“Hey… hey, anyone home? Hey, Jacko… wake up. Yooohooo!”

A light ‘tink’ing noise filled the air as my doppelganger tapped on the bars of the tiny window with his finger. As he did so, he just stared in at me, his head cocked slightly to the side and a smile on his face. He seemed highly amused by my startled reaction to his sudden appearance. His expression remained unchanged, even as he continued to tap, much like a child at an exhibit in the zoo, trying to get the animals to react.

I was unable to respond at this time though, as I was too busy trying to comprehend what the fuck I was seeing. After all the shit I had been through today already, I really shouldn’t have been surprised, but still… I was looking at myself. The face, the scar across the nose, the dirt-blonde hair and beard; it was my face.

It was like my reflection had come to life and stepped out of the mirror.

Well, almost my reflection. The red eye was certainly a new addition, as were the teeth. Other than that, he was my spitting image.

What was going on?

As my mind raced, the doppelganger continued to try and get my attention

“Aye, oh… boss, you in there?” he asked as he propped himself against the door. “I know you can hear me. I can hear those thoughts a rollin’ around in that thick skull of yours, but you aren’t focusing. You need to focus. Come on, I know it’s hard for you, but you’ve got to try.” He knocked on the door sharply with a knuckle. “Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!”

The sound of him rapping on the metal snapped me out of my daze.

“What the fuck?” I said dumbly; it was the first thing that came to mind.

At my words, he seemed to brighten up. “Ah, finally. There he is.” He stopped knocking on the door, but continued to lean upon it as he gazed through the small window. “I was wondering if I broke you or not. That would have definitely put a damper on our first legitimate meeting if I had.”

I blinked owlishly at him before repeating. “What the fuck?”

The smile slowly slid off his face.

“Are you going to contribute anything intelligent to this conversation, or am I asking for the moon here?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Oh for the love of...” he sighed, rubbing his face with a hand. “I forgot… okay, tell you what. One more time, okay? Go on, say it. Say ‘what’ one more time. Meet your requirement. Fulfill your quota. You know you want to. Get it out of your system so we can move on with our lives.”

“...what?”

“There we go,” he huffed. “Okay, now that we’ve taken care of that, how about you start to act like a big boy and use your big boy words, got it? Get that brain working. I know it’s not a big one, but I have faith in you.”

Glaring at him, I ignored the insult and instead gave my head a quick shake to clear it. Pushing aside my uncertainty and confusion, I focused instead on the creature before me: the creature that looked exactly like me. Unable to think of a good way to respond to his previous statement, I instead opted for something else.

“Who the fuck are you?” I asked, eyes narrowing.

“Ah! Now we’re making some progress, if only a little!” he said, clapping his hands together happily. “That’s a great question. I’m glad to see that you’re actually starting to try and figure stuff out, but it won’t help you in the long run. Alright, so… who am I?” He gave me a playful smirk, a long canine glinting in the dull light. “Well, as easy as it would be to tell you… would you care to take a guess first?”

I gave him a confused look, which he only answered with a wry grin, one eyebrow raising. His red eye twinkled with perverse glee.

...wait.

The red eye finally registered with me, and my own eyes narrowed.

“Riddick!” I hissed. Anger flashed through me, as did a wave of muted relief. There was the confirmation I needed; I wasn’t crazy. The fucker had finally decided to show himself, and while I didn’t know why he looked like me, that didn’t really matter at the moment. I knew that he had to be behind whatever insanity was going on here. Now, if I could just figure out what he was up to and how to beat him, I could get out of—

“Eeeeernt, nope! Sorry,” the doppelganger said, making a loud buzzing noise and derailing my train of thought. “I’m sorry, but that answer is incorrect. Try again!” His red eyes glinted in the gloom.

Giving him a deadpan look, I rolled my eyes before huffing. “Fine… Discord.”

“Wrong again!” came the gleeful reply as he held up his hands. “Nice try, but again, wrong answer. Wanna try one more time? Phone a friend? Third time’s the charm.” When I didn’t say anything, he sighed dramatically. “Really?” he lamented. “You don’t remember me? After all we’ve been through? I’m hurt… really, I am. We’re practically brothers, you and I.”

“What are you talking about?” I growled out.

This caused him to pause, and he gave me a odd look. “You seriously don’t remember me?” When I shook my head, he tsked. “Figures. After everything I’ve done—after everything I contributed to our journey—this is how you thank me. I, who have been by your side since you first arrived in the magical land of talking ponies. I’m your pal, Max. Your chum, your amigo, your confidant…”

Slowly, a large smile spread across his face, and he began to chuckle darkly.

From the deep recesses of my mind, something whispered, ‘...I’m that little voice inside your head.’

I jerked back, my eyes widening in shock. “What the…?!”

“Is it starting to make sense?” the doppelganger asked. He was smiling from ear to ear, a cheshire-like grin that looked completely unnatural being upon my face.

“No, not really,” I growled.

“Good,” he said with a smirk. “Making sense is just not fun. It actually makes my head hurt. Gets it so full of pressure that I just need to…” Trailing off, he reached up and grabbed a handful of his hair. Pulling hard, the top of his head suddenly flipped open, much like the lid to a chest. A burst of steam erupted forth for a few seconds before he released the hair and his head returned to normal.

“Ah, that’s better,” he sighed.

Taking a step back, I stared at him in awe. “What… how did you… what the hell are you?”

Impossibly, his smile seemed to grow.

“Now you’re starting to ask the right questions,” he said. “I’ll save you the trouble of playing Twenty Questions and just tell you, okay? I didn’t really ever have a name… but if you need to call me something, you can call me… Havoc. Think of me as your… spirit guide! I’ve been with you since day fucking one in Equestria. Remember?” Raising a hand, he began to tick off things on his fingers. “There was a desert, then a train ride in a cage, then we arrived in Canterlot, then we got sent to Ponyville, and then everything else that happened. We’ve been through a lot, haven’t we?”

“You’re lying,” I said. “You weren’t with me. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

“No, really. It’s true,” he said as he scratched an ear. “I’ve been with you every step of your journey. Well, at least since you came to Equestria.”

“So, what? You weren’t with me on Earth?” I asked.

“Nope,” he said, shrugging. “My first memories were in the desert. Not sure why… or where exactly I came from, but I’m not complaining. I took a gander through your memories, and got a feel for the whole experience. Living’s nice. Glad I actually got around to doing it.”

“You’re insane,” I hissed.

“Hello, Pot. I’m Kettle,” came the response. “You may not have seen me, or even knew I was there, but I was. Always there, always watching your stupid ass. Cheering you on and booing you as well. Always trying to give you advice, trying to keep us alive, even if you didn’t listen to me. I tried, I really did,” he said, placing a hand on his chest. “I told you what to do, but you just wouldn’t listen to good advice. I mean, really?” he scoffed, giving me a condescending look. “Risking your life for three fillies and a dragon? You should have just left them to the manticores and saved yourself. You only made it out of there by the skin of your teeth.

“Sheer. Dumb. Luck,” he grunted, emphasizing his words with firm knocks on the door.

“Wait…” I said slowly, memories of that particular day drifting up from the depths of my mind. The hesitation I had felt just before grabbing the Crusaders and Spike and hightailing it out of there. It had only lasted for a second, but the sensation had been nearly overpowering.

