"What are you doing in my house?" you ask.

"A totally valid question that has zero good answers. Besides, I'm not supposed to be here, and you're not supposed to be remembering things. The whole flow is off. We talked about sixty-eight chapters ago and it was just supposed to be a one time deal. There's going to be a whole lot of shit that I can't explain to you because your mind can't actually handle it right now."

"What?" you ask, dumbfoundedly.

"Jesus Christ," the pony mutters. "Okay, hold on."

He waves a hoof, and you're pulled inside the storage room. The door slams behind you.

"What the..." You spin on the spot. "You have magic?"

"Only in this world. It's hard to explain and you're still not ready. I don't mean to be giving you all of this cliche third-degree bullshit, but since things are already splitting at the seams faster than I can fix them, I have to get a bit drastic. So first, let me heal that."

oruY hecst urbsn.

You gasp for air. You look down at your body and your scarring is gone. The pony sighs and shakes his head.

"I hate doing that to you, but you figured out a way to work past the memory erasers. I mean, that's some Momento shit right there. Wait. Fuck. I need to not break the fourth wall. This is convoluted enough as it is."

"What the fuck do you want with me?" you bark at the horse.

"It's not about what I want. That time came and went a long time ago, dude. Now I just guide you. And the road ahead right now is one of the most fucked up ones I've ever seen. And I need to make sure you're ready for it. The idea was that some stories I guide you through are self-contained. And now something else is adding more possibilities than you'd ever expect into the system."

You pause, taking a step back.

"Is this, about Red?"

"Bingo," he says. "There's so many options. So many desired possibilities, that the system that keeps this shit running can't handle it. So we're going to have to tackle the problem head on rather than treating the disease."

"What disease?" you ask.

"Buddy, if I knew? I'd tell you. Well, actually, no I wouldn't. But I need you to trust me if this is going to work, so please trust me."

You glare at the horse who rises to his hooves and looks out the window.

"Chances are, you aren't going to remember most of what we just talked about, but I get the feeling this is at least going to make me feel better. I've put you through some rough shit, but nothing like what's going to happen. I.... I'm actually sorry."

"Sorry for what?" you ask.

"Listen, I'm going to give you back every memory you have of Red when I leave, but you're going to have to make a decision. I can't help you on the road ahead. You're going to have to decide how this happens. And worse enough, she won't know what's going on. She can't keep being able to see what's happening to you from her console. Someone might be able to help her, but I can't be the one to save her anymore. It's too dangerous for me. This is your job now."

"My job?" you ask.

"No. Not your job. Your job."

And with that, he's gone.

Splitting