Bonds That Transcend
What a strange world he was in. The air had a invigorating taste to it as he inhaled deeply. It was fresh, devoid of any pollutants.
It was much better than the stale taste from the world he originated from. He surveyed his surroundings with a placid look on
his face.
The mountains around him looked almost the same as the ones he recalled from Earth. Though he wasn't entirely
sure, for most of his earliest memories had faded into a white abyss. Though by appearance he looked only in his mid-twenties, he was much, much older. He had lost track of his exact age, but he knew it had been a few thousand years since the last few humans on Earth had perished. Age, or specifically, time in general no longer held purpose for him.
From a young age, he knew he wasn't like other people. He looked like the others, talked like them, acted like them, but something was different...something he couldn't explain. Though long since forgotten by the man, the difference became glaringly obvious on his 23rd birthday. His friends decided to take him to a bar for few drinks, to loosen him up, they said. The night had unfolded like all other nights for him, people around him living life to the fullest while he felt like a shadow, wanting to reach out and touch something only to be limited by not being able to relate to the people's exuberance towards their lives.
Near the end of the night, the man had finally given up hope to perhaps feel revived by the activity around him and stood from his chair only to bump into someone that was walking by. He turned around to see a large man glaring at him.
"What the fuck is your problem!?" he said, the pungent smell of vomit and booze wafting from his mouth with each word.
The young man could care less about this drunken slob, but felt obligated to apoligize.
"Sorry." he murmured, putting no emotion at all into his voice.
Whether the drunkard didn't like how the young man didn't seem to mean it or he was just looking to prove himself, he raised his voice enough for everyone to turn their heads in curiosity.
"You smug, little shit!!" he roared grabbing the young man by the collar and pulling a knife from his leather jacket.
In a sweeping arc he plunged the blade into the youth's heart. The moment the knife punctured his skin, the young man's eyes widened in shock. The room fell quiet as he looked down at the handle jutting from his chest, even his assailant took a staggered step back.
This should hurt, the young man thought plainly. And it did, but only as much as a pin-prick might. Blood was pouring from the wound but he felt the same he always did, far away from reality. He realized that everyone was staring at him. He looked around at them and wasn't suprised by the expressions glued to each of their faces. Horror.
He looked down away from them, and turned, still unaffected by the knife in his chest and walked out. On his walk home, he removed the blade and simply dropped it as if it were just a piece of paper.
That incident made the man realize what exactly was different. He should have been fatally wounded. He should be on the brink of death, yet he shrugged it off as if nothing had happened at all. The thought of what he was began to seep in, and it sent waves of dread across his mind. Those people in the bar saw what happened.
Most of them wouldn't believe it, pass it off as some elaborate magic act or just repress it completely. But what if more people saw him in a situation like that...what would happen? He spent years locked in his apartment tormented of thoughts of someone revealing his secret to the world. Suddenly, every scientist would want to study him, figure out how someone simply couldn't be killed. Or why he still looked young even though he should be approaching his thirties.
He decided he had to stay far away from society in fear of being discovered. Over decades, he learned he was capable of much more than he had ever imagined. If he touched an inatimate object, even for a moment, he was able to recreate it despite not having any knowledge of what or how he was doing it. He found himself surrounded by hand-crafted chairs and desks he had touched from his early years. He could even manifest and carve stone with amazing precision from when he would admire his late father's tiny rock sculptures.
Through the centuries to come, he would learn he was capable of even more...
The man took another deep breath as he closed his eyes and focused. With his mind, he probed every direction for miles, searching for any signs of life. For what seemed hours, he felt nothing, and just as he was about to give up, he felt a faint pulse coming from his right. He concetrated on the direction it had come from thinking maybe it was just his imagination. Another pulse came.
It was small, barely noticable, but it was there none the less. He opened his eyes and began walking in the pulse's direction. When he crested a hill, he found himself looking down upon a small town. He paused for a moment, taking it in, then descended the hill. As the man entered the town, he discovered it was indeed inhabited.
Small creatures, that came up to his knees where walking around everywhere, smiling and laughing. They looked familiar, he knew he had seen something similar from his world long ago. He struggled with his memories for a few moments and managed to recall what they resembled. Horses. Though these creatures were obviously much smaller, ponies, and...strangely colored. Pink and blue, red and yellow ones.
