It's a strange feeling, knowing that you're going to die, and soon might I add. It was all I could feel as I walked down the empty, lamp-lit streets of Canterlot. I had no destination in mind, nor any idea when I would work up the courage to go back to my apartment. To top it all off, after a few minutes of walking, it started to lightly rain down on me. It didn't take very long for me to get soaked, so I started to look for a place to take shelter.

I don't know why it caught my eye, but a small bar in between a massive clothing shop and a nightclub grabbed my attention. Above the tiny wooden entrance was a red neon sign that read, "The Entropy Shot". It looked like it was open and cozy, so I decided it was as good as any other place. Curiously, I walked up to the door and opened it to find a small, empty bar. That was what I thought until I saw the bartender.

It was a creature that I had never seen before, but yet looked so familiar. It honestly looked like a child had gone through their collection of animal toys, pulled them apart, and then started to create a hybrid of all of them. A lion's arm, an eagle's talon, a bat's wing, a pegasus' wing, a hoofed leg, a dragon's leg, the tail of a snake, and the head of a pony made up this thing. However, the most startling thing stuck out to me: the sharp yellow eyes glued to me.

It hit me as I walked over to the bar and sat down on one of the many stools. The sound of squeaking from the glass the bartender was cleaning, and the sound of the rain pouring on the windows was the only sound in the room for a while. I didn't bother to say anything. To be flat, I wasn't in the mood for small talk.

"So," Discord said with mild interest, "I take it you got that test back?" I did nothing but sit gloomily at the bar, staring at the counter. "I'll take that as a yes," he continued after a moment of silence. "Well, lighten up, Bucko! At least it isn't one month!"

I looked up at him for a moment. He had a stupid grin on his face and his arms outstretched. My look seemed to have done something to him because he suddenly looked a little less joyful as I looked away. "...you can't possibly know how this feels," I stated quietly. "Knowing, one day very soon, everything for me is just going to... to stop. Everything that I've done, everyone that I've met... gone in an instant."

There was more silence after that for a good five minutes. In that time, my host started to boil some water and was now pouring it into a cup. After another minute, the spirit slid a glass of clear, red liquid in front of me. I picked it up and inspected it for a moment. "It's tea, relax," Discord said. "And you're right. I'll never know the pleasure of death, but that doesn't mean that you can mope around for six months!"

Again, I didn't respond. All I did was look at the liquid again and decided that I really had nothing to lose. I took a sip of the tea, and it warmed my mouth and throat as expected. It was sweet, but also had an earthy taste to it. Putting the glass down on the counter, I looked up into space, letting my mind wander.

"Were you expecting a happy ending?"

My head whipped to the seat beside me to find no one there. That voice sounded a lot like...

"What's the matter?" Discord inquired. "You look like you just saw a ghost." Taking another sip of the tea to calm myself, I reached into my pocket for some bits. Discord, however, raised his paw. "It's on the house tonight, Bud. And you know what? I'll even throw in a story in there as well!"

I stood and turned towards the door after putting my bits away. "Sorry, I gotta—"

"It's about Sun-butt's immortality." That stopped me dead in my tracks. "You sure you wanna be leaving just yet?" Reluctantly, I returned to my seat as my host poured me another glass of tea. "So tell me," he asked, "you figure out what's happening with your blood?" I gave him a stern glare. He chuckled. "Well, I suppose I already know that one, but get this," he said, leaning in close. "It ain't only your heart, kid. It's your soul, too."

"M... my soul?"

"Yup, your soul; your very being is being eroded as we speak. That energy is going straight into your blood," he explained. "Well, the magic part, at least. And when half a year is over, you'll just be a empty corpse."

"I thought you were going to tell me a story, Discord," I spat.

"Sheesh, fine then. I'll just skip to the good part," he said. "You know why there's no written reports of non-magical blood being harmed by magical blood? It's because all mixture of the two bloods were kept secret by a guy named... actually, I've forgotten. Let's call him Brad."

"Brad was actually Star Swirl the Bearded's teacher, but I digress. He found that mixing human and magically potent blood with a few other ingredients lead to a elixir that could stop the body from aging. To use your fancy doctor terms, it stopped cells from reaching senescence, but it also restricts their growth so that... well, having your cells multiply infinitely would be... bad."

"And well... let's just say that your little doll's parents were idealists. They say their children as symbols of equality in a time where all of the races were separated into tribes. They caught wind of the whole 'immortality elixir' thing, and one thing lead to another. It's quite a sad story, wouldn't you agree? Just because their parents wanted a peaceful world, they doomed their children to watching their loved ones die."

I sat in silence as I took my last sip of tea from the glass. "So, do they know?" I asked.

"Of course they know. Well... they know that they were fed an elixir of life, but that's just a fancy term for a human blood cocktail," he explained. "It begs a question, however. Just how far is Sun-Butt willing to go to do her job?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, think about it. You are in fact the only human on this planet; The last, missing ingredient to the elixir of life. Don't you find it odd that she, a immortal that is one of the most powerful beings in this land, took a liking to you after you insulted one of her subjects?"

Playing with the now empty glass, I thought about his words. I couldn't argue with what he suggested: it was a possibility. Celestia was the type who was serious about her job, much like myself. It was plausible that she would seduce me to keep an eye on me. In the end however, it all came down to how much I trusted her.

