The journey back to Canterlot, while significantly slower than the mad dash to Ponyville, was much more relaxed. Tension was low, and a gentle murmur of conversation filled the air as the Wonderbolts flew along lazily.

Down below, the landscape was now free from the smothering embrace of the black vines. The earth was churned up in places and many structures had structural damage, but everything was now clear of vines. That, combined with the fact that the sun and moon were slowly correcting their courses, meant that everything was returning to normal.

Or as close to normal as it could be, given the situation.

Two chariots flew through the air, carrying their occupants towards the capital at a steady pace. The lead chariot—pulled by Spitfire and Soarin—held Twilight and Spike. The second transport, which was further back and slightly lower in the sky, contained the two Terran humans, both of whom were wearing nervous looks on their faces as they sat as far from the edge of the chariot as possible. Every so often, one of them would cast a nervous glance down at the ground far below before shifting uncomfortably about.

The remaining Wonderbolts flew alongside the chariots, keeping a close eye on the humans while chatting softly amongst themselves. They weren’t present in Canterlot during the events prior to the vines appearing, and as such these were the first Terran humans they were aware of outside of the Anomaly. A few of them would drift closer to the chariot to get a better look at them, which only seemed to increase the humans’ nervousness.

Resting with her head upon the railing, Twilight watched wearily as the countryside flashed by below. She had been the only Element to make the return trip to Canterlot, although calling herself an Element Bearer now seemed inaccurate after she had placed her Element in that strange tree along with the others.

Her friends had bid her farewell as she had boarded the chariot, electing to stay behind for various reasons, all of which she could not, and did not, blame them for. Rarity—after nearly squeezing the life out of her sister in a bone-crushing hug—remained behind to help with the cleanup. Pinkie also stayed behind to help clean up, using her Pinkie sense to find any buildings that might collapse due to structural damage; the twitchy tail never failed.

Rainbow stayed to help the weather team keep the sky clear from the abnormal storms that were trying to creep in from the Everfree, as well as using her speed to act as a messenger. Applejack stayed due to the need to look after her farm, her family, and her humans, many of whom were spooked from the vines. Luckily, they remained infection-free, as none of the vines that attacked the farm were spore-bearers.

Lastly, Fluttershy remained in order to calm her animal friends down, as well as provide medical aid to both animals and ponies alike. Zecora joined her as well, using her knowledge of potions and concoctions to help out.

The only one who had decided to go with Twilight was Spike, who refused to leave her side for even a moment. Even now he was propped up against her side, taking a nap while using her wing as a makeshift blanket. He had fallen asleep almost immediately upon take off, tuckered out from the excitement of the day. Every few seconds a gentle snore would escape his lips, bringing a smile to Twilight’s face. She remembered that snore; it was comforting, letting her know that he was still there… Still with her.

Silently, she mulled over recent events. The vines, the tree, the Elements, and the odd locked box; it all felt like a dream, although that could be due to how tired she was. She wasn’t sure how long she had been awake for, having lost track of the time a while ago. It felt like days had passed, although it could have been only hours for all she knew. She was exhausted, her body ached, and longed for a nice soft bed, but she couldn’t sleep just yet. Or rather, she wouldn’t. There was still stuff to do, things that needed to be taken care of, and she refused to sleep until she could do so beside Max, even if it was in one of the medical beds.

With her weary mind swirling with random thoughts and speculations about things, she failed to notice when grasslands turned to foothills, foothills to steep slopes, and steep slopes to cobbled streets. She only realized where she was when Spitfire called back over her shoulder, “We’ll be at the palace in a few minutes, your highness.”

Twilight blinked before glancing around. The streets of Canterlot were devoid of ponies, although the same could not be said for debris. Dozens of carts had been overturned, barrels had been smashed, and several makeshift barricades had been toppled. Smoke still rose in several locations, but luckily there were no open flames. The fact that no guards were present in the streets was also a lucky break, as that meant that martial law had not been declared; the citizens had returned to their homes willingly.

As they approached the castle walls, a group of pegasi in black and purple jumpsuits rose from the parapets and raced towards them.

“There you are,” the light gray pegasus in the lead called out as she neared. “We were beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost, Spits.” She had a short dark purple mane, the same color as her uniform. Yellow eyes surveyed the weary Wonderbolts with curiosity, a look of worry flashing across her face at their appearance before she managed to hide it behind a mask of professionalism.

“Hey, Freefall,” Spitfire replied, her words slurring slightly as she gave the pegasus a weary smile. “No, we didn’t get lost. We’re only now just getting back from our patrol. Something weird came up in Ponyville that required our attention.”

“You think you had weird? You should have been here earlier. Now that was weird,” Freefall said before glancing over Spitfire’s torn-up uniform. She grimaced at the sight of the dried blood. “By the wing and feather, Spits. You look like hammered shit. What got a hold of you, a timberwolf?”

“No, it wasn’t a timberwolf,” Spitfire sighed. “It was something in the Everfree though. We took care of it.”

Freefall hummed softly. She continued to eye Spitfire for a moment longer before finally noticing that Twilight was sitting in the chariot. Her eyes widened and she let out a loud squawk. “Your majesty!” Flipping around, she threw a hasty salute in midair. “Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t see you there!”

“‘s alright,” Twilight mumbled softly, waving a hoof about weakly. “There’s no need to salute me. It’s been a long day for everypony.”

“You said it,” Freefall muttered before turning to her crew. “Alright, Shadowbolts! Fall in. We’re helping the Wonders escort Princess Sparkle back to the palace.” With a nod, the rest of the Shadowbolts fell in beside their brighter-colored rivals.

Freefall fluttered over to glide beside Spitfire.

“So, uh… what’s with the humans?” she asked, nodding towards the two humans seated in the second chariot.

“That’s a long story,” Spitfire said, “and I’d rather wait until the other Princesses are present as well so I don’t have to repeat myself.”

Freefall nodded once before going quiet.

The rest of the trip was in silence.

When the chariots finally touched down on a landing pad at the palace, the moon was high in the sky and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Twilight groaned happily as she stepped down off of the chariot, her stiff muscles popping and creaking in protest. She winced as her injured leg twinged, but ignored it for the most part. The splint was doing its job, at least.

