Chapter 13: Best Birthday Wishes
Harry pushed his broom back and forth across the floors of Sugarcube Corner. He sighed. Time seemed to turn into a blur with him doing the same thing day after day. He figured that he'd be sweeping these floors for the rest of his life. He couldn't do much of anything else. No matter how many times his friends told him how special he was, his own inabilities tore down those lies.
"I'll be letting you off early," Pinkie said. "After all, today is a special day, isn't it?"
"It's as special as yesterday, and as special as tomorrow will be," Harry huffed.
"Come on, why are you being such a grumpy pants on your birthday? It's not every day that somepony turns twenty. Golly, where does the time go? I mean it feels like just yesterday that you came into our lives..."
Harry put the broom down and gathered up his jacket while Pinkie began rambling on about the past and the many adventures the two of them had together. There seemed to be more ramble than coherency. The pink mare was slowing down, though she tried to hide it. She still jumped around like she used to, trying to show everypony that she was full of youth, but her looser hairs turned gray showed that she was indeed getting on in years.
"You'll be back at five for your party, right? Rarity is coming down all the way from Canterlot for it," she said stopping Harry at the door with that same old grin.
"Yeah, I'll be there," Harry said with a sigh. He forced a smile.
Then Harry disappeared out the door, into the cold. It was midwinter and the pegasi were busy gathering clouds for an upcoming snowstorm. It was on this day twenty years ago that his mother found him in a basket on her doorstep. With the way his life was and the way it had been, sometimes he wished that she wouldn't have found him and he'd freeze there overnight. Then he regained his senses. His life may have been bleak, but he still felt that it was worth living. As Harry walked, he instantly became drenched in snow. He looked up to see that Rainbow had just emptied a cloud.
"Hey Rainbow," Harry said, too excited to see her to be angry. "I didn't expect you to be here. Shouldn't you be getting ready for a performance?"
"Oh come on, do you really think I'd miss your special day? Besides, the Wonderbolts could last one show without me," Rainbow said, swooping down so she hovered right next to Harry. "Speaking of that, I didn't see you at my last show."
"Yeah, sorry about that. We were busy with a funeral. Applejack's Granny Smith passed away."
"What?" Rainbow gasped. "That's terrible. Jeeze, no wonder she hasn't been answering my letters. I gotta give her my regards and apologize for some of those angry letters I sent her. I can't believe I thought she was avoiding me! We'll catch up later at the party, okay?"
Then she flew off. Harry walked off to his own devices. He wasn't really heading anywhere. There wasn't much he did to fill up his time. That brief conversation with Rainbow got him thinking of how things had changed in the last few years alone. Pinkie Pie ran Sugarcube Corner. Rarity was one of the most famous designers in Canterlot. Rainbow was a Wonderbolt. Heck, Applebloom was even the mayor of Ponyville. And where had Harry gone? Nowhere.
Harry was passing Twilight's house, and decided that it would be best to pay her a visit, even if it was only to escape from the cold. Speaking of changes, Twilight had gone through the strangest. She now had wings, something that Harry still wasn't used to seeing. And seeing her hover about her house still merited a double-take.
"Hey Harry," Twilight said, not taking her eyes off of her book. "Happy birthday. I left my present with Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner, so you'll just have to wait until the party."
"I'm not here for my present. I'm just here because, in all honesty, I'm bored," Harry said, grabbing a chair. "Even after all these years, and all of your training under Princess Celestia herself, you still don't know what I am or where I came from?"
"Not this again," Twilight said, shutting her book. "I told you a thousand times, if Celestia knows about you she isn't telling me. Do you want to talk about something?"
"It's just, did you ever feel like you didn't belong?"
"You're looking at the only pony in fifty miles who has both a horn and wings."
"Okay, I get your point. But at least you're a pony. I'm... this," Harry said. He stared at his hands, the most frequent reminder that he was not like the ponies around him.
"We tried to turn you into a pony. It didn't work, remember?"
"I'm not asking for you to turn me back into a pony. Celestia knows we don't want a repeat of that episode. I guess, I'm just saying that I'm not happy here as I am."
"Why not?" Twilight asked. "You've got a family that cares about you."
"And I'm a janitor at Sugarcube Corner. And I can't be anything else. I don't even have a cutie mark."
"I... I know," Twilight said. "You have my sympathy, truly you do, but there is nothing I personally can do about it. Look on the bright side: Pinkie pays you way more than she has to, your mother is still happy to have you live with her, and all of us care deeply about you. Why don't you go to her, she worries about you when you get like this."
