Shattered Dimensions

Chapters

Leaving
Striking a Deal
Rise of the Sentinels
All Tied Up
The God of Chaos and I
The Battle of Sweet Apple Acres
New Threads
Terminal Velocity
Life of the Party
Revelation
No Man Can Walk Out On His Story
Making a Comeback
The Final Countdown
Not With a Bang, But a Whimper
The End
Epilogue: Zero
Returning Home

Leaving

I woke up in a cold sweat, relieved to have escaped the tormenting realm of my nightmares and returned to my bedroom.

Today’s the day, I thought, today’s the day I make everything okay.

I got up, got dressed, and quietly walked to the kitchen to make sure I had packed the few things I would need: my MP3 player, digital camera, and a few other miscellaneous items.

Before I go on with this part of the story, I should probably tell you what led up to this.

~-~-~-~-~

My mother, sister, and I had moved from our home in the city to a small town about a state away, “to be closer to family”, as she had told me. It wasn’t easy to say goodbye to all the friends I had, but it was better than leaving without a single word. We all made sure we exchanged phone numbers and friended each other on Facebook and such, promising we would keep in touch.

However, as you might already know, time is a cruel, unfeeling force, and we eventually drifted apart, being kept busy by school work, distracted by community activities, or simply not having anything interesting to talk about. So eventually, I was left on my own. I tried to make friends in this new town, but it wasn’t easy since it was the middle of the school year, and I just didn’t fit in; everyone else just seemed to be wired differently than I was. They thought church and religion was incredibly important, and focused all their attention on social popularity, while I didn’t really care about religion and focused more on my grades. This difference made them cast me out, and even despise me.

It was six months later I was diagnosed with depression.

~-~-~-~-~

I sat up slowly, having drifted back to sleep on the couch whilst watching some TV. I didn't dream, which was a relief. For the past month, I would only have two types of dreams: terrifying nightmares, or the ponies. At first, I would have been fine with the latter, but nowadays, I was more content with the demons of my imagination.

I had become a brony not too long after we settled in here, partly in an effort to have some sort of hobby to cheer myself up. It helped for a while, but eventually I developed a terrible mindset: their world was brighter and more cheerful than mine, and I would never be able to live a life as happy as their's. It was this revelation that helped worsen my depression. With all of this on top of being pretty much alone, I couldn’t take it anymore; I had to get out of here, one way or another.

So I came up with a plan. And here I was now, about to enact said plan.

I left the house wordlessly, the only idea my family would have of my intentions was left on the kitchen table.

Dearest family,
I’m sorry I have to do this, but everything I’m going through right now is too much. I need some time alone. A LOT of time alone.
Just know I love you all very much, I hope you can move on without me, and I hope to see you all again soon.
Love, Allen.

Oh yeah, my name’s Allen, by the way. I don’t know why I’m introducing myself now; it’s not like I’m going to be here for much longer.

~-~-~-~-~

I exited the house hastily with my backpack slung over one shoulder, closing the front door as quietly as possible so I wouldn't wake my family. I flipped up my hood and jammed my hands in my pockets, trying to keep myself hidden, and then quickly jogged away from my home, and from my life.

I took a deep breath as I passed the first few trees on the edge of the forest. I wasn't really the kind of person that liked being outside, but it was a cool, quiet spring morning, so I didn’t care all that much; at least the sun wasn’t beating down on me.
I walked deeper and deeper into the woods, for what may have been over an hour, and when I was tired of walking, I stopped and propped myself up against a tree for a rest. I looked around at the scenery that surrounded me: the trees were covered in bright, green leaves, and the forest floor was covered in fallen pine needles. took yet another deep breath, taken aback by the beauty that nature held. I may not like it too much, I thought, but it is pretty nice out here.

After a couple minutes, I decided I had put it off for long enough.

I climbed about halfway upthe tree, making sure there was a lot of space between the limb I was sitting on and the ground below. I tied the rope around the branch three times, pulling each knot tighter than the last, and then tied the other end into a hangman's noose. For my first one, it didn’t look too bad. I placed it around my neck, and then took out my MP3 player, pressing the play button as I closed my eyes. The air around me was filled with the beautiful chords of Fillypu’s “Dreaming With Ponies”, a song that once saddened me, but now filled me with a hint of joy. I smiled and daydreamed for a bit, the soft music taking me away from the world for a few minutes.
“Do you know... you’re all... my very... best friends…” I said quietly to myself, in tune with the ending of the song, and I felt the rope rub against my neck as I pushed myself off.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up lying on my stomach on the ground. I groaned as I sat up, choking a little as the rope tied around my neck halted my rise. I turned and saw the branch I had tied it to lying next to me. I stared at it through dazed, narrowed eyes. How could it not have budged at all when I climbed on, but snapped like a twig when I fell?
Deus Ex Machina, I thought, chuckling at my sad fate, and I was suddenly overcome with rage. I pulled the rope over my head, grabbed the branch, and threw it like a spear, screaming in anger. Why? Why couldn’t anything I ever did go right? I couldn’t even get the one thing that everyone eventually does, death, right when I tried. I spun around, searching for something to unleash my self-loathing on, when I saw it; the object that would change my life forever.

It was a stone archway sitting atop a platform that was just an inch taller than the ground around it. The arch looked old, maybe hundreds of years old, and looked in no way man-made, but something told me it wasn’t a natural formation. I walked up to it and stroked the side, feeling the ancient, rough rock scratch at my skin.
I stared at it as I took a step back, and stumbled as I nearly tripped over a rock. I glared and picked up the stone, noticing It had an interesting shape; kind of like one of those pointed rocks you see hanging from caves. I chucked it at the arch and spun around, deciding it would be best to get home before my family woke up and found my note, when something made me stop. Or, rather, a lack of something: the rock didn’t make any noise when I threw it, no thud from the ground or sharp crack from hitting the arch. I looked back and saw it just floating in the middle of the stone structure, wobbling a little as if it were caught in some kind of telekinetic energy. What in the hell? I thought just before it exploded. I quickly hid my face in my elbow and recoiled from the debris.
When I looked back, the rock was gone, and in its place hovered a beautiful pink gem. It was slightly smaller than the rockhad been, but the same shape. I assumed it was the rock, but it had just been covered in dirt and grime from the years. It shot a beam straight into the top edge of the arch, and the empty space quickly became filled with a hazy, bright-pink screen. When it did, I felt some invisible force push me from off my feet, and drag me towards the arch.
“NO!” I cried out, unsure of what was happening. I clawed at the dirt and grass, desperate to grab anything I could anchor myself to. I felt a strange sensation in my feet, and I felt it slowly travel up my legs. I turned and saw, to my horror, that they had passed through the strange screen. Oh, come on! I thought with terrified confusion, Now that I've decided to give up and go home, I'm going to die?
There was nothing I could do but watch and wait as the screen and odd sensation slowly traveled up my body, until it reached my head. Then everything went black.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up once again, this time in the middle of a wide, grassy field. Getting knocked out all the time like his can't be good for my head, I thought groggily, if only I knew how to check for a concussion. Just then, I realized that something was off. Wait, I thought, trying to clear the swimming feeling in my head, where’d all the trees go?
“You there! Who are you, and how did you get here?” I heard a deep, commanding voice say behind me. I turned around, and my vision finally cleared enough for me to perfectly make out what was speaking to me.

Standing there, a few feet away from me, was a pony. As in, a "My Little Pony" pony. What? I thought, my eyes like saucers. It spoke again, and I saw that this was no ordinary pony; it had white-and-blue armor. This must be one of Princess Celestia’s royal guards. But if that’s the case… Oh, I don’t think I’m in Kansas anymore, Toto.

“I said, identify yourself, creature!” the armored pony shouted. I saw now that he was flanked by four others, all wearing matching suits of armor. I opened my mouth and said the only coherent response that would come to my mind.

“Oh, shit.”

Striking a Deal

“LET ME OUT OF HERE!” I shouted, my throat starting to feel sore after continuously yelling for so long. The guards had forced me to follow them to the castle so Celestia could see the “strange new creature that appeared out of nowhere”, but unfortunately for me, Celestia was visiting the Crystal Empire when we arrived. So, in her absence, they had me thrown in the dungeon without a second thought to await the princess's return. I had spent the first half-hour using some skills I had obtained from action movies, searching for weak spots in the rough, stone walls, but was unsuccessful. Then again, I wasn’t in an action movie.

This is just perfect! I thought angrily, First I fail at killing myself, I get knocked out, I end up trapped in a world that shouldn't even exist, and to top it off, I get locked in prison! If I had just dealt with my life, I wouldn't be stuck in this situation. If I had been any more stupid, I would have said something along the lines of “this couldn’t possibly get any worse”.

We all know that after that is said, things get a lot, LOT worse.

~-~-~-~-~

I spent about three days in that cell. I would have gone insane if it had lasted any longer, because on the morning of day three, my MP3 player died. I knew they had electricity in Equestria, but I doubted the guards would be very keen on taking a small box from a strange creature and plugging it into the nearest outlet. I tried to sleep to pass the time, but my brain is hard-wired for staying awake during daylight hours; I hadn’t been able to take a nap since I was five, unless I had stayed awake the entire previous night. I knew that wouldn’t happen, though, seeing as how I had been unconscious twice in the past few days. So I had nothing to do but pace, and think about what I would do when Celestia finally got back.
“She’s kind and understanding, right?” I asked myself aloud. The guards on patrol were confused and probably even a little bothered by my talking to myself during the first couple days, but by this time they had gotten used to it. Or, at least, learned to ignore it. “If I just explain that I’m not from around here, she’ll send me home. Piece of cake,” I said, as if trying to convince myself.
Just then, to my relief, one of the guards stood in the doorway to my cell, glaring at me. “The princess wants to see you,” he said, motioning for me to follow. I stood up slowly and followed him down the endless, twisting hallways, until we finally reached the giant double doors of the throne room.

“Right through there,” the guard said roughly, and then stood at attention next to the door.
I quietly walked down the red carpet in the center of the room, looking at the stained-glass windows that surrounded me, summarizing the great events of the past. If it weren’t for the circumstances, I probably would have been squealing like a fangirl right then.

That’s when I saw her in all her majesty. She stood before a golden throne, and her soft, purple eyes stared at me with shock. Her rainbow-hued mane flowed gently, as if a perpetual wind was blowing through it. At her sides were large, beautiful, feathery wings, and a pointed horn spiraled from her forehead.
Princess Celestia, I thought, awestruck. I couldn’t see them, but I figure my eyes looked like when Twilight saw her friends coming to help her in Friendship is Magic: Part Two. Instinctively, I got down on one knee and bowed my head respectfully.
“A human…” I heard her say quietly. “Everypony leave, now. I must speak to this creature alone,” she said, looking around at the few scattered guards that stood along the walls. They gave her looks of confusion, but obeyed nonetheless. I watched as they exited, the massive doors slamming heavily behind them. I turned back and saw Celestia was now standing over me, looking extremely angry.

“What are you doing here?” she shouted, and I noticed her horn was glowing with a yellow, mystical energy.
Better choose my next words carefully, I thought quickly, or they could be my last. I slowly rose to my feet and gave the alicorn a nervous smile. “Princess, I just want to say it’s an honor to meet you, and-” that’s all I got out before a bolt of magic slammed into me, knocking me off my feet and sending me sliding backward on my ass across the marble floor.
“Silence, human!” she commanded, “Enough with the formalities. Why have you come here? Are there more that have come with you?” Either I was imagining things, or under her anger, she sounded… afraid.
I jumped up and held my hands forward defensively. Looking back, I have no idea why I did this; had she decided to hit me again, the impact probably would have broken my arms. “Hey, take it easy. I’m the only one there is. As to how I got here, I was walking in the forest and found this old stone archway. I was feeling kind of pissed at the time, and chucked this rock I found nearby at it. Suddenly, it starts glowing pink, I’m getting dragged across the ground, and-” I stopped, suddenly realizing what might be happening. “Am I dead?” I asked finally, looking at her worriedly.

She softened her expression, maybe understanding I had no idea of what was going on, or maybe because she finally realized that I wasn’t a threat, and just a scared child. “Why would you be dead?”
I didn’t want to talk about what I had done on Earth that led me to come to this conclusion, so I gave her an alternate, mostly true explanation. “Well, as far as I know, there’s no way I could possibly be here. You, and everything here, is all fictional where I come from. Either I’m dead, or I’m dreaming,” I said flatly. I gestured at the room around me as I said this, emphasizing my point.
She raised an eyebrow. “You know what we are, but not for the same reasons that I know what you are. Tell me, what is our world to you?”
I grinned a little. “A children’s television show.”
She seemed taken aback by this. “You mean to tell me that no humans remember what happened? Between you and us?”
It was my turn to be confused. “What do you mean, ‘what happened’?”

She sighed as she walked back to the throne and sat down. She looked at me with sad eyes, as if remembering something terrible. “Long ago, not too long before my time, there was a great war. Our worlds converged for seemingly no reason, and when the humans found us, they acted violently, hoping to enslave us and harness our magic. We were unprepared, so the humans had the upper hand for quite some time. It wasn’t until many years later we finally drove them out and destroyed the portals connecting our worlds.”
I stared for a moment. “Apparently they weren’t all destroyed, huh?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Why is that one still standing?”
Celestia looked off, deep in thought. “We left that one alone in hopes that humans would one day overcome their violent nature, and we could live together peacefully.”

I thought about all the wars, famine, and plain assholery going on back on Earth. “Yeah, peaceful. You should see the Youtube comments,” I muttered. Celestia looked confused by this, but rather than explaining myself, I went on: “Anyways, you wouldn’t happen to know of a way for me to get back home, would you?”
Celestia pondered this for a moment. “Actually, I do, but I have a favor to ask. You say in your world, we are simply a work of fiction that you enjoy?”

I nodded as she continued. “Well, then my proposition may please you. I have long awaited a chance to see how much you humans have changed. I will send you to live in Ponyville for one week, where I will watch over your actions. If you prove that humans have learned to be kind and gentle, then I will re-open the portal, and you will be free to leave. I have no doubt you will be able to prove this, but I want to see for myself. Also,” she said, looking thoughtful, “I am curious as to how my subjects will react to you.”
I considered this for a moment. Well, that shouldn’t be too hard. “What’s the catch?” I asked slowly.
She smiled gently. “There is no catch. Spend a week here, then go home.”
A whole week in Equestria? Screw Disneyland, this is the dream vacation! “Then, Princess, you’ve got yourself a deal. I do have a couple of questions, though."

Celestia sat back as I fired off a few things that were bugging me. “Does anyone- er, anypony- else know about what happened between you guys and humans?”
She shook her head. “I have kept that part of our history hidden from my subjects so they would not live in fear of the day humans would return. They may be afraid of you at first, but will no doubt approach you out of curiosity.”
I nodded, relieved that there wouldn’t be any more ponies blasting me with magic. “Where will I be staying?”
Celestia smiled comfortingly. “I think you will be quite pleased with the living arrangements I will be setting up for you. Is there anything else you would like to know?”
I shook my head. “Nope, that’s all. When do we leave?”
Celestia whistled, and a pair of guards came charging in. “Yes Princess?” they said in unison. She stood up as she gave out her commands. “Prepare a chariot for my associate and me. We leave for Ponyville immediately!”

~-~-~-~-~

Miles away, deep inside a dark cave, there sat a crystal obelisk. It was covered in ancient runes and symbols, and had, for the most part, been forgotten by all, even Celestia herself. It rested in this cave since the days of the great human-pony war, and had since laid dormant. Suddenly, it sensed something… a single human youth. The runes covering its sides glowed brightly, and a light-blue beam shot from the tip at the ground, and slowly moved upwards, creating a large creature as it ascended. It stood there, motionless, until its two dark-blue glowing eyes opened, and it charged out of the cave, ready to hunt its prey.

~-~-~-~-~

“So, I’m sitting in a chariot, flying high in the sky, sitting next to the one and only Princess Celestia, and on my way to Ponyville. BEST DAY EVER!” I shouted as I shot my fists into the air excitedly and let out a whoop, which made Celestia chuckle softly. Unfortunately, this was moments before a puff of cloud hit me in the face, causing me to break into a short coughing fit. Well, now I know what clouds taste like, I thought after I had recovered.
“Tell me, Allen, what is this work of fiction based upon our world you spoke of?”
I smiled. “A television show called ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’. It centers around six ponies that overcome various struggles and learning about the magic of friendship, all while keeping their world safe from evil.”

Celestia grinned. “Six ponies... learning about friendship? My, my, now I am convinced you will like your living arrangements for the next week.” I turned to her questioningly, but she said no more. I sighed and peeked over the edge of the chariot, and saw Ponyville below. Unfortunately, I only saw it for about three seconds, before a combination of the dizzying heights and air sickness made me return to my seat, hoping I wouldn’t blow chunks in the vehicle.

Probably not a wise thing to do in front of royalty.

Rise of the Sentinels

The chariot skidded to a halt in the center of town as a large group of ponies gathered around at the sight of their princess’s arrival. I ducked down, feeling a little self conscious, but kept my head up just enough to see what was going on. Celestia stepped out of the chariot, and I saw six very familiar ponies rushing to join the crowd. It was only my nervousness around all these new faces that kept me from jumping up in the air and squealing like an overexcited fanboy.
OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD, IT’S THE MANE SIX! I thought ecstatically as Celestia addressed her subjects.

“Attention, citizens of Ponyville," she began, "I come here today with a guest from a far away land. He has just arrived here a few days ago, and I hope you will be kind to him during his stay. I know he may seem strange, but there is no reason to be afraid of him. Allen, come here and introduce yourself!”
I stood up slowly and climbed out of the chariot, stumbling a little as I stepped over the edge. I looked up at the numerous ponies that filled the town square and smiled nervously. “Hello,” I said awkwardly, giving a slight wave. They all stared at me and murmured amongst themselves. I narrowed my eyes when I heard one of them whisper “He looks so weird.”

Celestia scanned the crowd for a moment, and suddenly said, “Ah, Twilight Sparkle, could you and your friends come up here for a moment?” I watched as a gap formed in the crowd, slowly moving forward until the Mane Six were standing just a few feet away from me. I stared at them in awe; they looked exactly like they did on the show!
“Yes, Princess?” Twilight asked dutifully as she stepped forward. She kept glancing at me strangely, but for the most part kept her attention on the princess.

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, I must ask you and your friends to perform a task for me,” she said, and then turned to me. “Do you see this creature standing before you?”
They all nodded as Celestia continued: “This is Allen. He comes from a whole other world from ours, and has become lost here. I want you and your friends to take care of him until I am ready to send him home.”
Twilight seemed shocked by this. “But Princess,” she whispered as she stepped forward, quiet enough so only myself and the white alicorn could hear, “why are you asking us to care for a human?”
Wait a minute, I thought slowly, didn’t Celestia say no ponies knew about humans?

Celestia gave her gentle a look. “Twilight,” she said reassuringly, “this creature means us no harm. He is simply here so that I may see how his species behaves.” She looked up from her student to face the crowd once again. “Thank you all for coming here to welcome our guest. Allen, I hope you enjoy your stay. Farewell, my little ponies!” she said as she stepped back into the carriage, but turned to me one last time and spoke to me in a low voice. “I must ask, Allen, that you refrain from talking about the history you have learned from me, or how you knew of us before your arrival. I do not want to cause a panic.” I nodded, and the chariot suddenly took off. I stared after it until it disappeared in the distance.

I turned around to see several ponies approaching me, asking all sorts of questions.
“Why are you so tall?”
“Why do you only stand on two legs?”
“Why is he so smooth-looking?”
I started to feel a little uncomfortable with all the mares, colts, and fillies circling and poking at me. Just then, the Mane Six formed a barrier between myself and the herd.

“Now, listen up, y’all,” Applejack called out, silencing the din, “I know this fella seems strange, but that’s no reason to go buggin him with a million questions. Everypony go about yer business, and we’ll take care of him from here.”
The crowed let out a collective “Aww…” before dispersing. Then, the circle of ponies surrounding me turned inward and smiled at me.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Applejack said, “They were jes a little curious, is all. You are pretty funny lookin, though. Ah’m Applejack,” she said, extending a hoof. The rest introduced themselves one by one, each in their signature fashion: I could barely hear Fluttershy say her name, Rainbow Dash went on about being “the fastest flier in all Equestria”, Rarity judged my “drab outfit” and offered to make something a little more “fabulous”, and Pinkie Pie broke into a song-and-dance routine. Twilight, however, didn’t seem to thrilled about meeting me. “Twilight Sparkle,” she said simply, bowing her head.

Yes, I know who you are. I know who you all are! I wanted to say, but Celestia’s words about keeping my knowledge secret stuck in my head. “My name is Allen. It’s nice to meet you all. Uh, Celestia said something about staying with you?” I said, trying to contain my elation.

Twilight stepped forward. “Yes, we've already figured that out.” By the expressions on her friends faces, it looked like they had no idea what she was talking about. “You will spend one day with each of us: first with me, then with Fluttershy, then with Applejack, then Rainbow Dash, then Rarity, and finally, Pinkie Pie. Any questions?”
Pinkie shot a hoof into the air, but Twilight ignored her and gave me an accusing look. “Good. Then it looks like you’re coming with me. I’ll see you girls tomorrow,” she said, just before grabbing hold of my shirt with her magic and dragging me off.
“Hey, what gives?” I cried as we left earshot.
“I’m on to you, human. When we get to the library, you’re gonna tell me why you’re really here, or - what in Equestria is that?” she said. suddenly letting me go. I followed her eyes to see what caught her attention.

Lumbering towards us was what looked like a living block of cerulean glass. It was multi-faceted, like a gem, and two of the sides on the front glowed a dark blue. Its arms were intimidating; one of them appeared to be a broadsword, so long that it dragged on the ground beside it, and looked like it could be used to chop down a three-foot-thick tree in one slice. The other arm looked like a human arm, with a fingered hand, save for the fact that the whole thing was about as wide as I was. It didn’t have a head, so its face sat on where its chest should have been. It looked like it was scanning the area for something, but couldn’t find what it was looking for.

And then it saw me.

{HUMAN!} it screamed in a deep, enraged voice. It suddenly charged forward, raising its bladed arm into the air with incredible strength.
“What the hell?” I said aloud just as Twilight plowed into me, knocking me out of the way of the descending sword. I stood up and saw that the creature had buried half of its arm in the spot I had just been occupying.
I decided I had seen enough, and quickly turned and ran in the opposite direction, only to slam into another one of the gemstone creatures. It grabbed me in its hand and lifted me in the air, pressing its sword against my throat.
{FOR EQUESTRIA!} It shouted, and I cringed.
Just before I thought it was all over, the crystal creature let me go, causing me to fall to the ground. I quickly scrambled to my feet and ran away, quickly glancing behind me to see Twilight blasting the behemoth with rapid blasts of magic. I looked ahead and saw the rest of the Mane Six walking down the street.

“HEY! HELP!” I shouted to them, waving wildly. They turned and looked horrified when they saw what was going on behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that one of them had kept up with me, the other one probably still busy with Twilight. I ran past them, yelling “SORRY!” as I left them to deal with the creature.
I quickly ran around a corner and peeked back, seeing what the thing would do. It ran right at the others like a steamroller, and I was afraid it would just run right through them. Instead, when it was just a few feet away from them, it leaped high over them, and I finally realized what had been unclear to me before: it didn’t care about any of the ponies.

It wanted ME.

