A True Person

"What has become of you, Alexei?" murmured Luna, looking through the window in the dungeon door.

She observed a man dressed in a simple linen shirt and stained pants. The man's overgrown hair and beard were messed up, giving him a wild appearance. Runic shackles were attached to his arms and legs, and a runic headband gleamed on his forehead.

The man was sitting on the stone floor of the dungeon, spreading bread crumbs in front of him in a strange order that only he could understand. Several rats ran around him, trying to grab the bread crumbs, but he drove them away by flicking them on the nose.

Hearing the princess' words, the man perked up and looked up at her.

"Alexei? There he is running around down there," the man said cheerfully, pointing to a particular rat. "Catch him and he'll tell you everything."

Seeing that there was no response from the princess, the man jumped up on all fours and began chasing the rat all over the dungeon.

Finally, he caught it and with a wide smile, he brought the squeaking rat towards the princess. The rat bit and gnawed furiously at the man's fingers, but he didn't seem to mind it.

"Alexei is you," Luna spoke in a tired voice.

"Yes, I'm Alexei," the man agreed easily and immediately lost interest in the conversation.

Stepping aside, he stared at a certain section of the wall for a while. The rat, taking advantage of his distraction, broke free of his grip and ran deep into the chamber.

The man ran his fingers gently along the wall, and then anger flashed across his face and he began to scratch furiously at the wall with his fingernails. Soon his nails came off and he continued to wipe his fingers against the wall, leaving bloody marks.

Luna sighed and turned away from the window, heading towards the exit of the dungeon.

Several times they tried to bind the man, but it only made him worse. Thanks to his regeneration, he couldn't do permanent damage to himself, though he tried.

The man had been in this state for six months now. His mind could not stand the challenge and he went insane.

After the ritual he underwent that gave him mental energy, his mind became vulnerable to being invaded by spells. Luna entered his mind several times, but only chaos reigned there. The man still had no soul, so Luna could not look into his memories.

All this time she tried to find a way to help him, but to no avail. With ponies and other intelligent creatures in this world, the cause of insanity usually lay in the soul. But what about a man without a soul?

Somewhere in the back of his mind still lurked a nightmare, but she couldn't push his mind too hard in fear that it would completely break down.

She had made little progress on the problem in these six months, but she wasn't giving up. She wanted to heal the man. Then give him a good kicking and ask him a lot of questions.

Nodding to the bowing guards, Luna stepped outside and teleported into the castle, heading straight for Celestia's room.

Celestia sighed as she saw her sister enter - she already knew what the conversation would be about.

"Alexei can't stay in the dungeon any longer," Luna said, looking Celestia in the eye. "He needs to be transferred to a mental hospital."

"No," Celestia flatly refused. "I've already made concessions to you, removed his chains and moved him to a more comfortable cell. The man will remain in the dungeon, end of story."

"But why?" asked Luna incomprehensibly. "He has lost his mind, and the shackles completely block his abilities."

"I still suspect he's faking it," Celestia replied with a frown. "I'm not going to risk my ponies sending him to the hospital. He's already been seen by a psychiatrist, hasn't he?"

"He's not faking it," Luna shook her head. "You've read the reports from the guards, haven't you? How could such a proud man, sink to such a thing?"

Celestia grimaced, remembering some of the reports. Indeed, the man had not an ounce of dignity left.

Celestia remembered that look filled with defiance that he had thrown at her at the Tree of Harmony. Such a proud and arrogant man could not be so degrading. He had definitely lost his mind. That was why she had made some concessions, but she wasn't going to take any chances.

"No," Celestia refused again. "He'll stay in the dungeon. There's no point in moving him to the hospital. Besides, he won't have his little friends there with him."

Luna frowned when she heard that - Celestia was talking about rats. The human really liked messing around with them.

Originally, Luna was going to order them all to be captured and their burrows patched up, but then she changed her mind. The man became more and more restless when the rats started disappearing. He already had few positive things in his life, Luna didn't want to deprive him of his last joy.

