While Rainbow Dash rocketed off into the woods, Fluttershy and I were making our way there at as fast a pace as we could manage... which, compared to Rainbow, was about as fast as a slug hitching a ride on a beached sea turtle... Not that THAT was enough to curb our determination to bring Twilight to safety. On our way there, however, I kept catching my searching partner shooting me these distraught stares as if she was expecting something horrible to happen to me. Not more than a few steps into the Everfree Forest later, I decided to speak up as we slowed down to a walking pace to catch our breath...

"Okay, wha'ss wrong?" I asked forwardly as I caught the caring pegasus staring at me again.

"H-Huh?" she shakily replied, seemingly startled out of a vivid daydream. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong..."

"I'd be inclined t' believe you..." I incredulously began. "...if I didn't catch you givin' me all these worried looks. Wha'ss the matter?"

"...Well..." she began, quickly faltering as her gaze was locked on my eyes. "...I-it's not important, really..." she turned away, her mannerisms still betraying her words as she looked away with the same expression of worry frozen on her face.

"Uh-huh... She clearly ain't gonna tell me herself... Guess we gotta play the guessin' game..."

"...Does it hafta do with... Twilight? Cuz if it does, then we're close t' gettin' her back... I can feel it..." I assured.

"I know..." was all the mare replied with.

"Really...? So wha'ss the problem?"

"I told you... it's nothing. Please, I don't want you to worry about it..." she said in a more assertive tone. Not one to be stubborn about trying to offer help to someone who claimed they didn't need it, I dropped the issue... mostly.

"Fine, fine..." I conceded. The two of us were silent for a few lengthy minutes, in which time I began mentally registering reasons as to why she'd been staring at me so often while we were making our way here. Eventually, I went on a whim in an attempt to strike up a conversation that might coax the problem out of her. "Y'know... I still feel guilty... even after that talk we had on the balcony..." I blurted out, actually managing to catch the attention of my comrade.

"Why?" she passively asked. "We already came to an agreement on our feelings... You're with Twilight, and there's nothing I would do to get in the way of that... even though I think you're um... nice..."

"Right, but... I still don't think everything got settled from that talk..."

"Why not? I thought we made things pretty clear..." she inquired.

"Uh... I figure I should tell ya this... um... after I got taken away that night, I had a dream... a bad one..."

"What was it about?"

"Well... At first, it began with Twi an' I sharin' our feelin's before we... uh... y'know..." I awkwardly trailed off, not wanting to go into detail of something so... taboo.

"Oh..." she dejectedly muttered, getting the point.

"Shoulda prolly left that part out... Lemme jus' skip ahead a little..."

"But then, I blacked out... an' when my vision came back t' me... the pony I saw in my arms wasn't Twilight at all..."

"Who was it?"

"It was... it... *gulp* uh..." I choked, not knowing exactly how to tell the mare that SHE was the one I'd been holding...

"You don't have to tell me... I underst--!"

"It was you..." I finally, quietly admitted.

"*GASP*" She'd been taken by complete surprise. "M-me??"

"Yea..."

"But... why?"

"I honestly don't know why... it COULD be because you was the last pony t' treat me nicely that night... or that there's somethin' about our talk that let something like that come up... Whatever the reason, you were there with me instead o' Twi... but back t' the dream... After that, I found myself hangin' from a tree in these woods here, where every one of our friends was there except you an' Pinkie, jus' starin' at me, watchin' me choke... Everybody there was angry at me. No one would help me down an' Princess Celestia herself said I was a letdown... Then I fell an' wound up sittin' in front of a really angry Pinkie in a dark room... She was tellin' me about the Pinkie Promise I broke... then you came in t' try an' defend me... only t' be disowned as a friend by Pinkie herself..."

"Oh... My..."

"Yea... after that, I took all the blame for what happened in that dream... then I died..."

"..." Fluttershy had been rendered speechless by the sharing of my nightmare. "That... That sounds dreadful..."

"Yea... I don't really know what t' make of it..."

"Oh... I'm sorry if this comes off as a bit unmannerly, but... Why are you telling me this? This sounds like something you would discuss with Twilight..."

"I... guess I'm tellin' ya this cuz I care about you... ALL o' you... I'ss jus' that knowin' about your feelings... it makes me wanna reevaluate how I handled things with you... Plus, I get the feel our little talk didn't do much t' help you..."

"No, it helped. It helped me a lot. I learned a lot about you, and I learned a little about myself. And if it's okay to say, I really enjoyed the massage you gave me..."

"Oh. Tha'ss good t' know."

"But... I guess, in some way or another, it didn't help me so much, either..."

"What do you mean?" I asked, caught a little off-guard.

"I... I don't really know how to say this outright... but... I... think I..." the mare faltered, her attention focusing away from me yet again. "It's just that... um... you..."

"You don't hafta say anything," I interrupted. "I think I understand..."

"...Yea, that either you REALLY enjoyed that massage, or our talk only made you like me more..."

"...Does that have anything t' do with wha'ss makin' you so worried for me?"

"Sort of, but that isn't all of it... I'm more-so worried about you because of what's happened to you since you came to my house the other day... Being taken away, exposed as a human, rescued, hurt, abandoned, so on... up until you saved me from Mr. Gillian's attack."

"Oh, that..." I droned, flashing back to that miserable experience that could quite possibly be compared to being burned alive while hit by a bus...

"When you pushed me out of the way, I was confused at first... but then I... I saw you in so much pain... it... it hurt to watch... and then when Mr. Gillian hit you while you were down... well... you saw what happened..."

"That I did... Never thought you could get that mad..."

"Only if somepony's being REALLY mean to someone I care about..." My heart skipped a beat at that.

"Ooh... Not really sure how t' take that..."

"Hm... You know I meant it when I said I value you as a friend, right?" I asked.

"Of course. I meant it, too..." she agreed, smiling warmly at me.

"...But... what about the uh... your crush...?" At that question, the mare's smile faded and turned into a flustered blush as she looked away from me yet again.

"...I... I'll just have to um... get over it, I guess..."

"Jeez, even I wouldn't be able t' say somethin' like that... I still don't exactly know how t' figure this out... Only time will tell at this point, I guess..."

"*AHEM* Besides that, I didn't realize exactly how much reason I gave you t' worry about me..." I stated, changing the subject.

"Mm-hmm... You've already been hurt so much these past few days..." she began, regaining her composure. "Plus, I felt simply awful after watching you lose your temper after Twilight was kidnapped... You're too good a pony-- er, I mean... human to have this all happen to you..."

"Well then... I'm sorry you had t' see that. I also definitely appreciate your concern, Fluttershy..." I said, smiling at the yellow mare. "...I'll try my best not t' make your worries come true..."

"Hm... You know, I don't blame you for being upset... I can understand what it's like to deal with someponies like Mr. Gillian and Ms. Comet... But at the same time, I don't want to see you get hurt again or possibly hurt somepony else..."