He even saw one with all the colors of....what did they call it? A..rainbow? He was still taking all of it in when he felt the gaze of one the creatures. Slowly at first, then alarmingly fast the small horses stopped their activity and cast their eyes upon him. Even in his world he never felt so...out of place. Suddenly, he felt something bump into him from behind. He turned around to see a purple pony frantically trying to gather scrolls and books that lay strewn on the ground.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going...I can be so clumsy..." it said shyly. It sounded female.
Wait...it could TALK? He didn't expect this, the horses of his world weren't capable of any intelligent actions, much less speech.
"Please forgive me--" The pony began but was cut short when she looked up to him. It's mouth dropped open in disbelief. They locked eyes, not speaking not moving. The man felt a sudden sense to introduce himself.
"Hello, I'm..." he trailed off. He was lost in thought for a moment. "I'm..." he stopped again. He couldn't remember his name. It was far too long ago that he heard his own name, but now it had faded away along with much of his past.
He felt a wave of lonliless wash over him. He wanted to just disappear when the violet pony spoke up.
"Are y-you...?" she asked shakily. He didn't want to speak anymore, but answered anyway.
"I'm human."
"Who...who are you?" this time she spoke as if she wasn't afraid. Lonliness crashed into his heart again.
"I...don't remember..." he had never felt so embarresed. The pony looked around and noticed a croud had gathered. Quickly collecting her things, she began trotting off telling him to follow her as she passed by his side. He didn't even want to move, but forced himself to head after the pony. The crowd slowy disperesed, but the other ponies kept a cautious eye towards him as they returned to their daily routines.
They pair approached an elegantly constructed building and stopped when they got to the door. The purple pony knocked a hoof on the door.
"Rarity, are you there? I have a guest with me and he could use your help." she bellowed.
At first there was no response, then after about a minute the door swung open revealing a white pony with a lavish dark-purple mane.
Oh, Twilight, my dear, how can I help--" her eyes had locked onto the man standing beside her friend. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth went slack.
"Well, as you can see this man is naked and could use some new clothes." Twilight said nervously. The man looked down at himself and a embarrased smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He was naked. He noticed it briefly when he had entered this world, but dismissed it as being trivial.
"Y-yes..." Rarity began, "do come in." They went into Rarity's studio where she made her wondorous designs come to life.
"I have no clue as to what's going on...but I'll be glad to help any way I can, my dear."
Rarity said while she levitated pieces of fabric in front of her with a faint blue glow surrounding them along with the same glow that was around the horn atop her head. He knew well what it was. Magic. She turned around abruptly, staring him up and down, looking to the different fabrics and back to him. Finally, she hovered a measuring tape around his waste, down the length of his side and across his chest. The white pony spun away and began furiously examining different patterns, discarding them one by one with a simple shake of her head.
"I should have him something presentable in a few hours, I'll drop them off at your house when it's finished, darling."
Rarity said to Twilight without pausing her critical testing of the fabrics. With that, the man and lavender pony left, Twilight thanking her friend for her help.
"Mhm." she muttured, still focused on her work.
"Let's go to my home now," Twilight said as they left Rarity's, "I have so many questions."
Upon entering Twilight's home, the man's eyes widened. So many books, and in such pristine condition. The books from his world had eventually decayed into dust, even with constant care. He read any and every book he chanced upon, whether it be a classic piece from history or a simple magazine on how to get your body in shape for the upcoming summer season. He enjoyed reading, learning anything he could...it kept him sane.
To see so many books caused a smile to grow goofily on his face. Twilight turned to him and noticed the man was looking around with eager eyes. He slowly began walking towards one of the shelves and gingerly reached for a book. When he touched it he felt a jolt of panic, expecting the book to collapse into dust. When it remained solid, he relaxed and removed the book, opening it to a random page.
He read a few paragraphs in his head. This book was about the history of this world, the history of Equestria. After a few minutes, he closed the book and returned it to it's place in the shelf. He remembered that the pony named Twilight wished to ask him some questions, and when he turned around, he found her staring up at him with curiosity glimmering in her large violet eyes.
"Where did you come from?" her eagerness had started to surface as she had began to become comfortable with his being there.
"Earth." he said simply.
"Earth!?" she shouted. "I've heard of that place from Princess Celestia! She said the humans that live there are amazing creatures. Even capable of space travel!" She started getting excited at the fact that a human was here, standing before her very eyes.
"Not anymore..." he whispered. Twilight's ears drooped and she tilted her head in question.
