> Portals
>  by The Derpy Doctor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	What if you made a portal? If you did, how would you know where the other end would appear? Would it go just in the same general location as the end you got through? Would it just appear on a randomly selected spot in the dimension that you go to? How would one suppose what would be at the other end? How would one suppose what awaits the user and the adventure on the other side?
>  Build
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

		Chapter One: Build
After planning for several months, and some begging to Princess Celestia, Twilight finally convinced her to rebuild the portal to earth. She had wanted to see her friends in human form again. It wasn’t fair that only her pony friends could see her, and on rare occasion could her earthly reflections ever be in her presence. A portal would be made from the same portal as the previous one. It would be made bigger, more public, shinier and the best part: Twilight could still maintain her pony self as she went through the portal. This was great she could finally see her other friends and not have to worry about those weird slimy… hands. She would never have to open another door in a foreign way again.
“Are we almost finished?” Twilight gained the moment to ask her friends out of sheer excitement.
“Almost,” replied Applejack, “There is some question as to the capacity that this this c’n take.”
“Like what?” Twilight characterized.
“Well, given that it is still trying to keep you a pony as you go through the portal, it has some problems with doing that and still having the memory to guide such a large object as a pony at the same time.” Applejack inquired.
“Is there a way to make more memory?” Twilight said in desperation.
“There might be a way if we can take location settings to a little looser of an angle” Applejack rubbed her head, taking off her hat and speaking.
“Great,” Twilight included.
Applejack went back to a short work. She used her basic knowledge of human electronic to fix the portal to different shape before turning back to Twilight and saying: “We’re done” Her western accent putting emphasis on the “e” as she said so.
“Great!” Twilight squeaked, now not able to contain her excitement.
Twilight was ready to step through the portal now. She had her bags all packed and her books all set-up. She was ready to go to her friend’s world and there was nothing that she wanted more to do than so. Twilight put her front hoof through the front portion of the portal, turned and said her goodbyes to her friends before she finally made way through the glassy screen and vanished through to an alternate world.
Only moments later, Twilight came back.
“Twi? Why are you back already?” Applejack responded to her return.
“I couldn’t see the high school. There was nopony around. Or… human.”
“Well, maybe we can try again tomorrow.”
Twilight didn’t want to come back tomorrow. She wanted to go to the other world now.
“Maybe I’ll try again.” She tried to rekindle the experiment
She once again climbed through the portal and vanished. This time she didn’t return.
“I think it worked,” Applejack concluded
Pinkie finally returned to her “One of my best friends is out of town, and I’m never going to cross her mind again” state.
“What if she never comes back?” Pinkie asked in her saddest voice.
“She will,” Rainbow Dash reassured her.
This time, though who would think that she could be so right. Her previous superstition is only now true. Twilight was stuck in the dimension, and only in time would she be revealed. Twilight was gone.
All of the other ponies settled in for the evening. It was going to a long week without her and when she was their princess, there might be problems in planning out specific events. They would need their rest.


Twilight appeared on the other side of the world. She had never seen such a thing. She was completely one hue, she had all of her color completely unchanged and was all pony. The portal had worked. She had made it to earth. It was off though. It was not all one color at one spot. It was all different. Everything was one color mixed with several others. If this could be the right world, then why was it so different? 		Twilight stayed at her position. She didn’t want to turn through the portal. She wanted to see her friends. Her friends would accept her no matter what form she took. She had told them in the first place that she really was a pony from another dimension. How could they not expect to see her in this form? How could they not accept her for this form? That over-thinking that Twilight does was kicking in again. She couldn’t help it. She kept thinking about the consequences of coming here in this form. That her friends would not take her in as they did before. Why wouldn’t they?
She should have stopped thinking. She should have passed back through the portal. If she had known that what was about to happen would then there would be no doubt that she would have again passed through the portal. She should have turned back.
That was when Malachi came.

Kevin was a normal guy. He went to college. Succeeded in all of his classes. He came back to his dormitory at his own curfew. He was normal with the exception of one thing: he was a brony. His friends often tortured him over it. They were relentless. Often his friends didn’t invite him to parties for fear that they would “be too manly for him.” He had just finished his daily classes and when into his dorm so that he could watch my little Pony: Friendship is Magic before going to bed. Never had he heard a thing. Not from his neighbor’s room that is.
 


> Missing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

		Chapter Two: Missing
Twilight has been gone for eight days, now. Only she should know where the portal is. If she was as concerned with planning as she was, she should be back by now. Pinkie had set up the greatest “welcome back” party ever (hoping that this party would jog her memory of all of her friends back in Ponyville). Pinkie had set up several booths for her to eat and drink with her friends. The day waged on, though. She had not showed up today. She would not show up any day. Not until she was found. She would not show up this month. Not until she was stolen.
Twilight was caught.

Kevin just got done watching the latest episode of my little pony, he was going to class when he found the strangest thing. He saw a people hair on the ground just outside of the neighbor’s dorm. Today had been quite strange. He had seen some people around the school not teasing him about his own fan fiction. Nobody had talked to him about anything, really. What Kevin didn’t know was that he was not being confronted, because of what he liked. They had been part of a whole different set of cares.
Kevin would never hurt anyone. He would rather die than hurt somebody, and that was easy given his current position on My Little Pony 	how could he find the nerve to hurt anybody?
Kevin walked the hallways before going to class in the morning. He had not yet even finished packing his bags when he heard crying. This was no normal crying, though. The very atmosphere of it was wroth with sadness. Sadness that could not be described. A pain, a loss, nothing but sorrow. There was no way to describe the depth at which this cry was. Kevin followed the sound. Out his door, into the hallway, at his friend’s door: he walked. He stopped there. He wanted to cure this sadness. As a proud brony, he would take after Pinkie Pie, and cure all wrong that ailed the world. It was his duty to turn that frown upside-down. But if that meant treading on someone else’s territory, he might offend someone. He thought it over for a few moments. The crying still going on, and even increasing in tone, he decided that due the “good Samaritan clause” FDA code that neglects certain privacy laws, he could come in and try to help this person.

Ponyville was becoming dark. The sky was thundering. The fields turned a dark blue color under the depressing sky. No stars shown tonight. No stars shown any night. Pinkie thought for sure that Twilight had left them foreverrrrrrrrrr. She had forgot them and that she would never remember them. She had really forgotten and there was no way to demolish that belief. Apple jack tried to comfort her friend, but it was no use. Pinkie was in a fit. 9 days had passed. Twilight was not coming back.

Kevin opened the door slightly to see if the girl crying was in sight. That couldn’t be right, though. This was a men's dormitory center. There really shouldn’t be women in here. Why was there girl here? He thought again for a moment and finally decided there might be too many variables. She could hit him. She could complain to the teachers. She could hate him for trying to help her. He couldn’t risk this. He turned around and went back to his routine. Today, he had physics. That class he could not miss. There was something about that cry. He had to check on that person later when she got out of the room.
That night, he settled into the sheets, there would be a long day ahead tomorrow. That big assignment was due.
A week had passed. Kevin had forgotten about the crying. He had forgotten to comfort that person in need, but why did it matter? She was obviously happy by now. Nobody stays sad that long. Kevin got ready for his last day here. The assignment due last week had taken him out of college. He would not be going here anymore. His time was up. He had no more chances. He belonged to the world now.
Kevin finally got to pack his things. Finished packing. Laid in bed. Last night here. Depressed, He fell asleep. Woke up. Crying? Why did I wake up to crying? The same crying as before. How can it be the same voice? How can someone be crying even now? He again thought it over. Maybe, my neighbor had verbally abused her a week ago and just broke up with her. They were girlfriend and boyfriend. He was mean to Kevin quite often. This could obviously only mean that. He decided then that the girl had to be out of his neighbor’s dormitory. He could help her. He could help her get over whatever problem she had.
Kevin didn’t know it yet, but he was about to become a bigger person. A person that was so person, he was not a person at all.
He opened the door, and there right before him was a crumpled person. Perhaps the shortest person in the entire college. So small she was that Kevin immediately decided that he could pick her up with one arm. That was, right before she noticed the door (which was still opening) had been pushed to its current position and she cringed and curled into a fugal position: covering her face in her arms.
“Please.” She asked as politely as possible, but crying so audibly that Kevin could hear every teardrop hit the ground. “Please. Don’t hurt me anymore.” Her voice trailed a little at the end of her sentence.
Kevin thought a very silent thought: “That sounded…” He ended it there before responding. “Believe me, that’s the last thing that -”
He never finished his sentence. He reached to pull her hand away from her face when he felt a peculiar sensation reach his hand. “Hoof?”
The last syllable echoed his mind as he completely removed the covering from the purple face.
Twilight, the purple alicorn had been crying at his door all night. Before he could respond with either words or surprised groaning noises, he had an inner-body experience nobody would ever have. If someone’s heart melted when they saw a puppy crying for attention, 	then Kevin’s heart had just: A. evaporated or B. immediately turned into plasma.
He then made the following noise: “ahd”. All of this before falling back into his room.
“What do I do?” he thought very carefully to himself.
Twilight still cried outside with tears enough to replenish all of Ponyville for one afternoon. Kevin tried to think. “What might it be that an alicorn princess from another dimension need, that would not cause her to be frightened by me?”
He found nothing in his thoughts. He thought about it. “Why do I keep thinking? Just stop.” He was calm now. He looked back at his bed. The sheets. He finally thought: I could give her my sheets.