"Yea... I hear ya loud an' clear..." I concurred before taking a deep breath. "At this point, I jus' wanna find Twi an' wrap this whole thing up... I'm jus' so tired... So, SO very tired... If it wasn't for me bein' as on-edge an' riled up as I am about gettin' Twi back, I'd-a passed out by now... I ain't get a good night's sleep since before this weekend began... All THIS extra nonsense don't help..." I complained, the fatigue evident in my tone.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, Ty..." Fluttershy consoled me, taking flight to pat me on the back. "We'll get this over with before you know it. Then you and... and Twilight... can... um..." she faltered once more, but this time, even I felt a wave of marginal discomfort wash over us as we journeyed through the seemingly-endless maze known as the Everfree Forest.

"*sigh* Fluttershy..." I began, feeling even worse for the mare's infatuation than I did before as I placed my hand on her mane. "You an' I... we..." I trailed off as I stared into the mare's soft, innocent turquoise eyes, not knowing what else to say before something caught my ear... It... sounded like... crying... "Do you hear that? Sounds like somebody's cryin'... I'ss comin' from over there," I warned, pointing to our right.

"Do you think it's safe to go and see?" she warily asked, flying closer to me.

"We won't know till we find out... Le'ss go." With that, the two of us were quick to rush over toward the sound (despite a little bit of reluctance from Fluttershy, whom I'd wound up having to practically carry. Suffice it to say, ponies are pretty light for how big they are...). What we came across both alarmed and confused me... another pony: female, medium light blue in coat color, plum in mane color, curled up into a ball and sobbing her eyes out.

"C...Comet?" I beckoned as I set Fluttershy down and approached the ball of cerulean and royal purple huddled on the ground. Once I got close enough, I slowly knelt down and placed a hand on the ball of fur. As I expected, the mare jumped at my touch, causing me to quickly withdraw my hand in the case that I was mistaken. Turns out I wasn't as I was met with the heartrendingly sorrowful sea-foam-colored eyes of a mare who'd just gone through a lot of drama... Taken aback by the sight, Fluttershy and I sat next to the mare, suddenly feeling the need to console her. "What's wrong...?"

"Nothing...! Nothing at all...!" She lied through her voluminous tears.

"Come on now... " I reasoned, feeling horrible for the way she looked and placing my hand on her back. "You can tell us..."

"What's the point in telling YOU?" she spat at me, smacking my hand off of her. "You only care about... *sniffle* finding your precious little mare... Well she's only a straight walk forward from here... now leave me alone... so I can cry over how thoroughly I've ruined myself..."

"Wow... somethin' PRETTY bad musta happened... Shit... now I CAN'T leave until I find out wha'ss wrong with her..."

"Well... thanks for tellin' us where they are... but I'm not about t' jus' let you sit here an' cry... Tell me, Comet... wha'ss the matter?"

"*sniffle* ...Why would YOU of all ponies care about MY problems...?"

"Hm... I suppose you could say I got a bit of a soft spot for mares in distress..." I admitted. "...and it wouldn't sit right with me if I jus' let you cry your eyes out without givin' you the time o' day..."

"...Gillian's the matter..." she finally gave way and admitted.

"I shoulda figured as much..." I knowingly remarked. "What'd he do t' you?"

"You'd think that... *sniffle* would be obvious..."

"Well, I'm sorry t' say it ain't..." At that remark, the mare nodded understandingly before lowering her gaze back to the forest floor she'd soaked in her misery. "What did he do?"

"That stupid, inconsiderate... malevolent, obstinate mule.... He broke my heart..."

"What...???" Both Fluttershy and I gasped. "You two...?"

"Broke up, yes... You heard me... *sniffle* He cared more about this asinine plot than about me... He made that evident when he told me to get lost... *sniffle* After I tried to tell him to just give this up..." Hearing that sent my heart sinking. The mare started up a fresh new wave of tears as she wept some more. The sight made me want to just wrap the mare up in my arms... It also gave me a new reason to find Gillian.

"What an ass...!"

"Unbelievable..."

"...A-after all I did for him, Ty... I... I just don't understand... How he could just... turn his back on me... like this..." she choked up, letting out a few more sobs before attempting to recollect herself. "And even now, I find myself following his horrid, despicable orders... because I'm lost... with no magic... no special somepony... and no... no future... at least, not one that doesn't involve me rotting away in prison like the worthless, air-headed little harlot I am..."

"*sigh* That's it! I've heard enough... Now I'm mad again."

"Alright, c'mere..." I requested as I impulsively wrapped my hands around the mare, pulling her into a tight hug.

"*GASP* Wha...?" the mare was expectantly surprised at the gesture. I felt her tears almost instantly stain the collar of my shirt as she lowered her guard enough to relax her head on my shoulder.

"Tha'ss enough outta you... ya hear me...?" I began, filled with sympathetic remorse to the point of tearing up a little. She was a mare... grieving over the loss of something she viewed as important to her. I HAD to console her; even IF Comet and I were on opposite sides of this war... with an emphasis on 'were.' "You ARE worth something, Comet... You was clearly worth somethin' when that idiot decided t' go through this... And for as faithful as you were to him, you are by NO means, a 'harlot...' And jus' gatherin' from what we talked about earlier today... you have a LOT more in that head o' yours than air..."

"But... I--!"

"But nothin'. I'ss time t' get this over with..." I stated as I released the mare from my embrace. "...And if it helps any, then... I promise t' try an' get you a lighter sentence from Celestia..."

"What?? But that's impossible!" She shot back in surprise. "How can you possibly expect to--?"

"When there's a will, there's a way. Don't expect it t' be a slap on the wrist, but... I'll do whatever I can t' help you out once we're done here..." I assured, ready to get going. "Now... where did you say they were?"

"...A few paces to the East there..." she informed, turning and pointing a hoof ahead of us. "But... you won't do anything drastic, will you...?"

"I won't make any promises on that, but... what I WILL do is put an end t' this... if Twilight and/or Rainbow Dash haven't already..." with that, I began my trek into the area where Comet had informed me that Twilight was. Fluttershy began to follow, but I stopped her. "You should prolly help Comet here outta the forest," I suggested.

"But... what about--?"

"I'll be fine. Now please, help the poor girl outta here..." I commanded.

"...Okay... but PLEASE don't do anything that might hurt somepony... or yourself..."

"I won't..."

"I might, but ONLY if the situation calls for it... I still gotta get him t' drink this damn potion, an' I know he'll likely be as willin' t' do so as a kid goin t' the dentist for a root canal..."

"Now go," I ordered.

"Okay... um... F-follow me, Ms. Comet..." Fluttershy obeyed, leading the unicorn mare out of the woods. I took off at full speed, a rush of energy coursing through my body as I made a mad dash toward them...

"I'ss almost over...!"

"...And THAT, Ms. Sparkle, is how I became the man-- er, stallion I am today," Gillian finished his story.