Luna was about to say something, but stopped herself. She understood her sister's fears.

They had learned some truly frightening things from the memory of the diamond dogs. But she could also understand the human. She too had done some equally horrible things in her time.

She even felt a certain envy. Unlike her, Alexei had nothing, but he still succeeded.

And yet he had such a sad ending for him.

Sighing, Luna said goodbye to her sister and headed to her chambers where she continued her research.

"Dinner time, fucker," came a gruff voice from behind the massive wooden door as three unicorns entered the chamber.

The man sitting on the cold stone floor looked up and froze in surprise for a moment, as if he didn't recognize any of them.

"Come on, get him up," the unicorn smiled, nodding to the other guard.

A magical aura enveloped the man's wrists, lifting his arms to the ceiling and holding them in the air. Then another aura easily removed the shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

With a crunch of its neck, the unicorn approached the man and swung a hoof into his stomach, knocking the air out of him. A series of swift blows to his sides followed, leaving a trail of hoof prints on the man's torso.

Despite the pain, the man chuckled and dangled in the grip as if enjoying it.

"Ugh, really relaxing," the sweating unicorn smiled and looked at the human. "And what would we do without you?"

"Played out?" the second guard joined the conversation. "Let's get him up against the wall. I want to test out a new spell."

"Maybe take his pants off?" the third guard asked uncertainly. "It heals like a dog on him, but it'll be bad if it leaves marks on his clothes."

"Don't," the unicorn waved it off lazily. "I'm sharp, and besides, I don't want to see his bare butt."

"I would," the first unicorn muttered quietly.

But his words were heard by all. The other two unicorns stared at him in disgust.

"Don't even fucking think about it," the second guard looked at him sternly. "He's self-injuring and doesn't react in any way to the pain, but no sexual assault. If something clicks in his head because of this and Luna finds out about it, we're all fucked."

"I fucking get it," the first unicorn blurted out. "We've already agreed on all of this. You think I'm stupid?"

"I think you're a horny motherfucker turned exotic," the second unicorn replied with a challenging look in his eyes. "So keep your junk to yourself."

The first guard gritted his teeth in response, but looked away after a few moments.

"Finished measuring dicks?" the third guard asked, pulling the man back against the wall. "Let's make this quick. I want to finish reading the article."

The second unicorn snorted and lit his horn.

Soon several lightning spheres appeared in front of him and instantly flew towards the man. There was a hissing sound and the smell of burning flesh, and the man's body twitched from the electrical shock.

"Ooooh," the man exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the smoke rising from his burnt flesh.

"Not bad," the unicorn muttered. "He has no magical energy, but his resistance to magic is still impressive."

"He has mental energy," the third guard said lazily. "It, just like magical energy, can resist the effects of other's energy. What did you even learn in school?"

"I know," the second unicorn snarled. "Just surprised."

"Are we done?" the first guard asked, looking at his companions. "I'm thirsty."

The third unicorn glanced at the second and received an affirmative nod. He let go of the man, who collapsed to the floor in surprise.

"Here's your lunch," the first unicorn snorted, tossing the plate of food onto the dirty stone floor.

The three unicorns then turned and walked out of the cell, closing the massive door behind them.

They peered through the window and saw rats scurrying around the man, beginning to bite off the burnt flesh. The man didn't mind, as if this was a regular occurrence for him.

The unicorns grimaced at the sight. They had seen the man feed his flesh and blood to these rodents several times before.

"Fucking lunatic," the third unicorn shook his head and headed for the guard room.

The other two unicorns nodded in agreement and followed him.

"Twilight, I'm going to bed," Spike said, looking sadly at the purple unicorn with the disheveled mane. "Maybe you'll finish reading tomorrow already?"

He didn't understand what was going on with Twilight lately. She used to love learning and exploring magic, but now it was as if she had become obsessed with books.

