A tree houses many things – it may bear fruit, it may contain materials for medical mixes and such, or it may be home to animals of the woodlands. One particular house did all three, although not in the conventional manner. It did have fruit, and materials for chemical brews, and animals, but it had them all inside its still living hollow trunk lined by years and years of hoarded knowledge, watched over by the eye of the purple unicorn who called it home. Inside the literal tree house were a dragon, a baby phoenix and an owl, the first two of which were sleeping. The third was awake, as it was not his way to be asleep in the night, and the fourth dweller, the unicorn, had also awoken.
It was two in the morning, way too early for non – nocturnal creatures to be awake, but Twilight was up anyway. Not refreshed, for an hour – long sleep barely provides any benefit to any pony, so when her lying back down for ten minutes failed to put her back to sleep, she gave in and went downstairs to get herself some coffee and attempt tackling the source of her insomnia.
It was a familiar conundrum, a common problem which she faced and suffered lack of sleep from. She wanted to write a lengthy paper discussing her recent studies of Pegasus anatomy. However, she had contracted a severe case of writer’s block, and try though she might, no method she could think of opened up her head to new ideas, so she put the project on indefinite hold instead of forcing it, much to the relief of her friends who had been on the wrong end of her writer stress. In order to take her mind off it, she started to read books she hadn’t finished yet in the library, and a particularly thick tome on Equestrian myths had placed itself deep in her head where she couldn’t shake it off. It started to eat away at her thoughts and distract her even more, and her every third thought was about it. Her last resort, only an hour ago when her body was giving in to the fatigue but her mind was still too alive to let herself rest, was to cast a sleep spell on herself.
But that was in vain as well, she mused, as the kettle came to a boil, prompting her to take a cup in her magic and fill it with coffee powder. Into this the the boiling water went, turning into a deep brown drink whose rich aroma made her smile contentedly, even as the lines in her eyes were twitching from her body trying to shut itself down.
She trotted off into the main library where she retrieved the thick tome and put it on the table beside her mug, already half drained. She settled in for what was going to be a very long day, glancing at the book, still more than half of it unread after three days of reading. As she opened the book, there was a knock at the door.
Looking up, she noticed out the window that leaves were flying everywhere. Dismissing the knock as a piece of debris picked up by the breeze, she looked back down to the book. Letter “L”... There was another knock, this time a little louder.
The leaves were flying harder as well, so she decided that the stronger wind made a stronger knock. She found the next legend to start reading up on. Legendary Creatures of the Everfree... This looked interesting, considering it was right next door. She could do some first – hoof research on this.
Knock knock.
The knocking began again, this time repeating. It grew louder and louder, faster and faster, until Twilight gritted her teeth and said, annoyed, “What in Tartarus would somepony be doing knocking at this hour?” as she slowly walked to the door, opening it.
Her visitor was a pale white earth pony with a black cloak, and a dark brown mane, so dark that the night made it seem black. The stallion’s eyes were light green, and his smile was one of relief as he sighed, “Oh thank you. I’ve been walking around since midnight in that cold!”
His bright smile and even brighter eyes made Twilight soften up a bit. The librarian let him in saying, “What the hay were you doing out so late? Come in before something bad happens.” He stepped inside, once again thanking Twilight for her hospitality, but his words were cut short and his eyes widened when he saw the library’s store of knowledge.
“Oh, Celestia Thank you for bringing me here.” He then turned to Twilight and asked, “This is all yours?” to which the librarian responded, “No, but I take care of all of it. This here’s the Ponyville library and I am the Ponyville librarian. You do know what Ponyville is, do you?” she added with an unsure tone. This pony was obviously disoriented, and despite how glad she was that the late night guest was one who seemed to appreciate knowledge, she still had to check on his wellbeing first.
“Of course I do! I’m not THAT badly unaware of things, and I DO get around a lot. But why I would end up here of all places is a mystery... Not that this place is bad, but just how I got here, you know?” The stallion smiled again, but his face showed that he feared offending his gracious host.
“I understand, no offense taken, of course. But how DID you get here anyway at this time?” Twilight asked, setting aside her book for the first time without having to do it from necessity. This pony surely had an interesting story, and there was something in his eyes that made it hard for Twilight to look away. They had all the innocence and purity of a filly, and yet she could sense wisdom in them, that could only have been gotten from age – something that reminded her somewhat of her own mentor.
The stallion put his head down, saying, “I – I have no idea, really. Last I remember I was somewhere around Manehatten, at this funeral, same as always, but then I open my eyes and I’m here. I’ve been wandering around town trying to find somewhere open, but no luck – been wandering for an hour until I came back here and tried again – I knocked before, see. And then you opened your home, and that brings us to right about – now.”
He was looking intently at his hoof as he spoke the last part of his story, as though to pretend he had a watch. He smiled again at Twilight, who smiled back before asking, “I guess how you got here’s going to stay a mystery, so something else. Who are you then?”
“I’m Death!”
“Oh, nice to meet you, Death, I’m Twilight Sparkle – wait, what?“
Twilight was thankful that she was tired, because if her body was capable of it, she would probably have done something much more drastic as a reaction. What kind of ponies would name their little colt something like that? Who would think to call this handsome stallion something so grim, and why would he be so cheerful about it? Twilight’s head swam in the questions she had to ask, the implications of such a name.
Death, to his credit, was incredibly patient, waiting ten minutes for Twilight to come back to her senses. He just stood there in the middle of the library waiting for the unicorn to snap back to reality. She did start talking again, but it took a further five minutes for her to make sense. She probably wouldn’t have taken so long if she was fully rested.
“What do you mean you’re Death? You mean your parents were actually so unkind as to name you something that dark?” She started pacing rapidly around the room.
“I’m Death! You know, the pale pony, the reaper?”
“But that makes no sense! Let’s say you weren’t lying –“
“I’m not.”
“- then everypony’s immortal while you’re here? I mean, if you’re here and there’s no one to take them, does that mean they stay?”
“Nope.”
“Or maybe you just think you’re Death because of some sort of head trauma –“
“Nope.”
“- or you’re delusional – yes, that seems right –“
“Definitely not delusional.” He was still smiling, apparently amused by the unrest of his host.
“- then how can you be Death?” The pacing had carved a trail into the wood of the tree already.
