Alexander didn't take too long to mope. He had all his life to wallow in misery, and after her sister's declaration he only had one thing he wanted to do: Go back down and make sure everyone saw the red sign that said 'CLOSED'. He was tempted to paint the words 'FOREVER' underneath, but right now he didn't give a shit even for that one.

The only thing he cared about was the plushy on his hands as he sat on the counter, looking at nothing.

It had been an hour now, maybe two, he wasn't sure. He was focused on revisiting all the time he had spent with his sister since she came here, all the times he had made her smile, every time he had fucked up, the days that had them at each other's throats... Good and bad, those days were going to end for good. Despite some of the memories being best forgotten, with some of them now showing an obvious sign of the right time for the right word, only to be missed as was the norm for him, he found himself searching for every last one of them, hunting for what would be the last remains of his sister once she left.

Cup Cake had been more articulate than the silent man, enough to at least tell him to do something anyway. She hadn't been able to hold her tears as she felt the pain of those close to her, and while she had tried her best to explain all she could about what was happening in the heat of the moment, the burn and crash that had been enough to send his mind into a tumble that had messed up everything nicely enough for him to be a mess.

Was it really Cup Cake's fault? Was it the magic? Was she responsible for all this as she feared, or was it something else? Do you know how much that mattered now? Absolutely nothing. Zero. Nada. You know why? Because the only thing that mattered about what Cup Cake had done, if she had done anything at all, was that she was obviously distressed and feeling what the brothers were feeling. That made Alexander feel like an even bigger shit, but what destroyed him was that, despite whatever Mrs. Cake said, this was his fault.

How much did it matter if Cup Cake brought this to the surface once more or not? This was one rotten apple that was stinking the place already. Sooner or later, with help from someone or just by their own volition, this would have made the tides turn, for no one can forget events like your own sister making advances on you late at night.

Not when it felt so damn bad to say 'no' that one time.

Oh yea, you read shit in the internet and think it is hot, right? You read about the kinky and sexy incest stories, impregnation, breeding and what have you... But what would happen to YOU if it happened in real life? What would happen to you if you suddenly had a group of women or men wanting to have only you with no problems as far as sharing goes? What if your own parent/s or other familiars wanted to be with you? Would you do what the people expect you to, or would you go with what you think would make you happy?

Alexander was not as homophobic as his parents, in fact he didn't give a shit about anyone's gender, preferences or anything else. All he cared was about the person, and a person isn't made by outward appearances, it is made by how they act, how they are, their personality. That is what attracted him to Cup Cake, what made him envy Carrot, and what probably would make him happy as all get together if Cup Cake gave him a chance.

But it also made him love his sister. She was witty, she had spunk and she was devoted to those she loved. Self sacrifice, that was one of the things Alexander wanted most, and that was one thing he had scrapped in lieu of snaring his sister in this home. She had felt like a debt had to be paid, she wanted to please him, and he had used that to keep her around.

Anyone seeing what happened some hours ago could consider so many things wrong with the picture. Alexander would be glad to agree that less than a week was not enough to simply love someone, but it would be enough to feel attraction, more so if you were spending so much time with that person, or pony, as both brothers had. At the same time it should have been a shocker for Cup Cake to find out about Alexander and Olivia, but much like his sister's reaction, the mare seemed more afraid of the anger, and affected by the emotions she seemed to share, than anything else.

What he would have for this to be something of a spur of the moment, ALL OF IT. As it stood, and it stood firmly indeed, the grave he had dug for himself lied as empty and as cold as the first day, only this time it was much deeper and he had decided to open the casket himself. The only thing left for him, was to jump in and get cozy.

"Sometimes it seems like all has to go to hell to get back on track, doesn't it?"

The sound of rain coming from outside stopped as Alexander blinked, quickly turning to his side to see that the whole place had turned dark except for a small circle of light around him. Was he surprised? After all the shit that had been going on... not really. What did surprise him was the clock, inert and normal looking, right beside him. It was as if whatever powered it had left.

"You know, pony bonds weren't meant to work without magic." The voice was gentle, but deep. It echoed slightly in his head and came from nowhere in particular. "They are such social creatures that it is almost impossible for them not to form bonds with every creature they meet, but back in their world it is very hard to keep track of all of them, and with how much magic there is... well, you can say that the effects are much less profound than the one you are sharing now."

As he looked forward once more Alexander was greeted by a pair of tuxedo covered arms that ended in perfectly white hands. They looked human enough, but they ended in pure darkness no matter if they came closer or moved away, making him wonder if the darkness was moving alongside the body on the other side, or if there was a body at all.