Twilight lay outside the door, several scratches across her back and sides and so many bruises that she was more brown than purple. She couldn’t help her tears. She tried every position possible on the floor and couldn’t find a single position that didn’t hurt. The pain. The pain was immeasurable. She would have the same thing tomorrow.  He would catch her. He would hurt her. Whether with sharp objects or with blunt, he would hurt her. She covered her eyes again. The person that had just seen her might be her hope. He might end her now. That would do her good, now. She’d rather that happen than another day of this.

Kevin opened the door.

Twilight got ready for a kick in the back. Maybe he went in to get a baseball bat. Twilight prepared for that blunt force too.

Kevin spied the mare cringe as he held the blanket.

Twilight first felt the soft fabric against her mane, then wing, then back. All the way around her.

Kevin tucked the fabric by Twilight’s side.

Twilight out her head under the blanket and prepared again for what was next to come.

What was next to come: “Do you want to come inside” Kevin asked choking back all of his star-struck emotions.

Twilight looked at him.

Kevin gazed into Twilight’s eyes. They once again completely evaporated his very soul. He couldn’t stand to look for very long before wanting to cry himself.
“What are you going to do to?” Twilight begged. “Are you going to hurt me? Why do you want to do this? Why must this happen?” Twilight cracked all of the words. She barely held her sadness out enough to make the words understood.
Kevin heard the words clearly. They brought tears to his eyes.
“I only want you to be happy,” Kevin barely mustered.
Twilight turned her head back into the blanket. If she was crying before, then now she was pouring. There was no way to say the amount of liquid that puddled into the sleeve of the blanket. Kevin stood by and watched. His first tear left his eye and fell to the floor.
Twilight nodded her head slowly.
“Do you need help?” Kevin asked noticing that even though the darkness of the night had taken much of the color out of the hallway, she had a very dark coat. Maybe she had one of her legs broke. Maybe she only made it this far into the hallway, because of that.
Twilight nodded a little quicker this time.
Kevin slowly worked his hands around her and brought her to his bed.
Kevin “slept” on the ground. “Slept,” because he didn’t. Twilight had taken up all of the bed, and he didn’t want to disturb her. He was lost in thought. He stared at the ceiling and thought. “How?” He thought so many things. “Someone had done something to her. Someone had hurt her. Someone had put her in this world.”

Twilight “slept” in the bed. “Slept,” because she didn’t. She looked at the human. The first human besides her friends to not attack her. She had met many people, now. She had been hurt by all of them. She never hinted that she wasn’t sleeping. She didn’t know how generous he was. Maybe he would take it back if she even moved incorrectly on it. Her position still hurt. The bruises wounded her on all sides. Every time she breathed there was one scratch and three bruises that pinched and fought her. It hurt. It hurt less than the ground, but it hurt. She would never feel the ground beneath her feet again. There truly was a whole world of hurt and she was in it.

Kevin tried to sleep. It never came to him.

There was a knock at the door. Kevin went to answer it. It was the head of the university.
“You have to move out now.” Those were the only words she said. She turned and left him there. He hated the idea that he had to leave.
Finally, he closed the door behind him.
“Twilight,” he said.
Twilight leapt to her hooves: hurting her bruised ankle on her way up.
“You might have to go.”
Twilight was crushed and surprised. She just about burst into tears immediately when he said so. Then she did burst into tears.
“No. No don’t do that, Twilight.” Kevin again had a crack in his voice and about cried himself. “That. Twilight?”
Twilight had maybe just found someone that would prevent harm from coming on her and now he had rejected her.
“We can make some way where…” He looked at her face. Her eye refusing to look at his, but tearing so relentlessly.
“You could stay at a hotel with.”
Kevin didn’t know what to say. He didn’t have plans for if he didn’t succeed at his university. Let alone if there just happened to be an alicorn princess that needed help and assistance.
“I could make you a room?” Kevin finally asked her successfully.
Twilight stopped crying as much and asked “Really?”
“Yes.” Kevin still needed to notify the hotel to fit two queen-sized beds, and still had to get her from the dormitory to the hotel unharmed. There was the matter of food. “What exactly do ponies eat?” He thought.
That would be settled. Kevin offered Twilight a first-class seat on the SS luggage. The only disguise that he could manage to get her out of here in.
Twilight slowly made her way into the box with Kevin’s help. She could come out later when all is clear.
So began the journey.

In Ponyville, The clouds began to darken. The portal had been chained up. Nopony was to go near it. The thunderstorms came. The monsters came, and not even Applejack and Rainbow Dash could save the town from atrocities.
 

> Magic and Destruction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight couldn’t help but cry. She hurt so badly. Her left hoof was sprained and her left fore hoof was broken. She had cuts everywhere but her face where she had one small bruise, she had one of her wing’s bones chipped and no matter what she did, it always hurt. She had just been helped and now was in some form of box. Kevin moved all of his things into the back of the car. When he finally got onto the road, he asked Twilight if she needed help getting out of the box, since the disguise was no longer necessary. She barely managed the words under all of the pain. Kevin helped her out and she sat in the back seat of his car. Kevin drove down the street for maybe 30 minutes before stopping at the hotel that they were going to stay at.

It was not very fancy, but still the hotel managed to make an impression on the two. After checking in and unloading all of their things (by which I mean Kevin’s: Kevin have put Twilight in and out of the box to disguise her) Twilight sat at the foot of the bed, and Kevin then apologized:
“I’m very sorry, Twilight. I don’t know anything about what happened, but I’ll fix this.” He prepared to go out while he continued. “I’m going to go grocery shopping, I’ll try to get anything that you might need. I’ll be back in an about an hour.” Surprised that he could stay so cool around one of his own role-models, he turned around and saw her sad face. He embraced the moment of emotion. Twilight had been hurt, flogged, mutilated, and hashed. She had been thrown out and beaten. Twilight still cried. It was little, but she still hurt very badly.
Kevin could only find one way to prevent her being this sad. He got down on his knees and hugged the saddened mare.
Twilight felt the human arms burn into her aching bruises. She cringed and pulled a deep breath through her teeth. Kevin pulled back and apologized again.
“I’m sorry, Twilight.”
Twilight nodded.
Briefly after, Kevin turned out the door and went looking for pony-safe food.

What do ponies eat? By all that the TV show had given him to go off of, Kevin looked for the following: water, Ice cream, cake, breads, salads, any vegetables, flowers, honey and chocolate. After finding half of the items, Kevin noticed that most of them were desserts and returned: the cakes and chocolates. He then stopped by the drug store and picked up: splints, bandages, adhesive tape and hydrogen peroxide. 
Kevin returned. Twilight lay on the bed and looked up at him. 
“I brought you some things.” he told her.

Twilight still didn’t fully trust this guy. She watched as he pulled out: at least two gallons of vanilla ice cream with the words, “I didn’t know what kinds of Ice cream that you have in Ponyville, so I just got the kind that has to be edible by all creatures.” Twilight nodded slowly. He continued with: Bread, salads, mustard, flowers, honey and medical supplies.