“Simple! Haven’t you heard of the old legend?”
Twilight stepped out of the trail and said, “I’m still reading up on legends and myths. Only around half done...” She gestured with her hoof to the open book on her table, which the pale pony quickly recognized. He said, “Oh, it’s not in that... I’ll just tell you then. It goes a little like this: Once a century, Death – that’s me – becomes a mortal for a short lifetime to feel what exactly it is he takes away from ponies. Now you get it?”
Years of knowing Pinkie Pie taught Twilight when to stop questioning. “I give up. I’m never going to understand this... So what’s your name? I doubt you would be called Death by ponies you meet on the street now, would you?” She sighed, drinking the last of her coffee and settling down on the chair beside her table, and pulling up another chair for her guest. Her insane, inexplicable and charming guest – no, just the first two, she thought.
“I’m not really sure. I get called a lot of things... How about... You can call me Pale.” He smiled yet again, and sat down. “Nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle. Beautiful name for a beautiful pony. Bit long, but still.”
Twilight blushed and smiled, saying, “Thanks. I suppose you want to sleep? There’s an extra bed upstairs, and if you’re hungry, there’s some food in the kitchen...”
“No thanks! Don’t have forever here, after all. Might as well spend it with you!” Pale leaned back on the chair, sitting similarly to how Lyra usually did except with his forelegs behind his neck.
The unicorn reddened even more. “Okay then, sure... Sure. What do you want to do then?”
“You have any books on Starswirl the Bearded?”
Twilight’s ears perked up immediately upon hearing the name of the greatest unicorn mage who ever lived – somepony who only she appreciated in Ponyville. And here her guest was asking for books about him – eagerly, she added to her thoughts – and Twilight had no plans of letting this guest go disappointed. It wasn’t exactly every day that she got to discuss Starswirl with anypony aside from herself.
“Of course! I have plenty, but it doesn’t even BEGIN to scratch the surface of what he knew. I mean, the colt made hundreds of ground – breaking spells! I’d need several libraries to compile everything he ever discovered, and that wouldn’t even contain his works in progress – the unfinished works, and the like...” Twilight’s face shifted to one of confusion as she remembered that Pale was an earth pony. She turned her head to him, who was still seated facing him, still with that wide smile – how does he keep smiling? Doesn’t that hurt him? – and asked, “Not to be rude, but normally, books on magic are usually read by unicorns...”
Pale didn’t seem to mind. He hopped down, walked over to Twilight, and said to her, “I can see why you’d think that. I have no horn, and so no use for the knowledge and advancements of magic in the books – but that’s fine. I’m in it just to know.” He chuckled lightly, took one book from the shelf, and pulled close to Twilight to whisper, “Which is the second reason that I’m so happy I ended up here of all places. The first is you, I guess.” He winked and went back to his chair, pushing it to the other side of Twilight’s table. He began to read and motioned to a furiously red unicorn to join him.
Regaining her composure, Twilight walked back to her seat and finished her coffee before resuming her reading. Pale was looking at her with his green eyes and his wide smile. She felt that the coffee wouldn’t be necessary anymore, flustered as she was, but it did help her stay calm. She began to read again. Legendary Creatures of the Everfree... Perhaps she would share this with her friends, but in order to do that she had to focus on the book. It was hard for her especially with her eyes unconsciously glancing every few seconds at her guest who was happily absorbed in a different tome. And it certainly didn’t help when Pale said out loud:
“Oh, Celestia, it’s a good thing I ended up here.”
Celestia’s sun had risen well over Ponyville. It was around eight hours past midnight, and the Ponyville Library’s official opening time. Few ever visited this early in the morning – and usually it wasn’t anything book related that brought them there. Most often it was some other order of business – a rampaging animal, a mysterious event, or anything similarly non – book related. But there were always a few instances of the library being used this early for books, and such was the case this particular morning as a pony knocked on the door.
“Coming!” came the voice of the bookish librarian. Her hoofsteps were audible even to the visitor on the other side of the door. The door swung open to reveal the visitor – a white unicorn whose purple mane sparkled to some degree. On her back was a bag, from which she pulled a book with her magic.
“Good morning, Twilight! I’m terribly sorry to drop in so early, but I just had to return this and get to the next after I finished it... Oh! Silly me, of course! The picnic later! I have to make sure you still remember, I mean, none of us have seen you since four days ago, and if it wasn’t for Spikey – wikey telling us that you were fine, we’d all have been worried witless,” Rarity said.
“May I come in?”
“Of course! Want to join me and Pale for breakfast? It’s short notice, but I think I have some extra sandwiches –“
“Uh who now?” Rarity was surprised. She hadn’t been expecting Twilight having company this early.
“Pale! He’s a new friend of mine –“
“He.” Rarity’s jaw dropped. “He?”
“Yes. He’s a stallion.”
“And he’s been here since..?”
“Early this morning.”
It looked as though Rarity’s jaw was commanded by a much stronger gravity than the rest of her body. It was physically impossible for her to have dropped it that low consciously, but right now it was possible, and it was happening. Her ears were beginning to emit smoke as well.
“Rarity? Are you okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine, dear. I’d be glad to join but I hope I’m not interrupting?” Rarity regained her control over her jaw, but she still had to push it up with her hoof every few moments as it was still trying to go to the floor.
“It’s perfectly fine, I think. He’s a nice colt, so I doubt he’d mind much... Come join us then!” She led Rarity inside and walked to the kitchen, leaving her guest to meet her other guest. A few moments later she came back with a sandwich. Rarity was still at the doorway, staring at Pale. He looked absolutely handsome, she thought, in that nice cloak of his. She shook her head, saying to herself, “Come now, Rarity, remember Blueblood! He might look nice, but he could be mean to Twilight... Focus!”
Twilight pulled up another chair for Rarity, and she took it, slowly sitting down at one of side of the table. She had little space for her sandwich, with the books on the table, but she didn’t mind much, considering she had magic. However, Pale looked up from his book, and quickly removed his mess, having noticed the newcomer. Apologizing, he set down the books on a nearby shelf. Once he had fixed up a bit, he went back to his seat. The table now had Rarity’s plate on it, as the space was now somewhat free.