Sincerely, Alexander didn't give a fuck at the moment. He was more interested in what the hell was going on instead of what was talking to him, or whom.

"Now, if Celestia hadn't been the spoiled child she has turned out to be, then you would have kept living your life, and probably ended it miserably." The figure seemed to shrug for a moment. "No skin of my nose, really, there is not enough magic here on Earth to even summon me anymore, and as an aspect of magic I can tell you that it is pathetic. Sadly, Earth seems to gear towards technology almost ninety nine percent of the time, and you guys tend to fuck things up around the same number of times." That made the voice chuckle darkly. "So if nothing else, Celestia's little childish impatience has served to give you a second chance."

"But let's cut the chit chat, you want to know what is going on, right?" Alexander didn't know how he managed to be as calm and collected as to simply nod, but that is all he did. "Let me begin with who I am: I am an aspect of magic, I am Harmony, or one of its forms, like the elements or the tree itself." The human thought that what the arms were doing was showing that 'harmony' was bowing, but he wasn't sure. "I am also your one and only 'extra guy', 'one up' and 'continue'. I am here, in front of you, because you fucked up, but in your case you fucked up BEFORE this began."

Alexander hid his face behind his hands in exasperation. "I know I fucked up alright! And I don't care if I am having a breakdown right now, I just want to know how to fix this situation."

"Normally? I'd say you messed up and that it would be balanced sooner or later. In Earth? That doesn't happen." Harmony sighed, exhaling long and hard. "First I need to make a few questions, so hear me out and nod or shake your head as your answer, no talking. Words don't work as you think they do with this." Alexander wondered what it meant, but harmony didn't allow him time to ask. "Is a tyrant an evildoer?" He just had time to blink before he nodded. "Is democracy good?" Again, Alexander nodded. "Is helping a helpless person the right thing to do?" Once more, Alexander nodded. "Is killing in cold blood right?" And then he shook his head. The one to held its 'face' behind his hands was Harmony this time. "Christ, you humans can be worse than ponies."

"Wha...?"

"There is no white, there is no black, those are colors. There is no right, there is no wrong, they are CHOICES." Harmony sounded like those people that were trying to explain things to a child. "Good or bad, they don't exist in the way you think they do. Right or wrong was created by sapient beings because they usually fuck things up so bad, that they need a way to explain how they managed to wreck a whole world. Nature is equilibrium all on itself, with the anomaly being inelegant enough creatures to be evil for the sole purpose of being evil, or those that are good simply because they want to be good. When you 'understand' good and evil, it is then when harmony is screwed."

"Let me put it this way." Harmony clapped its hands together and a figure in regal armor, but horrid in appearance as it looked similar to damn Sauron in a few ways, sat atop a throne with thousands of other figures bowing in front of it. "A tyrant can be a cruel and evil person in the eyes of many, but its subjects may love their lord because that one 'evil bastard' gives them education, food, good working conditions and safety. In the meantime we have corrupt democracies that squeeze the livelihood out of every single man, woman and child that is under their care. Then we have the helpless person ready to kill you in a moment's notice and the evildoer that is about to kill thousands upon thousands because the stupid hero thinks it is bad to kill that one asshole before they do anything that will mark them for life."

Harmony clapped its hands together once more and the image evaporated. "Good, in layman terms, means to do something that benefits the many, not the one. It means to push things forward, to create prosperity, to make things 'right'. Evil means the opposite. But what is good and what is evil, hmm? Your comprehension, human as it is, won't be able to understand it all because you have been conditioned by your parents, in fact it is surprising you can tolerate your sister with how your parents are."

"HEY!"

"Alexander." The tone in Harmony's voice darkened quickly as it was interrupted. "If humans had grown RIGHT, then things such as anarchy would be possible, in fact it would be a paradise with everyone doing what they want, with everyone living the life they desire. If humanity had grown right, then communism would work instead of being utterly destroyed because those that need to represent the people distance themselves by being like almost any other politician. If humanity had evolved as they should, then there would be no right or wrong, there would be life and you all would strive to maintain it." Harmony growled, the sound echoing in such a heavy and almost violent way that scared Alexander into stillness. "But every intelligent species grows differently. That is what brings us to your problem."

"Worlds without magic, even worlds with magic, aren't meant to be perfect. Magic usually means more happiness, greater equilibrium, but it doesn't always stay that way, it isn't meant to be that way in all of them. Harmony has to balance ALL the realms, and that means some nightmare fuel." The way Harmony said it almost sounded like it was talking about the weather. To say that it unnerved Alexander would be an understatement. "Equis? Nine times out of ten it is almost perfect. Celestia is a bleeding heart that usually wants everything to be just right for her subjects, and when harmony tries to make things balance out, she throws a tantrum." Harmony stopped and pointed at Alexander. "This version of Earth is my answer to her latest fuckup. You are the first 'lucky' guy to be part of the therapy to heal Equestria."

