Midnight sat on her seat in the waiting room, tears steadily streaming down her face. The world around passed by in a blur as she silently rocked back and forth on the chair. She couldn't even think. All she could do was sit there and wait. Her misery was only compounded by the incessant ticking of the clock as it sat on the wall, reminding her of every second she was away from David. Each passing hour seemed to drag on for an eternity as she waited for any kind of news.

"What happened? He was fine... I thought we fixed him... Not again... please not again..."

The evening turned into the late night, and eventually into the early morning. Midnight was wide awake the whole time, refusing to take even a minute of sleep for fear of the worst happening while she slept.

Finally, the sound of someone else speaking to the receptionist broke the monotony of deadly silence Midnight had suffered through. After a moment, the new pony approached her.

"Midnight?" Storm Shield asked.

Midnight lifted her head just enough to see Storm through her disheveled mane. She barely managed a nod before her head drooped back down and her gaze fell to the floor.

Storm quickly approached and placed a comforting hoof on Midnight's shoulder.

"I heard about what happened. Has there been any news since?" Storm asked, her voice laced with concern.

"No..." Was all Midnight could say.

"I'm so sorry. How are you holding up?"

Midnight didn't respond. She only managed to hang her head even lower. A tear dripped down from her eyes and hit the floor, answering Storm's question far better than words ever could.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. David is a tough stallion. He's survived worse than this. He's gonna walk out of that room, good as new, and you two are gonna live the rest of your lives together and be the happiest couple this side of Equestria." Storm said as she climbed onto the seat next to Midnight and draped her wing over her shoulder.

Midnight leaned her head on Storms shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I just want him to be okay..." She whispered.

"I know, I know. He's going to be fine, I promise." Storm said in her most comforting voice.

"Why do bad things keep happening to him? I mean... one minute he was fine, the next, his nose is bleeding and he faints. I couldn't even do anything..." Midnight trailed off.

Storm only hugged Midnight tighter with her wing and supported her as much as she could. More than once she had to stop her own fearful tears from falling. She held them back though, guards never cried, after all.

Storm's warm embrace did wonders for Midnight's tired mind, and within the hour, she drifted off to sleep, still tucked under her wing. Storm allowed herself a sad smile for the graphite mare and contented herself with simply keeping Midnight comfortable while she slept.

"It's the least I can do for David and his mare." Storm thought to herself.

The sound of a door opening drew Storm's attention from Midnight to the new visitor for David. The first thing to catch her eye was the lavender coat and dark purple mane. There was no doubt in her mind that it was Princess Twilight.

"Excuse me, is David here?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, Princess. Midnight is here too." Storm replied.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to the two seated mares. Her spirits seemed to lower slightly as she saw Midnight, fast asleep and wrapped in Storm's wing.

"Is she alright?" Twilight inquired.

"Not really... She's taking this pretty hard. Poor thing pretty much cried herself to sleep. The receptionist told me she was awake all night, worrying about him. I can't blame her." Storm explained.

"If I was in her position, I think I'd be much worse," Twilight admitted with a half smile. "Any news?"

Storm shook her head.

"I asked on the way in, but they only told me that he's in the Emergency Room and that we wouldn't know until he was released."

"So he's been in the ER the whole night?" Twilight asked in disbelief.

"Yeah... Whatever happened... it must have been bad." Storm said, each word seeming to weigh her down.

"I hope he's alright... By the way, I don't think we've met. Are you a friend of David's?" Twilight asked, attempting to brighten the mood slightly.

"Yeah. My name's Storm Shield."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Storm Shield. I'm Twilight Sparkle, but please just call me Twilight. Any friend of David's is a friend of mine." Twilight said, holding out a hoof.

Storm gently bumped Twilight's hoof, careful not to disturb Midnight as she slept.

"So... How did you meet him?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I met him back when he was just starting to learn about Equestria. He had a thing for petting ponies back then. Pissed off a noble or two and I was called over to deal with it. I escorted him out of the room and, well, we just sort of clicked. I really, really hope he's okay." Storm explained.

"Me too. I've known him since he first got here. We met every week to discuss his history and culture. I haven't seen him for a little while, but I came as soon as I heard about what happened." Twilight replied.

"You live in Ponyville, right, Prin- er, Twilight?" Storm asked.

"Yes. Princess Celestia sent me a letter about an hour ago. She said that her and Luna would be coming by in a little bit." Twilight answered.

"Wow... I'm glad they're coming. It looks like David needs all the support he can get right now."

"He'll pull through. I know he will." Twilight said, hopping onto the seat next to Storm.

"So... know any good stories to pass the time?" Storm asked.

"Well..."

Midnight's eyes fluttered open to the sound of voices nearby. She slowly turned her head to the side to see a navy blue feathered wing draped over her wither. She sat up and turned to see the source of the comforting wing.

Storm noticed the movement under her wing and turned to see Midnight as she sat upright. She retracted her wing and gently rubbed Midnight's wither with her hoof.

"Hey, you feeling better?" Storm asked.

"Barely..." Midnight answered "I didn't miss anything, did I?"

"Other than Twilight's story on how she beat an Ursa minor, nope." Storm answered.

"Princess Twilight is here? How long was I out for?" Midnight asked, seemingly surprised at the news.

"Maybe an hour. Not too long. After the night you had, you should probably sleep some more. We'll wake you up if anything happens." Storm said with a friendly smile.

"Thanks... but I think I'll just stretch my hooves out and walk around for a bit." Midnight said, hopping off the chair.

She walked over to the receptionist to find Twilight heading back towards her.

"Princess." Midnight said with slight bow of her head.

"Midnight, please, call me Twilight. How are you?" Twilight said, concern weeding its way into her voice.

"I'm alright. Thank you, Twilight. Did you just speak to the receptionist?" Midnight asked.

"Yes, I just spoke with her about David." Twilight responded.

"Any news?" Midnight asked, perking up slightly.

"I'm afraid not. She just told me the same thing as last time. All they seem to know right now is that he's still in the ER." Twilight admitted with a shake of her head.

Midnight sighed and hung her head low again.