"I'm the last, Earth died...many years ago." his words were sobering and blunt. A look of concern appeared on Twilight's face.
"W-what...do you mean?" she asked, cautiously. The man closed his eyes in and he breathed deeply.
"It's been at least a millenia since the last few of my kind passed on from my world. The only reason i'm here," he took another breath, "is because i'm...a freak." He had to force the last word from his mouth, flinching in disgust upon hearing it. Twilight frowned, and reached a foreleg toward his hand, in an attempt to confort the man. Before she could make contact, the moment was dispelled with a crash from her loft. Something had flown through the window and thumped into the wall.
"Ugh..." he heard yet another feminine voice come from upstairs, only this time it sounded more...gruff.
"Is that you Rainbow Dash?" Twilight shouted towards the commotion.
"Ya, it's me, sorry about your window Twi." When the voice came into view he recognized the multi-colored pony he saw flying around when he first arrived. Her eyes were closed and she was rubbing a light blue foreleg on her head.
"I was trying out a new trick to show the Wonderbolts and well...I think you get it." she said with a chuckle, before wincing and collapsing onto her side.
She groaned in pain, and Twilight gasped before vanishing. It caught the man by suprise. She reappeared a few moments later next to Rainbow Dash. He could see a faint magenta glow enveloping Twilight's horn, much like Rarity had done. She was capable of using magic aswell? These ponies are very interesting, the man thought. He ascended the stairs to join the two ponies.
"Oh no, you're hurt!" Twilight said panicking at the sight of her friends blood.
A shard of glass had pierced Rainbow's left flank and one of her wings seemed to be broken. Twilight was frozen in place, not able to act. She knew she had to help and quickly but couldn't in fear she might make things worse. She felt herself moving as the man gently pushed her aside so that he could get a better view of Rainbow's injuries. He looked over the brilliantly colored pony noticing a cloud and rainbow colored bolt shaped mark on her flank.
The glass shard jutted from just below her mark, her crimson blood flowed without pause from the wound. First he reached a hand toward her broken wing. It hung limp as he calmly placed his hand under it and lifted it slightly. Rainbow grit her teeth and braced for pain, but none came. The man's hand shone a deep purple, much like the ponies horns glew when using magic. Rainbow Dash could feel a warm spark go from the man's hand to her wing, momentarily dancing about underneath her skin, before it quickly raced to the base of her wing and down her spine before fading away.
"Just a small fracture, it should be fine now but I wouldn't use it too much if I were you." he said smiling kindly at her.
She didn't know what to think as she looked at him then to her wing as she slowly moved it up and down. It throbed a bit, but nothing she couldn't handle. Next, the man reached toward the glass shard embedded in her leg. She winced again when he touched the glass. He placed his left hand around the underside of her leg and his right gently but firmly gripping the glass.
Without letting her prepare, he yanked the glass out in one fluid motion. Rainbow Dash groaned through her teeth as a wave of pain overwhelmed her. He dropped the piece of glass and returned both hands to the open wound. His hands glowed again, but this time brighter than when he had healed Rainbow's wing. The tender flesh of Rainbow's leg began to knit itself together under his hands.
Twilight watched in awe as she had never seen magic like this before. Within a few seconds the wound had completely closed and it appeared that nothing had even happened. His hands still glowing he wrapped them around her leg and pulled downward, removing the blood. He stepped back as Rainbow shakily rose to her hooves. The two ponies examined where the wound had been as if maybe by some cruel joke, it would reappear.
"Thanks...whoever you are." said Rainbow.
Suddenly, another flying pony came through the window. This one was yellow with a long pink mane. For some reason the man thought she looked unbearably adorable despite the worried look on her face.
"Oh, Rainbow Dash, are you o.k.?" she said in a quiet voice. "I saw you fly through Twilight's window and I rushed over to see if you were alright." She gracefully landed next to Rainbow Dash, looking her over.
"I'm fine, Fluttershy, thanks to that guy." she said, nodding toward the man.
The yellow pony looked behind her to see who had helped her friend. Her teal eyes widened so much, the man expected them to soon devour her entire face. In a flash, she was gone, catching the man off guard. She gingerly peeked at him from behind Rainbow.
"W-w-who are...y-you? she squeeked, barely audible. Twilight spoke up.
"He's a human, Fluttershy, there's nothing to be afraid of. He even healed Rainbow Dash's injuries." Fluttershy wasn't paying attention. Her ears perked up when Twilight had mentioned the word human, and now she shot out from behind her friend and had placed her forelegs on his stomach as she stared up at him in admiration.