The human waited for a moment, but Harmony didn't say anything more. Was Alexander supposed to say something? If that was the case, then what was he supposed to say? How was this shit help to anybody?

"Why me? Why start this crap?" Alexander only found resignation and anger in his voice.

"Harmony, once more." Which was nowhere as funny or ironic as Harmony itself thought, Alexander was sure of it. "Let me begin from the start: Celestia fucked up." And that wasn't as big a surprise as Alexander thought it would be. "Everything evil out there? Elements of Harmony its ass. Every problem that happens? Send the mane six. There are nightmares? Sister will weed them out. Discord is too much of a chaos god? Friendship cannon him. Tirek about to wreck my shit? Mare ball Z. Changelings are famished and we didn't reach out for them since the day they appeared because ponies are fantasy racists? Well, that one is almost a bit of balance, but fuck it! Love conquers all and all that shit."

For a moment Alexander thought about laughing, but self preservation told him not to. "Celestia has geared every single problem the nation has encountered, every single one, towards making her nation better, more prosper and friendlier. This would be all well and good if other creatures, other nations, would balance things, but not even the dragons are truly evil, and the diamond dogs are mostly stupid and a bit greedy at worst. The truth is that Celestia, or Luna, always aim to make things 'good', and sometimes it just breaks the magic apart because there is not enough 'evil' to balance it."

"Do you know about the Overlord games?" The question surprised Alexander, but he did nod. It was a fun comedic game with evil as the protagonist. "Remember the heroes, remember how easily corrupted they were, as evil seemingly disappeared from the world. Tipping the balance of the scales towards either direction literally breaks it, and in this case, this one case, it broke down to affect those that were responsible for the unbalance." Clasping its hands together, Harmony delivered the punch line in a monotone. "The result of this? An undefined number of years with ponykind unable to procreate."

Carrot was infertile. Carrot could not provide. Carrot SHOULD have been ALL but infertile. The reason Cup Cake was here was because this asshole had decided to teach the ponies a lesson by cutting down the baby making and forcing every mare to go around suffering heat pains for who knows how long! To say that Alexander's self control was breaking would be like saying a damn about to crack just had a little paint chipped off its surface.

"Angry, are you?" Harmony had a big grin in its voice, Alexander could feel it. "That is why I chose humans when Celestia decided that she couldn't trust harmony, that it was another enemy to best. She decided to use old magic, ancient magic, to solve this problem, knowing full well that harmony does NOT allow for magic to be the 'solve it all' in this world of hers. She still tried, so I decided to give her the middle finger because this petulant child keeps trying to tell me how things work."

"Sincerely, Alex, can I call you Alex? This problem would have been around for maybe fifty years or so, practically nothing for Equis as a whole. Ponies live long lives, and now so will you and your sister, as well as any other human that magic finds attractive enough to claim... unless you guys do enough of a good job and I decide that harmony can do with your help." Despite his angry look, Alexander had to turn to curiosity as Harmony went on. "When Celestia decided to cheat by pulling mares from Equestria to another world, as she hoped that taking them away from what she thought was the cause would, in turn, spell the 'cure' for this, I decided that I would guide her to Earth. Why? Because if we mix both world then they will counter each other."

"Look at Cup Cake, now look at yourself." Harmony's smile just grew as its voice turned more and more chipper. "What took Mrs. Cake to break down? What took a very cute, friendly and motherly mare to show something darker; her anger, her hate and her desperation? I needed to brighter to another world after getting her close to heat, a heat that would bear no fruit. I required negativity to keep the harmony in the land, but when the alternative meant allowing the magic in Equis to rot and die, thus killing everything. A bit of 'evil' sounded perfectly fine." He pointed at Alexander for a second. "But humans don't require much. Your kind is neutral by default, neither good nor bad. You do what suits you best, though during your growth as a species you abandoned neutrality and grew more towards evil because it is basically taught by modern society that everyone is out there to fend for him or herself. Despite all the good, which is a lot, that your species can do, humans tend to go down the wrong path in most iterations of this world, which is a shame."

"Now, extrapolate Cup Cake to nearly ninety five percent of the pony population and think: Could the species as a whole do enough evil to keep harmony going? Could they have enough negative thoughts to do it? Could they allow the other species that practically follow them to have enough bad in them to keep Equis going?" Silence fell for a few seconds, but after watching the series with his sister and Mrs. Cake, Alexander had to say that, if certain 'evil' levels were needed, then the world was fucked up. "Your silence is enough of an answer, and it is the correct one."