"Wow..." I was completely astounded by his life's tale. It seemed he'd come from a similar background as Ty... except that Gillian never knew his own mother... his father treated him miserably throughout his foalhood... he had been forced to move out and live by himself in complete solitude before Comet Gazer showed up in his life... but at the same time, given what I'd heard about his past relationships with others, he'd been the variety of person who would coerce other ponies-- or people, rather-- into doing what he wanted... manipulating, intimidating, and sometimes, even THREATENING others in order for him to get control over them... and not ONCE in his entire story did he mention feeling sorry for those he hurt... he actually sounded... dare I say, PROUD of the incorrigible deeds he'd carried out...

"So... still think you can help me?" he asked in a tone that perfectly delivered his doubt in my ability.

"...Yes," I answered after a moment of thought. "I'd hate to be blunt about it, but... it appears you may have a personality disorder..."

"A personality disorder? Ha! That's rich..." he dismissed.

"It's true!" I shouted, letting his arrogance get to me before I calmed myself in order to explain. "It all adds up... Your tendency to control others rather than befriend or form healthy relationships with them, your apparent lack of compassion towards your fellow beings, the pride you show in the horrible things you've done to others... You told me you were nothing like your father... but from what I've gathered regarding your mention of his constantly fluctuating moods and changing special someponies, combined with his blatant mistreatment toward you... it may not be the SOLE factor in your social and moral development, but it shows that you've adopted and utilized traits of your father's personality, incorporating his twisted worldview and ideology into your own."

"Get out of here with that! You think you know me THAT well already?! Please, Every shrink I've ever been to has never been able to help me."

"Denial won't work. I don't know exactly what types of doctors you've seen, but even THEY had to tell you something similar to what I'm telling you."

"What? That I'm 'antisocial'? That I show signs of radically aggressive behavior at a seemingly insignificant whim? That I am completely incapable of reversing feelings of empathy, compassion, or caring for the problems of other people?"

"Wow... he actually just took the words right from my mouth..."

"Well... yeah, actually. I mean, given what you've done in just these past couple days... it shows."

"Oh, really? And How, may I ask, is that?"

"Well... You repeatedly injured me and my friends, you showed little to no concern for Comet's feelings since you met her, you dealt a LOT of physical and emotional harm to my colt-friend and so far, I haven't heard a single word of apology for anything. Not even a worried look for what you did. The only time I DID observe any emotion that wasn't rudeness or anger from you was when you were listening to Comet explaining her reluctance in following your machinations... and even THEN, you made it about yourself when you claimed that you were doing it for her."

"Oh, come on! I--!"

"If anything, you actually experienced a true sense remorse for the first time in your entire life after your previous plot was foiled by Princess Celestia. Studying what you told Comet back at my home, it appeared you couldn't handle the feeling... It tormented you... Plagued you... Ate away at your sanity... until you couldn't take it anymore... So, in an elaborate attempt to clear your own guilty conscience, you devised this convoluted plot to grant her the freedom you felt she deserved... Noble as that may sound, your true motives are dubious at best. The fact still stands that you never once considered her feelings with regards to the things you've done..." I analyzed. I didn't necessarily want to spell it out for him, but it seemed he wasn't going to budge if I tried allowing him to figure it out for himself.

The stallion said nothing at first; his gaze slowly lowering toward the ground as my words presumably ran through his thoughts. We stood in silence for a tense, yet noiseless few seconds before he began to speak.

"My god... it... It's true, isn't it...?"

"Hm?"

"I... I think you're right..." he murmured, seeming to be having an epiphany. "The way I treated you and your friends... the way I treated Comet... You're absolutely right..." he looked back up at me, his face showing something I hadn't seen on him since we met... true, unmistakable regret. "I... I've done so much... to so many... I... I don't know what to say... Oh, god..."

"Yes. He's finally seeing the light... Could this mean he's finally on the right path?"

"No matter how much harm you may have caused..." I sympathetically began. "No matter how many ponies you've negatively influenced... everypony deserves a chance at redemption... wouldn't you agree?" I asked, approaching him. I was confident that I'd finally set him straight.

"Yes, Twilight... I... I understand now..." he meekly concurred, never taking his crimson eyes off of me. "Thank you... for allowing me to see the error of my ways..."

"Well... you helped yourself more than I did..." I modestly rebutted.

"Now now, no need to be so humble. You're very intelligent... I underestimated your incredible genius... I... should've expected as much from Celestia's Most Faithful Student..."

"Gillian, really..." I tried to argue, honestly flattered by this sudden change in his demeanor.

"...and I've said this countless times in past meetings, but... you're very pretty... gorgeous, even..." he complimented further as he approached me, his gaze fixated on my eyes.

"Okay, that's a bit much..."

"Gillian, I'm flattered, honestly, but I..." I trailed off as he brought himself even closer to me... I tried to step back, but he seized the opportunity to take my fore hoof into his. I couldn't bring myself to look away... he seemed so... vulnerable in this state... I felt bad for him.

"You know... Ty's a lucky guy... He might not even know how lucky he is... to have someone like you..." he practically whispered as the distance between us steadily dwindled, amplifying my discomfort with his behavior.

"*Gasp* Oh my gosh... is he... is he hitting on me?? Oh, no...!"

"Yes, I'm sure he knows, which is why I intend to make sure he's the ONLY guy to have me," I dismissed, getting an idea of why he'd gone from defiant and rebellious to... to THIS in such a minuscule amount of time. Whether my hunch was correct or not, I refused to do anything of the sort with ANYONE else. In that moment, everything I'd put Ty through when I erroneously thought he'd engaged in a similar act with Fluttershy raced through my mind... How I'd confess this to him if Gillian was to have his way... How it would possibly RUIN my relationship...

And then he lunged forward. In a startled instant, I swiftly put a hoof up to stop him. I felt the slimy dampness in his lips at they connected with my hoof... It was utterly revolting... This experience was as unfathomable as it was uncomfortable... For some reason, he kept trying, which frightened me beyond belief... especially since I couldn't use my magic... I'd never been placed in such a... a perilous scenario before... and I didn't know if I was physically strong enough to hold him off... I subconsciously hoped somepony-- ANYPONY-- could simply show up and stop him before he quite possibly overpowered me...

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! This isn't happening! This is NOT happening!" Struggle as I might, I was unable to free myself from the stallion's grasp as he tried to kiss me.

"GET YOUR DISGUSTING HOOVES OFF OF HER, YOU BASTARD!!" I heard an all too familiar, yet THOROUGHLY enraged voice yell. In an instant, the stallion finally let go of me, allowing me to shove him away before my line of sight was greeted with none other than Ty... although, he'd seen MUCH happier days...

"Ty! How nice of you to j--!" Gillian tried to greet the livid human in a casual tone.

"Not...! Another...! Word...!" he menacingly growled through teeth clenched so tightly he may have been able to bite through diamond as he approached. I thought I'd seen the worst of his anger before... but nothing I'd EVER observed of him compared to this... The blood vessels in his forehead and arms protruded like he'd been fitted with wiring... His normally-chocolate brown skin had been heated to the point where he'd practically been glowing red... He'd been baring his clenched teeth as he breathed visible seething wrath through the crevices between them... His eyes... His eyes... It seemed that any semblance of white in them was replaced with a horrifying hue of pinkish crimson... and his eyebrows were more sharply arched than check marks...

