Just another Pony.

Just another pony- Chapter 16.5- Bonus chapter: Behind the view of death.

Author's Note: This starts before Chapter 16 and ends after chapter 16. It isn't Death's POV of chapter 15/16, just a bonus chapter summarizing how Death first saw our two 'heroes'. Also a little more in depth of the first race to break world gates. Also, that's why it's pretty short.

Three thousand years. Three thousand years of loneliness. Three thousand years since I have lived. Three thousand years since I have felt emotion. Three thousand years since I had a loved one. That is the life of the gate keeper. I will guard the worlds for as long as I am the gate keeper. I guard life, I guard death, I guard the gates. The gates of life and death. The gates of good and evil. Through these years, I've only had the company of death. I didn't dare make a friend, lest I be crushed when they finally die. I will even have to be the one to do it. They always die. Even the former gate keepers. I am one of the only true immortals. I know of one or two others, but other than that, I am the only one immune to death. Or at least until someone releases me from this torment. The gate keepers still live, only it's in heaven or hell. I stay in contact with the order's elders, in case I need help. Just like the war of the gates. Machines crippled worlds and the gates protecting them. My greatest shame.

When I was but 200 years old as a gate keeper, I was informed of multiple world gates being broken. When I was first initiated, they had told me that world gates were things of majesty; Huge invisible portals that only gate keepers could see. They were also nearly indestructible, the only way to 'break' one was a great feat of magic or of strength. And 5 of them had already been broken by some weird race. World gates would normally shred any organic being that tried to destroy it. It would take a lot more than what anything could make up to destroy one. I couldn't believe my ears! These massive gates; impenetrable, immovable, unbreakable. Broken. I was called by the council for an emergency meeting. An emergency meeting has not been called since the universes were just a few thousand years old.

I was brought before the elders in the hall of time. It was a massive building, one with huge white pillars and was generously garnered with beautiful paintings of time and space. I remember that conversation like it was yesterday...

The eldest was the first to talk to me. He wore an all white robe to signify his position.

“Gate Keeper! Have we told you of what has happened?”

“N-no...” I can't believe how weak I felt in their presence. I was vulnerable to them, all mighty powers in the universe. Control over life and death. One snap of his fingers and I would be placed in the darkest depths of hell, and it was probably better than I deserved. It seemed that whenever I took charge something went wrong. It always did, even if it took time.

“Must we explain this again? World gates have broken and you, as the gate keeper was assigned to protect them. What has gone wrong?”

“I- I don't know, wise master of the gates.” We were forbidden to speak of his name, he was the real creator of everything.

“We know little of these... machines.”

“Machines? Is that why they were able to break the gates?”

“Correct. They come from a planet who's name forgets me. They were remnant of contraptions that a race of anthropomorphic creatures. Their technology was advanced beyond all thought was possible in a thousand short years. They were able to develop self thinking robots, teleportation, and intergalactic travel. They ended up being wiped out thanks to their own ignorance. The machines fought back and killed every single speck of life on the planet. They then proceeded to build. Build until they could attack a space gate.”

The space gates were heavily defended by Gate keeper forces. World gates are so powerful that, if broken, release a massive energy wave that can obliterate life within three light years. The magic that keeps the gates locked to prevent intruders into peaceful worlds was formed by the strongest minds when the universe was first formed. The information on how to destroy (and recreate) the magic has been lost for centuries. It died with the last of 'the bearers'. Taking one space gate is huge, and has not been done before. These guys took 5!

A messenger came into the court carrying a disk.

“Excuse me keepers, but I have an urgent data disk from one of the world gates. It is a distress signal; another gate has fallen.”

“Well? What are you waiting for? Put it in!” The messenger quickly put in the disk. On the massive screen behind the council, a picture came to life.

“...orting in from Gate 1-1-9! I repeat! Reporting in from Gate 1-1-9! We are under attack! Alien forces have starting shooting at us! Requesting backup! I repeat, requesting backu-” The message was cut short by a blinding light and a devastating silence. The entire court was silent.

“Current Gate Keeper. We must deal with this threat. We must stop this race from invading worlds they have no right in.”

With that, the court was dismissed. The plan was going into action. The elders were going into battle.

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50 years later, 63 more worlds and gates destroyed, and 20 elders dead. We finally stopped the machines.

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2,750 years later. I felt a disturbance in a gate. One leading from... Earth to Equestria? It seems the gate was used... yet locked? How can this be? It looked like a human. I have never once seen a being cross the gate unscathed. It must be nothing.

3 years later. Another disturbance. Another portal from Earth to Equestria. What is going on? This... this shouldn't be possible! I have to see this. It looked to be another human, except this one took on the form of a pony.

Hmm, this particular human is Tybalt. The other one is Johnathon. It seems there are multiple versions of all the worlds. Strange. Tybalt came from a medieval Earth while Johnathon came from an Earth in 2011. There are more to these worlds than meets the eyes. I have been watching these two for only a few weeks. Tybalt really sparked my interest.

I came to focus on Johnathon. He was walking back to his farm. He was thinking very vividly. He was thinking if Tybalt never came to be.

“Is that what you think?”

….