Note: This chapter is currently being re-mastered. Expect a better quality chapter soon!

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“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody.”
― Stephen Chbosky

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I used to dread waking up at the start of the day for completely different reasons than I do now. When morning comes today, I dread waking up and seeing the world that I'm supposedly condemned to for the rest of my life. I can't help but cling on to the desperate hope that I'm in a coma in the hospital and this all some weird hallucination.

'[i]That's it! It is all a dream. The lightning put me in a coma and I'm dreaming this all up. I'll wake up sooner or later in the hospital and go on with my life! Talk about a realistic dream though huh. My mind sure can come up with some crazy ass things.[/i]

I found energy in this new explanation of my situation. I slowly got up and stretched in a similar manner that a cat does and then made my way back out into the forest.

The light of the early morning was shining through the dense canopy and I couldn't help but admire the beauty of this strange dream land. The forest had the fresh smell of rain which I assumed rolled through the previous night. It reminded me of the time my 3rd grade class took a field trip to the local wildlife sanctuary.

I managed to quench my thirst with a few sips of water from the stream and my hunger with some more raspberries. I decided to casually walk through the forest to admire it some more. I observed many aspects of wildlife including birds, squirrels, and even some rabbits. They were all going about their days like nature intended them to.

After walking for a bit I stumbled across what seemed to be trail of some sort. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to follow it. The trail had the obvious shapes of hoofprints in it that seemed to have been made not too long ago. I assumed it was some kind of wandering travelers or a caravan of some sort so I followed the prints towards where they seemed to be going.

Walking along the trail I continued to observe the beauty of the greenery of the forest. All of a sudden I heard faint voices originating from what looked like a tree but upon closer inspection seemed to be some sort of tribal hut. I crept closer to listen in on the voices. "...He has a teal coat, red and black mane and no cutie mark. Did you happen to see him wandering around here?" I heard the unmistakable voice of Twilight come from the hut.

'[i]Oh, looks like Twilight and Co. are attempting a search party for me.[/i]'

I heard a muffled voice of what sounded like a African accent coming from the hut. I could quite make out the words but it sounded like some sort of weird rhyming. "Oh well, thanks anyway Zecora!" I heard Twilight say as she walked out the door of the hut followed by the other five of her friends.

"Great now what do we do? Search the forest until we find him? He ran off! We shouldn't have to go find him." I heard Rainbow Dash exclaim obviously annoyed.

"He's just a bit lost and confused, Ah'm sure that once we talk some sense into him h'ell come around." I heard the orange mare who I believe had introduced herself as 'Applejack'.

"Well go ahead and try. I'm waiting," I said flatly poking my head out of the foliage.

All six mares jumped back and toppled over in surprise. After realized who it was that had spoken Twilight jumped to her hooves and gave me a huge hug. "We were so worried when so ran off like that! You shouldn't run away from your problems like you did!" Twilight half cried, half lectured to me.

"Well I've finally figured it out," I said smugly "This is all a dream. None of you are real. I'm just in a coma in the hospital and dreaming all this nonsense up."

"Do you really believe that?" Twilight asked with a look of concern on her face.

"Yep!" I said giving her a toothy grin.

"Vlad I know this may be hard to believe, but this is as real as it gets. Your in denial," Twilight said.

"No! That's not true!" I shouted in her face, "Your lying!"

"No I'm not. You have to stop lying to yourself," Twilight said firmly.

"But this is a dream...! Isn't it...?" I said as I suddenly realized that this was indeed not a dream.

I immediately broke down on the ground crying in a ball. "Why does this *sniff* stuff always happen to me!" I wailed, "My parents died, I was put in the orphanage from hell, and now this!"

All six mares gathered around me inputting words of comfort. I felt someone wrap their arms around me and I looked up the timid yellow pegasus whose name I never caught hugging me. "Hush now. Its OK. Your going to be OK," I heard her say in the most comforting voice I have ever heard.

I kept crying on the ground for a little while all while the yellow pegasus comforted me. Eventually, I was able to gather myself and stand up. I turned to the mare who had been hugging me for the last few minutes and said, "Thank you..."

"Fluttershy," I heard her squeak out.

"Thank you Fluttershy, all of you. I've been so stubborn and difficult these past 24 hours. I was being a jerk to the only peop... ponies who were trying to help me at my darkest hour. And yet you still all came back to find me. Thanks to you all, I believe I will be able to accept my fate and move on. It will take time, I guarantee it, but I believe eventually I will be able to let my life on Earth go. And it's all because you six took the time to care about me," I said with a small smile on my face.

"That's what friends are for silly!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"You would consider me your friend? I've never had any friends." I said sadly.

"Well then consider us your first friends! We'd all be glad to offer you the opportunity you've been denied your whole life," Twilight said with a smile.

"I would love to be... friends," I said

'[i]I'm making... friends.[/i]'

"Now let's head back to Ponyville. I'm sure one of us will allow you to stay at our place until toy get a house of your own," Twilight said.

"I'd like that, thanks," I said quietly.

And so we set off, back to Ponyville, and towards the start of my new life. My new life in the land of Equestria...