"As if things could get any worse... Wait... his hand...!" As he approached us, I noticed a vial of a leafy green liquid in his right hand... but then as I caught a glimpse of his left... I saw a glow... a faint, but visible golden glow... USUALLY only emanated from a unicorn's horn... "That can't be good... What could be making that happen...?" My thought process was interrupted when he knelt down in front of me before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to try and calm himself. I wish I could say it worked, but...

"Are you okay?" He calmly asked, much to my surprise.

"Uh, um... y-yeah... I just... I'm sorry, Ty..." I apologized, fearing he might've thought I was an active participant in that wretched, grotesque kiss attempt... "H-he just pounced on me... He tricked me when I thought I was helping him... honest..." I stammered in aggregate terror. My colt-friend's infuriated gaze showed no signs of dissipating, though... in fact, it only intensified... "Ty, really! You have to believe me! I-I would NEVER do anything to hurt you like that! I--!"

"What happened t' ya face?" he asked, throwing me off my train of thought yet again.

"...H-huh?" I stuttered, practically shaking in horror.

"What happened... to... your... face...?" He darkly enunciated as he brought his hand to my cheek. "There's a bruise here... What happened?"

"Um... I-I..." I began, but, fearing even for Gillian's safety, I faltered, unwilling to tell him... "I-I fe--!"

"He hit you... Didn't he?" I froze in an even deeper sense of shock at his deduction.

"Oh, no... The fact that I'm all frozen up ALREADY tells him he's right..."

"Y-yes..." I admitted, seeing no point in lying for the stallion who'd just tried to force himself upon me after I tried to help him. At that, Ty closed his eyes, took yet another deep, albeit shaky breath before picking himself up and walking over toward Gillian, his breath getting progressively heavy with each time he stomped a foot onto the ground.

"Y'know... you have put us through a lotta shit..." he began, trudging ever closer to the seemingly-frightened stallion.

"Y-yes, I underst--!"

"A LOT of shit..." the human reiterated. "Don't you fuckin' sit there an' tell me you understand... Cuz I don't think ya do..."

"Wellll... Heh, we do go a long way, you and I... huh?"

"And that ALL coulda been water under the bridge... Even the part where you tried t' assassinate me...!"

"O-oh come now, no one's that--!"

"If I didn't run into your EX-girlfriend cryin' her eyes out in the middle of the fuckin' woods like some filthy animal..."

"Comet??? Where'd she g--!"

"Oh, no, don't worry about her NOW...! Clearly, you don't have to... when I find your sneaky, conniving, filthy, scrawny, pencil-necked little punk ass makin' moves on another mare...! MY girlfriend, no less!"

"...I plead the fifth...?"

"You have one chance... ONE more goddamn chance! Give me a reason for it..."

"...Wha?"

"Did I STUTTER?! I said gimme a reason! Gimme a reason why you went through all this! Why you dragged that poor girl int' followin' you like this! Why you turned your back on her in the snap o' two fingers! And how... how you find the BALLS to make moves on Twilight and think for a SECOND I wouldn't find out...!" I watched in absolute horror at the sight I beheld... Ty was on the verge of possibly the biggest meltdown he'd ever had... For all I know, he could be capable of... of...

"Ty! Please, calm down!" I called, concerned for him in such a state of wrathful frustration. "Don't do--!"

"Oh, believe me, Twi... I AM calm..." he turned toward me and replied despite his face exhibiting a different message, striking me speechless.

"THIS is calm for him?? I'd hate to see him truly upset, then..." At that, I heard the sound of a horn activating. I looked past Ty to see that Gillian was planning some sort of underhanded tactic...

*crackle* "AH!" Gillian cried as Ty quickly knelt down and grabbed the stallion by his horn, thus cutting off supply to his magic. With the way the human's hand tightly squeezed onto Gillian's horn, it almost looked like he was fitting to break the appendage off... I cringed at the lurid, gruesome thought.

"Strike two, asshole. One more, and you're out. Now answer my questions..."

"Oh yeah... Um... well... y'see... I uh... I figured... that uh...!"

"All I hear is stutterin'! Spit it out! Before I wring your neck like a fat, middle-aged alcoholic would his miscreant ten-year-old son!"

"...Ya got me, honestly. I have no reason you wouldn't so righteously proclaim as 'evil' or 'wrong,'" Gillian sarcastically spat. "So with that, mighty judge, jury AND executioner, deliver unto me my oh-so-well-deserved reprimands."

"Funny..." the human dryly muttered before sighing once again to remain calm. "...But here's the deal: You drink this," he proposed, holding the vial of liquid in his hand up. "...You give up, you apologize t' everyone, you sit an' play nice like a good little piece o' sh--! *Ahem* excuse me, colt... and you go along with Celestia, fulfillin' your end o' the bargain from our tussle, an' you NEVER do this again."

"...So lemme get this straight... You're telling me to poison myself with some strange bottle of... whatever that is, pretend like I care enough about ANY of you to waste my time apologizing, then go off with that unforgiving shrew of a monarch so I can be magically castrated?"

"More or less. You don't got a lotta options. Either you do that, or I break your horn off with my bare hand not ONLY for what you tried t' pull with Twilight, but also for what you apparently did t' Comet... not t' mention what you was ABOUT t' do t' her."

"Oh, so NOW YOU care about Comet?" he shot back indignantly. "How pretentious... Please, that mare is as soft as she is ungrateful. She failed to understand what I tried to do for her, she failed at disallowing her foolish penchant for sympathy toward you from slithering in and corrupting her, and she failed at being my faithful girlfriend... Traitor..."

"How could you POSSIBLY say those things about her??" I finally yelled, disgusted by his disregard toward his partner as I approached. "After all she'd been through with you! After ALL she sacrificed FOR you! All the way down to what we talked about... And yet, you've learned nothing?"

"Of course not! There was nothing for me to learn! Except maybe that I shouldn't have wasted the time and effort to give her what I felt she deserved."

"But... how?" I asked, utterly flabbergasted at his coldness. "How could you be THIS insensitive? This... BITTER? We talked about so much... Was it all a lie?"

"Oh, no, Twilight Sparkle... Everything I told you was true to the definitive 'T.' It's just that you forgot to account for one thing..." At that, Ty and I just stared at him in total disbelief.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what..." He was LUCKY he got the jump on me before kidnapping me, because I'd have been tempted to strike him myself had my magic been functional. Despite that, I felt my horn beginning to flicker with an extremely weak stream of it, thus alerting me to his disablement spell beginning to wear off.

"...and that thing is this..." he continued without prodding. "My cunning..."

"Your cunning...?"

"Why do you think I was suddenly paying you all those sweet little namby-pamby compliments after I had you thinking you'd miraculously reformed me?"

"Wha...?" And then it hit me. He hadn't been letting me help him at all... He'd only pretended to drop his guard... to come to the realization that he was wrong... All so he could... "So your plan all along from the moment Comet stormed off was... to trick me into...?" I couldn't stomach the thought as I mentally retched in abhorrence.

