“Where… where am I?” I moaned, unable to see anything. I grabbed at my face and found my eyes were wrapped in bandages. I couldn’t properly move my left arm, and something about my shoulder didn’t seem right. I pulled off the fabric wrapping and looked at my surroundings. I was lying on some kind of cot in a treehouse, the walls lit by candlelight. The dancing flames illuminated the walls of the room, revealing the odd-looking masks that decorated the place. In the center of the room, I saw a zebra slowly stirring a pot as she added all kinds of herbs and strange objects to the brew; I remembered her from Allen’s wedding. Zecora, I thought hazily as I recalled her name. She turned and smiled gently when she saw my eyes were open.

“Ah, it is good to see you are awake,” she said quietly, “for being trapped where you were would be a terrible fate.”
I groaned as I sat up, gripping my numb shoulder. “What the hell is… Oh, crap,” I said, noticing my left arm stretched down just a little further than usual. “My arm!” I cried, panicking. “How’d I dislocate my shoulder?” I asked the zebra, bewildered.

Zecora stared, confused. “Whatever do you mean, injured one?” she asked, giving a hoof-full of spices a toss into the pot as she stirred the mixture quickly. “Do you not remember what happened before the setting of the sun?”
I peered out the window, surprised I didn’t notice it was nighttime. “Sanguis,” I whispered, clenching my good hand angrily. “I have to save them. I have to-” I cut off as I stood, my knees suddenly buckling as I fell to the floor. Zecora rushed over and helped me back into bed.

“You are not ready to walk yet, I’m afraid,” she said soothingly, “before you can leave, you will need proper aid.” She gave me a bowl of whatever she was mixing in the pot, and I drank it suspiciously. It tasted kinda like soap, and I gagged as it sloshed down my throat. I licked the inside of my mouth and grimaced, trying to get rid of the foul taste, and noticed my arm was moving on its own. I looked down, cringing at the sight of my shoulder slipping back into place, but for some reason I didn’t feel anything.

“There, now that you have been cured by the best, you should lie down and try to rest,” she said soothingly, and went back to her stirring.

I glared at her. “My…” I trailed off, uncertain which words I should use to describe the ponies, “companions have been captured. If I don’t find them, then they are going to die.”
Zecora closed her eyes and nodded sadly. “Believe you me, I fear for them too,” she said quietly, “but first there is somepony who wishes to speak with you.”

I heard hoofsteps behind her, and I looked to see a dark shape stepping towards the bed. I recognized the armored form almost instantly.
“Black Heart,” I growled, instinctively drawing back. “What do you want?”
A quiet laugh came from the voice filter. “I think a ‘thank you’ is in order, seeing as how I saved your life,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you why I was keeping you from Allen, and I’m sorry I hid my true identity for so long,” he apologized sadly. “If I had just told you why Allen fled in the first place, Twilight and her friends would still be here.”

I narrowed my eyes. “‘True identity’?” I asked slowly.

Black Heart turned to Zecora. “Could you give us a moment alone, please?” he asked politely.
The zebra nodded and quickly exited the shack, disappearing into the darkness of the forest.

“Okay, so, who are you?” I asked expectantly.

Black Heart sighed. “Tell me, what you said about your dreams, was it true?” he asked, suddenly hopping up on the cot next to me.
I stared. “What do you mean?” I asked slowly.

“You said you were dreaming about Princess Cadence. Is that true?” he pressed.

I looked down sadly. “Yes,” I admitted. “Ever since I left this place, I’ve been seeing her. In my dreams, on the streets, next to me in bed...” I trailed off, and looked over to see the armored pony staring at me, his helmet hiding any signs of emotion. “What do you care?” I snapped suddenly.

Black Heart sighed. “Because I know Cadence has been the same way,” he said sadly. “She sees you everywhere, she hears your voice, she feels your presence, just as you do for her.” He placed a forehoof on his chest and I heard a click followed by a hiss as a few of the plates on his armor shifted around. Then, the black suit fell away peice by peice, revealing the pink fur that lay underneath. I stared as the pony’s horn glowed with a magical aura, but rather than the black one I had seen him use before, this one was a light blue. The helmet became surrounded in the same aura, and it lifted away to reveal a pair of violet eyes and a beautiful, three toned mane.

I suddenly felt very confused about thinking Black Heart was a guy for so long.

“Cadence,” I said quietly, the sudden revelation striking me like a blow. She nodded slowly, staring bravely into my eyes. As she did, I found myself looking back to the night of Allen’s wedding, as we drifted across the dance floor.

~-~-~-~-~

Okay, I thought slowly, I’m dancing with a magical talking horse. Not exactly where I thought I’d find myself when I escaped that crystal, but it’s a start.
For the first minute, I awkwardly tried avoiding eye contact with Cadence by scanning the dance floor around me. At one point, though she caught my gaze for a moment before looking down sadly.

“Someone asked you to dance with me, didn’t they?” she asked softly.
I opened my mouth, planning on telling her no, but I’m not the kind of guy that bullshits girls. “Yeah,” I admitted, “Allen saw you were sad, and asked me to cheer you up.”

Cadence giggled slightly. “That boy has such a big heart,” she said, “Luna is a lucky mare.”
I laughed. “I can’t say I can agree with that, since the last time we met, he ran me through with a broadsword,” I said lightly, “but I can’t deny he’s quite the hero.” My voice fell as I said this.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, concerned.

