//------------------------------// // Only Human (Alternate Ending) // Story: Buck My Life // by JasontheDemon //------------------------------// Only Human So, this was it… I was dead from a battle with an extra-dimensional chaos god. Honestly I didn’t see it coming. The first thing you should know about being dead is that it is boring as hell. You just float in a void of blackness, with no sound or sensation. Nothing but your inner thoughts to keep you company. I suppose it could be considered as a form of punishment if you think about it. You are left alone in a place where all you can do is think about what happened and what you should have done to prevent it. In a way, I was in my own personal hell. I was only there for a few minutes from what I could measure but it might as well have been a few weeks. I replayed the events in my head over and over… each time feeling even worse that I had given up what could have been paradise. I could have had friends, a home that actually felt like a home, and even love. But I threw it away because of some ill-conceived notion that I had the power to go back and fix the problems we faced on Earth. However, now that I had time to think about it, it was impossible… there would always be humans that would stand in the way and cause trouble because that was how they liked things. There was always going to be a new Hitler or Bin Laden to throw the first stone, and then being the simple minded beings we are, we would retaliate by throwing a bigger stone. In the end what really mattered? What was it that I stood for? Did I even stand for anything anymore now that I was a murderer in Equestria and a nobody on Earth? What was the point to living in either world now that I had nowhere where I truly belonged? Nowhere I could be of use? Right as I was about to give up hope I heard something… it was a high pitched sound that was only getting higher. I then heard a muffled voice, “Clear”. ‘Clear?’ I thought as I couldn’t make heads or tails of it… that is until I felt a painful pulse of electricity surge through me. “Clear.” ‘Oh crap! Not again!’ Another surge of pain. “One more time, CLEAR!” ‘Knock it off you bastard!’ Whoever was doing this obviously couldn’t hear me. I felt another electrical shock flow through my body, but then I began to hear a light beeping as I began to float up. Shortly after, I opened my eyes which I didn’t think were closed in the first place. Something struck me as weird though… everything was in pure realistic 3-D. That and I could feel something at the ends of my arms. I looked down and saw ten fully functional fingers. I tested them out and they responded perfectly. To my left was a heart monitor that beeped rhythmically. “Oh my god! You’re awake!” I heard at the end of the bed I was laying in. I turned my head to see a woman, not a mare, but a human woman looking at me. “What’s going on? Where’s Twilight?” I asked through a raspy voice that sounded like it hadn’t been used in months. She just looked at me like I was speaking nonsense (which to her I probably was), “Twilight? You mean that vampire movie?” “No! The pony!” I did my best at shouting in anger. “I think you might be a little delusional from the coma. You were shocked by a lightning bolt from touching some metal paneling around a window at your house. You were knocking on death's door by the time the paramedics got to you. You should consider yourself lucky to be alive.” She explained. It didn’t take long after that for my parents to rush in. I started asking questions and found out that I had been in a coma for about two months. I told everyone about my time in Equestria, even the doctors, but they said it was just a vivid dream sequence that was brought on by the coma. I would have believed them but I had proof that it was real. When I woke up I didn’t need glasses anymore and my illness that plagued me before was gone. The doctors I visited said that it was a miracle that the lightning strike fixed my health issues and repeated that it wasn’t because ‘I visited a land of magical ponies’. I was given a hard time about my so-called ‘story’ for some time. Being cured of my oxygen illness made it possible for me to go take walks, and that was something I grew fond of as time went on. I would usually go later in the day and wait for sunset on a bench somewhere. Looking at the sun as it went down brought back a memory… one that I never wanted to forget. ~I didn’t take you for the sorta guy who enjoyed sunsets~ Other than that my life stayed relatively the same. I gave up the game design idea and instead devoted my time to writing and drawing, the two things that I seemed to have talent for and actually enjoyed doing. It was funny really, I had my freedom back but all I felt like doing was secluding myself. Although even when I was alone, I didn’t feel so bad anymore. I was a new person… I stopped caring so much about the state of our world and just tried to enjoy it. I enjoyed the simple fact that I was alive and tried to live like I should have in Equestria… I lived happily. Time seemed to speed up as I went day to day doing what I felt I needed to do. Since I was well enough to get out, my relatives kept telling me I should try to find a girlfriend… I always responded the same way by telling them that I was better off without another one. They didn’t understand what I meant, but they eventually gave up trying to convince me. I eventually started to watch my little pony again and discovered that Twilight was going to become a princess… but I took that away from her. The real her. I found myself going through the series all over again, pausing the videos whenever I saw her smiling or laughing. It didn’t even feel like I was watching a cartoon anymore. It felt like I was replaying some home videos, reminiscing the time I spent with them. When I got to the Discord episodes, I skipped them. Before I would have been happy to watch the antics of the psychotic