It wasn't a long walk for Cerb and Rarity to the place of business she called home, but the mostly silent transit came off feeling slightly awkward. There was a little chatter on the way about a few houses they passed and who lived there, or some of the random shops, but nothing very substantive. For as much as Rarity was looking forward to some alone time with the handsome fellow, she was now at a loss of where to start or how to carry a conversation. Cerb seemed to be a bit uneasy about the whole ordeal as well. This began to gnaw at Rarity, thinking that perhaps all his previous vulnerabilities and enticement had been the product of her wingmare, and not her at all. It seemed to steel the hopes she had built up after the original flattery he had given her after they first met. Maybe this was just a pity date he had agreed to after all.

"And here we are," Rarity announced as they finally approached her boutique. "My home and base of operations for all things fashionable."

"Wow," He said with a not so believable voice of wonderment. "- this is all you?"

"Well, me and my sister Sweetie Belle. She's off to school for the day."

"Your folks live here, too? Or is it just you and her?"

The front door opened and Rarity guided her human stud inside. "No, just me and her. Our parents decided that the more quiet and rustic environment of Ponyville was a far more suitable place for a developing young lady to grow and mature in."

"So, they dumped her on you?" He blurted out, not putting much thought into it.

Rarity weakly gasped at the notion. "I don't think I would say… Well, I suppose that phrasing is a tad harsh, but" she sighed in defeat "your assessment wouldn't be wrong."

That response was a dead give away of a bad topic or a wrong way of asking his question. "Oh, hey. I'm sorry. I didn't mean… you know."

"No, no. You're perfectly fine."

"Sorry. It's just… well. Me and none of my friends really seem to have a good track record with our parents. Most of us who didn't get dumped off or abandoned wished we were."

It was an honest apology, though it didn't really take the sting out his words.

"I don't know anything about your parents, but your little sis seems like a pretty good kid from what I saw. So, at the very least I can say you're doing everything I wish our parents did. And if you're as kind to her as you have been to us, I'd say she's right where she needs to be."

Okay, this was taking a more pleasant turn for the fashion mare. "You… really mean that?" – She took a step away to flip the sign in the window to open – "You're not just saying such nice things to raise a smile out of me, are you?"

Cerb had been caught off guard by the sights that he saw before him. He wasn't one for fashion or the exquisite degree of attention that one must put into dresses and a woman's clothing, but what was on display was unquestionably works of beauty and finely tuned skills. "Uh… No. I mean, you're a warrior that protects your whole nation, a private business owner, and you have the time and energy to raise your sister up on your own. The fact that you've been successful in any one of those categories, let alone all three is impressive." – He bent over to give one of the dresses a closer examination, feeling over the intricate woven threads and lace. – "Did you make all of these, or do you have a team of staff that helps you out?"

The barrage of flattery sent her heart aflutter. Her public service, career, family caregiving, and assuming that it must take a team of employees to put together a dress she did over a lazy weekend. Future lover or not, this one was a keeper. Scratch that, he had to be her future lover now.

"Oh my dear Mr. Cerberus, flattery will get you everything you want and more," She spoke perhaps a bit too flirty; enough that she caught herself and forced herself to dial it back. "And no. I do all the work here myself. Sweetie may help from time to time finding my various fabrics and tools, but I do all the crafting myself. Everything you see here was done by my own two hooves and horn."

"Horn?" Cerb had to look back to remember that she was a unicorn that could wield magic. "Oh, right. Sorry, still just impressed with your work."

The soft glow of Rarity's magic aura softly illuminated the corners of the shop as it took hold of the drapes. She pulled them back to let the light of the new day shine in. Even more fine wares came into view. Many of them more elaborate and fancier than the one he first looked over.

"Wow, now that looks like something Kelly would love to wear," He commented while looking over a black and silver ensemble. It looked to be mostly made of some type of black satin material, though the silver must have been silk. A mix of clear and milky white gems trailed down the curved line that flowed down the neckline where a pony's thighs would meet their torso and then curved back into just past the hole in the fabric for where their tail would poke out. That dress wasn't just beautiful, it was sexy. "That shit is hawt."

"Shit?" Rarity asked, not sure of the meaning of the word.

"Oh, damn. I mean. Not shit," He carefully apologized while scratching his head to think of how to walk that back. "Shit is one of those words we use as a catch-all. You'd think all the times I've been in foreign countries, I'd learn not to use so much slang."

"Oh, you're quite alright my dear," She cheerfully announced as she pranced over to one of her work stations. "No need to keep apologizing so much. It's charming, and while I don't mind you being cute, because it is adorable, you don't need to be on edge around me."

