I landed in yet another Everfree Forest in yet another Equestria.
I sat as the effects of the jump wore off. The familiar smells of the Everfree forest greeted my nose. The magic was the same as the first Equestria, and, as my vision cleared, I could see the same trees that greeted me in most all of these worlds.
But this was it. I no longer had the will to keep going. It was not worth the effort to stand. It was not worth the effort to look for him. Not worth the effort to have my hopes shot down again.
There was no point. No point to gathering a hoard, No point to defending what would rust away or be consumed.
All that ever mattered were... Gajeel, George, and Steelskin. Each one that came into my life brought something to make me better and give me purpose.
A tear rolled down my cheek.
...And every time they were ripped from me.
I had been functioning only through instinct ever since I had been pulled from Steelskin, but now, even that was not enough to keep me going.
I sat and watched the moon as Luna, or possibly Celestia guided it across the sky.
So this is what The Emptiness feels like... not too much different from normal... more just the lack of those things that kept me moving... yes, The Emptiness is a good term for it... much better than ‘depression’ or such nonsense like that. I wonder if I will meet anyone before I waste away completely.
Probably. These ponies are quite social... especially The Pink One. I do not believe I would ever be able to escape her in any of these realities.
After a while, I heard voices and footsteps.
Let them have the metal and gems.
“We should be getting close to whatever caused the flash. Twilight, can you sense anything?”
My body was just too heavy to move, even to prepare for a fight.
Maybe they will kill me quickly.
As they approached, I caught the scent to go with the voice.
“Greetings, Alex. Do you come in friendship or domination?”
He looked at the others in confusion before turning back to me.
“Ah... friendship? Are you friendly too?” I was glad to see his ‘I am nervous, but will make you a friend’ smile rather than his ‘oh good, another conquest’ smirk. It would not have been a problem if an evil Alex would kill me, but, sadly, they were the type that would lock me in a cage and torment me.
“Metallicana! I’m-so-happy-to-finally-meet-you! Don’t-worry-Gajeel’s-doing-great...” The pink fireball stood on my nose and assaulted me with her normal explosion of words.
“Uhm, have I done this before?” She hopped down and gave me personal space.
Ah, Pinkie Pie, the one constant in these jumps...
For some reason, this time she did not scare me.
“Yes you have. Multiple times.” Despite my tiredness with life and fate, she managed to put a smile on my face.
Pinkie Pie paused for a minute. “Oh, for a second there, I thought I came on too strong.”
“Every other time, it was, my pink fireball, but today...” I shook my head tiredly.
For once, she was an anchor of stability rather than a font of insanity.
“Today, you are just what I needed.”
“I’m glad.” Pinkie Pie hugged my foreleg as the others sat there with the normal look of someone watching Pinkie. “You seemed so sad when I saw you... Oh!” She jumped back and her grin was back to its manic state. “I just remembered! I need to tell you about a colt named Steelskin!”
The mention of his name filled me with a bittersweet feeling of wistfulness. “Yes, tell me about little Steelskin.”
I do not think I shall train him, but I shall watch over him and be glad of his safety and happiness.
I closed my eyes and listened. I was still unbearably tired, but, ironically, this creature of raw insanity that I had feared for so long was now the bit of strength I so desperately needed.
Apparently, the ponies were concerned by my demeanor, as they started nuzzling my head and sides before laying down against me. I found a new sense of strength and purpose that was greater than anything I had felt before. I no longer needed a son to adopt because I now had an entire town to protect. With a smile, I vowed to protect, defend and avenge any Ponyville I jumped to.
On second thought, I shall pledge my protection to any town willing to consider me a ‘friend’.
I laughed quietly to myself as I carefully got to my feet. I wondered if I could have found this earlier if I could only have been courageous enough to get to know Pinkie.
“Would anyone-anypony, I mean, be willing to help me carry my hoard to the smoker dragon’s cave?”