Long ago and far away between the whens and whys of many worlds there stood a tree. The tree itself was rather unremarkable, being a rather average specimen of the pine family. What was remarkable was where this tree chose to take root. This tree, being a rather adventurous sort, chose to take root on a world that spanned no more than one half an acre of land before ending in the gulf of space, or something resembling space. The tree having taken root did not give it much thought, it was content just to have ambient light and enough moister that came from…somewhere. It did not really know or care where it's light and water came from, just that it was there.

What did fascinate this tree was the fact that beneath it for as long as it could recall, and trees have very long memories, sat a man. The tree pondered the man for quite some time, many centuries in fact. He never moved, sitting in a lotus position, only the gentle rise and fall of his chest even indicated life. So the man sat, for many centuries, his bald head growing no hair, the salt-and-pepper goatee around his mouth growing no longer, his sapphire colored eyes neither drying nor blinking, while the lines of age and worry on his face never deepened.

The tree liked this man, he was quiet, and he did not try to harvest his flesh nor burn his needles. The memories of his ancestor trees warned him that man was to be feared with their fire and their axes. But this man, no, this man seemed only to care for a place to sit in the shade.

And so the two quiet companions sat beneath an arcane sky on a tiny world staring in to the vast gulf of eternity.

Princess Twilight Sparkle stood in her tree castle with a look of manic glee in her eye. Hovering before her were two scrolls held aloft in a magical aura, one tattered with notes pinned to it, the other pristine and freshly inked. Beside her stood a rather worried looking young dragon wringing his clawed hands together. Nervously casting his gaze about before finally speaking up the dragon Spike inquired, "Um, Twilight are you sure this is a good idea? I mean you do remember what happened the last time you messed with time travel right?"

Twilight turned and gave her young assistant an annoyed glare, "Yes I remember Spike, and I was also trying to cross my own timeline which in retrospect...could have gone a lot worse. But with this new version of the spell I developed based off of Starlight Glimmer's work, I should be able to go backwards in time as far as I like, safely, and have built in protection against paradox. Her work is pretty amazing actually."

"B-but Twilight, are you sure trying to go back and meet Starswirl the Bearded is a good idea? I mean what if he isn't the pony you think he is? What if he tells you to leave him alone? What if-" Spike retorted before Twilight cut him off.

"Spike you're worrying to much! The worst that can happen is a bit of a magical backlash headache and staying exactly where I am." Twilight said with finality in her voice.

She carefully placed the tattered and well-worn old scroll on a bookshelf while she focused all her thoughts and energies on the new scroll. Starlight Glimmer had used the castle's Cutie Map as a magical focus to aim her spell at a point in space and time; Twilight however had amended it to instead focus on a singular personage, one Starswirl the Bearded, perhaps the greatest pony wizard to ever exist.

An arcane glow formed about her horn as a swirling vortex opened above her. Her eyes slowly opened and glowed white with the impossible arcane energies she was channeling. It was only then when she saw the scroll through the filter of deep arcana did she see the mistake in her arcane calculations.

"Oh buc-" was all Twilight managed to utter before a bolt of arcane lightning leapt from the swirling vortex above her, connected with her body, and then as if it was a solid thing pulled her violently in to the magical portal which snapped shut behind her with a sound suspiciously like a "slurp".

In the aftermath one little dragon sat alone in Twilight's study wondering what had just happened.

In a long ago and far away place, beneath a tree on a very small world, sat a man. This man had not moved in a very long time as he sat and pondered the eternity that existed just beyond his little world. Aside from the strangeness of the world he lived in you could in fact say his life was rather boring, each day exactly like the last: sit, think, and breathe.

This day though was rather abruptly different. With a sound reminiscent of cosmic flatulence a rather violent-looking hole opened in reality and out popped a smoking purple pony princess which flopped limply in front of the man interrupting his centuries-long think.

With slow deliberation the third most momentous event in this world's history occurred, the first being the creation of said world and the second being the arrival of a medium-well pony princess, the man stood. With the careful steps of one not used to such exertion the man stepped over to the mortal vessel of one Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and Element of Magic and laid his fingers on her neck feeling for a pulse and found none.

