Taylor looked out over the charred remains of Equestria in disbelief. Absolutely everything had been destroyed, as if someone or something had deliberately set out to remove all traces of life from the world. Every building was leveled, every tree blackened by fire. All that remained was a landscape gradually being swallowed up by the strange black crystalline vines native to this world.

"This can't be real. What happened here?"

"That is not an easy question to answer. What you see of Equestria was caused not by one single event, but a series of anomalies... starting with yourself."

"Me? What the hell did I do!?"

"You stepped foot into a world in which you do not belong, and tainted it with your very presence. Whether or not you intended to do so, your existence here was the beginning of a very long chain of events leading up to this end. Just as the Human who came before you brought chaos and poisoned the land with every step, every breath... so too have you."

Taylor struggled for words. To be told such a thing, that he was the beginning of the end of Equestria? He was angry, scared, and a million other things at once. Most of all, he found himself offended by the accusation, though someone in his position wasn't in much of a position to complain. After all, it was hard to argue with what he was seeing.

"Well, what about The Order? They were the ones trying to bring back Queen Fucks-Shit-Up. How is this my fault when they're the bad guys?"

Taylor waved his hands around in rapid angry gestures as he "thought" at the Dark Figure, whose perpetually unshakable composure was the perfect foil to the frantic human standing beside him. It would have been comical, if the topic weren't so dire.

"Indeed, they are the significant driving force behind what has happened, but you are not entirely without blame, Human. Were it not for your arrival, their existence would be irrelevant. If you remain unconvinced, it is within my power to show you."

The figure turned its back to Taylor, reaching out a hand. It paused, as if waiting for something, and just as Taylor was about to question the action, the air around its hand began to ripple like a pool of water whose surface had been disturbed. The effect grew rapidly, expanding outward until it had become a sphere large enough to contain both of them. The ripples continued to intensify, further distorting the world around them. Taylor felt a familiar and remarkably unpleasant chill as they were transported from one location to another.

The sudden change of scenery was jarring. In an instant, Taylor and his guide had traveled from the gloomy darkness of a crumbling Canterlot to the bright sunlight of what appeared to be present day Ponyville. In the distance, Taylor caught sight of the windmill, still towering high above the rest of the town.

"This is Equestria, several weeks before your arrival. There are no disturbances in the perpetual flow of events. All is as it should be."

The Dark Figure gestured toward something behind Taylor, who obediently followed the direction. A short distance away between two buildings, Taylor saw Bon Bon and Sophie conversing in hushed whispers. Neither wore any noticeable symbols of the Order, not that he expected them to be flaunting their association with such an organization.

"While we can see into their world, they cannot see into mine. It would be prudent to take advantage of that fact." stated the Dark Figure, encouraging Taylor to move in closer and eavesdrop.

Taylor approached slowly at first, but his pace quickened when he felt comfortable that neither pony seemed to be aware of his presence. Of course, if they had been able to see him, every other Equestrian nearby would have been able to as well, and it was safe to assume that the presence of a human would have raised a commotion by now. He stood directly behind Bon Bon, off to one side just in case she could still "feel" him, even if she couldn't see him.

"I can only do so much to impede Cerise and her team," Sophie said, clearly sympathetic to Bon Bon's concerns. "What little control I can exercise over Magicae won't be enough. You know how she can be when she wants something, and from what I understand, it seems like there's nothing she wants more than to drag Lyra down to the labs."

Bon Bon nodded slowly, eyes fixated on the ground between them. She was well aware of what gruesome things went on behind closed doors in Cerise's lab. "She's not doing this because of the research. I know this is just her way of getting to me."

"Well, that's not entirely true. You've certainly given her another reason to pursue Lyra by directly interfering with an operation which you had no business knowing about, and doing so without providing anything even remotely close to a valid reason, but I'm certain that tormenting you is not her top priority. Lyra's notes are the grand prize."

"I know, but-" Bon Bon began to protest.