"Alright. Thanks for checking." She said as she started to head off.

"Midnight, I understand that this is hard, but I know David will be alright." Twilight comforted.

"I just don't know what's wrong with him and it's killing me inside. To know that his life is in danger and that I not only can't help him again, but this time I don't know anything. I have absolutely no clue as to what happened to him. We dealt with his mental problems months ago and several trips to multiple therapists confirmed that he was at least making progress with his guilt and other mental issues. Princess Luna didn't find any kind of magical damage in his mind, so that couldn't be it... He's been perfectly fine for the last four months and now... now I just wish I knew. I'd rather face it than just sit here and wait to find out." Midnight explained, frustration clear in her voice.

"I'm sure that whatever the cause is will be brought to light soon enough. They have the best doctors in Canterlot working on him, Midnight. He's going to be alright. For all we know this could be completely unrelated to what happened back on Hearth's Warming." Twilight replied, trying her best to comfort the graphite mare.

"I hope so... He's already survived so much... I'm just worried that there's a limit to how much he can take. I feel like if he has to endure any more... he might not be able to handle it." Midnight admitted with a sad sigh.

"You know David far better than I do, Midnight, and even I know he's going to be fine. I promise." Twilight offered with a supportive smile.

Before Midnight could answer, the front door swung open and Princess Celestia walked in. Following close behind her was Princess Luna, along with a small entourage of royal guards. They quickly fanned out to the other entrance points in the room, leaving one in the doorway they entered from.

"Midnight, there you are. Are you alright?" Celestia's voice rang out.

"Princess, I... I don't even know anymore... Still waiting on the news from the doctors right now." Midnight said, barely giving a nod to the royal diarchs, let alone a bow.

"We would have come sooner, however, we were predisposed with the Yaks. Leaving was almost impossible with how ridiculous their behavior was." Luna explained, no small trace of annoyance in her voice.

Midnight didn't answer, she only hung her head in silence.

A sad frown forced its way onto Luna's face. She walked over to Midnight and draped a wing over her wither.

"Come, Midnight. Sit with me for a while." Luna gently offered.

Midnight shakily nodded as she tried to keep the tears back yet again. Luna's soft and warm wings helped sooth her pain somewhat, before she was led to the seat.

Luna sat down with Midnight right beside her, never once allowing her wing to detach from her side. After a few moments, Midnight crumbled and leaned her head on Luna's wither. Her tears slowly streaked down her face in into Luna's fur. The princess of the night seemed unfazed, and allowed the graphite unicorn to cry while she simply held her close.

Luna gazed up to find Celestia's worried face staring back at her. After exchanging a nod with her sister, she returned to caring for Midnight. Storm found her way over to Midnight's opposite side, and hopped onto the chair next to her. She draped her wing around her and below Luna's wing, effectively blanketing her in a warm, feathery embrace. No words were spoken. They only sat in silence.

Celestia approached Twilight with a mix of emotions in place of her usual regal poker face. Twilight quickly hugged her before pulling away and sighing.

"I don't know what happened. Nopony here can tell me anything, and Midnight is so distraught that she can barely speak to anypony right now... I wish I had some good news for you, Princess." Twilight said.

"I understand. Thank you, Twilight. Let me talk to the receptionist for a moment. I might be able to at least see how he's doing in the Emergency Room." Celestia replied, warmth returning to her voice, if only for a short time.

"Of course, Princess."

Celestia walked over to the receptionist with determination in every step. The receptionist in question appeared to be in her late thirties. She had a orange-red coat, along with a scarlet mane and tail. Her spectacles were broad-rimmed and bright red.

"Ahem, excuse me?" Celestia asked.

The receptionist dropped everything she was doing upon hearing Celestia's voice. She quickly turned to see the alabaster alicorn and dropped into a bow.

"Y-you're highness! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you come in. I-I've just been so busy this past night. How can I help you?" She asked, her voice more than a little shaky.

"Please, relax. I'm just here for a friend. Is David Lawson out of the Emergency Room yet?" Celestia asked with calculated calmness and regal poise.

"I'll check right now, Princess." She said before galloping off down the hall.

Celestia allowed herself a thin smile at her little victory before turning around and walking back over to Midnight. As she approached, she couldn't help but feel a small bit of relief upon seeing two wings tightly wrapped around the distraught mare.

"I believe we should get a more desirable answer soon enough. I'm sure that we'll at least know the situation, rather than being left in the dark as Midnight has this whole night." Celestia said, her gaze focused on Luna.

"I hope so. The poor girl has been all alone most of the night..." Luna trailed off, "I don't believe I caught your name, miss?" Luna asked, looking at Storm.

"Storm Shield, your highness. I'm a royal guard... David is one of my best friends, so I came as soon as I heard the news." Storm explained.

"Storm Shield... Ah, yes, I remember you. You were the pony who applied for the position and had cupcake frosting on your muzzle during the interview." Celestia reminisced.

Storm's cheeks flushed a hot pink, and she sheepishly nodded.

"Y-yep... That was me... Don't think anypony will let me forget about that one." Storm said with a small pout.

Celestia brought a hoof to her mouth to cover her giggles while Luna did the same. After taking a moment to compose themselves, the royal sisters refocused their attention to Storm.

"So how did you meet him?" Luna asked.

"Well, do you remember when David first got here?" At Luna's nod, Storm continued, "So, you remember that he had a thing for petting ponies, right?" Luna and Celestia chuckled and smiled, giving some indication that they did, "Well, one time he tried to pet Prince BlueBlood, and... well, he kinda demanded that we arrest David for 'degrading' him like that." Storm said with air quotes.

Luna and Celestia shared a knowing yet annoyed look.

"Yes, I remember getting the paperwork on my desk about that incident." Celestia mused.

"Well, I was assigned to the prince at the time and he had me arrest David. Of course, I let him go the second we were out of earshot. David was a little distraught after that, what with the crash, Equestria being completely new to him, and certain nobles treating him like dirt... So I just kinda talked to him. He was really funny and cuddly, which I'm not gonna lie, he's really good at-" Storm explained.

