Chapter 6 - The Final Decision
"I knew it, he knows you! Please tell us what you mean by that. He's been looking for someone like you to provide him with answers for so long. Please..."
Lyra stood on her hind hooves and gently braced herself against the human, like a dog begging for something to eat. The human smiled at her and began to slowly stroke her mane. Apparently Lyra trusted him completely and the human seemed to have experience in handling ponies. While Lyra was just distracted according to her overjoyed grin, the human turned his gaze back to me.
"But before I say anything again that you already know, I'll ask just to be on the safe side: what else do you remember?" he said as he eyed me slightly suspiciously.
So I told him everything I had experienced so far. Everything from the day I woke up in Everfree Forest to the present day. When I told him about the injuries I had sustained from the Timberwolf attack, he seemed very concerned and expressed his sympathy. But when I was finished with my tale, the human seemed very relieved. When I was eager to know my background, he told me that unfortunately he knew nothing about my previous life in Equestria. But he had a reason for it which he revealed to me. He had created me.
I asked him how that was possible. Normally, ponies can only descend from...ponies. So how could I come from a human? He described me as a Ponysona, an exact copy of a human's personality in the form of a pony from a fictional television series. I didn't know what a television was, but the term 'fictional' was more than clear. I was not a real pony, I was the product of someone's imagination. When he noticed my reaction to this, he asked me if everything was okay. But my life was once again turned upside down. Now I had learned the truth...and it hurt. Tears began to leak from my eyes. Lyra stood beside me and tried to comfort me.
"I...I should have just left it at that I was a normal pony. But I just had to know, I had to find out the truth." I sobbed, looking at Lyra with watery eyes. I couldn't control myself, no matter how hard I tried. The emotions were too much for me.
"The truth that I am just a character of your imagination!" I screamed at the human with watery eyes.
The human looked at me a little strangely when he heard this sentence. However, not frightened, but rather astonished. But how should I have reacted differently? I would have thought to be a real, living being. I looked at him with a longing look as he started to reply.
"Well, I did create you, but that doesn't mean you're fictional. You are here! You are real! I can hardly believe it myself!" he said with relief.
His gaze turned to Lyra.
"And you've built a life for yourself by now that I could never have imagined for you. You've managed to find your way here on Earth to me...and even with a special somepony by your side! I'm so proud of you!" said the human, who also almost started to cry.
"Wait a minute. Lyra and I...we're just..." stammered I, making Lyra giggle.
"Well, she followed you this far, didn't she? I think she'll continue to follow you..." he said confidently. Lyra nodded at him in agreement as she got gentle petting over the head like a cat.
"Family is the most important thing in the world. I just didn't appreciate mine until I didn't have it anymore. I'm afraid I didn't understand how much I needed them until it was too late..." the human said sadly.
"You are the one who created me, without you I wouldn't even exist. That's what makes us a family after all. You are something like...like my father to me." said I, trying to cheer him up.
The human thought for a moment.
"Me, your father? Well, actually you're right, but...more accurately, you're not my ponysona."
I didn't really understand what he meant. But then he tried to explain it to me.
"I have always been an only child, but my parents always wanted a little brother for me. Unfortunately, it was impossible for my mother because she almost died herself when I was born. In the process, she had already thought up a name for my brother. His name would have been Richard."
Then he looked deep into my eyes.
"I began to think what my brother's personality would be. Possibly, when you were created, I gave you many characteristics that I would have liked in my brother. Thus, you are more like my unborn brother Richard...or Rico, as I would have rather called him." he said.
"Wait, then we're brothers?" I asked.
"Yes, Rico. Welcome home, little brother." he said as he tearfully hugged me.
I was beside myself with joy. We hugged for the first time in our lives. It was an indescribable feeling to have finally found my home. I never thought that I would meet a human who was my brother and also my creator. Tears of joy ran down my face, because I finally got the answer to all my questions. I finally knew who I was: I was Rico, a pony from the earth.
I could hardly believe it. I actually had a human relative on Earth. Lyra couldn't believe her ears when she heard who I really was. It made her very happy that I now knew where I came from. In the next moment, however, my brother seemed to let go of me, obviously something was wrong. At this, I heard an angry clearing of the throat behind me and I turned around. Standing directly in front of me was Princess Celestia, who came through the portal and gave me an angry look. Lyra ducked her head, not knowing what the princess was up to. But when she looked at my brother, she seemed more confused than angry. I could have made a pinkie promise by her look that the two had met before. Maybe that was why the portal had led directly to him. Had he had anything to do with Rainbow Dash, and if so, why hadn't he told us about it until now? For the next few minutes, no one said a word about what we were thinking.
He hugged me tightly, apparently trying to tell the princess something. So I hugged him too and looked at her with wide eyes. After Celestia had looked us over, she turned to Lyra and gave her a nod in the direction of the door. Lyra seemed to understand and made a head movement in my direction telling me to leave the two of them alone. I turned to my brother, who also nodded to let me know it was okay. It would be all right. Slightly unsettled, I released myself from his hug and followed Lyra towards the door of the room, while not taking my eyes off Celestia. When we were outside the room, Lyra closed the door with her magic and I could only guess what was going on behind it through the opaque glass in the door. I began to panic for my brother.