The humans stepped down from the chariot as well, but remained close to their ride. The one with crutches was muttering something to his companion under his breath as he eyed the surrounding pegasi worriedly. His companion scoffed, but kept his eyes locked on Spitfire as she walked past him.

As Twilight made sure that the still-sleeping form of Spike was tucked securely between her wings, the nearby double doors swung open and five unicorns in gold armor stepped out. The foremost one saluted to Twilight as she approached. “Ma’am, welcome back.” Upon noticing the two humans, he stiffened and quickly nodded to the unicorn on his right, who stepped forward, a thermometer held in her magic.

Twilight held up a hoof. “Yes, they’re Terran humans—” all the guards tensed “—but they’re with me. They helped solve the issue in Ponyville. I’m bringing them to the rest of the Terrans in the dungeon, so if you could escort us there?”

The lead unicorn eyed the humans suspiciously for a few seconds before nodding. “Very well, if you’d all follow me.” With that, he turned and marched back inside. Motioning to the humans to follow her, Twilight walked through the doors as well, the Wonderbolts and Shadowbolts on her heels. The humans hesitated, but eventually followed after the retreating ponies, the one with crutches clunking along slowly. The remaining unicorns fell in step around the large group, eyeing the humans warily.

Twilight’s limp gradually grew worse as they made their way through the silent halls, but she refused to rest. Resting would come later; for now, she dragged herself along despite the discomfort, her breathing shallow and ragged. Both Spitfire and Freefall gave her concerned looks, but she stubbornly refused any help they offered. Even the humans were eyeing her worriedly, but she didn’t care. She just had to drop the Terrans off with the rest of their kind, head to the medical wing, climb into Max’s bed, and sleep.

Oh, glorious sleep… she could now see why Max loved it so.

Rounding the corner, Twilight made to head towards the dungeons, only to blink in surprise upon seeing Luna approaching from the opposite direction. Her gaze was on the floor as she walked, a small frown on her face. Her mane and tail were astral again, wafting lazily in an unseen breeze behind her.

“L-Luna?” Twilight stuttered out.

Glancing up, Luna perked upon seeing who had called her name. A smile crossed her lips. “Ah, Twilight Sparkle. You’ve returned! Victorious, I hope?”

“Yes,” Twilight nodded. “The vines have been taken care of, but we had to return the Elements to a strange tree in order to get rid of them.”

Luna’s eyes lit up.

“Ah, so it was the Tree then,” she said softly. “We were curious… but it matters not. You can ask my sister about it later and I’m sure she can tell you more about the Tree. Still, you should feel proud, Twilight Sparkle. You figured out a solution, and have once again saved Equestria. Twice in one day, in fact. But, pray tell…” Her eyes slowly drifted to the two humans, “who have you found in the process?”

Twilight sighed before repeating for what felt like the hundredth time, “These two are Terran humans that we found in a strange building above the tree. They don’t appear to be aggressive against ponies, though. In fact, they helped us clear the vines around the tree. I’m taking them down to be placed with the other Terran humans until later.”

“They helped you, you say?” Luna hummed thoughtfully as she eyed the humans. She was silent for a moment before glancing at the unicorn guards. “Provide them with food and drink, and then take them to the… others in the Grand Hall. Watch them, but don’t make them feel unwelcome.” The way she said ‘others’ caused Twilight’s ears to perk.

“Others?” she asked. “What others?”

“They are not the first Terrans that have been helpful during this time of crisis,” Luna said. “We decided to house them in the Grand Hall, away from their… violent companions. So far they have shown no signs of aggression. If anything, they seem resigned to whatever fate that may be in store for them.”

“And what will their fate be?” Twilight asked.

“We shall discuss that later,” Luna said with a smile. “For now, these two need some food. They look a little gaunt.” She nodded to the unicorn guards, who returned the gesture before beginning to herd the humans along. They weren’t rough, even going as far as to match the pace of the crutch-wielding human, who glanced back at Twilight before allowing himself to be led off.

Twilight watched them leave until they rounded the corner and were lost to view. Once they were gone, she sighed heavily.

“Finally. It’s over,” she breathed. From her back, Spike grunted softly before snuggling further into her mane. Grabbing a few strands, he began to suck on them happily. Twilight smiled at the sensation before letting out a massive yawn.

“Twilight,” Luna said, moving to drape a wing over her shoulder. “Pray tell, where are the other Elements? Did they not return with you?”

“They stayed behind to help clean up Ponyville,” Twilight said, blinking tears from her eyes. The world was beginning to blur slightly, her exhausted brain refusing to focus properly. “Without the Elements, they felt they could be the most help back home.”

“Did they now?” Luna asked, humming thoughtfully. “I see. Well, luck be with them in that endeavor. We’ll have to send some supplies to help with the relief later. I suppose that—”

“Luna,” Twilight interrupted with a huff. “I’m… I’m sorry if this comes across as rude, but if it’s all the same to you, I think I’d like to hold off on any questions you might have until later. Right now, I just want to go and lie down… with Max.” She started to turn, but was stopped by Luna’s wing.

“I am sorry, Twilight. I truly am,” she began, her ears splaying back, “but there is one last thing you must take care of before that can happen. If you would be so kind, please follow me to the throne room.”

Twilight’s ears splayed back.

“W-what? Why?!” she shouted. “I’ve done everything asked of me so far! What else do you need? What’s going on?”

Luna’s expression turned solemn.

“We are dealing with the Terran humans, once and for all.”

Upon arriving at the throne room, Twilight noticed that it was surprisingly empty. A dozen or so guards were present, most of them clad in Night Guard armor. They were grouped around the walls, silently eyeing the large group of humans that was positioned in the middle of the room. A small handful of ponies in lab coats were huddled around a few mobile chalkboards in a corner of the room, the surfaces covered in scrawling notes.

Said humans were shackled together with a single, long link of chain. A few glared at the pacing ponies with hatred, but for the most part the majority of them just sat with their heads lowered, exhausted looks on their faces.

At the far end of the room, at the base of the throne dais, Celestia rested upon a large cushion. Her mane, much like Luna’s, had returned to its normal magical state. Beside the Princess, much to Twilight’s surprise, stood her father, Terminal Lance, and Captain Tempest. All three ponies looked somewhat rested, although they still had dark bags under their eyes. They conversed with Celestia in hushed whispers.

