Drew Rayner slowly stood up, his eyes unblinking as he kept his gaze locked on the sight before him. Frozen beside him, with his crutches half-raised to push him out of his chair, Jack Mayfield shared a similar expression. Neither moved nor breathed as they continued to stare in growing dread at what was happening before them.

“Dude, are you seeing this?” Drew asked breathlessly.

“Yeah,” Jack replied. “Kinda wish I wasn’t.”

Around them, the building began to creak and groan, causing both men to glance around nervously. Cracks appeared on the walls, slowly creeping down from the ceiling. Bits of plaster began to rain down as well, covering them in a thin layer of white dust.

Drew swallowed loudly. “Do you think the walls will hold?”

“I have no clue,” Jack muttered. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” The building groaned again as parts of it shifted before falling silent. They held their breath for a few moments, waiting to see what would happen. When the ceiling didn’t cave in, both breathed sighs of relief.

“We need to get out of here,” Drew said as he dusted off his lab coat.

“And go where, exactly?” Jack asked. He swiveled around in his chair, the wheels squeaking slightly as he moved. “Do you know how to get out of this forest? Because I certainly don’t.”

Drew rolled his eyes. “We just keep walking, dude. We’ll get out eventually.”

Jack groaned and closed his eyes. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he shook his head. “We don’t even know how big this forest is. It might take five days for us to find the edge of it. Are you willing to be out there for five days straight? With all the creatures we’ve encountered?” He gave Drew a pointed look. “With all the creatures we haven’t? What if there’s something worse out there that we haven’t encountered yet, simply because we haven’t wandered into its territory?”

“Okay, so then what?” Drew huffed, throwing his hands up. “Do we just stay here and hope for the best? Hope that those things—” he pointed at the partially obscured outside window “—don’t manage to get in?”

Jack glanced at the window as well, the pane of glass now covered in small chips and scratches, many of them fresh. It was impossible to see outside any more, their view obstructed by the large, black—

The building suddenly shifted again, a loud groan echoing through the halls. The sound of breaking glass from several rooms over reached their ears, followed by a yelp. A tentative knock came from the inner window, still covered by a blanket. “Um, excuse me. I know we’ve done this song and dance before, but would you fine gentlecolts mind opening up? I would very much appreciate it!”

Ignoring the muffled voice, Jack bit his thumb, his gaze darting around the room. His eyes landed on an old bunsen burner and he paused.

“Drew…” he said slowly, not taking his eyes off the burner.

“Yes?”

“Go get the spare tanks of propane. I have an idea.”

Ignoring the worried calls from her friends, Twilight tumbled through the air, half-falling, half-flying in her desperate attempt to reach the ground. She was hyperventilating, gasps coming in quick, sporadic bursts as she struggled to get her wings to work. Her muscles burned, her head was pounding, and her vision was blurred with tears, but she pushed onwards.

As she neared the ground, her wings finally gave out and she fell the last five or so feet. She landed hard, her injured back leg giving out. Pain instantly shot up through the leg, causing her to topple onto the grass with a scream. She didn’t stay down for long though, doggedly struggling back to her hooves. Her injured leg was trembling too much to support her weight, so instead she just flutter-hopped herself forward, towards the remains of Discord.

The Elements of Harmony had done their job, and they had done it perfectly. The minute the rainbow beam had struck the draconequus, stone had immediately started to creep across his body. As he was petrified, the world slowly was restored, freed from the mind-warping reality it had been forced into. The floating islands returned to the ground, the discolored clouds vanished, and the blood-red sky returned to the cool violet of night as Discord’s magic dissipated. Within seconds, Discord was nothing more than a massive statue jutting up into the sky.

Unfortunately, Max had shared the same fate as the draconequus, his body turning to stone even as he plummeted to the ground far below. Twilight had tried desperately to catch him with her magic, or even slow him down, but she was unable to. She was forced to watch as Max’s petrified form disappeared into the gloom below, lost to view in the darkness. Even with the light provided by the waning eclipse far above, she wasn’t able to see where he had landed; only the general vicinity of his body.

However, before she had a chance to hurry down and retrieve him, it had happened. She had just managed to descend from her current rooftop to a lower one when, with a deafening ‘crack’, the large statue of Discord had collapsed. Chunks of stone rained down, clattering off rooftops and buildings, and piling up in the courtyard far below. She had to raise a wing to shield herself from smaller, ricocheting bits of rock. Within seconds, a veritable mountain of stony debris covered the destroyed courtyard and its surroundings.

This included Max.

Tears streamed down her face as Twilight climbed over the sea of rocks, the uneven footing provided by the jutting stones slowing her down. More than once loose debris shifted under her weight, and she nearly twisted her hoof on several different occasions. Still she pressed on, heading towards the far wall of the courtyard.

As she started digging frantically through the rocks, Rainbow flew down, carrying Applejack with her. Dropping her passenger down upon a fairly level section of debris, Rainbow then fluttered over to Twilight. “Twilight, calm down!”

“No! I can’t!” Twilight cried, pawing through the rocks. Struggling to push a large boulder aside, she glanced around at Rainbow, eyes wide. “Rainbow, help me, p-please!”

Rainbow shook her head. “Egghead, you’re in no condition to—”

Letting out a feral scream, Twilight grabbed the boulder with her magic and tried to heave it into the air and out of the way. Instead, her magic wavered slightly before fading. The rock rolled backwards, heading right for her. Before it could crush her, Applejack rushed up and slammed her shoulder into the boulder, pushing it aside.

“I gotcha, sugarcube,” she said, adjusting her hat.

Twilight gave her a weak smile before suddenly hissing in pain. Blood began to trickle from her nostrils and the corners of her eyes. She swayed dangerously and nearly collapsed, but Applejack moved to support her. “Whoa, there. Need tah take it easy, Twi.”

“N-nuh,” she stuttered nasally. “I needed… I need to find Max.” She tried to pull away, but only ended up sagging against Applejack’s shoulder more.

Applejack exchanged unsure looks with Rainbow, who just shrugged, before sighing and shaking her head.

“Alright, Twi. We’ll help ya look,” she said softly. “Just take it easy. Don’t want ya gettin’ even more hurt.”

Twilight nodded, breathing heavily through her mouth. Her lips were stained crimson from the blood, which slowly dripped from her chin onto the rocks below. Pushing herself off of Applejack, she started weakly digging again, only to have the smaller rocks steadily refilling her futile attempts. She whimpered before quickening her pace.

As Applejack and Rainbow began digging as well, the others arrived. Fluttershy was struggling to carry Rarity through the air while Pinkie pronked along behind them, jumping effortlessly from rooftop to rooftop until she reached the ground.

