Several Weeks Earlier...

Allen waited anxiously for his contact as he sat in the run-down ruins of the human stronghold. He knew this building rather well; it was where he first met Drayke, and he had made occasional trips here to discover the secrets of the ancient humans.

It was also where he discovered what was happening to him.

Allen perked his ears up at the sound of hoofsteps, and turned to see a lightly-armored pony, shrouded in darkness. A horn spiraled from its head, and it stared at him through a black visor.

“I was worried you wouldn’t come,” Allen said, breathing a sigh of relief.

The figure stepped forward, allowing Allen to see more of its features. The newcomer was rather slender, even with the armor, but not much else could be determined. It didn’t matter, though; Allen knew well enough who he was speaking to.

“Forgive me for being rude,” it said in a low, filtered voice, “but I have to ask you to be brief; it’s bad enough that I’ve been gone this long.”

Allen nodded. “I’ll try,” he said in a low voice. “I need to get as far away from Canterlot as possible.”

The figure laughed, the voice filtration making it sound somewhat horrifying. “Why not just go to the Crystal Empire instead of calling me down to a run-down fortress in the middle of the forest? That would be a much more convenient choice, don’t you think?” it asked incredulously.

The grey prince shook his head. “Not an option; I can’t be around any ponies. I’m heading for the Fissure,” he said ominously.
The other pony gasped. “Allen, nopony has been to the Fissure in thousands of years,” it said worriedly.
Allen nodded. “That’s the point,” he replied. “If I can make it there before my condition worsens, everypony will be safe from me.”

The figure nodded understandingly. “What exactly is your condition, if you don’t mind me asking?” it inquired.
Allen held up his right foreleg and removed the dirty bandages that enveloped it, revealing his now-human arm. Allen noticed that most of the dark-grey fur that covered his hand had receded, revealing the skin below.

The newcomer gasped again. “What’s happening to you?” it asked worriedly.

Allen sighed. “I’m changing back,” he said sadly, “and I have to be as far away from other ponies as possible when that happens. I need to ask one big favor of you; the fate of Equestria depends on it,” he begged.

The pony listened as Allen went on. “I need you to keep Twilight and the others from searching for me. I’ve already taken care of Luna and Celestia; they think I’m going on one of my research trips, and their royal responsibilities will keep them too busy to find me themselves,” he explained. “If anyone finds me, and I’m already completely human…” he trailed off, whatever consequences he saw too saddening to say aloud.

Allen’s contact moved it’s head slightly; Allen got the feeling that they were rolling their eyes. “I would be more than happy to help you,” it said regretfully, “but I have responsibilities of my own.”

Allen sighed sharply. “Can’t you get someone else to take your place? I’m sure there are tons of ponies that would gladly take over for you,” he said, starting to get that familiar dark feeling in his chest.

The figure shook its head sadly. “I’m sorry, Allen,” it said quietly, “but there’s nothing I can do.”

Allen suddenly snapped. “Were the lives lost in the Battle for the Crystal Empire not enough?!” he screamed, his irises suddenly turning light blue. “Was the death of Robert Greathouse and Shining Armor not enough? If you don’t help me, they will only be the beginning,” he said, his legs suddenly getting weak as the bright color faded from his eyes, and he collapsed to the ground.

“Please,” he begged tiredly, staring at the ground with sadness and pain, “do not let Twilight and the others find me, if not for me, than for all of Equestria.”

The armored pony stared for a moment, and then nodded slowly. “Okay, Allen,” it said gently. “I’ll do what I can.”
Allen laughed thankfully. “Thank you,” he said in a strained voice. “That’s all I need.. I’m just going to… rest here for a little bit, and then I’ll be on my way.”

The figure nodded, and then quietly exited the ruined fortress as Allen closed his eyes and struggled to sleep. He hadn’t slept in a few days, to busy trying to get away from Canterlot to rest, and fell into a quiet slumber.

Present Day…

“Hmm?” I mumbled as a loud blaring sound woke me from my sound sleep, and I looked over to see my alarm clock flashing. I glared angrily. “Asshole clock,” I muttered, slamming a hand on the alarm’s switch, “It’s Saturday! I don’t need to be up this early.”

I closed my eyes and rolled over, struggling to get back to sleep, when a quiet giggling caught my attention. I snapped open my eyes to see a sight that, to be completely honest, scared the shit out of me: a pony. Not an ordinary Earth pony; an Equestrian pony.

And out of all the ponies I had seen and couldn’t care less about, I knew this one ; we had met on Allen’s wedding night. A night that seemed so far away now...