"Please, she mustn't hurt him. I've only just found him again." I said tearfully to Lyra.
"It's going to be all right. If the princess thought we were in danger here, she would have taken us back to Equestria without hesitation. But something else seems to be on her mind," Lyra said, casting a thoughtful look.
Several minutes passed, during which I walked up and down the corridor. I kept trying to listen at the door, but Celestia seemed to have soundproofed the room so we couldn't hear anything. Meanwhile, Lyra was exploring and examining my brother's apartment. She carefully tried to examine certain objects that were lying around. I could tell from the number of clothes that he didn't seem to live here alone. But we could not discover anyone else in the apartment. Then I remembered what he had told me about family. At the thought I became very sad, who knows how long he had to live alone?
After a few more minutes, the door of the room opened again and we could go back inside. Princess Celestia explained to me that she had come to an agreement with my brother. I had hoped that she would allow me to stay with him, but she could not grant me that wish.
"I'm sorry, but Earth is a dangerous place and only in Equestria can I truly protect you." she said.
"Protect me!? From what!? Changelings? Chimeras? Or a haunted forest where you have to be afraid of every rustling bush? I think I'm better protected from those dangers on Earth than I am in Equestria!" I snorted angrily.
"She's right, Rico..." said my brother, sitting next to me. "Earth is not a good place for beings from Equestria."
"But...why do you say that? Because of her?" I said, slightly tearful, as I looked to Celestia.
"No, because of you! The other humans have never seen beings like you before, and if you are discovered, they will try to catch you. They will do bad things to find out what you are and where you came from. And I won't be able to protect you...but she can." he explained.
Celestia nodded in agreement, but I wasn't going to give up so easily. I spent so long searching for my origins, probably even solved one of Equestria's greatest mysteries for it, found a way to Earth...only to now not be able to spend time with my human brother?
"But...I can stay in here, it doesn't bother me. I don't need to be outside, I just want to be here...with you." I said, looking at my brother with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, but..." he continued.
"...at least for today." I interrupted him.
He puffed deeply, obviously finding it just as hard to let me go. He looked at Celestia asking if she would at least let me have the rest of the day. She seemed to think for a moment and looked out the window as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. Then she turned back to us and turned her gaze to my brother.
"Very well, he may stay here on Earth for the rest of the day. But no other human may see him, and he will not leave this house. You are in charge of him until I return tonight to take him back to Equestria." she said and walked toward the portal. Lyra followed her.
"Wait, Lyra! Don't you want to spend the day with us?" I asked her.
"This time belongs to you and your brother alone, Rico. I'll see you on the other side." she said, winking at me.
I knew that saying goodbye that night would be very hard for me, so it was comforting to know that Lyra was there for me. But she was right, I had to make the most of every remaining minute with my brother, since I would probably never see him again. He also had an idea how to show me life on earth without leaving the apartment.
He put a device into operation that I had at first thought was a large black picture frame. Suddenly, thousands of moving pictures appeared in front of me, representing countless people telling about the current reports in the world. Even though there was a lot of sad news to hear, I was still fascinated by this device and now I finally realized why I seemed so lost in Equestria until now. Everything I thought I knew, I couldn't find there. But here on Earth...with my brother...I felt at home.
While I let the bundled information flood of this world pass over me, I looked at my brother, who apparently still could not believe his eyes, as enthusiastically as he looked at me. And even if the thought still pained me a little, I wanted to know how he could create me at all. He then showed me another device that bore some resemblance to the big black picture frame. He tapped and clicked on items that were attached to the picture frame with some kind of string. After a short time, he showed me a picture that had three ponies on it. He told me that he had also made this picture for two of his friends who had also come up with a character. I could make out Levita Dream and another pony, which looked a little scary. In the middle, I could be seen looking happily into the camera. When he undid the changes to the picture, my coat turned blue and my mane shone in rainbow colors. With this, he showed me that I was in fact like Rainbow Dash, but just "re-colored". I had to smile a bit at that moment because it sounded like "rico-lored" which would mean Rainbow Dash would have her look from me, which of course was not possible. I wonder if my brother had considered that there might be a lot of puns on that. But something told me that he knew long ago because he had to smile, too.
"Tell me, of all the ponies you could have chosen for me to use as a template. Why Rainbow Dash exactly?" I asked.
This question made him think.
"That's actually a good question, Rico. I...I honestly don't know. Maybe I used to know, but somehow...I don't remember. Strange..."
I could tell that the question was bothering him a lot. But he told me that he could find out. But for that, he would have to go to a place I couldn't follow him to. Probably he meant something like a library where only humans would have access. He didn't think we should worry about that anymore, though, and we spent a few more hours together until I realized I was starting to yawn.
"Oh, is someone getting a little tired? What do you think, Rico? Should we go to sleep?" my brother asked me.
I shook my head, pretending to still be wide awake.
"I don't want to go to sleep yet, I still want to spend time with you!" said I.