"He is the cuddliest stallion I've ever met." Midnight interjected, a very small smile on her lips as she reminisced.

"He sure is," Storm continued, gently rubbing Midnight's back with her wing, "Anyways, after we talked for a bit, he had to go meet with Princess Twilight, and I went about my day. I think that's when he dropped that potted plant on Prince Blueblood." Storm finished with a stroke of her chin.

"Haha, I recall hearing about that." Luna said with a chuckle.

"If ever there was a prince to deserve that, it would most definitely be Blueblood." Celestia said with a grin.

"So that's why he was late that day." Twilight said, having moved to Celestia's side during the story.

"Excuse me, Princess?" The receptionist called from the desk.

Celestia turned around to see the receptionist standing next to an exhausted looking surgeon. He was a sky blue unicorn with a darker blue mane and tail. His scrubs were splattered with blood in certain area's and the bags under his hazel eyes gave the impression that he hadn't slept for days. His fur was slightly matted and sticky where blood had found it's way past the scrubs. Midnight nearly fainted upon seeing him.

"Yes?" Celestia asked, her voice more than a little strained after seeing the surgeon.

"This is Doctor Stable. He can answer all of your questions." The receptionist stated.

Doctor Stable took a moment to remove his scrubs with his magic and deposit them in a medical waste bin further down the hall. He quickly used his magic to rid himself of the blood still clinging to his coat before turning back and trotting back to Celestia.

"Princess." He said with a quick bow.

"Doctor. Can you tell us what happened?" Celestia asked.

Doctor Stable sighed. He took a moment to think before he addressed Celestia again.

"Perhaps it would be best if I took you to him." He said.

"Where?" Midnight said, jumping out Luna and Storm's feathery embrace.

"I'm afraid only the Princesses or family are allowed to see the patient at the moment, miss." Doctor Stable said.

Before Midnight could even begin to verbally assault the stallion, Celestia spoke up.

"Midnight is David's significant other. The rest of us are his friends. We're all going in to see him." Celestia said, her glare making the doctor audibly gulp.

"Of course, your highness. I didn't know. This way, please." He said before turning tail and leading them down the hall.

As they walked, Midnight trotted up alongside Celestia.

"Thank you, Princess."

"You have every right to see him. Think nothing of it." Celestia responded with a smile.

After a few minutes, they arrived at a long hallway. At the end of the hallway was a rather large door labeled 'Non-Ponies'. The group quickly approached the door.

Before they could enter, Doctor Stable turned around and addressed the group.

"Alright, I think it's important that I let you know the situation before you go in there," He started, focusing his gaze on Midnight, "We had a very hard time getting the bleeding under control. For a while we weren't sure as to where it was coming from. It took more time than I would have liked to find out that he was suffering from a brain hemorrhage. I'm not going to sugarcoat this as I need you to understand how severe this situation really is," His gaze now fell on the whole group, "We almost lost him, a few times. We had to drill a hole in his skull to allow the blood room to go so as not to crush his brain. At the moment, he's stable, although, he's lost over a liter of blood, and... well..." He trailed off.

"What? What else is there?" Luna asked, quickly.

"We'll have the brain scans in a few minutes. It'll be easier to explain if I have those to show you. In the meantime, you should all go see him. He's in a medically induced coma at the moment, so please don't move him." Doctor Stable explained, opening the door with his magic.

Midnight was the first into the room. Twilight and Storm weren't far behind, and coming in last were Celestia and Luna. They all froze as soon as their eyes fell on David's body.

A rythmatic beeping filled the air as the five equines stood in a metaphorical stare down with David's nearly lifeless body. A heart monitor, an ECMO machine, as well as an EKG were all hooked up to David. Dozens of wires connected him to the multiple monitors keeping him alive.

Midnight felt her blood run cold when her gaze fell onto the bloodied bandages wrapped around his head, almost covering his eyes. The stains of spilt blood littered his face and upper torso, and it was all Midnight could do to not begin hyperventilating on the spot. David was wrapped up in several blankets up to his torso. His hands hung limply to the side with several wires dangling off of his fingertips.

For a few seconds, Midnight only stared. She couldn't move. She couldn't think or speak. Her heart felt like it was being ripped in half all over again, only this time, it was thrown into a blender for good measure.

"D-David..?" Midnight stuttered.

There was no response, only the constant beeping of the heart monitor.

Storm was the first to truly snap out of her trance and move her legs. She slowly inched forwards until she was only a few feet away from David. After a few moments she turned and motioned for Midnight to come over.

Despite feeling like her hooves were rooted to the ground, Midnight pressed forward. Slowly, but surely, she found herself right beside Storm, at David's side. Her eyes, already puffy and red after hours of crying, began to tear up again. She managed to hold them back while she gently reached forward with her hoof and touched David's hand. Were it not for the rythmatic beeping of the heart monitor, Midnight would have been sure David was dead. His hand was cold to the touch, and seemed completely devoid of life as her hoof softly caressed it.

Celestia felt her own tears threatening to claw their way free, and only managed to compose herself when she noticed Storm's teary-eyed expression.

Luna turned to her sister to speak, but couldn't find the words. Her mouth moved to speak, but nothing came out. She slowly turned back to David before hanging her head low. A gentle caress against her wither pulled her attention back to her sister. Celestia's wing silently returned to her back, and her smile seemed to remind her that everything would be okay.

Celestia's attention was pulled from her sister when she saw Doctor Stable return to the door with several pieces of paper attached to a clipboard in his magical grasp. He entered the room slowly, so as not to startle anypony.

"Doctor." Celestia said, her voice only a whisper.

"I have the results, your highness. Would you like me to announce them to everypony? Or just you?" Doctor Stable replied.

"Please, tell us all." Celestia replied.

"Alright" Doctor Stable said, making his way to the center of the room, "I'm sorry to interfere, but I have his test results." He said, directing everyone's attention back at him, "I'm not sure how or why, but somehow, equestrian magic is killing him-"

Midnight visibly fell to her haunches. She felt the air leave her lungs, and her stomach violently twisted at the doctors words.

