Twilight's Human Boyfriend

by Songbrony

Chapter 16

I looked out the window overlooking the water. It had been awhile since had left home. Years actually. I wonder if they'll still remember me. Not like I've been keeping up with their letters. I thought to myself. I sighed as I realized it was fruitless. It had been so long and I hadn't responded to any of their letters in years. "Pretty sure they would rather not see me." I said quietly to myself.

I hadn't really been happy since I left. I could count on one hand how many times I had felt true happiness. Stop being so depressive. I thought. It's not going to help you feel better. I turned from the window as I saw land start to show from the horizon.

I walked out of my room and made my way up to the deck. A few others had gathered by the exit ramp, wanting to be the first off the ship to return here. "Wow it looks so different!" I heard someone say next to me. It was true. The docks looked newer and the train station looked like it recieved an upgrade.

"Do you think they'll welcome us?" I overheard another ask. "I mean, after what happened I wouldn't think they'd let us back, especially with how some of us are." the lady said.

"It was only a year after that happened that they wanted to open up their borders again. It was our own leaders who prevented that from happening." I chimed in. "Not like people were keen on opening borders again after the trial anyways." I said, thinking back to the disastrous trial that was held back home.

"Yeah but it wasn't the Princess' fault. It was a culture shock that threw her for a loop. Not to mention the constant media attention. I'm surprised it wasn't worse off then what happened." the lady said defending Luna.

"I told her to keep her magic in check since people there had never seen it. And that blast could've leveled parts of the city. We're lucky it happened in Forest Park and only shattered some windows." I said grimacing. "Could've been way worse."

She looked at me quizitively and her eyes widened. "Oh my god. You're Brendan." she said. Being one of the people who testified during the trial made me an icon among those who tried to push legislature through for an open border with Equestria. Long after I gave up lobbying and any hope of returning. "What happened to you?" she asked.

Over the past 20 years, i had tried to move past Equestria. Thought it better to leave it all behind and forget. Started to turn grey, cut my hair short, let my beard grow, and became a teacher. But it didn't matter. All that I was known for was being the sicko who liked a pony. After the trial it was leaked by someone that I had been with Twilight. Despite the talking Princess that was on TV during the whole trial, they were still largely viewed as either animals or satanic creatures.

"Tried to move on." I sighed before chuckling a little. "Obviously it didn't happen." I was only in my 40s and I looked like crap. "Don't even know what I'm doing here." I said quietly.

"Everyone if I can have your attention!" A crew member shouted to us. We all turned around and waited. "We'll be docking shortly. If I could have everyone step back behind the yellow line, we'll have everyone dismbark. Please grab your luggage from your rooms if you have yet done so. Thank you." he said.

'Well, better grab my shit' I thought as I turned to head back to my room. It was a crowded mess on the dock. Everyone was so excited and in a hurry. 'I'm gonna be one of the last ones off at this rate' I thought angrily.

I tried my best to push my way through the crowd but it didn't really matter. Took me about 15 minutes fighting upstream to get back to my room. I quickly grabbed whatever loose stuff I had and placed it in my bags. I don't know why but I had a renewed sense of excitement. I wasn't sure why. 'Don't be stupid. You know perfectly well why.' I thought, thinking of Twilight.

It's not like I stayed hooked up on her. I tried dating people back home, but most couldn't get past the whole thing with Twi. There were a few who were understanding and were okay with it, but even those didn't last for one reason or another.

I opened up my pack and found the scrapbook Twi had given me before I left Equestria all those years ago. Suddenly I started to doubt. Doubt that she'd still be here. Even if she was with someone else, married, with kids, she may have forgotten me. Forgotten who I was, or what we had. 'What's the point...' I thought sadly. I hadn't looked at the scrapbook for years. I don't even know why I packed it. For old times sake?

I heard the ships horn blare, and quickly threw everything into the bag and ran out the door. It was much emptier now. 'Damnit why didn't you pack the night before so you could get out first!' I thought, frustrated that I was going to be one of the last ones off.

When I got back to the deck I saw that the ship was already unloading some cargo. Apparently it was some luggage along with items out government thought Equestria would be interested in that didn't require an escorted transport.

The line slowly moved forward as we disembarked, and I went through about every emotion there was. I was excited to see Twilight again, scared of what might happen, nervous that I may have just made another big mistake in an ever growing list of mistakes, and so many more. I tried to slow my breathing as I edged closer to the ramp. 'Breathe. In and out.' I thought, coaching myself.

When I reached the ramp I looked over past the docks to see if I could find Twilight, or at least one of her friends, but I saw nobody. I felt my body slump a little as I saw everyone else finding an old friend or seeing the amazement in their eyes to first viewing this place. Now that we were closer I saw just how much everything here had changed. They had light poles along the sidewalks, restaurants with neon signs, even a few taxis that were engine powered and not pulled by a pony.