Eyes widening, I gaped at him. “You’re… you’re that…”

“That little voice in the back of your head,” Havoc finished for me, nodding happily. “Always whispering words of advice. Always having to sit in the back seat and watch you blunder around. You see, I might have always been present, but I didn’t always have the… ability to be heard. I was rather weak, you see,” he tsked, shaking his head. “I didn’t have a body until we came to this world, and even then I was too weak… too worthless. I couldn’t really do much… that is, until Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

My brow furrowed. “Hearth’s Warming Eve? But the only thing that happened then was the potion that transformed me into a pony. And then into… a… wait. You’re… you’re that draconequus?!”

“We really should thank that zebra next time we see him,” Havoc said, ignoring me. “I might have only had a brief moment of freedom, but in that second of clarity, I caught a good look at that pretty purple pony princess.” His grin turned lecherous, and he wiggled his eyebrows at me. “All I can say is well done, boyo. Well done indeed. She’s a keeper, that one.”

With a growl, I walked forward until I was at the door. Grabbing the bars, I peered through the small window at my grinning clone. “Leave her alone!”

“Whoa!” Havoc held up his hands. “Easy, there. We’re the same body, friend. It’s not that weird.”

“What the fuck do you want?” I spat out.

Havoc gave me a cool look.

“What does any living thing want?” he shot back. “To live, eat, breathe—” there was a pause before his grin suddenly came back “—to get their dick wet. You know, the standard stuff. No point in existing unless you can have a little fun, right? And since I’m alive… might as well make use of everything offered. Really, is that so much to ask?”

“Probably not, but what the fuck does that have to do with the both of us?” I asked.

Havoc raised an eyebrow. “Kinda hard for me to have fun when you’re the one in charge. I was backseat driving, as it were. Not much control. I could only watch as you bumbled around. Now, however…” He knocked on the bars of the window with the handle of the mop. “You’re in there… and I’m out here. Don’t worry, Dad,” he said as he lifted up his hand, revealing a set of car keys dangling from his fingers. He winked at me. “I’ll bring it back with a full tank of gas. Eventually… maybe… not really.”

“Fuck off,” I spat at him.

“Oh, don’t be that way,” he huffed, giving me an affronted look. “After all, I set all this up for you!” Motioning around at the surrounding area, he did a little spin before continuing. “Isn’t this great? Your own little world, just for you.”

“Wait… so this is really just all in my head?” I asked.

“Well of course it is,” he said, rolling his eyes. “What? You thought you had somehow ended up back home on Earth again? Please. Don’t be ridiculous. What kind of idiot would believe that? No, we’re still on Equus… only, I’m the captain now.” Pointing first at his eyes, he then pointed at me. “Got it?”

“And how exactly did that change?” I asked, trepidation slowly growing in my chest. Is… is he insinuating what I think he is?

“Actually, yes I am,” Havoc chuckled darkly, as if hearing my inner thoughts. “We have dear old daddy Discord to thank for this, really. Without him, I’d still be locked away within your subconscious. He was kind enough to give us—well, me—a boost of power. A reversal of roles, as it were.”

“He did what? When?!” I yelped.

Reaching through the bars, Havoc tapped my forehead three times with a finger.

“Remember?” he grinned. “Right before we all got blasted by the Rainbow of Bullshit? He wanted us to do something to Twilight, if I recall correctly. Now… what was it he wanted us to do again?” Humming, he adapted a thoughtful expression for a few seconds before perking up. “Oh, yes.” His grin turned dark and lecherous again. “‘Make it slow, and make her scream’. That was it. Don’t worry, chap,” he said, patting my cheek before pulling his arm back through the window. “I’ll make her scream alright. Nice and long. And while I’m doing that, you can stay in here, methinks.”

“Sooo… what? You’re just gonna leave me in this place? This… imaginary world?” I asked, glancing around at the cell.

“Mmm-eeyup. That’s the plan,” Havoc said, nonchalantly scratching at his beard. “See, the way I see it, the problem Discord had with Riddick is the two of them were always fighting over who was in charge of the body. Made them unstable, a little off their rocker. Not us, though, oh no. We’re gonna put a stop to that nonsense immediately. That’s why I constructed this place for you. To give you a place to stay while I have my fun. A day care, of sorts.”

“A mental hospital?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Out of every place you could have picked, why pick a mental hospital? Why not my home or work... or, hell, I don’t know... an imaginary Equestria?”

“For three reasons, really,” Havoc said with a smirk. “Well… two. No, three. No… two. The first reason is because I remember your conversation with Luna. You’re scared of waking up to find out that everything that’s happened to you was, in fact, not real. What better place to stick you than this, hmmm?”

“And the second reason?” I asked in a low growl.

Havoc’s smirk grew into a sneer. Leaning forward, he moved until his face was practically pressed against the bars of the window.

“It amuses me to no end that you’ll be stuck in here… with the mad,” he hissed. “It might not be the real deal, but it still amuses me. And hey, just maybe… you’ll start to think like I do.”

“I highly doubt it,” I said darkly.

“One can only hope,” came the reply. He continued to glare at me for a moment before pulling back. “Anyways,” he said slowly, “you’ll get to hang out here with the human Twilight. I’m sure if you play your cards right, you’ll be able to tap that smoking hot ass soon enough. Don’t worry, I made sure that she’ll squeal just like the real one.” He winked at me. “Don’t worry about the pony one. I’ll take good care of her. Just gotta wrap up a few things here before we wake up again.” Holding up the mop handle, he waved it about, sending a cascade of dirty water flying everywhere.

I watched the brown water splash upon the tiled floor with a bemused look.

“What exactly are you doing, anyways?” I asked.

“Oh, just cleaning up a few things here and there,” Havoc said nonchalantly. “Tweaking something here, tidying up something there. You know, standard stuff.”

I raised an eyebrow. “But… that mop’s dirty.”

“So it is,” he hummed, holding it up to examine it. “Of course, it needs to be… considering what I’m doing. Oh, that reminds me… do you happen to recall when your sisters’ birthdays were? Either one of them?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, my brow furrowing. “I don’t have any siblings. I’m an only child.”

Havoc paused, staring blankly ahead for a long while before a creepy smile spread across his face.

“Wonderful,” he breathed as he ran his fingers down the mop’s wooden handle. “Simply marvelous.” Without saying another word, he flung the mop over his shoulder and began to strut off down the hall, whistling happily to himself.

Pressing my face to the bars of the window, I called after him. “Wait! What the fuck did you do? Get back here, you fucker!” I pounded on the metal door with my hands, the sound echoing around the small cell like crashes of thunder. He didn’t turn around though; he just kept on walking, swinging the mop back and forth as he went.

Still pounding on the door, I continued to shout after him until my throat was sore and my hands were numb.

I was unsure of how long I beat against the door before giving up. My hands were bruised, to the point of almost bleeding. Unable to continue, I took up pacing around the cell in small circles instead, trying to figure out a way to fix my current predicament. Dozens of thoughts and ideas swirled through my head, but none of them were helpful in the slightest.

Eventually, even the pacing grew to be too much, and I took a seat upon the edge of the bed. Rubbing my face with my hands, I sighed heavily before collapsing back on the mattress, only to wince as a spring dug into my back. I didn’t readjust though, and for several minutes I just laid there, alone with my discomfort and my thoughts.

