I read “Letters he will never read” and it gutted me. So, here’s a cope ending for myself. [Time dilation plays a kinda important part, (You) can figure it out] >You are Anon >And a decade of research, subterfugue, bribery, and blood has finally come to fruition. >You hold in your hands a leather-bound tome, the cover cracked and dulled with age, the pages yellowing and the ink fading. >It contained the last scraps of archaic formulae for the rift-tearing ritual. >The journey here had cost you an arm and a leg. >Quite literally - your left arm and leg are void of their biologic nature, replaced by cold steel and warm servos. >It was worth the price. >It was the way back to Equestria. >Back to your friends. >The place where you truly belong. > >Twilight had told you that the portal would be two-way, that you could come and go as you please, that everypony you had come to care for would visit. >The last thing you saw of Equestria was her waving, before the rift between your worlds closed. >It did not re-open. > >You waited. >Seconds turned to minutes. >Minutes to hours. >Hours to days. >You lost hope a month in. > >You were deep into thaumaturgic research within the year. >Doing whatever was necessary to study the weird, the wild, the esoteric. >You just wanted to see your friends again. >It was all so… >Bleak. Tiresome. Depressing. >The happy memories kept you going for a while. >While they have not faded, they stopped driving you after four years. > >The next six were powered purely by spite. >At God, Allah, Odin, the Flying Spaghetti Monster - whoever ran the show behind the curtains. >You would break the chains of this world if it was the last thing you did. > >And now, here you stand. >Within a room lit only by candlelight, thaumaturgic formulae spread before you in rings of chalk and your own dried blood. >Within your hand of cold steel lies your collection of notes, research, runes, and other assorted items. >All so you can leave this world behind. >Beside you is a well-worn medium-sized backpack, full of what few belongings you chose to keep over the years. >Mostly extra research, or things you thought ponies would find nice. >You breathe in a shaky breath. >It’s time. > >You are Twilight Sparkle >And your daily routine has remained unchanged for the past year. >Wake up, dried tears over the bags under your eyes. >Re-read the portal spell for the thousandth time. >Try it again. >Spike brings you breakfast. >You ignore it until you almost collapse from hunger. >You eat what little you can bear. >You re-read the spell again. Quintouple check everything >You try it again. >And again. >And. Again. >Spike brings you lunch. >You eat what little you can bear. >You. Keep. Trying. >You’ve hardly seen your friends since he left… >It’s your fault. >YOU did something wrong. >It’syourfaultit’syourfaultit’syourfaultyouFAILURE >You collapse, sobs racking your body. >You have to keep trying. There HAS to be a way to fix this… >…Maybe another letter would help. > >This is the 375th letter to Anon you’ve wrote now. >You know he will never read them, but… >It still helps. >Sometimes. >Your face remains soaked in tears as you sigh, stowing your quill and ink once more. >With slow hoofsteps, you begin your pilgrimmage. >Back through the library. >Up the stairs. >Two rooms down from yours. >Anon’s room. >At least…it was. >You’ve done this enough times to wear a shallow groove in the floor. >You gently grasp the handle in your magic, opening the door the same as always. >Expecting to walk over to his desk, and place the letter on the ever-growing pile. >Letters from yourself. >From your friends. >Neighbors. >A Princess or three. >Except… >That is not what happens. >Instead of the desk and letters burned into your frontal lobe, a tall, familiar shape stands before the desk, shuffling through the letters. >A worn bag at his side.