After a cautious welcome back, Doctor Horse had joined Cerb as he was pushed through the halls by Thunder. A fitting pair, also followed by Ember, given both their states and refusal for proper care, as far as he was concerned.

"Yes, yes. I'm sure there will be more shards discovered as the days go by. Much like with Mr. Husk and his leg, as well as his back, cutting in to remove each piece may end up doing more harm."

Walking together, they passed one room sealed off with a notice of "Under Maintenance" tacked onto the cracked door. The sight, of course, left Doctor Horse feeling uneasy around his present company.

"There are a fine selection of sedatives available to help limit incurring future injuries if—"

"No thank you," Cerb answered prematurely. "I don't do well, or better with those."

Ember, impatient, or annoyed with not getting to push the wheelchair, turned to the children's ward instead.

"I need to check in on Smolder. Is it okay to visit Sniff, or…"

Try as she might, the extremes of Cerb's softer side and his hard-ass warrior persona didn't always make it easy to guess his motives or sensitivities. Still, Cerb appreciated her airing on the side of caution.

"Take your time, but I'm sure he'd like to hear your voice when you're done. Let Cadance know she can stop in when she’s done visiting the Wonderbolts, too."

After a knock on the door and a chipper voice on the inside welcomed them in, Cerb was a little let down to see Sniff unchanged since last seeing him. However, the current visitors were pleasant enough to see.

"Hey, mom," Cerb greeted Cutter, as warmly as he could. "Ovens. How's everyone doing?"

Ovens was lying alongside Sniff at the far side of the bed, while Cutter sat next to the bed, slowly waking to the new arrivals.

“Oh…Justin, dear. I'm so glad to see you're doing better today."

A silent slow shake from Thunder behind Cerb gave a silent gesture that wasn't exactly the case. At least enough to let her quickly change the subject.

"It looks like you finally got yourself a bath. I barely noticed that wonderful scent of yours."

A quick and easy change of topic. One Cerb took long to avoid talking about more crushing matters.

"Yeah… Uh… Cadance came by and… Well, Thunder and Ember also had to help. Rarity is still taking care of Fluttershy, so."

The fake smile on Cutter's face seemed to say the same thing Cerb was feeling. The whole conversation felt dead on arrival, and Cutter wasn't ready to let either of them open up what was difficult and unneeded to be discussed in this setting.

"Uh, Ovens, dear. We've been with Peter long enough for now. Why don't we give Justin some alone time with his brother."

Ovens wiped the dried tears and sleep from her eyes. Leaving Peter's side was the last thing she wanted to do. However, family was family, and she couldn't quite say no.

"Okay. Yeah… Just…"

She leaned forward and gave Sniff a soft kiss on the lips. Even asleep, there was a softness and feeling of compassion coming from him she didn't want to leave.

"Wake up soon, sweety. I won't be far away."

Cutter was slow to move, so Thunder moved Cerb to Ovens's side and set the brake.

"I'll be just outside the door, Justin. No one will bother you."

Cerb nodded silently, letting Ovens and Thunder leave the room. Cutter wasn't far behind but stopped shy of leaving the room. There was a weight on her shoulders where couldn't leave well enough alone. Making her stop to turn and speak softly.

"I'm… sorry for what happened with Fluttershy and Rarity. They should be here with you, no matter what. You…"

She gave a look to Ovens outside the door, an unspoken request to give them a moment before closing the door.

After Ovens started down the hall, Cutter made her way over to Cerb. There without a request, she brought herself up to hug around his midsection, bringing her bandaged wing under his arm that hugged her back.

"I heard that you've lost so many already. Now coming here… They don't understand why we do it. No matter how much life wants to take away from us. Even when others want nothing to do with all the sacrifice we put up with… But it's okay."

Cerb couldn't argue that she didn't understand what he really had gone through, but the sentiment was enough. She was a fighter like him. Ready and willing to stand up to the next great unknown no matter the cost.

However, she had her own bad news to share.

"Baked Fresh and I are done… I can't walk away from what I do."

Her breath caught in her throat, struggling not to let it all come out at once.

"This world is a frightening place for those like us who march into darkness. Who answer the call so they don't have to know what we protect them from… He doesn't understand why I can't walk away… I thought your two would."

More than she wanted to let out started to overpower her limits. Soft sobs and a steady flow of tears soaked into Cerb's shirt as he tried to comfort his only remaining motherly figure. The first to actually be dealing with anything close to what he was going through, though her admission conflicted his position even worse.

"We can't always change who we are… And I don't want to change. I don't want you to change either. You're fucking awesome, and Baked Fresh doesn't know how lucky he was to have you when you can still stand by us through all this bullshit."

That was already too much. Cutter had both her daughter and a majority of her subordinates to be presentable for. So, she pulled away and dried her eyes.

"No worries, Justin. Peter warned me you'd all be trouble. Just… know that I'm here for you. And be a good boy and wake your brother up for us."

The request was clearly in jest, though still heartfelt. Perhaps there was a glint of hope that her wish would be granted by some unknown human ability after she left.

Such an ability had yet to be seen, though as Cerb laid his hand on Sniff's, there couldn't have been a stronger desire for much else.

"Hey, Sniffles… Shit's gone to hell in a handbasket since you started sleeping on the job… I could really use some of your help right about now… I'm scared, bro."

Cerb had been in Sniff’s room alone for longer than expected, so Ember ended up walking down the hallways with Smolder. After spending so much time with Cerb, Ember had to make up what she could.

"Sorry I haven't been around much."

Smolder kept in stride, though didn't seem very enthusiastic about the bonding time.

"It's no biggie. It's not like we're family or anything."

While rude, even if true, Ember held her tongue long enough for Smolder to bring things back on track.

"You're so lucky. You get to have Cerberus watch over you. Benny told us he crushed more of those Echo things than any creature else and was the only one able to take down the owlbear."

Two out of three of those things were true, but Smolder didn't feel the need to clarify that it was her watching over Cerb.

"Yeah, well, none of us could take the stupid thing down. In the end, all we could do was remove the distractions and… watch him do his thing."

There was a moment of silence between the two as they completed their first lap, passing the same guards at the children's door. Part of the reason was because Ember didn't know how to end the conversation, and also because she didn't notice Smolder had kept walking for another lap.

After catching up, Ember couldn't stop a little bit of her former self from slipping out.

"What? There aren't enough floor tiles in your room. Do you really want to see the hallway twice?"

Presumably far enough away from any listening ears, Smolder finally dropped her guard.

"Were we really supposed to be the new Elements? Not that I care anymore, but… Harmony lied to us and almost got all of us killed and… I don't know if anything about us becoming friends was real. Then all the dumb ideas we had or how to fight it off and escape? I feel stupid for falling for all of it."

So there was a reason for the extended walk, and now Ember had to walk this tight rope. Though, prior conversations had already covered this before Cerb was sent home from the hospital.

"According to Rose, yes you were all to be the new Elements. But, she also didn't lie… It was more like she tricked you the same way Peter did."

A piss poor analogy, for sure, but the last question would fix all of that.

"As for becoming friends, and that new little brother of yours, that was all real. All thanks to Spike… and Cerb, I guess… Maybe Chris a little, too. But the whole time you were with Spike, Harmony couldn't do anything to you. Probably somewhere after getting off the train you and Yona snuck into, you were all on your own as well."

Smolder appeared to take that as truth, but not exactly for the best.

"That means that me and everyone else getting hurt—"

Ember turned on a dime to loom over Smolder, bearing her still-mending claws.

"Don't you dare say any of what happened back there was your fault. All of you are too young and inexperienced to make…"

A little too late, the version the kids had told together came back to her. It was easy to see where the blame could be placed at any point in time.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the lecture to give or the lesson to learn.

"Look, kid. You all made the best choices you could. And you especially… You fought that owlbear by yourself. Not once, but twice. And all for the right reasons. Just like I did against that super Echo."

Smolder cocked an eyebrow and raised a questionable tone.

"Was it really a super Echo?"

Ember turned back, slapping Smolder in the back of the head with her tail-

"Ow!"

-before motioning her on.

"Of course it was a super Echo. It was riding the damn owlbear. All the super baddies ride something bigger than them when they're pony-sized… Thunder never even fought her super Echo. She had to help Cadance with hers."

Even if some of the story might have been embellished, Smolder wasn’t going to forfeit all the bragging rights.

“Yeah, you’re right. Do you think I could have helped in the fight?”

Ember reached out and ruffled the spines on Smolders head playfully before playfully mushing the young dragonesse’s face away.

“Probably, but I saved ya some pieces to munch on. How’s that work for ya?”

Pinkie was making her rounds spreading cheer and goodwill where she could. The return of the missing foals had relieved many concerns, but the lack of details coming out left many concerned of yet another disturbance. It was the kind of atmosphere perfect for a cheerful party pony to make her appearance in.

Friendly hellos, good vibes, an occasional hug or two, and compliments-a-plenty eased the tensions still floating about the residence. That is until Pinkie found her way to one sweetly scented house in particular filled with shouting.

“Less would have been hurt had you not run from the fight!”

“That wasn’t my job! That’s not what we do!”

“You didn’t want to help! You never wanted to help them! You just wanted to find a reason for me to stay away from them!”

“You weren’t there! You have no idea what it was like! Stop acting like you know what you’re talking about”

“You fought for Ponyville before! This shouldn't have been any different!”

“Well, it was different! I fought with you! I was fighting for you! You need to stay away from those humans! He’s surrounded by mares! He doesn’t need you like I do!”

“Fuck you, Bon Bon! I knew that’s what this was all about! I am so done with you! I can’t stand being around you anymore! You won't listen to reason! I fucking hate you! You hear me?! I! Hate! You!”

“Get back here! That’s an ord—”

The two voices divulged into incoherent screams and what sounded like a tussle, as Pinkie bounded closer. The tussle brought in the sounds of dishes breaking, furniture and cupboards slammed against bodies, then an Earth pony mare bursting through the front door.

