The siren and her husband were brought back together in a mass of quivering tears and relieved and frantic rambling that only slowly settled down to silently clinging to one another.

The creature from beyond the pale was escorted to his room.

As they went, Tabitha tapped the paper that held their accord. "So, what should we call you that won't shatter our minds in the uttering?" She was joking, but only a little.

The cthonian pony raised a smooth brow at her. "You may address me as you please." The tone carried a heavy disinterest, as if the matter were simply not worthy of serious consideration.

Bubbles flashed into a smile. "Squiddy."

And so the name was given.

Razz came home to find Coco and a few other lost ponies watching the building. "What's going on here?"

Coco pointed at it. "An emergency. Tabitha and Spring went to handle it. I do hope everything's alright."

Razz glanced up at the building that had a thin trail of smoke going up. If it was a fire, it wasn't a very impressive one. "I'll go help."

Coco blinked at that. "You're not a--"

Razz pointed to himself. "I'll have you know that I am a janitorial engineer. My specialty is probably required right now." He smiled gently at Coco. "I'll be careful, but I bet they could use all the hooves they can get."

His enthusiasm caught with a few other worried souls. As one, they migrated into the building and joined the others in the cleaning effort. Their building would be restored and life would resume.

Dark stepped up and clopped on the door twice. After a long moment, it cracked open and the eye of the siren peeked out. "Yes?"

Dark's horn glowed as she nudged the door open a bit more. "You and your husband have been injured severely."

She cringed. "It was terrifying, but... I'm alright."

Dark shook her head. "The injury I refer to is up here." She pointed at the siren's head. "I will be sending a professional friend. Talk to them openly, even if it embarrasses you. They will help you come to terms with this... unfortunate event. It's not a weakness to need a friend."

She pushed the door towards being shut again. "We'll be fine..."

"It's not optional." Dark pointed into the siren's apartment through the crack. "If not for yourself, for your husband. He has suffered an obviously terrible blow. For his sake, let this pony help you both."

The siren glanced back towards where her husband was. There was quiet there. She clearly struggled with herself a moment. "For him..." She glanced behind her, then back at Dark. "Thank you."

The door closed gently without either opposing it.

Dark trotted away from it. She had reports to file of the incident, and requests for additional funds. Any damage to the Nexus was a threat to Equestria as a whole, to not request it felt like the truest folly.

Even as she thought of her various tasks, another thought crept in.

The resident in her mind demanded to speak.

She winced and grunted, but she knew holding him... her? it back would just make it worse. She headed to her own room and sat on her haunches in the middle of the floor. "What is it?"

"What is it?!" she replied to herself, voice strained and furious. "You have a lot of problems, Dark."

Dark raised a brow. "Besides you?"

"Yes, besides me. Fucking hell. You have your priorities all screwed up. We're stuck with each other. I'm sure you won't hesitate to call me out when I do something stupid. You--"

A knock came from the door. Dark looked up at it. "Yes?"

The door glowed with magic, opening to reveal Bubbles. "We need to talk." She kicked the door shut behind herself. "Paul? You in there?"

"I am," spoke Dark. Telling the two apart was becoming more difficult. No longer trying to be his old self, his voice carried more naturally from that equine throat. "What's wrong?"

Bubbles pointed at Dark. "Tell me the damn truth! Was it you that kissed me?"

Dark's ears flipped back. "I said it wasn't."

"It was me," said Dark contrarily, coloring just faintly. "I did that."

Bubbles shook her head slowly. "I..." She clopped the ground. "Do you like me like me? Like, for real? I mean, that sure as flippin' didn't feel like a chaste kiss."

Dark glanced away a moment, uncertainty raging in her. "I..."

"You know we're both mares, right?"

Dark frowned at that. "Are you that sheltered? As if two mares are incapable of such things."

Bubbles blinked. "You're a filly fooler?"

Dark wobbled a hoof. "May I remind that you are speaking to a warlock, in a building with two foreign masters of life magic that have already proven that sexual transfiguration is not beyond their studies? I feel certain, should we truly desire, we could have penises for horns."

Bubbles made quite the face. "You're trying to gross me out now."

"I am. Did it work?"

Bubbles burst into laughter at that and approached Dark. "You ain't scaring me off that easily. Look, you're a serious mare. I can appreciate that." She threw a leg over Dark suddenly. "You and me, we're fighters. We keep the ponies we care about safe 'cause they're too weak to do it themselves, right?"

Dark was quiet a moment. Was that what she was doing? She... thought she was there to serve Luna.

"Who even is Luna? You don't know," argued Dark against herself.

Who is Luna?! "She..." Dark was about to start listing Luna's ancient accomplishments, her current titles... But... was that enough? "She..."

Bubbles tilted her head a little. "Watching you argue with you is somethin' else. Look, I'm done being jerked around, or chasing after rainbows that ain't for me. So, what, if you like me so much, say it. Say it and mean it, for Celestia's sake."

Dark felt her heart racing. Even Bubbles' words were a bit muted behind the roar in her ears. "I..." She couldn't love Luna. She didn't know who Luna was. "I... Would you even want such a thing? As you said, we're both mares."

