After a pleasant night’s sleep with Spliced having no nightmares for a change, Twilight announced that she, Starlight and Spliced were ready to head back to Ponyville, the trio saying goodbye to Coco and Rarity, the latter of whom had told Twilight that she needed a few more days before she was ready to return home herself.

Spliced found herself swaying in the breeze of the wind with a light hum on her lips as they waited for the train to arrive. Flicking her eyes to the side, she could see Starlight was smirking at her but instead of responding to the other mare, she just smiled.

This Equestria was truly wonderful and… she could actually see herself staying here and making a life. She doubted she would ever be fully trusted as she could tell that the princesses, Twilight and her friends would never accept her crimes and thus she had to stay silent on the matter but eventually they would come to accept that she would never say and then it could all be forgotten as time went on.

Shaking her yellowish mane, she found those thoughts to be uncomfortable for some reason. Before she could think further on it, the train pulled up and the three of them boarded, walking to their private car.

Sitting across from Starlight, Spliced felt those emotions come back, with her face heating up as she shifted uncomfortably. She was about say something when Starlight herself began to speak.

Both blinked at this, then waved each other on with the same results as before.

Spliced was unsure how to continue without both of them continuing to be unable to speak when Twilight coughed delicately.

“Excuse me girls, but I believe I know what Starlight is trying to say,” the mare said, placing a bookmark in the Daring Do novel she was reading. “Spliced, I believe that we have failed to give you a proper welcome to our world; while I don’t understand what exactly you had done in your world to receive such a sentence, I have to feel that you did it because you thought it was the best option for you and your world and it was wrong of me and us to judge you on that.”

“Yeah,” Starlight said, nodding her head. “I’m not one to judge after almost destroying my world several times over out of pettiness and I can attest to guilt and the lack of wishing to talk about it.”

“It’s funny as I was about to apologize for my own behaviour,” Spliced said. “Four hundred years of isolation or not, I was a bad houseguest and I’m sorry as well.”

“Let’s start over, okay?” Starlight said with a small on her face, holding out her hoof. “Hi, I’m Starlight Glimmer.”

Spliced held her own hoof out. “I’m Spliced Genome… and it’s nice to meet you.”

Starlight got up, took the hoof and shook, flashing the mare a smile that was received.

“Excuse me, but may I introduce myself?” Twilight asked with a goofy smile on her face.

The two of them shared a look and they nodded their head. “Sure Twilight, go right ahead,” Starlight said with Spliced smile growing at this.

With a small playful pout directed at Starlight, Twilight held out her hoof to Spliced. “Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle and it’s nice to meet you,”

“My name is Spliced Genome and it's nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle,” she told the mare who started to giggle and soon enough, they were all laughing and talking about nothing at all.

Before long, they had arrived back in Ponyville with the three of them made their way to the castle with Spliced about to head downstairs before recalling what Twilight had said on the train to the Crystal Empire and decided to fly around the small town instead, breathing in the resutic town. This could be home, if she truly worked at it. She could provide countless benefits to the people here; her medical knowledge of not only the equine body, but the draconic, windigo, mimic, and other biological bodies far surpassed what they had and they would greatly appreciate that knowledge. She doubted they had the barest notion of what a true calculating machine could do or one day led to and she could be the one that led them to that golden age.

She let out a sigh, doing her best not to focus on the future while her present was still not settled. Pulling her wings back to lower her speed, she made low spirals down to the castle while giving polite nods to the pegasi as she passed by to see Twilight talking to the mayor of Ponyville for some reason before the princesses spotted her and waved her down.

Frowning in confusion and a bit of concern, Spliced flew down much sharper, almost to point of injuring herself but she corrected herself as she made her landing. No need to kill herself for something as simple as this, after all.

“Ah Spliced, we were just talking about you,” Twilight said as Spliced walked up to them. “We have something to show you, if you will follow us.”

Her frown grew at this oddness but she followed the mares regardless as they led her out of the main housing district and to a slightly isolated hilltop. Both of them stopped at the top of hill, and turned to face Ponyville.

“What do you think of the view, Miss Genome?” the mayor asked her and Spliced stood besides them, taking in the picturesque view of the pleasant village.

“It’s quite lovely,” she replied, surprising herself in using such words.

“Well, you will be very lucky to enjoy this view everyday once your home is built,” the mayor said as she reached into her saddlebag.

“Excuse me, what did you just say?” Spliced asked as she turned her head in surprise.