Twilight jumped slightly when Luna nudged her with a wing. The Lunar Princess then motioned for her to follow and the pair set off across the throne room, Twilight limping along behind Luna. High Wind had offered to take the sleeping form of Spike up to the medical ward, as the Wonderbolts were heading that way to get Spitfire checked out. He’d be up there, along with Max, once she finished with the task at hand.

As they neared the gathered humans, Twilight couldn’t help but notice that almost all of them had received some medical treatment; bandages were visible beneath their clothing.

“You treated their injuries?” she asked Luna.

“Of course,” came the reply, “although it was done with some difficulty.”

“Why’s that?” Twilight asked.

“What with our inability to communicate easily, the doctors had trouble indicating that they were there to help,” Luna said, eyeing the humans. Several of them glared at her, but none moved. “Most of them drew away,” she continued, “and a few even lashed out in anger or fear. I do not believe they knew what we were trying to do.”

“Well, if what Max told Dad was true, the Terrans were under the impression that we are controlling humans using a spell,” Twilight muttered thoughtfully. “If that is the case, they could have easily assumed that we were trying to brainwash them again.”

“We came to the same conclusion and were about to give up with providing them aid,” Luna said.

“What changed their minds?”

“One of the more injured females finally stepped forward,” Luna explained. “The doctors were able to patch her up, and the others were able to see what was going on. After that, many more allowed the doctors and nurses to treat them, but even still, a select few continued to refuse any and all aid.” Twilight nodded weakly as she allowed her gaze to drift over the humans. She caught sight of Max’s ex glaring heatedly at her from the middle of the circle, and she quickly looked away.

The pair had just about passed the last of the humans when a gray unicorn suddenly hurried over to them. He wore no armor, Twilight noted, and instead was clad in a lab coat. His black mane was rather messy, and there were bags under his amber eyes. She could just barely make out his cutie mark peeking out from beneath the hem of the white coat: a shooting star with a two-tone blue trail behind it.

He gave them both a big smile as he approached.

“Ah, there you are,” Luna muttered, eyeing the unicorn blankly. “I was wondering where you had gotten off to. Twilight, this is Researcher Shooting Star,” she said, motioning towards the stallion with a wing.

“How do you do?” Twilight asked as politely as she could; her exhaustion was beginning to wear her down.

“I-I’m fine, Princess, t-thanks for asking,” Shooting Star stuttered out, the large grin still on his face as he stared unblinkingly at her.

“Shooting Star here works at the Human Research Facility,” Luna said. “He’s requested to be here to observe the Terrans before we send them home.”

Twilight gave the stallion a confused look. “What for?”

“W-what for?” If it was at all possible, the stallion’s eyes widened further. “Princess, t-this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!” He fell in step beside Twilight, matching her slow, limping pace with his own.

“I didn’t realize it was that big a deal,” Twilight mumbled, ears splaying back. Having lived with Max for long enough, the thought of more Terran humans, while interesting, didn’t excite her as much as it would have a year ago.

“O-of course it’s a big deal, your highness,” Shooting Star said breathlessly. “These humans are so much like our own, but completely different at the same time. W-why, from just studying them for a few hours we have already noted ten similar patterns in behavior, as well as fifteen unique ones we’ve never seen before.”

This caused Twilight to pause, and she gave him a curious look. “What behaviors, exactly?”

Shooting Star licked his lips before pulling a clipboard out of one of the coat’s pockets. “Well, first off, unlike our own Equestrian humans, the Terran humans have no discernible pack hierarchy between each individual. However, they still tend to group together rather than stand alone. They also seem to support one another, despite not being part of the same pack or family. We aren’t sure why they do this exactly, but given enough time, we could probably come up with a—”

“Our decision is final, Shooting Star,” Luna interrupted, glancing over her shoulder to look at the stallion. “They are being sent home immediately.”

“B-but, Princess! Please, reconsider!” Shooting Star cried. “If we could just study these creatures for a few more hours—maybe even a day or two—just think of what we could learn about our own humans!”

“You have until we perform the spell to continue your observation, Researcher,” Luna said before turning her head back around.

Shooting Star opened and closed his mouth several times before glancing sideways at Twilight. A small blush appeared on his cheeks.

“S-surely you can see the benefit of our work, Princess Sparkle,” he said softly. “Somepony as smart as you should be able to see how this could benefit ponykind. Perhaps you c-could convince your fellow Princess to postpone the spell. Or perhaps allow us to keep one of the Terran humans here a while longer? We w-wouldn’t need all of them! Just three or four.”

“Sorry, Shooting Star,” Twilight said, giving the stallion an uneasy look, “but I agree with Luna. The sooner we send the Terrans home, the better. For both us and them.”

Shooting Star’s ears drooped. “O-oh… okay...”

Feeling slightly bad for the stallion, Twilight moved and draped a wing over his back for a moment.

“I’m sure what information you have now is plenty useful,” she said with a somewhat forced smile. “Besides, Luna did say you had a few more minutes to watch them. That has to count for something, right?”

A large blush appeared on Shooting Star’s face as Twilight’s wing touched him, and he stiffened. Swallowing thickly, he nodded his head slowly. “I’ll, um… I-I’ll just go observe some more then, s-shall I? S-sorry for bothering you, Princess.” With that, he turned and hurried off, his face more crimson than gray.

For a moment, Twilight watched him leave, a confused look on her face, but then she shook her head and sighed. Turning, she followed Luna, who had already reached the throne dais. She was whispering in her sister’s ear, who now had a small smile on her face.

As she approached the gathered ponies, her father perked up, and a weary smile spread across his muzzle. Stepping forward, he gave her a loving nuzzle. “Hey, pumpkin. How ya doing?”

“Hey, Dad,” Twilight murmured. “I’m fine, but I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

“I know how you feel,” Night Light replied, stepping back.

Twilight smiled before glancing over at Celestia, who was giving her a look filled with pride. “My faithful student. It seems you were successful with defeating the vines.”

“Yes,” Twilight said, “although we did have some help along the way.”