“Well, thank you very much, mister.” Rarity’s face was still one of doubt. She was of course happy that Twilight had found such company, however, that made it her job to look out for her and what she might not be seeing of him. So far, he was passing her test, but that wasn’t any reason to get complacent yet.
“So, mister, who are you then, and how did you get here so early? Not even I come here before opening hours, unless it’s an emergency, of course, but that doesn’t really count now, does it?”
“Uhh... Let’s see. I’m Pale – that’s my name – and how I got here exactly is a mystery, since last I remember before Ponyville was Manehatten, but anyway, I wound up here in Ponyville for some reason, and I wandered for an hour or so around midnight to find a place to stay, and Twilight here was the only pony kind enough to open up her humble home.” Pale bowed low to Twilight as he spoke, and afterwards he got up and smiled even more. Twilight blushed, smiled back, and said, “Pale, just get back in your chair...”
“Uh – uh. That’s the whole story?”
“Yeaah. At least as much of it as I remember anyway.”
“And why would you not remember anything else?” Rarity edged in closer.
“Because that’s all that happened to me!” replied Pale, smiling obliviously.
“And you expect me to believe you because..?”
“I don’t.”
“What now?” Rarity was not expecting that. She was expecting some long winded speech to convince her of his merit, not some utter denial of his reliability.
“I don’t even know fully my own story, so how are you going to believe me when I tell you of it? But still, my story, and I’m sticking to it.” He grinned again as he asked for another sandwich. His face dropped a little when Twilight said there were no more.
“Oh, well, aren’t you quick to surrender. You’ve certainly made quite the... impression.” Rarity turned to Twilight, “Twilight, dear, the picnic’s in two hours, and if you want to bring Mr. Pale here, by all means go on ahead.” She then leaned in and whispered, “If he does anything out of line, anything at all, tell us immediately and we’ll buck him all the way to Tartarus, so to speak.” Rarity then took her leave, thanking Twilight for the sandwiches, looking serious, but once she was outside the door, she was squealing to herself, “OH. MY. CELESTIA. I have to tell the girls about this!”
Inside, Pale asked, “She does know I can hear her perfectly right? My hearing is a bit better than the run – of – the mill pony.” Twilight shrugged and replied, “Doubt it. I don’t think I mentioned it. Now, I think I should start preparing for this picnic... By the way, you want to come?”
Pale asked, “Are you asking me out?” with a raised eyebrow. If Twilight wasn’t heading up the stairs he would have seen how red that made her. She hastily – and somewhat angrily, although it was clear there were other things in her voice – answered, “It’s not like that! Rrgh! I mean, I was invited by my friends to a picnic, and I’m asking you if you want to come as my friend to meet my other friends!”
Even upstairs, Twilight could hear the pony below chuckling. She was utterly red and very embarrassed, at the thought of possibly going on a date with the stallion – a date of all things! Why was this getting to her so badly? He was, after all, a perfectly nice colt. He was handsome, he was playful but not overly so, he had manners, and he shared Twilight’s extreme – some would say unhealthy – love of books. That made for a good friend, and even his insistence on being death was tolerable to some degree. She enjoyed his company, and he obviously enjoyed his. So why did she still feel so strange whenever he teased her? It was clear to her that he was just a friend. Or was he?
“Twilight? I know you’re having a hard week but could you maybe not pace up here?”
Twilight had unconsciously begun pacing, which woke up her assistant dragon, Spike. This, of course irked him, but if Twilight was pacing up here instead of the library proper, then that meant something was off. Deciding to put his crankiness aside for a second, he asked again, “Could you stop pacing here?”
She still hadn’t noticed, lost in her thoughts as she was, so he had to make it louder. Much louder. He found a use for his crankiness. Breathing in deeply, he let his annoyance loose, in the form of a dragon shout that shook the loose objects in the room.
“TWILIGHT! STOP PACING!”
Instantly, she stopped pacing, but remained silent. Spike sighed. This job at this time wasn’t exactly helping his spirits. He stepped in front of her, and asked, “What’s wrong?” She didn’t notice at first, but after a moment or so she leapt back in shock. “Spike! Haven’t I told you to stop sneaking up on me?”
“It’s impossible not to sneak up on you when you’re spaced out like that. Now come on, tell me what’s wrong! And please, PLEASE do not tell me you have to reshelf the library. We just did that the other day and if you say that we have to do it again...” He frowned at the thought.
“Oh, nothing, Spike, there’s no problem at all. Just wanted to remind you of the picnic later, we have to get ready, because it’s a picnic with my friends. With friends, you know?” She smiled unconvincingly, and it was obvious that something else weighed on her mind, what with the slightly – hidden red on her face.
“Huh. So you started pacing here to tell me to prepare for the picnic?”
“Yes, exactly!”
“And you’re sure it’s just about the picnic?”
“Yes!” Twilight cursed herself silently for letting Spike know so much about her that he could read her this easily. She attempted to fix her smile but it was still unconvincing.
“The picnic with FRIENDS?” The last word had plenty of emphasis in it.
“What? I didn’t say anything about anypony being more than friends! Just a picnic! That’s what friends do, right?” She panicked and started to twitch uncontrollably, stuffing her hoof in her mouth. But it was too late; Spike wasn’t the sharpest of all dragons, but he could tell what was making Twilight so fidgety.
“I think I know the problem now,” said Spike, grinning evilly and laughing even more so. “You have a coltfriend!”
Twilight defied all logic by turning even redder and producing steam from both her ears. If she had clothes on, they would most likely have burned up. Spike fell to the floor laughing and rolling around, clutching his belly for a good two minutes. “I knew it! I knew this day would come, and I also know that those missing romance books weren’t borrowed by Rarity! They were all with you all along, and now I know why!” He pointed with his claw at a shocked Twilight who had fallen completely speechless. How had Spike known of her reading such material? It was late at night, with only Owlowiscious to keep her company, and she had been very careful as to hide them in her room in guarded spots.
“Wait till the others find out about this!” teased Spike as he dashed for the stairs, only to be stopped by a magenta glow that dragged him back to the flustered unicorn. He sighed in defeat. Twilight’s grip was too strong.
“Please, Spike, don’t tell anypony! He’s not my coltfriend, even, but still! Please! I’m begging you, not a word!” Twilight already knelt down in front of Spike with her eyes closed, begging the dragon. He was moved by her desperation, but he kept his wits long enough to ask, “What’s in it for me?”