"But why me? You haven't answered that question." Alexander crossed his arms. Today had too much shit pilling on his plate. "Why bring Cup Cake here? Why bring Cup Cake at ALL?! She has selfishness if nothing else, she is not as perfect as other ponies at least, she said so herself. Doesn't she want Carrot and Carrot alone? If you wanted to bring some harmony I don't think Mrs. Cake was a good first test subject."

"Not exactly, but it has more to do with the fact that she was the one to tip off Celestia more than anything." Harmony relaxed and returned to its neutral stance in its voice. "If it hadn't been for the Cakes, then Celestia would have taken longer to discover this problem I made. If it wasn't for her, then the change would have stayed put as the magic solidified after enough time. As it stands, Mrs. Cake did Celestia a great service, and disturbed the equilibrium that was supposed to bring harmony back. True, it was not planned or anything, but it happened, and that tipped her own balance." Harmony chuckled. "Besides, who says she wasn't bent towards one side before?"

Alexander didn't even get to say 'huh?' before Harmony explained. "Devotion, self sacrifice, incessant and interminable love for her mate, her little ones and nearly any other pony? I think I have seen Mrs. Cake truly angry, what, two times? A little bad doesn't make up for all the good" Harmony relaxed its arms' stance. "But it is not just the ponies I have to think about now. Celestia's little spell has made sure to intertwine Equis and Earth. The only thing I was able to do is place a safeguard for this kind of thing, to help those that fumble, like you, ONCE, at best, if it works, as well as to guide mares desiring foals to a partner that is compatible. Whether it works between the human and the mare, or mares, is not so much up to me as it is up to you."

"So... what happens if I fuck up again?" Alexander dreaded the answer.

"If you really fuck up again? The deal is off. If it is obvious that Cup Cake and you can't mingle, then she will go back when the last number in the clock disappears." Harmony patted said machine with one hand. "You will remember everything, including what you lost, and little by little your, and her, life will undo itself. Whatever happens afterwards may or may not be repairable, but it is either that or poison Equestria, and now Earth."

"The question you may be wondering about is: Why should it hurt me?" Though Alexander wasn't going to ask, since he knew perfectly well why this was getting to the point of bursting at the seams: Too much bullshit from him. "So I will answer you with a question: What does it mean for Celestia to burden your world with 'curing' this 'affliction' I made to balance all the good they made?"

What did it mean? That was a good question. What was burdening Mrs. Cake right now? She was going to go into heat, she didn't want to cheat on her husband, but she wanted to have more kids, as her desire, her dream, was a big family to love. What had happened to the other mares? They got equally out of luck because any other stallion would be the same way, if what Harmony said was effectively true for everypony. Heck, he could go and guess that harmony would make it impossible for them to be pregnant back home, so what did it mean to have Mrs. Cake here?

Did it mean that Alexander got to have a fling? Did it mean gratuitous sex between human and pony? Hybrid families? Just plain porn and a snap of the fingers, then it is done? That sounded pretty easy, and superficial as all hell. From what Harmony had told him this seemed more convoluted than just getting a pony fuck buddy.

"I'll tell you what this means." And it seemed that Harmony was in the mood to lecture him some more. "This means that 'I' am charged with this world too." Which Alexander hadn't thought would make him this wide eyed. "Magic is pouring out, and it begins here. Harmony will envelop Earth, and little by little, things will change, all because Celestia didn't think that harmony can take care of itself. Of course, obeying the laws of ancient magic, I need to play the part, but I can bend the rules since it is 'I' who made them. Unlike Discord, unlike Celestia, 'I' don't have limits as far as harmony is balanced in the end."

"Now, let's look at Earth. Is it harmonic?" Alexander didn't need to think twice before he shook his head. "Of course not. Magic here is not very powerful, and it will never be very powerful, but it means that I will be here nevertheless, so I am going to slowly whip you all into shape, literally if needed be, otherwise you all will be unable to reach the third millennium of your written history without wrecking your species." It was weird to hear Harmony snort, but Alexander felt almost the same way as it did. "Now that this place is connected with Equis it is my business to make sure you don't destabilize it more than it is, so that is why I used these to my advantage."

A snap of the fingers made the clock turn into a small stone, no bigger than a fist, much smaller than the damn clunky thing that was the clock that Olivia had found. The stone had runes, runes of various colors, similar to those of the clock, with one difference: A few of the runes were inherit. In fact the snuffed runes were three, no more, no less, just three.