"I can understand that, but Celestia hasn't come back yet. Maybe we'll have some time before tomorrow."
"And what if we don't?" I asked him.
"Well, I guess we'd have to travel back through space and time." he laughed.
I looked at him with wide eyes.
"Is that possible?"
"So far, only in people's imaginations. But I learned today through you that even fantasy can become reality." he said as he hugged me.
He really never expected to actually meet me...and I just as little him. So I hugged him just as tightly. It was a wonderful feeling.
It was really late and I couldn't hide my tiredness any longer. He sat back down in the chair and I lay down on his lap. Then he put his arm over my head and started stroking my mane.
At that moment I felt an affection that until now I had only felt around Lyra. I gave myself completely to the feeling and slowly closed my eyes. Then I heard my brother slowly begin to sing a song softly.
My little pony,
get some sleep,
so close your eyes,
and count some sheep.
If you dream nice,
I'll stay with you.
And if you’re not,
I'll protect you.
But if you miss me,
when you cry,
then don’t forget,
I'll be forever by your side.
He repeated this text three times and before I fell asleep I repeated the last sentence in my mind:
...he’ll be forever by my side.
I slept soundly through the night until the sun's rays woke me up in the early morning. But when I opened my eyes, I realized that it was not sunbeams. It was Celestia, shining her horn as brightly as the sun. My brother didn't seem to notice, he still seemed to be asleep.
"It is time..." she said to me.
She noticed that I was hesitant to get up.
"I put a spell on him that he is fast asleep. He won't notice any of this."
Of course, this made it easier for us to say goodbye. But she also realized that this was not my concern. But my common sense told me that it was the right thing to do now. I pressed my forehead to his head one last time to say goodbye. A few tears flowed from my eyes, which I could not hold back. I was grateful to find my brother from Earth. And I was grateful to be able to spend time with him. I no longer felt anger toward Celestia, but I still felt sadness that the time had passed so quickly.
Slowly I got off his lap and walked towards the portal. Before I walked through the balcony door, I looked back at him one last time as Celestia approached my brother. Something told me at that moment that she was responsible for his memory lapse. So I tried to confront her before she got too close to him.
"Was it the same with Rainbow Dash?" I asked her reproachfully.
She stopped.
"When I asked him how he could create me, he showed me a picture of her. She was the template for my appearance, but he could no longer tell me why he had chosen her."
At this, the princess turned to me.
"I want you to know that he had insisted on it at the time. I had only granted him his wish." she said to me.
"Was he unconscious at that time, too?" I said flippantly.
She thought about it for a moment.
"No. He told me he wanted it because he had no more use for the memories and it would only cause him pain if he remembered..."
I pondered at that moment if what Celestia was telling me could really be from my brother. She might have her secrets, but she had never lied to me before. So I nodded to her in agreement.
"...but is that what you want?" she asked me.
I hadn't thought about whether I wanted to keep my memories until now. But I didn't have to think long to make a decision.
"No..." I said hesitantly. "For me, forgetting would mean losing joy as well as pain. I'm thankful that I was able to have this experience. It would be...just not right to forget him."
Celestia's gaze smiled for a brief moment when I said I wanted to keep my memories, apparently liking my decision. Then I gave my brother one last look.
"Do what you have to do. I'm not going to stop you," I said as tears ran from my eyes.
She nodded at me and as I walked towards the portal, I could see her slowly put her horn to his head and cast a spell that made her horn glow a little more. So with that, it was done. When my brother would wake up, everything that had happened so far would seem like a dream to him. That is, if he would remember me at all.
We walked together through the portal on the balcony to get back to Equestria. There Lyra was already waiting for me in the library, as she had promised. Princess Luna had also come to see how her sister was doing. Lyra took me in her arms and I began to cry as I had never done before. But there were mixed feelings about it. Not only that I will never see my brother again...but also tears of joy that I was not alone and now realized that I had a family in Equestria too. Even though I was sad for a moment when the portal closed behind me, a smile came over my face. Because I was glad to put this chapter behind me. Now I could live a life in Equestria without worries.
During the time I was with my brother, Lyra had organized a party with Pinkie Pie. I thought that was a great idea to cheer me up. Pinkie Pie had already procured everything necessary in no time at all, so that the party could already start in Ponyville in the evening. I hadn't thought she would make it so quickly. But that's just the way Pinkie Pie was.
Many ponies from the city had gathered and several tents were set up in front of which delicious food and drinks were served. A pony named DJPon3, that I already knew from my welcome party, provided the music and Pinkie Pie went through the party schedule again and again, so as not to make any mistakes. At the party the ponies were already dancing extensively. There was apple juice and cake in great quantities. Twilight and her friends came over and Rainbow Dash even had someone with her who could have been her father. But he looked very young himself, did she also have a brother?
I wanted to talk to Rainbow Dash, but Twilight pulled me aside and told me that this was not a good time because she was afraid that I might say things that would make Rainbow Dash think. It would be better if I stayed away from her for the next while. And I understood Twilight's concern and realized that she meant no harm. I had just returned from Earth myself and would really need to talk, but I decided to cover that with Lyra instead. I sought her out at the party and because of the loud music I was able to talk to the others about my experience without having to worry that other ponies would hear us. Then I noticed how the music suddenly changed and took on a faster background, with the melody sounding very familiar.