"You're a human?" she squealed. She was very disarming with her large turqouise eyes beaming at him, one moment she was deathly frightened upon seeing him and now she was practically attacking him.
"Did you come from Earth? Is it nice there? How many cute little animals are there? Are they nice?" her questions just kept coming, and the man was dumbfounded. It had been so long since he had any type of communication with anything intelligent, it was all very hard to reacustom to. Twilight, sensing his shock, stepped in.
"Fluttershy, take it easy, I'm sure he'll answer your questions but you have to slow down."
Fluttershy, realizing she was indeed berrating the man with endless queries, hopped back and blushed in embarrasment.
"I'm so sorry. You only have to answer if you really want to..." The excitement from just moments before gone, and she was back to being almost unable to hear.
He took a moment to collect his thoughts. These ponies were almost exactly like humans, aside from the obvious differences. A knock came from downstairs as Rarity entered, accompinied by an orange and pink pony.
"Ah, perfect timing girls." Twilight said. She descending the stairs, looking back at the man and motioning for him to follow. When they all where together, Twilight decided proper greetings were in order. Without hesitation, the pink pony bounced up to him.
"Hi!, she said, gleefully, "I'm Pinkie Pie!" her curly pink mane bounced as much, if not more than she did.
"ah'm Applejack, pleased tuh meet'cha." said the orange pony in a southern tone. She held herself with obvious pride as she tipped her hat to him.
"Rarity, of course, darling."
"I'm Rainbow Dash, the best flyer in Equestria!" she boasted.
"I'm...Fluttershy." she was still looking away, embarrased from her outburst earlier.
"And I'm Twilight Sparkle." She gave him a friendly smile. Rarity walked over with the clothes she had made for him on her back. As he dressed the ponies looked away, blushing quietly, except for Pinkie Pie who was giggling nervously.
"Ah reckon we all deserve an explaination of what's going on." Applejack said, looking to Twilight. The purple pony wasn't entirely sure where to start.
"Well..." said the man, this time talking for Twilight, who had spoken up for him.
He sat down on the floor and began explaining all the details of the story of his life that he could remember. Though he struggled to recall the oldest memories, he did it with much effort. The ponies waited patiently, huddled closely around him as children might when being told some mystical legend. He told them of the moment his lifed changed forever, how he lived alone in caves or under bridges. That he watched those closest to him grow old and eventually die, all while he remained young and in perfect health.
The Earth began to wilt away. Humans thought and tried everything they could, to no avail. They attempted to locate another planet similiar to there's where they could migrate, and start anew. They did succeed in finding such a place, but could not delevop technology sophisticated enough to make the journey in an average human lifespan. Over and over they reached desperatly toward the stars, perhaps hoping some divine miracle would come to aid them.
He watched it all, how his fellow humans fell into panic as the worlds resources ran out, faster and faster. Wars broke out, a horrifying number of people died. And he eventually found himself all alone. For years he scoured the globe, hoping, praying he would find someone. Anyone. But he didn't. For centuries, he wondered aimlessly, waiting for an end that would never come.
He developed his magical abilities in order to try something desperate. He intended to open a portal to another dimension. He knew he would end up somewhere but he had no idea where. Frankly, he didn't care, anywhere but the dead rock he stood upon would be better. When the portal appeared, he stared blankly at it, before throwing himself through.
If he wasn't who he was, or better yet, what he was, he would have been vaporized instantly. Pain engulfed him as his skin and muscles evaporated off his bones, only to instantly regenerate. His clothes, however weren't as lucky. They exploded into a puff of colorful smoke. The journey seemed an enternity to him, but then again, so was everything else. Eventually, he appeared in a blinding flash to find himself surrounded by an Equestrian mountain-side. When he finished his story, the ponies were all crying. Tears streamed down their colorful faces as they sniffled and sobbed.
"That's just...the saddest thing i've ever heard..." Rarity said through her sobs.
"But, how have you lived for so long?" Rainbow asked, wiping her tears with a foreleg. The man felt ashamed to say what he was, so he said it quietly in hopes they wouldn't hear.
"I'm..." he started.
"An immortal." Twilight had finished for him. "A being unnaffected by time, injury or disease." The others looked at their friend quizzically, not sure what she ment. Twilight continued.