With the detached curiosity of a scientist he brushed her mane from her eyes and observed as they stared vacantly, he lifted her wings and noted they were not large enough to generate lift of a body such as hers as he released them to fall limp to the ground, he lifted her hind leg and observed that it indeed was in fact, a her. For the first time in a millennium the man had a puzzle. A smallish, four-legged creature, vaguely equine, female, and of obviously vast magical power to penetrate so deep in to the planer cosmology, had plopped down dead as a door nail in front of him.

The man stood there pondering the living-impaired pony princess for many days. He worried not about rot or ruin of the cute corpse as he did not allow time to flow in this place. After yet another long think he reached a decision and the fourth most momentous event of this world occurred. The man spoke.

Words of arcane power left his lips and at the same time arcane symbols formed on the ground in a circle around the mortal remains of his first ever visitor. With gentleness and respect he knelt down and placed his hand on her forehead. Visions of the princess flashed in his mind's eye. Her entire life from birth to death stretched before him and a frown formed on his face.

For the second time ever this world bore witness to the spoken word, "This will not do."

On the outskirts of the town of Ponyville stood the Everfree Forest, a wild and untamed place that had long resisted the hoof of ponykind. It stood as a place of strange life and stranger magics. Often these strange things would escape the borders of the forest and pose a threat, or at least a nuisance, to the denizens of the small town. All things considered, Ponyville was rather jaded to strange occurances. And so it was few took notice when a young dragon came running from the local castle looking for his friends. Fewer still took notice when a small section of the Everfree winked out of existence to be replaced with a roughly half-acre circle of grass not matching the neighboring foliage and a lone pine tree with a man bearing a passed pony princess in his arms.

The man took measure of his surroundings, reaching out with senses both mundane and arcane. He found a rather average set of physical rules in place but a surprisingly odd set of magical rules. As he expanded his senses outward he felt a universe on the smallish side, it's cosmic shell being just a little over one astronomical unit in diameter and hosting a geocentric solar system with one smallish solar body and one moon orbiting the world.

For one able to expand their senses so, and understand an underlying reality, comes power. Vast power. Such power does not easily go unnoticed. The man was well aware of this and was unsurprised when he found the reality around him go still as time itself came to a halt and a being manifested before him.

This being shared the same general shape of the slightly cooked corpse in his arms, though where the deceased he bore was a bit on the shorter and slightly pudgy side with purple fur, the being before him seemed to be made of light itself. She, for there was no doubt in the man's mind this being was feminine, stood taller than the six feet of the man. Her face was flat and featureless, only a line of a mouth and two black pits where eyes would be sat beneath a spear-like horn. A flowing red mane and tail trailed behind her borne on an ethereal wind while a pair of angelic wings twitched at her side. On her flank she bore a symbol, a quill drawing out a Mobius strip.

"I have brought no harm to your vassal." spoke the man.

The being made of light made no acknowledgement of his words.

"She has passed before her measure. My intent does not violate the One Truth."

The being made of light lowered her head, her spear-like horn pointed at his breast, her wings flared in challenge.

"You know who I am. You know the consequence if we do battle in your realm. I am asking permission to enter, not demanding."

The being made of light pawed the ground as if to prepare a charge.

"I will not challenge your dominion of this realm."

The luminous alicorn folded her wings and met the man's gaze. He stepped forward, his mouth opening and closing as words not matching the movements of his lips came forth. If it were possible, the luminous being would have appeared startled as the man spoke in the Words of Creation in which no falsehood exist, "This. Is. Wrong."

With a measured pace the luminous matron of the realm stepped forward and met the man, leveling her gaze. She nodded once then bent her neck forward and placed a gentle kiss on the forehead of the cooked corpse. In an instant the body was restored, though she remained quite dead. The mighty matron next reached to the man and gently nuzzled his cheek then stepped back.

"Thank you." The man quietly intoned with a bow of his head.

The luminous alicorn bowed her head in return and then after a slightly disorienting jar reality resumed it's natural pace and the man was alone with his self-imposed charge.