“What do you want?”’
“I want no ice cream rations. If I want to eat ice cream then I WILL eat ice cream. Got that?”
“Okay. No telling?”
“Not yet. No more pacing, no matter what reason. Okay?”
“Understood. No telling?”
“One last thing...”
“OH FOR PRINCESS CELESTIA’S SAKE JUST DON’T TELL ANYPONY!” Several heads turned on the street below. Now they also knew that Twilight had a secret. Soon enough all would know that, and a little later on, they would all know what the secret was.
“Geez, fine! Now are you going to let me go fix breakfast or not?”
“Oh, don’t worry; I’ve had breakfast while you were sleeping.” Twilight was a little more normal now, and she proceeded to start packing things in her bags. Out came the mighty checklist, and she started crossing items on it out as her belongings went inside the open bags on the floor.
Spike, meanwhile, had descended into the living room, humming to himself with pleasure at the prospect of unrestricted frozen dairy consumption. He was however cut short when he saw the black – cloaked white pony in the library. He was reading books, the kind only Twilight would even pay attention to, and instantly Spike knew who this was, even if he didn’t know exactly who it was. Paying him no heed, he went to the kitchen to gorge himself on his newly earned ice cream freedom.
Tub of ice cream in one claw and a spoon in the other, he went back to the living room – library hybrid, settled down on a chair and started eating. He didn’t notice the pale pony guest watching him fill his belly to his heart’s content. Only when Twilight spoke upon coming back down did he pay any notice to the guest.
“So, Pale, are you coming to the picnic? It’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to, I mean, you barely know them anyway...” Twilight shifted uncomfortably.
“Of course I’m coming! Wouldn’t miss it for the world, since you’re going and all,” replied Pale, winking to Spike who smiled back, amused. Normally he would be angry at anyone poking fun at Twilight, but this pony had no malicious intent in his teasing, so Spike let it slide. He was already starting to like this pony, and it became clear he would be a great asset when it came to his dealings with Twilight.
“Oh, great, great,” she said weakly. “By the way, have you seen Spike? He went down here a little while ago, and I need him to prepare some food for the picnic.”
“He’s right there,” Pale said, pointing to the purple dragon hatchling who was staring and smiling, again, evilly, at the purple unicorn who had turned once again red with the realization that she had been talking to Pale, who he thought was her coltfriend, in front of him.
“It’s okay, I’m on it. Wouldn’t want to interrupt on your ‘private moments’ together,” he said walking to the kitchen. He laughed. This was going to be a good day.
Twilight was most bemused. Spike had never gotten the best of her this badly, but she had to admit, she was at a loss. No matter. She would get him back for it someday.
“Oh, and by the way, I overheard some interesting things upstairs with these old things,” Pale began, gesturing to his ears. “So you don’t want your friends to know about me? That steams me, you know? Really burns me inside...”
Twilight was readying herself to apologize when Pale suddenly produced a spurt of fire from his right sleeve, saying, “Just like that!” and smiling. “I don’t really mind, but why don’t you want ponies to know about me?” He stared at her with those light green eyes of his. Those eyes which always made something in Twilight feel weird.
“I – I don’t know, just heat of the moment, because, you know – stop staring at me like that!” Twilight tried to sound angry but failed, making Pale laugh in amusement. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle, you are such a gem!” he said while wiping tears produced by his laughter from his eyes. “This day is going to be perfect!”
“- and he was a gentlecolt, as far as I could see. Distracted, a little bit, yes, but his heart seemed to be in the right place.”
“Are ye sure he wasn’ just pretendin’ to be nice in front of ya’ll?”
“I would sincerely doubt that. He was acting too naturally, and I doubt Twilight would have put up with him if he was. She may not know much about these things, but she still has sense, after all.”
“Well, would you look at that? The egghead got an egghead coltfriend!”
“I know! It’s as if they were really meant to be! I rarely think such thoughts, ever since that Blueblood incident, but still, it fits her situation! Why, when we started to eat, he was reading the kind of book that only Twilight herself would pay any attention to!”
“Oh, I’m so happy for her! I hope she would bring him here so we could see him firsthoof, if that’s okay with her.”
“Shh! I see them coming – yeah that’s them. Quick! Everypony act natural!”
Pale heard the entire conversation, but he had no interest in letting Twilight know. She might take the way her friends were looking out for her best interests the wrong way. They struck him as well meaning, but slightly overprotective – as should be for friends so close, if Twilight didn’t lie a few hours ago when she talked of them.
The two ponies and the dragon walked up to the hill where the rest of the ponies waited on a picnic blanket. The unicorn and the dragon started to unload the earth pony’s cargo. Up above, seated on the lone tree on the hill was a cyan Pegasus with a mane all colors of the rainbow. She scolded Twilight, “Twilight! Why are you so late? The rest of us were here, like, twenty minutes ago!” Flying down, she went back to the ground and said, “You won’t even introduce us to this pony friend of yours?”
“Now now, calm down, Rainbow. Ah’m sure she meant ta introduce him but you’re interruptin’ her. Let her speak first.” The orange earth pony pulled back Rainbow Dash, who had put her face impossibly close to Twilight’s, perhaps an attempt at intimidation. “Sorry about that, Twi. You know how she gets when she has ta sit down somewhere fer too long.”
“It’s okay, Applejack. Besides, I think he’d like to introduce himself on his own. Right, Pale?”
“Of course!” Pale bowed down low to Twilight’s friends and smiled, introducing himself. “My name’s Pale, as I’m sure you heard Twilight say,” he said, pulling down his hood. The bags were off his back now and he was able to stand straight. “Not really much I can say on my own without going off topic, so if you wouldn’t mind, perhaps you could just ask questions so I don’t go on talking too much?”
“Sure!” said Pinkie Pie, popping out of one of Twilight’s bags. “Where do you stand on the proposed Equestrian Territory Enforcement bill?”
“The what now?” asked Applejack. They would have expected such a question from Twilight, not Pinkie.
“I think it flies directly in the face of Equestrian policy of ‘respect, love and tolerate’, but the way the polls look, it seems that Equestrian policy will prevail,” Pale answered with a smile and not the slightest bit of confusion at the random question.