"I'll be there soon," Twilight smiled tiredly, looking away from the page she had just been reading. "Good night, Spike."

Spike went upstairs and headed for his bed. His thoughts were filled with worry. Wrapped in the blanket, he stared at the ceiling for a long time before sleep finally overcame him.

Time passed quickly, and deep night engulfed the Golden Oak Library.

The entrance to the library was in the trunk of a tree, but the Golden Oak was an unusual tree. Its trunk and branches formed an ornate system of corridors and rooms, like a labyrinth where each turn revealed new book treasures.

The bookshelves, stacked with volumes on a variety of subjects, seemed to come alive in the darkness, opening their pages to those who were ready to immerse themselves in the world of knowledge. The subdued light of the moon shone through the windows, creating a play of light and shadow on the polished oak floor.

The scent of antiquity and magic hung in the air like the breath of the library itself.

Twilight sat at the desk, surrounded by the stacks of books she had already gone through. She gazed intently at each page, as if hoping that the answers to her questions would appear before her like magic.

But so far it was all in vain.

As she finished reading another book, Twilight looked at it with a blank stare. Anger flashed in her eyes, and she flung the book off the table. Her sides bulged with frequent breathing.

"There's nothing," Twilight muttered doomily. "Why is there nothing!"

The events at the Tree of Harmony had changed her life forever.

The words of the man she heard that day never left her mind.

"I want to live forever!"

That cry echoed in her mind, making her seriously think about death.

She hadn't thought about it before, immersed in her studies, in all the silly worries and trying to earn her teacher's recognition.

Twilight knew that with magic power like hers, she would live a long time. Perhaps even a few centuries.

She remembered the story of her nanny, Cadence, becoming an alicorn. It was something incredible, as if fate had chosen her for it.

Alicorns were eternally young beings, capable of living for a very long time.

Twilight suspected that with her power and the mark of Magic itself, she had a good chance of becoming an alicorn. The prophecy about Nightmare Moon, her training with Princess Celestia, and her teacher's reticence all added more suspicion.

However, the thought made her uneasy. What would happen to her family, to Spike and her friends?

Even if she didn't become an alicorn - she would outlive all her loved ones.

She didn't want that to happen. She wanted them to stay with her. Forever.

Twilight studied every source of information available to her, but nowhere could she find an answer to her question. No clues, no guidance.

"What should I do?" thought Twilight, feeling herself sinking into a swamp of gloomy thoughts.

A certain scene she had seen at the Tree of Harmony came into her mind.

A man walking through a swamp of despair and pain, with no hope of escape, but still continuing on his way. It seemed he could keep going forever.

Twilight despised the man, and felt nothing but disgust and horror for him. After hearing his brief history, she was at a loss for words - a heartless monster, no different. She knew that the worst things had been kept from her, but that was enough for her.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a certain admiration. She was ashamed to admit it - how could one admire such a monster, and yet she did.

His perseverance and fortitude had made a lasting impression on her. Now she was constantly comparing herself to him.

He had nothing and yet he had accomplished the impossible time after time.

Twilight thought back to her life and chuckled bitterly. Everyone idolized her as a genius and even she herself believed it. However, everyone had forgotten how much of that was due to luck.

Rich noble parents, the fate mark of Magic itself, the best school for unicorns, learning from Princess Celestia.

How many of her successes were truly her own?

"It doesn't matter," Twilight shook her head. "I've run into one difficulty and I'm already on the verge of despair. That's the difference between us."

Twilight felt disgusted with herself at that moment.

The man kept going forward no matter what. Why couldn't she as well?

Why couldn't all her loved ones be with her forever? Why couldn't they all be happy together?

Because it's against the laws of nature and Harmony itself? Because it doesn't allow it, I can't do it?

Twilight frowned harder and harder as she pondered these limitations. Images of those she cared for flashed before her eyes.

She hadn't even asked their opinion yet, too afraid of the answer. It was all just her selfish desire. And yet...