“This plot of land is yours, Spliced,” Twilight proudly said from her other side as the earth pony gave her a sheet of papers. “I just bought it from Ivory here and helped her get all the necessary paperwork done so you can officially own this land and have the construction crews come in and start building your new home.”

“I-I - don’t know what to say,” Spliced said with her gasp mixed in with a laugh. “Beyond thank you of course, this is too much Twilight, I can’t-”

“You can, and you will,” Twilight said sharply. “Please take it, if not as an act of complete kindness and friendship, then for it being an excuse and a way for me to say sorry for being so terrible to you.”

Spliced stared at her and then chuckled, taking the papers from the earth pony. “I thought we were going to act as it all hadn’t happened.”

“Don’t be clever,” Twilight teased before happily sighing. “Please Spliced, I really do mean it; take this and become a permanent member of our town and life. I think it will do you a tremendous amount of good to have an actual community to be with after being isolated for so long. From what I know -”

“Okay Twilight,” Spliced interrupted her suddenly, unsure of why she did so but put it out of her mind quickly. “You’ve convinced me.” Turning around and lifting her left hoof to mimic where her doorbell used to be on her old cottage, she let out a happy smile. “I’ll stay.”

Ground was broken shortly after that, with ponies coming by help set up the basic foundations of a basement, although with the upcoming festival, things were at a slow pace. Despite this, Spliced was fine with this; she got to know more of Ponyville and the ponies and they were ready to welcome her as one of their own. Pinkie had already promised a big party once her house was finished and Spliced was eagerly looking forwards to it.

True to her word, Rarity had arrived shortly and offered, nay insisted, that she be the one that helped Spliced decorate her new home once it was ready.

She had joined Fluttershy for another tea party with Discord giving her a knowing smile and a nod of his head, which she could only reason was good news for her. After a few days of Rarity returning, Rainbow Dash had arrived with Holiday, Lofty and Scootaloo. Any question to if her surgery had been successful was quickly answered by the orange blur flying around with joyous sounds, with Rainbow Dash wiping away what she called liquid pride every time she looked upwards at the young pegasus.

Scootaloo had tackled her, thanking her over and over again as she squeezed her tight with Spliced patting the filly on the back before her aunts called her off and to remind her that she was still recovering and she shouldn’t be flying that much. Scootaloo quickly accepted this and promised not to fly anymore today under the condition that she show her friends what she could finally do with the mares easily accepting this with loud shouts of joy quickly heard after Scootaloo had left them.

Spliced had been busy mapping out her lab when the other two of the triumvirate Cutie Mark Crusaders had tackled her over, thanking her over and over again for what she had done for their friend. A day or so later, Spike had come home from his own business in the Empire and thank Spliced for helping Scootaloo before he had got drafted into the final preparations of Nightmare Night despite apparently penning the starts of dictionary for Snöflinga to use.

Finally, the big night arrived and everyone were all eager to celebrate this night with the princesses apparently schedule to arrive later on. While everyone seemed to have a costume, as dressing up for this night was almost a requirement of sorts, Spliced had decided earlier on to be on the sideline and just observe the festival. The transformation of Ponyville was amazing; there were cobwebs and streamers connecting the houses together done in a manner that gave a spooky feeling. There were a number of stands set up for the foals to enjoy that Spliced was planning to visit later on herself but for now she was going to join them as Zecora as she went into the Everfree Forest, curious to how this festival actually began and was told that the zebra always gave the best performance.

Chuckling to herself at sheer innocence of this night , Spliced ducked around the branches and made her way around the path as they reached a clearing to a statue of-

Spliced let out a gasp of shock and fear.

It was her, the other mare from the moon that had shown her the broken gateway! Spliced stared at the visage and felt her heart start to race as all the foals sat in front of it with Zecora preparing to tell that the story of it. Zecora waved them closer to the statue and said, “Listen close, and very soon, you'll hear the tale of Nightmare Moon. I'll tell you where you got your fears of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary.” She then gestured to the statue, saying in rhyme, “Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary.”

Spliced let out a soft gasp at hearing its name at long last, her ears straining to catch more of the herbalist’s story.

“Every year, we put on a disguise, to save ourselves from her searching eyes,” Zecora said, with most of the foals laughing and only the really younger ones looking uncomfortable. “For Nightmare Moon wants just one thing: to gobble up ponies in one quick swing!”

Spliced frowned, trying to make sense of this foal’s story and why this Nightmare Moon was the same as the one from her world.

