Seeing Yellow, The Return

I appeared in my living room. It was just as I had left it. I sat down of the couch and turned on the TV. The news came up. The headline was of the multiple missing person cases. All of the missing people had been found. All of them were suffering from amnesia. They couldn't remember where they had been. I smiled and turned off the TV. I got up. I went to my room and pulled out a large bag. What could I fit in one bag?

I started by grabbing my clothes. Once that was done, I had to decide on possessions. I didn't take anything electric. I had absolutely no idea if electricity existed in Equestria. Everything could be magic powered so something like that. That narrowed down my choices. I grabbed the photo albums. Some pictures off the wall. Some books I love, including the spellbook. I went back into my room. I looked at all of the letters Fluttershy had sent me and I started taking them down, one by one, slotting them into a clear-file, exactly in order. It took several clear-files, but all of the letters were finally stored. That was it. That was all I wanted to take. I lifted my bag onto my back and looked around at the house I was leaving. My hand was raised. I was ready to leave. But something made me drop my hand.

This house was meant to be lived in, not abandoned. What would I do with it? Selling it was useless, I didn't need the money. I couldn't let it rot either. Then it hit me. I grabbed the keys off the hook and walked outside. I got into my car and drove to meet with an old friend.

I arrived at his house. Or rather, his parents house. Though the wedding had already happened, he and his wife were living together in his parents house. His parents were still alive at least. I knocked on the door. My friend opened the door, his wife right next to him. He smiled at me.

"Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!" he said.

"Yeah. It has been a while. Can I talk to you? Outside?"

He nodded, and he quickly whispered to the woman beside him. She gave him a quick kiss and left. He stepped outside and closed the door.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"I've come to talk to you. About certain things. Can we sit down?"

"Of course."

We sat in chairs outside. He was looking at me strangely.

"What is this about?" he repeated.

I sighed.

"I'm coming here to give you a gift."

"A gift?"

"Yeah."

I took the keys out of my pocket and threw them to him. He caught them and looked at me.

"The keys to my house and car. You will find most of my possessions still there. I am giving them to you." I explained.

He shook his head. "No, I can't accept this." He tried to give the keys back to me, but I pushed them away. He stood up.

"Why are you doing this?" he said.

"You've always wanted a house, just to the two of you. Ever since the wedding. So, here you go."

"That doesn't explain anything. Why are you doing this?"

"Because, in an hour, I will no longer be in this world."

"What? Are you dying?"

"No... I am going to live, in Equestria, with Fluttershy, forever."

He gaped at me. "W-What?"

"You heard me. Celestia has given me permission. I will be living in Equestria. Oh, and by the way. I have become an Element of Harmony."

He looked at me for a while. Then he hit me. Then he hit himself.

"What was that for?!" I yelled

"Just to make sure this isn't a dream. So, it's true. You're going to live, in Equestria? And also, what Element of Harmony are you?"

"I am the Element of Love."

He sniggered. "Element of Love."

I punched him in shoulder. "Shut it!" I said.

"But still, you're going? To Equestria?"

"Eeeeyup." I said, putting on my best Big Macintosh voice.

"And you're giving your house, to me?"

"Think of it as my thanks."

"Thanks for what?"

"For being the best friend ever! What else?"

He laughed. I joined in and when were finished, I stood up.

"Well, this is it then." I said.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

He held out his hand. I laughed.

"What's so funny?" he said.

"I'm leaving. We are sending this out on more than a simple, single-grip handshake."

"What do you mean?"

I held up my right hand horizontally at a slight upwards angle, and smiled at him. He got what I was meaning.

"Come on! We stopped this when we were kids! I'm not doing it!" he said in outrage.

"Pretty please?" I said, putting on my best Fluttershy voice.

"Fine."

We did the ultimate handshake. The Handshake Song. As created and performed by the YouTube user nigahiga. We moved seamlessly into the 'How To Be Gangsta' handshake, and then into the 'Lin-Sanity'. This continued for a while, with us moving from one handshake to the next. As we perfectly finished the stream of handshakes, we started laughing.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." I said.

"Yeah. Have fun."

