The Encounter (A Harmony Quest backstory)

‘Nathan… Hey, are you alright?’ Twilight asked.

After the fight with my former schoolmates, I ended up passing out and was in recovery for the whole night. A few days later, Twilight woke me from my sleep.

‘(groans) Huh?’ I woke up, feeling extremely exhausted. ‘Twilight…?’

She smiled. ‘Thank Celestia you’re awake! We were so worried about you when you passed out!’

I woke up, scratching my eye. Then, Flurry came in.

‘Feeling any better, Nathan?’ She asked, walking to me.

‘Thanks for all your hospitality. I can’t thank you enough.’ I replied. ‘Yes, I do feel a bit better, but I still feel a bit tired and these scars and bruises still hurt a lot.’

‘Physically or emotionally?’ asked Frisk, who was standing at the corner of the room.

I laughed. ‘Frisk! Stop reminding me about my past!’

Flurry turned to me. ‘With our healing magic, you will be cured in no time. Some of us have been working hard to take turns healing you, to thank you for your efforts and loyalty to your friends, and the ponykind.’

‘(laughs) Pretty overdo, but okay. Thank you all. You’ve changed my life like never before.’

‘Speaking of which, how did all of this happen actually?’ she asked curiously.

I sighed. ‘It’s a long story. When I was still a teenager, I was a victim of severe bullying and I was forced to listen to my classmate’s harassments. After I met your aunt through social media and then in real life, things changed for the better. She introduced me to her new friends that I never thought I would get close to. Not to mention, Frisk helped me train for this fight. It’s been a blast for me to be trained by such a great person.’

Twilight punched me playfully. ‘Come on, just get to it.’

‘For a while, I have found that their group has been going around my hometown gaining supporters to form a terrorist group in the future. I'm not sure about this, but I think that they were going to start by killing me, then extend their mission across the city, then take on the world in the midst of this war. I wanted to put a stop to them. Then, my former schoolmate told me about their plan to murder my parents. I had to fight back and take my long-awaited vengeance.' I continued.

‘You must’ve gone through a lot,’ Flurry said.

He nodded. ‘It’s true. I’m so happy to have you all care for me.’

Frisk comforted her friend. ‘Wow, that’s the first time I’ve heard you say how much we helped you… You’re joking, right? We didn’t do much. We are dubbed the Legends of Harmony, the descendants that, only ones who have such great kindness, mercy, love, and knowledge of peace, will be worthy of having the title, given from the goddess of the light herself. We will care for anyone who wishes to be a good person, someone who truly believes that the world can be peaceful.’

I chuckled a bit. ‘No, I mean it, Frisk. I never would’ve thought I’ll be here today with you all. Seriously, you changed my thoughts about the world. I always knew someone out there… Someone within the midst of people who hate each other, and despise one another, is someone that believed the world can be a better place. I have believed in it for three years since the trauma hit me. Finally, I was right.’

Everyone looked at each other, smiling happily.

‘I can’t thank you all enough. Now, I can finally forget about my terrible past and lay it to rest, thanks to your support for me.’ I started to cry a bit.

In the midst of the touching moment, Frisk realized she had no time to waste if she wanted to win this war.

‘Sorry to cut this short. I have some armies to support. They need me out there.’ She was all set up and ready to go.

Flurry looked at her aunt. ‘So, auntie, are you coming with us?’

‘Sorry, it’s my turn today to heal him. I’ll probably come the next time we have a chance.’ Twilight replied.

After they left, I remained calm as my friend healed me with her alicorn magic. Her horn was beautifully lit, and I laid on my bed patiently as she casted the spells.

“Don’t worry,” She assured me. “This won’t be painful.”

One of my scars on my arms were fading. That enabled me to activate my powers with my arm- So I spawned in a magic healing potion- The chug jug, to completely heal myself. As soon I drunk the potion, I felt a soothing sense of all my scars and bruises going away. Twilight helped too to magnify the effect, and speed up the process.

“Thanks, Twilight,” I said. “For being with me all this time.”

She nodded. “No problem, I’ve always liked you as a friend.”

I just chuckled and let her sit up on the bed, right next to me. It was a relatively big double bed so I didn’t mind. She grabbed my hand to get up. When she got herself comfy, I was silently thinking about my love for her as a friend- A feeling I’ve had for a long time.