I turned around, tripping as I did, and saw the creature descending. I backed up just enough so that its bladed arm stabbed into the ground right in between my legs. I lifted my left leg up and rolled to the right, around the deadly crystal limb, mere moments before it tore out of the ground. If I had been there any longer, there’d be two half-humans in Equestria. I jumped up once again and kept running.

~-~-~-~-~

One of my strengths? I can run pretty damn fast in short bursts. One of my weaknesses? I can run fast in pretty damn short bursts. I was already starting to tire, and the only thing keeping me going was a massive adrenaline rush, and the wish to not get impaled by a couple of crystal statues.
Why haven’t I seen these things on the show before? I thought as I jumped over a bench in the park. I looked behind me and, sure enough, the thing was just a few yards behind me. Suddenly, I heard a loud crack, and looked ahead to see a tree falling over. I quickly ducked and rolled with timing that only a survival-based adrenaline rush can give you, and saw the creature get clothes-lined by the massive piece of timber. I looked at the base of the tree and saw Applejack, who was smiled at me, and ran over by my pursuer and began to rapidly kick it. It didn’t seem to be doing much at first, but her strikes did keep it down. Eventually, the thing finally started to crack, and soon after shattered into several pieces, which slowly turned to dust moments later. I noticed that buried deep inside it was a single, pure white crystal. I stared at it for a moment, until Applejack’s voice broke me from my daze.
“C’mon, sugarcube! We gotta help Twilight!” she called as she ran off. I followed close behind as we returned to the center of town.

~-~-~-~-~

Meanwhile, back at Castle Canterlot, Celestia was discussing the days events with her sister, Princess Luna. “You mean there’s a human? Here?” the midnight-blue alicorn asked with disbelief.
“Yes,” Celestia said, nodding, “but it is just a young boy. I think he may be much different from the humans we have heard of from the days of the great war.”
Their conversation was cut short as a guard burst in. “Celestia, terrible news! Ponyville is under attack!”
Celestia and Luna jumped up. “What do you mean?” Celestia demanded.
The guard looked uncertain. “All I heard is that there are massive, crystal beasts chasing that creature you brought there earlier today. Do you have any idea of what this could be?”
Celestia looked to her sister, who had a worried expression on her face.
“Sentinels,” Luna whispered darkly. Celestia nodded and looked back at the guard.
“Prepare the chariot. We have to get back there before it’s too late!”

~-~-~-~-~

I was completely out of energy now. The edges of my vision were starting to blur, and my breath came in short, haggard gasps. Fortunately for me, the Mane Six were making a valiant effort to hold back the creature, but this one was built more sturdily than the one Applejack took down; I knew they couldn’t hold it back forever. At least they tried, I thought as I collapsed on the ground, the cool grass feeling amazing on my face. I saw the creature stand over me, eclipsing the sun.
{ANY LAST WORDS, HUMAN?} It asked me as it raised its sword into the air.
“Yeah,” I said, deciding if I was going to go, I was going to go with a badass one liner. “Something along the lines of ‘fuck you’ comes to mind.”

Probably not the greatest I could have come up with, but you gotta cut me some slack; oxygen deprivation makes it hard to be witty.

It let out an enraged scream as it brought down its blade, which suddenly turned to dust, along with the rest of it, just inches from my chest. I looked up and saw Celestia and Princess Luna descending from the sky, their horns crackling with energy. Once again, I felt like squealing like a fangirl out of the sheer awesomeness, but all I could do was mumble an underwhelming “Yay” just as consciousness left me.

~-~-~-~-~

When I awoke, I was in Twilight’s library. It was nighttime, and I was lying in a very comfortable bed with a blanket pulled up to my chin. Every joint in my body ached, and my head felt like it had been bashed in with a steel pipe.
I also noticed I was no longer wearing any clothes, except for my underwear. I raised an eyebrow, and saw Celestia, Luna, and Twilight approaching. I looked up at them, confused.
“Rarity insisted,” Twilight began, “that she wash your clothes for you.” She still sounded pretty edgy about me; I had no doubt she’d interrogate me in the morning.
“They didn’t look very comfortable, either,” Luna added lightly.

“I suppose you want an explanation of what happened today, don’t you?” Celestia asked quietly.
I nodded. “That’d be nice,” I replied, surprisingly calm. Celestia sighed, and began her history lesson.

“At the start of the great war, we were afraid we had already lost. The humans’ savagery and cunning were too much for us, and they almost reached the castle. Had they done so, all would have been lost.
That was when the great wizard, Starswirl the Bearded, came forward with a design for a magical defense system: A series of crystal pillars, enchanted so if any humans were sensed in Equestria, they would summon guardians, called Crystal Sentinels, to attack the humans. They were made of a special type of crystal that was completely indestructible by any means the humans possessed. Before long, we drove the humans out of Equestria for good. Without any further need for the Sentinels, we buried the pillars deep underground, where they were eventually forgotten and assumed to be nonfunctioning.”
Luna nodded. “That is, until you came here.”

I stared up at them. “What am I supposed to do? Like you said, I can’t leave until the end of the week, when the spell is finished. Do I just sit here and hide until those things finally find me?”
Celestia gave me a hopeful look. “Actually, I have a gift that may help you.” As she said this, I saw a white crystal hover over to me. I recognized it as one of the crystals contained in the Sentinel that Applejack had defeated earlier. “The crystals that lie at the heart of a Sentinel have great magical capabilities. We infused this one with some of our own power, in hopes that you will be able to use it to defend yourself from attacks until we are ready to send you home.”

I reached out slowly and took the crystal. As I did, it became surrounded in a bright, white light, and began to transform, lengthening and shifting in my hand. When the light faded, I saw it had turned into a beautiful sword, looking as if it were carved from a block of white diamond.
“That blade,” Luna began, “Is just as strong as the Sentinels, if not stronger. It should serve you well during your stay.”

Celestia looked at me hopefully. “Well? What do you think?”
I studied the sword for a moment, and suddenly felt weak. “It’s nice,” I mumbled as my arm dropped, and I added, “but I would have preferred a katana,” just as I passed out again. I heard Celestia and Luna giggle moments before I lost my senses.

All Tied Up

I woke up feeling incredibly refreshed, despite the fact that I had run an endless marathon for my life and almost gotten killed the previous day. I yawned loudly and tried getting up, when I realized something: I was tied down to the bed. I looked around wildly and saw my ankles and hands had been bound to the bedposts with rope, and I also saw a certain lavender alicorn standing over me with an angry look in her eyes.
Ah, yes, I thought, remembering how Twilight Sparkle felt about my being here, this again. I noticed her purple, pink-streaked mane looked a little crazy, like she hadn’t gotten any sleep the previous night.

“Okay, human, I’m only going to ask you this once. What are you doing here?” she demanded.
I sighed heavily. “Celestia already told you! I came here by accident. I should be at home right now!” I glanced down suddenly. I should be dead right now, I thought sadly, remembering what had led me to finding this place. My thoughts were interrupted, however, when I felt a sharp pain in my chest. “URK!” I groaned, the wind knocked out of me. Twilight’s horn was glowing with a magical energy, and I saw a stack of books floating a few feet in the air above me. “WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL WAS THAT FOR?!” I shouted.

Twilight smiled confidently. “Celestia may have told you that no ponies knew about humans, but she forgot about Starswirl the Bearded’s personal journal, kept in the royal archives; only princesses are allowed inside, and as you can see,” she said, stretching her wings, “I am an alicorn. So, when I found out about a secret stash of books filled with forbidden knowledge, I just had to check it out, because-”
I was getting annoyed. “Yes, yes, I know; you love reading and learning. Can you get on with it?”
She narrowed her eyes, obviously annoyed by my interruption. “Anyways, I read Starswirl’s journal, and found notes on an interesting species of bipedal ape-like creatures called humans. He had written about a war between us ponies and the strange creatures, and how they were violent, savage, and mischievous. So, I’ll give you one more chance: Tell me why you are here!”

I looked her dead in the eyes and gritted my teeth, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, I got an idea: Twilight values Celestia’s word over anyone else's, I thought craftily, so let’s use this to our advantage, shall we? “Twilight, tell me, what would Celestia say if she knew you were abusing me in this manner?” I said, smiling.
Twilight smiled back, her expression reminding me of the time when she couldn’t find a friendship problem to write to Celestia on. “That’s the beauty of this! She's not going to find out.”
She started laughing maniacally, and I frowned. Damn, there goes my ace-in-the-hole.

Just then, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I craned my neck over Twilight’s shoulder to see a purple baby dragon standing in the doorway. Ah, there’s Spike, just in time to save the day! I thought happily.
“Uh, Twilight? What do you have tied to the bed? And why are you laughing like a lunatic?” he asked suspiciously. Twilight turned to him, making sure to block Spike’s view of me.
“Nothing, Spike, nothing; don’t you worry your little head about what I do not have tied down to the bed! Why don’t you go get me some more quills and paper, hmm?” she said in an obviously forced sweet tone.
I laughed. “It’s alright, Spike,” I said, “Twilight here is just playing a prank on me. Aren’t you, Twilight?”

Spike suddenly pushed Twilight aside and ran up to me. “WOW! What is this?” he said, awestruck. “Is it some kind of hairless monkey?”
Twilight chuckled nervously and tried to push him away. “No, no; one of my spells went wrong, and I’ve accidentally created a dangerous, disease-ridden creature. I need you to leave while I dispose of it,” she growled, glaring at me. I grinned teasingly.
“Spike, you wanna tell this crazy mare to let me go? There’s been a bit of a misunderstanding,” I said, giving the purple dragon a friendly smile. That smile was suddenly replaced by a twisted look of pain, as Twilight had once again dropped the stack of books on me. “GUH!” I groaned loudly as Twilight pushed Spike downstairs.
“PAPER AND QUILLS!” I heard her shout, followed by the slamming of the front door. Then, she ran back into the room, smiling crazilly. “Now, it’s just you and me once again! NOW TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON!” she shouted.
I glared at her. “Come ON, Twilight, I told you! I’m here in Equestria by a complete mistake, and I am simply waiting while the princess prepares a spell to send me back. Why can’t you understand that?”

She shrugged, and I assume was just about to crush my chest cavity once again, when there was a knock at the door. “Uggghhhh, why can’t I have just a little uninterrupted time to save all of Equestria from certain destruction?!” she shouted as she stomped downstairs. She opened the door, and I heard Rarity’s regal voice ring throughout the library.
“Twilight, where is Allen? I’ve washed his dreadful outfit for him, and would like to ask if he would want me to make him something a little more presentable,” she said, probably looking around for me.
Twilight’s panicked voice suddenly picked up. “Oh, Allen? He’s really busy right now, and can’t be bothered! You know, human stuff?”
I heard Rarity scoff. “Now, now, there is no reason I can’t ask him a few quick questions,” she said as her hooves clip-clopped up the stairs, “I simply need to ask what his favorite color - oh, my.”

She was staring at me with wide eyes from the doorway. I nodded to her acknowledgingly and smiled. “Lovely morning, huh?” I said. She gawked at me a few seconds longer, and suddenly turned to Twilight.
“Twilight, darling, do you care to explain?” Rarity asked suspiciously. Twilight chuckled.
“Well, you see…” she trailed off, but Rarity shushed her.
“Twilight, I can understand if you want to… experiment with new and fascinating creatures, but please have the decency to try something a little more gentle on the first date!” she said, looking back to me, “why, the poor thing looks absolutely uncomfortable! Please tell me you went to dinner first at least?”

Twilight blushed angrily. “WHAT?! This is nothing like that. What is going on here is none of your business, but I assure you it is for the good of all Equestria! Now, you need to leave!” she said, ushering Rarity back to the front door.
I heard Rarity continue: “Fine, fine, whatever your reasons, just make sure you aren’t the only one enjoying yourself,” she said teasingly. Twilight slammed the door and screamed all the way back upstairs. I grinned at her as she re-entered, panting heavily.
“I think Rarity had a good point; I’m not having a lot of fun he-OOF!” I started to tease, but had several books land on me once again in response to my attempt at humor.

“I was kidding,” I wheezed.

~-~-~-~-~

“Alright, human, my patience is wearing thin; tell me what's going on!” she shouted. She had moved me into the basement and hooked me up to some sort of contraption. I was bound to a metal table, with leather straps holding down my ankles, arms, chest and head. She had also placed some kind of bowl-shaped helmet on top of my head.
“Uh, what exactly is this?” I asked, struggling against the restraints. Twilight was flipping all kinds of switches and writing down some readings.

“This machine is going to read your thoughts and tell me exactly what you’re planning, so I can find where the rest of you are. It might wipe your mind in the process, but that’s no big deal,” she said, cackling manically.
This mare is crazy! I thought, panicking as I heard the machine power up and felt the helmet start buzzing. “Twilight, please don’t do this!” I shouted desperately.
She looked back and glared at me. “I’ll give you one last chance to tell me what’s really going on, and if you do, I just might let you go!”

I gotta think of something, and fast! Wait, what’s a friendship lesson that could save me now? I thought quickly, sifting through my head of all the different letters I had seen Twilight send Princess Celestia throughout the series. A bit of a spin on the lesson she learned from meeting Zecora might help, I realized, maybe with a few others mixed in.

“Twilight,” I began, “Please, listen: you can’t always judge someone by what others say about them. Sometimes, you’ve gotta take time to get to know what they’re really like before you pass judgment and jump to conclusions, otherwise, you’ll make yourself look bad.”

She turned to me as I went on: “The last time humans were seen in Equestria, they were trying to take over and destroy everything. So, that gave humans a bad rap. That doesn’t mean,” I broke off, looking her gently in the eyes, “that doesn’t mean we’re all bad, and it doesn’t mean we’re still bad. In the thousand years it’s been, we may have changed, but the way you’re attacking me now? That shows me that maybe ponies haven’t.” Saying this, I felt like I was manipulating her, but I was desperate. Besides, I hadn’t done anything to get into this mess; she was the one who was confused.

Twilight stared at me, my words hitting home. She turned back to the control panel and started to slowly turn off the machine as the restraints holding me down glowed purple and untied themselves. I sat up, rubbing my arms, and saw her trotting upstairs sadly.
“I’m sorry, Allen,” she said quietly as she ascended. I stared after her. Oh, man, what have I done now? I thought as the door creaked shut. I always felt bad when girls were upset, and could never help but try to cheer them up. I quickly ran up after her.

~-~-~-~-~

When I got back up to Twilight’s room, I saw her crying quietly on her bed, her face pressed into a pillow. I sat down next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Twilight, it’s okay,” I said reassuringly.
“How can it be okay?” she asked between sobs, “I’ve made a complete idiot of myself today, and lost a chance to develop what could have been an amazing friendship with a creature that nopony has seen in over a thousand years! When does an opportunity like that come along more than once?”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Twilight, you haven’t made an idiot of yourself. I’ve had plenty of times when I’ve gotten a little carried away with my suspicions. All you’ve gotta do is move on and learn from your mistakes, and hope the other person - or, pony - can do the same. I can forget what has happened so far today,” I said as she looked up at me with wide eyes, “can you do the same?”
She smiled and held out her hoof, which I shook gently. “I’m sorry I dropped so many books on you and almost turned you into a vegetable,” she said, sniffling.
I nodded. “And I’m sorry I kept egging you on and making you look bad in front of Spike and Rarity. But you’ve gotta admit, it was funny!” Twilight showed her appreciation for my joke by dropping a book on my head, causing me to fall off the bed. “Okay, I guess I deserved that one,” I said, and we both burst out laughing.

~-~-~-~-~

We spent the rest of the day getting to know one another a little better. Well, it was more her getting to know me, since I already knew so much about her, but I had to play along. I couldn't help but glance around nervously for one of those crystal things, but fortunately, today must have been their day off, and I was free to enjoy Twilight's company. She's really a great mare to be around when she doesn't think you're a threat to the fabric of society.

"So, did you have fun?" I asked as we settled down at the library that evening. Twilight nodded enthusiastically.
"I never expected humans to be so... well, like us." she said, surprised. "I may have to write to the princess on this one."
I smiled. "I don't think that will be necessary; I'm sure she already realizes how similar we are."
Twilight yawned. "Well, we had better get off to bed. I've gotta bring you over to Fluttershy's house tomorrow morning."
I nodded as I stood up. "Yeah, that'd be a good idea. Goodnight, Twilight," I said as we went to our separate beds to sleep. I saw she had placed the crystal that Celestia had given me on the table; since it was no longer a sword, I figured it could transform back and forth at will. I held it tightly in my hand as I lied down to sleep.

~-~-~-~-~

I found myself in a very strange place when I opened my eyes; I could tell it was Twilight's library, but everything was made of glittering white crystal, much like the one the princesses had given me. I stood up and quietly went downstairs, and saw the effect was everywhere. I went outside, and the grass, flowers, and trees were all crystallized. I looked around in confusion when I heard a voice behind me.
"Hello, Allen," Celestia said as I turned, "how are you?"

I shrugged. "I've had stranger dreams. What's going on?" I asked, gesturing to the changed landscape.
Celestia started walking down the pathway, and explained: "This is a dream world created by your crystal. It will allow me to communicate with you while you are asleep. Tell me, how was your day?"
I laughed. "Aside from Twilight almost killing me? It went pretty great," I said, leaning over and tapping a crystal flower, and glanced around nervously after it broke.

Celestia suddenly looked worried. "What did you say Twilight tried to do?"
I explained what her student had done, and her expression softened when I revealed that we had made up. "I am glad that Twilight keeps the lessons she has learned true to heart. I am also glad that you have done the same as you observed our world from yours."

I bowed dramatically. "Glad to be a positive image, your highness," I said proudly.
Celestia smiled and started to fade away. "Sleep well, Allen," she said just as she disappeared. I smiled too, and sat down on the pathway and waited for my dreams to take me away for the night.

The God of Chaos and I

The following morning began pretty mundanely. Well, as mundane as you can get in a cartoon world inhabited by talking ponies, I guess. Twilight woke me up fairly early and walked me over to Fluttershy’s house, apologizing once again for us getting off on the wrong foot (or, hoof, as she said), which I insisted was no big deal.

Twilight knocked on the door to Fluttershy’s cabin, and we sat there in awkward silence for about a minute.
“She should be home…” Twilight said, confused. Just then, the door swung open, and standing there was a very odd-looking creature: it stared at me with wide, yellow eyes - one of them, I should add, was slightly larger than the other - that sat inside of a horned, horses head. It was winged, one of them bat- or dragon-like, and the other eagle-like. It held a martini glass in its one lion-pawed arm, and held the bathrobe it was wearing closed with the other, eagle-clawed hand. He stood on two differently-shaped legs, one dragon-like, and the other goat-like; it was a wonder he was able to walk and stand effectively.

“Ah, Twilight, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Discord asked, smiling broadly. I stared up at the draconequus with awe as Twilight peeked inside the cottage..
“We’re looking for Fluttershy. Is she around?” she asked.
The god of chaos narrowed his eyes, looking me up and down. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with this creature, would it? No, no, let me guess: Celestia wants to see how humans will act in Equestria in exchange for sending him back?” I nodded, which made him roll his eyes. “She can be so predictable sometimes. I’ll tell you what: Fluttershy went to the market to pick up some carrots for Angel. Why don’t you leave him here with me, and I’ll keep an eye on him until she gets back. How does that sound?”

Twilight thought about this for a moment, and then took me aside. “You sure about this?” she asked me worriedly, “he can be a little… much.”
I grinned, sure that I could handle whatever chaos Discord could whip up. “Yeah, I’ll be alright. It should only be a couple hours; how bad could it be?”
Twilight nodded slowly, unconvinced. “If you say so,” she said, and then turned to Discord, “And you had better watch yourself, because there’s no telling the princess will do if he gets hurt!”
Discord pressed the back of his eagle-talon hand to his forehead dramatically. “Oh, I would never dream of it!” he said, suddenly pulling me close and rubbing a fist into my scalp, “I’m sure we’ll become the best of friends. Don't you agree?” he asked me.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” I said uncertainly. This is gonna be a long day, I thought.

~-~-~-~-~

“So, a human, in Equestria. What exactly are you doing here?” Discord asked me as we stepped inside Fluttershy’s cottage. “In fact, how are you here? There haven’t been any humans here in thousands of years.”
I explained how I found the portal, and Celestia’s deal, as he leaned back in a recliner and listened intently. It was probably the first time I had ever seen the draconoquus act seriously.

“So, one of the portals survived, eh? I remember the days of the war… I never actually took part, but I did enjoy watching all the glorious chaos the battles caused. You humans could really give me a run for my money if you made a big comeback like that!” he said, and burst out laughing. I hated to admit it, but he was right; humans, as a species, were insane. Sure, you’ll meet a few good ones in your lifetime, but at least eighty percent of the population were monsters. And even that remaining twenty percent have some violent emotions hidden deep inside them.

“So, the first human in all of Equestria in over a thousand years, and I have him all to myself. What shall we do?” he asked, scratching his chin and looking around thoughtfully, “Oh! We could have a snowball fight!” he cried.
I raised an eyebrow. “But there isn’t any-” is all I got out before a heap of snow fell on top of me. I exploded out and rubbed my arms and legs, the sudden drop in temperature not at all pleasant. I glared at him. “Actually, I’m not really one for the cold,” I growled bitterly.

Discord shrugged and snapped his fingers, causing the snow to vanish. “So be it. How about skydiving?” he asked, snapping with his other hand. Suddenly, I was hundreds of feet in the air, plummeting to the ground below. I flailed my arms wildly and screamed as I felt the G-forces pull back on my skin. I looked over and saw Discord falling next to me in a reclining position.
“Ah, isn’t this just relaxing?” he sighed. I looked down and saw the ground approaching fast, and snapped my eyes shut. Suddenly, my descent was halted, and I looked around. I was floating a few feet in the air right above Fluttershy’s porch. I sighed, relieved, and then fell the rest of the way, letting out an “oof!” as the wooden boards connected with my chest.

“You asshole!” I screamed, “I could have died!”
Discord laughed. “You really think I would let you get hurt? I may love a good bit of mischief, but I’ve learned all too well that nothing is worse invoking Celestia’s wrath. Besides, you should have seen the look on your face! It was absolutely hilarious!” he cried, and rolled around on the ground laughing.
He looked up and noticed me scowling. “Oh, cheer up, pal; maybe you need to cool off again?”
I widened my eyes. “No, no, n-” my protest was cut off by another truckload of snow burying me.

I decided I had had enough. After climbing out of the ice-cold pile that encased me, I pulled the crystal out of my pocket and held it forward, causing it to flash brightly and take on its bladed form.
The master of chaos eyed me curiously. “What’s this?” he inquired.
I glared at him. “I’ve had enough of this. Let’s go, you and me, right now!” I charged at him and pulled back my sword as he conjured a weapon of his own. I was surprised when I saw what my sword connected with, but then again, I should have seen it coming; it was Discord, after all.

“A balloon sword? Really?” I cried as we parried and slashed at each other.
Discord stared at his inflatable weapon for a moment. “Oh, I’m sorry, would you have preferred something more like this?” he asked as he reached down and pulled a massive battleaxe out of nowhere. I widened my eyes.
“Hey, no, I wasn't complaining,” I said just as he swung down, giving me a split second to dodge. He pulled the ax up to strike again, but this time I was ready: I held the sword sideways, the impact of the blow pushing me back a bit, but I held fast. Then, I pushed out and right, throwing both of our weapons aside. Then, we charged at each other, screaming angrily, and started to wildly swat at one another in a wild chicken fight. That’s when we heard a quiet yet stern voice from behind.

“Allen! Discord!” the pastel yellow pegasus mare shouted. Discord and I quickly turned, surprised by Fluttershy's sudden arrival, and pointed accusing fingers at one another.
“He started it!” we said at once.