Doctor Stable levitated an x-ray out of the clipboard and attached it to a light tablet, "As you can see in the x-ray, there is a white mass surrounding his brain. We saw it when we drilled into his skull, and the MRI just confirmed it. The magic in his head is killing him."

The room fell deathly silent, save for the constant beeping of the heart monitor. Both of the royal sisters appeared to be stunned, and the three smaller mares in the room shared similar expressions of breathlessness.

"B-but... How? Luna found no magical damage in his subconscious! He's been completely fine for the last four months! Hasn't he, Midnight!?" Twilight asked, finally breaking out of her silence.

Midnight did not answer. She just stared at the floor, like a shell-shocked soldier. Her mane limply hung over her face, hiding her expression.

After realizing Midnight would not be commenting any time soon, Twilight refocused her attention on the doctor.

"Princess Luna, is that true?" The doctor asked, somewhat intrigued.

"W-well, yes... Although, I only searched a small part of his memories. To search the rest of his mind would have taken... Well, I would probably still be doing it right now." Luna explained, her gaze casting downwards in shame.

"I believe I might have an explanation for you then, princess," Doctor Stable said, turning to Twilight, "From what I understand of his physiology, he has no magical ability whatsoever. His species exists on a planet with absolutely no magic to speak of. Due to this, his species did not evolve with magic influencing their bodies. It's a very real possibility that when he arrived here, his body immediately began to negatively react to magic."

"Like the headaches..." Midnight finally spoke, drawing everypony's eyes.

"Considering that the magic coalesced in and around his brain... headaches a very possible symptom. According to the MRI, it primarily formed around the brain, on the meninges. A small amount also found its way into the temporal lobe. This could have effected his memory, speech, behavior, hearing, and vision."

"All those times I though he was just forgetful... Damn it..." Midnight whispered.

"But wait, that still doesn't explain the last four months! He's had no real issues like he did on Hearth's Warming. How could it have stopped hurting him for four months?" Twilight interjected.

"Again, I think I can explain. Most of the magic is formed in his meninges, surrounding the brain. As you might know, the brain itself has no pain receptors, the meninges and spinal cord do. The magic found its way on and around the meninges and has, for the last four months, been blocking any kind of pain signals from being sent to his brain. If they hadn't, he most likely would have been in agony for the last four months."

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as the doctor finished his explanation. Nopony in the room dared make a sound, though, they all found their eyes slowly drifting towards Midnight as she sat on her haunches.

"All this time... this was happening and I did nothing... Why? Why!? Why didn't I take him to the doctor?!" Midnight screamed in her head.

"So... can you remove it?" Celestia asked, her voice slightly strained.

Doctor Stable did not respond for some time. His gaze fell to the floor for a moment, and when he looked back at Celestia, his eyes carried a hint of remorse for the first time since she had started speaking to him.

"Princess... I... I'm afraid that even if we had the time to go into his skull and physically remove all of the magic that he's absorbed... it won't save him-" Doctor Stable began.

That was all Midnight needed to hear. The damn broke, and her tears fell free yet again. Everything around her seemed to blur and fade. All she knew was that she felt sick, beyond sick. She immediately rose to her hooves and galloped out the door.

"Midnight!" Storm called out.

Midnight was already out the door and running down the hallway. Storm wasted no time and ran after her.

"Midnight, Storm!" Twilight shouted, turning to follow them.

"Let them go, Twilight. Storm will take care of Midnight. Besides, she needs some room right now." Celestia said, holding out a wing to block the door.

"I... okay..." Twilight dejectedly agreed.

"I'm very sorry. I know this is not the news you wanted to hear. Nopony ever wants to hear news like this, but there's just no way to prevent the magic from coalescing in his brain again after we remove it. Not to mention-" Doctor Stable tried to continue.

"Wait! What did you just say?" Twilight asked, suddenly perking up.

"That there's no way to prevent the magic from coalescing back in his brain if we even managed to remove it at all." He said, slightly taken aback by Twilight's sudden shift in energy.

"That's it! How did I forget about the spell!?" Twilight shouted.

"What spell, Twilight?" Luna asked, finding herself slightly excited at Twilight's change in demeanor.

"The transfiguration spell!"

Midnight barged into the bathroom and found the first open stall she could. She barely made it to the toilet before she threw up. Storm was only a few seconds behind her, recoiling slightly at the sound. She stayed out of the stall to give Midnight some privacy while she got it out of her system.

After a few moments, she was done, and the sound of her ragged breathing filled the air. Midnight flushed the toilet and stumbled out of the stall. She almost fell over before Storm was there to catch her.

"Woah, easy. Are you alright?" Storm asked in concern.

"I... I can't... I just can't..." Midnight whispered between heavy breaths.

"Hey, hey, listen to me. It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be alright. The princesses will figure something out, I promise." Storm said, wrapping Midnight up in a tight hug.

"I-I just... I can't... I can't lose him too... Not again..." Midnight said, her voice nearly choked by her sobs.

"Shh, just calm down. You won't lose him. You have my word. David is going to make it through this."

Midnight did not respond. She continued to quietly sob in Storm's embrace until there were no more tears left to shed.

Storm walked Midnight back through the hallway to David's room. The graphite mare numbly leaned on her for support, as her own hooves seem barely capable of moving on their own. They unceremoniously arrived to find Luna sitting next to David. The room was otherwise devoid of life.

"Princess Luna?" Storm asked, drawing Luna's attention from David.

"Storm, Midnight. Please, come in." Luna said with her best attempt at a comforting smile.

"Sorry about that..." Midnight said, her eyes still downcast.

"It's perfectly fine, Midnight. Are you feeling any better?" Luna asked, already sure of the answer.

"No... not really... How long?" Midnight dejectedly asked.

"How long... for what?" Luna asked, already uncomfortable with this line of questioning.

"Until... we lose him." Midnight said, putting an especially sour tone on 'lose'.

"Midnight, there's no reas-" Luna started.

"Princess, please... I need to know." Midnight said.

Luna hesitated for a few moments before she heavily sighed.

"Doctor Stable said that in David's current state... it's only a matter of hours. It might take an entire day... or he might be gone by the time the sun sets... Nothing is certain right now..." Luna sadly explained.