"What am I willing to do for my desires?" Twilight thought, plunging into the depths of her mind.

She didn't like some of the answers she found.

Night shrouded Canterlot in its darkness, and dawn was only hours away.

A man sat in the center of his chamber, head bowed and staring at one point, muttering to himself.

A rat slipped out of a small gap in the wall, which was not surprising, for there were many of them here. However, there was something strange about the rat. It was holding a vial of mysterious liquid in its paws. It was followed by another rat, also carrying a vial. Then another. And another.

After glancing around their surroundings, they ran up to the seated man, who idly stretched his legs out in front of him. Several rats jumped on top of his head and began climbing all over him. The man paid no attention to this and continued to mutter to himself.

The little rodents ripped out the plugs with their teeth and began pouring the contents of the vials onto the shackles that bound the man's legs. The rats on his head did the same with the headband. The metal began to sizzle and melt under the influence of the unknown liquid, and drops of acid fell on the man's flesh, causing burns. But the man remained indifferent to what was happening.

Soon the shackles and hoop fell to the floor, and the sound was absorbed by the straw on the floor.

The man stood still for a moment, stopped muttering, and listened to the sounds around him.

Then he placed his hand on the floor and slammed his knee down on it with force, dislocating his thumb. The blocking obstacle disappeared and he easily removed the shackles. Putting the thumb back in place, the man repeated the same with the other hand.

All traces of madness vanished from his face, replaced by his usual expression of indifference.

Rising from the floor, he went to the door and tapped quietly with his finger. A muffled squeak and the scratching of claws on wood came from outside. A few moments later there was the sound of a key turning.

The man pushed open the door and stepped out into the hallway. On the other side of the door, several rats were hanging on the key, trying to climb down.

Alexei smiled as he watched this amusing sight.

He had been feeding these rats his flesh and blood, now filled with mental energy and nightmare fragments, for months. Many of them showed no change, others lost their minds, but some were able to adapt and their intelligence improved. It took a few more months to train them.

They were now his loyal assistants, stealing potions from alchemy shops from all over the city.

Unlike Alice, these rats showed no signs of insanity. They gathered around the man, squeaking and jumping, happy for his freedom.

"Time to leave this place," the man smiled, glancing at the chamber behind him. "I've had enough of this crazy man role."

He headed for the exit, taking his small pack of rats with him.

Meanwhile, a few yawning unicorns sat around the table trying to kill time.

"Should I make some more coffee?" a unicorn muttered thoughtfully, swinging a cup on the table.

"Make me some too," the other unicorn perked up, taking a break from his journal. "I still have to go to the clerk's office after my shift."

"When are thestrals going to take over the night shifts already?" a third unicorn asked unhappily.

"They're still integrating," the unicorn replied, picking up cups and getting up from the table. "Not everyone is happy about it.

"What do you think, brainy?"

"I don't care," the unicorn with the magazine replied indifferently. "If it gets rid of my night shifts, I'm all for it."

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the direction of the chambers and the unicorns turned sharply at the sound.

Their eyes widened with shock - a man was approaching them with a smile on his face. He wasn't wearing any shackles and a small pack of rats were happily galloping around him.

The unicorns reacted instantly - the protocol for dealing with such situations was hardwired into their heads. One of them began to create a shield, another was about to send out an alarm, and a third lit a horn, ready for battle.

However, as soon as their horns were lit, a sharp pain pierced their bodies and they collapsed to the floor before they could finish a single spell. They tried again and the result was the same. As soon as they used a lot of magical energy - their bodies were pierced with pain and the energy went out of control.

"What the..." one of the unicorns hissed, trying to get up.

"It's poison," the human prompted, calmly entering the room.

The man's hand stretched out towards the weapons rack and immediately a spear leapt into his hand.

"No! Wait!" the unicorn screamed with fear looking at the man.

