The Fate of a Man

by Jayellow

To Rise and Fall

Chapter Five: To Rise and Fall

Fluttershy paced back and forth in her home, a highly worried expression on her face. The moon had risen in the sky, and Michael still had not arrived at home.

“Oh, where is he?” She asked, despite being alone, “He should be home by now!”

He had said that he wasn’t going to do anything bad, she knew, but she couldn’t help but feel anxious. What if he had become irrational in his depression? Or maybe he had been lying, so they wouldn’t suspect him of anything! No, that wasn’t right. He may not have shown much character, but he was quite honest. But that was the Michael who didn’t feel anything. He hardly had any reason to lie.

“Oh, maybe I should go look for him!” She headed towards the door, ready to take off and fly as quick as her wings could carry her.

However, instead of opening the door, she jumped back in fright as the door opened itself.

“Fluttershy?” Michael called, shutting the door behind him, “Are you home?”

He looked around for a second, and his eyes settled on her. He could see small pools of tears gathering, and her face was turning sad.

“Oh, Michael!” She was around him in an instant, forelegs wrapped around his neck.

“Good evening, Fluttershy,” He patted her back, doing his best to keep his tone upbeat.

“P-please, could y-you not stay out so l-late, anymore? I-if it’s not t-to much trouble...”

She pleaded, burying her head into his shoulder, “I-I get so worried.”

“Okay, for you,” He smiled softly, it seemed he had a soft spot for the shy Pegasus, “You okay now?”

“Y-yes,” she hiccupped, letting go and floating back to the ground, “Are you okay, though?”

“I’m fine, Fluttershy,” He sounded as though he were just giving her the answer she wanted to hear.

“O-okay,” She mumbled, “You know you can talk to me any time you want, right?”

“Of course,” He had walked over to his bed, and hung up his jacket and hat, “Thanks for the offer. Good night.”

He turned off the oil lamp beside his bed, and rolled underneath the covers.

Fluttershy gently walked up the stairs, agreeing that it was time for bed A short while later she was tucked into her own bed, and the last thought she had before sleep overcame her was “I hope Michael is okay…”

The next day, Michael awoke bright and early. The morning passed quickly, and Fluttershy even managed to keep herself from crying. He still didn’t talk much, but he seemed to be fine. He even gave her a half smile, once or twice.

With his morning duties taken care of, Michael bade Fluttershy goodbye and walked down the path leading to Ponyville.

It was a bright summer day, and the sun was beating down on the dark haired man. He slipped his jacket off and slung it over his shoulder, leaving an earthy red shirt underneath exposed.

Not far down the same trail, a certain pink pony was bounding down the path, on her way to her friend’s home. As luck would have it, she was on her way to see Michael.

Soon enough, the two came to opposite sides of a corner. Michael was admiring the brilliant blue skies, while Pinkie Pie was busy inspecting the brightly colored box on her back. How it managed to stay on her, despite her bouncy movements, was a mystery that no one could fully answer.

But, as the two were distracted, nature decided that they were due for some humorous misfortune.

Just as she turned to face forward, the mare found herself with a face-full of human chest. The two rebounded off of each other, and hit the ground simultaneously. Pinkie scrambled to catch her package, as Michael slowly stood up once more.

“Oh! Michael! Just who I was looking for!” The pink mare exclaimed, suddenly a bit closer that he would have liked.

“Hello Pinkie Pie,” he greeted, dusting himself off some, “Was there something you needed?”

“Yeppers!” she bounced around him a small circle for a moment, “I have something for you! I know that you have been all grumpy ever since you got here, and that can’t be fun! So, I said to myself, ‘Pinkie Pie, how can we cheer him up?’ And I figured it out! I could bake you a cake! Everyone likes cake! And I had planned to do this since Twilight and I found you, anyways, so it did two things at once! It’s, like, a super double cake!”

Feeling somewhat disoriented from her short rant, Michael said, “I take it that is what is in the package?”

She came to a halt directly in front of him, presenting the box on outstretched forelegs, “Yup!”

He accepted the baked good with a small grin, thanking the pink party pony. He was then quickly on his way, already knowing what was likely to happen.

And happen it did. At first, Pinkie just sat in the road, an amazed look on her face. Then, one cheek pulled upwards, slowly. The other followed soon after, and she was suddenly smiling like she had just won the Equestrian National Lottery.

Although, only a few days prior, that would have been more likely.

“You SMILED!” She shouted, bounding around him in joy. “You actually smiled! It was a little small, but we can work on that. All that matter is that YOU! SMILED! FOR THE! VERY! FIRST! TIME!”

Holding the cake under one arm, Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. He would have rather not had to deal with the excitable mare right then, considering the ordeal he was finally allowing himself to go through. But, it would seem that fate had other plans for him, so he dryly said “I’ve smiled before, Pinkie Pie. Just not very much recently.”

“Those don’t count!” She was incorrigible at this point, “That was your very first Pinkie Pie smile! Those are extra super-duper special! This calls for a party!”

Suddenly stopping and standing stock still, she gasped. “A PARTY! I can’t believe I forgot! I haven’t thrown you a single party in all the time you’ve lived here! Oh my gosh, this is huge! I have to go plan!”

He witnessed a pink blur flash in front of him, reminiscent of a certain rainbow Pegasus’s signature dash.

Letting out a relieved sigh, he muttered, “Finally, some peace and quiet.” After a cursory look at the box held to his torso, he added ”I wonder if this cake is any good.”