“Thank you, Fluttershy, darling,” Rarity sighed as she was placed gently on a large piece of broken stone that looked like it had been part of Discord’s dragon leg.

“Oooh, what’s going on here?” Pinkie asked, bouncing up to the edge of the crater Applejack, Rainbow, and Twilight had managed to make.

Pushing aside several smaller pieces of debris with her wings, Rainbow called out, “Pinkie! Quick! The big guy is somewhere beneath this rubble. We need help finding him, and fast!”

Pinkie blinked, her mouth forming an ‘o’ before she quickly saluted. “Roger dodger, Dashie! Commander Pie is on the case!” Crouching down, she began to sniff about, climbing effortlessly through the wreckage, her tail twitching back and forth.

Rarity let out a gasp.

“Max is underneath all this?” she asked, glancing around.

“Eeyup,” Applejack grunted as she bucked her hind legs into a large chunk of stone, shattering it into smaller, more manageable pieces. Wiping her brow, she glanced up at the unicorn. “So, are ya gonna help out, or just stand there and watch?”

“Me, pick through these heavy, dirty rocks?” Rarity asked, eyeing the debris nervously. “Is… is that really necessary? Maybe I could just—”

“Rares!”

“Oh, alright,” she sighed before jumping down. Her horn lit up and she began to lift rocks out of the way. Fluttershy joined in as well, and although she was only able to move the smaller pieces of debris, she did so with surprising speed.

The six of them continued to search feverishly through the sea of rubble, slowly spreading out as they picked through the statue’s remains. Rainbow and Applejack worked quickly, a silent competition flaring to life between them to see which one of them would be able to find Max first. Pinkie kept snaking her way through the rocks, popping up here, ducking around there. The only way to tell where she was at some points was to look for the pink tail that stuck up above the debris, constantly twitching back and forth at odd intervals.

This continued for several minutes until Twilight tried to push a sizable piece of rock—one that resembled part of the side of Discord’s face—over, only to collapse against it suddenly with a pained whinny.

Fluttershy was by her side in an instant. “Oh no! A-are you alright?” Not waiting for a reply, she grabbed Twilight’s hooves gingerly with her own and turned them over. A gasp escaped her lips, her eyes widening in alarm at the state of Twilight’s cracked and broken hooves. Blood leaked from the cracks, mixing with dust from the rubble to create a horrid paste of blackened gunk.

“Oh dear, that’s not good,” Fluttershy mumbled. A small frown crossed her face as she stared down at the dirtied hooves before she turned and tucked her head under her wing. A few seconds later she emerged again with a roll of bandages held in her mouth.

“Fluttershy, you don’t have to… ugh, do this,” Twilight muttered, wincing as Fluttershy went about attempting to clean the wounds. Pulling a feather from her wing, she used the tip to gently remove any small pieces of rock caught in the fresh cracks.

“Twilight, this is serious,” she said as she worked. “I can only do so much. You need medical attention. For this, and your leg,” she added, her gaze darting to the bite mark still oozing blood on Twilight’s hind leg.

“But Max—”

“Do you want to lose your hooves?” Fluttershy asked. She glanced up at Twilight through her bangs, her usual timid voice surprisingly firm. “I’m worried about Max too, but you’re doing no good by injuring yourself further looking for him. Think of how Max would feel. Do you think he’d want you hurting yourself just because of him?”

Twilight’s ears slowly splayed back, and she lowered her head.

“I guess not,” she mumbled. “I just… I need to… find...” She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Regardless, Fluttershy smiled softly. “It’s alright, Twilight. We’ll find him. Everything will turn out okay in the end.” Twilight sniffed before giving her a tearful smile in return. With that, Fluttershy returned to carefully bandaging Twilight’s hooves.

It took her a few minutes to wrap both of Twilight’s forehooves, being extra careful to make sure that the bandages were tight enough to prevent more dust from getting into the wounds. Satisfied with her work, she tucked the remaining bandages back under her wing. “There, that should work for now, but it’s only temporary. You should really get those looked at as soon as possible.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Twilight said with a lopsided grin. She moved to return to searching, but was stopped by a hoof on her shoulder.

“Please, no more digging, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “You’ll ruin the bandages.”

Twilight gave her a confused look. “But I barely have any magic left, and I have no strength in my wings. The only thing I can do is dig with my hooves. What else am I supposed to do?”

“Just rest. We’ll take care of the rest.” Fluttering her wings, she took to the air and returned to clearing away the rubble with Rarity, leaving Twilight to herself.

She made to stubbornly follow after the pegasus, but instead stumbled. A hiss of discomfort escaped her lips as dull pain shot up through her hooves. A frown touched her lips, and she slowly sat down, being mindful of her injured hind leg, which stuck out at an odd angle. She shifted the leg into a more comfortable position, wincing as the partially scabbed-over wound pulled on her coat. She sat there, watching her friends continue to dig through the stony remains of Discord, searching for her human.

She continued to observe from the sidelines until her vision began to blur. Blinking back tears, she swallowed thickly before looking away.

“Why?” she whimpered, staring down at her bandaged hooves. “Why did this have to happen?” She had finally managed to work up the courage to confess to Max, and things had been going almost perfectly… but then the world had been flipped upside down. The Elements just had to take away Max’s ability to understand her, Max just had to disappear, and Discord just had to ruin everything again. Why couldn’t things just be like they used to be, when life was calmer and things seemed so simple? There was no fighting, no evil plots. It was just her, her friends and Max.

Max…

A faint smile touched her lips even as tears slowly slid down her cheeks. Memories seemed to flicker before her eyes. The day that Max had tagged along with her when she went to the beach with her friends. How he had dived headfirst into the water, nearly giving her a heart attack when he didn’t surface right way. She had just assumed that, like Equestrian humans, he wouldn’t be able to swim. He had then spent the rest of the day proving her wrong, all while playing ball with her and Rainbow.

Then there was the time that she had managed to convince him to go to the spa with her. Just the memory of the look of pleasure on his face as Lotus worked on the muscles in his back was enough to draw a giggle from her.

There were so many memories like those. Max with his head stuck in the freezer as Spike climbed up on his back to join in. Max play-fighting with Rainbow as ponies watched in fascination. Max roughhousing with her brother, with Cadance rolling around and laughing in the background. Nightmare Night and the fun they had together playing the different games scattered throughout Ponyville. Snuggling up together in front of the fire on the cold winter nights, a nice book and a warm human beside her. Eating out at Scratchers. Listening to Max and Octavia playing duets together. Hearth’s Warming Eve, and the wonderful gifts he had given her. Her confession of love. Their first night together as a couple. Their dance and dinner beneath the stars. So much had happened ever since Celestia had first sent Max to her.