"Come on, let's dance!" called Lyra to me, pulling me by the hoof to an area of the dance floor where few ponies were dancing. I found myself in the middle of a cluster of ponies cheering us on.
Lyra was very proficient on her hooves, spinning and swinging back and forth. Her mane came out beautifully in the headlights and I tried to do the same. I followed her steps and tried to keep up the pace. When Lyra realized that the tempo was a bit too fast for me, she waved at DJPon3 and the pony at the records flipped the pickup. Another familiar melody sounded and I noticed how I could move better to this music. I noticed how Lyra suddenly started to dance on two legs, like a human being. I tried to imitate her, but somehow she didn't seem to be able to keep her balance properly, so she propped me up a bit.
"I...I don't think I can dance, Lyra." I said, embarrassed.
"Well, I guess...there's only one way to find out." Lyra smiled at me.
That's when I remembered what I had done that time in the situation when Lyra got so close to me. She was waving my joints around as if I were a puppet. But slowly I got a routine and was able to follow her in the simple movements. It was a fun experience that I really enjoyed. And the laughter of the ponies around was turning more and more into cheering. And for a moment, I forgot all the worries I had before because of my homesickness for Earth.
As I started to get a bit exhausted Lyra had the idea to sneak out of the party with me. I did feel a little queasy about the feeling as she walked with me towards Everfree Forest. She was so filled with joy and her eyes shimmered with an amorous look in the moonlight. She cautiously asked if I could show her exactly where I had first met Levita. A little night hike wouldn't be bad at all and together with her it was also romantic...but in this case also dangerous. But Lyra had a strong will and she was really very self-confident. I was happy to have her by my side forever. She didn't seem the least bit intimidated or afraid. She was probably just too excited to see where my life was starting here, or she didn't feel any fear around me. I'm sure she also had a spell or two at the ready should we get into trouble. She was, after all, a very talented unicorn, and not just on the dance floor.
Despite the advanced darkness, which was normal to this enchanted place, After flying over the trees several times, I was able to find the clearing again, where everything had begun. It was only now that I noticed that the arrival of autumn had apparently had no effect on the forest. The trees were still fully overgrown and the weather was also milder. As I landed in the clearing, I remembered back to the last time I was here...when my life began here, at least the part I remembered. And even though I don't know yet what was before that, my brother was able to answer the questions that had really been bothering me. And that was more than enough for me.
"So...this is where the story of Rico, the pony from Earth began?" said Lyra as she came through the bushes to join me in the clearing.
I was flattered that she addressed me by the name my brother had given me.
"Hehe, yes. This is where Levita found me that time."
Lyra looked closely at the ground, walked carefully around, and then looked up at the sky where we could see numerous stars.
"Rico...I hope you don't misunderstand me. I'm glad all this happened to you..."
I looked at Lyra a little confused.
"...because without this whole story, you and I would never have met. You're real to me, and I'm glad you exist, Rico."
This gesture of absolute trust from her warmed my heart deeply. I wanted to say something similar, but that would have interrupted this pleasant silence. We just stood there and looked into each other's eyes. Nothing else. Time seemed to stand still and yet I enjoyed every second of this moment. Lyra slowly began to stroke mine with her warm face. I returned this gesture. With this gesture Lyra proved to me that she had chosen me because of my character and not only because of my story. I was so relieved when she slowly approached my face. I just wanted to experience it. So I closed my eyes and noticed how our lips gently touched. The moment was indescribable. It felt so beautiful, but the sounds in the bushes reminded me again that we shouldn't stay here much longer.
"It's getting late," I said.
She nodded, turned away from me briefly and lay sideways on the ground, her eyes still fixed on me.
"Hey, you don't want to sleep here, do you?" I asked.
"Why wouldn't I? It's not like I sleep alone." she smiled at me.
I lay down next to her on the meadow floor and turned to face her. She gently reached around my body with her hooves and pulled me close to her. Immediately I noticed how her whole body relaxed and she snuggled into my belly fur. I could feel her calm heartbeat. She felt safe.
"Rico, I love you." she whispered softly.
"I love you too, Lyra." I replied before a restful yawn before I finally fell asleep in Lyra's arms.
When I woke up the next day, the sun was shining in my face. I heard no more sounds around me, apparently we were no longer in Everfree Forest. I opened my eyes and standing in front of me was a wide grinning Lyra.
"Lyra? Where are we?" I asked her as I sleepily rubbed my eyes.
She said nothing, but moved a bit to the side while still grinning broadly. Behind her was a two-story house that had a distinctive hue I recognized immediately. We were apparently in Ponyville. The house had an awning in the flower-covered front yard, on which three red hearts were pinned. At the entrance were two large plant pots. In itself, the house looked very normal, so I didn't know why Lyra was so excited.
"So, do you like it?" said Lyra euphorically.
"The house? It’s very nice. Whose is it?" I asked her, confused.