"Sor-"He caught himself. "Yeah. I guess I'm just a bit nervous leaving everyone else behind."

"Nervous?" She asked with concern, poking her head around a corner where she was looking for something. "What's there to be nervous about? You're not worried about another incident with the guards, are you? Because I believe the princesses made it abundantly clear that would not be an issue."

That was undoubtedly part of it. "No, I'm still a little worried about something like that happening again. If not with some dipshit guard, even a civilian could freak out and do some damage."

“A dip shit?” She slowly spoke. "You'll really should explain to me how this slang of yours works."

"It…" He wondered if this was really worth getting into at the moment. "A stupid person. Horse. Pony. I mean… Look, don't get too caught up on the slang. The words change on how we use them. As much as we shouldn't use them, I know we're going to. So, let's just say for now that it's something you'll probably have to learn as you go along."

She chuckled at how he was now stumbling over his own words. "I'm sure it will be quite the adventure going along with you and your friends, Mr. Cerberus."

"You don't have to keep calling me mister. Just Cerb is fine. Or use my real name, Justin."

"Oh, okay," She seemed almost apologetic as she said it. "I don't mean to be a bother being so formal with you."

"No, no. It's fine. It's just that, well, Cerberus is just a nickname. So it seems kinda weird having it used so formally. it'd be like me calling you Miss Element or something like that."

Rarity trotted out from the corner she had been standing behind with her measuring tape floating alongside her. "Well, I rather do like your proper name. Justin has a nice ring to it. But Cerb seems a bit more fitting for your… shall we say… physic."

"Meaning?"

Rarity was too close to hide her blush, which made it burn even brighter. "Well, you'll have to excuse me for saying, but given your strong muscular form. You can be rather intimidating and seem to give off the same vibe of ferocity and power like Cerberus himself."

"There's another Cerberus here?"

"Oh, yes. Cerberus is the giant three-headed dog that guards the entrance to Tartarus. Don't want any of those baddies and monsters getting out and wreaking havoc."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing that I look like the guard dog to your underworld that's big enough to stop other monsters from escaping?"

Rarity circled around the confused man, looking him over with her eyes dancing up and down. "Don't be silly, Justin. You don't look a thing like that brute. I merely mean that you have the same presence that demands the respect and admiration of your physique as him. He's not nearly as handsome as you are."

"Handsome? And what happened to preferring Cerb over Justin?"

The joy-filled unicorn finally stopped her examination of Cerb and stood before him, staring up with a more than pleased smile. "Well, if it's just the two of us, I think I'll stick to your proper name. But with others, I might as well follow their lead and call you Cerb." – She intentionally didn't address the handsome comment she made and moved on to what she knew best – "Now let me take some measurements. If you would be so kind as to lift your- " She put on her glasses to look up at his figure again while stretching out her measuring tape. "- hands? My apologies. You don't have forelegs, do you?"

Cerb brought up his hands into view. "Hands? Oh, arms. Raise my arms like this?" He raised his arms out straight from his sides, posing like a scarecrow.

"Yes, perfect my dear. And I apologize. This would most likely be much easier had you not given up your only shirt to the cleaners."

She laid the tape along his chest and across his arms. Then she moved down his sides and across his waist. Each time jotting down the lengths and widths of each section. Lastly, she placed the tape around his chest one more time. "Okay, now this time lower your arms and make your chest and sides big like you did when you had the shirt I made for you on."

"Like this?" He lowered his arms and flexed his chest and lats.

Rarity's eyes widened. There was something so impressive and exciting about watching his pecs grow and raise up. Even his latissimus dorsi muscles expanded and fanned out to a miraculous size, giving him a much more domineering and captivating appearance.

"Oh, my…" Her tone gave away far too much of her inner thoughts that she would have liked to have heard.

The tone he heard had him grow some level of uneasiness, remembering what he and Sniff had talked about that morning. Was he arousing her?

"Something wrong?" Trying not to sound too concerned.

"Yes," She said candidly. "I see exactly why my design was so unsuitable for a body like yours. I had no idea you could make your body so much bigger and hard like you can. Are you sure you're not a golem?"

"As sure as stones are made from rocks," He answered back, having a bit of fun with his answer. Actually, did he just flirt back? Was that intentional? Whatever his intention was, there was a shimmer in her eyes that made the answer seem far less important at the moment. The more relaxed he let himself be, the more her carefree joy seemed to rub off onto him. It was a pleasant experience. In some ways, it felt like an old forgotten feeling coming back to him. Something that he hadn't known he had been missing.