He moved it to one hand, and began to undo the bright blue ribbon atop it to take a peek inside. But, just as he was about to glimpse the confectionary wonder, the box was snatched from his grasp.

“No peeking!” A familiar peppy voice said, “I’ll have to save this for the party! Oh, so much to do, so little time! I’ll need to talk to Twilight about who I can invite! And the decorations! What should I use?”

Her rambling continued and faded as she ran away.

Dragging a hand down his face, Michael thought, “I don’t even know what to think about that one.”

It was odd, he thought. By all rights, he should be a depressed, crying wreck, not the melancholic man he was. He couldn’t explain it, but it was as if it were almost impossible to remain sad around those ponies.

But hadn’t he just the night before last attempted suicide? Any sane person would have had him either racking up therapy bills a mile high, or in some mental hospital.

That was just it, though. Any sane person would have done so. The same didn’t seem to be true for any sane pony.

He kicked a rock on the road as he walked, not paying the slightest attention to his destination. He realized that even though he said he would be going to the library, he didn’t know if that was true. He didn’t know how Twilight would react to his emotionally renewed state. But maybe her bookish ways and scientific nature could help him.

“Now there is a pony Jessie would have loved.” He thought, a pang of sadness striking him at her memory.

The thought occurred to him, then. He wasn’t entirely certain how his other caretakers, who insisted he call them friends, would respond.

Well, he already knew Fluttershy would be there for him. She always had, even when he had acted “as alive as Tom,” as he had heard Pinkie Pie say once. He would have to ask her to clarify that reference some time. Thoughts of the timid Pegasus brought him to a memory of her that stood out.

He had been on her roof, patching a hole a couple of animals had made while playing up there.

“I brought you some lemonade,” He heard her say, as she hovered to his left just off the edge of the roof with a platter and the drink.

Pausing for a moment, he said to her “There’s no need, I’m fine.”

She looked down, and muttered a few words he couldn’t hear. She looked downtrodden as she hovered downwards, returning the drinks to her home.

He continued to work in silence, only the steady sounds of the tools on wood, and the ever present voices of nature around him.

He was reaching for another nail from a wooden bucket to his right when Fluttershy returned.

“Um… maybe I could help you, if you wouldn’t mind, that is.” She said to him, scooping one of the nails up on a hoof to hand to him.

He accepted the nail, and quickly had it pounded into the roof. “There’s no need, I’m fine.” he repeated, reaching into the bucket and taking several more nails.

“Oh, okay…” Fluttershy left once again, sounding dejected.

The summer sun beat down on him as he worked. He could feel the sweat running down his forehead, only aggravated by his overheated black hair. He was starting to wonder why he had chosen not to wear his hat.

Finally, though, he was done. Well, he had fixed the hole, that is. He still had to replace the leafy greens she used for her roof.

He stood, and stretched his back. He dismissed the creaking he heard as nothing more than the noises his body was already making. He knelt back down to pick up his supplies, and was about to walk away when he heard another creak. Except this time, it was accompanied by a loud cracking noise.

What came next Michael was never entirely certain of. One moment, he had been standing on Fluttershy’s roof, about to climb down, and the next he was about ten feet below.

It was this scene that Fluttershy walked into, having just come in from a quick check up on her animals.

“Oh, no!” she had exclaimed in her still quite soft voice, “Michael!”

Michael laid there, thoroughly dazed. “I’m okay,” he coughed, “Just a short fall.”

“That was not ‘just a short fall!’” Flutershy was quickly by his side, clearing the debris off of him. “You could be seriously hurt!”

Sitting up, Michael told her, “I don’t feel as though I broke anything. Although, there is a strange pain in my right arm, sort of a stabbing feeling.”

In a heartbeat, the kind yellow pony had his arm in her hooves, gently rolling up the sleeve of his shirt to get a full look at it.

Knowing better than to attempt to keep Fluttershy from doting on him, Michael simply stared forward. Hopefully, it wasn’t anything too serious. He found it somewhat annoying when she became so concerned. Which is why he always did his best to prevent such things.

“Because it annoys me,” he thought, “No other reason.” For some reason, though, the idea just didn’t feel right. As though he were denying what he truly felt.

Nah, that wouldn’t make any sense. Michael didn’t feel anything like that back then, anyways.

He was trying to wrap his head around his conflicting thoughts, when he heard a loud gasp from his right.

“Oh my gosh!” Fluttershy’s voice was soft in her shock. “I-I-I, bandages! I need bandages!” She was off in a flurry of yellow and pink.

Curious, Michael took a look at his arm. He noticed he was bleeding, which he rather expected after his caretaker’s reaction. But it didn’t seem that bad. Looking at the top of his arm, he noticed only a few scratches. That stabbing pain was still there, though. Rolling over his arm, he looked at the underside.

“Ah, that would explain it.”

The underside of his arm was a bloody mess. Most of his upper arm was covered in scratches, some deeper than others. However, that still didn’t explain the piercing pain he felt.

Carelessly, he rubbed some of the blood away from his arm to get a better look. Part of the way between his bone and his bicep, though, he felt something hard. Something hard, and extremely painful.

Gently, he inspected it. “A nail,” he muttered, “That probably isn’t good.”

Leave it up to someone like Michael Greenfield to say a nail halfway into his arm “probably isn’t good.”

“Must have fallen on the bucket, or something,” He gently gripped the small metal fastener, and pulled. With nary a wince, he drew it out slowly. It came out with a sickening sound, just as Fluttershy returned.

Seeing him she shouted “What are you doing!”