“So I’ve heard,” Celestia said, nodding to Luna. “Still, we know how difficult it must have been for you and your friends to give up the Elements. It took a great deal of courage to relinquish them, and you have our thanks.”

“So, you knew about the tree?” Twilight asked, ears splaying back.

“I did,” Celestia confessed, “but I did not know for sure if it was connected to the vines. Remind me at a later date, and I’ll tell you the story behind the Tree, but for now, we have more pressing matters to attend to. Still, you performed admirably and I couldn’t be more proud. Now, if you’ll excuse me...”

Getting to her hooves, Celestia looked down at the humans gathered in the center of the throne room for a moment.

“Right!” she said suddenly and loudly, drawing all eyes to her. “I think it’s about time we send these poor souls back to where Discord had pulled them from. Colonel Night Light, Terminal Lance—” the two Guards straightened up “—my sister and I will need to borrow some of your magic for this task. Do you both feel up to it?”

“Ready and able, you highness,” Terminal replied.

“I suppose I have a few dregs left to give,” Night Light chuckled.

“Very well,” Celestia said, nodding to them both. She then turned her attention to her Captain of the Guard. “Captain Tempest?”

The pegasus saluted. “Ma’am?”

“While we get the spell ready, try your best to communicate with the humans what we’re about to do,” Celestia said.

“Right,” Tempest nodded. Jumping down of the throne dais, she marched towards the humans. As she did so, she barked at the nearby researchers. “Bring me a blank chalkboard and something to write with.” The researchers scrambled to do as she asked, and soon Tempest was standing in front of the humans with a blank chalkboard beside her, and a piece of chalk in her hoof. Twilight moved to stand on the opposite side of the board, curious as to what Tempest was up to.

The humans eyed the two ponies nervously.

“Right,” Tempest said, tapping the chalkboard with a wing. “I know you lot can’t understand me, but if you’re anything like the Anomaly, you should be able to understand pictures.” With the chalk, she drew a rudimentary house on the left side of the board, with stick figure pony and human inside. This earned several startled cries from the humans, as well as some dark muttering.

Ignoring them, Tempest then proceeded to draw another house on the other side of the board, this one with only a stick figure human inside. She paused before giving the human a smiling face.

“There,” she said, placing the chalk down. She backed up and turned to the humans. “Understand?”

The humans glared at her silently for a few moments, before one in the middle shouted out something that none of the ponies could understand. Whatever was said though caused the rest of the humans to huddle together, shaking their heads in either fear or disagreement with what they thought the pictures represented. Mutterings ran through the group as they eyed the chalkboard darkly.

“I don’t know how I could have made it more clear,” Tempest growled under her breath.

“Here, let me try something,” Twilight said, taking the chalk in her magic. Wiping the board clean, she then began to draw a large circle on the left side of the board. Within the circle, she drew a smaller circle before drawing a sun and moon on either side of it, attached to the circumference of the larger circle.

Moving over to the right side of the board, she drew out a sun again, but unlike before, she began to draw smaller circles leading out away from the sun in a straight line. She continued this until she had nine circles of various sizes all in the row.

“What are you doing?” Tempest asked, an eyebrow cocked.

“Drawing our world and theirs,” Twilight said as she added a small circle right above the third circle from the sun. As a finishing touch, she added a curved line between the four circle and the fifth.

Stepping back, she admired her work.

“Max showed me a diagram of his world,” she said, glancing sideways at Tempest. “Or the ‘solar system’ as he called it. It stands to reason the other Terrans will recognize it, too.” Sure enough, curious muttering was beginning to come from the group of humans, many of them craning their heads to see what Twilight had drawn.

Turning to face them, Twilight made sure they were looking at her before motioning all around her.

“Equus,” she said, although she knew that they couldn’t understand her. Gesturing around again, she then pointed at the small dot in the center of the left-hand circle before repeating, “Equus.” She paused for a moment before tapping on the circle again and pointing at the gathered humans. Then, starting at the circle indicated as ‘Equus’, she drew a line across the board to the third circle in the line-up on the right side. Finishing off with an arrow pointing at said circle, she said, “Earth. Home.”

With that, she put the chalk down and backed away.

“Do you think they’ll understand this time?” Tempest asked, eyeing the diagram. She blinked before her ears swiveled around to point towards the humans. Excited chittering was slowly spreading throughout the group, many of the humans pointing at the board as they whispered to their neighbors. A few still looked skeptical, but the majority of the Terrans looked almost hopeful.

“I’d say they might,” Twilight said with a smile.

The sound of hoofsteps caused the pair to glance around.

Princess Celestia and Luna were approaching the gathered humans, both their horns glowing softly and their eyes blazing white with power. On either side of them, Night Light and Terminal Lance stood, their horns pulsing with magic as well.

“It is time,” Celestia said simply, her voice thrumming with power.

Twilight and Tempest backed away, Twilight pulling the chalkboard with her in order to give the Princesses room to work.

“Are you ready, sister?” Celestia asked as she eyed the humans. Her gaze drifted over the nervous faces before her, her own remaining emotionless.

“Verily, dear sister,” Luna huffed. “Let’s get this over with.” Their horns began to glow brighter, to the point where it was painful to look at them. Then, all of a sudden, there was a loud ‘crack’ and a flash of brilliant blue light. Twilight lifted a hoof to shield her eyes, but before that she caught the briefest glimpse of a large harbor with an arched bridge, and a large white building overlooking the harbor that looked like the sails of a ship. For a brief moment, a warm breeze rushed through the throne room. A loud ‘splash’ could be heard.

And then it was over.

The light faded, and the ponies blinked the stars from their eyes. Where the Terran humans had been moment before was now empty, save for the chains that had bound them. No smouldering circles, no residue, no aftermath; just empty floor, carpet, and chains.

“Is… is that it?” Twilight asked, glancing around.

“Yes,” Luna huffed. “Why? Were you expecting something else?” She was breathing heavily, sweat beading up on her brows. The two unicorns weren’t any better off: Terminal was gasping for breath while Night Light looked close to passing out. Celestia was the only one that didn’t look worn out from the spell, though she was breathing through her mouth.

“Well, yeah,” Twilight huffed. “With how much magic the spell takes, and with how big a deal it is, I thought it would be, well… more!” To emphasize her words, she waved her hooves about.