She smiled back as she trotted off to her work station with the new measurements.

"Hey, you look really cute in those glasses you know that."

She was eating up all of his compliments. Even sitting down, it had her feeling like she was walking on air. "Oh, please, darling. You're already getting a free wardrobe. There's no need to keep buttering me up."

A moment went by where the only noise that could be heard were the sounds of scissors cutting into fabric, a sewing machine, what had to be Rarity's magic controlling it all, and her melodic humming. After a minute or two, it all stopped and was replaced by her hooves trotting back over the room where she had left Cerb standing. "My goodness, my apologies Justin. I was so excited to get started on your shirts again that I simply forgot all about you in here."

Cerb smiled and looked around the wide-open room. "Yeah, I didn't know if you wanted me to stay over here or what to do."

"Well, unless you plan on greeting my customers for me, you're more than welcome to join me back here. I have some reading material. Books and fashion magazines with the latest trends… Though as much as you seem to appreciate my work here, I don't imagine that would spark your interest. But if you like you're more than welcome to take the couch and watch me work."

There wasn't much of anything else to do while he was there, and even if he was hungry, he didn't feel up to venturing out into town on his own. "Sure, but if I fall asleep, I apologize. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Please, that's perfectly fine. I can't imagine watching me work is all that much entertaining. By all means, get some rest."

She led him into her work area and got him comfortably situated on the small couch. Despite its small size for him, it was more than comfortable enough to rest on. And even though he thought it would be rude, he thought he would be okay to at least take a short nap.

The same sounds started up as she worked and hummed along. Even the whirling of the sewing machine was soft enough to become a comforting white noise in the background. It was all very relaxing. He felt the drowsiness set in until the ringing of the bell from the door opening rang.

"Hello! Miss Rarity?" An unfamiliar voice called out. "You weren't in yesterday when I stopped by to pick up my shawl. I'm hoping it's ready."

Rarity perked up in her seat. "Pardon me for a moment. That would be Octavia. She's a local musician that plays the cello. She's very talented and asked for me to whip something special up for her and the concert she'll be performing in. You'll have to excuse me while I grab her order and make sure everything is to her liking. Should only take a moment or two."

"Yeah, sure," Cerb tried to ensure her. "I'll be fine here."

She turned her attention to the display area. "Just a moment, dear. I'm in the back. I'll be right out with your order in a moment."

"No rush." The musician answered back.

Cerb watched her as she looked over a shelf and used her magic to pick up a box and prance her way out to greet her guest. Idle chat quickly took over the room as the two exchanged pleasantries and started to discuss the shawl and drama that came with the concert she was leading. Nothing that seemed to grab his attention. He got as far into their conversation as the new mare going on to complain about her, 'noisy roommate' before his tiredness won out and he dozed off.

His eyes opened, the room he fell asleep in was still empty, but the voices that were chattering before were gone. He sat up almost robotically and looked around for any signs of his company. The sky's outside had grown darker. Had he overslept or had the weather turned. "Rarity?" He called out, though not so loud as to disturb any potential customers. He didn't want to frighten anyone with his unexplained existence and cause a scene. However, no pony answered back.

"Justin!" Kelly's voice screamed out to him like she did back at the Apple farm.

"Kelly!" He called out to her. If something happened to her again, he didn't know what he would do. "Kelly! Where are you!"

She didn't answer, she just screamed again. It was the same scream he heard from her before. The very same as the day prior. She was in danger again.

"Kelly!" He screamed out as she sprang to his feet and rushed to the door. He turned the handle, but the door didn't budge. He wrenched on it as hard as he could, but still no movement from the door. The handle started to bend as he pulled up on it. He screamed as fear and anger overtook his self-control. Fearing for his friend he took a step back and kicked the door closest to the lock. It gave a loud thud but didn't move. Again, and he kicked, but it refused to move. He moved to the nearest window and looked for a handle to slide it open, but there were none. They were all fixed panels of glass.

"No, no, no. Kelly," He mumbled to himself, feeling trapped in this shop. Where was Rarity, and why would she lock him inside alone? He looked around the room again and saw no escape, not unless…

He turned back to the window and prepared for what was likely going to cut him open. More than ready to take the pain that was sure to follow, he dropped his fist on the glass.

Another thud echoed in the room. The glass was no different then the door he attacked. Again, and again he bashed his hands against the windows, hoping to break through.

Once more he heard the scream, this time he could clearly hear it was inside the shop. Somewhere inside this prison, Kelly was trapped with him. She might even be injured, suffering, dying perhaps. He had to find her. Had to save her.