The sound of a door opening down the hall drew me from my daze. I wondered briefly if it was Havoc, returning to gloat some more, but a moment later the sound of multiple approaching footsteps caught my ear, putting that theory to rest. Letting out a sigh, I opened my eyes and made to sit up, only to freeze upon catching sight of the cell’s ceiling.

Or rather, the words now etched upon it.

FIGHT BACK

Carved into the stone ceiling, the words glowed a vibrant magenta. I stared up at them, confused. Fight back? Was this Havoc’s doing? It… it wasn’t likely, as he wanted me to play along, but then… who else could it be? I didn’t have time to contemplate it though before the door to the cell was unlocked with a loud ‘clunk’. As it swung open, the words faded from existence.

I cast one last bewildered glance at the bare ceiling before lifting my head to see who had opened the door. Dr. Bright stood in the doorway, a neutral look on her face as she eyed me. Behind her, I could just make out the towering form of Abraham, Nurse Harper peering around his arm.

Upon seeing me conscious, Dr. Bright clicked her tongue. “Awake again, I see. That’s… good. Now, the question is… are you still with us?”

“Unfortunately” is what I would have liked to say, but instead I winced and placed a hand to my head, feigning a headache. “What… what happened?”

This caused Dr. Bright to perk up. “Oh? So you are still with us. Excellent, that must mean the treatment isn’t a complete failure after all.” Clearing her throat, she stepped further into the cell. “As for what happened, you had a panic attack and promptly collapsed. You’ve been out for the better part of a day.”

Pushing myself up into a seated position, I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I considered my next move. I couldn’t exactly fight back now, as Dr. Bright could easily just take a step back and shut the door, locking me in. Still, I wasn’t sure how long I had to play along in order for Havoc to be convinced.

However, before I could come to a decision, it was made for me.

“Well, seeing as you’re awake, this makes things a little easier,” Dr. Bright said. Stepping back to the door, she motioned me to stand. “Come along, if you would be so kind. We have a busy day ahead of us.”

I remained sitting.

“Where are we going?” I asked slowly.

“To get you looked at,” Dr. Bright answered. “A quick check-up to make sure everything is alright, and then we can get the rest of your day on track. I’m fairly certain you’d like something to eat at some point in the next few hours, no?”

At her words, my stomach growled, but I ignored it. This was all in my head, so it wasn’t like I was actually hungry at the moment, right? Havoc sounded like he wanted my body for himself, so it would go against his plan if he let me starve in the real world. As long as I was in this place, things weren’t real… right?

Real or not, I needed to get out of this room, and it seemed that the only way that was going to happen was if I followed her.

Casting one last glance at the ceiling to see if the words had returned, I slowly got to my feet. Dr. Bright smiled as I did so, and gave me another wave of her hand. “Come along,” she said. “The sooner we do this, the sooner things can start getting back to normal. I am hopeful, though. The fact you are still conscious of the world around you is a good sign.”

I grunted in response, staring over her shoulder at Abraham. He’d be the biggest problem when it came to escaping. If I could get past him, it should be smooth sailing. As if sensing my thoughts, Abraham glared at me as I exited the cell. Ignoring him, I took the opportunity to glance around. Nothing appeared to have changed; the hallways were still a dull mix of gray and moss-green.

The sound of a throat being cleared drew my attention.

“This way, please,” Dr. Bright said with a wave of her hand. “We have a lot to do and very little time to do it. Nurse Heart is preparing the examination room as we speak.”

“Really?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow, “but, you didn’t know I was awake until you walked in.”

“That’s what this was for!” Nurse Harper chimed in. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that she was pushing an empty wheelchair along. “We were going to push you along if it came to that.”

“Swell...” I muttered under my breath.

With that, our group moved down the hall, Dr. Bright leading the way. We moved in silence, nobody talking and the only sound being the squeaking of the unneeded wheelchair. As I walked, I tried to ignore the gritty feeling against the bottoms of my feet. The floor was covered in dirty mop water, although I appeared to be the only one to notice it. The others just continued on, oblivious to the fact their shoes were splish-splashing with each step and the bottoms of their pants were getting wet. I could practically feel Abraham breathing down my neck with each step, a constant reminder of his looming presence behind me.

As we rounded a corner, I saw that we were heading towards the security door that separated the two different wings of the building. Like last time, an orderly was stationed beside it, propped up at a small desk. Upon seeing him, an idea started to form in my head. It wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had, but it’d have to do for now.

The guard glanced up as we drew near, giving Dr. Bright a brief nod before pushing the button on the wall that unlocked the double doors. Right when the large doors opened enough for a person to slip through, I made my move. Aware of the fact that Abraham was still present behind me, I leaned forward ever so slightly before whipping my head back and driving the back of my skull into his face.

crunch

My head swam from the force of the blow, a dull ringing filling my ears. However, I was rewarded by the sound of the large orderly hitting the floor, followed by a howl of pain. Ears still ringing, I raced forward even as Dr. Bright and Nurse Harper cried out in alarm. I made sure to hit the button for the doors as I ran past, causing them to begin to close behind me. It wouldn’t stop the orderlies for more than a few seconds, but hopefully it’d buy me enough time to get a decent head start.

Dashing down the hall, I searched desperately for any indication of a possible way out. An exit, a stairwell, an elevator; something! Unfortunately, I also had to focus on keeping my balance on the wet floor in order to stop myself from slipping and falling.

With the sound of yelling behind me, I took a left, then a right, then another left before spying a pair of double doors at the far end of the hall with an emergency exit sign above them. Silently giving thanks, I put on an extra burst of speed, trying to use the slippery floor to my advantage.

Upon reaching the doors, I threw them open, raced through…

...and promptly crashed straight into a concrete wall.

I collapsed to the floor in a heap, the wind thoroughly knocked out of me. Where the fuck did that come from?! Gasping for breath, I tried to roll over onto my back, only to receive a sudden kick to the gut for my trouble.

Doubling over in pain, I barely had time to register what had happened before the boot slammed into the side of my head this time. As my assailant continued to kick at me, I covered my head with my arms, trying to protect myself.

Peering through a gap in my defense, I saw that it was myself who was kicking me.

I was beating myself up.

“Why. Can't. You. Just. Play. Along?!” Havoc snarled out, emphasizing each word with a brutal kick. He stomped down hard on my stomach before kicking me bodily into a creaky old bed frame. Through it all, I just laid there—dazed and confused—trying to figure out how I was back in the cell again.

“This is what you get for being a little bitch,” Havoc huffed before spitting at me. “I knew you were stupid, but this truly takes the cake! This is all in your head, boy! Did you honestly think you could escape? Where were you going to run to, hmmm? The amygdala?”

I answered by shooting him the bird, only to cry out as he crushed my hand under the heel of his boot.

“Now, let’s try this again, shall we?” he sneered as he made his way towards the door. Opening it, he stepped out into the hall before glancing over his shoulder. “And try to behave this time, capische? It’s not going to be good if we have to chat face to face again.” Without waiting for an answer, he slammed the door and the lock thunked into place.

I laid there for a few minutes afterwards, catching my breath and nursing my wounds. Though it appeared that he didn’t leave any real, visible damage, the pain was still present. It felt like he had broken my hand, but I was still able to move it about with no issues.

Eventually, I managed to pull myself up off the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. Rubbing gingerly at my wrist, I glanced up, only to do a double take upon noticing what was etched across the far wall. The magenta letters were back, and though they were just words, I could practically feel the exasperation behind them.