Stopping just shy of kissing Pinkie’s hooves, Bon Bon slid to a stop in the dirt.

Confused, Pinkie blinked a few times as she tried to put together what must have started this feud between two of Ponyville’s closest friends, but she had heard enough to make an educated guess.

“Uh… I’m just stepping out on a limb here, but you probably shouldn’t try to keep ponies away from their special somehumans. You saw how that worked out for you know who. I mean? Come on. You were there.”

Stomping out from the front door, Lyra marched past Bon Bon and nabbed up Pinkie by her tail as she passed by.

“Thirty days, Bon Bon! I want you out of my house, and I’m not coming back until you and all your shit is somewhere else!”

Shocked, Pinkie could only stare, awestruck at Bon Bon faltering to get back to her hooves. A lost friendship and broken heart showed through with more clarity than the bruised cheek and dirty chin.

“You’re kicking me out?! But… I have nowhere else to go! We still have to wo—”

“Thirty days!” Lyra shouted back, not even turning around to say it more clearly in Bon Bon’s direction. “Figure it out!”

While clearly a friendship problem, Pinkie wasn’t physically able to help Bon Bon. Then again, being how she sided with the one telekinetically carting her around, Pinkie could only ask the obvious question at this point.

“So… Rumor around town is that you and Bon Bon had a disagreement recently. Anything you want to talk about?”

Thankfully, Lyra knew that was Pinkie just being Pinkie, so the off-putting question didn’t sting as it should have. Instead, she put Pinkie down, heavily in need of venting to someone who she could talk to more openly.

“Sorry for dragging you along like that. I didn’t want Bon Bon following me, and I thought if you were with me..” She sighed and slowed down enough to let Pinkie catch up, and got back into the stride of updating the party mare. “Sorry… Bon Bon confronted me about spending so much time with Peter and said that I shouldn’t because he’s dangerous. So, I told her how I really feel about him.”

An uncontrollable smile beamed from Lyra’s muzzle, the rapid turn of events coming back to help her see how horrible things had turned out for her and her former best friend.

“And the stupid thing is, we both felt the same way about each other. Just like Octavia and Vinyl. Only Bon Bon, as it turns out, is a hateful, jealous bitch. I just can’t get it through to her that…”

As much as it felt like Pinkie was betraying a part of herself, she couldn’t argue with Lyra storming off or even getting physical over Bon Bon trying to stop her from seeing Sniff. After all, she would have done the same if anyone stopped her from even being friends with Benny.

“That he’s too important to you. I know… What you have with him and your herd is special. Believe me, I wish I had what you all had.”

Lyra raised a hoof to wipe a frustrated tear from her eye, only then realizing who exactly she was venting to, and how that must have made the listener feel.

“Damnit, Pinkie. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t be complaining about my love life to you. I mean… If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t—”

“Why didn’t Benny and I end up together?” Pinkie quickly finished the question, not even sounding bothered by it. “I wondered that myself ever since Rarity taught me how to masturbate. Long story, but it involves a porno. Anyway~ I wasn’t what Benny needed, other than a friend. And, sure, I’d love to have him pound me into a mattress as hard as Cerb could swing his axe; I don’t have what every other pony has with their special humans.”

Lyra cocked her head slighting, giving Pinkie an odd side glance.

“And what’s that?”

Pinkie just smiled back, confident with her answer.

“A reason to be in a relationship. He-he. But you know what?”

She added a gleeful giggle and an extra bounce to her stop before moving closer to Lyra and whispering in her ear, “I’m so horny all the time that I’d let any human or pony fuck me.”

The sheer bluntness left Lyra giggling/blushing alongside Pinkie.

“Damnit, Pinkie. You are too much, but who knows? You might end up lucky one of these nights.”

Pinkie kept her perky bounces towards the castle, ever confident in the path she’d chosen.

“Probably not, but I might at least get some sloppy seconds. You mares are into that, and that’s gotta be better than using my own hooves or a candlestick.”

The duo again entered into pearls of laughter, ignoring the considerable number of gazes from those watching them in town.

Zecora stood in front of the kettle at the stove. Three teacups sat to the side as she worked with Rarity to keep the cottage in order.

“I owe Cerberus my life, and because of that, I made Fluttershy a promise. Now it seems like you both are abandoning your hard-earned future of bliss.”

Rarity busied herself with sweeping the floor. Not with magic, but by hoof. All the more frustrating to deal with this added burden of explaining herself.

“It’s not so simple. Justin has time and time again, allowed himself to be thrust into conflict. First, the guards, which he did so he could venture into Everfree Forest for Becky, then the Castle of the Two Sisters for The Pony of Shadows, then again searching for the foals and fighting… everything. He’s never given himself the time to heal, and each time he fights, he comes back beaten and bloodied worse than the last.”

Zecora had seen the results of Cerb’s physical conflicts, which did not lessen her view on the matter being discussed, nor lower her tone in her reply.

“Even after the Timberwolves, you held tight to Justin and never resisted. Yet now you speak as if those risks never existed?”

The sweeping stopped, and Rarity realized that she’d been sweeping a clean floor for the last five minutes.

“God… Damnit.” She let the broom drop into the corner she had swept herself into, more frustrated with herself than anything else. “We knew there would be dangers, but he doesn’t know when to stop. We had to force him to cease fighting off the Kings the first time. We couldn’t stop him from going into the Castle when he should have been resting. He insisted on walking in Canterlot, and then when the Echoes came, he ran into battle with no plan.”

Still trying to keep herself busy, Rarity opened a cupboard and pulled out a bag of feed. Reflexively, she tried to pull it forward with her magic, but her best efforts could only budge it partially forward.

“Son of a…”

The kettle finally began to whistle, prompting Zecora to pour three cups in rapid succession and return the kettle back to the stove away from the flame.

“Honestly, now. How many times have you been in his position? To save your friends, you wouldn’t turn down such a mission?”

Rarity grumbled as she reached for the feed bag over her head.

“No, of course, I wouldn’t, but I always make sure to maximize my recovery efforts. Plenty of beauty rest, nourishing foods, a day at the spa, meditation. I put it all behind me and focus on myself so I can be back on my hooves with as little delay as possible.”

Zecora stayed focused on the tea, adding milk and sugar to those who would want it. While stirring each cup, she expanded upon her thoughts on the matter, though her voice came off more as lecturing than nurturing thought.

“You are wise to take the time to restore your health, pampering yourself at a hefty cost. For Justin, however, I believe his hesitancy comes from the fear of what he has left to be lost.”

The realization that Cerb might have been constantly ready to fight for others didn’t come in spite of his loss, but that was only because it hit Rarity just as hard as the bag of feed falling on her head.

Zecora noticed the bag impaled on Rarity’s horn but gave it no mind. The symbolism of the mess Rarity had helped to create felt appropriate, so she continued prepping the tea tray.

“Don’t act so surprised, and take that bag off of your head. Fluttershy has not eaten all day, so we shall feed her in bed. With food in her belly, maybe we’ll remove all of that needless dread.”

With the serving tray in her mouth, Zecora led the way up the stairs. Rarity fell behind, dumping the bag off her horn and letting the pellets spill across the floor for the many critters to rush over and gorge upon. The thought of Cerb's actions and illogical behavior should have received a more generous amount of compassion. However, that didn’t address all the issues needing their attention.

In fact, the biggest obstacle still had her head buried under the covers.

“Go away,” Fluttershy’s muffled voice pleaded through her sobs under the blanket. “I want to be alone.”

Defying the request, Zecora placed the tray on the makeup stand. She had her honor to uphold, after all.

“Quiet opposite of this is true, I bet, plus I am still in your debt."

Zecora then pulled back the covers, finding Fluttershy clinging to her pillow. A sad sight for sure, but one that also said more than Fluttershy would admit.

"I've heard you refuse to see Cerberus after your fight, and here you are, holding a pillow that has his scent with all your might."

Fluttershy sniffed her nose clear, taking in the rich scent of species and citrus. Try as she might, she had been clinging to it since she decided not to leave her bed.

In any other context, such a sight would’ve been somewhat off-putting.

"I can't do it," she whined. "I can't handle the killing. The Timberwolves and the Echoes, they weren't really alive. But that owlbear."

She buried her face in the pillow again, moaning her woes.

"I thought I understood what it takes to be a killer. Even if only to save others, but I can't. He's still dead. I watched him die. I watched all of them die. No matter what we did, they all died."

Feeling for Fluttershy’s struggles, Rarity joined her on the bed, pulling both her wing mare and the pillow in her arms.

"Darling, please. That nasty beast tried to kill you and all the children. There was no stopping it. It nearly killed Justin even after all the shooting and stabbing… There was no creature it wouldn't kill to get to Justin. What choice did we have?"

Fluttershy only cried harder into her pillow, not wanting to answer, leaving Rarity to try again.

"Gruff wasn't any of our faults. We still don't know who or what took him to save the children. We certainly didn't have a way to bring him out. And even Trixie…"

Those were both terrible losses, but Rarity knew the one that really was causing the most pain.

"Fluttershy, darling… I know you knew Discord better than any of us, but you heard what he said. Wedding bells? That was a bit on the nose, wouldn't you say? You know what he wanted for you."

Collapsing into a full meltdown, Fluttershy wailed into her pillow. All the remorse compiled into massive blubbering that contorted her words.

"It's my fault! I made Justin fall in love with me. I made him love me. I made him rut me. I wanted more. I couldn't stop myself. And because of that, I lost one of my closest friends."

She lifted her head from the pillow. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. The fur under her eyes was dark with the tears she'd been crying for days on end. No time that had passed had eased her suffering.

"Before Discord left us here, I asked him to help us have a foal with Justin. And then I hugged him. I sealed his fate. I was the stroke of the pen. Just like the baseball Justin ruined, I made Discord mortal long after he left us. He'd be alive if…"

It all came down on Fluttershy again. She knew what Harmony saw. The weakness she had left on Discord that was used to strike him down.

"Justin couldn't protect us... We didn't make him stronger… He's worse off than before we tried to help him. All of Equestria is worse off because of what we did. We failed him and our world."