Applejack stood at her market stall selling apples of all kinds while enjoying the cool autumn day. She watched ponies go about the various stalls around her own trading coin for the year's bountiful harvest. She looked down at her till and smiled happily at the small mountain of bits she was pulling in. This had been a good harvest and even better coin earned from it. Her wool-gathering came to an abrupt halt when a pink pony of the earth variety ran up to her stall with a small purple dragon running in on his stubby little legs from the opposite direction.

"Applejack!" both called out at the same time as they narrowly avoided colliding before the farmer's stall.

"What in tarnation! Pinkie, Spike what’s all the ruckus about?" Demand the orange apple farmer.

Spike spoke up first, "Something awful has happened! Twilight was experimenting with a new spell and disappeared! I can't find her anywhere!"

Pinkie suddenly piped up, "I also had a pinchy knee and achy teeth!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow, "Ok, I get why Spike is worried but what's up with that combination Pinkie?"

Applejack was well aware of Pinkie Pie's "Pinkie Sense" and even knew what some of the various combinations of aches and pains foretold, but this was a new one to her. Pinkie paused to draw in a deep breath and then burst forth, "It means somepony has died!"

Applejack stood in shock as the possible implication sunk in, she rolled her shoulders and stood a bit straighter. Reaching up she adjusted her Stetson a bit. "Spike, go round up Rarity, I'll grab Fluttershy and try to find Dash. Let's all meet back at the castle map room and work out forming ah posse ta search for Twilight."

Spike sped off to round up his crush while Pinkie, her mane uncharacteristically straight, looked at Applejack and asked, "Do…do you think Twilight..."

"Ah don't know sugarcube, let's hope it's just an unfortunate coincidence. C'mon, let’s go get Flutters and Dash."

Applejack sped to Fluttershy's cottage, making it to the outskirts of Ponyville in record time. There they found the shy and gentle pegasus tending to her animal friends. "Oh hello Applejack and Pinkie Pie, what brings you two out here?"

Taking her Stetson and holding it to her chest Applejack replied, "Twilight's gone missing and Pinkie has dun gone and gotten a real bad feeling about it. We're rounding up tha girls to meet at the castle and form ah posse to hunt for her."

"Oh my! I'll go find Dash right away and bring her to the castle!" Fluttershy exclaimed and immediately took off towards the cloud home of the prismatic pegasus.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie began to make their way back to Twilight's castle when they spotted something that stopped them in their tracks. In a field paralleling the road back to Ponyville walked a strange creature, something like a minotaur but without horns and fur. It was completely bald save for a small circle of hair around it's mouth and a pair of bushy eyebrows. It wore a simple blue tunic and a pair of trouser belted at the waist with a pair of soft brown boots on it’s feet. But what drew their attention the most was the limp form of their beloved friend Twilight Sparkle carried in it's arms as it slowly walked towards town.

Something broke in Pinkie Pie at this sight. She knew, somehow she knew, Twilight was gone. She ran forward, screaming and crying. "Stop! STOP! STOP YOU MEANIE! WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

The man hearing screams of anguish and heartbreak stopped his march towards the place where these events began as he turned and observed a distraught pink equine native, minus wings and and horn, racing towards him. He stood quietly, holding perfectly still, gently cradling his pitiful burden.

Pinkie, having never lost a friend, and confronted with a creature she did not comprehend holding the mortal remains of said friend; screamed in fury lashing out a hoof at the thing holding Twilight's body with all her earth pony might. Her mighty punch, capable of shattering stone, connected with the creature's gut. He did not move nor react in any appreciable way. He merely stood there, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

Pinkie continued to throw kicks and punches at the man strong enough to bring down a mountainside. The man endured stoically. Applejack stood dumbstruck, this minotaur-like being was taking blows from an earth pony strong enough to shake the earth without flinching or any other outward sign. For all of the pink fury being unleashed he may as well have been struck by a feather.

After a time Pinkie hung her head, huffing and puffing as she wore herself out. The man stepped past the pooped pink party pony and approached the apple farmer. "I know of you Vessel of Truth. From the one I bear. No lie can be spoken in your presence and go unnoticed. I brought no harm to your friend. I am returning her home."

Applejack was taken aback at the strange creature's words. She found no hint of falsehood. She was further startled when he lay Twilight's corpse across her back. "Let not her remains touch the earth. It is not yet time for her to return to it." The creature said in a commanding, if somehow kind, voice.