Luna gave her a confused look.

“Were you not once a participant in said spell?” she asked. “I thought you and your friends had it cast on you before, in a different world.”

“Yes, we did,” Twilight said with a nod, “but we didn’t see the spell itself. One minute we were there, the next we were home.”

“It’s a fairly anticlimactic spell,” Celestia offered with a smile. “As we told Max once before, it requires nothing from those it’s being cast upon. A slight tingle is felt, and then you are transported back to your own world. The only issue is, you can’t be one-hundred percent sure where you will end up on the other side.”

“So, we just sent the Terrans back,” Twilight said slowly, “with no knowledge of where on their world they’d end up? What if they were transported someplace hostile or dangerous?”

“That was one of the main reasons Max decided to stay behind,” Luna said, “but in this case, it was for the best.”

“But how can you justify—” Twilight began, only to stop as Celestia draped a wing over her back. Glancing up, she blinked in surprise upon seeing the sad smile upon the Princess’s face.

“It was for the best, Twilight,” she said softly. “Do you really think any of them would have been happy living here? Especially after what they experienced?” When Twilight shook her head, Celestia continued. “It’s better for them to be in their own world than trapped here against their will. Wherever they ended up, I’m sure they’ll be able to support each other.”

“Sooo, is it over?” Twilight asked hopefully.

“Not quite,” Luna said, not meeting Twilight’s eye.

“‘Not quite’?” Twilight repeated. “What else do is there to do?”

Removing her wings from Twilight’s back, Celestia turned to a pair of guards standing beside a side door. “Let them in.”

The guards nodded, and Twilight blinked as a small group of humans entered the room. The group consisted of three females and three males, two of which she recognized as the humans that had helped her and her friends out with the vines. The other male was a heavy set human with dark skin.

As the humans followed the guards to the center of the room, they glanced around in awe.

“Is everything prepared?” Celestia asked one of the guards.

“Yes, ma’am,” came the reply, the mare saluting sharply. “Shall I retrieve it?”

Celestia smiled. “Please do.”

The guard nodded before hurrying off.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked as she eyed the new humans.

“I fear that we might be playing favorites,” Celestia said bashfully, her ears splaying off to the side. “You see, unlike their companions, these six humans have all displayed compassion towards ponies in some way, be it helping the wounded, or helping solve an ongoing crisis.”

“As such,” Luna said, picking up from where her sister left off, “we shall be giving them a bit of a… helping hoof of our own.” At her words, the throne room doors opened, and a pair of unicorns entered carrying a large row boat in their magic. As the boat was placed on the floor, Twilight could see that it was full of warm clothing, food, canteens of water, rope, and many other survival items.

Twilight pulled her gaze from the boat and glanced up at Celestia. “What…?”

“A helping hoof,” Luna repeated as Celestia nodded. “Since we are unsure of where they’ll end up, we’ll give them a little… aid, as it were. They might not need any of it, but it’s the least we can do to show our appreciation.”

“So, these humans get special treatment because they were nice?” Twilight asked, her ears splaying back.

“Like we said, playing favorites,” Luna huffed. “Yes, it’s not fair,” she added quickly when Twilight opened her mouth. “The other humans were just doing what they thought was right, yet look at it from our perspective: dozens of guards have been injured, many of which are in critical condition, because of the actions of their more violent counterparts.”

“We can not just outright punish any of them,” Celestia continued for Luna, “as they were being manipulated. However, some form of justice must be served.” Extending a wing, she motioned to the boat now sitting on the floor. The six humans were eyeing it in confusion, clearly unsure as to why there was a boat in the middle of the palace, so far from water.

“So, we will do what we can,” Celestia said softly. “We’ll return them all home… but only give aid to those who have earned it.”

“Still, it doesn’t feel right,” Twilight mumbled.

“No, it doesn’t,” Luna agreed. “However, it is not your burden to bear. My sister and I decided upon this course of action, so it will be our sin to carry. Just remember, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, giving Twilight a pointed look, “not everything is as black and white as we would like it to be. Sometimes, you must choose between the lesser of two evils. Such as whether to save your friends… or save Equestria.

“We pray you’ll never have to make such a decision though,” she finished, giving Twilight a sad smile.

Licking her lips, Twilight nodded thoughtfully before turning her attention back to the six humans. Tempest had wheeled the chalkboard back out again, and was currently showing them the diagram Twilight had drawn earlier. From the looks on the humans’ faces, they understood perfectly what was going on… even if they didn’t know the how.

The large-set male had already gotten into the boat and was sitting happily in the back, a too-small lifejacket about his neck. As the others peered at the contents of the boat cautiously, he glanced around. When his gaze met hers, his smile faded slightly as his eyes flicked down to the collar around her neck. He was still for a moment before nodding to her.

Twilight blinked in surprise, but the human had gone back to fiddle around with the lifejacket. By then, the other humans had gotten situated in the boat as well and were now sitting awkwardly, almost as if unsure of what to do.

“Shall we send them off as well?” Luna asked, glancing at her sister.

Celestia shook her head. “I’ll do this one. You’ll need you magic to lower the moon in a few hours.”

Luna blinked. “But what about your sun?”

“Oh, I’m sure you can handle that as well,” Celestia said with a smirk before stepping forward. Her horn began to glow as she began to channel the magic for the spell.

Terminal Lance moved forward as well.

“Do you need our help again, your highness?” he asked. His voice was confident, even as his horn sparked slightly.

“No, but thank you, Terminal,” she said. “Although, I may need you to bring my pillow to me once I’ve finished.” Eyes glowing, she stepped forward and stood before the humans, who were now giving her nervous looks. The females even looked ready to bolt, but the heavy-set man whispered something to them that seemed to calm the whole group down. It probably also helped that Celestia was giving them her signature motherly smile.

“I know you can’t understand me,” she said softly as she stared down at the seated humans, “but I just want to say thank you for the kindness you have shown my subjects. I know not if you did it out of fear or respect or to clear your guilty conscience, but it does not matter. You have shown the kindness of your race, and now I must show you mine.

“We are sending you back. You have had a trying time in our world, so I wish you all a long but peaceful life in yours.” With that, Celestia bowed her head and, in a flash of magic, the room lit up once more. Within the light, Twilight was just able to make out what appeared to be a city partially submerged in water before it became too painful to look and she glanced away.