“I never thanked you for your kindness when we first met,” Twilight just realized.

I shrugged. “I didn’t really thank you either. I did later on, but that was the key.”

We turned to each other.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Why?”

“I can’t believe I wanted to leave you guys,” I confessed. “Feels kinda stupid now, to be honest.”

She laughed.

“Well, I just hoped you would stay. More friends are definitely merrier,” Twilight said. “Just like how I said it to Tempest. Although being independent is cool... You’re doing it already. You’ve changed a lot. It’s good that you know to accept your fate and move on. That’s the process of growing up- Even I go through it. There are some things you can’t prevent. But what you can change, is how you look at it.”

I smiled- Those were really wise words she said to me.

“You’ve been through a lot in your life. It’s been rough, I understand. But time won’t wait for you- If you want things to change, you have to act. So you did- And you won, right?” Twilight asked.

I nodded, but with a slight frown. “I guess... But I still lost my parents... *sniff* I’m surely going to really, really miss them.”

I gazed out of the window as I thought about my parents. When I closed my eyes, the horrifying scene popped into my mind again. The moment when I refused to betray my friends... At the cost of losing the ones who have loved me for my whole life. Every word I heard- Every bullet piercing through their skulls, and my scream of despair. Most importantly- It also reminded me of the moment Twilight got hurt.

I opened my eyes and gasped, like I woke up from a nightmare. I was scared and was hyperventilating, until Twilight wrapped her wings around me.

“Are you alright?” She comforted, nuzzling my back.

“*sigh* Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll need some time to forget about what happened.” I said. “About your words... I want to stay, I really do. But... What about my actions then?”

“Huh?” Twilight asked. “Wh-What do you mean?”

I sighed as I put my arm around my pony friend.

“I’ll come clean about it, since we’ve argued about it once,” I sighed. “You’re right. I was wrong. I just wanted you to accompany me, love me and help me whenever I needed someone. Now I think about it... When have I ever repaid your kindness? No, never. I even betrayed you guys by starting a war and it’s not even finished yet. Twilight... I was really blinded when I was younger. I just wanted Everypony- Especially you, to support me and be there for me. I only wanted to be friends, because you guys gave me the confidence to do anything. So when the king gave me the chance to get the power I need for taking my own revenge... *sigh* You know the rest.”

Twilight covered her frown as her feelings plunged into depression.

“Twilight Sparkle,” I said, sighing. “I did something really wrong. I lied to you, my best bud. I would never try to do that. But seeing how my greed for my own goals and plans affected our friendship... It’s a guilt that, even if I did win like now, could never be shaken away. And it’s the worst feeling I’ve had in my life.”

“Nathan...” She said as we looked at each other in the eye.

I smiled. “If you’re still mad at me, I understand. You wouldn’t want to be with- Oh!”

I stopped with a gasp, because she pulled me tightly with her hooves and wings and started crying. I didn’t want to see her cry because of me. I tried to comfort her to let her say her feelings.

“Don’t you ever say that again, Nathan!” She cried.

I went silent, and just mirrored her action gingerly.

“Wh-Why... Even after what I tried to do to you... Why are you all being so nice to me? *giggles* I don’t deserve this, come on...” I jokingly said. “I know I wanted this, but...”

“You do!” Twilight cried again.

We continued to tighten our embrace. I didn’t want to let go, and Twilight didn’t either. So, we silently cried and were stuck together like magnets- Bonded together by our beautiful friendship. As the cuddling went on for a good minute or two- I eventually started to relax. The familiar comfort of her wings was pouring into my heart. I sat there- With my body pressed against Twilight’s soft, purple fur.

“Nothing, and I really mean it,” Twilight told me. “Nothing can tear us apart again. Not this time. You were such a special human. When we met face-to-face, I immediately knew you were going to be a great friend to hang out with. Even though you didn’t mean it, that doesn’t matter. What you gave me through this journey, is memories. Our memories. Don’t you remember, whenever we used to hang out together?”

“Y-Yes...”

Twilight smiled and placed a forehead kiss. “I know your favorite moments. You liked to game and bicker with me whenever I made us lose. You loved to be cheesy whenever you were around me. Whenever we didn’t have anything to do, you’d be around to have sleepovers with me. All of these little things... I loved every one. It was both amusing and bittersweet. What I’m saying, is that even if you were a fraud... Along the way, you still gave me the same things a true friend would’ve given me. You were no expert at friendship, but you managed to give me the confidence to doing everything too. I am the exact opposite.”