"Kelly!" He called out into the open room and moved to search for her but was stopped. Something was bound to his wrist. He looked down to see Fluttershy holding his left hand. "Fluttershy, you have to help me find Kelly. She's hurt, can't you hear her screaming?"

"Mr. Cerberus," Her voice was frightened. "You have to calm down."

"No!" He tried to pull his hand free, but it only jerked her closer to him.

"Justin, please. You're scaring us." Rarity was now next to him and holding his right-hand hostage.

When did they get here? Why were they only now showing themselves? Why weren't they helping him?

Rarity tried to calm him down. "Justin. Kelly is fine now. Remember? She's out with your friends, Lumberman and Chris. They're spending the day with Applejack."

"No. I-I-I, no. I heard her screaming for me. Please let me go. I need to find her," He pleaded, seemingly unable to move.

Fluttershy again started speaking nonsense to him. "Mr. Cerberus, it's all in your mind. No one is screaming. Kelly isn't anywhere close to us right now. You need to calm down."

He pulled again against both his hands, but he had even less power against them than before. "Why won't you let me go? Why did you lock the doors? She's here. I heard her scream."

"I never locked the door, dearie," Rarity tried to reassure him. "If you really want to go find her, you need to calm down first. Then we can check up on her if you wish."

Cerb was scared now. They were holding him against his will and blatantly lying to him. He thought he could trust them, but they had betrayed him. He wanted to get away, but first, he needed to escape their hold on him. He looked to his hands to see what kind of grip they could possibly have on him, only to find his hands were dripping with blood.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," He recited over and over again, starting to weep. "Kelly… her blood is on my hands. Take her blood off my hands. I need to save Kelly."

His left hand was suddenly free again. Or almost free. Fluttershy held it up to him while rubbing it softly.

Fluttershy stroked his hand, and in doing so, the blood began to vanish. "There's no more blood on your hands. See? We washed it all away, remember?"

Rarity relaxed her hold on his other hand and brought it up to nuzzle into. "You know she's fine, Justin. We all saw her this morning. Do you want to go see her?"

Something was different now. Cerb felt it over his entire being. He was still frightened for Kelly, but the panic was gone. So was the anger of being betrayed. He felt relieved. Relieved that he could trust them.

He collapsed to his knees and fell to the ground, weak and powerless. His body started to curl into the fetal position. "I was scared I was losing Kelly. Did I imagine she was hurt? Am I hearing things? I saw her blood on my hands."

"Shh, shh, shh. Hush now. We're here with you. Everything is fine. You're just tired is all," Fluttershy whispered to him.

Something wrapped around his head and shoulders, lifting him up slightly. He felt something warm and soft slide under his neck before the tension was released and his face was softy placed on what felt like a warm, comfortable pillow.

Rarity did her best to comfort him through his episode while she caressed his cheek. "There, there. You just rest up a bit more, and we'll go check up on Kelly when you wake up."

"Don't you worry," Fluttershy's voice assured him. "We'll stay right here with you. Kelly is safe with our friends, and you'll be safe with us. Okay?"

His mind was a wash. He couldn't think, but he could feel Fluttershy climbing up alongside him. Nuzzling up close from his lap to his chest. This was all so confusing. What was happening to him? Why as he so tired again? He wrestled with wanting to run away, but couldn't find the strength to push them off. Whatever they were doing to him made him want to stay. The more he thought about escaping, the more he wanted to hold onto them, and it seems like that's all his body would allow him to do.

One hand found its way to Rarity's hind leg and gripped it. His other slid over Fluttershy and pulled her close. The darkened skies he could see through the windows began to brighten, and a knocking came from the door.

His eyes opened again. He was still in Rarity's sewing room. Still on the couch. However, the room was empty, and all the chattering voices were gone.

"Kelly," He spoke with a gasp as he tried to sit up, but a gently placed hoof on his shoulder guided him back down.

"Shhhhh," Rarity's hushed him with her soothing voice. "Easy does it, big fella."

Now that he was awake, he noticed the heat in his chest, the uncomfortable warmth in his throat, and cold, clammy skin. It was a nightmare. A new one for him, and a bad one at that.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," He started to apologize. He realized that he must have acted out in his sleep. "I shouldn't have fallen-"

"Do you know you talk in your sleep?" Rarity quietly asked him.

He knew he did something embarrassing, if not something that must have scared the shit out of them. "Was I talking or screaming in my sleep?"