~-~-~-~-~

Well, Fluttershy was pretty understanding of the whole situation, by which I mean she believed me more than she believed the chaotic draconequus. When she was finished scolding him, he looked down at the ground, embarrassed, and kicked a pebble.
“I was just having a little fun was all,” he said innocently. I rolled my eyes as he added “well, I’m going to get going; you two have some friendship thing or something to do! Ta-ta!” he cried as he flew off.

Fluttershy shook her head. “He’s really nice once you get to know him, but I just don’t understand him sometimes,” she said to herself, and squeaked when she turned to me. “Oh, um, hi,” she said softly, “Discord wasn’t too much trouble, was he?”
I shook my head and chuckled. “No, it wasn’t any problem. So, what do you have planned for us today?” I asked.
She looked down and smiled. “Well, I was going to have us go on a picnic, if that’s okay with you,” she said nervously. I smiled and nodded, and she quickly ran inside to pack some things.

~-~-~-~-~

The rest of the day was spent in a field not too far from Fluttershy’s cottage. She eventually warmed up to me a little better; she was still really quiet and shy, but she talked more. She told me about all the animals that had joined us, one of which was a rather gentle grizzly bear, whose arrival scared the living daylights out of me, until Fluttershy told me he just wanted a sandwich. He patted me gently on the head when I handed it to him, and then lumbered off to the forest, pleased to have received his meal. I couldn’t help but smile; this place was so peaceful and happy, so much better than Earth. I was going to miss it when I got back.

But why do I have to go back? I thought, Why can’t I just stay here?
Because it isn’t right, my conscience told me, you don’t belong here. Besides, what about your family?
My heart ached. I hadn’t thought about my mom and sister all that much during my stay. I worried about them. and wondered how they were surviving without me. Everything will be better when I get home, I told myself confidently.

~-~-~-~-~

That evening, under an orange sky, I asked Fluttershy a question that had been bugging me. “Fluttershy, what do you think of humans now that you’ve spent a day with one?” I asked quietly. She looked up at me, confused, so I went on, “I guess what I should ask is, what do you think of me?”
She suddenly looked embarrassed. “You’re pretty nice, and fun to be around. In fact, it’s almost like you’re another pony. Just… taller.”
I smiled and looked ahead. “That’s all I needed to hear,” I said happily.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up in the crystal world later that night, and quickly ran outside, hoping to get a good look at my surroundings before Celestia showed up. It was so amazing, seeing the world frozen like that, with every bit of light sparkling and reflecting off of every surface. I thought nature was beautiful already, but this… this was breathtaking.
I heard hooves stepping up behind me, and who I saw surprised me: it wasn’t Celestia who had come to visit me this night, but Luna. I smiled as she approached.

“Hello, Allen,” she said when she got close, “how was your day?”
I shrugged. “Discord tried some of his tricks when I arrived, but I managed. After that, Fluttershy and I had a picnic and walked around for a while.” I looked off into the distance and added, “it was a nice, peaceful day.”
I turned back and saw Luna was looking at me nervously. “Allen, have you thought about maybe... staying here? In Equestria?”

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. I thought for a moment that maybe she could read my mind, but the sincerity on her face, and my knowing she could do no such thing, told me she was just curious.
I sighed and looked away once again. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve thought about it, sure, but it doesn’t seem right. I don’t belong here, and on top of that, I’d be abandoning my family. I guess it’s a little too early to be thinking about that just yet, you know?” I turned back to her as I asked this to see she was looking at the ground sadly.

“Hmm?” she asked, breaking from her trance, “Oh, yes, I suppose you’re right. After all, you’ve only been here a few days. I just hope that when the time does come for you to make your choice, you'll make the right one.” She smiled as she said this, but her eyes still looked like they were full of sorrow.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked gently, stepping closer.
She took a step back and shook her head.“Yes, I’m alright. Sorry to have bothered you, Allen. Goodnight.”
And without another word, she faded from view, leaving me to wonder what had been bugging her.

~-~-~-~-~

Princess Luna reappeared in the throne room of Castle Canterlot, greeted by her smiling sister. Celestia stopped, however, when she saw the lunar princess’s face.
“What is the matter, Luna?” Celestia asked, concerned.

Luna looked up at her sister, tears starting to form in her eyes. “When are you going to tell him the truth?” she asked, trying to keep her composure, “It doesn’t feel right, lying to him like this.”
Celestia wrapped a comforting wing around her younger sister. “At the end of the week, it won’t matter anymore,” she said gently, “now, let’s go to bed.”

Although Celestia’s words comforted her, Luna couldn’t help but feel guilty. I just hope he can forgive us if he does find out, she prayed silently.

~-~-~-~-~

Deep in the cave, the crystal pillar was fuming over the failure of the two Crystal Sentinels, along with the alliance formed between the human and the six ponies.
{Ponies? Working with the human? That’s impossible; humans would never work alongside ponies.} The swift assistance that the human recieved was astounding. Did none of them know what he was?

{Without Starswirl the Bearded to give me orders, I suppose I must make my own in his absence,} it said to itself. It shot out several bright blue beams, each creating another Sentinel, until there were seven of the crystalline creatures. {Go now,} the pillar told its creations as they hastily exited the cave to begin the hunt.
{And,} it added just as they left, {Do not hesitate to destroy whatever stops you from eliminating the human. Even ponies.}

The Battle of Sweet Apple Acres

I said goodbye to Fluttershy as I headed for Sweet Apple Acres to spend my day with Applejack. The whole way there, I couldn’t get my conversation with Luna the previous night out of my head.
Why did she seem so sad? I thought, in fact, I wonder why it was her who visited me, and not Celestia? The midnight-blue alicorn had been one of my favorite characters from the show back on Earth, so I was genuinely worried about her when she seemed so distant in the crystal world.

These thoughts stayed in my head until I arrived at the massive wooden archway at the entrance to the farm. Applejack was standing there waiting for me, a big smile on her face.
“Well, howdy, Allen! Yer just in time!” she called as I approached.
I looked at her in confusion. “In time for what?”
“Well, we’re about to start the apple buckin, and I was wonderin if you could help us out,” she said hopefully. I smiled and shrugged.
“I probably won’t be much help, but I'll do my best,” I said, following the orange mare to the orchard.

~-~-~-~-~

Note to self: humans can’t buck apples. Like, at all.

I started by trying to kick the trees, like the apple family was doing, but that fared about as well as trying to stab a rock with a feather. After that method flopped, I tried grabbing the trees and shaking the apples loose, but they were a lot sturdier than they looked on the show. After several other failed attempts, I finally decided to just climb the tree and pick them off myself, one by one. It wasn’t as fast as the ponies’ method, and I probably looked foolish up in a tree like that, but at least I felt useful. I saw Applebloom trotting up to me at one point, a curious look on her face.

“Hey, mister, what're ya doin up there?” she asked, giggling. I couldn’t help but grin; fillies are so adorable.
“I can’t buck apples like you ponies can, so I’ve gotta climb up here and take them down on my own,” I explained to the small, red-maned pony.

She suddenly looked like she had an idea. “Hey, could you maybe climb up somewhere and get something for me?” she asked excitedly, and I thought about this for a moment. Unfortunately, I must have taken a moment too long, because she suddenly got the super-huge, tear-filled filly eyes; kryptonite for any brony.
I quickly jumped down .“Hey, hey, I’ll get it, don’t worry,” I said reassuringly, “can you show me where it is?”

~-~-~-~-~

“Oh. Crap,” I said to myself as Applebloom pointed up at the weather vane on top of the barn.
“My Cutie Mark Crusaders cape slipped off a couple of days ago, and the wind blew it up there! Nopony has been able to get it down,” she said sadly, activating those deadly sad-face eyes. I quickly dashed off and started to scale the barn, making sure to not look down; I was pretty decent at climbing, but I didn’t like extreme heights. At last, I walked out to the weather vane, arms spread like a tightrope walker, and retrieved the cape from its fixture.

“I got it, Applebloom!” I cried, waving my prize in the air slightly, and the little filly almost exploded with happiness. I smiled and glanced off into the distance, when something caught my eye.
At the very edge of the orchard, I could see some of the trees rustling around, as if something were pushing them aside. I narrowed my eyes, straining to see what it was, when some of the ponies ran out of the orchard hastily, and among their nearly-incoherent cries, I could just barely make out the words “crystal monsters”.
Sentinels, I thought, panicking as I quickly descended from the roof of the barn.

“Applebloom, get inside!” I cried after I got down to ground level and handed her the cape. She looked confused, but ran off to the house regardless. I pulled the white crystal that Celestia had given me out of my pocket, and in a flash of light it took on its bladed form. I held it out defensively as a Sentinel approached from the treeline.
“Back off, you 14-karat freak!” I shouted as I charged, dodging a swipe of the Sentinel’s bladed arm, and returned with a blow of my own that tore the whole thing clean off. It regarded me with its flat, blue eyes as I took an upward slice between its legs, tearing it in half. “Woah,” I breathed, amazed by the sword’s strength, just as six more Sentinels emerged from the trees. I twirled the blade expertly in my hands, and ran for my next target.

The rest of the Sentinels were a lot tougher than the first one, mainly because they all worked together as a unit, backing each other up and tagging out to rest. It was a relief when I finally took down another, but seeing five more still eager to take a hit at me made me sink a little.
I may be better equipped, I thought, breathing hard, but I’m not in as good of shape as them.

My thoughts were interrupted by a battle cry from the farm; Applejack and several other members of the Apple family came charging towards my multi-faceted foes and tackled them, knocking all but one of them over. I took advantage of this, running at the lone confused Sentinel, and drove my sword right into the center of its body, then tore it out through the side, pulling its heart crystal out with it as the rest turned to crystal dust. I looked around to see the other Sentinels pulling the ponies that covered them off, and toss them away. They raised their blades into the air as more approached, and I realized in horror: they aren’t just trying to kill me; they’ll kill anything that tries to stop them!

I saw one of them marching towards Applejack, who lay stunned on the ground after being thrown into a tree. I called out, “Big Mac! Boost!” and the large, red stallion suddenly ran out right between myself and Applejack’s attacker. I ran out, screaming, and leaped into the air, stepping on Big Macintosh for an extra boost, and drove my sword right into the center of the Sentinel’s head, riding it like a bucking bull. Eventually, its erratic movements slowed, and the creature fell, turning to dust before it hit the ground.

~-~-~-~-~

After about a half an hour later, the Apple family and I had finally defeated the last of the Sentinels, and we joined in a huge group hug, overjoyed that nopony had been killed or seriously hurt. Applebloom ran up to me, her eyes huge.
“Wow, mister, where’d you learn to fight like that?” she asked, staring in wonder at the crystal blade as it shrunk down to its original size.
“Oh, you know... practice?” I lied. I didn’t want to have to explain what a video game was, which was where most of my experience with swords and fighting came from. Then again, almost any kid that found a stick pretended it was a sword at some point in their life, so I was sort of telling the truth.

Applejack galloped up to me and gave me a quick once-over, making sure I wasn’t hurt. “You alright, Sugarcube? Those things sure put up a fight, but we took ‘em down!” she cried, and the rest of the family let out a loud whoop.
I frowned, confused. “Aren’t you upset that I drew those things here? They came for me, after all.”
Applejack shook her head, smiling. “Are you kidding? Yer practically one of the family, and we always stick up for our own!”
Her words made me think of my family. We weren’t as tight knit as the Apples, but we did keep an eye on each other. I looked down, lost in thought, until Applejack poked me in the side.

“Hey, are you feelin' okay?” she asked, chuckling. I nodded.
“Yeah, I was just… thinking about my family back home,” I said, sighing.
Applejack widened her eyes. “What’s yer family like?” she asked eagerly, sitting down beside me. I looked around and saw most of the Apple family had gone back inside, so I sat down as well.
“I live with my little sister and mother. My father ditched us when I was really little, but it doesn’t bother me, since I never knew him. My mom can be kind of strict sometimes, but I could never imagine meeting a more kind and loving person. My little sister drives me nuts, but I love her with all my heart.” I sighed sadly as I said this.

Applejack smiled comfortingly. “I bet they miss you right now,” she said.
I snorted. “They probably think I bailed on them,” I said dejectedly. Applejack raised an eyebrow.
“Why would they think that?” she asked.
“Well, because I’m here,” I said slowly. The look she gave me told me she knew I was hiding something.
“How did you find that portal that brought you here?” she asked me cautiously. I kept dodging the point she was trying to reach, but seeing as she was the Element of Honesty, I knew she’d get there eventually. I persisted nonetheless.
“I was walking through the woods near my hometown and just happened upon it.”
“What were you doing in the woods?”
“Like I said, walking.”
“Allen, don’t lie to me; I can tell you had something on yer mind other than a nice walk.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. “I tried to kill myself, okay?” I suddenly snapped. The orange mare jumped back in surprise as I went on, “I had no friends, I lived in a world filled with cruelty and disharmony, and I just couldn’t deal with it anymore! So I took some rope, tied it to a tree, and tried to hang myself," I said, starting to sob, "the only reason I’m in Equestria right now is because the branch snapped off before any serious damage was done,” I buried my head in my arms and just let go of myself. I never had a chance to really let out the pain that little event had caused, but it’s better late than never, I guess.

I felt Applejack wrap a comforting foreleg around my shoulder as she shushed me gently. “There, there, Allen,” she said softly, “It’s alright; you’ve been through a lot, and you deserve a chance to just let all yer pain go.”
We sat there for what felt like years, me sitting there bawling like a little baby, and Applejack wrapping me in a warm pony embrace, lightly patting my back every once in a while. Eventually, I calmed down a little bit, and wiped my eyes.
“Thanks, AJ; I needed that,” I said gratefully.
She blushed and nodded. “It was no problem,” she said modestly, “how about we go get something to eat? You must be starved after that fight earlier,” she said, motioning to the farmhouse. I stood up and jogged a few feet behind her as we headed off, the smell of apples growing stronger as we got closer.

~-~-~-~-~

I had no idea there were so many foods you could make from apples. The entire meal that night consisted of more apple-related dishes than you could count, and every one of them delicious. The Apples asked me all sorts of questions about life on Earth, and I answered them as honestly as I could without breaking my promise to Celestia. I laughed when Granny Smith asked “Do you got any apples back where you come from?”
“Yes, Granny Smith,” I said, “we have tons of apples back on Earth.” This resulted in a resounding cheer from around the room.

~-~-~-~-~

I decided to sleep outside that night, much to the protest of the Apples, but I insisted that I get a lot of fresh air after the battle with the Sentinels. They all wished me a goodnight and hugged me one by one as I headed out, making the trip outside end up taking nearly half an hour. I chuckled to myself as I closed the front door behind me, and headed out to the field. I lay myself down on the ground and stared up at the sky, particularly at the moon, and remembered Luna’s reasoning for abandoning her responsibilities and becoming Nightmare Moon: that citizens of Equestria didn’t appreciate the nighttime that she brought at the end of each day.
I love your night, I thought as I drifted off to sleep.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up in the crystal world once again to see Luna standing over me. “Why, hello there, Allen,” she said, giggling, “do you mind if I join you?”
I nodded, and she sat down next to me. “I don’t mean to offend you, but just out of curiosity, where is Celestia?” I asked.
“She decided to leave the job of visiting you to me. After all, the night is my domain,” she replied, and then sighed softly as she looked up at the sky. “Absolutely beautiful,” she said to herself.

I nodded. “I always loved the nighttime and how quiet and pretty it was. One of the good points of moving to a smaller town was I got to go out later at night, so I would just walk around by myself,” I said quietly.
Luna gave me a surprised look. “You like the night too?” she asked slowly.
I grinned, shrugging. “Yeah, what’s not to like? Darkness shows us for who we truly are. When it’s nighttime, I feel like I can really be me, and no one will judge me.”

She blushed and nodded. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. Anyways, how was your day with the Apple family?”
I looked back up at the sky, the lack of clouds allowing me to see the true beauty it held. “Well, some more Sentinels showed up, but that sword and the Apples helped me hold them off. After that we had a big meal, and they asked me all kinds of questions about Earth. They seemed really concerned about the amount of apples we have there,” I added, chuckling quietly.

Luna sounded concerned. “Sentinels attacked the farm? What happened?”
I sat up slowly as I answered. “There were seven of them. I ran out to take them on, and when the Apples saw I was starting to lose it, they rushed to help me. When they did, though, the Sentinels started attacking them, too. I was relieved when I found out none of them were hurt too badly.”

I suddenly remembered what Applejack had told me earlier. “AJ told me I was like part of the family, and that was why they helped me so eagerly,” I said, laughing, but stopped when I saw the serious look Luna was giving me.
“Friendship can be a powerful bond,” she said quietly, “sometimes even stronger than family.”
I remembered all my friends from the city, and how they had so quickly forgotten me. “I sure wouldn’t know that,” I said sadly. Luna suddenly drew closer, so her side was pressed up against my arm.

“You just need to find the right friends that truly care about you; only then will you understand the true power that friendship can hold,” she said, smiling at me, and then did something that caught me by surprise: she leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the cheek. My eyes shot open as she stood up, blushing. “Goodnight, Allen,” she said quietly as she walked off, slowly disappearing.
I sat there, processing what had just happened. I got my first kiss from a girl! I thought happily, and from Princess Luna, no less!

I laid back down and closed my eyes, not at all negatively affected by the fact that I had been kissed by a pony.

New Threads

I waved goodbye to the Apple family as I headed to Rarity’s the next morning, a spring in my step.
I got a kiss from Luna, doo doo-doo doo-doo! I sang in my head as I skipped down the pathway to the boutique, fondly remembering the moon princess’s visit the previous night. Suddenly, I stopped. Wait, I’m in love with a pony, I thought carefully, does that make me a clopper?! No, wait, that’s only if you lurk the R34 threads… but what if it still counts?!

...Eh, who the hell cares.

~-~-~-~-~

I knocked at the door, which burst open instantly. As it swung open, an invisible force pulled me inside. I found myself standing in the center of the room, surrounded by various shelves of fabric, sewing supplies, and pony mannequins, while a white unicorn with a luxurious purple mane was measuring my arms and legs.

“Hmm, I’ve never made anything quite like this,” Rarity said to herself, “but I think I can manage.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle nervously. “Uh, Rarity? What are you doing?”
She kept on going as she replied, “why, taking your measurements, darling. I must make you something a little more presentable before Pinkie’s party, and the whole hood-and-long-sleeves thing just won’t do.”
I sunk a little. “Hey, this is a nice sweatshirt,” I pouted, and then Rarity’s words hit me. “Wait, Pinkie is throwing a party?”

The white unicorn looked up at me, surprised. “Have none of the others told you? Pinkie Pie wants to throw you a party before you leave. It’s in two days, when you’re scheduled to spend the day with her.”
I looked ahead sadly. Great, just what I need to make leaving this place harder: a party at the last minute, I thought as Rarity continued measuring my arms, making comments to herself that made me a little self-conscious.

~-~-~-~-~

“Okay, so what do you think of this?” Rarity held up a mirror and I stared at the sight before me.
“Um, it’s nice and all, but it’s a little… shiny,” I said as I stared at my reflection. She had gone a little too all-out on this outfit; it almost looked like the entire thing was covered in gemstones. I mean sure, it made me feel rich, but wearing jewel-encrusted clothing wasn’t my idea of “classy”.

“Okay, here’s something a little more ‘me’,” I said as I picked up a pencil and piece of paper and started to sketch out a good suit. When I had finished, Rarity stared at it, confused.
“This is what humans normally wear to sophisticated gatherings?” she asked slowly, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it looks nice, but wouldn’t you rather wear something a little more eye-catching?”
I shook my head and laughed lightly. “Trust me, just this alone can draw some stares.”

She thought about my request for a moment. “Okay, but I’ll need more supplies for it. Could you go down to the market and pick up these things for me?” she asked sweetly, giving me a list she had quickly written up. I read it up and down a few times, then nodded.
“Yeah, no problem,” I said behind me as I ran out the door. Woo-hoo, custom made suit! I thought happily, this week just gets better and better!

~-~-~-~-~

I wandered around the market for a couple of hours, occasionally getting stopped by the ponies that passed by. They were so friendly; each one of them had asked how I was enjoying my stay, what I had been up to, or something along those lines, and then wishing me a good day as they went on with their business. I had never had someone stop me on the street just to see how I was doing before, and to be honest, it was nice. Back on Earth, I would always tell myself to ignore strangers and to not care what they thought, but it made me happy knowing that these ponies who knew nothing about me actually cared for me in some way or another.

~-~-~-~-~

By the time I had gathered all the things I needed to pick up for Rarity, I was carrying four grocery bags full of fabrics, strings, and other assorted items. I hauled my merchandise all the way back to the boutique, where Rarity was already hard at work.
“Ah, there you are! And you got everything I’ll be needing!” she said happily as she ran some black fabric through the machine. “I just have a few questions about your outfit design.”
I shrugged. “Okay, shoot.”

“Firstly, what are these on the wrists?” she asked, pointing to the cufflinks I had drawn.
“Those are there to make sure the sleeves don’t hang off at the wrists, I think. Either that or just to look fancy,” I said, laughing at my joke.
“Also, I’ll need to borrow those things on your feet,” she said, pointing at my shoes, “so I can use them as a base for the outfit.”
I took off my shoes and reluctantly handed them to her. “Sorry about the smell,” I apologized as she quickly sprayed them with a blast of air freshener.
“That’s all I need for now, Allen. Just make yourself comfortable until I get finished,” she said as she went back to work. I nodded and headed to the living room, where I saw a light grey unicorn filly with a lavender mane staring at me.

“Hey, you're the guy that Applebloom was talking about earlier! The one who fought off the monsters!” Sweetie Belle cried, jumping into the air excitedly.
I laughed, trying not to succumb to the pure adorableness of her filly antics. “Yep, that’s me,” I said, “Applebloom told you about the fight?”
She nodded. “Yeah, she said you fought off a bunch of huge, crystal statues, and saved Applejack’s life! How’d you do it?” she asked, her eyes huge.
I grinned and decided it wouldn’t do any harm to show her the sword. I pulled out the crystal and held it straight out in front of me, and in a flash of white light it took on its bladed appearance. “With this!” I said triumphantly.
Sweetie Belle stared at it with huge eyes. “It’s so shiny,” she said, awestruck, “but how’d you beat those things with it?”
I looked at the blade, seeing my reflection in the side as I explained: “It comes from inside those creatures. The princesses charged it with magical energy so it would be indestructible. Now, I use it to defend myself when those things come for me.”
Sweetie Belle looked up at me, suddenly getting an idea. “You’re like a hero!” she cried, bouncing with excitement.

I looked down, smiling as I shook my head. “I’d love to say so, but I’m no hero. I’m just a guy looking for the way to get home.”
The unicorn filly suddenly looked sad. “You mean you aren’t staying here?” she asked quietly.
I looked away, unable to handle those massive, sad filly eyes. “I have to. I belong in my world, with my people. I would love to stay here, but I can’t.” At least, that’s what I had told myself. I wanted more than anything to stay in that world, but I just couldn’t; it just didn’t seem right.
“Well, even if you do have to go, at least remember all the fun you had here!” she said happily. Just then, a pair of fillies burst into the room: the yellow, red-maned Applebloom, and an orange pegasus I recognized as Scootaloo.
“Sweetie Belle, we’ve gotta get to the clubhouse! I have an idea for-” Scootaloo began, but stopped when she saw me.