He turned from Applejack who now bore Twilight across her back and walked in his strange two-legged manner back to Pinkie Pie. Kneeling down he caught the weeping mare up in his arms and gently hugged her to his chest. He stroked her mane while whispering in a soothing voice, "Weep not Avatar of Mirth, despair is not yours to know. I will do all I can to make this wrong thing right."

With a choked sob the pink pony looked up at the strange creature she had assaulted and now offered her comfort, "W-who...what...are you? What happened?"

"You will know in time. I promise, I am here to help. Now please, take me to her castle, I must return her to the beginning if I am to give her aid."

With that, two confused and despairing earth ponies led the man to Ponyville.

Deep in the Castle of Friendship, in the study of one Twilight Sparkle (deceased), gathered a mass of mourning mares. Twilight’s body had been laid and wrapped respectfully in an old blanket on the study floor. Her head lay on a pillow with her mane brushed from her eyes. Were it not for her open orbs staring lifelessly in to eternity and the lack of the gentle rise and fall of her chest, one would almost think she was asleep.

Gathered around her remains were her five closest friends, one young dragon, and the strange creature that had borne her body from the Everfree. All save the man wept openly, holding each other. Pinkie was being cradled by Applejack, her mane hanging limp, tears flowing freely, while Applejack gave shuddering breaths here and there trying to stay strong for her pink friend. Rainbow Dash sobbed softly, making no effort to cover her grief with her usual bravado. By her side Fluttershy leaned in to her, eyes closed, weeping silently.

Rarity held the shattered Spike close to her barrel, nuzzling his head and stroking his back as he alternated between wailing and weeping for his lost Twilight. Applejack turned he gaze to the pair. Rarity, her mascara running as freely as her tears, gently held her young charge. Applejack knew better than any of the others what Spike was likely feeling, he was now effectively an orphan.

Her gaze eventually moved to the creature sitting on the floor beside Twilight. His strange two-legged form sat with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees. He stared at the corpse, his gaze unblinking and unnerving. Were it not for the gentle rise and fall of his chest she might suspect he too was dead.

Time passed and eventually the room grew quiet and one by one six pairs of eyes turned to the stranger in their midst. Finally the shy pegasus Fluttershy of all ponies broke the silence, “Um…excuse me…mister…could you tell us how you plan to help Twilight…if you don’t mind?”

Fluttershy meekly hid behind her mane after daring to speak. She was still terrified of the newcomer. Though to be fair she was to this day terrified of her own shadow. The only reason she didn’t flee at the sight of him was because Applejack and assured the group that he had not harmed Twilight and was here to help.

The man looked to the little yellow pegasus who had spoken to him. Choosing his words carefully, for in such situations words can be powerful, he spoke, “Little Harbinger of Light, my plan is simple. Each of us is granted a measure of life when we enter the world. Some of us more than others. The nature of the spell Twilight was casting disrupted her fate. Killing her before her measure of life was lived. I am going to reconnect her mortal form with the measure of life she has been granted. Then I will call her soul back from what lies beyond the mortal veil to occupy the body once more.”

Rainbow Dash with a mixture of grief and vexation spoke up loudly, “Wait wait wait…are you telling us you are going to raise Twilight from the dead? Like some zombie or something?”

The man grimaced and fixed Rainbow Dash with an icy stare, “Here me Scion of Honor, I am not some second rate necromancer animating the flesh of the fallen. I mean to restore true and natural life to your fallen friend. This will take all my concentration as well as a little help from all of you.”

Rarity perked up at that, “All of us dear? How can we help?”

“Yeah...h-how…can we help get her back?” Spike stuttered trying to choke back more tears.

“Once I begin the ritual we will exist partially in the realm she now dwells in. Talk to her, you won’t hear her but she will hear you. Tell her why she needs to come back. Tell her what unfinished work she has. Tell her something, anything, to encourage her soul to return.” The man lectured in a soft tone.

He turned his head to each pony in the room, one by one, finally he said, “She has to want to come back.”