Immediately his skull was pierced by the spear. The others tried to crawl away or beg for mercy, but it was all a futile attempt - they met the same fate.

Alexei cast aside the more unnecessary spear and looked at the corpses, listening to his feelings.

After a moment, he nodded satisfied. Even though they had tormented him all this time - he felt no hatred for them. There were still the guards from the other shifts, the alicorns and the Elements that had gotten him here.

He wasn't going to take revenge on anyone. He already had a heavy burden on his shoulders, he didn't want to carry these senseless things on his back.

The longer he walked, the more unnecessary things he discarded. He knew that one day he would discard his humanity as well.

A few rats dragged a pouch of powder and a large vial of potion from somewhere in the burrows. Seeing the potion, the man smiled - he couldn't use transformation potions before, but after the ritual, everything had changed. Things would become much easier now.

Suddenly, the man felt something outside and frowned, concentrating on his sensations. His eyebrows rose in surprise - he already knew who was behind the door now.

A few seconds later, the door swung open and a diamond dog with a huge charred hole in her chest burst inside. The man already knew they had been captured earlier, but there was no way he expected to see one of them, Vatia, here.

Seeing the man, a wide smile appeared on the dog's face, her eyes sparkling with joy like two diamonds.

She rushed toward him, but her legs failed her and she almost collapsed to the floor. The man managed to pick her up, however, and despite her protests, laid her gently on the floor, examined her wound, and sighed. Vatia was doomed.

Even with Canterlot's best healers sitting in the next room, she would still be dead. All that sustained her now was the Diamond Dogs' innate ability to regenerate, but even it couldn't save her from this mortal wound.

"Don't," Vatia waved the man away, her smile weak but genuine. "I know I'm going to die. I thought I could free you, but it seems you did just fine on your own. I'm just glad I was able to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too," the human smiled back, stroking the soft fur on her face.

"Hehe, don't lie to me," Vatia laughed sadly. "What am I to you? Just a minor character?"

The man didn't answer.

"But you know what?" Vatia grinned. "We're all main characters, but we're also minor characters at the same time.

"I know you want to ascend above the alicorns. How insignificant are we all compared to them?

"I'm the only one who made it here, the rest are dead. Will you fulfill my selfish request?"

"I'm listening," Alexei said seriously.

"Live for me," Vatia smiled widely. "Keep living, keep persevering.

"There is no point in crying for us insignificant characters - no one will hear our cries. We can only persevere until we become someone significant.

"It's either that or death.

"Keep persevering, Alexei."

The man's body trembled with emotion - he was truly moved at this moment.

Looking Vatia in the eyes, Alexei nodded. Words were of no use here - she could see everything in his eyes.

Vatia smiled and tried to say something, but her strength left her. Her gaze unfocused, and then she died with a smile on her face.

The man stared blankly at Vatia's body. His face was completely unreadable - no one could tell what he was thinking right now.

Alexei was brought out of his trance by the squeak of rats.

Blinking, the man picked up the vial of potion and stood up. Taking off his clothes, he drank the potion.

After a few moments, his skin began to swell with lumps and his bones began to crack. The man collapsed to the ground and began to peel off his peeling skin.

In all this time, he did not make a sound.

While the man was squirming on the ground, the rats ran around and scattered powder from the pouch.

After a few minutes, an earth pony without a fate mark rose uncertainly to his feet. The pony closed his eyes, concentrating, and after a moment his aura changed dramatically. The same magical energy began to radiate from him as it did from all the creatures in this world.

At least, that's how it seemed if one didn't examine this pony too closely.

Taking a few tentative steps, he headed for the door and the rats followed.

Once outside, he looked around and stared intently at one of the lamps. In the same instant the lamp fell to the floor and the scattered powder burst into a fierce flame. The flames illuminated the pony's face, reflecting in his eyes.

Turning around, the lone figure wandered down the street.

There was almost no snow left in the city, and it was getting warmer by the day.

Spring had come to Canterlot.