“Hey, Drayke?” Allen asked slowly, “I need to ask you one more favor.”
I sighed heavily. Was it really not enough that I died for this kid? “I guess so,” I said with a roll of my eyes.
Allen pointed a hoof at a faraway table, where one of those unicorn-pegasus-things was sitting. Her body was bright pink, and her wings were tipped with a soft purple. She stared at the tabletop in front of her sadly as the music carried on in the background.

“You see that Alicorn over there? I want you to go over there and ask her to dance.”

My eyes got huge. “What?” I asked, bewildered that he would even think of asking me that, “No way, man. I’ll respect you being with a horse, but there’s no way I’m going down that road.”

I wanted nothing to do with these damn horses. I just wanted this night to end so I could ask Allen to send me home. No long goodbyes, no sappy last words, just me leaving, having to worry only about myself.

Allen gave me a serious look. “Drayke. She just lost her husband,” he said sternly.

Those words hit me like a sledgehammer. I knew all too well what it was like to lose the love of your life. I may have been a heartless asshole, but I wasn’t about to sit by and let someone else feel the way I did.

I also wasn’t about to admit I felt sorry for a horse, especially not to Allen.

“Oh. Well, in that case... sure” I said in forced nonchalance. “But only because I’m such a naturally nice guy,” I added.
Allen laughed. “Yeah, and I still have hands,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. “I’ll see you later!” he called, and ran back to the dance floor.

I looked straight ahead at the pink alicorn who gazed downward so sadly. I slowly crept up behind her and, after a slight hesitation, tapped her on the shoulder.

She looked back at me with confused, violet eyes. I caught myself thinking they looked beautiful, and gave myself a mental slap in the face.
“Um, I was wondering,” I said, nervously clearing my throat, “if you wanted to dance.”
She stared at me a moment more, he eyes scanning me as if she thought I was screwing with her, before she smiled thankfully.
“I would like that very much,” she said softly.

Most of the next song was spent figuring out how the mechanics of a human and a pony dancing would work, before we finally settled on her wrapping her forehooves around my neck and standing on her hind legs. The whole ordeal made me panic; I hadn’t even touched a girl in over two years. She seemed to enjoy my company, however, as we slowly drifted across the dance floor, the smooth melody taking us away from the crowd.

My mind flashed back to the present, where the apparition had vanished as soon as it appeared. I stared blankly at the empty spot in my bed for a long time, wondering why my mind had chosen to show me this particular illusion, before quickly getting up.
“Okay, I’m awake. Happy?” I asked no one in particular, and threw on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that lay on the floor right next to my feet.

Clean enough, I thought lazily, quickly shooting a blast of deodorant at my chest to cover the faint smell. A red flash caught my attention as I stepped forward, and I glanced to the right to see my crystal sitting on my nightstand. I walked over and picked it up, inspecting it closely.

“Did you just glow?” I asked the inanimate rock curiously, “or am I going crazy?” I stared curiously at the gleaming facets of the rock that I had used to take over Equestria, and eventually shrugged and stuck it in my back pocket. “I guess it’s the latter, then,” I said aloud as I headed to the bathroom.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. After being stuck using medieval-esque weapons to sloppily trim my hair and beard for so long, I took pride in my appearance. Now, I made sure to keep my hair at a strict shoulder-length, and kept my facial hair rather short; right on that boundary between nonexistent and roughneck. I liked to think I looked kind of like a survivalist that lived in the woods for a few months, which was appropriate since I actually had spent a long time in the woods.

I squeezed some toothpaste onto my toothbrush, scrubbed away at my teeth, and leaned forward to spit in the sink. However, when I returned my gaze to my bathroom mirror, the entire room had changed. I was now staring at a massive pair of double doors with ornate, golden handles. I turned around slowly, tightly gripping my toothbrush, to see someone I honestly was hoping I would never see again.

“Hello, Drayke,” Princess Celestia said softly.

I screamed and threw the brush at her, which she responded by enveloping it in a magical grasp and lightly placing it in my pocket. “I was hoping your reaction would be a little more mature,” she said scoldingly as she stood up from her throne.

I stared in bewilderment. “Where… how… what am I doing here?!” I shouted angrily as the white horse drew near.
“Equestria needs you, Drayke,” she said simply.
I shook my head and laughed. “Oh, no, I’ve seen just how much ‘Equestria needs me’,” I said incredulously. “I’ve been hunted relentlessly by crystal statues, I’ve died - twice, I might add - and I’ve been forced to sacrifice myself for that ‘greater good’ crap. I’ve been through enough belittlement because of your world, and I would much appreciate it if you sent me home.”

Celestia straightened herself and glared at me. “Drayke,” she said sternly, “I know doing the right thing is not one of your strong suits, but you are our only hope! You must help us.”

I pulled my crystal from my back pocket. “Read my lips: fuck you!” I snapped, and held the black gem straight in front of me. “Take me home, you little asshole!” I commanded. “Friendship is magic!”