Twilight was again wondering how he was able to smile so much.
“Okie – dokie – lokie! That’s all for me!” Pinkie descended back into the bags and popped out of a hole in the nearby tree, bouncing to the ground and humming merrily.
“She has deeper thoughts than you let on, Twilight,” Pale remarked.
“She does, but none of us see them that often,” she replied.
“So, do none of you mares have any questions?”
“Ah have one. Why won’t ya take yer cloak off?”
“Nothing really, it’s just out of comfort, but I wouldn’t really mind not wearing it.”
“So yer not hidin’ anythin’ in it? Nothin’ we should be concerned about?”
“Would you like proof or would you take my word for it?”
“Ah would like proof, if ya’ll don’t mind. Nothin’ personal, just want ta see that ya ain’t going ta be a danger to Twilight.”
“Wait – come now, Applejack, dear, you wouldn’t really want to strip Pale here in front of Twilight, would you?”
“Ah don’t see the fuss here. Most everypony in Ponyville walks around without anythin’ more than a set of shoes!”
“Well, then, if you say so.”
Pale took off his cloak and handed it to Applejack, but something else caught all of their attentions. His flank was blank, something that was unnatural to somepony who was old enough to be out of school.
“Uh, Ah’m mighty sorry ‘bout that...” said Applejack, embarassed at what she had done. She made a pony reveal a blank flank, which wasn't really anything bad but was still considered rude.
“About what?”
“Ya know, takin’ yer cloak and revealin’ yer blank flank.” The other ponies and Spike nodded.
“Oh, this? Don’t let it worry you all.”
“But, doesn’t that mean that you still haven’t found your place in the world? Isn’t that kind of... sad?” asked the timid yellow Pegasus.
“Oh, maybe, but I prefer to think of it as me having too many places in this world to be mapped out on one mark.” Pale smiled again. “Although the cloak does help in not making it draw attention to me.”
Rainbow dashed above Pale. “So you’re perfectly fine with ponies thinking weirdly of you?”
“Yeah.”
She dropped back to the ground. “And you just keep going and do whatever it is you do?”
“No mark means more place for me to leave one. Why be awesome in one thing if you can be awesome in several?”
Rainbow’s face closed in on Pale’s, frowning and inspecting him closely. After a few moments she smiled, “I like this guy!”
Her head then went back to its serious look, saying, “But you try and be awesome in my field – flying, of course,” she opened her wings, “then you and I are going to have a problem. Got that?”
“I can’t fly, but sure.”
“Oh yeah.” Rainbow turned to her friends, “I’m good. You guys still have your own questions?”
“No, Ah’m perfectly fine. Ah still think Ah went overboard on that cloak thing...”
“My turn it is then,” said Rarity. “You mentioned having several fields where you make your mark on the world, if I’m not mistaken. In what field exactly do you spend the most time? What do you do?”
“I’m a –“
“- harvester!” interrupted Twilight, her face tinged a little red, her hoof suddenly in Pale’s mouth. “He’s a harvester, he told me earlier.”
“Twilight, dear, I know you might want to keep him to yourself, but I believe he’s more than capable of answering our questions!”
“I do not want to keep him to myself!”
“Of course you don’t, darling. Now, where was I? Oh yes, Mr. Pale, what do you do?”
“Well, Twilight got it right, but I’m not really a harvester, more of a reaper. I come from a wheat farm up near Fillydelphia, but since it was claimed by several other ponies, I’ve been wandering all over the place.”
“So yer a farmer as well?”
“Among other things, yes.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, sir, what other things do you do?”
“Many things! If you want, I can demonstrate a few – If I may please have my cloak?”
“Here ya go. Again, sorry ‘bout that cloak thing.”
“Never you mind... Ahem.” Pale stood on his hind legs while the rest sat down in front of him. He put his cloak back on. “Mares and... well, dragon! Welcome to the wonderful show of the magical hornless pony!”
“As you know, visible magic usually comes from unicorns. But magic flows through all creatures, and I am living testament to the power of will that would let even us non – unicorns channel magic of our own volition! Now watch, and be amazed!”
A fire came out of his right sleeve, and when it died down, a hat appeared. This he turned upside down, put his hoof into, and out of it appeared a pink pony head. “Wait, that can’t be right,” he said, pushing it back down. He started pulling out all sorts of things from the hat – ribbons, streamers, a live alligator – until he said “Aha!” and pulled out an egg. Fluttershy visibly winced at the sight.
“Now, see how this egg –“ he took it in his hooves – “skips through time –“ he crushed it, to the horror of his audience – “and comes to life!” Instead of egg yolk coming out, feathers fell and a fully grown mockingbird came out of the chicken egg.
“Thank you! Thank you!” exclaimed Pale, bowing to the ponies and the dragon who were all clapping in front of him. “And I apologize to Miss Fluttershy, who according to Miss Twilight, has the kindest heart for all sorts of creatures, and her seeing me crush an egg so wantonly might have had put some bad thoughts in her head.” He rejoined the rest of the ponies on the picnic blanket, where they started to dig into the food.
“That. Was. AWESOME!” exclaimed Rainbow, darting back and forth in the air. “I mean, unicorns like Twilight or Rarity would be able to do that, of course, but you’re different! I mean, first time I’ve ever seen an earth pony do that kind of thing! The way that fire came up and became a hat, that was just so cool! And that thing with the egg? Hooves down epic!”
“Simmer down, Rainbow. We don’t want ya to go crashin’ into another tree in your excitement, do we? Might not be so lucky like last time where ya got out of the hospital after on’y a few days.”
“Okaaaay... fine.” She flipped in the air and came to a soft landing beside Applejack.
The picnic went by without much incident. It mostly had light – hearted chatter, some discussions, and of course, questions to Twilight; none had seen her since a few days ago, and she had a stallion with her when they did see her. All of them were curious as to the circumstances of their meeting. But one question did catch Twilight off guard. Only Twilight – for some reason nothing induced major reactions in Pale.
“So Twilight, do you like Pale?” asked Fluttershy.
This question was preceded by a discussion concerning Twilight’s preference of a type of parchment, part of Rarity’s plan to make her slip up.