It was all laid out, and Zecora wasn't accepting any bit of it.

"That owlbear was no friend of yours and is better off dead. Had Justin not used his axe, then to its belly he would of been fed. Even if Harmony deceived most with what they could eat to their fill, that creature was wicked and only wanted to kill."

Not done, Zecora marched around the room, venting her heated opinions on Fluttershy’s reaction.

"And now that you’ve spoken, I heard the whole story and understand Discord's final wish. He only wanted you to be happy; instead, you cry in bed, acting ungrateful and selfish. Gruff lost his soul, Trixie her existence, and Discord his life. Sacrifices so you could stand at the altar as your stallion’s wife. Even Justin broke his body, burned, battered, stabbed, and bruised. All because they threatened to take you, and he violently refused."

Fluttershy spun around from her pillow, shooting her wing out to point at Zecora.

Slap.

Infuriated, Zecora instantly slapped the wing away from her face. That quickly changed any attempt Fluttershy had to offer her counterargument, especially when Zecora stated her down with no pity or remorse.

"Excuse my rashness and raising a hoof to you, but you don't need my rhymes and clever wording to see the truth. You don't understand what you're throwing away. Justin is what he is. He could have been a villain to our kind, but he chose to use his wrath to smite evil that would clash against us instead. He was willing to destroy himself to save others. Most importantly you."

The fact that Zecora stopped rhyming was out of character. The lecture had become so heated she was talking normally, though her tone was bitter and spiteful.

"I've heard so much about these humans. All of it rings true to what I left my homeland in search for. Not to understand magic, but to find those who would not look at me and see my limits of expectations, but acceptance to be something more. Those that would support me and my own desires that others mocked and shamed me for pursuing. Creatures that wouldn't tell me to change or give up what gave me purpose, to conform to their standards."

She turned a cold stare at Rarity, making her cower under the judgment in her eyes.

"And you are no better. That letter you wrote? Making Justin choose between that which saved our entire world and the kindness you offered him. Baiting him in with the fear of rejection while all but telling him that Fluttershy had already abandoned him? That his actions only bore misery on those he cares the most for."

Both mares sulked under the poignant words levied on them, ashamed of their thoughtless actions. They were helpless under the truth Zecora bore down on them, returning her focus to Fluttershy.

"Justin is not some wild beast to be tamed and trained not to bite in exchange for your kindness. He is a harbinger of war, more fearsome than the Cerberus his chosen name reflects, longing for peace and healing with those he would fight for because that is his nature. Is that any different than the Spirit of Chaos you convinced to use his powers against those who threatened our peace?"

She looked again to Rarity, who was speechless and demoralized.

"Nor is Justin a bundle of mismatched fabric for you to craft into comfortable garments that fit your acceptable tastes. Justin had fashioned himself a brave and strong tapestry to drape over those not capable of carrying his burdens. He needed only mending to fix his tattered heart and frayed confidence."

She could still remember first meeting Cerb. How he carried her to safety, risking his life for hers and others. Ponies that he barely knew.

All the anger she had for the Timberwolves coming back as passion she battered the mares with.

"I saw it all too well when he carried me on his back away from the wretched beasts that sought to tear me apart. I saw it stronger in him than Onyx and Night Watch who were bound by duty. More than Rare Find searching to impress, and woefully out of his league. Every creature sees it in him.”

Taking a moment to lower her emotions, Zecora took a deep breath and lowered her head, no longer capable of looking either of the two in the face.

“Everypony, the deer kin, the hidden hippogryphs, even the griffons, yaks, and dragons, with all their pride look to him and his brethren and sisters with admiration, respect, and longing… And I am no different.”

Turning away with a hint of shame and sorrow, Zecora pointed herself to the door with her head still held low.

“I came here, wishing this to be easy, that you would stop me from talking and run for his embrace. I wanted to honor my promise to see you both wed, though your foolishness appears not to make that the case.”

Slowly, Zecora walked herself out the door, speaking only loud enough for her reads to extend past the stairs.

“If you prefer ultimatums, then I’ll leave you with one of my own to consider. Though, if you chose poorly, you’ll have no right to be shocked or become bitter.”

Rarity and Fluttershy stared at the open bedroom door, both their ears finally honed in on Zecora’s parting words.

“Reclaim your stallion, or wallow alone, together in bed. For if Justin is left unattended, there are many who will gladly take your place instead.”

The door to the outside cracked open, and Zecora had one last comment to share.

“I met a fine stallion recently, though to the Crystal Empire he will again depart. You both have until dinner; otherwise, a new race will start.”

Catching Chris as soon as he got back, Chris was ushered away by Twilight with Starlight to meet up with Rose. The request was simple, though the effects were crippling for Rose to watch.

“Huh,” Starlight’s voice sighed from the screen as she wandered the castle. “This castle looked a lot smaller from the outside.”

As the viewers continued to watch, Starlight ventured down another hallway, eventually opening a door to find Spike standing in only a towel, standing on a stool in front of a bathroom sink, brushing his teeth while wearing a band around his head to hold his spines back.

Of course, caught sight in the mirror of Twilight walking in on him and promptly turned to waive his morning greetings.

“Morning, Starlight.”

Embarrassed, Starlight turned away, covering her eyes with a hoof as she used her magic to shut the dual swinging doors.

“Oops. Sorry, Spike. I guess I’m still trying to find my way around. You don’t happen to know where the library is, do you?”

Spike popped out from the open door, causing Starlight to shy away again, though while watching it, Starlight admitted her confusion on the matter.

“Yeah… I remember that morning, but… I can’t say why I felt so embarrassed walking in on Spike. I mean… It’s not like he was actually on the toilet or anything.”

The video played on from the crystal replica of Chris’s smartphone, depicting Spike giving the proper directions to the very next door, leading to Starlight meeting up with Twilight. The two quickly shared an emotional exchange about being grateful and forgiveness. This was all about Starlight being accepted as a pupil and how the castle was now her home.

All the while, Rose had been fixated upon every moment that transpired in front of her.

“This is… Impossible. I… I don’t understand it. It’s perfect.”

By this time, the theme song began to play, leaving Rose to question her sanity.

“The Words… This is one of the many series of events that had to come to fruition. Every word, your expressions, the locations, the timing…”

The theme song ended with the title card, then flashed to opening credits: Developed for Television by Lauren Faust with a painted violet background. The screen faded out, opening to an establishing shot of Ponyville residents walking about in front of the view of the castle, talking, carrying on with their daily lives while Starlight’s voice preceded a fade in the very study they were currently watching the video in.

“All those ponies… Walking around… It took us seven years to plan everything to get them to where they needed to be. Twenty years to ensure the seven years to follow would allow for the optimal conditions needed to ensure they were as The Words demanded.”

More banter ensued from the video. It was nothing new to Chris, as he had watched it multiple times.

"So… The script of the show is The Words?"

Rose turned back to Chris, her eyes glowing bright white with rage.

"Do I look like a fucking cartoon to you?!"

Starlight bolted in front of Chris to protect him, but Twilight raised a hoof between the three and stepped in to intervene.

"He's not saying we're cartoons or that this world is the show. All we're pointing out is that somehow a show on his world captured points in time of our lives. He knows that we're real. That we have a history that extends far beyond what anything he has to show us."

Rose looked back at the screen. Jumps in time reflecting the exact moments she had seen played out time and time again in other worlds.

"But these are the Words. Perhaps not heard through the great beyond, but animated to depict every moment that was to come to pass. The hours in between were left to us to interpret. Painstaking years of plotting and planning had to go into manipulation of the weather by pegasi, crop rotations, emotional directing of countless ponies… and it's all fucking entertainment for humans?"

Rose tapped the screen to skip to the next episode, starting with a recap of the previous episode showing the events of Twilight and the others arriving in the Crystal Empire. Much of which centered around Twilight discovering that she was to be an aunt, hints at Sunurst’s insecurities, Flurry Heart being an alicorn, and the troubles that came with her uncontrolled powers. All of which ended with the Crystal Empire about to be engulfed in a magical snowstorm.

It was enough to make Rose sick, and thus she turned away from the show's opening musical number.

“No… No. Fuck this. I’m done with this fairy tale bullshit. It was a prophecy about how to save the world from being destroyed and falling into chaos.”

The next episode started with Rarity complaining about the shattered Crystal Heart and how plans had changed. Hearing those familiar words drove Rose to turn around and punch the projected display.

She slammed her hoof on the display over and over again, pausing and unpausing the video. Rarity’s voice the musical overtones playing and stopping over and over again as the visuals panned out in rapid jolts until she stopped on the video playing Twilight’s dialog.

“Without the Crystal Heart’s magical protection, the entire city is about to become a winter wasteland.”

Finally, Rose broke down. Her tears welling up and falling down the screen playing out the past.

“This wasn’t even how it was supposed to happen. The Words first foretold of King Sombra’s return. Queen Chrysalis was to work with Radiant Hope to unleash the Umbrum. His redemption. The final defeat to keep them sealed away. So many fucking broken continuities in The Words. It was madness to determine what had to be true, what were parables to explain what not to occur. Memories that had to be erased…”

Rose collapsed to the floor, sobbing over a dual purpose in life that had been robbed of her. At the same time, Chris had an epiphany that only complicated matters.

More specifically, it was a question that would complicate their understanding of the broken continuity.

“Did by any chance The Words mention Rarity becoming the New Nightmare Moon?”

Rose choked on her blubbering, ending in her coughing and vomiting up some of her morning vodka. She sat hovering over her own vomit, breathing heavily while trying to remember in the midst of understanding why her entire existence was a lie.

“Nightmare Rarity? That was years before the Crystalling. What about it? Do you have another fucking movie of that, too?”

Chris was about to reach for his phone, but since he still had casts and bandages over both hands, he figured that the visual evidence wasn’t going to do any of them any favors.

“N… no… It was never part of the show. It was in the comics.”