Kevin went to apply honey and hydrogen peroxide to the wounds (the loads of antioxidants in honey can heal small cuts relatively quickly) and then stripped the bandages. Afterwards, he used the splints and tape to fix her broken leg.
“Can you stand on it?” he asked. She responded after a failed attempt where the splint spread out and did nothing. Twilight’s tears grew.
“I’ll fix that.” Kevin said, panicked. He tightened the splints over her hoof.
“Better?” Kevin questioned.
Twilight steadily got to her hooves and nodded.
Kevin then proceeded to tie the tape around her wing to prevent it from becoming more hurt.
He got out one of the gallons of ice cream and several bottles of water from the bags and opened them for her. She drank the water

Twilight didn’t want to impose. She didn’t want to eat something of somebody that she didn’t know. After staring at it for several minutes, she finally sucome to the undeniable taste of ice cream. She used her magic to lift the spoon (too quickly) from the drum of ice cream to her mouth. 

Kevin could barely comprehend that she was not getting a headache from all of the ice cream, but she kept eating it until the whole jug had been emptied. Kevin proceeded as he had planned on his way over from the store.

“If you wouldn’t mind,” Kevin asked. Twilight sat up, “How did you manage to get here?” She responded her first clear words since her capture: “I came through portal.” She then drank about the whole flat of water that Kevin bought.
“Why aren’t you curious about how I know you?” He managed “if you care to tell me.”
“My previous…” (Captor, horror Twilight searched her vocabulary for the word: roommate) “Roommate,” she burst, “told me about that. The show, you...”
She fell back on the bed.

Kevin knew that he shouldn’t ask any more questions until another time when she’s maybe not so fresh out of the torture chamber.

“If it’s alright with you,” Twilight calmed, “I might ask you one question?”
“Okay.” Kevin reluctantly agreed.
“Why are you helping me?”

Good question. Why exactly is he helping her? He knew that he liked her. It was because of something that she didn’t understand fully. He finally decided to respond to the question with his greatest mind. He only had the sense to tell her one thing as he looked into her adorable eyes.
“I am like you, Twilight. I have bad days and I have good days. I have been forced under the pressures of society and I have been comforted by my friends. There was one friend though, that I could never meet. I was comforted by my friends when I was at my lowest time. Sometimes, though, I didn’t have my friends to be there for me. I had no comfort when I was sad. Not any comfort except for you. You were there for me every day. In my hardest times. In my easiest times. You were always there for me. So now I am here for you. Your darkest hour. I always am there for my friends. I always take after my friends, and if there is one thing I want to do for you, my friend, it is to be here for you now.”

Twilight turned to herself. She couldn’t look at him after he said something like that. He was here for her. He was the shoulder for her to cry on. She had a friendly feeling for a new friend.

> Twilight's friend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight woke up in the morning with her new friend in the bed beside hers. She barely managed to get to her hooves when she heard a very annoying sound. Snoring. Kevin was snoring. She needed to get this guy some sort of a plug. Twilight went to get herself breakfast for the day. She really had no complete assurance that this man really just wanted to help her. Maybe he really was just scheming her into thinking she was safe and breaking her heart as he tortured her.

Kevin woke up to the sound of Twilight fumbling with the dishes. Apparently she didn’t have all of the magic under control after her capture. He got out of bed and went to help her to get breakfast. The sight was exasperating. She could barely use her magic. She had lifted up several plates and wasn’t able to move them across the counter for her to use.
“Are you okay?” Kevin asked her.
“Just…” Twilight managed before breathing in exhaustion, “Will you please help me”
Kevin grabbed the plate and put it by Twilight.
“Thanks,” Twilight obliged.
“Don’t mention it,” Kevin managed as Twilight attempted a fake smile. Kevin then smiled back.
Twilight then continued to try to open the refrigerator to get herself an apple. Refusing to let someone help her, she made several grunting noises in the vain attempt to open up the refrigerator. Kevin eventually gave up her magic and went to open the fridge himself. Twilight rolled her eyes as he brought the door to full open position.
“Is there something wrong, Twilight?” Kevin asked worriedly.
“Yes…”Twilight unsettled.
“Can I help you?” Kevin used his most heartfelt voice understanding that she was in a very sad position and most likely could not use her magic for reasons concerning her more recent ablutions. 
“There’s nothing.” Twilight gasped as she turned her head towards the table. She saddened. There was no use in a unicorn that couldn’t use her magic. She felt useless, and very, very unloved. Especially here. Especially after being in that room with that man. That man that above all of her former “roommates” had hated by far worse.
“Twilight,” Kevin pertained, “Twilight. No. Don’t be sad. Promise me that you’ll be alright.”
“I can’t use magic as well as I used to. I could barely lift that spoon last night. I…”
“Twilight,” Kevin stopped her.
“But...”
“Twilight?” Kevin now pouted, “Promise me that no matter what condition you’re in that you will be okay. That you will be happy, because I am here to help. As long as you are here to help yourself. C’mon I’ll help.”
Kevin brought her out an apple and shined it.
“Here.”
Twilight hadn’t used her hooves as often as she could. She really should have done so whenever possible encase her were ever to run out of it: as a situation like this would demand.
Twilight slowly eat the apple while Kevin ate cereal. Today, he would have eaten bacon and eggs, but simply because Twilight was here, he had to get used a totally vegan diet.
Twilight finished the apples and fumbled towards the couch she lay down and reached for a book. There were no books, though.
“I’ll get you some books when I can.” faltered Kevin. Twilight smiled. Kevin turned on the TV for her and brought it to the discovery family network.
“My Little Pony will be on in thirty minutes, Kevin recalled before he pulled out a laptop and looked for job openings and made several calls (lasting until 2:00 in the afternoon).
Twilight marveled at the matter that someone had managed to understand and follow all of her adventures. She watched the episodes where she investigates the Pinkie sense: “Feeling Pinkie Keen” and the one where all of the mane six tell the stories of their cutie mark adventures: 		“The Cutie mark Chronicles.”
She then turned to her new friend bearing her feelings about this world. She had missed her friends and wanted to go back.
“Can you take me back to the portal? I can show you where it is.”
“I could. Where is it?”
“It was by the school on the road down two blocks.”
Kevin was very surprised at her enthusiasm. He had just gotten to know her on a personal level and she already wanted to leave. Although it was very understandable, he wished he could be here for her for her for longer in his head silently. He then realized how selfish that thought was. He can’t hold Twilight away from her friends especially in this condition. He nodded. He would have to do this tomorrow. It was a little late for today. He described this to Twilight. Twilight nodded slowly and got slowly to her feet before trudging over to the fridge to get another apple (that Kevin had to go and help her get).

Twilight woke up the next morning excited to go back to Ponyville and see her friends. After ten days of being on earth rather than Equestria, 	she could see her friends.

After ten days, the town of Ponyville was in ruins

Ten days since Kevin had first heard Twilight crying in the next-door room.

After ten days, Twilight had left and no one in all of Equestria would look at Twilight the same again. Their only hope.

Kevin hesitantly got his keys and escorted Twilight to his car. Twilight limped across the room towards the door. Kevin decided that this act was not healthy for her and instead picked her up in one arm and brought her through the terrace to his car (in the back so that she wouldn’t be seen).
Twilight laid on the seat: both giving extra protection from being seen and relaxing her aching leg.
After an hour (twice as long as it should have taken, because Kevin stalled the car from moving at the full speed limit to spend as much time with the alicorn in the back seat as possible).
Kevin parked the car and looked for any bypasses. When he decided the coast was clear, he took Twilight out of the back seat and asked her where the portal was. It appeared non-existent. Twilight urged him to put her down. Only she knew how to go through the portal. She got her hooves firmly to the ground as she limped across the ground to the center of the street. This was how she got through: she had to locate the approximate location that the portal was and think very strongly about her friends. The portal ran off of the magic of friendship. She concentrated on her friends back in Ponyville and thought long and hard before looking back at her friend here on earth that had been so nice to her: even bringing her to where he knew he would see her no more.
Kevin waited by his car and stared at the alicorn. Her sad face looking back at him melted his heart one more time before the alicorn disappeared into thin air. Kevin was just a stranger, now. A stranger sitting on the side of the road staring blankly into the space before him. He wanted to follow her, but he didn’t know how to. There was no way of knowing how she randomly vanished through the portal. He sat taking in defeat. That was a good word for it. Defeated. Defeated by fate. That such an occurrence should happen and he would be the proud friend of someone that he looked up to for so long before all in one day, she had left him all alone. Defeated.