“Uh, just meet us at the clubhouse!” she finished, smiling and glancing at me nervously. With that, they burst out the door.
“Wonder what that was about,” I said, thinking out loud.
Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I don’t know, but I had better go see what they need me for. It was nice talking to you, Mister Hero!” she said as she left.
I smiled warmly. Someone thinks I’m a hero, I thought happily as I laid back on the couch and dozed off.

It must have been a few hours later when Rarity’s voice woke me from my nap.
“Allen! Come and see your suit!” she called happily from the other room. I stood up slowly and went to see how it turned out.

~-~-~-~-~

“Wow, it’s awesome!” I said, turning around to see my full figure in the mirror. She had made a full tuxedo with a black tie and white undershirt. It fit great, too; the perfection of it made it hard to believe it was her first time making clothing for a human.
Hell, even the shoes fit nicely.
“Rarity, it’s perfect,” I breathed. “Thank you.”
The unicorn blushed. “It wasn’t too hard…” she said modestly. I smiled and gave her a big thank-you hug.
“Oh, my, um, thank you,” she said awkwardly, struggling a little, but eventually gave in.

The white unicorn suddenly spoke up. “Oh, goodness, it’s late already! Oh, I’m sorry, Allen; I wasted all the time we were supposed to spend together making this suit,” she said sadly.
I smiled. “That’s alright. This is probably one of the coolest gifts I’ve ever gotten. I’ve never owned a tux before!” I said, spreading my arms and looking down at my gentleman-like attire.
“You had better change back into your regular clothes,” she replied, giggling, “you don’t want to ruin your brand new outfit before it’s time to unveil it!”

~-~-~-~-~

The crystal pillar was angry. It had found that the thousands of years since the war had rendered the rest of the array useless; it was the only one left.
It quickly set off to work; obviously, the Sentinels would need a new edge in order to take on the human. Of course, it quickly remembered that humans have one major weakness.

{Try and escape this time, scum,} it thought wickedly as it shot out a beam, forming two Sentinels. Then, it fired another beam, this time forming three entirely new constructs: they looked like simplified, faceless eagles with straight, spear-like beaks. Two of the new creatures stalked over to the Sentinels and climbed onto them, latching onto the crystal statues’ backs and stretching their new wings. The remaining one looked at the pillar, expecting orders.
{Now, my Crystal Valkyries,} the pillar commanded, {go with the Sentinels, and see how well the human can fly.}

The Valkyrie nodded and swooped out of the cave, the now winged Sentinels running after.
The pillar suddenly remembered something. Something hidden deep in the Everfree Forest, beyond where the Sentinels could go. It was only the threat of the Sentinels that kept it into the forest, away from the citizens of Equestria.
{I must keep the boy away from it,} it said to itself quietly, {or I will have failed.}

~-~-~-~-~

I woke, once again, in the crystal world of my dreams. I sat up quickly, eagerly anticipating Luna’s arrival, but was slightly disappointed when Celestia appeared before me instead.
“Allen,” she said flatly, “how was your day?”

I stood up. “Pretty good. Rarity made me a tuxedo, and I found out that I’m making a name for myself as a hero,” I said, chuckling softly, but stopped when I saw the look Celestia was giving me.
“Allen, I need to talk to you about Luna,” she said slowly.
Oh, crap, I thought, panicking a little.

“I am perfectly fine with you making friends with Twilight and her friends, as well as my subjects and even my sister,” she began, “but you must remember: you are of an entirely different species than us. Do not mistake the feeling you are having right now for love.”
I gulped and nodded. “I understand,” I said sadly, avoiding eye contact with the white alicorn.
She nodded quickly. “Good. That is all, Allen. Goodnight,” and with that, she vanished once again.

I sighed sadly and turned my head upwards. A blanket of clouds covered the sky, drowning any hopes of seeing the moon that night.

Terminal Velocity

“Twilight, I don’t know about this… are you sure this will work on humans the same way it does on ponies?” I asked as the purple alicorn’s horn glowed a deep violet, which made her roll her eyes.
“Relax, Allen; I’m sure you’ll be fine. Now hold still, because I don’t want to accidentally hit something that isn't you,” she said just as she fired off a bolt of magic the struck me square in the chest, knocking me backwards into one of the many bookshelves that lined her wall.

“Ow,” I said, rubbing my head as I stood up slowly. Twilight ran up to me worriedly.
“Oh my goodness, are you alright?” she asked quickly, “I didn't think it would be that powerful…”
I held my arms out at my sides. My back kind of hurt, but I felt… lighter, weightless, almost.

“I think… I think it worked,” I said slowly, looking at my arms and legs as if they weren't my own.
“Ah, Good. Now remember, when you get to Cloudsdale, try not to get too overworked; your body might get overheated, causing the spell to wear off faster,” she warned me just as the door burst open. A cyan blur trailed by a rainbow zoomed around the room, spinning me around as it went past. I collapsed as Rainbow Dash landed proudly in front of me.

“Oops, sorry, Allen,” she laughed, and then turned to Twilight. “Is he all set?”
Twilight nodded. “Yep, he should be good to go. Are you ready, Allen?”
I nodded as I stood, still a little dizzy. “Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” I said uncertainly as the two ponies led me to the balloon waiting outside.

~-~-~-~-~

After about an hour of drifting seemingly aimlessly in the sky, and sstruggling to hold down my breakfast, we finally reached Cloudsdale, where Twilight dropped me off. Twilight had to be the one piloting the balloon, as I had no idea how to do so, and wasn't the greatest flier. Whenever I had tried my hand at a video game that involved an aircraft of some sort, and I would always end up in the same place: on the ground, surrounded by a hunk of burning metal.

Not the place I wanted to be in real life, as you might imagine.

~-~-~-~-~

I was a little scared about taking my first step. I sat there, frozen with one foot just barely out of the basket, when Rainbow Dash nudged me forward, causing me to pitch over and fall onto the cloud below. It was strange: I knew clouds were made of just water vapor and dust particles (well, on Earth, at least; who knew what they were made of here?), but I landed on the white, fluffy mass as if it were solid ground. I tested my footing a little, then gave Twilight a thumbs up.

“It works!” I called to her, and she smiled happily.
“That’s great! You two have fun; I’ll come pick you up later!” she said as she took off. I waved as she left, then turned to Rainbow Dash, who was lying back on a cloud with her eyes closed in a care-free manner.
“So, what have you got planned for us today?” I inquired. She opened one eye, thinking for a moment, and then burst into the air excitedly.
“Oh! The Wonderbolts are putting on a flight show down at the stadium! We could go see that!” she said excitedly. I nodded quickly as we headed off towards the cloud stadium, keeping Twilight’s advice to take it easy in mind.

~-~-~-~-~

Several miles away, the two winged Sentinels ran across and open field, with the lone Valkyrie flying reconnaissance above them.
{THE HUMAN IS IN THE CLOUD CITY!} the Valkyrie cried down to its comrades in a shrill voice, and they leapt into the air and spread their wings, taking off at high speeds for Cloudsdale.

~-~-~-~-~

I had never been to an airshow before, but I’ve gotta say, the Wonderbolts knew how to keep things interesting. They had a crazy, mid-air obstacle course set up, where they zoomed around at speeds that the eye could just barely follow, doing tricks, flying through hoops of fire, and other amazing feats.

“So… AWESOME…” Rainbow Dash said in awe, her eyes huge. I nodded in agreement as one of the daring trio suddenly went into a free-fall, passing through several rings on the way down, and then shooting upwards, to which the crowd jumped up and cheered.
I was clapping and whooping loudly, when I saw something sparkling in the distance: three ice-blue shapes, one much smaller than the rest, all flying in the direction of the stadium.

Sentinels? I thought. Wait, Sentinels can’t fly, can they?

Oh shit.

I drew my sword in anticipation of the attack. “EVERYONE GET OUT OF HERE!” I shouted, the shapes now close enough to make out that they were, in fact, flying Sentinels. There were two of them, flanked by a slightly smaller eagle-shaped one that led the pack. The two original Sentinels appeared to have the same kind of creature attached to their backs, which, obviously, allowed them to fly.
The one in the lead shot straight at me, suddenly picking up speed as it attacked. I jumped to the side and swiped with my blade, just missing its wing. One of the two Sentinels landed in the arena, its wings allowing it to walk on clouds.

“Aw, come on, there is NO way this stuff can support a heavy block of glass like you, wings or not!” I yelled as I charged, starting a parry-strike battle with one of them. At one point, it had me locked down in a block stance as it pressed down on my sword.
C’mon, Allen, think of something! I urged myself, and suddenly got an idea. Let’s see how strong the clouds are after I get at them!

I quickly slipped from under the crystal behemoth’s massive blade, causing it to swing down and puncture the clouds below. I quickly ran around the Sentinel, pressing my sword down into the cloud as I did, and cut a perfect circle around my enemy. It fell through, but I could see it take off after dropping for a few seconds.

I saw the other Sentinel land next to the hole, ready to take its partner’s place, but I realized what I had been overlooking throughout this fight: Wings make them light enough to walk on the clouds, I thought, so why don’t we do a little clipping?
I charged at the beast, ducking and sliding between the gap in its legs, and swung upward, neatly slicing off its right wing. The Sentinel stumbled a little, as if it were off-balance, and fell over. I jumped on its back and held my sword golf-club style, shouting “FORE!” as I severed the other wing, and jumped off just as my adversary fell through the white blanket we stood on.

Now was the time where the crystal bird decided to mess with me. I rapidly dove at me, narrowly missing each time, until one of its strikes finally connected, making a clean cut in my left leg. I dropped to the ground, suddenly letting go of my sword as I did, and screamed in pain.

I quickly took of my sweatshirt and wrapped it around my wound, careful not to make it too tight, and saw my foe was turning around to make one last strike. I also noticed I was sinking into the clouds a little bit, and Twilight’s warning re-entered my head.
Better hurry this up, I thought quickly, and scrambled for my sword as the creature drew closer, its right wing streaked with my blood.
When it was just a few yards away, I pulled my sword right into the path of my attacker just before it reached me, the creature’s trajectory sending it right into the sword, which sliced it cleanly in half. I looked behind me to see the two halves fly backward about twenty feet before passing through the clouds, doomed to fall to the ground below.

I stood up and saw the last Sentinel soaring towards the edge of the cloud field, breaking from its flight and running at me on foot. I had a plan, but I wasn’t sure about it; like I said before, I’m not good with extreme heights, much less falling from them. I stood with my back to the edge behind me, staring as the Sentinel kept its pace towards me, blade arm raised high. I lifted my feet every once in a while as they sunk into the clouds like quicksand, the spell just about finished.

This is a bad idea! I yelled at myself just before the Sentinel reached me. I stepped to the side and grabbed onto its normal arm as it flew off, spinning and twisting to try and throw me down, and I slashed at one of its wings. Then, I grabbed onto the stump that was left from the former wing, and sliced downward, chopping of the other one. Doing this, I pushed away from my enemy, and his greater weight caused him to completely surpass me in our descent.

Yes! I beat them! I thought triumphantly, then looked down. Oh shit, I’m falling!
I flailed my arms wildly, scanning the ground directly below me for any sort of water source to land in. Not seeing one, I decided it was time to scream.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH-huh?” my panic was interrupted by the sight of a rainbow-colored circle that rapidly expanded in the distance.
What is tha... oh, okay, I thought, realizing what I was seeing. Moments later, Rainbow Dash flew past at nearly Mach 10, hooking her forelegs underneath my arms and carrying me off.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, grinning dangerously, “think I’d let you fall?”
I smiled up at her. “To be honest, I was a little worried back there.”

~-~-~-~-~

We landed back at the library that evening, where Twilight was waiting anxiously. “I heard what happened at the stadium; are you two okay?” she asked, and saw my makeshift bandage. “Oh, Allen, let me help you with that!” she insisted, and I took the shirt off of my leg, wincing in pain as the fabric rubbed against the still-raw wound. She closed her eyes and focused as her horn glowed a light blue, and my leg became wrapped in a magical veil of the same color. When it faded, my leg was completely healed; there wasn’t even a scar.

I widened my eyes. “Wow, thanks, Twilight!” I said, bending my knee to test it out.
She smiled. “It’s no problem, but try not to get too terribly hurt. Healing spells won’t work on serious wounds if the user doesn’t have a knowledge of the patient’s anatomy; this was just some simple muscle tearing, but organ damage and bone fractures are out of the question,” she said cautioningly. “Anyways, since Allen can’t really get back to Cloudsdale now, why don’t you two stay here tonight?”

I looked at Rainbow Dash, who shook her head. “Sorry, Twilight, but I’ve gotta get back to Cloudsdale and make sure everypony is alright,” then she turned to me. “Thanks for the awesome time today, Allen! Even though it was broken up by those monsters.”
I nodded. “I never thought I would find myself flying on a Sonic Rainboom before,” I said, laughing, and the light-blue pegasus smiled.
“I’ll see you guys later!” she called as she zipped off, and I turned to Twilight.

“I’ll have to ask Rarity to wash this; its covered in blood!” I moaned, holding the black fabric lump to the side with two fingers.
Twilight nodded. “That might be a good idea; after all, you don’t want to wear a used bandage to the party tomorrow!” she said as I ran off to drop the shirt off at the boutique.

~-~-~-~-~

Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were glaring at each other. “Why would you do this, Luna?” Celestia asked her sister angrily, “why have you developed feelings for this boy?”
Luna stomped, irritated. “I may have learned to better control my behavior after the Elements of Harmony freed me from my inner darkness, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still jealous of the fact that more ponies love your day more than my night. Then, this young human comes along, who is completely unlike any other humans we’ve heard about, and he is exactly how I would want my special somepony to be: kind, gentle, understanding, and appreciative of what I create!” she yelled.

Celestia narrowed her eyes. “It doesn't seem natural. He is a human, and you are an alicorn, a pony. Why can’t you see that you two cannot be together?” she said in a low voice.
The lunar princess continued to protest. “He is here all alone, without any other of his kind to comfort him. You know very well that I know how that feels!” she shouted, which caused Celestia to look at her in shock.
“Luna, please, listen…” Celestia begged, but her sister wouldn’t listen.

“Celestia, you want him to want to stay in this world with us, but you must understand that you are taking him away from his kind. Don’t you think that since this human has shown so many personality traits similar to ponies, he may feel the same about love? And if he cannot be allowed to love us, then who else is there for him?”
The white alicorn didn’t have an answer. She just stood there, staring sadly at Luna. She’s right, Celestia thought, why would I expect him to willingly stay?
“He isn’t going to like it when we tell him the truth,” Celestia sighed dejectedly. Luna trotted over to her elder sister and wrapped a gentle wing around her.
“We can only hope that he will accept what has happened and move on,” she said, not sounding too sure.

~-~-~-~-~

The crystal pillar was starting to panic. It could only be a matter of time before the human found what it so desperately wanted to hide. There was no choice but to send out the worst of the Crystal Guardians. Having a shred of mercy for even the humans, the pillar didn’t want it to come to this, but desperate times require desperate measures. It had to create what could possibly be the deadliest creatures it could bring out.

As it shot out a blue, beam, creating three human-shaped masses of crystal, and the pillar spoke to them quietly.
{Crystal Assassins,} it said in a commanding tone, {you know what to do.}

Life of the Party

I stood at the top of a ladder, holding a banner across the top of the doorway to Sugarcube Corner. “Does this look okay?” I called down to Pinkie Pie, who shook her head.
“A little more to the right!” she called back, and I reached out just a little farther.
“Here?” I said, barely on the edge of my balancing capabilities.
“A liiiiitle more… there!” she called, and I quickly tacked it in place and climbed down before my luck finally ran out.

“This place looks pretty good!” I said proudly, looking around at the balloons and decorations that littered the front of the building.
Pinkie smiled, her face hardly able to contain her excitement. “Just wait till you see inside!” she said happily, and bounced away, disappearing inside.

I looked around and gasped as I entered the room. Pinkie had moved all the furniture out of the way, clearing the space and turning it into a dance floor. There was a DJ booth in the corner, and there were several huge speakers scattered around. Streamers and ribbons lined the walls, and a few chairs and tables were set up on the edges of the dance floor.

I smiled appreciatively. “Wow, it looks great in here!” I exclaimed, “I can’t wait for tonight!”
Pinkie nodded happily. “Speaking of which, you had better go get ready!” she said, ushering me to the door. I ran off to Rarity’s, laughing excitedly the whole way there.

~-~-~-~-~

The moon hung in the night sky, and small puffs of black clouds covered the stars here and there. Three figures ran silently across the rooftops toward Sugarcube Corner, coldly calculating their attack. Bright lights flooded through the windows, and if anypony had looked up, they would have seen the three silent predators leaping onto the roof of the huge building.
{Get into position, and wait for further commands,} one of the creatures whispered to its partners, holding up a bladed hand and sliding it in a circle on the window, creating a clean, rounded hole, and lightly placed the removed glass off to the side. Then, like spiders, they crawled inside the building and across the ceiling carefully, watching the festivities below and waiting for the opportunity to strike their prey.

~-~-~-~-~

The night of the party was finally here. I was pretty nervous at first, but I couldn't wait to just let go and hang out with my friends one last time before I had to leave. I looked around and saw several lights hanging from the ceiling, swing wildly and illuminating the dance floor all sorts of crazy colors. Off to the side, I also saw Vinyl Scratch sitting behind the DJ’s booth, banging her head up and down to the beat of the music. At that particular moment, I was sitting in a chair near the edge of the dance floor, glancing around quickly and looking rather awkward. I turned around quickly when I felt something tap my shoulder.

“Come on, Allen, dance!” Twilight Sparkle said, laughing as I blushed.
“I’m not a really good dancer,” I said, straining my voice over the sounds of the party. She rolled her eyes, smiling as she pushed me out of my seat and out into the crowd, where Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were all waiting for me.
Oh, why the hell not? I thought to myself, suddenly laughing and joining my friends in a circle as we danced around happily, all of us trying to make this the best night we possibly could.

That’s when I saw it. There wasn’t much to see, but I still noticed it: a flash of movement where there was nothing, like something that was camouflaged had passed through my peripheral vision. I stopped and stared at the source in confusion, when Pinkie bumped into me.

“Hey, Allen, something wrong?” she asked in her perpetual happy tone.
I kept staring and replied in a voice just loud enough for her to hear me, “I don’t know. I get the feeling something is here. Something that shouldn’t be.”
Pinkie followed my gaze, twisting her head around to get a better view. “I’m not seeing anything. “Maybe you drank too much punch?” she suggested, giggling.
I shook my head. “No, just water,” I said, then got an idea. “Wait, punch... that’s it! Pinkie, can you get me a drink?” I asked, turning to the bouncy pink earth pony. She smiled and ran off, returning a few seconds later with a glass of pink fruit punch.

“But isn’t the… oh, whatever,” I said, looking over to see the punch bowl was way on the other side of the room. I turned back to where I had seen the impossible movement and tossed the drink in that direction. I watched as it flew through the air, splashing all over some sort of invisible figure.

That’s when all hell broke loose.

{Cover has been compromised! Attack now!} I heard a cold, calculating voice shout. The air shimmered to reveal what had been watching me: another Crystal Guardian. This one, however, looked a lot like a human, but each of its limbs were completely made of thin pieces of crystal. Its hands and feet were pointed like knives, and its limbs connected at sharp joints; they looked kind of like circus acrobats, the way they moved and carried themselves. I looked up to see two more falling from the ceiling, shimmering into view before they hit the ground, and advanced on me. I pulled out my crystal, which immediately changed into its bladed form, and charged into battle as everypony cleared the floor.

The new enemies were tough; whenever I swung at them, they dodged as if I had moved in slow motion, flipping away just as another took its place. One of them scaled a wall, digging its hand in for a good anchor, and I noticed what it was trying to do just before it threw a crystal knife at me, missing my neck by mere millimeters. After a few minutes, they had me cornered and exhausted, while they were in perfect shape, arms pulled back in preparation for finishing me off.

That’s when I heard a high pitched voice shouting angrily behind them. “NO ONE CRASHES PINKIE’S PARTIES!” I heard Pinkie shout, and just before my foes turned, the one to my right was suddenly blasted out of the way, and I saw Pinkie Pie standing behind her party cannon, her eyes filled with rage. Taking advantage of the distraction, I quickly ran at the downed creature and swung my sword hard, creating a perfect cut at the torso as it fell limply. The other two started to jump and dive around like parkour experts, both dodging Pinkie’s attacks and trying to get a good hit against me. I saw a series of black discs flying at them, and saw that Vinyl Scratch had used her magic to throw her records at them.

“NO ONE KILLS MY BEAT AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!” she shouted as several of the discs smashed into one of the attackers, and I finished him off by jumping off a table, swinging downward as I descended, and slicing the creature in half.

The last one saw what had happened to its allies, and quickly vanished from view. I looked around, trying to see where my enemy was, when I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. I fell over, grimacing, and looked behind to see a shard of ice-blue crystal sticking out of me.

How can I fight what I can’t see? I thought, making sure to constantly move to give my enemy a more difficult target. I ran by some speakers, feeling the heavy beat pounding on my eardrums, and got an idea.
“VINYL! CRANK UP THE VOLUME!” I called to the DJ pony, and she quickly bent over at the controls. Just then, the beat got what felt like a million time heavier, and I looked around, struggling to ignore the massive headache I had just developed. I narrowed my eyes when I saw one of the new Guardians standing in the center of the dance floor, the loud music making it vibrate violently and rendering its camouflage useless. I smiled through my cranial pain, and ran over to Pinkie Pie.

“Mind if I borrow this?” I shouted as I threw my sword into the party cannon, took aim at my now-exposed enemy, and then fired. There was a loud shattering sound as several crystal shards suddenly flashed into view and fell to the ground out of nowhere, and I saw my sword was embedded in the opposite wall. I jumped into the air happily, and heard a loud crashing sound as the music stopped. I turned to see Vinyl pressing buttons on the console wildly.

“Aw, the bass was too much for the poor thing,” she cried sadly, "now we don’t have any music!”
The remainder of the crowd let out a collective “awww”, and I reached into my pocket and pulled out my MP3 player, smiling.
This party isn’t over yet! I thought as I ran over to the booth. “Hey, Vinyl, would your speakers plug into this?” I asked, pointing at the primary jack that connected the sound system to the speakers.
She unplugged the cord and gave it to me, and I found it fit snugly in the AUX outlet. "I think I have exactly what we need,” I said, hitting the play button.

We all danced the night away, many of the ponies who had fled the party returned when they heard the music pick back up, and Twilight healed my shoulder as I sat in a chair, the others all gathered around me.
“I guess it’s a good thing I’m leaving tomorrow,” I said jokingly, “because these guys are finally learning how to hurt me!”
I smiled at my friends, but they just looked down sadly. Even Pinkie, the happiest pony around, hung her head low, her usually poofy mane was now straight. I frowned sadly.
Oh, right, I thought, they aren’t as good at letting go.
I jumped up, deciding to pick up the mood. “Come on, you guys; if this is my last night in Equestria, let’s make it a night to remember!” I said, and then turned my gaze to the DJ booth. “VINYL SCRATCH! PLAY TRACK SEVENTEEN!”

~-~-~-~-~

Later that night, long after Sugarcube Corner had been cleared out, my friends and I had cleaned up most of the mess from the party, and sat down to fondly remember our week together.
“Remember when I had you tied down to the bed?” Twilight said, laughing loudly, and I nodded.
“Twilight, I thought you would be a little more private about your personal time with Allen!” Rarity scolded, and Twilight glared at her.
“I told you, nothing like that happened!” the purple alicorn shouted, but the look Rarity gave her said she was joking, and they both laughed.