“IN THE COMICS?!” Rose shouted in rage-fueled disgust. “The fucking movies weren’t enough?! You have comics of… Wha-What is this?”

Only further angered, she turned back to Chris again and spat out what bit of alcohol and bile left coating her tongue.

“Is this some kind of cruel joke? You! You! You are nothing like the Chris I knew! My Chris never wanted to torture me with these… These fucking sick lies! I’m real, Goddamnit! I might be the pony who watched her whole world be devoured by The Darkness and the Harmony that controlled my fate, but I’m not your fucking movie night, gaggle fuck, sit and watch joke to be viewed at your leisure! I can make and break my own destiny!”

She forced herself up, ready to throw herself on Chris. Ready to beat him. Tear him apart, but fumbled on her cap she had entangled herself in, landing on the floor with a flop.

There on the floor, shaking with inept anger, crying, wheezing, and throwing up on the floor as well as herself, Rose gave up.

“It’s not true. It can’t be true… My Chris would have told me it was all make-believe… The Words were real. My life was real. I controlled my world’s reality. I guided every life. I remember watching my own life. I lived my whole life under that lie… but it was real. We’re not… No… I want my Chris back. I want to go home.”

No one knew what to do. The Words that had been left so ambiguous and aggrandize
as the purpose of all the death and misery Harmony caused were nothing more than stories forced upon countless hapless worlds. Even worse, to what end did such a purpose serve? What was this creature that was both pony and Harmony supposed to believe?

“Find them,” Rose pleaded through her tears. “Go back to where you came from… Find the humans that made this. Make them give me my world back. Bring back my Chris.”

Slowly, Rose pushed herself up, now a mess, emotionally and physically, as well as still a little drunk.

“I want my happy ending.”

Most of the attendees for the dinner had gathered. Only Twilight, Chris, and Starlight knew of Rose's analysis of how The Words and the show were related. Even Twilight was in a similar state of denial, though she still carried on with grace, whereas Rose had opted to drink herself into a stupor.

For Twilight, even if her life had been scripted, she still carried the responsibility to ensure the safety of Equestria. Only now, she knew that she could make her own choices.

In the dining hall, more tables had been added to fit all the guests, just as security had been buffed up to a ridiculous amount.

Deer kin had bolstered the ground level while the able-bodied Lunar Guard bat ponies patrolled the skies. What few Lunar Guard unicorns, pegasi, and Earth ponies that had stayed back originally, filed in the bulk of internal security.

At the tables, all the leaders of the races sat sharing small talk with each other and the likes of Lumberman, Kelly, Becky, and Benny with all their plus ones and youngsters, including the CMCs.

Becky sat close to King Abyssinian for the moment, checking up on his current condition.

"Well, yeah. You can't have anything spicy or salt to eat until the inside cheek heals. And only soft foods you can mash with your tongue until those stitches come out."

Complacent, though disappointed, the King sighed and held his cheek.

"Fine, but what about alcohol?"

Topshelf passed by with her cart, dishing out extra glasses.

“We have a lot of options to choose from, and I could make some recommendations. Although I think somepony couldn’t wait. There’s a ton of whiskey missing from the stockpile Starlight left us.”

Rutherford leaned in, a carefree smile grinning from ear to ear.

"Mouth for me also sore. Whiskey burn mouth and beer bubbles sting. Wine is very good though. It only sting a little at first. Then it numb mouth with mild burn and warm body."

Becky was going to lean towards ice water for a recommendation, but figured these guys deserved a drink.

"Sure. Why not? Try some wine, if you can't handle it now we'll send you home with a bottle of something nice."

Sitting across from the pair Rarity, dressed up in her fashionable black dress, pushed her bottle of white wine over to share.

"The wine is a fine choice. Justin picked this one out for us before. I would recommend it."

Not wanting to start an argument, in fact, rather glad to see Rarity had come around enough to bring Fluttershy with her, Becky took the bottle and poured the king a small glass.

Taking it another step, she even poured Fluttershy and herself a glass, then raised hers for a toast.

"Justin knows how to pick 'em, doesn't he?"

Queen Abyssinian raised her glass to join in the toast.

"I would say so myself. We owe a great deal to that man of yours," she complimented at the pair.

The five touched glasses and gave a toast to the pending arrival of Justin. Each finding their glasses tasting sweeter than expected, though Rarity and Fluttershy both held their chest with discomfort after swallowing.

Concerned, Becky leaned in.

“Are you two alright?”

Looking embarrassed, as well as aloof, Rarity waved a hoof.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just our nerves getting the best of us.”

Fluttershy shied away slightly, the same aloof look, mixed with a longing sadness as she held her chest.

“It hit us both just after arriving. Seeing everyone again, it made us realize just how much we missed Justin. It…” She held her chest again, a little tighter. “It feels like we were disconnected, missing something… We plan on making up for everything tonight. Reconnect. Make things right.”

While the good times were building up, Mayor Mare briskly trotted past Kelly chatting with Benny and Vinyl.

“Yeah, no,” Benny casually commented. “I’m only staying for a bit. Same for Twilight. Ocellus got moved to her own room, alone, and still has to eat tonight. She barely had any lunch—”

Mayor seemed particularly excited as she carried a rolled parchment in her mouth, not even phased by the passing conversation. Instead, she made a straight line towards the head of the tables towards Celestia.

"Em-hm," she cheerfully murmured before proudly dropping the parchment on the table. "Your majesty, if you could please look this over quickly and give your approving signature. Lyra and I put this together for the opening speech tonight. Given all the details surrounding recent events… Well… I'm sure you'll understand when you see the names."

Intrigued as to what the good news might be, Celestia lifted the parchment in her aura. Luna, sitting next to her, leaned in to read as well.

After a quick skim of the contents, both their eyes lit up. Luna herself had to cover her mouth to cover a yelp of excitement.

Shining tried to catch a glimpse of what the excitement was about, only to be playfully pushed aside by Celestia as she turned the paper away from his view.

"Oh, no. You can wait to see this. You, of all ponies, deserve to wait."

Taking it as something harmless, Shining sunk back in his seat.

"Fine. Whatever. So long as it's good news."

Finishing with the final stroke of her pen, Celestia beamed brightly while rolling up the parchment and tucking it away.

"Very, very, good news."

Another batch of arrivals made their way down the stairs to the roaring applause of the waiting guests. Chris, along with his full harem, their foals, and Spike, carefully ascended down, happy to see the large crowd that had gathered.

Even in normal clothes, as his bandages wouldn’t have allowed his suit to fit, he still was a welcomed sight. His goofy grin and stunted wave were all part of the charm he brought with his well-dressed mares.

“Hey! Thank you! Thank you! I’ll be here all night! Seriously, I live upstairs now.”

Chris’s goofy grin turned to a full-sized smile as noticed more guests walking and pointed.

“Hey! Look who else is here!”

All eyes turned to the entranceway. King Aspen was leading in Kühn, Black Thorn, Soarin’, Sandbar, Silverstream, Yona, Galus, and Smolder. Behind them, Italian Stallion pushed in a serving cart, trailed by his entire staff with even larger buffet carts.

The last one to enter was Ember, who stood at the threshold of the entrance. With a cold stare and a new set of bandages, she scanned the room of the cheering and applauding audience until she found Celestia.

The two made eyes, and Ember smiled back, giving the princess a nod.

Celestia nodded back, which oddly removed Ember’s smile, and she nodded back again as if to tell her something. It wasn’t until Ember made the hand gesture of unrolling a scroll that Celestia took the hint and stood up to calm the applause.

“Ahem! Every creature! If you will take your seats, it appears as though I have an announcement to make!”

At the farthest back table, Twilight took her seat next to Swifty and was quickly joined by Mayor Mare, who still had the biggest smile and an even warmer hoof to lay on Twilights. It was a welcomed moment of contact after the day Twilight had, prompting a constant question.

“Any word about—”

Mayor answered the question with a kiss on Twilight’s cheek, making her pause long enough for Celestia to command everyone’s attention.

“It seems impossible to believe that only seventeen days ago, our new friends and allies arrived upon our doorsteps. Lost, confused, and without explanation, they had become castaways in a strange new world to them. Their time here has been nothing short of overwhelming. Many trials, tragedies, and… even my own shortcomings in trying best to adjust the inner workings of balancing the dangers and promising futures we all faced together.”

Just hearing it truly did make it all sound impossible. Hardly even half a month had passed by, and yet so much had changed for all of them, yet Celestia went on.

“However, one of the first steps in the right direction was to appoint our Stranded Seven as Honorary Guest of Equestria. Complete with all the same rights and privileges our citizens are granted. That, of course, does not stop short of starting a family of their own.”

Raising up the parchment she only minutes ago tucked away, Celestia turned her eyes to Benny.

“Sir Benjamin Yale. Have you ever considered adoption?”

From the entrance, Ember raised her left arm, signaling Ovens to push in a wheelchair, where a voice unheard for two days obnoxiously called out.

“Beeeeen-neee!”

The entire room gasped as Peter was carted out into view with a young filly walking very close by his wheelchair and Octavia. The frightened filly had a yellow coat and similar light torques main and tail, and a ladybug for a cutie mark.

Sitting unusually still, with his hands folded in his lap, Sniff joyfully called out to his friend.

“Haven’t you ever heard that you are responsible for the life you save? Water Bug said she only eats with you now. You just going to let her go hungry?”

Benny shot up out of his seat, slowly putting together the stories from the kids and the filly standing on her own.

“Water Bug? Ocellus?!”

The filly’s eyes shot open wide. Pure joy and childlike wonderment were alive in her voice as she shouted back.

“Benny!”

As cliche as it might have been, the two ran toward each other. Ocellus, if by any other name or appearance, jumped into Benny’s arms, who carefully, though very strongly, squeezed around her.

“You… Oh, my god. I was only gone for… What happened? How are you—”

“Justin,” Ocellus happily whispered as she clung to Benny. “He said it was the only way to save him.”