Rarity softly stroked his cheek. "More like noisy mumbling. Much of it was rather difficult to make out half the time. And I'm sorry. You're friend Sniff said not to bother you if you were having a nightmare, but… well, we couldn't just standby and do nothing."

"We?" Cerb looked down to see that just like in his dream, Fluttershy had managed to climb up and snuggle up close to him on the couch. She was sound asleep and laying next to him.

"Fluttershy came over earlier than she had expected. She gathered some books from Twilight and then went off to see our friend Zecora. Unfortunately, she wasn't home, so Fluttershy decided to check up on us and see if we needed anything. You were still asleep. She didn't want to wake you, so we were discussing other clothing options for you and your friends when we heard you calling out for Kelly."

He was thoroughly embarrassed. "I had a dream that Kelly was calling out for me. I thought she was hurt."

It was sad for Rarity to see this large and otherwise imposing figure in such a distraught and fragile state. "Yes, we are aware of that. Like I said. You talk in your sleep. Though I must say, we were surprised to see you could carry on a conversation while sleeping."

Cerb thought back to his horrible dream. He remembered them talking to him, did he actually put them in his dream as they were trying to calm him down? "Did you grab" – as he thought how they had held him in his dream, he realized he was still gripping onto Rarity's leg. He released it and jerked his hand away. – "Shit. I… I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No, dear. You have a strong grip, that's for sure. But at no point in time did you hurt me. And to answer your previous question, yes, we did grab your hands. You looked like you were pummeling some fellow in your dream."

"I was trying to break through your windows," He answered back in a meek and timid voice. "I was trapped in your shop. Couldn't get out."

"Ah," She answered back and moved from stroking his face to rubbing up and down his shoulder. "That explains why you accused us of trapping you here and not letting you go. If you're feeling up to it, we could go see Kelly now if you wanted. I already closed the shop down for the day, anyhow."

"Awe, shit. I'm-"

"None of that, now. Remember what I told you?"

"Yeah, I know, but-"

"If you know, then I shouldn't have to remind you, now, should I?"

Cerb raised his hand to make a gesture but gave up and let It fall freely down. "You're far too forgiving and understanding. I'll pay you back for what I cost you today."

"Pft," She playfully disregarded his offer. "Some things are far more important than money. Like taking care of friends. Wouldn't you say?"

"What about paying your friends back?"

"Well, you are treating me out to dinner, aren't you?"

"That was for the shirt though?"

"Justin," She softly called for his undivided attention. "You never owed me anything for that shirt. And I'm sorry our friends got involved and complicated things. It all turned out rather embarrassing for both of us. And I don't think you're in any condition to deserve all the added stress of making your friends big joke about taking me on a date add to your, what I can only assume to be, overwhelming stress."

Again, Cerb's hand found its way to Rarity's leg and held it. "Can I tell you something?"

"So long as it's not another apology," She jested.

A lot of thoughts were running through his mind, but all of them felt like the wrong things to say. "Thank you... for everything."

She leaned forward and hugged him as best as she could manage at that angle. "Don't mention it, darling."

He released the hold on her leg and stroked along the length of her forelegs she had wrapped around him. "And stop being so damn generous. You're making me feel bad."

She hummed out a small laugh as she held him. "I'll consider it once you stop giving me reasons to do so."

The mess of feathers and fur nestled against his front started to stir. A quiet yawn and four legs stretched out off from the couch. "Oh, my. I must have dozed off." Fluttershy apologized before she craned her neck up to Cerb and Rarity. "I didn't get much sleep last night, and I guess I just got too comfortable. Are you feeling any better, Mr. Cerberus? Oh, I mean, Justin?"

"Justin?" Cerb asked, rather pleased to hear her use his real name as well. "You too, huh?"

"If you don't mind," She replied, cowering down slightly. "Rarity told me about how you felt when being called mister."

"It's fine," He encouraged her while petting his hand down her side. It was more out of reflex, but neither of them thought to make mention of it.

"Justin?" Fluttershy asked before turning from being on her side to laying flat on her belly and scooching closer against Cerb's exposed chest. "Do you have such terrible dreams like this often?"

Rarity was just as concerned and had another question of her own. "Is this only about what happened to Kelly, or do you have dreams like this about your... other friends?"

Normally, Cerb wouldn't share much about this issue about his nightmares, but after having an episode in front of them, one they somehow managed to take him out of, he owed them some explanation. "More often than I'd like to admit. I don't always... talk... or scream, or act out like I did last night, but it's bad. And this dream about Kelly, that's new."

Rarity again rubbed his shoulder gently, trying to comfort and encourage him. "What are your other dreams normally like? If you are okay with telling us."

