Chapter 1
Aaron charged down the street, hardly able to think straight. His breath was ragged and his heart was racing. Sirens blared a warning that would go unheeded. All around him people ran around in a mad panic. Cars ran people over in a futile attempt to flee. Windows were smashed as people broke into stores, trampling over each other for whatever junk they'd always wanted but had never been able to get.
"Fat lot of good it will do them now," Aaron thought.
It had finally happened. He didn't know who'd done it, why they'd done it, or even where they were from, but some idiot had finally done it. The button had finally been pressed, and the whole world was about to die.
As the sirens continued to sound off, Aaron found himself unable to continue running. He wasn't even really sure where he'd been trying to get to. Was he trying to escape? No, there was no point. To find a store to loot? No. Again what good would that do him now? To his home? No. There was nothing for him there. No family, no loved ones, not even a pet to see out the end with.
Aaron's run slowed to a crawl before coming to a complete stop. He found himself outside a local high school. The one with the horse statue outside. Canterlot high was it? Whatever. It didn't matter at this point.
He looked up at the sky.
"That must be it," Aaron thought. He could just barely make out the trail it left behind.
Walking over to the statue's pedestal a different thought briefly flashed through his mind.
"I hope the cockroaches do a better job than we did," With that he sat down, closed his eyes, leaned back...
...and fell.
The sudden feeling of weightlessness caused Aaron to pop his eyes back open. surrounding him was a bizarre, technicolor vortex. After a moment he could feel a force pulling him backwards.
Was he dead? Was this what death felt like?
It wasn't so much painful as... weird. Weird and slightly nauseating.
The pulling increased until, all at once he found himself flung across some sort of library. Aaron looked to where he'd come from, and saw what looked like a fancy mirror. He didn't have much time to think about it though, as a deafening explosion reverberated through the room shaking the very ground. The mirror he'd come through cracked, and the pieces fell from the frame.
Aaron hadn't needed to ask what had happened back there. He'd known exactly what the shattered glass meant. Soon enough the owner of this place, one Princess Twilight Sparkle, had run in to find out what had happened. With her help he'd been introduced to this world of ponies.
At first it had seemed like a perfect world. No wars, no crime, no traffic accidents. But something continued to eat at Aaron. As far as he knew, he was the only human to survive. He'd done his best not to think about it, to push it to the side, but this world seemed intent on reminding him.
Everywhere he went he saw names like Las Pegasus, Manehatten, and Trottingham. He kept seeing ponies who looked suspiciously similar to famous humans he'd known in his own world. It was like this entire universe was some sick parody of his own, intent on reminding him every day that he'd fled like a coward, and now he was completely alone.
Maybe he should have gone back through the mirror and faced the end with everyone else. Maybe he could have saved someone, anyone, else. Why was he the one who found that portal? Surely there was somebody out there who deserved to survive more than him.
He could hear the voices of those left behind. Screaming. Louder and louder. Aaron held his hands over his ears to block out the noise but it did no good. He sat on the ground, curled up with his head on his knees, begging for it to stop.
And then it was silent.
Aaron looked up. Standing before him was a midnight blue pony with a mane full of stars. He recognized her as one of the first ponies he'd met after arriving: Princess Luna.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"A nightmare, friend Aaron," Luna replied, lowering her head down to where the human sat, "I sensed your mind crying out. Please, tell me what is troubling you."
Aaron looked down at his feet. His breathing was still heavy despite knowing that he was dreaming.
"Nothing. You wouldn't understand."
A hoof under his chin turned his eyes toward Luna's face. Her eyes showed concern and no small desire to help.
"Try me," She said simply.
And so he did.
When Aaron had first arrived, he hadn't told the whole truth about the circumstances of his arrival. He'd quickly decided that this pastel world wouldn't be able to handle knowing the horrors that man was capable of. But now he told all.
"When I came here," He began, "it was by complete accident. There was a weapon coming. It was designed to destroy everything and leave what was left barren for decades. And there wasn't just one. Every major power had who knows how many, and they were using them all."
He paused, taking a deep breath.
"I fell into your world just before one of them landed in my home town. I didn't see what happened, but when the mirror cracked I knew I was alone. Ever since then I... I've just wondered..."
"Why you survived and the others did not?" Asked Luna, "If perhaps you could have saved one of them?"
"Yeah. How did you..."
"Equestria is peaceful now, Aaron, but it is no stranger to conflict. This peace was hard won and not without loss."
Luna fell silent for a moment.
"Did you know there used to be more alicorns?" She asked.
"No," replied Aaron, sitting up straighter, "I had no idea."
"It was so long ago that it is little more than legend to most ponies, if that," continued Luna, "but indeed there was once an entire nation of alicorns."
"What happened?"
"Gone," said Luna, "They fought for control like so many others before and since. They meddled with forces they could not hope to control."
This was starting to sound familiar.
"Celestia and I were in Equestria studying under Starswirl the Bearded when the war truly broke. By the time we returned, it was over. all that remained was a desolate wasteland."
Luna sat down and looked Aaron directly in the eye.
"Not a day has gone by that we haven't asked ourselves the same questions troubling your mind. If anypony understands, its us."
"But what do I do?"
"It will not be easy. You must learn to accept that you are not to blame for the actions of others and that your survival does not make you guilty of wrongdoing. And as for those who were lost," Luna closed her eyes, "pray that the guilty receive justice, and the innocent find peace."
"Does it ever go away?" Aaron asked.
"No," said Luna, "but with help, perhaps it can be eased."
She stood up and held out a hoof to the seated human.
"Will you let me help you?"
Aaron said nothing, but he reached out and took the offered hoof.