While the entire dining hall was ecstatic to see Ocellus had recovered, even if she chose her pony form to reintroduce herself, Twilight and Swifty left their table to rush to Peter. Although, their rushed greeting was blocked by Cutter’s bandaged wing that hurriedly ushered them off to Peter’s side instead.

“My apologies, Princess. We’ll explain everything in a moment.”

As the cheers continued to grow for both Peter’s surprise awakening and Ocellus both recovering, as well as what sounded like a new place for her to stay, Rarity and Fluttershy were very into the celebration but also busy looking for someone that should have been there.

Again, Ember raised her arm, and everyone quickly grew quiet, expecting another surprise to pop around the corner.

Instead, she pulled out a scroll of her own.

"Ahem… I first would like to thank everyone for joining here tonight. I've… come to learn a lot from all the hospitality every creature has extended to the Dragon Clans. We hadn't earned it, but like the humans have shown, all we needed was the chance to prove ourselves and… turn what could be viewed as our worst traits into something positive. Peter, your idea for the Display of Power was the perfect opportunity for myself and Smolder to share that with the rest of the kingdoms what we have to offer."

Everything was sounding great so far, only more good news was expected as she raised the paper to read.

"As a favor to one we owe a great deal of our appreciation and a greater debt to, I will now read the following."

Suddenly, no one knew what to think, listened closely as Ember cleared her throat.

"Dearest friends, my brothers and sisters, allies, and loved ones.

It is with a heavy heart that I prepare this letter. I will not be able to join you tonight.”

The whole room gasped again, Rarity and Fluttershy both looking as though Ember was reading a death letter.

“I played a crucial role in our fight for freedom to live, love, and pursue the paths without the tyranny of invisible strings that would enslave this world. I hold no regrets for the choices I made to save your children, protect the weak, and ensure not only the survival of this world, but the liberty to forge your own future with clear thought and sound of mind.

However, you did not receive my best. I am, regretfully, not well. I have not been for an exhaustingly long time. I take full responsibility for shortcomings that have left some of your seats at the tables empty tonight. The truth is that the blame will forever fall upon the forces who tried to, and acted out such evils, but due to inaction in the line of duty, to best serve you, I fell short.”

Mumblings and protests around the tables erupted at the reading of the letter. Voices of all sorts called out the absurdity of what Cerb had left for Ember to read. Yet, there was more to be read.

“To all of those who hear my apologies, I can understand your hesitancy to take me at my word. None of us were ready. The enemy was unknown, and the risks unenforceable. Despite this, you gave me your trust, and bestowed upon me the responsibility to lead. In which, you followed, and now bare the scars to prove it, as I have my scars to come as well.

Benny, if you’re hearing this, it means my plan worked, and you should sign that damn paper before Chris decides to take that little filly of your hands. Just kidding, Chris already has his hands full, and I don’t mean with bandages. Stay strong, Squid.

Chris, slow down. For the love of Equestria, pace yourself. Okay, kidding again, but you should never doubt yourself again. You went from Cowboy Cake to Cowboy Deadeye, and I can’t think of a more fitting nickname to give you after everything you’ve accomplished. You’re not a punchline anymore. You’re the steal-knuckled badass who saved the world, so train hard, and maybe we’ll have a rematch.

James, I was so glad to have you fighting next to me again. Just like old times, I know you always got my back, but I’m going to need you to take a few minutes to pry yourself away from Apple Hat every now and again to check up on the others. They don’t need the bully of the group, they need the smart and responsible brother to keep them in line.

Becky, thanks for patching me up and putting me in my place. You’re a lifesaver, in more ways than one. It’s time I started taking your advice more seriously.

Kelly, thanks for not putting the knife down like we asked, but maybe now you can. Just saying. You won’t need it to carve out a better future. You have the talent and resolve, just don’t sell yourself short this time. What I’m saying is, I think you should try committing to staying in it for the long haul this time.

Peter, I’m writing this because of you, so use your sweet talk to calm your girls down when they find out I made them wait to see you. I know they’ll be pissed, but I needed you. Thank you for always helping me see what I usually try to ignore.

Lastly, for anyone who expected to see me at dinner tonight, again, I apologize. My injuries are more than I can handle here, and will be recovering in the Crystal Empire until such a time I can stand on my own with confidence. To fix myself is my battle, and until I see you again, I will not falter.

To all of you, my very best,

Justin “Cerberus” Husk.”

With that, Ember lowered the letter and raised a bottle of whiskey from behind her back.

“Tonight! We both mourn the fallen and celebrate what their sacrifices have given us! But first! I dedicate this toast to Justin! Not that man who never stopped fighting! But the man who stopped only once! The same man who said, NEVER! AGAIN!”

Rising up with the spirit, Rutherford stood tall and raised his glass.

“Justin still stands with us! Never again!”

King Abyssinian stood as well, raising his glass.

“To stop fighting is what Harmony would have wanted us to do! Never again!”

King Aspen raised a glass from Top Shelf’s abandoned cart, holding it as high as he could in his hoof.

“We are done hiding! Never again!”

Queen Novo pulled Silverstream close against her, sharing the hug Sea Spray as well.

“So our children and grandchildren won’t have to! Never again!”

Even Celestia raised her glass, cheering just as loudly.

“So that we all may be free! NEVER! AGAIN!”

It was contagious. The cheers and the calls to resist spread across the room, save only the few that wished Cerb would have stayed.

Becky held up her glass, but kept her other hand to her chest. The illusion that she simply couldn’t raise her voice was all she could do when she felt as if she had guilted Cerb into leaving.

Fluttershy and Rarity, however, sat silently at their seats.

One other mare caught off guard and knowing something had to be done, raised up to whisper something to Becky.

From across the room, Ember was stoic in her stance, raising her bottle and carrying on the chant. She couldn't help but stare coldly at the two lonely mares that left Cerb alone for the last two days. That is until she caught a glimpse of Becky hugging Rainbow just long enough to let the colorful mare run out the back.

Curious, but still with her purpose, Ember ended the chant.

"To Justin!"

"To Justin!" The crowd cheered back, watching Ember bite off the cap and began to guzzle her drink.

As the many guests raised their salutes and consumed their drinks, Rarity turned to Fluttershy with worry.

"Justin didn't come. This is all my fault."

Fluttershy sunk lower in her seat, feeling the weight of her consequences.

"No. This is my fault. I was too afraid. I went back on my word to always be there for him."

"We both did," Rarity clarified sadly. "We just need to find him to set things right."

Becky sat down again, her wine no longer tasting so sweet, and her guilty conscience only served to weigh her down.

"I didn't help, and I haven't been much help in the past, so if you're going to stop him, you better hurry."

She looked over to Shining, not sure why he wasn't with Cadance.

"The train hasn't left yet. But you—"

There was still time, as well as another announcement from King Aspen interrupted what Becky had to say.

"Now, while Justin won't be joining us, I was lucky enough to happen across him before coming here. He won't be going to the Crystal Empire empty-handed, as they would say. As the rest of our new friends, I would first like to extend a heartfelt apology to Chris and the rest of his kin for my outburst the other day."

Hoping for any information, Rarity and Fluttershy remained stuck in their seats.

"Chris, it was rude and undignified of me to accuse you of any ill will or nefarious deeds against my kin. So, as a token of my appreciation for not only saving my life with your experience of hunting, I will honor your traditions of opening tonight's dinner with the bounty brought to us by Justin's heroic actions."

With the help of two of his bucks, the cover to the dinner cart was removed, revealing a large roast of gigantic proportions.

"For our omnivore friends, owlbear is on the menu, thanks to the assistance of Italian Stallion."

The room was silent, save for an excited Smolder shouting out her enthusiasm.

"Humans eat owlbears! Awesome! Do we all get to try some?!"

Immediately, Fluttershy passed out, collapsing back into her chair.

"Goddamnit, Fluttershy," Rarity grumbled at the sight of her fallen wingmare. "We don't have time for… Shit."

This was an awkward turn of events, so Celestia did what any good leader would do.

"My word. King Aspen. This is so... unexpected."

Not a good save, so it was now up to Chris to salvage the moment.

"Wow… Uh… when you asked me earlier about our hunting traditions, I didn't think that—"

Also not a good save. So, Kelly decided to take control of the situation.

"Me and Smolder get first dibs, I'm starving. You all can fight for the rest."

If that was the initiative being taken, then Luna would partake as well.

"No fighting necessary. Our friends have made good on their word, and the beast was slain justly in battle. We will honor our friends as is the way nature has designed."

Celestia, now far less nervous, sat calmly in her seat.

"Yes. There is no need to fight over… what I must say smells delightful."

She turned to Chris, who was getting a slew of odd looks.

"Might you have any recommendations?"

Chris sat uncomfortably in his seat as King Aspen presented him with a pre-carved portion on a tray with cutlery that cost more than his former apartment.

"Uh… Not sure. Bear is normally kind of greasy, but it's part bird, which is a cleaner white meat. Though, I’ve never had owl before, so not much I can offer there."

Button had found his way over and rear up to look at the dish, still unsure of what to think. Though one question did come to mind.

"If that owlbear tried to eat us, but you eat him instead, does that make you some kind of super predator?"

Derpy, took a surprisingly favorable position with the meal, even going as far as taking his fork in her wing to feed her man.

“Stop worrying, sweetie. We don’t mind. If you want to eat the mean old owlbear—"

With flawless precision, she guided the fork up and dashed it away from Chris's lips and into her own.

"Mmm, then we're gonna help you gobble him all up."

The sweet moment was abruptly interrupted by Rarity’s chair falling over and the mare running out of the dining hall.

The room was quiet again, mostly because of fear that the meal had upset one of the guests. Thankfully, Becky was there to smooth things over.

"Don't mind her. And I'll have a plate, please… I… really miss having meat in my diet."

The car door slammed open to the near-empty train, and Rarity was frantically searching for her man.

"Justin! Justin! I know you're here! Where are you!"

A lone stallion sat alone in the only occupied seat. His flat grey coat was nearly as plain as his slightly darker business suit and hat. He lowered his newspaper, showing his equally flat, empty, dull grey eyes and a cutie mark of a set of binoculars.