"Not entirely. I was honestly just trying to see how far you were gonna let me go with you. Heh, I actually thought I had you, too. I do say, I admire your commitment to this guy, even after hearing my sob story," he lauded, although it only came across as a BITING insult.

"...Ty, let go of him," I requested, trying to keep my composure.

"What? Why would I do that?" he asked, expectantly unwilling. "He's only gonna try some cheap tactic t' screw us over!"

"I have something to get off my chest with him... and I'd prefer to talk to him on even terms rather than with him being under the threat of violence."

"Oh, really?" Gillian taunted. "I'd actually stay just long enough to hear this..."

"I... I refuse. He CANNOT be trusted," Ty negated once more.

"Let... him... go... now!" I raised my voice, my patience dwindling. Nevertheless, Ty raised an eyebrow at me, quite possibly judging the quality of my request. I couldn't blame him, but I also needed to fully comprehend the actions and motives of the stallion.

"Hm... If you say so, but if I hear anything I don't like--!"

"Yes, yes, we'll deal with him accordingly. Now let him go..." I respectfully requested. The human complied despite showing a bit of reluctance, letting the grip of his fingers loosen from the stallion's horn. Taking precautionary measures, he stayed very close to Gillian, seemingly ready to pounce at any sign of him trying any funny business. I trotted up to Gillian, feeling an urgent need to discuss with him the severity of playing with someone's emotions.

"Eyes like a HAWK, Gillian...!" Ty forewarned, pointing two fingers toward his irritated eyes, then pointing them at Gillian.

"Yeah, I'm so sure... Ease up a little, why don'tcha? I know when I'm in a bind."

"Hmph! For your sake, I hope you also know not t' try findin' a way outta this one like you did before...!"

"Yeah, sure... So anyway, Ms. Sparkle... I take it you're not too pleased with almost playing into my little ruse?" he asked in an air of cockiness I greatly loathed.

"That was low, Gillian... VERY low..." I began. "How could you? Have you NO shame? How do you think Comet would react if she knew how little you thought of her in a time of strife? She cared for you... trusted you... and dare I say it... she LOVED you... and yet, you find it THIS easy to abandon everything you've shared with her?"

"Hmph... Not like it matters now... She already left me. Other than that, you and she are a lot alike; thinking you can change the truly volatile, destructive nature of a creature as despicable as a human being... That by falling in 'love' with one or by talking things out with one, you're gaining some sort of understanding of how they function... how they receive, interpret, and reciprocate things in the world around them... That's the main reason Comet and I were together so long, now that I think of it... Because she obliviously held onto that misguided hope that she could make me a better person by showing me that there was some brighter, albeit much less realistic outlook to adopt... I already warned her that humans were pitifully hopeless creatures, but she insisted on there being some slim shred of good in any of them; me included. That's likely why she was so easily swayed by this guy..." he assumed, nudging his head toward Ty. "It's also probably how YOU two are with your relationship... Isn't it?"

His rebuttal left me almost completely stunned. The hopeless tone in his voice... The manner in which he could just dismiss his bond with Comet as some foalish conception of faith in change... The apparent disdain he harbored toward his native race... I was also taken aback by his assumption that my relationship was anywhere near similar to his...

"...You think I'm with him because I feel sorry for him? That the ENTIRE basis of our relationship is something as easily flexible as sympathy? Well you're wrong... Horribly wrong... and it sickens me to know that you thought I'd be swooned by your story to the point where you thought I'd betray him at a moment's glance. I'm sorry for your troubles and for your apparent hatred for human beings, but using that to prey upon someone's feelings the way you tried to do to me... it's outright vile. I'd hate to imagine if that were the case with Comet Gazer... And another thing: there's a lot more that goes into a relationship than simply sharing mutual emotions about hardship..."

"Yeah, yeah, affection, passion, tolerance, acceptance of differences, yada yada... That's what Comet believed, too... and for a while, I DID consider adopting that ideology... until I realized what a weakling it would've made me. Why bother doing all that when I could just have a beautiful mare who could understand my background, therefore do whatever she could in her power to make me feel like I'm worth something?"

"Because if you don't return the feelings the two of you should've shared, your relationship won't last! Comet's a pony, too! She has the same wants and needs that you do! If it wasn't for your scheme to take over Saddle Arabia OR the one you tried pulling off here, how long do you think your relationship with her would've lasted?"

"Don't you feed me that 'what-if' scenario drivel," he shot back. "If she REALLY cared for me, she would've--! ACK!!" he was cut off abruptly, as if something had been caught in his throat... or should I say, around it. I caught the sight of Ty's hand, which had been previously wrapped around Gillian's horn, now firmly coiling itself around the stallion's neck.

"I've had it..." he mumbled, trying what seemed to be his absolute hardest not to lose his composure.

"Ty! Let him go!" I pleaded.

"No," he calmly refused. "He's said enough, and he clearly has nothin' o' value t' talk about. I'm done. No more talkin', no more negotiations, no more... i'ss time t' end this."

"What are you saying...?" I warily asked, fearing what he was planning on doing.

"I'm sayin' that tha'ss what got him t' try an' kill me when he lost that bet. Tha'ss also what got him t' think he would get away with kidnappin' you. And he jus' helped me realize that tha'ss what got him t' string Comet along for as long as he's been doin'."

"What did?"

"Chances. He's been given too many chances, and never learned his lesson. Well I learn from my mistakes... and I learned that there are times where someone just uses so many chances, and does nothin' but harm with each and every single one that they become undeservin' of another one..." with that, his other hand reached toward the potion he'd set onto the ground.

"Then what do you plan on doing to him??"

"Before you worry, this potion will only nullify his magic indefinitely. Nothin' more; at least, tha'ss what Zecora told me. After that, we take him back t' town, where we can wait for Celestia t' come so SHE can figure out what t' do with him. I personally think he's beyond any help you tried t' offer him."

"Oh..." I mentally breathed a sigh in relief that Ty still had some sense of reason left in his anger. Though, I still felt a bit unsure about him forcing Gillian to consume a potion that would impede his use of magic. Not to mention I somewhat disagreed with his analysis of Gillian's aptitude for reform. "Don't you think you're giving up on him a bit soon, though? I mean, everypony has at least SOME will to change for the better... It's unfair to say that he doesn't."

"I'm not sayin' that, Twi. I'm sayin' that there's nothin' we in particular can say t' him t' change his mind. Not in such a short amount o' time, anyway. Only Celestia has that kinda time an' patience..." With that, he turned toward the stallion he held firmly in his grasp. "You're comin' with us, an' you're not gonna do ONE more thing to anyone else. Time for your medicine, Gillian..."

"...Not if I... ack!... Have a... say in it...!" With that, the other unicorn's horn began taking on a faint silver glow, prompting the human to try and pull the cork out of the vial with his teeth. Before he could manage it, however, Gillian proved to be faster as he delivered a small shock to the arm Ty was practically strangling him with, forcing the human to jerk back, inadvertently releasing the stallion from his grasp.

