Blackest Knight
Chapter 29
John awoke in the morning, feeling refreshed and ready for the day. He retrieved the ring box from his nightstand and placed into his suit pocket. He walked to Twilight’s breakfast hall. Both Twilight and Spike were eating when John came in.
“Good morning John.” Twilight greeted.
“Good morning to both of you,” John replied. “Twilight, how has the research been going?”
“It’s been going well,” the purple alicorn answered, “but it would probably go faster if you were helping.”
“I can’t help, you know my position. I need to spend as much time with Fluttershy as I can. I don’t mind if it doesn’t go slower anyways.”
Twilight sighed, “You know, if I were to research immortality instead …”
John cut her off, “No, immortality is not a fate to take lightly. Seeing ponies you love die around you can take its toll on somepony, and we have already discussed why giving it to everypony would be a bad idea.”
Twilight shook her head. “I’ll continue then, I still don’t know why you want to research interdimensional travel when you have already decided to never return to Earth.”
John replied, “I have my reasons.” He left the hall and made his way out of the front door. The human basked in the morning light for a moment before leaving the estate. Ponyville had barely changed since his arrival. Even rebuilding after Twilight and John’s fight with Tirek had brought the town back to its former self. John walked slowly through the town.
As the human arrived at the center of town, he saw Fluttershy walking up to Sugarcube Corner. They had planned to meet up at the restaurant the night before, and John smiled as he approached the yellow pegasus. “Well, hello beautiful.”
Fluttershy blushed, “Hello John.”
John bent down and pecked her on the lips. “Well, let’s go inside.”
Fluttershy asked, “Why do you always insist on taking me out to eat if you can’t?” She became nervous, “N … not that I don’t like it, but … well … I just thought that you would usually pick something we could both enjoy.”
John laughed, “Fluttershy, I enjoy just spending time with you. I would be happy watching grass grow if you were next to me.”
Fluttershy blushed again, “I understand.” They went into Sugarcube Corner.
John was immediately met with the sight of an upside down pink face. “Hello Pinkie,” he said.
The pink mare had stopped jumping on the human when he started dating Fluttershy, but still liked to surprise him. She jumped down from the ceiling and happily said, “Hello John! Hello Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy responded, “Hello Pinkie, can we get a table?”
“You sure can!” Pinkie replied. She led them to a table in the corner of the restaurant and took Fluttershy’s order of a daisy sandwich.
“So,” Fluttershy began, “Do we have any plans for today?”
John smiled, “We sure do.” Fluttershy was about to ask what when John put a finger over her lips. “Don’t worry, today will be perfect.”
He kissed her as her sandwich arrived, and she ate it quickly, anticipating the day.
John and Fluttershy walked through the Canterlot Gardens as the sun was touching the horizon. The human had taken her on the train to the city to catch a play, and she requested they visit the gardens after their dinner in a fancy restaurant. John had revealed that that was the plan, and they set off.
As Fluttershy looked at two birds building a nest, John put his hand on her shoulder. They smiled at each other before watching the birds. They moved on as the birds flew off to find more material, and Fluttershy spied a rabbit hopping lazily through a clearing.
They continued watching the animals in silence. John waited until Fluttershy was undistracted before asking, “Can I ask you a question Fluttershy?”
The mare looked at him, “Of course.”
John dropped to one knee, and she looked at him in confusion. “Oh, right,” John said, “I guess stallions in your world don’t do it like this, but this is a human tradition.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew the box. Fluttershy’s eyes grew as she realized what the box was.
“Fluttershy,” John began as he opened the box. “Will you marry me?”
Fluttershy did not hesitate to answer, “Yes! John, yes!” She threw her arms around the human and kissed him. His arms wrapped around her back as he returned the kiss with joy. The two lovers stayed in this position for a few minutes before parting.
“Fluttershy,” John spoke, “you have made me the happiest man in existence. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Fluttershy responded. They kissed again. “I just can’t believe it took you this long.”
John chuckled, “I wanted everything to be special, and you have to admit that a lot has been happening lately.”
Fluttershy laughed, “But we made it through, because you were there to help us.”
“I was there because you were. I could not have left you.”