Observation must have been his special ability, as he pointed towards the cars down near the end of the train, never saying a word.

Exiting to the next cart, Rarity took off without so little as a thank you. Entering the next cart caused a momentary stir from a few Crystal Guards, but still no Justin.

She ran into the next car, tearing her dress on a bolt.

"Justin!"

The next set of guards did take a position against Rarity this time. One foolish enough to get in her way.

"Miss Rarity, please lower your voice. If you have any business with—"

Like a mad bull, Rarity charged through, knocking the guard out of her way and throwing open the next door.

"Justin!"

Inside the car, two guards in heavy armor kept from their seats and drew down their halberds on Rarity.

Rarity grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes on the last two guards that did in her way of the last car.

"Move aside. Justin is in there, and I am his guardian. I demand to see him right this instant."

The door to the last car slid open.

"What the fuck, guys?" Rainbow scolded in a hushed voice. "What part of keeping it down did you not… Rarity?"

The guards lowered their weapons, which Rarity took as an invitation.

"Rainbow? I'm glad you're here. There's been a misunderstanding—"

"Shh!"

"—if I could just have a moment—"

"Stop."

Not listening or slowing down, Rarity pushed forward.

"Justin needs to know—"

Since Rarity wouldn't listen, Rainbow pulled Rarity into a rear chokehold and wrapped her wing tops around the powdered muzzle. Once silenced, Rarity’s eyes were pointed toward Cerb, unconscious, lying with his face over Cadence's lap.

She raised a wingtip to her muzzle with stroking his back and shoulder while Doctor Horse and Nurse Redheart reconnected Cerb's IV to a blood bag.

Spitfire was changing out a pillow from the mound Fleetfoot was laid up in, giving Rarity an odd look just as Rainbow relaxed her hold.

"We just got him to stop screaming."

Fluttershy woke up in an unfamiliar bed. It was another room in Twilight’s castle, but with no scent of Cerb, it could have been nearly any room.

She ripped open the door, coming into view of a pair of Lunar Guards standing watch over her door. Thankfully, those who left her there were also kind enough to leave the guards with some information to pass.

“Rarity is waiting for you on the rooftop… We're… sorry."

The two guards bowed and turned to continue their rounds around the castle.

Fluttershy eventually made her way to the rooftop, finding both Rarity and Ember leaning over the edge facing away from town. A bottle of wine and a bottle of whiskey standing between them, both visibly opened and half drained.

In the distance, a train whistle blew and both lowered their heads.

"About time you woke up," Ember groaned, already noticeably intoxicated.

Confused, Fluttershy looked around the otherwise empty rooftop.

"What happened? Where’s Justin?”

Rarity tapped her hoof on the empty side of the ledge next to her and slid over the bottle of wine.

“Becky was wrong. We never had enough time. I thought Justin couldn’t make it to dinner because he needed to go to the Crystal Empire early… Cadance took him early because he knew he wasn’t going.”

Fluttershy peered over the edge, finally able to see how far gone the train had moved on. Each second the lights and steam fade farther and farther out of view and out of reach. And as expected, the sight immediately sent the sensitive mare into hysterics

“N-n-n-n-no. This can’t be right. Cadance can’t just take him away from us! And Ember! How could you let him leave? You’re still bound by the Dragon Code.”

Ember took another sip from her broken bottle and continued to watch the train travel down the tracks farther away from Ponyville. The facts of the matter were still resting uneasily on her conscience, and just as heavily on her heart.

“There was no way he could have stayed. Not after how he had me pay back my debt to you. And Cadance had every right to take him away from here after what you did to him.”

Ember had turned a pointless walk around the four hallways outside of the children’s ward with Smolder into some real leadership training. The positive influence and encouraging influence were surprisingly rewarding.

Unfortunately, she was about to be needed elsewhere.

Cutter called out, quickly trotting over with a masked look of urgency and three of Cadence's Crystal Guards.

“Ember! There you are. Justin requires your-uh… council. Smolder, if you could join one of these guards, they’ll take you back to your room. You and your friends are going to clean up so you can join us for dinner tonight.”

Smolder’s couldn’t have looked any happier to leave the over-sanitized hospital, but only for a few seconds when something felt off about the “good” news.

“Wait, if I can actually go outside for a while, that’s great. But Ocellus still needs us there with her. Benny is having a hard time feeding her, and it will probably only be worse without us there.”

A quick whisper from Cutter left Smolder ready to explode with excitement.

“Right! Not a word!”

Down the hall, King Aspen bowed as he left Sniff’s room.

“You’ll be missed tonight, but I’ll be sure plenty will be delivered to the freezer car for you. And thank you again for our consideration. I wish you a speedy recovery. You as well Peter.”

“Peter?” Ember quietly asked. “Does that mean-”

“No time for that,” Cutter grumbled, taking Ember’s arm with her wing down the hall.

Ember turned her head to see Ovens happily nuzzling Sniff’s hand while Mayor Mare took down notes from Sniff, giving dictation. She could only catch a word or two before another Crystal Guard closed the door behind Cadance, walking out with Thunder pushing Cerb into the hallway.

Right away, all the signs of distress were vividly on display that something was wrong, especially how strongly Cadance forced herself to keep up with Thunder.

“Justin, your heart is in the right place, but you might want to reconsider.”

Cutter looked just as distressed but never seemed to act on it.

“Guards, once the kids are relocated, lock down the floor. Only Doctor Horse and Nurse Redheart should be given access. The Lunar Guard recovering knows better than to speak a word of this. But if any of the Elements, royals, or humans show up… stall them as long as you can.”

A quick sharp turn pointed them to the room sealed off with a cracked door with a tacked-on notice of "Under Maintenance,” which the guards forced open.

Ember followed into the sights left hidden for the last two days. A hospital bed stripped of its bedding, the mattress still stained with blood. The side rails had been ripped from their hinges, one of them embedded in the walls where it appeared a suit of armor had been thrown into it. On the other side of the room, cabinets had been smashed and left unrepaired. Not that it was easy to see, given how the one semi-functional ceiling light had been damaged and flickered off and on.

Rarity lowered her glass to give Ember an inquiring look.

“Pardon me, but I think you jumped ahead. Why was the room so torn up?”

Ember took another sip of her whiskey, looking out to where the train had blurred to only a flickering light in the distance.

“That’s where they kept Justin the first night you left him to sleep alone.”

“Lift me up,” Cerb requested, pointing to the bed.

Ember took Cerb’s arm, still in a sling, while Cutter helped from the other side. Each took small steps to keep Cerb from hobbling on his all-but-useless leg.

“Can’t say I miss this place,” Cerb tried to joke.

Cutter grumbled, rolling her eyes.

“You’re my biggest problem child, Justin. Don’t make me regret this.”

Trying not to laugh, or perhaps trying to force a laugh to lighten the mood, Cerb lowered himself, belly first, to the mattress.

“Oh, come on. I made my own bed. Let me lay in it.”

Thunder huffed a laugh, though she looked to be angry for laughing at the pun.

“Fucking hilarious. You should try stand up.”

“Ha,” Cerb weakly laughed as Cutter helped to raise his weak leg up onto the bed. “I don’t have a comeback for that one. We still doing the walk away rule?”

The door opened again; a Crystal Guard stepped in just long enough to give his report.

“The children have moved down to shower and prepare for dinner. All the duty guards assigned to them are continuing to provide security. The floor is clear, and Nurse Redheart is on her way up.”

Cadance lowered her head in a bow, still looking uneasy, but accepted the report.

“Very well. Now please, no interruptions.”

The guard bowed his head and departed.

“Yes, Princess.”

The room grew tense, and Cerb only made it worse by bobbing his weak foot up and down to get their attention.

“Thunder… You can handle a knife well enough. I always keep one in my boot… Use it to cut the stitches.”

Seeing the fear in Ember’s eyes, Cerb turned his attention to her. Deep in his eyes, he knew this was the biggest gamble he knew he’d be making.

“Ember… You more than paid your first debt helping me with the owlbear… What I’m about to ask you to do, will put me in yours.”

Fluttershy dropped her glass, raising her hooves to her trembling lips.

“Wha d-d-d-d-d-did you do?”

Ember took another swig from the bottle, sloshed the whiskey around her mouth, then spat it out over the ledge.

“What he asked me to do… and I still can’t get the taste of his blood out of my mouth.”

The door to the condemned room shot open, and Redheart slid to a halt as soon as she entered. The first sight she saw was Ember leaning over Cerb’s back under the flickering lights.

Blood dripped from the Dragon Lord’s muzzle between Thunder holding down his legs, and Cutter held his hand in her hooves.

Stepping alongside Ember, Cadance raised a metal pan in her wings over Cerb’s upper back.

“Did you get it?”

“Yeah,” Ember coldly answered before turning to spit a chunk of crystal into the pan with nearly a dozen others. “Redheart. Get in and help clear away the blood or wait until I’m done. We’d rather not leave the door open and have anyone else hear this.”

The door started to close while Cutter nuzzled Cerb’s hand and kissed it gently.

“Maybe we should stop, baby. If Ember got all of the bigger pieces out—”

“I didn’t,” Ember interjected before sniffing loudly over the stab wound. “I can’t forget the way these Echoes taste. How they smell. I can tell there’s one more big piece left in there, but it’s deep, and I couldn’t get to it with all the smaller pieces in the way.”

Redheart took one more step away from the closed door but was too horrified to move any closer as she watched Ember lower her muzzle to Cerb’s back. The sound of her tongue dipping into the blood that pooled up and spilled over his side, spurting over Thunder’s face, and splashing on the mattress too fast to be absorbed to only splatter down to the floor was worse than any of the previous injuries she’d treated.

What made her cringe and shiver like a frightened filly was the sound of Ember’s tongue parting away the muscles to grip the sunken piece of the alicorn’s horn that had shattered inside.