“I was just removing this nail from my arm. I doubt it would be good to leave it in there.” He remarked, starting to stand.

He was back down in an instant, a firm yellow hoof keeping him there. “You could have made the injury worse doing that! What if you had cut something important while pulling that out! Then, then, you might have been bleeding so bad, that I couldn’t fix you!”

She continued to ramble worriedly while she cleaned his arm and wrapped it up. Michael found it curious, the way she treated him. The way he understood it, one generally did not care so much for another when the first was as… uncaring as him.

“Why are you so kind to me?”

The question threw Fluttershy off. No one had ever asked her why she was so kind, they just accepted it. She contemplated the question for a moment before answering “Because that is what friends do.”

Michael just grunted, and remained quiet while she worked. Was this timid pink and yellow pony really his friend? Or was she just trying to gain his trust for some other purpose?

He glanced at Fluttershy, taking in the look on her face. The concern he saw there was genuine. But it didn’t make any sense to him, the way these ponies behaved. Someone as kind as her would have been taken for all she had on Earth. Was this equine society really so different that someone like her could exist? It was hard to believe, but all of the evidence pointed towards it,.

But that brought forth another thought. In this world, where the majority was naturally predisposed towards happiness, could he find it?

Michael had dismissed the thought not long after he had it back then. But now, having stopped on the side of the road leading into Ponyville, it made him think.

“Even if it is possible,” he thought, “I’m not sure I want to. Not without Jessie.”

But another part of him felt otherwise. As much as it hurt to lose her, he couldn’t do anything to bring her back. She wouldn’t want to see him act the way he was, anyways.

But even as he told himself this, the words felt hollow.

“I’m a real mess, aren’t I?” He said aloud.

The rest of his journey passed in silence, and soon enough he found himself outside of the library.

“I wonder what Twilight will have me do today,” he muttered as he entered the building, “Or perhaps I should say ‘I wonder what Spike will have me do today.”

Inside, he found Twilight standing by a shelf, studying a green book. She looked up as he closed the door, and said “Michael, good to see you!”

“Hello, Twilight,” he toyed around with the idea of acting emotionless, knowing that it would be quite the hassle to explain himself. He dismissed the idea, however, when he recalled that three out of the six ponies he knew would know something was wrong. “So, what’s my itinerary for the day? Am I re-shelving books again? Or maybe I’m helping you with your magic?”

Snapping the book shut and levitating it back to its rightful place, Twilight spoke “Actually, I had something else in mind.”

“Oh, what is that?”

“I decided that because you are now a rightful citizen, you need a tour of Ponyville! I have a checklist ready of all the places you will need to go, so we can go as soon as Spike wakes up.” She gave him a warm smile, and headed into her kitchen, “Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you.” He replied, taking a seat on a short chair.

He had to adjust a bit, the chair clearly not having been made for him. "Why isn't Spike already awake?" He asked as she came back into the main room and sat down across from him.

"Oh, I kept him awake later than I should have last night. Owlowiscious was out hunting, and I really needed help." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. Twilight then quickly changed the subject by saying "How are you doing?"

Michael was about to reply with a standard "Fine," but he paused. Perhaps he should tell Twilight what had happened? She had become rather friendly with him, just like the others. And even though he hadn't had enough time to truly reciprocate those bonds, he still felt they should be honored. Those six ponies seemed to trust him, but could he trust them just the same? It wasn’t the same as the previous morning. Twilight had never shown him true hostility, and had only attempted to befriend him.As much as he tried to find one, an answer to his question never came.

"Michael? Are you okay?" Twilight asked him, concern evident in her voice.

Michael looked her directly in the eyes. He saw no signs of deception, only genuine caring. In fact, it hurt him how much she reminded him of Jessie just then.

"No, Twilight, I'm not." He let the words flow out. He wasn’t certain why he was telling Twilight this, but he knew he couldn’t stop himself. "I-I did something horrible the night before last. I wasn't thinking straight, and I very nearly caused you all great pain. I-I am so, so sorry."

Twilight honestly had little idea how to handle the situation that had just arisen. There she was, talking to Michael Greenfield, someone she thought would never do what he was just then. He was crying, she could tell. He may have been hiding his face in his hands, but the sobs that wracked his body were as clear as day.

So, she did the first thing that came to mind when any of her friends were crying. She walked over to Michael, and wrapped her forelegs around him in a hug.

She did her best to console him, gently giving him words of comfort. "I'm sure that whatever happened will turn out okay."

“Twilight, yo-you don’t understand. I almost did something irreversible. I hate myself for even thinking about it. I didn’t see then the pain I would have caused for all of you. I only hope you can forgive me.”

He told her then what he had done. He detailed the nightmares he had been experiencing, even tried to explain the guilt he felt. It was hard, explaining thoughts that sounded so irrational when he voiced them. But Twilight was patient with him, as he stumbled over his words. He hesitated as he reached the climax of his tale. More tears flowed as he relived his darkest hour, and once again he found himself wrapped in pony arms.

When he finished, the two said nothing. There wasn’t much to be said. Slowly, his tears stopped once more, and he calmed down as much as he could.

“You know,” he broke the silence, “You’re an awful lot like her.”

“Like who? Jessie?” Twilight asked him, having moved across from him after his story.

“Yeah, it’s uncanny really. She always studied harder than anyone I had ever met, told me that she had to. She was determined to cure one of the worst diseases mankind has dealt with: cancer. She would work days on end at times, determined to get her degree in genetics. Always said that genetics would be the key to the cure.” He chuckled weakly, adding another memory. “One time, she stayed up for two days straight working on a research paper. As it turns out, eating and drinking nothing but coffee and apples for two days straight is not good for one’s health.”