"Oh no..."

"Ah...!" Ty grunted in pain as he dropped the vial.

"Sorry, gotta run! We'll have this talk never again!" With that, the cowardly stallion ran off into the woods.

"DrrrrRRRGH!! That TEARS IT!!! I am gonna shove this entire vial so far down his goddamn THROAT!!!!" And with that violent remark, Ty picked up the vial of potion and immediately took off right behind him. Urgently needing to put a stop to this, yet still under the slowly-fleeting effect of the disablement spell, I sprinted off after them, hoping to Celestia that I was able to catch up to them...

"If I don't get to them and SOON, things are gonna get REALLY ugly...! Legs, don't fail me now!"

"Jeez... I've been all OVER the place and I haven't seen them..." I mumbled to myself. I was so far ahead of those two. I covered FAR more ground than they did... It just didn't add up as to why I hadn't found Twilight already... at least, until I heard some rustling through the bushes nearby. RIGHT when I was about to check, something-- or should I say, SomePONY-- came sprinting out of it, startling me.

"Ohshit, ohshit, ohshit, ohshit, ohshit!!" The pony kept chanting, rushing off in a hurry. It didn't take me long to recognize the pony as Gillian. What confused me though, is why he was bolting through the forest like he was being chased by a monster... I was about to take off and try to catch him when something else came rushing through the bushes.

"I WILL END YOU!!! DO YOU HEAR ME!!??" Speaking of monsters, another voice came from the direction I saw Gillian run from. Half a sec later, I saw this HUGE brownish-red blur zip right past me. If I didn't know better, then I say that was...

"...Ty?"

"Rainbow Dash!!" yet ANOTHER voice called to me; except THIS time, its owner stopped as soon as they saw me. Who I saw actually filled me with excitement and relief, though. I almost jumped for joy as I tackled Twilight to the ground, hugging her.

"Twi! You're okay!" I cheered as I picked her up, still embracing my best friend as I relished in the moment of seeing her unharmed.

"Yes, it's nice to see you too, but we don't have time to celebrate!" the purple unicorn urgently declared as she broke away from my grasp.

"Why? What's going on?" I asked, wanting to know why she was suddenly so frantic.

"Come on!" she commanded, pulling me along as she got a running start. Saving her the effort, I took flight at about the same pace as her galloping.

"Why the hurry, Twilight? You seem--!"

"Did you see Ty and/or Gillian pass by you?" she abruptly asked.

"Yeah... both of 'em, actually... but I--!"

"And did you see how angry Ty was when he passed by?"

"Hardly... I barely recognized him. He practically flew right by me. While we're on the subject, why's he so worked up?? He told me he was gonna try and stay calm!"

"Well THAT flew out the window when Gillian aggravated him! And now I fear we might be on the precipice of a HUGE controversy regarding our human friend!"

"Jeez... And here I was, thinking he was more level-headed than that... He's no better than I am..."

"Oh, boy..." I mumbled in wonder before I realized something. "Hey wait... You didn't happen to see Fluttershy with him, did you?"

"No... Why?"

"I sent her with him to help look for you when we came here. Did he mention anything about her?"

"Not to my knowledge... but he DID allude to finding Comet Gazer somewhere nearby crying... If Fluttershy was with him at that time, then maybe he reassigned her with watching over her?" Twilight suggested.

"...It's possible..." I agreed, though I suddenly got a horrible feeling in my gut regarding my friend. "...but I don't think I wanna take any chances if Fluttershy's somewhere in the Everfree Forest by herself... and I DEFINITELY don't wanna take a chance if she's alone with that shady Comet mare..." I thought about it for a second before I made my decision. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go look for her."

"Are you sure? I could definitely use your assistance catching up to these two..." Twi asked, seeming to really need my help.

"I would, but I need to know if Fluttershy's safe first. ESPECIALLY if Comet's with her. I don't trust that Comet mare in the least...!"

"Don't worry," I assured, although feeling a bit torn about what to do. "I'll be back to help you in a flash! I just want to make sure Fluttershy's okay..."

"...Alright, then. I suppose I'll be seeing you in a bit."

"You can count on it, Twi," I confirmed as I prepared to split off with her. "In the meantime, good luck trying to catch up with them." With that vote of confidence toward the unicorn, I instantaneously changed direction to look for my fellow pegasus...

"Must... Capture... Must... Subdue...! Must... KILL!" As I heatedly chased the unicorn stallion, we'd made our way out of the forest and into a sizable meadow as the sun shined almost blindingly in the presumably-early-afternoon sky. The stark contrast between the opaque beams of sunlight projected through the canopy of the forest and the near-translucent glow of the celestial star in the open Ponyville landscape nearly threw my vision off, forcing me to squint a bit as I hunted down the object of my insurmountable aggression. It also didn't help that I'd begun feeling sporadic sharp pains in random areas around my body that would disappear as quickly as they manifested during my chase. I took little to no time to consider what it meant, as my quest for vengeance was at its highest point.

"Hey!" The stallion called as we bulleted toward town. "Somepony help me! This lunatic alien is trying to--! NO!" As he tried to gain some help from the townsfolk, I managed to catch up enough to tackle him. We got into a quick wrestling match, during which I managed to pin him to the ground, my hands wrapped around his neck.

"Why you little...!" I growled before I started flexing my fingers around his neck like a stress ball. It didn't last long before he managed to brutally kick me in the chest with both his hind legs, forcing me off of him before he got up and took off again. Recovering almost immediately and shrugging off the throbbing pain, I sprinted after him. A short while later, we ran into town, where we crossed paths with Applejack with Spike riding atop her back. In a moment of unprecedented agility, he made a sharp left as the duo had just seen him. Not taking the time to greet my allies, I turned right after him.

"There's no use runnin'!!" I shouted. "Jus' take your punishment and GIVE UP!!" I shouted, losing my breath along with what little patience I had left. Stubbornly, the stallion made a sharp right, passed a few more buildings, then cut left into an alleyway shortly after. I was quick to take an alternative path in an attempt to cut the fucker off and capture him. However, when I reached the opposite end of the lane, he was nowhere to be seen.

"DAMMIT!!" I mentally cursed, wondering where he could've gone. "He's gonna take this damn potion whether he likes it or not!!" Not wasting time to sit and think in my rage, I prepared to take off before...

"Ty!" I heard someone call. I turned around to see Twilight, accompanied by Applejack and Spike. "He didn't get far, did he?" asked the lavender unicorn.

"No, but he was JUST here a second ago...! I had him, too...!" I relayed to them.

"Darn...!"

"Maybe we should split up again and look?" Applejack suggested. "If that varmint's anywhere around here, then we're bound t' catch 'im if we comb around here."

"Sounds like as good an idea as any..." I concurred.

"Okay, but I'm warning you, Ty... Do NOT lose your temper!" Twilight urged, to which I simply nodded, despite the opposite being on the brink of happening. With that, I saw the two mares and the dragon take off in separate directions while I made absolutely sure that Gillian wasn't hiding in the alleyway somewhere. I checked the two empty trashcans sitting at opposite ends of the aisle and saw nothing. Assuming he got away, I prepared to bolt in no particular direction, my search now blind before...