"We just want to help you, honest," Fluttershy spoke up, grabbing his hand and holding it between her hooves. "I have terrible dreams sometimes, too. But I don't think I've ever seen any creature go through what you have. You can talk to us about it. It might make you feel better."

It had been such a long time since he talked about it. He'd given up on trying to find a way to rid himself of the dreams and opted to find better ways of just living with them. Perhaps it was time to try again.

"Sometimes I think I wake up in my room to insurgents breaking in, trying to kill me. Other times I think I'm back in the war getting shot and trying to save everyone around me. But mostly I dream of the day I died."

"You... you can’t be serious," Rarity sounded off, clearly shaken by his confession.

Fluttershy was just as emotional in her response. "That can be true. How are you still alive... if you... died?"

His breathing stifled sharply, and his tone grew somber. "After I was shot, I was bleeding out. Bleeding out too fast and bleeding internally. My heart stopped beating, and I was dead for over two minutes. They got my heart started again, but then my lungs quit. I suffocated and died again for another 20 seconds until they ventilated me... I didn't even know what was happening. I just woke up each time trying to find Garcia."

The two mares remembered that he had lost those that he fought alongside with and was injured in a battle, but couldn't have imagined that his injuries did that much damage to him. They couldn't even believe that he was able to come back from such things. How was it even possible?

"I was dead like Garcia... But Garcia and everyone else couldn't come back... and I relive that day over and over and over. Dreaming of the day I died. Me and my boys, dead and dying in the desert. I can never save them. Not even in my dreams."

As Cerb's story finished off, the sound of sniffles and sobs started to build up in the room. This story was unlike any other. It was heartbreaking to hear that not only did he go through a dramatic experience of loss and barely surviving such a brutal attack, but that he was reliving the experience in his sleep. Something that must have been happening for years.

He could see Fluttershy starting to lose her composure and looked up to see Rarity doing the same. Tears welling up and free falling as they wept for their new friend. His attention was lowered again to the sensation of the soft pads and hooves running over the scars on his chest.

"These-these," She sobbed deeply as she felt over the miscolored markings that retold the story of his perils. "These-this is where you-"

Cerb didn't let her finish. He pulled her close to him and again embraced her, allowing her to give up the pain she was feeling for him in that moment. "Hey, knock it off. Both of you."

Rarity wrapped her arms around his neck and held his head close to her chest, resting her cheek on his forehead. She was crying for him, unable to hold any of it back. "You are so brave and strong to endure these horrible nightmares. No one as kind and sweet as you should have to suffer like this. But it explains so much to why you care for your friends like you do. Is there anything, anything at all we can do to help you through this."

Too many feelings and conflicting thoughts were running through his mind there on Rarity's little couch. He didn't want to think about everything that came with remembering that day, or the same sense of panic and self doubt he had when Kelly was injured. But at the same time, these two provided a sense of safety and trust where he didn't feel afraid of losing himself or being isolated with his pain and fear. He had only been able to vent like this to only a few of his close friends a handful of times before. Even then it only came out because he was blundering drunk. So for as much as he wanted to be cautious about his new comfort and vulnerability he found himself in with them, it was too valuable of a sense of relief to not let it out and actually let some of that weight fall away.

"No," he shamefully admitted. "I've done therapy, pills, mental exercises. They've only gotten me this far. I'm surviving just fine."

"But you're not fine," Fluttershy cried out, burying her face into his chest. "You were so scared when we came to you. You act like you're fine when you're awake but hurt so much in your sleep. I saw it. I saw it while you slept here. I saw it after you rescued Kelly and you drifted away from us and we washed Kelly's blood off your hands. You're not fine! You're not fine at all! And I can't... I can't-" She was choking up as she desperately struggled to convince him to admit that he needed help. - "I can't stand to see you like this. Not like that. Not again! Let us help you!"

"Justin, dear," Rarity quietly spoke, her voice was reserved just enough to allow her to speak without trembling. "We know you need help. We overheard you talking to Sniff this morning. We didn't mean to listen in at first, but we were so concerned with what you were saying. You're not lost or drifting in the wind. You have all your friends who care about you. They're you're family. And you have us now, too."

He should have known that the two would have heard at least some part of that conversation. Only Sniff had enough thought in place to keep his voice down. Now his carelessness had dragged in these two far deeper into his problems than he would have ever openly invited them. And yet, his concerns were that it was unfair to them to trouble themselves over his personal issues, not the fear and embarrassment that had always forced him to keep it inside. Again he found himself weak to their hold on him.

