Everything felt frozen. He was naked in the cold, nothing between him and the unforgiving, frigid air. Darkness pressed down on him, forcing into his throat and filling his chest with the same hateful chill. He couldn’t tell what he was laying on in the darkness, but it was giving with several bumps everywhere along his back. His eyes couldn’t pierce the gloom, and his limbs couldn’t rise to fight off the vile, clinging shadows. And as the shade pressed into him, a dull ache suffused his form.

A familiar, haunting voice called out from the darkness, “Jaaaaaze… Where are you Jaze? Come here.”

The voice made his limbs shake. He knew that the voice should have been silenced forever, that it couldn’t exist. But as it called his name again, he knew that its owner was still alive. From somewhere nearby, he heard the shuffling of something’s shambling gait. He stilled his breathing, hoping against hope that he hadn’t been heard. The foot falls halted, and the voice called out again from their direction, raspy and shrill with urgency, “Where are you boy? You can’t hide forever! I can smell you… I will find you…”

The footsteps resumed, moving a little faster this time. Jaze felt his lungs burning with need for air, but he could no longer let himself draw breath. His chest was tight, too tight for his heart to keep beating. Something was pulling down on him, keeping him pinned to whatever was under him. He offered a silent, begging prayer that whoever was looking for him never found him. If it found him, he knew he was dead.

In the shadows next to him, he saw something moving. Roughly the size and shape of a tall man, the figure was hunched over as if in terrible pain. The thing seemed to be made of shadow, a swirling mass of darkness that radiated hate and fear. It slowly turned in his direction and took a few, shuffling steps forward. He could just make out its rasping breath grinding in its chest, but its face remained in cloaked in darkness. The sickening smell of rot washed over him, turning his stomach and leaving a sour taste on his tongue.

The figure drew closer, until it was right on top of him. Though he couldn’t see them, he felt the thing’s eyes staring down at him. It stooped over, its face still hidden, and whispered in a raspy voice, “Welcome home Jaze.” The figure held a lantern up to its face, and bright light burned away the shadows surrounding them.

Carn’s leering visage stared down from above, but his face had decayed to where the bones of his face were visible in places. The insane man’s black eyes had been torn out, leaving behind only the raw, bloody sockets. A mad grin lit the older man’s face, revealing long, sharper-than-normal teeth set into bloody gums. Jaze’s heart turned into a ball of ice in his chest as the demonic visage leaned closer.

“Now you will stay here,” whispered Carn, “with me, forever.”

“No…” Jaze groaned, trying to break free of what was holding him down.

Carn laughed, “You can’t escape. You will stay with me, and them.” The older man held his lantern higher and cast its unnatural light on the floor.

The surrounding area was a carpet of bodies. All of them were corpse-white and featureless, lacking any indication of gender. Some were still, while others still weakly struggled to rise above their fellows. Several of the bodies had wrapped around him, and were pulling him down into their company. As soon as the light struck them, their hold on him tightened and forced the last remainders of air from his chest. Their rough skin was intensely cold and peeled away his skin where ever it touched. Bald, eyeless heads turned towards him, making his skin crawl.

He tried to fight off the grasping hands and powerful arms. He kicked and thrashed his arms against them, but he could only move his limbs a scant few inches with no power behind them. His struggles made their grip stronger; one arm slithered across his neck and closed around his throat. More of the pallid arms clutched his ribs, crushing them and making his body burn with agony.

It was impossible to breathe. Long, sharp fingernails scraped over his bare flesh, leaving behind several deep cuts. The new wounds welled over with blood and burned horribly in the freezing air. More of the claws dug into his back, sending flares of agony along his spine. All the while, the subhumans pulled at him and began slowly dragging him down into the press of bodies.

One of the creatures near his neck reared back and a split appeared across the middle of its face, revealing two six-inch fangs set into its upper jaw. The beast lunged forward and dug the dagger-like teeth into his left shoulder. Ice spread from the wound, burning along his arm and chest in a numbing shock of misery. Jaze’s mouth fell open, but no sound could escape past the arm around his throat. They continued to drag him downwards, crooked hands now clutching at his face. He could just peek out from between the fingers to see Carn staring down gleefully.