Sophie raised a hoof, interrupting Bon Bon. "Stop right there. You're not thinking with your brain right now, Bonnie. I understand that you're conflicted, but your actions have made an extraordinary mess of things, one which I'm doing my best to clean up. The Order knows about Lyra's work, and they're going to get their hooves on it. That much is inevitable, so putting yourself in the middle is only going to make things worse. I've already pulled a lot of strings to keep you out of trouble for your little stunt, and even more to temporarily suspend Cerise's operations, but my leverage is not without limits. I need you to keep your head down and carry on as usual while we work out a plan. Do that for me, and I'll keep Lyra safe. Understood?

Bon Bon gritted her teeth, having no choice but to reluctantly accept her superior's decision.

"Yes... ma'am."

At that moment, the world Taylor had been observing fell away, replaced for a moment by a black void, which was in turn replaced by a new scene. He was standing in a large room of stone, illuminated by the scores of candles in a large ancient-looking chandelier of wood and iron. The walls were draped with crimson tapestries trimmed with gold, each bearing the Order's black mark. At the far end of the room was a large desk bearing scrolls, parchment, and an ink well with a large fancy quill lying beside it. A lone candle sat off to the side, flickering softly. Three robed ponies stood silently at the desk, the two smallest on one side, and the largest on the other. While the lone pony occupied itself with the contents of one of the sheets of parchment, the others remained unmoving, eyes forward at attention.

Taylor scanned the room, looking for the Dark Figure, but seeing no trace of his ethereal guide. Hoping that the same rules applied here as they did in the previous vision, he approached the desk, ready to bolt at the first sign of detection. He crept up slowly to where the three figures stood, relieved that none seemed to be aware of his presence. Still, for the sake of caution, he chose to repeat his process from before, taking a place behind one of them, but off to one side. He chose the large one, who was still poring over the parchment on the desk, so he might be able to read its contents as well.

Two facts struck him simultaneously. First, what he was reading was a detailed report regarding his arrival in Equestria, complete with precise times and a description of his appearance, as both human and stallion. Secondly, and perhaps the more unnerving of the two revelations, was that the pony reading this report - the one whom Taylor was standing next to - was none other than the Grand Inquisitor himself.

He recoiled at the thought of being in the same room as the foe who had put him down so easily, but quickly recovered after reminding himself several times that he wasn't truly there. To reinforce that idea, he kicked his foot at one of the legs of the desk, watching it pass through harmlessly. Such might have been unsettling in any other situation, but given his present circumstances, he was quite relieved to be - for lack of a better word - a ghost.

His eyes fell upon the faces of the other entities in the room. His relief turned to anger as he recognized Sophie, her distinctive blue eyes betraying her identity which would have otherwise been well masked by the shadows beneath her hood. Next to her was another mare whom Taylor didn't recognize, though a nagging feeling told him that he should make an effort to remember her. She was a unicorn, much shorter than Sophie, with deep emerald eyes and a vibrant reddish pink coat. Her dark lavender mane covered the right side of her face, which might have granted her a shy and reserved appearance, were it not for the fierce gaze she wore just behind it.

"Bon Bon is sure of this? All of it?" asked the Grand Inquisitor, snapping Taylor back to attention.

"Yes," Sophie began, hesitating for the briefest moment, "she's quite certain that what Ly- or rather, Ms. Heartstrings has managed to bring to Equestria is, in fact, a Human. As noted in the report, she claims to have seen it with her own eyes, and even spoke to it."

The Grand Inquisitor sighed, taking another moment to look over the sheet lying on the desk before him. He didn't seem surprised, distressed, or any of the emotions that one might expect. He simply gazed down at Bon Bon's report with the tired eyes of an overworked stallion. Perhaps it was the lighting, but for a moment Taylor thought he saw a hint of sadness in the Inquisitor's expression. It vanished as quickly as it had come, replaced by a look of seriousness and determination.

"It is imperative that we deal with this Human immediately, before it can cause a disturbance. Cerise, you'll be organizing the capture. Assemble a cell of no more than seven and have them there before dusk. Oh, and have them return with my daughter as well."

The pink mare raised a hoof to her chest and bowed in a fluid and well-practiced motion, waiting for the Grand Inquisitor to return the gesture before she stood back up. Without another word, she hurried out the nearby door, securing it behind her.

Taylor braced himself for the world to fall away as it had before. Much to his confusion, no such event took place. In fact, everything seemed to have frozen. Both Sophie and the Grand Inquisitor stood perfectly still, and the candle's flame had stopped dancing, suspended in time.