"Did they have some sort of industrial revolution while we were gone?" I asked no one in particular. I kept looking around for Twilight but I still couldn't get over how different everything looked. I hopped off the ramp and began searching for anyone I knew. I saw a banner that was obviously made by Pinkie. Bright and welcoming, with the words 'Welcome Back!' in bright colors.

As I walked, I noticed that there was a small fair going on near the boat. Whether it was a way to welcome everyone to Equestria or if it was just another random fair was beyond me. I didn't really want to stay there anyways. I didn't need to go to the unloading docks since I had all my luggage with me. Didn't bring much along. Just some clothes and various items from home. I instinctively checked my pocket to make sure I didn't forget my phone on the ship. 'Not sure why I brought you.' I thought, as I felt it in my pocket. 'Not like they have phone towers here.'

Even if they did, it's not like I could get a call home. Didn't even have anybody to call anymore. After the trial most of my family dropped me out of their lives. They weren't too fond of the relationship I had with Twilight. I didn't hold a grudge against them though. As much as it hurt, I knew their reasons. My mother being pretty religious didn't find the talking ponies as something I should be messing around with. Least of all being together with one. I hardly spoke to my dad before the trial, but even less so afterwards. Not sure why exactly. Didn't really talk about anything that bothered him.

I kept walking past everyone and headed further into town. Ponyville hadn't really changed as much as I had thought. Despite the few electrical additions, it still felt like Ponyville. I followed the signs trying to find my way to the library. I passed Sugarcube Corner, the furniture store, Town Hall, but I couldn’t find the library. ‘I know I’ve been gone for a long time, but I should have found it by now.’ I thought. I kept walking for the next hour, but I still had no idea where it was.

“Excuse me?” I asked a pony walking down the road. “Could you help me find the library?”

“The library?” she said confused.

“Yeah, you know, big, giant tree? Located in the center of town? I’ve been walking for an hour and can’t find it anywhere.” I said.

“Well I don’t know anything about a giant tree, but we all get our books from the castle.” she said.

“Castle? You go to Canterlot to visit the library?” I asked, getting more and more confused.

“What? No, are you crazy? The castle in Ponyville.” she replied. “You didn’t see it?” I shook my head. "Well you know where the Gazebo used to be? Head there, and you can't miss it. The castle is along the edge of the town." she said as she left.

"Oh...well, thanks." I said as I made my way there. 'A castle? When did they put a castle up in Ponyville? And why?' I thought. It didn't make sense. Ponyville wasn't really anything special. Just a small town that close to Canterlot. And with a castle already present in Canterlot, there wasn't a reason for one to be in Ponyville. 'I wonder who the Princess is there.' I didn't really know where Twilight would be, but if there was a library, I could assume she'd be close to it.

As I walked I saw people laughing and hugging old friends they hadn't seen in ages. Everyone seemed happy and excited. I smiled, wondering if the same would be true for me. I hadn't written any letters, despite receiving plenty before they abruptly stopped a decade ago. It was a relief at first. I didn't know what to say, or how to explain the situation that happened with Luna. I told her I would make sure that everything went smoothly and it went horribly horribly wrong.

'And then we weren't allowed back.' I thought. I shook my head. "Gotta stop thinking about the same thing over and over. It's not going to help, just...find a way to move forward." I told myself quietly.

I turned the corner to the Gazebo and stopped. "That's new..." I said. Ahead of me was a giant crystal castle. It was beautiful, if out of place compared to the rest of Ponyville.

"Brendan!" I heard a bubbly voice shout behind me. Before I could turn around I was tackled by a pink ball of fluff.

"Oof!" I let out a gasp as the wind was knocked out of me.

"You're back! How you been? You look really different I almost didn't recognize you, except, well, I overheard you talking to that one mare about the library and I thought, no, that's not him, it looks nothing like him, but guess what?" Pinkie said giggly.

"It was me?"

"It was you!" she exclaimed bouncing off of me. "So much has happened since you've last been here! There was this Draconequus that turned everything wibbly wobbly, then a changeling invasion that happened in Canterlot, there was this one time when a unicorn came to town with a magic amulet that banished Twilight until she was able to get the amulet off, and then there was a giant Centaur thing with the ability to steal magic-" she went on and on before I cut her off.

"Pinkie!" I exclaimed. "As...interesting as those all sound, I actually want to see Twilight..." I said.

"Oh, okay!" she said with a smile. She walked along humming an upbeat tune as she walked to the castle doors.

"So...about that giant centaur that stole magic?" I asked.

"Oh yeah! He was stealing the magic of all the ponies, Unicorns, Pegasus, Earth Ponies, he even tried to get the Alicorns magic!" she said, still bubbly as ever.