Like before, the bright light produced by the spell only lasted for a second before fading, leaving behind no trace of the humans or the supply-filled boat.

As the magic flowing from Celestia’s horn faded, she let out a low groan before suddenly collapsing. Luckily, Terminal had moved her cushion beneath her seconds before, and it fluffed up slightly as she sunk upon it. She shot him a grateful, if somewhat exhausted, smile. Her mane, now once again devoid of its usual magical properties, hung in front of her eyes in long, pink strands.

“Thank you, Terminal,” she said, her voice rasping slightly.

Twilight stared at the spot where the humans had been a moment ago. All of the Terran humans that the guards could find, rounded up and sent home. There might have been one or two still out there somewhere unaccounted for, but as far as they knew, Max was now the only Terran human left in Equestria.

She wasn’t sure how this information made her feel. And how would Max feel about it? Would all this drama—would his interactions with his fellow Terran humans—cause him to want to change his mind about staying in Equestria? When he woke up, would he want to return to his old world?

Slowly, the fearful thoughts began to well up in her mind, but before the irrational part of her could get rolling, it was thoroughly and forcefully smashed by the part of her mind that was exhausted. What she needed right now was sleep; she’d worry about those thoughts later if they ever came up again.

Blinking as she emerged from her daze, she glanced over at Celestia. “Is… is it over?”

“Yes,” Celestia said, breathing heavily, “I do believe that it is finished.”

“Sooo,” Twilight said slowly, her ears perking, “I can go see Max?”

With a snort, Luna rolled her eyes, but the faintest hint of a smile touched her lips as she moved to sit beside her sister.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “You may now go and—”

Her words were drowned out by the throne room doors suddenly flying open. Several guards backed into the room, their spears pointed towards the door they had just entered.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Luna shouted as she jumped to her hooves.

“You highnesses, we might have a situation!” one of the guards called back over her shoulder. As she spoke, a mob of humans began to trickle into the throne room through the doors. “Trickle” was really the keyword, as there was no real ferocity about them. If anything, most of them appeared more curious than anything else. They chittered softly to each other, glancing around at the ponies, but never once moving in a threatening manner.

“More Terrans?” Captain Tempest asked in alarm.

The guard shook her head. “No, ma’am. They’re all Equestrian!”

Tempest’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Equestrian humans? What are they doing?”

“We’re not sure, ma’am,” called another guard.

“Have they shown any signs of aggression?” Celestia asked, eyeing the gathering humans curiously. A few returned her look with curious glances of their own, and several of them even approached her tentatively. Night Light moved to block their path, but Celestia shook her head. “No, let them come. If they aren’t being aggressive, then they’re fine. I’m interested in what they’ll do.”

One of the humans—a young female—placed her hands on the sun emblazoned on Celestia’s flank. Running her fingers through the colored fur, she began to chitter and squawk in almost a happy manner. She pulled her hand back and glanced up at Celestia, still chattering away.

“I’m sorry, little one,” Celestia said softly, a sad smile on her face, “but I can’t understand you.” She watched the human intently, trying to take in as much detail as possible; she wondered how she could not notice their intelligence sooner.

“I don’t think communication with them will be possible just yet,” Luna said stiffly. She had her own gaggle of humans around her, a few of which were carefully running their hands through her wings. One, a young male adolescent, traced the moon on her flank with a finger while he cooed softly.

Night Light snorted. “Well, looks like we’ll have to wait for Max to wake up in order to figure out what they want.” The words had no sooner left his mouth than the sea of humans began to part for a tall human that was making his way across the room. His body was muscular and covered in scars. A trio of fireballs were branded on the right side of his chest, spinning around each other. He had a pony slung across his shoulders, and a scowl on his face.

Celestia’s eyes widened as the human drew near. “Van—?!”

With a grunt, the human flung his cargo from his shoulder and deposited the pony none to gently upon the ground.

“Oh, yeah, that’s nice. Just drop me on my tailbone. Bucker,” Lyra grumbled as she sat up, rubbing her rump. Glancing over her shoulder, she glared up at the human that had carried her in. He glared right back, unlike the other humans who were giving her fearful looks and a wide berth.

“Lyra?” Twilight asked incredulously as said mare got to her hooves. “What… what are you doing here?”

“I’ve been foalnapped,” Lyra grunted, brushing herself off, “by a couple of humans. Not that I mind, really. They picked the perfect time. It’s carrot stew night at the asylum, and it always tastes moldy.”

Twilight cocked her head to the side, her brow furrowing. “But, what… what do they… why would they bring you here?”

“Buck if I know,” Lyra replied. “Let’s ask ‘em.” Before any ponies could respond, she turned around and asked, “Hey, Dumbnuts. Why’d you bring me here?”

The human growled down at her, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Fine. Psy… why’d you bring me here?”

The human grunted before crossing his arms over his chest. As he chittered, Lyra’s ear twitched as though she could hear words being said. When the human stopped ‘talking’, she turned and glanced to Celestia.

“Dumbnuts—” the human snarled “—fine, Psy here says that they’re here to collect what King promised them.”

The room fell silent as all the humans waited patiently for a response. The ponies however were staring at Lyra with wide eyes, their mouths hanging open in shock.

After a few seconds, Celestia closed her mouth.

“You… you can understand them?” she asked weakly.

“Yup,” Lyra replied impassively.

“For how long?”

Lyra shrugged. “For a while, actually.”

“And you haven’t told anypony this before?” Tempest growled. “That’s the kind of critical information we would need to know!”

Slowly, Lyra turned her head to stare at the Captain of the Guard; if looks could kill, Tempest would be nothing but dust and feathers. “I did tell ponies that I could talk to humans. I was put on a bucking watch-list. I tried to get a hold of a Princess three separate times, and each time I was practically thrown off the mountain by guards. I was placed in a bucking asylum for Maker’s sake. I tried to tell ponies… what’s your excuse?” Tempest took a step back, her ears folding against her head. Several of the nearby guards shifted uncomfortably, unable to look in Lyra’s direction.