A bright light appeared from behind the older man, and Carn suddenly screamed before retreating into the shadows. The bodies nearly threw him from their grip into the luminescence. The various wounds covering his exposed form burned away in the glow, and he felt gentle warmth spreading through him. A sense of safety settled over him, and the tightness in his chest eased to the point he could breathe again. He felt the warm radiance lifting him further away from the grasp of the creatures below, carrying him somewhere.

Shivers racked his body as he thawed enough to move. The warm light slowly turned into something like sunlight. It felt wonderful against his bare skin. He reached around to his back to gently feel the area where his raw wound had been, and found nothing. Only smooth skin with the barest trace of scarring marked where the claws had dug into him. His fingers flew to his injured shoulder, and found it too was completely healed over.

The light deposited him on something soft and cozy. He felt a warm presence against his legs, a comforting change from the frigid bodies. Something covered him, spreading soothing heat through his chilled form. The shivers began to subside, leaving Jaze feeling exhausted. He felt something brush his cheek. A smiling, feminine face peered down at him with soft eyes. The woman whispered his name as she leaned down to plant her soft lips against his.

“E…” he croaked, his voice having deserted him, “Ev…” The light above him grew brighter, so bright his eyes were forced shut. He could feel himself slipping away. Even if he tried to open his eyes now, he wouldn’t be able to drag the lids back. He welcomed the darkness, especially if it let him forget. But he wanted one, last look at the one who had saved him…

Jaze tried to open his eyes and was instantly blinded by bright lights, which sent a spike of pain deep into his head. The light bleached his sight and left him unable to see. His eyes immediately clamped shut, and refused to open again. Spots dotted the blackness while his head throbbed in sympathy with his eyes.

The remnants of the dream set his heart to pounding, though he didn’t know if it were fear or something different that set his pulse racing. He could still feel the arms gripping him, but the face that had smiled at him just before he awoke continued to swim through his mind. Even thinking the name set a wave of pain through him, but he couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit of joy at having been able to see her again. Even if it was only a dream.

Intense soreness wracked his body from head to toe. The worst was his ribs. They twanged painfully every time he drew breath, or tried to make any movement at all. His back and shoulder throbbed at the smallest movements as well. The pain robbed his limbs of all their strength; he couldn’t even bring them off of the bed. The only thing he could do was lay there and wait.

He was lying on his back, his lower half covered in a thin sheet. Several bandages were wrapped around his torso running every which way. The tight bandages made breathing difficult. The only thing he could feel on him other than the sheet and dressings was a close-fitting pair of undershorts. Underneath him was a comfortable mattress; supporting his head and shoulders were several large, fluffy pillows. The cool air made him wish for something other than a sheet to cover with. An overly clean, disinfectant smell reached his nostrils and sent a shudder through him. He knew that smell; it was the same smell of every hospital in the galaxy.

He lay still, trying to remember what had happened. There had been a fight, but he couldn’t focus on the details. He kept getting flashes of fear and exhaustion, but everything was a blur in his mind. The harder he sought the answers to his burning questions, the faster the memories vanished. If he’d had the strength, he would have thumped the bed in frustration. But as it was, he was forced to continue waiting on something to become clear.

As he lay in the darkness, Jaze began to remember what had landed him here. The space station swam to the fore of his mind. Everything, from the fights through the station to that last, painful encounter, began to take form inside his mind. And finally, he remembered leaving the bomb in Carn’s care as Trixie fled with him on her back. But everything afterwards was blank. Vague memories of being intensely cold and of being pressed into something by what must have been a huge hand were the only things that he could recall.