conglomeration of creatures merged into one, but now I hated him with a passion. After I finished watching, I had a long list of things I missed. The mythical creatures, the friendly ponies who would say hi as you walked by, the cool calm nights complemented by a clear sky full of stars and a large alluring moon, the sunny days that seemed to be absolutely perfect, the magic… man I missed using magic. In fact I sometimes felt powerless without it. I wasn’t able to move from place to place with a mere thought, I couldn’t move stuff around without physically touching it, and I couldn’t amplify sound or create heat from nothing. Like the saying goes, I went from hero to zero. But more than anything… I missed having someone who I could talk to by my side. Someone who shared my thirst of knowledge and had the ability to carry on conversations with me without getting bored or irritated. Someone I could vent to, share my thoughts and beliefs, even just stay by for the sake of knowing someone is there. It didn’t take long for me to realize how much I missed her. I would have tried to find a person like her, but I knew I couldn’t. With how people behave this day in age, finding a human Twilight would be like trying to find the worlds smallest needle in the worlds largest haystack, and I wasn’t in the mood to waste my time searching. Besides, chances are even if I did find someone that fit, someone that I really could spend my life with, she would probably be spoken for. Thats why love is so damn hard… finding someone who you can love isn’t easy when people are in such a rush to get into a relationship. By the time you are ready everyone has already paired up. As months went by my life began going back to its usual cycle. My mother didn’t do anything but leave every once in a while to get her meth fix, then come back to make a mess, flip out at nothing from coming down off the drug, then sleep until she would do it again. My dad also continued clean up after her and complain to me about her behavior like he always did. The rest of my family went about their usual business, ignoring that I even existed like before. Then there was me… I was essentially on my own without any real friends again, trying to find a purpose in my life. The more time passed, the more I began to realize that every world was going to have its problems. You can’t know the good without the bad to compare it to. As I figured this out I began to see some more beauty in living. I began to realize that our world did have a faint silver lining. It didn’t matter that the majority of people were corrupted… there was still some seeds of good out there. I found this out once I actually started to talk to people online. They were mostly bronies but they all saw things with a similar view and wanted to do good. I wasn’t alone in my quest… and unbelievable as it seems, that made me feel a real wave of happiness. For the first time in years I really felt something as a human. To me, that was the second greatest gift I could receive. Now you are probably asking yourself, ‘if thats the second greatest, what is the first’? It was the one thing I never thought I would receive. The thing, or should I say pony, that I had to thank for the new me. The one that taught me to care again… Twilight. I know I sound like a broken record at this point but she was the first one who I felt anything towards. I didn’t even think love was real until her. However, I knew that I would never see her again… or at least that was what I believed at the time. It was nearing my birthday and like every year I expected very little from it. The great thing about this year though was that my birthday happened to be the date when season 4 of MLP was supposed to air, so I thought of it as a bonus birthday present. The thing I didn’t expect though was a mysterious email that I received that day. I looked at who had sent it and it was from a ‘Princess C.’. Now normally I’m smart enough to stay away from emails like that but something drew me to it. I felt compelled to read it so I scrolled over with my mouse and clicked. When it opened, it read: Dear Dusk Shimmer, I wish to begin by apologizing. I believed you had killed my faithful student so I sent you back to your world as you probably know. However, upon further examination I discovered I was wrong about you. You were never a murderer. I wish I could take back what I have done, but my powers are not quite strong enough to pull things from your world to here. I have been watching you for some time through a powerful spell conjured up by a small team of elite unicorn soldiers. By the time you read this it should be your birthday. For the mistake I have made I wish to send you a gift. Now I am placing my full trust on you to keep this gift of mine safe. This is the least I can do for you after punishing you unjustly. Take care and I will be watching you. Sincerely, Princess Celestia. After I finished reading it, the email deleted itself and no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find it. Then another email appeared shortly after. I hastily clicked on it. P.S. Your gift should be arriving right about now. Just as I read it, there was a knock at the door and like before the email did its version of self-destructing. The dogs that we had were barking like mad causing my dad to get up, tell them to be quiet, and open the door. After he opened it I heard him say, “who are you and what do you want?” ‘That’s my dad alright… ever the charmer.’ I thought to myself while rolling my eyes. What came next made my heart skip a beat. In a unmistakable and familiar voice I heard a young female answer, “Good afternoon, does Jason live here? We are old friends and I wanted to wish him a happy birthday.” Well… buck me, birthday wishes do come true. I guess this is the end of my story, but what happens next is up to you. So, what kind of world would you like to live in? It’s your turn to help make it...