Morning's rays seeped through my eyelids. I felt a warm hand press against my cheek. Slowly, I cast off the shadows of sleep. I veered my head. From above, my greatest creation smiled upon me. I admired her, gazing in awe at her form. Her wings were lighter than the fluffiest cloud: her hair, comparable to the highest-quality chocolate. My heart overflowed with emotions I'd never experienced before.

"Morning." she spoke. Her voice was soft and soothing.

"Morning..." I replied groggily.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better now that you're here."

"I brought you something."

I pushed myself upright. She pulled a cassette tape from her coat pocket.

"You said you were interested in a physical copy, so I got you the rawest version I could find."

She handed me the tape.

"No way! How did you find this!?" I asked.

"I have my ways."

"This is awesome! Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

"This really means a lot."

"Hey, I added something to my outfit. Wanna see?"

"Yeah."

Atmospheric took several steps back. I noticed the chain clipped around her belt loop. It was the chain from my wallet.

"I know people think it's goofy," she stated, "but I like it."

"You look beautiful."

"Come on; you can do better than that."

"All right. How about this: you're fuckin' scorchin'."

"That's more like it."

She glided toward me in a playful manner. We wrapped each other in a gentle hug. I felt so safe in her arms...

"I was wondering if we could do a photo collage today," I told her, "I've been thinking about editing it into a slideshow. I wanna show you off to everybody."

"Are you sure you don't just want to make John jealous?"

"That too."

"I'll do it for an ice cream sandwich."

"Deal."

Atmospheric retrieved one of the swords downstairs before we headed out. We took a numbers of shots around the neighborhood. The last one was taken by the side of our house. She leaned against the wall and propped the sword next to her. She tilted her head to the side, stuck her hands in her pockets, and slung one leg over the other. The pose made her look confident and intimidating. It reminded me of my brother when he was younger.

"How'd it come out?" she questioned.

"Unbelievable..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Nope. You're just drop dead gorgeous is all."

"When did you become such a charmer?"

"When I had a reason to."

I caressed her waist, placing my forehead against hers. I wanted to kiss her so badly, but there were forces at play preventing me from doing so: things that were too important to ignore.

"Listen...We need to talk..." I began. The pain in my voice must have been all too clear.

"What's wrong?"

"What I said earlier, about wanting to show you off; it was true, but there's something else, too. By doing this, I'll be severing our psychological link. You'll become your own person, which means if something happens to me, you'll be free to carry on with your life."

"That means...I'll be truly immortal...!"

"Yeah..."

"Why...Why would you go this far...!?"

"Because I care about you, and I want what's best for you. You deserve better than being chained to someone as broken as me."

"Why do you have such a low opinion of yourself that you think being around you is a burden?"

"Almost everyone I've loved has passed away or left me behind. I've been forgotten by the world, and maybe that's for the best. If I go off the deep end, It'll be less painful for everyone involved."

"You don't get it, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I wanted to leave, I would've already. Whether I'm connected to you or not won't change how I feel. I really care about you, Kyle. I don't want to lose you..."

A cool breeze blew her bangs to the side. Her eyes...They were so despondent. I couldn't bear to see her this way. Would I dare consider the possibility she was being truthful? Could I?

"You're so kind and caring," she continued, "I've watched you grow into a thoughtful man with so much to offer. What you feel for me, I feel for you ten times over."

"I doubt that."

Tears streamed down her cheeks, yet she laughed all the same. We stood in silence for what seemed like hours. Finally, I made a decision.

"Promise me something," I urged, "if something happens to this world, you'll go back to Equestria. I want you to live unburdened by the same pain I felt."

"I promise."

"I love you..."

We silently embraced each other, refusing to say a single word more...

A few days later, Twilight and the others paid a visit. They took us to lunch a few towns over before we headed to the arcade. It was a fairly sizable venue with lots of games. I separated from the others while we picked out what we wanted to play. Once I was out of earshot, the girls engaged in banter.

"So, have you guys done it yet?" Rainbow teased Atmospheric.

"Rainbow, that's extremely inappropriate," Sunset reprimanded, "Their private life is none of our business."

"Chillax. I'm just pokin' fun."

"We're getting around to it," Atmospheric replied, "He wants to take things slow. Given everything he's been through, I don't think that's unreasonable."

"He's very much a dark romantic at heart," Rarity pointed out, "It's strange for me to admit, but I'm rather envious."

"Why?" Atmospheric inquired.

"You recall the promise he made some years ago?"

"He would only love one person this way..."

"You're his one chance. He intends to make the most of it."

"Am I really that special...?"

"He put conscious effort into helping you grow with him. I would say you most certainly are."

"It's funny...As time went on, I became more of a catalyst for his desires. I saw his focus shift from lust to genuine affection. I never thought I would experience those things with him in person..."

"Your influence changed him. Only a true emotional bond would push someone to such extremes. In order to love himself, he had no choice but to love you."

"He loves me out of necessity...For his own survival..."

"You said it yourself," Twilight reminded, "It's the opposite of mutually assured destruction."

"Mutual evolution..." Atmospheric uttered.

"That's the true power of humanity. Should they choose to embrace it, it will completely alter the course of their destiny."

Atmospheric reached inside the pocket of her jeans. She felt the sting of a cold, metallic object...An object just big enough to slip around someone's finger...

Author's Note