They kissed once more.
John stood in the Canterlot chapel. This was the room that brought him to Fluttershy, and it was in this room that he almost killed the yellow mare. Now, he was in this room once again to atone for his past sins.
“John,” Twilight spoke, her wings raised high in an authoritative pose, “do you take this mare to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
John spoke, “I do.”
“Fluttershy,” Twilight turned to the yellow mare, “do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Fluttershy did not hesitate, “I do.”
Twilight smiled, “You may now kiss the bride.”
John lifted Fluttershy’s veil as his best mare, Rainbow Dash, shrugged out of her dress. John pressed his lips to Fluttershy’s and Rainbow flew out of the open window. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, the flower mares, started the cheer that swept through the assembly as a sonic rainboom erupted over the chapel.
John tuned out everything but the feel of Fluttershy’s lips against his as joy swept through him. They kissed for several moments before breaking away.
And thus, they began their lives together.
It is at this point that many stories end with the traditional ‘And they lived happily ever after.’ This is not the case. John and Fluttershy lived together in happiness for many years in Fluttershy’s cottage. As Fluttershy aged, their love for each other grew, but John’s age did not progress. As Death had prophesized, John’s broken fate made him untouchable to time.
As the years passed, John spent his days in the company of the mare that he loved, but her remaining days dwindled. One day, Fluttershy felt Death’s touch once again, and John was left alone with the only surviving Bearer, the immortal alicorn Twilight Sparkle.
John began preparations to complete his end of the bargain with Death, visiting the grave of his love once more before departing.
John stared at the stone as rain fell around him. Two months had passed since Fluttershy’s death, and John felt as alone as he always had since her passing. He set a bouquet of flowers on her headstone before turning away. His daily vigil was over, and he had business to attend to.
John walked through Ponyville, barely paying attention to the empty streets or his own wet clothes. He arrived at the cottage that now belonged to him and entered. Many animals used to surround the cottage, even after Fluttershy had passed, but John had dispersed them the day prior. His business would not let him return to feed them.
John left the cottage several minutes later, donning his old black armor with his old sword slung over his back. The enchanted metal had survived the test of time just as John had, and he would need the equipment. John checked to make sure the metal was in good condition before walking to Twilight’s castle.
Twilight greeted the human as he arrived, and they made their way in silence to a small room within the crystal castle.
“Are you sure you want to do this John?” Twilight asked.
“Yes,” John said with no hesitation.
“You will not be able to come back.”
“I have no need to.”
Twilight began the spell she had been researching for years. She had made a breakthrough the day before, and the human insisted they begin as soon as possible.
“Alright,” she spoke as a blue orb of energy left her horn, “Take the orb with your left hand.”
John reached out his hand and the orb landed in his palm. It dissipated into his flesh, making its way to the unicorn horn fused to his arm bone.
“Now,” Twilight began explaining, “That orb has two properties, the first allows you to scour through dimensions to find beings of power. The second allows you to open a portal to their location. The spell is similar to how Chrysalis was able to abduct you.”
“Thank you Twilight,” John said.
Twilight stopped him before he cast the spell, “If traveling dimensions was what broke your fate and kept you from death in the first place, aren’t you afraid it will break your mark with the equine Death as well?”
John answered, “Actually, traveling dimensions isn’t what broke my fate, it was being torn from my fate that broke it. This is the only way that I can fulfill my bargain with Death.”
Twilight hesitated before asking, “So you plan on just traveling through dimensions and challenging every powerful being you can find?”
John simply replied, “Yep.”
“Are you going to kill them if they can’t kill you?”
John looked at the alicorn, “No, my blade will not kill another innocent. If I am victorious in a duel, then I will let them live, but if I am defeated, they will deliver the killing blow.”
Twilight stayed silent, and John prepared the spell. A blue portal opened and stabilized before them.
John stepped toward the portal, but stopped before entering. He turned back to the lavender alicorn, “Farewell Twilight Sparkle. This is goodbye, for I will not return.”
Twilight looked at the human, “Goodbye John. Good luck.”
John turned around and took a deep breath before stepping through the portal.
And so, John began his journey to find a being that could reunite him with his beloved Fluttershy.