Twilight took the opportunity to cheer him up, and laughed perhaps a bit harder than she would have normally. “She sounds like she was a great person. I think I would have liked her.”

Michael gave her a look, “I see what you did there.”

Soon enough, the two were laughing with each other, albeit one harder than the other. Michael’s troubles may not have been forgotten, but for a time he could endure them. He only hoped the next time he let them out wasn’t in public.

“Can’t a dragon get any sleep around here?” A tired young voice came from their right.

“Well good morning to you too, mister sleepy-scales.” Twilight teased him.

The studious unicorn was quick to set Spike to work, and even quicker out the door with Michael.

“Why the rush?” He asked her, as she nearly dragged him away.

“Oh, just trying to keep on schedule!” She quickly replied, tightening the straps on her saddlebags. “Nothing else!”

The dark haired man just shrugged it off. He wasn’t one to be overly suspicious, and nothing seemed out of sorts.

“So, where to first?” Michael questioned, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

A scroll levitated out of her bag, and in front of Michael. “That’s the checklist for your tour. As you can see, we’ll be starting at Sugarcube Corner, after passing through the market district. I think you could use some sweets.”

“That actually sounds nice,” he told her, looking further down the list. A few generic locations came up, there wasn't really anything special to be seen among them.With any luck, the day would pass without any more major incidents.

Walking through Ponyville with Twilight, hat drawn low and his coat trailing slightly in his wake, Michael couldn’t help but feel like he was on display.

“Is it just me, or is everyone staring at me?” He whispered to his purple companion. “‘Cause I am pretty sure everyone is.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. They’ll get used to you, just give them some time.” She reassured him.

Pulling his hat down a bit further, and his jacket a up, Michael said “Okay...” He still sounded uncomfortable though.

He caught a few whispers, occasionally.

“What is that? Is it a minotaur?”

“No, it doesn’t have any horns,”

“They could be under its hat!”

He wanted to just shout that he was a human. Feeling like he was on display frustrated
him to no end. Of course, he knew that loudly announcing who he was probably wouldn’t turn out well.

“I’m not so sure this was a good idea, Twilight. Some of these ponies actually seem a
little frightened of me.”

Twilight stopped and looked around. Sure enough, many ponies were gazing upon the
duo with mixed expressions. These ranged from confusion and apprehension, to straight out disdain.

Deciding that it would be better to nip this problem at the bud, she loudly announced,
“It’s okay, everypony! His name is Michael Greenfield, and he is a human! He won’t hurt anypony, I assure you!”

A gallery of similar expressions replied to her declaration. The most obvious of which was on the face of Michael.

She looked up to him, only to see him giving her a wide eyed look that screamed “ARE YOU CRAZY?”

“Oh, don’t give me that look, everypony will accept you now, I’m sure.” But when she looked around, the confidence she held in that statement flew away faster than Rainbow Dash to free Wonderbolts tickets.

Every single pony on the street had stopped when she shouted, and were now all staring at one of the two. Each and every one of them held an expression similar to Michael’s, with varying levels of fear.

Starting to sweat, Twilight’s mind raced. How could she fix this? She may have just ruined everything! What if everypony became scared of Michael? Then, they would form a mob and drive him out of town! Then, he’d have to live in the Everfree forest, eating twigs and berries for the rest of his life! And she would be responsible for it, so Princess Celestia would personally punish her for ruining the relations with a new species. This would be worse than just being sent to Magic Kindergarten, she’d be turned into some lowly street sweeper for this! Then she wouldn’t have any time to study, because she’d be too busy walking around Canterlot with a broom and dustpan!

“And then Spike will have to manage Golden Oaks alone! Oh, it would be burned down in a week!” She despaired, drawing many looks away from Michael and onto her.

Just as the two were prepared to slink away in shame, a young accented voice rang out.

“Michael! Hey, Michael!” Apple Bloom shouted, running down the road. With her was two other fillies, a white unicorn and an orange pegasus.

The three came to a stop in front of him, Apple Bloom wrapping her forehooves around his leg.

The crowd seemed to soften at this. Three children had just run up to him, one of which seemed quite happy to see him, and he hadn’t done anything nefarious.

“Hey there, Apple Bloom,” he bent down and patted her on the head, thankful for the distraction “Who are your friends?”

“Oh! Right!” The yellow filly exclaimed, “These are my friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo! And together, we are,”

“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” The three finished with a shout.

“Oh, so these are those friends you told me about?” He took a knee, “Nice to meet you two, I’m Michael Greenfield.” He did his best to give them an easy grin. It came oddly easily for him. It was as if he hadn’t been crying his eyes out of Twilight’s shoulder earlier that same morning. Maybe the happiness these girls exuded was contagious.

“I’m Scootaloo!” The purple maned pegasus was quick to extend a hoof in greeting, which Michael accepted.

“And I’m Sweetie Belle,” the young unicorn wasn’t as confident in her greeting.

“What are you doing out here, anyways?” The youngest Apple asked Michael.

“Oh, Twilight was just taking me on a tour of Ponyville. I’m allowed to do that now, you know.” He answered, the three of them looking at the mentioned pony.

She didn’t look so good. Her mane had started to stand up in places, and she was mumbling to herself. Michael thought he heard something about making sure to fireproof the entire library.