Cerb turned to bury his red face into the mattress, gripping Cutter’s hoof tighter than she could hold onto him. Through it all, they held each other as his muffled screams reverberated off the walls.

“Are you insane!” Rarity loudly protested. “I should have been the one—”

“You left him!” Ember shouted back, not sparing any pity. “You were too busy with Fluttershy unless you forgot. And even Becky said no to that. You wouldn’t have been able to find all the pieces like I was able to. And pulling them out? I’m sorry, but not even your pony magic could have been able to hold the pieces while stopping them from cutting him up even worse on the way out. And I did it to save him. To save Benny, and Ocellus—”

“Ocellus?” Fluttershy asked in queasy surprise. “What does Ocellus have to do with this?”

Hurrying down the hall, two Crystal Guards quickly ran through their reports while Thunder led a wobbly and woozy Cerb down to the only child-occupied room.

“Princess, all personal items, as well as the requested bottles from the castle and King Aspen’s gifts, have been loaded, but the train’s schedule can only be held for so long without an order. We’ll have to hurry. Rainbow Dash noticed us loading our cargo while delivering the weather updates for this district to the conductor.”

The other guard had other updates to give that were just as important.

“It took longer to find Lyra Heartstrings than expected, but she was able to finish the draft. Mayor Mare said she can have it done in time, but Peter is still unable to move on his own. If any visitors come before our departure time, they may end up hindering our window of opportunity… if this is even a good idea, to begin with.”

Cerb held his head in his hand, trying to keep focus but doing so just barely.

“If we don’t leave in time, I can deal with the consequences, but this takes priority… Make the kids wait for Ember to change her bandages, then walk the kids out to the dinner. If they’re seen with Peter, then no one will bother to look for us.”

Cadance gave the nod, and the guards fell back to carry out their orders, just as those standing guard made way and opened the door to Ocellus’s room.

“Justin?” Octavia asked in her hushed voice. “What are you doing back here? I thought—”

If the withered sight of Cerb wasn’t enough to silence Octavia, the blood on Thunder’s hooves and the strands soaking Embers bandages covering her chest and arms certainly did. Then, the slow pattering of blood dripping through the wheelchair onto the floor from Cerb told her that he was there for a reason.

“Oh, my goodness. What happened? Is anyone else hurt?”

Cerb turned his eyes to Ocellus, sleeping on her side, hooked up to more machines than he remembered seeing her with the last time. It was there that he knew nothing else would stand in his way.

“I’m gonna be just fine. I just got out of an emergency surgery to get the horn pulled out of my back. But now I need Ocellus.”

Taking a defensive position, Octavia moved in front of the bed.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but Ocellus isn’t going anywhere in her condition.”

Seeing how Ocellus was asleep, and Octavia was protecting Benny’s new interest, Cerb kept his proposal brief.

“Tavi… I know Benny told you about his past and what The Pony of Shadows did to him, what he went through… I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen to him here because I don’t think you want to see Benny broken like he was when I saved him last time… And I’m in no condition to save him if that happens again.”

He was guilting her, which was a dirty tactic, but it was an easier method than trying to explain what he only hoped would work.

… which it did.

“What are you going to do with her?”

Rarity clutched her chest, spilling what little of her wine she had left.

“No… Did he actually—”

“Yep,” Ember answered without hesitation, downing another gulp of booze. “Right there in front of all of us.”

Cerb cradled Ocellus in his arms, gently rocking her back and forth to wake her.

“Hey? Rise and shine? You mind waking up for a minute?”

The soft-spoken words finally got through to Ocellus, though she could merely peek her eyes open. Her voice, nearly as quiet as the oxygen she was fed.

“Benny?”

And this was the hard part.

“No… No, not Benny this time. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.”

Slowly, Ocellus closed her eyes, letting herself fall further into Cerb’s arms.

“Justin? … Benny’s friend?”

“Yea~up,” Cerb replied, slowly getting emotional. “More like a brother, but yeah. We’re friends… And, uh… Hey, I heard you don’t really eat a lot… That’s… That’s, you know… My brother Benny is really worried about you. And… I heard how you saved all your friends, too. Just like we saved you… but… Hey.”

He lifted her a little higher from his lap to bring her head closer to his chest.

“Hey… I know you’re really tired, and you only want to eat when Benny is here, but I really need your help right now. You see I… I had all these pointy things stuck in my back from those Echoes that were just like that mean tree that tried to hurt you. Well… they’re all gone now, but I have something else that has to come out. And you’re the only one who can save me from it. I don’t... ”

The tears were really starting to stream down as he sat at the cusp of everything he was risking. The fear of what he might be giving up, or the truth that it would reveal, as well as what he’d be losing if she didn’t take it away.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to get better if I keep this little curse in my chest… it's going to keep hurting ponies that I care a lot about… And one of them is stuck in bed like you are. And if you take that little curse away from me… She won’t have to cry anymore. She can get out of bed… and be with her friends… and I can go away and feel better too."

He kissed her forehead, which gave her a little smile, which gave him the wherewithal to take the plunge.

"That little curse is made of love. It’s no bigger than a pebble, but it’s too much for me to keep inside, and so I want to give it to you so you can feel better. And when you feel better, you're going to make Benny really, really happy. Because he doesn't want to see anything bad happen to you."

Speaking like the confused child she was, she quietly asked, "It won't hurt you… will it?"

Cerb closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, nearing the point of breaking down.

"Kid, it already hurts so much… So I need you to be really brave and save me. When I open up… I want you to take it… Okay? You’re the only one who can save me."

As best she could, Ocellus nodded.

Cadance grabbed Thunder's hoof and laid it on Justin's left hand. Then she guided Ember’s claws over Justin's right. Finally, she dropped her forelegs around Cerb’s shoulders and closed her eyes.

"Now Justin, I want you to relax… Relax and imagine a box that you've once had locked up. That box once held painful memories, but then you opened it up to start putting in happy, loving—"

"Stop," Rarity sobbed, the alcohol doing nothing to help lessen her emotional stress. "I don't want to hear anymore."

Likewise, Fluttershy wept at what she could only imagine Cadance had said. What wonderful memories that must have been brought up. What all Ember had left unsaid or was about to end with.

"You two broke his heart… and I fucking hate you both for it."

She eyed her bottle once more but then poured out what remained before dropping the bottle off the side.

"Even if it did mean he was able to save Ocellus, I don't care… We're not friends, so don’t come to me for any favors. I owe you nothing anymore, and I only gave you the truth because I think you both deserved to hear it, despite what you’ve done."

Having consumed as much as she did, she swayed slightly as she stepped away from the edge. Her balance was as off-kilter as much as her mind and emotions were running rampant in her inebriated state.

"I won't make the same mistake twice. Justin needs time to recover, and I can give him that… But when he's healed, and I don’t care if he's found another pony or any other creature to love in the meantime. I'll show him that I have what it takes, even if that means sharing."

Slightly drunk, yet dignified as she walked away, Ember clenched her fists, letting the bandages around her arms slip and fall away from her pristine smooth scales.

"He owes me that much, and I won't let him go so carelessly as you both did."

Without another word, the Dragon Lord left the rooftop, disappearing inside to let the mares do as they please.

After a moment of crying together, Rarity stood up, cast her empty wine glass aside, and tore off what remained of her dress.

She dried her tears and wiped away the smeared mascara. With her face clean and her path made clear, she stood tall, regaining her posh demeanor.

"Fluttershy. That is quite enough of that. Clean yourself up. There is a party downstairs that demands our presence."

Fluttershy looked up to see the same dress balled up in Rarity’s hoof. Baffled by the request as well as Rarity’s change in demeanor, she sat without direction.

"What? Why would we—"

"Never… Again," Rarity scolded. "Everyone was right. We have no one to blame but ourselves. We were wrong for what we did to Justin, and no one was more right about that than Rainbow Dash."

Doctor Horse finished restitching Cerb’s back while Redheart secured the IV with tape to Cerb’s arm.

"Good work, Nurse. And Princess… Whatever you're doing, don't stop. For yours and his sake. Mr. Husk only provided one blood sample. If he were to have another outburst and rip his wounds open again… you're an entire day’s trip away from the next hospital, and I assure you that they will be of no help."

Cadance gave a bow to the doctor and the nurse from her seated position, grateful to have brought them along in time.

"Thank you again, and I apologize for all the secrecy, as well as keeping you from the dinner. As for Justin, I won't let anything happen to him. He is in my care now."

She turned with a glare to Rarity, who shrunk back confusedly under the gaze.

"I'll make sure he is properly tended to."

The tension in the air was one-sided but could have been cut with a blade of grass, which was nothing Doctor Horse was going to step between.

"After everything you saw him put through today, I'm sure you will."

Doctor Horse levitated up his bag and trotted gently off the cart. Nurse Redheart started to put together the rest of the medical items but then pushed them to the foot of the bed.

"I've spent the most time treating Justin and every human after every injury, so believe me when I say that you're going to need this more than I am."

Carefully, she stepped up on the bed and hugged Cerb, still unmoving from Cadence's gentle hold.

"Thank you again for everything, Justin. Get well soon."

After removing herself from the bed, she bowed to Cadance, bypassed Rarity entirely, and stopped by Fleetfoot's mound of pillows.

"I'm sorry, again. The Reservist Wonderbolt training station has more staff that specializes in leg injuries. You'll be well taken care of with more attention there since we're understaffed with all the other patients. And while the pain medication I'm leaving you might not be the strongest, Becky once said that it's the kind that's safe to take while drinking. So feel free to relax a little more with what’s been brought on board."

After Redheart stepped away, Rainbow finally released Rarity.

"Rarity, if you don't have a ticket, you're gonna have to go back outside. Also, I think you should—"

Defiantly, Rarity forced out what magic she could to raise Cerb’s hand.

"Not yet. Justin, I'll leave quietly if that's what you want, but please… Justin?"

The aura around Justin's hand might not have been her usual strength, but she had pushed herself to deliver more than enough to lift his hand. Even less than this amount before would have lifted his arm, yet now it wouldn't even budge.