“It’s hard to believe it’s only been a year,” Twilight murmured, her eyes softening. “It seems like only yesterday he had arrived at the library…”

Twilight let out a tired sigh as the door closed behind Applejack and Rarity, both of whom were escorting a nervous Fluttershy home. Pinkie Pie had already left, needing to get back to Sugarcube Corner in order to prepare for tomorrow’s expected rush. That just left one other pony behind with her.

“Oh, horsefeathers,” Rainbow groaned from where she was splayed out on the couch. “That. Was. Horrible.”

“I know what you mean,” Twilight grumbled. “I thought one basilisk was bad enough, but having to deal with three? Thank goodness we had Fluttershy there, or else things might not have turned out as well as they did.” She was forced to pause as a sudden yawn escaped her. “Oh, I’m tired.” Lighting up her horn, she pulled off the pair of saddlebags that were draped over her back and deposited them on the floor. She undid the latch, revealing several different books on dangerous magical creatures. Pulling them out, she began to put them back in their proper place on the library’s shelves.

“Twilight?” A voice coming from the kitchen caught her attention, and Twilight glanced over her shoulder. Spike was peering around the archway into the kitchen, and upon seeing Twilight, his face lit up.

“Twilight! You’re back,” he said with a smile as he entered the room. “You were out there so long, I was beginning to worry.” Walking up, he quickly grabbed Twilight’s leg and pulled it into a hug.

“Yes, I’m back,” Twilight said, leaning down to give Spike’s head a brief nuzzle. “Sorry for worrying you.”

“Oh, come on! There was no need to worry,” Rainbow called from the couch. “We had everything under control. Those basilisks never stood a chance!” Still lying down, she pumped her hoof in the air, only to wince in pain a second later.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Dash.”

“Oh,” Spike gasped, breaking out of the hug. “Hold on a second!” Turning around, he raced back into the kitchen, only to return a few seconds later with a cup on a saucer, which he handed to Twilight. She gave the cup a curious look before tentatively sniffing its contents. A smile touched her lips.

“Tea?” She asked. “Jasmine Tea?” she added upon taking another sniff.

“Uh-huh!” Spike nodded proudly.

Twilight gave him a warm smile. “Thanks, Spike. You’re the best.” Lifting the cup to her mouth, she took a sip, only to sigh happily and close her eyes. “Oh, I really needed that.”

Spike chest began to swell and he quickly ran a claw over his spines.

“It was nothing,” he said, although Twilight could hear the pride in his voice. “I just thought you’d like a little something when you got back from—ulp!” Spike froze, his eyes widening in surprise. His cheeks began to puff out, a small trickle of smoke escaping from his nostrils. A low rumble emanated from his stomach, slowly working its way up his throat until it escaped in a large belch of green fire. The flames expanded and a scroll popped into existence. Twilight reached to grab it, only to jump back with a startled yelp as the flames expanded again and a large crate suddenly materialized in the air. It fell to the ground with a loud ‘thud’, something inside shifting about on impact.

As the green flames died down, everyone stared wide-eyed at the crate. Rainbow slowly climbed down from the couch.

“Dang, Spike, what the hay did you eat?” she asked with a laugh. Flapping her wings, she took to the air and began to circle the crate slowly.

Spike, who was rubbing his throat, just shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s from Princess Celestia! She even sent a letter with it,” Twilight said. Despite how tired she was, some excitement still managed to work its way into her voice. She picked up the scroll with her magic and deposited it in her hoof, only to pause. “I wonder what she would be sending me this late in the day though…”

“Well, let’s crack this bad boy open and find out!” Rainbow said, rubbing her hooves together.

Twilight nodded before her horn lit up. The top of the crate began to glow as a pink aura surrounded it. After giving it a small tug, a frown crossed Twilight’s face. Her horn began to glow brighter and, with a grunt, she pulled the lid of the crate off, revealing what was inside. The sight drew gasps from all three of them. Lighting up her horn again, Twilight gently grabbed and lifted the human out of the crate’s interior.

As the human dangled there, upside down, Twilight was able to get a good look at it. Or rather, ‘him’, as she quickly noticed. Ropes bound his wrists together, the skin around them looking rather red. He was a fairly large human height-wise, although he looked rather thin in her opinion. Medium-length brown hair hung from his head, with odd streaks of blond running through it. His cheeks and chin were covered in a layer of stubble which was already beginning to blend into the hair on his upper lip. Brown eyes surveyed the room with unnatural curiosity as the human slowly spun in circles.

Silence filled the room as Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike all stared at the human, who in turn stared back at them whenever he spun around to face them. Slowly, Twilight’s brow began to furrow, a perplexed look crossing her face. She stepped forward and, lifting a hoof, gave the human a quick series of pokes in the side of his stomach…

“He didn’t seem like much at first, did he?” Twilight said to herself. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hoof, trying and failing to fight back more tears. “Just an annoying brat of a human, always getting into trouble. It seems not much has changed, huh?” A sniffle escaped her. “Facing off against Discord by yourself… what were you thinking? Were you even thinking at all?”

The tears kept coming as more memories came and went, each one leaving a sickly sweet feeling in her chest. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the sound of approaching wingbeats until a pony suddenly dropped to the ground with a ‘thud’. Startled, she glanced up at the new arrivals.

A battered looking pair of guards—one pegasus and one unicorn—stood before her, glancing around at the sea of rubble with tired looks on their faces. The unicorn’s horn lit up, and three more guards suddenly appeared in a flash of light: two unicorns and an earth pony.

“What the…?” Twilight gasped, drawing the attention of the guards. The first unicorn guard eyed her tensely before sighing and hanging his head. Muttering something to the other guards, they nodded and began to spread out. With that, the unicorn slowly walked over to Twilight, stopping in front of her and throwing a salute. “Princess.”

Twilight blinked in sudden recognition.

“Terminal?” she asked, peering closely at the guard. “Terminal Lance, is that you?” Quickly, she wiped her eyes again, trying to hide the tears.

“Yes, ma’am,” Terminal replied, lowering his hoof, “and despite the circumstances, it’s good to see you again, kiddo.”

Twilight gave him a confused look. “What are you doing here, Terminal? Aren’t you part of my dad’s squad? Wait,” she gasped, her eyes widening in alarm. “Where’s Dad? He isn’t—”

“He’s fine,” Terminal answered, a little too quickly. “He’s fine, I assure you. As for what I’m doing here, well… when the Anomaly told Night Light that he was going after Discord, your dad assigned us to look after him.” He paused, kicking at a piece of loose stone. “Guess we kind of failed at that, huh?”