"He can never die..." The ponies gasped. Even they had never heard something so...outlandish. Sure, Princess Celestia was very old and looked young, but would she live forever? They didn't know how to react. Fluttershy, who was still crying leaped toward him wrapping her forelegs around his neck and burying her nose into his neck.
"Oh, you poor thing!, she wailed, "you've been through so much..."
The man didn't expect her to jump to him again, and just as suddenly as the first time. The others huddled up next to him, hugging him as Fluttershy was. He didn't know how to react. At first he felt awkward, but then he felt something stir deep within his ancient heart. He fought to remember a faint emotion he felt long ago but failed. It didn't matter, all he knew was that someone, or somepony cared for him. Genuinely cared for him. The feeling washed over him, warming him like a blanket. Though he had just barely met the six brightly colored ponies hugging him, he cared for them more than anything.
The rest of the day the six ponies led him around, introducing him simply as "their human friend" since he still couldn't recall his name. He met many different ponies, such as the mint colored pony, Lyra. Lyra caught his interest as she sat just like a human would, and her gaze remained locked on his hands as they exchanged pleasentries. He even briefly met Princess Celestia and her sister, Luna. The town of Ponyville seemed to welcomed him eagerly knowing that he ment no harm.
Pinkie Pie pulled him toward Sugarcube Corner, so he could try some freshly baked cupcakes. He wasn't hungry, he was never hungry, but played along if it would make her happy. That night as the friends went home, he wondered what he would do, he could sleep, though he didn't need to. Maybe he would go back just outside the town and carve part of the mountain into a suitable home. Suddenly he heard Twilight speak, in a low, almost embarrased voice.
"Um...since you don't have a home...you can sleep at the library tonight. I don't mind." she said, her face red.
He thought she looked adorable. She was remarkably smart, even to the extent of knowing what he was. Throughout the day she only further displayed her intelligence. He smiled at her.
"Thank you, Twilight, but i'll be fine." Twilight's ears drooped and her head sank.
"Oh, alright..." she stopped but obviously had something on her mind. After a moment, she spoke again.
"Will...will I see you again tommorow?" In his mind, he thought it was a silly question, but he did not want to upset her. He smiled again.
"Of course." he said simply. She smiled sheepily, and nodded, accepting his answer. He turned and walked toward the edge of the town.
When he approached the mountain, he looked it over carefully. After assuring himself that he find a suitable location, just outside Ponyville, he placed his his hands upon the stone. For a silent minute, he ran his hands smoothly over the rock, feeling for fractures, weak and strong points. Suddenly, he drew his right hand backwards, palm still open, and struck the rock's surface with terrifying force. The impact echoed briefly. He did the same with his left, and began pushing into the side of the mountain.
He then moved both hands swiftly in a downward, diagnal stroke. The stone slid away from it's original position, falling on either side of him, as if cut but some incredibly sharp blade. He repeated this process for about and hour and when he stepped back to see his progress there was the beginnings of a large door frame carved seemlessly into the mountain side. He grinned and continued his work until morning.
Twilight Sparkle awoke early the next day, she wanted to spend time with the man. She wanted to learn everything about him, and the world he came from. She adorned her saddle and quickly gathered some blank scrolls, quills, and ink. As she trotted in the direction he had left the night before, the sun had just peeked over the horizon. Better to be too early, than too late, she thought.
She looked all over the mountainside, wondering if he was o.k. Did he get lost? Maybe he lied after all and left forever without a farewell. As her thoughts began to stray for the worst, she stopped dead in her tracks, as she caught sight of a huge stone doorway. A door? In the side of the mountain? This is what Twilight found herself thinking as she eyed the collosal stone door. This must be where he went, though she distinctly remembered never seeing this door before today.
She placed her forelegs on the door and braced to push as hard as she could. The moment her hooves made contact with the rock, it opened without the slightest effort. Just one more thing she didn't expect. When she entered, she was shocked, yet again at what she saw. A giant chamber had be carved into the mountain.
Twilight looked around in awe at the ornate designs that had been carved into the stone. She spotted the man at the opposite side of the room and trotted towards him. As she got closer, Twilight noticed large bookcases on either side of the chamber, shelf upon shelf full of books she did not recognize. The man was sitting down on a wooden chair, similar designs carved into it. As Twilight approached his side, she saw he was writing something in one of the books. Her love of books made her fear that he was vandalizing this poor book.
"What are you doing?" she said urgently putting her forelegs onto the table in front of him so she could see.