Midnight visibly tensed at the news, but managed to keep herself from throwing up again. She managed a shaky nod before hanging her head low again.

Storm looked devastated for a moment before she noticed that there was only one alicorn in the room at the moment.

"Excuse me, Princess... Where did Princess Celestia and Twilight go?"

"Well, I was going to open with that... I don't want to get your hopes up as it is still uncertain, however, Twilight remembered a particular spell she thinks might help David and possibly save his life. She teleported herself and my sister to the castle to recover the scroll. She didn't even wait for the doctor to finish his explanation."

Both Midnight and Storm visibly perked up at the news. Midnight stopped leaning on Storm and rose to her full height again.

"What spell?" Storm asked, excitement clear in her voice.

"I'm not entirely sure. All Twilight said was that it was a transfiguration spell. I assume we'll all find out once they return. Midnight, are you alright? I know that was a lot to take in, especially all at once." Luna explained.

"If Princess Twilight is referring to the spell I remember, then I'm not sure..." Midnight said, feeling her stomach twist again.

"What do you-" Luna started, before abruptly being cut off by a loud *pop* and bright flash.

"-and the base elements of his biological composition..." Twilight said, stopping upon noticing the new environment, "Oh, thank you, Princess. I didn't realize you were going to teleport us already."

"I felt it pertinent that we return in time to explain this to Midnight. Speaking of which, it appears Luna has beaten us to it..." Celestia replied, turning her gaze to Midnight.

"This is the part where you convince me this is the only way that we can save him, isn't it?" Midnight asked, her frown conveying exactly how she was feeling about the current turn of events.

"Indeed it is. Twilight, could you please explain to Midnight what you were just explaining to me?" Celestia asked.

"Of course. Now, Midnight, I know you were against the idea of changing David into a pony back on Hearth's Warming, but please hear me out," At Midnight's eventual nod, Twilight continued, "Alright, so, as we now know, David's body can't handle Equestrian magic. However, if we change him, there's a good chance that he will be able to live a long and happy life as a pony. Anyways, the spell works by rearranging a creature's DNA to that of a pony's, while maintaining their basic characteristics. For example, a hydra would probably have multiple heads as a pony, but wouldn't maintain its ability to regenerate-" Twilight explained.

Midnight stole a glance at David. Her mind raced for potential alternatives to Twilight's plan while she continued to talk.

"-that said, certain things like a species' dietary needs would most likely stay the same. Since David isn't a pony eating monster, I don't think we have to worry about that one-"

"Wait, if you're changing his DNA, how could his diet stay the same? If he became a different species, then why wouldn't that change as well?" Storm asked, fully invested in Twilight's explanation.

"Well, you see, if you look into StarSwirl's third law of magic, it states that-" Twilight began.

"Twilight, please, give us the shorthoof version." Luna admonished.

"Right, right. Sorry. The point is, certain aspects of a creature simply cannot be changed by magic, no matter how much you poor into them. If we use this spell on David, we could turn him into a pony, and save his life. He would never have to suffer from magic again. Him and Midnight could live together, and she wouldn't have to worry about her magic hurting him anymore." Twilight finished with a proud smile.

All eyes once more fell onto Midnight as the rest of the ponies in the room eagerly awaited her response. After several painful moments of silence, Twilight spoke up again.

"Uh... Midnight? I thought you'd be ecstatic to hear this... You seem... not that... at all. What's wrong?"

"It's just... look at him. He can't agree to this..." Midnight muttered, just loud enough for everypony to hear.

"Well, yes. That's why Princess Celestia decided that you should be the one to make the choice for him if he ended up in a circumstance like this. All we need is for you to say 'yes' and we can save him." Twilight said, hoping to bring some life to the dark unicorn.

"I... I know... And I know that I should just say 'do it'... but... I don't know if I can." Midnight said, her tone just above a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked incredulously

"I... I never talked about it with him, okay?" Midnight said, her mane once more hiding her face, "After Hearth's Warming, and the therapists... I convinced myself that Doctor Whinny was right... That David just had some issues after the crash and that he was fine now... I didn't want to believe anything could happen to him again. I just pretended like that conversation never happened..." Midnight shamefully admitted.

The room fell silent. Nopony knew what to do or say. After some time, it became unbearable.

"Well... regardless... you have to make a decision now..." Storm said, trying to be as gentle with her words as she could.

"I can't! I can't make that kind of life-altering decision for someone! Especially not for someone I love! What if he actually enjoys being human?! What if he doesn't want to be something else!? How would you like it if you were in a coma and I decided to change you into a snake while you were asleep?!" Midnight angrily shouted.

"Midnight, please. You need to relax." Celestia interjected, trying to calm the situation.

"I can't just make choices that could impact him for the rest of his life!" She cried out.

"MIDNIGHT!" Luna shouted, using her full Royal Canterlot Voice.

Midnight almost fell over from the force of Luna's voice. Her mane was now a frazzled mess, and she found herself literally backing into a corner. She was visually shaking, and wet drops of liquid on the floor reminded her that she had been crying ever since she started talking.

The Princess of the Night slowly approached her. Once she was close enough, Luna gently reached down and grabbed Midnight by her withers. Without giving her time to squirm free, Luna pulled her into a tight hug, adding her wings to the mix to comfort the badly distraught mare.

Within seconds, another navy blue pair of hooves and wings found their way wrapping around Midnight, then a lavender pair. Finally, an alabaster white pair of hooves and wings wrapped themselves around the graphite mare. The air quickly filled with the sound of sobbing, but only for a little while. They held Midnight until she finally relaxed. Their warm, feathery embrace did wonders for her anxiety and fear, and within minutes, she was calm again.

"I-I'm sorry... I just..." Midnight whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not an easy decision to make, but please remember, we wouldn't ask you unless we had no other choice." Celestia said, using her most soothing, motherly voice.

Slowly, the three princesses and Storm released their hold on Midnight, and allowed her some room. She was still shaking, slightly, but her breathing had returned to a more normal level and her tears were finally gone.