NOT LIKE THAT

Staring blankly at the words for a moment, I blinked and shook my head before standing up abruptly.

“Well, sorry,” I growled, pointing at the words. “You didn’t exactly give me much to work with. ‘Fight back’? Well, that’s exactly what I did, and look what happened! That isn’t my fault, it’s yours!” After a moment of contemplation, I added, “and I don’t even know who you are.” As I watched, the words slowly faded, only to be replaced by different ones a moment later.

BE PATIENT AND WATCH

“Watch? Watch for what?” I asked, annoyed. “Another ass kicking?”

LOVE CONQUERS ALL

Upon reading this, I threw my arms into the air. “Why the fuck does everything need to sound like a fucking fortune cookie?! Fuck! For once I’d just like a straight answer!”

SOON

The words faded into nothingness as a low ‘clank’ echoed down the hall. Once more the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.

Running a hand through my hair, I sighed heavily as I mulled over my situation.

“Just play along,” I grumbled. “Be patient and watch. Fight back. Don’t fight back. I fucking hate this shit.” I was silent for a moment before glancing up at the ceiling. “Alright, fine… fuck it. We’ll try it your way, whoever the fuck you are. But if this doesn’t work, I’ma do it my way instead.” At this, for some strange reason, I suddenly felt a faint feeling of… appreciation? Gratitude? I couldn’t tell, and I didn’t have long to wonder what it meant, for at that moment the door to my cell was unlocked.

Just like before, Dr. Bright entered the room alone. However, this time she gave me a cold look, her eyes flashing bright red for a brief moment as she glared at me. Involuntarily I shivered, the look causing my heart to beat a little faster in my chest.

“Now… are you going to be compliant this time?” she asked with a sneer. When I didn’t answer right away, her eyes narrowed dangerously. Reaching a hand into one of her coat pockets, she slowly pulled out a large syringe. “We can do this the easy way… or the hard way. It’s your choice.”

Swallowing thickly, I eyed the needle, unsure of what real effects a fake drug would have on me in this strange place. Sure, it might have been all in my head, but Havoc had already proven that he could force me to feel pain, hunger, and exhaustion. I had no doubt that duplicating the effect of a drug was well within his abilities. The last thing I needed was to be drugged up within my own mind.

Besides… I really, really hated needles.

“Well? What’s it going to be?” Dr. Bright asked, an eyebrow raising as she waved the syringe back and forth.

Not taking my eyes off the swinging needle, I slowly stooped into a mocking half-bow before motioning towards the door. “Ladies first.”

As if a switch was flipped, her eyes returned to normal and her face brightened, a smile returning to her lips. The syringe disappeared into her pocket once more, and I tried really hard not to think about the thing bouncing around in there, threatening to poke out of the fabric at any moment. It could possibly jab her in the leg…

Nope, not gonna think about it.

“Right!” she said happily, clapping her hands together. “Now, how about that check-up? The sooner we get it over with, the sooner things can progress for the better!” Stepping back, she pushed open the door and motioned me through it. “Come along, Mr. Williams. We have a busy day ahead of us… oh,” she added, almost as an afterthought. “I brought along someone that might make your day a little more… bearable.”

“What are you talking about…” I began to ask, but trailed off upon stepping out into the hall. There were three people already waiting for me. The massive Abraham stood of to the side, his muscular arms crossed over his chest as he glared down at me. Standing beside him was Nurse Harper, a small smirk on her face. As for the third person…

“H-hi, Max,” Twila said, a shy smile on her face as she waved at me.

At the sight of her, I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. She looked the same as before, except that her hair was done up in a bun this time. Regardless, she still bore too much of a resemblance to Twilight for my liking.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, eyeing her with some contempt.

“W-well, I’m, uh… I’m your personal doctor,” she stammered, her glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose. She pushed them up before continuing in a stronger voice. “I’m the one overseeing your general health and rehabilitation. Dr. Bright is only to observe and make sure the new medication is working as intended.”

“Even though she was the trigger for your latest episode, I thought it would be best for her to be here,” Dr. Bright said. “We can’t have you fainting every time you see your personal caregiver, now, can we?” A smirk crossed her face, her eyes flashing red, and she leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Play your cards right, and maybe I’ll let you have some ‘personal’ alone time with her in your cell later, hmmm?”

I said nothing, but rolled my eyes.

“Now then, let’s be off!” With a clap of her hands, Dr. Bright turned and walked off down the hallway. I watched her go for a moment before glancing back at Abraham. He glared at me, his eyes flashing red, before jerking his head in the direction Dr. Bright was headed.

“Alright, alright… I’m going,” I muttered, resisting the urge to give him the bird. With a sigh, I turned and followed after the retreating doctor, the other three bringing up the rear.

As we walked, Twila fell in step beside me. She moved along quietly, her eyes locked onto the floor, though she didn’t seem to notice that it was covered in dirty mop water. I tried to ignore her as best I could, focusing instead on memorizing the layout of the building. While I was playing along for the time being, that didn’t mean I couldn’t try and plan something for the future.

We were rounding a corner when I felt someone try and slip their fingers about mine. The sensation caused me to flinch, and I looked down to see that Twila was attempting to subtly hold my hand. A blush adorned her cheeks, and she smiled faintly, still not looking at me.

“It’s good to see you’re beginning to improve again,” she whispered. “I… I was worried that we’d lost you completely.” She gave my fingers a light squeeze, her thumb rubbing the back of my hand.

I frowned, and pulled my hand from her grasp, inching further away. This caused her to blink, and while she didn’t frown, the smile left her lips. She sighed softly—almost longingly—before moving to walk in front of me instead. “I understand. You still need time to adjust. I’ll be here if you need me, though.”

We approached the door between the different wings of the building again, and for a third time the guard stood up to let us in. This time however, I noticed that the guard wasn’t the same as before. This one was female, and her hair was cut short and dyed rainbow.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Ramirez,” Dr. Bright said as she reached the door. “Mind letting us through?”

“Depends. Is this guy gonna try and run again?” the guard asked, and I grunted as Rainbow’s voice came from her. Should have known.

“No, I don’t think so,” Dr. Bright answered.

“He was suffering from a panic attack earlier,” Twila added helpfully. “He’s calmed down now though, so we should be good.”

“See to it that he stays that way,” Ramirez growled, glaring at me. “I still have scars from our previous tussles.” Unclipping her ID card, she swiped it, unlocking the door. As the doors began to swing open, she turned back to Dr. Bright. “Need me to follow along to keep an eye on him?”

“No, we should be fine,” Dr. Bright said, waving a dismissive hand. “I don’t foresee any more problems popping up. He should be more… docile now.”

“If you say so,” Ramirez grunted, returning to her chair.

“If all these people are mental projections from Havoc, does this count as him talking to himself?” I muttered under my breath, only to yelp in pain when Abraham slapped the back of my head.

“What the fuck was that for?” I growled, rubbing my head.

“Stay in character,” he growled.

“Fuck you,” I shot back, only to get another cuff upside the head. “Ow! For fuck’s sake, give it a rest! I’m still getting used to this!”

He raised his hand again, but stopped when Dr. Bright called out. “That’s enough, Abraham. He’s just a little crabby. He did only wake up a little while ago, after all.” She smirked, before nodding her head towards the open doors. “Come along, Mr. Williams. We mustn’t dawdle.” With that, she walked through the door.

Twila gave me a concerned look before heading through as well.

