A Visitor From Beyond

Without hesitation, Celestia's horn started to glow an immense white. Before long, an oddly shaped magical figure appeared in front of her. She continued to focus, continuing to conjure the magical item. After some suspense, the figure was revealed to be an ordinary oak stake. The mane six breathed a sigh of relief. Ben, on the other hand, was scared out of his mind. With a serious look, the princess sent the oak stake flying towards him. The stake pierced him square in the chest and flung him backwards onto the ground. The mane six gasped in shock and ran over to see if Ben was alright. Celestia continued to stare down at him. Ben clutched at the exposed part of the stake as blood started to spurt out of his wound. "Ben! Are you alright?" Twilight asked as she got near.

"Agh, no... No, I'm not... you may not know this, but vampires are easily defeated by an oak stake to the heart. I don't have long."

"There's gotta be some way we can help ya, sugarcube." Applejack said.

"Ah, she got me good. pierced my... *cough*... my ribs. Didn't pierce my heart or I'd would've... well... would've died on the spot. But I don't have much time. I'm fading fast..." He coughed again, sending blood up at Rainbow Dash's face.

Blood continued to ooze out of Ben's chest as he became weaker from the wound. Not much time passed before he could barely keep his eyes open. "I... I want you guys... to know... *cough cough* that you guys were... were... were my best friends..."

Tears ran down the sides of Ben's face as he looked up at the six ponies' faces. They also started to weep, their tears ran down their cheeks and fell onto Ben's dying body. His vision began to blur, his eyes began to close slowly. "Come... closer..." He croaked.

The ponies leaned in closer, awaiting Ben's last words. As blood gushed out of his chest wound, he clutched the stake in vain. "I... just wanted... to tell you... that I'll... I'll..."

The mane six continued to weep, tears rolling down their cheeks at full force. Ben's breathing slowed, blood continued to flow, and the end was near.

"I'll... never... forget you..."

Ben's eyes closed, and he fell limp.

And so, the story of Ben, the human in Equestria, the Visitor from Beyond, came to a close. The vast kingdom of Equestria was forever changed.

The Mane Six, devastated by the loss of their friend, buried him outside Twilight's house. They visited his grave once a year on the anniversary of his arrival into their land, never forgetting him. Time didn't seem to heal the scars left by Celestia's actions, and the six ponies never returned to their original selves again. As the years passed, life became more and more meaningless. Eventually, the Elements of Harmony decided to end it all.

Princess Celestia, unaffected by the loss of the first and only human visitor, continued to rule Equestria with a fist of pillows. But something itched in the back of her mind, something she couldn't just shake. She never did end up shaking it. The death of the Elements of Harmony barely phased her.

When Princess Luna received news that Ben was slain, she was devastated. Years later, after news rang out that the Elements of Harmony were gone too, she decided to take action. She slowly rallied a portion of the kingdom and seceded from Equestria, forming the Pony's Lunar Republic. The PLR allied with the Zebra and Griffin nations and led an assault on what remained of the Solar Empire. Celestia's forces fought valiantly, but they couldn't hold off the three allied nations' combined strength. The three nations divided the annexed land and agreed to make Twilight's house - the Elements of Harmony and Ben's graves included - a memorial. Celestia was banished to the sun for a thousand years.

...And so Ben, the human who cheated death when he came to the world of Equestria, failed to cheat death once again. He now lays in his grave in front of the Solar War Memorial. His short time here proved to the Elements of Harmony, and everyone, that magic - and friendship - had no boundaries. Some say that Ben will rise again and lead the PLR to greatness, but that would be nothing short of a miracle...

...and everyone knows that a miracle is something that doesn't exist.

The End

"Good. He's gone. Now the hunt can begin..."