“Uhh, Twilight? Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Snapping out of her trance, Twilight Sparkle took a look around. The ponies of ponyville had returned to their routines, only a few still glancing at Michael every now and then. She quickly deduced that the Crusaders had inadvertently convinced everypony that Michael was harmless. Relief washed over her as she let out a sigh.”Yeah, I’m fine Sweetie, don’t worry. But Michael and I really have to get going, we’re behind schedule now.”

“Oh! Oh! Can we come with you?” Apple Bloom excitedly asked, “Maybe we could get our cutie marks helping you!”

“Cutie marks in what? Walking around town?” Scootaloo asked her.

“What would that even look like?” Sweetie Belle added, “A few hoofprints?”

“You two don’t know what yer talkin’ about! Michael said he was on a tour of Ponyville! So, that means we’d get cutie marks in bein’ tour guides!” Apple Bloom told the others.

“Cool! Maybe our cutie marks would look like epic mountains!” Scootaloo sounded quite excited over the prospect.

“Well, that settles it, then! Today, we’ll be,” Sweetie Belle started, the other two quickly
catching on.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TOUR GUIDES!” Michael laughed lightly at their antics.

Apple Bloom was quick to hop onto Michael’s shoulder before he stood. The other two
crusaders look a little jealous, so Michael assured them that they would get a turn.

“Where to first?” Sweetie asked.

“Well, we were headed to Sugarcube Corner, actually.” Twilight tried to take control of
the situation.

“Gotcha!” Apple Bloom thrust a foreleg forward, “To Sugarcube Corner!”

The walk there was full of questions from the curious young ponies.

“Do you have a cutie mark?”

“No, humans don’t get cutie marks.”

“What? Why not?”

“We just don’t. We can get these things called tattoos, though.”

“What’s a tattoo?”

“It’s when a human gets ink injected into their skin, forming a permanent image.”

“That sounds painful!”

“It isn’t, or so I’ve been told.”

“Why do you have Applejack’s hat?”

“This isn’t Applejack’s hat, silly.” Apple Bloom snatched the hat off of his head, placing it on her own. “Do I look like her when I wear it?”

“No, it doesn’t have that circle cut out of the front like hers.”

Michael grinned and cast a sidelong glance at Twilight, finding that her expression
mirrored his.

“Are they always like this?” He quietly asked her.

“Always,” she answered.

He let out a chuckling sigh a moment later, when Sweetie Belle demanded that she get a turn on his shoulder. She even took his hat from Apple Bloom, and placed it on her own head, the brim tilted up on her horn.

“I take it I’m not getting my hat back any time soon?” The brown-coated man asked.

“Nope!” All three replied with silly smiles on their faces.

Their playfulness hadn’t abated in the slightest by the time they had reached the bakery.

A bell jangled over the door as they entered the confection themed store.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, how can I help yo-” A blue earth pony mare with pink hair similar in looks to frosting greeted them, but staggered when she saw Michael.

“Twilight, dearie, who is that?” Her manner was clearly nervous, and her eyes never left
him.

“Mrs. Cake, this is Michael Greenfield. He’s a human, and a new citizen of Equestria!” Twilight introduced them, “Don’t worry, he’s quite friendly.”

“Well, gee Twilight, you make me sound like a pet.” Michael rolled his eyes playfully,
and extended a hand to the blue pony.“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Cake.”

“N-nice to meet you too,” She hesitantly returned his gesture.

“It’s okay, Mrs.Cake, Michael is real nice!” Scootaloo told her.

“Yeah, he’s been letting us ride on his shoulders!” Sweetie Belle added from her perch,
“See?”

The Cake matriarch seemed to ease up some after the fillies’ reassurances. “Well, can I
get you anything?”

Twilight was about to speak up, when a certain pony trotted out from the kitchen. “Mrs.Cake, I’ll be right back! I need to go talk to Twilight,”

“Pinkie, I’m right here.” Twilight walked beside her friend, “What do you need?”

Pinkie raised a hoof and opened her mouth to speak, but saw Michael watching her.
“Not here, come into the kitchen with me.” She said to Twilight.

Michael shrugged and looked at the baked goods behind the glass in the counter. They
did look quite good, he had to admit.The Crusaders obviously thought the same, as they were practically drooling over the variety of sweets on display.

Michael patted himself down, recalling something he had received the previous day. Finding it in one of the deeper pockets near his waist, he drew out the bag of bits Applejack had insisted he take.

“How much for a cupcake?” He asked.

“Two bits each, or twenty for a dozen.” Was the answer.

He counted the coins in his bag. The honest farm pony had been generous, he found,
as he had more than fifty bits.

He considered his choices for a moment. He had originally intended to save the money,
and hopefully be able to rent an apartment of his own at some point. But, he also wanted to do something nice for his new friends. And the looks the girls were giving him certainly weighed on his decision.

So he bought a dozen, and gave on to each of the fillies accompanying him. Seeing their happy faces, he knew he’d made the right choice.

Twilight came back from the kitchen, and looked at Michael with a smile that he knew meant something. He didn’t think too hard on it, though. He trusted her not to keep anything important from him. She gladly accepted a cupcake when offered, and soon the group was back out the door.

The rest of the day passed without much incident. Scootaloo was happy to have her turn on Michael’s shoulders not long after they left Sugarcube Corner.

“Hey, be careful with that cupcake!” He had said, “I don’t want frosting in my hair!”

