me, I need to make sure that everything is ready.”

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

I sat quietly in a corner of the bar, hiding in the shadows, completely hidden from everypony…and everyone. Thanks to my ability to get information (and pay bribes), I had tracked Kyle down to this local bar, and was now waiting for everypony to show up.

Sipping at my drink, a cooled bottle of Nuka-Cola, I waited. After a few hours, the door opened, and the girls finally showed up. Grinning, I started listening to Kyle…

And realized my fatal mistake.

“I... I didn't mean to leave you guys...” He was mumbling to himself, in a drunken pit of self loathing. “I didn't know Torrentican would take me back... I would never leave here willingly... I'm so sorry I forgot... I just wish I could have come back sooner... I never wanted it to be like this... I love you all so much...” He buried his head into his arms, and began sobbing, and I felt my heart sink even lower. “Y-You w-were the b-b-best friends I-I ever h-h-had, and I j-just ruined i-it by g-going against him, thinking I w-w-would win... L-Look what m-my p-p-pride got me... I'm a w-worthless loser... I'm n-n-nothing... I'll never a-amount to a-a-anything... I r-ruined your l-lives... I d-don't deserve y-your friendship... I-I just d-deserve the a-anger... The h-hate... P-Please, d-don't s-stop hating me... I-I-I deserve e-every ounce of th-the anger... I'm so sorry... I'm so, so, so sorry... I ruin everything... I can't do anything right...”

He kept sobbing, and I finally noticed the large amount of empty bottles and glasses around him. He had drunk himself into a stupor, and the girls…did nothing. They just watched him silently, and walked out of the bar, barely giving him a second glance.

It was that, more than anything, which let me know that I had failed.

I stood up, and walked out of the bar, eliciting a few gasps of surprise as nopony knew that I had been there all day. I didn’t care though. I was…angry, sad, disappointed, and guilty.

A mocking laugh was heard, and Torrentican whispered, “Feeling down, Sean?” I knew he wasn’t there, and I kept walking, finally reaching my house. I kicked open the door, and opened an incredibly old looking and barnacle encrusted cabinet, revealing an old diving suit with a humongous drill attached to the arm, with heavy pieces of armor strapped to it in different places.

Quickly putting on the armor, I saved the helmet for last, carrying it underneath my arm as I walked outside. I took one last look at Ponyville, and thought for a few moments about what I was about to do.

“My friends are all still mad at each other, Kyle is alone and friendless. I can’t call myself his friend because of the shit I made him go through, and Torrentican is still here. He has five years’ worth of Shadow-Stalkers ready in the forest, and I’m obviously not welcome here.”

I put the helmet on, and clenched my left hand into a fist, where small tendrils of lightning arced across the knuckles. The voice modifier went to work, making my voice become nothing more than a system of guttural roars. I stomped off into the Everfree forest, turning my flashlight on.

Going deeper and deeper into the forest, I found a small alcove that was covered in moss, and which only let in a small amount of filtered light, and had a small pond in the center of it. There was a cave off to the side, and obvious signs that Shadow-Stalkers and Manticores were in the area.

I nodded, satisfied with what I was going to call my new home, and let out a loud challenging roar.

From now on, it looks like Hope rides alone…

XHXHXHXHXHX

Unknown amount of time later

XHXHXHXHXHX

I wandered through the forest, still hunting Shadow-Stalkers, even though I must have taken out two hundred today alone. Granted, most of them were imps, but still, the numbers had me worried. As I walked, I let my mind become clear, and just let the Big Daddy instincts kick in, telling me what I needed to do…

Right as I heard a filly scream in fear.

I didn’t have to see my helmet to know that the visor on it was suddenly glowing an angry red color, and I charged in the direction of the scream. A terrified Pegasus filly was huddled against a stone wall, while an angry manticore crouched, ready to pounce on her.

Immediately, I was reminded of a Splicer attacking a Little Sister, and went into battle mode. I tackled the manticore, my drill arm tearing a hole in its wings, and used my free hand to grab at its jaw, tearing it away from the scared filly. Without even skipping a beat, I pulled back the drill, and smacked its head with the side of it, dazing the beast, and effectively readying it for the kill.

The filly let out a terrified whimper, and I glanced at my drill. It was covered in blood already, and I knew that I shouldn’t expose the filly to more violence than it had already seen. So I smacked the manticore again, knocking it out instead of killing it.

Turning away from it, I knelt next to the filly, who stared at me with wide eyes. I extended a massive, glove covered hand, and the filly slowly put her hoof into it, and smiled hopefully.

“What’s your name?” She asked, giving me a confused look. I didn’t answer, and just put her on my back, where she managed to hang on, as I carried her through the forest. As soon as we reached Ponyville, I set her on the ground, and she looked at me again.

“Thanks Mister! But what’s your name!?” She asked again.

In answer, I showed her the back of my glove, revealing a Greek Delta.

“Is that a triangle?”

I shook my head.

She thought about it for a second, and then said, “Ooh! I think I know! I saw something like this in school! It’s, uh, it’s…a Delta?”

I nodded.

“Delta? That’s your name?”

I nodded again.

“Okay…Thanks Mister Delta!” She then scurried off, using her wings to get a bit more speed. Smiling on the inside, I turned back, and walked into the forest.

As soon as I reached my alcove, and stood in the pond to regenerate any lost wounds (thanks to the Fountain of Youth tonic), it started to rain…

Hope, it seems, rides alone.

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