Twilight watched the stone bounce across the ground, her ears splaying backwards. “It’s not your fault. He seems to have a knack for finding trouble.” The stone rolled to a stop, and her eyes were drawn to the guards that were now picking through the rubble as well. “What… what are they doing?”

“Searching for your human,” Terminal said simply. “We’re here to help you look for him. It’s the least we can do, given we couldn’t keep him safe.”

Twilight nodded, swallowing thickly before quietly muttering, “Thank you.”

Terminal bowed before turning and heading off to join the others in their search, his horn lighting up as he began to lift rocks into the air.

With the guards’ added help, they were able to sift through the rubble with a bit more ease than before. Rocks that had been giving even Applejack and Rainbow trouble fell quickly to the experienced unicorns’ spells. After resting for a while, Twilight joined back in, helping Fluttershy, but stopping occasionally to make sure she wasn’t aggravating her injuries too much. There had been a moment of excitement when the earth pony—Earthen Peak, Twilight believed her name was—found Max’s helmet, the metal crushed and dented. However, upon searching the surrounding area thoroughly, they weren’t able to find anything else.

The helmet hadn’t worried Twilight too much; she knew that Max hadn’t been wearing it when he had fallen. Still, she had hoped that he had landed somewhere near it, even if the odds of that being the case were not in her favor.

Twilight wasn’t sure how long they searched for, as the sun and moon remained stationary high above them, frozen in a perpetual state of a partial eclipse. Her friends stuck by her, loyally searching even as the hard work began to take its toll. They were all covered in a varied mixture of sweat and dust, something that Rarity seemed to be trying to ignore. The guards worked silently, voicing no complaint nor slowing in their work. She tried to remain as vigilant, but her injuries would not allow it. Several times she had to stop in order to give her hooves a rest.

It was during one of these breaks that a shout suddenly came from the other side of the courtyard. “Twilight! Everypony! I found him!”

Twilight glanced up quickly, a smile working its way across her lips only to disappear as she saw the look on Pinkie’s face. Her normally cheerful expression was now solemn, her mane hanging limply about her face and shoulder. She gave Twilight a sad look before turning and glancing back down into the large hole she had emerged from. Everyone quickly convened.

Pushing herself to her hooves, Twilight limped along quickly, not caring about the pain flaring up in her leg. She stumbled and almost fell, but Applejack quickly moved to support her, carrying her the rest of the way. As the pair crested the top of the crater, Twilight gasped. The strength left her legs and she sagged against Applejack.

There, at the bottom of the excavated hole, still half buried under the rubble, was Max. No longer stone, his broken body was in poor shape. Gashes of various sizes covered his face, blood and dust caking its features. His armor was dented and covered in large scratches, with several pieces of metal sheared off, leaving behind jagged edges. A particularly large dent was located in the center of his chest, and even from her position at the top of the crater, Twilight could see the blood trickling from beneath the warped metal.

A sob escaped her lips at the sight of her human, the sight before her reminding her too much of the state he had been in after the pit fight. They had barely been able to save him then; with Canterlot in chaos, they weren’t able to help him this time, either.

Fluttershy was the first one down into the crater, bandages already in her mouth. She cleared off a few stray stones that still covered Max’s chest before attempting to remove his busted armor. Unable to find a latch and unfamiliar with armor in general, she struggled weakly until Terminal suddenly appeared beside her. His horn lit up, and the front of Max’s armor was ripped away in a burst of magic, taking with it part of his shirt and leaving behind his bare, bloodied chest.

Fluttershy gave him a thankful smile before leaning down and pressing her ear against Max’s chest, her other ear twitching as she listened. After a moment, she lifted her head and called out, “He’s got a steady pulse!”

“The wounds look worse than they are,” Terminal added. Lighting up his horn, he began to gingerly pull Max the rest of the way out of the rubble. He lifted him out of the crater and deposited him gently onto a relatively flat surface.

Pushing off of Applejack, Twilight limped forward, the others moving out of her way to allow her through. She stumbled, collapsing by Max’s side. Immediately, she pressed her ear against his chest, wanting to hear his heartbeat for herself, just to make sure. It took a moment, but then she heard it: the soft, rhythmic thumping that resonated through his battered chest. It was slow, but steady, and if she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend that he was just sleeping.

Lifting her head, she glanced down at Max’s face, only to pause, a small frown touching her lips. His breaths were coming in short, ragged gasps, and part of the reason soon became apparent. There was a black collar around his neck, with a tag bearing her cutie mark. It was bound tightly against his throat, the skin around it red and raw.

Lighting up her horn, Twilight tenderly removed it. She eyed it curiously, wondering where he had gotten it. It was a magic collar, obvious due to the lack of a manual latch; only a unicorn could have put it on him. Casting several detection spells, she tried to locate any hidden spells or enchantments on the collar, but found none. It was just a regular collar, one that bore her cutie mark.

She eyed the collar for a few more seconds before carefully wrapping it around her own neck, making sure that it wasn’t too tight. With that, she stood back up on shaky legs.

“We should get him to the medical wing,” Terminal said as he moved to stand beside her. “While his wounds aren’t severe upon closer inspection, he still needs medical care.”

“Ah’m on it,” Applejack said. Walking over, she slipped herself under one of Max’s arms. Earthen Peak moved to the other side of the human and did the same, the two earth ponies lifting him with some effort. Rainbow fluttered down and grabbed his feet, keeping them from dragging on the ground.

“Let’s get out of here,” Terminal said, glancing around again. “The chaos has stopped, but I don’t like the fact that Discord’s statue crumbled. It seems like the only time that happens is when he breaks loose.”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes,” Twilight muttered. “For now, let’s go.”

Slowly, they made their way out of the rubble-filled courtyard, the carriers being careful not to jostle their passenger too much. With Applejack occupied, it fell to Fluttershy to help Twilight stay steady on her hooves. The group entered the palace, leaving behind the destroyed scenery. Far above, a nightingale flew along, chirping noisily in the silence.

The group made their way through the ruined halls of the palace, skirting around piles of masonry and marble. Terminal and Rarity walked up front, using their magic to push the larger piles aside so that the trio carrying Max could get through. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight brought up the rear, Twilight leaning on Fluttershy as she walked. The remaining guards were positioned around the small procession, their heads on a swivel as they moved through the corridors. They would peer down adjacent hallways and peek inside rooms as they passed, searching for any signs of life, friendly or not.

They had just about reached the main staircase when the sound of hoofsteps came from ahead. The guards froze, their bodies tensing as the sound grew louder. A few seconds later, two large and familiar figures came around the corner and into view.