Bubbles developed a lewd grin. "When it comes time for magic, I want to be the one with the enchanted wang. The idea of having a warlock under me, especially you... it ain't entirely unappealing." She reached a hoof up under Dark's chin, forcing their eye to meet. "Do you want this or not? It's your decision, make it."

Dark kissed her. Their eyes drifted closed as they pressed into that exchange. Neither was entirely sure what they wanted in the end, besides one another. Another path had been laid before them both, and they would walk it, side-by-side.

A promise had been kept.

Tabitha used her copy of the key and opened the door, allowing a frigid blast of chill out into the hallway, carrying eddies of snow with it. "Welcome home," she said to herself, carrying the fragments of the tenant that once lived there. "Jesus, not exactly the best landlord, letting someone get tore apart..." She strode on powerful equine legs into the snow. It was cold, very cold, but her body was handling it reasonably.

Spring really had fashioned her well. She let out a little sigh. There was no way she'd go back to being a human. She'd grown too used to being half pony, and had begun to enjoy its perks. The power, the speed... She shook her head free of those thoughts. She wasn't there to admire herself.

She slowly ascended the hill in the center of the snowy landscape and began pawing at the snow with her forehooves, digging down and down until the hole seemed large enough to hold the body of the protector that had fallen. She set those ruined pieces inside with a shudder. "I'm so sorry."

It was very unlikely it could hear her, wherever it had gone. She began gently brushing snow back over the hole, covering it up entirely. "We never became friends, not properly. It isn't right... but you were a warrior, and this is the direction you accepted."

She looked at the place of distended snow, the only hint that a hole had existed there. The yeti was gone. Gone, never to return. Tabitha let out a weary sigh at the reminder of the basic nature of mortality. Should she say something? "I hope you find peace, wherever you are. Thank you..."

Tabitha drew out the rental agreement, hands trembling a little. Tearing it would be the ultimate farewell.

Wasn't there some other way? Couldn't she do something for it? Her fingers trembled with indecision, but that trembling slowly diminished.

"Good bye..." She tore through the paper and it rang as loud as a gong. The snow was gone. She was standing in a perfectly standard, and empty, apartment.

A tear struck the wooden floor as she turned to leave. She never thought she'd conduct a funeral for someone. She quietly hoped she'd never have to again, but it was done.

Promises had been kept.

A world away, Jim had gotten his own door repaired, but it didn't immediately link back to Equestria. He was still on Earth. He had to go to work as usual, and Bon Bon lived in his house. She was nice, and even cooked meals and tasty sweet treats, but she never made even the barest hint of moving past friends.

That was, ultimately, fine with Jim. Taking advantage of a woman, alien horse woman or not, was not high on his list of things to do. She was a good friend though. They watched television, played board games, and generally enjoyed the company.

He had conceded the bed to her and crashed on the couch for the duration. It wasn't the first time he had done so.

"What if I never go back?" she asked one morning.

He was roused by her weight and words. She was laying on his belly, looking down at him. "What if I'm stuck here... forever?"

That was a heavy question to greet the day with. "We'll do what we can."

She smiled a little. "You would, I think. You're a very kind soul. I can't just keep on living off of your work and sweat. If... it becomes truly hopeless, I will need to get a job for myself and begin contributing."

He frowned. "Easier said than done. You don't exist in this world. You have no identification. You're the truest definition of an illegal alien."

Sweetie shook her head. "Everypony needs to have this?"

Jim nodded as he sat up, gently sliding her off and down to the floor. "Everyone, without exception. Without a social security number and ID, you aren't getting any jobs. Hell, if that officer had asked for your ID, that could have been trouble before."

Sweetie sank to her haunches. "How... rigid. Well, if I own my own--"

Jim shook his head. "Buildings are expensive, and again, ID."

Sweetie frowned at being shot down. "What if you owned the building and I worked there?"

Jim rolled a hand. "That could work, as a theory, but you would be in public, just waiting for the first time anyone actually checked who you were, and then we'd both be in trouble. I'm really not sure how this'd work without bigger trouble than just covering the food bill."

Sweetie pouted a little as she muttered. There had to be a way to not just be a mooch on her new friend.

The door suddenly swung open as an earth pony strode in like it was nothing, wielding a door. The original door, gone. He propped up the door and began installing it before he looked up with surprise. "Huh, I thought they said this room was empty. I'm not bothering, am I?"

Sweetie and Jim blinked at the pony. Jim shook his head quickly. "No no! Please, continue."

The problem had taken care of itself. They both let out relieved sighs and shared a smile. Together, they had endured.

Author's Notes:

A chapter of weighty conclusions. Part of me is tugging at the idea of actually closing up shop here. All the really important threads have reached a point of satisfaction, I think.

Could I tell more? Of course I could! There's never a real end, barring complete planetary destruction.

Your thoughts?

If we continue, I already have more plans. MORE! So this is not for lack of ideas, I swear. Anyone saying otherwise obviously works for the typos.