What she saw put her at a loss for words. The page the book was opened to only had writing covering half of it. The rest was completly blank. Confused, she hovered the book in front of her using her magic. She flipped throught the pages, seeing only about half the total pages in the book had any writing. She placed the book back onto the table.
"You're...writing this book?" Twilight asked, not sure if she had chosen her words correctly. The man lay the quill down next to the book and turned to the purple pony.
"Yes, and no. I'm not the original author of this book, but I thought it would be a good use of time, to recreate the works of my world's greatest writers." he explained.
She raised a brow at this. What did he mean, recreate? As if reading her mind, the man told her how he was able to manifest or recreate any inatimate object simply by touching it. That would explain how he got so much paper to make all the books, along with the ink to write with.
"And you made this chamber all by yourself? Overnight?" asked Twilight. He simply nodded.
"The chamber itself took several hours to complete, the books took only a few more." Twilight's mouth hung agape. To be able to construct something so beautiful and in such a small amount of time was mind-boggling.
"Judging by the things you brought, i'm guessing you want to ask me some questions?" he asked her. Twilight had forgotten why she was even there.
"Oh yes, I have so much to ask." she said excitedly using magic to place some parchment onto the table along with some ink and and quills of her own.
She stopped abruptly. She was being inconsiderate. She had entered his new home without permission and now wanted to bombard him with more questions, not pausing to ask him if he even wanted to. She felt that all the manners she had learned in the company of Princess Celestia had flown away.
"Um, well...that's if you want to. I'm sorry, I should have asked how you felt about it." she hung her head, ashamed.
"No problem at all. I'd be happy to talk to you about anything." he said, giving her a welcoming smile.
She grinned and her excitement returned. They spent the day exchanging stories of their adventures. Twilight gave every detail about when her and her friends stopped Nightmare Moon and how they were almost defeated by Discord. His stories were nothing nearly as exciting as Twilight's, but she listened intently as he spoke, curiosity and admiration in those big purple eyes of hers. The day went by quickly as they continued to talk and laugh.
He had never had so much fun merely talking to anyone. In fact, he had never really had fun at all. He was constantly away from society in fear of being shunned. But here, the ponies knew what he was and accepted him as if he was one of them. He remembered the emotion he felt as he laughed at one of Twilight's jokes, it wasn't particually funny, and he could tell that telling jokes wasn't her "special talent" as the ponies called it.
Regardless, he felt happy and laughed anyway. Eventually, Twilight felt it was time she headed home as she brushed the tears from her eyes from the constant fits of laughter. She stood up and thanked him for his time, and left. The sun had almost set as she trotted happily home.
Three years had passed since the man arrived in Ponyville, and he felt more at peace than he ever did on Earth. Sure, things were different, but not by much. The ponies that he was around everyday, didn't look at him as an abomination. It was quite the opposite, as different mares and stallions asked for help if something was bothering them. He would help them without question, but only six mares held a special place in his heart.
He would jump to help them at any time, day or night for whatever they needed. One night, Rainbow Dash awoke with sudden inspiration of a new move she planned on showing the Wonderbolts and couldn't wait to show somepony. Everypony was asleep, so she flew as fast as she could to the man's home inside the mountain. She thumped a hoof on the stone door, calling to him.
"Hey, you in there?" she called, and in seconds the door opened and there he was. He praised her when she showed him her new trick, whooping loudly.
"That's great, Rainbow, it's sure to get their attention!"
He helped Applejack when she thought she would be late with bucking all the apple trees. He helped Fluttershy keep an eye on the energetic Cutie Mark Crusaders. He marveled at all the ponies cutie marks. When a pony discovered what their special talent was, a tatoo-like mark would magically appear on their flanks. He wondered what his talent was.
Maybe if he figured it out, he'd get a cutie mark, he thought, chuckling to himself. He helped Rarity pick out designs for some of her dresses, though he knew nothing of fashion, from his world or this one. Pinkie Pie was always wanting to play games, and Twilight would come over everyday to talk about magic or anything that popped up in her mind. He had even let Twilight have free reign to browse the books in his collection.
On the current morning, the man lay down his quill and looked over his writings again. After a few minutes, he nodded and closed the book. He leaned back in his chair and looked up had the stain-glass window he had made. He smiled at it proudly, as he had made it without the use of magic, aside from creating the glass itself. It showed the six ponies he had become close to.