I glanced over my shoulder at Allen, who was sitting next to Luna at one of the tables. The two were giving each other goo-goo eyes, a sight that made me roll my eyes. “He’s got… everything,” I said said sadly. “He has a wife that loves him, he’s a hero, loved by everyone, and he’s a goddamn prince. Meanwhile, I’m one of the most hated things in this world, and I’ll probably always be remembered as the Obsidian King.”

Cadence stared at me with pity for a few moments. “You don’t know that,” she said cheerfully. “After all, you helped Allen save all of Equestria! I’m sure ponies will hear about that and change their mind about you.”
I shrugged. “You could be right,” I sighed, “but I don’t think I want to stick around and find out.”

Cadence looked confused. ‘What do you mean?” she asked.
I sighed. “I’m going to ask Allen to recharge my crystal, and then I’m going home,” I said with certainty.
My dancing partner nodded slowly. “I understand,” she said flatly, “but why wouldn’t you want to try a fresh start here?”
I laughed. “Pastel ponies aren’t my cup of tea, lady,” I said simply. “I prefer to be around other humans, and even if the kid hadn’t turned I’d still be on the first flight out of this place.”

Suddenly, Cadence sighed and placed her head on my shoulder. “If this is your last night in Equestria, you should at least make it a night worth remembering,” she whispered. “Have a good time with everyone, make peace with Allen, and then when the night is over, go home with good memories.”

I hated to admit it, but it was a good idea. Despite getting killed twice and being marked a villain, Equestria wasn’t too bad a place to hang out for a little while. So, I danced with Cadence a little while longer, chatted with Allen and Luna, and resisted the old high school urge to spike the punch. Before I knew it, I was headed up the stairs of the castle, where Allen and the others were spending the rest of their evening.

It was time for me to go home.

“Drayke,” a soft voice said from behind me. I turned and saw Cadence lightly walking behind me, looking a little nervous.
“Yeah?” I asked nonchalantly. Ever since our danced, she seemed to be acting really friendly around me. I suppose it made sense, since I was technically her date.

Wait, what?

“I was wondering if you were considering staying in Equestria,” she asked slowly, looking up at my eyes shyly.
I sighed. “I can’t,” I said simply. “A guy like me doesn’t belong in a place as happy and caring as Equestria. I have to go back to Earth.”
Cadence nodded sadly. “It was worth a shot,” she said with an empty laugh. I suddenly felt a little guilty. “But, for what it’s worth,” she added, stretching up and giving me a soft kiss on the cheek, “thank you.”

I stared after her as she walked away, brushing my cheek with my hand and staring at my fingers in shock. A part of me wanted to be disgusted, but another, happier part was too overjoyed at the fact I had been kissed by a girl.

“I’ve gotta get the fuck out of here,” I breathed, shaking my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts as I headed for the balcony.

~-~-~-~-~

My thoughts returned to the present, in Zecora’s house, where Cadence was still staring into my eyes. I suddenly noticed we had been slowly moving towards each other while I was having my flashback. I turned my head away sharply.

“I… I can’t,” I said sadly.

Cadence nodded dejectedly. “I forgot you don’t like ponies very much,” she said quietly.
I looked back to her. “No, that’s not what I meant,” I said quickly. “I can’t fall in love again. If I do… I’ll just end up back where I was in the first place; a bitter asshole that wants to destroy the world.”

Cadence looked confused. “What do you mean?” she asked.

I sighed and told her the story of my life, the same way I had told Allen and Rainbow Dash. My family, my time with Gwen, the accident, my arrival in Equestria… all from point A to point B.

“...And ever since then, I’ve tried to stay away from love, because I know that in the end, I would lose whoever I was with, and it’d ruin me all over again,” I finished sadly. I turned to see Cadence still staring at me, but now she was… smiling. Giggling, even.

“What’s so damn funny?” I growled, upset that she found my terrible past humorous.

“What’s funny,” she said, suppressing her laughter, “is that you think that you would lose me somehow. Drayke, I may be just a princess of love, but I can handle myself. I’ve been following you around for nearly a week disguised as some kind of assassin, and I handled myself just fine! And you, you’re the guy that took over Equestria in a day, and then died! And then, a year later, you went face to face with an enemy who threatened to destroy everything we ponies know, and you still lost!”

I was about to tell her to stop, but she went on: “My point is, Drayke, you’ve been through too much during your time here to become a bad person again, and I’m not some precious thing that you need to protect. We can be together without any danger; it’s all up to you.”

I stared at my feet for a long time. “I don’t know…” I sighed.

Suddenly, Cadence grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face her. “Okay, look, I love you, and it’s obvious that you love me. What are you so confused about?”

I had a million thoughts running through my head at that moment that I could have used to answer that question. A million different outcomes that may or may not have been better than the one I chose.

But, just because they would be better doesn’t mean I’m not happy with the way it turned out.

I smiled and shook my head, chuckling slightly, and looked Cadence in the eyes. “Oh, fuck it,” I sighed, and quickly wrapped my arms around her and pressed my lips against hers. In that moment, all my dislike for the ponies and judgement for Allen’s relationship choice melted away into pure, unfiltered happiness.

Cadence gasped in surprise at my advance, but slowly brought her forehooves to my neck and carefully cradled my head as we sat there, gently kissing under the the moonlight beaming through the window.