Twilight gasped, her eyes widening. “Princess Celestia! Luna!”

The Princesses, returned to their normal form, paused, their ears twitching as they spied the group. They glanced sideways at each other before slowly making their way forward. As they drew nearer, Twilight could see that they both looked exhausted. Their normally ethereal manes had lost their magical properties, now hanging limply about their shoulders; Celestia bore long, pink locks, while Luna’s mane was short and light blue.

“Twilight,” Celestia said, giving her fellow princess a weak smile. “There you are.”

Twilight eyed her nervously. “Princess, are you… okay?”

“For the most part,” Celestia said. “A little tired and dry mouthed, I must admit, but other than that, we are fairly fine.”

“Speak for thyself, sister,” Luna grumbled. “We have a headache that’s threatening to split our head apart. Curse the stone and water.”

“Oh, uh, how… how much do you remember?” Twilight asked nervously.

“Enough,” Celestia sighed. “Most of it’s a bit fuzzy, but I think we remember enough to piece together what happened.” She smiled down at Twilight. “Very well done with the teleportation spell, Twilight. That was some very quick thinking.”

“T-thank you, Princess,” Twilight stuttered as Rainbow snickered in the background.

“Verily, dear Sparkle,” Luna grunted, rubbing at a lump on the side of her head. “Though We would have liked it if thou… I mean, you had picked a better location. The stone the fountain was made out of was most certainly harder than my head.”

Twilight winced, giving the Lunar Princess an apologetic look. “Sorry, Luna. I panicked.”

Luna harrumphed and rolled her eyes, but gave Twilight a small smile nonetheless.

“Twilight.” Twilight blinked before glancing up at Celestia, who was giving her a weak smile. “After everything we’ve put you through, I’d hate to ask this of you, but I must. Neither Luna nor I have enough energy to correct our celestial bodies. Might you be willing to lend a hoof?”

Twilight’s ears splayed back. “I’m… I’m sorry, Princess, but I’m currently running on empty myself.”

“I see,” Celestia murmured, her ears splaying back as well. “Then I guess we’ll have to wait a while longer until our power has returned. A pity. I had hoped—”

“Um, I hate to interrupt,” Earthen Peak grunted, shifting about underneath Max’s weight, “but this, ugh… this bonehead’s a lot heavier than he looks. Do you mind if we continue on our way?”

Celestia gave her a confused look before seeming to notice Max’s condition. Her eyes widened and she gasped. “Oh… oh dear! What happened?”

“We’ll explain on the way, your majesty,” Terminal said. “Let’s just get him up to medical. There’s somepony else there that will be able to help explain things fully.”

Celestia blinked once before nodding. Both her and Luna fell in step behind the group as they continued on their way.

“I see,” Celestia hummed thoughtfully.

The medical ward had become quite crowded within the last hour. All of the beds were now occupied, the severely injured taking priority over those who just bore scrapes and cuts. There were so many wounded that mats were being set up out in the hall and in adjacent rooms just to accommodate them all, and more were still trickling in. Healers snaked between the beds, coming and going within the room as they tended to their patients.

The Princesses had taken up residence in the back of the room, seated on the large bay window located there. They were surrounded by a familiar group of guards consisting of members of the Coming Dawn and the Search and Seizure branch.

On one side of the Princesses, Sunny’s bed was positioned. Stacker sat on a stool beside it, keeping a close eye on her. The male human that had become attached to the pegasus was there as well, still holding the unconscious mare in his lap. The rest of the Coming Dawn had also taken up various positions around their unofficial member. Windbreaker sat at the foot of the bed, absentmindedly preening a wing as she stared off into space. Two beds over, the unconscious forms of Thunderspark and Cloudspire rested, their bodies returned to normal.

On the other side of the Princesses, beds containing Ebony and Primrose were located. Both ponies were unconscious, but Primrose was clearly in the worst shape. Several tubes ran to her nose and mouth, and she had several blood transfusion bags connected to her legs. The bandages wrapped firmly around her chest were already starting to turn red again. Avera sat between the two beds, staring at the floor. The only indication that she was listening was that her ears would twitch every so often and swivel around to face the current speaker.

The members of the Search and Seizure branch were in bad shape as well. Crimson Flare had several dozen stitches in her shoulder from where the bolt had struck her. Nightwing’s wing was bandaged and strapped to his side, unusable for the foreseeable future. The rest of the team were in a similar state, bandages covering the bruised and battered ponies.

Night Light rested off to the side, his neck wrapped in several layers of bandages. Twilight was curled up beside him, her body pressed firmly against his. Her own injuries were treated, white bandages covering her hind leg, wings, and hooves. Every few seconds she’d glance nervously over at a nearby bed, one which four Healers were currently working around. Max’s body laid limply across its surface, his feet dangling off the end. One of his legs was in a temporary cast, to keep it stable until the final cast could be made. The Healers were currently focused on his chest, the initial worry being that his shallow breathing was caused by cracked ribs. However, after doing a brief scan it was discovered that although the ribs were heavily bruised, none of them were broken or cracked. After examining him thoroughly, it was determined that the worst injury he had sustained had been his broken leg.

A miracle, in Twilight’s opinion.

Celestia shifted on the cushioned ledge of the window, a troubled look crossing her face.

“This is interesting, if somewhat disturbing as well,” she said, glancing up at Terminal who had just finished retelling what had happened, with a little help from Night Light when it came to his communication with Max through hoof-language.

“And you’re sure that Max said that our native humans are sapient?” Luna asked, eyeing the male human on Sunny’s bed with a mixture of wariness and unbridled curiosity. A bit of blue mane fell in front of her eyes, causing her to huff in annoyance.

“Those were his words,” Night Light grunted. “‘Equestrian humans are intelligent. They’ve been getting smarter over the past few years, but nobody seemed to notice’. That’s as much information as he managed to give me before more pressing matters arose, ensued, and were overcome.”

“How could we not notice something like this?” Luna murmured, rubbing her temple with a hoof. “Were we just blind, or did we choose not to see?”

“And the humans that attacked you,” Celestia continued. “Max claims that they were originally from his world as well?”

Night Light nodded. “That’s correct. According to Max, the Terran humans believed that ponies were enslaving the Equestrian humans through the use of some spell. That’s why they attacked us; they were revolting and attempting to free themselves from their perceived slavery.”

“Three guesses as to the creature behind their misconception,” Luna muttered.

“It wasn’t just Discord, though,” Celestia sighed. “Our own treatment of the humans—even in ignorance—is what led to the misconception of slavery.”