The four ponies and one human managed to while away the entire day just walking around the peaceful town, introducing Michael to everyone they knew. By the time the sun was setting, Michael was actually starting to feel comfortable walking through the streets of Ponyville.

Soon enough, they found themselves at the library. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had made to head home, slightly disappointed that their cutie marks had not appeared, but Twilight told them that she had something to show them inside the library.

"You're acting awfully suspicious, you know." Michael gave her a look to match his statement.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She countered, "Now, could you get the door for us?"

His questioning gaze did not leave her, as he slowly reached down and opened the door.

When he turned to walk into the library, he found himself bombarded by a wall of noise.

"SURPRISE!" Came the shouts of a crowd of ponies.

Michael froze, his mind taking a short leave of absence. Filling the library was more
ponies at once than he had ever seen. He spotted the ponies he already knew, the ones who had taken care of him. "Were you surprised? Huh, were you?" Pinkie Pie had popped in front of him.

He looked out over the multitude of smiling faces greeting him. It was as if the animosity they held for him that morning had never been. The whole room held a warm feeling of welcoming and happiness. He had never felt anything quite like it, not since he had been back on Earth. They were overwhelming, the feelings he was experiencing.

"I... I, just, wow." He started, a clear crack in his voice, "Thank you,"

He actually started to tear up, but he quickly rubbed his eyes to hide it. "I just don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything, you just need to PARTY!" Pinkie shouted, dashing to a large speaker setup, where a blue maned unicorn was waiting for her queue.The music came on, a quick and driving style that reminded Michael of rock and roll from Earth. But there was no way Equestria had developed music like Earth had, right?

Michael found himself bombarded by ponies, all introducing themselves to him. His arm got a better work out that night than any other he could remember, after the near constant stream of hoof shakes he had. He wasn't entirely certain he could remember all of the names he was given. But the cheeriness they showed him soon had him smiling, his own problems temporarily pushed aside.

Wading through the sea of ponies, he managed to find a seat near the snack table Pinkie had set up. He swiped a slice of cake, and started to eat.

“Michael!” Rainbow Dash waved, flying over to him, “Pinkie throws quite a party, huh?”

“I’ll say, I’ve never seen this many ponies in one place. I know that isn’t saying much, but I’m amazed that Pinkie managed to get so many ponies to come.” He replied between bites of his cake. “Wow, is this good cake.”

“Yeah, Pinkie Pie is good at what she does.” Rainbow sat next to him, a slice of cake of her own in front of her.

“Oh, and what is that?” Michael asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Making everypony smile, silly!” The mentioned mare jumped out from beneath the table.

“Whoa! Holy crap!” Michael shouted, kicking back in his seat. The chair he was on didn’t like this course of action, however. He found himself tilted back on the two hind legs, hovering between falling in either direction. For a second, he held a precarious balance. A glance passed between the three, and his balance failed.

“That’s the second time you’ve made me fall on my back today, Pinkie.” His voice came from underneath his stetson, which had fallen on his face.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie shared an anxious look. They weren’t sure if Michael was angry or not.

The aforementioned man sat up then, and replaced his hat on his head. “Is this going to become a habit for you?” He said playfully. The three friends started to laugh uproariously. To Michael, it felt like the first time he had ever felt so at peace.

Maybe these ponies actually did project some sort of magical field of happiness...

“I’m glad to see you’re having fun.” Twilight joined them.

“Oh, do be more careful though, darling. The chocolate in that cake would be a nightmare to get out of your clothes.” Rarity added.

“Oh, hush Rarity, they’re just havin’ fun.” Applejack lightly scolded.

“Are you okay, Michael?” The final member of the six sounded worried.

“I’m fine, Fluttershy.” He gave her a reassuring smile.

The six friends and their human companion found themselves sitting around the table. They traded stories, each trying to do better than the other. When Michael’s turn came, though, Pinkie stopped him.

“Hey, everypony, Michael’s gonna tell a story!” She shouted. He gave her a wide-eyed look, astounded at her announcement.

“You want me to tell everyone a story?” HIs voice was filled with incredulity. “Everyone?”

“Now, don’t act that way, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Rarity patted his shoulder.

“Yeah, I bet you have some really awesome stories!” Rainbow added.

He stuttered out a few syllables, hoping that one of them would give him a way out. But they all just looked at him eagerly. Even Fluttershy had an expectant look on her face.

Sighing in defeat, he turned to the crowd of ponies. They all looked back with the same expression as his six friends. The blue haired DJ had even stopped to music to listen.

Michael tugged at his collar in a useless gesture. There were so many waiting eyes gazing at him, and the pressure was on to tell a great story. He almost considered running and hiding, but then he saw the three ponies at the front of the crowd.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all looked at him excitedly.

“You can do it, Michael!” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah!” Her two friends agreed, giving him begging looks.

“Confound those girls,” He thought, “I can’t say no to those faces.”

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Michael began his tale.

“Now, before I begin, there is something I need to tell you all. As you may have guessed, I’m not from around here.” A wave of chuckles came after his joke. “I’m originally from another planet. Maybe even another dimension. The place I am from is called Earth. But because your world is also called Earth, I’ve taken to calling it Terra. My world is full of people like me. Humans, that is. I won’t go do in depth into that, because then we’d be here all night. If you really want to know more about humans, I’d recommend finding a copy of a book written by none other than Twilight Sparkle, entitled ‘Humans: a Study.”

Twilight blushed when the crowd cheered for her accomplishment.