Harry decided that it was probably for the best. He left the library and headed home. He knew that Twilight couldn't help him. He knew it years ago, and Celestia knows... it occurred to him, he had never asked Celestia. In fact, he had never met Celestia before. Maybe she would have the answer to this riddle. If she couldn't help him, then perhaps she could at least tell him what he was. It was said that Celestia knew everything.
That revelation put a spring Harry's step. He was running through the new-fallen snow just to get home. He ran through the busy streets of Ponyville, and a cruel irony made itself apparent. His friends and family may have moved on with their lives, but the world still treated him the same. The ponies that didn't outright scoff at him just ignored him for the stranger he was. Those feelings of despair vanished when he burst into the cottage he called home.
"Oh happy birthday!" Fluttershy said, hovering in to give him a hug. "I can't believe my little boy is turning twenty today."
"Strange, isn't it?" Harry said, trying to break away from the extremely tight hug. Fluttershy let him go with a small sorry. She stood in front of him and looked into his eyes. She didn't even stand up to his shoulders anymore.
"But I guess you aren't so little anymore," she said with an innocent smile. "But you'll always be my little boy."
"I know," Harry said. "And you'll love me always. I love you too Mom. Should we head to Sugarcube Corner?"
"Just a minute," Fluttershy said. "I want to give you your present now."
Fluttershy flew into the kitchen and emerged with a present. It was a smallish white box, wrapped with a red ribbon. She placed it in Harry's hands and urged him to open it. He untied the ribbon and opened the lid. Inside was a smaller box. He pulled it out and opened that. Inside was a golden circle bound to a silver chain. It was a locket. Harry opened it. The left side had a typical clock, but the right side had a picture of him and Fluttershy together from years prior. It looked like he hadn't even started school yet. That smile he had in it was a strange sight to be certain. Harry shut the locket and noticed an engraving on the back: no matter how much time passes, you'll always be my son.
The party was filled with excitement. Old friends caught up on their lives. They had been distant ever since they began climbing the mountains of their dreams. Applejack and Rainbow were chatting in the corner. It was nice to see Applejack finally smiling again, for the first time in nearly a month.
Everypony else was focused on Harry. It was so surreal being the center of attention. Most of the time he may as well have been invisible. Rarity certaintly wanted to know a lot about what had been going on in Ponvyille ever since she left to pursue bigger and better things. Harry found Rarity's acceptance the most questionable. She hated anything slightly gross, yet she accepted him into her life, or at the very least, her friend's life.
"So what did you want to do first?" Pinkie asked, jumping up and down. "Open presents or have cake? Let me guess, open presents? 'Cuz that's what I would do."
"Yeah, um sure," Harry responded.
Harry began to open everypony's presents. Rarity, strangely enough, wanted hers to be opened first. It turned out to be fifty bits. Her lavish gifts still managed to surprise Harry from time to time. Twilight's gift was the latest Daring Do book—not surprising in the least. He still appreciated it and couldn't wait to get reading it later that night. Applejack admitted that she forgot to get a present, but Harry couldn't hold it against her. Rainbow's gift was tickets and backstage passes to her next performance. Harry couldn't say that he was surprised by that one either. Pinkie's gift was both surprising and unsurprising. He opened the box and pulled out a... something. He had no idea what it was. Neither did Pinkie.
Harry put the something down. He could figure out what it did later. While he was doing that, Pinkie ran into the kitchen and brought out a huge cake, topped with twenty burning cnadles. The whole group sang their happy birthday song and told Harry to blow out the candles. He did. They went out the first time. Good, no relighting candles this time.
"What'dya wish for? What'dya wish for?" Pinkie Pie asked, hopping up and down once more. Harry thought a moment before answering.
"I wished to see Princess Celestia," Harry said.
It was a strange wish to be certain, but nopony seemed to give it too much concern—except for Twilight. Harry sat smugly for a minute while Twilight ran the gambit of emotions from surprise to outrage. She pulled him into the kitchen.
"What's the big idea?" Twilight asked.
"You said that if Celestia knew the answer she wouldn't tell you. Maybe she'll tell me."
"I'm her personal student Harry. What wouldn't she tell me?"
"That she was planning to turn you into an alicorn. Please Twilight, you're good with the princess. Let me talk to her."
"I—I don't know."
"I need to know Twilight."
"Alright. Be on the 9 AM train tomorrow. I will get you one conversation with the princess. But you have to promise me something: if this doesn't pan out, just forget this whole thing. You might not be a pony, but you're one of us all the same."
"Don't worry Twilight, if Celestia doesn't have an answer then I know I'll never get one."
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Humans are good at strategy... perhaps harry could become a general....
I can't wait to see the reaction when he discovers that his race are "the Species of Mars (a god not a planet)"
I wonder if another human will make its way into equestria.