She didn't stop grinning, which immediately answered my question. Apparently, the house was ours. I wondered how Lyra could buy this house, but I hadn't understood the money system in Equestria yet anyway. But even money couldn't buy my feelings. This was my home now...our home. I asked Lyra, of course, what would happen to BonBon, but Lyra said that she would be fine. After all, BonBon had lived alone before she met Lyra. I would have been fine if we had moved into Lyra's old home. But probably she would be too far away from her friends here. And I didn't want to leave here either. I had taken Ponyville to my heart by now. And from then on Lyra and I could spend every moment of our lives here..together.
It took me the whole following winter to get used to the new living situation with Lyra. When the evening came, I always looked up to the sky and wondered how my brother would be on earth. I talked to Lyra about it, but I noticed how she kept avoiding the subject. She knew that I didn't come back to Equestria of my own free will, but because Celestia wanted me to. However, since I did not want to burden Lyra with it, I often visited Levita, since she was currently occupied with the books from the Castle of the Two Sisters. I talked to her about everything she found out about the humans and it gave me a good balance to the normal life as a pony. Ever since Levita discovered the archives in the Castle of the Two Sisters, all she did was pore over books. She wanted to fulfill her destiny and unravel as many new mysteries about Equestria as possible. But it wasn't long before Lyra herself decided to join in the research. BonBon also joined in and created a kind of alphabet to translate the human letters. With this, it was possible to see connections between the letters and maybe even the words behind them. A great help was the Journal of the Two Sisters, which Princess Celestia gave us at Lyra's request, since she had no more use for it. Especially Levita was very happy to have the summary of the last thousand years in front of her, even though I doubted that she would be able to read the book completely in the next thousand years. Celestia warned us that there were many passages that were very personal and emotional, but we also read funny parts. Like the creation of the portal, which before was just a broken clock that never showed the correct time.
I also found the idea of it funny, but inwardly I longed to go through the portal once more to be with my brother. He was certainly alone and lonely and not a day would go by that I would not feel sorry for him in this horrible world, compared to the paradise in which I lived. Fittingly, at that moment I read the entry in the book of the two sisters:
"...even if it were possible for me to step through the portal and live with the humans, I could never leave my sister Luna and all my little ponies behind. I would not be able to protect them anymore."
Princess Celestia had to care deeply about the welfare of her ponies. But she didn't have to worry about me. I am not one of her ponies, I belonged to my brother.
The next day I learned that Rainbow Dash had been accepted into the Wonderbolt Academy. I did not begrudge her that at least her dream came true. I often flew after her and watched her perform acrobatics, but whenever she noticed me and wanted to talk to me, I had to get out of her way. I watched her on her day at Wonderbolt Academy as she teamed up with another Pegasus pony to make a good impression. The pony had a yellow curved mane, but what was more interesting was that it had the same coat color as Lyra and me. Was that a coincidence?
Of course, it was wishful thinking that my brother had something to do with it. But I missed him very much and I tried to understand what he had to do with Rainbow Dash. And even if she didn't know it anymore, I felt a connection between her and me. Of course, with Lyra, it was on a whole different level. But Rainbow Dash was more like a sister to me. Although, of course, that was also absurd, since I hardly knew her personally. As the day drew to a close, I returned to Ponyville. I stayed in the village for a bit before going home and sat on a bench to watch Princess Celestia's sunset. It was really very calming.
"Well look who's here!" said a pony who just flew up from the side and stopped in front of me.
It was the rainbow colored pony that I had first seen at the big party before winter. It had bright purple colored fur and gold colored eyes. Otherwise, the mane and tail had the same colors as Rainbow Dash's.
"Excuse me, are you referring to me? Mister...Dash?" said I, confused.
"My name is Rainbow Blaze, but most ponys just call me Blaze. And what's your name?" he wanted to know.
"Rico. Most ponys call me Rico." said I shrewdly.
"Haha, all right. So...Rico. Can you tell me why you keep watching my Dashie from afar?" he said.
"Oh...uh...I didn't mean to get too close to your daughter, or...your sister..." I said uncertainly before Blaze burst out laughing.
"Well, Dashie isn't my daughter or my sister. I'm her tutor."
"Tutor? For what?" I wanted to know.
"Well, you've probably noticed that she's a special pony. I teach her everything a rainbow pegasus needs to know." he said.
My eyes widened. I wanted to know more about that. And Blaze seemed to see the interest in my eyes.
"We Rainbow Pegasus are a rare species who find it particularly easy to deal with the elements of this world. We are faster and stronger than most other pegasi. But this strength does not come by chance. Legend has it that Pegasi ponies in Rainbow Falls drank water mixed with liquid rainbows for years and absorbed the magical powers from the rainbows until their entire manes turned rainbow-like, but I personally don't know of any pony that ever drank liquid rainbows," he said before sitting down on the bench with me.
"But enough about me. Why are you secretly watching her? Do you like her?"
"Well...yes. Well, I do like her, but not the way you think. I already live with a wonderful unicorn." I said hesitantly.
"Yeah, I've seen you with her a lot. She seems nice."