His words sunk in to each pony and one little dragon before finally puffing his chest out Spike commanded, “I’m the closest thing to family she has present…please do it…”

With a nod the man reached beneath his tunic and pulled out a medallion. It was triangular in shape; about three inched on a side. It was made of brushed silver with a stylized eye in the middle. He took it from his neck before handing it over to Fluttershy.

“Wha…what do I do with this?” Fluttershy asked timidly as she took the medallion from the man.

“Prayer Harbinger of Light, this is part of the ritual. I need you to pray to who or whatever you believe in. This is a key part of resurrection magic.” The man replied gently.

“I…I don’t really believe in anything other than nature…can’t you pray for her?” Fluttershy stammered in reply.

“I don’t have anyone to pray to anymore little one. I am sure praying to nature spirits would be just fine.” He replied with a gentle smile.

Fluttershy nodded and held the holy symbol to her chest and with a bowed head began to beseech Mother Nature for the return of her friend taken to soon. While she prayed the man pulled a small knife from a pouch on his belt and unfolded it. The others watched curiously and then with a mix of horror and disgust as the man slit the palms of his hands open.

“A measure of my life to restore one lost too soon.” The man intoned deeply.

On his hands and knees he circled the body, drawing a circle in his own blood around Twilight. He stopped at her head, closing the circle, before entering it and sitting in a lotus position, discarding the pillow that had be propping up Twilight’s head. He gingerly laid her head in his lap and again with his own blood drew a series of arcane runes, “A second offering of my life’s blood to guide you home.”

The only sound in the room for several minutes was the gentle whispering of Fluttershy’s please to the spirit world. Then suddenly all the torches, candles, and even the fading sunlight streaming through the window went dark. The only light remaining in the room was a soft blue glow from the man’s hands cradling Twilight’s head.

A faint chanting could be heard from the man, even quieter that Fluttershy’s earnest prayers. As time passed the glow grew bright enough to illuminate his face. His eyes were closed and his face was set in a mask of deep concentration. Rainbow Dash took note that the words she heard him chanting did not seem to match his mouth movements. She was thoroughly creeped out.

As the glow grew brighter the chanting grew softer, eventually the only sound in the room was the breathing of the ponies and dragon and the soft prayers of the butter colored pegasus. The near silence was finally broken as the man spoke, “Each of you, one by one, tell her why she should return.”

Fluttershy stopped her prayers that she had focused on for the last few hours. With a gulp she put on a brave face and spoke, “You are our rock Twlight, the glue that binds us together. We wouldn’t be who we are without you.”

“Good…keep going.” The man softly declared.

Rarity spoke up next, “Twilight…you are a constant source of inspiration to me…I…I’m not ready to lose you…”

Rainbow Dash spoke up next, “Twi…I know I tease you for being an egghead but…you are one of my best friends…who else am I going to read books with…”

“The connection grows stronger, keep going!” The man called out, his face starting to show signs of strain.

Pinkie spoke up next, “Twi…I…I have never lost a friend…I’m not ready to plan a wake…come back Twi…please…pretty please…”

Applejack rubbed a hoof down Pinkie’s back, took a shuddering breath, and spoke, “Twi, girl I ain’t one for fancy words so I’ll speak from mah heart. I’m sick of mah loved ones dying on me. Yer family Twi, and apple in all the ways that matter. I love ya Twi, we all do and if we can have you back…”

A sudden intake of breath could be heard as Twilight began to breath then began thrashing, only the tightly wound blanket around her kept her legs from flailing. Turning his head the man opened his eyes and looked to Spike, “Say something little drake.”

Spike wrung his hands together, watching Twilight body writhe and gasp as the man held her head firmly in place. He didn’t know what to say or do. He just wanted Twilight back he just wanted his…”I love you mom.”

Those simple words from the mouth of a child reached out across the link the man had made between the world of the living and the world to come. With a mighty wail a wind sprung from seemingly nowhere. The circle of blood around the man and the alicorn began to glow brightly and finally with a sharp intake of breath Twilight shot upright in to a sitting position.

She turned her head at once looking all around her but seeming to take nothing in. Finally she turned and saw the man. A look of unbridled rage crossed her face as she put her hooves around his neck and began to shake him. “WHY!? WHY!? WHY DID YOU BRING ME BACK? I WAS AT REST! I WAS AT PEACE!”