"Seeker stones have their uses, but they are some of the oldest magic in Equis, back when magic itself was scarce and there weren't as many magic users as today. Using them as a catalyst for Celestia's spell wasn't exactly intuitive, but I may have given her a nudge in the right direction since Celestia was so decided to do 'the right thing'." Something that Harmony seemed to find hilarity in that statement while Alexander was unsure as to what to think of it. "Their runes can be used for many things, many more than those that ponies know off in this age. It is easy for them to pick a pony, or other creature, and seek those they could easily bond with. Infusing them with other enchantments while Celestia cast her spell was easy, making her think it was her idea, making her assume that secondary effects, or possible disturbances thanks to the ancient magic, were possible was an equally easy task." Once more the smile could be heard in Harmony's voice, but this time it wasn't the nice and friendly one Alex had expected. "And thanks to that it was easy to channel the changes expected in this first phase of the experiment."

Alexander's lip twitched. He wasn't sure if it was a snarl, a smile developed through the near maddening day or just plain old need to laugh at all this bullshit.

"You..." Staying calm would be impossible, and the quivering voice he held was enough to show. "You are the cause that we bonded this fast, that my sister's changing, that I brought all this shit up. It is not Cup Cake, it is your idea of harmony."

"Bingo! But no, not entirely." Alexander had been this close to getting up and trying to punch Harmony in the... whatever it had. "The bond? That happened on its own. Non magical creatures should not form it, so the idea of forming said bond was just a wild goose chase I gave to Celestia, but the stones would seek possible bonds anyway. Once you were full of magic as a normal magical creature? Then it would have happened, but it wasn't supposed to work this fast. Then again ponies are sociable creatures, so it is reasonable to expect that ancient magic, my magic, and the one they have today is different. Now, about your sister? That was planed to perfection." And now the human was rethinking if he should indeed punch Harmony.

"You must understand that all living things generate magic, but the more technology progresses, the more limited the growth of magic is. That is why technology in Equis is limited to things mainly archaic and that can only work with magic help. To start what I need, I require a lot of magic here, and part of the magic is already being used, which means I need more than what a single pony can generate. For that reason, and other little reasons on the side, you were one of the best candidates for this first incursion." A little blue image of Olivia formed on top of the counter. "Your sister is completely unhappy here, and you have been driving her away constantly. She needed just a little push to break, and I knew you would mess up sooner or later. With the next humans I may give much subtler hints, but with you I needed to be brutally clear and let you see how things would work. At the same time, I required extra help to keep the countermeasures around your house and to pump enough magic to justify future travels."

"Now, I am sure you are thinking: But wait! You are using me for your own schemes! How is this harmonic in any way?" Olivia's blue form exploded, soon replaced by what looked like a live version of Oven the thestral. "Who is to say I am doing harm here? What I am doing is correcting the pain and suffering you two have inflicted each other, the disdain your family feels for you and, as a bonus, I am giving you a world that would be happy to have you... If you two manage to work it out between each other and Cup Cake. A payment for services rendered, with a few extras."

A few extras? A better world? So it was indeed a possibility to go to Equestria... Alexander didn't like the idea still, despite finding a fondness, or more, for Cup Cake, he didn't dislike Earth all that much. He liked his friends, he liked the technology and he was happy here.

Olivia wasn't. That was more than enough for him. It should have been this clear a long time ago.

"So what are you saying with all of this is that if we make it happen, we help both my world and Equis. Not only that, but we achieve happiness together and all that shit." Harmony gave him a thumbs up. "And then harmony will return if Earth and Equis stay joined like this because we were a big enough fuckup to counter Celestia's own? How many will like this plan?"

"I don't care if they like it or not, it is happening." The finality in Harmony's voice was slightly terrifying. "The alternative for magic itself was simple: Let Celestia search in vain until she breaks. Part of her cutie mark, of her duties, revolve around keeping her kingdom safe. If she found no way of doing it she could have turned completely ruthless trying to get things done, and it would have tipped the balance from good to evil in such a quick motion that it would have hurt, or even destroyed, Equis, for it could have also attracted her sister's negative side once more. This was the next best thing. I made it the next best thing." Alexander didn't feel any better at how Harmony said it. "If it doesn't work, then both worlds suffer and harmony is recovered quickly, just a few years for Equis while Earth is disengaged from this link and the brutal backlash makes the balance stay strong. Some ponies suffer, some humans suffer, harmony is sated. If it works? Then everyone grows happier and the best behaved humans go to Equis while the worlds form a bond that will allow for humanity to return to neutrality while the goodwill of the ponies is focused on helping humans achieve such a thing, leaving their world free from excessive goodness for a while. I win, I score, I am fucking amazing."

Still, Alexander could do nothing but scoff. "This sounds like the end justifies the means."