"Yes, she is. And I wouldn't trade her for any other pony. However..."
"What's bothering you?" he wanted to know.
Apparently he didn't know about Rainbow Dash's time on Earth either, so I tried to hide my story a bit.
"Well, imagine that you want to live in a place where someone who really means everything to you lives. But you're not allowed to go there."
"Why not? Is someone forbidding you?" he asked me.
"Well, Princess Celestia says it's a dangerous place. She couldn't protect me there," I said.
Blaze started thinking.
"Hmm, I see. So somewhere outside of Equestria. Then I have a question: is this someone so important to you that you are also willing to live in this dangerous place?"
I didn't hesitate with my answer and nodded.
"Well, it must be well thought out. If the princess can't protect you anymore, you're on your own. But she doesn't seem to have forbidden you to choose to live there. As I see it, Princess Celestia really wants to make sure you make your decision."
"What decision would you make? What would you do if that someone was Rainbow Dash?" I asked him.
"Well, you don't have to ask me twice. I'd probably leave everything behind to be where she is. But I don't have much to keep me here either. The only family I have is her."
"To that someone, I'm the only family he has, too. He's my brother."
"Well, there you go. What are you waiting for then? Go see him!"
I lowered my head in disappointment.
"Oh, you have a family here, too," he said feelingly.
I nodded. Then he slid a little closer to me and put his front hoof around my shoulder. Even though I hadn't known him long, this feeling felt very familiar.
"It's not your fault that you fell in love with each other. It's only natural. Just like saying goodbye..."
"My brother said that I've made a life for myself here that he could never have given me."
"But...is it also the life you want?"
Then I remembered that although I had sprung from my brother's pen, I had taken my destiny into my own hands. None of it was predetermined for me.
"As much as I love Lyra, I still feel like I have to be here. And not because I want to," I said.
"That's the love you feel for your brother. Love relationships can last, but your family will always be the most important because that's where you originated. And while some love relationships fail, family will always be a retreat. Family is the most important thing in the world."
"You know, now you even sound a little like my brother." I grinned.
"Then you just needed someone to tell you what your brother would have told you."
"Probably," I said.
"So, Rico. What are you going to do now?"
"As much as I love Lyra, our relationship would suffer in the long run if I had to constantly worry about my brother's well-being. I need to get to him." I said and got down from the bench to walk to Lyra.
"Thank you, Blaze! I'll never forget your words!" I said and started walking.
"Wait, Rico!" he shouted to make me turn around again.
"You still haven't told me why you were watching Dashie!"
"Because she reminded me of my brother!" I said euphorically.
"Wait, what?" he asked, confused.
"My human brother from Earth!" I said, and ran on.
I left Rainbow Blaze confused to go to Lyra and tell her about my plan. At that moment, I didn't know how best to tell her. But when I arrived at our house, I nervously stopped in front of it. I remembered how she had reacted the last time I wanted to leave. She would surely try to convince me to stay here with her, and I couldn't do that. I couldn't bear to look her in the eye and say that she would never see me again. So I decided not to go into the house, but to Levita and BonBon, who were surely engrossed in the old books. They would surely be able to help me on how best to teach Lyra.
I walked through the streets of Ponyville one last time and noticed that Celestia was already setting the sun. There weren't many ponies left in the village, but I welcomed the quiet for a change. Not much had changed here since I first arrived with Levita. I was a little sad at the thought of missing everything that would happen here in the future. But that was nothing compared to what I would miss on earth. Then the moment came and I knocked on BonBon's front door...probably for the last time.
But to my amazement, Lyra opened the door for me. She smiled at me and hugged me. Even though I found this gesture exceedingly sweet, it was the last thing I needed right now. Now I had to choose the unpleasant way and tell her directly.
"Oh, Rico. There you are, where have you been all day?" she asked me, giving me a quick kiss before rejoining the other two who were sitting in the living room combing through piles of books. I stopped at the door, however.
"Lyra, I...I've been thinking," I said.
"Ah, thinking is good. It keeps the gray matter awake. But seriously, what have you been thinking about?" she grinned.
Levita and BonBon seemed to have already guessed what I wanted to talk about and were already standing up.
"What's going on?" said Lyra, really not making it easy for me to say goodbye.
"Lyra...I think he wants to go home," Levita said.
"Oh, okay. We'll go home then if you like. I'll make us something nice for dinner, ok?" said Lyra to me.
"You don't...you don't have to." said I on the verge of tears.
"Hey, Rico. What's going on with you? Are you okay?" asked Lyra, but I turned my head away from her and started sobbing.
BonBon came up behind me and put her hoof around Lyra.
"Sweetie, he means to his home...on Earth." she said.
I slowly turned my head back to the front as I saw Lyra's features suddenly shift and she looked me in the eye with a depressed face.
"Is...is that what you really want? Are you sure?" she asked me in a slightly tearful voice.
I couldn't answer her because I couldn't produce anything but sobs. I looked at her with teary eyes as I answered her question with a nod.
"Well...then...I'll just come with you. To the earth. If you go, then I'll follow you...remember? I..." she sniffled, still trying to find any words.