"Midnight, we want nothing but the best for both you and David... In all honesty, I think the only way you can have that is if we go through with this..." Twilight pleaded.

"What if he doesn't want to be a pony though? I don't want to force him to be something he doesn't want to be." Midnight whispered.

"Midnight... I believe I should tell you the reason as to why Twilight was even researching this spell in the first place." Celestia announced.

Midnight turned her head up to look at the Sun Princess.

"Before Hearth's Warming... before you and David were together... He came to me with an idea. He had decided that he wanted to be with you, however, he was still afraid of other ponies judging you for being with him. He asked me to research a spell that could give him the option to become a pony so that you two could be together." Celestia explained.

Midnight's eyes widened at the news. She slowly turned her gaze to David's sleeping form. After several tense seconds, she turned back towards Celestia, and shakily spoke.

"Why... Why didn't anypony tell me?"

"Only Twilight and I were aware of the spell. I am very sorry... but David specifically asked me not to tell you about it. I gave him my word that I wouldn't say anything... Now I have broken that promise. Please, let us cast the spell." Celestia said, her tone calm and soothing.

"I... but... why didn't he tell me?" Midnight manged to ask.

"I think he didn't want you to feel responsible for him making a decision like that... He did want the option to change back to being a human if the desire emerged... however, the spell simply doesn't work like that." Celestia responded.

"So... he still wanted to have the ability to change back..." Midnight said, piecing things together.

"I believe that he wanted the option, yes. Regrettably, there just isn't a spell that can do that right now... This is all we have, and I fear we do not have much time to make the decision. I know this is a very hard choice, Midnight, and there is still a potential chance that it won't be enough... but please, at least let us try." Celestia pleaded.

Midnight hung her head low. Her eyes glued themselves to the floor as she pondered for the right decision.

"I... I don't know what to do... I... I want to say yes... but he still wants to be human..." Midnight whispered.

"There simply isn't time to find another option, Midnight. I know this isn't fair, but if you do not agree to the spell... David will die... At least if we do something, there's still a chance." Luna said, honesty filling her voice.

Midnight was silent for a while. Her mind raced back and forth as she thought over her options. Despite her reservations, she knew she really only had one choice.

"...Okay..." Her voice was barely a whisper; so quiet that Celestia barely even heard her.

"Thank you. I promise we will do everything we can to save him." Celestia said.

"So we can do the spell then?" Twilight asked, having not heard Midnight.

"Yes. We will begin immediately. Storm, could you please get the doctor." Celestia replied.

"Of course, Princess." Storm said, moving out of the room.

Twilight and Celestia began unfurling the scroll. They set it down in the middle of the floor and began preparing themselves for the spell. Luna moved to inspect the scroll before addressing Celestia.

"Sister, is there anything I can do to help?" Luna asked.

"Yes. We'll need your magic to help power the spell. If I understand this correctly, then it's going to require astronomical amounts of magical energy to cast." Celestia replied.

"Yes, you two are going to have to supply the power for the spell to work, while I add the fine tuning and direct it in the way we need it to work with my magic." Twilight added.

"Good. Sounds easy enough. Just let me know when. I'll read this in the meantime." Luna replied, looking down at the scroll.

Despite the busy state of the room, there was one pony who did not move. She simply sat there in silence. With barely an inkling of an expression on her face, Midnight watched the royal sisters and Twilight work. Even the doctor reentering the room went unnoticed by the graphite mare as she sat there, nearly lifeless.

"Princesses? You called?" Doctor Stable asked.

"Yes. We think we might have a way to save David. However, we're going to need to remove him from the medical equipment to cast the spell." Twilight responded.

"Wait, what!?" Midnight interjected.

"Midnight, we can't use the spell with all these wires connected to him." Celestia explained.

"But those are what's keeping him alive!" Midnight cried out.

"We would only remove them a few seconds before the spell. After that, the spell will keep him alive until it's complete. Then we'll reattach whatever we need to." Twilight said, trying her best to sound calm and rational.

"But-" Midnight started.

"Midnight," Luna said, drawing her gaze, "I know you are scared, but there's simply no time to find a better option. Please understand that."

"B-but... he..." Midnight stuttered.

Midnight looked back and forth between the many ponies in the room. One after the other, they all shared the same look. Their minds were already made up. There was no point in arguing anymore. Feeling utterly defeated, Midnight cast her gaze to the floor, and waited for the inevitable.

"So... you want me to bring in a team to remove the medical equipment from him?" Doctor Stable asked, making sure to be mindful of the depressed mare to his right.

"Yes, please." Celestia answered.

Doctor Stable wasted no time and rushed out of the room to get a team together. As soon as he was out of the room, Luna noticed Midnight's crestfallen appearance and nudged Storm with her wing.

"Could you please make sure she's alright? I don't believe she can handle much more distress today." Luna said.

"Of course, Princess." Storm responded.

Luna watched as Storm quickly made her way over to Midnight and sat down next to her. She draped her wing around the dark unicorn much like earlier in the morning, and simply held her there. After a few moments, the sound of whispers reached Luna's ears. Whispers of comfort and encouragement. They brought a small smile to her face.

"Alright, the spell is ready to go." Twilight announced, drawing everypony's attention.

Right on cue, Doctor Stable returned with a small group of nurses and doctors. They quickly assumed their positions at the Heart Monitor, EKG, and ECMO machine, along with a nurse ready to remove the wires from his hands.

"Alright, can one of you remove the sheets and his clothes? We want as little outside influence as possible." Twilight announced.

A nurse quickly removed David's sheets and undressed him. The hospital gown easily tore free, and barely disturbed his body.

"Thank you.... Okay... On my mark, I want you all to remove every piece of medical equipment from David's body. Nothing can be attached." Twilight explained.

"But... Princess, he'll die within minutes." One nurse said.

Midnight visibly tensed at her words, before Storm calmed her back down with soothing words of encouragement.

"That's not gonna happen. We're going to cast a spell that will turn him into a pony. He will survive." Twilight declared, determination finding its way into her tone.

"Understood, Princess." Doctor Stable answered for the group.