"Let go of Justin’s hand and get out," Cadance ordered, any semblance of friendly camaraderie nowhere to be found.

Rarity only needed to hear Cerb’s voice. That's all she wanted. To leave or to stay, whatever he wanted to say. So long as she could get a response, she could reason with him.

Instead, she got Rainbow intervening with a hoof gently on her shoulder.

"Rarity, let's step outside for a moment so I—"

"Let go of me," Rarity barked, slapping Rainbow's hoof away, only to face down Cadance again. "I demand that you-Woah!"

Rainbow's forelegs wrapped around Rarity’s waist and violently jerked her back out to the previous cart. Then with a hefty shove on her back, Rarity found herself slammed into the grass outside.

“Emph!”

Rainbow's hooves stomped to the ground next to Rarity, and this time Rainbow did not speak so softly.

"I tried warning you, and if I didn't get you off that train or her guards didn't get to you first, Cadance would have kicked your ass off herself."

Rarity shoved herself up onto her flanks, spitting out grass stuck in her teeth.

"And what are you even doing here? You should be helping me bring Justin back."

Rainbow stood up on her hind legs, pressing her forehooves to her hips.

"I know about the letter. You up and ditched Justin and tried to make him come back to you after the fact. So, sorry, Justin decided not to show up for you. And…"

Rainbow grit her teeth, raising her forehooves to her head in a fit that could have turned violent had she any less control.

"I was always supposed to go with Justin to the Crystal Empire. Becky and I discussed that with Cadance. Twilight knows, too. But you… Goddamnit, Rarity. I put my friendship with Becky on the line for you. I sat back and… Fuck me, blue. Who didn't stand back to stay out of your way to be with Justin? I even stayed away after he tore up the hospital because I never thought you would be stupid enough to abandon him. Hell, I was even afraid that if I went to visit him that you would think I was stealing him away or—”

The whistle blew, and the conductor stepped out to call for any who hadn’t boarded.

“All aboard! Next stop, Canterlot. Final destination, the Crystal Empire!”

Their time was up, and Rainbow was simply fed up. This wasn’t like the conflict she had with Starlight because of Chris. This time, Rainbow knew who she was dealing with.

“I don’t get it, Rarity… You gave up on princes, nobles, and every pony else for the most dangerous and unstable human with a knack for violence… Then, when shit got real, you and Fluttershy decided you couldn’t handle him because of everything you said you would stand by him for. And you know what else? I finally get it now. I understand all of it. Especially why I was afraid of you getting the wrong idea about me, and why you thought you could just barge in and make Justin take you back.”

Disappointed and insulted, Rainbow flapped her wings and slowly started to fly back to the train.

“You don’t really understand the meaning of loyalty… So try taking a hint from Justin and take some time to fix yourself before you get someone else hurt. You and Fluttershy both.”

Lending a hoof to help Fluttershy up, Rarity began to explain in much shorter terms than retell the full story.

“Much like what Becky did for Justin, Rainbow Dash put me in my place. Now knowing what actually happened to Justin, I can see that we do need to follow in Justin’s footsteps and fix ourselves. We fell short of what we said we would do for him. We need to be stronger, more resilient.”

Even after everything, she could see that Fluttershy was not up to the task of fixing herself. Not after this heavy blow.

“However, we both need to recover, and I will mourn with you. I didn’t appreciate Discord as much as I should have. The same for Trixie, which I imagine is tearing Starlight up something awful. However, one thing that I think would do us a world of good is showing everyone that the choice to have owlbear for dinner will not bother us.”

Fluttershy wiped away one last tear and sniffed to clear her nose, looking back at Rarity with at least a little renewed faith.

“Thank you for sticking with me through all this and not giving up, but are you sure about the owlbear?”

Rarity sighed, feeling a little guilty about that portion.

“Every creature at the dinner decided to partake. We should be no different, or at least get used to it. Justin accepted his portion, I would rather not have that come between us when we are together again… And it does smell delightful after all.”

After a bit of a rocky start, the passengers of the royal car had finally settled down, though the rushed departure left many questions unaddressed.

“So, what exactly is our plan, Princess?” Spitfire asked, smoothing out her blankets on the floor.

Cadance continued to stroke her fetlock over Cerb’s back, dwelling on all the uncertainties of his safety. At the same time, admiring him for everything he’d fought through and survived to have ended up where he was now.

“The plan? Yes… I forget you weren’t present for the letter Justin dictated to Mayor Mare. For now, we rest and heal. Our mission is simply that, though I would be lying if I said our focus won’t be on Justin.”

Fleetfoot readjusted her wings and tried to get a better look at the pair on the bed, Cerb’s current condition still being a mystery to her.

“What all did we miss? Cerb wasn’t in this rough of shape when he left the hospital the first time.”

Drawing out what magic Cadance could, she took hold of Fleetfoot and her mound of pillows and delivered them to the bed. The bed of pillows helped give Cerb’s back support and relieve some of the tension weighing down on the IV, as well as serving a more harmonious purpose.

“Ladies, please gather around. As of now, only myself, Thunder Glide, Ember, Octavia, and Redheart know the truth of Justin’s predicament. Not even Ocellus will understand what he gave up to save her.”

Fleetfoot sat up in surprise, having been the most out of the loop.

“The little changeling filly? How did… Didn’t she need magic?”

Cadance started to draw back on what she had witnessed in that hospital room but relented to giving in to retelling the whole story.

“Yes… She did. Justin had wrestled at times with the magic that we found bound to him from Fluttershy and Rarity. Not knowing if that magic had influenced how he felt about them, he convinced Ocellus to feed upon it. Not only was it the love she needed to heal, he hoped that if it held any sway over him, that its influence would be removed.”

Fearing the results, Rainbow joined them on the bed, already mourning the discovery she imagined drove him away.

“And with the love magic gone, Justin fell out of love with Fluttershy and Rarity, didn’t he?”

Tears began to well up in Cadence's eyes, looking down at Cerb, still drained from the experience. The heartbreak he felt still hurting her more than the others could have understood.

“No… That would have made things so much more simpler and easier to fix. Instead, he knew that nothing had changed other than he couldn’t feel them inside any longer. Whatever their bond was, Ocellus had broken it, but it never changed how he felt about them. It was only then that he realized what they had was real. Just as real as Fluttershy no longer wanting to see him and Rarity no longer able to accept him for who he was.”

Thunder moved in closer, using Cerb’s leg as a pillow and softly resting her fetlock over his right leg.

“It would be dishonest to say they didn’t care about Justin, but when their own troubles became too much to handle, they pushed him away. But really, It was Rarity who sealed their fate, though… Ember read the letter Rarity wrote for him after we got him cleaned up. The letter told him to come back to her at the dinner he was expected to be at. If he didn’t sit with her, as if he could do so without causing a scene, she had to have thought that would somehow force him to change. ”

Spitfire joined Fleetfoot on her mound of pillows, laying a wing over both her wingmare and Justin’s arm.

“Well, that was stupid, but it's just like trying to join the Wonderbolts. Not every pony can make the team, but it takes commitment and hard work to stay in it. If you can't pull your own weight, or try to make others pull it for ya, then yer out… Those two mares? They’re out."

Rainbow laid near the edge of the bed, close to Cerb's midsection, but not willing to get too close.

"But Justin won't be pulling any weight. Not anytime soon, at least."

Again, Cadance took a long look at Cerb, thinking of what their days ahead would bring about.

"Justin has done enough for a lifetime. He has earned his rest, and we will be there to support and encourage him in any manner we can. To heal his wounds, ease his mind, and replace all the love and comforts he's lost. That is all you really need to know for now, and the rest will come when Justin is ready to speak for himself about it."

For the moment, Cerb looked to be at peace. The combined efforts of Cadance and her new support team provided enough to keep him still in his sleep.

That is, still with the exception of his right hand that reached out along with an anguished murmur with his waking breath.

"Dashie… Is Becky mad at me?"

To see Cerb so broken, Rainbow couldn't leave him without some comfort.

"Nooo. Not at all. Becky sent me to take care of you. She has Midnight and Shining to take care of her."

Cadance stroked his head and softly spoke to help usher him back to sleep.

"Don't worry, Justin. You made it to the train. Everyone knows you won't be going back until you're feeling better. We're taking care of you now. Go back to sleep. I'll keep your bad dreams away from now on."

Rainbow crawled in closer, letting her cheek rest on Cerb’s chest.

“You don’t need to worry about any pony back there, Big Guy. You’ve done enough for now, and don’t be afraid to hold onto me… I-I-If you need to, I mean.”

How much of Rainbow’s offer got through to Cerb, none of them knew, as he was already out cold again. That, of course, left Rainbow to question her own loyalties.

“Umm, I left the dinner as fast as I could, so I couldn’t ask, but… When will Becky and Shining be joining us?”

That wasn’t an easy question for Cadance to answer. So, with a heavy sigh, she gave the most honest one she could.

“After Sword targeted Becky, she will need his shield to tend to the injured, and I have Justin to care for. Becky is free to visit as she wishes, and I look forward to seeing her again along with Shining, who will not abandon her. But until then, Shining and I will be traveling different paths. In fact, I can see that many paths have changed even before the conflict between us and Harmony had ended. Some, even like Justin, will need some time and distance before returning to where they once were.”

She carefully lowered her hooves to pull both Cerb and Rainbow up higher into her. Cerb’s neck rested over her tummy, and Rainbow’s muzzle stayed over his chest, now resting on her hips. A dull thud of her back realigning provided more comfort when they came to rest in their new position, and Cadance could breathe a little easier to explain.

“Most creatures may never know the truth, but we have created a whole new world. Nothing will ever be the same, and we may have to change along with it if we wish to fight and survive, as Justin has shown us capable of doing. But that will require a lot of love to give back, as Justin has shown he has so much more to give.”

Perhaps not the ending you were all expecting, but every ending is a new beginning. However, this next step still has a bit more to cover. So, stay tuned for one last bonus chapter to end this arch with:

Bonus: Beyond the Mirror.