I could see that she had to control herself not to lose her composure. She knew as well as I did that she couldn't go. Not only because Celestia would never allow it, but also because Lyra's home was here. She belonged here, but I didn't. And Celestia wouldn't want to risk the portal remaining open after my return home.
"...goodbye, Rico." she said briefly before running out the door beside me, presumably home. I could hear her crying, which broke my heart. I just stood there stunned, not knowing what to do anymore. The two remaining ponies in the house came up to me and Levita hugged me. We didn't get any words out until I had cried a liter of tears into their manes myself. Levita started crying too, but BonBon didn't seem to react as emotionally, which Levita noticed.
"Why aren't you crying?" asked Levita, sobbing, as she turned to BonBon.
"I am...on the inside." she said as she raised her hoof to the place on her body where her heart was.
This behavior surprised me, especially since BonBon had always reacted very emotionally when it came to Lyra. I would have expected BonBon to be angry with me for hurting Lyra's feelings. But that was not the case.
"I...I'm so sorry." I said sniffling as I was able to half talk again and I broke away from their embrace.
"Don't be sorry, Rico." said Levita, who was also still fighting tears.
"Yes I do, I hurt Lyra, I didn't mean to," I said in exasperation.
"To be honest, I didn't expect Lyra to react so strongly to it. After all, she had to expect that sooner or later you might choose Earth. Well, at least I expected it." said BonBon.
"I didn't want it to end like this." said I tearfully as I rubbed my nose with my hoof.
"We know you didn't, Rico. Now let's calm down for now." said Levita, who still seemed very sad herself.
We took several deep breaths in and out. I puffed deeply before speaking up again.
"So, where do we go from here?" I asked.
"Don't worry about it. I've known Lyra for a long time and she'll come around if we give her a little time."
"Yes, but won't she miss me?" I asked.
BonBon pondered.
"Oh, you want to leave today?" she asked.
I nodded.
"Well, I think it's better if I follow her and talk to her."
"Thanks. BonBon. I won't be able to go through another goodbye like that. Please make sure she doesn't regret meeting me."
BonBon put on a satisfied smile. Obviously she knew why I said that.
"She won't, trust me." said BonBon, winking at me.
She hugged me one last time and said goodbye. After that, she disappeared from the house to check on Lyra.
"What you just said..." began Levita.
I smiled at her while wiping a few tears from my eyes.
If a Heartstrings caused to pull on somepony's heartstrings, she will make sure that his heartstrings won’t regret it…”
"...to met a Heartstrings. Yes, I remember. Lyra used to say that," she said to me.
"I'd better hope that's true for both of us." I replied with a disapproving giggle.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure it does, Rico Heartstrings." she quipped.
"Well...then..." said I, trying to find any words to say goodbye to Levita.
"We'll be on our way then. I'll accompany you to the portal." she said.
Levita didn't know how much this sentence of hers meant to me. She was the first pony I was allowed to meet and she would now be the last pony to accompany me on my last journey. We closed the door behind us to fly to Canterlot.
The sun had already set and you could already see the first stars in the sky, which was still shimmering orange/blue. One last time I looked back at the village that had served as my home for all this time. I would probably never see this view again. Every single house I saw would only exist in my memories. But I would not let anyone take those memories away from me.
My eyes also fell on the house of Lyra and me, where now probably BonBon was doing her best to make sure Lyra didn't regret having met me. And even if it was something like the motto of the Heartstrings family, I wanted to do for Lyra what she would have done for me. Also because I counted her to my family. For Levita that seemed to be enough reason to call me Rico Heartstrings. Why not? In Equestria it didn't seem to matter what last name you had anyway, whether you were married or not. I liked the idea of honoring Lyra forever by taking her last name and wearing it proudly on Earth.
One last glance went over my shoulder toward Ponyville as we almost arrived at the castle. We landed in front of the main gate and went inside. For the last time I looked at the silhouettes of the houses in Canterlot as well as the now almost dark blue starry sky. I would never see all this again, but instead another world would open up for me. When we entered the throne room, only Princess Celestia could be seen reading through letters. Her sister was apparently busy making the moon rise. Celestia saw my broken state and immediately put the letters aside. She seemed to know immediately why I was there. Probably also because of my facial expression, which still reflected the sadness of the farewell I had to endure.
"I see you've made your decision," Celestia said.
I nodded, expecting her to try one last time to talk me out of my idea. In fact, she confessed to me that she knew I would come back. The moment I decided to keep my memories despite the threat of pain, she knew I wouldn't last long. But she understood my point of view, which is why she had only given my brother a paralysis spell in this case, but the memories of that day remained with him as well. So when I would go through the portal, he would remember our first meeting. At first I was very surprised and at the same time shocked that without the knowledge of my whereabouts in the meantime, my brother was probably worried sick. Now I had no doubt that I had to do the right thing. Then the princess relented one last time.
"Just so you know, after you leave, I will have to close this portal to this strange world for good so that no other pony will stumble across it in the library at night..." she said, causing my cheeks to blush slightly.