“Allen, I must say,” Rarity added, “it was rather interesting making that outfit for you. It’s a shame those ruffians ruined it,” she said, looking sadly at the tear in my jacket.
I shrugged. "It was a nice suit while it lasted," I said nonchalantly.

Speech time, I thought, standing up suddenly and clearing my throat. The six ponies leaned forward as I spoke. “Girls, I have to say that my time in Ponyville has been great. You have treated me better in this one week than many people I’ve met on Earth have treated me their entire lives. Thank you, so much, for accepting me and giving me a chance,” I said, fighting to hold back my tears. I looked at my friends, obviously in the same situation, and we all suddenly got together in a massive pony-human group hug, all of us laughing and crying tears of joy.
“I’m gonna miss you guys,” I said between sobs, and they all nodded in agreement.
We all sat there, holding one another tightly until we all fell asleep.

Revelation

The day started out pretty hectically; we all woke up at almost the exact same time to find there was very little time to lose before the train for Canterlot left for the day. We all burst out the front door of Sugarcube Corner in a mad dash to the train station, just barely missing the 11:30 departure.

The worst part? They do not have coffee in Equestria.

~-~-~-~-~

On the train, I had taken off my tuxedo and set it aside, replacing it with my normal clothing and swinging my backpack over my shoulder, and then took a seat at a booth with my friends, who sat in awkward silence. I smiled a little and looked around at the six mares that surrounded me, and they would shyly make eye contact and smile back before glancing away.
This is going to be a lot harder than I thought, I thought sadly as the spires of Castle Canterlot appeared over the horizon. The last time I had seen that place, I had been thrown in the dungeon for three days.

“Allen, what will you do when you go back home?” Twilight asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
I sighed, not exactly sure myself. “I’ll probably be grounded for disappearing for a week, but knowing my mom, she’ll just be glad I’m okay,” I replied, trying to keep the mood upbeat. Suddenly, I got an idea. “Hey, can I ask a favor?” I inquired as I reached into my backpack and pulled out my camera. I don’t know why I brought it with me into the forest last week, but it was there nonetheless.
I held it up and smiled. “I want to always remember my time with you girls. Would you mind taking a group photo with me?”
They all nodded happily as I set the camera on a delay and placed it on a table. Then, they gathered around me, and we all smiled as the light flashed, capturing what would be one of our last moments together.

~-~-~-~-~

We reached the castle about an hour later, where, unfortunately, we had to wait even longer, because the princesses were in the middle of some sort of meeting. Eventually, the guards finally let us up to the throne room, and we ascended the stairs in silence.
“Ah, Allen, good to see you,” Celestia said warmly, despite the pure sadness that radiated from our group, “are you ready?”
I looked to my friends behind me, who smiled and nodded, and I looked back to the princess of the sun. “Yes,” I said confidently, struggling to hold back my tears. Celestia looked at me with pity when she noticed my sadness.
“You do not sound sure. Are you certain that you want to return to your world?” she asked gently.
I nodded once again. “It’s where I belong, and I need to return to my family,” I insisted, but I glanced backward uncertainly at my friends.

“I’ll tell you what: I’ll give you one more day to make your decision. After that, however, it will be final, and I will not be able to open the gateway between worlds.”
I looked back to her. “Won’t I be able to open the portal from my end again?” I asked desperately.
Celestia shook her head sadly. “It can only be opened from Earth with enchanted crystals, and I must ask that you leave yours here, in case it fell into the wrong hands.”
I thought about this for a moment. “How long do I have?”
“Until it is time for me to bring the sun down tonight,” she said gently.
I nodded. “It’s a deal,” I said, my voice barely a whisper, and my friends and I left the throne room to wander the castle and discuss what I should do.

~-~-~-~-~

Princess Celestia sighed, relieved, and turned to Luna. “There, problem solved. With a few extra hours, I’m certain he will decide he wants to stay here, and it won’t matter anymore,” she said.
Luna narrowed her eyes. “How can you be so sure? He may still want to return to his home, even if the others tell him they want him to stay.”
Celestia thought for a moment. “I don’t assume I can count on you to convince him?” she asked quietly.
The lunar princess shook her head. “I will not manipulate him into doing something he does not want to do. I love you, my sister, but you will have to face the consequences if he should decide he wants to leave Equestria,” she said firmly.
Celestia sighed, knowing her sister was right. “I can’t help but feel that this is going to end badly for all of us,” she said to herself.

~-~-~-~-~

“So, what do you guys think?” I asked the ponies quietly. They sat in silence, until Fluttershy spoke up.
“I think you should do whatever you want to do,” she said quietly, “if that’s ok…”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, we’re your friends, aren’t we? Whether you want to stay or go home, we’ll back you up a hundred percent!” she said, smiling. Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie and Applejack all nodded in agreement, and I smiled.
“Well, then I think I know what I’m going to choose,” I said confidently.

~-~-~-~-~

After a few hours of playing in the castle garden we saw that the sun was beginning to set, so we headed up to the throne room to speak to Celestia once more. Something about her seemed off, however; like she was nervous.
“Princess,” I began, “I have made my decision. I want to return home to my family,” I said.
Celestia looked shocked. “Are you absolutely sure?”
I nodded. “Yes. Although I’ve made great friends here, and I would love to stay, I shouldn’t be here. I belong with my family, on Earth.”

Celestia looked really nervous. “Oh, my,” she said quietly.
I raised an eyebrow, and saw Luna was peeking her head through a doorway off to the side, watching what was going on. “What’s the matter?” I asked slowly.
Celestia looked at me sadly. “I was hoping it wouldn’t have to come to this; after all, I figured you would want to stay, and it wouldn’t matter,” she said mostly to herself.
I was getting irritated. “What do you mean? What’s the matter?” I asked, trying to keep a level tone.
The solar princess looked to Luna, who nodded sternly, then looked back to me.

“Allen… I cannot send you home.”

I froze. “What?”

Celestia nodded slowly. “We do not have the capabilities to reopen the portal at this time," she explained solemnly. "In the days of the war, we tried taking the fight to the humans in their own world, but only they knew the secret to opening the portals at will. Your species may have come here in the past, but we ponies have never seen your world.”

I clenched my fist angrily. She lied to me. Celestia, one of my idols, had deliberately deceived me. And now, I was trapped in a whole different world from my own, never to see my family again. I closed my eyes tightly and looked down, struggling to focus through my wild thoughts.

To this very day, I still haven’t forgiven myself for what I did next.

I suddenly let out a scream of rage and ran forward, ripping the crystal out of my pocket as it flashed and became a sword, and swung it right at the white alicorn, stopping a few inches from her neck.
She stared in shock as I spoke. “You think I would be willing to just abandon my family and my home like that? Well, guess what you royal bitch? I want to go home. NOW!”
I stood before her, my teeth gritted and my eyes full of hatred for her and her lies. She stared at me for what felt like an eternity, giving me a look that dared me to finish what I had began. Then, she said the words that tore my very being in half.

“I guess humans have not changed as much as I thought they had.”

My gaze softened, and I slowly turned around to see my friends staring at me with looks of shock and fear on their faces. I turned the other way and saw Luna with a look of pure horror at what I had done, and she ran away. I turned back to Celestia, still giving me that same stare, and I stepped back, lowering my sword.

I’m…

The sword returned to its crystal form, and I slid it into my pocket as I continued to step backward.

I’m…

I passed my friends, who couldn’t take their eyes off of me. Their looks of fear changed to looks of anger and confusion. I stopped moving when the realization hit me.

I’m… a monster.

I turned and fled from the throne room without another word, leaving barely-suppressed tears in my wake.

~-~-~-~-~

The pillar was in a mad panic. The human was headed right for the Everfree forest, and now it was only a matter of time before it found what was hiding there for so many years.
“I've exhausted all of my options,” it said to itself hopelessly, “what am i to do now?”
It shot out a blue beam, creating a single Crystal Sentinel.

“Go find the human,” the pillar said hopelessly, “but I do not think it really matters anymore.”
The crystal beast ran out of the cave, leaving the pillar to contemplate. After several minutes of thinking, it got an idea.
“Wait a minute! The human will most likely come looking for me,” it said craftily, “so I just need to wait for it to realize where its enemy is. Then, I can finish it off myself.”

The pillar set off to work, shooting beams around the room and creating several Crystal Guardians; Sentinels, Valkyries, and Assassins alike, that all marched to their master and touched it. As they did, their bodies fused together, creating a Crystal Guardian unlike any had seen before.

“Now,” the pillar said in a voice that was a garbled mixture of its own and its creations, “we wait for our adversary to get overconfident and come looking for us. Then, we can end this.”

~-~-~-~-~

I found myself in the Everfree forest a few hours later, sitting on a tree branch and a rope tied around my neck. Not only would I never see my family or my home again, but the only friends I had hated me. Now I found myself in the same position as I did when I started this whole thing: about to end my suffering. This time, though, I wasn't trying to end my sadness; this time, I was trying to end my anger.

No music this time, I thought bitterly as I pushed off the branch, only to suddenly hit the ground below as if I wasn’t wearing a noose.
“What the hell?” I said aloud as I turned to look behind me, then quickly rolled over to dodge a Sentinel’s massive blade. It must have tried to hit me, but ended up cutting the rope instead! I thought quickly.

I may have wanted to die right then, but not at the hands of one of these things.

“You wanna go?” I screamed, pulling out my sword and gripping it tightly “Then let’s go!” I charged forward with my sword, powered by pure hatred, and sliced one of the creature’s legs off. It fell over, immobilized, and I jumped on its back, raised my sword, and began to rapidly slice back and forth, not caring which spot I hit, as long as I was killing something. I kept screaming as I did this, long after the creature was dead and I was doing nothing but knocking dust into the air.

I suddenly fell to my knees, exhausted, and wondered what to do next. The Sentinel had ruined my last chance at getting out of here quickly, so I had nothing to do but wait until the elements took me.

That’s when I heard sticks breaking behind me.

“Who are you?” I heard a voice behind me ask. I half expected it to be Zecora, but I dismissed that idea, since I was too far away from where the zebra lived for it to be her. I turned around to see who had spoken to me, and the sight shocked me.

Standing before me, leaning against a tree, was a blonde, short-haired, cloaked... human.

No Man Can Walk Out On His Story

Princess Luna sat beside her sister’s throne, staring sadly at the ground. It had been nearly a week since Allen had left, and she couldn’t stop thinking about him. The day he had run away, a loud buzzing noise came from off in the distance, and a beam of pink light shot into the sky from where the ancient archway was located. She had cried herself to sleep that night, for she knew that it meant Allen was gone.

Celestia gave her younger sister a comforting look. “Luna, cheer up. Allen may be gone, but I'm sure things will get better for us soon,” she said just as the throne room door burst open. A group of twelve Crystal Sentinels marched in. Something about them wasn’t right, though; rather than their usual ice-blue, these ones were black, and their eyes glowed a wicked red. They stood in a circle, and stepped aside to reveal what they were concealing: a lone human. He stood a little taller than Allen did, and had shoulder-length blonde hair. He smiled and looked around, addressing everypony in the room.

“Hello, all! My name is Drayke,” he said in a very polite tone, “and I am here to announce my evil takeover of your kingdom.”
The guards scattered across the room murmured amongst themselves, confused, until Celestia spoke up. “And how are you going to do that?” she asked suspiciously.
The human smiled and pulled a black crystal out of his pocket. “With this,” he said, snapping his fingers, and the Sentinels suddenly marched away, organizing themselves into a four-by-three group near the back of the room, blocking any escape.
Celestia gritted her teeth angrily. “Guards! Seize him!” she shouted, and the royal guard charged at the human. The human scowled and held out an arm, which became shrouded in black smoke. Suddenly, a massive crystal scythe formed in his hand, and he swung it towards the oncoming ponies.

“DO NOT FUCK WITH ME!” he roared as he slashed, and instead of the guards being killed by the attack, they were frozen in a crystallized, statuesque form. Celestia widened her eyes as the human then dropped his weapon, which vanished before it hit the ground, and pointed at her.

“I’m in charge now,” he said, and the crystal he held in his other hand suddenly glowed red as beam of energy shot from his finger to the solar princess. Then, she felt a strange sensation traveling up her legs, and saw she was slowly turning to crystal.
Luna gasped and looked at her sister, unsure of what to do. Celestia gave her a panicked look.
“Luna, run!” she cried just before the infectious crystal froze her completely. Luna quickly ran from the attacking human, narrowly dodging the beams he shot at her, and crashed into one of the stained-glass windows, disappearing from view.

Drayke shrugged when he saw the darker pony had escaped. After all, she couldn’t interfere anymore, could she? He turned around to address the few intelligent guards that had not attacked him. “Now, it looks like you’re in need of a change in leadership, and I am looking for a throne. Any objections?” he smiled at them as they looked amongst themselves, unsure of how to respond. “Good, then I guess I’m calling the shots around here.”
Drayke marched towards the throne, and waved his hand, causing the statue to levitate off to the side. “You’ll make a nice decoration,” he told himself. As he drew closer to his throne, his body became shrouded in black smoke, which eventually solidified and took on the form of a suit of jagged, black crystal armor. He sat down just as the suit was finished, and called to his Sentinels in a commanding tone, “now, make your preparations. We move to attack Earth.”

~-~-~-~-~

I sat in my desk at school, with my head pressed down as I pushed my pencil away with my finger, then watching it roll back down. The teacher was going on about some chemistry equation or something, and I couldn’t get the events of the previous week out of my head. On top of all of that, I had no reminders of my time, except for the crystal that Celestia had given me; the cut from my final battle had healed on the way home somehow.

I failed them, I thought sadly, I failed them, and now they’re all at the mercy of that maniac.
“Allen!” the teacher called, and I bolted up in my desk.
“Yes, Mister Lance?” I asked, sounding like a soldier who had been addressed by his commanding officer. He gave me a slightly disappointed look through his wire-framed glasses.
“See me after school. We need to talk,” he said, giving the class a dismissive wave as the bell rang. I sighed and nodded.
Great, another lecture, I thought. Ever since I had returned from my "vacation", everyone had been worried about my well-being. My mother, of all people, was the only one who somewhat understood that I had “run away” because I was upset, and my only punishment ended up being cleaning the house, which I had finished a few days ago. Everyone else, however, kept saying they thought it would be best to have me see a counselor, or even worse, be shipped off to military school.

~-~-~-~-~

“Allen, what happened to you?” my teacher asked when I re-entered the classroom later that same day. “How did you go from being one of the smartest and most enthusiastic students in class to suddenly spacing out during my lessons?” he gave me a concerned look, and something about it told me he didn’t want to tell me what I should do to fix it, like everybody else was doing; he was just a guy that wanted to know what was the matter. I trusted him, for he was probably the only teacher at my school who acted like an actual human being.

I sighed. “Well, while I was gone, I made some friends, and ended up looking like a monster in front of them. Now, there’s some maniac who is dead-set on hurting them, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it,” I said sadly. This was the closest I had come to telling anyone about my week in Equestria. If I had said anything about talking ponies, I would have been hauled away in a straitjacket.

He nodded, understanding where I was coming from. “Allen, I know what it’s like to feel powerless. Hell, we all do at some point in our lives. All you need to ask yourself is, if the opportunity presented itself, would you be willing to take the chance to make everything right again?”
I nodded, and glanced over to see one of his desk drawers was slightly ajar. Inside it, I saw a small My Little Pony figurine; it was Doctor Whooves.

I smiled. “Are you a brony, too?” I asked, pointing at the drawer. He looked at it and widened his eyes.
“Huh? No, no, that’s… my daughter’s,” he said, quickly closing the drawer. “...Wait, did you say ‘too’?” he asked, my question fully clicking in his mind.
I nodded. “Great show, huh?” I asked, grinning.
He smiled. “Yeah, but don’t tell anyone, or I’ll have to give you a week of detention!” he said jokingly, and we both burst out laughing.
“Hey, thanks for the talk, Mister Lance; I really needed it,” I said, holding out a fist.
He completed the brohoof, smiling. “Glad to help, Allen,” he said as I walked out the door.

~-~-~-~-~

A group of Sentinels marched towards the swirling vortex, eager to carry out their new master’s commands. They moved forward one at a time in a single file line, unflinching as the portal sucked them in to this unknown world. Princess Luna watched from afar, a plan slowly forming in her mind.
I have to go warn Allen, she thought, he is the only one who can save us.
She charged at the black creatures, her horn swirling with magic, and blasted one that was about to enter the portal to the side, jumping in herself.

~-~-~-~-~

I sat on my couch later that day. My mother and sister had gone out shopping, so I was left alone with very little to do. I thought about playing video games, but I wasn’t in the mood to put my mind into strategy. So, I just clicked the TV on and started scrolling through the channels. ABC, TBS, SyFy; hundreds of channels and nothing worth watching. That is, until I switched over to Hub Network.

They were playing the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic season 2 finale, and I had tuned in at the point when Twilight was reading all the letters Celestia had sent her, and slowly realizing she couldn't give up on her friends.
The message of the scene struck me, along with the words I had heard my teacher say earlier that day, and I rose to my feet slowly. I can’t give up! I have to do whatever I can to save them! I thought triumphantly, but suddenly realized, but what can I do? I’m stuck on Earth.

I looked over at the end table next to the couch, where I had placed my crystal a few days ago, thinking it would make a good decoration. I found shortly after returning to Earth that it held no power here, and couldn’t turn into its sword form. Now, however, it sat there in its full bladed glory, shining in the late afternoon sunlight that filtered through the window.

If it can become a sword now, I thought, wouldn’t that mean…?
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud crashing sound from behind me. I turned quickly to see that one of Drayke’s Black Sentinels had crashed through the wall of my house, and charged when it saw me. I grabbed my sword and leaped over the couch, keeping a good amount of distance between myself and the creature.
We sparred for a few minutes, exchanging blows and blocks, when I heard a phone ringing. I quickly broke away and grabbed the spare phone from off the counter.

“Hello?” I said breathlessly as I led my attacker throughout the house.
“Allen? It’s mom,” my mother said on the other end, “something really weird is going on here. These huge, black statues attacked the store, and everyone has been evacuated.”
I widened my eyes. “Mom, listen to me very carefully. Remember that show I watch, My Little Pony?” I asked, dead seriousness in my voice.

There was a moment of silence. “Yes…” she said slowly, unsure of where I was going with this. I slid under the kitchen table and ran outside, hoping the open spaces would let me get more distance from my enemy.
“Well, last week, when I disappeared? I went to their world, and found these same things. Now, they must have found a way to get here, so I have to go back and stop the guy that sent them,” I explained. The line went quiet for a moment, and suddenly my mom started laughing.
“Okay, Allen, whatever you say. You went to a world of talking miniature horses, and now monsters from that world are attacking us. Yeah, sure,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

I was not in the mood for any of this. “Mom!” I snapped, “listen to me NOW. I am fighting one of these assholes right now, probably about to die, with a magical fucking sword that I got from that world, and do NOT have time for any arguing! Take Lisa and get somewhere safe, away from populated areas, and wait for this all to blow over,” I shouted, suddenly turning around and slicing at my enemy. Unfortunately, these things must have become smarter since I last fought them in Equestria, because this one dodged to the side, my blade catching nothing but open air, and the Sentinel swung down, just barely cutting through my other arm, the subsequent shock causing me to drop the phone.
I screamed as a fire-like feeling shot throughout my upper arm as I quickly stabbed at the Sentinel, getting a lucky hit dead-center, and it turned to dust.
“Allen? Are you okay?” I heard my mom’s voice call over the receiver. I quickly picked up the phone, pressing it between my head and my shoulder as I wrapped my sweatshirt around my wound. “Yes, I’m fine," I lied through gritted teeth, "don’t worry about me. Just get yourselves somewhere safe. I love you,” I said, not giving her a chance to argue as I hung up.
I started back to the house when I saw something staggering into my backyard. It was hard to make out at first, but I saw it was midnight blue, stood on four legs, and had a purple, shroud-like mane flowing from its head.

“Luna!” I called excitedly, suddenly forgetting the pain that flowed through my arm. I quickly ran over to her, and saw she looked extremely tired.
“I had to fight my way to the portal,” she gasped, “there was a human commanding the Sentinels, and he-” she suddenly broke off, collapsing to the ground. I wasted no time in helping her up and leading her into the house.

~-~-~-~-~

I had led Luna up to my room and had lain her down in my bed so she could rest for a while. Since she was in no condition to heal my wound with magic, I had to make do with my extensive knowledge gained from movies and the internet. I quickly grabbed a bag of ice and a clothes iron, and then placed the iron on the stove burner. I pressed down on my makeshift bandage, trying to keep the cut from bleeding out, until I figured I had let the iron heat for long enough.
I grabbed the handle of the iron and stared at it. This is gonna hurt, I told myself.
So what if it hurts? the strong part of my mind told me, if you don’t do this, you’ll bleed out, and then all of Equestria is doomed because you couldn’t handle a little burn. NOW DO IT!
I pulled the sweater off my arm, bunched it up and bit down on it angrily, and pressed the hot metal against the cut, my pained screams muffled by the fabric. Tears streamed down my face, and I was sweating heavily. After a few seconds, I threw the burner aside and pressed the ice against the now-sealed gash, and suddenly fell to the floor, passing out from the incredible pain.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up later that night to find the ice had completely melted and done its job, as I couldn’t feel the burn anymore. I stared at my self-cauterized wound with satisfaction, and remembered the alicorn princess up in my room.
I had better check on her, I thought as I slowly walked to the stairs.
I entered my room to find the princess of the night sleeping soundly in my bed. I smiled and walked over the the open window, and looked outside. There weren’t any signs of other attacks, so I figured the Sentinel must have just come for me alone.
I smiled as I slid the window shut, and heard the blankets behind me shift. I turned and saw Luna was blinking sleepily at me.

“You alright?” I asked gently. She nodded, widening her eyes when she saw what I had done to my arm.
“Allen, what happened?” she asked, staring in shock at the red spot and healed cut on my arm.
I smiled sheepishly. “You seemed too tired to use your magic, so I used a human method of speed-healing,” I said gently. “It was no big deal,” I added, lying.
Luna looked around at the walls of my room, where I had taped a bunch of random My Little Pony sketches.

You’ll never guess which character caught her attention.

“Is that… me?” she asked slowly, staring at a picture I had drawn of myself standing at her side.
I nodded, smiling nervously. “Before I came to Equestria, I was a huge fan of the show I told you and Celestia about. Even when I didn’t know that you were real, you were my favorite char- I mean, pony,” I said quietly, trying to not use the word “character”. It didn't feel right referring to her as a work of fiction, especially when she was right in front of me.
She looked down, blushing, and I looked over at the clock on my nightstand. “Um, do you mind if I lie down next to you? It’s kinda late, and I’ll need my rest if I’m going back to Equestria tomorrow.”
The midnight blue alicorn nodded slightly, and I climbed on top of my bed and lay with my back towards her. As I slowly closed my eyes, I felt something touch my palm. I glanced down to see that Luna had rested her hoof in my hand, and when I turned around, I saw she was smiling, her eyes closed, but not yet asleep.

I smiled. “Um, Luna?” I asked quietly. She opened her eyes, surprised, and quickly moved her hoof away.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” she began, flustered, but I shushed her gently.
“I was going to say, if you wanted to...” I started, searching for a word, until I found one that sounded weird coming out of my mouth, but fit the situation, “...cuddle, all you had to do was ask.”
Luna stared at me for a moment, blushing intensely, until she finally smiled. “That would be nice,” she said, and I turned myself over and hugged her warmly. She seemed a little tense about it at first, but she wrapped her forelegs around me, resting her head on my shoulder. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was the light breathing of the night-sky blue alicorn that lay next to me.