The pain in his eyes had begun to subside, and he hoped it wouldn’t return as soon as he tried to open them again. His eyelids creaked apart and he was able to look around the area he found himself in. Trixie was the first thing that caught his eye. She was gently snoring, using his leg as a pillow. Her mane had become a frizzy mess as she slept, casting a halo of silvery hair around her head. He couldn’t help but smile softly at the unicorn as he looked down at her.

A quick glance around the room showed he was in a hospital. The room was the familiar dark gray of a human starship. To his right was a small, sliding metal door slightly recessed into the wall. Across from the door was a round porthole looking out onto a field of stars. There was a small nightstand and two chairs across from each other by to his bed, but that was all the spartan room contained. Trixie sat half in one chair with her upper body resting on his bed with her forelegs propped against the edge. The other chair sat unoccupied but looked like it had been well used.

Both of his arms had a couple needles jammed into veins and connected by long, clear tubes to several bags of fluids above him. One filled with what was unmistakably blood, while another couple held what looked like water. Attached at each temple was a small wire leading to a machine with several wavy lines arranged vertically on a glowing, green display. On the first finger of his real hand was a small clip leading to another machine that he recognized as monitoring his heart. Across his chest, he could see bright white bandages crisscrossed around the majority of his upper half.

His eyes finally slid back to the pony lying against him. He just managed to bring up his metal hand and gently brush away the stray strands of mane from Trixie’s face. The unicorn hardly moved at the touch of his hand. But as he brushed away the hair, he could see dark bags underneath her eyes. Fresh trails of tears matted her azure fur starting at the corners of her eyes. His thumb gently brushed against the last traces of the unicorn’s tears. Even with his hand on her face, Trixie didn’t do more than murmur in her sleep and snuggle closer to his leg.

The sliding door flashed open, and in burst Admiral Gaston. The old man’s face had become drawn, showing many of the same features as the pony on Jaze’s leg. The dark bags under Gaston’s eyes as well as his sagging shoulders made the grayed man look far older. But as soon as the sailor took in the scene before him, a genuinely happy smile spread across his face. Gaston practically strutted to the bed, and even with the tiredness playing behind them, his eyes sparkled with mirth.

“Jaze! You’re awake. Gave’us a gorram scare ya did.” the old man crowed, practically bouncing into the room.

“Sh,” Jaze croaked. His throat was scratchy and raw, turning his voice to gravel. His tongue was fuzzy and thick, while he couldn’t seem to keep his mouth wet at all. But he still managed to grind out an admonishment, “Keep it down, Trixie’s trying to sleep.”

Gaston’s face reddened as he looked down to the sleeping mare. His voice dropped lower to match Jaze’s, “Oh, aye. Bes’ thing for ‘er righ’ now. Been with you since the docs dropped you in here to recover, all trussed up and lookin’ like hell. Stayed up almost three days; guess she finally couldn’ stand it anymore ‘n fell asleep. She couldn’t have been out for too long, either.”

Jaze nodded, his hand running through the unicorn's mane again. Moving his arm sent shocks of pain down his side, but the soft, silvery hair felt wonderful against his skin. The strands parted around his fingers, each one catching the light as it fell back into place among the mess. The pain along his side began to lessen the more he played with the fine hairs.

“So, how’s it been old man?” he asked as a painful smile creased his face. “How long was I out, and what happened while I was?”

“I’ll start with the easiest one first; you’ve been out ‘bout a week.”

Jaze’s eyes widened as he felt his heart skip a beat, “That long?”

“Yep.” confirmed Gaston, “With the blood loss, broken ribs, ‘n the cuts everywhere, docs’re saying that it’s lucky you lived. Was really touch ‘n go for awhile there.” The old man raised an eyebrow in a disapproving glare, “And I’ll say it again, you scared us nearly to death.”

“So could you tell me what’s been going on in that week? What happened after we left the Cye station, I don’t remember it at all.”

“I’ll tell ya what happened.” cackled Gaston as his voice began to creep higher, “Biggest damned explosion I’ve seen. Jus’ obliterated that station. Don’t know how you two did it, but you pulled it off. Damned heroes you are.”