I nodded. “We really do compliment each other well, right?”

“Indeed.”

We blushed heavily for the next minute, before we both said,

“Can I ask something?”

I insisted. “Sorry, you go.”

She nodded. “Thanks. If... If I wasn’t so attached to Frisk... Would you be my human best friend, Nate?”

I blushed- This was the first time anyone really called me a real best friend- I didn’t really expect we really were besties. But all along, I really can’t hoped she would say that to me. I hugged her, rocking side-to-side.

“Thank you,” I told her, “Best Friends Forever, Twilight?”

She nodded with no hesitation. “Best friends.”

We both smiled and let our cheeks rub against each other as we cuddled. It was definitely very soothing. I relaxed into the hug a bit more, brushing her mane and holding her head. She squeezed me tighter into her hooves and closed her eyes. So, I did the same thing, smiling widely. Just then, Twilight gave my cheek a playful lick, like a loyal dog with their owner. I was stunned by this, but all I did was take the harmless joke and our foreheads pressed together, both of us holding each other’s heads and holding hands.

I wanted to kiss her then- But I was too nervous. And that made way for her to find an excuse to leave the embrace.

“Oh! Look at the time,” She said. “I should probably go to actually do some war things now. Get some rest, okay?”

I sighed, but still remained a grin on my lips. “Alright, then. Travel safe, and good luck.”

She packed her things, and was going to leave. I opened my eyes before I was going to sleep.

“Twilight?”

“Yes, Nathan?”

From the bed, I blew a kiss to her. She made a cute squeak.

“I love you, Twi!”

She giggled. “Awww, thank you!”

Twilight galloped over, and something I never thought possible, has happened- She leaned her face close as I was drifting away, but a tiny impact stopped me from falling asleep.

She kissed me.

When she leaned over, she smiled and closed her eyes. Her lips landed softly on my right cheek, and she held the kiss for around 5 seconds before she released it. At that point, my face was blazing red, so red I almost fainted. I turned over so I wouldn’t get distracted. The princess laughed and levitated the covers of my bed with care, and kissed me goodbye.

“Checking...” I touched my cheek. “Yup. *blissful sigh* Best day ever.”

And so, the trauma that haunted me finally ended after so many years!

With my victory, I finally found my destiny. That fight was something I won't ever forget. It kindled my flaming passion. Apparently, I have had this gigantic 'fuel' stored away in my soul for so long, yet I never found out. But winning against my biggest fear finally sparked it off. And I knew, what I was meant to be.

For all my life, I would've never imagined my interest would change my life forever. I have always loved my little pony. But, I never thought it was real, let alone allowing it to change my entire life.

All along, I was a legend.

All along, I was a savior of many.

All along, I was a protector of the ponykind.

All along... I was a defender of harmony; The legend of kindness.

I knew I was destined to protect my friends and their fellow friends as well. My job was to help my friendly neighbouring tribe prosper. I realized: My friends needed me. They need me to keep them safe.

I found a passion: Fighting for peace and harmony.

There will always be harmful things in this world. But, that's what makes life so great. I always have something to test myself. That is why they need us, legends of harmony to fight off the darkness.

Because of this, I returned to ponykind.

Although I am a human, ponydom is where my friends belong and stand for. If they need help, I'll be the first to insist. It's my home. My family. A place where I feel I belong.

And at the end of the day, we were at last victorious.

I couldn't be any happier. I knew my friends have been suffering from this war for quite a few years. And, I'm so glad to know after a long five-year battle back and forth, we finally got out of the king's grasp.

It's not really a flawless victory, though.

Equestria suffered huge losses from the war. So did the humans. Worst of all, you ask? My mentor Frisk actually sacrificed herself. In the final battle, she tragically died to save us from a dark magic explosion. Twilight's heart was shattered. I felt so sorry for her and her friends.

Even so, we looked on the bright side of things.

During the war, the human race had to work together in command of the king. Funny enough, this war kinda improved their cooperation. Tensions between countries dropped and they started to get along well. In addition, with the ponies' victory in the Pony War, massive compensations were flooding into their world. Even more, the humans agreed to insist their companions on rebuilding. In return, Celestia also agreed that the ponies will help them recover anything that could be saved.