"Oy! 'Ello there, mista!" called someone with a cockney accent and a high pitch in their voice. I stopped dead in my tracks to turn and be greeted by a foal; a colt with a vanilla cream-colored coat that had splotches of chocolate brown (or was it the other way around...?), brown hair and eyes, and a Straight-Outta-London accent.

"Hey, kid. I can't talk right, now, I'm kinda in the middle o' somethin'..." I dismissed as I was about to continue my hunt.

"Are ya lookin' fer a stallion?" he asked, instantly catching my attention. "A unicohn wit' black 'air an' scary red ois?"

"Uh, y-yea...?" I confirmed, baffled by the accuracy of his description. "Did ya see 'im?"

"Righty-o, I did! 'E's right ova theh!" the colt pointed to my left, where I saw none other than the bastard I was looking for, trying to tip toe his way out of the area before spotting me looking dead at him. Of course, he took off like a rocket at the sight of me.

"Okay, now he's on some Looney Tunes shit...! Gonna put a stop t' that!" I figured he must've teleported out of the alley once he entered it in order to fake me out, which backfired thanks to this upstanding colt.

"Thanks, kid!"

"The name's Pipsqueak, mista monkey-mohnsta, suh! Glad ta be of suhvice!" At that remark, I cringed a bit.

"Monkey? *sigh* Whatever..."

"Yeah thanks!" I graciously praised the foal as I took off. "I'll be sure t' repay the favor if I run int' ya at a better time!" I hollered toward Pipsqueak, waving as I picked up the pace to catch up to Gillian. I needed to hurry, too. These unusual shocks of pain were growing steadily more frequent, and I was tiring myself out, which only served to augment my towering frustration as time passed on...

"Fluttershy! If you can hear me, then call my name!" I shouted as I scoured a portion of the Everfree Forest looking for my friend. So far, I'd come up with nothing, which didn't worry me TOO much... just confused me a little... because y'know, worrying is for the weak. And that's TOTALLY not the Rainbow Dash way. Nope... Not at all. Nuh uh. Not me. No Way, Pon-ay!... *sigh* Okay, maybe I was a LITTLE worried. There, I said it. I'm not afraid to admit it. But not THAT much!

Anyway, I searched for a bit longer despite not having a clue where the timid mare could've vanished off to...

"Hmm... I've got it! Maybe I should just head to her house and try looking for tracks there that lead into the forest! I'll TOTALLY be able to find her that way!" With that ingenious idea, I blasted off out of the forest's abundantly leafy canopy and in no time at all, I made it to Fluttershy's cottage.

"Alright. Now I begin searching for clues... Shouldn't be too hard. Then again, I assume Fluttershy would've been flying, so I guess I'll look for marking patterns in the dirt that DON'T look like pony hooves..."

"Hi, Rainbow Dash," somepony called from behind me as I was beginning my investigation.

"Hey, Fluttershy," I passively greeted without paying much attention to the other pony, but recognizing her voice.

"Did... you lose something near here? What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Fluttersh... Wait a second..." I mumbled as I realized EXACTLY who I was talking to. I spun around and took a good look at the pony: Yellow coat, wings, long pink mane, greenish-blue eyes... Yep! Everything checked out. "Fluttershy!" I shouted, grabbing the other pegasus by her shoulders. "I've been looking ALL OVER for you!"

"Me?" she asked, seeming just a bit thrown off. "Why? I thought you were looking for--!"

"I was, but then I saw Ty chasing after Gillian, followed by Twilight."

"You saw them??" she asked, suddenly alert to the situation. "How are they doing? Is everypony okay? Twilight's not hurt, is she? What about--?"

"Yeah I did. They're alright... minus Ty chasing after Gillian like an angry dog after the mailpony. Twilight looked more or less the same."

"Oh...! I'm glad Twilight is okay, but Ty is chasing after Mr. Gillian now? And he's angry? That sounds just terrible! Where are they now?"

"Most likely in town. I didn't see you with Ty earlier, so I figured you two split up to cover more ground. But then I heard you might've been with that Comet mare..."

"Yes, she's inside right now."

"She is? What is she doing with you? Wait, she isn't trying anything fishy with you, is she?" I asked, ready to take action if necessary.

"Ty sent me to look after her after she told us where to find Twilight. And no, she's not doing anything suspicious. She and Mr. Gillian separated and she's not taking it very well. I've been trying to help her feel better since we got back here, but she's really torn up about him..."

"Separated?" I asked, a little surprised by the statement. "You mean like, they...?"

"Broke up," Fluttershy finished, which shocked me just a bit more.

"Wow. That stinks, I guess. But we need to get going. The others are in town, and Gillian could be anywhere! If she can, Comet should come along with us."

"...I'm sorry, but I don't think that's a very good idea..." she declined.

"What?? Why??"

"She's in no mood to help anypony right now. She's incredibly upset, and the last thing I would want to do is make her help look for the same pony that broke her heart."

"Yeah, but we'll need as much help as we--!"

"I'm sorry, Rainbow... but I think I'll stay here to try and make Comet feel better. Maybe we'll join you a little later... if she feels like it, that is..."

"A-are you sure? I mean, you don't know if she could be trying to--!"

"Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy sternly interrupted. "I don't know her very well, but I DO know that she's genuinely in a lot of pain right now. The best thing for me to do is to help her feel a little better before Princess Celestia takes her and Gillian away." At that, we sat in silence for a few seconds.

"Huh... She's pretty dead-set on this. If she's this sure, then I guess it'd be pointless to argue. Not like we have the time for it, anyway..."

"...Sometimes, I question the extent of your kindness, Fluttershy..." I admitted in concern for her. "...but hey, if you could reform Discord, then I don't suppose there's a reason to doubt that you can get Comet to come along and help."

"Thank you for your confidence in me, but my job is to help her feel better; not make her do anything she might not want to. Whether she wants to help look for Gillian or not is her choice."

"Yeah, I understand..."

"Sort of..."

"I should be taking off, then," I said, flaring my wings and preparing to fly into town to help look for Gillian. "See ya later! And be careful!"

"Good luck, Rainbow Dash!" the kindly mare replied. "I'll be sure to come along and help everypony if I can!" I smirked and nodded toward her before taking flight to rejoin the others in the chase...

"Why... do you have t' be... so damn STUBBORN!?" I shouted in a fit of full-fledged anger as we ran through the town's shopping plaza.

"I'm not trying to lose my magic capabilities, that's why! Now get off my tail!" with that, the stallion shot a blast of magic at me, which I narrowly dodged. The awkward last-second maneuver sent me hurtling off-balance before...

"AWW, SHI--!" *CRASH!!* *BOOM!!* *BANG!!* *[insert more sounds that imply a violent collision here]* I barreled into one of the stands, obliterating the structure like a human cannonball. Feeling none too hurt, yet ALL the more frustrated, I gingerly rose out of the rubble and continued my chase posthaste. Despite being set back a few feet, I still had him locked in my sight as he hadn't gotten too far away from me just yet.