He had them each doing the thing they loved most. Pinkie Pie held a cupcake, Rarity furiously stiching fabrics together, Applejack bucking an apple tree, Rainbow Dash's signature Sonic Rainboom brightly trailed her. Flutteshy was surrounded by cute little bunnies and birds. And of course, Twilight, diligintly reading a book. He had a special suprise for each of the ponies.
He felt it necessary to pay them back for everything they had done for him. For months, he asked other ponies to help in his plan to make this day amazing for each of them. He gathered the six ponies and told them what he had planned and they all gasped in excitement as he detailed what he had in mind for them. He had asked the Wonderbolt, Spitfire, if she would be able to put on a private flying show just for the group. Rainbow Dash, giggled like a little filly as she watched her heroes fly overhead and squeeled with joy when they asked her to join them.
Rarity got to showcase some of her grandest designs for Princess Celestia. He prensented Applejack with a set of brand new buckets and a cart for apple bucking season, that he made himself, that would never rust. He gave Pinkie Pie some desert recipes from Earth that she insisted they try immediately. No one protested, you couldn't really argure with her anyway. After they sampled a few of the sweets, he gave Fluttershy paintings of what some animals looked like on Earth, and even built her a new chicken coop.
Twilight's gift was last, and he hoped she'd like it. The group entered his home inside the mountain, it was decorated with more furnishings, paintings on the walls and there were even more bookcases, holding hundreds if not thouasands of books. He looked at Twilight and and motioned for her to come closer.
"Which is your favorite?" he asked her, holding a hand toward the books.
"Oh, there are so many. I don't know if I could choose just one." she said unsuredly. He chuckled and knelt next to the purple pony and wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer.
"Well you won't have to, Twilight, because they're all yours."
Her mouth dropped and her eyes widended in disbelief. The others reacted in the same way. Twilight was always talking about all the books that were in his collection, wishing that should could read them all, but not wanting to intrude, just to borrow his belongings. She slowy turned toward him and he was looking into her eyes. She gradually closed her mouth as the look in his eyes told her that he spoke the truth, that this wasn't some cruel practical joke.
Suddenly, he hugged her and after regaining her thoughts of what was happening, she wrapped her forelegs around his neck and returned his embrace. As they headed back into town Pinkie Pie said she wanted to put a party together to wrap up such a fantastic day. He walked behind the ponies as they laughed. He had a goofy smile plastered on his face as he couldn't feel happier.
Twilight looked back to him to tell him to hurry up, but was stopped cold. When she turned, the man was laying on his back in the middle of the grass. She quickly ran to him, followed shortly by the others as they too turned to realize what was happening. When they approached him he was heavily breathing, a look of terror had replaced his smile from only moments before.
"What's wrong!?" Twilight shouted. She was panicking, along with the other ponies, as none of them had ever seen him like this. It took him a great effort, but he managed to speak.
"I...thought I had more time." he breathed. "I should have...remembered."
Twilight grew more and more confused. What did he mean more time? What did he forget? He explained what he meant. A long time ago, he placed a spell on himself that every few decades, he would be forced into a deep slumber that would last a hundred years. He did this in order to skip generations and avoid any speculation in case anyone did manage to notice that he wasn't aging normally. However, he was so consumed by his bliss in the company of the ponies, he had forgotten to remove it. It came to his attention occasionally but it was pushed back into the depths of his mind.
"Jus' use yer magic, Twi." pleaded Applejack. The man shook his head.
"It wouldn't matter...even with my magic, it would take months to dispel." The ponies began to cry as they knew what that meant. This time when he slept, he would never see them again.
"I'm so...sorry." he whispered, his breathing had stablized but he knew his time with them would fade soon, so he spoke softly and quickly.
"I wanted to thank you all, for everything you've given me." he whispered looking from one to the next. "I thought I would be alone forever, but then I came here, to Equestria." The ponies loud sobs had become quiet sniffles as they struggled to hold their tears back.
"You are the greatest treasue anypony could have. You gave me your friendship. You gave me a place to belong." he breathed deeply, "Please forgive me, for being so careless." with the last of his waning strength, he reached up and placed his hand on Twilight's cheek. "I'm so...sorry..." his eyes closed and his hand dropped to the ground.