He could almost feel Harmony shaking its nonexistent head. "The means justify the end, it is not the same thing." Alexander blinked at that. "Would balance be possible if I allow Celestia to turn mad and possibly destroy the world? Or would it be easier to make some ponies and humans go through these little experiments to ensure ponies forget their stupid racism and humans grow in understanding and relearn how to bond with others as is properly done?" Harmony clasped his hands together and snuffed the blue flame that had been Olivia once and for all. "Getting people dead hardly makes things equal; it makes things worse. To allow this problem to boil until it explodes would solve things quick and easy, at least if Celestia is stopped quickly, but it would be a gamble and I doubt Equestria would survive intact. Doing things this way? There may be some drama, but things will probably end better, and with so much negativity in this world harmony will recover fast if achieved, or faster if you humans fuck up. Either way I win, Equis is intact and Celestia learns to not fuck with harmony anymore, or else."

"Then again, that is not how things work, so I do have an offer for you." Harmony picked the seeker stone and crushed it with its hand. The clock returned to its original position as if by magic. "You ask me to go back in time and I allow for the other plan to go on. You forget this all, you keep living your life that could perfectly well work or break at any point in time, and the ponies risk it all once Celestia's patience breaks as she sees mares everywhere breaking down from heat pains. This doesn't mean you are selfish, or that you are a hero, it means you make a choice." Harmony opened its right hand and showed Olivia as a thestral. "Do you dare love your sister, even as she changes, even if almost no human will understand or like you for it? Do you try to explore what you are feeling for Cup Cake? Do you dare to accept the possibility of a polyamorous relationship with family and friends?" Then it opened the left, showing plain old Olivia. "Or do you risk living your plain old life to have it easier? Do you forget about this new chance? Do you forget about Miss Cake? Do you forget that Olivia is close to breaking down?" Harmony chuckled. "Tick tock, tick tock."

Easy or hard path? There were no easy choices here, both would be hard, for different reasons. This was not a game, there was no right choice, only what he felt was right. And you know what? He hadn't done the right thing since he left home, so what he did was take Harmony's right hand, snuffing the left one's flame.

"You monkeys can be trained..." Harmony's voice chuckled. "With some luck the rest will have the same balls. But I have to warn you." Then the tone grew dark. "There is a shield that won't allow any of you to go far away from this building until next week. Not even to the market. After that period of time you will be able to go outside and have a semi normal life, but if your don't manage to convince your sister, then she will be teleported away alongside Cup Cake, but you won't. You lose, you fuck up, you MISS, crash, and burn. End of the fucking line." The sudden pressure that Alexander felt on his hand could easily make his hand break into tiny pieces. "Do you get it? I have given you all you need to work this out. Don't fail me, or your life is worse than forfeit. You don't get another call, you don't get another one up, continue or anything like that. Fuck up, and you will be utterly alone for the rest of your life after serving your purpose. Remember:" Harmony let go of his hand, which Alexander withdrew faster than he ever thought possible. "Harmony first and foremost. Everything else, good or bad, is meaningless."

A snap of thunder fell squarely in front of the shop, cracking the scene apart as light engulfed Alexander's vision once more.

He hadn't moved during the visit, or he thought he hadn't, and everything was kept in place. He had plushy Oven there, the clock was nowhere in sight and the only thing that had changed was that there was a small hole outside, as well as some very small asphalt chunks clicking against the windows. Luckily nothing broke, but the startling effect had been enough for him to shake off the fear that Harmony had forced down his throat.

Because that was one thing that happened, right? It wasn't his mind trying to make up shit? He hoped it wasn't, otherwise this was going to work poorly.

Alexander knew very well that his sister would not allow him to speak, not now, not after fucking up so badly. They had to talk a long time ago, instead he made sure to tell her to repress all those thoughts and at best they were used for jabs. This time he had to force her to talk when she had been the one to try and open the conversation before. How to do it? Plant himself in front of the only exit, wait and endure the kick in the nuts that was about to come.

It all depended on him not breaking as he saw his sister going downstairs, bags in hand, backpack full, jacket on and eyes bloodshot as she looked at him and at the plushy he was holding on his hand. Her face was neutral despite everything, and it was obvious she didn't have anything else to say as she walked towards him. The only thing she muttered was enough to chill him to the core.

"Move."

His answer was as cold and concise. "No."

Her kick was excruciatingly precise though.

Alexander could be much taller than his sister, but Olivia had a lot more spunk and a lot less flunk than his brother. She could very well balance all the weight she was carrying and still kick so hard and so high that it made Alexander's brain freeze as pain stung to his very soul. Despite the scream he managed to swallow and the endurance he showed, he was about to puke his guts out as Olivia snarled at him.