"What happened?"

"The Princess' gave their magic to Twilight and she and Tirek had this huge fight throughout Ponyvlle. There was a massive blast, that leveled a bunch of trees, BOOM!" she said, imitating a large explosion.

"Did anybody get hurt?" I asked, worried.

"Not really, other than feeling weird without their magic, everything was fine. And then this castle just grew from the ground!"

"It just...grew...like a tree?" I asked.

"Yep." she said as she entered the castle. "Twilight!" she shouted into the crystal halls. After echoing for awhile she led me through the halls and up some stairs. There were doors lining up every single wall for what felt like miles.

"How do you know where you're going? It all looks the same to me." I said.

"It's been here for years! You'll learn soon enough." she said happily. She walked up another set of stairs and opened the door at the end of the hall. "Twilight! You have a visitor!" she exclaimed.

"I know." she said softly.

I walked in to the room slowly, not saying anything. She turned around and looked at me. She looked sad, or mad. Possibly both. "H-hey..." I said quietly.

"...Hey..."

We stood there in silence for a little bit. I had so much to say but didn't know how to say it. "I'll give you some time alone." Pinkie said, still somewhat cheerful.

She closed the door and Twilight was the first to speak. "15 years. Not a single letter..." she said. "I... I thought..." she started.

"I'm sorry. After the trial...I got a little lost. I didn't know what I was going to do not being able to come back and see you." I said. "I wasn't sure if you'd even want to hear from me after the trial went south."

"Why did it? You told me you would help Luna keep her magic under control and not let her go off again." she said.

"A few days into the trial, she was the target of an assassination attempt by a group who viewed her as the anti-christ. She wasn't hurt due to her magic, but she hurt a bunch of people in the blast. It messed her up psychologically and she started having a bunch of smaller controlled outbursts, but it wasn't helping the case. She tried to hold it in, but her mental state afterwards wasn't helping. We were in Forest Park one day because I thought that a walk in the park would be helpful for her." I explained.

"Was she doing something to help herself?" she asked.

"I don't know. After the assassination attempt she started having bad nightmares and would wake up tired and worn out. She said she was fine and was handling it, but I don't know."

"Then what caused the explosion in Forest Park?" she asked, getting angry.

"I'm not sure. She had a massive headache and from what she was telling me afterwards it was pent magic due to her heavy restriction on herself using magic. She wouldn't even use it to hold a pencil." I said. Whatever was bothering her, it was just getting worse." I said. "There was nothing I could do to stop it."

"You could have written me and asked what to do. I could have helped." she said.

"I didn't want to worry you." I said.

"Well you did." she replied. She turned around and I saw that she had wings.

"Wait, what's that?" I said, pointing. "Are those wings?" I asked astonished.

"Yeah. I became a Princess after finishing a spell that Starswirl the Bearded couldn't complete." she said with a small smile.

"You finished a spell of the most powerful Unicorn in history?" i said shocked.

"Wow. That's amazing Twi." I said smiling.

"Thanks." she said. She turned to face me and she gave me a look of confusion. "Also, what the heck happened to your face?" she said walking up and putting a hoof on my beard.

"I decided to let it grow a bit." I said. "You like it?" I asked.

"Honestly, no." she said bluntly. "But...I think I can get used to it." she said with a smile.

I chuckled and looked in her eyes. "I'm sorry for not writing."

"I know. I'm still mad about that, but I also know you shut down when your mad, depressed, or not feeling happy in general. It's not healthy." she said.

"I know. But after the trial I didn't have many friends to talk to and vent." I said.

"Well you have friends here. And I'm sure they'd like to talk and catch up with you."

I smiled. "I'd like that too. But...I would first like to talk to you. I know we haven't spoken for a long time, and I want to make sure we're good."

She sighed. "I don't know if we'll ever be where we used to be." she said. "I missed you and have wanted nothing more than to see you again."

"So let's just hang out and see what happens." I said, holding her face in my hands. "I've missed you. More than anything else."

"Well how about this. We go and talk with the others and catch up. I'm still mad, even if seeing you again is amazing. And then tomorrow, we can spend the whole day together." she offered.

I nodded. "I'd like that." I said with a smile. I didn't know what was going to happen. But whether or not we're together again as a couple, or just friends, I was happy. I was home.

Author's Note:

I'd like to thank everyone who was patient with me on finishing this last chapter. I know it's been awhile since I've posted much of anything, but I'm hoping to start coming back and writing more. Again, thank you all for reading and for your patience.

Comments

[Viper Pit]

after a 2 year hiatus it breaths it's final breath as it completes it's journey

[axl bishop]

2 years....right, i liked it

stayclassy

[unknowncape7377]

That ending was bittersweet