Twilight backed away from me, the look of sheer terror on her face broke my heart. Through the gasps of breath I tried to speak to her, I reached out to her to show her I meant no harm, but the unicorn still backed away from me.
“T-Twilight! *Wheeze*It’s ok, *Wheeze* don’t be frightened...” She stopped by the stair case, I wasn’t sure if it was in response to my words or if she now felt secure with an escape route close by. I finally stopped wheezing and stood up straight; smiling at her warmly, I took a step into the room, her hoof immediately shot to the first step of the stairs. I froze, shocked at how scared she was of me.
“T-T-Twi? It’s me...” I said shakily. She looked at me for a long time, neither of us spoke.
“Tom?” she eventually whispered, I smiled and tried to move but before I could she screamed at me. “STAY BACK!” Her face contorted into pure rage, just like Big Macintosh’s. What was happening?
“Twilight, let me speak? Please?” I begged, standing at the doorway of her book filled home. She stared at me but gave no response, so I continued. “You told Big Mac and the others that you thought Discord wouldn’t be able to stay away for as long as he promised didn’t you?” her expression only became sterner, as she obviously believed me to be the Draconequus due to my knowledge.
“Big Mac said so himself.” I blurted out quickly, trying to dig myself out of the hole I had already thrown myself in. “But think about it. If you had thought I was Discord, you wouldn’t have run in fear, you would have attacked me straight away. Am I right?” The unicorn’s expression faltered for a moment. “You’re doubting your own words aren’t you?” I pressed on. Her brow creased as she contemplated what I was saying.
After a long while, she spoke. “I...saw you, earlier.” My vision! I HAD passed into Equestria for a moment! I immediately clung to the lifeline I had been thrown.
“YES! Exactly! And I saw you to! It was when you just woke up wasn’t it!” She glared at me again.
“We all know how you alter perception Discord, you’ve done all this before! What? Run out of inspiration for new ways of tormenting us? Tarnishing Tom’s memory!?”
My stomach couldn’t stand the sound of Twilight speaking as though I was dead. It twisted violently and felt as though it were ready to empty itself. How could I persuade her?
“But, you knew it wasn’t a trick this morning! You knew there was something real behind it! Or you wouldn’t have reacted like you did!” I was desperate, and maybe the tone was what began to put my point across, because the pony took her hoof off of the step and looked at me slightly puzzled.
I grabbed the opportunity. “Twilight! It really is me, no lies and no tricks! It’s Tom, I just got back from earth and”-
“Earth?” She asked scornfully, obviously not buying my story.
“Yes! EARTH! I woke up back in my own world! I was only just able to get back here now!” She took a step forward, obviously getting angry with me.
“If you only just got back, and you’ve been DEAD for a year, then why don’t you look any older than the day I last saw you?” I looked at her, puzzled and confused. I reached up to my face and stroked it, I didn’t feel any different, I hadn’t changed but surely that was surely to do with the passing from world to world!
“So?” I asked defensively, “You don’t look any diff...” My sentence ground to a halt as I looked at her. Her mane was longer; it curled slightly at the ends now instead of simply hugging her sides. Her body was shapelier, she was a little taller. But her eyes were what proved to me a year had passed, they were the eyes of someone who had suffered. A lot and for while.
“I...I...” I was stuck; the pony in front of me was no longer the pony I had left behind when I had passed from this world. My leaving had done this to her! And whatever ungodly thing the chimera had done afterwards. My blood boiled at how he had played me for a sap, and made me feel pity for him! He was an underhanded piece of scum! Intent on ruining me and my friends lives. And right now, he was succeeding.
“I...” She listened to me intently, the anger still prominent on her face as she reached the centre of the room.
“Well!?!” I couldn’t speak, if I couldn’t persuade Twilight then how would I be able to persuade Rainbow Dash, the pony I loved! A small flicker of something burst into life inside of me, since I had returned to earth it had been extinguished, but now I was home again it reared its head again. It was the whimsical side of me, the side that made me unafraid to speak my mind to Dash, and what had always helped me in this world. Honesty.
My lips moved at the will of the small flicker, I was no longer in control. My mind still fogged by the world of man had made me feel awkward and insecure once again. However there was no time to fall in love with a pony all over again, all I could do was rely on the little glimmer inside my soul.
“Twilight Sparkle.” She seemed slightly taken aback from my sudden change of tone, I was suddenly calm and clear. “Dear, dear Twilight Sparkle. Do you still have feelings for me?” her face grew red!
“I’ve never had feelings for you discord!” her confusion no longer upset me, I knew she would understand soon. The glimmer in my chest was hope as well as honesty.
“For Tom. Do you still have feelings for Tom after two years?” She looked at me for a moment unsure of what to say.
She was obviously torn between thinking I was Discord or if it was possible that I really was me. I stepped into the room, slowly and confidently. She didn’t run this time, she seemed transfixed by the look and attitude I had suddenly adopted. It was all me still, just the more caring side. She must recognise it from so long ago when I had lived here with her. I knelt before her, and looked her straight in the eye. So much pain, so much anguish. I spoke barely louder than a whisper.
“I once accused you of staring at me, and you protested far too much for it to be true that you didn’t. So...stare at me now! Look at me! REALLY look at me! My eyes, my body, my mind; they’re all the same. I know it’s been a year since you saw me last. I know my anniversary of LEAVING is tomorrow. But it’s not the anniversary of my death! I’m not dead, and I’m not that damned chimera! I’m Tom, I’m the man who sat here and drank with you the night before your birthday. I’m the man you tried to kiss, I’m the man who -even though he cared for another pony in that way- still cared for you enough to try my best not to hurt you...”
I took hold of her head, and brought it close to mine. My rested my head against hers just below her horn. With my eyes closed, I whispered the only thing my heart wanted at that moment. “Believe me...” I took my head away from hers, and kissed the spot just below her horn. I pulled her into an embrace, she didn’t resist. She simply leant back on her haunches as I sat there holding her.
I felt a shudder go through her, but it wasn’t one of disgust. A moment later I heard her sniff, another moment and she sighed shakily. She pushed me away enough to look at my face, but not far enough to break my hug. She looked in my eyes, hers swam with tears, of silent joy not sadness. She gasped for air for a moment, and through what was a mixture of a sob and a laugh she said the words I longed to hear my longest standing friend to say. “I-it is you!” and with that she threw her forelegs over my shoulders and wept into them as she hugged me back.
“It is you Tom! It really is!” I squeezed her back as she nearly cut off my oxygen wrapping her arms so tightly around my neck. I couldn’t help but smile slightly, at least someone believed me! For the first time since I had returned, I felt right. Yes I had felt as though I was home, but now someone else knew I was, and was so happy to see me: I felt every doubt I had about weather returning was a good thing or not, melt away. Yes it had taken a little while, but she was happy again! And so was I!