Defeated. All of Equestria. Defeated. Twilight had just appeared in the same spot as she had disappeared in over a week ago. It wasn’t the same, though. The ground and all of its inhabitants were gone. There was only fire. Fire all around. It seemed to run towards her. It blisteringly curved towards her. She feared she would not see her friends again. She would never see Kevin. She thought these things before looking up and finding her very friends hanging. Suspended in magic. Strong magic. The only creature that she could recall being able to levitate so many things at one time was a draconequus, but there were all of her friends up there. There was Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rose, Doctor, Derpy, Lily, Lyra, Zecora and even Discord. There was no way that he could be doing this. He was under the spell, and if he was under the spell, it must be an unbreakable spell. Everypony she knew and more: piled on top of one another. She had to be concerned… but she had no magic. She was a wounded alicorn. A wounded wing, and wounded leg, and several bruises. She had no chance with the little levitation abilities she had that she could help anypony. She had to help them though.

Pinkie, the one pony that seems to know everything about everything that was going on. Turned her head to see whomever had just came into this dimension. It was Twilight. She had come for them, and by the look and her face, she actually remembered her. Pinkie had thought several days ago that Twilight had completely forgot her. She had no idea that she couldn’t remember her anymore.
“Twilight.” Pinkie whispered so as not to wake the sleeping demon down below.
Twilight didn’t respond.
“Twilight!” Pinkie whispered in the loudest voice possible.
Twilight woke up from her trance and glanced at Pinkie
“I can’t help,” Twilight squeaked, I’ve… My magic is… gone.” Twilight can’t seem to take a break from crying, this month. She buried her face in her hooves. Her friends were all unable to do anything, today. They were all going to be prisoners just as she had been.
“Twilight,” Pinkie called again from the sky above. She obviously was imprisoned by some being. It would explain all of the changes in all of the landscape. “That’s okay, Twilight. Save yourself, He’s waking. He wants you, first. Run!” Pinkie only screamed the last words. After seeing her long lost friend that it turn out did remember her, she had to tell her to leave for her own sake. Twilight had to save herself until her magical abilities returned. She would be back in time to save them.
Twilight ran to the portal (which on this side of the veil was visible). She thought strongly about her friends back on earth: in human form. Regardless of how hard that was considering she had her original friend’s right here, she had to in order to save them. She kept trying, but the matter that her real friends were still here, and they needed her kept her from helping it. Twilight stopped thinking as time seemed to slow down. The ground shook. Pinkie seemed to be yelling at her in the slowest way possible. All of her other friends had noticed her and started chanting along with Pinkie. A tear fell from both Twilight’s and Pinkie’s eye as Twilight again stepped in to the portal thinking all about her new friend. She thought strongly about Kevin and all that he had done to help her in a two-day period including: giving up his bed while she was hurt, buying her food, and getting everything for her, because he understood her condition. All this and more flooded her head as she vanished closing her eyes and vanishing. A tail hit the portal. Destroying it seconds after the mare left for Earth. With the portal gone, the demon couldn’t see her entrance as clearly, but the land that it had stood on would be under his domain. Next time Twilight came, there will be no safe spot.

Kevin shed one tear. Knowing that it was very selfish to want to keep the magnificent pony in his dimension, he finally whipped aside the thought and turned to his car. He had one person to take care of now, and sadly his list of people only included him. He put the key in the ignition and turned it: looking one more time at the place where Twilight had gone, looking slowly back to the dashboard and then glancing back as out of the corner of his eye, he saw something purple. There was nothing. He started driving towards the hotel room, passing his old dormitory. He shed another tear. Twilight was gone. She had gone to live with her friends in Ponyville forever. Kevin had lost his friend.

 

> Square One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Kevin parked outside of his hotel room, and brought himself wearily to the couch, throwing his keys to one side as he pumped himself onto the other side of it.
He flipped on the TV. He didn’t care what it was just as long as it wasn’t My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. In fact he didn’t want to watch anything that had anything to do with friends. He turned to any show that didn’t involve any type of hugging, high-fiving, fist bumping or pretty much any show that didn’t exist. As he scrolled through the channels, he saw only the following: My little pony, SpongeBob, Friends, The Lone Ranger, Batman and Robin, Star Trek, Everybody loves Raymond, The Golden Girls and even luny tunes. There seemed no show that didn’t relate friends. He turned off the TV and curled up on the couch to embrace the loneliness. He couldn’t even eat the ice cream he got for Twilight given his original intentions for it. Kevin didn’t have a job interview until two days from, now. He might as well enjoy the few benefits of being totally alone and unemployed.
He fell asleep at noon after eating a small lunch of a ham sandwich (because there was no Twilight around to question the strange food). Waking up at 2:00, he began to walk towards the kitchen for a snack. When grabbing a bottle of water, he drank away and thought about how later he should go for a walk or a jog. He could clear his mind and come back having had a somewhat nice workout. Kevin finished the bottle and started for the door. Upon realizing that he left his keys on the couch he turned and grabbed them, hearing as he did so, a familiar noise. It was the noise that Twilight had made when she walked. Her splints made a faint rubbing noise and she grunted as it still hurt a little to move.
Kevin thought that he had been hallucinating for the fewest of seconds. After silence, he turned the doorknob and took his walk.

Twilight collapsed on the floor. She fainted after having all the exhaustion that she could take for one day.

Kevin walked for an hour and a half before coming home. What he saw there startled him.

Twilight woke up to a familiar face fanning her. She had several droplets of water on her face from him splashing small amounts of water on her to wake her up. Kevin stroked her mane and welcomed her back to Earth.
“Hello,” The sad face weased. Kevin cried again. He had his friend back, but she was clearly in even worse shape than he had seen her in earlier today. Twilight looked so sad about her visit to Equestria.
“What happened?” Kevin asked startling the mare.
“I…” Twilight put her face to her hooves, “All of my friends have been captured and there’s nothing that I can do to help them.” Came the muffled voice from the inside of the arms wrapped tightly around her muzzle.
Kevin stood in shock. Twilight cried. Kevin could only imagine what kinds of things were happening to the other six characters that he looked up to (including Spike).
Surprisingly calm, Kevin followed through in his promise to Twilight.
“There, there, Twi. I’m sure you’ll be able to stop whatever fear is keeping them captive” Kevin didn’t know this for sure, but he couldn’t let Twilight feel this way for long. She was his hero. She made friends with him, and if there was one thing that his friend had taught him after several tens of episodes, it was that a true friend helps another when she is in need.
Kevin hugged Twilight. Kevin was very contented when this time, the adorable mare hugged back.

Kevin didn’t hurt her, now. He wrapped his arms around her and she obliged to give him ¾ of a hug back considering she couldn’t flex her broken hoof.

Kevin finished the hug and sat back on the couch. Twilight whipped the tears from her eyes and sat back on the couch, too. Kevin thought back that maybe she had been portaled back to the same spot and then teleported herself here, but that couldn’t be right. She can’t use her magic.
Twilight interrupted his thought process with the correct answer.
“I was brought here by the portal,” She moaned, “I thought of you and I thought about the hotel. The portal brought me to the best place to see you. I came here.”
Kevin was surprised and tired. The combination of both of these feelings made him feel: not as surprised as he should be and not as tired as he should be. Either way, he patted Twilight on the back (gently) and told her that she would return to Ponyville unscathed. Twilight gave a weak smile back at him.

Pinkie Pie took a rage against the demon.
“Why don’t you just end us here?!” She exclaimed, “We would be better off if you just did so.”
The demon answered, his head raising even higher than the upward direction that Pinkie Pie “stood” at. His voice at an ear piercing tone. 	“You?” As unharmed as the ponies were (which was not at all) he had tortured them with his words. That he tear apart all of them starting with Twilight. Twilight was not here, though she was on earth. The great demon stepped towards Pinkie in a manner similar to that of Godzilla: towering over all of the building and waddling ferociously. He knocked over several buildings as her started at the pink earth pony.
“Why would I do that? I will not do you justice. After many years of waiting, I will have my revenge.”
Celestia then spoke up. “It is my fault that you sat forever in Tartarus. I sentenced you there, because of all of the damage that you did accidentally to Canterlot. You weren’t meant to be a devil. You were to be a dragon and you would be a proud member of our society, but my subject failed me. I failed you. I’m sorry. Don’t hurt the other ponies.”
“I already told you that I will not do you justice. I will keep my word!” The dark creature shouted.
“Why start with Twilight?” Celestia asked desperately.
“Why? You know why. She’s the raw equivalent of my old master. Since my master is gone, she will be my slave.”
“She won’t be your slave, though!” Applejack spoke up. The demon slunk over to the element of honesty.
“She will,” he said as he brought one claw up to her chest and pointed it as squarely in the middle as he could: poking her, sinking his claw farther into her chest as possible.
Applejack cringed. He was pushing his hateful claw too far into her.
“She will.” The demon tossed back his hand as he grunted the words.
A small spot of blood dripped the small sudden wound. Applejack’s flesh had been slightly impaled. It hurt worse than it should.