"Well, that's eerie. So, uh... is this the point at which we skip ahead?"

Silence, and still no sign of the Dark Figure.

"Hello? What is this, the testing department's day off or something?"

Taylor waited in vain for a response, then exhaled sharply, annoyed at the lack of direction. With no other options immediately apparent, he started after Cerise, choosing to exercise his incorporeality by leaping through the door. As expected, he passed through it harmlessly, quite pleased by that fact.

"That was pretty cool. Strange how I can do that, but I don't go through the-"

At that exact moment, his foot failed to find stone beneath him and he fell through the floor, landing solidly in the room below. Disoriented but unhurt, he looked up to find the Dark Figure staring down at him. If it were capable of facial expressions, Taylor imagined that it would be wearing a disgustingly smug grin right about now.

"Very funny, ass."

"It was necessary. Our time is running short, and there is much I will not be able to show you, but there is still one thing you must see, lest this effort be for naught."

The Dark Figure waved a spectral hand, and the world vanished. In an instant, the two were standing in a large circular stone room, which had all but collapsed in on itself with age. Only a small section of the far wall remained upright, and the roof was nowhere to be found. Looking around, Taylor observed the black crystalline vines from earlier had completely wrapped themselves around the walls that remained, forming a barrier against the void which lay just beyond them. Through the heavy fog were three large oaken doors, each marked with a painted image. The leftmost door bore a black crescent moon, the center, a golden shield, and the far right, a crimson hand print.

"You will have a choice to make, Human," The Dark Figure spoke ominously, gesturing toward the doors. "I am unable to advise you in your decision, but I can offer you a warning. As with all things, whichever path you choose will carry consequences for both yourself and those around you. Some of these will be greater than others."

Taylor stepped forward, slowly approaching the doors to examine them more closely, as if somehow the answer would make itself apparent.

"You make it sound so important." Taylor paused, remembering back to when he first encountered the Dark Figure. "You told me that this place, Terminus, is the end of all things. If that's true, then no matter what I do, Equestria will end up like this?"

"The wheel turns endlessly, but it may not choose where to go. It simply moves toward whatever lies before it. Only when an outside force acts upon it can its destination be changed. While it is true that all things which have a beginning must also end in turn, the manner in which they reach this end falls to those with the power to alter the course of the wheel. What you have seen of Terminus is the future, should things continue as they are, without interference."

"You mean I can change things? This isn't the only end, just one of them?"

"That is correct. You are one of several forces which possess the power to shape the future. Some of these will work against you, and others will aid you. Ultimately, if you act wisely and decisively, you will have the greatest chance to save this world. Be warned, you may need to sacrifice much to achieve that goal, perhaps more than you are willing."

The sky flashed a blinding white as lightning tore open the sky, and thunder roared so intensely that the ground beneath them trembled softly. Taylor, startled, immediately looked to the Dark Figure for answers.

"It would seem our time is at an end," it said as the circular room vanished, as if it were merely a projection. All that was left before them was a simple bridge spanning a river which ran so slowly, one might not have believed it to be moving at all. A dense mist hung over the water, obscuring any reflection it may have held.

"When you reach the other side, you will return to the waking world. Remember what you have seen and heard, Human."

Taylor took several hesitant steps forward, placing his foot on the unnaturally cold stone before turning back to the Dark Figure.

"Why did you show me all of this? What difference does the future of Equestria make to you?"

For the first time, the Dark Figure seemed to consider its response, as if this was one of very few questions it had not prepared itself to answer. After a brief pause, it spoke up.

“The Scarlet Queen is an affront to the natural order of things, but most of all, she is my property, and I desire her return to this world.”

"Your property...?" Taylor began to question, but stopped when the truth dawned on him.

"You just now realized who I am, didn't you?" The Dark Figure asked knowingly.

A small smile crept onto Taylor's face as he nodded, then turned around and began to walk across the bridge. As he neared the other side, he called back to his ethereal guide.

"I'll see you later, but hopefully not any time soon."

Author's Notes:

Yay, FFH's 1 year anniversary! Have a giant exposition dump!