Rarity struggled to keep her composure. Her heartache for his nightmarish strife and the high hopes she held for him clashing together both growing too strong to hide. "You have value. You do have a purpose, and you don't need a war or a fight to prove it." - She moved her magic to his hand, raising it up to his chest and held it there under her hoof. - "You have so much pain trapped deep down in your heart." - Feeling hopeful, she spoke with a more cheerful attitude, or at least tried to force such a tone - "Maybe it's time you let all of that pain out and let the love back in?"

The pain? Just let it go? She made it sound so simple. Like all he had to do was stop remembering everything that happened that day. The days of waking up to another doctor telling him what his next surgery was going to be and that they couldn't contact his father, no matter how many times he told them not to. The stench that never left the hot desert air he swore he smelt when the days were warm, even back home. Forget about the slivers of pain and cold numbness that still crept their way up his back and over his hands? Forget that part of him wished he never made it back home?

Just thinking of forgetting already had him drifting back. He would always remember the crunching of sand and pebbles on the stone streets under his boots and the shuffling of his gear as he marched on in his patrol. The sun blistering down on them and hanging high, trying to blind them.

Those noises and memories flashed out of his mind as soon as he felt Rarity's magic pull him up farther into her lap. She brought him into a more upright position with his back laying against her, and nuzzled cheek to cheek as she held him.

"That horrible place you left is far far away from you now," she softly spoke next to him.

Fluttershy by this time had calmed herself down to heavy breathing that waned on the edge of breaking back down into bawling her eyes out. It was a pitiful sight for Cerb to watch her stand up on shaky legs to take the few clumsy steps it took for her to move back to her previous crying spot on his chest. She nearly slipped off the couch once and her wing extended out, flapping it just enough to bring her back up to balance. She reached her spot and forced herself down against him, digging her right foreleg under his back to hold him all the closer.

"Justin, please," Fluttershy spoke in a hushed voice that whined slightly. "whatever you need. Whatever you think will help, ask me and I'll do it. I'll even sleep with you again if that will help."

There was no sexual innuendo implied, it didn't even cross his mind as he laid there pressed between the two. He thought the gesture was well intended but childishly unnecessary. It was also something he didn't care to bother them with. "Can we keep this all between us?" He asked as if it were an apology."

He could see their faces, but it was clear that his hesitation was hurtful. "I'm sorry. This is just too much, and it doesn't feel right to-"

"It's fine, Justin," Rarity startled Cerb as she spoke and ran her hoof from around his neck to trailing it down his chest. "We're not the type to gossip, and we're not going to make you do anything you don't want to do."

"But we'll always be here for you," Fluttershy added, trying to wiggle her way in even closer to Cerb.

"Then... I don't mind staying here a bit longer," He sounded tired when he said it. "I have no idea what I'm doing, but at least this feels nice."

Fluttershy pressed her muzzle gently into his neck. "What feels nice?" She asked him, trying to sound cute.

"Being close to someone again," He confessed. "It's been a while for me. Can't let too many people stay this close."

"And why is that?" Rarity asked, wondering how he had so many friends but hadn't been close to them like this.

"I got too many problems for women to put up with. Not if they want to stay together any longer than it takes me to fall asleep."

"Because of your bad dreams?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah," Cerb answered, which led into a chuckle. "The last one couldn't handle it after she woke up with me rolling on top of her, saying to stay low, that I would keep her safe, and then put my fist through her mirror and punched through the wall."

"Oh my goodness," Rarity blurted out. "Were you alright? You didn't hurt your hand did you?"

Cerb raised his right hand, stretched out his fingers and then made a fist. "I was fine. Just a few cuts. But the neighbor was mad as hell."

Fluttershy was curious. "Did you wake them up, and that's why they were mad."

"Woke them?" Cerb chuckled again. "The wall I punched through led to the neighbor's bedroom," The way he told them had both the ponies laughing right along with him. Shortly after the laughter died down, Cerb continued, though with a much sadder and somber tone. "I've hurt my friends a few times after some really bad ones... it sometimes takes me a few minutes to snap out of it, remember where I am."

"Nothing too bad I hope," Rarity said, rubbing over his chest with her hoof again.

Cerb brought his hand up to rest it on her hoof. "I bruised Kelly's arm once. I thought she was a casualty and tried to get her out of the firefight I thought I was in. Threw Sniff into a wall when he tried waking me up. Supposedly, I dive tackled Chris once. I've punched Lumberman a few times. Didn't hurt him much, but he was mad the first couple of times. Eventually, they all learned not to bother me when I sleep."

"Like we did?" Fluttershy innocently asked.