Kevin beheld the alicorn. She meant more to him than he could describe except with the word: friend. She might be sad now, but he going to change that. She was going to be happy.
Twilight sat on the couch (laid, more like) and ate another apple. She still frowned beyond the point of explanation. Kevin recalled one thing before he excused himself to go outside.
He came back after about fifteen minutes later.
“What happened?” Twilight asked expecting that he’d be there sooner (he said he’d only be gone a few minutes).
“I went out for something.” Kevin responded holding back a smile quite vainly. Twilight was too depressed to notice that he was totally faking a straight face.
“What did you go out for?” Twilight asked a little sarcasm in her voice.
Kevin pulled a bag from behind his back. A square, plastic bag.
He plopped it next to Twilight and asked her to open it.
It took Twilight a few moments to get to her hooves and then to steer herself towards the bag: reaching in and clamping a soft cover with silky pages.
Twilight gasped. Kevin had gotten her books. She quickly got the first one grabbed and pulled it out. Reading the cover, she determined that she didn’t remember a lick of this strange title.
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?” Twilight questioned the sequence.
Kevin nodded. “I know that your favorite book series is Daring Do, so I got you the human’s equivalent of that very book series.
Twilight reached in and pulled three more books out. She was still concerned, but obviously Kevin had gone through the process of buying these books and driving out to get them, so she smiled and thanked with a following hug. Kevin had successfully done just what a combination of Pinkie Pie and Rarity would do.
Kevin sat for the rest of the night next to Twilight. Twilight read her book: noticing all of the similarities between it and her Daring Do books at home. They were almost twins. They were almost the very same books other than the matter of fact that one book had a longer-lasting storyline and included a human in it instead of a Pegasus.
She became very acquainted with the book and found herself sleeping beside it when she was finally able to put it down.
Kevin again slept in the bed beside hers. He concluded Twilight’s night by telling her: “Promise me that you’ll be here and well in the morning,” to which Twilight answered: “I will.”
> Desperate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A silence grew over all of Equestria. Twilight, their only hope, was in another dimension. The demon raided houses as all of the ponies floated in their auras.
Celestia tried to combat the monster’s great anger with sentimental feelings.
“Do you remember your name?” She appealed in the calmest voice she could use.
The demon had not heard speech in a long time and had longed the sense to even remember what they used to call him. He stood his limp body up to its full height-angling himself to meet the princess’ gaze.
“I don’t recall a name,” A raspy voice echoed in Celestia’s ears.
“I can tell you your name. You can be a proud member of our society just as Spike had. You are welcome here,” Celestia tempted.
“I can’t now,” The being began, “I’ve come too far.”
“Yes, but if you were to let me help, then we could all be a part of something better. Forget all of your other names. We don’t care about those. We don’t even mind that much what you did to Twilight. I’m sure she’ll forgive you,” the princess deceived.
“I won’t,” He snapped out of his trance, “I can’t accept your offer, and I will not accept any offer given by pony scum like you.”
As the demon walked away, Celestia tried her last play of wit and charm. “I guess you do remember your name then?” She smirked.
He stopped. It had been so long. He had not heard his own name since weeks after his birth. He was so old, and could not remember an ounce of that.
“No,” he raised his voice.
“I do,” Celestia used a cheeky voice.
“What is it?” starting to grow impatient, he fell for her tricks.
“Bellus,” Celestia snickered.
Bellus. The beast had a name. He was once considered a part of this society of smiles. He was once a pony. He had only never been able to see just what he was put here for. He had to know what he was a part of.
“You are bigger than this,” Celestia chimed, “You can defeat him.”
The beast waved himself away from her and trudged on to other parts of Equestria. Parts that hadn’t burnt yet: maybe he missed some. Master would be upset.

“Do you think that you can do it?” Kevin asked Twilight staring deeply into her eyes.
“I can,” Twilight said thoughtfully. Kevin had had a magical talking alicorn in his house for about a week and she had managed to make herself plenty much at home. After most of her bruises had faded, Kevin had asked her if she was up to magical training to ensure that she will make it to Equestria safely. Twilight, today, greedily eats up the chance to try magic again.
“Okay,” Kevin said, “let’s see.”
Twilight’s horn glowed. The light grew somewhat gradually until the light seemed to burst and then she was gone. Seconds later, the magenta mare apparated several yards away.
Kevin grinned. He was now helping his greatest friend ever in more than one way.
Twilight, having just teleported (and not seemingly too hard) was thinking about something completely different. She noticed that there was nopony like Kevin in her world. After thinking for the remaining end of the week, Twilight had made some discussions with herself and came to the realization that she had never seen anyone that looked even remotely close to him (if he were a pony) and that maybe he was like her. Did she really want to face that right now, though?
“Good job, Twilight” Kevin whooped.
Twilight came back to reality.
“Thanks, I couldn’t have done it without you.” Twilight acknowledged and crawled back to her best human friend ever.
“Don’t mention it,” Kevin said.
What does that even mean anymore? He has been using that phrase for every time she thanked him. He had been saying “You’ll still be my friend in the morning” every single time she went to sleep. Why does he say this with such repetition? Even when Kevin would go out for his new job he wouldn’t say goodbye but goodbye, friend.
Twilight never stopped thinking. This process kept going on day by day. Twilight picked up on these things, but was never able to completely decide what he meant. She also started thinking about other things. She could never ask him seriously, though. It was certain that this might have to wait until later.
Twilight then used the new magic that she had to tear the bandage off of her wing. It still hurt, but the adhesive was itchy and she decided that she didn’t need it anymore.
Today was a day of achievement for Twilight.
Today, Kevin still had his friend, and he was thankful he still had another day with her.
Kevin gave up eating again what he could have eaten for a vegan thing and ate with her. Both of them eating apples. Kevin really was tired of eating nothing but fruits and vegetables. He especially was tired of eating apples, but he wasn’t complaining. The longer he had his friend here the better.
They finished eating and began to practice again. Kevin kept cheering her on until she successfully completed many feats namely: rain, wind and mustache spells. Twilight was congratulated with each spell, and they both went to bed afterwards.
“Good night, friend,” Kevin told Twilight.
“Good night,” Twilight then responded to Kevin. There he went again. He wouldn’t just say goodnight. He would say friend or acknowledge her in some way other than a normal. She wondered about this character. Why does he keep wording his sentences like that? After overkilling the entire thought process, Twilight finally slept.



Applejack awakened, her chest still hurt from the sincere wound that the beast had put on it. She put her head to her hooves. She had not been fed decently in several days. When she had been fed, some of the food would consist of animal matter, and she was unsettled to have to eat it. Applejack tried to communicate to Rarity.
“Can you do it, Rare?” to which Rarity responded the best way possible
“If Twilight can do it, then so can I,” Rarity exclaimed putting her nose higher in the air, “Not that I’m any better than Twilight, but a 	unicorn must have some sort of… style factor don’t you think?”
“Whatever you say.” Applejack said rolling her eyes as she said so. 
“Okay. Here I go.” Rarity’s horn glew brighter and brighter with magic until it burst with brightness and then she disappeared. Bellus would not be back from wherever he was for a while. He went to northern Equestria to raid houses there. Rarity stood in the spot where the portal had once stood. Rarity had done the spell correctly. She had teleported to the right spot. Applejack was next Rarity did her best to carefully teleport the orange earth pony down to the ground beside her.
“Why can’t anypony else come with us, well, besides Pinkie and the others?”
“Because all of the other do not have friends on the other world. Twilight is our friend and she needs us.” Rarity responded as she used her magic to again teleport another pony down from the skies. Pinkie appeared. Somehow, she was very excited.
“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, “Finally, after only seeing this world through short visions, I can see the humans in person!”
“Yeah, will you please calm it down, Pinkie?” Applejack said.
Rarity teleported the remainder of the crew as Applejack continued to silence Pinkie.
“Pinkie, if ya don’t calm down, then the monster might hear ya and then we’ll all be sorry.”
“Silly, Applejack, he’s not going to get us, he’s too large and slow.”
“Yeah but…”
“Girls,” Rarity interrupted, “Will you please stop talking and help us locate the portal?”
Applejack and Pinkie Pie both agreed to calm down as they followed Rarity to the small dented tin piece of ground where the portal had once been before it was torn off by a long, scaly tail.
Let’s all go, Rarity asked the others. Fluttershy and Rainbow dash had both been teleported down from their last spot in the sky and joined their companions on the ground. All five of them stood on the tin.
The frame might not be there, but the portal itself must be.
All of them thinking very hard about their good friend, they all disappeared through the portal.