"...But that doesn't mean there's no way for you to return."
"But Princess Celestia, how is that going to work without a portal?" asked Levita.
"On Earth you're on your own, I can only help you when you're in Equestria. But your indomitable faith in the goodness of humans has made me reconsider, although they are still as they were then. And if they have really changed, this reformation could work for beings in Equestria, too. I'm thinking of someone in particular." she chuckled briefly before continuing.
"Well, I think it's time I let you in on one last secret of Equestria." she said, and her horn began to glow yellow.
An object then lit up overhead, appearing out of nowhere. When the light dimmed a bit, I could see that it was a golden collar with a green gemstone that had the shape of a human.
"What is it?" I asked, confused, but Levita stood behind me with his mouth wide open.
"The Element of Humanity...I read about it in the books. I just always thought there were six elements." she said.
"There were six, until my student Twilight Sparkle summoned a new element whose magic the Tree of Harmony itself once guarded damite the prophecy of the Mane 6 could come to pass."
Now I realized why Twilight and her friends had had so many adventures. Besides, I liked the term Mane 6 better than F.R.O.W.N.. Celestia switched her gaze to the necklace with the green human stone.
"This element, however, was created at that time with the five others from the Tree of Harmony. It is capable of changing the wearer into the form of a human or a pony, in the event that humans would coexist with unicorns. Thus, every being in Equestria could decide what they wanted to be. Most recently, this element was applied to our own portal so that humans would change into ponies as soon as they entered this world and would also leave this world as humans. But with this new portal, you will need the element."
Then she looked at me a little more seriously.
"Since the element has a close connection with our portal, you can use it once to open an entrance. After you go through, the connection to your world will be lost forever," Celestia explained.
Celestia explained to me exactly how to open the portal. I understood that this was a one-time thing that I should use if I were in danger and my brother could not help me. I put the amulet around my neck and my whole body seemed to glow brightly for a moment. I guess that meant the element was working. However, I would use it only on earth, otherwise my brother would still wonder why suddenly a strange person stood in his apartment if he would not recognize me immediately.
"Rico, look!" said Levita with delighted eyes and pointed to my rear end.
A symbol had now appeared on it, what looked like two green lightning bolts and a purple arc of light leading from one lightning bolt to the other.
"I guess that means I've found my purpose," I said.
"Hmm. If only I could tell what it stands for. But I guess...you won't find out until you get to Earth. Too bad, I would have liked to know." she said.
"Don't worry about it, Levita. There are still so many undiscovered things in Equestria, I'm sure there are things that are just as mysterious," I replied.
"Which you can count on." she said with a wink.
I knew that now was the time to say goodbye and I hugged Levita one last time. I hugged her tightly, a few tears running from my eyes myself. Then Lyra let go a little and looked deep into my watery eyes.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Levita. I'll never be able to repay you," I said gratefully.
"I do realize how much it means to you to move to Earth with your brother. I'm happy for you. We've accomplished together what has been hidden all these years: confirming the existence of humans who once lived in Equestria. And if anyone deserves to live on Earth, it's you."
I continued to hug Levita tightly and rested my head on her shoulder.
"Look at the two of you. You've been through so much together, and you've solved probably one of Equestria's most well-kept mysteries. But I want to ask you to make sure that the secrets remain secret. For now, at least." Celestia said with a wink to Levita before she turned to me.
"And if you do come back to Equestria one day, please don't end up in the middle of a Timberwolf pack again. And you'll stay here. Understood?" she joked, which I answered with a nod.
Besides the tears of farewell, tears of joy ran down my face that I was now allowed to travel to Earth with a clear conscience. Celestia teleported us into the library and activated the portal until the metallic sphere began to rotate rapidly. I slowly stood under the spinning object and Levita waved at me one last time before Celestia closed her eyes to cast a spell on the machine. After that, everything became bright.
I woke up again on my brother's balcony, the portal behind me had disappeared. I noticed that the balcony window was only ajar for some reason. Inside, a small light was still on in one room and I could see that my brother was asleep in a bed. In his hand he still had a pencil and around him were fully written sheets, as well as a pair of binoculars which still hung around his neck. Apparently he had been looking for me really hard. I was really sorry for what he had to go through the last time. But now I was at home. I decided to carefully climb onto the bed and lay down on his blanket so I wouldn't wake him up. He slid back and forth, so it was more comfortable for me to lie lengthwise against him. Apparently my mane tickled his nose, so he raised his arm to rub it. After that, he rested his arm on my body and pulled me closer. He probably thought I was his pillow at that moment, but I didn't mind. He snuggled into my fur and slept on.
I felt absolutely safe in his embrace and had finally arrived on earth. After all these years. All the things I had to do in Equestria and all the things I had given up to live with him. Was I supposed to blame myself for leaving Lyra behind? No...he would have no one else and I had decided it freely of myself. And now I was lying next to a human who was more important to me than anything else. Maybe he was dreaming about how he would find me. I wondered what his reaction would be the next day when he found out that it wasn't a dream. That it was all real, just like me.
A fictional Pegasus pony.
No,
his little brother Rico.