Luna hummed thoughtfully. “That may be, but there is one thing I don’t understand. If the humans were under the impression that we were enslaving them, why did the Equestrian humans help us, rather than their Terran counterparts?”

“Probably for fear of us, their slavers,” Celestia offered, her ears splaying back.

“Not necessarily,” Night Light said. “I can’t be entirely sure, but from what I gathered, the Equestrian humans were following Max. They did what he told them to. At least, I’m assuming they did, as several of them lead us to a group of injured ponies after Max told us about them.”

“Several of them accompanied him when he went after Discord,” Terminal added. “They even attacked Discord when he grabbed Max, though it did little good. We lost track of them soon afterwards.”

“It seems that we will not know the full story behind the motives of the Equestrian humans until Max has regained consciousness,” Luna said softly, glancing over at said unconscious human. She watched the Healers work for a few seconds before suddenly turning her attention back to Night Light. “Pray tell, where are the Terran humans you captured?”

“They’re in the throne room, under heavy watch from guards I trust completely,” he replied.

“Then that is where we’re going,” Celestia said, standing up. “If you six would please accompany me,” she added, turning to the Elements of Harmony. “The rest of you may remain here and rest. We’ll be back shortly.”

“B-but, Princess Celestia… I-I…” Twilight fumbled to speak. Biting her lip, she glanced over at the bed where Max currently rested.

“Worry not, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna cooed as she stood up as well. Approaching Twilight, she gave her a small nuzzle. “Max will still be here when you get back. Allow the Healers to finish their work. You’ll be able to rest with him after.”

Twilight nodded and made to stand up, but was stopped by an approaching Healer shaking her head.

“Hold on one second, your majesty,” the Healer said. Her horn lit up, and a splint was levitated over to Twilight’s injured leg. “If you’re going to insist on walking around on that hoof, at least let me give you some support, okay?” the Healer asked as she wrapped the splint.

Twilight tested out the splint, tentatively putting her weight on the leg. When no pain came, she gave the Healer a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

The Healer bowed before returning to her rounds.

“Alright, gals, let’s do this,” Applejack muttered, getting slowly to her hooves. “Ah don’t know about y’all, but Ah’m gonna need a vacation from this vacation. This has been one of the most excitin’ estrus weeks that Ah’ve ever had.”

“Hear, hear, darling,” Rarity chimed in. The others nodded in agreement as they followed behind the Princesses.

Twilight moved to follow, but paused. Turning around, she gave her father a quick nuzzle. “I’ll see you later, Dad.”

“Don’t worry, honey,” Night Light chuckled. “I’ll look after your human for you while you’re gone.”

Twilight hummed contently before turning and limping out after her friends.

The throne room was packed. Guards from various branches of the military littered the room: Night Guards, Royal Guards, Solar Guards, Wonderbolts, and Shadowbolts. Earth ponies and unicorns sat on the ground, while the pegasi perched on various pillars and window ledges around the room. It seemed that any guard that wasn’t injured was currently within the room. They weren’t just milling about either. All attention, every eye, was locked on the small group of humans that were bound in the center of the room. Two Sentinels—one Lunar and one Solar—stood on either side of the humans. Their horns were glowing, and magic runes covered the ground beneath the humans.

This was the sight that greeted Twilight as she entered the throne room. The chamber doors had been placed back onto their hinges. They were still battered and dented, but that would be fixed later. What mattered now is that they worked.

“Are these the humans?” Celestia asked, eyeing the group of angry looking humans as she passed, heading for her throne.

“They are, your majesty,” a voice spoke up. A few seconds later, Captain Tempest emerged from a group of guards. Her wings were ruffled, several of the white feathers covered in ash. “Colonel Night Light dropped them off, and we’ve been watching them ever since.”

“Anything to report?” Luna asked, walking behind her sister. Twilight and the other Elements followed along, eyeing the humans curiously. Rainbow flew closer to the group, only to back off when one of the humans snarled something at her.

“I have several squads out looking for any more Terran humans lurking in the castle,” Tempest continued. “I also sent several guards down to help out around Canterlot. Besides that, everything appears to have calmed down since Discord’s statue crumbled.”

“Thank you,” Luna said with a nod. Lighting up her horn, an ebony throne appeared beside the repaired golden one, and both sisters took a seat.

“So, these are more Terran humans,” Luna hummed. One of the humans, a gruff male with a bushy beard and tattooed upper arm, growled something, the bark-like noise causing Luna’s ear to twitch. She eyed them for a few more seconds before turning to Tempest. “How are you distinguishing the Terrans from Equestrian humans? The difference appears too subtle for my eyes.”

“Their facial structures are a little different, but we are using a more sure-fire way of weeding them out,” Tempest said.

“Which is?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tempest smirked. “Their body temperature.”

“That’s actually pretty clever,” Twilight praised as she limped up to the base of the throne dais. “If any humans have a temperature around ninety-eight degrees, you’ll know that they’re Terrans. If not, then they’re Equestrian. Simple, yet effective.”

“The issue of finding other Terrans is taken care of then,” Celestia hummed, “but what shall we do with these ones?” She stared down at the humans before her. It was strange, but now that she looked closer, she could easily tell the emotions on the humans’ faces. Most glared up at her with anger and defiance, but there were a few, an odd few, that held looks of worry and fear on their faces. The sight caused her heart to twinge slightly, a small frown crossing her lips. She didn’t like being the source of fear for any creature.

“I think the solution is quite simple,” Luna huffed. “They were brought here against their will, blame us for what’s happened, and they want nothing to do with ponies. Send them back home.”

“What, you mean back to their own world?” Twilight asked, her eyes widening.

“Certainly,” Luna nodded. “The spell is within our ability. We were going to send Max home before he changed his mind.” She motioned towards the humans with a wing. “We can do the same with them, only on a larger scale.”

“There’s just one problem with that, dear sister,” Celestia said. “Neither of us have enough magic to perform such a spell at the moment.”

“So stick them in the dungeon until such a time as we have regained our strength,” Luna huffed, crossing her forelegs.

“Should we really be punishing them like that?” Twilight asked hesitantly, Fluttershy nodding beside her.

“They attacked dozens of ponies and left several in critical condition,” Tempest growled. “We’re extremely lucky nopony died yet, but there is still a chance of it.”

“I understand that,” Twilight said, “but that’s not entirely their fault. They were misled and used. Their aggression came from a huge misunderstanding. I don’t feel right punishing them for that; it would just reinforce their views of us.”

“You are correct, my faithful student,” Celestia said softly. A small smile worked its way across her lips. “However, the dungeons are not to punish them. It’s simply to hold them until we can send them home. I fear at this point that there is very little we can do to mend their view of us at the moment. Keeping them in the dungeons will help keep not only the ponies of Equestria safe, but the Terran humans as well.”