Zecora gesture dramatically, calling out, “Hungrily, she soars the sky. If she sees nopony, she passes by. So if she comes and all is clear, Equestria is safe another year!”

Pipsqueak walked up to Zecora with a smile on his face and asked, “Miss Zecora, if we wear costumes to hide from Nightmare Moon so she won't gobble us up, how come we still need to give her some of our candy?”

Zecora placed a hoof on his head and replied, “A perfect question, my little friend. For Nightmare Moon you must not offend. Fill up her belly with a treat or two, so she won't return to come eat you!” This caused the foals to scream in mock fear and fright, leaving some of their candy at the base at the statue. Spliced waited for the foals to move on before she walked up to Zecora, who was standing patiently by the statue for her.

“Is there something wrong with my tale?” Zecora asked her with concern. “I saw that you became very pale.”

“It-it’s not the true story, is it?” Spliced asked, unable to to look away from the fangs on the mare.

“No it is not,” Zecora shook her head. “This more than a simple foal’s tale; it is how Luna fell.”

“Luna?” Spliced asked, raising an eyebrow, wondering how she figured into all of this.

“A thousand years ago, Luna and Celestia reigned over all but ponies only praised the day and shunned the night. Her jealousy over the adoration her sister received grew to such levels that Luna gave to in an evil force that took over her body and mind. When it came time for the day to begin, she refused to lower the moon, proclaiming the night to last evermore and became the terror Nightmare Moon. The sisters battled in the old capitol castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest before Celestia managed to banish her sister away for a thousand years. Thankfully, many lives were spared as Luna’s might was focused on her sister and not the helpless mortals that turned away from her night.

“Thank you for telling me this,” Spliced muttered softly, trying to process this new piece of information.

“Are you sure you will be fine, you seem to be ill at ease,” Zecora asked with Spliced blinking at her.

“I just need some time alone,” Spliced said before adding, “Please.”

With a frown, Zecora nodded her head and left. Spliced watched her go before she stared at the statue once with her mind racing at what he had just learned.

The creature had told her that they were alike; a concept of the banished pony for a thousand years and that she was akin to Luna somehow. Luna had become a crazed goddess with unimaginable powers at her beck and call and she was just a mortal that knew a number of biochemical reactions. Both were horrific dangers to their worlds, done unspeakable damage and-

No, she was worse; Luna had only attacked her sister, keeping those she killed incredibly low if not nonexistent. Spliced had killed over twenty-eight million and infected untold billions more.

Spliced gasped as a new thought entered her mind. The number had always been just a number to her but now, for the first time ever, she began to see the number as actual ponies just like those in Ponyville. “Oh gods,” she whispered to herself in shock and horror, her legs threatening to give way as she began to recall the test subjects she had used and all the horrific ways her plagues ended lives or outright ruined them, their scared terrified faces for those who still had faces after she was done with them. And that was just when she had been on her homeworld; it would have more than definitely spread outwards to the cosmos since her four hundreads years in her moon base prison with the number almost without a doubt in the high trillions by this point, if not more.

“My god, what have I done,” she whispered to herself before she jumped as she heard the sound of wings overhead. Looking up, she saw it was Nightmare Moon above her, but quickly realized it had to be Luna.

“Hello there my little pony,” she said, landing next to Spliced with a gentle grace, a fanged grin on her face. “How do you like… What is wrong, Spliced?” she asked, her pink eyes full of concern.

“I… so many,” she said in a whisper.

“So many what?” the mare pressed, leaning in close.

“I’ve killed so many,” Spliced said with a hoof to her face, still lost in the revelation of what her actions had done. “Almost thirty million by my own diseases and plagues and the untold billions of lives I ruined.”

“Genome-”

“And that was when I first unleashed them,” Spliced said with a shudder, her breathing becoming shorter and quicker. “Oh gods, I can’t even begin to guess how much worse-”

“Genome,” the mare said more firmly and Spliced looked at her.

“Luna, I-” the words died in her mouth when she noticed that the mare’s eyes were the wrong colour. They were pink.

Looking up at the mare, the blackness of her coat vanished to show pure white fur with Celestia glaring hard at her. Spliced was fully aware of how little this mare trusted her and the how painful the punishment she had in store for Spliced. She could have made countless pleads or bargains, or said anything to defend herself but one thing came to her mind that would remain with her until the very end.

I deserve worse than this.

Bowing her head, she closed her eyes. “Do with me what you will,” she said quietly. “Whatever the worst possible punishment you can think of for me is, I… I deserve it.”