Making a Comeback

Drayke looked out the window at the scenery that lie below. He saw his Sentinels marching on Canterlot, rounding up the citizens and hauling them away to the castle dungeon.
He smiled wickedly behind his crystal visor as a Crystal Valkyrie flew in through the open window.
{My lord,} it began, {the human you banished last week has returned! He and the lunar princess were seen exiting the portal, and they destroyed the Sentinels that were guarding it. They are heading in the direction of Ponyville, where they are no doubt seeking reinforcements!}

Drayke frowned. “I know how this is going to go: I’m going to send my weakest troops out first, following them up with stronger and stronger ones, until he finally reaches me and eventually defeats me in a one-on-one fight. Well, I’m not going down that road!” he shouted, rushing out to the balcony. He held his hands high above his head, forming a giant, black crystal between them, and threw it over the edge, using his telekinesis to push it farther away from the castle. When it landed, it started to grow and change, slowly forming a gigantic Crystal Guardian.

“Now, my Crystal Titan,” he said commandingly to his new monolithic servant, “make sure Allen does not reach the castle alive!”
He turned back to the room as the Titan lumbered off in search of its target.
“That’ll keep him busy,” Drayke muttered, and the Valkyrie spoke up once again.
{Also, my lord, you have a visitor. He demands that he speak to you at once,} it said uncertainly.
Drayke glared down at the eagle-like creature. “Then let him in, you moron. It’s terrible manners to keep a guest waiting!” he boomed, and it flew off, spinning horizontally as it soared through the doors.

It returned a few minutes later, followed by a curious looking creature that appeared to have limbs belonging to all sorts of animals.
“Ah, you must be the Obsidian King I've heard all about! Pleasure to meet you,” it said, bowing dramatically, “I am Discord, master of chaos. It’s quite a pleasure to meet you.”
Drayke stared at the strange creature that stood before him. “Obsidian King, huh? That’s what they’re calling me? I like it,” he said thoughtfully, then suddenly got to the point. “What brings you here?”

Discord smiled craftily. “I just wanted to come and check out the scenery from a different angle. You see, I’m not usually allowed in the castle, being ‘untrustworthy’ and all that, but since old sun-butt over here,” he said, teleporting to the crystallized alicorn that sat beside the throne and tapped a lion’s knuckle on her head, “is out of commission, I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of this rare opportunity. Tell me, are you, perhaps, looking for a second in command?” he asked, drumming his fingers together mischievously.

Drayke nodded thoughtfully. “You know, I could always use an extra head around here. After all, controlling the world is not an easy job for one man, and I plan on taking over two,” he said as he extended a hand, “I accept your proposal, Discord. Welcome aboard!”
The draconequus firmly shook the human’s hand, smiling wickedly, and glanced at the statue. “No hard feelings, Celestia; you know I can’t resist an opportunity to stir up a little chaos,” he said, laughing maniacally.
Drayke grinned. “I think I’m going to like working with you, Discord. Now, please excuse me; I have some things I have to go check on. Ciao!” he said as he swiftly exited the throne room.
Discord smiled as the human walked away, but suddenly scowled when the massive double-doors slammed shut behind him. He turned to the crystallized Celestia.

“You’d better thank me when this is all over,” he said in a low voice, “because I doubt this is going to end well in my favor.”

~-~-~-~-~

You know how when you wake up in the morning, you don’t properly process what is going on around you right away, even when you knew exactly what was going on when you fell asleep? As you might guess, waking up next to an alicorn from a children's cartoon is definitely not exempt from that.

I opened my eyes slowly to see Princess Luna staring back at me, inches from my face, smiling dreamily. I smiled back and closed my eyes, and then snapped them open again, suddenly fully aware of what was happening.
I have a girl, sleeping next to me, in my bed, I thought, my mom is going to kill me if she finds out.

Like most mothers, mine had a tendency to overreact when it came to me being with girls.

“Good morning,” I said quietly, running through the previous night in my head. Did we… no, we just hugged and laid here, I thought, noticing the alicorn’s forelegs were still wrapped around me, and my my arm was resting lightly on her side.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked as we slowly stood up. I nodded, smiling, and leaned backward, my spine popping in four distinct places..
“Yeah,” I said, surprised; I hadn’t gotten that good of a rest in a long time. I wanted to chalk it up to the lunar princess’s fond embrace, but then again, I did cauterize my own shoulder the previous day, which ended up being a pretty draining experience.
“Well, we had better get going,” I said after a long pause, “the world won’t save itself.”

~-~-~-~-~

We ran out into the forest towards the portal, which was guarded by a group of Sentinels. I whooped as Luna and I ran out to attack them, catching them by surprise. All but one of them was either cut down by my sword or disintegrated by magic; the lone survivor had jumped into the swirling vortex. I could see through to the other side like an open doorway, where several more of the creatures were waiting for us.
“Let’s go!” I shouted, leaping into the portal without a second thought. When I emerged on the other side, I wasted no time in cutting down yet another Sentinel. I assumed this one was the survivor from the fight moments ago, but I couldn’t be sure; these things all looked the same.
I turned around to see Luna bravely fighting off a few of them, but my eyes widened when I saw one was trying to sneak up and strike her from behind.

“Oh, no you don’t!” I shouted, flipping my sword around so I was holding it by the blade, and threw it throwing-knife style. The blade stuck in the Sentinel’s leg, and I quickly ran and pulled it the rest of the way through, severing the limb and knocking it to the ground, and then ran my sword through it.
Nobody is touching her while I’m around, I thought angrily as I tore through the creature’s back, turning it to dust.
Luna gave me a grateful look. “Let’s go!” she said quickly, and we rushed off towards Ponyville.

~-~-~-~-~

When we reached the small town we were shocked at the sight that awaited us. There were Sentinels carrying the citizens out of their homes and rounding them up in the center of town, and then shoving them towards the train station, where they would no doubt be brought to Canterlot. I smiled dangerously at Luna.

“I think they could use a hand,” I said, charging forward. Luna stayed close behind, but didn’t exactly agree with my plan.
“How exactly are you going to win this? It looks like there’s at least fifty of them and one of you,” she said darkly.
I laughed. “Everyone knows that it only takes a little bit of hope to get the people to fight back. Let’s give them some!” I shouted, and ran out into the town square.

“Citizens of Ponyville!” I shouted as the Sentinels noticed me and began their assault, “I’m here to help you!” I ducked under an incoming blade arm, holding my sword straight up and cutting the hazard in half, and then jumped over a low sweep from another, this time slicing low to cut that arm in half. Then, I quickly placed my sword between the legs of the first one, and did a full overhead swing, completely tearing through both attackers. Luna quickly joined the fray right behind me, blasting at more and more of the Sentinels as they advanced.

After they saw the Sentinels starting to fall, the citizens joined in on the attack. The earth ponies threw furniture and other random objects at them, the pegasi zipped around them as a distraction, and the unicorns barraged them with bolts of magic. With all of us working together, eventually the last Sentinel fell at my feet, and all the ponies let out a cheer. The celebration was quickly cut short, however, when the ground trembled, and we heard an earth-shaking roar.

“What was that?!” Luna cried, and I turned around to see a massive creature approaching the edge of town. It looked just like a Sentinel, but had a normal arm in place of where there was normally a bladed one, and stood what looked like one hundred feet tall. It approached the edge of Ponyville, crushing a few of the houses underneath its gigantic feet.

That’s when everypony started to panic again.

I looked around wildly, desperate for a way to beat this new threat before it caused too much damage, and saw Vinyl Scratch out of the corner of my eyes, standing next to a very familiar looking device.
I thought that thing only existed in the fandom, I thought, an incredibly stupid plan already forming in my head, but I’m not gonna argue!

I grabbed the front of the bass cannon and angled it upward, aiming it right at the titanic block of black crystal that was advancing on the town, and gave Vinyl Scratch crazy smile.
“DROP THE BASS!” I yelled giddily, and she wasted no time in slamming a hoof down on the button. I felt a massive force slam into my back and launch me high into the air, high above the head of the attacking monster. I flailed my arms wildly as I soared among the clouds, and saw my target approaching fast.

Let’s hope this works! I thought, angling myself and holding my sword out to the side. As I passed the creature, I rammed my sword into it, slicing through it all the way down as its body made a nice break to my otherwise deadly fall. I heard it scream in a low, enraged voice as the massive crack I was creating got bigger and bigger from the stress my foe’s weight was putting on it. By the time I reached the ground, my fall was slowed enough so I could jump off and roll to safety, just as the gargantuan Crystal Guardian fell with a low groan, disintegrating just a few feet above the roofs of the buildings.

“DID I JUST DO THAT?!” I shouted to no one in particular, “did I just do that?!” I continued to marvel at the fact that I had just taken down a Godzilla-sized hunk of diamond as I ran back to the center of town, where I hoped to find a way to get to Canterlot.

~-~-~-~-~

“Are you FUCKING SERIOUS?!” Drayke shouted, punching a dent in one of the throne room’s pillars angrily, “I just sent that damn Titan out there this morning, and you’re telling me that Allen has already beaten it? With nothing but a SWORD?” he screamed at the lone Valkyrie.

“Yes, my lord, but-” it began, but Drayke raised his hand dismissively and sighed.
“Forget it. I can see that I’ll have to take care of him myself. Unless…” he said, suddenly remembering the deal he had made with a certain draconequus earlier. “Oh, Discord!” he called, and suddenly the master of chaos appeared in front of him, sitting back in a lounge chair, wearing a pair of sunglasses and holding a tanning mirror. He raised the shades with one talon and gave Drayke a confused look.

“Can I help you? I’m kind of busy here,” he said grouchily.
Drayke scowled. “I’ll ignore that tone in your voice for now, because I need you to do something for me. There’s a human boy in Ponyville disrupting my plans, and I need you to go take care of him,” he said, annoyed by the draconequss’s nerve to speak to him in that manner.

Discord rolled his eyes. “A human boy? Child's play. What do you need me to do?” he asked, yawning. Drayke smiled wickedly.
“I would prefer to teach him a lesson myself, so bring him here if you can. If that proves to be too difficult, however, you may simply kill him,” he said dismissively.

Discord bowed dramatically. “Your wish is my command, my king,” he said with a hint of sarcasm, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Drayke rolled his eyes and sat heavily in his throne, mentally exhausted.

“I thought being a tyrannical overlord would be a lot easier,” he muttered.

~-~-~-~-~

I sat back on the plush seat of the passenger car of the train, while Princess Luna paced up and down the aisle, glancing outside nervously.
“What are we going to do?” she asked, “I mean, when we get there?”

I narrowed my eyes, staring straight ahead. “We have to rescue Twilight and her friends. None of the ponies in Ponyville had seen them, so they must already be in the dungeon at Castle Canterlot. We’ll need all the help we can get if we want to defeat Drayke,” I said darkly.

Luna looked down sadly. “Yes, we will; not even my sister could do anything to stop him,” she said softly. I got up and sat down next to her, hugging her as she started to weep softly.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I said gently, “We’re going to win this. I’m sure of it,” I said confidently. Even though it sounded convincing, I still had a nagging doubt eating away at me: What if I failed? What if I didn’t win, and Drayke was free to continue his onslaught against Equestria and Earth?

I pushed these thoughts as far off to the side as I could.

Just then, the top of the train car was suddenly torn off. I looked up and saw Discord flying above us, laughing maniacally.
I should have known he’d side with Drayke! I thought angrily, drawing my sword. “Why don’t you come down here and fight me yourself?” I challenged.

The draconequus stared at me, confused. “You really think I’m here to fight you? No, no, I’m just the delivery boy!” he cackled, and with a wave of his hand, the train car was suddenly wrenched off the tracks, and began to float towards Canterlot.
Looks like I’ll have to forget about backup, I thought helplessly as the half-destroyed car levitated towards its destination.

The Final Countdown

The train car shook violently as it was dropped into the throne room of Castle Canterlot, knocking me and Luna off our feet. As I got back up, the door of the car slid open, and I cautiously stepped out, sword drawn, and surveyed the room around me.

Not much had changed since the last time I was here, except for the giant hole made by our drop, and one of the stained glass windows had been smashed. I turned towards the throne, and what I saw terrified me: standing off to the side, frozen in crystal with a look of horror on her face, was Celestia.

I rushed forward, but was stopped by the sound of the throne room doors slamming shut, and an all-too-familiar voice.

“Allen! What’s up, buddy? Glad you could make it!” Drayke called in a suspiciously cheerful tone, his arms spread wide. I glared at him.

“This doesn’t have to go any further, Drayke; we can end this now, and nobody else will get hurt,” I said slowly. Apparently this was funny, because Drayke let out a loud laugh.

“You… you think that you can make me stop like that, with the whole "I'll give you a chance to give in" speech? Oh, no; this is far from over. From the first day I was stuck in this place, I’ve learned of the awesome power hidden away, just waiting for somebody to find it. Back on Earth, I was nobody; I had a crappy day job, no family, and hated pretty much everyone. But here,” he said, suddenly becoming shrouded in smoke as a suit of crystal armor formed on his body, and his voice deepened in tone so it sounded almost demonic, “I’m a king.”

He stepped towards me, standing only a few feet away, and extended a hand. “You and me? We work together, and we can make both Earth and Equestria tremble before us! You can have everything you ever wanted! What do you say?” he asked gently, his voice suddenly losing that dark overtone.

I looked at his visor, just barely able to see his eyes behind it, then looked over at Luna, who was giving me a look that told me she was afraid of my answer. I smiled at her, and then turned back to Drayke as I tightened my grip on my sword.

“I already have everything I want,” I said quietly, and then thrust my sword forward in an attempt to stab Drayke through his chest. Instead, in a flash of movement, he grabbed the blade and redirected my attack, throwing me to the side in the process.

“Wrong answer,” he growled, taking on the voice of the legion once again, and pointed to Luna with a black finger, which fired a beam that struck her in the chest. In an instant, she was frozen in a crystalline state, just like Celestia was.

“NO!” I shouted, suddenly jumping up and swinging wildly at my armored opponent, who simply ducked and dodged every one of my strikes. Eventually he got bored of this, and swung an armored punch that threw me to the floor. I looked up to watch him hold out his arm and conjure a huge crystal scythe. It was about as tall as he was, and curved backward on the head, so it doubled as a battleaxe. At the opposite end, there was a wicked-looking spearhead.

He stood over me, gripping the scythe in both hands, and raised it over his head. “Such a shame,” he said mockingly, “you had so much potential.”

Just as he was about to bring his weapon down, something struck him from behind and knocked him to the side. I looked up and saw Discord, smiling crazily and holding a yellow balloon sword.

“You go save the others! I’ll keep this guy busy!” he cried, charging at Drayke, and they began to slash and parry at each other with their weapons. I ran out of the throne room as quickly as I could, my always-reliable adrenaline rush powering me all the way to the dungeons.

~-~-~-~-~

“Discord, Discord, Discord,” Drayke said in a mock-scolding tone, “you really should watch who you cross!” As he said this, he jumped back and held out his arms, five Sentinels appearing at his sides as he did. They advanced on the god of chaos, who grinned at the sight of the approaching resistance.

“And you should learn who to pick fights with!” he shouted as he grew to nearly ten times his own size, becoming more beast-like and terrifying. Then, he swiped a massive lion’s paw at one group of sentinels, while the other was thrown through the wall by a sweep of his tail.

Drayke laughed. “Finally, a challenge!” he shouted, running towards the draconequus at full speed. He jumped up at its leg, digging his scythe in, and flipped up onto Discord’s back. Discord screeched in pain, and leaped into the air, soaring through the massive hole in the wall. Drayke held on to his weapon as tight as he could, and waved his hand in the air as black sparks crackled at his fingertips.

“See if you can handle this!” he screamed angrily, and slammed his hand down on the draconequus’s back. A violent spasm rushed through Discord’s body, and he suddenly lost control of his wings and fell back to earth. Drayke stood on top of him, jumping off just a few feet before impact, and rolled to safety as the master of chaos slammed into the marble floor, forming a crater when he landed.

Discord struggled to his feet, collapsing as his arms and legs failed him, and looked up at the armored human that stood at the lip of the crater, charging some kind of spell in his hands.
“This ought to teach you to not invoke the wrath of the Obsidian King,” he said, his voice shaking with anger, as he hurled the attack at the now-defenseless Discord.
I just hope that kid can save everyone else, he thought sadly as the world went black.

~-~-~-~-~

Twilight Sparkle sat near the crystalline door of the cell, her horn surrounded in a magical glow as she tried to rip the door off its hinges. The Obsidian King had placed a powerful enchantment on it that was supposed to make it unopenable, but she wasn’t going to give up.
“Twilight, I admire your enthusiasm,” Applejack said sadly, “but it’s hopeless.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “She’s right, Twilight. There’s no way we’re getting through that door.”
Twilight turned to her friends, glaring. “I am not giving up! I won’t stand here and do nothing while that maniac turns ponies to crystal and destroys our home!”
Rarity spoke up now. “Twilight, darling, how do you expect do anything? There is no getting out of here, except for a miracle.”
Just as the word “miracle” left Rarity’s mouth, two cracks suddenly appeared in the door, and it shattered, revealing a familiar smiling face on the other side.

~-~-~-~-~

“Allen!” the girls cried as they rushed to hug me.
“We’re so glad to see you!” Twilight cried. I chuckled.
“And I’m glad to see you all, too. I’m sorry for how I acted when Celestia said she couldn’t send me back,” I said sadly.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Considering the circumstances, I don’t think that’s an issue right now. We’ve got a crazy human determined to capture everypony in Equestria, and it’s up to us to stop him!” she cried triumphantly. I nodded, and noticed a very large pair of doors at the end of the hall. “Twilight, tell me, would that happen to be…?”

Twilight looked at the doors. “The Canterlot Royal Archives? Yes, why?” she asked, confused.
I smiled and looked at my friends one by one. I had a good feeling about whatever was waiting behind those doors, but had to ask anyways. “Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, what else is in there, besides dusty old tomes?”

She smiled, suddenly catching on to my plan. “Experimental, untested weapons, many of them magical in nature,” she said craftily, “but the door to the innermost room is sealed so only Luna and Celestia can get in.”

I held up my sword, smiling as I said “Oh, if only someone had a really big lockpick.”

~-~-~-~-~

Several Sentinels rushed down to the dungeon level where they knew the rebellious human had gone to. The searched the cells, finding nothing, and saw that the largest set of doors at the end of the corridor were slightly ajar. One of them pulled them open to peek inside, and was met by a sight that made even the Sentinels fear for their safety.

Standing there were six armored ponies and one human. The ponies with wings, two pegusi and one alicorn, had blades on their wings, and the unicorn’s and alicorn’s horns were reinforced with diamond. They all had diamond horseshoes, one of the earth ponies having significantly larger ones, and the other earth pony looked like it had some sort of cannon on her back. The human stepped forward, twirling a sword in each hand: one of them his signature crystal sword, and the other a titanium katana. They also saw that a pair of goggles rested on his forehead.

“Now, we can do this the easy way,” it said, suddenly taking a battle-ready stance, “or the hard way. And as pissed as I am right now, I really hope you take the hard way.”

~-~-~-~-~

We charged into battle, screaming, and tore through the Sentinels. The girls’ armor and reinforced wings, horns, and hooves gave them a huge upper hand, and I quickly found my katana had been enchanted in a similar fashion as my sword.

Finally, I get one of these! I thought happily as I ran past two Sentinels, disarming them as I did, and turned to see Pinkie blast them with the cannon attached to her suit.
“WOO!” she cried as it rained glittery shards all around us for a few seconds before they vanished, disintegrating before even touching the marble floors.

We met strong resistance on our way back to the throne room; Sentinels, Assassins, and Valkyries alike impeded our progress, but every obstacle was crushed by a hoof, wing, horn, or sword with little effort. Eventually, we stood before the throne room doors, ready to face Drayke.

“He’s sealed the doors!” Rainbow Dash cried out, tapping the transparent coating that covered the massive doors. I shrugged and began to chip away at the barrier, when I heard something approaching from behind us. I turned to see three creatures that looked like what I had fought in the cave before Drayke had sent me back to earth, but without the pillar on top. They vanished from view, and I smiled as I pulled down the goggles, which gave me a unicorn’s gem-detecting abilities; their camouflage may as well have been fluorescent paint. I charged at the challengers, who were thoroughly surprised that they were completely visible to me. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew past, clipping the enemies wings, while Rarity and Twilight charged at them headfirst, their powerful horns shattering the grounded foes. I turned to the remaining one, who now seemed uncertain about this fight, and looked like he wanted to call it quits.

“Should’ve thought of that before!” I shouted as I jumped at it, swords pointed down, and drove my blades into its chest and dragged them down, cutting the creature into three separate pieces.
“Now that that’s over,” I said, turning my attention back to the door, “let’s bust this open!”
The six armored ponies began to kick rapidly at the crystal that covered the door, forming a spiderweb of cracks across its surface. Finally, I swung my swords at it in an X-motion, and that was the end of it. I recoiled as it rained glass-like crystal for a few moments, and the doors slowly creaked open. We entered the room slowly, ready to face whatever Drayke had waiting for us.

~-~-~-~-~

As Allen entered the throne room, his crystal sword suddenly sensed an impending danger. It knew that whatever lay ahead, it was too powerful for Allen to take on alone. It silently sent out a call, reaching across all of Equestria, desperately hoping that there was some ancient magical force that would answer that call.
Deep in the Everfree Forest, that call was heard by an ancient tree, its branches adorned with several magical gemstones. They could not answer this call just yet, however, until their rightful bearers needed them most.

~-~-~-~-~

I quickly entered the throne room, and heard my friends cry out behind me. I turned and saw the doors had suddenly slammed shut and re-sealed on their own, preventing them from assisting me. I slowly stepped further into the throne room, noticing things had changed since I had last seen it earlier. All of the stained glass windows had been smashed,revealing a treacherous thunderstorm outside, and the walls had turned black and shades of grey. I looked ahead at the throne, and saw it was surrounded by three statues: Celestia, still frozen in horror; Discord, a pained look on his face; and, most depressing of all, Luna, with an unchanging look of sorrow.

I stepped forward. “Drayke!” I shouted angrily at the armored figure that lounged in the throne, “this is over.”
The Obsidian King stood slowly, conjuring his scythe as he did, and I saw two bat-like crystal wings slowly materializing on his back.

“No,” he said quietly, his voice quivering in anticipation, and suddenly erupting into a scream, “It’s only just beginning!”

We charged at each other, weapons out to the side, and the final battle for Equestria began.

Not With a Bang, But a Whimper

I jumped back mere moments before the black blade of Drayke’s crystal scythe tore through the spot I was just standing in, sending sparks and pieces of marble flying everywhere. The whole time we fought, neither of us said a word; I was surprised, since all the fights I had ever seen in movies had some witty back-and-forth banter, but this wasn’t a movie. I quickly slashed at the handle of the scythe, smashing it in half, but he simply twirled it like a baton and it reformed in a wave of smoke. At this point, I was down to my ordinary sword, as I found early on that our crystals are a hell of a lot stronger than enchanted titanium when he smashed my katana without flinching.

I grimaced as he kept swiping at me, pushing me closer and closer to the wall, until I got an idea. I quickly ran and slid like a baseball player underneath the massive blade, slashing at his leg as I passed, shattering the armor around it and breaking the bone underneath, and quickly jumped to my feet a few feet behind him as he fell to his knees. I turned around to see he was… laughing.