“Worst NPC ever,” I muttered under my breath before following them, well aware that Abraham was staring intently at the back of my head. I could hear Nurse Harper giggling softly as well, which only made me even more annoyed.

As our group moved down the new hallway, I glanced out the windows again. The same depressing landscape greeted me as before, and I sighed softly. You could have at least tried to make this place somewhat appealing, asshat, I thought.

A low, rumbling chuckle echoed around the hallway. I could have, but where’s the fun in that?

I was about to shoot back a snarky reply that was probably going to get me smacked again by Abraham, but the retort died off as something caught my eye. Though Twila was still walking down the hall as if nothing was happening, a faint purple glow had surrounded her right hand. Faint lines of magic ran around her fingers and knuckles, pulsing softly with an inner light.

Staring dumbfounded at her hand for a moment, I shook my head before quickly glancing around to see if anyone else had noticed the spectacle. None of them appeared to have though, which I found extremely odd; her hand was glowing bright enough to cast a lavender glow on the walls of the hallway.

Thoroughly confused, I returned my gaze back to the strange sight. This wasn’t Havoc’s doing. I wasn’t entirely sure how I knew that, but I did. It just felt… different, almost like how you can tell different individuals apart by how they present themselves. It just didn’t feel like Havoc.

Before I could think about it too much though, Twila’s hand twitched. Fingers curling into a fist, she lifted her hand and pointed down a side hallway she had just walked past. This time, the strange movement caught everyone’s attention, and our group slowed to a stop.

“Dr. Sparks… what are you doing?” Dr. Bright asked, giving Twila a confused look.

“I… I don’t know,” Twila replied, staring at her hand in wonder. She tried to lower the hand, but it remained firmly in place, pointing down the side passage. Reaching up with her other hand, she tugged and pulled at the glowing appendage, but it refused to budge.

As the others tried to figure out what was going on, I glanced down the hall Twila was pointing at. At first I saw nothing out of the ordinary—doors, posters, a few potted plants—but then my eyes landed on a window at the very end of the hallway. There, emblazoned brightly on the pane of glass, was a symbol I vaguely remembered. It was a golden, circular emblem with five gem-shaped inlets arranged around the outside, forming a five-pointed star with the sixth gem in the center.

As my gaze landed on it, the emblem flared brighter, as if calling out to me.

I glanced back to Twila’s hand just in time to see the words NOW appear on the back of it. For but a moment, I hesitated, but then before any of them could stop me, I turned and tore off down the hallway, heading for the glowing window.

Their shouts echoed down the hall after me, but I ignored them. My bare feet slapped against the wet floor, and I gritted my teeth as bits of stone and dirt dug into my soles. Still, I pressed on. It was too late to stop now. The die was cast; it was time to see what was going to happen.

As I neared the window, I realized that I had no clue what I was doing. Did I keep running? Did I just have to touch the window? I wasn’t sure of what my next move should be, but luckily I didn’t have to decide.

When only a few meters were between me and the window, the words JUMP flashed across the glass. I reacted without thinking and, closing my eyes, I leapt at the window, slamming my shoulder against it at full speed. It shattered instantly, and I fell out, down into a seething black abyss. The entire asylum was suspended on an island of rock in the middle of… nothingness.

I might have made a huge mistake, I realized as I watched the building and the island growing smaller and smaller above me. A horrific, earsplitting roar echoed through the void, and the entire building shook and trembled as Havoc screamed. “You fucking cheater!”

“Fuck you, I do what I want!” I screamed back, even as the asylum disappeared from view.

Down, down I drifted through the inky blackness of the void. Without any point of reference, I couldn’t tell if I was truly falling, or if I was standing still. Up became down, and down became up. A sense of vertigo overtook me.

“What the fuck was I thinking?” I muttered as I floated about. “Follow the directions from an unknown source, Max. What could go wrong, Max?” Alone and lost, I floated in the nothingness, contemplating my own stupidity.

The abyss slowly encroached, smothering me from all sides. Whispers reached my ears, the words so faint I couldn’t even hear what was being said. I lifted my hand in front of my face, but was unable to see it. The darkness was absolute, and slowly panic began to well up in my chest. Yes, I had wanted to get out of the asylum, but not like this. I had no clue where I was, and I had no clue how to get out of this situation. For all I knew, I just made the situation worse. All because some stupid entity told me to jump out the window.

“‘Be patient and watch’!” I shouted into the darkness. “‘Love conquers all’! I fucking trusted you, and look where that got me!” Tears began to well up in the corner of my eyes, and I gritted my teeth. “ Goddamn it. I… I just want things to go back to the way they were. Back before all this bullshit drama. I want… I want…” I trailed off as I felt myself slowly fading into the emptiness.

“I wish I could see Twilight one last time,” I mumbled as the darkness consumed me—

...

A piercing light erupted out of nowhere, burning through the darkness and banishing the shadows in a burst of white. Gasping in pain, I lifted a hand to shield my eyes, dimly noting that I could see once more. Light flooded the world around me, followed quickly by an eerie calm.

Blinking away tears, I lowered my hand and glanced around. I was standing on a white plane that extended out in all directions indefinitely. Far above, the sky was a swirling, chaotic mess of pitch blackness: the void being kept at bay.

As I looked around, a feeling of déjà vu settled over me.

“I… I know this place,” I mumbled, my brow furrowing. “I’ve been here before…” I mused on the feeling for a long moment before I became aware of another presence. It wasn’t that I heard something approaching; it was just one moment I was alone, and then the next I felt… something appear behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and a shiver ran down my spine.

Slowly, I turned around, unsure of what I’d find.

I stared down at the human before me.

His back was to me, and he was gazing at the world around him in equal parts confusion and awe. I took a moment to watch him, a faint smile crossing my lips. This was a meeting that had long been coming, and now, here at the end of all things, we would finally be able to meet face to face.

All that stood between us was a thin barrier between worlds.

My wings ruffled by my sides as I took a single step forward, pushing apart the world and making room for myself right behind him.

He stiffened as I crossed the Veil between the different Planes, clearly sensing my presence. I heard him swallow audibly before, with some trepidation, he turned slowly to face me.

Placing a warm smile on my face, I flared my wings wide and greeted him.

“Hello, little one…”

“Hello, little one…”

I stared up at the figure before me, my eyes wide in shock. It was clearly an alicorn, but it was so much larger than even Celestia. Standing nearly thirteen feet tall and with a wingspan that easily reached twenty feet, this being was one of the largest I had ever seen. From the sound of its voice, as well as the curves of its body and the soft features on its face, it was easy to tell that this was a female.

However, the size alone was not the only startling feature the alicorn boasted. Her coat was a bluish-purple color, and appeared faceted, almost like she was made of crystals. Yet as she moved, I could see muscles rippling beneath her fur. Her mane wafted in an unseen breeze, slowly shifting through various colors such as cyan, orange, pink, purple, and blue. A large disc of light hovered above her back, slowly rotating counterclockwise.

As I gaped up at her, a pair of brilliant yellow eyes watched me with barely concealed amusement. She chuckled softly, though the noise echoed in the silence of the empty plane.

The sound snapped me out of my daze and, after giving my head a good shake, I took a cautious step back.

“Who the fuck are you?” I asked, my eyes narrowing. “Is… is this another trick?”

“A trick?” the alicorn asked, tilting her head to the side. “No… this is no trick. I am here… with you.”