"Okay... Everypony ready?" At the collective nods of the group, Twilight continued, "Alright... Three... Two... One... Now!" She called out.

Each pony instantly freed David's body of the wires and medical equipment keeping him alive. Within seconds, everything was disconnected and David laid there, completely free of everything. The harsh, continuous beep of the heart monitor flat lining filled the air.

"Princesses, now!" Twilight commanded.

Without hesitation, Celestia and Luna brought all their magic forth, and blasted two streams of white light straight into David's body. After a moment, he slowly rose, until he hovered a few feet off of the bed. Twilight jumped into action next, and shot a smaller stream of white light straight into David's chest. Each princess began to sweat with the strain of their magic at work, but they all held firm. The magic sounded like a jet engine activated in the doorway, and everypony struggled to not cover their ears, lest they begin to bleed.

Back behind them, Midnight and Storm stared with awe. Their vision blurred by the brightness of the white light pouring out of the alicorns and into room, and it took everything they had just to keep their eyes open.

The spell lasted for so long that Celestia and Luna's legs began to shake from the strain of keeping them upright. For a moment, it almost appeared as if they wouldn't be able to maintain the spell any longer, and it would falter. Finally, just as they reached their limits, Twilight's voice rang out above the deafening sound of the magic streams.

"That's enough! We got it!" She shouted.

Celestia and Luna immediately dropped their spells and fell to the floor, panting. Everypony in the room attempted to catch their breath as they stared at the white light engulfing David's body. Without warning, the light surrounding him began to glow brighter, and brighter, until it was blindingly bright. Everypony in the room was forced to close their eyes from the exposure to the unbelievably bright light.

"Is that supposed to happen!?" Midnight shouted.

"I think-" Twilight shouted back, only to be cut off by a massive flash of light and a sound akin to an explosion.

David walked through the mist for what must have been the hundredth time since coming to Equestria. Although, this time, it was different. He did not feel an ominous presence following him. He did not hear any voices. He only saw the mist, a slightly whiter color than it was before.

"Hello?" He called out.

No answer. He kept walking until he was tired of it.

"Alright, seriously, I'm not doing this shit again. I'm sick of it." David said to no one in particular.

"Already? You've only been here a couple of hours." A familiar voice spoke up, startling David almost into falling over.

"Ohmygodwhatthehell?!" David shouted as he turned around.

Standing there, not ten feet in front of him, were his lost friends, just the way he remembered them before their deaths.

"Guys..." David said in disbelief.

"It's been a while, David. How've you been?" Richie asked with a cocky grin.

"I... you... is this another dream?" David asked, looking around for any clues to answer his question.

"Nope." Isaac answered.

"Am I... dead?"

"You? Dead? No way man, you're still way too young to die, mister 'oldest man in the galaxy'." Roman answered with a chuckle.

"So then... where am I?" David asked.

"Well, we like to call this place 'The Void'. You might know it better as purgatory." Richie responded.

David was visibly stunned by the news. He took a few steps back before bringing both hands to his head and trying to catch his breath.

"So... If I'm not dead... and I'm in purgatory... then what am I right now?" David managed between deep breaths.

"Well, at the moment, you're a ball of energy about as bright as the surface of the sun." Isaac answered.

"What? What do you mean?" David asked, his panicky tone clear in his voice.

"Well... I think we'll let you figure that one out when you go back." Richie said with a smug smile on his face.

"What do you mean? I'm so confused! I... I killed you guys! Why am I here? I should be in Hell! How are you all not jumping at the bit to kill me right now? I don't even want to know what's going on with that 'energy ball' shit either! What the fuck is going on?" David nearly shouted.

"Woah, woah, calm down, bro. Listen, we're not mad at you. You made a mistake," Roman said, trying to calm David down, "Hey, Rich, c'mon man. Enough screwing with the dude."

"Alright, alright. David, listen to me, okay," At David's panicky gaze, Richie continued, "Alright... What happened on the ship... it wasn't your fault. You missed something, and that forced us to abandon ship. Then, you got to the escape pod first, and the motors on the door failed. We know you think it was your fault, but the fact is, there just wasn't enough power left. I know you feel like you messed up, and didn't save enough juice for the door, but the truth is that it wouldn't have mattered anyways."

David was silent. He took in every word as if each one would be his last, and his still couldn't believe his ears. Every emotion from relief, to fear, to anger, to disbelief, flashed through his mind at lightning speed. It was all he could do to even understand the true significance of Richie's words.

"But... I... That's not... How?" David finally managed to say after quite some time.

"You believe in fate, David?" Richie asked.

"I... I mean, I don't know..."

"Well, let me put it to you this way. It was our time, man. One way or another, we were gonna die on that ship. Trust me, what actually happened, was for the best." Richie explained, adorning a more friendly and comforting tone.

"But... if that's true... then what about-" David started.

"You and your girlfriend?" Richie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-yes..." David stuttered, "How did you..."

"We hear things. All I can say, is that today, is not your day to die, David." Richie answered with a friendly smile.

David was silent for a few seconds before finding the right words again.

"I... Thank you. I miss you guys." He said, his voice full of sincerity.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's for the best. Now you go on back to her, you hear me? Take care of her, she needs you." Richie said in his most fatherly voice.

David took a few steps forward before wrapping his arms around Richie and pulling him into a tight hug. Despite his best efforts, tears began to leak free of David's eyes. Within seconds, David felt another pair of arms , then another. For the first time in six months, David was able to hold his friends once more.

Then, as soon as it started, it was over. They all pulled away from each other and before David could say another word, the misty ground below him opened up, and he fell through.

The brilliantly bright white light finally began to fade, and the many ponies filling the room could open their eyes at last. Midnight was the first to look, and her jaw nearly dropped. Floating above the bed, their was a pony-shaped being made entirely of light. It was just dim enough that she could look at it while squinting, but it's shape was undeniable. From it's head to its hind legs, and it mane to its tail, it was a pony.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the being began to float down to the bed as the effects of the magic began to wear off. Midnight quickly moved to the edge of the bed just as it made contact with a slight *pompf*.

