Author's Note

This probably requires a bit of explanation, since I'm pretty sure a lot of people in general don't watch the show, to say nothing of MLP fans...

Forever is a TV show put out by ABC that features a doctor named Henry Morgan. For reasons unknown to both him and the audience, he has found himself in a state of immortality. He can still die; however, every time he dies, he's resurrected in water (naked, to boot). The show is three-quarters crime procedural/case of the week, and one-quarter plot about finding out the cause of this immortality. It's a very good, fun show, but the odds are good that it won't get renewed for next year. Which is why I'm posting all of the Forever fic I can before it's no longer relevant.

At any rate, the episodes always open and close with Henry monologueing about death in a way that's relevant to the week's case. One day, as a joke, I prefaced the monologue with "Dear Princess Celestia..." and then the plot bunny hit.

Hopefully that's all the background you'll need to enjoy this. And if it inspires you to check out Forever, I'll consider that a bonus.

Chapter 1: The Aftermath of the First Time

1814

The first thing Henry Morgan became aware of was something hot and loose under his hands and something wet soaking his legs. His head spun as he tried to get his thoughts in order. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was being on board the ship, in a driving rainstorm, and then…

Henry’s eyes snapped open as it all came back to him. The sick man, the way the captain callously intended to throw that man’s life away, Henry stepping in to intervene, and then the gunshot. It had been point blank in the chest; by all accounts, Henry should have been dead. And yet, here he was.

He sat up, only vaguely noting his surroundings (a sandy beach), too intent on taking stock of the damage. Looking down at himself, he saw that his clothes were gone—torn apart by the waves, no doubt. But what really stood out was the mark on his chest. While there was certainly evidence of his having been shot, the wound was recessed, faded. To an outside observer, it would look like a scar from an injury that had happened years ago, not the night before. Henry touched the wound gingerly, but felt no pain. This would require further study, but for now, all that mattered was that he’d somehow survived, and that he needed to find his way to civilization. Based on his perusal of the ship maps, the islands in this area were uninhabited, meaning he would find no assistance here. He didn’t much fancy staying here and hoping to spot a passing ship, so his only option was to brave the ocean once more. He wasn’t exactly versed in survival tactics, but his readings and observations would hopefully be enough to see him through.

A quick examination of the island proved it to be more hospitable than Henry could have hoped for. There was a small grove of trees a short distance from the beach, with plenty of large branches and slender trunks on the ground (no doubt due to the storm), and low hanging vines that required a great deal of effort to break. Still better was the small stream he found in the middle of the grove, which offered fresh water, alongside trees bearing exotic but edible fruits. It took the better part of the day, but there was enough material there for Henry to fashion a crude raft. A little more work allowed him to make some containers to store water, enough that, if he used it sparingly, he would hopefully be able to survive long enough for a ship to find him.

He spent the night near the stream, trying to get a good night’s sleep. Then, loading up the raft with the water containers, fruits, and some large palm leaves to shield him from the sun, he pushed out to sea. Once he was safely aboard the raft, he glanced back at the island almost regretfully. It had done right by him, and he would have almost enjoyed exploring it, if he didn’t have more important matters to attend to.

(Even those matters fell by the wayside, however, when another storm blew him off the raft, and he was unable to keep himself afloat to swim back to it. When he sank to the bottom, lungs burning and vision going black, only to re-emerge five minutes later through no power of his own, he started to realize that perhaps his initial survival was much more complicated than it had first appeared.)