“Well, of course I do –“
Twilight did a spit – take when she realized that the question had changed from her expectations. Luckily, she was able to face the ground, not her friends. She was furiously red and everypony else was smiling – Spike, for one, was laughing openly. “I – I mean –“
“Don’t let it worry you, Twilight. We all know what you mean,” winked Fluttershy.
“Yes, dear. It was most obvious.”
“Yeah, Twi, ya couldn’a been doin’ a worse job hidin’ it. We just wanted ta make sure.”
“It was more obvious than that time when Rainbow was hiding her reading from us in the hospital! I could tell right away, but I’m not quite sure you guys could, so I waited anyway!”
“Even I could see it, Twilight, and that’s saying something.”
“Oh, yes, I could see it as well. You like my old friend!”
The voice came from the tree – only it wasn’t a tree. It was a pony with all sorts of mismatched body parts, who was stretching in mid – air. “Pale. Been ages since I last saw you around.” Discord winked.
Pale seemed to soften up a bit when he saw his eons – old acquaintance. Of course, no pony knew that they knew each other. “Discord! You never said you were here!”
“Neither did you, so I guess that makes it” – Discord disappeared and reappeared around Pale’s neck – “ a tie.” He removed himself from Pale’s neck. “Or perhaps a draw?” he asked, turning into a pencil.
“Discord! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on ponies like that? If you wanted to come, you could just have asked me.” Fluttershy stared down Discord, much to the amazement of Pale. He’d never seen something like that.
“Calm down, Fluttershy. I’m only passing by to go to the Everfree forest! That place is much more my style.”
“The Everfree forest is that way,” said Rainbow. She pointed her hoof to the exact opposite way Discord was headed.
“Oh, believe me, I know, living beside it and all, but what fun is there going straight to it? You ponies and all your insistence in making sense!” Discord started twisting and twisting in the air. “The best way to somewhere is through the side, then the back, then the other side, then up and down and inside – out!” he said, twisting his many limbs into a knot, before disappearing in a poof.
Rainbow floated back down. “Well, that was strange.”
“Not as strange as him knowin’ Pale here,” said Applejack, her look one of suspicion, facing Pale. “How’d ya get ta know him?”
“Oh, please don’t tell me you think he stays in one place. He gets around even more than I do!”
“But he’s only been getting out since this year. How would he have known you as an ‘old friend’?” Twilight asked.
“I’ve met him long ago, when he was still in stone, in Canterlot. Stone doesn’t exactly block out voices of ponies speaking to you.”
“And you’re sure this is the whole story?” asked Rarity.
“Absolutely.”
“Pinkie promise?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“Sure, but I don’t know how that works.”
“It’s simple! You Pinkie promise, and nopony breaks a Pinkie promise!”
“Very well then. I Pinkie promise.”
“That’s good enough for me!” said Pinkie, resuming her bouncing.
“Yeah, that sounds good enough, but we’ll be watching you,” said Rainbow. “And the moment we find out something happened to Twilight, you’re going to the moon.”
“Sounds fair.” Pale smiled again, and the picnic went back the way it was a few moments earlier.
“Glad that’s settled. Now, Twilight, dear, would you be so kind as to clarify your statement, ‘Of course I like him’?”
Twilight turned red again, and all the way to the outskirts of Ponyville it was heard when she shouted, “THAT WASN’T WHAT I MEANT!”
The picnic was peaceful and enjoyable. Every now and then Twilight would start discussing some sort of book with Pale. Whenever this happened the other ponies would step back and whisper to each other while looking at her, which would never fail to make her blush and lead the topic elsewhere. Pale, to his credit, was fine with all the observation and questioning, still smiling.
When all had gone their separate ways, Twilight was more confused than ever. She had never had any experience with things like romance – that was for Rarity or Fluttershy. So by nightfall, she had no idea what to do. Pale was still with her, of course, but he avoided bothering her, knowing that something was weighing heavily on her mind. She kept silent throughout the night, at her table, sitting and doing nothing. Her thoughts pondered the pony who was reading in the corner. Try as she might, he wouldn't leave his thoughts.
Eventually she fell asleep, and Pale took a blanket and a pillow from her room. He put it below her head gently so as to not wake her, and covered her with the blanket. He then took his chair to the other side of the room and continued his reading. Every so often he would look at her and smile, then get back to his book. She was adorable when she slept, he thought. “I really was lucky to have come here.”
Twilight woke up to the smell of fresh pancakes and coffee in front of her. She slowly regained her senses. Noticing the bookshelves, she figured that she was in the library. The book of Equestrian myths was still in front of her, so she thought she fell asleep reading. But the table was softer than she remembered. That made no sense. Neither did the fact that she had a blanket on her in the living room. Looking around, she made a note to thank Spike for the breakfast, the pillow and the blanket. Seeing that he wasn’t there, she started on her breakfast. She took a pancake in her magic and recalled the weird dream she had. There was that pony who insisted that he was Death himself. She remembered him teasing her. She remembered his eyes – light green, brimming with hope for a good future and yet still carrying the weight of the past. She shuddered, thanking the princesses that that was just a dream. She was happy that it was. So happy that she was crying.
It was, of course, a happy dream. However, the thought of Pale wasn’t exactly her idea of good. She would have hated having to stay with him and listen to his amusing anecdotes, pay attention to his knowledgeable analysis of magic of all sorts, laugh at his jokes, blush at his teasing, and stare at his eyes. She wouldn’t have liked that. That dream was over now, and she was so happy she was weeping.
They were tears of joy, she told herself. She was happy that Pale was gone. Now she wouldn’t have to be teased. She wouldn’t have to spend time with that Death – loving pony. She would no longer have someone who would keep her up through the early days of dawn. And she was so happy. So damned happy.
“Twilight, are you okay?”
Twilight looked up. Her dream apparently returned. There she was, staring into those mesmerizing green orbs. They were looking back at her with an appearance of concern that she hated. She loathed the pony in front of her for making her feel so confused. She hated him so much that she tried to crush him with a hug from her hooves.
“Calm down, Twilight. N – no, seriously, calm down, you’re choking me –“
She didn’t care. She wanted to choke him in that hug. She told herself that it was her body acting on her dislike of him. That was the only explanation, right? The only reason she would be hugging somepony so tightly. She was trying to express how much he disliked his return, his not leaving her alone.
Or so she told herself.