Kevin woke up like he did every day, now. He got up, ate a breakfast of pancakes and then gave his best friend a hug, stroking her mane for good luck before walking out the door to got to his new job at a burger factory ™. Having paid his rent to the manager on his way out the door, he drove his car to work and gave it no second thoughts.
He had a feeling, today. He had a feeling that he was going to have a great day.

All five ponies opened their eyes. This world was weird. There was an unnecessarily bright sun, the streets were black, and there were strange metallic box-like scooters around every house. The weirdest part was that there were no humans. Applejack got to her hooves.
“Alright, Everypony. Let’s find Twilight.”

Kevin drove home, now. He had all the reason in the world not to see what was about to happen next.
He opened the door to his hotel. Hearing crying, he immediately went to Twilight’s bed to see if she hurt herself. As he got nearer, he noticed the sound starting to split itself. There was someone else in the room. There were two people crying. Noticing that this means that there must be someone that now knew about Twilight, Kevin started running.
“Twilight?” Kevin asked, “Twilight?”
By the time he reached the room, he had run out of words.
Twilight sat at the edge of the bed, stroking Fluttershy’s mane. Fluttershy cried. She cried out of pain and discomfort. Applejack cried. She cried out of pain.
Kevin rushed over to the bed. Two ponies he had known so well had appeared on his bed and were crying away all of their tears. Twilight seemed on the verge of tears.
“What happened?” Kevin exclaimed.
Applejack noticed the figure at the doorway. She sniffled and then turned back to Twilight. “Is he the one that’s been taking care of you?”
Twilight nodded as a tear finally left her eye.
Both Applejack and Fluttershy sat up and reached for Kevin. 
Kevin gathered himself and went to the side of the bed and hugged each of the lonely mares.
“What happened?” Kevin repeated.
“They came for me,” Twilight responded.
“And?” Kevin continued
“And they found me.”
“But why are they crying?” Kevin asked.
“They are crying because they are happy to see me and because they’re sorry they weren’t there to help protect me from a terrible 	human being.” Twilight said, annoyance making its way into her voice.
“Oh,” Kevin hung his head.
Fluttershy’s mane shined. Kevin continued to hug the saddened mares. 
After meeting with them for several minutes, Kevin finally went on to making dinner: a dinner of alfalfa seed sandwiches for the four of them l (apparently it’s a delicacy in Ponyville). Twilight was reunited with two of her very best friends.
> Butterflies, Gems and Rainbows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Running out of food due to the amazing amount of colorful ponies, Kevin went shopping. Twilight stayed home with the new ponies. Kevin went to work as usual. Today became unexpected.
Fluttershy went to the window, curious to see the world below. The cars moved in a pattern. It seemed each car was in order: silver car, black car, red car, silver car, black car red car, and it kept going like that. Everything lined up. Fluttershy watched silently. She saw everything.
After gazing upon the world for several minutes, Fluttershy noticed a flaw. There was a cat across the street without a home. How cruel is his world? Why is it so dark as compared to hers? Just being here for a day, she had to dodge all sorts of people, she had to avoid helping animals for the sake of her own safety. Fluttershy hadn’t seen a world this mean since she was in flight school.
Fluttershy wasn’t very confident in a lot of things. This world could only depress her. For one thing, Twilight and her “person” hadn’t even asked if there were others that went with them. This likely meant that they didn’t care that much about their awkward commute in this terrible city. Fluttershy wondered on what happened to the others now that they had separated from them and not found the way over here yet. Saddened, Fluttershy lay on the couch, depressed. Would she ever see them again?

Rainbow Dash brought her head up from the ground on the alley way. She had slept in the alleyway. That was not something that Rainbow did. She turned to her left. Rarity and Pinkie both slept like rocks. With Rarity, that was probably expected due to her close relationship with stones, but with Pinkie that was much unexpected given her hyperactive nature.
“Get up,” Rainbow declared in a hopeful lead-the-way speech. Pinkie sprang to her hooves. Rarity stumbled and fell as she made her attempt to come to life.
Rainbow dash continued, ignorant of their reaction. “If we are going to help Twilight, then we need to help her before something terrible gets her. Whatever got her last time will likely strike again, and that won’t happen if I have anything to say about it.” Rainbow dash hated the idea that one of her friends was in trouble and that she will have no part in being able to save her. If she would later find Twilight dead, then it would be likely that she would be the next to go. She would die defending her best friend.
Rainbow led her friends to the edge of the alleyway before checking if the cost was clear.
“Rarity, is that spell of any use here?” Rainbow dash tried to examine.
“I would, if Twilight is out of trouble, it will most certainly work.” 
“Great,” Rainbow said. There will be no barriers now. Rainbow dash could get her friends back and save all of Equestria.

