*Click*

FINALLY! It took a full hour and eight paperclips to open the cuffs but Ephialtes was finally free! Now he had to get some attention.

"Hey! You metal legged bastard, I'll kill you! Come down here and I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!"

Topside, Umbra could hear the zebra shout. He groaned as Lord Sombra and Lolk went over their plans. Sombra growled and looked to Umbra.

"Go take care of that. Their blood is of no consequence to me now." Sombra told him.

"With pleasure My Lord." Umbra said bowing to Sombra.

He got up from the table ignored the daggers that the yellow haired stallion was shoot his way. With him gagged, it made life easier. But now that it seems the red zebra had spit his out, he has sealed the fate of the others in his company.

"You're not so tough! If Sombra can make you his bitch so can I! Bring it on!" He shouted from down bellow.

Umbra was already growing tired of his petty insults. He would theory enjoy ripping his throat out. He did want to keep the mares as hoof maidens but that would have to go through Lord Sombra first. Umbra passed below decks and waded through the sea of changelings. Such vial creatures! He would be doing a great service to end them, but that was all a part of the plan anyways.

"You afraid of me or something? The great lackey to the Lord of Fear and Darkness is afraid of a little pony with no magic? Ha!"

"I grow weary of this insolence." Umbra said as he reached the door, ignorring the ever present stench in the air down there. "Your time has-" Umbra stepped in and found the small room at the stern with four ponies in it. Two earth, two pegasi, but no zebra unicorn? Where could he have-

Ephialtes dropped down from the rafter he'd been hiding on and landed a solid swinging kick to Nexus' jaw. Nexus slammed into the wall next to Hestaria and drew his pistols. With reckless abandon, he opened fire and wasted all four of his shots. Ephialtes strafed across the room until the only sound coming from Nexus' pistols were clicks. Ephialtes charged Nexus and landed a solid punch in his nose as Nexus attempted to discard the pistols.

Ephi then threw him across the room, away from the others, and dug his foreleg into his neck.

"What the hell is wrong with you Nexus!?" he shouted at him. "We use to be comrades, friends!"

"I'm not your friend nor your comrade! I am Lunarus Umbra!"

"That's not who I know."

"Then I am not whom you wish to see!"

"Think about what you're doing! He's tricked you, you're throwing away everything. Your country, your team, your own wife! Hell, even your unborn baby!"

"I have none of those!"

"Dust Strom, her name is Dust Storm. Soon to be your wife."

"She doesn't want to see the one you seek again, release me!"

"Why don't you blast me with your magic then!? Make me let you go!"

"I do not need my magic to kill you!" Nexus said stills struggling against Ephialtes' hold on him. "Refrain from calling me Nexus and die with dignity.

"Who are you then!?"

"Lord Umbra!"

"You are Lunarus Nexus!"

"He is dead!"

"No he's not!"

"Yes he is!"

"Why is he dead then!?"

"Because he was afraid! Lunarus Nexus was afraid!" Nexus stopped for a moment hearing himself say that.

"He was afraid?"

"He-he-I… am afraid." He admitted with a look of shock on his face. "Fear makes us weak." he said closing his blood red eyes and looking down.

"It makes us mortal. What are you afraid of?"

"L…Losing her."

"Who?"

"Dust."

Nexus opened his eyes after hearing her name. He looked around and saw a blurry scene unfold around him. It was his room back in Canterlot. Only, he was already there, but not quite. In his place, there was a navy blue stallion with his wings and legs looking at himself in the mirror. From the bedroom door, Dust Strom stood shocked at what she was seeing. It was blurry, but Nexus could remember what was happening.

“Dust.” Nexus said. His eyes started returning to their normal color and shape.

The Pegasus hesitantly walked into the room and towards her fiancé. “Lunar, are you okay?”

“N…no.” tears started welling up in his eyes even as he was watching it all happen again. “I…I don’t know what’s happening Dusty, I don’t know what I’m doing. I…I…”

Dust wrapped her forelegs around his neck and held him close. His muscles relaxed and his emotions flowed like the tears in his eyes. He wrapped his forelegs around her and started crying into her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I…I…”

"I'm sorry." Nexus said. He looked up to Ephialtes with his cobalt blue eyes starting to well up. He knew he was wrong. Everything started coming back to him. Everything. "I'm sorry everyone."

"It's alright, Captain." Ephialtes said letting Nexus down.

Nexus' horn glowed and a glow of a similar color emanated from Ephialtes' horn. The two flashed simultaneously as Ephialtes' hole body flashed as well as the charm keeping him in the form of a regular unicorn and back to his stripped form.

"Free them now Ephialtes." Nexus said still stunned at what he was remembering.

"On it."

Ephialtes pulled Hestaria's gag out of her mouth and she spat out the taste. "What happened, Captain?" she asked.

Author's Notes:

Nexus: So it's that easy? Just think of my wife and I'm fine?
Me: Just hold on Nex. Things will get interesting.