“N – no, Twilight, calm – DOWN!” Pale said, finally extricating himself from the grip that made him feel so much closer to meeting himself. Massaging his neck, he said, “Care to explain what that was about?” with a smile that still showed some signs of pain from the crushing hug. That smile which always got on Twilight’s nerves.
It was the moment. Twilight could now tell him freely how she hated his antics. How she disliked every single moment with him.
“I’m sorry! I just thought you were gone, leaving me without saying! And then I panicked when I saw you but I was so relieved that you were still there!” sobbed Twilight. Her head was saying something else to her: “What? That’s not what you’re supposed to say! Tell him that you were supposed to crush his neck for showing up again!”
“I’m sorry, I just got so confused, ever since you came around, since that’s the first time I’ve been close to a stallion who wasn’t my brother, and the more time I spent around you, the more confused I got!” Her head was now in full protest at losing control over the mouth. “No! What in Tartarus are you saying! No matter. You’re not confused anymore. Tell him how you’re now sure of how much you hate him!”
“But I’m not co – confused anymore,” she said, wiping her eyes. Her mind said, “Now we’re getting somewhere. Finish it!”
“I know now. I like you, Pale. Very much.”
Twilight’s inner voice flipped and conceded defeat. “No, enough of this. I give up.” She could hear a door opening and closing in her mind.
After she uttered those words and saw Pale’s shocked face, Twilight shut down. Her mind, now in her control, tried to understand the implications of what she just said. It failed utterly. Unable to comprehend how she became like that, Twilight fell unconscious on the table again.
A few minutes later, she was back up. Pale was watching her from the corner, and when she saw him stir, he smiled. She went redder than was possible upon seeing her observer, but she stood her ground. It was enough that she let herself get so out of control. Now she was going to take charge.
“Uh, hi, Pale. Sorry about that...”
“Don’t you worry about it! That was actually the best moment I’ve had in my life! At least this life, and a few others, but anyway, don’t you worry about that, as I said.”
“You’re still going on about being Death, huh?” she asked with a weak smile.
“Of course! But I can’t really say that I’m Death right now while I’m alive,” he replied with a chuckle.
“So what do you think then?”
“About you finally saying how you like me? I like it,” he said with the widest grin Twilight ever saw him give.
“So... I don’t know much about these things... What happens now?”
“Oh, far be it from me to make the mare make the first move,” Pale said with a bow. “Allow me.” And with that, he produced a bouquet of roses from his cloak’s sleeve, gave it to Twilight and asked, “Would you be so kind as to grace me with your companionship for a day?” in his most formal manner, making Twilight laugh. “And don’t worry, while you were asleep, I asked your friends already and they all said ‘Yes, I will help you with Twilight,’ except Pinkie, who said something much longer.”
“If that’s the case, then yes, of course,” said Twilight, nibbling on one of the roses. “Lead the way,” she said with a smile. Pale was truly happy to have ended up here, and so was Twilight. Together, they walked out the door of the library, where there was a huge crowd of ponies cheering – why were they there? Twilight picked out the faces of her friends there in the crowd, all giving her looks of support. They seemed apologetic at the crowd. She smiled to them, and while the crowd would normally have unnerved her, with Pale by her side she paid them no mind. Today was going to be a good day.
It was a rainy day, fitting the occasion. The ponies were all with straight faces. They stood around a box of dirt. It was dug deep, had a wooden box in it, and was being filled up with more dirt. On it was a marker dedicated to a pony called Pale, who had been in Ponyville for a few years, and was known for his relationship with Twilight Sparkle. He was well - liked by the community, by merit of his perpetual smile and willingness to help. Thus the ponies did flock around his grave, offering their goodbyes to his unknowing corpse and condolences to the mare he'd left behind.
One by one the crowd thinned. Only the purple librarian was left there. She had been closest to him, after all, ever since that extremely fateful day where he entered his life. She smiled. It would be what he would have liked to see; after all he was never without a smile. She liked that about him.
The sound of hoofsteps approaching made her look. There was a new pony. He had a black cloak, a dark brown mane, a pale coat and light green eyes.
It was Pale, coming to take himself back.
Twilight smiled. She had known that Pale was telling the truth about being Death ever since she noticed him at every single funeral she attended. Not the one beside her, of course, that was just Pale, the mortal pony. Every funeral she would see him at the coffin, visible to her and none other. Pale would see her staring at him, and he would always say with a smile, "Told you I was Death."
From the patch of earth rose Pale, ethereal, and without a cloak. He went to his other self - his real self, the one coming to take him away.
"You really were Death, weren't you?"
"I told you I was," he replied with a smile, which she returned.
"So things are going back to normal now?"
"Maybe. That's your choice."
"I'll see you later then?"
"You will. I see everyone sooner or later."
"As you're supposed to."
He laughed as he led himself away into the skies. Twilight smiled. She knew that he was going to be okay, and that someday, they would meet again.
But that someday would have to wait, she mused, walking back to her waiting friends with a small smile on her face.
The nights of Ponyville were quiet and peaceful. Most slept silently, wandering around the land of dreams and a few were in bed but awake, unable to find slumber, as though some invisible force had kept them from going unconscious. There was naught for them to do aside from whittling away the hours till dawn by clutching their blankets and praying that exhaustion takes its toll soon. A fewer number of ponies were wide awake, doing late night work or simply feeling the moonlight on their coats and relaxing in the chill breeze. And there was one pony that was not only wide awake and busy, but was outside her home. She walked around town, taking in the sights, as if seeing them for the last time.
Slowly she circled the town, reminiscing as she did. Every single part of that quaint , welcoming and unchanging place held memories for her that she would never let go of, even if the world was offered to her in exchange. She stopped by the edge of town, where the Elements of Harmony took their first steps into the dark and wild Everfree forest. The six had come back from there as heroes who would forever be remembered by the ponies thankful for once again seeing the light of day. Those six came back a family, if not by blood then by friendship, and every day the bond grew stronger, even if it was tested by many things. The pony smiled as she thought of this, and she started walking again.