Although the humans caused Equestria giant losses, the ponies' request on the terms of the treaties were not as harsh as the humans thought it was going to be. At least not as harsh as the world war, but it was still a bit harsh to some countries.

One day, I was called by Celestia and Luna to meet them at Canterlot Palace.

'Your Highnesses, I got your message,' I said, bowing. 'Is there a problem?'

Celestia shook her head and teleported what looks like a giant treasure chest in front of me. I looked inside, and was stunned- So much gold and jewels!

'You've earned it, our wonderful ally,' She explained, beaming.

I couldn't utter anything out of my mouth.

Luna was giggling a bit. 'We know you've gone through much in this war. You may have betrayed us at first, but your redemption gave us the edge and prevented us from possible eradication. You know our beautiful nation has prospered for thousands of years. It will hurt to see our land erased from history.'

I looked at them, a tear in my eye.

'Just how can we be mad about you for what you once did?' Celestia asked. 'We wish to thank you for everything you've done to support us. Thanks to your support, your contribution and your passion for defending our subjects, you've redeemed yourself and helped us win this horrifying war. If there's a wish you seek, we would be more than glad to help you make it come true, if possible.'

The two gave a short bow. But to their surprise, I just closed the chest.

'This is a truly wonderful gift,' I began. 'However, I didn't do this for the reward. I want to help because I recognize you all need someone to defend your kingdom. Doing something for the reward it's like you're paid to do it. But for me... I hope to insist before you all ask. I'm not doing this for money, for pride, nor for the respect. I just wanted to protect everypony. Nothing more.'

The two princesses stared at each other.

'A wise choice,' Luna commented.

Celestia nodded. 'Indeed a good choice, Nathan. Very well.'

Suddenly, I thought of something.

'Actually... I do have something that I want to do...' I said, grinning and rubbing my chin. 'I wonder if you both can help break the news?'

I whispered to Celestia about my wish. She thought for a second.

'Maybe we could do that,' She replied. 'You said you got proof, correct? We'll report about it once we get it.'

Back in the base of the Black Hand, the remaining ones are discussing their next move.

'Darn! I can't believe we lost our leader in that fight!' Tommy roared.

One of their men (Not the main group) nodded. 'It was a cowardly action for us to run just like that.'

Elliot calmed everyone down. 'Hey, it's fine! We'll just assasinate him again! I, for one, will not stop until he gets the punishment he deserves for making our country join the more... Inferior side of the war.'

'Our problem last time was that our attack was too direct and obvious. We must do it secretly this time.' Oscar reminded.

'Right,' Jason continued, unfolding the map. 'So, Nathan, our target will be coming back here soon with the princesses to discuss peace. I figured out their route. Okay, so this is what we're gonna-'

He was cut off when gunshots flooded the room, then several men with guns in hand came rushing in.

'Freeze! All of you! Drop your weapons and put your hands up this instant!' One said. It was the police!

Tommy was shocked. 'What!? How did you know!?'

As the men were handcuffing the whole terrorist gang, I stepped in with a laugh. Everyone gasped furiously.

'(Laughing) You all got cocky, didn't you?' I asked jokingly, holding out the proof.

Jason was struggling to get loose, but the men beat him down hard.

'(Screams) You'll pay for this!!!' He yelled, getting dragged away.

As the whole group got dragged away by the police, I was relieved and followed them.

'Thanks for reporting this to us. It could've been way worse for our citizens!' One of the officers said.

I shrugged. 'Ah, it's nothing. I wasn't the one who got the proof, it was my friend. They got too cocky that they were gonna win and take it back. By the way, how long's the sentence?'

'I don't know, really. But very likely it would be for a long time, once they're proved guilty.' He answered.

Now that my mission is over, I can finally lay my heart to rest. After so much suffering and nightmares, the terror of the Black Hand was done for. All the bullying I suffered... The bruises I had from their aggression... And even though my parents were gone, I finally put a stop to all the fears I had.

Looking back, it all started, because of her- Twilight Sparkle. She taught me so much about friendship throughout so long. She helped me through adversity. Our friendship bloomed like a beautiful flower. The reason why I have the courage to win that day was because of her. She was the spark of my life.

I wanted my best friend and I to be together... Forever.