“I suppose,” Twilight said slowly.

“Captain,” Celestia said, turning to Tempest. “Escort the Terrans to the dungeons. Tend to their injuries, keep them comfortable, provide them with food, and do not antagonize them. Have them placed under constant watch. I want reinforcement wards placed on the walls and bars, tracking spells placed on each human, and guard changes every hour, at least ten guards on watch at any time.” She motioned towards the Sentinels. “Take the Sentinels with you. Have them within sight of all the humans, no matter what.”

“Ma’am,” Tempest saluted. “If any try to escape or attack a pony?”

“Then use any means necessary to subdue them,” Celestia said. “While we may be trying to send them home, I will not allow them to harm my ponies any more. Equestria comes first, and the Terrans second. And no,” she added, smiling down at Twilight, “that does not include Max anymore. He is Equestrian, through both his actions and his relationship with you.”

Tempest saluted again before turning to a few of the nearby guards. “Get them on their feet and get them moving. If any can’t walk, levitate them, but don’t aggravate their wounds. The rest of you,” she shouted to the remaining guards scattered about the room, ”start combing the castle. Wonderbolts, Shadowbolts! Head down to Canterlot and help regain order. The last thing we need is a riot getting out of control.”

The guards moved forward and began to pull the humans to their feet. Several struggled, but the majority followed suit once it was clear what the ponies were trying to get them to do. One of the humans, a tall male that looked a little charred, needed to be levitated, and he groaned upon being moved. Those that bore fearful looks did not fight back, but the defiant ones required a few nudges in order to get them to walk. A few—the bearded human included—struggled to the point that they had to levitated as well, in order to keep them moving. Chirps and barks filled the air as the humans shouted unintelligible words at the surrounding ponies.

Twilight watched silently as the guards began to file the humans out of the throne room, only to suddenly gasp, her eyes widening. “W-wait!”

The guards paused as all eyes turned towards Twilight. She swallowed weakly, suddenly nervous under all the gazes. Limping forward, she approached the group of humans, one human in particular standing out. The face was familiar, and it had taken her a second to remember where she had seen it.

Coming to a stop in front of the humans, Twilight stared up into the face of Max’s ex-mate. Marefriend… er, girlfriend, she reminded herself. Her hair was longer, and the excess fat had faded from her face, but Twilight could still recognize her from the pictures she saw on Max’s phone device.

The female stared down at her, and Twilight could see a hint of worry in her blue eyes. She chirped softly, taking a step back as she brought her bound hands up in front of her.

“Twilight?” Celestia called out as she stepped down from the throne dais.

“I recognize this human,” Twilight said, not taking her eyes off of Max’s ex. “Her picture was on Max’s device.”

“It was?” Luna asked incredulously, walking up to stand beside Twilight. “Are you sure? I don’t remember seeing her.”

“I’m positive,” Twilight nodded. “It’s, um… it’s Max’s previous mate.”

Luna paused, cocking her head to the side as she scrutinized the human female closely. A few of the other humans began to crowd around her, trying to protect her from whatever they thought the ponies were planning on doing.

After a few seconds, Luna leaned back. “Hmmm, now that you mention it, yes. I do faintly recall seeing her face as well. Interesting. What are the odds?”

Still eyeing the human, Twilight lifted a hoof and absentmindedly played with the tag on the collar around her neck. The human’s eyes darted down to the collar before widening. Lifting her bound hands, she pointed at the collar and said something that came out as a series of grunts and chirps. The look of anger that crossed her face surprised Twilight, causing her to take a step back.

“Do you want us to leave her here with you, ma’am?” one of the guards asked.

“Nay,” Luna said, waving a wing. “Keep her with the rest of the Terrans. Meeting her was a happy coincidence, but we do not require her presence.” The guard nodded, and the humans were lead out of the room.

Absentmindedly playing with the tag of the collar, Twilight watched the humans going until she felt something nudge her shoulder. Glancing around, she saw Rarity giving her a concerned look. “Are you alright, darling?”

“Y-yeah,” Twilight said. She gave Rarity a weak smile. “I’m fine, Rarity. I just didn’t expect to see her here.” Her smile faded slightly as her mind began to wander. Did Max meet up with her while he was out running around? Did they talk? Why did the collar set her off? Did she know Max had it before me? These thoughts and many more continued to swirl around silently in her head, and she soon found herself longing to be back in the infirmary, alongside her human.

She managed to pull herself from her thoughts in time to hear Luna ask Celestia, “How are your magic reserves coming along, sister?”

“Still too weak for my liking,” Celestia sighed. “I can feel my connection to the sun again, but am unable to move it. A few more hours, I’d say, before I can correct its position.”

“Same here,” Luna huffed.

“Um, if that’s the case,” Twilight said tentatively, “do you need me for anything else, or may I return to the infirmary?”

Celestia gave her a warm smile. “I believe that is all, Twilight. Thank you.”

“I don’t know why we were needed,” Rainbow groused, crossing her forelegs. “We didn’t do anything.”

“You were here in case we needed the Elements,” Luna said, motioning towards the Element of Harmony dangling from Rainbow’s neck. “As it turned out, we didn’t need you, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially with everything that has been going on recently.”

Rainbow huffed. “Fine… I guess.”

“So may I…?” Twilight began, giving Celestia a hopeful look.

“Yes, Twilight,” Celestia said, laughing softly. “You may return to the—”

The throne room doors slammed open, causing everyone within to jump. The few guards that still remained leapt into action, immediately throwing themselves between the Princesses and the doors even before they could tell who the intruder was. Horns were lit, wings were flared, and spears leveled at the open doors.

A lone guard stood there, breathing heavily. His eyes darted around the room until coming to a stop on the Princesses.

“Your majesties!” he practically squawked. “You must come immediately!”

“Calm yourself,” Luna ordered as she stepped forward. “What’s happened?”

“No time, don’t know,” the guard gasped. “Ponyville!”

“What?” Rarity yelped, her eyes widening.

Applejack followed suit. “Ponyville?! What about Ponyville?”

“Lead on,” Celestia said, stepping forward. The guard nodded before turning and hurrying off down the hall. The Elements shared an uneasy look between them before hurrying along after.

The guard led them down a series of corridors before coming to stop at an open balcony. As they stepped out onto the balcony and glanced at Ponyville far below, a loud gasp rippled throughout the group. A grim look crossed both Celestia and Luna’s face as the stared at the sight below them.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack breathed.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” Fluttershy muttered, her hooves covering her mouth.