I stared at her for a moment before glancing around. “Where’s Havoc? He’s going to jump out and start monologuing any moment now, isn’t he?”

“The Chaosbringer?” The mare blinked, and her mane took on an orange hue. “No, he’s not here. He can’t reach you here. Besides, he’s back where he belongs.”

“Back where he…?” I started to say as I glanced back at her, only to pause when I processed what she had said. “Wait, does… does that mean that I’m…”

“Back in control? Yes,” she finished for me, a warm smile on her muzzle. “Your body is yours once more.”

Blinking, I glanced down at my hands, flexing my fingers. I didn’t feel any different than I had earlier, but… there was something about the way she had said that. It just felt like it was the Truth, with a capital ‘T’.

I felt like I could trust her word, but did not know why.

A frown crossed my face and, pulling my eyes from my hands, I glanced up at the alicorn once more.

“Who are you?” I repeated.

“I’m… not entirely sure,” the mare admitted sheepishly.

At this I gave her a deadpan look. “How can you not know who you are?”

The mare’s mane flared, shifting to a deep crimson color as her eyes narrowed.

“It’s easy for you to be all judgemental,” she said with a sniff. “You’ve been alive for but a splash of water in the sea of time. What you have to remember is barely a drop compared to what I have experienced, so forgive me my inability to recall what others used to call me.” She was silent for a moment, her mane slowly changing to a soft pink before she spoke again. Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “It’s been a long time since I had someone to talk to. Names mean nothing when there is no one to use them.”

I was unsure of how to respond to that. On one hand, that sounded somewhat depressing, but on the other hand, the way she said it… She didn’t sound sad. If anything, she sounded contemplative, almost like she was trying to figure out where she left something. It was almost like she had simply… misplaced her name, like someone might misplace their glasses..

Suddenly, I got the impression that I was in the presence of an old, old being.

Trying to repress the shiver that was threatening to run down my spine, I glanced around at the barren white landscape. “Where are we exactly?”

“Hmmm?” the mare hummed, my words snapping her from her thoughts. She blinked once before glancing around as well. “What was… oh! We’re in your, hmmm… ‘mind’ is the word, I believe. Or perhaps ‘soul’ would be a closer analogy. This is a representative of your being.”

“If this is my soul,” I asked, slowly turning in a circle as I eyed the vast nothingness, “then why is it so… empty?”

“It’s not,” the mare said simply, her mane shifting to orange again. “You’re just not able to comprehend—to understand—all the things that it’s telling you.”

I looked back at her. “And you can?”

“Mostly,” she said. “I don’t see everything, though.” Her mane’s color slowly shifted to purple. “Some creatures like their privacy, and I’m more than happy to allow them that.” She paused, before her mane shifted to pink and she added in a soft voice. “You have a very… interesting being.”

Silence fell over the plane as I stared at the tall figure before me, the gears in my head turning. A lot had happened recently, and I hadn’t had a good chance to process it all: Canterlot, the Equestrian humans, the Terran humans, Discord, the asylum, and now this. It seemed like it was just one thing after another, and even though I wasn’t really physically here at the moment, I still felt exhausted.

After a long moment of silence, I sighed before glancing up at the mare, craning my neck back to peer up into her bright yellow eyes.

“Alright… let’s say I believe you for a second,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “How did I get here?”

“The Chaosbringer trapped you here, imprisoning you within your own mind,” the mare said, “and I helped to set you free.”

I nodded my head slowly. “That brings me to my next question. What is an alicorn doing in my, um… mind? And an unknown one, at that. I thought Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight were the only alicorns in existence at the moment, so really… who are you?”

“An… an alicorn?” The mare blinked before glancing down at her form, lifting first one hoof, then the other as she studied herself. After a moment, she looked back at me, a curious glint in her eyes. “Is… is that what you see? An alicorn? Strange, I would have thought you’d see a different form.”

It was my turn to blink. “What?”

“This,” the mare said, gesturing with a wing to herself, “is not what I am. This form is what your mind has made of it.”

I blinked again. “What?”

The mare giggled. “Most creatures like you tend to have trouble seeing my true form, so their mind, in a desire to protect itself, instead makes them see a form that’s, hmmm… easier to process. Each race sees me differently, and I was so sure that you would have seen something more along the lines of a human or something from your old world. Not an alicorn.”

“So, if you’re not an alicorn… what are you exactly?” I asked, my eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“I’m…” the mare began, only to trail off into silence. Cocking her head to the side, she stared at me, as if trying to determine something from my face. “I’m, well… the ponies seem to be able to comprehend the form closest to my actual one, so I guess… I’m a tree.”

“You’re… a tree?” I scoffed, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yes,” she said, nodding her head happily. “Well… not exactly, but a tree is as close to my real form as you’re going to get.”

I stared at her blankly for a moment before repeating. “A… tree?”

“Yes, a tree,” she said as she tilted her head to the side.

“Like, grows out of the ground... has roots and branches… tree?”

“Well, like I said, not exactly the same,” she said. “I didn’t grow… but I do have roots and branches. A tree, little one. You asked me what I was, and that’s the closest representative I could find.”

“That…” I said slowly, “is a load of bullshit!” As I shouted the last word, the mare jumped in surprise. I glared up at her as the cry echoed around the plane before fading into the unnatural silence. “It’s been a long fucking day, alright?” I growled out. “If you’re not going to take this seriously, that’s fine, but don’t fucking bullshit me with some stupid ass answer. There’s no way in hell that you’re just a goddamn tre—”

The world shifted suddenly. One second the alicorn was there, the next she was gone and something else took her place. It… it was all wrong. The being before me was vaguely tree-shaped, but it wasn’t a tree. I couldn’t tell what about it was wrong, but it just… wasn’t a tree. It was a feeling, just in the back of my head, that I couldn’t explain. I could see the being, but at the same time I couldn’t really see it.

I didn’t want to see it.

The thing loomed above me, far taller than its alicorn counterpart had been. Its bark was the same color as the alicorn’s fur, and faceted as well. Large branches waved about in an unseen breeze, and I was dimly aware of the fact that they weren’t actually branches, but were instead writhing tentacles. Five of the larger ones had eyes at their tips, each one a different color: pink, blue, orange, purple, and red. And at the center of the large conglomeration of tentacle-like branches was a giant, unblinking eye that stared down at me with three separate pupils.

I observed the creature for but a moment, just long enough for my mind to begin to process what it was seeing, but then the world seemed to shift again. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground, staring up at the twisting ‘sky’ high above.

After a few seconds, the mare’s face appeared above mine. She had returned to her alicorn form, and was now giving me an upside down look of amusement. “Do you believe me now?” she asked, her mane becoming blue.

Pushing myself up, I paused when I felt something wet beneath my eyes. Upon touching a cheek, my fingers came back bloody.

“W-what… what are you?” I asked breathlessly.

“I am me,” she said. “An old being, one who has seen much, yet still not enough. I’m not entirely sure, but I do believe that the most recent name given to me by the creatures of this world would be, hmmm… Harmony?” She was silent for a moment, mulling over what she had said before nodding. “Yes, that seems about right. Harmony. That is my name at the moment.”

“H-harmony?” I blinked up at her. “You mean, like… the Elements of Harmony?”

“Is that what they called my children?” the alicorn asked, her voice thick with amusement. She stared off into the distance, chuckling softly to herself. “The Elements of Harmony… I like it.”