"I will."

I turned and walked away, with the bag over my shoulder. I heard the door open behind me and I looked over my shoulder. My friend's wife had come out, and was talking to my friend. He must of briefly explained my gift to them, because she was running towards me. She threw her arms around me. In the distance, I saw my friend watching closely.

"Thank you." she said.

"Don't mention it. Now, live your life with him. He's a good guy. Treat him nice."

She smiled at me and walked back to my friend. I winked at him, and turned around. I started the long walk back home. However, I made a detour. I headed through some trees and walked up a hill. At the top, a lone tree stood, watching over the land with a defiant glare. I walked over to the tree, placed my right hand against it, and sat down. I looked out over the same scenery. Once again, it wasn't as good as I remembered. Looking to my left, I saw nothing. Fluttershy usually sat here, right next to me, sometimes speaking with some animals that were nearby. I brushed my hand over the grass next to me. I leaned back on the tree, still looking at the scenery. Then, I heard something land beside me. I looked to my left and saw Fluttershy. I jumped up.

"Fluttershy!" I said, surprised.

The yellow mare didn't look at me. I walked over and tried to place a hand on her back. My hand passed straight through. Utterly confused, I looked around. And then I saw it, something that made my jaw drop.

I saw... myself. My double was leaning against the tree, tears streaming down his face. He looked to his left and saw the yellow mare next to him. He smiled and looked right at her. But the mare didn't want to look at him. She passed over something, and my double took it. I walked around and looked over his shoulder. It was the picture that I had taken of Fluttershy and me on this hill. I barely had time to look at the picture's frozen occupants before the picture was turned over. A single sentence was on the back.

I forgive you, and I love you.

-Fluttershy

My double was smiling broadly. He looked over at Fluttershy, examining her. Then he took out a pen and wrote.

Fluttershy, I've missed you. My life was, and will be, meaningless without you. Your forgiveness to my actions is all that I wanted. And you have forgiven me. Fluttershy, I will never, as long as I live, yell at you again. I love you too.

-Michael

He tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder and passed the message over. Fluttershy took it, and read. For several minutes, nothing happened. Then Fluttershy dropped the picture. She looked over at my double and I could see that she had been crying. Her eyes... they were red and puffy. She threw her forelegs around my double and the two started to apologize to one another. Endlessly. Then they got up. My double picked up the fallen letter as the two faded into into nothingness as they walked away. I stared after them. What... just happened? Was that... real? I knew it was. This place had just replayed the memory of Fluttershy's return to me. My hand started to glow. I was really confused. I hadn't summoned any magic. I tried to stop the random magic, but I couldn't. In fact, I couldn't control my body. I fought to regain control, but it was useless. My body moved me over to the tree and it placed a hand on the bark.

Instantly, the tree started to glow brightly. I did too. Images floated around me and the tree. Looking closer, I realised that these memories were of Fluttershy. Me and her together. They floated around then flew at the tree. I stopped glowing and I was blasted backwards. After getting to my feet, I looked at the tree. What I saw made my jaw drop, again.

The tree was carved with pictures of me and Fluttershy. Heaps of them. I ran my hand over the carvings. They were real. I looked more closely at the carvings, and saw that much of the more memorable moments of us were there. Me seeing her for the first time, me talking to her for the first time, us having fun, when Fluttershy had run away and then returned, her snuggled up next to me with her head my chest, birthday's, Christmas, her leaving for Equestria, me getting letters, her return, the battle, the scenes at the Changeling Kingdom, and loads more were here, just carved into this tree. While examining the tree, I saw one particular carving. This was larger than all of the other carvings. It was a heart, with a pony and human with his arm around her in the middle of it.

Tears came to my eyes. I didn't know why this was happening, neither did I understand it, but neither did I really care. I placed my hand on the tree, and I could feel the energy inside of it. I smiled at the tree.

"Keep my memories safe, alright?" I said to the tree.

The tree didn't respond. I didn't expect it to. I walked away from the tree, and back home. I entered my house with a spare key and entered the living room. I looked once more around the familiar space. Then, I conjured up another portal, and I walked through it.