"Yeah," Cerb was reluctant to admit. "Do me a favor and don't do that again... I'd never forgive myself if something ever happened to any of you girls and it was my fault. Lord knows what kind of damage that would do to everything we have here."

"We'll be careful," Fluttershy was more than pleased to announce.

"We've handled worse, dearie," Rarity added. "Changelings, a manticore... Pinkie Pie on a daily basis."

Cerb huffed lightly as if to laugh and shook his head side to side. "She scared the shit out of me when we first met. Crawling all over me and disappearing and reappearing out of nowhere. On top of not having a clue what was really going on or who or what you girls all were."

Thinking about how touchy-feely Pinkie Pie could be, Fluttershy realized that her and Rarity had acted the same with him. "We never asked... you don't mind us being close or on you like this... do you?"

"No," Cerb answered before even really thinking about it. "Pinkie just... I don't know what she was doing. You two do it because you seem to care about people. That and I just feel... better? When you two are around me."

"Better?" Rarity was quick to ask. "Better, how, exactly?"

"I dunno. Just better," He didn't have much of a good explanation that he even understood himself. "Not as stressed or worried. More relaxed. It actually bothered me at first. Like, I was worried I was having my mind messed with or losing control. But now, I'm glad to have it. It's better than drinking."

Such a declaration was well received by Fluttershy. "That makes me glad to hear you say that. We were a little worried you were just trying to be nice to us."

Cerb's mind and emotions were still a jumbled mess, but he couldn't look passed how comfortable he had grown being around these two. "No. Not at all. You both have been good to me. I just don't know what to do with myself."

Even as much as Rarity was enjoying this time together, she still had Cerb's best interest in mind. "It's nearing lunchtime. We can head back to Twilight's with everypony else, or we can still go check up on your friend Kelly if you like."

"No," Cerb softly answered back. "Kelly's in good hands with Mac. I mean hooves. You know what I mean. And I'm more tired than hungry."

"Still sleepy? Rarity said you didn't get much sleep last night," Fluttershy hushed before trying to find a more comfortable position to go back to sleep as well, if that was his plan.

For a moment, Cerb didn't answer. He just stared blankly forward, lost in his thoughts or his memories. "No... Just tired... So tired of everything. I just want to rest for a while longer."

The unmistakable sound of Lumberman's truck could be heard rolling up the driveway, with two honks of the horn ensuring the Apples would know of their arrival. As the truck pulled up to a parking spot that was as good as any other, three ponies colored in orange, red, and green filed out of the house to greet them.

Applejack was the first out and first to welcome them. "Howdy, y'all, and ah mighty good morning to ya." She watched in anticipation for Lumberman to exit the truck and was pleased to see Chris had decided to come out after all. "Morn'n, Chris. Glad you decided to join us this morning. Figured we could use an extra set of yer human hands and that you'd probably like to actually finally get out and see more of our here town."

Chris closed his door and walked up to get a better view of a sight he never would have dreamed he'd actually be able to see. "Morning," - His eyes spanned over the orchard. - "Sweet Apple Acres. It's amazing."

"Heh, sure is, isn't it?" Applejack proudly responded. "You don't mind helping out for a bit? We could use the help catching up on chores before working on the house or heading on into town."

"Sure," Chris was living out a brony's dream, and this was making it all the more real. "Whatch'ya need done?"

Big Mac trotted over to Kelly's open door to pick her up. "Well, we were going to head back out into the orchard. If you care to tag along, we can show ya the ropes."

Applejack turned back to Lumberman. "As for you Woody. If you want to head back in with Granny to take a look at what all needs fix'n. I'll be back up just as soon as I get these fellers situated out back."

"Sounds good," He answered back before turning his attention over to Granny. "I'll be just a second, mam. Need to grab some tools and some paper."

"Oh, you go on ahead and take yer time," Granny answered back with her withered old smile. "That there hole in the wall ain't going nowhere on its own."

The four made their way deep into the orchard until they came rows of buckets and barrels of apples lined up along the trees where work had already started.

"Welp, this is the spot," Applejack announced, bringing the group to a stop.

Chris looked around the trees already stripped of their fruits and the masses of full barrels. "So, what are we doing?"

The unmistakable sound of unicorn magic slowly became louder as it approached. Another pony was out there with them.

Tracing the sounds that drew closer, two more tubs, full to the brim hovered near in the glow of a violet aura. Starlight Glimmer gracefully walked into view.

"Good morning everypony and everyone," She greeted the group, sounding bright and cheerful. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

While not a long chapter, there's a lot to take away from this

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