"Hey!! You're gonna pay for this!!" I heard the proprietor of what was left of the stand grumpily shout at me.

"I'm sure I am, but now ain't the time...!"

"Stop... CHASING me!! You're... never... going to... get me!" Gillian yelled, the fatigue becoming evident in the heavy, raspy breaks between words in his speech. Ignoring his request, I sped up as much as I could, kicking things into high gear, which sent even more frequent shocks of pain rattling through my body, to the point where I'd found myself clutching my explosively achy right side with my left hand as I sprinted after him.

I chased him all around town trying to get him. We'd run into a few of the other ponies involved in his dastardly plot; none of whom I'd managed to properly greet in my UTMOST desire to put an end to this pestering, manipulative rodent of a terrorist once and for all. Though I'd merely caught glimpses of them as I trailed the stallion, I was almost positive that I had Twilight and some of the others, as well as a few of the miscellaneous townsponies following distantly behind me. Gillian and I were rapidly losing steam as I hounded him. As we slowed our pace, he'd started haphazardly shooting magic blasts into the wild in my general direction in more feeble attempts to slow me down enough for him to lose me. I wasn't having it, so I kept my persistence and did my best to avoid the poorly-aimed shots until...

*ZAP* *CRASH* "NO!!" One of his blasts managed to strike the vial of potion Zecora gave me to subdue him. I stopped in my tracks, watching in devastation as the shards of glass scattered across the ground I stood on. That moment of absolute disappointment in my failure to carry out my objective became the straw that broke the camel's back as I helplessly watched the remnants of the liquid run free from my hand alongside the glass that formerly contained it... Seeming to have heard the shattering of the vial, Gillian finally stopped and turned to marvel at his most recent triumph, albeit while raggedly breathing, most of his stamina just as drained from the chase as mine was.

"Ha! Hah... Hah... Whatever that was...! That poison...! It's... useless now..." He taunted, much to my fury as I clenched the fist that held the potion tightly, growling like a feral wolf at the fact that he'd just trumped me yet again...

"You... son of a...!!" I grumbled, getting progressively angrier by the second and clenching my fists with enough pressure that I probably could've crushed a pineapple in my grasp as I glared at him with the intensity of a thousand laser beams... In my fist, I noticed a golden, transparent glow... That glow... It was the same one I'd seen when I recovered from his preemptive strike prior to this ridiculous, ludicrous chase back at Twilight's house... but it got brighter in my trembling grasp... Hotter... Stronger... Heavier... just like my breathing. "I'm sick of this...! " I growled under my breath. "Sick and tired...!"

"What in the name of...?" Gillian muttered in total astonishment. He was joined by a crowd of astounded spectators who took in a collective gasp of shock and wonder at the phenomenon...

"What... is this...?" I could neither figure out what the luminescent golden glow in my hand was, nor could I figure out why or how it had brought itself there... but what I DID know... was that I was thoroughly fed up with this entire ordeal. I wanted this situation to end... Immediately... I wanted Gillian to get what he rightfully deserved for everything he'd done... Whatever this was in my hand... However it conjured itself up in the palm of my trembling hand... I didn't even ponder it. All that crossed my mind was possibly throwing it at him...! So, on a wild, dangerously reckless impulse, I cocked my arm back, ready to fling the arcane light at him like a fiery baseball that burned brightly with every ounce of stress, anger, and despair I'd built up in the last three days...

"WAIT!! Don't do it!!" someone screamed. I ignored them as I slowly staggered toward the stallion, my sights set on him like a sniper's. He said nothing as he backed away, seeming to be trying to charge his horn to no avail as the accursed thing fizzled out on him, telling me he was out of juice. Rather than take pity on him, I only bared my teeth, scowling at his attempt to defend himself. But then I took one good look at his face... the fear... the painfully obvious look of sheer terror on his face as he seemed to be out of options... Not one more dirty trick to get out of the hot vengeance he was about to be dealt. As I stood there, the arm holding this strange, enigmatic composition of heat and light fully prepped to catapult the thing at him, I actually managed to gain just a few short seconds of ration...

"Maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea to do this... I don't know what this is, but..."

"FINISH HIM!" And that was all the thought I gave it.

"Tyshawn, Don't you DARE!!" Someone else with a much more prominent voice shouted, seemingly from the sky. I was oblivious, however as all sound seemed to drown out... Except for the sound of my animalistic shout... The beaming sound of the strange, yet glorious golden light as it left my hand... The definitive *ZAP!!* it made when it made contact with its intended target... The sight of the stallion I SO very much wanted captured as he flashed for a literal second before being flung back from the sheer force of the resulting miniature explosion... His cry of anguish... Oh, how I vindictively relished in the sound of the pain I felt he so rightfully deserved... Then it was over. All of my senses returned to normal as I stood there, panting heavily as if I'd just run an extra ten miles in addition to the presumable twenty I'd run in just this day alone.

"Why would you do that!?" I heard Twilight scold as she ran up next to me. "How DID you do that!??" She demanded an explanation that I unfortunately couldn't give. So I said nothing as my facial expression softened up from anger to fatigue-riddled regret as I turned to look down at her. The instant I locked eyes with her, my heart sank with a voracious flurry of guilt and shame. Growing steadily weaker by the second, I dropped to a knee, for some reason unable to catch my breath as my chest began to ache like I'd been the victim of a TERRIBLE Falcon Punch. Alongside that, pains I'd not felt since Celestia healed me began to resurface... An UNBEARABLE, vicious migraine that felt as if someone dropped an anvil on my head... The feelings of rips, tears, and internal lacerations in all of my limbs like I'd been mauled by a Siberian tiger... The complete loss of energy to the point where I could barely hold myself up, much less breathe correctly... It was like someone had forcibly ripped the life right out of me after beating me senseless...

"Are... are you okay...?" Twilight's tone instantly changed from one of disapproval to one of heavy concern as she watched me crumple over on the ground in horrible, nightmarish, searing pain as I tried desperately to catch my breath; my heavy breathing steadily descending into ragged, struggling rasps as if I'd had asthma.

"N-no...!" I choked out as I was overwhelmed by the tormenting, relentless inferno of bodily despair. This must've been what Hell felt like... "It hurts... Everything... hurts...!" Next thing I knew, someone had landed in front of me with a prominent *THUMP* of her hooves on the dirt in front of me. I, using what little strength I had left, managed to slowly pull my head up and see the INCREDIBLY disapproving face of none other than Equestria's widely-revered leader, Celestia. She had needed to say nothing... I knew just from the look on her face that I done goofed... Big time...

"Sorry, Twilight... I shoulda listened to you... And... Sorry... Fluttershy... I guess... I..." And with that, my entire body was ROCKED with a sudden, explosive wave of physical anguish; only this time, it had failed to dissipate. My vision blurred, and the last thing I saw was Celestia's disappointed glare changing to one of shock before I fell over on the ground and lost consciousness...