Lyra just snorted before turning back to Celestia. “Yeah, I can understand humans. I could understand her human as well,” she said, pointing at Twilight, “when he passed by yesterday.”

“I see,” Celestia said, humming softly. She was silent for several seconds before continuing, “and you said that they are here to collect what this king has promised them? Might I ask who the king is?”

“It’s their nickname for Max,” Lyra said.

“They call Max ‘King’?” Celestia asked before shaking her head. “Nevermind. What is it exactly that Max promised them?”

Letting out a soft huff, Lyra turned back to Psy. “Hey, what is it that King offered you?” He started to grunt and chirp, and keeping her gazed locked on him, Lyra began to translate. “King said that if they helped save the ponies, that he’d talk to Sunb—” She paused, blinking twice. “Is… did you just call her… oh my gosh.” The corners of her mouth twitched upwards slightly. “This… that’s… I take it back. The idiot can do some stuff right.”

“What’s going on?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” Lyra said a little too quickly. She cleared her throat before continuing. “Max promised to talk to Celestia about getting the human dens, as well as place to grow their packs. From the sounds of it, that might include giving them land.”

“They want land? What land could we possibly give them?” Luna whispered to her sister.

“Well, there are the Foal Mountains,” Celestia whispered back, uncertainty in her voice.

“Don’t those belong to the residents of Hollow Shades?” Luna hissed. “I believe they get their lumber from the trees upon the slopes.”

Celestia bit her lip. “Well… there’s always the Crystal Mountains to the north. We’d just need to get ahold of Cadance.”

The sisters were brought out of their conversation when a human female stepped forward, chittering quickly.

“What? Really?” Lyra asked, her eyes widening slightly. The human nodded, caused Lyra to hum. “Huh… wouldn’t have called that.”

“What did she say?” Celestia asked.

“Apparently some of the humans want to continue to live with their pony owners… but as equals?” Lyra directed the last part at the human, who nodded again.

Celestia stared at the human for a few seconds before her gaze slowly began to drift across the crowd before her. Though her expression was blank, any that knew her well enough could see that the gears in her head were turning. She was weighing her options, and trying to figure out what course would be best to take.

Her eyes eventually landed on a group of ponies standing off to the side.

“Shooting Star?” she called out.

The stallion perked upon being called. “Y-yes, your highness?”

Celestia smiled. “Come here, please.”

Shooting Star blinked but did as he was asked. Skirting around the sea of humans, he quickly made his way towards the cushion the Princess was perched upon. She waited until he was closer before continuing. “I have a special task for you, one which I think you’ll enjoy greatly, given your interest in humans. Ms. Heartstrings, this goes for you as well.”

“W-what task is that, your highness?” Shooting Star asked. Beside him, Lyra’s ears perked up, but she kept a look of disinterest on her face.

“I’ll go more into details in a moment,” Celestia said, “but simply put, you two will be working together. Ms. Heartstrings will be helping bridge the language barrier between us and the humans while you, Shooting Star, will be heading the effort to integrate humans into our society.”

The pair gave her identically confused looks, causing her to continue.“We need to know what the humans require to not only survive, but to thrive. We also need to be able to head off any conflicts that might arise between both our kind in the coming years. It’s a lot to ask of ponies to adjust their mindsets of what humans are to us, but we must. We can’t keep treating them like animals when it is now perfectly clear that they are not. That’s what you two will be working towards, with the help of the other researchers at the Human Research Facility.”

Shooting Star stared at Celestia with wide eyes, the weight of what she was asking for slowly registering in his mind. His ears splayed back, and he swallowed weakly.

Lyra, while not as worried, looked less than enthusiastic about the situation.

“Ignoring the fact that you’re asking a lot of us right off the bat,” she said dryly, “you’re just assuming that I’m going to help you. If it wasn’t exactly clear, I am currently checked into an asylum…”

Celestia opened her mouth.

“For being insane,” Lyra continued.

Celestia stared at her, waiting.

“Because I tried to tell ponies that humans were intelligent,” Lyra finished up with a small huff. “So, what’s my incentive here? What could you possibly do to make me want to actually help out here? ‘Cause… I’m not seeing it yet.”

Despite Lyra’s insolent tone, a small smirk touched Celestia’s face. “I’d be more than happy to discuss the terms of your employment, a royal pardon, and the especially large sum of bits that is coming your way for the terrible grief you’ve been subjected to, but first, there is one last thing I must take care of. Twilight!”

Twilight, who had been slowly nodding off, jerked awake when her name was called. Blinking, she glanced blearily over at Celestia, an ear drooping against her head. “Y-yes, Princess?”

Celestia gave her a warm smile. “Thank you for being here for the earlier events, but Luna and I can handle this. I do believe that there is a human you wish to see… and a bed calling your name, unless I am mistaken.”

Blinking owlishly, Twilight stared at Celestia. Slowly, a smile began to work its way across her muzzle. “Does… does that mean…?”

“Yes, Twilight,” Celestia said softly. “You are dismissed.”

The smile spread completely, and with an excited ‘squee’, Twilight half-ran, half-fluttered her way towards the throne room doors. The humans parted for her, many watching her curiously as she stumbled past. She threw open the doors and cantered quickly off down the hall, heading for not only her human, but a well deserved sleep.

“Equine, four, nine, twenty-three, six, twenty-two, twenty-six, twenty-three, twenty-three, eleven, three, twelve, eight, twenty-two, eight, twelve, eighteen, twenty-four, eight, four…”

Melodic Wind crawled down the hall slowly on her belly, muttering softly under her breath as she went. Her eye was still swollen shut, and the good one glazed over. Cracked hooves clicked softly against the stone floor as she pulled herself slowly forward. Her featherless wings dragged uselessly along the floor. With how skeletal her body was, any pony that was passing by might mistake her for a moving corpse.

Still, no pony came across her. They were too busy with other things that were happening elsewhere in the castle. That’s how she was able to escape from the medical ward. A few guards had shown up and taken the doctors and nurses away. Something about treating special patients in the dungeon. She had taken advantage of the lack of supervision and slipped out of her bed and out of the ward.

There was work to be done.

She had a mission to complete.