I stared at the massive alicorn in wonder as she tittered at whatever humor she had found in the Elements of Harmony. After a few moments, I managed to find my voice again. “W-what are you doing here? What do you want from me?”

Turning her golden gaze upon me, her mane shifted to a warm lavender hue.

“I’ve been waiting a long, long time to finally speak with you again, little one,” she murmured softly, though her voice still echoed throughout the plane.

I gave her a bewildered look. “You have… wait, again? We’ve spoken before?”

“Indeed, we have, though the conversation was rather one-sided at the time,” the mare hummed. “It was in this place… and you were upon Death’s door. I did all in my power to keep you from slipping into the Void, and luckily, you managed to pull through with the help of the medical care given to you by ponies.”

“‘Death’s door’…?” I muttered, my brow furrowing. I ran a hand through my hair as I tried to figure out what she was talking about. My eyes widened when it suddenly dawned on me and, spinning around, I pointed at the alicorn. “A-after the pit fight! There was this moment of… white. That was you!?”

“So you do remember,” the mare giggled. “I was curious. You were rather out of it at the time, so it would have been understandable if you hadn’t fully recalled our, hmmm... previous encounter.”

Reaching up, I ran a finger over the scar on my face before moving my hand down to paw at my shirt, and the large scar that resided beneath it as well. A shiver ran down my spine as I recalled the horrific night. I could almost feel the blade slashing at my flesh again.

“Don’t think about it too hard, little one,” Harmony said quickly, drawing my attention. “While usually harmless, memories in this place can have some… interesting side effects.”

I gave her a confused look before glancing down at my chest, only to yelp in surprise. A splotch of blood was slowly beginning to spread across the front of my shirt.

“Breathe,” Harmony cooed, and I did as instructed. Closing my eyes, I took a deep, shuddering breath, before glancing back down at my shirt. The blood was gone, and the shirt was clean and dry. Lifting my shirt, I double-checked the scar just to make sure that everything was normal.

“You… helped me,” I said slowly as I lowered the shirt. Glancing up at the alicorn, I chewed on the inside of my cheek for a moment before continuing. “Not… that I’m not grateful for what you did, but why? Why did you help me instead of just, you know…”

“It wasn’t the first time that I’ve helped you, little one. I’ve been assisting you as best I could since you first arrived in this realm,” she answered. “I’ve… not been able to reach you using standard methods, so I had to, hmmm… improvise.”

“Improvise?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Before answering, Harmony laid down upon her stomach, folding her legs beneath her chest. Despite this, my head still only came up to the bottom of her neck. Her mane slowly took on a pinkish tint.

“I’ve been trying to contact you since your impromptu arrival,” she said. “However, I don’t have as much influence on the world as I’d like. I tried to speak with you in your dreams for the first few months, but Discord and your own inner Chaosbringer hindered my attempts.”

“You were responsible for those dreams?” I asked, my eyes widening.

She nodded her head. “I’ve found that the barrier between us was at its weakest whenever you were between the dream world and the waking world. I tried to get your attention several different times, but, unfortunately, it, hmmm… didn’t work.”

“You tried to talk with me during dreams?” I gave her a bemused look. “That… seems like a bad idea. What if I hadn’t remembered the encounter, or just played it off as a weird dream?”

“Well, I tried a more direct method while you were awake, but the action seemed to scare you more than anything else, so I ceased that line of attack.” She sighed heavily, her mane slowly shifting through her full array of colors. “And it took so much energy to carve those words into the wood.”

“Carve… words in the wood…” I began to repeat before it clicked. “‘Help them’,” I breathed, staring up at the smiling alicorn. “It… it was you. You wrote that in my closet!”

“Yes, although it did little good,” she chuckled softly, mane shifting to a light blue hue. “You wouldn’t go back down into that room for a long time after. I decided after that to keep all attempts to contact you contained to a more, hmmm… relaxing mental state? Yes.”

“But what was the point behind it?” I asked. “Why ‘help them’? Help who, exactly?”

“Ponies… and humans,” came the reply as she made herself comfortable on the ground. “It was my hope that you’d connect the two races. Bring them closer together. Bridge the gap. Make light of their differences. A creature that could be a part of both worlds, and bring them together as one.”

Staring at her, I opened and closed my mouth until I eventually found my voice.

“B-but… why me? Why choose me for that task?” I asked. “Surely there was someone else more, um… competent that you could have found.”

Harmony was silent for a moment, eyeing me with a look that I couldn’t identify. Licking her lips, she glanced briefly down at the ground before her before looking back up at me.

“Why you?” she repeated softly. “I wish I could say something profound, like your heart was the purest, or that you were always destined to be a hero. That fate had chosen you to be the, hmmm… catalyst of things that were going to happen. I wish I could tell you something that might make it sound so much better than it really is, but, truthfully… I chose you because you were the last human Discord pulled through the Veil into this world.

“My… ‘magic’ can’t affect the world as much as I’d like,” she continued. “Discord has much more influence upon the, hmmm... mortal plane than I do, so I had to wait until his power had waned slightly. This means that I had to wait until he transported the very last human—when his power was at its lowest—to act. That just so happened to be you.

“As he was pulling you through, I acted.”

“Acted.” I gave her an uneasy look. “What did you do to me exactly?”

She hummed softly. “As you were passing through the Veil, I attempted to saturate you with my magic in order to, hmmm… claim you? From Discord. Unfortunately, without a proper catalyst, my magic is less effective on mortals than his, so instead of overpowering his chaotic magic, our two powers combined and merged.”

“Merged? Wait… is that why…?” I began, reaching up to rub at my neck.

She nodded sadly. “Yes. His magic prevented mine from working as I originally intended it to. Discord’s magic prevents the other races of this world from, hmmm… understanding you. That was almost the end of it, but luckily my magic… my magic allowed you to understand them instead.” A smile touched her muzzle, her mane shifting to pink. “The barrier of language was breached earlier, and you were able to see what truly was going on. With that, I had hoped that you’d be able to do what I could not.”

“Wait, hold on,” I said, scrunching up my face. “Why couldn’t you have done more to help out? I mean, if you were able to make it so I could understand ponies, why couldn’t you have made it so that ponies could understand humans? You’re basically a god, right? Why didn’t you do more?”

I stumbled back with a yelp as Harmony suddenly surged to her hooves. She glared down at me, her mane bright red and lashing about as if in a mighty gale. Red lightning crackled about the halo above her back.

“I’ll tell you what,” she growled, her eyes flashing with anger. “How about you throw yourself off the top of a mountain and will yourself to fly before you land, hmmm? Or stick your head in a river and develop the ability to breathe. I didn’t do enough? I saved your life, human. Twice, to be precise.”

Cowering back, I tried to put some distance between me and her. I only made it a few steps though before a large pair of wings surrounded me, pulling me against a surprisingly soft chest.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she murmured, and I felt her body vibrate as she spoke. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that her mane had softened to a pink color. “I didn’t mean to shout. It’s just, there are, hmmm… limitations within the universe. Restrictions that creatures must abide by. Even for individuals such as myself. I can tinker with a few variables in the mortal plane, but in order to really influence the outcome of events, I need a catalyst of some kind.”

I tried to wiggle free from my feathery prison, but her grasp was too strong. And upon looking down, I realized that I should probably not try too hard, as it was a good four foot drop to the ground below.