"MOVE!" She screeched. "I am letting you free, you asshole! Move! Get out of my sight and fuck the pony if you so want! LEAVE. ME. BE!" She half cried, trying to save what tears remained. "Leave me be for once. Let me live at fucking last."

"If you go out..." Alexander was unable to do more than croak, half coughing half gasping as he tried not to throw whatever was left from yesterday's dinner. "If you leave... you'll be miserable... the same as me."

"Not this again." Olivia left all pretext of control and just threw her bags to the ground. "Who would be worse off? Me? Or you!?"

"..." Alexander looked down, ashamed. "Me." But before Olivia could say anything, he looked back at her. "But you would fare no better, would you?" The 'AHA!' that Olivia was about to utter died within her throat. "Or would you really be happy leaving? Would you want to move away and be able to forget?"

Feeling humiliated and angry, Olivia was this close to kicking him once more. "Would it be better to stay here with YOU until you deem it FIT for me to leave!? Would it be better to keep pleasing your every fucking wish in hopes for a simple kiss from you!? I am tired! I am tired of this shit! I want to leave and I will do so now!"

"What would you do then?" Olivia had been about to push Alexander away. It didn't matter that their size was so different, as well as their weight and strength, she wanted to push him off the exit. Instead, she looked at his concerned gaze. "You are changing, you have showed it to both me and Mrs. Cake. What will you do when you change and you are a monster, or an interesting anomaly at best, for everyone?"

Olivia laughed drily at that. "What difference would that be from a transexual sister that would love to be taken by her own brother? Oh, sorry, those are FANTASIES that never happened, so NO ONE is affected by them! Such LUCK that there was no PAIN involved in all this, RIGHT?!" Her voice became shrill as she talked. It was quite clear she could lose it at any moment.

"Sister, if you leave, you will be taken away, forever, and I do not mean to say I don't deserve it." Olivia harrumphed at this, looking at him with spite quite clear in her eyes. "I deserve whatever you do to me, whatever you wish, but if you leave... I... I know I won't see you ever again, I know that you will hate me forever, and I know that my life will be miserable." His look of concern was the only thing keeping Olivia at bay at the moment. "But if you do that, if you change and have nothing left, if you stay this angry, how would you live? What would you do?"

This was not one of those moments that had been seen so many times. Olivia didn't open her mouth, only to close it and think, neither was she stopped from saying anything by her brother. She just looked neutrally at him, fight gone, as she admitted the obvious.

"I don't know how I could, but I don't care." It was the look of someone just tired, tired enough to lie down and let it be, forever. "I am tired of this. I shouldn't have been here when mom and dad kicked me out, I shouldn't have done anything I did, including falling for you." She let out a little snort at that. "It was like what happened with Mrs. Cake, just faster, but then again we knew each other for quite some time."

Alexander thought of saying 'I should hope so!' but humor had no place here.

"You were the only man to treat me like a woman, even if I am a man, despite all my changes. I know I am a man, I don't want to change that, but I want to be how I feel, not just 'male', not just 'female', I want to be Olivia." She looked at her brother, the few tears she had tried very hard to escape her eyes. "You saw Olivia, you held Olivia, you comforted Olivia... But you didn't love Olivia as Olivia loved you. I did all I could, from flirting to plain begging, and you just said no."

Her gaze turned pained but firm. "You decided that it was not to be, and I understand. If we were caught we would be utterly screwed, and I am not mincing words when I say our parents would kill us... well, they would kill me first and probably send you to a mental institute anyway." She whipped the one tear that was surfacing, a dry chuckle escaping her lips at the thought. "But I did not care, I don't care, and you still hurt me. To have you talking with Cup Cake about this behind my back, whether it came out as a mistake or not, was the last push. The fact that she was proposing something I desired as a way to try to get you to love me was worse. And saying that you do love me in that way when you pushed me away originally? If it is true it is just plain cruel."

Shame once more graced Alexander's face. "What would you have me do? Everything I try I fuck up. The only thing I am good is baking, and maybe cooking a bit. I am not charismatic, I am not strong despite my size and what me working here may make it look like, and I am also not the brightest or the richest. Where would we go if I had said yes? If we stayed here there was a very big chance that we were found out."

"And you had a few girls to court."

"Of which I only wanted one of them after I gave away so much of my old self, and that one I did fuck up big time." Alexander growled as he looked down. "I was already broken when you came in, desperate to find someone that would want me. I was scared, lonely and hurt, and you tried to help... Only to see me as the coward I am." He didn't even raise his head as he went on. "It is no excuse, there is never any excuse for something you did wrong, willingly, out of cowardice or fear. I hurt you, and I would take any punishment you want to dish out... Just... just don't go, please."