2425099 That would require them giving him a chance to learn military strategy and a chance to do the job.
I can identify with Harry, sadly. Self-taught myself everything about computers I could since 5th grade. But I live in the southern part of Alabama. The people here... if you don't have a diploma to back it up? They aren't willing to give you a chance. Not even in an entry position.
After 20 years, Ponyville STILL treats him like crap?
...This is unexceptable. I hope other humans come soon and show the town what they've done is wrong, and I hope they get arrested and enslaved for their bigotry and discrimination. Hell, I hope that when the other humans show up, they mistreat the ponies and show them the other side of the bigotry-stick.
hope he doesn't get a portal to earth, that would suck.
2425260
That could be the best thing who could happen at him.
2425238
Surrealistic, considering how quickly they accepted Spike the dragon, even after the rampage incident.
2425275 I have to agree, I'm normally never for separating the families like what happened in MLD, but sending him home in this case would be the best option. Fluttershy would be sad but his treatment has been too cruel, to warrant him staying in that world. This is the first time I've ever hoped that Celestia will be able to send the human back home.
2425238
Fucking right, man. You'd think they'd learn to accept that Harry is different. I actually thought about this: what if another human were to show up? What if it was me? I would be furious! I would be yelling at the top of my lungs at them. He didn't deserve what had happened to him. Sure, he's got ponies that love him and accept him. But most of them are there because Fluttershy insisted. Other ponies refuse to accept him.
And if I had a way for him to get back to Earth, I wouldn't give it to him. For a number of reasons.
1. Even if he's human, his life is in Ponyville. His loved ones are there.
2.Growing accustomed to our harsh, cruel world would be more difficult than living in Equestria, where he knows the ponies and can make a difference.
3. I wouldn't let the ponies off that easily. They are going to learn to love and tolerate him, no matter what he looks like!
Honestly, no other fic has quite riled me up like this one...
2425202
The Princesses could help him learn about military
2425391in the human world would be worse
without fluttershy and pinki
no education
jobless
would be a tramp
pd canon ponies live 200 years more
Time for Harry to meet Princess Celestia. This could either be good or bad. I feel sad with Pinkie getting older, but still the same old Pinkie not letting age get her down.
2425639 He's been ostracized his entire life, with only a tiny silver lining and that's, that Fluttershy and Pinkie love him. He's so low he has no where to go but up, he's the equivalent of trash in their world with no worth in the eyes of Equestria. The human world would actually grant him an opportunity to have a proper life. He's intelligent enough, we have plenty of government founded programs to help get him on his feet and start anew.
If he remains where he is, nothing will ever get better for him. Fluttershy and Pinkie won't be around forever, what happens when their time comes? He'd be alone in a world where the inhabitants would rather look at the scum under their hooves than to look at his face. Honestly I don't know how he hasn't gone batshit insane yet.
If he doesn't get sent home, how exactly does this story end? We just end up with a tortured protagonist who never accomplished anything, and will be subjected to neglect for the rest of his miserable life. I get that this story has a sad tag in all, but only thing I will take away from this story is that Equestria is just a bunch racist assholes.
huh, 20 years and Harry has yet to meet Princess Celestia, seems a certain princess is holding out on little ol' Harry
2425878good point
, but I still believe I should try to earn their place instead of fleeing and overcome all these ponies racist.
but still there is a point where it came
came from another dimencion similar to ours or totally different
space
humans are native to that world but are hidden for a reason
pd
after 20 years recently celestia knows?
He's 20, working as a janitor, and has little to no chance for advancement due to the ponies' racism (or would that be speciesism?). That's not rock bottom, but it's close to it.
I really hope Harry gets something close to a happy ending. He deserves it for all that he's going through.
2426640
-Racism against another species is called "Xenophobia"
-They say the meek shall inherit.
All ponies are bitches, bring out the hydrogen bomb scotty!!! Seriously, tge same way he appeared, open a portal and have humans come, and come, and come till there are more humans than ponies and the ponies ate the freaks, also twilight saying how hes just like them, super hypacritical , Twilight (the one talking) is a alicorn, she is the personal student of celestia, and SHE gets mad at him wanting to ser celestia, this is being to cruel, add more humans and/or human technology,
2425238 Yet 50+ years have passed since the social and sexual revolution of the 60s and we still have people who're violent against homosexuals and consider black people inhuman or a lesser, not as intelligent human (white supremacist). 20 years of unchanged treatment is nothing.
I dunno 'bout you, but this fic is DAMN HEARTWRENCHING!!
Um I should ave noticed since twilight trouble chapter but where’s spike in all this? He could have provided with great advice about Harry being a “pony”. Since there was an episode of spike wanting to know his roots.
8661262
Good point, Spike would have some useful experience.