Unable—and maybe now unwilling—to escape, I was forced to hang there as she stared absently off into the distance. “I’ve been trying to help Discord’s, hmmm… estranged children myself, but by its nature alone, Discord’s influence blocks mine. I could do virtually nothing to help them. That is, until that little unicorn stumbled upon one of my older shrines in the desert.”

“The fucking nutjob,” I muttered under my breath.

“Yes, her!” Harmony chirped happily, nodding her head. With me still pressed against her chest, she settled back down on her stomach, tucking her legs beneath her like a cat. “Though only a crack, she opened the way for me to begin to lay the, hmmm… foundation I needed for the humans of Equestria. It was very minute, but with her help, I was able to begin to, hmmm… educate the poor things.”

Pushing against her chest, I looked up at her with bewilderment. “Wait… you’re the reason the humans started getting smarter?”

“Of course,” she nodded happily. “I’ve been trying to help them since they first broke free of their confinement, but sadly I had no, hmmm… means to do so. However, with the help of the unicorn, I was able to start integrating them into the world. They began to learn, to grow, to become more than they were.

“It wasn’t enough, though. They were still blocked from the other races by Discord’s power,” she continued, a small frown on her face. Glancing down at me, the frown became a soft smile, and she nuzzled the top of my head. “Then you came along.”

I gave her a bemused look. “What the fuck did I do?”

“You did everything, little one, even if you didn’t know you were doing it,” she cooed, nuzzling my head again. Due to the size difference, however, it felt more like I was a teddy bear than anything else. “You distracted him long enough for my children to be of use. Because of you, Riddick’s Chaosbringer is no more. His influence on the humans is gone, and I’m able to begin my work.”

“What work?” I asked. It was starting to get a little annoying asking all these questions, but I got the distinct impression she hadn’t had much in the way of company for a while.

“Why… fixing the humans, of course,” she hummed.

At her words I stiffened, my entire being going on alert. That sounded a little worrisome. “Fixing” someone usually entailed something… dark: mind control, mental breaking, stuff like that. I really hoped that wasn’t the case, though. I had to fight one god-like being already today, I didn’t want to have to fight another so soon.

Swallowing thickly, I slowly asked, “What is there to fix?”

“Hmmm, not much,” she replied. “In fact, fixing might not be the right word. Improving them, perhaps. I’m using your genetic structure as a baseline, really.”

“What are you fixing?” I repeated again, a bit stronger this time.

“A few things,” Harmony said. “Right now, my magic is gradually beginning to influence their genetics. I’m attempting to get their, hmmm… baselines closer to that of yours. Extended lifespans, so that they might have more time to grow and live. Increased body temperature so that Discord’s parasitic spores won’t be an issue. In a sense,” she giggled, glancing down at me, “I’m making them like you.”

Blinking up at her, I tilt my head to the side. “Wat?”

“I’m trying to make the Equestrian humans more like you, or, hmmm… your species, as the case may be,” she explained. “I’m finishing what Discord started, all those years ago. His children were, hmmm… unfinished, so I’m using my children to finish them. It’s slow work, but I’m hoping that we’ll be able to see the improvements within a few generations or so.”

“Are… are you saying it’s going to take a few decades for the rest of the world to see that Equestrian humans are intelligent?” I asked.

“Oh, by Existence, no!” she said. Her wings flared, finally releasing me. I stumbled back a few steps before regaining my balance. As I brushed myself off, she continued. “That would take too long! I’m just talking about the physical changes. The mental ones are happening right now and much faster. I don’t have to wait for the humans to sire offspring to tweak things. My, hmmm… magic will allow for humans to communicate with the other creatures in the world. It might take a few months though for my magic to seep into the void that Discord’s magic has left.”

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but she placed the tip of her wing against my lips, silencing me.

“That’s enough of that,” she said softly. “I know you might still have questions, but I cannot answer them all.”

“Then answer just one more and that’ll be it,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

She was silent for a moment before nodding. “Very well. One last question, little one. Ask.”

“You claim that you wanted me to bring the two races together,” I said. “Well, does that mean that, um…” I trailed off, my throat tightening as I tried to work up the courage to ask my question. Harmony watched silently, a small smile on her lips.

Eventually, I found my voice again. “Does that mean that Twilight and I are only together because of you?”

“No,” she answered, her smile widening. “You did that all by yourselves. I had no involvement over what you two feel.”

“But, at one point I was having misgivings about staying in Equestria,” I pushed. “Back when Celestia said she could have sent me home. Did you have anything to do with me choosing to stay?”

“No, little one. I don’t have the power to influence free will,” Harmony said softly. “I can provide a nudge here or there, but in the end, it’s entirely up to you to decide what will happen.”

“And if I had decided to return home?”

“Then I would have used my powers to make sure you arrived back on your old world safe and sound,” she answered. “However, I didn’t need to do that, as you decided to stay here, with Twilight.”

“So… you didn’t…”

“No, I promise you. You are with Twilight because you chose to be… and that is truly magnificent.”

At that, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“And speaking of her, it’s about time for you to wake up,” Harmony hummed, getting to her hooves again. “You’ve been asleep for far too long, little one.”

“Wait… I have?” I asked, my brow furrowing. “How long have I been unconscious?”

“Hmmm, I believe it’s been about a week.”

“A week!?” I gaped up at her. “I’ve been out of it for a week!?”

“Indeed,” Harmony said with a smirk. “About time for you to go join the world of the living again, no?”

I nodded my head in agreement. “What… what do I need to do?”

“Just stand there and leave it to me.”

I did as she said, looking around the white plane as she approached me. Strangely, even though I still couldn’t see the edge of the ‘world’, it felt like it was collapsing in on itself. The twisting black-and-white sky above felt closer, and the edges of the plane seemed to be closing in. A quick glance down at myself showed that I was slowly fading from the world as well.

Looking back up at the approaching alicorn, I asked softly. “Will… will I remember any of this?”

“I’m… not entirely sure,” she admitted. “It will most likely seem like a hazy dream for you, just on the edge of your consciousness.”

“Well then, I guess this is, um… goodbye?”

“Yes, goodbye for now,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for all you’ve done, even if you didn’t know what you were doing. I…” She paused and giggled, shaking her head. “I couldn’t have done it without you, and as such, I’m gifting you a little, hmmm… surprise. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it.”

I blinked up at her. “A surprise? What do you mean?”

Her smile turned into a large smirk. “That… is for your mate to tell you.”

I didn’t push the issue, instead glancing down at my body. It was almost completely gone now, and I looked eerily like a ghost vanishing into the light.

Glancing back up at Harmony, I gave her a half-hearted smile. “Before I go, I just want to say thank you… and I’m sorry.”

Her ears perked. “Sorry? Whatever for, dear child?”

“Because Discord, er… Riddick was the first experience of humanity you had.”

To my surprise, she giggled and shook her head.

“No, he wasn’t,” she said. “That honor goes to someone else. Someone you might know, as she bore the same last name as you. Megan Williams.”

“Megan Williams?” I muttered, bewildered. “The only Megan I know in the family was my grand-aunt, but she went… missing. Wait! What—?!”

In flash of light, the world collapsed, and I was flung into the darkness once more.

Author's Notes:

Harmony personified.........................☑
OC alicorn............................................☑
OC draconequus.................................☑
Add more cliches/tropes to story.....☑
Finished story......................................☐