“You have no idea what these crystals can do, do you?” he asked as he stood slowly, and I saw his leg had already knitted itself and once again became covered in the black armor, “then again, you didn’t opt for unlimited power, did you?” As he said this, he went back on the offensive.

I quickly blocked and slashed at my enemy, barely dodging his hits and watching all of mine get shrugged off by his incredible healing factor. I knew it was a pointless fight, but I knew I couldn’t give up; I had to keep fighting, for everyone, human and pony alike. I kept this in mind as I ducked and dodged the massive blade of death.

Our fight was interrupted by a loud crashing sound. I turned around to see the throne room door burst open as Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity broke the door down completely and burst into the room. I smiled at them for a moment, and quickly turned back to Drayke just as I felt a sharp pain in my side.

I looked down and saw he had stabbed me with the bottom end of his scythe, the spear-tip buried deep inside my abdomen. I groaned as he pulled it out, and I fell to my knees, my sword falling out of my hand as I hit the floor. Drayke laughed cruelly as he picked it up and shattered it over his knee.

“I’ll give you credit kid, you were good, but evidently not good enough. Now,” he said as he threw his scythe aside and began to charge some kind of spell in his hands, “you just wait here while I kill your pony friends, and then I’ll finish you off. Sound good?” He advanced on the ponies, who backed away in terror.

“N..No…” I mumbled weakly, holding the tear in my side as I tried in vain to stop him. Drayke was wrong about one thing: he wouldn’t get a chance to finish me off.
I was done for.

~-~-~-~-~

Celestia watched from her crystal prison as Allen fell to the ground and Drayke broke the sword. She saw the shards slowly reform into their original gemstone form, and she urged for Allen to move, to get up, to do ANYTHING to fight back.

He can’t die, she cried out silently, HE CAN’T!

In her anger, she gathered all her strength and power over the sun, and focused all the force she could muster on one spot: that crystal.

~-~-~-~-~

I lay there, thinking death was about to take me, when I saw something sparkling off to the side. I looked and saw my crystal, now whole again, sparkling brightly as a single beam of sunlight penetrated the raging storm outside and shot straight down to that exact spot. I reached out slowly as my vision blurred, and felt my hand rest on the crystal as everything went black.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up suddenly to find myself still in the Castle Canterlot throne room, but everything was made of pure-white crystal. I looked at my side to see that it was unharmed, and stood up slowly as I heard several hooves approaching from behind. I turned and saw Celestia, Luna, and Discord all slowly walking up to me. I frowned sadly.

“Am I…” I began, but Celestia cut me off.
“You are still alive, Allen. We just needed you to come here for a moment,” she said soothingly.
I clenched my fists. “Are you serious? My friends are about to die, and I might be too, and you’re taking me away from there for a little chat?” I said with disbelief.
Luna smiled comfortingly. “Everything is slowed down in here, Allen; you don’t have to worry about running out of time,” she said quietly.

Celestia noded and continued: “Allen, I am sorry for what I have done. I lied to you because when we first met, I was still afraid of what humans were capable of. But now, seeing you willing to die for the sake of those you have only known for a short time, I know that you are not our destroyer. In fact, you are our savior.”

Discord let out an empty laugh. “That’s all fine and dandy,” he said angrily, “but how does that help us? He’s bleeding out on the floor, and we’re all decorations.”
Celestia glared at him. “I was just about to get to that, you impatient buffoon,” she growled at the draconequus, who took a hesitant step back, and then she looked back to me. “Allen, you have learned, by watching us from your world, that friendship is the most powerful force there is?”

I nodded as she continued, “During this battle, you must remember that friendship is magic. Tell me, what powers the crystal?”
I shrugged. “Magic?” I guessed.
The white alicorn nodded. “And what will the truest of friends do for each other?”

I really had no idea on that one.

“They will do whatever it takes to make sure their friends are safe, which is exactly what you are doing right now. Tell me Allen, how powerful do you think your crystal will be after the display of friendship you've shown today?” she asked, smiling gently.
I widened my eyes as I processed this. “So… I could still win this? I could still save everyone?”
Celestia nodded as Luna stepped forward. “So long as you keep fighting for what is truly important, nothing will ever defeat you,” she said, and leaned forward and kissed me.

Celestia cleared her throat, catching my attention. “Now go, Allen; it is time to see for yourself just how powerful friendship can be,” she said, and I suddenly was lost in a sea of blackness.

~-~-~-~-~

Drayke approached the six ponies that cowered in the corner, his fingertips crackling with black energy.
“You know,” he said as he drew closer, “it’s kind of touching, really; how Allen is so willing to die for your sake. But, hey, look where it got him.”
He was just about to launch his attack when he saw a white flash out of the corner of his eye. He turned around and smiled viciously at what he saw.
“Now this is going to be interesting,” he said, dispelling his magic and conjuring his black scythe.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up once again on the cold marble floor, and noticed I wasn’t bleeding anymore. I looked at my side and saw it was encased in a cast-like shell of crystal. I looked up and saw my fingers were curled around my crystal, which glowed a brilliant white.

I really hope Celestia was right; please, help me, I begged silently as I rose to my feet shakily. As I did, I was surrounded by an almost blinding white glow that shielded me from everything else. I looked down and saw that a suit of white crystal armor was slowly forming on my body from my shoulders down. When the light finally faded, I saw Drayke staring at me with anticipation, our suits polar opposites of each other. I raised the crystal out in front of me as it lengthened and changed, taking on the form of a beautiful broadsword with a golden handle.

“If you’re the Obsidian King,” I said as I rolled my shoulders and found massive, angelic crystal wings extended from my back, “then I guess that makes me the Crystal Paladin.”

Drayke laughed. “Is that all? A bigger sword and some armor? Jeez, I thought you’d actually be a challenge,” he said, and snapped his fingers, causing his wings to shatter into hundreds of pieces and fall to the floor, levitating at knee level. He waved his hand as the dagger-like shards all turned to point straight at me.

“Now, see if you can stand up to this,” he said, and the pieces of black glass flew at me like a swarm of hornets.
To my surprise, my wings shot forward and wrapped around me, locking together as they formed a shield around my body. I saw my reflection in the mirror-like crystal as the armor slowly encased my head, forming a smooth crystal helm as the shards bounced off of my wings harmlessly.

When my shield separated, I saw Drayke’s swarm return to him and fuse together to form his wings once again.
Let’s see if these things actually work, I thought as I ran and jumped out one of the windows, my wings suddenly extending as I fell, and I soared into the air.

I stared at the castle for a moment, waiting for something to happen, when I saw a pillar smash through the wall, heading straight towards me. I did a barrel roll to the left, and stared through the newly-formed hole as Drayke rushed to another pillar, tore it out of the floor, and hurled it at me like a spear. I quickly dropped low, out of the way of the massive column, and suddenly Drayke joined me in the sky. We rushed at each other, slashing as we passed, only for our weapons to bounce off one another harmlessly as we soared to opposing ends of the sky.

Suddenly, Drayke dropped his scythe, snapped his fingers, and vanished from view.

What the hell? I thought as I glided through the air, searching for him, when something grabbed me and I started to descend towards the castle. I glanced back and saw Drayke’s black gauntlets gripping my arm and side, and looked forward to see the castle approaching fast. I grimaced as Drayke dragged me across the outer wall as we shot past, my armor sending a shower of sparks as it ground against the castle. Then, he threw me up into the air, letting me fly once again.

“You wanna fly?!” I shouted as I flew higher and higher, “then let’s fly!”

Drayke followed, right on my tail as we passed through the clouds, and grabbed me. We stopped our ascent, grappling with each other as we fell to the ground below.

“I will not lose to you, Allen!” he shouted as he suddenly pulled me down, planting a foot on my back and gripping my wings tightly. I struggled to break free as we crashed through the roof of the castle, and then hit the floor, my impact further worsened by Drayke’s foot. The exact moment we hit, I felt him press harder, and with an ear-shattering crack, he tore the wings off of my armor and threw them aside. I tried to push myself up, but he knocked me against the wall with a swift kick.

I looked up at him, my visor half-destroyed from the impact, as he held his hands at his side, forming a straight black shard of crystal. His helmet folded off of his head, revealing his now deranged-looking face below.
“Forget killing your friends in front of you; you die first!” he screamed.

I glanced over at Twilight and her friends, an apologetic look on my face.

So, I thought sadly, this is how it all ends.

~-~-~-~-~

“We have to do something!” Twilight cried, about to charge in and help, but the others held her back. Rainbow Dash gave her a mournful look.
“What exactly are we supposed to do? That guy is almost invincible, and Allen couldn’t even beat him!”
Twilight saw the Obsidian King begin to form a massive spike in his hands, and a determined look crossed her face. “We have to try! Girls, focus; Allen needs us!”
The six ponies stood in a circle and closed their eyes tightly, focusing all their power on helping their friend.

~-~-~-~-~

Deep in the forest, the Tree of Harmony began to glow brightly as the six gemstones on its branches shook, and suddenly burst from their slots on the tree, flying to Castle Canterlot at immeasurable speeds.

~-~-~-~-~

I closed my eyes as Drayke hurled the massive crystal spike at me, certain that it was all over, when my fear was interrupted by a shattering sound. I looked up to see the spike had smashed into some kind of force field that surrounded me.

What? How… I thought, and saw bright colors out of the corner of my eye. I looked down and saw my sword, which now had six familiar gemstones on the length of its blade.

The Elements of Harmony, I thought, slowly standing as my strength returned and my armor reformed around me. Drayke backed away slowly, his eyes slowly growing fearful.

I held my sword at my side and, using my newly-reformed wings for boost, rushed at my enemy at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash jealous, driving it straight into his chest. He let out a choking gasp as he looked down at the crystal blade that protruded from him, then slowly up at me. I glared at him, not saying a word as several cracks formed across his armor, and multi-colored light filtered from them.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO-” Drayke threw his head back and started to scream, just as his armor shattered and an explosion of blinding light filled the room.

When the light faded, I stood there in the center of the room, alone; there was no sign of Drayke. The room had returned to its normal state, perhaps restored by the explosion. I straightened myself out as the Elements of Harmony faded from my sword, and I assumed they had returned to the Everfree Forest. I turned to my friends, who were smiling broadly, relieved I was okay, and began to walk over to them as my armor and sword faded away.

It’s over, I thought happily, it’s finally over.

Just then, I felt a familiar pain in my side and collapsed on the floor, feeling something in my pocket click from the impact. I looked down and saw that along with the armor and sword, the crystal cast that had kept me from bleeding out during the fight had also disappeared. The girls rushed to my side.

“Allen!” they all called at once, horrified at my injury. I looked up, smiling through my pain, and looked at Twilight.
“I don’t suppose you can patch this up for me, can you?” I asked jokingly, but I already knew the answer.
“I can’t heal this, Allen; healing spells won’t work on serious injuries if the user doesn’t have knowledge of the patient’s anatomy,” she said sadly.

I looked up, noticing a strange sound emanating from my pocket.

Piano chords? I thought, slowly realizing what had happened that I must have turned my MP3 player on when I hit the ground, and it played the first song on my playlist: Phiilypu’s “Dreaming With Ponies". I laughed a little at my sad fate.

“Girls,” I said slowly, “thank you for the wonderful time you have given me here. Before coming to Equestria, I thought I would never be truly happy again, but you’ve proven me wrong. You’ve shown me more kindness, honesty, generosity, loyalty, and laughter than anyone on Earth has ever given me. And honestly, it’s been magical,” I said, tears streaming down the sides of my face, and I saw the others suffering the same fate.

I sighed heavily. “I don’t want to die, but I don’t really have any say in that now. I guess I should be thankful that, in my last moments, I’m surrounded by the most caring friends I could ask for,” I said, looking at them one by one.

“Goodbye, Allen,” Twilight said sadly.
“Bye, Sugarcube,” Applejack said, taking off her hat.
“See you later, pal,” Rainbow Dash said, trying to stay tough.
“Farewell, darling,” Rarity said, trying to keep herself together.
“Bye, Allen,” Pinkie said, and suddenly broke down sobbing.
“...Bye,” Fluttershy said, looking away.

I smiled, the world growing dark as the music reached the last measure.
I closed my eyes and whispered, “do you know… you’re all… my very best friends?”
The last thing I heard before the world stopped around me was my friends’ gentle weeping.

~-~-~-~-~

Luna ran to Allen’s side after finally being freed from her crystal prison, shaking him and urging him to move.
“Please, Allen, don’t die!” she sobbed, and Discord rested a gentle talon on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” he said, his usual humored tone now absent from his voice, “but it’s too late for him.”
Luna bowed her head and cried softly, looking up at Allen’s lifeless form, and noticed something: his arm, which she could have sworn had some sort of burn mark and sealed cut back on Earth, was completely absent of any wounds.

The portal must have healed him, she thought, a spark of hope slowly growing within her. If that’s the case, then maybe…

Without a moment’s hesitation, she quickly turned to her sister. “Celestia! We have to get Allen to the portal!” she said, levitating the limp human onto the solar princess’s back, and then rushed for the door, and Twilight and her friends followed close behind.
Celestia gave her sister a strange look. “What do you mean?” she asked, following her sister.
“His arm was injured when we left his world,” she explained, “but now that we’ve gone through the portal, it’s completely fine! If we can get him through the portal, it just might save him!”
Celestia nodded, unsure if Luna’s plan would work.
We have to try, the white alicorn thought with determination. It’s the least we can do for him.

~-~-~-~-~

Discord sat alone in the throne room and looked around, upset that none of the others had acknowledged his self-sacrifice earlier.
“You’re welcome!” he shouted sarcastically, crossing his arms and pouting.

The End

Celestia emerged from the portal slowly, followed by Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and her student’s friends. Draped across her back lay Allen’s body, which had just been lifeless moments before, but the portal’s magic had saved him from the brink of death. He lay there now, sleeping soundly as Luna led the way to his house.
When they stepped through the gaping hole in the wall, they were greeted by a female human, who stared at them in awe.

“Excuse me,” Celestia began, “are you Allen’s mother?”
The woman nodded slowly, hardly able to believe the sight before her. Celestia turned, revealing the boy she was carrying, and Allen’s mother ran forward, letting out a sob of joy, and hugged her son tightly.
“He’s unconscious, and probably won’t wake until tomorrow morning. He’s had quite the day,” she said, smiling at the loving sight before her.
“I know,” the woman whispered, “my little boy saved the world.”

Celestia stared for a moment longer, and then levitated a sealed envelope over to the joyful human. “Please give him this when he wakes,” she asked softly, “it has one final request for him,” and she led the others away. She took one last glance at the house and saw there was a large hole in the wall, probably made by a Sentinel. She smiled as her horn glowed brightly, and the debris that littered the ground slowly floated into the air, and the wall was restored to its former wholeness.

“Princess,” Twilight asked slowly, “what was in that envelope?”
Celestia looked down sadly. “I cannot tell you right now, but it is for the good of both ours and Allen’s worlds,” she said flatly.
Twilight nodded understandingly. “Will we ever see him again?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. The other’s looked at the white alicorn expectantly.
“I cannot say for certain,” Celestia said quietly, “but I do not doubt that you may someday,” she added comfortingly as the ponies passed the swirling vortex, returning to their own world.

~-~-~-~-~

I snapped my eyes open and shot up in bed, panting hard. I looked around at my room. “I’m… alive?” I said slowly, not believing what was happening. I got up, got dressed, and headed downstairs, where my mom was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee and staring at an open envelope. “Are you okay?” I asked slowly.

She sighed heavily. “Considering a group of talking ponies approached me last night carrying you and told me that you had single-handedly saved two worlds and almost died, I’m coping pretty well,” she said quietly. “One of them said this was for you,” she added, gesturing towards the envelope. “I thought about reading it, but decided it was best for you to be the only one to see,” she said as I started reading.

Dear Allen,

Firstly, I would like to thank you, on behalf of all Equestria, for defeating Drayke and saving us all. You have shown that humans have indeed changed, and are fully aware of the power that friendship can hold. Unfortunately, there is one final task I must ask of you.

I swallowed hard when I saw those words.

The power of Drayke’s crystal is still keeping the portal open. The archway cannot be destroyed in our world, for it is shielded by a powerful spell. In your world, however, since there is no magic, it can be destroyed. That is why, with a heavy heart, I must ask that you destroy the portal, and close the doorway between worlds forever. I know this is difficult for you, but you must understand that it is for the best. I am sorry.

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia

I stared at the letter long after I was finished reading it. Destroy the portal? Never see my friends again? No, I thought angrily, I can’t do it. I won’t do it!
I slammed the paper down on the table and ran out the door with no idea of what I was going to do.

~-~-~-~-~

I found myself sitting on a bench in the middle of the park, staring straight ahead with an angry look plastered on my face. I kept scowling, until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Mister Lance, my teacher, standing behind me.
“I thought that was you, Allen,” he said cheerfully, “glad to see you’re okay after that incident yesterday, what with those crystal statues attacking.”

I smiled emptily. “Hey, Mister Lance. What brings you here?”
He sighed. “With those things gone, my daughter insisted that we come to the park for the day,” he said, gesturing to a little girl playing on the swings behind us.
I nodded. “Mister Lance,” I began, but he cut me off.
“Allen, we aren’t in school. You can call me Mike,” he said, a humored tone in his voice.
I smiled. “Okay, Mike, can I ask you something?” I asked slowly.
He nodded. “Of course,” he said, confused.

I looked straight ahead. “If you had to do something, for the greater good, and it meant you had to let go of something that meant more than anything to you, would you still go through with it?”
He pondered this for a moment. “I suppose I would do the right thing. It would seem like a good idea to ignore everything at first, but it would only end badly in the long run. If you do the right thing in the first place, then at least you'll have a chance to move on with no regrets when it's all over,” he said quietly.
I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. If I didn’t close the portal, it would only be a matter of time before humans returned to Equestria, and that could only end badly.
“I have to do what’s right,” I said as I stood up slowly. I quickly thanked my teacher and ran home without another word.

~-~-~-~-~

When I got home, I let my mom know I was going for a walk in the woods. She asked why, to which I responded “to do the right thing” just as I stepped outside. I grabbed a sledgehammer from our garage and quietly walked out into the forest, tightly gripping the massive tool with both hands as I carried it over my shoulder.

After a little while, I saw the archway standing in front of me just a few feet away, the portal still swirling around with a full view of the field that lay on the other side within it. I let the hammer fall through my hands, catching the end of the handle as the head hit the ground, and swung it onto my shoulder as I took a readied stance.

Here goes nothing, I thought as I wrapped my fingers around the hammer tightly, pulling my arms back to swing at the stone frame in front of me. Come on, I urged myself as I sat there, my arms shaking at the thought of what I was about to do, you can do it; just one little tap and this is all over.

I swung the hammer with all my strength… and it passed just inches in front of the archway as I threw it to the side, screaming in desperation. “AAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!” I shouted as I threw my head back and dropped to my knees, screaming at the heavens. I fell to my side and started sobbing uncontrollably, the pressure of my decision breaking me.

I can’t do it, I thought as I lay in the grassy dirt, I can’t destroy the only way back!

But it’s the right thing to do, I told myself.

I don’t care! I’m not going to lose them!

What if you don’t, hmm? What if this thing stays open, and humans and ponies are free to cross between worlds? It will only end the same way it went those thousands of years ago: in a war. Do you really want to make your friends have to suffer that?

I stood slowly, keeping that last thought in mind as I retrieved the hammer and glared at the portal, taking my swinging stance once again.
I have to, I thought blankly, for everyone's sake.
Just as I was about to swing, I heard six faded voices calling my name. I looked into the portal and saw my friends rushing towards me from their side.

They must have gotten Celestia to tell them what she wanted me to do, I thought sadly as they continued shouting my name, begging me to stop. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, and swung the sledgehammer at the stone frame with all of my might.

A loud crack rang out through the trees, and the stone archway crumbled at my feet. I looked up slowly to see the portal was still there, but it was fading fast. On the other side, I could see my friends' horrified faces; all of them looked confused and sad at what I had done. All of them, except for Twilight, who’s face saddened me the most: she looked as if she… understood, and sympathized with, what I had done, and why I had to do it.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly as the portal began to blink out, “I’m so, so sorry.”

And then they were gone.

~-~-~-~-~

I sat there for nearly an hour, staring blankly at the spot the portal had sat in. My legs were tired of just sitting there, holding me up without a rest, but I didn’t care. I just sat there as the memories of my week in their world flooded back to me.

I remembered waving slightly as Celestia introduced me to her subjects.
I remembered falling to the floor in Twilight’s library as we laughed and laughed.
I remembered falling from the sky with Discord, and my wonderful picnic with Fluttershy.
I remembered Applejack’s fond embrace as she comforted me as I finally let my pain go.
I remembered marveling at the suit Rarity had made for me, and Sweetie Belle calling me a “hero”.
I remembered gliding through the air at high speeds as Rainbow Dash carried me to safety.
I remembered setting up the party at Sugarcube Corner with Pinkie Pie, and then dancing the night away with all my friends.
I remembered laying in bed, my arms wrapped tightly around Princess Luna as we slept peacefully.
But, most painful of all, I remembered laying there, thinking I was going to die, as my friends all sat around me and said goodbye.

I looked over to my right and saw the broken tree branch with the noose tied around it; it seemed like years ago I had tried to kill myself, and I smiled at how foolish I had been. I may not be able to see them again, but I know, somewhere out there, I had friends who cared for me. And hey, who knows; maybe I’ll still see them someday. I just hope it’s soon.

Thinking this, I did something I had not done on Earth in a long time: I laughed. Not because somebody had told a joke, not because I saw somebody do something stupid, but because I was happy. Simple as that: I was finally happy with my life. I turned around and sprinted home as fast as my already-weak legs could carry me. My lungs were on fire, I was dehydrated, and I just wanted to lie down and sleep for a thousand years.

I had never felt better in my life.

So I kept running.

I kept laughing.

I kept living.

Epilogue: Zero

It had been nearly a year since my adventure in Equestria. For the first few months after the attack of the Sentinels, there was a lot of panic: the government had all kinds of meetings as to how they would defend against another attack, people had crazy theories as to where they came from, and religious officials tried to say it was punishment for people’s sins. I laughed at all of these claims, for only I knew what had really happened. Eventually, everyone shut up about it; after all, the Sentinels had vanished without any sort of trace, so there was little proof of their existence aside from crappy hand-recorded footage. So, the world pushed that day out of its mind, but still kept an eye out in case they did return.

I was sixteen now, still living in that dead-end town, but my time in that wonderful world had given me a brighter outlook on life. I was doing really well in school - not straight A’s, but it wasn’t anything to sneeze at - and I was finally satisfied with my life, because I had friends who genuinely cared about me. Sure, in all likelihood I would never see them again, but it still felt good knowing that someone - or, somepony - outside of my family loved me and cared for me.

I still felt sad, however, that we were worlds apart.

~-~-~-~-~

One day I was cleaning my room a little, taking down some of my older sketches and putting them into a binder, and hanging up new ones. I would never take down the pictures of me standing alongside the ponies, though; I’d sooner fight a Crystal Sentinel without my sword.

Speaking of my sword, I found that I still had that crystal Celestia had given me on my first day in Ponyville. I had forgotten about it for so long, but as I was digging around through my things, I found it. It still looked exactly as it did the day I received it, sparkling like a diamond when even the littlest bit of light hit it. I smiled and set the white gem on my nightstand as I continued cleaning, and that night I held it in my hand tightly as I fell asleep, remembering my visit with Luna so long ago.
I miss her, I thought as I drifted off to sleep, I miss them all so much.