After hours of grieving, Rarity and Twilight used their magic to lay him on his bed inside his rocky home. It looked like a funeral, the ponies crying, the man with his hands joined together and an expressionless look on his face. The six mares stayed by his side. For weeks, they remained un-moving around him, while Twilight curled up on his lap, looking up at him always, hoping by some divine miracle, he would wake. He never did, and one by one the ponies departed his home, for he would not want them to waste away the lives they still had.
The first to leave was Applejack, then Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and then Fluttershy. Twilight remained on his lap, continuing the hope that things would work out for the best. Hunger did not deter her, nor did her sleeplessness. Fluttershy would come back every so often, bringing her some flowers to eat, or a cake from Pinkie Pie. Month after month Twilight would not leave his side.
About four months after the man had fallen asleep, Twilight stood, incredibly depressed, but her anylitical brain told her it was time to give up, he even said he wouldn't wake for a hundred years. There was no point to stay anymore. As she walked out of the room, her head hung low, she stopped, and gave one last look at the man. She would miss him dearly, but nothing could be done to undo the past. Her eyes began to burn with tears as she turned away, and left...
The man had woken up just a few minutes ago, but he didn't move or even open his eyes. The pain of what had happened was cruelly gnawing at him. Finally, he rose from his bed, and walked into the main chamber. He stood there, silently, recalling all the amazing times he had with the ponies. It stung his heart knowing that he had been unfair, he should have told them sooner.
He looked sullenly up at the stain-glass window he made of the ponies and felt the pain in his heart worsen. He picked up a book resting on the table next to him, and went to hurl it at the glass, when he noticed something was next to it, draped in boring old brown fabric. He placed the book back down and reached up and removed the cloth. His mouth dropped in awe. It was another stain-glass window.
This one had the six ponies like his did, but they were smiling, huddled closely to another figure in the center. It was him. They all sat on a grassy hill, looking up at the stars. He felt hot tears spill down his face. They must have made this in memory of their time together. Guilt and sadness overwhelmed him.
He wiped away his tears and headed toward Ponyville. He was surpised it was still there, nothing much had changed aside from a few new buildings and some that were now gone. He didn't recognize any of the bustling ponies, but they didn't seem afraid of him, even so much as waving a foreleg in hello as he passed by. He now came to Twilight's home, memories of when he first arrived in Ponyville came flooding back.
He entered and looked around. It looked the same as he last saw it, books all tidely kept, even her telescope was still there. He slowly walked around, letting the memories overtake him. As he ascended the staircase, he noticed a purple mass lying in Twilight's bed. For a few seconds he didn't react, he knew his mind must be playing a trick on him. He knew it wasn't a trick when the purple mass shuffled around, as if trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. It was impossible, it couldn't be her. She couldn't have lived long enough.
He approached the bed cautiously, and when he was close enough, he spoke.
"...Twilight?" The purple lump stirred, and gradually sat upright. Slowly and shakily the old mare turned her head to meet his eyes. She smiled weakly, and spoke softly.
"It's you," she whispered, "you're awake." It was her. Her coat and mane had faded considerably. Her eyes had dulled aswell, but the man could still see that tiny spark of constant curiosty in them. He walked over to her and hugged her.
"How are you still here?" he asked.
She explained that she researched anything she could find on dispelling the spell that forced him to sleep in order to undo it while he slept. Her hopes did not come to fruition. She then studied immortality, and though she could not find a spell that would make her the same as him, she did find one that would allow her to live longer than a normal pony. The others had passed away over thirty years ago, leaving Twilight behind. She had difficulty moving around these days and rarely got out of bed.
He picked her up, gently cradling her like one would a baby, and she nestled her face into his chest. He took her to a hillside that overlooked a large pond. He sat her down next to him and she climbed onto his lap, lying her head on his knee. They sat there silently watching the sun set. He ran his hand through her mane, over and over and she closed her eyes.
"I came up with a name for you." She said wearily. He had forgotten that despite all the time he had been in Equestria, he still couldn't recall his name. He kept stroking her mane as she continued.
"Alden. I read it in one of your books, it means 'old friend'." He liked it, it just seemed to fit him, like a long lost puzzle piece finally put into place.
"I like it, thank you." he said smiling. Twilight smiled too.
They sat silently toghether, he could feel the faint heartbeat of the pony. He continued to pet her, as her pulse began to weaken. After a few minutes, her heartbeat had ceased, another dear friend taken from him by the endless stream of time. He smiled solemly as a tear ran down his cheek. He bent over and kissed her on the top of her head and whispered.
"Goodbye...dearest Twilight..."
The End.