She passed by the cottage by the river. It was one of the warmest and most welcoming parts of a town that was already most warm and most welcoming by any pony’s standards. So many things had happened there between the Elements, and even the other ponies that had visited that humble cottage basked in the kindness of that home and its owner. Animals flocked there for the care that only the gentle Pegasus could ever provide. Here was the place where a few ponies met creatures that would forever be their friends, loyal beyond compare. Here, a massive infestation of ravenous insects had once started, one whose damaging legacy took days to repair entirely, and some parts of the town still bore witness to that day – chewed wood beams, bitten lamps, and so on.
A little more wandering brought the pony to the library. Here was where the unicorn that had saved the village and ponykind itself several times with the help of her friends, and also occasionally caused massive disturbances and destructive incidents, lived. So many memories were housed in that tree that still lived despite being filled with knowledge instead of living wood. There, the princess of the sun herself had visited the Elements, and all in all it was a pleasant visit, even if it was brought forth by a massive riot stemming from an improperly used spell.
The pony stepped away from the noble tree and looked at the town square. It was grander than it was when the Element of Magic had set her first hoof in Ponyville. In the middle of it was a stone statue, not unlike those in Canterlot itself, and of comparable quality, having been made by a team of the best artisans of Ponyville. In the stone the indivisible friends were immortalized, their memory made to last forever, even if they would be gone from Equestria. On the polished stone platform were the words:
“FRIENDS TILL THE BITTER END
BOUND BY BONDS UNBREAKABLE
TOGETHER, INDIVISIBLE, INSEPARABLE, INVINCIBLE.”
The pedestal bore six figures, each so carefully sculpted and polished that they seemed alive but monochromatic. In fact, many a pony would say that the eyes of the statues were watching over the town and that their friendship protected Ponyville from beyond the veil. It did seem to be true for the wandering pony. The statues all looked at her with stone eyes, and their smiles seemed no less real than the smiles from whenever the pink pony held a party, or when the cyan Pegasus did her best stunt of a lifetime, or when the white unicorn allowed her appearance to be messed up to help, or when the yellow Pegasus faced her fears, or when the orange pony finally accepted help from friends, or when the lavender unicorn first experienced the warmth of friendship.
Tears were starting to well up in the eyes of the wanderer as she left and set off to another popular spot in the town; one that barely changed over the years. The Sugarcube Corner was still as inviting as it always was, full of warmth even with the lights shut. Despite the counter and the kitchens being empty, the smell of muffin and cake still wafted to the pony who stared from outside. There were so many times that she’d been here on a celebration arranged by the Element of Laughter.
She turned around – the night was going by slowly, but the pony still had more to see before she went home. Lost in her thoughts, she let her hooves guide her by memory to the next spot she wanted to visit. She had arrived at the Sweet Apple Acres, and the farm had done nothing but grow since she first set her eyes on it. Now it stretched to the far horizon, feeding a large number of ponies with its delicious crop. The sheer size of the farm made her more impressed when she remembered the orange farmer pony who had once handled the harvest of half the entire farm alone. It brought a smile and even more tears to her face when she remembered how that day was for all of the Elements. Not wanting to wake up any of the hard workers there in the farm, she put her wings up and visited the last place she had to see before her wandering ended.
Up above in the skies was a house of clouds. The one she approached was large, and certainly grand with its white pillars and pristine walls, although she knew that the inside was messy, being inhabited by a daredevil who mostly slept or flew out in the open skies. The place was left vacant, if memory served her well, when its owner left it. Perfect, she mused. Nothing touched, nothing of her memories ruined.
The pony decided that it was time to return home. She flew back down to the ground, slowly, savoring every single breath of night air, each gust of wind from her wings, and the twinkle of every single star in the beautiful night. Things that she appreciated in full, knowing that this was the last time she would ever appreciate them.
Upon her hooves touching the soil of Ponyville, she folded her wings, closed her eyes, and walked on back to her home, giving one last look at the statue of the friends who could never be separated.
The house was dark. She had not bothered lighting any candles when she reached the living room, for there was no need. Soon, she wouldn’t even be able to notice that it was dark. Instead, she proceeded up the stairs to her bedroom, letting the moonlight streaming through the window guide her slow steps. The night had never been so beautiful for her. A dimly lit living room was visible out the corner of her eye as she ascended. The desk was neat, as was the rest of the house. Everything was neatly arranged and in their proper places. Sparing one last look of farewell, she entered her room. All of it was as she remembered – a couple of books, two beds, a desk, and a window from where moonlight struck the pale pony sitting on one of the beds.
“I’ve been expecting you,” said the pale pony. His coat was what some would say white, but upon closer scrutiny wasn’t a clearly defined color, aside from the fact that it was a pale color. His mane was black, and his flank contained no mark at all, something that was strange for someone so old. His eyes were light green in color. His voice was somewhat ethereal, as though it was a chorus speaking his every word.
“So have I.”
“This brings me back. Remember the day we first met? It was just like this, except I was the one at the door,” smiled the pale pony.
“Yeah. Much happened since then.”
“Honestly, I vowed never to come back here after I died, because that meant that somepony else here would as well. But I have been forced by duty.”
“I know. I saw you at my friends’ funerals. I would have been so much sadder if I didn’t know that it was you who was going to take them away, and I think they’d have enjoyed the journey to wherever you take ponies.”
“I would have given anything to not take them, if I could have. However, like you said, it was as it was supposed to be.”
“And that‘s how it will be for me as well. I haven’t seen my friends in ages, but now you’re taking me to them, aren’t you?”
“Of course, my princess.” He bowed low and smiled. Twilight hadn’t seen that smile in ages. It warmed her heart.
“I guess it’s time to go, then... Good thing I brought these.” Twilight’s magic set down two cups of coffee on the table. She sat down opposite Pale. He took the other coffee with a smile. “One more for the road then?” asked Twilight.
“Just like the first night,” replied Pale.
With the last gulp of coffee, Twilight closed her eyes and lay on the table. When she opened them, her body was weightless. Pale was beside her, and they were both looking at her, slumped over a book with two empty cups of coffee.
“I told you this before, and I’m saying it again – you’re adorable when you sleep.”
“Thanks.” Even in death he knew how to make her blush and smile. It was one of the many things she loved about him.
As they left the library to the endless depths of the universe, Twilight said, “I haven’t seen you or any of my friends in a long time...”
“Don’t worry, you will soon,” smiled Pale.
Twilight knew that she would. They were waiting for her, and she was coming. But for now, she would enjoy the time she had with the pony who she loved.