As Midnight reared back onto her hind legs and propped herself up with her forelegs, the light finally began to fade away, and David's new form began to reveal itself.

A crimson red coat covered his body while his mane and tail adorned a light brown, almost golden color. Neatly folded away on both sides of his barrel, sat two beautiful wings. Each one extended past his flanks, indicating a very impressive wingspan. Most impressive of all, however, was his sheer size. As a human, David dwarfed every single pony in Equestria up to Princess Luna. Even as a stallion, he was still slightly bigger than her.

Midnight's eyes moved to David's new face. She couldn't help the audible gasp she gave upon seeing it.

"Oh my gosh... He's just as cute as a stallion..." She thought to herself.

Another moment passed with each pony in the room finding themselves in equal states of awe and surprise before it happened. David took his first breath as a pony. Every pony noticed the seemingly deliberate rise and fall of his chest as he took in air with new lungs for the first time. No pony dared to say a word for fear of missing the moment of David's awakening.

He blearily opened his eyes. The strain of the light hitting them for the first time was absolutely blinding, forcing him to keep them closed. With as much effort as his tired body could manage, David moved his foreleg to block out the light.

"Ugh... why's it so bright in here... wait a minute... why does my hand feel so weird?" David thought to himself.

He managed a weak groan as he attempted to open his eyes again, this time finding much less resistance from the light. Everything appeared blurry. Too blurry to make anything out, and with another small groan, David turned his head to see a dark gray blob to his right.

"Ugh... Mid? Isat you?" David croaked, "Geez, my throat is dry..."

A wave of relief washed over Midnight, and she couldn't help but wrap her hooves around David and hug him as tightly as she could.

"H-hey, big guy. How're you feeling? You had us really scared for a while there." Midnight said, her voice full of relief.

"Ack... Mid.. can't breath." David managed.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just... can barely see. It looks... Why am I covered in red..?" David asked, having looked down at his body.

"Well... It's a long story... Maybe you should just rest for now, huh?" Midnight said, her voice soothing and warm.

"Y-yeah... Okay..." David replied.

David closed his eyes, and within seconds, he was fast asleep yet again.

David woke up slowly. His eyes still didn't seem to want to cooperate with him and his entire body felt sore, like he had just completed a triathlon. He managed a grunt as he attempted to move himself, but nothing else. There seemed to be a weight pressing down on his chest and stomach, keeping him from sitting upright. David managed a small smile. He knew exactly what, or rather who, that weight was.

Midnight felt David attempt to move, and made sure to lift herself away from his body to give him room. After a moment, he was able to form what could have been considered a sitting position, although, not a comfortable one for a pony.

"David?" Midnight asked.

"Hmm?" Was the response she received.

"Are you feeling better? Try not to move around too much if you aren't. You need your rest, after all." Midnight said, as motherly as she could.

"Hehe... hmm why does my mouth feel funny? Also, what's this stuff on my back... and wasn't I covered in red earlier? Mid, I can't quite open my eyes yet, so could you please tell me what's going on? I can't feel my hands." David asked, a vague amount of concern in his voice.

"Well..." Midnight sighed, "I wish I had better news for you... but you were in a pretty bad situation earlier today..." She began to explain.

"All I remember was getting really dizzy at dinner... Then waking up covered in red. Was that blood?" David asked with a shiver.

"No. Uh... Listen... what happened was... well, it turns out that Doctor Whinny was wrong all those months ago. About the cause of your migraines," Once David tilted his head in confusion, she continued, "It turns out... that magic was hurting you. It formed a kind of tumor in your brain and it's been killing you for the last four months. You didn't feel anything because it was blocking all the pain receptors in your head."

"So... I kinda... had a magical tumor?" David asked in disbelief.

"Well, sorta... Now comes the part where you can get mad and hate us for the rest of your life." Midnight sadly continued.

"What are you talking about?"

"It'd really be better if you opened your eyes and saw for yourself." Midnight replied.

Despite the struggle, David managed to open his eyes. It took a few minutes, but his vision finally cleared up and he could see again. He looked down at his chest, to find red fur where skin and hair would have been. He looked to his hooves, where his hands used to be, and then to his new wings. His jaw dropped upon the revelation.

"You turned me into a pony?" David asked incredulously.

"Yes. Before you say anything, just know that I was against it from the very start. I begged them to find a different way, but there were no other options. You were going to die within a matter of hours and we had to make a decision... I had to make a decision." Midnight quickly explained, "I understand if you're angry. I understand if you hate me for forcing this onto you... but I just... I just couldn't lose you..." Midnight sadly admitted, hanging her head low.

A pair of hooves somewhat clumsily found their way to Midnight's cheeks and gently nudged her upwards until she was looking at David again. Before she could pull away, she found herself staring into his chocolate brown eyes just like she had a thousand times before.

After a moment, David pulled her closer, and their lips met again. The feeling was foreign, yet oh so familiar, but within seconds, it was all over, and they pulled away from each other.

"You saved my life, Mid. For the third time now... Geez, at this rate it's gonna get hard to keep track. I'm not gonna lie, this isn't ideal for me, but I'm with you for good now. That's all that matters... Thank you." David said with the most sincerity and kindness he could muster.

"B-but... you can't change back... What if you miss being human?" She asked, almost pleading.

"It's... gonna take some adjusting, no doubt about it... but as long as you're with me, then I can do anything. Besides, I have wings! Look at that! I can fly!" David said, a little more ecstatic than he realized.

"Hehe, you sure can, big guy... So you're really not upset?"

"At this point... I'm just glad that I'm alive. I've got too much to live for to die now."

Finally. It's been a long time coming, but now we finally have the end of David's journey. Before you jump to conclusions about the ending though, I promise that there will be an epilogue. Also... one more NSFW chapter just because I love you guys and all the support you've given me. I'm assuming that most of you guys saw this ending coming a mile away, but I hope that at least the method by which we got here was a surprise. Anyways, the final chapter and epilogue will be uploaded next Friday. I'm doing both since the epilogue is only gonna be around 1-2000 words and I'm not gonna make you guys wait an extra week for that small of an upload.