“Anyways, I don’t know how I wound up here in Equestria. All I know is that I did. But I wasn’t alone. I originally landed in the Everfree forest with a woman named Jessica Reese. She was my girlfriend, and I loved her very much. It gives me great pain to think about her. You see, she died in that forest. I’d prefer not to talk about the details, suffice to say it was a horrible nightmare, one that I am still living through.”

He had averted his gaze when he mentioned Jessica. Looking back over the crowd, he felt he jaw drop just a bit. Each and every pony present had a sympathetic expression. He even spotted a few teary eyes. The feelings only intensified when the three fillies in front of him jumped on him and gave him the biggest hugs they could. The other ponies at his table were quick to join, and Michael found himself in a tangle of equine limbs.

“Oh, you poor thing!” Rarity bawled, “You’ve been through so much!”

Michael was taken aback. He wasn’t quite so sure how to react, so he did the only thing that felt natural. He wrapped his arms around as as many as he could, and returned the embrace.

Silence reigned for a few seconds, until a mint green pony in the audience broke it with a loud “D’awwwww!”

Michael and the ponies hugging him snapped out of their emotional embrace, and shuffled back to their seats with heavy blushes.

“Yes, anyways, as I was saying,” Michael restarted, “This story is about the night I met her.”

“Back on Terra, about three years ago, I was waiting in line in a small coffee shop. It was early in the morning, I didn’t have much to do, and a cup of coffee and a cookie sounded good. Too bad no one told the coffee shop that I was coming, seeing as the line extended out of the store. I believe I was even wearing this exact coat. Anyways, I had been waiting in line for nearly twenty minutes. Obviously, I was growing frustrated with the slow service. I leaned to the side, and took a peek inside. There were at least fifteen more people in front of me, and only one person behind the counter! I groaned, and decided that I’d be better off just going home. So, I stepped out of the line and took off down the street. By to my misfortune, or perhaps just the opposite, I wasn’t paying much attention to the path in front of me. And it just so happened that she wasn’t either.

We ran into each other hard, the both of us winding up on our butts. I looked up, ready to vent a bit of my frustration onto the fool who had dared run into me, by I stopped when I saw her. I know it’s cheesy to say, but I felt like time stopped in that moment. She had long blonde hair, done up in a messy bun. Her clothes were wrinkled and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days. On her face was a slim pair of glasses, just in front of her jade eyes. I was stunned, and my only thought was “who is this messy girl?”

Time quickly caught up to me, along with a flurry of papers.She was scrambling to catch them, doing her best to keep them from the dirty street. I was quick to help, grabbing as many as I could before they were lost to the city winds. Between the two of us, her whole pile of papers was promptly regathered.

“Thank you,” she told me, “These are really important.”

“Important enough to lose sleep over?” I asked, doing my best to look cool. It came out
as a sort of awkward half grin.

“Yes! I need to get this in by,” she looked at her watch, “ten minutes from now!”

She became even more frantic, and took off running. I ran after her, and caught up in
little time.

We were forced to stop at a street corner, where I asked her “What is it you have,
anyways?”

She looked at me, just a little surprised, and replied “I need to turn this research paper
in quick, or I’ll fail the class!”

I took no time at all to come to my next decision. “I’ll get it in, don’t worry. Where does it
need to go?”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that!” She was looking impatient at the street light.

“Nonsense, I’d be happy to. Michael Greenfield, high school track star, at your service!” I gave her a little bow.

She glanced at her watch again, then at me. She bounced back and forth on her feet
for a few seconds, then said, “Alright, fine. I’m Jessica Reese, and this needs to get to the West building at the college campus, in room three zero four, got it?’”

You see, I lived in a college town. Pretty much everyone who lived there knew the
campus like the back of their hand. Or, I suppose, hoof.

“West building, room three ‘o four, less than ten minutes to get there. I won’t disappoint
you!” I accepted the stack of papers from her, and took off as fast as I could.

I ran as fast as I could through the crowded streets of the city, dashing between people
as I went. The scenery blurred in my peripheral, I was focused on what was directly in front of me.

Soon enough, I found myself in the class, standing in front of a man in a tweed jacket. He had a well trimmed beard, but his head was completely bald otherwise.

I sprinted to his desk, and dropped the papers there.

“Can I help you?” He gave me a look that showed that he didn’t think highly of strange guys running into his classroom.

“This... Is... From... Jessica Reese...” The run had taken more out of me than I had previously thought.

“It’s late.” He flatly said, “I’m afraid I can’t accept it.”

I looked at the clock on the wall behind him. It was a minute past eleven in the morning.

“You’re not going to accept it because it is a minute late?” I growled, “ONE MINUTE?”

“You would be correct.” He folded his arms in front of him and leaned forward on his desk.

I swear, I was literally seeing red. I carefully set the papers down on the desk, and leapt over, grabbing him by his jacket.

“Now you listen here,” I growled, “You will take this paper, and you will grade it like any other, got it?”

He gave me a nervous look, and stuttered, “O-okay,”

And he accepted the paper, and everything worked out great.”

Michael looked out over his audience. They all gave him looks that stated “Really?”

“Michael,” Apple Bloom asked, “Is that what really happened?”

He took in a breath, ready to defend his story, but changed his mind. “No, he called security and I was kicked off of the campus.” He hung his head.

A round of laughter passed through the assembled ponies.

“So?” Pinkie Pie asked from his left, “What happened after that?”