Jaze smiled as he gently combed Trixie’s mane with his fingers. “Thank her. She’s the one that kept Carn from disarming the bomb, somehow. I was just there to stall him a bit.”

“Either way, it worked.” Gaston moved to the unoccupied chair and fell into it with grateful sigh. With his elbows on his knees, the old man continued, “Soon as the station went up, most of the Cye ships turned tail and ran. A few stayed behind, but they were hardly organized. My fleets massacred the leftovers an’ didn’ lose a single ship. As an added bonus, human forces across the galaxy are reporting the Cye forces they’re facing are either falling or being pushed back. Won’t be long before we’ve swept’em clean of the galaxy.”

As much as he hated it, Jaze couldn’t stop the hopeful tone from taking over his voice, “So, you’re saying this over?”

“I reckon so, boyo.”

A strange fluttering filled Jaze’s stomach. Even though he had been work toward this moment for years, it still sent a numbing shock over him to hear that it was over. His hand came up to cover his mouth as the truth began to sink in. It really was over. He wouldn’t have to hear about another human colony being destroyed, or listen to another sad story of someone losing their entire family. The pain filling his body became distant as the realization washed over him.

Jaze looked up to Gaston, “God, that’s good to hear.”

“That it is.” the old Admiral conceded, “It’s not all sunshine and rainbow though. We’ve got a lot of wounded here, plus we’ve got a lot of ships around the planet to search for survivors. Not to mention clearing out the last bits of Cye from any worlds they’re still on.”

“Yeah, but…” A smile lit Jaze’s face, “It’s over. The war is over.”

The grayed sailor nodded, “Aye, it is. We’ve yet got a lot of work to do, but for now we can all breathe a bit easier.”

Jaze grinned; his stomach still felt fluttery. He still felt as if he were in a dream. Looking past the Admiral at the porthole, he stared out at the field of stars. After so long, they held wonder like he hadn’t felt since he was a child. Each one was a potential to find a new world. He looked back down at the pony stretched across his legs; maybe they could even find more friendly beings scattered throughout the galaxy.

“So what happens now, Gaston?” he asked as he looked back up, “What is our next move?”

Gaston stood in one startlingly-swift motion and place his arms at the small of his back. Any trace of a smile slid from his weather-beaten face, and his gaze became fierce and focused. Puffing out his chest just a bit, the old man crowed, “We’re gonna take back every one of our worlds stolen by the Cye, starting with Earth.”

Jaze managed to pull himself up into a sitting position despite a searing flare of pain from his ribs. He brought his right hand up in a quick salute as he asked, “Great, when do we start sir?”

“You’re not doing a damn ‘til you’ve healed up a bit. Then I have an idea for the perfect assignment for you.”

“Very good sir.” Jaze responded, but he felt his heart sink. Even if he had known it was coming, the idea of leaving Equestria behind left a hollow feeling in his chest. He couldn’t stop his eyes from flitting back down to the unicorn sleeping on his leg. It left a sour taste in his mouth to think of leaving already, but he knew there was no choice. He set his jaw as the idea took hold of his mind, all the while holding back from screaming about how unfair it was.

The Admiral smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry about the future so much boyo. You worry about getting all fixed up,” he gave a pointed glance at Trixie, “And the things that are right in front of you.”

His face burned, and Jaze let his gaze drop to look at the floor. “Is it that obvious?”

“Only if someone knows, and I’ve had a long time to figure these things out. Was a bit like that with my wife.” chuckled the old sailor. A hand landed on Jaze’s shoulder as his friend added, “Don’t worry about anything right know, just rest and feel better.”

“I’ll try, that’s all I can promise.”

Even as he said the words, Jaze felt his eyelids droop. He settled back into the comfortable pillows as everything began to fade away. Just the effort of sitting up to talk left him feeling drained. The softness of the mattress was pulling him back down into peaceful oblivion. A large yawn split his head, and he didn’t even hear the door open to let Gaston out before he dropped back into dreams.