“So how did you find us?” Twilight questioned.
“It was easy,” Applejack started, “me and Fluttershy thought about you very hard upon entering the portal, and we were spanned almost immediately upon entering this world. We saw Rainbow dash and the others moments before we were moved several miles away at a very fast pace. Some invisible force just brought us all the way over here to the outside of this here apartment.”
“That’s funny, the same thing happened to me,” Twilight said, thinking about the experience she had coming back to this world.
“Did you say the others?” Twilight questioned realizing that there might be a good chance that the other three were here looking for her.
“Yeah, well…” Applejack began before she was interrupted by the door opening and shutting; Kevin stalked in.
“Oh,” he barely managed a form of declaring the amount of adorable in the room. He walked over to the table on the other side of the room where Fluttershy sat.
Twilight and Applejack stared at him. They had not noticed that Fluttershy was acting a little bit more depressed than usual. She was too far away from them for anyone to notice whether she was depressed or just shy as usual.
Fluttershy lifted her head. She had only known Kevin for a half a day now, but he hugged her and held her as if he had known her for many 	years: as a good friend.
“What’s the matter?” Kevin asked sitting at the corresponding seat.
Fluttershy sighed. She turned realizing that he was even taller now than she had ever guessed a human would. She knew by the look of 	understanding in his eyes that she could trust him.
“I don’t fit in here,” she said, “I always feel misplaced here and that I might never get back to my home. There are things and people that might try to hurt me and I don’t want anything to happen to me. To any of us.”
Kevin understood every word regardless of the lack of absolute accent. She was too shy to speak very clearly, but despite that, he heard every word.
“I understand that,” Kevin brought forth, “I understand that you might be hurt. I understand that you and all of your friends are at great risk. I know that there are issues regarding one of you. Your home was attacked. Regardless: You have a home here. It is always open. It is always safe. I will protect you. There is no chance that they will get to you without me to stop them. I will die before you do, fluttershy. They will not kill you before they first kill me.”
Kevin couldn’t ensure himself that that was true. It was as true as he could have thought it to be in theory. He couldn’t know for sure if any haters would first kill him and then try to seek revenge on whatever it was that ponies ever did to them. He wasn’t even sure if there were 	other variables that might lead to her demise before his own. He knew one thing for sure, though, one thing. He knew that he would guard this pony with his life. There are few things that could ever get rid of that thought.	
Kevin leaned in for a hug. Fluttershy wasn’t accustomed to the very air this guy breathed yet. She wasn’t sure if she could trust him. She knew that he had tried his best to comfort her… and it worked. She felt better and she did want a hug, especially after she had been through this ordeal. She accepted the hug as she wrapped her hooves around his sides.
Kevin couldn’t help but notice that her hooves only reached a small portion of the way around him. Her small arms could barely extend past his sides. This thought process was disrupted in a split second as he heard a familiar and quite threatening voice.
“Get off her!”
The voice, very easily that of Rainbow dash came from the window to the apartment.
Kevin dare not look: it could provoke her to come at him faster and harder.
Twilight and Applejack tried to calm her. “No, no, Rainbow, he’s just been…”
Then they being interrupted by Rainbow. “I know what he did. I saw you back in Equestria, I need no reminders of what pain you felt,” 	Then staring at Kevin with a quite hurt look: “What pain he will soon feel.”
Kevin looked quite hard out of the corner of his eye at her.
“Rainbow?” He began an attempt to calm her.
Wiping a tear from her face due to the surprised purple reminder that sat on the couch, the cyan mare responded “What?!”
“Do I get any last words?” He responded hopeful that she would let him respond.
“You better make it quick!” Rainbow dash acknowledged giving more of a chance to Kevin than the other person did to Twilight.
Kevin now stared directly at his new captor. He put his hands above his head and braced himself in case she were to charge.
“I just wanted to say: thank you,” Kevin said thinking through everything that he was going to say.
“Um. You’re welcome?” Rainbow interrogated, “For what, exactly?”
“I wanted to say thank you, Rainbow Dash, (the last two words surprising Rainbow as she didn’t realize he knew her full name) for being a friend to me in much unknown ways to you. Just by doing what you do, I have found the better side of you.”
Rainbow Dash lowered herself so that all of her hooves were planted firmly on the ground.
“Am I missing something?” Rainbow dash gestured wondering what had happened her and why this guy was speaking this way.
Each of the other started explaining to Rainbow as Rarity and Pinkie Pie started through the windows. Each of them starting in on what was happening shortly after Twilight had clued them in.
Kevin was in awe. Not only was he in the presence almost all six of his role-models: the ones that had helped him through so many hard times, but they were all starting to think him their friend. Kevin had thought of them as his friends for a long time, now, but he now had them too as good confidants. Kevin would never say it out loud, but he loved them. He loved his companions. He didn’t love them the way a man loves a woman. He meant in another way. He loves his friends like friends. He felt this very deeply for them. These friends were another thing, though. They were his very best friends. He knew them so well. He knew their characteristics and found them much more significant to him than anyone he had ever met. And now, he was at their need. He would stick up for them now that they needed him, because they had helped him over and over and over again.
Night fell. Tomorrow, Kevin would have to get probably a million sacks of apples and bring them for those that he held dear. That was given. As an extra, he still had to pay for the hotel room and for all of the utilities that they had to use. He might not be able to help each of them with no personal cost, but that’s generosity. One thing that Kevin knew, he really wanted to take after his favorite mares.
Kevin nodded off. He had six friends, now. He had six friends that he would never give up for anything in the world.
He hadn’t been to sleep before he was woken up by a hard, but not uncomfortable feeling on the roof of his forehead.
Kevin blinked his eyes open to stare into the face of a purple alicorn. He rubbed his eyes before getting to respond.
“What happened?” came the voice: very groggy.
“I’m scared,” Twilight muttered.
Kevin was very caring for her, he knew that she would take some time to be healed and that she would be very scared very often. On top of that, he was very understanding of all of her situations, he never once doubted her. She meant everything to him. He loved his friends.
“Is there something I can do?” he asked as he looked over at her bed which was absolutely covered in Technicolor ponies.
Twilight gained a curious dose of vitamin fluttershy as the owned up to her direction. “I was wondering if I could sleep in your bed tonight.”
Kevin thought over it. After caring for her for this long, especially under the care that he had given her, it only seemed logical that she would ask this at some point or another. At some point, she would turn to him to help cure her nightmares with the acclimation of beds. Kevin nodded before turning her to the part of the bed. She gathered herself under the sheets as Kevin pressed them under the sides of the mattress.
Twilight hadn’t been tucked in since her early beginnings as Celestia’s protégé at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and that was back when she was still incapable of remembering her parents’ birthdays. She lay contented in the warm sheets.
Kevin snuck his way to the other side of the bed and gave Twilight way more than enough space. He slept at the very edge of the bed to ensure a minimum allowance of awkwardicity (SI unit for the measure of awkward present in a room at one time).
After an even longer pause than he had prior to falling asleep the first time, Kevin again was brought down to the natural resting state as he fell asleep.

Celestia woke up from her nightmares. She expected that Bellus would start tearing ponies apart today. She expected that he would run mad through the devastated streets of Ponyville searching for ponies to torture and interrogate into eventual confession. She brought her head up to look for the beast. Twilight hadn’t seen him once for the whole time she was here. She looked as hard as possible, but didn’t notice the monster before it was right below her. As she moved her head back into place, he decided to show himself, and Celestia was scared so hard that she momentarily moved from her rightful place in the sky out of the shock that she had suffered.
“I know that I am missing five ponies, Celestia. I won’t get upset, though. They will be back here in time for each of your eventual demises.”
After calming herself to a reasonable level, Celestia came to the realization that this was true and that regardless of what Twilight was doing on the other side, she would return and suffer the same fate as the rest of them.
Bellus stormed off. He had said all that he had needed to say.
Celestia had no options. Life here was only exciting, because the demon passed below them. Nopony knew what he would do if he got really upset, but they guessed it had something to do with starting his plans early. The very idea made each of the ponies shiver. The very idea that he would do that to Twilight as soon as she came back brought tears to their eyes. Twilight can’t come back. She has to live.
Hopefully she could manage to find some way to keep the species running. She has to live on. Preserve Equestria in the hearts of as many people on earth as possible. She must be the light behind everyone’s smile. The wind beneath everyone’s wings.
> Behind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Kevin woke up. The side of the bed to the left of him remained empty. Kevin’s rent was due. He had to pay it off. Kevin left his bed and went to the kitchen to see where the ponies were.
They were all there. They had already eaten five bags of apples. Kevin thought on his mistake. He had not bought enough apples. There is no way that he could buy so many. After having been surprised to such a level, Kevin settled down on the couch.
He rubbed his face. There was no way that he could keep himself afloat. He was not earning enough money to take care of himself and the 	many colorful ponies. He was putting himself in poverty for his friends.
Kevin looked up from busy mind to see the end of his efforts.
Twilight used her magic to unbind the adhesive strap from her fore hoof. She had healed her front hoof. It was no longer broken. Kevin knew now that she would have to go. It was now time for her to join her own kind again. She had to help them now. She was ready to go and she is there is no way that Kevin could prepare himself for the down bringing about to befall him. He had no money. Soon, he would have no friends.
This world really was cruel. It gives him one scrap of brightness before drowning it out with hatred. Kevin went for his car keys. He knew what he had to do now.

Twilight turned towards her best friend that had just sat on the couch. She wanted to let him know about her health. She could go back to her home. Kevin was not there, though. He went for his keys.
“Look!” showed Twilight bringing her perfectly fine hoof over her head.
Kevin mustered a smile. Tears built at the back of his eyes.
“I’m proud of you, Twilight,” again leaning in for a hug. This might be their last one before she is gone forever.
Kevin brought Twilight and Fluttershy, Rainbow dash, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie to the place that they said the portal was hidden. Kevin pulled over at the side of the road.
He had done all in his power to make his best and closest friends happy. They will leave him with a promise of rare return and an eternity of debt.
It was worth it, though. Every second he got to spend with them was complete bliss to his soul. He loved his friends. He gave them food, water, shelter, protection, he even gave Twilight hints about his shy feelings for her. Every night he would send her the same message. “My friend” he’d say. His old friend. She was only his new friend while she was here.

Twilight got out of the car once she knew the coast was clear and each of them piled out of the vehicle like clowns from a tiny clown car.
“Goodbye,” They offered him.
“Goodbye,” Kevin accepted.
All of them waved their hooves as they locked their sights on the alleyway and began to leave the quivering human.
Twilight stood by her friends. Each of them though of their one last friend still in Equestria: Celestia. She was likely fighting the monster right now. She had been giving it her best efforts last time.

Kevin looked out the window at the ponies that he had cared for all this time. He studied them. This would be the last time he ever saw them. He found out the odd truth. They were hurt. Applejack had a small wound on her chest. Pinkie’s hair lie flat. Twilight appeared to still have bruises that were healed a long time ago. Kevin had no term for what he felt seconds later when they were all completely gone, except pain.

The ground beneath her hooves. All of their hooves. It burnt. The very air was foul. Twilight had been here before. It looked the same, but it felt different. It felt even worse than it had last time.
Twilight tried to breathe. The air was so thin. She couldn’t get enough oxygen. The only word for whatever condition was left in her body: pain. That was when Twilight fell on the ground: fainting from hyperventilation. A shadow washed over the sleeping body.