~-~-~-~-~

I slowly opened my eyes to see the crystal surroundings I lay in. I was in the crystal world created by my gem; I didn't know it would even work on Earth!
“Hello, Allen. You’ve grown quite a bit, I see,” I heard a gentle voice say behind me, and turned to see a white alicorn with a beautiful, rainbow-colored mane, smiling as she approached.
“Celestia!” I said happily, “is it really you?”

The solar princess chuckled. “Yes, Allen, it’s me, and this is real. I just came by to see how things were going with you.”
I smiled. “It couldn’t be going any better. My time in Equestria really showed me how great life can be,” I said, and suddenly frowned, “but…”

Celestia looked at me, concerned. “What’s the matter?” she asked gently.
I looked up at her sadly. “It’s just, I miss you all so much. I wish I didn’t have to destroy the portal; I wish I could have stayed there, with all of you,” I said, my voice breaking.

She smiled at me gently. “Allen, what if I told you… that there was a way for you to return to your friends?” she asked slowly.
This got my attention. “What? How?” I asked, hardly able to contain my excitement.
The white alicorn laughed lightly. “Settle down, Allen; I need to tell you the details. Firstly, if you do this, you will not be able to return to Earth, so you must be absolutely certain that you wish to go through with this. Secondly, there are a few things you must know in order to reopen the pathway between worlds.”

I nodded slowly. “I understand. What do I need?” I asked seriously.

Celestia looked off into the distance. “You need three things: the place, the object, and the words. The place is the spot where the archway used to stand, and the object is the crystal I gave you. If you can find the words, you will be free to return to our world whenever you wish, and live the rest of your days among us,” she said, and began to walk away.
“Wait!” I called after her, and she stopped and turned back to me. “How is everyone else?” I asked slowly.
Celestia smiled. “They all miss you very much. Especially my sister; in case you have forgotten, she is quite fond of you,” she said, giggling.

I laughed. “How could I?” I asked as she continued walking away.
“Until we meet again, Allen,” she said as she vanished.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up the next morning feeling like I had drank an entire pot of coffee using Red Bull in place of water, and added in about five cups of sugar. I shot out of bed like a rocket, threw on my clothes, and ran downstairs, where my mother was cooking lunch. She stared at me in shock.

“Allen, you’re late for school!” she cried. I held up my hands.
“Mom, please, listen. I have something really big to ask you,” I said, and explained my dream from the previous night.

“So, they want you to go back?” she asked sadly. I nodded, looking at the table.
“I mean, if it’s fine with you,” I said, already knowing the answer.
She’s not going to go for it, I thought sadly, but she said something that surprised me
.
“...okay,” she said with finality. I widened my eyes.

“What?” I asked, shocked.

She nodded slowly. “I don’t want to lose you, Allen, but also don’t want to deny you a life where you will be happy. So yes, if you really want to, you can live in Equestria with your friends.
“Just promise me one thing,” she asked, smiling tears brimming in her eyes.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, nodding quickly.

“Just make sure you say a proper goodbye to your family before you leave,” she said, her voice barely a whisper, and suddenly cleared her throat.
“Anyway, you’d better get moving, or you’ll miss school!” she said, shooing me toward the door. I grabbed my backpack from off the chair and threw it over my shoulder and ran out the door.

~-~-~-~-~

When I got home later that day, I ran out into the forest and tried my luck at reopening the portal. I stood in the debris of crumbled archway and held the crystal out in front of me.

Magic words, magic words… what are some magic words? I thought eagerly, better start simple.
“Abra kadabra!” I said loudly. My words were answered by the ironic chirping of a cricket.
“Okay, let’s try… klaatu, barada, nikto!” I boomed.

Silence.

I sighed. “By the power of Greyskull?” I asked, throwing my hands up in desperation. Still nothing happened, so I sighed and walked back home dejectedly.

There’s always a catch, I thought angrily, there’s always a catch that seems like no big deal at first, but then when it’s time to face it, it bites you in the ass!

~-~-~-~-~

I sat in Chemistry class the next day, sitting in my desk as the class sat in their desks and scribbled away at the test. I stared at the paper sitting in front of me, only partly focusing on the task at hand.
What words could she have meant? I thought desperately, What do I need to say?

“Uh, Mister Lance?” I whispered from my seat, and my teacher looked up at me. “Can I run to the bathroom?”
He nodded slightly, and I ran out the door. I expected him to be surprised, because I hated using public restrooms. I didn’t even have to go; I just wanted to get up and walk around for a couple of minutes. I decided to stop at my locker and see if I had a book or something I could grab.

I dug around in my backpack, and felt a strange rectangular shape. I grabbed the unknown object and pulled it out, revealing it to be my camera. I turned it on, and the first image that greeted me was the picture I had taken of myself and my friends on the train. I smiled at it, the wonderful memories flooding back into my mind, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I turned to see Mister Lance looking down at me. “Get lost on the way to the bathroom, Allen?” hs asked teasingly.
I widened my eyes. I was in trouble now; our school was really serious about wandering the halls during class. “Mister Lance, I’m sorry, but-”

He held up a calming hand. “Hey, hey, I’m not going to tell on you. I was just wondering why you, who makes it his mission to not use a school bathroom, suddenly decided to break that vow,” he said, glancing at the camera screen. “Well, I didn’t think you were that into My Little Pony, Allen; skipping class to stare at pictures you photoshopped yourself into?”

I nodded, blushing. “Yep,” I lied, “I’m a huge nerd for this show.”

He smiled and turned to stare at a bulletin board at the wall. “It’s a shame, isn’t it? That there aren’t more shows teaching people the lessons those ponies teach us?” he asked quietly so his voice wouldn’t carry through the halls.
I nodded. “Yeah. Maybe if they did, people would get along better,” I said.

He chuckled. “I think it’s in human nature for us to not get along. Then again, who knows? Friendship is magic, after all, so maybe it could change that,” he mused.

I nodded slowly, and suddenly it hit me: right then, I realized what the words Celestia wanted me to say were.

“Mister Lance, thank you,” I said, extending a hand for him to shake. “You are probably one of the greatest teachers I’ve ever had, and it has been a privilege being taught by you.”

He shook my hand, confused, and I turned and walked away. “Allen,” he called after me, “where are you going? You have a test to take!”

I glanced back as I strode down the hall and chuckled. “Me? I've got some friends waiting for me,” I said simply.

~-~-~-~-~

Later that evening, I stood on that stone platform once again, this time accompanied by my mother and little sister, who didn’t quite understand what was going on. I got down on one knee and placed a hand on my sister's shoulder.

“I’m going away, Lisa,” I said quietly, “I’m going to go live with some friends from now on.” Her eyes got really big when I said this, and she started to argue, but I went on: “I know you don’t want me to leave, but believe me when I say it’s for the best. Just always keep one thing in mind,” I said, leaning forward and wrapping her in a hug, “I will always love you. Even if we’re a million miles apart, just remember that I love you.”

I stood up and looked down at her, noticing she was starting to cry. “Can you promise me that?” I asked the child, and she nodded, tears steaming down her face as her lower lip quivered. I stepped over to my mother, who was barely keeping it together herself.

“Take care of yourself okay?” I said softly as I hugged her, and she nodded.
“I'll be fine,” she said, her voice wavering as she struggled to hold her tears in. "Tell Celestia thank you for me, okay? I never got a chance to thank her for bringing you home."

They stepped down from the platform and watched as I took the crystal out of my pocket and turned it in my hands, watching the moonlight sparkle off of it. Then, I held it tightly at my side, closed my eyes, and bowed my head.

“Friendship is magic,” I whispered, smiling, and felt a cool breeze run through my hair. I heard my sister’s and my mother’s quiet sobs as the world around me faded.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up what must have been the following, and sat up in the middle of a grassy field. I knew this field well; after all, I had gotten arrested by talking ponies and fought giant crystal statues in it only a year ago. I stood up slowly and looked at what I held in my hand; rather than the magic crystal, I was holding a small pile of dust that sprinkled out from between my fingers. I opened my palm and let it blow away in the breeze, and then looked around.

I figured I’d go to Canterlot later; after all, It would be a good idea to let Celestia know of my choice, and I could hardly wait to see the look on Luna’s face.

There was one thing I had to do first.

I started sprinting in the direction of Ponyville, reaching into my pocket for my MP3 player and played what had become my favorite song when I first became a brony. Before I saw the princesses, though, I knew there were six ponies that would never forgive me if they weren’t the first to find out I had come back.

And so it was: I was in Equestria.

I was home.

Returning Home

I couldn’t believe it: another human, here in Equestria, standing right in front of me. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, with shoulder-length blonde hair, a kind of handsome face (don’t judge me on that one, I’m just describing him!), and stood about a half a foot higher than I did. He was leaning against a tree, staring at me with one eyebrow raised questioningly.

“Yo! I asked you a question: Who are you?” he said loudly, breaking me from my trance.
I cleared my throat nervously. “I could ask you the same thing,” I shot back, making him laugh quietly.
“The name’s Drayke. You?” He asked, stepping forward and holding out a hand. I took it and he shook firmly.
“Allen. Sorry about my surprise, but I didn’t think I would ever see another human again,” I said shakily, still recovering from my explosion during the fight with the Sentinel.
Drayke nodded, smiling. “Good to meet you, Allen. Listen, those things will probably be back soon. Follow me; I know somewhere safe!” he said, running off into the trees. I followed close behind, keeping an eye out for any attackers.

~-~-~-~-~

Celestia stared at the throne room doors slamming shut as Allen rushed out. Twilight and her friends slowly turned to Celestia, questioning looks on their faces. Twilight spoke first. "With all due respect, princess,” the purple alicorn started politely, with a tone of anger suddenly filling her voice, “why would you lie to him like that?! You saw how torn up he was after you said he couldn’t go home. Tell me, why, just WHY would you lie to him like that?”

Celestia straightened herself and glared at her student. “I had my reasons. You saw how he reacted; had I told him from the beginning, before he was friendly with us, he may have gone even further!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the room.
It was Applejack’s turn. “Beggin' yer pardon, Princess,” she said firmly, “but Ah don’t think Allen would've reacted like that if you had just told 'im from the start. That just isn’t like him.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “You think he would have acted like a monster if you had told him from the beginning that there was no way out of Equestria? The way things are looking here, it seems like you're the one who’s the monster.”
The other ponies nodded in agreement, and Fluttershy spoke up. “Girls, we should go find him. I bet he feels really bad about the way we reacted, and might be all alone and upset. He needs us to help him!” she said, her voice unusually certain.
The six ponies ran out the door one by one, and Twilight, being the last,stopped and gave Celestia a disapproving look before following her friends.

~-~-~-~-~

Princess Luna sat in her bed, unable to accept what had just happened. Allen, a human that she had thought was without an evil bone in his body, had almost tried to kill Celestia. She knew he would be angry when the truth was revealed to him, but she didn’t think it would be that bad.

“Even the gentlest of spirits can be cruel sometimes,” a deep, alluring, and all-too-familiar voice said quietly "all it takes is i a little push." Luna sat up and looked around.
“Where are you?” she demanded.

The voice laughed wickedly. “Over here, Luna. Did you miss me?” it asked mockingly, and Luna turned to a large mirror on the wall to see her reflection, standing tall with a maniacal grin on its face. On top of that, it was much darker than she was, and wore teal-silver armor.

“That’s right, Luna,” Nightmare Moon said tauntingly, “it's me. What’s the matter, did your little boyfriend end up not being as innocent as you thought he was?”
Luna stood up sharply. “Leave me alone!” she shouted defiantly, but couldn’t help but feel pain from the dark alicorn’s words.
Sensing she was breaking through, Nightmare Moon pressed on. “Oh, come now, Luna. You know you don’t need anyone, pony or human, but me. I can make you strong, and I can take away this pain you feel. Come back to me, and I can make everything better.”

Luna stared at her dark half as she slowly walked over, entranced by the promise.
No more pain, she thought, almost hypnotized, when she suddenly snapped out of her daze.
“I will never join you!” she shouted defiantly, and smashed a hoof into the mirror, hearing Nightmare Moon cry out in anguish as the shards fell to the floor. Princess Luna looked down at the pieces of the mirror angrily.
“No matter what you offer me, no matter how bad I feel, I will never give in to your darkness again!” she shouted, and ran back to the throne room.

~-~-~-~-~

“Well, here it is: home sweet home,” Drayke said, gesturing to a large, run-down castle. “Those crystal things don’t seem to like this place. Something to do with what it’s built with, I think.”
I nodded. “Same with the cloak? Does it keep them from detecting you?” I inquired.
He tapped his nose and smiled. “You’re a sharp one, Allen. Now, I think I have something in here that can help us out with our current situation,” he said as he led me inside.

“First off, I want to know something. The ponies told me that I was the first human here in thousands of years. How did they not know about you?” I asked, confused.
Drayke laughed. “Those crystal monsters found me first; the magical ponies have never laid eyes on me. Now, do you want to hear the plan, or would you rather be trapped here for the rest of your life?” he asked as we sat down at a table in what looked like a dining room. I nodded, and he cleared his throat and began.

“I found some old notes in this place a while back. I was able to decode most of the intact ones, and they said something about these crystal pillars that controlled the attacking creatures. The humans that lived here were able to open the portals at will by using crystals charged with a ton of magical energy, and those pillars are supposed to be like nuclear power plants compared to the little ones they used. If we can get a hold of one of those, and divert the energy into some crystals, we can open a portal and ride it all the way home. How does that sound?” he said, looking up at me and smiling proudly.

I shrugged. “Sounds good to me. Any idea where we can find one of these pillars?” I asked, and he suddenly frowned.
“Uh… wait! I’ve got it!” he said, suddenly running out of the room. He returned about a minute later with what looked like a compass. “This thing doesn’t point north. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, right? That means this thing is pointing southwest. I get the feeling that this is a locator for strong points of a specific type of magical energy: the energy produced by those pillars.”
I grinned. “Great! When do we leave?” I said, jumping up to my feet.

“Right away. You might want to wear this, though,” he said as he tossed me a cloak similar to the one he was wearing, “you’ll want to save your strength for fighting whatever that thing has waiting for us.” With that, we rushed out of the ruined fortress, and I was finally on my way home.

~-~-~-~-~

Twilight and the others rushed off towards the Everfree Forest, where they hoped Allen would be hiding. They stopped at Zecora’s house, hoping she had seen him.
“I do not know the creature of which you speak, but I think I know what he may seek,” the mystical zebra said cryptically.
“Whattya mean, what he seeks?” Applejack asked urgently as Zecora went on.
“To open the doorway home, he needs a key. He may be searching for where one may be.”
Rainbow Dash sighed, irritated. “Great, so he could be anywhere right now. How does this help us?” she asked angrily. Twilight suddenly gasped, an idea forming in her head.
“I know! We could read Starswirl the Bearded’s journal in the castle archives! It’s bound to have information on this!” she said happily.

Rarity stepped forward. “Twilight, although that is an excellent idea, I don’t think the journal will have any notes regarding the portal. Celestia said ponies never learned how to open the portal, remember?” she said gently. Twilight smiled.
“Starswirl was a clever old wizard. I’m certain he put it in his journal, just not in a way anypony could easily find it!” she said, already heading for the door. The others ran after her as they rushed back to Castle Canterlot.

~-~-~-~-~

“So, exactly how long have you been stuck here?” Drayke asked me nonchalantly as we ran across an open field. I had told him most of the details of my stay in Equestria, and he had told me his. Apparently, he had found the portal during a hike in the same woods I had found it, and was suddenly sucked in.
“About a week. You?” I replied.

Drayke chuckled. “Almost a year now, but I’m not too sure. Two at the most, I think,” he said, stopping suddenly. “How much you want to bet it’s on there?” he asked, pointing at a cave dug into a nearby rock formation.
I nodded. “Looks like a place where I would hide an ancient artifact of immense power. Let’s check it out,” I said, and we ran to the entrance, slowing as we approached.

When we got inside, our suspicions were further confirmed by the fact that the tunnel looked like it had been drilled through with tools, and mystic runes covered the walls. I looked around as we entered a massive chamber.
“This place feels old,” I said, shivering, “really old.”
Drayke nodded beside me and whispered, “Yeah, and I don’t think we’re alone.”

Just then, the ground ahead of us erupted, and a massive crystal behemoth erupted from the ground. It looked like a fusion of all sorts of Crystal Guardians, with four arms, two of them bladed and the other two with hands, two sets of crystal wings, and a body that looked like a totem pole of crystal bodies. It stood what looked nearly ten feet tall, and spoke in a voice-of-the-legion tone, sounding like all the voices of enemies I had fought in the past week. Its head was just a simple pillar of crystal that stuck out of its body, covered in the same runes that decorated the cave.

“Now, after so long, we finally meet in person, humans,” it said coldly. I stepped forward, pulling out the crystal and tossing aside the cloak.
“I don’t think these things will work on it,” I muttered as Drayke threw off his.
“Um, Allen? I don’t want to seem like a coward here, but you’re on your own on this one,” Drayke said, stepping back. I nodded.
“I understand. It’s kinda hard to beat something like this without one of these,” I said as the crystal erupted into a blade in a flash of white light.

“Any last words, human?” the crystal abomination taunted.
I smiled, remembering the first time I heard one of the Crystal Guardians say that when I first went to Ponyville.
“Yeah. Something along the lines of ‘Fuck You’ comes to mind!” I shouted as I charged into battle.

The creature slashed downward with its bladed arms, blocking any sideways escape, and tried to skewer me with its pointed head. I spun to the side, just barely dodging, and swiped at the head to find it was much harder than the others I had faced; my sword bounced off like it was made of rubber.

“Allen, that thing head is way too powered up with magic! You’ll have to beat the body first!” Drayke shouted from behind a large stalagmite. I nodded to myself.
Take out the body? No problem, I thought as I charged in for another attack. I swung down hard, and the creature simply blocked by locking its swords in an “X” formation. Then, it tried grabbing me in its hands, but I slid under the swords and between its legs, slicing off one of its four wings.

“I learned how to take care of these things back in Cloudsdale!” I yelled as I grabbed the stump that was left of the wing and held on tightly, hacking away at the four remaining wings, “And now you’re grounded!”
I jumped off and slid across the floor as my foe roared in its mixed voice.
“I refuse to lose to you, human!” it shouted, sounding a lot like a spoiled two year old, which made me smile. Back on Earth, I loved it when the spoiled kids didn’t get there way.
“Too bad, asshole!” I shouted as I charged and slashed, only for it to dodge and disappear from view. Then, I felt something cut into my arm, catching me by surprise.

How’d I beat the Assassin's invisibility? I thought, quickly wrapping my shirt around my wounded arm and wishing I had Twilight’s magic, when the answer struck me. I really hope these caves have good acoustics!
I pulled out my MP3 player and cranked the volume up to max, putting on some heavy dubstep, and then quickly placed it in the corner of the chamber. The music bounced off the walls of the cave, gaining strength with each echo, until the base drops slammed into my invisible enemy, vibrating its body and revealing its location.

I put on a predator-like smile as I ran in for another strike, leaping through the air and tearing off one of its humanoid arms. It swatted at me with its blades and remaining hand as I passed, but to no avail. I slid across the floor when I landed, turning quickly and rushing back for another strike, the combination of my anger at this thing for trying to kill me, the thrill of the battle, my massive adrenaline rush, and just plain having fun keeping me going. This time, I tore off a sword, leaving it looking a lot like just an overgrown Sentinel. I glanced ahead and saw a boulder standing right in the middle of me and my opponent.

“Now you’re just a boss in mook clothing!” I shouted as I charged, jumping once off the ground, again off the boulder, and flying straight at the stunned monster, slamming my blade straight into its chest.
“And now, you’re even less than that,” I said coldly as I jumped to the ground and the creature collapsed, unable to stand after the absolute thrashing it had just received.

“So… I have failed,” the pillar said, its voice no longer a garbled mix of Crystal Guardians. Then, the runes covering it slowly dimmed until they could no longer be seen, and the creature's body disintegrated, not even leaving behind a pile of dust. Drayke rushed over to see if I was okay.

“Here, use this,” he said, tossing me the cloak. I used the sword to tear off a piece and use it as a bandage, allowing me to put my shirt back on. “Now, lets get to the archway!” he said, motioning for me to grab one end of the pillar as he lifted the other. We carried the hunk out of the cave as quickly as we could, looking like we were moving furniture.

~-~-~-~-~

Twilight scanned the shelves of the royal archives for the journal of Starswirl the Bearded, and ran out to her friends, levitating the tattered book in front of her.
“Let’s see here… there’s a riddle in one entry. ‘Those who wish to open a path between worlds must undergo a task, one that very few are able to pass. By defeating my greatest creations in their darkest hour, one can open the portal with their unlimited power’. Huh, what does that mean?” the purple alicorn wondered aloud.
The six ponies pondered this a moment, when a sad voice spoke from behind them.

“His greatest creations were the pillars that created the Sentinels,” Celestia said quietly. “I never realized what he meant until now.”
Twilight looked at her mentor with pity. “So Allen went to find one of them?” she asked slowly.
The white alicorn nodded, avoiding the gaze of her student and her friends. “That would be my guess. I have no doubt that he will defeat it, and then use its powers to return home,” she said.

Pinkie frowned, her mane suddenly straight. “So, its over? Allen’s going home?” she said, her voice wavering.
Celestia nodded, and they all sat in silence for a few minutes, all of them unsure of what to do next. Eventually, Celestia quietly stepped away, returning to the throne room.
I’m sorry, Allen, she thought, a single tear running down her cheek, I’m so very sorry, but now it doesn’t matter; now you get what you wanted.

~-~-~-~-~

I stood the pillar up in front of the stone archway in the field I had woken up in earlier that week.
“Now what?” I asked Drayke, who was practically shivering with excitement.
“Now? Now we both get what we want,” he said mischievously, pulling one of the Guardians’ heart crystals out of his pocket and pressing it against the pillar. The pillar glowed a bright blue, and the crystal slowly changed from a brilliant white to an inky black. I stepped back, pulling out my crystal as it became a sword once again.

“What did you just do?” I demanded, holding my weapon at the ready. He stuck the crystal in his pocket and smiled at me politely.
“It’s nothing personal, Allen, I just needed someone who could actually fight those things to come along. Too bad it had to be you; you seemed like a really cool kid,” he said as the pillar suddenly turned to dust, “but you know what? I may be evil, but at least I. unlike this ‘Celestia’ you spoke of, stay true to my word.”

As he spoke, I felt a gust of wind run through my hair, and turned around to see the portal reopening. I ran at Drayke, tripping as an invisible force pulled my feet out from under me, and I slammed my blade into the ground, struggling to stay put.
“I’m not letting you get away with this!” I shouted as he turned and walked away, in the direction of Castle Canterlot. He stopped and chuckled, shaking his head.

“You’ve been playing the hero for so long, you actually have it nailed in your head that you are one! Well, I’m here to show you the truth, Allen: you’re no hero. You’re just the guy looking for the way home,” he said, and continued to walk away. I saw him wave his hand, and several black Crystal Sentinels appeared at his side, marching after their master.
I cried out desperately one last time, when my blade lost its hold on the ground, and I plunged into the vortex.

~-~-~-~-~

I woke up in a forest, the crystal at my side. I looked up and saw the archway, looking as it did when I had first found it.
“NO!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, “I have to go back! They need me!”
I ran for the archway, diving through it, only to painfully slam into the dirt on the other side.
“I HAVE TO GO BACK!”