“Well, she caught up to me not long after I was kicked out. I told her that I was a minute late, and that the professor refused to accept the paper. She just laughed, and told me that he liked messing around with people like that. He had probably accepted the paper, but only said otherwise to joke with me. I told her what I had done, she looked a little nervous, but told me not to worry. She’d just dragged me back into the class to apologize. A quick apology later, and I was back outside the classroom with Jessie.

“So, umm,” I started, “Would you maybe like to go out for dinner sometime?” I couldn’t believe I had just so brazenly asked her out.

She giggled a bit as I stumbled on my own tongue, and said, “That sounds nice. I need to repay my hero somehow, now don’t I?”

And that is the story of how I met Jessica Reese.”

Michael said the final sentence with a feeling of extreme melancholy. A single tear traced down his cheek, and dropped down into his lap.

He inhaled sharply, and looked around as the ponies applauded for him. More than a few stopped by and gave him a few consoling words. One grey pegasus mare even brought him a muffin from the snack table.

It had gotten to be quite late, and everypony soon realized this. They began filtering out the door, a few at a time. A short while later, all who remained were Michael, the now sleeping Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the Elements of Harmony.

“Well girls, I’d better get Apple Bloom home. She’s asleep jus’ standin’ there!” Applejack scooped her younger sibling onto her back.

“And Sweetie Belle needs her rest too, I think.” Rarity followed the farm mare’s example.

“I’d better get Scoots home, too. It’s a shame her parents couldn’t come.” Rainbow Dash picked up the third crusader.

The whole group headed out the door, ready to say their goodbyes. Michael watched the six friends as they recalled a few moments from that night.

An interesting feeling welled up inside him. It was something he hadn’t felt in such a
pure state in a long time. He looked across the group, and his eyes locked with Fluttershy’s. She gave him a small grin, which matched her personality. He grinned back, naming the feeling inside of him. Michael actually felt happy. There wasn’t a shred of depression in him at that moment, only elation. These ponies had taken him in, befriended him when he was probably one of the worst friends to have, and stuck with him for more than two months. He couldn’t believe just so happy he felt. His smile widened, and he was soon beaming brighter than the sun.

The rest of the girls saw him, and gave him their own smiles. It was the perfect end to a perfect night, he thought.

It’s funny, though, how life treats some people. Sometimes, it brings them to their highest point, almost higher than they could ever remember feeling. Then it stabs them in the back, sending them crashing back down.

Michael was about witness this phenomenon first hand.

Their laughter was interrupted by a loud explosion. It was louder than anything anypony had ever heard, even than a sonic rainboom. A shock wave rushed over them a second later, nearly sending them toppling to the ground.

Then, a voice louder even than the explosion called out.

“CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA!” It shouted in a feminine voice, “YOUR TIME HAS COME.”

“FOR TOO LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN HAPPINESS. FOR TOO LONG HAVE THE FORCES OF GOOD PREVAILED. THIS SHALL NO LONGER BE. I SHALL CHANGE IT.”

“No,” Michael whispered, “No, it can’t be.”

“I AM GIVING YOU THREE DAYS TO PREPARE. ONCE THAT TIME IS UP, PEACE SHALL NO LONGER REIGN IN EQUESTRIA.”

Michael wanted to turn and run. He wanted to find the deepest, darkest cave he could and curl into a ball. What was happening was impossible, he knew it. He had witnessed the proof first hand. He still bore the scars from the tragedy.

“MY NAME IS BALANCE, AND I AM EQUESTRIA’S DOWNFALL.” The voice spoke no more.

The six ponies around him bore terrified looks, which slowly morphed into ones determination. They were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, what they would do was obvious.

But Michael did not share in this feeling. He was too busy feeling everything he had built up fall down around him. Every ounce of happiness he had accumulated was forcibly ejected from his heart, replaced only by soul crushing despair. For, he recognized the voice of the speaker.

He dropped to his knees, and onto his hands. “No! No! It can’t be! There is no way!” He shouted at the ground.

“M-Michael?” Fluttershy’s concerned voice called to him, “Are you alright?”

“No!” He screamed, “She can’t be here, it’s impossible!”

“Who can’t be here, sugarcube?” Applejack asked him.

His answer came in only one weak whisper, that the ponies barely heard before he curled up and started weeping. He whispered “Jessie.”

Comments

[Jar of Dirt]

Aaaaaw snap!

[TheClosetBrony]

W-what?

I don't even...

[Sonson-Sensei]

Well I didn't see that coming.

[Mcayon]

What the hay?

[gplane1749]

This review is brought to you by authors helping authors
Name: Que Sera, Sera
Grammar score: 9/10 few mistakes nothing major
Pros: 1. The reactions of the characters are nice and feel very much in character for the ponies.
2. The twist at the end of this chapter was great. It captivated my attention and left me wanting more.
3. I like how this story has avoided the cliche of all humans are evil but me.

Cons: 1. Pacing, the story seems a bit rushed in spots. This is not really a big dael and does not affect the story that much.
2.Rainbow Dash so quick to nger. This may be just mese review but it seems like she is too quick to pounce on our human guest.

Notes: I really like the primese of this story and I will like and fav it. I liked how the main character was emotionless in the beginning this let us see how the ponies reacted wth no bias.

Please review my story Mason's Quest. Thank You

[Morphy]

Yup, life will do that. Put you up on a tall pedestal of epic joy so it can gleefully kick it out from under you. This "Balance" character has me stumped as to what it is. My knee jerk reaction is to blurt out, Nightmare! But the force (spirit?) of Nightmare needs a living host to turn evil (and probably something stupidly powerful like an alicorn). So I'm back to wild speculation and coming up with nothing.