"What would you have me do? Cite the Crescendolls and do this 'One more time'?" Olivia scowled at her brother, only to be surprised at his firm expression as he looked up, nodding once. "What do I get out of this? An empty promise? To see you making out with a married woman while I change into a pony? A permanent home here I will be unable to escape from?" She scoffed. "It would be better to end on the dissecting table."

"No, it would NOT." Alexander took a step forward, still wincing as he felt what had hurt him not so long ago, then placed his hands on his sister's shoulders. "I PROMISE you that I'll do anything you want, whenever you want, of your choosing." Suspiciousness adorned Olivia's eyes as Alexander went on. "And that if you change I... I'll go with you to Equestria, for I doubt Celestia would ever abandon a pony, changed or not." But those words made her scorn falter. "I will not leave you hanging again, I will not turn my back on you this time. I promise you that much, and it is a promise I won't break."

Olivia took a moment to mouth just two words. "Hands off." To which Alexander complied, taking a step away once more. He was willing to even go so far as to allow for Olivia to leave. He had said his piece, he had assumed his faults and had outright begged for her to stay, offering whatever she'd want. There was nothing more he could do but either force her or respect her decision. The problem is that he had already used one option before, so the latter was the only one left to try, the only one he was willing to allow this time.

In the end she took a long drawn out breath and looked at Alexander, but didn't say anything. She quickly eyed the exit and what lied outside of that glass door, not at all perturbed at how lighting had decided to dodge everything and crash in front of their house. Right now there were so many things floating around her head that a single one in a billion chance just made her shrug internally. In the end she took her bags, eyed Alexander harshly, making him look away as he moved out of her way, and...

She turned and walked towards the stairs.

It was not that Alexander was expecting her to really go out and 'die'. He didn't want to lie to her, but telling her that this was the doing of a massively powerful being and some shit? He would've been kicked again. His best bet was to scrap that information as just make believe created by his mind, as if he had a mental breakdown. What he had to do, was be sincere. Thankfully it worked, to an extent.

"One chance, one alone, and if you lie to me again, if you break my heart once more, I will kill you." The coldness in her voice made Alexander very well aware that she was on the verge, which meant she was being extremely serious. "I will call for you whenever I want food, or when I decide if I want to take you up on your offer. Until either happens I don't want to look at you. Mrs. Cake is invited to my room since I am going to need to learn to walk on all fours at some point."

"Of course." Alexander just nodded as Olivia turned to face him one last time, then she walked upstairs at a steady pace, doing her best not to show she was trembling. "Do you... want to eat today?"

She didn't even take a moment to think as she answered. "Dinner only, I don't feel like I am going to be hungry for a while. You'll bring me my food and I'll remain in my room" Then she did turn ever so slightly. "Tell everybody that we had a very bad discussion and I left. It is practically true."

Both nodded in understanding, though Olivia did so more to herself as she walked upstairs. Alexander was unsure of what was more powerful right now: His relief or the pain he felt, and it didn't mean to include only the kick. He had been about to lose his sister forever, and despite his own cowardice, that was one thing he would've fought for... And yet he wouldn't have if it wasn't for the clock sitting where Harmony had been before Olivia came down. Once more the letters were there.

Adaptation.

With the hour signaling midnight once more. That told him enough to know that his sister would change once more, twice once the number showed itself. But no matter how she changed, Olivia was Olivia, and Alexander had promised to love her.

Author's Notes:

And here you guys meet the first iteration of 'Harmony', or my version of Harmony anyway. This aspect of magic varies in form, as it depends on who it talks to, but in general the one recurring theme is simple: It is focused on its own thing, and good and bad are all always subject to one's views. A lot of people will want to argue, but you all know it is true that those that do evil don't think they do evil, so it depends on which side of the mirror you are. Now, if you are tasked with the survival of a world... good and evil blurry a lot.

Now, about the transformation? There is shit for magic in Earth, so a gradual permanent transformation is pretty much impossible. Burst of change? That can happen, in fact that will happen, and but the first one takes time. Once the objective/s is/are branded with the cutie mark, then they start producing magic faster and faster until there is enough ambient magic to fuel a few burst of magic during sleep time. And yes, they are forced to sleep so the brain doesn't get a shock big enough to off them.

Simply put? If you measure humanity by being human as a species, Olivia doesn't have more than two or so days left before that is gone. It won't be slow and gradual, more like fast and in a flash.

Anyway, this is chapter five, hope you liked it. With some luck there will be more happening and less talking for those that want some 'action' in the next episodes.