It was something out of a nightmare. The sun and the moon had shifted enough away from each other in order to properly illuminate the scene below. Black vines, some as thick as tree trunks, covered Ponyville entirely. They wrapped around buildings, broke through roofing and windows, and choked the land and sky. The source of the vines was clear; the majority of them coming from the same location.

The Everfree Forest.

The courtyard was still, a gentle breeze blowing over the endless piles of debris. A murder of crows cawed loudly as they circled above. The bloody light of the eclipse shone down upon the disaster, coloring the remnants of Discord a dark crimson.

Slowly, the crows began to descend, drifting steadily downwards.

A soft grinding sound suddenly echoed around the courtyard. After a few seconds, rubble at the bottom of a medium-sized crater began to shift about, some of the bigger rocks tumbling down the slope of dust and stone. A dusty, bloodied human hand slowly emerged, gradually followed by an arm, and then a body.

Paul T. Riddick groaned as he worked on pulling himself from the wreckage that used to be his twisted, demonic body. His bony body was naked, the pale skin covered in a mixture of dust and blood. A shaggy mane of tangled hair fell about his shoulders, his facial hair faring no better.

Pulling himself free, he staggered to his feet. He huffed and puffed, gasping for air.

“A valiant effort, Mr. Williams,” he wheezed. “A valiant effort indeed. A pity it wasn’t enough.” He licked his lips, then spat out a glob of dust and blood. “A hero, you are not.” Straightening up, he peered around at the debris field around him. “I must say, I don’t know who your exterior decorator is, Tia, but you simply must give me their number.

“Speaking of Tia,” he sneered, “let’s go see how they are faring.” Raising a hand, he made to snap his fingers, only to freeze. Slowly, he lowered the hand and stared at it, wide-eyed. “N-no…” He brought up his other hand, turning the pair of them about as he studied the long, bony fingers. “It’s… it’s not possible.” Tears slowly began to well up in the corners of his eyes. “After all these years… it really is.” Trembling hands trailed over arms and chest, leaving trails in the dust and blood.

A quick glance down brought a shout of joy, and the human began to dance about, doing an odd little jig in the middle of the crater. First hopping on one leg several times and then the other, he spun about in a circle, all while staring down at his body. His voice cracked, even as he laughed joyfully. “I’m… I’m… my body... I’m…”

“Hello, Riddick.”

The human froze in an odd stance, a leg lifted with his hands in the air. Slowly lowering his foot, he turned and glanced over his shoulder.

At the top of the crater, the wind blowing gently through her two-toned blue mane, stood a white unicorn mare. A pair of tinted glasses rested above her horn. She stared down at the naked human, a neutral expression on her face. Her eyes were narrowed, the pupils constricted into slits. Metal tags hung about her neck, glinting in the light of the fading eclipse.

“Wha…?” the human breathed, squinting up at the unicorn. “Mystic? Mystic Melody, is that you?” The smile returned to his face. “Melody! My old friend!”

“Actually, Mystic Melody is dead,” Vinyl said, her voice cold. “It’s Vinyl Scratch, now.”

“Hmmm. Yes, of course,” Paul muttered, tugging at his beard. “I should have known. You were always so cautious about somebody catching on to your lack of mortality. I see you changed your mane color. A pity. The blonde look suited you more, in my opinion.”

Vinyl’s eyes flashed. “Too bad I didn’t ask for it.”

“Oh, don’t be that way, my old friend,” Paul chuckled weakly. “Don’t get all grumpy on me already. It’s been so long since we last spoke to one another. Now, help me up,” he grunted, beginning to pull himself from the crater. “We’ve got work to do.”

Vinyl made no move to help the struggling human.

“What work?” she asked in a monotone voice. “Your humans are freed, Celestia has been punished, and you’ve gotten your old body back, apparently. What is there left to do?”

“Yes, I do have my body back,” Paul said joyfully. “Something I didn’t think was possible. However, Celestia has not suffered enough. With your help, we can hammer the final nail into the coffin. Hard. Just think about it: it’ll be like old times again, Melody!”

“It’s Vinyl,” Vinyl sneered, “and no, Riddick, it won’t be like old times. This time, I’m not helping you. I’m out.”

“But Melod—er, Vinyl,” Riddick coughed.

“No, Riddick,” she said, shaking her head. “Not this time. I’ve found a different human. One that I believe will do better than you. I’m throwing my lot in with him.”

“Another human?” Paul asked, coming to stop on the lip of the crater. “You don’t mean that boy, do you? Mr. Williams?”

“If you’re talking about Max, then yes,” Vinyl said. “I’ve talked with him, and seen what he values. I’m fairly sure he won’t throw me aside like yesterday’s garbage.”

“‘Throw you aside’?! I never threw you aside!” Paul said incredulously. “You were my only friend, Melody; my only friend on this whole planet. Even Star Swirl betrayed me, but not you. It was you and I against the world!”

“The world was never against you, Riddick,” Vinyl said sadly, shaking her head. “It was all in your head. You pitted yourself against the world needlessly. There were other ways, other methods you could have gone with, but you chose the path of solitude. You chose to become this.” She motioned around at Discord’s debris. “You did this to yourself, and no one else.”

“Celestia did this to me, or don’t you remember?” Paul growled.

“I remember a kind man,” Vinyl said, her voice softening. “One who was scared about the new world he found himself in, but still eager to learn. What happened to that man, Riddick? What happened to the man that spent a whole afternoon discussing science and magic with Star Swirl?”

“That man died,” Paul grunted, “the same day that Star Swirl cast her spell.”

“Then I guess I have nothing to regret,” Vinyl said evenly.

Paul shook his head. “Don’t do this, Melody.”

“Sorry, Riddick,” Vinyl apologized with a shrug, “but as you told me all those years ago, it’s not me… it’s you. Now, I have to get going. I have a marefriend waiting back home that could probably use some comfort and reassurance.”

“Then why did you come?” Paul asked, crossing his arms.

“Because,” Vinyl said, her horn lighting up. She lifted her tinted shades and lowered them over her eyes. “There is one particular promise that you made all those years ago that I’m actually going to hold you to, and I’m here to collect.”

A look of confusion crossed Paul’s face. “What promise was that, exactly?”

Vinyl smiled, fangs descending from her lips. “Just a taste.”

She lunged forward.

With a blood-curdling shriek, Riddick toppled backwards into the crater, Vinyl latched firmly to his neck.

Author's Notes:

How many of you saw this coming, huh? Be honest; how many of you knew that Your Human and You was going to turn into the season premier of Season 4? Huh? Huh?!

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Once again, Terminal Lance is brought to you by personofuninterest. I hope that I'm still doing him justice.