“Equine, four, nine, twenty-three, six, twenty-two, twenty-six, twenty-three, twenty-three, eleven, three, twelve, eight, twenty-two, eight, twelve, eighteen, twenty-four, eight, four…”

Reaching a set of stairs, she didn’t hesitate to descend them. With sickening ‘thwacks’, her chest hit against each step on the way down. The air escaped her lungs in soft, rasping gasps with each impact. Upon reaching the bottom, she laid there in a crumpled heap for but a moment before untangling herself.

Again, she began to drag herself along, all while repeating the same mantra under her breath.

As she neared the end of the hallway, a pair of white hooves suddenly stepped in front of her. She stared at them for a brief moment before trying to go around them, but was stopped by a red aura surrounding her. Slowly, her head was lifted by said aura until she found herself staring into a piercing pair of red eyes.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Vinyl asked, an eyebrow raising.

Melodic blinked her one good eye before beginning to mutter again, “Equine, four, nine, twenty-three, six—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Vinyl sighed. “I figured you’d say something like that.” She stared down at Melodic for a few seconds before slowly cocking her head to the side. “Riddick always had an obsession with playing mind games. Always fascinated with… ‘sleeper agents’, he called them. Probably had something to do with that Ice War he was a part of. It only got worse when he became a draconequus and could affect ponies’ minds more easily… although I doubt I have to tell you that.” She gave Melodic a pointed look.

“—twenty-two, eight, twelve, eighteen, twenty-four, eight, four…” Melodic mumbled, still staring into Vinyl’s eyes.

“Of course, there’s two major ways he likes to play with ponies’ minds,” Vinyl continued. “The first is to ‘discord’ them. Make them the exact opposite of who they really are. That method is easy to fix though. You just need remind them of who they really are, and the effects mostly disappear. A few might linger, but for the most part, the pony returns to normal.”

Melodic blinked once. “Equine, four, nine, twenty-three…”

“Unfortunately, the second way is much more… damaging, and permanent,” Vinyl said through her teeth. “He goes in there, and wheedles his way around. Makes you do what he wants, drives you mad with the desire to do what he wants, without even really knowing what the task is. Do you even know what it is he wants you to do?”

Melodic blinked again, slower this time. “...twelve, eight, twenty-two, eight, twelve, eighteen, twenty-four?” It was almost a question, one that caused Vinyl to laugh bitterly.

“Yeah, see? You don’t know what you want,” she said. “I’ve looked throughout the years, but I’ve yet to find a good way to counter this form of brainwashing. Well, that’s not entirely true,” she admitted. “There is a way to fix it. Death.” She stared down at Melodic, who paused in her mutterings just long enough to be noticeable. “Not the best option, but at the moment the only one most ponies have. It’s kind of a… last laugh for Riddick. You either complete what he wants you to… or die trying.”

Melodic opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out. Slowly, her ragged ears splayed back against her head.

Vinyl was silent for a moment before leaning down.

“Luckily, I’m not most ponies,” she whispered in Melodic’s ear.

Melodic locked gazes with her again, and for the first time, the tiniest of sparks began to shine in the dull orb.

“There is a way to help you, although there is a price,” Vinyl said, straightening back up. “You see, there is a race of ponies called sanguinarians, or as you’ve probably heard them called, vamponies.” She paused, and her eyes began to glow red, the whites turning pitch black. If Melodic was alarmed, she was unable to show it.

“Sanguinarians have several traits, some of which are blessings while others are curses,” Vinyl continued. “However, one very prominent trait is the fact that we are unaffected by mental magic. Mind control doesn’t work on us.” Pausing, she licked at the fangs that had emerged from her upper lip.

“If I turn you into a sanguinarian, like me, Riddick’s hold on your mind will be broken,” she said softly. “It’s not a fix-all, though. There will be some issues. Your mind won’t be one-hundred percent again, but you’ll at least be back in control once more.”

Melodic was listening closely, spitting out a random number every few seconds.

“There’s only one issue though,” Vinyl said softly. “You have to want it. I can only turn you if you are willing, if it’s something you agree to. Without your consent, there’s no chance of this working, and you’ll be stuck like this for the rest of your life. So, I ask you, young one… does enough of you still remain in there to hear and understand what I am saying?” Leaning down, she peered into Melodic’s dull yellow eye. “Do you have enough fight left in you to be free?”

Melodic stared blankly up at her for a moment before suddenly scrunching her face up. The muscles in her face twitched and spasmed as she continued to stare unblinkingly into Vinyl’s eyes. She opened and closed her mouth wordlessly before catching her lip in her teeth. With a growl, she bit down hard, drawing blood.

“Buck it,” she growled out from around her bleeding lip.

A large grin spread across Vinyl’s muzzle, exposing her fangs in all their glory. “Good answer.”

Half an hour later, Vinyl wandered into the medical ward, Melodic draped across her back. The pegasus was unconscious, although she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Her coat was now a noticeably darker shade of blue, and where once there was featherless wings, a pair of cobalt-blue leathery wings now resided. The fur around her mouth was bloodied and raw, and there was dried bloody tear streaks on her cheeks.

Moving carefully, Vinyl carried Melodic over to her bed and placed her gently upon it. She tucked her in, being careful with the skeletal mare. She groaned once as Vinyl pulled the blankets up, her unswollen eye fluttering open for a brief second, exposing a red iris instead of yellow. Vinyl just whispered softly to her, and Melodic soon was still again.

After getting Melodic situated, Vinyl took a step back. Eyeing the mare, she then sighed heavily and shook her head.

“Octavia’s gonna kill me,” she muttered under her breath before turning and walking down the ward towards the far end. As she passed by a nurse, she whispered in her ear before pointing towards Melodic. The nurse’s eyes widened, but she nodded and quickly moved over to check on the new sanguinarian.

Vinyl continued on her way until she came to one of the beds next to a large window. Stepping around it, she sat down in the chair that had been placed beside the cot. She leaned back until her head was resting against the wall. After a few seconds, she glanced over at the bed’s occupant.

Max breathed softly, his chest rising and falling gently with each intake of air. Bandages covered his face and neck, but most were for minor cuts and scrapes. A cast covered one of his legs, which were both dangling off the end of the medical cot.

As she watched him, he grimaced slightly before shifting in his sleep.

Vinyl hummed softly. “And what horrors are you experiencing, I wonder…”