Kevin slowly made his way out of the car. He had to follow them. They were there for him and he had to be there for them. This was their time of need above all other times.
He stood where they stood and reflected. He had given up so much for them. It still wasn’t enough. There was only one way he could thank them for what they had done for him. He went through the portal. Somehow, he would be able to make his way there.

Twilight woke up. Kevin, not at her side anymore, she bowed her head in regret. He had done so much for her in exchange for something she would have done regardless. She was captive, now. Her friends were on either side of her. She was surrounded by what friends she did 	have in this world and that’s all that mattered, now.
The destructive demon raised his head to her level.
“So what now, Princess?” He smirked, “did Celestia not tell you about me? How she banished me from Equestria? How she kept me in the pits of Tartarus after my master’s great exile? Let me break it down. Sunset Shimmer’s little Spike so to speak?”
It hit Twilight. Sunset Shimmer had to have some sort of assistant that she had to have hatched from an egg. This must be him. He was here for revenge on the sentence he wrongfully made out. Celestia had banished an innocent dragon to the depths of Tartarus and he had become a demon through grudge holding. His scales burnt against the hard ground. Absorbing all of the darkness of Tartarus, he had 	become the ultimate “carrying case” for the “Tartarus in a box” by escaping and coming here, he had brought all of the horrors of the land 	with him.
All of these feelings and more flushed out of Twilight’s mind. For the most part, she thought about Kevin. She had left him, and he was gone forever. She might never be able to go back. She was going to be killed now.
Bellus’ face began to curl, his mouth turned into a greedy smile. He was going to enjoy whatever it was that he was going to do.

Twilight used whatever magic she had left to teleport to the entrance to the portal was.
She was off by several feet. Kevin was out of reach. Bellus grabbed her as she attempted towards the portal: teleporting again.
“Forget it!” came Bellus, “Don’t you know the entrance changes when change dimensions back?”
Twilight had forgotten about that. It had changed every single time she teleported to the other world. Maybe it changed here, too. In a struggle, Twilight again used the teleportation spell to bring herself many miles away, but Bellus was too quick. He traveled quickly, and Twilight realized she only had a few minutes before he was right on top of her.
She turned to herself. After all that she had been through, she was going to die by the hand of a stranger without her new best friend. Twilight put her hooves over her face to cry. There was no hope for her.
Twilight sat crying. She had no last moments. She had no fight to give up. No friends to help her. They were all gone.
A soft hoof found its way her forehead before nuzzling its way under her chin and extending it to a higher position.
Wiping away the tears to see who it was, Twilight saw… nopony. Nopony she knew. The mysterious horse asked her not to go.
“Who are you?” Twilight insisted.
“It’s Kevin,” he said back.
The pony was a Pegasus with white fur and a blue mane. His cutie mark was a diamond covered in sandstone. A diamond in the rough. That’s easily what it translated to.
“I have to go, though.” Twilight responded.
“You’ll get hurt.” Kevin owned up.
“I know, but they need me.” Twilight said.
“You can’t be hurt again,” The stubborn Pegasus brought forth.
Twilight snapped “You wouldn’t know the pain, though. You didn’t feel the pain I felt that night. I hurt so badly. There wasn’t a part of me that I didn’t regret having! I wanted to end my life that day!” This was followed by her panting.
“I know,” Kevin muttered.
“No you don’t!” Twilight exclaimed
“No! I do!” Kevin began to stand up. “What I saw the night I found you was not your pain to suffer, it was mine! I had to gaze upon the mare I cared for so long and take it! The truth is that I had no better punishment than you, Twilight! It was worse! I had to take all of the pain of seeing the one I love in deep such a state!”
Twilight took a step back out of shock. She had not considered that Kevin had suffered on the same night she had suffered. Not only that, but he said that he loved her. How before had he not said this?
“You… I meant that much to you?” Twilight examined
“Yes,” Kevin the stated in response, a tear coming from his eye.
“Well…” Twilight was interrupted by a sharp gasp as she was tightly grasped around the waist by a large, scaly beast.
“Twilight?!” Kevin charged.
Twilight was carried a great distance in little time as she was brought across a great mass of houses (most of which partially destroyed) Kevin was helpless. He had only the one option to watch her die. All that he loved - dead - in one fatal swoop.

Bellus hadn’t noticed the Pegasus that was so close to the ground. Why should he? The only thing he was focused on was the purple alicorn he had, now. This was all the revenge he could muster: the killing of the like student that had earned him his imprisonment and the extinction of the whole pony race. Why would he notice a Pegasus that had just simply apparated out of thin air? He had all of Equestria pinned to the sky.

Kevin attempted to fly. He had no experience in doing so, and expected no immediate flying skills. He would have to learn slowly. Still, he flapped his wings. They spanned a massive distance as he bent the back and forth into a motion that would sooner wound a manticore than lift him off the ground. Trying his best and failing, he saw his last site before lights. Bellus was bringing a claw to Twilight’s face, preparing to cut her to shreds. He would skin her easily with those claws. How could he do that? The claw came down on her cheek: cutting it to such a small length (probably just to torture her before finally starting into the real “finale” of his time here).
Kevin’s eyes burnt. They burnt not of pain or disgust. They burnt of anger. There was no way that Bellus was getting away with that. Abusing her? That was not something that Kevin took lightly. Without thinking, Kevin’s wings flapped. They burst forth with stupendous speed as he charged the giant. Kevin tried to calm himself, but the greater part of him was raging out of control. The raw energy of adrenalin began to take hold over that feeling and rushed him to a state of speed that he had never known.
“Must… slow down.” he told himself. He needed no reminder that if he were to hit the giant this way, he would surely break something. He kept going though, and there were no limits to his speed.

The whole of Equestria sheltered their eyes or held onto their stomachs. Their cherished princess had been captured, hurt, and soon, dead.
A whistling was heard. At first it was nothing, but soon it got louder. The whole of the victims slowly made their eyes over to the mysterious hero across the way.
Kevin knew not what happened next, he only remembered flashes of hate, revenge as he swung and hit at the beast in front of him. He only recalled: bucking at him in the nose at full speed upon arriving (still going the same speed) bringing hooves down on the beast’s head, and kicking repeatedly at his jaw area. Kevin woke up from his abrupt attack. He was standing by Twilight. With Twilight in his hooves in fact. 
He was here for her again. Kevin had saved her from a fall. Bellus had dropped her upon his down bringing.
“Kevin?” Twilight asked in surprise
Kevin smiled down at her before he was knocked out by a swift tail swing. Kevin thought he had taken out the monster. He, brought down in the wreckage of a building, having been swatted at least 50 meters away, barely managed to see Twilight fire a bright light from her horn before falling into deep sleep.

> Together
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Kevin woke up in the hospital, blinking often, he came back to reality.
Twilight sat over him, crying.
He reached a hoof over to her face (looking away from him out of sadness).
“There, there.” said the much more wounded and much more hospitalized stallion.
Twilight reached her hoof across the bed to meet the hoof before taking it closer to her.
“Thank you,” Twilight answered.
“You’re welcome,” Came the white stallion in response.
Twilight chuckled a little bit before answering “I know how you felt that night, now.”
“Yeah,” Kevin chuckled, “and I for you.”

Together. Kevin could finally be with his friends. That was where he was now. He has here with his best friend. On a very personal level, Kevin loved his friend, and Twilight knew his love for her. They knew each other’s feelings. Kevin had his friend at his side. His friend, now, forever.
 

Happy Valentine’s Day (or Hearts and Hooves Day). Don’t forget to tell your special somepony (and/or) your friends how much they mean to you.
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

		Prologue:
Somewhere on earth: a car lies unattended at the side of the road, a hotel room remains unpaid, and some person went missing after months of not going to work and a vengeful human remains without his previous prize to torture. A hate falls upon him. The darkness burns hotter, and no feeling say otherwise.

Somewhere in Equestria: A pair of friends sit by each other at a hospital bed, a group of ponies rebuilds several houses, a demon burns in Tartarus ready for vengeance and portal remains hidden from site. The end is far from over.
 
Acknowledgements:
This Book goes out to all of my school friends.

Fan art profile picture drawn by: “ZuTheSkunk” at deviantart.com

Cover photo by thisismyphotoshopping from deviantart.com

The “Doctor Whooves” fan fiction was not by my making

This will not turn into a dirty fan fiction.

Hope you all enjoyed,
Thank you,
The Derpy Doctor