The man sat stoically as the Purple Princess tried to choke the life out of him. He reached up and gently removed her hooves from his neck and pulled her to his body, hugging her tightly and stroking her back, “Shhh, be at peace Student of Magic, I know what you saw. I know what you felt. Your mortal mind will forget in time. For now look to those around you, those who love you. Let their love for you calm your heart.”

Taking it as a cue, five mares and one dragon ponypiled the duo, crying, laughing, and hugging. One brave white mare even tried to plant a chaste kiss on the man’s lips only to frown as he turned his head at the last moment to take the kiss on his cheek.

The six mares and one dragon talked long in to the night, Twilight, cuddled Spike in her forelegs as he clung to the fur of her chest. The conversation drifted from one topic to another but the general tone remained that her friends wouldn’t know what to do without her. The man sat in silence watching, an outsider not participating. As the morning sun began to peek through the window the man stood.

Without a word he began making his way out of the castle only to be stopped by Twilight calling out to him, “Wait! Please don’t go.”

“What more can I do for you Student of Magic?” The man inquired.

“Please…you have done so much for us…for me…we don’t even know who you are, what you are for that matter. Please, stay and talk to us.” Twilight pleaded.

The man looked over to Twilight’s friends seeing a menagerie of exhausted faces. One particular prismatic pegasus was hunched over a buttery colored pegasus sound asleep while her plush, pink-maned, pillow looked on at her friends in a silent plea for help.

Looking back to Twilight the man retorted, “It would seem your friend’s energy for socializing is spent. This has been tiring, for all of us. I will be retiring to me home to rest. Once I feel up to it I will pay you a social call.”

With a half bow he turned to make for the front door once more, “Wait…I…we still don’t know your name.”

Without turning the man said, “You can call me Blacksmith…it is…or was my trade. I suppose it will do as well as any other name.”

He paused then turned to face Twilight once more and spoke in a voice low enough as to not be heard by the others, “You and I share a bond few do Twilight Sparkle. We have seen the world to come. It forever changes you. It is the difference between faith and knowledge. If you need someone to talk to, seek me at the edge of the forest that borders the town.”

He turned once more to leave then stopped, “Oh, before I forget, if you wish to write to your mentor about your experience…please leave details of me out. I am a very…private…man. I have no wish to draw any more attention to myself than I already have. Also stop messing with time travel. You are an amateur at best with chronomancy.”

With that the man exited the castle and disappeared in to the town.

The man sat beneath his tree contemplating the events of the day. He had acted. For the first time in the turn of an age he had imposed his will on creation. He had been careful though, he had given his trade, not his name or one of his many titles. With luck he would remain unnoticed by all but the Matron of this world.

As if summoned by his thought of her she appeared at the border of his half-acre.

"So. You came."

She turned her head quizzically.

"Oh don't give me that. I am sure you are just making sure I was in and out with as little fuss as possible."

She tilted her head the other way.

"Well what did you expect me to do? I wasn't about to have her pray to me. I told you I would not challenge your dominion here."

She pinned her ears back and stared with her vacant eyes at the man.

"Don't try to blame me, this plane is so aligned with Order that I am surprised I could even pull that ritual off."

The luminous mare stood, pawing the ground just at the edge of Equestrian soil and the man's little plot of land.

The man sighed, "If it means that much to you...I grant you permission to enter my domain as long as your intent is peaceful."

Slowly the mare of light strode on to the man's land. Her form rippled taking on the appearance of a woman with long red hair down to her knees, covering her modesty. On her chest, over her heart, was a Mobius strip with a quill inking it. With careful steps she approached the man and wrapped her arms around his neck. She opened her mouth and spoke quietly, "Thank you."

The Matron stood there for a long time hugging the man that had restored one of her lost children.

Somewhen in the ether of the planes a half-acre sized chunk of the Everfree Forest popped in to being. Forests as a whole don't think much of their situation, however the Everfree being a magical sort of forest took stock of it's situation and thought to itself, "Oh bother, I didn't bring any cucumber sandwiches."

Author's Note

I wrote some pony words. Let me know if you like them.

Our "human" is in fact a Gary Stu. I am well aware.