"Ah, who am I kidding?" I asked nobody. "Even if that were true, I'm dead in a couple of months anyways... Why would it matter to me?" I stood and walked to the door, sticking my hands in my pockets and slouching as I did so. "Thanks for the tea and the info, but it doesn't matter to me." With a sigh, my host went back to cleaning his glass as I left the bar.

Opening the door, I walked out into the heavy rain with nowhere to go and nothing to do. For a moment, I stood there in front of the bar in thought. My answer came in the form of the sudden absence of rain hitting my body. I looked up to see a pink and white laced umbrella over my head. Looking to my right, I found Fleur standing beside me with an elegant, yet worried expression.

"It looks as if we're both late for you're party," she stated quietly.

"Yea," I responded meekly.

"I dropped the letter, so they all must know by now, knowing how curious some of them can be," I said as we walked through the front door of the building.

Fleur, wringing her umbrella, turned to me with a worried look. "They must be absolutely wrecked with worry about you."

I shrugged her off. I was just too tired and wet to respond. It was unacceptably late now, and my lack of sleep was getting to me. Leaving a trail of water as I walked, we made our way through the building to my apartment. I pulled out my keys and hesitated for a moment before putting them in the door.

Opening the door, we walked into... an empty apartment. The decorations were still hanging from the walls, and the food hadn't been touched. Some things that I noticed were different were that the letter was ripped apart and left on the table, there was also a note left next to it.

"Help yourself to whatever you'd like, Fleur," I said, motioning to the food. I didn't look to see if she actually did get food. Instead, I approached the table and picked up the note.

Come to the castle when you get this, Carter.

"What does it say?" Fleur quietly wondered.

"Nothing important," I responded, tearing the note into several pieces. I didn't feel like talking anymore. I sat down on the couch and closed my eyes. I let my exhaustion take over and soon I wasn't aware of my surroundings.

I fell asleep.

It was still raining the next morning, harder in fact. As I lay there on my couch staring up at the ceiling, I couldn't think of anything. Only the sound of the rain pounding on the windows filled my head with a sense of serenity. I began to think about the rain, however, and soon I found myself contemplating the similarities between it and myself.

Sitting up straight, I got up and headed to the door. I left and headed somewhere would I could be alone, somewhere that I'd never been before. I walked out of the apartment building and when nobody was nearby, I opened up a manhole cover and descended into the darkness.

It didn't take long to get where I was going, or maybe I wasn't paying attention, but that really doesn't matter. All I had to do was head towards the castle, and then I would be there. The sewers suddenly opened up into massive caverns, filled to the brim with blue, reflective crystals. The sound of rain from outside echoed quietly in the cavern, adding a soft, sad ambiance to my little walk.

I kept walking, and soon I was lost in a maze of my own reflection. Soon, I realized that something was wrong. I felt like I was being watched. I sped up my pace, walking faster and faster until I was almost running.

I turned left, around a corner, then right around another. I ran for what seemed like hours, but the feeling just kept getting stronger and stronger.

Stopping to catch my breath, closed my eyes and leant against a crystal. I leant my head back and opened my eyes. What I saw almost made me turn and run. At the other end of the "room" was a crystal, but it did not show my reflection.

It was Olivia. She stood there with her arms crossed, looking at me with a neutral expression. Slowly, my legs began to move on their own and I found myself in front of her, staring right back.

I didn't know what I felt in that moment: fear, happiness, wonder, anxiety... but what ever it was, I didn't really notice. Something in the back of my mind started screaming, and I found myself starting tear up. "Did... have I..." I shakily said, "...served my purpose?"

Olivia didn't respond. She just stared at me with her hazel eyes, waiting for something. "C'mon," I said, "give me something, anything." Again there was no response.

Suddenly, I felt bitter and angry. My hands clenched and I began to shake. "Are you just here to mock me? Is that it? You told me I had a purpose so that I would feel crushed when I found out that I was going to die! Is this just some sick game to you, Olivia!?" I yelled.

"Are you mad that you're dead!? Do you want revenge!? Do you hate me!? What is it!? Tell me!!!" There was no response.

My tears suddenly spilled out over my cheeks and I fell to my knees. "Do you think I like knowing!? Do you think that I want this!? Please!" I begged, placing both hands on the crystal and looking down at the floor. I took a moment to let the tears out.

"Was I expecting a happy ending...?" I restated. My hands fell back to my sides, but I remained staring at the ground. "...maybe I was. Maybe I wanted to start a family away from the hell we call Earth. Maybe I wanted to grow old with Celestia, and die in my sleep..."

"...Is that too much to ask for...?"

Again, there was no response.

But then, there was a voice that I hadn't heard in a long time.

"Heh, it's always raining somewhere, Doc. If you want out, then you just gotta look over the horizon."

I looked up suddenly to find that her reflection was gone. She was gone... forever. In that moment, I realized that I, too, would be gone forever soon. And if I wanted to have a "happy" ending, then I was going to have to go buy a set of rings.

Author's Note

Guys, one question: is it sad?

Thanks to Storm Nova for doing a thing with this chapter.